bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Application of Local Coastal Knowledge: Insights from New Zealand Surfers
Authors: Campbell Oakley , Orchard Shane
Published: July 2023

Through their accumulated experiences with coastal environments, surfers may be uniquely qualified as a source of local knowledge on surf breaks and wider coastal management topics. Despite popular associations between surfers and the environment, critical enquiries are needed to establish the scope and depth of surfers’ knowledge and the processes that may influence its development. In this study, we expected that relationships between surfers and the coastal environment would be highly variable and dependent upon several outside factors, including individual motivations and biases. This broad hypothesis was tested through an oral history study of 15 New Zealand surfers, which examined the development of coastal environment knowledge through surfing experiences and explored its applications to resource management in New Zealand. Surfers can develop a unique local knowledge of the coast that is often specific to their favourite locations but can also include regional insights obtained through site-scale comparisons. These may include relatively detailed observations that are typically difficult to detect or measure and that are primarily generated through sustained surfing experiences. Socio-cultural factors, including gender stereotypes, localism, equipment bias, and interaction with accessibility, were identified as key influences on individual motivations and knowledge generation contexts. This study argues that surfers’ perspectives are critical to informing management decisions in the coastal environment. Knowledge residing in the surfing community is dependent on individual associations with surf breaks, yet it can be harnessed across meaningful scales to inform coastal management. Moreover, the generation of local knowledge through surfing experiences adds to the societal benefits of protecting surf breaks.
Laser Removal of Cosmetic Eyebrow Tattoos with a Picosecond Laser
Authors: Menozzi-Smarrito Candice , Smarrito Stéphane
Published: July 2023

This current retrospective study, including 98 patients aged 21 to 71 years, aims to assess the safety and the efficiency of a picosecond 755 nm/532 nm laser in the removal of complex eyebrows tattoos. Patients were treated with a picosecond laser at 755 nm with fluences ranging from 0.69 to 6.37 J/cm2 and at 532 nm with a fluence of 0.64 or 1.12 J/cm2. Analyses of Variance (ANOVA, single factor) and comparison tests (F-test) were conducted. A total of 70 subjects finished the full treatment. An average of three laser sessions were necessary to achieve the patients’ objective (total removal, attenuation for redo, or correction). The number of sessions was significantly higher if cosmetic tattoos contained visible warm pigments (red, orange, yellow). A total of 18 patients experienced immediate grey discoloration, although this was not found to significantly influence the number of laser sessions. The main side effects were redness, swelling, and bleeding points. One patient experienced a bruise immediately after laser shots. This retrospective study has shown the picosecond laser to be safe and efficient in removing complex cosmetic tattoos. Further investigation is ongoing to assess optimal parameters for treating red and white pigments.
FDG-PET versus Amyloid-PET Imaging for Diagnosis and Response Evaluation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Benefits and Pitfalls
Authors: Høilund-Carlsen Poul , Revheim Mona-Elisabeth , Costa Tommaso , Kepp Kasper , Castellani Rudolph , Perry George , Alavi Abass , Barrio Jorge
Published: July 2023

In June 2021, the US Federal Drug and Food Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for the antibody aducanumab and, in January 2023, also for the antibody lecanemab, based on a perceived drug-induced removal of cerebral amyloid-beta as assessed by amyloid-PET and, in the case of lecanemab, also a presumption of limited clinical efficacy. Approval of the antibody donanemab is awaiting further data. However, published trial data indicate few, small and uncertain clinical benefits, below what is considered “clinically meaningful” and similar to the effect of conventional medication. Furthermore, a therapy-related decrease in the amyloid-PET signal may also reflect increased cell damage rather than simply “amyloid removal”. This interpretation is more consistent with increased rates of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities and brain volume loss in treated patients, relative to placebo. We also challenge the current diagnostic criteria for AD based on amyloid-PET imaging biomarkers and recommend that future anti-AD therapy trials apply: (1) diagnosis of AD based on the co-occurrence of cognitive decline and decreased cerebral metabolism assessed by FDA-approved FDG-PET, (2) therapy efficacy determined by favorable effect on cognitive ability, cerebral metabolism by FDG-PET, and brain volumes by MRI, and (3) neuropathologic examination of all deaths occurring in these trials.
Point-of-Care Testing for Infectious Diseases Based on Class 2 CRISPR/Cas Technology
Authors: Chen Shiu-Jau , Rai Chung-I , Wang Shao-Cheng , Chen Yuan-Chuan
Published: July 2023

The early detection of infectious diseases and microorganisms is critical for effective disease treatment, control, and prevention. Currently, nucleic acid testing and antigen–antibody serum reaction are the two methods most commonly used for the detection of infectious diseases. The former is highly accurate, specific, and sensitive, but it is time-consuming, expensive, and has special technician and instrument requirements. The latter is rapid and economical, but it may not be accurate and sensitive enough. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a quick and on-site diagnostic test for point-of-care testing (POCT) to enable the clinical detection of infectious diseases that is accurate, sensitive, convenient, cheap, and portable. Here, CRISPR/Cas-based detection methods are detailed and discussed in depth. The powerful capacity of these methods will facilitate the development of diagnostic tools for POCT, though they still have some limitations. This review explores and highlights POCT based on the class 2 CRISPR/Cas assay, such as Cas12 and Cas13 proteins, for the detection of infectious diseases. We also provide an outlook on perspectives, multi-application scenarios, clinical applications, and limitations for POCT based on class 2 CRISPR/Cas technology.
Landmark-Assisted Anatomy-Sensitive Retinal Vessel Segmentation Network
Authors: Zhang Haifeng , Qiu Yunlong , Song Chonghui , Li Jiale
Published: July 2023

