Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations of MTHFR gene polymorphism with lipid metabolism and risk of cerebral infarction in the Northwest Han Chinese population

Objective Genetic variation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene may contribute to the development of cerebral infarction (CI); however, results have been inconsistent across studies with different populations, including studies of the Chinese population. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of MTHFR gene polymorphism on serum lipid and homocysteine levels among patients with CI in the Northwest Chinese Han population. Patients and methods A total of 521 CI patients and 524 non-CI controls were enrolled in the study. Polymerase chain reaction and hybridization were utilized to identify MTHFR gene polymorphisms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the associations of MTHFR gene polymorphism with risk of CI. Results Frequencies of the TT genotype and the T allele were markedly higher among CI patients than among controls. After stratifying our data by sex and age, we determined that these differences in frequency of the TT genotype and the T allele were statistically significant among participants of two different age brackets and among men, but not among women (i.e., there were no statistically significant differences between female patients and female controls). CI patients and control participants with the CT or TT genotype had significantly higher homocysteine (Hcy) levels than those with the CC genotype. Among CI patients, CT/TT carriers showed significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) levels as compared with CC carriers, but there was no significant difference for control participants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that drinking; smoking; diabetes mellitus; levels of Hcy, direct bilirubin (DB), indirect bilirubin (IB), ApoA-I, and total protein (TP); and TT genotype were significant independent risk factors for CI. Conclusions The results suggested that the TT genotype of the MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism, which is associated with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), might be of great clinical significance in the identification of new biomarkers for CI and in the development of individualized preventive and therapeutic strategies.
Mercury intoxication and ophthalmic involvement: An update review

Human intoxication after mercury exposure is a rare condition that can cause severe damage to the central nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, skin, and visual systems and represents a major public health concern. Ophthalmic involvement includes impaired function of the extraocular muscles and the eyelids, as well as structural changes in the ocular surface, lens, retina, and optic nerve causing a potential irreversible damage to the visual system. Although, there are many pathways for poisoning depending on the mercury form, it has been suggested that tissue distribution does not differ in experimental animals when administered as mercury vapor, organic mercury, or inorganic mercury. Additionally, visual function alterations regarding central visual acuity, color discrimination, contrast sensitivity, visual field and electroretinogram responses have also been described widely. Nevertheless, there is still controversy about whether visual manifestations occur secondary to brain damage or as a direct affectation, and which ocular structure is primarily affected. Despite the use of some imaging techniques such as in vivo confocal microscopy of the cornea, optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the retina and optic nerve, and functional tests such as electroretinography has helped to solve in part this debate, further studies incorporating other imaging modalities such as autofluorescence, OCT angiography or adaptive optics retinal imaging are needed. This review aims to summarize the published structural and functional alterations found in the visual system of patients suffering from mercury intoxication.
Overexpression of the C4 protein of tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus increases tomato resistance to powdery mildew

Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most important diseases of greenhouse and field-grown tomatoes. Viruses can intervene beneficially on plant performance in coping with biotic and abiotic stresses. Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) has been reported recently to induce tolerance against drought stress in tomato, and its C4 protein acts as the main causal factor of tolerance. However, its role in response to biotic stresses is still unknown. In this study, transgenic tomato plants carrying the TYLCSV C4 protein were exposed to biotic stress following the inoculation with Oidium neolycopersici, the causal agent of tomato PM. Phytopathological, anatomic, molecular, and physiological parameters were evaluated in this plant pathosystem. Heterologous TYLCSV C4 expression increased the tolerance of transgenic tomato plants to PM, not only reducing symptom occurrence, but also counteracting conidia adhesion and secondary hyphae elongation. Pathogenesis-related gene expression and salicylic acid production were found to be higher in tomato transgenic plants able to cope with PM compared to infected wild-type tomato plants. Our study contributes to unraveling the mechanism leading to PM tolerance in TYLCSV C4-expressing tomato plants. In a larger context, the findings of TYLCSV C4 as a novel PM defense inducer could have important implications in deepening the mechanisms regulating the management of this kind of protein to both biotic and abiotic stresses.
Laughter yoga as an enjoyable therapeutic approach for glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial

