Insulin Resistance Is an Important Risk Factor for Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Patients with Primary Hypertension

Lina Ma,Yun Li,Ming Feng,Yuying Qian,Wei Yang,Jia Liu,Rui Han,Hong Zhu 연세대학교의과대학 2015 Yonsei medical journal Vol.56 No.1

Purpose: Insulin resistance plays a role in the development of dementia and hypertension. We investigated a possible relationship between cognitive impairment and insulin resistance in elderly Chinese patients with primary hypertension. Materialsand Methods: One hundred and thirty-two hypertensive elderly patients (>60 years) were enrolled in this study, and assigned into either the cognitive impairmentgroup (n=61) or the normal cognitive group (n=71). Gender, age, education,body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio (WHR), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride(TG), C-reactive protein (CRP), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), creatinine (Cr), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, smoking history, atherosclerosis and the proportion of uncontrolled hypertensionwere compared between the two groups. Multi-factorial logistic regressionanalysis was performed. Results: No significant differences were found in gender, age, TC, CRP, HDL-C, LDL-C, Cr, BP, smoking history, atherosclerosis and the proportion of uncontrolled hypertension between the two groups. The cognitiveimpairment group had lower education levels, and higher BMI, WHR, TG, FPG, FINS, and HOMA-IR levels than the control group. Logistic regression analysis revealed the levels of education, BMI, WHR, and HOMA-IR as independentfactors that predict cognitive impairment in patients. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that poor education and increased BMI, WHR, and HOMA-IR are independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in elderly patients with hypertension. Insulin resistance plays an important role in the development of cognitive impairment in primary elderly hypertensive patients.

Loess Collapsibility and Microstructural Characteristics of Farmlands Created by “Gully Land Consolidation” on the Chinese Loess Plateau

( Lina Ma ),( Shengwen Qi ),( Songfeng Guo ) 대한지질공학회 2019 대한지질공학회 학술발표회논문집 Vol.2019 No.2

In order to cope with land degradation and create new farmlands for cultivation, a gigantic project “Gully Land Consolidation” was launched on the Hill-Gully Region of Chinese Loess Plateau in 2011. However, as a kind of particular remolded loess, these newly-created and re-filled farmlands suffered more seriously collapsible deformation due to their original soil structure was changed and destroyed. In this study, the south gully region of Yanan were selected as the typical study areas which were conducted from 2013-2018. And we took undisturbed loess samples of two types, ones were the natural loess including Q2 and Q3 loess which were sampled from the beside hillslope, others were the re-filled loess sampled from the newly formed farmlands by reshaping valley. Moreover, a series of consolidated drained compression tests and routine soil tests were carried out both on natural loess (Q2 and Q3) and re-filled loess with different water contents and compactness by Triaxial Compression Apparatus for Unsaturated Soil. Thus, studying the changes of collapsible coefficients and collapsible deformation between natural loess and re-filled loess, and analyzing the effects of water contents and compactness on loess collapsibility. Meanwhile, this study also research on loess microstructural characteristics by conducting the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and micron CT tests. The quantitative relationship between loess microstructure and macroscopic collapsibility characteristics were described, and differences of microstructure and pore between natural loess and re-filled loess were analyzed.

Energy Efficiency Optimization for Uplink Multiuser MIMO Systems

Lina Ma,Shuangzhi Li,Xiaomin Mu 보안공학연구지원센터 2016 International Journal of Multimedia and Ubiquitous Vol.11 No.8

To satisfy green communication needs, energy efficiency is regraded as one of the most important indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of a communication system. In this paper, we establish the energy efficiency optimization framework for uplink multiuser mutliple-input multiple-output system. Taking the circuit power, the antenna link power and signal processing power into consideration, an analytical expression of the achieveable energy efficiency is firstly established, which can better model the practical communication process. Furthermore, we simplify the objective function under some mild conditions. After demonstrating the existence of a unique golbally optimal energy efficiency, an adaptive water-filling power allocation algorithm is proposed to further improve the energey efficiency of the system. Finally some simulation results are given to verify the performance of our scheme. Our work can provide a fundamental principles for uplink mutiluser multiple-input multiple-output systems design.