Automatic retinal vessel segmentation is important for assisting clinicians in diagnosing ophthalmic diseases. The existing deep learning methods remain constrained in instance connectivity and thin vessel detection. To this end, we propose a novel anatomy-sensitive retinal vessel segmentation framework to preserve instance connectivity and improve the segmentation accuracy of thin vessels. This framework uses TransUNet as its backbone and utilizes self-supervised extracted landmarks to guide network learning. TransUNet is designed to simultaneously benefit from the advantages of convolutional and multi-head attention mechanisms in extracting local features and modeling global dependencies. In particular, we introduce contrastive learning-based self-supervised extraction anatomical landmarks to guide the model to focus on learning the morphological information of retinal vessels. We evaluated the proposed method on three public datasets: DRIVE, CHASE-DB1, and STARE. Our method demonstrates promising results on the DRIVE and CHASE-DB1 datasets, outperforming state-of-the-art methods by improving the F1 scores by 0.36% and 0.31%, respectively. On the STARE dataset, our method achieves results close to the best-performing methods. Visualizations of the results highlight the potential of our method in maintaining topological continuity and identifying thin blood vessels. Furthermore, we conducted a series of ablation experiments to validate the effectiveness of each module in our model and considered the impact of image resolution on the results.
Simulation Analysis of Electricity Demand and Supply in Japanese Communities Focusing on Solar PV, Battery Storage, and Electricity Trading
Authors: Goto Mika , Kitamura Hiroshi , Sagawa Daishi , Obara Taichi , Tanaka Kenji
Published: July 2023

This study analyzes how the electricity demand and supply constitutions affect electricity independence and power trading within a community and between a community and a grid through simulation analysis. To that aim, we create a simulation model equipped with a community-building function and trading capability. We first construct a community consisting of various types of residential and industrial consumers, and renewable power plants deployed in the community. Residential and industrial consumers are characterized by a state of family/business and ownership and the use of energy equipment such as rooftop solar PV and stationary battery storage in their homes/offices. Consumers’ electricity demand is estimated from regression analyses using training data. Using the hypothetical community constructed for the analysis, the simulation model performs rule-based electricity trading and provides outputs comprising the total electricity demand in the community, the state of use of battery storage and solar PV, the trading volume, and the electricity independence rate of the community. From the simulation results, we discuss policy implications on the effective use of renewable energy and increasing electricity independence by fully utilizing battery and trading functions in a community.
Numerical Investigation of the Two-Phase Closed Thermosyphon Operating with Non-Uniform Heat Flux Profiles
Authors: Wang Zhao , Turan Ali , Craft Timothy
Published: July 2023

The two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) or wickless heat pipe has been widely considered as an extremely effective and low-cost heat removal device for various applications. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of the TPCT can provide detailed information regarding its design and development. In this study, the effect of non-uniform heat-input profiles on a vertical TPCT has been investigated. A CFD model has been built to simulate the evaporation and condensation processes within the TPCT investigated, using a solver based on OpenFOAM which has been modified and validated against experimental data reported in the open literature. Four non-uniform heating profiles of the TPCT have been investigated, and the effects these have on the internal flow field within the pipe are discussed. Simulation results show that the non-uniform heat flux profiles can impact thermal performance depending on the overall heat loading and the heat flux profile.
Optimization Modelling of the Decarbonization Scenario of the Total Energy System of Kazakhstan until 2060
Authors: Zhakiyev Nurkhat , Khamzina Ayagoz , Zhakiyeva Svetlana , De Miglio Rocco , Bakdolotov Aidyn , Cosmi Carmelina
Published: July 2023

This research article provides a comprehensive scenario analysis of key structural changes in Kazakhstan’s fuel and energy complex subsectors until 2060, focusing on decarbonization efforts. The background places the issue of decarbonization in a broader context, considering the country’s vast size and sparse population. The study’s purpose involves analyzing the development of the climate agenda by comparing two scenarios: a “reference” scenario without decarbonization measures and a carbon neutrality scenario until 2060 (CN2060). A mathematical technical-economic model based on the TIMES paradigm (The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) serves as the method to optimize and simulate Kazakhstan’s energy system. The main findings reveal sets of policies, standards, and legislative, economic, and political decisions that are required to achieve CN2060. Additionally, the integration of a low-carbon policy, sectoral and cross-cutting approaches, the impact of the coronavirus crisis, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and energy security issues receive a discussion. The article concludes with projected shares of generation and investment in renewable energy sources (RES) necessary for attaining CN2060. This work offers novel insights into challenges and opportunities for Kazakhstan’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
Distributed Consensus Hierarchical Optimization and Control Method for Integrated Energy System Based on Event-Triggered Mechanism
Authors: Ye Jun , Liu Bo , Yuan Zhiqiang , Chen Yunhui , Wang Yufei , Xue Hua , Ling Chen , Zhang Kening
Published: July 2023

