Linear Correlation Research Articles

The association between composite dietary antioxidant index and diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients: evidence from the NHANES

BackgroundAlthough diabetic retinopathy (DR) is closely related to dietary patterns and oxidative stress, there is little research on the relationship between the compound dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) and DR. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to explore the association between CDAI and DR in patients with type 2 diabetes, in order to provide a basis for dietary guidance to prevent DR.MethodsData for this study was obtained from NHANES conducted between 1999 and 2020. Information regarding dietary intake was collected through 24 h dietary recall interviews. Multivariate logistic regression analyses and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were employed to explore the association between CDAI and DR. Furthermore, subgroup analyses were conducted to further examine the relationship.ResultsIn this study, a total of 2,158 participants were included, with a mean age of 58.87 years. After adjusting for all potential confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses consistently demonstrated a negative correlation between CDAI and DR (OR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.90–0.98, p = 0.007). Specifically, individuals in the highest quartile of CDAI had a significantly reduced risk of DR compared to those in the lowest quartile (OR = 0.51, 95%CI: 0.34–0.75, p < 0.001). The RCS analyses further confirmed the linear negative correlation between CDAI and DR (non-linear p = 0.101). Additionally, subgroup analyses provided further evidence for the robustness of this association across different subpopulations.ConclusionOur study highlights the linear negative correlation between CDAI and DR in type 2 diabetic patients. Further prospective studies are still needed in the future to confirm the role of CDAI in the risk of developing DR.

Effect of Aggregate-to-Binders Ratio on Water Resistance of Red-Mud-Modified Magnesium Phosphate Repair Mortar

The aggregate-to-binders ratio (A/Bs) is an important parameter for the design and preparation of repair mortars. In this paper, the influences of A/Bs on the physical and mechanical properties of red-mud-modified magnesium phosphate repair mortar (RMPM) were systematically investigated. By exploring the capillary absorption characteristics of RMPM, the effect mechanism of A/Bs on its water resistance and mechanical properties was further clarified. The results indicated that the fluidity of fresh RMPM reduced with an increase in A/Bs, and its setting time was first shortened and then prolonged. The compressive strength, flexural strength, interfacial bonding strength, and water resistance of RMPM increased and then decreased with the increasing A/Bs and reached the maximum when the A/Bs was 1.0. The capillary absorption of RMPM was a linear correlation with the square root of the immersion time, and whose slope, that is, the capillary absorption coefficient, and capillary porosity decreased and then increased with the increase in A/Bs. Capillary porosity had a linear relationship with the strength retention rate, which indicated that A/Bs produced a significant effect on the water resistance of RMPM by modifying its capillary pore characteristics. When the A/Bs was 1.0, RMPM had the lowest capillary absorption coefficient and capillary porosity, and thus possesses appropriate mechanical properties and water resistance.

Multi-functional nanozyme-based colorimetric, fluorescence dual-mode assay for Salmonella typhimurium detection in milk.

Rapid and high-sensitive Salmonella detection in milk is important for preventing foodborne disease eruption. To overcome the influence of the complex ingredients in milk on the sensitive detection of Salmonella, a dual-signal reporter red fluorescence nanosphere (RNs)-Pt was designed by combining RNs and Pt nanoparticles. After being equipped with antibodies, the immune RNs-Pt (IRNs-Pt) provide an ultra-strong fluorescence signal when excited by UV light. With the assistance of the H2O2/TMB system, a visible color change appeared that was attributed to the strong peroxidase-like catalytic activity derived from Pt nanoparticles. The IRNs-Pt in conjunction with immune magnetic beads can realize that Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhi) was captured, labeled, and separated effectively from untreated reduced-fat pure milk samples. Under the optimal experimental conditions, with the assay, as low as 50 CFU S. typhi can be converted to detectable fluorescence and absorbance signals within 2 h, suggesting the feasibility of practical application of the assay. Meanwhile, dual-signal modes of quantitative detection were realized. For fluorescence signal detection(emission at 615 nm), the linear correlation between signal intensity and the concentration of S. typhi was Y = 83C-3321 (R2 = 0.9941), ranging from 103 to 105 CFU/mL, while for colorimetric detection(absorbamce at 450 nm), the relationship between signal intensity and the concentration of S. typhi was Y = 2.9logC-10.2 (R2 = 0.9875), ranging from 5 × 103 to 105 CFU/mL. For suspect food contamination by foodborne pathogens, this dual-mode signal readout assay is promising for achieving the aim of convenient preliminary screening and accurate quantification simultaneously.

