bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Multiple Deep Models on Semantic Segmentation for Breast Tumor Detection
Authors: Khan Sajid Ullah , Sharif Muhammad Nawaz , Niass Mussaab Ibrahim , Afzal Mehtab , Shoaib Muhammad
Published: September 2023

The early diagnosis of breast tumor detection is the most significant research issue in mammography. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) is one of the highly essential methods to prevent breast cancer. This research work explored the effectiveness of deep-based pixel-wise segmentation models for low energy X-rays (mammographic imagery) to detect tumors in the breast region. For this purpose, various semantic segmentation models were incorporated into the experimental procedure. All the models were analyzed using the medical images dataset, which was gathered and annotated from one of the largest teaching hospitals in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, known as Lady reading hospital. It is coordinated in cooperation with local health specialists, radiologists, and technologists. The comparative analysis of the incorporated segmentation techniques' performance was observed, selecting the most appropriate model for detecting tumors and normal breast regions. The experimental evaluation of the proposed models performs efficient detection of tumor and non-tumor areas in breast mammograms using traditional evaluation metrics such as mean IoU and Pixel accuracy. The performance of the semantic segmentation techniques was evaluated on two datasets (Cityscapes and mammogram). Dilation 10 (global) performed the best among the four semantic segmentation models by achieving a higher pixel accuracy of 93.69%. It reflects the effectiveness of the pixel-wise segmentation techniques by outperforming other state-of-the-art automatic image segmentation models.
A Novel Software Layer to Program Arduino over the Air using Bluetooth
Authors: Rehman Abdur , Baig Faisal , Hameed Yousaf , Beg Saira
Published: September 2023

Programming over the air (POTA) is commonly used to update the firmware and configuration of a wireless sensor node without any physical contact with the node. Here we designed a four-wheel student development kit for the remote-controlled car via Bluetooth HC-05 module that was programmed using over the air (OTA). Bluetooth HC-05 module only supports universal asynchronous receive transmits (UART) traffic to communicate with connected slave devices. To implement POTA for robotic cars an additional software layer was written for the HC-05 module and this software layer makes HC-05 able to program Arduino pro mini over serial communication. The written software transfers data over the Bluetooth link to the slave hardware to program Arduino pro mini.This work can be utilized in the swarm of robotics network in which firmware consistently need to update to adapt the surrounding. It can also be utilized in the localization of robots in the indoor environment and similarly can be utilized for student training. Here we designed a four-wheel student development kit for the remote-controlled car via Bluetooth HC-05 module that was programmed using over the air (OTA).
Data Mining Assisted Purchase Prediction
Authors: Faseeh Muhammad , Rehman Zahoor Ur
Published: September 2023

With the revolution from physical businesses to shopping online, predicting client behavior in e-commerce is becoming increasingly important. It can increase customer satisfaction and sales, resulting in higher conversion, by enabling a more individualized shopping process. Today, most users want to save their time using and they prefer to shop using the platform provided for e-commerce. Millions of transaction records are available in the databases of such websites using which, a customer shops something. Using the transaction to find something can be helpful for the organization or merchants. Using the available databases or datasets, to find some useful pattern can increase the business, to check out the customer satisfaction level, to check the customer behavior about the product, etc. Some of the useful information can be to find out which item will be purchased by the customer in the next visit, or which new items can be purchased by the customer in the next visit. Using this information, an organization or Shops can control the quantity and increase the maximum purchased items, improving the quality of products for the customers. For this purpose, we use supervised learning techniques for prediction. Because most of the data which we will use will be labeled. Many researchers used supervised methods but some of the researchers also used unsupervised methods too. We created a supervised model for predicting the basket items. Due to the large dataset, it was very difficult to extract the features and it takes a lot of time. We have performed feature engineering, to choose the best ones. After the training model, our model shows better performance than the previous results.
Automatic Facial Expression Analysis and Recognition using Zone Based Active and Salient Facial Patches
Authors: ‎ Ukasha , Iqbal Khalid , Shahzad Taimur , Faseeh Muhammad
Published: September 2023

Recognition of facial expression has many useful applications that have drawn researcher’s interest over the past decade. Extraction of features is a major step in the analysis of expression which leads to fast and accurate recognition of expression. Recognition of facial expressions is not an easy issue for methods of machine learning, as different people can vary in the way they show their expressions and for one expression the image of the same person can differ for brightness, background and position. Recognition of facial expression is therefore still a challenging computer vision problem. In this thesis work, we aim to design a robust technique of automatic facial expression analysis and recognition using zone based active and salient patches of the human face by combining various techniques from computer vision and pattern recognition. Expression recognition is closely related to face recognition where a lot of research has been done and a vast array of algorithms have been introduced. Facial expression recognition (FER) can also be considered as a special case of a pattern recognition problem and many techniques are available. In the designing of an FER system, we divided the system into 4 modules, i.e. preprocessing, active and salient patch extraction and classification. Voila Jones algorithm is used for face detection and after that features are extracted from the facial patches. The active facial patches are located on the facial regions that during different expressions undergo a major change. The active patches are located after detection of facial landmarks and hybrid features are determined from these patches. The use of small parts of face instead of the whole face for extracting features reduces the computational cost. Zoning is applied and got remarkable results. The dimensionality of the function is reduced by using linear discriminant analysis, which is further defined using the support vector machine (SVM). On the basis of classification expression is recognized. We evaluated our algorithm on Extended Cohn-Kanade (CK+) dataset.
The Power of Networks: A Pre-Requisite to Social Network Analysis
Authors: Younis Sundus , Khan Palwasha
Published: September 2023

