bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute response in circulating microRNAs following a single bout of short-sprint and heavy strength training in well-trained cyclists
Authors: Ryningen Anita , Rostad Kari , Ersvær Elisabeth , Sjøholt Gry , Paulsen Gøran , Gundersen Hilde , Kristoffersen Morten , Bjørkhaug Lise
Published: March 2024

Background: Heavy strength (HS) and short-sprint (SS) are commonly used training methods for competitive road cyclists, with the aim to improve the anaerobic power and short time cycling performance. Knowledge of how such training methods affects biochemical as well as molecular factors, are particularly important for determining individual recovery and long-term adaptations. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the expression levels of small non-coding RNAs in response to HS and SS training in elite cyclists as potential biomarkers for individual optimal restitution time.

Methods: Eleven well trained cyclists performed one session of HS training and one session of SS training on separate days. Blood samples were taken at baseline and 5 min, 1 h and 21 h post training. Along with physiological measurements and biochemical factors (serum creatine kinase, myoglobin, human growth hormone and plasma lactate), real-time quantitative PCR was used to explore whether HS and/or SS training influenced the abundance of 24 circulating miRNAs, in serum, associated with muscle development, angiogenesis, and/or inflammation.

Results: Based on complete miRNA profiles from nine cyclists, the miRNAs showing most altered expression after both training sessions included the three striated muscle-specific miRNAs (myomiRs) miR-1-3p, 133a-3p and 133b-3p. While all three miRNAs showed significantly highest expression at 1 h post HS session, the acute effect of the SS session included a significantly higher level of miR-1-3p alone, at 5 min (highest), as well as at 1 h and 21 h post session. Correlation (negative) with biochemical markers was only shown for miR-133a-3p and CK (r = −0.786, p = 0.041) and between miR-133b-3p and [La−] (r = −0.711, p = .032), at 21 h post SS session.

Conclusion: Our findings support that unique myomiRs are regulated by HS and SS training. Such knowledge may be important for individually adjusted restitution times.
Nitrogen acquisition strategy shifts with tree age depending on root functional traits and soil properties in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations
Authors: Liu Qianyuan , Chen Yaxuan , Chen Yanmei
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Variation in plant nitrogen uptake rate and substrate preference is complicated due to the combined influence of abiotic and biotic factors. For the same species of tree across different ages, the interactions between root structural traits, nitrogen uptake rate, and soil environment have not been fully characterized, a situation that constrains our understanding of underground resource strategies employed by trees at different ages.

Methods

In the present study, we examined the nitrogen uptake rate, mycorrhiza, morphology, architecture, and chemistry of the roots of Larix principis-rupprechtii in a chronosequence (aged 18, 27, 37, 46, and 57 years) in the Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm in Northern China.

Results

L. principis-rupprechtii preferred to absorb ammonium, followed in order by glycine and nitrate. The ammonium uptake rate of L. principis-rupprechtii significantly decreased (aged 18–37 years) and then increased (aged 46–57 years) with tree age. The glycine, nitrate, and total nitrogen uptake rates decreased with tree age. The root resource acquisition strategy appeared to shift from an acquisitive strategy to a conservative strategy associated with increasing tree age.

Discussion

Along the root-mycorrhizal collaboration gradient, the younger L. principis-rupprechtii relied more on their own root morphology and physiology to acquire resources, adopting a “do it yourself” strategy comprising increasing the specific root length, the specific root area, and the N uptake rate (nitrate and glycine). Conversely, older trees depended more on mycorrhizal partners to acquire nitrogen resources, an “outsourcing” strategy. The results contribute to our understanding of underground resource-use strategies of plants and the nitrogen cycle in forest ecosystems according to stand age.
Access and cost of services for autistic children and adults in Italy: a carers’ perspective
Authors: Micai Martina , Fulceri Francesca , Salvitti Tommaso , Romano Giovanna , Scattoni Maria Luisa
Published: March 2024

Background

Limited information exists on autistic service access and costs in Italy.

Objectives

This study aims to investigate access to educational, healthcare, social, and related services for autistic individuals in Italy as part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in the European Union (ASDEU) project.

Methods

Italian carers of autistic individuals completed an online survey regarding services and costs in the 6 months before completion.

Results

Three hundred and three carers of autistic people participated in the survey. The majority of those receiving care were children, males, and lived at home with their parents. Autistic adults were often students (17%) or unemployed but willing to work (17%). Employed carers (49%) worked on average 32.23 ± 9.27 hours per week. A significant portion (82%) took work or school absences to care for autistic individuals, averaging 15.56 ± 14.70 days. On average, carers spent 58.84 ± 48.36 hours per week on caregiving duties. Fifty-five of the autistic individuals received some form of support, 5% utilized residential care, and 6% were hospitalized. Thirty-four percent received outpatient hospital care, and 20% underwent some form of autism-related psychopharmacological therapy. School support was primarily provided by support teachers (18.16 ± 7.02 hours/week). Educational psychologists (80.73%), psychomotor therapists/physiotherapists (53.85%), and speech therapists (50.91%) were frequently paid by carers who paid more per hour. Autistic children received support from educators (73.96 hours/week), group therapy (32.36 hours/week), and speech therapists (31.19 hours/week). Psychologists (76.00%) and counseling/individual therapists (89.13%) were often paid by carers. Carers reported high costs for psychiatrists and psychologists, with frequent use of psychiatric services (8 ± 8 times in 6 months).

