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Nonlinear relationships between the triglyceride glucose-body mass index and cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and elderly women from NHANES (1999–2018)
Abstract This study aims to investigate the relationship between the triglyceride-glucose body mass index (TyG-BMI) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among middle-aged and elderly women, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 1999 to 2018. TyG-BMI was calculated as Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2] × BMI. After applying the sampling weights from NHANES, the study sample of 6,343 participants is representative of approximately 59,174,898 American women. We categorized TyG-BMI into quartiles, using Q3 as the reference group. In the crude model, Q4 exhibited a 40% increased odds of CVD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.79, P = 0.009). In the fully adjusted model, the increased odds of CVD for Q4 relative to Q3 was 39% (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.06–1.82, P = 0.019). Further analysis using restricted cubic splines (RCS) and threshold effect analysis confirmed a nonlinear relationship between them. Below a TyG-BMI threshold of 260, there was no significant association with CVD odds. However, above 260, each 10-unit increase in TyG-BMI was associated with a 2.4% increase in CVD odds in this demographic. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the stability of the results.
Ex ante economic impact assessment of the 3R-gene potato in Kenya
Potato late-blight disease is as a major constraint to potato production in Kenya. The use of fungicides to control the disease is limited by the practice of delaying application until the symptoms are visible, and inappropriate application rates and methods. Biotech crops, such as 3R-gene potato, are providing sustainable solutions to crop protection challenges in agriculture, but little is known about their social and economic potential in any country. To gain greater insights into the potential of 3R-gene potato in Kenya, this study evaluates the economic benefits of Asante, Shangi, and Tigoni potato varieties, which are resistant to late blight. Data from experts along the potato value chain and secondary sources are analyzed using the economic surplus model and a real options model. First, experts’ opinions revealed that late-blight disease is responsible for 23% of production loss annually, and that 12% of the production costs are due to the use of fungicides to control late blight disease. Secondly, the study results suggest that the release of 3R-gene Shangi would generate the greatest economic benefits of KES 845.9 million (US$ 8.2 million) annually. The expected net benefits of 3R-gene Asante are KES 7.3 million (US$ 0.07 million) annually. 3R-gene Tigoni, with the lowest potential adoption rates, would be expected to realize a negative net of KES of -1.26 million (US$ -0.01 million) annually. Significant potential economic gains, which is expected to increase with better awareness of biotech crops, support the immediate release of 3R-gene Shangi in Kenya.
A computational framework for detecting inter-tissue gene-expression coordination changes with aging
Identification method and application of order parameters for organizational systems considering time-series values: A case study on high-quality development in China’s regional manufacturing industry
The transition from disorder to order in the evolution of organizational systems is driven by the identification of key order parameters, which serve as critical determinants of this shift and the primary forces behind system evolution. Since order parameters capture the dominant state of the system at specific time points, accurately identifying these parameters is essential for tracing the evolutionary trajectory. This study integrates time-series values into the process of order parameter identification and employs the CRITIC method to objectively calculate the weights of these values, thereby enhancing the scientific rigor and effectiveness of the identification process. The results indicate that the identified order parameters accurately reflect the actual evolutionary state of the system. Furthermore, this method efficiently controls order parameters throughout the evolution of the system, providing operational and technical references for subsequent development processes. By focusing on a case study of high-quality development in the manufacturing industry in China, this study validates the practical application of the proposed method and highlights the significance of order parameter identification in enhancing organizational system development.
Perception and communication of relevant colours in paintings by observers with colour vision deficiencies
Promoting Pro-environmental Beliefs and Behaviour: Choose-Your-Own Story Futuristic Climate Game
How can we address climate scepticism and increase public support for ambitious pro-environmental policies? This study investigates the potential of future-oriented perspective taking, using an innovative and futuristic choose-your-own-adventure narrative game. This cutting-edge intervention involves living in the life of a future self and making choices related to hypothetical climate crises. The choose-your-own-adventure game was integrated into online survey experiments in the United Kingdom (N = 1,738) and the United States (N = 1,290). We found that participation in the game elicited strong emotional responses in individuals, making them more empathetic, but also more hopeless and sad. Imagining their future self during the climate game enhanced people’s willingness to engage in future discussions about climate change among the UK respondents. Yet, the intervention did little to transform people’s pro-environmental beliefs, policy support, or willingness to sign a climate petition. Causal mediation analyses reveal that these null effects hide important direct and indirect effects. Empathic concern mediates significant positive indirect effect of climate game on people’s pro-environmental beliefs, but negative indirect effect on willingness to sign the climate petition. Empathy seems to shape environmental beliefs and behaviours in diverse ways, highlighting the complex and nuanced relationship between them. These findings offer important implications for recent research on the role of emotions in climate change communication, environmental psychology, and policymaking. We also present a unique approach to fostering empathy for the environment and future generations through an engaging choose-your-own-adventure game.
