Initial study and phylogenetic analysis of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Nantong, China along the route of avian migration.

The growing concern about migratory birds potentially spreading ticks due to global warming has become a significant issue. The city of Nantong in this study is situated along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), with numerous wetlands serving as roosting sites for migratory birds. We conducted an investigation of hard ticks and determined the phylogenetic characteristics of tick species in this city. We utilized three different genes for our study: the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene, the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2), and the mitochondrial small subunit rRNA (12 S rRNA) gene. The predominant tick species were Haemaphysalis flava (H. flava) and Haemaphysalis longicornis (H. longicornis). Additionally, specimens of Haemaphysalis campanulata (H. campanulata) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (R. sanguineus) were collected. The H. flava specimens in this study showed a close genetic relationship with those from inland provinces of China, as well as South Korea and Japan. Furthermore, samples of H. longicornis exhibited a close genetic relationship with those from South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the USA, as well as specific provinces in China. Furthermore, R. sanguineus specimens captured in Nantong showed genetic similarities with specimens from Egypt, Nigeria, and Argentina.

Nationwide survey of physicians' familiarity and awareness of diabetes guidelines in China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate physicians' familiarity and awareness of four diabetes guidelines and their practice of the recommendations outlined in these guidelines. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: An online questionnaire survey was conducted among physicians affiliated with the Specialist Committee for Primary Diabetes Care of China Association of Chinese Medicine, using the snowball sampling method to ensure a broader representation of physicians. PARTICIPANTS: 1150 physicians from 192 cities across 30 provinces in China provided complete data. RESULTS: Tertiary care hospital physicians (TCPs) exhibited the highest familiarity with the Guideline for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in China (91.3%), followed by the National Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes in Primary Care (76.8%), the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes (72.2%) and the Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes in Chinese Medicine (63.8%). Primary care practitioners (PCPs) exhibited familiarity with these four guidelines at about 50% or less. Self-reported reference to modern diabetes guidelines by physicians is more frequent than traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diabetes guidelines, with rates at 73.2% and 33.8%, respectively. Approximately 90% of physicians provided instructions on self-monitoring of blood glucose to their patients with diabetes. Less than one-third of physicians referred patients to a specialised nutritionist. In terms of health education management, TCPs reported having a diabetes health management team at the rate of 75.7%, followed by secondary care hospital physicians at 57.0% and PCPs at 27.5%. Furthermore, approximately 40% of physicians did not fully grasp hypoglycaemia characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Familiarity and awareness of the screening guidelines varied among physicians in different hospital settings. Importantly, significant discrepancies were observed between physicians' awareness and their self-reported reference to modern medicine guidelines and TCM guidelines. It is essential to consistently provide education and training on diabetes management for all physicians, particularly PCPs.

Effect of Conduction Band Non-Parabolicity on the Nonlinear Optical Properties in GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs Double Semi-V-shaped Quantum Wells.

In this paper, we investigate the effect of conduction band non-parabolicity (NPBE) on the third harmonic generation(THG), the linear and nonlinear intersub-band optical absorption coefficients (OACs) related with electronic states of double semi-V-shaped GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs quantum wells(QWs) by using the compact-density-matrix approach. Simultaneously, the work is performed in the position dependent effective mass in order to compute the electronic structure for the system by the finite difference and self-consistent techniques. We also compare the results with and without considering NPBE. It is found that: (1) the NPBE has a significant influence on the sub-band energy levels of double semi-V-shaped QWs, and (2) the amplitude and position of the resonant peaks of the THG and nonlinear OACs in the case of considering NPBE show complicated behavior due to the energy dependent effective mass m*(E) where the energy value was chosen self-consistently.

The airway inflammation induced by nasal inoculation of PM2.5 and the treatment of bacterial lysates in rats.

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most important environmental issues in China. This study aimed to explore the correlation between PM2.5 and airway inflammation in healthy rats. The PM2.5 group was given an intranasal instillation of PM2.5 suspension on 15 consecutive days, and each received oral saline from day 16 to 90. The BV intervention group was treated as the PM2.5 exposure group, except that BV instead of saline was given daily. A histopathologic examination was performed to evaluate the airway inflammation. The prevalence and function of Th1/Th2/Treg/Th17 cells were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA. The expression of AhR was detected by western blot and real-time PCR. We found that epithelial damage and increased infiltration of inflammatory cell were present in the airways after PM2.5 exposure; there was an immune imbalance of Th cells in the PM2.5 group; the expression of AhR was increased in the airways after PM2.5 exposure. In the PM2.5 + BV group, we demonstrated alleviated immune imbalance and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the airways. Our study showed that exposure to PM2.5 induced airway inflammation. The imbalance of Th1/Th2/Treg/Th17 in PM2.5-induced airway inflammation might be associated with activation of the AhR pathway. Oral BV reduces PM2.5-induced airway inflammation and regulates systemic immune responses in rats.

