bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COMPARISON OF INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE BETWEEN PLATELET RICH PLASMA 20% AND AUTOLOGUS SERUM 20% IN EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED CORNEAL ALKALI BURN
Authors: Amelia Safitri Ramadhani Amelia
Published: June 2023

Objective to compare the inflammatory response between platelet rich plasma 20% and autologous serum 20% on cornea after sodium hydroxide exposure. Methods a true experimental study with two groups post-test design. A total of 18 rabbits were used in this study and allocated into two groups. After collecting intravenous blood samples from both group, platelet rich plasma 20% and autologous serum 20%, respectively, were obtained by centrifugation and dilution. Alkali burns were inflicted on the central cornea of each rabbit’s right eye by applying a round filter paper, 7.0 mm in diameter, soaked in 1N NaOH for 60 s. Clinical outcome of the inflammation were observed everyday for seven days. On the seventh day, corneal tissue was collected for histopathological examination to evaluate amount of PMN neutrophils that infiltrate the central cornea. All data were statistically analyzed for difference between the study groups. Resuls statistical analysis shows statistically difference in clinical inflammatory feature of conjunctival hyperemia at day 3 until day 7, in which the group that received PRP 20% got lower conjunctival hyperemia grading compared to the group that received AS 20%. Other clinical features, corneal opacity and epithelial defect, shows no statistically difference between two groups. Histopathological examination shows lower amount of PMN neutrophil infiltration to the central cornea on PRP group, compared to AS group. Conclusio Platelet-rich plasma 20% eyedrop can be used as one of adjuvant therapies and has better control of inflammatory response towards alkaline injury of the cornea during acute phase.
COMPARISON IN CORNEAL COLLAGEN STRUCTURE BETWEEN 20% PLATELET RICH PLASMA AND 20% AUTOLOGOUS SERUM THERAPY POST NATRIUM HIDROKSIDA EXPOSURE
Authors: Marisca
Published: June 2023

Objective to compare therapy response between 20% PRP and AS 20% on cornea post sodium hydroxide exposure on collagen structure. Methods this is a true experimental study with post test only design on 18 New Zealand white rabbits. Sample were divided randomly to two groups, each with 9 rabbits. The right eye of each rabbit were exposed to alkali injury with 1N NaOH under general anesthesia. First group was given 20% PRP eyedrops and 20% AS for the second group. And the end of the 7 day periode, all rabbits were euthanized and enucleated to obtain histopthological data. Collagen density, collagen thickness and keratosit cell were evaluated. The result will be analyzed, ratio scale data will be tested with independent T- test, and ordinal scaled data will be tested with Mann-Whitney test. Result The collagen density in the 20% PRP group shows 88.9% grade 2 and 44.4 % grade 2 for the 20% AS group. The collagen thickness in the 20% PRP group is 55.41 and 67.62 for the 20% AS group. The keratosit cell count in the 20% PRP group are 54.56 and 45.47 in the 20% AS group. There is significant difference in the collagen density between 20% PRP and 20% AS treatment (p= 0.066). There is significant difference in the collagen thickness between 20% PRP and 20% AS treatment (p= 0,224). There is significant difference in the keratosit cell count between 20% PRP and 20% AS treatment (p= 0,227). Conclusion From the statistik analysis shows that there is no significant difference in corneal collagen structure between 20% PRP and 20% AS therapy post natrium hidroksida exposure, from our study there is no significant better corneal healing parameters in post alkali chemical ocular injury with 20% PRP eyedrops compare to 20% AS eyedrops.
Deteção de movimentos na camada basal da cobertura estacional da neve através de registadores de dados de inclinação no pico Cuiña (Serra de Ancares, NW da Iberia)
Authors: Valcarcel Marcos , Carrera-Goméz Pedro , Bedoya Juan López
Published: June 2023

Na vertente nordeste do Pico Cuíña, Sierra de Ancares, a cobertura nevada estacional sofre movimentos basais que dão origem a uma intensa atividade geomorfológica. O movimento basal da cobertura de neve ocorre tanto em deslizamentos de neve como em avalanches rápidas. O principal objetivo desta investigação é desenvolver e testar um procedimento automático e contínuo para a deteção de movimentos de neve basal e resistência às forças de impulsão que permita a monitorização em vários pontos. O controle do movimento basal apresenta dificuldades, principalmente sob a forma de risco de danificação dos dispositivos de medição devido às consideráveis forças de impulsão da neve e dos choques. A experiência foi realizada numa vertente rochosa de 28º de inclinação, em elevações entre 1.840 e 1.870 m. Os registradores automáticos de inclinação foram selecionados por sua autonomia e baixo custo. Eles foram programados para fazer uma medição a cada 12 minutos durante os meses em que o pacote de neve está ativo. Estes dispositivos são externos, mas eles tiveram que ser colocados em caixas hermeticamente de aço seladas, que são resistentes a impactos e pressões intensas. Os dados obtidos identificaram vários períodos de duração variável, de dias a semanas, com mudanças suaves e contínuas, atribuídas a eventos lentos de deslizamento de terra basal. Entretanto, na maioria dos registros há eventos de atividade súbita com mudanças nos valores de inclinação atribuídos a avalanches rápidas. Os resultados são satisfatórios e respondem às observações no campo. O método é simples de implementar e barato.
Feasibility of Proton Dosimetry Overriding Planning CT with Daily CBCT Elaborated through Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools
Authors: Rossi Matteo , Belotti Gabriele , Mainardi Luca , Baroni Guido , Cerveri Pietro
Published: June 2023

