Practice patterns among ophthalmic surgeons in treating concomitant oculoplastic conditions in preoperative period:A questionnaire-based study

BACKGROUND Addressing oculoplastic conditions in the preoperative period ensures both the safety and functional success of any ophthalmic procedure.Some oculoplastic conditions,like nasolacrimal duct obstruction,have been extensively studied,whereas others,like eyelid malposition and thyroid eye disease,have received minimal or no research.AIM To investigate the current practice patterns among ophthalmologists while treating concomitant oculoplastic conditions before any subspecialty ophthalmic intervention.METHODS A cross-sectional survey was disseminated among ophthalmologists all over India.The survey included questions related to pre-operative evaluation,anaesthetic and surgical techniques preferred,post-operative care,the use of adjunctive therapies,and patient follow-up patterns.RESULTS A total of 180 ophthalmologists responded to the survey.Most practitioners(89%)felt that the ROPLAS test was sufficient during pre-operative evaluation before any subspecialty surgery was advised.The most common surgical techniques employed were lacrimal drainage procedures(Dacryocystorhinostomy)(63.3%),eyelid malposition repair(36.9%),and ptosis repair(58.7%).Post-operatively,47.7%of respondents emphasized that at least a 4-week gap should be maintained after lacrimal drainage procedures and eyelid surgeries.Sixty-seven percent of ophthalmologists felt that topical anaesthetic procedures should be preferred while performing ocular surgeries in thyroid eye disease patients.CONCLUSION Approximately 50%of ophthalmologists handle prevalent oculoplastic issues themselves,seeking the expertise of an oculoplastic surgeon under particular conditions.Many ophthalmologists still favor using ROPLAS as a preliminary screening method before proceeding with cataract surgery.Eyelid conditions and thyroid eye disease are not as commonly addressed before subspecialty procedures compared to issues like nasolacrimal duct obstruction and periocular infections.

Spatial Pattern and Influencing Factors of China’s Digital Trade Resilience under the Impact of Trade Frictions

In the era of the digital economy,digital trade has demonstrated strong vitality,becoming a crucial driving force for the highquality development of national and regional economies.However,understanding the resilience of digital trade in the face of external crises is an important topic.Taking the backdrop of Sino-US trade friction,this paper constructs a resilience index system for digital trade.It utilizes entropy method,kernel density estimation,and ArcGIS mapping to calculate and visually analyze the resilience of China’s digital trade from 2017 to 2021.Additionally,a Tobit model is constructed to explore the main influencing factors of digital trade resilience patterns.The research findings indicate:1)temporally,during the period of Sino-US trade friction,China’s digital trade resilience shows an overall upward trend,but there are regional differences in resilience levels across the country,with a severe polarization phenomenon.2)Spatially,high resilience is observed in the eastern and central regions of China,while the western and northeastern regions exhibit low resilience.3)From a dimensional perspective,the resistance of digital trade resilience displays a spatial distribution of high values in the east and low values in the west.The recovery force is aggregated along coastal areas,and the renewal force tends to aggregate along the eastern coastline.4)Factors such as economic scale,industrial structure,urbanization rate,government fiscal expenditure,and technological talents significantly promote the enhancement of digital trade resilience.This study reveals the dynamic characteristics and influencing factors of digital trade resilience in responding to external shocks,providing theoretical basis and policy suggestions for enhancing digital trade resilience,and promoting high-quality economic development in China.

Prevalence,risk factors and clinical features of sensory A-V pattern exotropia

AIM:To investigate the potential mechanisms of A-V pattern and evaluate the surgical outcomes used in the treatment of sensory exotropia.METHODS:The medical records of patients with sensory A-V pattern exotropia who underwent strabismus surgery between May 2014 to June 2019 was retrospectively reviewed.The control group included sensory exotropia patients without A-V pattern and concomitant A-V pattern exotropia patients with normal vision who undergone strabismus surgery over this same time period.Ocular alignment,best corrected visual acuity,oblique muscle function,and stereopsis records were collected.RESULTS:Among the 843 eligible patients,91(10.79%;39 males and 52 females)had A-pattern(54,6.4%)or V-pattern(37,4.4%).Age at onset of vision impairment was 4±5y and at the time of surgery was 25±9y.Statistically significant negative correlations were present between impaired visual acuity and the pre-operative exodeviation(r=-0.198,P=0.016)and patterns(r=-0.207,P=0.015).Age at surgery and exodeviation in patients with concomitant A-V pattern exotropia was significantly earlier as compared with that of sensory A-V pattern exotropia and sensory exotropia(both P<0.0001).There were no significant differences in these clinical variables between sensory exotropia with or without A-V pattern.Deviation and pattern were significantly reduced in patients receiving horizontal rectus surgery with or without oblique muscle surgery(both P<0.0001).CONCLUSION:The prevalence of sensory A-V pattern exotropia in our study is 10.79%.Visual acuity represents an important factor contributing to the occurrence and development of A-V pattern.Isolated horizontal rectus surgery can provide a good option for the correction of sensory A-V pattern exotropia.