For integrated energy systems (IES) composed of a set of energy hubs (EHs), a consensus control method is usually adopted to achieve accurate sharing of electrical and thermal composite energies. To solve the communication redundancy problem of the consensus control method, a hierarchical optimization and distributed control scheme based on a dynamic event-triggered mechanism of EHs is proposed to realize stable operation of IES. An economic optimization strategy based on equal increment principle is improved to minimize the operation costs of IES in the second layer. Due to consensus control being integrated into the supply-demand power deviation calculations of EHs, the desired electrical and thermal power trajectories are accurately determined. To improve dynamic response performances in the presence of uncertain disturbances, an event-triggered communication mechanism is designed in the primary layer. The triggering threshold can be adjusted dynamically according to changes of electrical and thermal power outputs, and the redundant communication requirement in the electrical branches is reduced. Considering the coupling characteristics of IES energy networks, a consensus control method is promoted to synchronously track the desired electric and thermal power trajectories of EHs, and the goal of accurate power sharing is achieved. The frequency and pipeline pressure fluctuations are also limited within the allowable range. The economic optimization and coordinated operation of electrical and thermal composite energies in IES are guaranteed by the proposed hierarchical control structure. Additionally, only information from neighboring EHs at the event-triggered time is involved, so the computation simplicity and control performance can be obtained simultaneously. The hardware-in-loop experimental results are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Study on the Rooting Physiological Mechanism of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. Green-Branched Cuttings
Authors: Sun Dan , Zhao Xilin , Ai Jun , Wang Zhenxing , Shi Guangli , Liu Yumeng , Li Xiang , Zhao Chengcheng
Published: July 2023

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. is an important medicinal plant in northeast China. Cutting propagation is an effective method for the rapid propagation of many tree species. This research aimed to determine a suitable growing medium and appropriate root hormone type, concentration and treatment time through the utilization of different substrates and hormones to treat one-year-old branches of S. chinensis. The optimal treatment achieved a rooting rate of 60% with 225 ppm ABT and 75 ppm NAA for 2.5 h. The substrate of vermiculite/perlite = 1:1 (urea+potassium) was beneficial to the adventitious root formation, which reached 79%. The adventitious root primordium of S. chinensis originated from the junction of the xylem and cambium. ABT and NAA treatments altered the peak timing of POD, PPO and IAAO in S. chinensis cuttings. During the adventitious root formation of S. chinensis cuttings, the high endogenous IAA concentration promoted the occurrence of adventitious roots in the early stage and the lower endogenous IAA and GA3 concentrations promoted the elongation and growth of adventitious roots in the later period. Low ABA and ZR concentrations enabled adventitious root formation and elongation. An efficient cutting propagation system would enable the mass propagation of S. chinensis seedlings.
Short-Term Responses of Aquatic Ecosystem and Macroinvertebrate Assemblages to Rehabilitation Actions in Martil River (North-Western Morocco)
Authors: Guellaf Achraf , Kassout Jalal , Boselli Vladimiro Andrea , Bennas Nard , El Alami Majida , Errochdi Sanae , Kettani Kawtar
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Martil River rehabilitation project and recently constructed dam infrastructures to reduce flood risks and to promote local socio-economic development on the ecological integrity of the river. The assessment focused on changes in fluvial landforms over time and the evaluation of aquatic ecosystems based on six physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand), morpho-hydrological variables (stream width, water depth, and current speed), habitat indices (QBR, IHF, and MQI), and macroinvertebrate assemblages of EPT, OCH, and Chironomidae (Diptera) at five stations from autumn 2015 to spring 2018 (prior to and during the rehabilitation actions). The results showed that the river rehabilitation project led to profound changes in Martil River’s ecosystem and water quality over time. Physicochemical and habitat measurements at the rehabilitated sites revealed a major change in macroinvertebrate communities due to changes in fluvial landforms in relation to flow-sediment regimes. As a result, some typical species of lentic habitats disappeared, while alien, opportunistic, and lotic species appeared.
Decoding Metabolic Symbiosis between Pancreatic Cancer Cells and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Using Cultured Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Nihashi Yuma , Song Xiaoyu , Yamamoto Masamichi , Setoyama Daiki , Kida Yasuyuki S.
Published: July 2023