Conclusions

Carers’ perspectives on the access and costs of services for autistic individuals in Italy can provide insights into areas for improvement in the delivery of autism services.
You have interrupted me again!: making voice assistants more dementia-friendly with incremental clarification
Authors: Addlesee Angus , Eshghi Arash
Published: March 2024

In spontaneous conversation, speakers seldom have a full plan of what they are going to say in advance: they need to conceptualise and planincrementallyas they articulate each word in turn. This often leads to long pauses mid-utterance. Listeners either wait out the pause, offer a possible completion, or respond with an incremental clarification request (iCR), intended to recover the rest of the truncated turn. The ability to generate iCRs in response to pauses is therefore important in buildingnaturalandrobusteveryday voice assistants (EVA) such as Amazon Alexa. This becomes crucial with people with dementia (PwDs) as a target user group since they are known to pause longer and more frequently, with current state-of-the-art EVAs interrupting them prematurely, leading to frustration and breakdown of the interaction. In this article, we first use two existing corpora of truncated utterances to establish the generation of clarification requests as an effective strategy for recovering from interruptions. We then proceed to report on, analyse, and release SLUICE-CR: a new corpus of 3,000 crowdsourced, human-produced iCRs, the first of its kind. We use this corpus to probe the incremental processing capability of a number of state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) by evaluating (1) the quality of the model's generated iCRs in response to incomplete questions and (2) the ability of the said LLMs to respond correctlyafterthe users response to the generated iCR. For (1), our experiments show that the ability to generate contextually appropriate iCRs only emerges at larger LLM sizes and only when prompted with example iCRs from our corpus. For (2), our results are in line with (1), that is, that larger LLMs interpret incremental clarificational exchanges more effectively. Overall, our results indicate that autoregressive language models (LMs) are, in principle, able to both understand and generate language incrementally and that LLMs can be configured to handle speech phenomena more commonly produced by PwDs, mitigating frustration with today's EVAs by improving their accessibility.
Is society caught up in a Death Spiral? Modeling societal demise and its reversal
Authors: Schippers Michaéla C. , Ioannidis John P. A. , Luijks Matthias W. J.
Published: March 2024

Just like an army of ants caught in an ant mill, individuals, groups and even whole societies are sometimes caught up in a Death Spiral, a vicious cycle of self-reinforcing dysfunctional behavior characterized by continuous flawed decision making, myopic single-minded focus on one (set of) solution(s), denial, distrust, micromanagement, dogmatic thinking and learned helplessness. We propose the termDeath Spiral Effectto describe this difficult-to-break downward spiral of societal decline. Specifically, in the current theory-building review we aim to: (a) more clearly define and describe the Death Spiral Effect; (b) model the downward spiral of societal decline as well as an upward spiral; (c) describe how and why individuals, groups and even society at large might be caught up in a Death Spiral; and (d) offer a positive way forward in terms of evidence-based solutions to escape the Death Spiral Effect. Management theory hints on the occurrence of this phenomenon and offersturn-around leadershipas solution. On a societal levelstrengthening of democracymay be important. Prior research indicates that historically, two key factors trigger this type of societal decline:rising inequalitiescreating an upper layer of elites and a lower layer of masses; anddwindling (access to) resources. Historical key markers of societal decline are a steep increase in inequalities, government overreach, over-integration (interdependencies in networks) and a rapidly decreasing trust in institutions and resulting collapse of legitimacy. Important issues that we aim to shed light on are the behavioral underpinnings of decline, as well as the question if and how societal decline can be reversed. We explore the extension of these theories from the company/organization level to the society level, and make use of insights from both micro-, meso-, and macro-level theories (e.g., Complex Adaptive Systems and collapsology, the study of the risks of collapse of industrial civilization) to explain this process of societal demise. Our review furthermore draws on theories such as Social Safety Theory, Conservation of Resources Theory, and management theories that describe the decline and fall of groups, companies and societies, as well as offer ways to reverse this trend.
Case Report: Technical description and clinical evaluation of three cases of unilateral biportal endoscopic decompression for symptomatic spinal epidural lipomatosis
Authors: Liu Zhengqiang , Cai Huili , Zhao Hongwei , Tang Lei , Jia Siyu , Zhou Zhenyu , Zhuo Can , Chen Haidan
Published: March 2024

Objective

To investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of three patients with symptomatic Spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) treated using Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic (UBE) surgery.

Methods

This report retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of three patients with SEL admitted to our hospital. The analysis covers onset characteristics, clinical manifestations, and the most recent radiologic grading system of neural compression (Manjila classification). Furthermore, it details the decompression accomplished through the application of a minimally invasive UBE surgical technique, specifically targeting the removal of proliferated fat responsible for nerve and spinal cord compression.