Background Laughter has been reported to have various health benefits. However, data on the long-term effects of laughter interventions on diabetes are limited. This study aimed to investigate whether laughter yoga can improve glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods In a single-center, randomized controlled trial, 42 participants with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group. The intervention consisted of a 12-week laughter yoga program. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body weight, waist circumference, psychological factors, and sleep duration were evaluated at baseline and week 12. Results Intention-to-treat analysis showed that participants in the laughter yoga group experienced significant improvements in HbA1c levels (between-group difference: −0.31%; 95% CI −0.54, −0.09) and positive affect scores (between-group difference: 0.62 points; 95% CI 0.003, 1.23). Sleep duration tended to increase in the laughter yoga group with a between-group difference of 0.4 hours (95% CI −0.05, 0.86; P = 0.080). The mean attendance rate for laughter yoga program was high (92.9%). Conclusions A 12-week laughter yoga program is feasible for individuals with type 2 diabetes and improves glycemic control. These findings suggest that having fun could be a self-care intervention. Further studies with larger numbers of participants are warranted to better evaluate the effects of laughter yoga. Clinical trial registration http://www.chinadrugtrials. org.cn, identifier UMIN000047164.
Melatonin ameliorates serobiochemical alterations and restores the cardio-nephro diabetic vascular and cellular alterations in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Melatonin possesses a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antidiabetic properties. Diabetes mellitus (DM) induces several physiopathological changes in body organs, which could be observed lately after systemic failure. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the serobiochemical changes and the histopathological picture in the diabetic heart and the kidney early before chronic complications and highlight the association between hyperglycemia, glomerular alterations, and cardiovascular changes. In addition, the role of melatonin in the treatment of cardio-nephro diabetic vascular and cellular adverse changes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats was also studied. A total of 40 mature Wistar albino rats were distributed into five groups; (1) control untreated rats, (2) diabetic mellitus untreated (DM) rats, in which DM was induced by the injection of streptozotocin (STZ), (3) control melatonin-treated (MLT), (4) melatonin-treated diabetic (DM + MLT) rats, in which melatonin was injected (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for 4 weeks, and (5) insulin-treated diabetic (DM + INS) rats. The serum biochemical analysis of diabetic STZ rats showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the concentrations of blood glucose, total oxidative capacity (TOC), CK-MB, endothelin-1, myoglobin, H-FABP, ALT, AST, urea, and creatinine as compared to control rats. In contrast, there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in serum concentration of insulin, total antioxidative capacity (TAC), total nitric oxide (TNO), and total protein level in DM rats vs. the control rats. Significant improvement in the serobiochemical parameters was noticed in both (DM + MLT) and (DM + INS) groups as compared with (DM) rats. The histological examination of the DM group revealed a disorder of myofibers, cardiomyocyte nuclei, and an increase in connective tissue deposits in between cardiac tissues. Severe congestion and dilation of blood capillaries between cardiac muscle fibers were also observed. The nephropathic changes in DM rats revealed various deteriorations in glomeruli and renal tubular cells of the same group. In addition, vascular alterations in the arcuate artery at the corticomedullary junction and interstitial congestion take place. Melatonin administration repaired all these histopathological alterations to near-control levels. The study concluded that melatonin could be an effective therapeutic molecule for restoring serobiochemical and tissue histopathological alterations during diabetes mellitus.
Rheological analysis of highly pigmented inks: Flocculation at high temperatures

Continous flow and oscillatory measurement results of a series of highly pigmented inks, containing a bimodal distribution of solid particles and dissolved polymer in the ink vehicle, are presented. Viscosity versus shear rate data is adjusted to a “Bingham Exponential Decrease” model, showing that the viscosity at high shear rates decreases with temperature following an Arrhenius-like equation. However, yield stress, viscosity taken at a shear stress of 250 Pa, and thixotropy, increase with temperature displaying an unusual behavior. It is assumed that a reinforcement of the cohesive interactions between components takes place on heating. Time, temperature, and frequency effects on dynamic viscoelastic functions are analyzed, confirming the existence of flocculation due to interparticle attractions. The results are characterized by the following features: (i) Contrary to what is usually observed in liquids, both storage and loss moduli increase with temperature. (ii) Both viscoelastic functions increase in a convex way with time, following an adapted Cheng–Evans model. (iii) The increase of viscoelastic functions is not altered by periods of resting time. The experimental results indicate that at rest the dispersions flocculate to a greater extent at higher temperatures (typically at 40 and 60 °C) than at 20 °C. To explain these results we assume that heteroflocculation, through bridging of small particles, is promoted by phase separation of polymer solution forming the ink vehicle, which takes place at 36 °C.Continous flow and oscillatory measurement results of a series of highly pigmented inks, containing a bimodal distribution of solid particles and dissolved polymer in the ink vehicle, are presented. Viscosity versus shear rate data is adjusted to a “Bingham Exponential Decrease” model, showing that the viscosity at high shear rates decreases with temperature following an Arrhenius-like equation. However, yield stress, viscosity taken at a shear stress of 250 Pa, and thixotropy, increase with temperature displaying an unusual behavior. It is assumed that a reinforcement of the cohesive interactions between components takes place on heating. Time, temperature, and frequency effects on dynamic viscoelastic functions are analyzed, confirming the existence of flocculation due to interparticle attractions. The results are characterized by the following features: (i) Contrary to what is usually observed in liquids, both storage and loss moduli increase with temperature. (ii) Both viscoelastic functions increase .
High resolution positron emission tomography with a prototype camera based on solid state scintillation detectors