Radiotherapy commonly utilizes CBCT for patient positioning and treatment monitoring. CBCT is deemed to be secure for patients, making it suitable for the delivery of fractional doses. However, limitations such as a narrow field of view, beam hardening, scattered radiation artifacts, and variability in pixel intensity hinder the direct use of raw CBCT for dose recalculation during treatment. To address this issue, reliable correction techniques are necessary to remove artifacts and remap pixel intensity into HU values. This study proposes a deep-learning framework for calibrating CBCT images acquired with narrow FOV systems and demonstrates its potential use in proton treatment planning updates. Cycle-consistent GAN processes raw CBCT to reduce scatter and remap HU. Monte Carlo simulation is used to generate CBCT scans, enabling the possibility to focus solely on the algorithm’s ability to reduce artifacts and cupping effects without considering intra-patient longitudinal variability and producing a fair comparison between planning CT and calibrated CBCT dosimetry. To showcase the viability of the approach using real-world data, experiments were also conducted using real CBCT. Tests were performed on a publicly available dataset of 40 patients who received ablative radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer. The simulated CBCT calibration led to a difference in proton dosimetry of less than 2%, compared to the planning CT. The potential toxicity effect on the organs at risk decreased from about 50% (uncalibrated) up the 2% (calibrated). The gamma pass rate at 3%/2mm produced an improvement of about 37% in replicating the prescribed dose before and after calibration (53.78% vs 90.26%). Real data also confirmed this with slightly inferior performances for the same criteria (65.36% vs 87.20%). These results may confirm that generative artificial intelligence brings the use of narrow FOV CBCT scans incrementally closer to clinical translation in proton therapy planning updates.
Study of Attentional Networks of Alert, Orientation and Executive Control in Bilingual and Monolingual Primary School Children: The Role of Socioeconomic Status
Authors: Federico Francesca , Mellone Michela , Volpi Ferida , Orsolini Margherita
Published: June 2023

Abstract: For decades, researchers have suggested the existence of a bilingual cognitive advantage, especially in tasks involving executive functions such as inhibition, shifting, and updating. Recently, an increasing number of studies have questioned whether bilingualism results in change in executive functions, highlighting conflicting data published in the literature. The present study compared the performance of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade bilingual and monolingual children on attentional and cognitive tasks. Participants were 61 monolingual and 74 bilingual children (M = 114.6 months; SD = 8.48 months) who were tested on two versions of the Attention Network Task (ANT), with and without social stimuli, as well as tests investigating working memory, short-term memory, narrative memory, and receptive vocabulary. Data on families’ socioeconomic status and children’s reasoning abilities were also collected. The results showed that bilingualism and socioeconomic status affected attentional networks in tasks involving social stimuli. In tasks involving non-social stimuli, socioeconomic status only affected the alerting and executive conflict networks. Consistent with the literature, a positive relationship emerged between socioeconomic status and executive control in the context of social stimuli, and a negative relationship emerged between socioeconomic status and the alerting network in the context of non-social stimuli. Interestingly, neither socioeconomic status nor social attentional networks correlated with working memory. Therefore, although more investigations are required, the results suggest that differences in social contexts mainly affect attentional functions.
Culture, Mindset and Functionality in Regional Organisations – A Study on ASEAN and the European Union
Authors: Rautakivi Tuomo , Yolles Maurice
Published: June 2023

Regional organisations (ROs) are important in that they can enable states in their regions to pros-per and develop for improvement. Interest here lies in the European Union (EU) and the Associa-tion of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Their political development involves complex process-es for collective actions involving ingroup member RO states. To explore development, we firstly examine the rise of both the EU and ASEAN. The literature gives some attention to the behaviour-alist political approach to explain developmental differences using social organisation theory, often in terms of the Gemeinschaft-Gesellschaft paradigm of Tönnies. However, here we adopt a social psychology approach that distinguishes between operative structure (which directly determines behaviour), and substructure (housing normative personality deemed to be responsible for behav-ioural imperatives). This enables a relationship to be made between the Tönnies paradigm and the Collectivism-Individualism paradigm of Triandis. The theoretical approach adopted involves a complex adaptive systems model deriving from metacybernetics, and this also delivers Mindset Agency Theory as a qualitative methodology. Consistent with the general view, it is shown that the EU is more or less a coherent rational organisation, while ASEAN is more idealistic delivering pragmatic paradox. In particular, ASEAN is frequently descried as an organisation with contra-dictions, and for this reason its pathologies are explored in some detail
Complexes of the Antibiotic Drug Oxolinic Acid with the Fe(III), Zn(II), Ca(II), and Mg(II) Ions: Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation of the Biological Activity
Authors: Almehizia Abdulrahman A. , Al-Omar Mohamed A. , Naglah Ahmed M. , Bhat Mashooq A. , Alanazi Fhdah S. , Alotaibi Fatimah A. , Refat Moamen S. , Adam Abdel Majid A.
Published: June 2023

