bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparation and characterization of bovine dental pulp-derived extracellular matrix hydrogel for regenerative endodontic applications: an in vitro study
Authors: Elnawam Hisham , Thabet Abdelrahman , Mobarak Ahmed , Abdallah Amr , Elbackly Rania 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Background
The use of biological scaffolds in regenerative endodontics has gained much attention in recent years. The search for a new biomimetic scaffold that contains tissue-specific cell homing factors could lead to more predictable tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize decellularized bovine dental pulp-derived extracellular matrix (P-ECM) hydrogels for regenerative endodontic applications.
Methods
Freshly extracted bovine molar teeth were collected. Bovine dental pulp tissues were harvested, and stored at -40º C. For decellularization, a 5-day protocol was implemented incorporating trypsin/EDTA, deionized water and DNase treatment. Decellularization was evaluated by DNA quantification and histological examination to assess collagen and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) content. This was followed by the preparation of P-ECM hydrogel alone or combined with hyaluronic acid gel (P-ECM + HA). The fabricated scaffolds were then characterized using protein quantification, hydrogel topology and porosity, biodegradability, and growth factor content using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): transforming growth factor beta-1(TGF-β1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
Results
Decellularization was histologically confirmed, and DNA content was below (50 ng/mg tissue). P-ECM hydrogel was prepared with a final ECM concentration of 3.00 mg/ml while P-ECM + HA hydrogel was prepared with a final ECM concentration of 1.5 mg/ml. Total protein content in P-ECM hydrogel was found to be (439.0 ± 123.4 µg/µl). P-ECM + HA showed sustained protein release while the P-ECM group showed gradual decreasing release. Degradation was higher in P-ECM + HA which had a significantly larger fiber diameter, while P-ECM had a larger pore area percentage. ELISA confirmed the retention and release of growth factors where P-ECM hydrogel had higher BMP-2 release, while P-ECM + HA had higher release of TGF-β1, bFGF, and VEGF.
Conclusions
Both P-ECM and P-ECM + HA retained their bioactive properties demonstrating a potential role as functionalized scaffolds for regenerative endodontic procedures.
RETRACTED: Beliefs and practices surrounding induced abortions among adults in rural Haryana, India: a qualitative study
Authors: Bhattacharyya Arunangshu , Bansal Bhavik ,   MBBS 2019 Batch A, Seth Ashwani Kumar , Chandra Ankit , Salve Harshal Ramesh , Misra Puneet , Kumar Rakesh 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Synthesis and Characterisation of Biodegradable Carboxymethyl Cellulose Microcarriers from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch for Therapeutic Applications
Authors: To Soon Wei , Al-Ashwal Rania Hussien Ahmed , Latif Nurzila Ab , Sani Mohd Helmi 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Microcarrier offers a convenient way to support cell adhesion and proliferation for biomedical applications. However, commercial microcarriers often have high production costs and limited biodegradability. The use of cellulose-rich oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) for the development of microcarriers could lead to a cheap, sustainable, and biodegradable cell culturing system. In this research, a series of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) microcarriers were prepared from OPEFB using FeCl3 ionic crosslinker at various polymer and crosslinker levels. The microcarriers were characterised by various instrumental techniques, including assessment of gel content, swelling behaviour, mechanical stability, and in vitro degradation test. The resulting OPEFB-derived CMC-microcarriers exhibited an average size ranging from 1105.52 to 1322.25 µm. SEM analysis revealed that the fabricated CMC-microcarriers exhibited ridges and porous surface morphology and the EDX analysis confirmed the successful ionic crosslinking between the OPEFB-derived CMC biopolymer and FeCl3 solution. In contrast with gel content results that increased from 16.95 to 42.65 %, the swelling behaviours regularly decreased from 385 to 32% with increasing concentrations of polymer and crosslinker. Higher concentrated samples (CMC-3, CMC-6, and CMC-9) demonstrated enhanced mechanical stability and reduced sensitivity to the environment due to the higher degree of crosslinking. Nevertheless, all microcarriers displayed a degree of biodegradability ranging from 40 to 90%. Overall, the findings suggest that OPEFB can serve as a cost-effective, sustainable, and biodegradable source of natural biomaterial for microcarrier development, contributing to advancements in tissue engineering and therapeutic applications.