The prototype of a high-resolution PET (positron emission tomography) camera consisting of two opposite arrays of detectors with independent solid-state readout was built and tested. The basic detector unit is the RCA C30994 detector module consisting of two 3-mm*5-mm*20-mm BGO scintillators, each coupled to one silicon avalanche photodiode. The two-dimensional stacking capability of the module allows a high-resolution multiring detection system to be assembled without crystal coding. The prototype was used to simulate a 31-cm-diameter dual ring tomograph suitable for animal studies. Coincident detector pair resolution was measured, and the contributions to resolution loss were estimated using a platinum-sheathed 0.75 mm /sup 68/Ge line source. The intrinsic resolution is 1.9 mm FWHM (full width at half maximum), 3.5 mm FWTM at the center of the field. The reconstructed point spread function resolution in a stationary mode is 2.3 mm FWHM at the center and 3.1 mm FWHM (tangential), 3.9 mm FWHM (radial) 5 cm from the center. The axial resolution is less than 3.5 mm FWHM throughout the field. The ring sensitivity for an animal system is 67 kcps/mCi in air for an axial line source and 3.3 kcps/ mu Ci/ml for a 10-cm-diameter cylinder of /sup 22/Na solution. >
Bogolyubov-Type Theorem with Constraints Generated by a Fractional Control System

Abstract We first study the existence results and properties of the solution set of a control system described by fractional differential equations with nonconvex control constraint. Then a problem of minimizing an integral functional over the solution set of the control system is considered. Along with the original minimizing problem, we also consider the problem of minimizing the integral functional whose integrand is the bipolar (with respect to the control variable) of the original integrand over the solution set of the same system but with the convexified control constraint. We prove that the relaxed problem has an optimal solution and obtain some relationships between these two minimizing problems. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the results.
Effects of tidal distortion on binary-star velocity curves and ellipsoidal variation

Radial velocity curves for the more massive components of binaries with extreme mass ratios can show a large distortion due to tides, as first recognized by Sterne. Binaries in which the effect is large should be rare because nearly all such binaries would be in the rapid phase of mass transfer. However, the optical counterparts of some X-ray binaries may show the effect, which would then serve as a new means of extracting considerable information from the observations. The essential parts of the computational procedure are given. Light curves for ellipsoidal variables with extreme mass ratios were also computed, and were found to be less sinusoidal than those with normal mass ratios.
Effective Lagrangian and energy-momentum tensor in de Sitter space

The effective Lagrangian and vacuum energy-momentum tensor $〈{T}^{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ due to a scalar field in a de Sitter-space background are calculated using the dimensional-regularization method. For generality the scalar field equation is chosen in the form $({\ensuremath{\square}}^{2}+\ensuremath{\xi}R+{m}^{2})\ensuremath{\phi}=0$. If $\ensuremath{\xi}=\frac{1}{6}$ and $m=0$, the renormalized $〈{T}^{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ equals ${g}^{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}{(960{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2}{a}^{4})}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, where $a$ is the radius of de Sitter space. More formally, a general zeta-function method is developed. It yields the renormalized effective Lagrangian as the derivative of the zeta function on the curved space. This method is shown to be virtually identical to a method of dimensional regularization applicable to any Riemann space.
Ion irradiation stability of multilayered AlN/TiN nanocomposites

Structural changes in multilayered AlN/TiN nanocomposites upon Ar+ ion irradiation were investigated. Reactive sputtering was used to deposit (AlN/TiN) × 5 multilayers on Si(1 0 0), to a total thickness of ∼270 nm. Argon was implanted at 200 keV, to 5 × 1015–4 × 1016 ions cm−2. The as-deposited multilayers had a very fine columnar nanocrystalline structure, the width of individual grains was up to ∼10 nm. It was found that this immiscible system exhibits a high ion radiation stability, the AlN and TiN layers remaining well separated, with sharp interfaces. Ion irradiation induced small local density changes and only a slight increase in individual grains, in the region where most damage was deposited by the impact ions. For the highest irradiation fluence there was also some migration of Ti into AlN in this region, which was assigned to excess nitrogen within the AlN layers. Due to these small structural changes, ion irradiation enhanced the mechanical strength of the multilayered nanocomposites.
Molecular dynamics and multiscale homogenization analysis of seepage/diffusion problem in bentonite clay

