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Qin Lou,1,&ast; Yan-Feng Zhu,1,&ast; Mei-Li Ye2 1Department of Ultrasonic Medicine, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, HangZhou, People’s Republic of China; 2SHU LAN(QU ZHOU)HOSPITAL, Quzhou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mei-Li Ye, SHU LAN(QU ZHOU)HOSPITAL, No. 2 Zhong Tower Floor, Fushang Street, Kecheng District, Quzhou, 324000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8615167059261, Email yemeiliyml6g@126.comObjective: To investigate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation and its effect on thyroid function in patients with cystic-solid thyroid nodules.Methods: We enrolled 90 patients with cystic-solid thyroid nodules and randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 37) or an observation group (n = 53). Patients in the observation group underwent ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation, while those in the control group were treated with ultrasound-guided lauromacrogol. Thyroid function was monitored, and complications were recorded for both groups, while nodule reduction rates were compared across a range of volumes and time periods.Results: One month after surgery, the observation group had a larger volume of nodules than the control group, while at 12 months, the volume of nodules in the observation group was smaller. (P < 0.05). Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine 4 (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels were all within normal ranges after treatment in both groups and showed no significant differences from pre-treatment levels. (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the total incidence of adverse reactions in the control group (8.11%) and the observation group (5.66%) (P > 0.05).Conclusion: With a low incidence of postoperative adverse reactions, the ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation protocol in the clinical treatment of patients with cystic-solid thyroid nodules can effectively reduce the volume of solid thyroid nodules without affecting the thyroid function of patients and can achieve more ideal treatment effectiveness, and is deserving of promotion.Keywords: cystic-solid, radiofrequency ablation, thyroid function, thyroid nodules, ultrasound

Zhenzhen Sun,1,&ast; Kun Wang,1,&ast; Chuan Yun,1 Fang Bai,1 Xiaodan Yuan,2 Yaujiunn Lee,3 Qingqing Lou1 1The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Disease, Haikou, Hainan, People’s Republic of China; 2Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endocrinology, Lee’s Clinic, Pingtung City, Pingtung County, Taiwan&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qingqing Lou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Disease, No. 31, Longhua Road, Haikou, 570102, Hainan, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 15312019129, Email 2444890144@qq.comPurpose: To investigate the association of five obesity indices and the variability of these indices with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes and compare the predictive validity of these markers for the risk of DKD in this large longitudinal cohort study.Patients and Methods: A total of 2659 patients with type 2 diabetes who did not have DKD were enrolled between 2006 and 2019 at Lee’s United Clinic in Taiwan. Data were collected for each subject, including demographic data, personal medical history, clinical parameters and calculated Body mass index (BMI), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), body roundness index (BRI) and variability of five obesity indices. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between different obesity indicators and DKD risk. Cox’s proportional hazards model was evaluated the predictive effect of obesity indices on DKD.Results: The risk of developing DKD increased with an increase in the BRI, LAP, VAI, WC and BMI (all P trend< 0.05), and the variability of VAI was significantly associated with DKD [HR=1.132, 95% CI (1.001, 1.281)] after adjusting for corresponding variables. BRI had the strongest predictive effect on DKD. BRI had the best predictive performance, with AUC of 0.807, 0.663 and 0.673 at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Cox regression analysis of risk factors for DKD in patients stratified by BRI quartiles showed that patients in the Q4 group had the highest risk of developing DKD [HR=1.356, 95% CI (1.131, 1.626)].Conclusion: BMI, WC, VAI, LAP, BRI and VAI variability were associated with a significant increase in the risk of DKD events, and BRI was superior and alternative obesity index for predicting DKD.Keywords: visceral adiposity index, lipid accumulation product, body roundness index, diabetic kidney disease

