Planar liquid crystal optics for axial focus shaping with an adjustable intensity and a high efficiency.

In this Letter, we report the application of planar liquid crystal (LC) devices in axial focus shaping, proving that LC diffractive optical elements (DOEs) can achieve continuous adjustment of a symmetrical axial light field by changing the ellipticity of the incident light and can flexibly and quickly achieve various axial light field designs through an axial iterative Fourier transform algorithm. The LC DOE achieves a quasi-continuous phase and an extremely high transmittance (98.6% at 1030 nm), which makes the focusing efficiency of the LC DOE with two segments of uniform focal depths as high as 84%. The experimental results demonstrate the accurate optical field shaping effect and the axial intensity adjustable ability of LC DOE, indicating potential applications in optical tomography and precision manufacturing, among others.

[Observation of the therapeutic effect on acute ankle sprain treated with surrounding needling and cold compression].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the difference in the therapeutic effect on acute ankle sprain treated with the combination of surrounding needling and cold compression in comparison of the conventional cold compression. METHODS: The patients with acute ankle sprain were randomly divided into control group (33 cases) and observation group (35 cases). In the first 3 days of treatment, the conventional cold compression was used in the control group, while the surrounding needling technique of acupuncture was combined with cold compression in the observation group. Separately, along the distal-lateral side of the leg, and the lateral sides of the heel and the dorsal part of the foot, 3 or 4 needles were inserted in each part，total 9 to 12 needles, toward the center of swelling and pain site, and distributed in a fan shape. The needles were retained for 30 min and the acupuncture therapy was delivered once daily. Since the 4th day of treatment, the hot compress and the static stretching exercise of the ankle joint were adopted in the two groups, once daily for 1 week. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score for ankle pain and ankle swelling degree were compared between the two groups before and after 3-day treatment, as well as the score of American orthopedic foot and ankle society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scale was evaluated. RESULTS: After 3-day treatment, VAS score was decreased in both groups (P<0.01), and the score in the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.01). Ankle swelling degree was relieved in both groups (P<0.01), and there was no significant difference between the two groups. After 1 week of treatment, the scores of AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scale were improved in both groups (P<0.01), and the score in the observation group was higher than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Either the combined therapy of surrounding needling and cold compression or the conventional cold compression can effectively relieve pain and swelling induced by acute ankle sprain. The therapeutic effect of the combined therapy is superior to the conventional cold compression for the motor function improvement of ankle joint.

Accumulation of Wheat Phenolic Acids under Different Nitrogen Rates and Growing Environments.

The health benefits of whole wheat grains are partially attributed to their phenolic acid composition, especially that of trans-ferulic acid (TFA), which is a powerful natural antioxidant. Breeders and producers are becoming interested in wheat with enhanced health-promoting effects. This study investigated the effects of different nitrogen (N) application rates (0, 42, 84, 126, and 168 N kg ha-1) on the phenolic acid composition of three wheat varieties in four locations for two years. The results indicate that the different N rates did not affect the TFA concentration but that they significantly affected the concentrations of para-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, and cis-ferulic acid in the wheat grains. A statistical analysis suggested that the wheat phenolic acid composition was predominantly determined by wheat variety, though there existed some interaction effect between the wheat variety and environments. The TFA concentration of the variety Jimai 22 was generally higher (with a mean value of 726.04 µg/g) but was easily affected by the environment, while the TFA concentration of the variety Zhongmai 578 (with a mean value of 618.01 µg/g) was more stable across the different environments. The results also suggest that it is possible to develop new wheat varieties with high yield potential, good end-use properties, and enhanced nutraceutical values.

[Current status of body position selection in acupuncture treatment].

In addition to the prone position or the supine position, some scholars have observed and discussed the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in other body positions, but their criteria are different and individual differences in body position have not been analyzed. According to the relevant discussions in The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor and with reference to the clinical practice of acupuncture treatment, this article explores the criteria for body position selection, in order to provide guidance for clinical acupuncture treatment.

Argyrodite Solid Electrolyte with a Stable Interface and Superior Dendrite Suppression Capability Realized by ZnO Co-Doping.

Despite the high ionic conductivity and good machinability, the application of sulfide solid electrolytes (SEs) is severely limited by the poor compatibility of oxide cathodes with Li metals. Herein, a ZnO co-doping strategy is proposed to enhance the chemical and electrochemical performance of sulfide SEs. Given the synergistic effect by incorporation of ZnO, the argyrodite electrolyte achieves superior interfacial stability and Li dendrite suppression capability. By in-depth ex situ analyses, the enhancement is ascribed to LiZn and Li3OBr formed in the argyrodite/Li interface and a reduced electronic conductivity arising from the ZnO doping. In addition, O doping improves the air stability for argyrodite without degrading the ionic conductivity because of the compensation by Zn doping. Hence, all-solid-state batteries with ZnO-doped electrolytes achieve higher initial Coulombic efficiency and a larger specific capacity than those of the ZnO-free electrolyte. ZnO-doped sulfide SEs are promising to develop all-solid-state Li-metal batteries.

Accelerating decomposition of light field video for compressive multi-layer display.

Compressive light field display based on multi-layer LCDs is becoming a popular solution for 3D display. Decomposing light field into layer images is the most challenging task. Iterative algorithm is an effective solver for this high-dimensional decomposition problem. Existing algorithms, however, iterate from random initial values. As such, significant computation time is required due to the deviation between random initial estimate and target values. Real-time 3D display at video rate is difficult based on existing algorithms. In this paper, we present a new algorithm to provide better initial values and accelerate decomposition of light field video. We utilize internal coherence of single light field frame to transfer the ignorance-to-target to a much lower resolution level. In addition, we explored external coherence for further accelerating light field video and achieved 5.91 times speed improvement. We built a prototype and developed parallel algorithm based on CUDA.