Results

This technique was performed successfully in 3 patients with SEL. Radiating pain was reduced, and the functional disability and radiologic compression were improved in all three patients. Postoperative spinal instability and surgical complications related to the procedure were not observed.

Conclusions

For SEL, timely diagnosis and appropriate intervention can prevent the progression of neurological disability. UBE is a minimally invasive muscle-preserving technique that achieves neural decompression directly by the removal of excessive intraspinal adipose tissue buildup.
Sorption of Antibiotics in Agricultural Soils as a Function of pH
Authors: Rodríguez-López Lucía , Santás-Miguel Vanesa , Cela-Dablanca Raquel , Núñez-Delgado Avelino , Álvarez-Rodríguez Esperanza , Rodríguez-Seijo Andrés , Arias-Estévez Manuel
Published: March 2024

This study aims to understand the adsorption/desorption process in six agricultural soils of two antibiotics, Ciprofloxacin (CIP) and Trimethoprim (TRI), widely used today and the influence of pH on this process. Antibiotics can reach the soil through the application of sludge and effluents from wastewater treatment plants and are directly influenced by changes in pH, once in the soil. Therefore, this study with batch experiments allows us to know the adsorption process in a pH range between 2 and 12, in six soils with different organic carbon content, between 1% and 7.7%. The results obtained show that the adsorption of CIP has its maximum at pH between 5 and 7; above and below this range, the adsorption decreases. The soils with the highest organic carbon content (between 4.4% and 7.7%) are those with the highest adsorption. The values for each forms in which the CIP molecule is found are: for KdCIP+, between 0.887 and 8.289 L kg−1; for KdCIP−, between 0.670 and 5.440 L kg−1, while for KdCIP0, the values do not differ from 0, except soils 1 and 3, whose values are 0.206 and 0.615 L kg−1, respectively. Regarding TRI, the maximum adsorption takes place at acidic pHs, below 6 for all soils. Above these values, desorption decreases. The Kd values for each of the species vary between 0.085 and 0.218 L kg−1 for KdTRI+, between 0.011 and 0.056 L kg−1 for KdTRI0, and between 0.092 and 0.189 L kg−1 for KdTRI−. For both antibiotics, the highest adsorption was achieved in the soil with the highest organic carbon content (7.7%). Comparing both antibiotics, we see that CIP presents the highest adsorption, and in the case of desorption, for CIP, it varies between 3.7% and 75.8%, with the maximum desorption at basic pHs. In the case of TRI, desorption is higher, varying between 9.4% and 99.1%, with the maximum around neutrality, except for two soils, whose maximums are at pH of 4.3 and 9.5. These results should be taken into account, as once they reach the soil, pH will be a determining factor in their behaviour and fate.
Active Data Selection and Information Seeking
Authors: Parr Thomas , Friston Karl , Zeidman Peter
Published: March 2024

Bayesian inference typically focuses upon two issues. The first is estimating the parameters of some model from data, and the second is quantifying the evidence for alternative hypotheses—formulated as alternative models. This paper focuses upon a third issue. Our interest is in the selection of data—either through sampling subsets of data from a large dataset or through optimising experimental design—based upon the models we have of how those data are generated. Optimising data-selection ensures we can achieve good inference with fewer data, saving on computational and experimental costs. This paper aims to unpack the principles of active sampling of data by drawing from neurobiological research on animal exploration and from the theory of optimal experimental design. We offer an overview of the salient points from these fields and illustrate their application in simple toy examples, ranging from function approximation with basis sets to inference about processes that evolve over time. Finally, we consider how this approach to data selection could be applied to the design of (Bayes-adaptive) clinical trials.
Assessment of Efficiency of Breeding Methods in Accelerating Genetic Gain in Rice
Authors: Biswas Partha S. , Santelices R. , Mendoza Rhulyx , Lopena Vitaliano , Arbelaez Juan D. , Manigbas Norvie L. , Cobb Joshua N. , Collard Bertrand , Islam Mohammad Rafiqul
Published: March 2024

The pedigree, bulk, and single-seed descent-based rapid generation advance methods are commonly practiced breeding methods in rice. But the efficiency of these breeding methods in enhancing genetic gain has not been investigated yet. In this study, we compared the pedigree and bulk method-derived breeding lines of five crosses with RGA-derived lines. The RGA method was found to be almost two times more efficient in capturing high-yielding lines with a high breeding value and thus accelerated genetic gain much more than the bulk and pedigree methods. The RGA method is not only more efficient but also significantly cheaper (~24%) compared to pedigree methods. The cost per kilogram of genetic gain in yield for the RGA lines is almost 3 times lower than the bulk method and 4.5 times lower than the pedigree method, and it can be achieved in half the time required for line development with either the bulk or pedigree method.
Agriculturally Improved and Semi-Natural Permanent Grasslands Provide Complementary Ecosystem Services in Swedish Boreal Landscapes
Authors: Aguilera Nuñez Guillermo , Glimskär Anders , Zacchello Giulia , Francksen Richard M. , Whittingham Mark J. , Hiron Matthew
Published: March 2024

