Involvement in bullying and sleep disorders in Chinese early adolescents

BackgroundSchool bullying may cause sleep disorders in early adolescents. Here, we determined the relationship between school bullying (considering all the features of bullying involvement) and sleep disorders, which are the common problems in Chinese early adolescents.Materials and methodsWe conducted a questionnaire survey among 5,724 middle school students from Xuancheng, Hefei, and Huaibei cities in Anhui province, China. The self-report questionnaires included the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We used latent class analysis to identify the potential subgroups of bullying behavior. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between school bullying and sleep disorders.ResultsActive participants in bullying interactions, including the bullies and victims, reported higher levels of sleep disorders compared with the non-active participants [Bully: physical (aOR = 2.62), verbal (aOR = 1.73), relational (aOR = 1.80), and cyber (aOR = 2.08); Victim: physical (aOR = 2.42), verbal (aOR = 2.59), relational (aOR = 2.61), and cyber (aOR = 2.81)]. A dose–response relationship was observed between the number of school bullying types and sleep disorders. In the context of bullying roles, bully-victims had the highest risk of reporting sleep disorders (aOR = 3.07, 95% CI: 2.55–3.69). We identified four potential categories of school bullying behaviors: low involvement in bullying, verbal and relational victims, medium bully-victims, and high bully-victims, and the highest frequency of sleep disorders was observed in the high bully-victims group (aOR = 4.12, 95% CI: 2.94–5.76).ConclusionOur findings indicate a positive correlation between bullying roles and sleep disorders in early adolescents. Therefore, targeted intervention for sleep disorders should include an evaluation of bullying experiences

High-frequency rTMS over bilateral primary motor cortex improves freezing of gait and emotion regulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundFreezing of gait (FOG) is a common and disabling phenomenon in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but effective treatment approach remains inconclusive. Dysfunctional emotional factors play a key role in FOG. Since primary motor cortex (M1) connects with prefrontal areas via the frontal longitudinal system, where are responsible for emotional regulation, we hypothesized M1 may be a potential neuromodulation target for FOG therapy. The purpose of this study is to explore whether high-frequency rTMS over bilateral M1 could relieve FOG and emotional dysregulation in patients with PD.MethodsThis study is a single-center, randomized double-blind clinical trial. Forty-eight patients with PD and FOG from the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were randomly assigned to receive 10 sessions of either active (N = 24) or sham (N = 24) 10 Hz rTMS over the bilateral M1. Patients were evaluated at baseline (T0), after the last session of treatment (T1) and 30 days after the last session (T2). The primary outcomes were Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ) scores, with Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) time, Standing-Start 180° Turn (SS-180) time, SS-180 steps, United Parkinson Disease Rating Scales (UPDRS) III, Hamilton Depression scale (HAMD)-24 and Hamilton Anxiety scale (HAMA)-14 as secondary outcomes.ResultsTwo patients in each group dropped out at T2 and no serious adverse events were reported by any subject. Two-way repeated ANOVAs revealed significant group × time interactions in FOGQ, TUG, SS-180 turn time, SS-180 turning steps, UPDRS III, HAMD-24 and HAMA-14. Post-hoc analyses showed that compared to T0, the active group exhibited remarkable improvements in FOGQ, TUG, SS-180 turn time, SS-180 turning steps, UPDRS III, HAMD-24 and HAMA-14 at T1 and T2. No significant improvement was found in the sham group. The Spearman correlation analysis revealed a significantly positive association between the changes in HAMD-24 and HAMA-14 scores and FOGQ scores at T1.ConclusionHigh-frequency rTMS over bilateral M1 can improve FOG and reduce depression and anxiety in patients with PD

Measurement of Equivalent BRDF on the Surface of Solar Panel with Periodic Structure

The surface of a complex material with a periodic structure is equivalent to the surface of a uniform material, and the measurement and data processing methods for the equivalent optical BRDF of a solar panel based on a large-scale spot are proposed. Based on a solar simulator, high-intensity light illuminometer, low-intensity light illuminometer and precise rotary platform, the BRDF automatic measurement platform is built. Spot size optimization and a measurement radius optimization method are proposed. The measurement results show that the BRDF of the solar panel has specular reflection characteristics, but that it still differs from the solar cell in the half width of the BRDF curve. Measurement error analysis is performed for the measurement process; its value is 6.74%. The measurement results can be used to improve the understanding of the optical reflection characteristics of the solar panel. Meanwhile, the method can also be used to measure and characterize the coatings of heat insulation material and scattering coating. The measurement data also has practical reference value for evaluations of improvements of the light absorption of the surface functional material. Finally, it can be used to simulate the target image scene

A kind of system of multivariate variational inequalities and the existence theorem of solutions