Qi Lou,1,&ast; Lu Pan,1,&ast; Shengjin Xiang,1,2,&ast; Yueting Li,1 Jiahui Jin,1 Jingyang Tan,1 Baoshan Huang,1,2 Kaihui Nan,1,2 Sen Lin1,2 1National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Kaihui Nan; Sen Lin, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-577-88067962, Email lin_sen@wmu.edu.cn; nankh@l63.comIntroduction: Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is widely employed as a preservative in eye drops, which will cause the death of corneal epithelial cells due to ROS production, DNA strand breakage, and mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting in dry eye disease (DED)-like changes in ocular surface tissues. In this study, Melatonin (MT) liposomes (TAT-MT-LIPs) designed by loading MT into TAT-modified liposomes have been developed, characterized, and used for inhibiting BAC-induced DED (BAC-DED).Methods: The TAT was chemically grafted onto the Mal-PEG2000-DSPE by Michael’s addition between the sulfhydryl group in TAT and the maleimide group in Mal-PEG2000-DSPE. TAT-MT-LIPs were prepared using film dispersion followed by the extrusion method and topically treated in rats once a day. BAC-DED was induced in rats by topical administration with 0.2% BAC twice daily. Defects, edema, and inflammation of the corneas, as well as IOP, were examined. Histologic analyses of corneas were performed to assess the change of mitochondrial DNA oxidation and NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling transduction.Results: After topical administration, TAT-MT-LIPs significantly alleviated DED-clinical symptoms of experimental animals by inhibiting tissue inflammation and preventing the loss of the corneal epithelium and conjunctival goblet cells. Our data suggested continuous ocular surface exposure of BAC-induced NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD mediated corneal epithelium pyroptosis, which was not reported before. BAC caused substantial mt-DNA oxidation, which promoted the transduction of NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD and consequent corneal epithelium pyroptosis. TAT-MT-LIPs could efficiently suppress the BAC-induced corneal epithelium pyroptosis and inflammation by inhibiting mt-DNA oxidation and the subsequent signal transmission.Conclusion: NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD mediated corneal epithelium pyroptosis is involved in the development of BAC-DED. The present study provided new insights into the adverse effects of BAC, which can serve as a new target for protecting corneal epithelium when applying BAC as a preservative in eye drops. The developed TAT-MT-LIPs can efficiently inhibit BAC-DED and give great potential to be developed as a new DED treatment.Keywords: melatonin liposome, dry eye disease, benzalkonium chloride, pyroptosis, NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling axis

Yanyan Li,1,&ast; Qingqing Lou,2,&ast; Song Wen,1 Mingyue Zhou,3 Dongxiang Xu,1 Chaoxun Wang,1 Xingdang Liu,2 Ligang Zhou1,4 1Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China; 3Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; 4Shanghai Key Laboratory of Vascular Lesions Regulation and Remodeling, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ligang Zhou, Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8613611927616, Email zhouligang@yahoo.comPurpose: This study aimed to reveal the relationship between the volume of sporadic renal cysts and renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).Materials and Methods: One hundred and seventy-one patients that underwent renal imaging and other routine examinations at the Shanghai Pudong Hospital were included in this study. The Gates’ method of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured by 99mTc-DTPA renal dynamic imaging in addition to the eGFR, calculated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation (CKD-EPI).Results: Our results showed that BMI, total iGFR, and eGFR showed significant differences between patients with T2D with or without SRC (p < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that cyst volume was positively correlated with Scr and gender but not iGFR (p > 0.05). The total iGFR positively correlated with eGFR (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001) and negatively with Scr (r = − 0.78, p < 0.0001), age (r = − 0.43, p < 0.0001), duration of T2D (r = − 0.25, p = 0.001), and BMI (r = − 0.21, p = 0.006) but not gender (r = − 0.03, p = 0.668). The multilinear regression model revealed that gender (β = 0.346, p < 0.001), iGFR (β = − 0.705, p < 0.001), and serum uric acid (β = 0.195, p = 0.032) were independent predictors of Scr. Moreover, we observed a significant increase in Scr in males (p < 0.05). Finally, we found that the split kidney function reflected by iGFR and related parameters such as time to peak (PTT) and half time of excretion (excrete t1/2) did not mutually distinguish from each other significantly whether they are measured in patients with renal cysts or in those without renal cysts (p > 0.05).Conclusion: Our preliminary results suggest that in T2D, SRCs may be a renal complication of diabetic nephropathy. Although we found that the patients with renal cysts may display reduced iGFR, the volume of simple cysts seems not to exacerbate renal insufficiency. Isotope renography is a useful tool to evaluate the split kidney functions in diabetic patients who acquire single-side cysts.Keywords: type 2 diabetes, SRCs, kidney function, isotope glomerular filtration rate, cysts volume, gender disparity

