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In the past decade, garlic has become one of the most popular complementary therapies for blood pressure (BP) control used by hypertensive patients. Numerous clinical studies have ...focused on the BP-lowering effect of garlic, but results have been inconsistent. Overall, there is a dearth of information available to guide the clinical community on the efficacy of garlic in hypertensive patients.
To systematically review the medical literature to investigate the current evidence of garlic for the treatment of hypertension.
PubMed, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE were searched for appropriate articles from their respective inceptions until August 2014. Randomized, placebo-controlled trials comparing garlic vs. a placebo in patients with hypertension were considered. Papers were independently reviewed by two reviewers and were analyzed using Cochrane software Revman 5.2.
A total of seven randomized, placebo-controlled trials were identified. Compared with the placebo, this meta-analysis revealed a significant lowering effect of garlic on both systolic BP (WMD: −6.71 mmHg; 95% CI: −12.44 to −0.99; P = 0.02) and diastolic BP (WMD: −4.79 mmHg; 95% CI: −6.60 to −2.99; P < 0.00001). No serious adverse events were reported in any of the trials.
The present review suggests that garlic is an effective and safe approach for hypertension. However, more rigorously designed randomized controlled trials focusing on primary endpoints with long-term follow-up are still warranted before garlic can be recommended to treat hypertensive patients.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We present a new approach to study the equilibrium gas-particle partitioning of volatile and semi-volatile organic components in aqueous aerosol, deriving a correlational analysis method that ...examines and interprets simultaneous and correlated fluctuations in particle size and composition. From this approach, changes in particle size driven by organic component evaporation can be clearly resolved from size changes driven by hygroscopicity and fluctuations in environmental conditions. The approach is used to interpret measurements of the evaporation of semi-volatile organic components from binary aqueous/organic aerosol and the hygroscopic growth of involatile inorganic aerosol. The measurements have been made by the aerosol optical tweezers technique, which allows the simultaneous retrieval of particle size and refractive index with high accuracy. We suggest that this approach will be particularly valuable for investigating the thermodynamic behaviour of mixed component aqueous aerosol and will allow the accurate derivation of solution phase equilibrium properties that are prone to large uncertainties when measurements are made simply of the change in particle size with gas phase relative humidity.
With a new technique, we separate changes in aerosol particle size arising from changes in water and semi-volatile organic component gas-liquid partitioning.
Metal-based negative refractive-index materials have been extensively studied in the microwave region. However, negative-index metamaterials have not been realized at near-IR or visible frequencies ...due to difficulties of fabrication and to the generally poor optical properties of metals at these wavelengths. In this Letter, we report the first fabrication and experimental verification of a transversely structured metal-dielectric-metal multilayer exhibiting a negative refractive index around 2 microm. Both the amplitude and the phase of the transmission and reflection were measured experimentally, and are in good agreement with a rigorous coupled wave analysis.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
In ultra-precision diamond turning (UPDT), spindle vibration has great influence on machining precision of high precision optical components. However, the spindle-vibration mechanism has not been ...fully understood. In this study, mathematical solutions for a proposed five-degree-of-freedom (FDOF) dynamic model of an aerostatic bearing spindle are derived to explore natural mechanisms of spindle vibration. Thus, the potential benefits of the solutions are to be applied for the prediction and optimization of the effects of spindle vibration on surface generation. Its dynamic characteristics possess three translational frequencies along the radial and axial directions, a spindle rotational frequency (SRF), and a pair of coupled tilting frequencies (CTFs) around the radial directions influenced the SRF. The theoretical results are identified by the frequency characteristics of thrust cutting forces, and the periodic, concentric, spiral, radial and two-fold patterns (PCSRPs) of the machined and simulated surface topographies, respectively.
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•A mathematical solution for a proposed dynamic model of spindle vibration is derived.•It explores four kinds of natural frequencies for spindle vibration.•The vibration forms periodic, concentric, spiral, radial and two-fold patterns.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
495.
Dating the emergence of pandemic influenza viruses Smith, Gavin J.D; Bahl, Justin; Vijaykrishna, Dhanasekaran ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
07/2009, Volume:
106, Issue:
28
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Pandemic influenza viruses cause significant mortality in humans. In the 20th century, 3 influenza viruses caused major pandemics: the 1918 H1N1 virus, the 1957 H2N2 virus, and the 1968 H3N2 virus. ...These pandemics were initiated by the introduction and successful adaptation of a novel hemagglutinin subtype to humans from an animal source, resulting in antigenic shift. Despite global concern regarding a new pandemic influenza, the emergence pathway of pandemic strains remains unknown. Here we estimated the evolutionary history and inferred date of introduction to humans of each of the genes for all 20th century pandemic influenza strains. Our results indicate that genetic components of the 1918 H1N1 pandemic virus circulated in mammalian hosts, i.e., swine and humans, as early as 1911 and was not likely to be a recently introduced avian virus. Phylogenetic relationships suggest that the A/Brevig Mission/1/1918 virus (BM/1918) was generated by reassortment between mammalian viruses and a previously circulating human strain, either in swine or, possibly, in humans. Furthermore, seasonal and classic swine H1N1 viruses were not derived directly from BM/1918, but their precursors co-circulated during the pandemic. Mean estimates of the time of most recent common ancestor also suggest that the H2N2 and H3N2 pandemic strains may have been generated through reassortment events in unknown mammalian hosts and involved multiple avian viruses preceding pandemic recognition. The possible generation of pandemic strains through a series of reassortment events in mammals over a period of years before pandemic recognition suggests that appropriate surveillance strategies for detection of precursor viruses may abort future pandemics.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Advanced LIGO's second observing run (O2), conducted from 2016 November 30 to 2017 August 25, combined with Advanced Virgo's first observations in 2017 August, witnessed the birth of ...gravitational-wave multimessenger astronomy. The first ever gravitational-wave detection from the coalescence of two neutron stars, GW170817, and its gamma-ray counterpart, GRB 170817A, led to an electromagnetic follow-up of the event at an unprecedented scale. Several teams from across the world searched for EM/neutrino counterparts to GW170817, paving the way for the discovery of optical, X-ray, and radio counterparts. In this article, we describe the online identification of gravitational-wave transients and the distribution of gravitational-wave alerts by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations during O2. We also describe the gravitational-wave observables that were sent in the alerts to enable searches for their counterparts. Finally, we give an overview of the online candidate alerts shared with observing partners during O2. Alerts were issued for 14 candidates, 6 of which have been confirmed as gravitational-wave events associated with the merger of black holes or neutron stars. Of the 14 alerts, 8 were issued less than an hour after data acquisition.