Social network analysis has attained significant attention in recent times. It is a contemporary data driven technique which maps and measures social structures using network and graph theory for people analytics. A pre-requisite to social network analysis is to explore the network genesis and its evolution. Most of the social network studies in the past have focused primarily on the impact of social networks on employees but none of the studies have identified the reasons why do employees bond with specific network members in the first place and what are the different types of workplace social networks. For this reason we wanted to conduct a systematic literature review for identifying the reasons why specific workplace social networks exists, classify different types of workplace networks and highlight network ties which are beneficial for achieving organizational goals. By employing social network theory, this study investigates the intra-organizational networks of corporate business environment. Multiple databases were used to extract relevant papers for this review such as Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, Scopus and Web of Science databases and Directory of Open Access Journals. Some of the major trends identified from the 48 past papers included in this review are: (1) different types of workplace social networks are created based on specific employee interdependency; (2) strong and weak ties both are beneficial for fast information diffusion; (3) negative ties have a stronger impact on organizational outcomes then positive ties. This review will provide a new broader conceptualization of social networks and its influence on employees.
Nanotechnologies: AI Weapons Governing the Military Battle Field
Authors: Ali Atif , Fareed Zulqarnain , Nadeem Shaikh Muhammed , Naseem Hina , Khan Ghouri Khushboo Farid , Qazi Muhammad Sharreh , Khan Muhammad Faisal
Published: September 2023

With major advantages and concerns, nanotechnology (NT) is expected to change severalindustries. New risks could emerge due tomilitary advancements, requiring additional planning and work to contain them. When it comes to military R&D, the NT is moving forward quickly. Future uses could benefit all military branches. Microrobots and new biological weapons could endanger stability and arms control. Manypeople are interested in nanotechnology as a scientific subject because of all the opportunities it offers. Nanorobots can be employed in variousfields, including materials science, space exploration, ecology, information technology, electronics, and communications.On the other hand, these novel uses for nanorobotics in military applications and armament are revolutionary. An essay on the most recent developments in military nanorobot applications has been made available. Due to its fundamentally revolutionary advantages, military nanotechnologies have been argued to be more lethal than nuclear weapons for the entire planet and capable of being used in all conflict zones.
Effect of Preprocessing and No of Topics on Automated Topic Classification Performance
Authors: Hussain Ijaz , Khattak Zafar Mehmood
Published: September 2023

The emergence of the Internet has caused an increasing generation of data. A high amount of the data is of textual form, which is highly unstructured. Almost every field i.e, business, engineering, medicine, and science can benefit from the textual data when knowledge is extracted. The knowledge extraction requires the extraction and recording of metadata on the unstructured text documents that constitute the textual data. This phenomenon is regarded as topic modeling. The resulting topics can ease searching, statistical characterization, and classification. Some well-known algorithms for topic modeling include Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF), and Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (PLSA). Different parameters can affect the performance of topic modeling. An interesting parameter could be the time required to perform topic modeling. The fact that time is affected by many factors applicable to topic modeling as well; however, measuring the time concerning some constraints can be beneficial to provide insight. In this paper, we alter some preprocessing steps and topics to study their impact on the time taken by the LDA and NMF topic models. In preprocessing, we limit our study by altering only the sampling and feature subset selection whereas in the second step we have changed the number of topics. The results show a significant improvement in time.
Indoor Scene Recognition: An Attention-Based Approach Using Feature Selection-Based Transfer Learning and Deep Liquid State Machine
Authors: Surendran Ranjini , Chihi Ines , Anitha J. , Hemanth D. Jude
Published: September 2023

Scene understanding is one of the most challenging areas of research in the fields of robotics and computer vision. Recognising indoor scenes is one of the research applications in the category of scene understanding that has gained attention in recent years. Recent developments in deep learning and transfer learning approaches have attracted huge attention in addressing this challenging area. In our work, we have proposed a fine-tuned deep transfer learning approach using DenseNet201 for feature extraction and a deep Liquid State Machine model as the classifier in order to develop a model for recognising and understanding indoor scenes. We have included fuzzy colour stacking techniques, colour-based segmentation, and an adaptive World Cup optimisation algorithm to improve the performance of our deep model. Our proposed model would dedicatedly assist the visually impaired and blind to navigate in the indoor environment and completely integrate into their day-to-day activities. Our proposed work was implemented on the NYU depth dataset and attained an accuracy of 96% for classifying the indoor scenes.
The Influence of Speed Ratio on the Nonlinear Dynamics of a Magnetic Suspended Dual-Rotor System with a Fixed-Point Rubbing
Authors: Wang Dongxiong , Chen Songyao , Wang Nianxian , Zhang Ju , Wang Baohua
Published: September 2023