Optimization of production well patterns for natural gas hydrate reservoir: Referring to the results from production tests and numerical simulations

Natural gas hydrate is a clean energy source with substantial resource potential.In contrast to conventional oil and gas,natural gas hydrate exists as a multi-phase system consisting of solids,liquids,and gases,which presents unique challenges and complicates the mechanisms of seepage and exploitation.Both domestic and international natural gas hydrate production tests typically employ a single-well production model.Although this approach has seen some success,it continues to be hindered by low production rates and short production cycles.Therefore,there is an urgent need to explore a new well network to significantly increase the production of a single well.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in natural gas hydrate research,including both laboratory studies and field tests.It further examines the gas production processes and development outcomes for single wells,dual wells,multi-branch wells,and multi-well systems under conditions of depressurization,thermal injection,and CO_(2) replacement.On this basis,well types and well networks suitable for commercial exploitation of natural gas hydrate were explored,and the technical direction of natural gas hydrate development was proposed.The study shows that fully exploiting the flexibility of complex structural wells and designing a well network compatible with the reservoir is the key to improving production from a single well.Moreover,multi-well joint exploitation is identified as an effective strategy for achieving large-scale,efficient development of natural gas hydrate.

Latitudinal patterns of tree b-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China

Latitudinal patterns of treeβ-diversity reveal important insights into the biogeographical processes that influence forest ecosystems.Although previous studies have extensively documentedβ-diversity within relatively small spatial extents,the potential drivers ofβ-diversity along latitudinal gradients are still not well understood at larger spatial extents.In this study,we determined whether treeβ-diversity is correlated with latitude in forests of southeastern China,and if so,what ecological processes contribute to these patterns of treeβ-diversity.We specifically aimed to disentangle the relative contributions from interspecific aggregation and environmental filtering across various spatial extents.We delineated regional communities comprising multiple nearby national forest inventory(NFI)plots around random focal plots.The number of NFI plots in a regional community served as a surrogate for spatial extent.We also used a null model to simulate randomly assembled communities and quantify the deviation(β-deviation)between observed and expectedβ-diversity.We found thatβ-diversity decreased along a latitudinal gradient and that this pattern was clearer at larger spatial extents.In addition,latitudinal patterns ofβ-deviation were explained by the degree of species spatial aggregation.We also identified environmental factors that driveβ-deviation in these forests,including precipitation,seasonality,and temperature variation.At larger spatial extents,these environmental variables explained up to 84%of theβ-deviation.Our results reinforce that ecological processes are scale-dependent and collectively contribute to theβ-gradient in subtropical forests.We recommend that conservation efforts maintain diverse forests and heterogeneous environments at multiple spatial extents to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Territorial Ecological Restoration with a High-carbon Storage Focus in the Beibu Gulf Urban Agglomeration of China:Insights from Carbon Metabolism Spatial Security Patterns