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis, largely due to its unique tumor microenvironment (TME) and dense fibrotic stroma. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in promoting tumor growth and metastasis, contributing to the metabolic adaptation of PDAC cells. However, the metabolic interactions between PDAC cells and CAFs are not well-understood. In this study, an in vitro co-culture model was used to investigate these metabolic interactions. Metabolomic analysis was performed under monoculture conditions of Capan−1 PDAC cells and CAF precursor cells, as well as co-culture conditions of PDAC cells and differentiated inflammatory CAF (iCAF). Co-cultured Capan−1 cells displayed significant metabolic changes, such as increased 2-oxoglutaric acid and lauric acid and decreased amino acids. The metabolic profiles of co-cultured Capan−1 and CAFs revealed differences in intracellular metabolites. Analysis of extracellular metabolites in the culture supernatant showed distinct differences between Capan−1 and CAF precursors, with the co-culture supernatant exhibiting the most significant changes. A comparison of the culture supernatants of Capan−1 and CAF precursors revealed different metabolic processes while co-culturing the two cell types demonstrated potential metabolic interactions. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of metabolic interactions between cancer cells and CAFs in tumor progression and highlights the role of TME in metabolic reprogramming.
Prostate Cancer, Treatment and Response of the Hematological System in Mexican Population
Authors: Cejudo-Arteaga Shaila , Ramírez-Reyes Marco Antonio , Badillo-Santoyo Marco Antonio , Martínez-Cordero Erika , Farías-Serratos Felipe , Maldonado-Vega María
Published: July 2023

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the basis for the control of prostate cancer. High levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and high Gleason grade correlate, define the aggressiveness of the cancer in order to establish its treatment and prognosis. This work evaluated the response of 910 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, separated into three groups according to their response to treatment by ADT: (1) sensitive (TSPC); (2) palliative and did not accept treatment, and (3) group with recurrence or treatment resistance (TRPC). All patients with prostate cancer treated with ADT, and regardless of whether or not they had undergone surgery or taken to radiotherapy, presented with anemia. The hematological response due to the leukocyte/lymphocyte index (L/L) is increased at the end of treatment, possibly due to inflammatory processes generated by cancer, and baseline overweight and obesity. Patients with biochemical relapse exhibit a higher platelet count, suggesting that these cells could participate in the recurrence process and in metastasis (78%) in these patients. The coagulation index (INR) could be an indicator of the platelet response to be considered during the treatment and monitoring of patients.
Subject-Independent per Beat PPG to Single-Lead ECG Mapping
Authors: Abdelgaber Khaled M. , Salah Mostafa , Omer Osama A. , Farghal Ahmed E. A. , Mubarak Ahmed S.
Published: July 2023

In this paper, a beat-based autoencoder is proposed for mapping photoplethysmography (PPG) to a single-lead electrocardiogram (single-lead ECG) signal. The main limiting factors represented in uncleaned data, subject dependency, and erroneous beat segmentation are regarded. The dataset is cleaned by a two-stage clustering approach. Rather than complete single–lead ECG signal reconstruction, a beat-based PPG-to-single-lead-ECG (PPG2ECG) conversion is introduced for providing a simple lightweight model that meets the computational capabilities of wearable devices. In addition, peak-to-peak segmentation is employed for alleviating errors in PPG onset detection. Furthermore, subject-dependent training is highlighted as a critical factor in training procedures because most existing work includes different beats/signals from the same subject’s record in both training and testing sets. So, we provide a completely subject-independent model where the testing subjects’ records are hidden in the training stage entirely, i.e., a subject record appears once either in the training or testing set, but testing beats/signals belong to records that never appear in the training set. The proposed deep learning model is designed for providing efficient feature extraction that attains high reconstruction quality over subject-independent scenarios. The achieved performance is about 0.92 for the correlation coefficient and 0.0086 for the mean square error for the dataset extracted/cleaned from the MIMIC II dataset.
Develop a Lightweight Convolutional Neural Network to Recognize Palms Using 3D Point Clouds
Authors: Zhang Yu-Ming , Cheng Chia-Yuan , Lin Chih-Lung , Lee Chun-Chieh , Fan Kuo-Chin
Published: July 2023

Biometrics has become an important research issue in recent years, and the use of deep learning neural networks has made it possible to develop more reliable and efficient recognition systems. Palms have been identified as one of the most promising candidates among various biometrics due to their unique features and easy accessibility. However, traditional palm recognition methods involve 3D point clouds, which can be complex and difficult to work with. To mitigate this challenge, this paper proposes two methods which are Multi-View Projection (MVP) and Light Inverted Residual Block (LIRB).The MVP simulates different angles that observers use to observe palms in reality. It transforms 3D point clouds into multiple 2D images and effectively reduces the loss of mapping 3D data to 2D data. Therefore, the MVP can greatly reduce the complexity of the system. In experiments, MVP demonstrated remarkable performance on various famous models, such as VGG or MobileNetv2, with a particular improvement in the performance of smaller models. To further improve the performance of small models, this paper applies LIRB to build a lightweight 2D CNN called Tiny-MobileNet (TMBNet).The TMBNet has only a few convolutional layers but outperforms the 3D baselines PointNet and PointNet++ in FLOPs and accuracy. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively mitigate the challenges of recognizing palms through 3D point clouds of palms. The proposed method not only reduces the complexity of the system but also extends the use of lightweight CNN. These findings have significant implications for developing biometrics and could lead to improvements in various fields, such as access control and security control.
RA.DI.CA. Splint Therapy in the Management of Temporomandibular Joint Displacement without Reduction
Authors: Di Paolo Carlo , Qorri Erda , Falisi Giovanni , Gatto Roberto , Tari Sergio Rexhep , Scarano Antonio , Rastelli Sofia , Inchingolo Francesco , Di Giacomo Paola
Published: July 2023