The chemical reaction between the quinolone antibiotic oxolinic acid (OA) and Fe(III), Zn(II), Ca(II), and Mg(II) ions results in the formation of metal-based complexes with the following formulas: [Fe(OA)(H2O)2Cl2]2H2O, [Zn(OA)(H2O)Cl]2H2O, [Ca(OA)(H2O)Cl], and [Mg(OA)(H2O)Cl]. We used analytical (C, N, H, Cl, metal analysis) and spectral (FT-IR, 1H NMR, UV-visible) data to structurally characterize the synthesized metal-based complexes of the OA molecule. We found that the OA molecule utilizes the two oxygen atoms of the carboxylate group and the pyridone C=O group to bind the investigated metal ions. The morphological properties of the synthesized OA complexes were assessed using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biological properties, specifically antibacterial and antifungal activity, of the synthesized complexes were evaluated in vitro using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion protocol with five bacterial and three fungal strains. The complex containing Ca(II) ions exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activity against all tested microbial strains, surpassing or equaling the potency of the standard drugs (streptomycin for antibacterial assays and ketoconazole for antifungal assays).
Title Time-Series Analysis of Slope Displacements Using UAV Photogrammetry and Its Relationship With Rainfall Intensity
Authors: Jun Byonghee , Macciotta Renato , Kim Namgyun
Published: June 2023

In this study, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photogrammetry was used to monitor the ground displacement on the slope below a coal waste-rock stockyard, and to investigate the role of rainfall on this displacement. The study area is a mountainous region in Korea, where coal mining continues, and coal waste-rock is stored on the slopes of the mountain. In this area, ma-terial removal work was undertaken to reduce the steepness of the slope and driving forces in order to prevent disasters, but the strategy requires continuous monitoring to confirm the stabilization of the slope. For slope monitoring, a total of six UAV photogrammetry campaigns were conducted between April 2019 and August 2020. As a result of data processing, an orthoimage and DSM (Digital Surface Model) were generated. The ground displacement was estimated through four ways: slope extraction, displacement area evaluation, horizontal displacement, and vertical displacement analysis. During the study period, the maximum vertical displacement was 3.3 m and the maxi-mum horizontal displacement was 3.5 m. The horizontal displacement was effectively evaluated through the measurement of the movement of the drainage system using orthoimages that captured with a periodic survey. The effects of rainfall on ground displacement were also investigated. A very clear linear relationship between rainfall intensity higher than 20mm/d and ground displacement was identified. Accumulated amount of rainfall also showed good correlation with slope movement, but the frequency of rainfall intensity below 20 mm/d showed relatively low correlation with ground dis-placements.
Centella asiatica Lowers Body Fat Accumulation via Regulating Cholesterol Homeostasis- and Lipid Metabolism-Related Genes in Mice with High-Fat, High-Sugar Diet-Induced Obesity
Authors: Chang Yeok Boo , Ahn Yejin , Seo Daebang , Bae Soohyun , Suh Hyung Joo , Hong Yang Hee , Jung Eun Young
Published: June 2023

To understand the mechanisms involved in the anti-obesity effects Centella asi-atica (CA), we examined body weight, serum levels, white adipose tissue (WAT) weight, histological analysis, and the expression of cholesterol homeostasis- and lipid metabolism-related genes in mice with high-fat, high-sugar diet (HFHSD)-induced obesity that were orally treated with CA for 12 weeks. Eight-week-old, male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to the following four groups (eight mice/group): NOR, normal diet; Control, HFHSD; CA-L, HFHSD+CA 300 mg/kg; CA-H, HFHSD+CA 600 mg/kg. CA treatment signifi-cantly attenuated HFHSD-induced increase in body weight gain, serum glucose, serum triacylglycerol, and WAT weight (p < 0.05). Compared to that in Control group, adipocyte diameter and macrovesicular area of epididymal WAT signif-icantly decreased with CA treatment (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), 3- hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR), and stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD 1) were significantly downregulated in the CA-H group compared to the Control group (p < 0.05). CA exerts anti-obesity effects by lowering body fat accumulation via regulat-ing gene expression in the liver and thus, is a potential lipid-lowering agent.
Quantum Effects in General Relativity: Investigating Repulsive Gravity of Black Holes at Large Distances
Authors: Chiarelli Piero
Published: June 2023

The paper proposes a theoretical study that investigates the quantum effects on the gravity of black holes. The study utilizes a gravitational model that incorporates quantum mechanics derived from the classical-like quantum hydrodynamic representation. The research calculates the mass density distribution of quantum black holes, specifically in the case of central symmetry. The gravity of the quantum black hole shows contributions coming from the quantum potential energy, which is also sensitive to the presence of the background of gravitational noise. The additional energy, stored in the quantum potential fluctuations and constituting a form of dark energy, leads to a repulsive gravity in the weak gravity limit. This repulsive gravity overcomes the attractive classical Newtonian force at large distances of order of the intergalactic length.
A Unified Spinor Description of the Photon and Electron Relativistic Fields
Authors: Gorev Pavel
Published: June 2023

