Search

Aims: To explore the inter-predictive role and causal relationship between family functioning, self-perceived burden and loneliness in people with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this study, patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to two tertiary care hospitals in China were selected for an 8-month follow-up, and the patients' scores on the Family Functioning, Self-perceived Burden, and Loneliness scales were measured repeatedly at three time periods: during hospitalisation (T1), 1 month after discharge (T2), and 3 months after discharge (T3). Results: The results showed that family function at the T1 time point had a negative predictive effect on self-perceived burden at the T2 time point, β = − 0.43, P = 0.005. Loneliness at the T1 time point had a positive predictive effect on self-perceived burden at the T2 time point, β = 0.08, P = 0.021. Unlike the pathway at time point T1, family functioning at time point T2 negatively predicted loneliness at time point T3, β = − 0.32, P = 0.013. Loneliness at time point T2 positively predicted family functioning at time point T3, β = 0.025, P = 0.013. Loneliness at time point T2 negatively predicted self-perceived burden at time point T3 (P = 0.011). Conclusions: The results of the cross-lagged analysis show that there is a mutually predictive and moderating relationship between family functioning and loneliness in patients with type 2 diabetes. Loneliness can predict the level of self-perceived burden at the next time point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examined the relationship between fear of hypoglycemia and certain variables in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior model, combined with the context unique to people with diabetes to provide a basis for developing targeted nursing interventions. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 212 people with T2DM were recruited from February 2021 to July 2021. Data were collected using the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey, Gold score, Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) scale and Diabetic Self-Management Attitudes Scale. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of fear of hypoglycemia using SPSS 26.0. Results: The mean fear of hypoglycemia score was 74.88 ± 18.28 (range: 37.00–132.00). In people with T2DM, the frequency of blood glucose monitoring, the frequency of hypoglycemia in the past half-year, degree of understanding of hypoglycemia, impaired awareness of hypoglycemia, PACIC, and self-management attitude of diabetes were the influencing factors of fear of hypoglycemia (adjusted R2 = 0.560, F[21,190] = 13.800, P < 0.001). These variables explained 56.0% of the variance in the fear of hypoglycemia. Conclusions: The level of fear of hypoglycemia in people with T2DM was relatively high. In addition to paying attention to the disease characteristics of people with T2DM, medical staff should also pay attention to patients' own perception and handling ability of disease and hypoglycemia, attitude toward self-management behavior and external environment support, all of which have a positive effect on improving the fear of hypoglycemia in people with T2DM, optimizing the self-management level and improving quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow field at the inlet of compressors is generally encountered combined total pressure and swirl distortion for either aircraft engine with S-duct or gas turbine with lateral air intake. This inevitably deteriorates compressor aerodynamic performance, including not only the efficiency or pressure ratio but also the operation stability. In order to conquer this issue, appropriate measures such as integrating flow control techniques and modifying inlet or compressor design are of benefits. Due to this motivation, this article develops a full-annular two-dimensional (2D) and a partial-annular three-dimension (3D) optimization strategy for non-axisymmetric vane design. Firstly, two numerical simulation methods for evaluating performance of full-annular 2D vane and compressor with partial-annular 3D vane are developed. The swirl patterns at the inlet of a 1.5-stage axial compressor are analyzed and parametrized, and the parameterization is transferred to characterize the circumferential distribution of geometrical parameters of the vane profile. These approaches dramatically reduce computational simulation costs without violating the non-axisymmetric flow distortion patterns. Then various full-annular 2D sections at different radial locations are constructed as design space. The designed vane is reconstructed and 3D numerical simulations are performed to examine performance of the non-axisymmetric vane and the compressor with it. Also, partial annular 3D optimization is conducted for balancing compressor efficiency and stall margin. Results indicate that the designed non-axisymmetric vane based on full-annular optimization approach can decrease the vane total pressure loss under the considered inlet flow distortion, while those using