This study focuses on urgent research on restoring and enhancing carbon storage capacity in the Beibu Gulf Urban Agglomer-ation of China,a key area in the‘Belt and Road’Initiative,which aligns with carbon peaking and neutrality goals.This research ana-lyzes the spatial characteristics of carbon metabolism from 2000 to 2020 and uses models to identify stable carbon sink areas,positive carbon flow corridors,and carbon sequestration nodes.The goal is to construct a carbon metabolism spatial security pattern(CMSSP)and propose territorial ecological restoration strategies under different development demand scenarios.The results show the following:1)in 2020,the study area’s carbon sink decreased by 8.29×10^(4) t C/yr compared with that in 2010 and by 10.83×10^(4) t C/yr compared with that in 2000.High-carbon sinks were found mainly in mountainous areas,whereas low-carbon sinks are concentrated in urban con-struction land,rural residential areas,and land margins.2)From 2000 to 2020,the spatial security pattern of carbon metabolism tended to be‘high in the middle of the east and west and low in the gulf.’In 2000,2010,and 2020,16 stable carbon sinks were identified.The carbon energy flow density in Guangxi was greater than that in Guangdong and Hainan,with positive carbon flow corridors located primarily in Guangxi and Guangdong.The number of carbon sequestration nodes remained stable at approximately 15,mainly in Guangxi and Hainan.3)Scenario simulations revealed that under the Nature-based mild restoration scenario,the carbon sink rate will reach 611.85×10^(4) t C/yr by 2030 and increase to 612.45×10^(4) t C/yr by 2060,with stable carbon sinks increasing to 18.In the restora-tion scenario based on Anti-globalization,the carbon sink will decrease from 610.24×10^(4) t C/yr in 2030 to 605.19×10^(4) t C/yr in 2060,with the disappearance of some positive carbon flow corridors and stable carbon sinks.Under the Human-based sustainable restoration scenario,the carbon sink area will decrease from 607.00×10^(4) t C/yr in 2030 to 596.39×10^(4) t C/yr in 2060,with carbon sink areas frag-menting and positive carbon flow corridors becoming less dense.4)On the basis of the current and predicted CMSSPs,this study ex-plores spatial ecological restoration strategies for high-carbon storage areas in bay urban agglomerations at four levels:the land control region,urban agglomeration structure system,carbon sink structure and bay structure control region.

PREPARING NANO-CRYSTALLINE La DOPED WC/Co POWDER BY HIGH ENERGY BALL MILLING

The La doped WC/Co powder was prepared by high energy ball milling. The changes of crystal structure, micrograph and defect of the powder were investigated by means of XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscope) and DTA (differential thermal analysis). The results show that adding trace La element into carbides is effective to minish the grain size of WC/Co powder. The La doped carbides powder with grain size of 30nm can be obtained after 10h ball milling. The XRD peak of Co phase disappeared after 20h ball milling, which indicated solid solution (or secondary solid solution) of Co phase in WC phase. The La doped powder with grain size of 10nm is obtained after 30h ball milling. A peak of heat release at the temperature of 470℃ was emerged in DTA curve within the range of heating temperature, which showed that the crystal structure relaxation of the powder appeared in the process of high energy ball milling. After consolidated the La doped WC/Co alloy by high energy ball milling exhibits ultra-fine grain sizes and better mechanical properties.

Synthesis and Characterization of Storage Energy Materials Prepared from Nano-crystalline Cellulose/Polyethylene Glycol

This paper gives a brief report of the synthesis of a new kind of solid-solid phase change materials （SSPCMs）, nano-crystalline cellulose/polyethylene glycol （NCC/PEG）. These PCMs have very high ability for energy storage, and their enthalpies reach 103.8 J/g. They are composed of two parts, PEG as functional branches for energy storage, and NCC as skeleton. The flexible polymer PEG was grafted onto the surface of rigid powder of NCC by covalent bonds. The results of DSC, FT-IR were briefly introduced, and some comments were also given.

Stress Field of Non-equilibrium Grain Boundaries in Nano-crystalline Metals

Introducing the stress distribution near grain boundaries to improve the dislocation pileup model for the Halt-Petch (H-P) relation, the continuous distribution of dislocations in the pileup could be solved by means of Tschebysheff polynomials for the Hilbert transformation. An analytical formula of the stress intensity factor for the dislocation pileup is obtained. The reverse H-P relation may be explained by the modified dislocation-pileup-model.

Effect of Gas Sources on the Deposition of Nano-Crystalline Diamond Films Prepared by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Nano-crystalline diamond （NCD） films were deposited on silicon substrates by a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MPCVD） reactor in C2H5OH/H2 and CH4/H2/O2 systems, respectively, with a constant ratio of carbon/hydrogen/oxygen. By means of atomic force microscopy （AFM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, it was shown that the NCD films deposited in the C2H5OH/H2 system possesses more uniform surface than that deposited in the CH4/H2/O2 system. Results from micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed that the quality of the NCD films was different even though the plasmas in the two systems contain exactly the same proportion of elements. In order to explain this phenomenon, the bond energy of forming OH groups, energy distraction in plasma and the deposition process of NCD films were studied. The experimental results and discussion indicate that for a same ratio of carbon/hydrogen/oxygen, the C2H5OH/H2 plasma was beneficial to deposit high quality NCD films with smaller average grain size and lower surface roughness.