Nianlan Cheng, Shuo Wu, Xianli Luo, Chunyan Xu, Qin Lou, Jin Zhu, Lu You, Bangguo Li Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Bangguo LiDepartment of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 13511816288Email lbg6288@163.comPurpose: To investigate the CT features of drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (DR-PTB) and the diagnostic value of CT in DR-PTB diagnosis to provide imaging evidence for the timely detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Materials and Methods: A total of 1546 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) with complete clinical data, chest CT images and defined drug sensitivity testing results were consecutively enrolled; 516 cases of DR-PTB were included in the drug-resistant group, and 1030 cases of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (DS-PTB) were included in the drug-sensitivity group. Comparative analyses of clinical symptoms and imaging findings were conducted. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were performed, a regression equation model was developed, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed.Results: In the univariate analysis, some features, including whole-lung involvement, multiple cavities, thick-walled cavities, collapsed lung, disseminated lesions along the bronchi, bronchiectasis, emphysema, atelectasis, calcification, proliferative lesions, encapsulated effusion, etc., were observed more frequently in the DR-PTB group than in the DS-PTB group, and the differences were statistically significant (p< 0.05). Exudative lesions and pneumoconiosis were observed more frequently in the drug-sensitivity group than in the drug-resistant group (p< 0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that whole-lung involvement, multiple cavities, thick-walled cavities, disseminated lesions along the bronchi, bronchiectasis, and emphysema were independent risk factors for DR-PTB, and exudative diseases were protective factors. The total prediction accuracy of the regression model was 80.6%, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 82.6%.Conclusion: Chest CT manifestations of DR-PTB had certain characteristics that significantly indicated the possibility of drug resistance in tuberculosis patients, specifically when multifarious imaging findings, including multiple cavities, thick-walled cavities, disseminated lesions along the bronchi, whole-lung involvement, etc., coexisted simultaneously. These results may provide imaging evidence for timely drug resistance detection in suspected drug-resistant cases and contribute to the early diagnosis of DR-PTB.Keywords: pulmonary tuberculosis, drug resistance, tomography, X-ray computed, imaging findings, diagnosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Qingquan Wei,1,2,* Rui Chen,1,2,* Qiyang Lou,1,2 Jing Yu1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Ninghai First Hospital, Zhejiang 315600, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital Affiliated with Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid implant and intravitreal ranibizumab for the treatment of macular edema (ME).Materials and methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were comprehensively searched for studies comparing dexamethasone implant with ranibizumab in patients with ME. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central subfield thickness (CST), and adverse events were extracted from the final eligible studies. RevMan 5.3 software was used to analyze the data, and the modified Jadad assessment tool was used to access the quality of outcomes.Results: Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in our analysis. The types of causes of ME include central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), and diabetic retinopathy (DR). The ranibizumab treatment group had significantly better BCVA compared with the corticosteroid treatment group (standard mean difference [SMD] -0.80; 95% CI -1.08, -0.53; P