Background: The purpose of this study is to report clinical and instrumental changes after RA.DI.CA splint therapy for temporomandibular joint disc displacement without reduction. Methods: Subjects affected by disc dislocation without reduction were recruited between July 2020 and May 2022 based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and treated with RA.DI.CA. splints over a period of 6 months. Clinical data were collected at each phase of the study (T0, T1, T2). Magnetic resonance imaging and electrognathography data were recorded at the beginning (T0) and at the end (T2) of the study. ANOVA with post-hoc contrasts was performed to assess differences in outcome measures over time. The Wilcoxon test was used to evaluate changes in disc-condyle angle between before- and after-treatment MRI. A two-tailed value of p < 0·05 was regarded as significant. Methods: Ten patients completed the study. There were statistically significant differences over time for arthralgia, headache, neck pain, and mouth opening. Disc recapture and an improved quality of mandibular movement were recorded in 70% of subjects. The clinical and instrumental improvements are probably due to the orthopedic action of RA.DI.CA splint treatment, which allows for a greater degree of joint mobilization. Conclusions: The purpose of this therapy is to recover the disc position if possible and achieve an adequate joint functional adaptation that avoids the progression of the structural damage and the recurrence of symptoms.
Impact of Harvest Month and Drying Process on the Nutritional and Bioactive Properties of Wild Palmaria palmata from Atlantic Canada
Authors: Lafeuille Bétina , Tamigneaux Éric , Berger Karine , Provencher Véronique , Beaulieu Lucie
Published: July 2023

The macroalga Palmaria palmata could be a sustainable and nutritional food resource. However, its composition may vary according to its environment and to processing methods used. To investigate these variations, wild P. palmata from Quebec were harvested in October 2019 and June 2020, and dried (40 °C, ≃5 h) or stored as frozen controls (−80 °C). The chemical (lipids, proteins, ash, carbohydrates, fibers), mineral (I, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe), potential bioactive compound (carotenoids, polyphenols, β-carotene, α-tocopherol) compositions, and the in vitro antioxidant activity and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition potential of water-soluble extracts were determined. The results suggested a more favorable macroalgae composition in June with a higher content of most nutrients, minerals, and bioactive compounds. October specimens were richer only in carbohydrates and carotenoids. No significant differences in antioxidant or anti-ACE inhibitory activities were found between the two harvest months. The drying process did not significantly impact the chemical and mineral compositions, resulting in only small variations. However, drying had negative impacts on polyphenols and anti-ACE activities in June, and on carotenoids in October. In addition, a concentration effect was observed for carotenoids, β-carotene and α-tocopherol in June. To provide macroalgae of the highest nutritional quality, the drying process for June specimens should be selected.
Experimental and Simulation Studies of Micro-Swing Arc Welding Process for X80M Pipeline
Authors: Luo Zhili , Li Yan , Zhang Hong , Wang Pengyu
Published: July 2023

Pipe girth welds are prone to incomplete fusion problems in the automatic welding process of long-distance pipelines, which is often related to temperature inhomogeneity in the weld bead. The narrow gap and micro-swing welding technique was applied in pipeline construction to improve welding quality. The manuscript provides a detailed investigation of the micro-swing welding technique with a combination of welding experiments and numerical simulation. A swing welding strategy was proposed according to the actual welding condition in pipeline construction to study the formation mechanism of weld joints. The swing width grew to 1.25–1.35 times from the 3 to 6 o’clock position in the same filling layer. It also increased with filling layers, and filling layer 5 had the biggest swing width, almost two times that of filling layer 2. “Middle concave” morphology appeared at the 3 o’clock position, which could effectively avoid the occurrence of incomplete fusion, while “hump” morphology may appear at the 6 o’clock position, and incomplete fusion defects occurred if the next pass failed to eliminate the influence of the “hump”. The temperature field presented an obvious “sawtooth” shape at small swing frequencies, which could cause temperature inhomogeneity. It could be effectively eliminated when swing frequency reached over 5 Hz.
A Preliminary Study on the Quality of Joining AISI 316 and AISI 3415 Steel by the near Solidus Forming Process
Authors: Plata Gorka , Gordo-Burgoa Olaia , Lozares Jokin , Sánchez Andrea , Bakedano Asier , Hurtado Iñaki , Slater Carl
Published: July 2023

In this study, the Near Solidus Forming (NSF) process, which falls under the umbrella of semi-solid processes, was utilized to coforge an AISI 316 tube and an AISI 3415 rod into an as-forged valve geometry. The billet used for the process was kept as large as possible to increase the contact surface area between the two materials. The process was carried out at 1360 °C in a single stroke, almost completely filling the geometry. No joining was observed in areas where low strains were expected, but in regions with medium to high strains, cross-diffusion of 2–7 μm was observed. The presence of small oxide particles was also observed in the joint due to the bimetallic billet shape.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Molybdenum Disulfide Quantum Dots for Highly Sensitive Detection of Iron Ions in Protein Succinate Oral Solution
Authors: Lang Yan , Xu Shuru , Zhang Chunbin
Published: July 2023

