bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cellular uptake and retention studies of silica nanoparticles utilizing senescent fibroblasts
Authors: Perrigue Patrick M. , Henschke Agata , Grześkowiak Bartosz F. , Przysiecka Łucja , Jaskot Kaja , Mielcarek Angelika , Coy Emerson , Moya Sergio E. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractUnderstanding the interplay between nanoparticles (NPs) and cells is essential to designing more efficient nanomedicines. Previous research has shown the role of the cell cycle having impact on the efficiency of cellular uptake and accumulation of NPs. However, there is a limited investigation into the biological fate of NPs in cells that are permanently withdrawn from the cell cycle. Here we utilize senescent WI-38 fibroblasts, which do not divide and provide a definitive model for tracking the biological fate of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) independent of cell cycle. We use several methods to measure the cellular uptake kinetics and intracellular retention of SiNPs, including confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), flow cytometry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We demonstrate that SiNPs readily enter into senescent cells. Once internalized, SiNPs do not exit and accumulate in the cytoplasm for long term. Our study provides a basis for future development of NP-based tools that can detect and target senescent cells for therapy.
Optical force estimation for interactions between tool and soft tissues
Authors: Neidhardt Maximilian , Mieling Robin , Bengs Marcel , Schlaefer Alexander 
Published: January 2023

AbstractRobotic assistance in minimally invasive surgery offers numerous advantages for both patient and surgeon. However, the lack of force feedback in robotic surgery is a major limitation, and accurately estimating tool-tissue interaction forces remains a challenge. Image-based force estimation offers a promising solution without the need to integrate sensors into surgical tools. In this indirect approach, interaction forces are derived from the observed deformation, with learning-based methods improving accuracy and real-time capability. However, the relationship between deformation and force is determined by the stiffness of the tissue. Consequently, both deformation and local tissue properties must be observed for an approach applicable to heterogeneous tissue. In this work, we use optical coherence tomography, which can combine the detection of tissue deformation with shear wave elastography in a single modality. We present a multi-input deep learning network for processing of local elasticity estimates and volumetric image data. Our results demonstrate that accounting for elastic properties is critical for accurate image-based force estimation across different tissue types and properties. Joint processing of local elasticity information yields the best performance throughout our phantom study. Furthermore, we test our approach on soft tissue samples that were not present during training and show that generalization to other tissue properties is possible.
Impact of simulated flight conditions on supraventricular and ventricular ectopy
Authors: Meyer Mark J. , Mordukhovich Irina , Coull Brent A. , McCracken John , Wellenius Gregory A. , Mittleman Murray A. , McNeely Eileen 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThough billions of passengers and crew travel by air each year and are exposed to altitude equivalents of 7000–8000 feet, the health impact of cabin oxygenation levels has not been well studied. The hypoxic environment may produce ectopic heartbeats that may increase the risk of acute in-flight cardiac events. We enrolled forty older and at-risk participants under a block-randomized crossover design in a hypobaric chamber study to examine associations between flight oxygenation and both ventricular (VE) and supraventricular ectopy (SVE). We monitored participant VE and SVE every 5 min under both flight and control conditions to investigate the presence and rate of VE and SVE. While the presence of VE did not differ according to condition, the presence of SVE was higher during flight conditions (e.g. OR ratio = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.59 for SVE couplets). Rates of VE and SVE were higher during flight conditions (e.g. RR ratio = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.52 for VE couplets, RR ratio = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.39, 2.22 for SVE couplets). The observed higher presence and rate of ectopy tended to increase with duration of the flight condition. Further study of susceptible passengers and crew may elucidate the specific associations between intermittent or sustained ectopic heartbeats and hypoxic pathways.