Reinforcement of Lignin-Based Phenol-Formaldehyde Adhesive with Nano-Crystalline Cellulose (NCC): Curing Behavior and Bonding Property of Plywood

The curing behavior of lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resin with different contents of nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20&degC/min) and the bonding property was evaluated by the wet shear strength and wood failure of two-ply plywood panels after soaking in water (48 hours at room temperature and followed by 1-hour boiling). The test results indicated that the NCC content had little influence on the peak temperature, activation energy and the total heat of reaction of LPF resin at 5 and 10&degC/min. But at 20&degC/min, LPF0.00% (LPF resin without NCC) showed the highest total heat of reaction, while LPF0.25% (LPF resin containing 0.25% NCC content) and LPF0.50% (LPF resin containing 0.50% NCC content) gave the lowest value. The wet shear strength was affected by the NCC content to a certain extent. With regard to the results of one-way analysis of variance, the bonding quality could be improved by NCC and the optimum NCC content ranged from 0.25% to 0.50%. The wood failure was also affected by the NCC content, but the trend with respect to NCC content was not clear.

Preparation of Nano-crystalline Tungsten Carbide Thin Film by Magnetron Sputtering and Their Electrocatalytic Property for PNP Reduction

Nano-crystalline tungsten carbide thin films were deposited on Ni substrates by magnetron sputtering using WC as target material. The crystal structure and morphology of the thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） Electrochemical investigations showed that the electrode of the thin film exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity in the reaction of p-nitrophenol （PNP） reduction. FT-IR analysis indicated that p-aminophenol （PAP） was synthesized after two step reduction of PNP on nano-crystalline tungsten carbide thin film electrode.

The Character of Photo-electrochemistry of Palladium Implanted TiO_2 Nano-crystalline Electrode

A new electrode was prepared by using Pd implanted into nano-crystalline TiO2 and the character of photo-electrochemistry of implanted electrodes was investigated. The energy band structure of nano-crystalline TiO2 has not changed after implantation with Pd. The photo-current (i(ph)) of palladium implanted TiO2 nano-crystalline electrode is larger than that of pure TiO2 nanocrystalline electrode.

PREPARATION OF NANO-CRYSTALLINE Fe-Cu THIN FILMS AND THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES

Fe-Cu thin films of 0.2 mum in thickness with different Cu contents wereprepared by using r.f. magnetron sputtering onto glass substrate. The effect of sputteringparameters, including Ar gas pressure and input rf power, on the structure and magnetic propertieswas investigated. It was found that when the power is lower than 70W, the structure of the filmsremained single bcc-Fe phase with Cu solubility of up to 50at. percent. TEM observations for thebcc-Fe phase showed that the grain size was in the nanometer range of less than 20nm. The coercivityof Fe- Cu films was largely affected by not only Ar gas pressure but also rf power, and reachedabout 2.5Oe in the pressure of 0.67-6.67Pa and in the power of less than 100W. In addition,saturation magnetization, with Cu content less than 60at. percent, was about proportional to thecontent of bcc-Fe. When Cu content was at 60at. percent, however, saturation magnetization was muchsmaller than its calculation value.

Size Effects of Nano-crystalline Cellulose

Natural cellulose with the crystal form of cellulose Ⅰ, when treated with condensed lye (e.g. 18%NaOH), can change into new crystal form of cellulose Ⅱ. But the nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) can do it when only treated with dilute lye (e.g. 1%NaOH) at room temperature and even can dissolve into slightly concentrated lye (e.g. 4%NaOH).