In this paper, a molybdenum disulfide fluorescent probe with an Fe3+ fluorescent system was first synthesized by the hydrothermal method for the detection of iron ion concentration in oral solution of protein succinate. It was characterized by infrared, fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The probes were found to have good stability, photobleaching, and storage stability. The effects of dilution, pH, reaction time, and iron ion concentration on the fluorescent system were also investigated. The relative fluorescence intensity [(I0 − I)/I0] showed a good linear relationship with the iron ion concentration in the range of 0–50 μM, with the linear equation [(I0 − I)/I0] = 0.0148[Fe3+] + 0.0833 (r2 = 0.9943, n = 11) and the detection limit of 2.43 μM. The reaction mechanism was also explored, as well as its ion selectivity, reversibility, accuracy, precision, and concentration of Fe ions in the actual sample. It was found that the probe can selectively detect Fe ions with a certain degree of reversibility, accuracy, precision, and ideal recovery, and it can be used for the determination of Fe3+ in proteosuccinic acid oral solution.
Calcium Sulfate Nanoparticles in Surface Sediments of Lingding Bay of the Pearl River Estuary, China: Implications for the Nonclassical Crystallization Pathway of Gypsum in the Natural Estuary Environment
Authors: Wang Guoqiang , Yang Tianjian , Fan Yitong , Bai Shushu , Yin Peiyuan
Published: July 2023

The mechanism of the nonclassical crystallization pathway of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) with calcium sulfate hemihydrate (bassanite) as a precursor has been considered in many studies. However, studies on the crystallization of gypsum in natural environments have rarely been reported, especially with regard to natural estuaries, which are one of the most important precipitation environments for calcium sulfate. Here, surface sediments (0–5 cm) of Lingding Bay of the Pearl River Estuary in China were sampled and analyzed. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that calcium sulfate in the surface sediments mainly existed in the form of gypsum. In high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis, calcium sulfate nanoparticles were observed in the surface sediments. These particles mainly included spherical calcium sulfate nanoparticles (diameter ranging from 10–50 nm) and bassanite nanorod clusters (sizes ranging from 30 nm × 150 nm to 100 nm × 650 nm), and their main elements included O, S and Ca, with small amounts of N, Si, Na and Mg. The bassanite nanorods self-assembled into aggregates primarily co-oriented along the c axis (i.e., [001] direction). In epitaxial growth into larger bassanite nanorods (100 nm × 650 nm), the crystal form of gypsum could be observed. Based on the observations and analyses, we proposed that the crystallization of gypsum in surface sediments of the natural estuary environment could occur through the nonclassical crystallization pathway. In this pathway, bassanite nanoparticles and nanorods appear as precursors (nanoscale precursors), grow via self-assembly, and are finally transformed into gypsum. This work provided evidence supporting and enhancing the understanding of the crystallization pathway of calcium sulfate phases in the natural estuary environment. Furthermore, the interactions between calcium sulfate nanoparticles and the natural estuary environment were examined.
Thermodynamic Theory of Phase Separation in Nonstoichiometric Si Oxide Films Induced by High-Temperature Anneals
Authors: Sarikov Andrey
Published: July 2023

High-temperature anneals of nonstoichiometric Si oxide (SiOx, x < 2) films induce phase separation in them, with the formation of composite structures containing amorphous or crystalline Si nanoinclusions embedded in the Si oxide matrix. In this paper, a thermodynamic theory of the phase separation process in SiOx films is proposed. The theory is based on the thermodynamic models addressing various aspects of this process which we previously developed. A review of these models is provided, including: (i) the derivation of the expressions for the Gibbs free energy of Si oxides and Si/Si oxide systems, (ii) the identification of the phase separation driving forces and counteracting mechanisms, and (iii) the crystallization behavior of amorphous Si nanoinclusions in the Si oxide matrix. A general description of the phase separation process is presented. A number of characteristic features of the nano-Si/Si oxide composites formed by SiOx decomposition, such as the local separation of Si nanoinclusions surrounded by the Si oxide matrix; the dependence of the amount of separated Si and the equilibrium matrix composition on the initial Si oxide stoichiometry and annealing temperature; and the correlation of the presence of amorphous and crystalline Si nanoinclusions with the presence of SiOx (x < 2) and SiO2 phase, respectively, in the Si oxide matrix, are explained.
Effects of Endurance Exercise and Vitamin D Supplementation on Insulin Resistance and Plasma Lipidome in Middle-Aged Adults with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Sun Xiaomin , Yan Tao , Li Zhongying , Zhou Sirui , Peng Wen , Cui Wei , Xu Jing , Cao Zhen-Bo , Shi Lin , Wang Youfa
Published: July 2023