Permanent grasslands cover more than a third of European agricultural land and are important for a number of ecosystem services. Permanent grasslands used for agriculture are broadly separated into agriculturally improved and semi-natural grasslands. High cultural and natural values linked to semi-natural grasslands are well documented. However, in boreal and hemi-boreal agricultural landscapes, less information is available about the areal coverage of improved permanent grasslands and their role for ecosystem service provision and biodiversity. In Sweden, grasslands are administratively separated into semi-natural (i.e., land that cannot be ploughed) or arable (i.e., improved temporary or permanent grassland on land that can be ploughed). We used data from a large-scale environmental monitoring program to show that improved permanent grassland (i.e., permanent grasslands on arable fields) may be a previously unrecognised large area of the agricultural land use in Sweden. We show that improved permanent grasslands together with semi-natural grasslands are both comparable but also complementary providers of a range of ecosystem services (plant species richness, plant resources for pollinators and forage amount for livestock production). However, as expected, semi-natural grasslands with the highest-level AESs (special values) show high species richness values for vascular plants, plants indicating traditional semi-natural management conditions and red-listed species. Improved permanent grasslands on arable fields are likely an underestimated but integral part of the agricultural economy and ecological function in boreal landscapes that together with high nature value semi-natural grasslands provide a broad range of ecosystem services.
Significant Synergy Effects of Biochar Combined with Topdressing Silicon on Cd Reduction and Yield Increase of Rice in Cd-Contaminated Paddy Soil
Authors: Su Xianglan , Cai Yixia , Pan Bogui , Li Yongqi , Liu Bingquan , Cai Kunzheng , Wang Wei
Published: March 2024

Pot and field trials were conducted to explore the combined effect of biochar (BC) with topdressing silicon (Si) on Cd uptake by rice and grain yield in Cd-contaminated paddy soil. The treatments, including BC applied before transplanting (TBC), topdressing Si applied in the soil at the jointing stage (JSi) and BC combined with topdressing Si (TBC + JSi), were designed in a complete random block, and treatment without application of BC and Si was used as a control (CK). Results showed that Cd concentration in milled rice treated with TBC + JSi was decreased by 34.62%, 22.73% and 10.53%, respectively, when compared to CK, TBC and JSi, with the concentration being only 0.17 mg·kg−1. At rice maturity, available Cd in the soil was reduced by 7.98% (TBC), 4.76% (JSi) and 6.02% (TBC + JSi) when compared with CK, while the concentrations of total Cd were 32.07% (TBC), 27.85% (JSi) and 35.44% (TBC + JSi) higher than CK. Moreover, BC and Si increased the Cd sequestrated by leaves markedly, especially for TBC + JSi, which was much higher than TBC and JSi. Therefore, the transfer of Cd from leaf to milled rice was greatly decreased by TBC + JSi. In addition, a synergy effect of TBC + JSi on rice yield was also found. Compared with CK, the grain yields of TBC, JSi and TBC+ JSi were increased by 8.35%, 8.20% and 18.74%, respectively. Nutrient contents in soil and rice plants were also elevated by the application of BC and Si to a certain extent; for example, the contents of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and Si in soil treated with TBC + JSi were raised by 8.96–60.03% when compared with CK. Overall, the combined application of BC with topdressing Si not only increases soil nutrients significantly, promotes their uptake by rice and boosts grain yield, but also effectively inhibits Cd transfer and reduces its accumulation in rice, which ultimately guarantees milled rice security. These results also imply that the combined application of biochar with topdressing silicon might be considered as an effective agronomic measure to decrease the milled-rice Cd in Cd-contaminated paddy soil, which would guarantee food security.
The Use of Bi-Nasal Prongs for Delivery of Non-Invasive Ventilation to Foals
Authors: van Diggelen Michael , Quinn Chris T. , Catanchin Chee Sum M. , Lehmann Heidi S. , Raidal Sharanne L.
Published: March 2024

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a method of providing respiratory support without the need for airway intubation. The current study was undertaken to assess tolerance to bi-nasal prongs and NIV in healthy, standing, lightly sedated foals. Bi-nasal prongs were well tolerated by foals, remaining in place for the allocated five minutes in four of six unsedated foals and, subsequently, in five of six lightly sedated foals. All foals tolerated NIV through bi-nasal prongs, although increasing airway pressures were associated with increases in inspiratory volume, duration of inspiration and air leakage in most foals. These changes preceded discontinuation/intolerance of NIV on the basis of behaviour changes consistent with discomfort. Increased circuit leakage was associated with reduced return of expired air to the ventilator and increasing disparity between inspiratory and expiratory times and tidal volumes. The study results suggest that bi-nasal prongs might be suitable for NIV but that design or fitting requires further optimization and that behaviour and ventilator variables should be monitored to assess patient tolerance of the procedure.
Circadian Corticosterone Profile in Laying Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Authors: Hillebrecht Theresa , Korbel Rüdiger , Rinder Monika , Gahr Manfred
Published: March 2024