The Combined Influence of Hydrostatic Pressure and Temperature on Nonlinear Optical Properties of GaAs/Ga0.7Al0.3As Morse Quantum Well in the Presence of an Applied Magnetic Field.

Studies aimed at understanding the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of GaAs/Ga0.7Al0.3As morse quantum well (QW) have focused on the intersubband optical absorption coefficients (OACs) and refractive index changes (RICs). These studies have taken two complimentary approaches: (1) The compact-density-matrix approach and iterative method have been used to obtain the expressions of OACs and RICs in morse QW. (2) Finite difference techniques have been used to obtain energy eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenfunctions of GaAs/Ga0.7Al0.3As morse QW under an applied magnetic field, hydrostatic pressure, and temperature. Our results show that the hydrostatic pressure and magnetic field have a significant influence on the position and the magnitude of the resonant peaks of the nonlinear OACs and RICs. Simultaneously, a saturation case is observed on the total absorption spectrum, which is modulated by the hydrostatic pressure and magnetic field. Physical reasons have been analyzed in depth.

Creation of Sub-diffraction Longitudinally Polarized Spot by Focusing Radially Polarized Light with Binary Phase Lens.

The generation of a sub-diffraction longitudinally polarized spot is of great interest in various applications, such as optical tweezers, super-resolution microscopy, high-resolution Raman spectroscopy, and high-density optical data storage. Many theoretical investigations have been conducted into the tight focusing of a longitudinally polarized spot with high-numerical-aperture aplanatic lenses in combination with optical filters. Optical super-oscillation provides a new approach to focusing light beyond the diffraction limit. Here, we propose a planar binary phase lens and experimentally demonstrate the generation of a longitudinally polarized sub-diffraction focal spot by focusing radially polarized light. The lens has a numerical aperture of 0.93 and a long focal length of 200λ for wavelength λ = 632.8 nm, and the generated focal spot has a full-width-at-half-maximum of about 0.456λ, which is smaller than the diffraction limit, 0.54λ. A 5λ-long longitudinally polarized optical needle with sub-diffraction size is also observed near the designed focal point.

Generation of a sub-diffraction hollow ring by shaping an azimuthally polarized wave.

The generation of a sub-diffraction optical hollow ring is of great interest in various applications, such as optical microscopy, optical tweezers, and nanolithography. Azimuthally polarized light is a good candidate for creating an optical hollow ring structure. Various of methods have been proposed theoretically for generation of sub-wavelength hollow ring by focusing azimuthally polarized light, but without experimental demonstrations, especially for sub-diffraction focusing. Super-oscillation is a promising approach for shaping sub-diffraction optical focusing. In this paper, a planar sub-diffraction diffractive lens is proposed, which has an ultra-long focal length of 600 λ and small numerical aperture of 0.64. A sub-diffraction hollow ring is experimentally created by shaping an azimuthally polarized wave. The full-width-at-half-maximum of the hollow ring is 0.61 λ, which is smaller than the lens diffraction limit 0.78 λ, and the observed largest sidelobe intensity is only 10% of the peak intensity.

[Effect of comprehensive schistosomiasis control strategy based on infection source control in Hanchuan City].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of comprehensive schistosomiasis control measures based on infection source control in Hanchuan City (marshland and lake endemic regions). METHODS: The data of comprehensive schistosomiasis control in Hanchuan City from 2004 to 2013 were collected, and the change trends of the Oncomelania hupensis snail status and the infection situation of human and livestock were analyzed to evaluate the control effect. RESULTS: After the implementation of the comprehensive measures, the infection rates of residents and cattle decreased from 6.38% and 8.11% in 2004 to 0.16% and 0 in 2013 respectively. There were no acute schistosomiasis patients since 2007, no new infection cases since 2011, and no infected snails since 2012. Compared with 2004, the occurrence rate of frames with living snails and the average density of living snails decreased by 56.78% and 68.35%, respectively, but the snail area and susceptible area increased by 0.62% and 7.10%, respectively. In 2013, all the 367 endemic villages in 26 townships reached the criteria of transmission controlled. CONCLUSIONS: The comprehensive schistosomiasis control measures based on infection source control can control the schistosomiasis transmission effectively in marshland and lake endemic regions. When consolidating the achievement, the snail area in inner embankment should be compressed to prevent the schistosome re-infection in human and livestock.