Dynamic modeling of preloaded size-dependent nano-crystalline nano-structures

The vibration behavior of size-dependent nano-crystalline nano-beams is investigated based on nonlocal, couple stress and surface elasticity theories. A nano- crystalline nano-beam is composed of three phases which are nano-grains, nano-voids, and interface. Nano-voids or porosities inside the material have a stiffness-softening impact on the nano-beam. A Eringen＇s nonlocal elasticity theory is applied in the analysis of nano-crystalline nano-beams for the first time. Residual surface stresses which are usually neglected in modeling nano-crystalline nano-beams are incorporated into nonlocal elasticity to better understand the physics of the problem. Also, a modified couple stress theory is used to capture rigid rotations of grains. Applying a differential transform method （DTM） satisfying various boundary conditions, the governing equations obtained from the Hamilton＇s principle are solved. Reliability of the proposed approach is verified by comparing the obtained results with those provided in the literature. The effects of the nonlocal parameter, surface effect, couple stress, grain size, porosities, and interface thickness on the vibration characteristics of nano-crystalline nano-beams are explored.

Corrigendum to“Migration pattern of a population of Barn Swallows(Hirundo rustica)breeding in East Asian tropical region”[Avian Res.15(2024)100192]

The authors regret that the caption of Fig.4 should be replaced as below.

Clinical manifestation,lifestyle,and treatment patterns of chronic erosive gastritis:A multicenter real-world study in China

BACKGROUND Although chronic erosive gastritis(CEG)is common,its clinical characteristics have not been fully elucidated.The lack of consensus regarding its treatment has resulted in varied treatment regimens.AIM To explore the clinical characteristics,treatment patterns,and short-term outcomes in CEG patients in China.METHODS We recruited patients with chronic non-atrophic or mild-to-moderate atrophic gastritis with erosion based on endoscopy and pathology.Patients and treating physicians completed a questionnaire regarding history,endoscopic findings,and treatment plans as well as a follow-up questionnaire to investigate changes in symptoms after 4 wk of treatment.RESULTS Three thousand five hundred sixty-three patients from 42 centers across 24 cities in China were included.Epigastric pain(68.0%),abdominal distension(62.6%),and postprandial fullness(47.5%)were the most common presenting symptoms.Gastritis was classified as chronic non-atrophic in 69.9%of patients.Among those with erosive lesions,72.1%of patients had lesions in the antrum,51.0%had multiple lesions,and 67.3%had superficial flat lesions.In patients with epigastric pain,the combination of a mucosal protective agent(MPA)and proton pump inhibitor was more effective.For those with postprandial fullness,acid regurgitation,early satiety,or nausea,a MPA appeared more promising.CONCLUSION CEG is a multifactorial disease which is common in Asian patients and has non-specific symptoms.Gastroscopy may play a major role in its detection and diagnosis.Treatment should be individualized based on symptom profile.

Fabrication of nano-crystalline W-Ni-Fe pre-alloyed powders by mechanical alloying technique

Nano-crystalline pre-alloyed powders of W-Ni-Fe were fabricated by high energy ball milling mechanical alloying (MA) technique. The change of appearances and the crystallite sizes of powders before and after high energy ball milling were investigated by XRD, TOPAS P software, SEM and EDS. The results show that the nano-crystalline pre-alloyed powders can be fabricated by 5 h high energy ball milling. During the MA process, the diffusion of W, Ni and Fe happens in the process of repeated welding and fracturing. As a result, nano-crystalline supersaturated solid solutions are formed. The crystallite sizes won't be refined after 10 h ball milling. The crystallite sizes of different compositions are almost the same under the same MA condition. Due to the toughening mechanism of rare earth element, the powders of 90W-4Ni-2Fe-3.8Mo-0.2RE alloy are seriously agglomerated after ball milling compared with the other alloys. It can be concluded that the optimal sintering temperature of 90W-4Ni-2Fe-3.8Mo-0.2RE pre-alloyed powders after 15 h mechanical alloying is 1 300-1 350 ℃.

Preparation of Nano-Crystalline Diamond Films on Poly-Crystalline Diamond Thick Films by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Nano-crystalline diamond （NCD） films were prepared on poly-crystalline diamond （PCD） thick flims by the microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MPCVD） method. Free standing PCD thick film （50 mm in diameter） with a thickness of 413 μm was deposited in CHn/H2 plasma. It was then abraded for 2 hours and finally cut into pieces in a size of 10×10 mm^2 by pulse laser. NCD fihns were deposited on the thick film substrates by introducing a micro-crystalline diamond （MCD） interlayer. Results showed that a higher carbon concentration （5%） and a lower substrate temperature （650℃） were feasible to obtain a highly smooth interlayer, and the appropriate addition of oxygen （2%） into the gas mixture was conducive to obtaining a smooth nano-crystalline diamond film with a tiny grain size.