Abstract The flexibility matrix finds extensive application in detecting damage in civil and mechanical engineering structures, a focus explored in-depth within this paper. This study meticulously examines distinct components of the flexibility matrix, namely the proposed Diagonal of the Flexibility Matrix Vector (DFV) and a singular row/column of the flexibility matrix (RFV). Both DFV and RFV can be represented uniquely as a specialized form-a weighted combination of the Hadamard product of two mode shapes. Sensitivity analysis reveals that DFV undergoes a sharp change in proximity to damage, establishing it as a dependable indicator for pinpointing damage locations. Conversely, this characteristic is not consistently observed with RFV. The results of numerical simulations conducted on a 16-story frame structure corroborate the outcomes of the sensitivity analysis, underscoring the efficacy of DFV not only in localizing damage but also in gauging its severity. To illustrate the potential and limitations of DFV/RFV in practical scenarios, damage localization for the I-40 Bridge is provided. structures indepth depth paper (DFV rowcolumn row column . (RFV) forma form shapes locations Conversely 16story story 16 severity DFVRFV scenarios I40 I 40 I-4 provided (RFV 1 I4 4 I-

Abstract Background and purpose: the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has multifunctional health benefits. We evaluated the effects of low-sodium salt applied to Chinese modified DASH diet on arterial stiffness in older patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Methods: sixty-one older adults with hypertension and type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to low sodium salt group (n = 31) or normal sodium salt group (n = 30). They were given the Chinese modified DASH diet plus low-sodium salt (52 % sodium chloride) or same diet plus regular salt (99 % sodium chloride) for eight weeks, respectively. Brachial and ankle pulse wave conduction velocity, ankle brachial index and atherosclerosis-related indices were measured at baseline and week 8. In addition, 24-hour urine and blood samples were measured at baseline, the 4th week and the end of the intervention. Results: as compared with the baseline, the low sodium salt group significantly decreased in ankle brachial index (-0.09 ± 0.11, p < 0.001) and brachial and ankle pulse wave conduction velocity (-133.07 ± 265.99 cm/s, p = 0.010) at week 8 while the normal sodium salt group only decreased significantly in ankle brachial index (-0.06 ± 0.12, p = 0.010) at week 8. Conclusion: the low-sodium salt applied to Chinese modified DASH diet may improve arterial stiffness in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Further research with an extended follow-up is needed.

Resumen Antecedentes y propósito: la dieta DASH (del inglés Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) tiene beneficios multifuncionales para la salud. Evaluamos los efectos de una sal baja en sodio aplicada a la versión modificada china de la dieta DASH sobre la rigidez arterial en pacientes mayores con hipertensión y diabetes tipo 2. Métodos: sesenta y un adultos mayores con hipertensión arterial y diabetes tipo 2 fueron asignados al azar al grupo de sal baja en sodio (n = 31) o al grupo de sal con contenido normal de sodio (n = 30). Se les administró la versión china modificada de la dieta DASH más sal baja en sodio (52 % de cloruro de sodio) o la misma dieta más sal con la cantidad normal de sodio (99 % cloruro de sodio) durante ocho semanas, respectivamente. Se midieron la velocidad de onda de pulso brazo-tobillo, el índice brazo-tobillo y los índices relacionados con la aterosclerosis al inicio del estudio y a la semana 8. Se recogieron muestras de orina y sangre de 24 horas al inicio, a la cuarta semana y al final de la intervención. Resultados: en comparación con el estado inicial, el grupo de sal baja en sodio disminuyó significativamente el índice brazo-tobillo (-0,09 ± 0,11, p < 0,001) y la velocidad de onda de pulso brazo-tobillo (-133,07 ± 265,99 cm/s, p = 0,010) en la semana 8, mientras que el grupo de sal con contenido normal de sodio solo disminuyó significativamente en el índice brazo-tobillo (-0,06 ± 0,12, p = 0,010) en la semana 8. Conclusión: la sal baja en sodio aplicada a la versión china modificada de la dieta DASH puede mejorar la rigidez arterial en pacientes con hipertensión y diabetes tipo 2. Se necesitan más investigaciones con un seguimiento prolongado.