Temporal and spatial variations in the water status of walnut trees (Juglans regia L.) and the soil in which they were growing were traced by analyzing the differences in hydrogen isotopes during ...spring and summer in a 7-year-old walnut stand. Walnut root dynamics were measured in both dry and wet seasons. Walnut roots were mainly distributed in the upper soil (0–30 cm depth), with around 60% of the total root mass in upper soil layers and 40% in deep soil layers (30–80 cm depth). The upper soil layers contributed 68% of the total tree water requirement in the wet season, but only 47% in the dry season. In the wet season, total roots, living roots and new roots were all significantly more abundant than in the dry season. There were significant differences in pre-dawn branch percentage loss of hydraulic conductance (PLC), pre-dawn leaf water potential and transpiration between the dry and wet seasons. Water content in the upper soil layers remarkably influenced xylem water stable-hydrogen isotope (δD) values. Furthermore, there were linear relationships between the xylem water δD value and pre-dawn branch PLC, pre-dawn leaf water potential, transpiration rate and photosynthetic rate. In summary, J. regia was compelled to take a larger amount of water from the deep soil layers in the dry season, but this shift could not prevent water stress in the plant. The xylem water δD values could be used as an indicator to investigate the water stress of plants, besides probing profiles of soil water use.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background and aims
We aim to quantify the variation in root distribution in a set of 35 experimental wheat lines. We also compared the effect of variation in hydraulic properties of the rhizosphere ...on water uptake by roots.
Methods
We measured the root length density and soil drying in 35 wheat lines in a field experiment. A 3D numerical model was used to predict soil drying profiles with the different root length distributions and compared with measured soil drying. The model was used to test different scenarios of the hydraulic properties of the rhizosphere.
Results
We showed that wheat lines with no detectable differences in root length density can induce soil drying profiles with statistically significant differences. Our data confirmed that a root length density of at least 1 cm/cm
3
is needed to drain all the available water in soil. In surface layers where the root length density was far greater than 1 cm/cm
3
water uptake was independent of rooting density due to competition for water. However, in deeper layers where root length density was less than 1 cm/cm
3
, water uptake by roots was proportional to root density.
Conclusion
In a set of wheat lines with no detectable differences in the root length density we found significant differences in water uptake. This may be because small differences in root density at depth can result in larger differences in water uptake or that the hydraulic properties of the rhizosphere can greatly affect water uptake.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus has become endemic in poultry in southeast Asia since 2003 and constitutes a major pandemic threat to humans. Here we describe cases of disease caused by ...H5N1 and transmission of the virus among migratory geese populations in western China. This outbreak may help to spread the virus over and beyond the Himalayas and has important implications for developing control strategies.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
The use of transition metal oxides and hydroxides in supercapacitors can yield high specific capacity electrodes. However, the effect of interaction between active material and current ...collector has remained unexplored. Here the behaviour of electrodeposited hexagonal cobalt hydroxide nanosheets on a variety of substrates was investigated, and the resulting valence bonding, morphological evolutions and phase transformations examined. It is shown that the electrochemical activity of the face centred cubic (FCC) Ni substrate dramatically decreases cyclability, the FCC Cu substrate also demonstrates decreased performance, and hexagonal carbon nanofibre (CNF) and Ti substrates exhibit far more stability. The miscellaneous roles of valence bonding, redox reactions and crystal structure mismatch between active material and current collector are examined, and their consequences discussed. Using the resulting insights into performance criteria, it was possible to select a suitable substrate for the fabrication of an asymmetric supercapacitor. The high performance and stability of the device demonstrates the usefulness of this approach, and the utility of applying these insights to energy storage devices.
Lay description
Active electrode includes both active material and current collectors, which can work with an electrolyte to store charge. Active materials, such as transition metal hydroxides, can store the charge by revisable redox reaction. The stored charge should be transported to the open circuit through current collectors. Hence, the choice of the current collectors, as well as the interaction between the active material and current collectors, is of vital importance. Here we demonstrated with this survey, that miscellaneous interactions between the active material and different porous current collectors affect the fast charge transfer and electron transport processes in the electrode. Ascribed to a pool of valence bonding, structure and morphology, the flower‐like Co(OH)2/CoOOH nanosheets on different current collectors, show a variety of specific capacities and stabilities. The influence of the different current collector can be summarised: Capacity of electrode: Ni > Ti ∼ CNF > Cu; Stability of electrode: Ti ∼ CNF > Cu > Ni. Thus, for a high‐performance electrochemical active material, choice of current collector support is a key factor for the final performance of a supercapacitor.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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