partial-annular optimization achieve positive effects on compressor stall margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the regulatory effect of let-7a-5p/TGFBR1/Smad3 on the proliferation activity of cervical cancer cells. Methods: The difference in let-7a-5p expression between normal people and patients with cervical cancer was detected by miREIA assay. The differences of let-7a-5p expression between cervical cancer cell line C33a and adjacent normal epithelial cell line HUCEC were determined by qRT-PCR. Results: miREIA result showed that let-7a-5p concentrations were 178.5 ± 24.3 μg/L in healthy individuals and 106.1 ± 14.8 μg/L in cervical cancer patients (P = 0.0002). qRT-PCR showed that let-7a-5p in cervical cancer tissue (0.57 ± 0.03) was lower than that in adjacent normal tissue (0.84 ± 0.04, P = 0.0107). Compared with normal cervical epithelial cells (HUCEC), the expression of let-7a-5p was lower in cervical cancer cells (C33a, Hela, P = 0.0001). The results of CCK-8 and EDU detection showed that activation of let-7a-5p inhibited the proliferation of C33a (P = 0.00130, P << 0.0001) and Hela (P = 0.00254, P = 0.0066) cells. According to the analysis using Starbase V2.0 online database, let-7a-5p could target TGFβR1 in cervical cancer cell lines, and the let-7a-5p mimic reduces the mRNA expression level of TGFβR1 in cervical cancer cell C33a (P = 0.0067). Western blot results showed that TGFBR1 expression significantly decreased in cervical cancer cells after let-7a-5p mimic treatment (P = 0.0048) and significantly increased after let-7a-5p mimic inhibitor treatment (P = 0.0003). Conclusions: let-7a-5p represents the independent novel anti-oncogenes in cervical cancer, which can regulate TGF-β1/TGFBR1/pSmad3 cell pathway and interfere with the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Therefore, let-7a-5p can serve as a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casing treatment is an effective technique in extending stall margin of axial and centrifugal compressor. However, its impacts on the stall behaviour of mixed-flow compressor are still not completely understood until now. To conquer this issue, unsteady full-annulus simulations were conducted to investigate the stall mechanism of a mixed-flow compressor with and without axial slot casing treatment (ASCT). The circumferential propagating speed of spike inception resolved by the numerical approach is 87.1% of the shaft speed, which is identical to the test data. The numerical results confirmed that the mixed-flow compressor fell into rotating stall via spike-type with and without ASCT. The flow structure of the spike inception was investigated at 50% design rotational speed. Instantaneous static pressure traces extracted upstream of the leading edge had shown a classic spiky wave. Furthermore, it was found that with and without ASCT, the mixed-flow compressor stalled through spike with the characteristic of tip leakage spillage at leading edge and tip leakage backflow from trailing edge, which is different from a fraction of the centrifugal compressor. The resultant phenomenon provides corroborating evidence for that unlike in axial-flow compressor, the addition of ASCT does not change the stall characteristics of the mixed-flow compressor. The flow structure that induced spike inception with ASCT is similar to the case with smooth casing. In the throttling process, tip leakage flow vortex had been involved in the formation of tornado vortices, with one end at the suction side, and the other end at the casing-side. The low-pressure region relevant to the downward spike is caused by leading-edge separation vortex or tornado vortex. The high-pressure region relevant to the upward spike is induced by blockage from the passage vortex. These results not only can provide guidance for the design of casing treatment in mixed-flow compressor, but also can pave the way for the stall waring in the highly-loaded compressors of next-generation aeroengines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on the actual channel measurements of the high-speed railway (HSR) in a viaduct scenario at 2.35 GHz, a hybrid cluster delay line (CDL) channel modeling technology which combines a statistical model and a theoretical model is proposed. This novel channel-characterization approach is used to reveal the statistical properties for 'random' scattering and to provide a geometric mechanism for computing the time-variant paths for 'periodically moving' scattering. Using a modified clustering algorithm in the delay domain, the inter-cluster and intra-cluster characteristics against the distance between the transmitter and the receiver were extracted and analyzed. In addition, the measurement results were compared with some conclusions from other measurement studies, and the proposed channel model was validated by comparing the simulated results with the measurement data. The study results provide a useful technique for the evaluation and verification of wireless communications in the HSR environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]