290 research outputs found
Stabilization of highly polar BiFeO-like structure: a new interface design route for enhanced ferroelectricity in artificial perovskite superlattices
In ABO3 perovskites, oxygen octahedron rotations are common structural
distortions that can promote large ferroelectricity in BiFeO3 with an R3c
structure [1], but suppress ferroelectricity in CaTiO3 with a Pbnm symmetry
[2]. For many CaTiO3-like perovskites, the BiFeO3 structure is a metastable
phase. Here, we report the stabilization of the highly-polar BiFeO3-like phase
of CaTiO3 in a BaTiO3/CaTiO3 superlattice grown on a SrTiO3 substrate. The
stabilization is realized by a reconstruction of oxygen octahedron rotations at
the interface from the pattern of nonpolar bulk CaTiO3 to a different pattern
that is characteristic of a BiFeO3 phase. The reconstruction is interpreted
through a combination of amplitude-contrast sub 0.1nm high-resolution
transmission electron microscopy and first-principles theories of the
structure, energetics, and polarization of the superlattice and its
constituents. We further predict a number of new artificial ferroelectric
materials demonstrating that nonpolar perovskites can be turned into
ferroelectrics via this interface mechanism. Therefore, a large number of
perovskites with the CaTiO3 structure type, which include many magnetic
representatives, are now good candidates as novel highly-polar multiferroic
materials [3].Comment: Phys. Rev. X, in productio
Contactless Electrocardiogram Monitoring with Millimeter Wave Radar
The electrocardiogram (ECG) has always been an important biomedical test to
diagnose cardiovascular diseases. Current approaches for ECG monitoring are
based on body attached electrodes leading to uncomfortable user experience.
Therefore, contactless ECG monitoring has drawn tremendous attention, which
however remains unsolved. In fact, cardiac electrical-mechanical activities are
coupling in a well-coordinated pattern. In this paper, we achieve contactless
ECG monitoring by breaking the boundary between the cardiac mechanical and
electrical activity. Specifically, we develop a millimeter-wave radar system to
contactlessly measure cardiac mechanical activity and reconstruct ECG without
any contact in. To measure the cardiac mechanical activity comprehensively, we
propose a series of signal processing algorithms to extract 4D cardiac motions
from radio frequency (RF) signals. Furthermore, we design a deep neural network
to solve the cardiac related domain transformation problem and achieve
end-to-end reconstruction mapping from RF input to the ECG output. The
experimental results show that our contactless ECG measurements achieve timing
accuracy of cardiac electrical events with median error below 14ms and
morphology accuracy with median Pearson-Correlation of 90% and median
Root-Mean-Square-Error of 0.081mv compared to the groudtruth ECG. These results
indicate that the system enables the potential of contactless, continuous and
accurate ECG monitoring
MTNR1B rs10830963 is associated with fasting plasma glucose, HbA1C and impaired beta-cell function in Chinese Hans from Shanghai.
BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in White Europeans have shown that genetic variation rs10830963 in melatonin receptor 1B gene (MTNR1B) is associated with fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes, which has also been replicated in several Asian populations. As a variant in the gene involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms, the effect of the variant on sleep status remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MTNR1B rs10830963 on fasting glucose, type 2 diabetes and sleep status in Chinese Hans. METHODS: MTNR1B rs10830963 was genotyped in a population-based cohort including 3,210 unrelated Chinese Hans from Beijing and Shanghai, and tested for associations with risk of type 2 diabetes, diabetes-related traits and sleep status. RESULTS: We confirmed the associations of MTNR1B rs10830963 with fasting glucose (beta = 0.11 mmol/l, 95%CI [0.03, 0.18], P = 0.005), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (beta = 0.07%, 95%CI [0.02,0.12], P = 0.004) and homeostasis model assessment of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) (beta = -5.01%, 95%CI [-8.24,-1.77], P = 0.003) in the Shanghai, but not in the Beijing subpopulation (P >or= 0.58). The effect size of MTNR1B rs10830963 on fasting glucose in Shanghai Chinese Hans was comparable to that reported from other Asian populations. We found no evidence of associations with type 2 diabetes (OR 1.05 [0.90-1.23], P = 0.54), homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) (P = 0.86) or sleep status (P >or= 0.44). CONCLUSIONS: A common variant in MTNR1B was associated with fasting glucose, HbA1C and HOMA-B but not with sleep status in Chinese Hans from Shanghai, strengthening the role of MTNR1B rs10830963 in fasting glycemia and impaired beta-cell function.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are
Sugarcane breeding: a fantastic past and promising future driven by technology and methods
Sugarcane is the most important sugar and energy crop in the world. During sugarcane breeding, technology is the requirement and methods are the means. As we know, seed is the cornerstone of the development of the sugarcane industry. Over the past century, with the advancement of technology and the expansion of methods, sugarcane breeding has continued to improve, and sugarcane production has realized a leaping growth, providing a large amount of essential sugar and clean energy for the long-term mankind development, especially in the face of the future threats of world population explosion, reduction of available arable land, and various biotic and abiotic stresses. Moreover, due to narrow genetic foundation, serious varietal degradation, lack of breakthrough varieties, as well as long breeding cycle and low probability of gene polymerization, it is particularly important to realize the leapfrog development of sugarcane breeding by seizing the opportunity for the emerging Breeding 4.0, and making full use of modern biotechnology including but not limited to whole genome selection, transgene, gene editing, and synthetic biology, combined with information technology such as remote sensing and deep learning. In view of this, we focus on sugarcane breeding from the perspective of technology and methods, reviewing the main history, pointing out the current status and challenges, and providing a reasonable outlook on the prospects of smart breeding
Joint analysis of multiple biomarkers for identifying type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and older Chinese: a cross-sectional study
Comprehensive evaluation of SNP identification with the Restriction Enzyme-based Reduced Representation Library (RRL) method
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IRS1 Genotype Modulates Metabolic Syndrome Reversion in Response to 2-Year Weight-Loss Diet Intervention: The POUNDS LOST trial
OBJECTIVE Genetic variants near IRS1 are associated with features of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We examined whether genetic variants near IRS1 might modulate the effects of diets varying in fat content on the MetS status in a 2-year weight-loss trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Two variants near IRS1, rs1522813 and rs2943641, were genotyped in 738 overweight/obese adults (age 60 ± 9 years; BMI 32.7 ± 3.9 kg/m2) randomly assigned to one of four weight-loss diets (a deficit of 750 kcal/day of caloric intake from baseline) varying in macronutrient contents for 2 years. We compared MetS status of high-fat (40% of caloric intake; n = 370) and low-fat (20% caloric intake; n = 368) diet groups differentiated by genotypes (rs1522813 A-allele carriers and noncarriers and rs2943641T-allele carriers and noncarriers). RESULTS Among rs1522813 A-allele carriers, the reversion rates of the MetS were higher in the high-fat diet group than those in the low-fat diet group over the 2-year intervention (P = 0.002), while no significant difference between diet groups was observed among noncarriers (P = 0.27). The genetic modulation on dietary effect was independent of weight changes. The odds ratio (OR) for the 2-year reversion of the MetS was 2.88 (95% CI 1.25–6.67) comparing the high-fat and low-fat diets among rs1522813 A-allele carriers, while the corresponding OR was 0.83 (0.36–1.92) in noncarriers. The variant rs2943641 was not observed to modulate dietary effects on the MetS status. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that high-fat weight-loss diets might be more effective in the management of the MetS compared with low-fat diets among individuals with the A-allele of the rs1522813 variant near IRS1
Condiciones Laborales y de Salud de Los Trabajadores de la Maquila del Tabaco. Ciudad El Paraíso, Honduras. Octubre 2003 a Marzo 2004.
El propósito es describir las características socio demográficas, las condiciones de trabajo y situación de salud de los trabajadores para aportar información y conocer la magnitud y trascendencia de esta problemática y tomar decisiones necesarias de prevención
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