Tongue crack recognition using segmentation based deep learning
Authors: Yan Jianjun , Cai Jinxing , Xu Zi , Guo Rui , Zhou Wei , Yan Haixia , Xu Zhaoxia , Wang Yiqin 
Published: January 2023

AbstractTongue cracks refer to fissures with different depth and shapes on the tongue’s surface, which can characterize the pathological characteristics of spleen and stomach. Tongue cracks are of great significance to the objective study of tongue diagnosis. However, tongue cracks are small and complex, existing methods are difficult to extract them effectively. In order to achieve more accurate extraction and identification of tongue crack, this paper proposes to apply a deep learning network based on image segmentation (Segmentation-Based Deep-Learning, SBDL) to extract and identify tongue crack. In addition, we have studied the quantitative description of tongue crack features. Firstly, the pre-processed tongue crack samples were amplified by using adding salt and pepper noise, changing the contrast and horizontal mirroring; secondly, the annotation tool Crack-Tongue was used to label tongue crack; thirdly, the tongue crack extraction model was trained by using SBDL; fourthly, the cracks on the tongue surface were detected and located by the segmentation network, and then the output and features of the segmentation network were put into the decision network for the classification of crack tongue images; finally, the tongue crack segmentation and identification results were quantitatively evaluated. The experimental results showed that the tongue crack extraction and recognition results based on SBDL were better than Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN), DeeplabV3+, U-Net, UNet++ and Semantic Segmentation with Adversarial Learning (SegAN). This method effectively solved the inaccurate tongue crack extraction caused by the tongue crack’s color being close to the surrounding tongue coating’s color. This method can achieve better tongue crack extraction and recognition results on a small tongue crack data set and provides a new idea for tongue crack recognition, which is of practical value for tongue diagnosis objectification.
NRN-EZ: an application to streamline biophysical modeling of synaptic integration using NEURON
Authors: Cobb Evan A. W. , Petroccione Maurice A. , Scimemi Annalisa 
Published: January 2023

AbstractOne of the fundamental goals in neuroscience is to determine how the brain processes information and ultimately controls the execution of complex behaviors. Over the past four decades, there has been a steady growth in our knowledge of the morphological and functional diversity of neurons, the building blocks of the brain. These cells clearly differ not only for their anatomy and ion channel distribution, but also for the type, strength, location, and temporal pattern of activity of the many synaptic inputs they receive. Compartmental modeling programs like NEURON have become widely used in the neuroscience community to address a broad range of research questions, including how neurons integrate synaptic inputs and propagate information through complex neural networks. One of the main strengths of NEURON is its ability to incorporate user-defined information about the realistic morphology and biophysical properties of different cell types. Although the graphical user interface of the program can be used to run initial exploratory simulations, introducing a stochastic representation of synaptic weights, locations and activation times typically requires users to develop their own codes, a task that can be overwhelming for some beginner users. Here we describe NRN-EZ, an interactive application that allows users to specify complex patterns of synaptic input activity that can be integrated as part of NEURON simulations. Through its graphical user interface, NRN-EZ aims to ease the learning curve to run computational models in NEURON, for users that do not necessarily have a computer science background.
A proper sequence of dynamic alignment in transtibial prosthesis: insight through socket reaction moments
Authors: Hashimoto Hiroshi , Kobayashi Toshiki , Gao Fan , Kataoka Masataka 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDynamic alignment in prosthetic fitting is important because it affects the user’s stability, kinematics, and kinetics such as socket reaction moments. It is performed by tuning the spatial relationship between the transtibial prosthetic socket and the foot following sequential observational gait analysis in the three anatomical planes. However, the order of planes in which the adjustment should be performed is still unclear. To investigate the appropriate sequence of dynamic alignment adjustment, ten participants with transtibial amputation were asked to walk in different alignment conditions (flexion, extension, adduction, abduction; lateral, medial, anterior, and posterior translation of the socket, and plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion of the foot) to measure socket reaction moments in the out-of-planes (e.g., the effect of sagittal alignment on the coronal moment). A significant difference was found only among socket posterior translation, socket flexion, and baseline alignment in the coronal moment (P = 0.02). The results of the current and previous studies suggest that moments in the coronal plane are affected by alignment changes in all three planes, whereas moments in the sagittal plane are affected only by sagittal alignment changes. It is suggested that the procedure of alignment adjustments should be finalized in the coronal plane.
Identification of stable reference genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Authors: Hazarika Ankita , Nongkhlaw Bajanai , Mukhopadhyay Arpita 
Published: January 2023

AbstractReference genes are obligatory for accurate normalization of mRNA transcript levels across samples and experimental conditions in Real Time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) based quantitative gene expression assays. Selection of stably expressed reference genes is therefore crucial for ensuring reproducibility of such assays. However, there is a complete dearth of data on stability of commonly used reference genes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) from Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. We have evaluated the gene expression stability of 4 widely used reference genes (Beta-actin, ACTB; Peptidylprolyl Isomerase B, PPIB; Tyrosine 3 Monooxygenase/Tryptophan 5-Monooxygenase Activation Protein Zeta, YWHAZ; and Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase, GAPDH); in PBMCs from 39 T2DM patients and 47 normoglycemic (NGT) subjects. ACTB and YWHAZ were found to be the most stable genes in PBMCs from T2DM patients and therefore, can be recommended as suitable reference genes in similar contexts. GAPDH and PPIB expressions were not stable in PBMCs from T2DM patients. On using ACTB and YWHAZ as reference genes for measuring relative expression of GAPDH and PPIB in these subjects, relative GAPDH expression was found to be significantly lower in female T2DM patients, compared to female NGT subjects [GAPDH relative normalization unit (RNU): female T2DM (n = 19), median (Q1, Q3): 9.0 (8.1, 9.9); female NGT (n = 18): median (Q1, Q3): 10.1 (9.1, 11.0); P = 0.034]. Dysregulation of GAPDH in PBMCs from female T2DM patients could be associated with sex-specific differences in pathogenesis and outcomes of T2DM.