Coomans plot classification of lard in the ink blends and ink extracts from printed packaging films using lard Fourier transform infrared spectral profile and multivariate analysis

Lard in blends of commercial gravure ink (ranging from 0.5 to 20%) and ink extracts from eleven commercially printed packaging films for foodstuffs was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The FTIR spectral bands at 4000 ‒ 650 cm-1 associated with the lard fingerprint were acquired and used to classify the lard and its blends using partial least squares (PLS) regression and discriminant analysis (DA). Commercial gravure inks (also used for preparing calibration curve samples), blends of lard ranging from 0.5 to 20% in gravure inks, and commercially printed food packaging films were tested. Linear correlation of predicted and actual values of lard were determined using PLS calibration and validation models. They produced a high coefficient of determination (R2 ) of 0.943, a low root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 1.674, as well as a high R2 = 0.999 and a low root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.233, respectively. The PLS calibration was verified employing a leave-oneout cross-validation, while DA was used to classify a series of lard standard, lard-added ink, and commercial food packaging films. The Coomans plot classification of the lardadded ink and commercial food packaging films illustrated that the food packaging samples were plotted in the right and left hemispheres in the lard-added ink class. This result also demonstrated that FTIR coupled with chemometric PLS predicted the lard content in the printing inks with high overall accuracy, as indicated by a low mean difference (MD) value of 0.577 and a low standard deviation of difference (SDD) value of 0.599. The DA allowed the ink packaging samples that potentially contained lard to be distinguished from those without lard. Sample 7 (commercially printed food packaging ink) exhibits the highest possibility of containing lard.

Association between oxidative balance score and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk: results from the NHANES database

IntroductionThe oxidative balance score (OBS) is a holistic measure that represents the overall equilibrium between prooxidants and antioxidants in one’s diet and lifestyle. Little research has been conducted on the correlation between OBS and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk (ASCVD). Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to examine the potential correlation between OBS and 10-year risk.MethodsA total of 11,936 participants from the NHANES conducted between 2001 and 2016 were chosen for the study and their dietary and lifestyle factors were used to assess the OBS score. Logistic regression and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were employed in the cross-sectional study to evaluate the correlation between OBS and the 10-year ASCVD risk. The cohort study utilized Cox proportional hazards models and RCS to assess the correlation between OBS and all-causes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in individuals with high ASCVD risk.ResultsThe cross-sectional study found that the OBS (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.93–0.98), as well as the dietary OBS (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.92–0.96) and lifestyle OBS (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.69–0.79), were inversely associated with the 10-year ASCVD risk. A significant linear relationship was observed between OBS, dietary OBS, lifestyle OBS, and the 10-year ASCVD risk. The cohort study found that the OBS was inversely associated with all-cause (aHRs = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.96–0.99) and CVD (aHRs = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93–0.98) mortality in individuals with high ASCVD risk. A significant linear correlation was observed between OBS, dietary OBS, lifestyle OBS, and all-cause and CVD mortality in participants with high ASCVD risk.ConclusionThe findings indicate that OBS, OBS related to diet, and OBS related to lifestyle were significantly inversely correlated with the 10-year ASCVD risk. Adopting a healthy eating plan and making positive lifestyle choices that result in increased OBS levels can help lower the likelihood of all-cause and CVD mortality in individuals with high ASCVD risk.