Multi-scale modeling and simulation of skeletal muscles with different fatigue degrees based on microphysiology
Exposure to circadian disrupting environment and high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation alter reproductive competence and lipid profiles of liver, mammary, plasma and milk of ICR mice
This study’s objective was to determine the effects of pre-pregnancy obesity induced by a high-fat diet and exposure to circadian-disrupting light-dark phase shifts on birth littler size, pup survival to 24h and growth to lactation day 12, and their relationship to maternal feeding patterns, fecal corticosterone levels, milk composition, and lipid profiles of liver, plasma, mammary gland, and milk. A 2 by 2 factorial designed experiment of female ICR mice assigned to control (CON; 10% fat) or high-fat (HF; 60% fat) and either a 12-hour light-dark (LD) cycle or a chronic jet lag model of 6-hour phase-shifts (PS) in light-dark cycle every 3 days throughout pregnancy and lactation, resulted in 4 treatment groups: CON-LD, CON-PS, HF-LD and HF-PS. HF diet increased maternal pre-pregnancy body weight and elevated milk lactose. Whereas PS reduced milk lactose within the CON diet group, and increased maternal feed intake and fecal corticosterone levels. PS exposure also affected the time of day of birth. Neither PS nor HF affected birth litter size or pup survival. Only diet impacted final litter weight, with HF greater than CON. Among the 1204 lipids detected by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-profiling, diet altered 67.1% in milk, 58.1% in mammary gland, 27.2% in the liver, and 10.9% in plasma, with HF increasing the carbon length of diacylglycerols in the liver and milk, and carbon length of triacylglycerols in plasma, mammary gland and milk. Although exposure to PS had no overall impact on maternal lipid profiles, interactions (P < 0.05) were found between PS and diets in the phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolanine class of lipids. Findings support that high fat diet and exposure to circadian disrupting environments impact maternal feeding behavior and stress responses as well as lipid profiles, which may relate to their negative association with maternal health and offspring development.
A computational approach to understanding the interaction of personality and online product affordances
Experimental study on anti-drift shield curtain device for soybean (Glycine max)-maize (Zeal mays) strip intercropping weed sprayers
Soybean-maize strip intercropping is an important method to increase soybean oil self-sufficiency and promote sustainable agricultural development, which has rapidly developed in China in recent years. However, the herbicides used in the post-emergence weeding stage of soybean and maize can inhibit each other's growth, and herbicide drift can easily lead to crop yield reduction or even death. To reduce the drift risk of soybean-maize strip intercropping sprayers during the post-emergence weed control stage, we explored the efficacy of shield curtain device in reducing drift through wind tunnel and field trials. The study found that when only two sides of shield curtains were used to cover the spray area in the wind tunnel test, the maximum drift rate was 2.18% under the influence of lateral airflow, while drift was more severe under the influence of inter-row airflow with a maximum drift rate of 14.99%. The drift rate far exceeded the threshold causing herbicide damage on soybeans and maize. In the field test, using shield curtains on the front, back, and both sides of the spray area could obtain a maximum spray drift rate of 0.98% and a minimum deposition rate of 57.87%. This approach could reduce the drift rate by more than 88.5% and increase the deposition rate by more than 47.2% compared to not using the shield curtain device. The study can offer valuable reference and data support for the research of anti-drift technology for soybean-maize strip intercropping sprayers and provide ideas for designing shield devices.