Beyond Disability: Understanding Disability Issues in Alice Walker’s Meridian

Ma, Lina 한국현대영어영문학회 2023 현대영어영문학 Vol.67 No.4

This paper, utilizing the black feminist disability theory, explores how Alice Walker’s novel Meridian (1976) challenges the oppressive system of ableism and normalcy in world-building and offers a thought-provoking perspective on disability as an alternative way of knowing and surviving in the world. Analyzing the protagonist Meridian Hill’s experiences with an illness resembling epilepsy, resulting in temporary paralysis, blindness, and hair loss, the essay argues that Meridian’s disabled bodymind is a socio-political reality of the black individual, rather than just a metaphor for systemic racism and sexism. After experiencing the challenges posed by her disability, Meridian develops a keen sense of critical awareness of such normative notions as ability, disability, dependency, and marriage. Meridian’s reintegration into her Southern African American community reframes her disability as a source of positive heritage, highlighting Walker’s perspective on disability as a multifaceted societal, political, and communal concern, as opposed to an individualistic or medical matter. The essay posits that Walker advocates for a non-ableist disability paradigm, emphasizing collective disability experiences and mutual care for black well-being.

Dwelling and Growing in Toxins: Trans-corporeality and Its Ethics in Sandra Steingraber’s Having Faith

( Ma Lina ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2023 현대영어영문학 Vol.67 No.2

This essay aims to investigate how Sandra Steingraber’s Having Faith (2001) responds to Stacy Alaimo’s “Trans-corporeality” and the ethics it entails. Inheriting the writing style of Living Downstream (1997), the book blends personal pregnancy experiences with the scientific investigation to shed light on the dangers posed by man-made toxic production to maternal and infant health. In Having Faith, Steingraber ‘bodilizes’ nature while she also ‘naturalizes’ the body, highlighting the inherent material connections between body and place, human and non-human, livings and non-livings, and their interconnectedness over time and space. In this sense, I argue that the pregnancy and maternal process becomes a “trans-corporeal process” that transports toxic material from the external environment into the womb and bloodstream. To respond this predicament, Steingraber advocates all sectors of society abide by the “precautionary principle” to reduce the production and circulation of toxic substances, reflecting trans-corporeal ethical considerations. As a result, this article believes maternal and infant health is intimately intertwined with environmental health, social justice, and reproductive justice in both the material and environmental ethical senses of trans-corporeality. (Chungnam National University)

Mechanistic Insight into Phenolic Compounds Toxicity and State-of-the-art Strategies for Enhancing the Tolerance of Escherichia coli to Phenolic Compounds

Lina Liu,Xiaolong Ma,Muhammad Bilal,Linlin Wei,Shijie Tang,Hong-zhen Luo,Yuping Zhao,Xuguo Duan 한국생물공학회 2022 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.27 No.4

Efficient use of lignocellulosic biomass is a prerequisite for sustainable biofuel production while simultaneously contributing to environmental protection. However, phenolic compounds produced during the chemical treatment of lignocellulose inhibit the growth and metabolism of microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, which is one of the ideal strains for producing target products by microbial fermentation. To provide new ideas for studying microbial tolerance to environmental stress and providing technical support for constructing the engineering strains with high yields of phenolic compounds, this review elucidates the inhibition mechanism of phenols to E. coli. Secondly, a comprehensive and systematic review of current approaches for improving the phenolic-tolerance of E. coli is provided, including strain domestication, random mutagenesis, regulating the expression of outer membrane proteins, changing the composition of membrane fatty acids, accelerating the efflux of phenolic compounds, engineered bacterial biofloc formation, and transcriptome analysis. Finally, this review ends with some questions that still exist today, and prospective strategies are outlined for further improving the phenols-tolerance of E. coli. This review provided a theoretical basis for research into microbial tolerance to environmental stress and the development of engineered strains with high yield of phenolic compounds.