A High-Performance Anti-Noise Algorithm for Arrhythmia Recognition

In recent years, the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias has been on the rise because of changes in lifestyle and the aging population. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) are widely used for the automated diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias. However, existing models possess poor noise robustness and complex structures, limiting their effectiveness. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an arrhythmia recognition system with excellent anti-noise performance: a convolutionally optimized broad learning system (COBLS). In the proposed COBLS method, the signal is convolved with blind source separation using a signal analysis method based on high-order-statistic independent component analysis (ICA). The constructed feature matrix is further feature-extracted and dimensionally reduced using principal component analysis (PCA), which reveals the essence of the signal. The linear feature correlation between the data can be effectively reduced, and redundant attributes can be eliminated to obtain a low-dimensional feature matrix that retains the essential features of the classification model. Then, arrhythmia recognition is realized by combining this matrix with the broad learning system (BLS). Subsequently, the model was evaluated using the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and the MIT-BIH noise stress test database. The outcomes of the experiments demonstrate exceptional performance, with impressive achievements in terms of the overall accuracy, overall precision, overall sensitivity, and overall F1-score. Specifically, the results indicate outstanding performance, with figures reaching 99.11% for the overall accuracy, 96.95% for the overall precision, 89.71% for the overall sensitivity, and 93.01% for the overall F1-score across all four classification experiments. The model proposed in this paper shows excellent performance, with 24 dB, 18 dB, and 12 dB signal-to-noise ratios.

Paediatric nurses' perspectives on artificial intelligence applications: A cross-sectional study of concerns, literacy levels and attitudes.

This study aimed to explore the correlation between artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, AI anxiety and AI attitudes among paediatric nurses, as well as identify the influencing factors on paediatric nurses' AI attitudes. A descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional research. This study was conducted between January and February 2024 with 170 nurses actively working in paediatric clinics in Turkey. The data collection tools included the Nurse Information Form, the General Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale (AILS) and the Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale (AIAS). To determine the associations between the variables, the data was analysed using IBM SPSS 28, which included linear regression and Pearson correlation analysis. The study indicated significant positive correlations between paediatric nurses' age and their AIAS scores (r = .226; p < .01) and significant negative correlations between paediatric nurses' age and their AILS (r = -.192; p < .05) and GAAIS scores (r = -.152; p < .05). The GAAIS was significantly predictive (p < .000) and accounted for 50% of the variation in AIAS and AILS scores. Paediatric nurses' attitudes towards AI significantly predicted AI literacy and AI anxiety. The relationship between the age of the paediatric nurses and the anxiety, AI literacy and attitudes towards AI was demonstrated. Healthcare and educational institutions should create customized training programs and awareness-raising activities for older nurses, as there are noticeable variations in the attitudes of paediatric nurses towards AI based on their age. Providing in-service AI training can help healthcare organizations improve paediatric nurses' attitudes towards AI, increase their AI literacy and reduce their anxiety. This training has the potential to impact their attitudes positively and reduce their anxiety. The study results were critically reported using STROBE criteria. No patient or public contribution.

Selection of Various Indications of Tempering Lubricant Concentration Reuse in the Wet Rolling Process

ABSTRACTDiscarded tempering lubricants retained significant reuse potential, making their recycling a vital step in reducing resource wastage and wastewater treatment costs in the strip steel industry. Hence, developing an accurate, rapid evaluation indicator for recycled fluid concentration was essential for facilitating this process. Research showed that among common evaluation indicators for metal fluids, three—electrical conductivity, refractive index and total base number (TBN)—due to their high linear correlation with tempering lubricant concentration (R2 &gt; 0.995), could be utilised to monitor the dynamic changes in the concentration of tempering lubricants. Subsequent experiments on reused tempering lubricants revealed that electrical conductivity, significantly altered by iron powder (7%–24% variance), and refractive index, impacted by hydraulic oil (3% deviation), highlighted contaminant challenges; yet, filtration effectively mitigated iron powder's effect on TBN. Finally, A 17‐day reused tempering lubricants simulation demonstrated consistent effectiveness of the three indicators in monitoring the need to update tempering lubricant concentration. However, in terms of sensitivity, precision, and particularly stability and relative mean deviation, the TBN concentration evaluation indicator outperformed, with TBN (3.38%) &lt; Refractive Index (7.92%) &lt; Electrical Conductivity (11.05%). This indicates the TBN method's superior stability over conductivity and refractive index methods, with its accuracy deviation below 2%, making it a stable, simple and reliable metric worthy of broader adoption.