We propose a description of the electromagnetic field in the form of a four-component complex spinor, from which a vector of electromagnetic potential with two degrees of freedom, calibrated by two conditions - zero length and zero component along the y-axis - is obtained by using Pauli matrices. A similar approach is applied to the field of a fermion, in particular, the electron. It is known that the quantum field of the electron and the electron itself is a four-component complex spinor, so, existing in the Minkowski vector space, we cannot observe it directly. But with the help of Pauli matrices a vector is formed from the electron spinor, which is known to us as an electric current vector, and this current vector describes exactly a single particle. As a vector, it is available to us for observation in our vector space. Similarly, the electromagnetic field and its photon particle is also a four-component spinor, from which the same formula using Pauli matrices produces a vector, it is known to us as the electromagnetic potential vector, and it too describes even a single photon. All the differences in the properties of the current vector and the electromagnetic potential vector, and hence the electron and the electromagnetic field, are due only to a slight difference in the structures of their four-component spinors and inextricable linked to them momentum spinors and coordinate spinors.Thus, a unified way to describe bosons and fermions in spinor space is proposed. The consequences of the Dirac equation for the electron spinor are considered and the existence of a similar first-order equation for the photon spinor is assumed. Each spinor by means of a uniform formula corresponds to a vector, in the case of a fermion it is a current vector, in the case of a boson it is a vector, for example, of the electromagnetic potential. Each spinor of a field is matched with a spinor of coordinates and a spinor of momentum, which are transformed by the same Lorentz transformations and which have the same structure as their corresponding field spinor, that is, the momentum and coordinates of boson have a bosonic spinor structure, while momentum and coordinates of fermion are a spinor with a fermionic structure. Field vectors, coordinates and momentum of boson automatically have a zero length, while in the case of fermion they all have a nonzero length, so the fermion, in contrast to the boson, has a nonzero mass, nonzero charge and moves with a sub light speed.The presented approach, in the long run, makes it possible to carry out calculations of the interaction of particles in two-dimensional spinor space, and to interpret in terms of the Minkowski vector space only the final results.
Improved DeepSORT-Based Object Tracking in Foggy Weather for AVs Using Sematic Labels and Fused Appearance Feature Network
Authors: Ogunrinde Isaac Oluwadunsin , Bernadin Shonda
Published: June 2023

The presence of fog in the background can prevent small and distant objects from being detected, let alone tracked. Under safety-critical conditions, multi-object tracking models require faster-tracking speed while maintaining high object-tracking accuracy. The original DeepSORT algorithm used YOLOv4 for the detection phase, and a simple neural network for deep appearance descriptor. Consequently, the feature map generated loses relevant details about the track being matched with a given detection in fog. Targets with a high degree of appearance similarity on the detection frame are more likely to be mismatched, resulting in identity switches or track failures in heavy fog. We propose an improved multi-object tracking model based on the DeepSORT algorithm to im-prove tracking accuracy and speed under foggy weather conditions. First, we employed our camera-radar fusion network (CR-YOLOnet) in the detection phase for faster and more accurate object detection. We proposed an appearance feature network to replace the basic convolutional neural network. We incorporated GhostNet to take the place of the traditional convolutional layers to generate more features and reduce computational complexities and cost. We adopted a segmentation module and fed the semantic labels of the corresponding input frame to add rich semantic information to the low-level appearance feature maps. Our proposed method outperformed YOLOv5 + DeepSORT with a 35.15% increase in multi-object tracking accuracy, a 32.65% increase in multi-object tracking precision, the speed increased by 37.56%, and identity switches decreased by 46.81%.
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of the Colorectal Cancer Tumor Stroma: Insights into Disease Progression and Therapeutic Targets
Authors: Shakhpazyan Nikolay , Mikhaleva Liudmila , Bedzhanyan Arcady L. , Gioeva Zarina , Sadykhov Nikolay , Mikhalev Alexander , Atiakshin Dmitri , Buchwalow Igor , Tiemann Markus , Orekhov Alexander
Published: June 2023

This review systematically examines the multifaceted relationship between the tumor microenvironment, stromal interactions, and colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and metastasis. The analysis begins by assessing the gut microbiome's influence on CRC development, emphasizing its association with gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The role of the Wnt signaling pathway in CRC tumor stroma is scrutinized, elucidating its impact on disease progression. Tumor budding, its effect on tumor stroma, and implications for patient prognosis are investigated. The review also identifies conserved oncogenic signatures (COS) within CRC stroma and explores their potential as therapeutic targets. Lastly, the seed and soil hypothesis is employed to contextualize metastasis, accentuating the significance of both tumor cells and the surrounding stroma in metastatic propensity. In summary, this review highlights the intricate interdependence between CRC cells and their microenvironment, providing valuable insights into prospective therapeutic approaches targeting tumor-stroma interactions.
Materials with Magnetic Iron Nanoparticles for Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Redón Rocío , Avila-Aviles Miriam , Ruiz-Huerta Leopoldo , Montiel Herlinda , Elías-Zúñiga Alex , Daza-Gómez Lucy-Caterine , Martínez-Romero Óscar
Published: June 2023