(1) Background: We investigated the effects of a 12-week exercise intervention with or without vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance and the plasma lipidome of participants with type 2 diabetes. We further explored whether the effects of the intervention on glycemic parameters could be associated with the baseline lipidome. (2) Methods: Sixty-one participants were randomly allocated to control (Con), exercise (EX), vitamin D (VD), and EX + VD groups. Multiple glycemic and anthropometric parameters were evaluated before and after intervention. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was the primary outcome. The plasma lipidome was analyzed before, after, and at an additional 12-week follow-up. Machine learning was applied to establish prediction models for responsiveness of glycemic control. (3) Results: Our interventions failed to improve the HOMA-IR index while fasting glucose was reduced in the EX + VD group (change%, −11.9%; effect size, 0.65; p < 0.05). Both EX and VD interventions altered the plasma lipidome, with EX + VD intervention considerably affecting levels of lyso-phosphatidylcholines and triglycerols containing long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. Such effects could last until 12 weeks after intervention. Notably, there was high inter-individual variability in glycemic parameters including HOMA-IR in response to the interventions, which could be predicted with great accuracy using an optimal panel of baseline lipid predictors alone or in combination with clinical indices, as assessed by an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of over 0.9. (4) Conclusions: Although substantial alterations were observed in the plasma lipidome related to glycemic control, our intervention failed to improve HOMA-IR scores, which may have been predominately due to the large inter-individual variability in responses. Basal plasma lipid levels could potentially predict an individual’s response to intervention, highlighting the necessity of personalized nutrition.
Affibody Molecules Intended for Receptor-Mediated Transcytosis via the Transferrin Receptor
Authors: Hjelm Linnea Charlotta , Lindberg Hanna , Ståhl Stefan , Löfblom John
Published: July 2023

The development of biologics for diseases affecting the central nervous system has been less successful compared to other disease areas, in part due to the challenge of delivering drugs to the brain. The most well-investigated and successful strategy for increasing brain uptake of biological drugs is using receptor-mediated transcytosis over the blood–brain barrier and, in particular, targeting the transferrin receptor-1 (TfR). Here, affibody molecules are selected for TfR using phage display technology. The two most interesting candidates demonstrated binding to human TfR, cross-reactivity to the murine orthologue, non-competitive binding with human transferrin, and binding to TfR-expressing brain endothelial cell lines. Single amino acid mutagenesis of the affibody molecules revealed the binding contribution of individual residues and was used to develop second-generation variants with improved properties. The second-generation variants were further analyzed and showed an ability for transcytosis in an in vitro transwell assay. The new TfR-specific affibody molecules have the potential for the development of small brain shuttles for increasing the uptake of various compounds to the central nervous system and thus warrant further investigations.
Recent Advances in the Development of Drug Delivery Applications of Magnetic Nanomaterials
Authors: Pusta Alexandra , Tertis Mihaela , Crăciunescu Izabell , Turcu Rodica , Mirel Simona , Cristea Cecilia
Published: July 2023

With the predicted rise in the incidence of cancer, there is an ever-growing need for new cancer treatment strategies. Recently, magnetic nanoparticles have stood out as promising nanostructures for imaging and drug delivery systems as they possess unique properties. Moreover, magnetic nanomaterials functionalized with other compounds can lead to multicomponent nanoparticles with innovative structures and synergetic performance. The incorporation of chemotherapeutic drugs or RNA in magnetic drug delivery systems represents a promising alternative that can increase efficiency and reduce the side effects of anticancer therapy. This review presents a critical overview of the recent literature concerning the advancements in the field of magnetic nanoparticles used in drug delivery, with a focus on their classification, characteristics, synthesis and functionalization methods, limitations, and examples of magnetic drug delivery systems incorporating chemotherapeutics or RNA.
Bio-Enhanced Neoligaments Graft Bearing FE002 Primary Progenitor Tenocytes: Allogeneic Tissue Engineering & Surgical Proofs-of-Concept for Hand Ligament Regenerative Medicine
Authors: Jeannerat Annick , Meuli Joachim , Peneveyre Cédric , Jaccoud Sandra , Chemali Michèle , Thomas Axelle , Liao Zhifeng , Abdel-Sayed Philippe , Scaletta Corinne , Hirt-Burri Nathalie , Applegate Lee Ann , Raffoul Wassim , Laurent Alexis
Published: July 2023

Hand tendon/ligament structural ruptures (tears, lacerations) often require surgical reconstruction and grafting, for the restauration of finger mechanical functions. Clinical-grade human primary progenitor tenocytes (FE002 cryopreserved progenitor cell source) have been previously proposed for diversified therapeutic uses within allogeneic tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. The aim of this study was to establish bioengineering and surgical proofs-of-concept for an artificial graft (Neoligaments Infinity-Lock 3 device) bearing cultured and viable FE002 primary progenitor tenocytes. Technical optimization and in vitro validation work showed that the combined preparations could be rapidly obtained (dynamic cell seeding of 105 cells/cm of scaffold, 7 days of co-culture). The studied standardized transplants presented homogeneous cellular colonization in vitro (cellular alignment/coating along the scaffold fibers) and other critical functional attributes (tendon extracellular matrix component such as collagen I and aggrecan synthesis/deposition along the scaffold fibers). Notably, major safety- and functionality-related parameters/attributes of the FE002 cells/finished combination products were compiled and set forth (telomerase activity, adhesion and biological coating potentials). A two-part human cadaveric study enabled to establish clinical protocols for hand ligament cell-assisted surgery (ligamento-suspension plasty after trapeziectomy, thumb metacarpo-phalangeal ulnar collateral ligamentoplasty). Importantly, the aggregated experimental results clearly confirmed that functional and clinically usable allogeneic cell-scaffold combination products could be rapidly and robustly prepared for bio-enhanced hand ligament reconstruction. Major advantages of the considered bioengineered graft were discussed in light of existing clinical protocols based on autologous tenocyte transplantation. Overall, this study established proofs-of-concept for the translational development of a functional tissue engineering protocol in allogeneic musculoskeletal regenerative medicine, in view of a pilot clinical trial.
Innovative Aqueous Nanoemulsion Prepared by Phase Inversion Emulsification with Exceptional Homogeneity
Authors: Pires Patrícia C. , Fernandes Mariana , Nina Francisca , Gama Francisco , Gomes Maria F. , Rodrigues Lina E. , Meirinho Sara , Silvestre Samuel , Alves Gilberto , Santos Adriana O.
Published: July 2023

