Retinal nerve fiber layer defects and chronic kidney disease:the Kailuan Eye Study

AIM:To investigate whether retinal nerve fiber layer defects(RNFLDs)is a potential risk factor for chronic kidney disease(CKD)in Chinese adults.METHODS:The Kailuan Eye Study was a populationbased study that included 14440 participants.All participants underwent detailed assessments,RNFLDs were diagnosed using color fundus photographs.RESULTS:Overall,12507 participants[8533 males(68.23%)]had complete systemic examination data and at least one evaluable fundus photograph.RNFLDs were found in 621 participants[5.0%;95%confidence interval(CI):4.6%-5.34%],and 70 cases of multiple RNFLDs were found(11.27%).After adjusting multiple factors,RNFLDs was significantly associated with CKD severity,the ORs of CKD stage 3,stage 4 and stage 5 were 1.698,4.167,and 9.512,respectively.Multiple RNFLDs were also associated with CKD severity after adjusting multiple factors,the ORs of CKD stage 3 and stage 5 were 4.465 and 11.833 respectively.Furthermore,2294 participants had CKD(18.34%,95%CI:17.68%-18.99%).After adjusting for other factors,CKD presence was significantly correlated with the presence of RNFLDs.CONCLUSION:The strongest risk factors for RNFLDs are CKD and hypertension.Conversely,RNFLDs can be an ocular feature in patients with CKD.Fundoscopy can help detect systemic diseases,and assessment for RNFLDs should be considered in CKD patients.

Analysis of risk and protective factors associated with retinal nerve fiber layer defect in a Chinese adult population

AIM:To investigate the risk and protective factors associated with the retinal nerve fiber layer defect(RNFLD)in a Chinese adult population.METHODS:This study was a cross-sectional populationbased investigation including employees and retirees of a coal mining company in Kailuan City,Hebei Province.All the study participants underwent a comprehensive systemic and ophthalmic examination.RNFLD was diagnosed on fundus photographs.Binary logistic regression was used to investigate the risk and protective factors associated with the RNFLD.RESULTS:The community-based study included 14440 participants.There were 10473 participants in our study,including 7120 males(68.0%)and 3353 females(32.0%).The age range was 45-108y,averaging 59.56±8.66y.Totally 568 participants had RNFLD and the prevalence rate was 5.42%.A higher prevalence of RNFLD was associated with older age[P<0.001,odds ratio(OR):1.032;95%confidence interval(CI):1.018-1.046],longer axial length(P=0.010,OR:1.190;95%CI:1.042-1.359),hypertension(P=0.007,OR:0.639;95%CI:0.460-0.887),and diabetes mellitus(P=0.019,OR:0.684;95%CI:0.499-0.939).The protective factors of RNFLD were visual acuity(P=0.038,OR:0.617;95%CI:0.391-0.975),and central anterior chamber depth(P=0.046,OR:0.595;95%CI:0.358-0.990).CONCLUSION:In our cross-sectional community-based study,with an age range of 45-108y,RNFLD is associated with older age,longer axial length,hypertension,and diabetes mellitus.The protective factors of RNFLD are visual acuity and central anterior chamber depth.These can help to predict and evaluate RNFLD related diseases and identify high-risk populations early.

Effect of Defects at the Buffer Layer CdS/Absorber CIGS Interface on CIGS Solar Cell Performance

This scientific paper presents a study investigating the effects of defects at the CdS/CIGS and CdS/SDL interfaces on the performance of CIGS solar cells. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of defects at the interface between the CdS buffer layer and the CIGS absorber, as well as the surface defect layer (SDL), on CIGS solar cell performance. The study explores three key aspects: the impact of the conduction band offset (CBO) at the CdS/CIGS interface, the effects of interface defects and defect density on performance, and the combined influence of CBO and defect density at the CdS/ SDL and SDL/CIGS interfaces. For interface defects not exceeding 1013 cm-2, we obtained a good efficiency of 22.9% when -0.1 eV analyzing the quality of CdS/SDL and SDL/CIGS junctions, it appears that defects at the SDL/CIGS interface have very little impact on the performances of the CIGS solar cell. By optimizing the electrical parameters of the CdS/SDL interface defects, we achieved a conversion efficiency of 23.1% when -0.05 eV < CBO < 0.05 eV.