Additive Manufacturing and nanotechnology have been used as basic tools for the manufacture of nanostructured parts with magnetic properties to expand the variety of applications in additive processes by tank photopolymerization. Magnetic cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and barium ferrite (BaFe12O19) nanoparticles with the size distribution of average value DTEM of 12 ± 2.95 nm and 37 ± 12.78 nm, respectively were generat-ed by hydroxide precipitation method. The dispersion of the nanoparticles on commercial resins (Anycubic Green and IRIX White resin) was obtained by mechanochemical reactions carried out in an agate mortar for 20 minutes, at room temperature and with limited exposure to light. The product of each reaction was placed in amber vials, also being kept in a box, to avoid contact with light. The photopolymerization process was carried out only at low concentrations (w/w % nanoparticles/resin) since, at high concentrations, there is no for-mation of pieces due to the high refractive index of ferrites. Raman shift spectroscopy of the final pieces showed that they contain the magnetic nanoparticles, with no apparent chemical changes. The EPR results of the pieces maintain the magnetic properties and apparently, they are not modified during the photopolymer-ization. Although significant differences were found in the dispersion process of the nanoparticles in each piece, we determined that the photopolymerization did not influence the structure and superparamagnetic behavior of ferrite nanoparticles during processing, and the magnetic properties were successfully transferred to the final 3D-printed magnetic obtained piece.
Does Precision Technologies Adoption Contribute to the Economic and Agri-Environmental Sustainability of Mediterranean Wheat Production? An Italian Case Study
Authors: Finco Adele , Bentivoglio Deborah , Belletti Matteo , Chiaraluce Giulia , Fiorentini Marco , Ledda Luigi , Orsini Roberto
Published: June 2023

The European Green Deal has set a concrete strategic plan to increase farm sustainability. At the same time, the current global challenges, due to climate change and fuels and commodity market crisis, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, comprise the need for quality food, but also the reduction of negative external effects of agricultural production, with fair remuneration for the farmers. In response, precision agriculture has great potential to contribute to the sustainable development. Precision agriculture is a farming management that provides a holistic system approach to managing the spatial and temporal crop and soil variability within a field to improve the farm’s performance and sustainability. However, farmers are still hesitant to adopt it. On these premises, the study aims to evaluate the impacts of precision agriculture technologies on farm profitability, agronomic and environmental management by farmers adopting (or not) these technologies, using the case study method. In detail, the work focuses on the period 2014-2022 for two farms that cultivate durum wheat in Central Italy. The results suggest that the implementation of precision technologies can guarantee economic and agri-environmental efficiency. Results could serve as a basis for developing a program to start training in farms as well as suggest policy strategies.
Mechanism of Social Stress-Related Erectile Dysfunction in Mice: Impaired Parasympathetic Neurotransmission and Ketamine
Authors: Wu Shu-Yu , Chao Tze-Chen , Hsu Chun-Kai , Chang His-Hsien , Yang Stephen Shei-Dei
Published: June 2023

We aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying social stress (SS)-induced erectile dysfunction (ED) and evaluate the effects of a single sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine on SS-related ED. Male FVB mice were exposed to retired male C57BL/6 mice for 60 minutes daily over a 4-week period. In the third week, SS mice received intraperitoneal injections of either saline (SSS group) or ketamine (SSK group). Erectile function was assessed by measuring intra-cavernosal pressure (ICP) during electrical stimulation at the major pelvic ganglia. Corpus cavernosum (CC) strips were utilized for wire myography to assess their reactivity. Both SSS and SSK mice exhibited significantly lower ICP in response to electrical stimulation than control. SS mice showed increased contractility of CC induced by phenylephrine. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation was significantly reduced in SSS and SSK mice. Sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation was higher in SSS mice compared to control and SSK mice. Nicotine-induced neurogenic and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent relaxation was significantly impaired in both SSS and SSK mice. Immunohistochemically analysis revealed co-localization of tyrosine hydroxylase and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-immunoreactive fibers in the CC. These findings highlight the complex nature of SS-related ED and suggest the limited efficacy of ketamine as a therapeutic intervention in this condition.
People Living with HIV (PLWH) Controllers Induce High Production of IFN-γ to Gag Epitope
Authors: Da Silva Bosco Christiano Maciel , Da Silva Lais Teodoro , Hildebrando Gustavo Ferminie , Rigato Paula Ordonhez , Brigido Luis Fernando de Macedo , Magri Marcello Mihailenko Chaves , Monteiro Mariana Amélia , Assone Tatiane , Duarte Alberto José da Silva , Casseb Jorge
Published: June 2023

We report the characterization of phenotype, genotype, and functional parameters such as CD4+ T cell, viral load, HIV-1 genotype, class I HLA genotype, CCR5 polymorphism, and IFN-γ producing cells from a cohort of 37 people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) (viremic controllers, were compared those on antiretroviral therapy (ART) from two sites in São Paulo, Brazil. Half the PLWH (51.4%) were classified as viremic controllers (Controller group - CG), compared to 48.6% were on ART. As expected, controllers showed baseline higher levels of CD4+ T cells and nadir compared to those under ART, confirming the ability of HIV-1 controllers to preserve these cells even in the absence of ART. IFN-γ-producing cells showed greater magnitude to the HIV peptides Gag in controllers (p<0.03). Our results demonstrated that HLA protective alleles are associated with strong production of IFN-γ to Gag, Nef and RT epitopes in people living with HIV controllers.
FANet: Flexibility and Adaptivity Net for 3D Point Cloud Detection
Authors: Ye Jian , Zuo Fushan , Qian Yuqing
Published: June 2023