An Anomaly Detection Algorithm for Cathode Voltage of Aluminum Electrolytic Cell

Cao, Danyang,Ma, Yanhong,Duan, Lina Korea Information Processing Society 2019 Journal of information processing systems Vol.15 No.6

The cathode voltage of aluminum electrolytic cell is relatively stable under normal conditions and fluctuates greatly when it has an anomaly. In order to detect the abnormal range of cathode voltage, an anomaly detection algorithm based on sliding window was proposed. The algorithm combines the time series segmentation linear representation method and the k-nearest neighbor local anomaly detection algorithm, which is more efficient than the direct detection of the original sequence. The algorithm first segments the cathode voltage time series, then calculates the length, the slope, and the mean of each line segment pattern, and maps them into a set of spatial objects. And then the local anomaly detection algorithm is used to detect abnormal patterns according to the local anomaly factor and the pattern length. The experimental results showed that the algorithm can effectively detect the abnormal range of cathode voltage.

Effects of maternal dietary energy restriction on breast muscle fibre development in the offspring of broiler breeders

Wu, Hongzhi,Sun, Hao,Ma, Chengzhan,Lian, Lina,Lu, Lei,Xu, Liangmei,Xu, Li Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.11

Objective: The effects of maternal dietary energy levels on breast muscle fibre development in offspring of broiler breeders were investigated. Methods: A total of 480 20-week-old Arbor Acres (AA) healthy female broiler breeders, with an average body weight of 2.33±0.01 kg, were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups with 6 replicates and 20 broiler breeders for each replicate and fed a corn and soybean meal diet with 100%, 80%, 70%, and 50% energy levels, respectively. Approximately 300 eggs per treatment were collected for incubation for 6 days. Then, 120 0-day-old female broilers at each energy level were randomly selected and divided into 6 replicates with 20 broilers for each replicate, with this experimental phase with the offspring lasting for 49 days. Results: Compared with the 100% energy group, the breast muscle fibre diameter at embryonic day 21 in the 80% energy group was significantly reduced (p<0.05). In the 80% energy group, the muscle fibre density of the breast increased significantly (p<0.05) at embryonic days 15 and 21. The breast muscle fibre diameter of the offspring in each group was significantly decreased (p<0.05) on the 1st day. The breast muscle sarcomere length of the embryos in the 80% energy group was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in the 70% and 50% energy groups. Compared with the 100% energy group, the expression of the myostatin gene in the offspring was significantly decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the effects of a maternal dietary energy level of 80% in this study were found to be optimal for breast muscle fibre development in offspring, which indicated that the metabolic energy level of AA broilers of 9.36 MJ/kg for the mid-term diet for laying eggs has a more practical significance.

Effects of maternal dietary energy restriction on laying performance, embryonic development, and lipid metabolism in broilers

Sun, Hao,Chen, Zhihui,Ma, Chengzhan,Lian, Lina,Zhao, Zeyu,Niu, Shupeng,Xu, Liangmei,Sun, Jinhua Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2022 Animal Bioscience Vol.35 No.5

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different degrees of maternal dietary energy restriction on lipid deposition in embryonic tissues during the medium laying period (37 to 39 weeks) in Arbor Acres (AA) broiler breeders. Methods: A single factor design was adopted, and 400 AA broiler breeders (20 weeks of age) with a similar weight were randomly allocated into four groups. The birds in the control group were fed a corn-soybean meal based diet, and those in trial groups were fed diets with 80%, 70%, and 50% energy levels of the basal diet. Incubated eggs from the medium laying period were collected. Samples of developing embryos at various stages were prepared for composition analysis. Results: The embryo weight in the 80% energy group was higher than those of the other groups on embryonic day (E) 13, but at 21 E, they were significantly decreased with decreasing energy intake of the broiler breeders (p<0.05). Additionally, the levels of crude fat in tissues in the restriction groups were significantly decreased (p<0.05). The long axis and area of adipocytes in breast muscle, thigh muscle and the liver were significantly decreased (p<0.05) at 21 E in the 80%, 70%, and 50% energy groups. Conclusion: The effects of the 80% maternal dietary energy restriction energy affects egg production performance, egg quality, and nutrient deposition in egg weights, which then directly impacts on the developmental process of embryos, especially on fat utilization and deposition.

Compositions and Properties of Microbial Residues Formed by Three Single Species Fungi and Mixed Strains in Cellulose-Containing Liquid Media

Shuai Wang,Sen Dou,Lina Ma,Yan Li,Shasha Yu 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6