Surface growth of novel MOFs on AZ31 Mg alloy coated via plasma electrolytic oxidation for enhanced corrosion protection and photocatalytic performance

In the pursuit of multifunctional coatings,the controlled growth of materials on stationary platforms holds paramount importance for achieving superior corrosion protection and optimal photocatalytic performance.This study introduces a cutting-edge approach,intertwining bifunctional metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)seamlessly into defective MgO layers produced by the anodic oxidation of AZ31 alloy.Key metallic oxides of Zn,Sn,and V take center stage as metallic sources for MOF formation,complemented by the organic prowess of L-Tryptophan as anα-amino acid linker.Leveraging the electronic structure of metallic oxides reacting with tryptophan molecules,controlled morphologies with distinct characteristics are induced on the defective surface of the MgO layer,enabling the precise modulation of surface defects.The hybrid composite demonstrates an adaptive microstructure in diverse aqueous environments,offering dual functionality with electrochemical stability and visible light photocatalytic activity for crystal violet degradation.Among the samples,the SnOF complex exhibited remarkable electrochemical stability with a low corrosion current density of 7.50×10^(−10)A·cm^(−2),along with a 94.56%degradation efficiency after 90 min under visible light exposure.The VOF complex,under similar visible light conditions,demonstrated exceptional performance with a higher degradation efficiency of 97.79%and excellent electrochemical stability characterized by a corrosion current density of 3.26×10^(−9)A·cm^(−2).Additionally,Density Functional Theory(DFT)computations shed light on the basic bonding patterns between MOFs and inorganic components,providing electronic understanding of their electrochemical and photocatalytic activities.

Defect-mode and Fabry-Perot resonance induced multi-band nonreciprocal thermal radiation

According to Kirchhoff's radiation law,the spectral-directional absorptivity(α)and spectral-directional emissivity(e)of an object are widely believed to be identical,which places a fundamental limit on photonic energy conversion and management.The introduction of Weyl semimetals and magneto-optical(MO)materials into photonic crystals makes it possible to violate Kirchhoff's law,but most existing work only report the unequal absorptivity and emissivity spectra in a single band,which cannot meet the requirements of most practical applications.Here,we introduce a defect layer into the structure composed of one-dimensional(1D)magnetophotonic crystal and a metal layer,which realizes dual-band nonreciprocal thermal radiation under a 3-T magnetic field with an incident angle of 60°.The realization of dual-band nonreciprocal radiation is mainly due to the Fabry-Perot(FP)resonance occurring in the defect layer and the excitation of Tamm plasmon,which is proved by calculating the magnetic field distribution.In addition,the effects of incident angle and structural parameters on nonreciprocity are also studied.What is more,the number of nonreciprocal bands could be further increased by tuning the defect layer thickness.When the defect layer thickness increases to 18.2μm,tri-band nonreciprocal thermal radiation is realized due to the enhanced number of defect modes in the photonic band gap and the FP resonance occurring in the defect layer.Finally,the effect of defect location on nonreciprocity is also discussed.The present work provides a new way for the design of multi-band or even broad-band nonreciprocal thermal emitters.

Layered sphere-shaped TiO_2 capped with gold nanoparticles on structural defects and their catalysis of formaldehyde oxidation

We describe here a one-step method for the synthesis of Au/TiO2 nanosphere materials,which were formed by layered deposition of multiple anatase TiO2 nanosheets.The Au nanoparticles were stabilized by structural defects in each TiO2 nanosheet,including crystal steps and edges,thereby fixing the Au-TiO2 perimeter interface.Reactant transfer occurred along the gaps between these TiO2 nanosheet layers and in contact with catalytically active sites at the Au-TiO2 interface.The doped Au induced the formation of oxygen vacancies in the Au-TiO2 interface.Such vacancies are essential for generating active oxygen species（-＊O^-） on the TiO2 surface and Ti^3＋ ions in bulk TiO2.These ions can then form Ti^3＋-O^--Ti^4＋species,which are known to enhance the catalytic activity of formaldehyde（HCHO） oxidation.These studies on structural and oxygen vacancy defects in Au/TiO2 samples provide a theoretical foundation for the catalytic mechanism of HCHO oxidation on oxide-supported Au materials.

Enhanced etching of silicon didioxide guided by carbon nanotubes in HF solution

This paper describes a new method to create nanoscale SiO2 pits or channels using single-walled carbon nanotubes （SWNTs） in an HF solution at room temperature within a few seconds. Using aligned SWNT arrays, a pattern of nanoscale SiO2 channels can be prepared. The nanoscale SiO2 patterns can also be created on the surface of three- dimensional （3D） SiO2 substrate and even the nanoscale trenches can be constructed with arbitrary shapes. A possible mechanism for this enhanced etching of SiO2 has been qualitatively analysed using defects in SWNTs, combined with H3O＋ electric double layers around SWNTs in an HF solution.

Characteristics and analysis of 4H-SiC PiN diodes with a carbon-implanted drift layer

The characteristics of 4H-SiC PiN diodes with a carbon-implanted drift layer was investigated and the reason of characteristics improvement was analyzed. The forward voltage drops of the diodes with carbonimplanted drift layer were around 3.3 V, which is lower than that of devices without carbon implantation, the specific-on resistance was decreased from 9.35 to 4.38 mΩcm^2 at 100 A/cm^2, and the reverse leakage current was also decreased. The influence of carbon incorporation in the Si C crystalline grids was studied by using deep-level transient spectroscopy（DLTS）. The DLTS spectra revealed that the Z_（1/2） traps, which were regarded as the main lifetime limiting defects, were dramatically reduced. It is proposed that the reduction of Z_（1/2） traps can achieve longer carrier lifetime in the drift layer, which is beneficial to the performance of bipolar devices.