Advancing Paleontology: A Survey on Deep Learning Methodologies in Fossil Image Analysis
Authors: Ansari Yaqoob , Ishaq Mohammed , Yusuf Mohammed , Qaiser Yemna , Hussain Rehaan , Rabbani Harris , Seers Thomas D. 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Understanding ancient organisms and their paleo-environments through the study of body fossils represents a central tenet of paleontology. Advances in digital image capture over the past several decades now allow for efficient and accurate documentation, curation and interrogation of fossil anatomy over disparate length scales. Despite these developments, key body fossil image processing and analysis tasks, such as segmentation and classification still require significant user intervention, which can be labor-intensive and subject to human bias. Recent advancements in deep learning offer the potential to automate fossil image analysis while improving throughput and limiting operator bias. Despite the recent emergence of deep learning within paleontology, challenges such as the scarcity of diverse, high quality image datasets and the complexity of fossil morphology necessitate further advancements and the adoption of concepts from other scientific domains. Here, we comprehensively review state-of-the-art deep learning-based methodologies applied towards body fossil analysis while grouping the studies based on the fossil type and nature of the task. Furthermore, we analyze existing literature to tabulate dataset information, neural network architecture type, key results, and comprehensive textual summaries. Finally, based on the collective limitations of the existing studies, we discuss novel techniques for fossil data augmentation and fossil image enhancements, which can be combined with advanced neural network architectures, such as diffusion models, generative hybrid networks, transformers, and graph neural networks, to improve body fossil image analysis.
Effects of different exogenous signal molecules on the reactor performance, sludge properties and microbial community structures of mixotrophic nitrogen removal process
Authors: Zhang Nan , Zhang Xiaojing , Zhang Han , Wei Denghui , Ma Bingbing , Zhang Hongli 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

As a form of microbial interaction, quorum-sensing signal molecules can control the expression and functionality of related genes within microorganisms. The current study looked into the effects of various signal molecules on the process of nitrogen removal. The findings illustrated that 2µM signal molecules, namely C6-HSL, C8-HSL, C10-HSL, C12-HSL, and 3-oxo-C8-HSL diminished the overall nitrogen removal efficiency (TRE) from 37.8% in the control, down to 26.8%, 26.0%, 28.1%, 27.6%, and 27.7%, respectively. Nevertheless, these molecules only slightly affected ammonia removal efficiency, reducing it from 67.9–63.7%, 62.8%, 62.6%, 63.7%, and 62.9%, respectively. C8-HSL, C10-HSL, and 3-oxo-C8-HSL significantly enhanced the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria from an initial value of 36.3–37.00%, 35.76%, and 36.86%, in contrast to C6-HSL and C12-HSL, which caused a reduction to 24.39% and 26.56% respectively. The signal molecules were suspended in methanol, resulting in an elevation of the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria from an initial 14.31–30.09%, paralleled by an increased TRE value of 27.6–37.8%. Environmental alterations, together with methanol provision, both constrained the Anammox activity. Furthermore, the incorporation of C6-HSL led to a decrease in the secretion of extracellular polymeric substance while a corresponding increase in soluble microbial products was noted. This research implies that 2 µM signal molecules could considerably influence reactor performance and microbial components of the mixotrophic nitrogen removal operation. The information presented will contribute additional insights into the impact of signal molecules on both the Anammox and mixotrophic nitrogen removal procedures.
Angle sensor for minimally invasive surgical robot based on surface plasmon resonance with Kretschmann prisms
Authors: Zheng Heya , Xu Yanpei , Pan Jinhong , Sun Meng , Wang Qi 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

This study proposes a bimetallic Ag-Au sensor through a comparative analysis with traditional Ag-only membrane sensors and Au-only membrane SPR sensors. The innovative SPR sensor design is utilized for angle measurement sensing, particularly in the context of surgical robotic arms. The research findings indicate that the Ag film sensor exhibits the highest sensitivity, while the bimetallic Ag-Au sensor demonstrates superior sensitivity compared to the Au-only sensor. Furthermore, the stability of the bimetallic Ag-Au sensor surpasses that of the Ag-only sensor.After evaluating the performance parameters based on experimental and simulation results, the sensor with 40 nm Ag and 10 nm Au film thickness is identified as the optimal design. Experimentally verified, this configuration yielded the best sensing performance, with a sensitivity of 628.95 for changes in folding angle. This represents a 275.64% improvement over the pure Au sensor and a 210.43% enhancement over the pure Ag sensor in terms of sensitivity for angle changes.