Magnetic suspended dual-rotor systems (MSDS) provide the potential to significantly improve the performance of aero-engines by eliminating the wear and lubrication system, and solve vibration control issues effectively. However, the nonlinear dynamics of MSDS with rubbing is rarely investigated. In this work, the nonlinear support characteristics of active magnetic bearings (AMBs) are described by the equivalent magnetic circuit method, the impact force is characterized by the Lankarani–Nikravesh model, and the nonlinear dynamic model is established using the finite element method. On this basis, the influence of speed ratio on the nonlinear dynamics is investigated. Simulation results show that the fundamental sub-synchronous vibration of period n is the dominant motion of MSDS, where n is determined by the speed ratio. The frequency components of sub-synchronous vibrations of period k are integer multiples of the minimum dimensionless frequency component 1/k, where k is a positive integral multiple of n. Quasi-periodic and chaotic vibrations are more likely to occur near critical speeds, and their main frequency components can be expressed as a variety of combined frequency components of the rotating frequency difference and its fractional frequency. To reduce the severity of fluctuating stresses stemming from complicated non-synchronous vibrations, speed ratios, corresponding to smaller n and AMB control parameters attenuating vibration amplitude or avoiding critical speeds, are suggested.
Numerical Analysis of Bioinspired Tails in a Fixed-Wing Micro Air Vehicle
Authors: Barroso Barderas Estela , Bardera Mora Rafael , Rodriguez-Sevillano Ángel Antonio , Matías García Juan Carlos
Published: September 2023

Bird tails play a key role in aerodynamics and flight stability. They produce extra lift for takeoff and landing maneuvers, enhance wing functions and maintain stability during flight (keeping the bird from yawing, rolling and pitching, or otherwise losing control). This paper investigates the use of bioinspired horizontal stabilizers for Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) involving a Zimmerman wing-body geometry. A selection of five tail shapes of the main types existing in nature is presented, and a parametric analysis is conducted looking into the influence of the most relevant tail geometric parameters to increase the longitudinal static stability of the vehicle. Based on the parametric study, a smaller subset of candidate tail designs are shortlisted to perform a detailed aerodynamic analysis. Then, steady RANS CFD simulations are conducted for a higher-fidelity study of these candidate tail designs to obtain an optimum of each tail type. The criterion for selection of the optimum tail configuration is the maximum aerodynamic efficiency, CLCD , as well as a high longitudinal static stability. The squared-fan tail provides the highest aerodynamic efficiency while maintaining a high longitudinal stability of the vehicle. In conclusion, this paper provides an innovative study of improving longitudinal stability and aerodynamics through the implementation of bioinspired horizontal stabilizers in vehicles with these characteristics.
Silver and Hematite Nanoparticles Had a Limited Effect on the Bacterial Community Structure in Soil Cultivated with Phaseolus vulgaris L.
Authors: Zarco-González Karla E. , Valle-García Jessica D. , Navarro-Noya Yendi E. , Fernández-Luqueño Fabián , Dendooven Luc
Published: September 2023

The amount of nanoparticles that enters the environment has increased substantially in the last years. How they might affect plant characteristics and the bacterial community structure when they enter the soil, however, is still debated, as there is a continuous interaction between them. In this study, we determined the effect of silver (Ag-NPs) and hematite (α-Fe2O3-NPs) nanoparticles (0.15 g kg−1) on the characteristics of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and the rhizosphere, non-rhizosphere and uncultivated soil bacterial community. The application of Ag-NPs or α-Fe2O3-NPs did not affect plant growth, but changed the amount of some heavy metals in the roots and aerial parts. The application of nanoparticles had a limited effect on the diversity, structure and functional profile of the soil and rhizosphere bacterial communities, but they were altered by cultivation of the bean plants and changed over time. It was found that application of Ag-NPs or α-Fe2O3-NPs had no effect on bean plant growth and only a small effect on the bacterial community structure and its putative metabolic functions. These findings show that in a complex system, such as a soil, different factors might affect the bacterial community structure and alter the possible effect of nanoparticles on it.
Effects of Different Dietary Energy Levels on Development, Quality of Carcass and Meat, and Fatty Acid Profile in Male Lambs
Authors: Zhang Dan , Yuan Chao , Guo Tingting , Liu Jianbin , Lu Zengkui
Published: September 2023