Odd-even trends in the series of new bis(α,ω-alkanediamine)dibromocadmium(II) coordination polymers: Crystal structure and thermal decomposition

In this paper, organic-inorganic coordination polymers of the CdBr2(H2N-(CH2)n-NH2) general formula, where n = 4 – 10 and 12, were studied. All the materials were synthesized as very fine powders from metal salt and diamine solutions following an analogous simple procedure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and recorded powder X-ray diffraction patterns (PXRD) allowed for the assessment of the purity and crystallinity of the products. Based on the collected diffraction data, lattice parameters and symmetry were determined. For five of the synthesized compounds (n = 4, 6, 7, 8, and 12) that were of relatively high purity and sufficient crystallinity, crystal structure models were determined and refined. It was found that the structure symmetry depends on the parity of the number of carbon atoms in the diamine molecules. Structures of the investigated compounds belonging to the even series are centrosymmetric while the ones from the odd series are not (P21 space group). Structures’ symmetry of compounds based on even diamines decreases from P2/m to P1¯ with increasing length of the organic molecules. Diamine molecules are aligned parallel to the diagonals of the (010) faces of the unit cell and there is an almost perfectly linear correlation between the value of a lattice parameter and the number of C atoms. There are, however, separate trends for even or odd series. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and non-ambient PXRD measurements provided information about the thermal decomposition of the materials. The temperature of decomposition decreases with the growing length of diamine molecules and achieves the lowest value (176 °C, 449 K) for the compound with 1,12-diaminododecane (the longest diamine among the studied ones) while the sample with 1,4-diaminobutane is the most stable one (up to around 284 °C, 557 K). The studied compounds also show odd-even separate trends concerning the decomposition temperature. The compounds with even diamines start to decompose at relatively higher temperatures than the ones belonging to the odd series.

High-throughput physiological phenotyping of crop evapotranspiration at the plot scale

ContextPlatforms and instrumentation for Field High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping (FHTPP) are well developed to measure important traits for crop breeding and agronomic studies. However, the research has focused on morphological and spectral traits; and approaches to estimate major physiological processes such as evapotranspiration (ET) for small experimental plots are lacking. ObjectiveIn this study, we put forward a new analytical framework to estimate plot-scale ET by integrating frequent phenotyping data (multispectral and thermal infrared images, canopy reflectance, and LiDAR point clouds) from a FHTPP system (known as NU-Spidercam), the weather data, a simplified two-source energy balance model, and reference ET and crop coefficient calculation. MethodsThe new plot-scale ET method was tested on five field experiments involving maize and soybean crops over two growing seasons, with the different treatment levels of irrigation water. Estimated plot-scale ET was accumulated across the growing reason for each plot, and its association with grain yield was investigated with regression analysis. ResultsThe result showed that plot-scale accumulated ET captured the seasonal trend of plot water use and clearly differentiated the irrigation treatments. Strong linear correlations were observed between plot-scale ET and grain yield, with R2 values ranging from 0.35 to 0.93 (average R2 = 0.71). Plot-scale ET appeared to be a more steady and stronger predictor of grain yield across the seasons than several other morphological and spectral traits including crop height, green pixel fraction, canopy temperature depression, and red-edge normalized difference vegetation index. ConclusionHigh spatial and temporal resolution of the field phenotyping data, along with the new analytical framework reported, successfully estimated ET at small plot scale, which is difficult to achieve with other systems or methods. SignificancesOur work of estimating ET at the plot-scale can be adopt to other ground-based platforms and drones, thus empowers physiologists, breeders, and agronomists for high-throughput phenotyping of water-use related traits and drought response evaluation.