[Field evaluation of a novel plant molluscicide "Luo-wei" against Oncomelania hupensis snails II molluscicidal effect in the field of lake areas in Hanchuan City, Hubei Province].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a novel plant molluscicide "Luo-wei" (Tea-seed distilled saponins, TDS) against Oncomelania hupensis in the field of lake areas in Hanchuan City, Hubei Province. METHODS: Immersing experiment and spraying experiment were carried out in 5 ditches and a beach land respectively in Hanchuan City, Hubei Province to compare the molluscicidal effects among 4% TDS, 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt (WPN), and 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide (MNSC) by different dosages and time. The chi2 test or Fish's exact test was used to examine the differences of snail death rates among them. RESULTS: After 72 h of immersing experiment, the snail death rates in the 2.5 g/m3 TDS group, 3.0 g/m3 TDS group, 2.0 g/m3 WPN group and 2.0 g/m3 MNSC group were 99.33%, 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, and there was no significant difference among them (P > 0.05). By the end of 15 d after the spraying experiments, the snail death rates were 91.86% in the 2.0 g/m2 MNSC group, 90.26% in the 5.0 g/m2 TDS group, 87.45% in the 2 g/m2 WPN group, and 86.10% in the 3 g/m2 TDS group. The differences between the 5.0 g/m2 TDS group and 2.0 g/m2 MNSC group, as well as the 3.0 g/m2 TDS group and the 2.0 g/m2 WPN group had no statistical significance (both P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The molluscicidal effect of TDS is similar to that of WPN or MNSC. The recommended dosage of TDS is 2.5 g/m3 for immersing or 5 g/ m2 for spraying in the field.

[Effects of different prevention and control measures on schistosomiasis prevalence in different limnetic regions].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the schistosomiasis control effects of the comprehensive control measures based on infectious resources control and the conventional control measures, so as to provide the evidence for improving prevention and control strategies. METHODS: In the Hanbei River basin, the comprehensive control measures based on infectious resources control (conventional measures plus grazing prohibition in the marshland, machine instead of cattle, and marshland development, and so on) were carned out, and in the Nanzhi River basin, the conventional control measures were performed. The schistosomiasis epidemic data were collected, analyzed and compared from 2004 to 2011. RESULTS: In 2004, the infection rate of the populations and cattle in Nanzhi River basin was lower than that in the Hanbei River basin. From 2004 to 2011, the Oncomelania hupensis snail frame occurrence rate and the average density of living snails in the Nanzhi River basin was lower than that in the non-ploughing marshland and preventing wave woods of the Hanbei River basin, and there were schistosome infected snails in the Nanzhi River basin. From 2008 to 2010, there were no infected snails in the non-ploughing marshland of the Hanbei River basin. From 2007, the cattle have been eliminated in the Hanbei River basin. From 2007 to 2011, there were no infected snails in the preventing wave woods of the Hanbei River, but there were schistosome infected cattle found by stool examinations every year in the Nanzhi River basin. From 2004 to 2011, the infection rates of population presented downward trends in the two river basins, but the downward trend was more significant in the Hanbei River basin than in the Nanzhi River basin. CONCLUSION: The conventional control measures and comprehensive control measures based on infectious resources control are both effective, but the latter is more effective.

[The design and experiment of complementary S coding matrix based on digital micromirror spectrometer].

The template selection is essential in the application of digital micromirror spectrometer. The best theoretical coding H-matrix is not widely used due to acyclic, complex coding and difficult achievement. The noise ratio of best practical S-matrix for improvement is slightly inferior to matrix H. So we designed a new type complementary S-matrix. Through studying its noise improvement theory, the algorithm is proved to have the advantages of both H-matrix and S-matrix. The experiments proved that the SNR can be increased 2.05 times than S-template.

[Micro Hadamard transform near-infrared spectrometer].

A new type micro Hadamard transform (HT) near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer is proposed in the present paper. It has a MOEMS (Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems) blazed grating HT mask. It has merits of compactness, agility of dynamic mask generation and high scan speed. The structure and theory of this spectrometer are analyzed. The 63-order Hadamard-S matrix and mask are designed. The mask is dynamically generated by program of MOEMS blazed gratings. The spectrum is in agreement with that measured by Shimadzu spectrometer in experiments. It has a wavelength range between 900 and 1 700 nm, spectral resolution of 19 nm, single scan time of 2.4 s, SNR of 44.67:1, optical path of 70 mm x 130 mm, and weight under 1 kg. It can meet the requirement of real time detection and portable application.

[The optimizing design and experiment for a MOEMS micro-mirror spectrometer].