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of dietary energy level on the growth performance and meat quality of weaned Alpine Merino lambs. The study ran for a total of 104 days (20-day pretrial, 84-day trial). From three groups of test lambs, we randomly selected ten lambs per group to determine slaughter performance, meat quality characteristics, and organ indexes. The slaughter performances of the lambs improved as the dietary energy level increased. The live weight before the slaughter of the lambs was significantly higher in the high group than in the low and medium groups. The carcass weight was significantly higher in the high group than in the low group. Dietary energy level had little effect on the organ weight of lambs. Meat quality differed among the three dietary energy levels. The muscle yellowness and redness scores decreased significantly as the energy levels increased. The C18:0, C21:0, C20:1, C18:2n6c, and C20:2 contents in the muscle were significantly higher in the high group than in the medium and low groups. The C18:3n6 content in the muscle was significantly higher in the low group than in the medium group. The C20:5n3 content in the longissimus dorsi was significantly higher in the high group than in the medium and low groups. The monounsaturated and unsaturated fatty acid contents in the muscle were significantly higher in the high group than in the low group. A dietary energy level of 10.5 MJ/kg is suitable for fattening weaned male Alpine Merino lambs.
Effects of White Fish Meal Replaced by Low-Quality Brown Fish Meal with Compound Additives on Growth Performance and Intestinal Health of Juvenile American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)
Authors: Lu Wenqi , Yu Haixia , Liang Ying , Zhai Shaowei
Published: September 2023

With a reduced supply and increased price of white fish meal (WFM), the exploration of a practical strategy to replace WFM is urgent for sustainable eel culture. A 70-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing WFM with low-quality brown fish meal (LQBFM) with compound additives (CAs) on the growth performance and intestinal health of juvenile American eels (Anguilla rostrata). The 300 fish (11.02 ± 0.02 g/fish) were randomly distributed in triplicate to four groups (control group, LQBFM20+CAs group, LQBFM30+CAs group and LQBFM40+CAs group). They were fed the diets with LQBFM replacing WFM at 0, 20%, 30% and 40%, respectively. The CAs were a mixture of Macleaya cordata extract, grape seed proanthocyanidins and compound acidifiers; its level in the diets of the trial groups was 0.50%. No significant differences were found in the growth performance between the control and LQBFM20+CAs groups (p > 0.05), whereas those values were significantly decreased in LQBFM30+CAs and LQBFM40+CAs groups (p < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the activity of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase was significantly increased in LQBFM30+CAs and LQBFM40+CAs groups, while lysozyme activity and complement 3 level were significantly decreased in those two groups (p < 0.05). There were decreased antioxidant potential and intestinal morphological indexes in the LQBFM30+CAs and LQBFM40+CAs groups, and no significant differences in those parameters were observed between the control group and LQBFM20+CAs group (p > 0.05). The intestinal microbiota at the phylum level or genus level was beneficially regulated in the LQBFM20+CAs group; similar results were not shown in the LQBFM40+CAs group. In conclusion, with 0.50% CA supplementation in the diet, LQBFM could replace 20% of WFM without detrimental effects on the growth and intestinal health of juvenile American eels and replacing 30% and 40%WFM with LQBFM might exert negative effects on this fish species.
Genetic and Haplotype Diversity of Manila Clam Ruditapes philippinarum in Different Regions of China Based on Three Molecular Markers
Authors: Wei Di , Zheng Sichen , Wang Songlin , Yan Jingkai , Liu Zhihong , Zhou Liqing , Wu Biao , Sun Xiujun
Published: September 2023

China has the largest production yield of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum in the world. Most of the clam seeds for aquaculture are mainly derived from artificial breeding in southern China, likely resulting in the loss of genetic variation and inbreeding depression. To understand the genetic and haplotype diversity of R. philippinarum, 14 clam populations sampled from different regions of China were analyzed by three molecular markers, including COI, 16SrRNA and ITS. Based on the results of the COI and ITS genes, the 14 populations showed a moderate to high level of genetic diversity, with an average haplotype diversity of 0.9242 and nucleotide diversity of 0.05248. AMOVA showed that there was significant genetic differentiation among all populations (mean FST of the total population was 0.4534). Pairwise FST analysis showed that genetic differentiation reached significant levels between Laizhou and other populations. Two Laizhou populations showed great divergence from other populations, forming an independent branch in the phylogenetic tree. The shared haplotypes Hap_2 and Hap_4 of COI appeared most frequently in most clam populations. In contrast, 16SrRNA analysis of the clam populations revealed the dominated haplotype Hap_2, accounting for 70% of the total number of individuals. The haplotype diversity of the Laizhou population (Laizhou shell-wide (KK) and Laizhou dock (LZMT)) was relatively higher than other populations, showing multiple unique haplotypes (e.g., Hap_40, Hap_41 and Hap_42). These findings of genetic and haplotype diversity of clam populations provide guiding information for genetic resource conservation and genetic improvement of the commercially important R. philippinarum.
Procalcitonin-Based Antibiotic Use for Neonatal Early-Onset Bacterial Infections: Pre- and Post-Intervention Clinical Study
Authors: Go Hidetoshi , Nagano Nobuhiko , Sato Yuki , Katayama Daichi , Hara Koichiro , Akimoto Takuya , Imaizumi Takayuki , Aoki Ryoji , Hijikata Midori , Seimiya Ayako , Okahashi Aya , Morioka Ichiro
Published: September 2023