Minute level ultra-rapid and thousand copies level high-sensitive pathogen nucleic acid identification based on contactless impedance detection microsensor

Early screening for pathogens is crucial during pandemic outbreaks. Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is a valuable method for keeping pathogens from spreading. However, the long detection time and large size of the instruments involved significantly limited the efficiency of detection. This work described an integrated NAT microsensor that facilitated rapid and extremely sensitive detection based on nucleic acid amplification (NAA) on a chip. The biochip consisted of two layers incorporating a heater, a thermometer, an interdigital electrode (IDE) and a reaction chamber. The Pt electrode based heater and thermometer were utilized to maintain a specific temperature for the sample in the chamber. The thermometer exhibited a good linear correlation with a sensitivity of 9.36 Ω/°C and the heater achieved a heating efficiency of approximately 6.5 °C/s. Multiple ions were released during NAA, resulting in a decrease in the impedance of the amplification system solution. A large signal of impedance was generated by the released ions due to its linear correlation with the logarithm of the ion concentration. With this detection principle, IDE was employed for real-time monitoring of the in-chip reaction system impedance and NAA process. Specific nucleic acids from two pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, Vibrio vulnificus) were detected with this microsensor. The samples were qualitatively analyzed on microchip within 3 min, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 103 copies/μL. The proposed sensor presented several advantages, including reduced NAT time and increased sensitivity. Consequently, it has shown significant potential in rapid and high-quality nucleic acid testing for the field of epidemic prevention.

A novel approach to calculate the required volume of air for bronchial blockers in young children.

Bronchial blocker balloons inflated with small volumes of air increase balloon pressure, involving a risk of airway injury especially in young children. However, there are no established guidelines regarding the appropriate volumes of air required to provide safe bronchial occlusion. This study aimed to introduce a novel method for calculating the amount of air required for safe bronchial blocker balloon occlusion for one lung anesthesia in young children. We included 79 pediatric patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery at our hospital. Preoperatively, the balloon pressure and corresponding diameter of 5F bronchial blockers inflated with different volumes of air were measured. Intraoperatively, bronchial diameters measured by computerized tomographic scans were matched to the exvivo measured balloon diameters. The quality of lung isolation, incidence of balloon repositioning, and airway injury were documented. Postoperatively, airway injury was evaluated through fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Balloon pressure and balloon diameter showed linear and nonlinear correlations with volume, respectively. The median lengths of the right and left mainstem bronchi were median (interquartile range) range: 5.3 mm (4.5-6.3) 2.7-8.15 and 21.8 (19.6-23.4) 14-29, respectively. Occluding the left mainstem bronchus required <1 mL of air, with a balloon pressure of 27 cm H2O. The isolation quality was high with no case of mucosal injury or displacement. Occluding the right mainstem bronchus required a median air volume of 1.3 mL, with a median balloon pressure of 44 cm H2O. One patient had poor lung isolation due to a tracheal bronchus and another developed mild and transient airway injury. The bronchial blocker cuff should be regarded as a high-pressure balloon. We introduced a new concept for safe bronchial blocker balloon occlusion for one-lung ventilation in small children.

Clinical effect of acupuncture based on the specific response of jing-well point for intractable insomnia: a randomized controlled trial

