Elastic solution of a two-dimensional functionally graded thick truncated cone with finite length under hydrostatic combined loads

In this paper, a thick truncated hollow cone with finite length made of two-dimensional functionally graded materials (2D-FGM) subjected to combined loads as internal, external and axial pressure is considered. The volume fraction distribution of materials and geometry are assumed to be axisymmetric but not uniform along the axial direction. The Finite Element Method based on the Rayliegh-Ritz energy formulation is applied to obtain the elastic behavior of the functionally graded thick truncated cone. By using this method, the effects of semi-vertex angle of the cone and the power law exponents on the distribution of different types of displacements and stresses are considered. The results show that using 2D-FGM leads to a more flexible design so that both the maximum stresses and stress distribution can be controlled by the material distribution.     

Speech pronunciation practice system for speech-impaired children: a systematic review of impacts and functionality

Universal Access in the Information Society - There are many systems in the field of speech therapy, and each offers different features. Identifying the effects of these systems on speech learning...     

Consumption of Synbiotic Bread Decreases Triacylglycerol and VLDL Levels While Increasing HDL Levels in Serum from Patients with Type-2 Diabetes

To our knowledge, no reports are available indicating the favorable effects of synbiotic bread consumption on blood lipid profiles among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the daily consumption of synbiotic bread on blood lipid profiles of patients with T2DM. This randomized double-blinded controlled clinical trial was performed with 78 diabetic patients, aged 35–70 years. After a 2-week run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to consume either synbiotic (n = 26), probiotic (n = 26) or control bread (n = 26) for 8 weeks. The synbiotic bread contained viable and heat-resistant probiotic Lactobacillus sporogenes (1 × 10⁸ CFU) and 0.07 g inulin (HPX) as prebiotic per 1 g. The probiotic bread contained L. sporogenes (1 × 10⁸ CFU) per 1 g. Patients were asked to consume the synbiotic, probiotic and control breads three times a day in a 40 g package for a total of 120 g/day. Biochemical measurements including blood lipid profiles were conducted before and after 8 weeks of intervention. Consumption of the synbiotic bread, compared to the probiotic and control breads, led to a significant decrease in serum TAG (P = 0.005), VLDL-C (P = 0.005), TC/HDL-C (P = 0.002) and a significant increase in serum HDL-C levels (P = 0.01). No significant effect of synbiotic bread consumption on FPG, TC, LDL-C and non-HDL-C levels was seen compared to the probiotic and control breads (P > 0.05). Trial registry code: http://www.irct.ir IRCT201311215623N13.     

Synbiotic Food Consumption Reduces Levels of Triacylglycerols and VLDL,but not Cholesterol,LDL, or HDL in Plasma from Pregnant Women

To our knowledge, no reports are available indicating the effects of synbiotic food consumption on blood lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress among pregnant women. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of daily consumption of a synbiotic food on blood lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress in pregnant women. This randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial was performed among 52 primigravida pregnant women, aged 18 to 35-year-old at their third trimester. After a 2-week run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to consume either a synbiotic (n = 26) or control food (n = 26) for 9 weeks. The synbiotic food consisted of a probiotic viable and heat-resistant Lactobacillus sporogenes (1 × 10⁷ CFU) and 0.04 g inulin (HPX)/g as the prebiotic. Patients were asked to consume the synbiotic and control foods two times a day. Biochemical measurements including blood lipid profiles, plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total glutathione (GSH) were conducted before and after 9 weeks of intervention. Consumption of a synbiotic food for 9 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in serum TAG (P = 0.04), VLDL (P = 0.04) and a significant rise in plasma GSH levels (P = 0.004) compared to the control food. No significant effects of the synbiotic food consumption on serum TC, LDL, HDL and plasma TAC levels (P > 0.05) were observed. Trial registry code: http://www.irct.ir. IRCT201212105623N3.     