3D object detection is essential for an accurate and reliable autonomous driving system. Currently, the methods used by the state-of-the-art two-stage detectors are not flexible enough and their fea-ture extraction capabilities are very limited to cope effectively with the disorder and irregularity of point clouds. In this paper, we combine the advantages of both PV-RCNN and PAConv (Position Adaptive Convolution) to create a completely new network, FANet, in order to overcome the ir-regularity and disorder of point clouds. The convolution in our network builds convolutional ker-nels from a basic weight matrix, whose combined coefficients are learned adaptively by LearnNet from relative points. This network allows for flexible modeling of complex spatial variations and geometric structures in the 3D point cloud, enabling better extraction of point cloud features and producing high-quality 3D proposal boxes. Compared to other methods, FANet is superior in terms of 3D object detection accuracy. Extensive experiments on the KITTI dataset have shown a signif-icant improvement in our approach.
Identifying the Common Cell-Free DNA Biomarkers across Seven Major Cancer Types
Authors: Luo Mingyu , Liu Yining , Zhao Min
Published: June 2023

Blood-based circulating cell free DNA(cfDNA) detection offers a non-invasive and easily accessible way for early cancer detection. Despite the extensive utility of cfDNA, there are still many challenges to develop the clinical biomarkers. For example, cfDNA with genetic alterations often compose a small portion of the DNA circulating in plasma, which can be confounded by cfDNA contributed by normal cells. Therefore, filtering out the potential false-positive cfDNA mutations from health population will be important for the cancer-based biomarkers. Additionally, many low-frequency genetic alterations are easily overlooked in small amount of cfDNA-based cancer test. We hypothesize that, the combination of diverse types of cancer studies on cfDNA can provide us a new insight to identify low-frequency genetic variant across cancer types for early clinical detection of cancers. By building a standardized computational pipeline for 1358 cfDNA samples across seven cancer types, we prioritize 129 shard genetic variants in the major cancer types. Further functional analysis of the 129 variants found that they are mainly enriched in ribosome pathways such as cotranslational protein targeting to membrane, some of which are tumor suppressor, oncogene and related to cancer initiation. In summary, our integrative analysis revealed the important roles of ribosome proteins as the common biomarkers in early cancer diagnosis.
Translational and Rotational Postural Aberrations are related to Pulmonary Functions and Skill Related Physical Fitness Components in Collegiate Athletes
Authors: Tamim May , Moustafa Ibrahim Moustafa , Alaparthi Gopala Krishna , Oakley Paul A. , Harrison Deed E
Published: June 2023

This study assessed the relationship between body posture displacements and cardiopulmonary function test (CPET) and skill related physical fitness tests. One hundred male (60%) and female collegiate athletes (22.2 ± 4yrs) with a normal body mass index (BMI up to 24.9) were assessed via the PostureScreen Mobile app to quantify postural displacements as head, thorax and pelvis rotations and translations. CPET and physical performance tests including the agility T-test, the vertical jump test, the stork static balance test (SSBT) and the dynamic Y-balance test (YBT) were performed. Spearman correlation (r) and p-values are reported. Postural parameters were found to have moderate-to-high associations with CPET and the agility test, moderate correlations with the vertical jump test and the SSBT (head and pelvic postures only), and weak correlations with the YBT. As postural parameters were more asymmetric, both CPET and performance skills scores were worse. For examples: 1) a medium positive correlation was found between cranio-vertebral angle (CVA) and vertical jump test (r = 0.54; p-value < 0.001) and SSBT (r = 0.57; p-value < 0.001), while a strong negative correlation was found between CVA and agility test (r = -0.86; p-value < 0.001). 2) A strong positive correlation was found between CVA and oxygen uptake efficiency slope, load watts VO2 at VT, VO2 / kg, load watts at respiratory compensation point (RCP), (r = 0.65 and r = 0.71; p < 0.001). Conversely, a significant negative correlation was found between CVA and VE / VO2 at VT (r = -0.61; p < 0.001). Postural rotations and translations of the head, thorax and pelvis were statistically correlated with physical performance skills and CPET in young collegiate athletes. There were moderate-to-high associations with cardiopulmonary functions and agility tests, moderate correlations with the vertical jump test, and weak correlations with the YBT. Postural alignment may be important for optimal physical performance and optimal cardiopulmonary function. Further research is necessary to elucidate reasons for these correlations as found in our sample of young and healthy athletes.
Measurement of Abdominal Fat by Nutritional Ultrasound as a Risk Factor for Non-alcoholic Hepatic Steatosis (Nash) in Obese Children
Authors: Maeso Mendez Sandra , Sarasua-Miranda Ainhoa , Garcia Casares Zuriñe , Calvo Saez Ariane , Santos Corraliza Erika , Gamarra CAbrerizo Ainara , Diez Lopez Ignacio
Published: June 2023