A MOEMS micro-mirror spectrometer, which uses micro-mirror as a light switch so that spectrum can be detected by a single detector, has the advantages of transforming DC into AC, applying Hadamard transform optics without additional template, high pixel resolution and low cost. In this spectrometer, the vital problem is the conflict between the scales of slit and the light intensity. Hence, in order to improve the resolution of this spectrometer, the present paper gives the analysis of the new effects caused by micro structure, and optimal values of the key factors. Firstly, the effects of diffraction limitation, spatial sample rate and curved slit image on the resolution of the spectrum were proposed. Then, the results were simulated; the key values were tested on the micro mirror spectrometer. Finally, taking all these three effects into account, this micro system was optimized. With a scale of 70 mm x 130 mm, decreasing the height of the image at the plane of micro mirror can not diminish the influence of curved slit image in the spectrum; under the demand of spatial sample rate, the resolution must be twice over the pixel resolution; only if the width of the slit is 1.818 microm and the pixel resolution is 2.2786 microm can the spectrometer have the best performance.

China's new strategy to block Schistosoma japonicum transmission: experiences and impact beyond schistosomiasis.

Despite sustained efforts for its control made over the past 50+ years, the re-emergence of schistosomiasis in China was noted around the turn of the new millennium. Consequently, a new integrated strategy was proposed to stop the contamination of schistosome eggs to the environment, which emphasizes health education, access to clean water and adequate sanitation, mechanization of agriculture and fencing of water buffaloes, along with chemotherapy. Validation of this integrated control strategy in four pilot counties in the provinces of Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi revealed significant reductions in the rate of Schistosoma japonicum infection in humans and intermediate host snails. Importantly, this strategy showed an impact on diseases beyond schistosomiasis, signified by concomitant reductions in the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections. In view of China's new integrated strategy for transmission control of schistosomiasis showing an ancillary benefit on other helminthic diseases, we encourage others to investigate the scope and limits of integrated control of neglected tropical diseases.

[Experiments of micro-distance measurement for GMLM with spectrum analysis method].

Projection display devices are undergoing a period of multi-development, and with the maturation of MEMS technology, which leads to MEMS-based light modulators for display applications, have become one of the research focuses. The structure of MEMS-based grating moving light modulator (GMLM) is composed of the reflection plate, address electrode and four cantilevers, and movable grating plate, which is supported by four crab-cantilevers placed around, and is actuated like a piston by electrostatic force. The piston-type motion of grating can be used to modulate the phase of incident light. The micro-distance between the upper surface of movable grating and underlying reflector is a key parameter and is important to GMLM performance. Traditional measurement method such as step-machine would destroy the device; while a high accuracy and non-contact measurement machine called KYKO White Light Interferometer is expensive. In the present paper, the GMLM optical principle using scalar diffraction theory was in details analyzed. A novel non-contact wavelength scanning spectrum analysis method was put forward to measure the distance between the upper surface of movable grating and underlying reflector. The U-4100 spectrophotometer was adopted to gain spectrum information; while the spectrum analysis method using peak wavelength position was introduced to calculate the micro distance. The measurement result is consistent to theoretical result. The micro-distance is 1.131 3 microm using such non-contact wavelength scanning spectrum analysis method, while it is 1.240 0 microm with WYKO White Light Interferometer. The relative error was lower than 1%, compared with the results measured by WYKO White Light Interferometer, and the method has good repetition ability and is cheap with RMB50 Yuan each time. Furthermore, measuring pull-in voltage, resonance frequency and micro distance in MEMS-based diffraction and interference devices was proposed completely based on such non-contact wavelength scanning spectrum analysis method.

Highly anti-selective asymmetric nitro-mannich reactions catalyzed by bifunctional amine-thiourea-bearing multiple hydrogen-bonding donors.

Highly anti-selective and enantioselective nitro-Mannich reactions have been achieved for a broad spectrum of substrates catalyzed by chiral bifunctional multiple hydrogen-bonding-donor amine-thioureas. Multiple hydrogen-bonding donors play a significant role in accelerating reactions and improving yields, diastereoselectivities, and enantioselectivities.

Chiral amine-thioureas bearing multiple hydrogen bonding donors: highly efficient organocatalysts for asymmetric Michael addition of acetylacetone to nitroolefins.

New bifunctional organocatalysts amine-thioureas bearing multiple hydrogen bonding donors were synthesized and applied in catalytic asymmetric Michael addition of acetylacetone to aryl and alkyl nitroolefins. Multiple hydrogen bonding donors play a significant role in accelerating reactions, improving yields and enantioselectivities.