Measurement of blood corticosterone concentrations has been established as an indicator for assessment of acute distress. Therefore, knowledge on physiological fluctuations is required, but previous studies allow little conclusion on daily fluctuations in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). To verify the presence of a circadian corticosterone rhythm in socialized chickens, blood samples were taken at four-hour intervals from 12 laying hens kept in groups of four over three days, each. Prior to experiments, hens were adapted to repeated handling for stress reduction. Corticosterone concentration was determined using radioimmunoassay. Blood sampling time and duration were recorded, and audio and video recordings were analyzed to assess the impact of behavior on corticosterone concentrations. Despite individual fluctuations, most hens showed a circadian course with two peaks per day. Statistics revealed a significant peak during the day (between 12:00 p.m. and 04:00 p.m.) and a tendency for a second peak at night (12:00 a.m.). The daily corticosterone peak was not explained by daytime social stress and needs to be seen as an endophenotype. The role of nightly corticosterone production has to be investigated in further studies. There might be a relation between corticosterone and reproduction since the only hen not showing peaks was not laying eggs.
Diagnosis and Management of Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome and the Potential Impact of the 2023 ACR/EULAR Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria
Authors: Jacobs Lucas , Wauters Nader , Lablad Yahya , Morelle Johann , Taghavi Maxime
Published: March 2024

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a rare and life-threatening condition characterized by the persistence of antiphospholipid antibodies and occurrence of multiple vascular occlusive events. CAPS currently remains a diagnostic challenge and requires urgent treatment. The diagnosis of CAPS is made difficult by classification criteria used as diagnostic criteria in clinical practice, knowledge derived from retrospective data and case reports, confounding clinical and biological features, and its rapid onset and mortality. The absence of prospective studies of CAPS limits the strength of evidence for guideline treatment protocols. This comprehensive review summarizes the current understanding of the disease, and discusses how the 2023 ACR/EULAR Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria impact the definition and therapeutic management of CAPS, which is considered the most severe form of APS. The correct integration of 2023 ACR/EULAR APS classification criteria is poised to facilitate CAPS diagnosis, particularly in critical situations, offering a promising avenue for improved outcomes.
Railway Cloud: Management and Orchestration Functionality Designed as Microservices
Authors: Atanasov Ivaylo , Pencheva Evelina , Trifonov Ventsislav , Kassev Kiril
Published: March 2024

The cloudification and virtualisation of railway functions have the potential to improve railway operation efficiency, reliability, safety, and security, as well as to enhance passenger experience by offering innovative services. This paper considers issues related to the management and orchestration of railway clouds that host cloudified railway functions. A microservices-based approach to the design of railway cloud management and orchestration functionality is proposed. The basic railway cloud concepts were defined, and functionality related to the basic orchestration of the railway cloud and deployments is analysed in order to derive the requirements of platform resources and workload management. This functionality is further designed in the form of microservices, meaning that they could possibly be used in orchestration applications to enable improvements in scalability, fault isolation, and data security. The design of microservices follows the principles of the Representational State of Transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) as a set of interlinked resources. Resources related to railway cloud orchestration are identified with their associated data, relationships to other resources, and applicable methods. The resources’ methods are used in railway applications to implement the required orchestration functionality and to maintain the state of railway cloud orchestration processes. To verify the synthesised microservices, the common orchestration application logic and microservices’ logic were modelled, and it was proved that the orchestration processes, which run concurrently, expose equivalent behaviour. The proposed approach was validated using a simulation, aiming to evaluate injected latency as a key performance indicator for the reliability and safety of railway operations. Additionally, some safety and security issues related to railway cloud management and orchestration are considered.
Research on Coaxiality Measurement Method for Automobile Brake Piston Components Based on Machine Vision
Authors: Li Qinghua , Ge Weinan , Shi Hu , Zhao Wanting , Zhang Shihong
Published: March 2024

Aiming at addressing the problem of the online detection of automobile brake piston components, a non-contact measurement method based on the combination of machine vision and image processing technology is proposed. Firstly, an industrial camera is used to capture an image, and a series of image preprocessing algorithms is used to extract a clear contour of a test piece with a unit pixel width. Secondly, based on the structural characteristics of automobile brake piston components, the region of interest is extracted, and the test piece is segmented into spring region and cylinder region. Then, based on mathematical morphology techniques, the edges of the image are optimized. We extract geometric feature points by comparing the heights of adjacent pixel points on both sides of the pixel points, so as to calculate the variation of the spring axis relative to the reference axis (centerline of the cylinder). Then, we extract the maximum variation from all images, and calculate the coaxiality error value using this maximum variation. Finally, we validate the feasibility of the proposed method and the stability of extracting geometric feature points through experiments. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the method in engineering practice, with the stability in extracting geometric feature points reaching 99.25%. Additionally, this method offers a new approach and perspective for coaxiality measurement of stepped shaft parts.
Numerical Study on the Dynamic Response of Gas Explosion in Uneven Coal Mine Tunnels Using CESE Reaction Dynamics Model
Authors: Du Jiaqi , Chen Jian , Zhu Lingqi , Guo Liwen , Wang Fusheng , Hu Xiangming
Published: March 2024