We previously reported the 95th percentile cutoff value of the serum procalcitonin (PCT) reference curve for diagnosing early-onset bacterial infection. We aimed to verify the effectivity of these novel diagnostic criteria by comparing antibiotic use and incidence of early-onset bacterial infection between pre- and post-introduction periods. We included newborns admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit who underwent blood tests within 72 h after birth between 2018 and 2022. The neonates were divided into the pre-intervention (admitted before the introduction, n = 737) or post-intervention (admitted after the introduction, n = 686) group. The days of antibiotics therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient days up to 6 days after birth, percentage of antibiotic use, and incidence of early-onset bacterial infection were compared between the groups. The post-intervention group had significantly lower DOT per 1000 patient days (82.0 days vs. 211.3 days, p < 0.01) and percentage of newborns receiving antibiotics compared with the pre-intervention group (79 (12%) vs. 280 (38%), respectively, p < 0.01). The incidence of early-onset bacterial infections did not differ between the groups (2% each, p = 0.99). In conclusion, our diagnostic criteria using the 95th percentile cutoff value of the serum PCT reference curve for early-onset bacterial infection were proven safe and effective, promoting appropriate use of antibiotics.
Redox Profile of Skeletal Muscles: Implications for Research Design and Interpretation
Authors: Vasileiadou Olga , Nastos George G. , Chatzinikolaou Panagiotis N. , Papoutsis Dimitrios , Vrampa Dimitra I. , Methenitis Spyridon , Margaritelis Nikos V.
Published: September 2023

Mammalian skeletal muscles contain varying proportions of Type I and II fibers, which feature different structural, metabolic and functional properties. According to these properties, skeletal muscles are labeled as ‘red’ or ‘white’, ‘oxidative’ or ‘glycolytic’, ‘slow-twitch’ or ‘fast-twitch’, respectively. Redox processes (i.e., redox signaling and oxidative stress) are increasingly recognized as a fundamental part of skeletal muscle metabolism at rest, during and after exercise. The aim of the present review was to investigate the potential redox differences between slow- (composed mainly of Type I fibers) and fast-twitch (composed mainly of Type IIa and IIb fibers) muscles at rest and after a training protocol. Slow-twitch muscles were almost exclusively represented in the literature by the soleus muscle, whereas a wide variety of fast-twitch muscles were used. Based on our analysis, we argue that slow-twitch muscles exhibit higher antioxidant enzyme activity compared to fast-twitch muscles in both pre- and post-exercise training. This is also the case between heads or regions of fast-twitch muscles that belong to different subcategories, namely Type IIa (oxidative) versus Type IIb (glycolytic), in favor of the former. No safe conclusion could be drawn regarding the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes either pre- or post-training. Moreover, slow-twitch skeletal muscles presented higher glutathione and thiol content as well as higher lipid peroxidation levels compared to fast-twitch. Finally, mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide production was higher in fast-twitch muscles compared to slow-twitch muscles at rest. This redox heterogeneity between different muscle types may have ramifications in the analysis of muscle function and health and should be taken into account when designing exercise studies using specific muscle groups (e.g., on an isokinetic dynamometer) or isolated muscle fibers (e.g., electrical stimulation) and may deliver a plausible explanation for the conflicting results about the ergogenic potential of antioxidant supplements.
The Role of the si-Face Tyrosine of a Homodimeric Ferredoxin-NADP+ Oxidoreductase from Bacillus subtilis during Complex Formation and Redox Equivalent Transfer with NADP+/H and Ferredoxin
Authors: Seo Daisuke
Published: September 2023

In the crystal structure of ferredoxin-NADP+ oxidoreductase from Bacillus subtilis (BsFNR), Tyr50 stacks on the si-face of the isoalloxazine ring portion of the FAD prosthetic group. This configuration is highly conserved among the homodimeric ferredoxin-NAD(P)+ oxidoreductases (FNR) from Gram-positive bacteria and photosynthetic bacteria. In this report, pre-steady state reactions of Tyr50 variants with NADP+/NADPH and ferredoxin from B. subtilis (BsFd) were examined with stopped-flow spectrophotometry to assess the effects of the mutation on the formation of FNR-substrate complexes and following redox equivalent transfer. Mixing oxidized BsFNRs with NADPH resulted in a rapid complex formation followed by a rate-limiting hydride transfer. The substitution substantially modulated the intensity of the charge transfer absorption band and decreased the observed hydride transfer rates compared to the wild type. Reduction of the Y50W mutant by NADPH proceeded in a monophasic manner, while the Y50G and Y50S mutants did in biphasic phases. The reduced Tyr50 mutants hardly promoted the reduction of NADP+. Mixing oxidized BsFNRs with reduced BsFd resulted in the reduction of the FNRs. The observed FNR reduction rates of the three variants were comparable, but in the Y50G and Y50S mutants, the amount of the reduced FNR at the rapid phase was decreased, and a slow FNR reduction phase was observed. The obtained results suggest that the replacements of Tyr50 with Gly and Ser permitted the conformational change in the reduced form, which induced an asymmetric kinetic behavior between the protomers of the homodimeric BsFNR.
Cytotoxic Evaluation of Effective Ecoproduce (EEP) as a Potential Root Canal Irrigant: A Preliminary In Vitro Study
Authors: Hung Wong Kiong , Mahyuddin Alida , Sockalingam S. Nagarajan M. P. , Shafiei Zaleha , Abdul Rahman Mariati , Mahamad Apandi Nurul Inaas , Abdul Ghani Zuleen Delina Fasya , Zakaria Ahmad Shuhud Irfani
Published: September 2023