Fan Li,1,* Ping Yao,2,* Cunyi Hsue,3 Jin Xu,4 Qingqing Lou11Department of Health Education, Jiangsu Province Hospital on Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, Jiangsu Province Hospital on Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Hangzhou 9th Middle School, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: The objective was to compare Diabetes Conversation Maps-based education and traditional education in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 53 outpatients were randomized to the intervention group (Diabetes Conversation Maps-based education) and control group (traditional education). In the intervention group, six 1-hour sessions covering diabetes overview, living with diabetes, risk factors and complications of diabetes, starting insulin treatment, foot care, and healthy eating and exercise were provided during 4 weeks. The participants had to attend at least four sessions, followed by a monthly follow-up telephone call in the subsequent 3 months. In the control group, six 1-hour diabetes classes covering similar topics as those in the intervention group were provided over 4 weeks. Each participant needed to attend at least four sessions. A1C was assessed at baseline, 3 months and 6 months after the last educational session/class. Psychosocial metrics and self-care activities were evaluated at baseline and 6 months after the last educational session/class. Forty-six participants finished the study. After 6 months, the total score of diabetes distress scale was significantly lower and total score of diabetes empowerment scale-short form was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. The 3 months A1C was significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group. However, the 6 months A1C did not reach a statistically significant difference between groups. Compared to traditional education, Diabetes Conversation Maps were more effective in improving psychosocial metrics and 3-month A1C.Keywords: type 2 diabetes, education, conversation map, psychosocial metrics

This study looks into how core competence which focuses on shared vision, cooperation, and empowerment affects competitive advantage in the food service business, which is facing pressures from disruptive competition and growing consumer demand for sustainable and better food options. The study measures competitive advantage through business flexibility and responsiveness. It employs a descriptive-correlational research design and a purposive sampling technique, intentionally selecting fifty employees from various food service establishments, including fast-food chains, restaurants, and cafes, as respondents. Data was gathered using a modified version of an existing questionnaire, which included sections on demographics, core competence, and competitive advantage. A five-point Likert scale was used to collect the responses. The study reveals that there was a high degree of core competence in the food service industry, in general. It also discovered that businesses in the food service sector frequently have a very high degree of competitive advantage. Further, the findings show a significant positive relationship between competitive advantage and core competency, underscoring the significance of empowerment, collaboration, and shared vision in fostering flexibility and responsiveness, consequently gaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. These results suggest that for businesses in the food service sector to obtain a competitive edge, they should prioritize strengthening and expanding their core competencies. The study is important for workers, managers, owners of businesses, consumers, academic institutions, and upcoming researchers. However, this study may have certain limitations regarding its scope and objectives, as it was conducted within a specific context and time frame which may not encompass all possible scenarios or changes over an extended period. Thus, the result of this research should be interpreted within these limitations, and future research is recommended to validate and expand upon these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, our focus is to construct (quasi-)copulas with a given opposite track section. Three different ways for constructing (quasi-)copulas with a given opposite track section are proposed and the best-possible bounds for all those (quasi-)copulas sharing a common opposite track section are also discussed. Drawing inspiration from the opposite diagonal splicing operation, we propose the curved splicing operation. We obtain that the curved splicing of any two quasi-copulas with a common opposite track section must be a quasi-copula. We also show several sufficient conditions for the curved splicing of any two copulas sharing a common opposite track section to be a copula. Furthermore, we discuss the characteristics of a copula constructed by the curved splicing operation. Finally, we construct two novel types of semilinear copulas, and by applying the curved splicing operation we obtain two additional types of semilinear copulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen gas generated through water electrolysis can replace fossil fuels. Thus, developing cost-effective and efficient water-splitting electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction is highly important. Herein, biomass-porous-carbon-supported sulphur-doped flower-like NiFe-based alloy composites are prepared using an in situ impregnation-heat treatment technology. The spherical flower (diameter - 1 μm, petal thickness - 20 nm) main components are Ni0.5Fe0.5 and Fe9Ni9S16. The 800 °C heat-treated catalyst demonstrates outstanding catalytic performance in oxygen evolution reactions. At a current density of 10 mA cm-2, it exhibits a minimal overpotential of 298.62 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the performance of a blood nucleic acid testing kit, construct a consistency assessment system, and analyze the influencing factors of the test results. Methods A total of 18 644 samples of voluntary blood donors in our center were collected, and 189 double positive samples of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by ELISA were eliminated, and the remaining 18 455 samples were tested for HBV DNA in parallel with the test reagent and the control reagent (Roche Company). Samples with inconsistent results were confirmed with third-party reagents (Grifols Company, with the sensitivity of HBV DNA, HCV RNA and HIV RNA of 4.5 IU/mL, 2.4 IU/mL and 17.3 IU/mL by single reagent, which were significantly better than other reagents), and the consistency between the two methods was compared. Results No HCV RNA or HIV RNA positive samples were detected in this study. Among the 18 455 samples in initial test, 12 were positive with consistent results, 18 378 were negative with consistent results, and 65 were with inconsistent results between the test reagent and the control reagent, with positive concordance rate, negative concordance rate and concordance rate of the two reagents at 85.17%, 99.66% and 99.65%, respectively. In order to further clarify the infection of 65 inconsistent samples, five qualitative tests of hepatitis B and single NAT were conducted to comprehensively evaluate the infection. The results showed that there were 60 positive samples with consistent results, 18 371 negative samples with consistent results, and 24 samples with inconsistent results between the test reagent and the control reagent, with positive concordance rate, negative concordance rate and the concordance rate for the two reagents at 86.96%, 99.92% and 99.87%, respectively. The Kappa value was 0.83, and the Youden index was 0.40. The ROC curve was plotted with the false-positive rate (1-specificity) as the horizontal coordinate and the true-positive rate (sensitivity) as the vertical coordinate, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.705. 189 double-positive samples were selected for conformance testing, and the Ct values of the test reagent and the control reagent were analyzed and fitted linearly, with correlation coefficient r=0.972. A Bland-Altman model was constructed with the mean value of the logarithm of the quantitative values of the test reagent and the control reagent as the horizontal coordinate and the difference as the vertical coordinate, and 96.30% of the difference values of the test reagents were within the confidence interval. Conclusion The construction of the consistency evaluation system showed that the test reagent has similar detection efficiency with the control reagent, and is suitable for HBV DNA routine screening, which can effectively ensure the safety and effectiveness of blood screening.

