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Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle intervention remains a preferred treatment modality for NAFLD. The glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have been developed as new glucose-lowering drugs, which can improve fatty liver via an insulin-independent glucose-lowering effect. However, studies exploring the efficacy of GLP-1 receptor agonists combined with SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with NAFLD and T2DM are scanty. Thus, the present randomised controlled trial aims at comparing the efficacy and safety of semaglutide plus empagliflozin with each treatment alone in patients with NAFLD and T2DM. Methods: This 52-week double-blinded, randomised, parallel-group, active-controlled trial evaluates the effects of semaglutide, empagliflozin and semaglutide + empagliflozin in 105 eligible overweight/obese subjects with NAFLD and T2DM. The primary outcome will be a change from baseline to week 52 in the controlled attenuation parameter, free fatty acid and glucagon. Secondary endpoints include changes in liver stiffness measurement, liver enzymes, blood glucose, lipid levels, renal function, electrolyte balances, minerals and bone metabolism, cytokines, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, ferritin, anthropometric indicators, nonalcoholic fatty liver fibrosis score, fibrosis 4 score and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. In addition, intention-to-treat, interim analysis and safety analysis will be performed. Discussion: This double-blinded, randomised, clinical trial involves a multi-disciplinary approach and aims to explore the synergistic effects of the combination of semaglutide and empagliflozin. The results can provide important insights into mechanisms of GLP-1 receptor agonists and/or SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with NAFLD and T2DM. Trial registration: This study has been registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300070674). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the huge negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism market of the US, we investigate the persistent degree of the shocks to three markets: overseas, Canada, and Mexico. To measure persistence degree and its dynamics, we apply the Fourier quantile unit root test and rolling-window indirect inference estimators. Overall results indicate (i) negative shocks to the US' tourist markets have more long-lasting effects than positive ones, (ii) degree of persistence of all three markets increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and (iii) Canada tourist marker displays more persistence behaviour than the other two markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzed the effect of tourism market diversification on Singapore's CO2 emissions by measuring the level of concentration of source countries in a foreign tourist basket of Singapore using a Herfindahl–Hirschman index. Our results indicated that the index fell over the period 1978–2020, which means the diversification of source countries of Singapore's foreign tourists increased. By applying the recent bootstrap and quantile ARDL models, we found that tourism market diversification and inward FDI act as stumbling blocks to CO2 emissions. In contrast, economic growth and primary energy consumption increase CO2 emissions. Policy implications are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time in the tourism and environment literature, this study investigates the CO2 emissions effect of the market diversification of tourist arrivals. Theoretically, tourism market diversification has two opposite potential effects on CO2 emissions, depending on its scale and composition effect. It may increase CO2 emissions by expanding the scale of tourism-related activities or decrease CO2 emissions by expanding the share of developed/less-polluted source countries in the destination. By utilizing the econometrics of time series data, we tested the impact of tourism market diversification on CO2 emissions in Australia over the period 1976–2019. Our findings show that tourism market diversification has pro-CO2 emissions effects in the long run for Australia. These findings contribute to our understanding of the environmental impacts of tourism market diversification and help in policy formulations in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing tourism- and happiness-related literature commonly investigates whether a happy destination does in fact render tourists happy and how tourist arrivals affect residents' happiness. This research thus first explores whether the host country and Twitter happiness indices influence tourism development in an international framework (i.e. tourist arrivals, tourism revenues, and travel and leisure sector returns). To account for intricate correlations among variables, the study employs a quantile regression approach on panel data from 119 countries spanning 2006–2017. Evidences find that most host country happiness indices and macroeconomic factors show salient, nonlinear, and asymmetric impacts across both tourist arrival and tourism revenue quantiles in concurrent and subsequent periods, except for European country results. Moreover, Twitter happiness index strongly affects travel and leisure sector returns, but has no impact on tourist arrivals as well as tourism revenues, implying the importance of social media happiness on said returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remarkably enhanced photovoltaic effects have been observed in the heterostructures of p-type A-site Nd3+-doped BiFeO3 (Bi0.9375Nd0.0625)FeO3 (or BFONd) polycrystalline ceramics and the n-type ITO thin film. The maximum power conversion is ~0.82%, which is larger than 0.015% in BiFeO3 (BFO) under blue-ultraviolet irradiation of wavelength λ = 405 nm. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curve suggests a p-n junction interface between the ITO thin film and BFO (or BFONd) ceramics. The band gaps calculated from first-principles for BFO and BFONd are respectively 2.25 eV and 2.23 eV, which are consistent with the experimental direct band gaps of 2.24 eV and 2.20 eV measured by optical transmission spectra. The reduction of the band gap in BFONd can be explained by the lower electronic Fermi level due to acceptor states revealed by first-principles calculations. The optical calculations show a larger absorption coefficient in BFONd than in BFO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remarkably enhanced photovoltaic effects have been observed in the heterostructures of p-type A-site Nd3+-doped BiFeO3 (Bi0.9375Nd0.0625)FeO3 (or BFONd) polycrystalline ceramics and the n-type ITO thin film. The maximum power conversion is ~0.82%, which is larger than 0.015% in BiFeO3 (BFO) under blue-ultraviolet irradiation of wavelength λ = 405 nm. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curve suggests a p-n junction interface between the ITO thin film and BFO (or BFONd) ceramics. The band gaps calculated from first-principles for BFO and BFONd are respectively 2.25 eV and 2.23 eV, which are consistent with the experimental direct band gaps of 2.24 eV and 2.20 eV measured by optical transmission spectra. The reduction of the band gap in BFONd can be explained by the lower electronic Fermi level due to acceptor states revealed by first-principles calculations. The optical calculations show a larger absorption coefficient in BFONd than in BFO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel chalconoids, [3-3'']bi-2-hydroxy-4,5,6-trimethoxydihydrochalcone (1) and 4,6-dimethoxy-2,5-quinodihydrochalcone (2), and twelve known compounds were isolated from the methanolic extract of Fissistigma latifolium (Dun.) Merr. The structures of all compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods. Of these, compounds 1, 2, and 2-hydroxy-4,5,6-trimethoxydihydrochalcone (10) belong to an uncommon group of chalconoids, the retrochalcones. Compound 1 is the first bis-retrochalcone to be reported, and compound 2 is a quinoretrochalcone. Furthermore, 2 showed activity against the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line with an IC (50) value of 7.1 µM., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)