Concerns have been raised about the usage of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in endodontics following its toxic effects. Effective ecoproduce (EEP), an organic solution produced through the fermentation of fruit peels, exhibits antibacterial and antibiofilm action, suggesting its potential as an endodontic irrigant. However, studies on its cytotoxicity are limited. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of EEP at different concentrations and fermentation periods against the MC3T3-E1 cell. EEP derived from orange and pineapple peel waste and fermented for 3 and 6 months was prepared from 100% to 0.78% concentration. Briefly, 2.5% NaOCl was used as the comparison group. Cell viability was analysed using Alamar Blue and Live and Dead Cell assay. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to evaluate ultrastructural changes to the cells. Data analysis was performed using a two-way mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). EEP exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity regardless of the fermentation period (p > 0.05). A concentration below 6.25% was non-cytotoxic and comparable to the negative control (p > 0.05). Live and Dead Cell assay and TEM analysis complement the findings. The mean cell viability of EEP at all concentrations for both fermentation periods was significantly higher than that of 2.5% NaOCl (p < 0.05). Conclusively, 6.25% EEP fermented for 3 and 6 months are non-cytotoxic and can serve as an alternative endodontic irrigants.
PV Sizing for EV Workplace Charging Stations—An Empirical Study in France
Authors: Robisson Bruno , Ngo Van-Lap , Marchadier Laurie , Bouaziz Mohammed-Farouk , Mignonac Alexandre
Published: September 2023

Photovoltaic (PV) powered Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (PVCS) have received extensive attention recently due to the complementary relationship of PV energy and electric vehicles. This paper proposes a methodology aimed at assisting a Charging Point Operator (CPO) in determining the size of the main components of such PVCS. The modular structure of the method gives flexibility for possible use on a new sizing problem by modifying key parameters such as the EV charging demand (i.e., arrival/departure times and energy needed to fill the battery), the EV charging strategy or the business model, independently from each other. It is of particular interest for a CPO that sizes many PVCS operated in the same environment (for example, a car park at a workplace). In that case, the CPO first has to apply the method on a representative charging station. Next, he can re-use parts of the obtained results to drastically speed up (from weeks to hours) the sizing of the other charging stations. The proposed method has been applied to the EVCS of an industrial research complex in southern France. The input dataset used to apply the method consists of more than 32,000 charging transactions spanning over 6 years with 350 EV users and 80 charging points. Three charging strategies with different levels of complexity are investigated, including Mean Power, Plug and Charge, and Solar Smart Charging. The considered business model is based on the maximization of the self-production rate. The numerical findings reveal that employing a straightforward charging strategy, such as Mean Power, leads to a substantial reduction of nearly half in the required size of the PV plant compared to the basic Plug and Charge mode. In addition, our analysis demonstrates that Solar Smart Charging has the potential to decrease the PV plant size by nearly three times.
An Analytic Method to Determine the Optimal Time for the Induction Phase of Anesthesia
Authors: Zaitri Mohamed A. , Silva Cristiana J. , Torres Delfim F. M.
Published: September 2023

We obtain an analytical solution for the time-optimal control problem in the induction phase of anesthesia. Our solution is shown to align numerically with the results obtained from the conventional shooting method. The induction phase of anesthesia relies on a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model proposed by Bailey and Haddad in 2005 to regulate the infusion of propofol. In order to evaluate our approach and compare it with existing results in the literature, we examine a minimum-time problem for anesthetizing a patient. By applying the Pontryagin minimum principle, we introduce the shooting method as a means to solve the problem at hand. Additionally, we conducted numerical simulations using the MATLAB computing environment. We solve the time-optimal control problem using our newly proposed analytical method and discover that the optimal continuous infusion rate of the anesthetic and the minimum required time for transition from the awake state to an anesthetized state exhibit similarity between the two methods. However, the advantage of our new analytic method lies in its independence from unknown initial conditions for the adjoint variables.
Synchronization Analysis of Christiaan Huygens’ Coupled Pendulums
Authors: Wei Bin
Published: September 2023