To evaluate clinical effect and safety on the basis of detecting the specific response of jing-well point in treatment of intractable insomnia with acupuncture by meridian differentiation. Sixty-four patients with intractable insomnia were randomized into an observation group (32 cases, 1 case dropped out and 1 case was eliminated) and a control group (32 cases, 1 case was eliminated). In the observation group, the meridian imbalance value detected at the jing-well point was taken as the evidence so that the corresponding yuan-source and back-shu points were stimulated with acupuncture. In the control group, the routine acupuncture was operated at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), and bilateral Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shenmai (BL 62) and Zhaohai (KI 6). Besides, the detection at jing-well point was performed for blindness in the control group. In the two groups, the interventions were delivered once daily, 5 times a weeks and for consecutive 4 weeks. In the two groups, the scores of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), insomnia severity index (ISI) and the TCM symptom scale were observed before treatment and after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment; the clinical effect and safety were evaluated after treatment; the changes of meridian imbalance value were observed before and after treatment and the correlation analysis with the total score of PSQI was conducted. After 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, except the scores for hypnotic drug in the two groups and sleep disorder after 2 weeks of treatment in the control group, the scores of the other factors and the total scores of PSQI were all reduced when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, except the scores for hypnotic drug in the two groups and sleep disorder in the control group, the scores of the other factors and the total scores of PSQI were lower than those after 2 weeks of treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). After 2 weeks of treatment, the scores for time to fall asleep, sleep efficiency and daytime dysfunction in the observation group were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05); and after 4 weeks of treatment, except the scores for sleep disorder and hypnotic drug, the scores of the other factors and the total score of PSQI in the observation group were all lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). After 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, ISI scores and the scores of TCM symptom scale decreased when compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores of these two scales after 4 weeks of treatment were lower than those after 2 weeks of treatment (P<0.05) in the two groups; and the scores in the observation group were lower than thoese in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the observation group, higher than that (90.3% [28/31]) in the control group (P<0.05). Of 64 cases, there was only 1 case of mild hematoma in the control group; and no any other adverse events occurred. Among 64 cases, the meridians, with the imbalance frequency ≥30 times, included the pericardium meridian of hand-jueyin and the heart meridian of hand-shaoyin; those with the imbalance frequency ≥20 times, were the kidney meridian of foot-shaoyin, the triple energizers meridian of hand-shaoyang, the gallbladder meridian of foot-shaoyang, the spleen meridian of foot-taiyin and the stomach meridian of foot-yangming. Except the lung meridian of hand-taiyin in the control group, the imbalance value of each meridian was reduced after treatment (P<0.05, P<0.001, P<0.01), and the meridian imbalance value presented a linear positive correlation with the total score of PSQI in the two groups . Meridian differentiation acupuncture based on detecting the specific response of jing-well point can significantly improve the sleep quality and reduce the related symptoms in the patients with intractable insomnia. This therapy promotes the conversion of the meridians from the imbalance to the balance and is satisfactory in its safe operation.

The relationship between parental attitude toward childhood epilepsy and spiritual orientation

AimThe aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between parental attitudes toward childhood epilepsy and spiritual orientations. MethodsThis descriptive study was conducted online between May and July 2022 with 417 parents residing in the eastern part of Turkey. Data were collected using a descriptive information form, the Social Attitudes Scale toward Childhood Epilepsies, and the Spiritual Orientation Scale. The obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS software package, employing descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, as well as inferential statistics including independent samples t-test, ANOVA, multiple linear regression and correlation tests. ResultsThe Total Social Attitudes Scale Score toward Childhood Epilepsies was calculated as 45.10 ± 7.81, and the Spiritual Orientation Scale Score was 89.88 ± 30.30 for parents with an average age of 36.64 ± 8.26. It was found statistically significant and high (p > 0.05) for parents who are female, have a higher level of education, and have previously received education about epilepsy regarding both the Total Social Attitudes Scale Score toward Childhood Epilepsies and the Spiritual Orientation Scale Score. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the Total Social Attitudes Scale Score toward Childhood Epilepsies and the Spiritual Orientation Scale Score. ConclusionAccording to the findings of the research, parents' attitudes towards childhood epilepsy are positive, and their spiritual orientation levels are high. As parents' spiritual orientation levels increase, their positive attitudes towards childhood epilepsy also increase.

Comprehensive analysis of the Xya riparia genome uncovers the dominance of DNA transposons, LTR/Gypsy elements, and their evolutionary dynamics

Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences that can move or replicate within a genome, and their study has become increasingly important in understanding genome evolution and function. The Tridactylidae family, including Xya riparia (pygmy mole cricket), harbors a variety of transposable elements (TEs) that have been insufficiently investigated. Further research is required to fully understand their diversity and evolutionary characteristics. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive repeatome analysis of X. riparia species using the chromosome-level assembled genome. The study aimed to comprehensively analyze the abundance, distribution, and age of transposable elements (TEs) in the genome. The results indicated that the genome was 1.67 Gb, with 731.63 Mb of repetitive sequences, comprising 27% of Class II (443.25 Mb), 16% of Class I (268.45 Mb), and 1% of unknown TEs (19.92 Mb). The study found that DNA transposons dominate the genome, accounting for approximately 60% of the total repeat size, with retrotransposons and unknown elements accounting for 37% and 3% of the genome, respectively. The members of the Gypsy superfamily were the most abundant amongst retrotransposons, accounting for 63% of them. The transposable superfamilies (LTR/Gypsy, DNA/nMITE, DNA/hAT, and DNA/Helitron) collectively constituted almost 70% of the total repeat size of all six chromosomes. The study further unveiled a significant linear correlation (Pearson correlation: r = 0.99, p-value = 0.00003) between the size of the chromosomes and the repetitive sequences. The average age of DNA transposon and retrotransposon insertions ranges from 25 My (million years) to 5 My. The satellitome analysis discovered 13 satellite DNA families that comprise about 0.15% of the entire genome. In addition, the transcriptional analysis of TEs found that DNA transposons were more transcriptionally active than retrotransposons. Overall, the study suggests that the genome of X. riparia is complex, characterized by a substantial portion of repetitive elements. These findings not only enhance our understanding of TE evolution within the Tridactylidae family but also provide a foundation for future investigations into the genomic intricacies of related species.

