The high mobility group A1 gene (HMGA1) rs139876191 variant has been related to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, but data are lacking in Middle Eastern populations. The study aimed to assess whether the HMGA1 rs139876191 variant is associated with metabolic syndrome risk and whether this variant predicts the risk of insulin resistance. This case-control study was carried out at single center in Kirkuk city/ Iraq from February to August 2022. Polymorphisms in HMGA1 and genotyping were identified by Sanger sequencing of genomic DNA obtained from 91 Iraqi participants (61 patients with metabolic syndrome and 30 control). Lipid profile, serum (glucose and insulin), glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, body mass index, and waist circumference were also measured. The high prevalence of the del/del genotype of rs139876191 was found. Minor allele frequency of rs139876191 was 0.16 in both metabolic syndrome and the control group. A non-significant difference in genotyping was identified between total metabolic syndrome and the control group. The del/ins variant was associated with significantly higher waist circumference, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (P=0.03, 0.041, 0.007, 0.034, and 0.001, respectively), and significantly lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (p=0.000). Linear regression analysis showed no significant effect of the variant (del/ins) on developing insulin resistance. Thus, rs139876191 polymorphism with del/ins genotype in the HMGA1 gene was not associated with metabolic syndrome risk but it was associated with indices of metabolic syndrome including waist circumference, TG, HDL, LDL, VLDL, and HbA1c. Besides, this variant did not predict the risk of insulin resistance
A potential alternative energy resource to meet energy demands is the vast amount of gas stored in hydrate reserves. However, major challenges in terms of exploration and production surround profitable and effective exploitation of these reserves. The measurement of acoustic velocity is a useful method for exploration of gas hydrate reserves and can be an efficient method to characterize the hydrate-bearing sediments. In this study, the compressional wave velocity (P-wave velocity) of consolidated sediments (Bentheimer) with and without tetrahydrofuran hydrate-bearing pore fillings were measured using the pulse transmission method. The study has found that the P-wave velocity of consolidated sediments increase with increasing hydrate format
... Show MoreThis study presents experimental and numerical investigations on seven one-way, reinforced concrete (RC) slabs with a new technique of slab weight reduction using polystyrene-embedded arched blocks (PEABs). All slabs had the same dimensions, steel reinforcement, and concrete compressive strength. One of these slabs was a solid slab, which was taken as a control slab, while the other six slabs were cast with PEABs. The main variables were the ratio of the length of the PEABs to the length of the slab (lp/L) and the ratio of the height of the PEABs to the total slab depth (hP/H). The minimum decrease in the ultimate load capacity was about 6% with a minimum reduction in the slab weight of 15%. In contrast, the maximum decrease in the
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In high-dimensional semiparametric regression, balancing accuracy and interpretability often requires combining dimension reduction with variable selection. This study intro- duces two novel methods for dimension reduction in additive partial linear models: (i) minimum average variance estimation (MAVE) combined with the adaptive least abso- lute shrinkage and selection operator (MAVE-ALASSO) and (ii) MAVE with smoothly clipped absolute deviation (MAVE-SCAD). These methods leverage the flexibility of MAVE for sufficient dimension reduction while incorporating adaptive penalties to en- sure sparse and interpretable models. The performance of both methods is evaluated through simulations using the mean squared error and variable selection cri
... Show MoreThis paper introduces a Laplace-based modeling approach for the study of transient converter-grid interactions. The proposed approach is based on the development of two-port admittance models of converters and other components, combined with the use of numerical Laplace transforms. The application of a frequency domain method is aimed at the accurate and straightforward computation of transient system responses while preserving the wideband frequency characteristics of power components, such as those due to the use of high frequency semiconductive switches, electromagnetic interaction between inductive and capacitive components, as well as wave propagation and frequency dependence in transmission systems.
Extraction of copper (Cu) from aqueous solution utilizing Liquid Membrane technology (LM) is more effective than precipitation method that forms sludge and must be disposed of in landfills. In this work, we have formulated a liquid surfactant membrane (LSM) that uses kerosene oil as the main diluent of LSM to remove copper ions from the aqueous waste solution through di- (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid - D2EHPA- as a carrier. This technique displays several advantages including one-stage extraction and stripping process, simple operation, low energy requirement, and. In this study, the LSM process was used to transport Cu (II) ions from the feed phase to the stripping phase, which was prepared, using H2SO4. For LSM p
... Show MoreThe present study is concerned with the writer's ideologies towards violence against women. The study focuses on analyzing violence against women in English novel to see the extent the writers are being affected and influenced by their genders. It also focuses on showing to what extent the writer's ideologies are reflected in their works. Gender influences social groups ideologies; therefore, when a writer discusses an issue that concerns the other gender, they will be either subjective or objective depending on the degree of influence, i.e., gender has influenced their thoughts as well as behaviors. A single fact may be presented differently by different writers depending on the range of a
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