This paper discovers a new finding regarding Christiaan Huygens’ coupled pendulums. The reason Christiaan Huygens’ coupled pendulums obtain synchrony is that the coupled pendulums are subject to a harmonic forcing. As the coupled pendulums swing back and forth, they generate a harmonic force, which, in turn drives the coupled pendulums, such that the two pendulums swing in synchrony once the angular frequency of the generated harmonic forcing satisfies a certain condition. The factor that determines the angular frequency of the generated harmonic forcing is the effective length of the pendulum, as its angular frequency solely depends on the length of the pendulum that swings about a fixed point. In other words, it is the effective length of the coupled pendulum that determines whether the coupled pendulum achieves synchrony or not. The novelty of this article is that the author explains and analyzes the synchronization behaviour of Christiaan Huygens’ coupled pendulums from the frequency and harmonic-forcing perspectives.
Understanding High-Voltage Behavior of Sodium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials Using Synchrotron X-ray and Neutron Techniques: A Review
Authors: Shipitsyn Vadim , Jayakumar Rishivandhiga , Zuo Wenhua , Sun Bing , Ma Lin
Published: September 2023

Despite substantial research efforts in developing high-voltage sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) as high-energy-density alternatives to complement lithium-ion-based energy storage technologies, the lifetime of high-voltage SIBs is still associated with many fundamental scientific questions. In particular, the structure phase transition, oxygen loss, and cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI) decay are intensely discussed in the field. Synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering characterization techniques offer unique capabilities for investigating the complex structure and dynamics of high-voltage cathode behavior. In this review, to accelerate the development of stable high-voltage SIBs, we provide a comprehensive and thorough overview of the use of synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering in studying SIB cathode materials with an emphasis on high-voltage layered transition metal oxide cathodes. We then discuss these characterizations in relation to polyanion-type cathodes, Prussian blue analogues, and organic cathode materials. Finally, future directions of these techniques in high-voltage SIB research are proposed, including CEI studies for polyanion-type cathodes and the extension of neutron scattering techniques, as well as the integration of morphology and phase characterizations.
Deep-Learning-Based High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Lesion Segmentation in Multi-Wavelength Photoacoustic Imaging
Authors: Wu Xun , Sanders Jean L. , Dundar M. Murat , Oralkan Ömer
Published: September 2023

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging can be used to monitor high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapies because ablation changes the optical absorption spectrum of the tissue, and this change can be detected with PA imaging. Multi-wavelength photoacoustic (MWPA) imaging makes this change easier to detect by repeating PA imaging at multiple optical wavelengths and sampling the optical absorption spectrum more thoroughly. Real-time pixel-wise classification in MWPA imaging can assist clinicians in monitoring HIFU lesion formation and will be a crucial milestone towards full HIFU therapy automation based on artificial intelligence. In this paper, we present a deep-learning-based approach to segment HIFU lesions in MWPA images. Ex vivo bovine tissue is ablated with HIFU and imaged via MWPA imaging. The acquired MWPA images are then used to train and test a convolutional neural network (CNN) for lesion segmentation. Traditional machine learning algorithms are also trained and tested to compare with the CNN, and the results show that the performance of the CNN significantly exceeds traditional machine learning algorithms. Feature selection is conducted to reduce the number of wavelengths to facilitate real-time implementation while retaining good segmentation performance. This study demonstrates the feasibility and high performance of the deep-learning-based lesion segmentation method in MWPA imaging to monitor HIFU lesion formation and the potential to implement this method in real time.
Efficient Removal of Dental Plaque Biofilm from Training Typodont Teeth via Water Flosser
Authors: Wang Yue , Gao Hongyu , Chang Lili , Xu Jingchen , Zhou Xueer , Zhang Chaoliang , Peng Qiang
Published: September 2023

Plaque biofilms play critical roles in the development of dental caries. Mechanical plaque control methods are considered to be most effective for plaque removal, such as brushing teeth or using flosser. Recently, water flosser has been paid much attention. Here, we tested the ability of a water flosser to remove the adhered sucrose and the dental plaque biofilms formed by Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Actinobacillus viscosus. We found that the residual sucrose concentration was 3.54 mg/mL in the control group, 1.75 mg/mL in the syringe group (simulating the ordinary mouthwash), and 0 mg/mL in water flosser group. In addition, the residual bacterial concentration was 3.6 × 108 CFU/mL in the control group, 1.6 × 107 CFU/mL in the syringe group, and only 5.5 × 105 CFU/mL in the water flosser group. In summary, water flosser is effective for cleaning the teeth, which may have significant potential in preventing dental caries and maintaining oral health.
Bioprocessing Considerations towards the Manufacturing of Therapeutic Skeletal and Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Franchi-Mendes Teresa , Silva Marília , Cartaxo Ana Luísa , Fernandes-Platzgummer Ana , Cabral Joaquim M. S. , da Silva Cláudia L.
Published: September 2023