Relationship between stress hyperglycemia ratio and prognosis in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a two-center retrospective study.

Previous research have demonstrated that the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) accurately reflects acute hyperglycemic states and correlates with adverse outcomes. This study aims to explore the relationship between SHR and the prognosis of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Patients with aSAH were categorized into four groups based on SHR tertiles. Functional outcomes were evaluated at 12 months using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), with scores ranging from 0 to 2 indicating a good outcome and 3-6 indicating a poor outcome. The associations between SHR and functional outcomes were analyzed using logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline analysis. A total of 127 patients exhibited poor functional outcomes. Following comprehensive adjustments, those in the highest SHR tertile had a significantly increased risk of poor prognosis compared to those in the lowest tertile (odds ratio [OR], 4.12; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.87-9.06). Moreover, each unit increase in SHR was associated with a 7.51-fold increase in the risk of poor prognosis (OR, 7.51; 95% CI: 3.19-17.70). Further analysis using restricted cubic spline confirmed a linear correlation between SHR and poor prognosis (P for nonlinearity = 0.609). Similar patterns were observed across all studied subgroups. Elevated SHR significantly correlates with poor functional prognosis at one year in patients with aSAH, independent of their diabetes status.

Microsyringe-assisted visual volume detection based on phase separation: the case of chymosin milk-clotting activity study.

The constantly diverse demand scenarios for rapid on-site analysis have put forward high requirements for developing low-cost and user-friendly visual detection methods. Therefore, developing a visual detection method with simple operation and intuitive results has important practical value in the field of analysis and detection, but it is also challenging. In this work, we propose a microsyringe-assisted visual volume detection method based on phase separation, and apply it to analyze the milk-clotting activity of chymosin. Chymosin can cause phase separation of milk with whey in the mobile phase and curd in the gel state. The network structures of casein in curd can trap water molecules, resulting in separation of whey from curd gradually. Therefore, the analysis of chymosin milk-clotting activity can be realized according to the volume of whey measured using a portable microsyringe. This method shows a good linear correlation when the concentration of chymosin ranges from 1.02 U L-1 to 1020 U L-1 and the limit of detection of this method for chymosin is calculated to be 0.03 U mL-1. This work successfully realizes the visual analysis of chymosin milk-clotting activity based on the enzyme-triggered phase separation. It also shows great promise to be applied in other phase separation-based detection systems with the advantages of high accuracy, great portability and user-friendliness.

Using FT-IR as a fast method to measure fatty acid soaps in in vivo and in vitro digests.

The objective of the current study was to develop a simple method to measure fatty acid soaps, making use of FT-IR, representative for the soap formation observed in clinical trials. Calcium soaps have a unique coordination which leads to a typical double-splitting of the antisymmetric and symmetric carboxylate peaks. Absorbance values of these carboxylate peaks were used together with the absorbance of the hydrocarbon -CH2 antisymmetric and symmetric peaks to calculate the calcium soap absorbance. Based on the linear correlation between the calcium soap absorbance and the calcium soap concentration measured with GC-FID, a model was set-up and subsequently successfully validated to quantify calcium soap concentrations in faecal samples from clinical trials with this FT-IR method. With in vivo as well as in vitro digestion an inverse correlation between the long chain saturated fatty acid part of milk fat containing fat blends used for the infant formulas, and the formation of fatty acid soaps after digestion and defaecation could be observed. There is a clear link between the amount of long chain saturated fatty acids at the sn-1/3 position and their release as free fatty acid after lipolysis with the appearance of fatty acid soaps. These insights enable future development of fat blends for infant nutrition to optimize fatty acid soap formation and thereby gut discomfort in infants. These insights can be used to predict the soap formation capacity of a newly designed fat blend and thereby the improvement of infant nutrition products.