A numerical simulation method combining the detailed chemical reaction mechanism of methane deflagration with an approximate real tunnel structure was proposed to confirm whether the unevenness of the tunnel wall during a coal mine gas explosion can be ignored. The approximate real tunnel model and smooth wall tunnel model were developed using 3D modeling methods. The propagation and attenuation processes of shock waves in the two tunnel models, as well as the different dynamic responses of the two tunnel walls, were compared and analyzed. Research results show that the non-uniformity of the tunnel wall decreases the shock wave overpressure and propagation velocity. The peak overpressure reduction value of the shock wave reaches 81.91 kPa, and the shock wave overpressure reaches its peak at an extended maximum time of 7.4 ms. The stress distribution on the approximate real tunnel wall is discontinuous, the propagation speed of stress waves in the bend tunnel is slower, and the duration of high load is relatively low. The displacement of the approximate real tunnel after gas explosion is lower than that of tunnels with smooth walls, and the displacement of most measuring points on the tunnel on the right is only 1/3–1/2 that of the smooth tunnel.
A Vulnerability Scanning Method for Web Services in Embedded Firmware
Authors: Ma Xiaocheng , Yan Chenyv , Wang Yunchao , Wei Qiang , Wang Yunfeng
Published: March 2024

As the Internet of Things (IoT) era arrives, the proliferation of IoT devices exposed to the Internet presents a significant challenge to device security. Firmware is software that operates within Internet of Things (IoT) devices, directly governing their behaviors and functionalities. Consequently, the security of firmware is critical to shielding IoT devices from potential threats. In order to enable users to operate a device intuitively, firmware commonly provides a web interface. Consequently, this interface frequently serves as the primary attack goal in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, rendering them susceptible to numerous cyber-attacks. Unfortunately, web services have complex data interactions and implicit dependencies, and it is not easy to balance efficiency and accuracy during the analysis process, leading to heavy overhead. This paper proposes a lightweight vulnerability scanning approach, WFinder, designed explicitly for embedded firmware web services to perform vulnerability checks on backend binary files in firmware. WFinder uses static analysis to focus on identifying vulnerabilities in boundary binary files related to web services in firmware. Initially, the approach identifies boundary binary files and external data entry points based on front-end and back-end associativity features. Subsequently, rules are formulated to filter hazardous functions to narrow the analysis targets. Finally, the method generates sensitive call paths from the external data input points to the hazardous functions and conducts a lightweight taint analysis along these paths to uncover potential vulnerabilities. We implemented a prototype of WFinder and evaluated it on the firmware of ten devices from five well-known manufacturers. We discovered thirteen potential vulnerabilities, eight of which were confirmed by the CNVD, and assigned them CNVD identification numbers. Compared with the most advanced tool, SATC, WFinder was more efficient at discovering more bugs on the test set. These results indicate that WFinder is effective at detecting bugs in embedded web services.
Weighted Similarity-Confidence Laplacian Synthesis for High-Resolution Art Painting Completion
Authors: Sari Irawati Nurmala , Du Weiwei
Published: March 2024

Artistic image completion assumes a significant role in the preservation and restoration of invaluable art paintings, marking notable advancements through the adoption of deep learning methodologies. Despite progress, challenges persist, particularly in achieving optimal results for high-resolution paintings. The intricacies of complex structures and textures in art paintings pose difficulties for sophisticated approaches like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), leading to issues such as small-scale texture synthesis and the inference of missing information, resulting in distortions in lines and unnatural colors. Simultaneously, patch-based image synthesis, augmented with global optimization on the image pyramid, has evolved to enhance structural coherence and details. However, gradient-based synthesis methods face obstacles related to directionality, inconsistency, and the computational burdens associated with solving the Poisson equation in non-integrable gradient fields. This paper introduces a pioneering approach, integrating Weighted Similarity-Confidence Laplacian Synthesis to comprehensively address these challenges and advance the field of artistic image completion. Experimental results affirm the effectiveness of our approach, offering promising outcomes for the preservation and restoration of art paintings with intricate details and irregular missing regions. The integration of weighted Laplacian synthesis and patch-based completion across multi-regions ensures precise and targeted completion, outperforming existing methods. A comparative analysis underscores our method’s superiority in artifact reduction and minimizing blurriness, particularly addressing challenges related to color discrepancies in texture areas. Additionally, the incorporation of pyramid blending proves advantageous, ensuring smoother transitions and preventing noticeable seams or artifacts in blended results. Based on empirical results, our method consistently outperforms previous methods across both high and low resolutions. Responding to these insights, our approach emerges as an invaluable guide for both curators and artists. The algorithm’s performance yields insights that underscore the central role of thoughtful decision making in the creation of art paintings. This guidance extends to informing choices related to color selection, brushstrokes, and various other elements integral to the artistic process. During the creation phase, employing these insights enables artists and curators to optimize not only the digitization but also the subsequent restoration process. This proves especially vital when dealing with the intricacies involved in physically restoring damaged original art paintings. Importantly, our approach not only streamlines the restoration process but also contributes significantly to the preservation and enhancement of the digital representations of these distinctive and often intricate works of art.
Improving Realism of Facial Interpolation and Blendshapes with Analytical Partial Differential Equation-Represented Physics
Authors: Day Sydney , Xiao Zhidong , Chaudhry Ehtzaz , Hooker Matthew , Zhu Xiaoqiang , Chang Jian , Iglesias Andrés , You Lihua , Zhang Jianjun
Published: March 2024