In the process of hydrogen production from water splitting in alkaline environment， FeNi-based composites are one of the most promising catalysts to replace noble metals. Using Ni（CH3COO）2 and FeSO4 as raw materials of metal ions， the molar ratio of Ni2+∶Fe2+ was controlled at 3∶1 and the total concentration of metal ions （Fe2++Ni2+） was 0.6 mol/L. FeNi3/Ni3-xS2/C composite nanomaterials were successfully prepared by in situ reaction of the elements of Ni，Fe，S with electrospinning and atmosphere heat treatment at 1000 ℃. The results show that the diameter of the nanoscale bead-chain is about 200 nm， the surface of the bead-chain is fluffy， and the elements of Fe， Ni， S， C are uniformly distributed in the nanoscale bead-chain matrix. The electrochemical analysis shows that the catalyst prepared from the FeNi3/Ni3-xS2/C composite after heat treatment in 1000 ℃ atmosphere exhibites excellent oxygen evolution reaction （OER） properties in 1 mol/L KOH aqueous solution， and the overpotential is 278.59 mV.

SlCCD1A-OE lines of cherry tomato CI1005 and large-fruited tomato AC were selected to investigate the effect of SlCCD1A on tomato flavor quality. The transgenic plants were identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the volatile components and major quality traits of the transgenic lines were determined. The results showed that SlCCD1A-OE mainly cleaved lycopene and β-carotene in tomato fruit, and increased the contents of 11 volatile isoprene compounds, including 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, compared with the wild type (WT). The total amount of these isoprene compounds was the highest in strain OE-3 from CI1005, which was 5.68 times of that in WT, and it increased 1.88 times in OE-8 from AC compared with WT, significantly enhancing the floral, fruity, and sweet aroma. The soluble solid content, total sugar content, and sugar/acid ratio in strain OE-3 from CI1005 increased to 6.2%, 37.34 mg/g, and 10.37, while the contents of total acid and vitamin C (VC) decreased to 0.36 mg/L and 42.10 mg/L, respectively. The soluble solid content, total sugar content, and sugar/acid ratio in strain OE-7 from AC increased to 4.77%, 20.03 mg/g, and 5.23, while the total acid and VC contents decreased to 0.38 mg/L and 37.10 mg/L, respectively, resulting in high-sweet and low-sour taste. The SlCCD1A gene is beneficial for enhancing the content and richness of carotenoid-derived volatiles in tomato fruit and increasing the contents of soluble solids and total sugars, thereby improving the flavor quality.