Linearity Study of Color Measurement Methods in Digital Image Colorimetry

Color metrology is steadily developing in the interests of fundamental and applied science, improving industrial production processes. The author considers the problem of ensuring metrological traceability of color measurements under natural conditions.Digital image colorimetry methods demonstrate good linearity and precision in relatively small application ranges in studies of same type and mainly non-luminous objects. For complex scenes with a wide range of brightnesses, nonlinear functional color rendering models are used that are focused on visual perception, peak brightness of the monitor and reference viewing conditions, which complicates the processing of measurement results and reduces a confidence interval.The described method of measuring the chromaticity coordinates of an object by its digital image is based on tensor calculus and consists of multiple registration of an object and sets of reference samples with different exposure times, building calibration dependencies forming a multidimensional colorimetric scale in color space and determining chromaticity coordinates as points of intersection of color tensors with the plane of the color locus. In order to ensure accuracy and reliability of the measurement results in the software and hardware environments, a validation study of the performance indicators of this method was carried out, one of which is linearity. An experiment based on comparing the developed method with the reference measurement method showed the effectiveness of the developed wide-range measurement method with good linearity (correlation coefficient R=0.97… 0.99, residual relative standard deviation s0≈1–2%) when adjusting from the subjective factor and display device.The experimental materials may be useful to metrologists solving problems of determining the metrological traceability of the color of digital images in media. The article will be of interest to a wide range of readers with professional interests related to the colorimetry of digital images.

Anthropometric indicators and cardiovascular diseases risk in pre-diabetic and diabetic adults: NHANES 1999–2018 cross-sectional analysis

BackgroundSince cardiovascular disease (CVD) stands as the primary cause of death in those with diabetes, and given the substantial influence of obesity as a common risk factor for both diabetes and atherosclerotic conditions, this investigation sought to find the relationship between anthropometric indicators and CVD risk within these populations. MethodsOur study examined 36,329 adults, including those with diagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes, and without diabetes from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data spanning 1999 to 2018. Various anthropometric indicators such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, weight-adjusted waist index (WWI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), weight, and height were assessed. Baseline characteristics were compared among the three groups after weighting. Participants were then grouped based on anthropometric indicators, and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between these indicators and CVD risk in the total diabetes group (including diabetic and pre-diabetic individuals). Threshold effect analysis was conducted to explore nonlinear relationships, and mediation analyses assessed whether serum parameters influenced these relationships. ResultsThis cross-sectional study involved 36,329 participants, weighted to a count of approximately 160.9 million, including over 45.9 million pre-diabetic individuals and around 16.6 million diabetic individuals. Baseline analysis showed significant associations between all six anthropometric indicators and CVD risk across patients with different diabetes statuses. Weighted restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve analysis highlighted increased CVD risk among the total diabetes group for each anthropometric indicator compared to the non-diabetic group. Anthropometric indicators were then divided into quartiles, and after adjusting for confounders, Model 3 revealed that the highest BMI group had a heightened risk of CVD compared to the lowest BMI group. Similar trends were observed in the WWI and WHtR subgroups. Threshold effect analysis of anthropometric indicators unveiled nonlinear associations between waist circumference, height, WWI and CVD risk. Mediation analysis suggested that lipid parameters, especially HDL, significantly mediated these relationships. ConclusionIn individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetes, BMI, weight, and WHtR displayed a consistent, linear increase correlation with CVD risk. Conversely, the link between waist circumference, height, and WWI and CVD risk showcased a more complex, nonlinear pattern. Moreover, HDL level emerged as notable mediator in the association between anthropometric indicators and the risk of CVD.