A high prevalence of childhood obesity has been observed in the last years. Ultrasound of adi-pose tissue is technique validated in adults in order to detect risk of comorbidity as NAFLD and NASH, but no studies at pediatric population. The main objective is to assess measurement of preperitoneal fat by nutritional ultrasound as a screening method for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children. Patients and methods: Prospective longitudinal study. A study of somatometry, bioelectrical impedancemetry and nutritional ultrasound has been car-ried out. Results : 102 patients were included, with a mean BMI (SDS) of 2.58. A linear and direct correlation was observed between the fat mass measured by bioelectrical impedancemetry and the total subcutaneous abdominal fat measured by nutritional ultrasound. We also observed a correlation between preperitoneal fat measured by nutritional ultrasound and NASH, with a cut-off point of 0.93 cm of preperitoneal fat (sensitivity 96% and specificity 94%).Conclusions: Measurement of preperitoneal fat by nutritional ultrasound is a good screening method for NASH in obese children.
Biologically Relevant Murine Models of Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Respiratory Infection
Authors: Rogers Aoife M , Lindsay Jaime , Monahan Avril , Dubois Alice V , Faniyi Aduragbemi A , Plant Barry J , Mall Marcus A. , Ekkelenkamp Miquel B , Elborn J Stuart , Ingram Rebecca J
Published: June 2023

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogen and is the leading cause of infection in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The ability of P. aeruginosa to evade host responses and develop into chronic infection causes significant morbidity and mortality. Several mouse models have been developed to study chronic respiratory infections induced by P. aeruginosa, with the bead agar model being the most widely used. However, this model has several limitations, including the requirement for surgical procedures and high mortality rates. Herein, we describe novel and adapted biologically relevant models of chronic lung infection caused by P. aeruginosa. Three methods are described, a clinical isolate infection model, utilizing isolates obtained from patients with CF, an incomplete antibiotic clearance model, leading to bacterial bounce-back and the establishment of chronic infection, and an adapted water bottle chronic infection model. These models circumvent the requirement for surgical procedure and importantly, can be induced with clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa and in wild-type mice. We also demonstrate successful induction of chronic infection in the transgenic βENaC murine model of CF. We envisage that the models described will facilitate the investigations of host and microbial factors, and the efficacy of novel antimicrobials, during chronic P. aeruginosa respiratory infections.
Sustainability Assessments of Peri-Urban Areas: An Evaluation Model for the Territorialization of the Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: De Toro Pasquale , Formato Enrico , Fierro Nicola
Published: June 2023

This research experiments with a sustainability assessment based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 through a process of their territorialisation and implementation. This process enables the development of a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that can be integrated with strategic environmental assessments in urban planning. The assessment takes place on the transversality of the sustainability concept by trying to consider together the three dimensions (environmental, social and economic) into a single assessment through the Spatial Sustainability Assessment Model (SSAM) by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria analyses. Economic development, social equity, and ecological integrity represent three common visions for rethinking peri-urban edges.
Remote Monitoring of Canine Patients Treated for Pruritus during the COVID Pandemic in Florida Using a 3-D Accelerometer
Authors: Canfield Michael , Lavan Robert P. , Canfield Timberly , Gingold Gal , Thomas Jennifer , Sampeck Bridgette , Springer Tonya , Armstrong Rob
Published: June 2023

Medical management of chronic canine pruritic dermatologic conditions is challenging and often frustrating. This is a report that shows one way of aiding the management of pruritic dogs using a remote monitoring device. It is often difficult for veterinarians to get dog owners to return to the clinic once a dog is treated. It is possible that a 3-D accelerometer device could provide information to the clinic staff on the success or failure of a pruritus treatment plan while the dog was cared for at home. Eighty-seven dogs and their owners came to a Florida dermatology specialty clinic or its general practice hospital to be evaluated and treated for pruritus. An ANIMO® 3-D accelerometer was placed on the collar of dogs diagnosed and treated for pruritus. Dogs that completed the study were monitored for 120 days (4 months). The ANIMO app monitored a dog’s daily scratching, shaking, sleeping, activity, resting, barking and calories consumed and summarized this information in a daily report visible on the pet owner’s smart phone. An additional variable (grooming minutes per day) could be seen by the Sure Petcare R&D Team that was not yet available in the app. The use of a 3-D accelerometer enabled veterinarians to continuously monitor dogs at home when they were being treated for itching. Clinic staff kept in touch with the owners by phone and could change therapy or bring the dog back for a recheck if problems were seen. Daily reports were combined into line charts that showed plots of scratching, shaking, grooming and sleeping over four months. Veterinarians were able to remotely monitor dogs that had been treated for pruritus for up to four months through the use of a collar-borne monitoring device. Dog owners and clinic staff used the daily summaries which were accessible through a smart phone app. Dogs seemed to tolerate the device well because of its small size and unobtrusive nature.
Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation of the Biological Activity of Several Metal-Based Complexes with Two Widely Used Fluoroquinolones Antibiotics: Lomefloxacin and Pefloxacin Drugs
Authors: Almehizia Abdulrahman A. , Al-Omar Mohamed A. , Naglah Ahmed M. , Bhat Mashooq A. , Eskandrani Razan , Alotaibi Fatimah A. , Refat Moamen S. , Adam Abdel Majid A.
Published: June 2023