Boosting the photovoltaic performance of Zn2SnO4‐based dye‐sensitized solar cells by Si doping into Zn2SnO4

In the present work, Zn₂SnO₄ nanoparticles were doped with silicon to improve their electrical and optical properties by the conventional solid‐state reaction method. The results showed that the minimum electrical resistivity of about 0.09 Ωcm was obtained for Zn₂SnO₄ nanoparticles with 3% Si doping. The decrease in the electrical resistivity can be attributed to the insertion of Si⁺⁴ atoms into the Zn⁺² and/or Sn⁺⁴ sites and also the formation of more oxygen vacancies in the Zn₂SnO₄ lattice. The formation of the more oxygen vacancy defect states in Si‐doped Zn₂SnO₄ nanoparticles was verified by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The efficiency of a dye‐sensitized solar cell based on 3% Si‐doped Zn₂SnO₄ was significantly better, by about 81%, compared to that of a cell based on the undoped Zn₂SnO₄. The enhancement in the efficiency can be ascribed to the facilitation of electron transport throughout a photoelectrode due to increase in the charge carrier concentration which was caused by Si doping.     

Influence of $$\hbox {TiO}_{2}$$ particle size and conductivity of the CuCrO$$_{2}$$2 nanoparticles on the performance of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells have been fabricated with mesoporous \(\hbox {TiO}_{2 }\) photoanode and N719 dye as photosensitizer. First, \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) and non-doped, Zn- and Mg-doped CuCrO\(_{2}\) nanoparticles have been synthesized by sol–gel method. In addition, the \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) pastes have been prepared through Pechini-type sol–gel method. The effect of \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) particle size, mesoporous \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) photoanode thickness and solid-state electrolyte thickness on the efficiency of the fabricated devices has been investigated. Our results show that in spite of the low amount of dye loading for photoanode with large \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) nanoparticles (80–180 nm), the dye-sensitized solar cell made from it has higher efficiency than that constructed from the photoanode comprising of small particles about 10–15 nm in size. The higher efficiency is attributed to the longer diffusion length of electrons because of a better electron transport and penetration of a large amount of \(\hbox {CuCrO}_{2 }\) nanoparticles in the porous structure of \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) photoanode. By using the doped \(\hbox {CuCrO}_{2}\) nanoparticles, the efficiency has been increased from 0.027% for \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\)/N719 dye/CuCrO\(_{2}\) to 0.033% for \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\)/N719 dye/CuCrO\(_{2}\):Zn and further increased to 0.042% for \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\)/N719 dye/CuCrO\(_{2}\):Mg. The efficiency enhancement by doping is ascribed to the conductivity improvement due to the presence of impurity atoms.     

Vitamin D and Evening Primrose Oil Administration Improve Glycemia and Lipid Profiles in Women with Gestational Diabetes

Limited data are available assessing the effects of vitamin D and evening primrose oil (EPO) administration on markers of insulin resistance and lipid concentrations in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study was designed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D and EPO administration on insulin resistance and lipid concentrations among women with GDM. In this prospective randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial, 60 participants with GDM were divided into 2 groups of either 1000 IU vitamin D3 and 1000 mg EPO or placebo for 6 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, fasting blood samples were obtained from the participants to measure related variables. After 6 weeks of intervention, changes in fasting plasma glucose (?3.6 ± 7.5 vs. +1.5 ± 11.4 mg/dL, P = 0.04), serum insulin concentrations (?2.0 ± 5.3 vs. +4.6 ± 10.7 µIU/mL, P = 0.004), homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA) insulin resistance (?0.5 ± 1.1 vs. +1.1 ± 2.5, P = 0.003), HOMA‐B cell function (?7.7 ± 23.3 vs. +17.4 ± 42.9, P = 0.007) and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (+0.01 ± 0.02 vs. ?0.01 ± 0.02, P = 0.007) in the vitamin D plus EPO group were significantly different from the placebo group. In addition, compared with the placebo, vitamin D and EPO supplementation resulted in significant reductions in serum TAG (?20.0 ± 54.3 vs. +34.3 ± 38.2 mg/dL, P < 0.001), VLDL (?4.0 ± 10.9 vs. +6.9 ± 7.6 mg/dL, P < 0.001), TC (?22.1 ± 32.6 vs. +5.3 ± 20.1 mg/dL, P < 0.001), LDL concentrations (?18.0 ± 25.5 vs. +1.8 ± 15.7 mg/dL, P = 0.001) and TC/HDL (?0.3 ± 0.4 vs. +0.3 ± 0.5 mg/dL, P < 0.001). We did not observe any significant effect of vitamin D and EPO supplementation on serum HDL concentrations. Clinical trial registration number: http://www.irct.ir : IRCT201509115623N52.