Abstract In order to reveal the inhibitory effect of pomegranate punicalagin on macrophage foam cell formation and its possible mechanism, Raw264.7 macrophages were as the experimental carrier to detect the effect of punicalagin on macrophage cholesterol accumulation and outflow, and evaluate the regulation of punicalagin on cholesterol accumulation related genes CD36, PPARγ and outflow related genes ABCA1/G1, LXRα by Western-Blot method. The results showed that punicalagin can inhibit the cholesterol accumulation in raw264.7 macrophages due to restraining the PPARγ-CD36 expression, and meanwhile it could also promote macrophage cholesterol efflux by regulating LXRα-ABCA1/G1 pathway. mechanism Raw2647 Raw Raw264 7 Raw264. CD36 CD ABCA1G1 ABCAG ABCA1 G1 ABCA G ABCA1/G1 WesternBlot Western Blot method raw2647 raw raw264 raw264. PPARγCD36 PPARγCD PPARγ-CD3 expression LXRαABCA1/G1 LXRαABCA1G1 LXRαABCAG LXRα-ABCA1/G pathway Raw26 CD3 ABCA1G ABCA1/G raw26 PPARγCD3 PPARγ-CD LXRαABCA1 LXRαABCA LXRαABCA1/G LXRαABCA1G Raw2 raw2

Abstract Coconut milk is a traditional subtropical food, but its quality and flavor stability are the biggest challenge for promotion and commercialization. In this study, the effect of dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) on texture and flavor properties of coconut milk was investigated under different pressures. The mean particle size decreased from 24.04 ± 1.17 μm (blank sample) to 8.21 ± 0.11 μm, reaching the minimum at 18000 psi. Microfluidization technique has positive effect on the taste of coconut milk, reducing the bitterness value from 13.39 ± 0.23 to 11.50 ± 0.20 (p > 0.05) using electronic tongue; simultaneously, the other tastes were retained. The flavor of coconut milk is less affected by pressure, and the flavor is essentially not lost in the appropriate pressure range. This work provides a new understanding of quality and flavor changes of coconut milk using DHPM in the future processing process.

A rapid and reproducible liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to simultaneously determine sacubitril, valsartan and a metabolite of sacubitril (LBQ657) in human plasma using sacubitril-d4 and valsartan-d3 as the internal standards. Following protein precipitation, the analytes were operated on an Ultimate® XB-C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 3.5 μm, Welch) with a gradient elution with acetonitrile, and 5 mM ammonium acetate and 0.1% formic acid in water as the mobile phase. The detection was performed on a Triple Quad™ 4000 mass spectrometer coupled with an electrospray ionization source (ESI) under positive-ion multiple reaction monitoring mode. The linearities are 2.00-4000, 5.00-10000 and 5.00-10000 ng mL−1 for sacubitril, valsartan and LBQ657, respectively. The accuracy and precision of intra- and inter-day, dilution accuracy, recovery and stability of the method were all within the acceptable limits and no matrix effect or carryover was observed. The suitability of the method was successfully demonstrated in terms of the quantification of sacubitril, valsartan and LBQ657 in plasma samples collected from healthy Chinese volunteers in a clinical trial.

Abstract: Contrary to the traditional economic prediction that prices decrease as more firms enter the market, this paper finds a non-monotonic relationship between the number of firms and prices in online book markets. A substantial decrease in posted prices is observed when the market moves from a monopoly to duopoly. Surprisingly, as the market further expands, posted prices converge to monopoly price rather than competitive price. This is because as the number of sellers increase on the internet, the cost for consumers to obtain accurate information as well as the cost to evaluate products and sellers increase. Thus, the existence of a large number of sellers deter consumer search and lead to more random purchases. With little consumer search, sellers’ returns to undercutting price reduce. Therefore, instead of lowering price when faced with more competitors, sellers increase prices.

Our objective was to evaluate the association of rs12255372 in theTCF7L2 gene with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the world population. We carried out a survey of the literature about the effect of rs12255372 on genetic susceptibility to T2DM by consulting PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase from 2006 to 2012, and then performed a meta-analysis of all the studies in order to evaluate the association between rs12255372 and T2DM. A total of 33 articles including 42 studies (with 34,076 cases and 36,192 controls) were confirmed to be eligible and were included in the final meta-analysis: 6 studies conducted on Europeans, 14 on Caucasians, 17 on Asians, 2 on Africans, and 3 on Americans. Overall, the effect size was as follows: for the variant allele T (OR = 1.387, 95%CI = 1.351-1.424), for the TT genotype (OR = 1.933, 95%CI = 1.815-2.057), for the GT genotype (OR = 1.363, 95%CI = 1.315-1.413), for the dominant model (OR = 1.425, 95%CI = 1.344-1.510), and for the recessive model (OR = 1.659, 95%CI = 1.563-1.761). In summary, by pooling all available qualified data from genetic studies on rs12255372 and T2DM, we have confirmed that rs12255372 is significantly associated with susceptibility to T2DM in the global population.