Formulating low-solubility or low-permeability drugs is a challenge, particularly with the low administration volumes required in intranasal drug delivery. Nanoemulsions (NE) can solve both issues, but their production and physical stability can be challenging, particularly when a high proportion of lipids is necessary. Hence, the aim of the present work was to develop a NE with good solubilization capacity for lipophilic drugs like simvastatin and able to promote the absorption of drugs with low permeability like fosphenytoin. Compositions with high proportion of two lipids were screened and characterized. Surprisingly, one of the compositions did not require high energy methods for high droplet size homogeneity. To better understand formulation factors important for this feature, several related compositions were evaluated, and their relative cytotoxicity was screened. Optimized compositions contained a high proportion of propylene glycol monocaprylate NF, formed very homogenous NE using a low-energy phase inversion method, solubilized simvastatin at high drug strength, and promoted a faster intranasal absorption of the hydrophilic prodrug fosphenytoin. Hence, a new highly homogeneous NE obtained by a simple low-energy method was successfully developed, which is a potential alternative for industrial application for the solubilization and protection of lipophilic actives, as well as (co-)administration of hydrophilic molecules.
Carbazole-Fluorene Copolymers with Various Substituents at the Carbazole Nitrogen: Structure—Properties Relationship
Authors: Cimrová Věra , Výprachtický Drahomír , Růžička Aleš , Pokorná Veronika
Published: July 2023

Carbazole derivatives, carbazole-containing polymers and iridium complexes are of interest due to many possible applications in photonics, electronics and biology, particularly as active or hole-transporting layers in organic as well as perovskite devices due to their interesting properties. Here, a series of carbazole-fluorene conjugated copolymers with various substituents at the N-carbazole position (2-methoxycarbonylethyl, 2-carboxyethyl, 2-ethylhexyl, and nonan-2,4-dionatoiridium(III)bis(2-phenylpyridine-N,C2′)-9-yl) was prepared by Suzuki coupling. Their photophysical, electrochemical and electroluminescence (EL) properties were studied. Effects of molecular weight and substituents attached to carbazole unit on their properties are reported. The carbazole-fluorene copolymers in dilute solutions exhibited intense photoluminescence (PL) emission in the blue spectral region with high PL quantum yields (78–87%) except for the copolymer with the iridium complex (23%). Similar PL spectra were observed in dilute solutions. More pronounced differences were found in thin film PL and EL properties due to excimer/aggregate formation. Light-emitting devices (LEDs) made of copolymers with 2-ethylhexyl as N-carbazole substituent exhibited efficient EL emission with the best performance and the lowest EL onset voltages (3–4 V), while the LEDs made of copolymers with other substituents were not as efficient, but showed anomalous behavior and memory effects in current-voltage characteristics promising also for bio-inspired electronics.
Polymeric Materials Selection for Flexible Pulsating Heat Pipe Manufacturing Using a Comparative Hybrid MCDM Approach
Authors: Ordu Muhammed , Der Oguzhan
Published: July 2023

The right choice of polymeric materials plays a vital role in the successful design and manufacture of flexible fluidic systems, as well as heat transfer devices such as pulsating heat pipes. The decision to choose an acceptable polymeric material entails a variety of evaluation criteria because there are numerous competing materials available today, each with its own properties, applications, benefits, and drawbacks. In this study, a comparative hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model is proposed for evaluating suitable polymeric materials for the fabrication of flexible pulsating heat pipes. The decision model consists of fourteen evaluation criteria and twelve alternative materials. For this purpose, three different hybrid MCDM methods were applied to solve the material selection problems (i.e., AHP-GRA, AHP-CoCoSo, and AHP-VIKOR). According to the results obtained, PTFE, PE, and PP showed promising properties. In addition, Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was performed, and the hybrid methods used produced consistent rankings with each other. By applying MCDM methods, it was concluded that PTFE is the most suitable material to be preferred for manufacturing flexible pulsating heat pipes. In addition to this result, PE and PP are among the best alternatives that can be recommended after PTFE. The study supports the use of MCDM techniques to rank material choices and enhance the selection procedure. The research will greatly assist industrial managers and academics involved in the selection process of polymeric materials.