Tissue engineering approaches within the muscle context represent a promising emerging field to address the current therapeutic challenges related with multiple pathological conditions affecting the muscle compartments, either skeletal muscle or smooth muscle, responsible for involuntary and voluntary contraction, respectively. In this review, several features and parameters involved in the bioprocessing of muscle cells are addressed. The cell isolation process is depicted, depending on the type of tissue (smooth or skeletal muscle), followed by the description of the challenges involving the use of adult donor tissue and the strategies to overcome the hurdles of reaching relevant cell numbers towards a clinical application. Specifically, the use of stem/progenitor cells is highlighted as a source for smooth and skeletal muscle cells towards the development of a cellular product able to maintain the target cell’s identity and functionality. Moreover, taking into account the need for a robust and cost-effective bioprocess for cell manufacturing, the combination of muscle cells with biomaterials and the need for scale-up envisioning clinical applications are also approached.
Ultra-Low Intensity Post-Pulse Affects Cellular Responses Caused by Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields
Authors: Asadipour Kamal , Zhou Carol , Yi Vincent , Beebe Stephen J. , Xiao Shu
Published: September 2023

High-intensity nanosecond pulse electric fields (nsPEF) can preferentially induce various effects, most notably regulated cell death and tumor elimination. These effects have almost exclusively been shown to be associated with nsPEF waveforms defined by pulse duration, rise time, amplitude (electric field), and pulse number. Other factors, such as low-intensity post-pulse waveform, have been completely overlooked. In this study, we show that post-pulse waveforms can alter the cell responses produced by the primary pulse waveform and can even elicit unique cellular responses, despite the primary pulse waveform being nearly identical. We employed two commonly used pulse generator designs, namely the Blumlein line (BL) and the pulse forming line (PFL), both featuring nearly identical 100 ns pulse durations, to investigate various cellular effects. Although the primary pulse waveforms were nearly identical in electric field and frequency distribution, the post-pulses differed between the two designs. The BL’s post-pulse was relatively long-lasting (~50 µs) and had an opposite polarity to the main pulse, whereas the PFL’s post-pulse was much shorter (~2 µs) and had the same polarity as the main pulse. Both post-pulse amplitudes were less than 5% of the main pulse, but the different post-pulses caused distinctly different cellular responses. The thresholds for dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, loss of viability, and increase in plasma membrane PI permeability all occurred at lower pulsing numbers for the PFL than the BL, while mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation occurred at similar pulsing numbers for both pulser designs. The PFL decreased spare respiratory capacity (SRC), whereas the BL increased SRC. Only the PFL caused a biphasic effect on trans-plasma membrane electron transport (tPMET). These studies demonstrate, for the first time, that conditions resulting from low post-pulse intensity charging have a significant impact on cell responses and should be considered when comparing the results from similar pulse waveforms.
Orthognathic Surgery and Relapse: A Systematic Review
Authors: Inchingolo Angelo , Patano Assunta , Piras Fabio , Ruvo Elisabetta , Ferrante Laura , Noia Angela , Dongiovanni Leonardo , Palermo Andrea , Inchingolo Francesco , Inchingolo Alessio , Dipalma Gianna
Published: September 2023

Background: This review aimed to analyze the relapse in orthognathic surgery. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were used to find papers that matched our topic dating from 1 January 2012 up to November 2022. Inclusion criteria were (1) human studies, (2) open access studies, (3) studies concerning the correlation between orthognathic surgery and relapse. Exclusion criteria were: (1) in vitro or animal studies, (2) off-topic studies, (3) reviews, (4) other languages than English. Results: A total of 482 results were obtained resulting in 323 publications after duplicate removal (158). After screening and eligibility phases 247 records were excluded: 47 reviews, 5 in animals, 35 in vitro, 180 off-topic. The authors successfully retrieved the remaining 78 papers and evaluated their eligibility. A total of 14 studies from these were ultimately included in the review. Conclusion: Using cephalometric examinations and digital study models, these studies reveal that the relapse after orthognathic surgery is an event that occurs in most of the cases. The limitation of our research is that most of the studies are retrospective and use small sample sizes. A future research goal should be to conduct long-term clinical trials with larger numbers of samples.
Stiff Person Spectrum Disorders—An Update and Outlook on Clinical, Pathophysiological and Treatment Perspectives
Authors: Vlad Benjamin , Wang Yujie , Newsome Scott D. , Balint Bettina
Published: September 2023

Stiff person spectrum disorders (SPSD) are paradigm autoimmune movement disorders characterized by stiffness, spasms and hyperekplexia. Though rare, SPSD represent a not-to-miss diagnosis because of the associated disease burden and treatment implications. After decades as an enigmatic orphan disease, major advances in our understanding of the evolving spectrum of diseases have been made along with the identification of multiple associated autoantibodies. However, the most important recent developments relate to the recognition of a wider affection, beyond the classic core motor symptoms, and to further insights into immunomodulatory and symptomatic therapies. In this review, we summarize the recent literature on the clinical and paraclinical spectrum, current pathophysiological understanding, as well as current and possibly future therapeutic strategies.