Performance Improvement of Energy Efficiency in Heat Pipe Solar Collector with Nano Composite
Authors: Desale Shamkant , Bansod Premendra , Somani Prakash R. 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

The objective of this research is to investigate the performance increase of evacuated solar collector with Nano fluid. Solar collector includes absorber unit in order to transfer the heat energy to a working fluid. In this research it was intended to evaluate performance considering with Nano fluid. Improving the heat collection efficiency, efficient extraction of the heat from the solar collector, controlling the operating temperature, long maintenance free life of the device are some of the major challenges in collecting and extracting heat from the evacuated solar collectors. Using Nano fluids as working fluids are interesting and challenging. Improvement in the performance of the evacuated heat pipe was obtained using heat transporting Nano fluid consisting of aqueous dispersion (3 weight %) of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles; in comparison with the device without utilizing the Nano fluid.From the past research, Authors have analysed the performance with numerous trials. The result shows that evacuated tube heat pipe collector with Nano fluid give the better result than heat pipe collector without Nano fluid.
A Thermo-Optical Test Device Utilizing the 100-m X-ray Test Facility
Authors: Ma Jia , Wang Yusa , Zhao Zijian , Hou Dongjie , Wang Juan , Yang Xiongtao , Zhu Yuxuan , Feng Jianchao , Zhao Xiaofan , Cui Weiwei , Yang Yanji , Chen Yong , Zhang Xiaofeng 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

X-ray mirror modules are the core components of X-ray astronomy research, which can focus X-rays from space and significantly improve detection sensitivity. This X-ray optical device are typically composed of nested multiple mirror shells and require maintaining a constant working temperature. Due to the thin-walled structure of the mirror shells and the fact that the inner surface reflects X-rays, direct contact temperature control is not feasible, making temperature control challenging. To evaluate the thermo-optical performance of the mirrors, based on the 100-m X-ray Test Facility (100XF) of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), a thero-optical test device with high cleanliness was developed in this study. This system enables precise control of the mirror temperature and synchronous testing of X-ray performance, establishing the unique X-ray thermo-optical testing capability in China. The system consists of a high cleanliness level thermal sink, a liquid nitrogen circuit, multi-layer insulation, a temperature controller, and low-temperature probes. This system has demonstrated the capability to test the thermo-optical performance of X-ray mirror modules and has successfully conducted thermo-optical tests on the mirror module of the follow-up X-ray telescope (FXT) payload onboard the Einstein Probe (EP), achieving precise temperature control of the X-ray mirrors and testing its X-ray optical performance at different operating temperatures. The thermo-optical performance of the mirror module obtained from the thermal tests has been verified in-orbit. This paper provides a detailed description of the design, development, and validation of this system, as well as an overview of the results of the thermo-optical tests conducted on the FXT.
Proposal of a 2-4 Decoder Based on All-spin Logic and Magnetic Tunnel Junction
Authors: Wang Sen , Zhang Yongfeng , Shan Dan 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

A 2–4 decoder based on all-spin logic (ASL) and magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is proposed. The proposed 2–4 decoder employs 5-input minority gates and single-input single-fan-out (SISF) structure. Meanwhile, the inverters are eliminated by initializing the magnetization of the MTJ fixed layer in different directions to realize the inputs of the original or inverse variables. To ensure that the proposed 2–4 decoder works properly, an asynchronous clock scheme is proposed, which divides the input signal into three phases and the operating voltage into two phases in one clock cycle. The operation of the proposed decoder is validated by the magnetization dynamics/spin transport self-consistent simulation framework, and the simulation results show that the delay and energy dissipation of the decoder are at the level of nanosecond and femtojoule, respectively. In addition, to illustrate the advantages of the 5-input minority gate, inverter-free structure, and SISF structures in the design of the proposed 2–4 decoder, a second 2–4 decoder is proposed using 3-input minority gates, inverters, and single-input multiple-fan-out structure. Compared with the second decoder, the layout area of the first decoder is reduced to 37.9%, the total channel length is reduced to 40.8%, the number of clock cycles is reduced to 1/3, and the energy dissipation is reduced by at least 3 orders of magnitude. Importantly, the design methods used in this work, such as multi-input minority gates, SISF structure, and inverter-free structure, provide an interesting approach for designing large-scale ASL logic circuits.
Natural antioxidants from collard greens (Brassica oleracae var. acephala): effects on the storage stability and quality of meatballs
Authors: Muhammad Lubowa , Lailah Nalweyiso , Yeoh Shin-Yong , Abubakar Muwonge , Shaban Mubajje Muhammad 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Synthetic antioxidants have been used to enhance the storage stability of meat by preventing lipid oxidation. However, concerns about their health risks and toxicity have led to increased interest in natural alternatives. Collard greens, known for their health benefits and appealing taste, are rich in bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Their safety and nutritional profile make them ideal for use as preservatives or functional food ingredients in the food industry. This study evaluated the effects of collard greens extract (CGE) on the quality and storage stability of meatballs. Meatballs were formulated with CGE at 500 and 325 mg/kg and compared with those containing green tea extract (GTE) and a control group. The samples were stored under refrigeration, and oxidative stability was assessed over 30 days using TBARS. CGE demonstrated a significant lipid oxidation inhibitory effect comparable to GTE. Meatballs with 500 mg/kg of extract maintained significantly lower TBAR values (P < 0.05) than control samples over one month, showing up to a 30% reduction in lipid oxidation. The addition of CGE significantly influenced the texture and cooking yields (P > 0.05) and received positive sensory scores of the meatballs.