Feasibility and case studies on converting small hydropower stations to pumped storage
SMND-309 activates Nrf2 signaling to alleviate acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress
Background Acetaminophen (APAP) can be used for pain relief and fever alleviation, the overdose of which, however, may lead to the accumulation of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI), inducing oxidative stress and liver damage. The natural compound SMND-309 has been shown to have hepatoprotective effects and potential antioxidant activity. However, its ability to alleviate acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury (AILI) has not been elucidated. Objective To explore the protective effect of the natural compound SMND-309 against AILI and the potential mechanism. Methods The AILI model was established using a mouse model and HepG2 cells for pathological evaluation and biochemical assays of mouse liver tissues to assess the level of liver injury. The effects of SMND-309 on cellular ROS levels and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected using DCFH-DA and JC-1 probes. Western blotting was performed to detect the expressions of Nrf2 signaling pathway and key proteins related to APAP metabolism in the combination of immunohistochemistry of liver tissues, with immunofluorescence assay used to detect whether Nrf2 undergoes nuclear translocation. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation (MD) and biofilm layer interference (BLI) experiments were performed to detect the interaction of SMND-309 with Keap1. Results SMND-309 improved histopathological changes in the liver, decreased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, as well as attenuated oxidative stress injury and mitochondrial dysfunction in the HepG2 cell line. Further studies revealed that SMND-309 promoted nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and upregulated the expressions of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1). In addition, molecular docking and MD suggested that SMND-309 could bind Keap1 and identified possible binding modes, with BLI experiments confirming that SMND-309 directly interacted with Keap1. Conclusion SMND-309 exerts hepatoprotective effects against AILI in an Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway-dependent manner.
Crude toxin production and chemical control of Boeremia exigua
Impact of the Clinical Frailty Score on Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients in a Tertiary Care ICU
Hyers Ulam stability and bifurcation control of leptospirosis disease dynamics and preventations: Modeling with singular and non-singular kernels
Due to its various uses, the dynamical system is a significant research area in the field of mathematical biology. The model is first developed by applying the usual derivative with combined recovery measures of humans as well as animals for leptospirosis transmission and then converted into a generalized form of the fractal fractional sense with power law kernel, exponential law kernel, and Mittag-Leffler kernel. We verify all the fundamental characteristics of the newly developed model for the validation analysis of the system such as equilibrium points, local stability, positivity of solutions, reproductive number, and existence of a unique solution. Also, bifurcation analysis has been used for newly developed systems to observe the impact of each sub-compartment with the effect of different parameters. The results on Hyers Ulam stability are established by utilizing different kernels to observe its stable state. We used a numerical scheme based on the Lagrange polynomials for all three cases of fractal fractional derivatives having different kernels. The efficiency of the fractional operators with comparative analysis of different kernels is shown in simulation form to verify the validity and real behavior of leptospirosis transmission for humans as well as animals. he graphical explanation of our model’s solution depicts the effectiveness of our techniques applied and this study helps for future predictions and developing better control strategies.
Cancelable biometric authentication leveraging empirical mode decomposition and quaternion representations for IoT security
Enhancing Advance Care Planning in India through a 12-step Pathway
Comparison of CMIP6 GCMs historical precipitation with measured precipitation over Pakistan
Comparison of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) General Circulation Models (GCMs) with observations under different climatic conditions is necessary to determine their respective strengths and differences. In the current study, ten CMIP6 GCMs are compared with measured gauge precipitation data of 51 stations across Pakistan. Results show reasonable agreement between the CMIP6-GCMs with measured data in capturing precipitation days of ≤10 mm/day. The precipitation intensity of events ≥10 mm/day shows a significant resemblance with measured data at a 95% confidence level (K-S test). Furthermore, the results of regional differences demonstrate the relatively good agreement of CMCC-CM2-SR5, EC-Earth3-AerChem, and EC-Earth3-CC with measured data in arid and semiarid regions and FGOALS-f3-L in humid and extremely arid regions. Significant precipitation variability is reported in the interannual standard deviation ratio (STD) for all GCMs in all seasons, implying more dynamics and intense precipitation in GCMs. The magnitude of STD is sensitive to the precipitation magnitude in time and space rather than climate classes, higher and lower in monsoon and autumn seasons, respectively. The climatological mean shows higher precipitation in the northeastern and southeastern parts of GCMs during the monsoon and lower precipitation during winters complementing station data. Based on selected metrics, CMCC-ESM2 has the highest skill in simulating precipitation distributions over Pakistan, followed by CMCC-CM2-SR5 and EC-Earth3-CC, while NorCPM1 ranked the worst in reproducing measured precipitation. The findings can serve as a benchmark in the region for applying the CMIP6 GCMs in water and food security studies.