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are attractive for the easy operation and high compatibility with building integrated photovoltaics due to their low cost, large-scale and applicability. However, underutilized sunlight in visible wavelengths often impedes the advance of LSCs. Here, we demonstrate an orange-emitting carbon nanodots-based LSC (O-CDs) with excitation concentrated in the visible wavelengths. The orange-emitting carbon nanodots (O-CDs) with highly localized excitonic emission are prepared via atomic condensation of doped pyrrolic nitrogen, delivering a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 80 % and a suitable Stokes shift with absorption spectrum situated in the visible region. The O-CDs are embedded in polyvinylpyrrolidone to obtain a highly transparent, stable and environmentally friendly O-CDs-based LSC. Thanks to efficient utilization of solar radiation in visible areas and well match between the emission of O-CDs and the response bands of photovoltaic cells, the O-CDs-based LSC reveals an optical conversion efficiency of 5.17 %, superior to that of most carbon nanodots-based LSCs. These results provide an effective strategy to develop carbon-based luminescent concentrated materials for architectural integrated photovoltaic technology.

Compared with the energy dissipation of coal and rock failure, the more intuitive stress drop has certain practical significance for assisting the study of coal and rock failure characteristics and variation law of geophysical signals. And the stress drop is the macroscopic manifestation of energy dissipation. Most of the current research on energy dissipation and stress drop is only for one-sided research, without a comprehensive study on the relationship between the two. The relationship between the two is not clear, which restricts the application of the stress drop index. In order to solve the above problems, YAW−600 microcomputer controlled electro-hydraulic servo pressure testing machine is used to carry out uniaxial compression experiments on coal samples. The evolution characteristics of energy dissipation index and stress drop index in the whole process of coal sample failure under load and the relationship between them are studied and analyzed. Based on theoretical analysis, the relationship between energy dissipation index and the product of stress level and stress drop index is further studied. The results show that the energy dissipation index and stress drop index in the uniaxial compression failure process of coal sample have good response to the significant fracture of coal sample. And the indexes are in the same order of magnitude in numerical value, but they are not completely proportional. The energy dissipation rate is linearly related to the product of stress level and stress drop rate. And the energy dissipation is linearly related to the product of stress level and stress drop. The goodness of fit is 1 and 0.997 5 respectively. Compared with the energy dissipation index, the more intuitive product of stress level and stress drop index is more sensitive to the significant damage of coal samples, and has a burst characteristic. The research results clarify the relationship between energy dissipation and stress drop, and provide a certain theoretical support for the application of stress drop index. The relationship can be used for in-depth research on the coal rock failure characteristics and the variation law of geophysical signals such as acoustic emission, electromagnetic radiation and infrared radiation.

Deep rooting is an important trait in rice drought resistance. Genetic resources of deep-rooting varieties are valuable in breeding of water-saving and drought-resistant rice. In the present study, 234 BC2F7 backcross introgression lines were derived from a cross of Dongye 80 (an accession of Dongxiang wild rice as the donor parent) and R974 (an indica restorer line as the recurrent parent). A genetic linkage map containing 1 977 bin markers was constructed by ddRADSeq for QTL analysis. Thirty-one QTLs for four root traits (the number of deep roots, the number of shallow roots, the total number of deep roots and the ratio of deep roots) were assessed on six rice chromosomes in two environments (2020 Shanghai and 2021 Hainan). Two of the QTLs, qDR5.1 and qTR5.2, were located on chromosome 5 in a 70-kb interval. They were detected in both environments. qDR5.1 explained 13.35% of the phenotypic variance in 2020 Shanghai and 12.01% of the phenotypic variance in 2021 Hainan. qTR5.2 accounted for 10.88% and 10.93% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. One QTL (qRDR2.2) for the ratio of deep roots was detected on chromosome 2 in a 210-kb interval and accounted for 6.72% of the phenotypic variance in 2020. The positive effects of these three QTLs were all from Dongxiang wild rice. Furthermore, nine and four putative candidate genes were identified in qRDR2.2 and qDR5.1/qTR5.2, respectively. These findings added to our knowledge of the genetic control of root traits in rice. In addition, this study will facilitate the future isolation of candidate genes of the deep-rooting trait and the utilization of Dongxiang wild rice in the improvement of rice drought resistance.