Experiences of women sexual assault survivors with police in the early aftermath of assault: Results from a large-scale prospective study
Authors: Rodríguez Sara , Mclean Benjamin , Tungate Andrew , Massa Andrea , Ho Jeffrey , Burud Grace , Lechner Megan , Black Jenny , Buchanan Jennie , Reed Gordon , Platt Melissa , Riviello Ralph , Rossi Catherine , Liberzon Israel , Rauch Sheila , Bollen Kenneth , Mclean Samuel , Martin Sandra 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Over 100,000 women present for emergency care after sexual assault (SA) annually in the United States. To our knowledge, no large prospective studies have assessed SA survivor experiences with police. Women SA survivors enrolled at 13 sites (n = 706), and 630 survivors reported on their police interactions. Most women were interested in speaking with police, spoke with police, and reported positive experiences. Latinas and women with lower education and income were less likely to speak with police. Trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with more negative experiences. Qualitative comments provide key points for police to consider when speaking with survivors.
Sedimentological and micropaleontological characteristics of tsunami deposits associated with the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake
Authors: Shimada Yumi , Matsumoto Dan , Tanigawa Koichiro , Sawai Yuki 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

A study of modern tsunami deposits can provide information to identify paleo-tsunami deposits. This study reports sedimentological and paleontological features of tsunami deposits in Suzu City, Japan, formed by the 2024 Noto Peninsula tsunami. The tsunami deposits were found up to 48 m inland from the shoreline along our transect, whereas the inundation area reached at least 160 m inland. The thickness of the tsunami deposit ranged from 0.6 to 11.2 cm, with the main body composed of fine to very fine sand at sampled locations. At the most seaward location, the deposit exhibited climbing ripples with their leeside seaward: the tops of these ripples had been dragged seaward and horizontally truncated. These sedimentary features and the inverse and normal grading in grain size of the deposit imply a strong seaward current and increasing and decreasing flow velocities during multiple waves at the study location. Diatom assemblages within the tsunami deposits were dominated by marine and brackish species, except freshwater terrestrial species were found in the troughs of the climbing ripples. Fragments of bivalves and sponge spicules were also recognized within the ripple troughs. These paleontological features suggest that the tsunami deposits at this study site were derived from more than one source.
Fundamental Investigations on Temperature Development in Ultra-Precision Turning
Authors: Polte Julian , Hocke Toni Alexander , Uhlmann Eckart 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Ultra-precision machining represents a key technology for manufacturing optical components in medical, aerospace and automotive industry. Dedicated single crystal diamond tools enable the production of innovative optical surfaces and components with high dimensional accuracies and low surface roughness values in a wide range of airborne sensing and imaging applications concerning space telescopes, fast steering mirrors for scanning and alignment as well as laser communication and high energy laser systems. Despite the high mechanical hardness of single crystal diamonds, temperature-induced wear of the diamond tools occurs during the process. In order to increase the economic efficiency of ultra-precision turning, the characterisation and interpretation of cutting temperatures are of utmost importance. According to the state of the art, there are no precise methods for online temperature monitoring during the process at the cutting edge with regard to the requirements for resolution accuracy, response time and accessibility to the cutting edge. For this purpose, a dedicated cutting edge temperature measurement system based on ion-implanted boron-doped single crystal diamonds as a highly sensitive temperature sensor for ultra-precision turning was developed. To enable highly sensitive temperature measurements, ion-implantation was used for partial and specific boron-doping close to the cutting edge of single crystal diamond tools. Based on the modified electro-sensory properties, the temperature-dependent resistance changes can be measured and correlated with the cutting temperatures during the process. Using the developed cutting edge temperature measurement system enables a holistic view of the temperature development during ultra-precision machining, whereby a correlation between the measured cutting temperatures and the chip formation mechanisms could be identified. According to the results, it was also shown that the cutting edge temperature measurement system with ion-implanted diamonds can be used for both electrically conductive and non-conductive materials. This provides the fundamentals for further research works to identify the complex temperature-induced wear behaviour of single crystal diamonds in ultra-precision turning and serves as the basis for self-optimizing and self-learning ultra-precision machine tools.