How to create realistic shapes by interpolating two known shapes for facial blendshapes has not been investigated in the existing literature. In this paper, we propose a physics-based mathematical model and its analytical solutions to obtain more realistic facial shape changes. To this end, we first introduce the internal force of elastic beam bending into the equation of motion and integrate it with the constraints of two known shapes to develop the physics-based mathematical model represented with dynamic partial differential equations (PDEs). Second, we propose a unified mathematical expression of the external force represented with linear and various nonlinear time-dependent Fourier series, introduce it into the mathematical model to create linear and various nonlinear dynamic deformations of the curves defining a human face model, and derive analytical solutions of the mathematical model. Third, we evaluate the realism of the obtained analytical solutions in interpolating two known shapes to create new shape changes by comparing the shape changes calculated with the obtained analytical solutions and geometric linear interpolation to the ground-truth shape changes and conclude that among linear and various nonlinear PDE-based analytical solutions named as linear, quadratic, and cubic PDE-based interpolation, quadratic PDE-based interpolation creates the most realistic shape changes, which are more realistic than those obtained with the geometric linear interpolation. Finally, we use the quadratic PDE-based interpolation to develop a facial blendshape method and demonstrate that the proposed approach is more efficient than numerical physics-based facial blendshapes.
Regularization of the Boundary Equilibrium Bifurcation in Filippov System with Rich Discontinuity Boundaries
Authors: Cao Nanbin , Zhang Yue , Liu Xia
Published: March 2024

This paper studies a particular type of planar Filippov system that consists of two discontinuity boundaries separating the phase plane into three disjoint regions with different dynamics. This type of system has wide applications in various subjects. As an illustration, a plant disease model and an avian-only model are presented, and their bifurcation scenarios are investigated. By means of the regularization approach, the blowing up method, and the singular perturbation theory, we provide a different way to analyze the dynamics of this type of Filippov system. In particular, the boundary equilibrium bifurcations of such systems are studied. As a consequence, the nonsmooth fold bifurcation becomes a saddle-node bifurcation, while the persistence bifurcation disappears after regularization.
Correction: Sundaram et al. Effects of Intermediate Frequency (150 kHz) Electromagnetic Radiation on the Vital Organs of Female Sprague Dawley Rats. Biology 2023, 12, 310
Authors: Sundaram Venkatesan , Mohammed Stephanie , Cockburn Brian N. , Srinivasan M. R. , Venkata Chalapathi R. Adidam , Johnson Jenelle , Gilkes Lester , Jones Kegan Romelle , Zyuzikov Nikolay
Published: March 2024

In the original publication [...]
Pleiotropic Role of Rainbow Trout CXCRs in Response to Disease and Environment: Insights from Transcriptional Signatures and Structure Analysis
Authors: Hou Zhi-Shuai , Zhao Hong-Kui , Perdiguero Pedro , Liu Meng-Qun , Xiang Kai-Wen , Zeng Chu , Li Zhao , Yang Xiao-Dong , Yang Qian , Xin Yuan-Ru , Li Ji-Fang , Tafalla Carolina , Wen Hai-Shen
Published: March 2024

Chemokines are cytokines with chemoattractant capacities that exert their physiological functions through the binding of chemokine receptors. Thus, chemokine and receptor complexes exert important roles in regulating development and homeostasis during routine immune surveillance and inflammation. Compared to mammals, the physiology and structure of chemokine receptors in fish have not been systematically studied. Furthermore, the salmonid-specific whole genome duplication has significantly increased the number of functional paralogs of chemokine receptors. In this context, in the current study, trout exhibited 17 cxcr genes, including 12 newly identified and 5 previously identified receptors. Interestingly, gene expression of brain cxcr1 and cxcr4, kidney cxcr3 and cxcr4, and spleen cxcr3, cxcr4, and cxcr5 subtypes were altered by bacterial infection, whereas brain cxcr1, kidney cxcr1 and cxcr7, and liver cxcr2, cxcr3, and cxcr4 subtypes were changed in response to environmental changes. Based on protein structures predicted by ColabFold, the conserved amino acids in binding pockets between trout CXCR4.1 subtypes and human CXCR4 were also analyzed. Our study is valuable from a comparative point of view, providing new insights into the identification and physiology of salmonid chemokine receptors.
Heterogeneity and Differentiation of the Human Arterial Tree: Focus on microRNA Expression in Vascular Disease
Authors: Ciavarella Carmen , Motta Ilenia , Capri Miriam , Gargiulo Mauro , Pasquinelli Gianandrea
Published: March 2024