Objective To investigate the effects of resistance exercise and aerobic exercise on abdominal adipose tissue and metabolic indexes in adults with pre-diabetes. Methods From May 2014 to April 2015, 105 patients with pre-diabetes were randomly divided into aerobic exercise group (AT, n=35), resistance exercise group (RT, n=35) and control group (n=35). Patients in the intervention group completed aerobic exercise and resistance exercise for 12 months, control group maintained the original lifestyle without exercise intervention. Relevant indicators were measured at the time of enrollment and 12 months of intervention. The main outcome indicators were visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) measured by computed tomography (CT). The secondary outcome indicators were body composition, lipid distribution and metabolic variables. Results A total of 93 participants completed the study. There was no significant difference between the groups before intervention (P>0. 05). After intervention, the VAT of AT and RT was significantly lower than that of control group (P=0. 001, P=0. 014, respectively). Although there was no significant difference in SAT between different groups, the SAT in each exercise group decreased significantly over time (P=0. 001). The increase of muscle mass in RT was higher than that in AT and control group (P=0. 031, P=0. 045, respectively). Compared with control group, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of AT and RT was significantly decreased (P=0. 014, P=0. 003, respectively). Conclusion Both aerobic exercise and resistance exercise can significantly reduce the abdominal fat content and FPG among patients with pre-diabetes. In addition, the effect of resistance exercise on increasing muscle mass is more remarkable. (目的 探讨抗阻运动与有氧运动对成人糖尿病前期人群腹部脂肪和代谢指标的影响。方法 选取2014年5月—2015年4月期间在江苏省中西医结合医院及丹阳市人民医院就诊的糖尿病前期患者105例, 随机分为有氧运动组(AT, n=35), 抗阻运动组(RT, n=35)和对照组(n=35)。AT组进行12个月的有氧运动干预, RT组进行12个月的抗阻运动干预, 对照组常规干预。观察入组时和干预12个月后人体成分和代谢指标, 使用计算机断层扫描(CT)测量腹部和内脏脂肪(VAT)和皮下脂肪(SAT)。结果 干预后AT组和RT组VAT较对照组显著降低(P=0. 001, P=0. 014)。AT组和RT组SAT显著下降(P＜0. 05)。RT组肌肉量增加高于AT组和对照组(P=0. 031, P=0. 045)。与对照组比较, AT组和RT组空腹血糖(FPG)明显降低(P=0. 014, P=0. 003)。结论 抗阻运动和有氧运动均能有效减少糖尿病前期人群的VAT和FPG水平, 抗阻运动增加肌肉量的效果更加显著。)

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important product generated in the body and related to many pathophysiological processes and glucose metabolism disorder can cause many fatal diseases in living bodies. Therefore, the sensing of H2O2 and glucose is of great significance in disease diagnostics and treatment. Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) are one new class of nanoprobes for H2O2 and glucose. Nevertheless, the CD-based sensor is always based on its fluorescence response, which is influenced by the auto-fluorescent interference. Herein, efficient fluorescent CDs were synthesized by one-pot solvothermal method, and the CDs exhibit bright and persistent deep-red (DR) chemiluminescence (CL) in bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate and H2O2 solution with a CL quantum yield of (8.22 ± 0.30) × 10−3, which is amongst the highest values in ever reported nanomaterials for chemical analysis. Employing the CDs as CL nanoprobes, sensitive sensing for H2O2 has been achieved with a detection limit of 11.7 μM, and further for glucose detection with a detection limit of 12.6 μM. The DR CL CDs is promising to be applied in blood glucose analysis or in vivo biosensor.

