Effect of Spirulina Supplementation on Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Spirulina is a microalga that presents various important pro-health properties, for instance lowering blood pressure in the research. The study aims to appraise the efficacy of Spirulina administration on systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved by a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases from inception to June 2021 according to a standardized protocol. The effect size of each study was counted from mean and standard deviation before and after the intervention and shown as Un-standardized mean difference and 95% confidence interval. Sensitivity analyses were performed. Meta-analysis on 5 RCTs with 230 subjects was eligible. The amount of Spirulina ranged from 1 to 8 g per day, and intervention durations ranged from 2 to 12 weeks. Data analysis indicated that Spirulina supplementation led to a significant lowering of SBP (Mean Difference (MD): −4.59 mmHg, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): −8.20 to −0.99, I square statistic (I2) = 65%) and significant lowering of DBP (MD: −7.02 mmHg, CI: −8.86 to −5.18, I2 = 11%), particularly in a subgroup of hypertensive patients. Spirulina administration might have a supportive effect on the prevention and treatment of hypertension. More exact randomized controlled trials are needed to clarify the effect of Spirulina supplementation on blood pressure.

Anion-π Catalysis: A Novel Supramolecular Approach for Chemical and Biological Transformations

Catalysts by virtue of lowering the activation barrier helps in the completion of a chemical reaction in a lesser amount of time without being themselves consumed. Utilizing the diverse non-covalent interactions in the design and construction of catalysts, recently anion-π interactions were also introduced, giving rise to an emerging field of anion-π catalysis. In the newly constructed anion-π catalysts, significant lowering of activation energy occurs by virtue of anion-π interactions. Till now, several important reactions generating chiral centers have been carried out on the π-acidic surfaces of anion-π catalysts, thereby revealing the significance of anion-π catalysis in the domain of asymmetric synthesis. The motive of this chapter is to highlight the role of anion-π catalysis in asymmetric synthesis and we surely believe that it will offer new opportunities in supramolecular chemistry.

New Product Preannouncement: Phantom Products and the Osborne Effect

The mere preannouncement of a new product can affect consumer choice, thus complicating preannouncement strategy. This is because a preannounced product that is unavailable immediately can still be one of the alternatives in a consumer’s mind at the time of choice. Such unavailable products, also known as phantom products, influence the reference point that consumers compare alternatives to when making a choice, as has been widely demonstrated in experimental studies. Thus, in addition to encouraging consumers to postpone purchase in favor of a future product, preannouncement also changes their preference for the currently available products when consumers do not prefer to postpone. In this paper we explore preannouncement strategy by analyzing a model that incorporates the effect of new product preannouncement (NPP) on consumer preferences and compare the results with a benchmark case in which consumer preferences across the existing products are not influenced by preannouncement. We find that when we take into account the effect of NPP on consumer preferences across the existing products, although postponement of purchase by some consumers remains beneficial, the preference for the current product offering with a lower quality can suffer so much that the significant lowering of current profits is not offset by future gains. Thus, preannouncement may no longer be the optimal strategy for the firm with a lower-quality product, which in turn explains the “Osborne effect.” Our results also challenge the conventional wisdom in new product preannouncement literature. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.

Novel Mitigation Technique to Reduce Stress at Pipe Welds Caused by Acoustic Induced Vibrations (AIV)

Within blowdown and pressure relieving systems, a phenomenon known as acoustic induced vibrations (AIV) increases the risk of costly failures at branch connections, pipe supports and other discontinuities downstream of pressure relieving devices. Broadband pressure fluctuations generated during these AIV events lead to elevated stresses at welded connections. Based on recent research, modeling and measuring the effects of AIV in piping systems, it is possible to reduce the dynamic pressure fluctuations that cause AIV closer to the excitation source. This can lead to more cost effective and efficient means of reducing the likelihood of failures caused by AIV. This paper will discuss the results of full-scale testing of a novel mitigation technique that reduces pressure fluctuations that cause AIV. The reduction in dynamic pressure leads to significant lowering of the overall stresses near the pipe welds at discontinuities. In addition, results indicate that a reduction in dynamic pressure can be obtained with the mitigation technique tested to a level acceptable by current screening methods.

Teknik Penanganan Kendali Hewan Sesuai Kaidah Kesejahteraan Hewan Meningkatkan Akurasi Pengukuran Profil Hemodinamika Tikus Laboratorium

Chronic discomfort potentially occurred during a hemodynamic measurements in a rat-tail blood pressure chamber due to the animal is restrained in restricted space for a long period – it took 10 repetitions each at approximately 1.5 minutes for a session of hemodynamic measure. Procedures related to the animal welfare methods are required to improve the accuracy of the measurement which would altered from the discomfort to comfort state of the animal. Welfare procedures are represented by humane handling and habituation of the subject (rats) to the operator and the hemodynamic apparatus. Seven rats were subjected in this study and measured for hemodynamic value in three times point: before (T0), after humane handling (T1) and after human handling and habituation to the measurement apparatus (T2), respectively. Six out of seven subjects showed a significant lowering deviation for all variables of hemodynamic measurements, and that deviation followed by a declining trend from T0 to T2, i.e T0>T1>T2. The results indicated that welfare-based approach would benefit the animals from feeling discomfort and yet improving the accuracy and quality of the outcomes.

Снижение порога генерации с помощью легирования в лазерах среднего инфракрасного диапазона на основе HgCdTe с квантовыми ямами HgTe

The possibility of significant lowering of the interband lasing threshold in laser structures of the mid-infrared region based on HgCdTe with HgTe quantum wells by doping with donors, which introduce δ layers near quantum wells, is proposed and analyzed. It is shown that at an optimum surface donor concentration in the δ layer of 4 × 10^10 cm^–2 and an operating temperature of >40 K, the lasing threshold at a wavelength of 20 μm can be lowered more than twofold.