Abstract Let K be a nonempty closed convex and bounded subset of a reflexive Banach space X. Let A 1 , A 2 , … , A N $A_{1}, A_{2},\ldots,A_{N}$ be N-variables monotone demi-continuous mappings from K N $K^{N}$ into X. Then: (1) the system of multivariate variational inequalities { 〈 A 1 ( x 1 , x 2 , … , x N ) , y 1 − x 1 〉 ≥ 0 , ∀ y 1 ∈ K , 〈 A 2 ( x 1 , x 2 , … , x N ) , y 2 − x 2 〉 ≥ 0 , ∀ y 2 ∈ K , ⋯ 〈 A N ( x 1 , x 2 , … , x N ) , y N − x N 〉 ≥ 0 , ∀ y N ∈ K , $$\textstyle\begin{cases} \langle A_{1}(x_{1},x_{2},\ldots,x_{N}), y_{1}-x_{1} \rangle\geq0, &\forall y_{1} \in K,\\ \langle A_{2}(x_{1},x_{2},\ldots,x_{N}), y_{2}-x_{2} \rangle\geq0, &\forall y_{2} \in K,\\ \cdots\\ \langle A_{N}(x_{1},x_{2},\ldots,x_{N}), y_{N}-x_{N} \rangle\geq0, &\forall y_{N} \in K,\\ \end{cases}$$ has a solution ( x 1 ∗ , x 2 ∗ , … , x N ∗ ) ∈ K N $(x_{1}^{*},x_{2}^{*},\ldots,x_{N}^{*}) \in K^{N}$ ; (2) the set of solutions of this system of multivariate variational inequalities is closed convex in K N $K^{N}$ ; (3) if A 1 , A 2 , … , A N $A_{1}, A_{2},\ldots,A_{N}$ are also strictly monotone, this system of multivariate variational inequalities has a unique solution

Multivariate systems of nonexpansive operator equations and iterative algorithms for solving them in uniformly convex and uniformly smooth Banach spaces with applications

Abstract We prove some existence theorems for solutions of a certain system of multivariate nonexpansive operator equations and calculate the solutions by using the generalized Mann and Halpern iterative algorithms in uniformly convex and uniformly smooth Banach spaces. The results of this paper improve and extend the previously known ones in the literature

Impacts of Social Trust on Rural Households’ Attitudes Towards Ecological Conservation—Example of the Giant Panda Nature Reserves in China

Understanding rural households’ conservation attitudes is crucial to achieving biodiversity conservation effectiveness, and one underlying predictor of household conservation attitudes is social trust. This study examined the impact of rural households’ social trust on their ecological protection attitudes based on 922 rural household data around 13 giant panda nature reserves in Shaanxi Province and Sichuan Province, China. The results show that: (1) Social trust has a significant positive impact on rural households’ conservation attitudes. (2) Males’ ecological conservation attitudes are influenced by all the social trust variables, whereas females’ attitudes are influenced mainly by interpersonal trust (trust in neighbors and villagers). The conservation attitudes of households with higher education levels and higher family incomes are mainly affected by trust in government, while those with lower education levels and lower family incomes are more significantly affected by the trust in villagers and village cadres. The above conclusions are helpful to understand the influencing mechanism of rural households’ conservation attitudes and improve the protection effects of nature reserves

Kimura’s disease with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis: a case report with literature review

Background: Kimura's disease is a rare disease and its etiology is still unclear. Here we reported a case with lymphadenopathy complicated with secondary membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Case presentation: A 46-year-old Chinese man presented with bilateral tumor-like nodules over his neck during the past 6 months and developed edema for 15 days. His blood pressure was 145/90 mmHg, multiple 1 × 1 cm masses were found over bilateral post-auricular and submandibular areas, along with trace edema of the lower extremities. Laboratory data showed an increased peripheral eosinophil count at 3.66 × 109/L (50% of total leukocytes), with a 24-hour urine total protein of 8 g and a serum albumin of 19 g/L, and serum IgE of 2930 IU/ml (<100 IU/ml). The patient underwent renal biopsy, which revealed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with eosinophilic infiltration of the interstitium. Lymph node biopsy showed eosinophilic lymphoid follicular granuloma. Bone marrow biopsy showed no abnormalities. A diagnosis of Kimura's disease was then established. We started him on prednisone 60 mg/day (1 mg/kg), and tapered the dose to 55 mg/day 2 months later, followed by a gradual reduction of 2.5 mg every 2 weeks. Valsartan was given for blood pressure control. His neck nodules shrank after 2 weeks of treatment and complete renal remission was achieved 3 months later. No relapse occurred after follow-up for 31 months. Conclusion: Kimura's disease can present with bilateral neck nodules and nephrotic syndrome (membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis), and prednisone can be a suitable choice of treatment