Lomefloxacin (F1) and pefloxacin (F2) have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we investigated the complexation mode, morphological and biological properties of four metal-based complexes of F1 and F2 molecules with Mg(II), Ca(II), Zn(II), and Fe(III) metal ions. These complexes were prepared at ~60–70°C in a neutral medium using a 5% NH3 solution at pH ~7-8 with a 1:1 ratio. Multiple physicochemical methods were employed to characterize the binding mode between F1 and F2 with the metal ions under investigation. The results of these methods suggested that the gross formula of the complexes obtained with the metal ions were [MgF1(H2O)Cl]2H2O, [CaF1(H2O)Cl]3H2O, [ZnF1(H2O)Cl], [FeF1(H2O)2Cl2]Cl2H2O, [MgF2(H2O)Cl]2H2O, [CaF2(H2O)Cl]3H2O, [ZnF2(H2O)Cl], and [FeF2(H2O)2Cl2]Cl2H2O. The microscopic characterizations indicated that the Ca(II)-F1 complex had an interesting surface topography. Its particles had a homogenous, short, rod-like shaped structure that clustered together to form a tree shape. Using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion protocol, the synthesized metal-based complexes were screened in vitro against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial and fungal species. The antimicrobial profile of the Fe(III)-F1 complex indicated that it had remarkable inhibitory activity against all the tested bacterial and fungal species with potency equal to that of the standard drugs (streptomycin and ketoconazole).
Effects of Autologous Microfragmented Adipose Tissue on Bone Healing: A Blinded, Prospective, Randomised Canine Clinical Trial
Authors: Pennasilico Luca , Di Bella Caterina , Sassaroli Sara , Salvaggio Alberto , Roggiolani Francesco , Piccionello Angela Palumbo
Published: June 2023

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of autologous microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT), obtained by mechanical fragmentation, on radiographic bone healing in dogs subjected to tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO). Twenty dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate disease were enrolled and randomly assigned to the treatment group (MFAT) or the control group (NT). The MFAT group underwent TPLO and autologous MFAT intra-articular administration while the NT group underwent TPLO alone. The adipose tissue was collected from the thigh region and MFAT was obtained by mechanical fragmentation at the end of the surgery. The patients were subjected to X-ray exam preoperatively, immediately postoperatively (T0) and at 4 (T1) and 8 (T2) weeks postoperatively. Two radiographic scores that had previously been described for the evaluation of bone healing after TPLO were used. A 12-point scoring system (from 0 = no healing to 12= complete remodelling) was used at T0, T1 and T2, while a 5-point scoring system (from 0 = no healing to 4 = 76%–100% of healing) was used at T1 and T2. The median healing scores were significantly higher at T1 and T2 for the MFAT group compared with the NT group for the 12-point (p < 0.05) and 5-point (p < 0.05) scoring systems. The intra-articular injection of autologous microfragmented adipose tissue can accelerate bone healing after TPLO without complications.
Dynamic Modeling and Passivity Based Control of the RV-3SB Robot
Authors: Cardona Manuel , Serrano Fernando , García-Cena Cecilia
Published: June 2023

In this paper is shown the dynamic modeling and design of a passivity based controller for the RV-3SB robot. Firstly, the dynamic modeling of the of the Mitsubishi Rv-3SB robot is done by the Euler-Lagrange formulation in order to obtain a decoupled dynamic model considering the actuators orientation besides the position of this analyzed robot. It is important to remark that the dynamic model of the RV-3SB robot is done based in the kinematic model obtention in which is developed by the implementation of screw theory. Then the passivity based controller is obtained by separating the end effector variables and the actuator variables by making an appropriate coordinate transformation. The passivity based controller is obtained by selecting an appropriate storage function and by the Lyapunov theory the passivity based control law is obtained in order to drive the error variaable, which is the difference between the measured end effector position variable and the end effector desired position variable. The passivity based controller makes that the error variable reach the origin in finite time taking into consideration the dissipation properties of the proposed controller in order to stabilizes the desired end effector position. A numerical simulation experiement is performed in order to validate the theoretical results obtained in this research study. It is verified by numerical experimentation that the proposed control strategy is efficient and effective in order to drive the error variable to the origin in comparison with other modified techniques found in the literature. Finally, the appropriate discussion and conclusion of this research study are provided.
Quantifying the Economic and Financial Viability of NB-IoT and LoRaWAN Technologies: A Comprehensive Life Cycle Cost Analysis Using Pragmatic Computational Tools
Authors: Koelmel Bernhard , Borsch Max , Bulander Rebecca , Waidelich Lukas , Brugger Tanja , Kuehn Ansgar , Weyer Matthias , Schmerber Luc , Krutwig Michael
Published: June 2023

This paper focuses on quantifying the economic and financial viability of NB-IoT and LoRaWAN technologies, two low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies with unique characteristics that make them suitable for IoT applications. The purpose of the study is to propose an artefact for performing life cycle cost analysis and demonstrate its application to these technologies. The methodology uses pragmatic computational tools to facilitate the analysis and considers all relevant economic and financial factors, such as operating costs, equipment costs, and revenue potential. The main finding of the study is that NB-IoT and LoRaWAN technologies have different cost structures and revenue potentials, which may affect their economic and financial viability for different IoT applications. Ultimately, the study concludes that a comprehensive life cycle cost analysis is critical to making informed decisions about technology adoption, and that the proposed methodology can be applied to other IoT technologies to gain insight into their economic and financial viability.