A scheme combining a molecular behaviour and macro‐continuum phenomenon is presented for bentonite clay, which is a key component of a barrier system for disposal and containment of hazardous wastes. On designing a disposal facility we use a macro‐phenomenological model. However the existing model is not sufficiently effective. Bentonite is a microinhomogeneous material. Properties of the saturated bentonite are characterized by montmorillonite and water, called montmorillonite hydrate. Since the crystalline structure of montmorillonite determines the fundamental properties of the montmorillonite hydrate, we analyse its molecular behaviour by applying a molecular dynamics simulation to enquire into the physicochemical properties of the montmorillonite hydrate such as diffusivity of chemical species. For extending the microscopic characteristics of constituent materials to a macroscopic diffusion behaviour of the microinhomogeneous material we apply a multiscale homogenization analysis, especially in order to treat micro‐level of adsorption behaviour. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An efficient methodology for simulating roll dynamics of a tank vehicle coupled with transient fluid slosh

An efficient methodology is proposed for simulation of roll dynamics of a tank vehicle system coupled with transient hydrodynamic forces due to fluid slosh. The transient fluid slosh in a horizontal cylindrical tank is analytically modeled considering simultaneous lateral, vertical and roll excitations assuming potential flows and a linearized free-surface boundary condition. For this purpose, the fluid domain in the Cartesian coordinate system is transformed to the bipolar coordinates, where the Laplace equation could be solved using separation of variables. The resulting hydrodynamic pressure, free-surface elevation and slosh force and roll moment are formulated in the tank-fixed coordinate system. The transient fluid slosh model is subsequently integrated to a dynamic roll plane model of a tank vehicle combination to investigate the effect of transient liquid slosh on the roll stability of the vehicle during steady-turning as well as path-change maneuvers. The analyses are performed for different fluid fill heights considering both variable and constant cargo load conditions. The results suggest that the roll stability of tank vehicles can be efficiently analyzed using the coupled linear slosh and multi-body vehicle models with significantly lower computational effort than the methods employing computational fluid dynamic fluid slosh models.
Eady Edge Waves and Rapid Development

Abstract Perturbations of the classical Eady model are treated in terms of the system's two intrinsic baroclinic edge waves. This provides a simple quantitative example of the wave coupling interpretation of quasigeostrophic instability and a compact framework for examining the rudiments of upper level–lower level dynamical interaction. The reformulation consolidates and extends a series of earlier theoretical results: the existence of transient growth at wavenumbers beyond the Eady cutoff scale, the disparity between different measures of the maximum instantaneous growth rate with the highest values being associated with thermal (pressure) development at large (small) wavelengths, the existence of maximum instantaneous thermal growth rates substantially exceeding that of the Eady normal modes, and the vertical alignment of the couplet most favorable for initial rapid development–quadrature phase of the thermal (pressure) components for optimum thermal (pressure) growth. There is also diversity in the fin.
Hydrodynamic Design System for Pumps Based on 3-D CAD, CFD, and Inverse Design Method

A computer-aided design system has been developed for hydraulic parts of pumps including impellers, bowl diffusers, volutes, and vaned return channels. The key technologies include three-dimensional (3-D) CAD modeling, automatic grid generation, CFD analysis, and a 3-D inverse design method. The design system is directly connected to a rapid prototyping production system and a flexible manufacturing system composed of a group of DNC machines. The use of this novel design system leads to a drastic reduction of the development time of pumps having high performance, high reliability, and innovative design concepts. The system structure and the design process of Blade Design System and Channel Design System are presented. Then the design examples are presented briefly based on the previous publications, which included a centrifugal impeller with suppressed secondary flows, a bowl diffuser with suppressed corner separation, a vaned return channel of a multistage pump, and a volute casing
Remainder linear systematic sampling with multiple random starts

Due to its simplicity and operational convenience, systematic sampling is one of the most prevalent sampling techniques. However, this sampling design has two main statistical drawbacks. First, the actual sample size is unfixed when the population size, N, is not an integral multiple of the desired sample size, n. Second, the sampling variance cannot be unbiasedly estimated on the basis of a single systematic sample. In this article we introduce a new generalized systematic sampling design that handles these two issues simultaneously. The proposed design combines the remainder linear systematic sampling design, which handles only the first problem, along with the idea of multistart systematic sampling that provides an unbiased estimator for the sampling variance. Unbiased estimators for both the finite population mean and the sampling variance are derived under the proposed design. The performance of the new design is evaluated relative to another six sampling schemes under several superpopulation models and real populations. Further, the stability of the proposed sampling variance estimator is studied. Applications of the suggested design are also discussed.