Human arteries show structural and functional peculiarities according to the nutrient and oxygen needs of a specific vascular district. This architectural heterogeneity is reflected in the pathological setting of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Indeed, the responsiveness to cardiovascular risk factors, and the morphological and molecular patterns are discriminating factors among CVDs affecting different vascular beds. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous regulators of gene expression and fine-tuners of vascular cell differentiation; thus, these non-coding RNAs can modulate arterial heterogeneity. The identification of an artery-specific miRNA signature would be promising in the therapy of CVDs, especially in patients who are frail and elderly. In the present review, we will provide a concise description of the arterial tree heterogeneity on a structural and cellular basis, mainly in the pathological context. Secondly, we will address the miRNA potential as crucial mediators of arterial heterogeneity, focusing on the abdominal aorta and femoral artery, with the final goal of strengthening the search for more targeted therapies in CVDs and stratification approaches in patients who are frail and elderly.
Current Research Status of Respiratory Motion for Thorax and Abdominal Treatment: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wu Yuwen , Wang Zhisen , Chu Yuyi , Peng Renyuan , Peng Haoran , Yang Hongbo , Guo Kai , Zhang Juzhong
Published: March 2024

Malignant tumors have become one of the serious public health problems in human safety and health, among which the chest and abdomen diseases account for the largest proportion. Early diagnosis and treatment can effectively improve the survival rate of patients. However, respiratory motion in the chest and abdomen can lead to uncertainty in the shape, volume, and location of the tumor, making treatment of the chest and abdomen difficult. Therefore, compensation for respiratory motion is very important in clinical treatment. The purpose of this review was to discuss the research and development of respiratory movement monitoring and prediction in thoracic and abdominal surgery, as well as introduce the current research status. The integration of modern respiratory motion compensation technology with advanced sensor detection technology, medical-image-guided therapy, and artificial intelligence technology is discussed and analyzed. The future research direction of intraoperative thoracic and abdominal respiratory motion compensation should be non-invasive, non-contact, use a low dose, and involve intelligent development. The complexity of the surgical environment, the constraints on the accuracy of existing image guidance devices, and the latency of data transmission are all present technical challenges.
Peptide-Decorated Microneedles for the Detection of Microplastics
Authors: Ahn Suyeon , Kim Namju , Choi Yonghyun , Kim Jiwon , Hwang Hyeryun , Kim Cholong , Lee Hee-Young , Kim Seungyoun , Kim Jin Su , Lee Hyun Ho , Choi Jonghoon
Published: March 2024

The escalating utilization of plastics in daily life has resulted in pervasive environmental pollution and consequent health hazards. The challenge of detecting and capturing microplastics, which are imperceptible to the naked eye, is exacerbated by their diminutive size, hydrophobic surface properties, and capacity to absorb organic compounds. This study focuses on the application of peptides, constituted of specific amino acid sequences, and microneedles for the rapid and selective identification of microplastics. Peptides, due to their smaller size and greater environmental stability compared with antibodies, emerge as a potent solution to overcome the limitations inherent in existing detection methodologies. To immobilize peptides onto microneedles, this study employed microneedles embedded with gold nanorods, augmenting them with sulfhydryl (SH) groups at the peptides’ termini. The sensor developed through this methodology exhibited efficient peptide binding to the microneedle tips, thereby facilitating the capture of microplastics. Raman spectroscopy was employed for the detection of microplastics, with the results demonstrating successful attachment to the microneedles. This novel approach not only facilitates localized analysis but also presents a viable strategy for the detection of microplastics across diverse environmental settings.
Correlations of Plasma Biomarkers and Imaging Characteristics of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: Kong Qianqian , Xie Xinxin , Wang Ziyue , Zhang Yi , Zhou Xirui , Wu Lingshan , Yu Zhiyuan , Huang Hao , Luo Xiang
Published: March 2024

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), which is a group of pathological processes affecting cerebral microvessels, leads to functional loss in the elderly population and mostly presents as cognitive impairment and gait decline. CSVD is diagnosed based on brain imaging biomarkers, but blood biomarkers are of great significance for the early diagnosis and progression prediction of CSVD and have become a research focus because of their noninvasiveness and easy accessibility. Notably, many blood biomarkers have been reported to be associated with CSVD in a relatively large population, particularly serum neurofilament light chain (NfL), which has been regarded as a promising biomarker to track the variation trend in WMH and to predict the further status of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and lacunar infarcts. And neuro-glio-vascular unit structure and blood–brain barrier function have been proposed as underlying mechanisms of CSVD. The article starts from the neuroimaging markers of CSVD, including recent small subcortical infarcts (RSSI), white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMB), enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS), cerebral atrophy, and the combined small vessel disease score, and attempts to systematically review and summarize the research progress regarding the blood biomarkers of CSVD that form the changes in the neuro-glio-vascular unit structure and blood–brain barrier function.