The analysis of time-domain characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) signals in process of rock failure under load mostly draws qualitative conclusions from amplitude, ringing count, energy and other parameters, without directly giving time-domain correlation of AE and EMR signals, and parameters used in frequency-domain characteristics analysis of AE and EMR signals are relatively simple. In view of the above problems, monitoring experiment of AE and EMR signals of rock samples under uniaxial compression was carried out, and time-frequency characteristics of AE and EMR signals in different stages of rock failure under load were analyzed. The results show that: ① In compressionstage and elastic stage, amplitude of AE and EMR signals is basically zero. In accelerated failure stage, amplitude of AE and EMR signals increases gradually and the number of signals increases gradually. In stage of complete failure, amplitude of AE and EMR signals increases and decreases almost at the same time. When load reaches the peak value, amplitude of AE and EMR signals reaches the maximum at the same time. Amplitude of AE signal is larger than that of EMR signal in the whole process of failure under load. ② In accelerated failure stage, AE and EMR signals are significantly correlated. In stage of complete destruction, AE and EMR signals are highly correlated. In the whole process of failure underload, variation trend of AE and EMR signals with time is basically the same, and AE and EMR signals are highly correlated in time-domain. ③ In accelerated failure stage and complete failure stage, EMR signals are mainly low frequency and very low frequency signals. Compared with EMR signal, AE signal has wider frequency band and larger amplitude of main frequency. Main frequency concentration range of AE and EMR signals is similar but not completely consistent. Amplitude of main frequency of AE and EMR signals in complete failure stage is larger than that in accelerated failure stage.

The effect of Sn:Ti ratio with large range from 55:3 to 10:48 on the phase structure and electrical properties of Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.42Sn0.58-xTix)O3ceramics has been investigated. A sequence of phase transitions were analyzed by the variation of P-E hysteresis loops with increasing temperature. The antiferroelectric (AFE)/ferroelectric (FE) occurred at room temperature (RT) when Sn:Ti ratio is between 50:08 and 40:18 with the Zr content of 0.42, which improves the lanthanum doped ternary phase diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geological conditions of coal mines in China are complicated. In recent years, with the continuous increase of intensity and depth of coal mining, coal and rock dynamic disasters are becoming more and more serious, and an important factor threatening the safety of coal mining. The accurate monitoring and early warning of coal and rock dynamic disasters are of great significance for disaster prevention. A large number of experiments conducted on both laboratory and field scales have demonstrated that the energy accumulated in rock material under loading can be released in the forms of acoustic emission (AE), electromagnetic radiation (EMR), etc. Therefore, AE and EMR, as the real-time, dynamic and continuous geophysical monitoring methods, have been widely used and played important roles in the field of monitoring and early-warning of coal and rock dynamic disasters in mines. To further study the time-frequency characteristics of AE and EMR and the relationships between these characteristics and load, and to provide the experimental basis for the monitoring and early warning of coal and rock dynamic disasters, an acoustic-electric full-waveform synchronous acquisition system of coal and rock fracture under loading was constructed in this paper. Using this system, the full-waveforms of AE and EMR of failure processes of coal samples under uniaxial compression were collected. The correlations among AE energy, EMR energy and load drop were studied, and the spectral characteristics of AE and EMR were analyzed. The results show that, (1) obvious acoustic-electric signals are emitted during the process of coal failure under loading. EMR is the paroxysmal signal, only accompanied by load drop and higher intensity AE. (2) Compared with AE, EMR has a higher correlation with load drop. There are high positive correlations among the cumulative values, relating to the cumulative released energy of coal fracture under loading, of AE energy, EMR energy and load drop. (3) The superiority frequency band of EMR is narrower than that of AE, with the former mainly concentrated in 1-25 kHz and the latter mainly in 1-280 kHz. Influenced by the initiation and propagation of the same crack, AE and EMR have similar low frequency components in the spectrum and main-frequency distribution.