Conservation genomics of an endangered arboreal mammal following the 2019–2020 Australian megafire
Authors: Knipler Monica L. , Gracanin Ana , Mikac Katarina M. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe impacts of a changing climate threaten species, populations and ecosystems. Despite these significant and large-scale impacts on threatened species, many remain understudied and have little to no genetic information available. The greater glider, Petauroides volans, is an endangered species highly sensitive to the predicted changes in temperature under a changing climate and was recently severely impacted by a megafire natural disaster (85% estimated population loss). Baseline genetic data is essential for conservation management and for detecting detrimental changes in fire-effected populations. We collected genetic samples within 2 years post the 2019–2020 catastrophic Australian bushfires to examine adaptive potential, baseline genetic diversity and population structure, across their southern range in the state of New South Wales. Population genomic analyses were conducted using 8493 genome-wide SNPs for 86 greater glider individuals across 14 geographic locations. Substantial genetic structure was detected across locations, with low genetic diversity and effective population sizes observed in isolated areas. Additionally, we found signals of putative adaptation in response to temperature in greater gliders using a genotype-environment association analysis. These findings have important implications for the management of greater glider populations by identifying at-risk populations and identifying adaptive potential. We demonstrate the importance of baseline genetic information for endangered species as a practical approach to conservation. This is particularly important given the threat that changes in temperatures and megafire events, as predicted under a changing climate, poses for this species.
Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction can determine the diplotype of NUDT15 variants in patients with childhood acute lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Yu Chih-Hsiang , Chang Ya-Hsuan , Wang Der-Shiun , Jou Shiann-Tarng , Lin Chien-Yu , Lin Kai-Hsin , Lu Meng-Yao , Wu Kang-Hsi , Cheng Chao-Neng , Chang Hsiu-Hao , Chou Shu-Wei , Su Min-Yu , Ni Yu-Ling , Xu Pei-Yuan , Lin Dong-Tsamn , Lin Shu-Wha , Chen Hsuan-Yu , Yang Yung-Li 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMercaptopurine intolerance is an adverse effect of mercaptopurine administration in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). NUDT15 variants have emerged as major determinants of mercaptopurine intolerance, especially in the Asian population. Two variants, c.55_56insGAGTCG in exon 1 and c.415C > T in exon 3, were commonly detected in the same allele, named NUDT15*1/*2. Although rare, compound heterozygous mutations also occur, with the two variants on different alleles (NUDT15*3/*6), which may confer tolerance to considerably lesser mercaptopurine dosage. Sanger sequencing or pyrosequencing can determine the NUDT15 variants but not the phase. Here, we designed an allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) with locked nucleic acid-modified primers. A cohort of 63 patients harboring heterozygous c.55_56insGAGTCG and c.415C > T NUDT15 variations was selected for haplotyping using AS-PCR. Of the 63 patients, 60 harbored the NUDT15*1/*2 variant and three harbored compound heterozygous mutations, including two NUDT15*3/*6 and one NUDT15*2/*7 variants. These findings suggest that AS-PCR can determine NUDT15 diplotype and identify patients with compound heterozygous NUDT15 variants, which may enable precise genetic diagnosis of NUDT15. Nevertheless, a larger clinical trial is required to understand the clinical significance of NUDT15*3/*6 in pediatric patients with ALL because of its low incidence rate and challenges in detecting this variant.
Versatile tuning of Kerr soliton microcombs in crystalline microresonators
Authors: Fujii Shun , Wada Koshiro , Sugano Ryo , Kumazaki Hajime , Kogure Soma , Kato Yuichiro K. , Tanabe Takasumi 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMicroresonator-based optical frequency combs emitted from high-quality-factor microresonators, also known as microcombs, have opened up new horizons to areas of optical frequency comb technology including frequency metrology, precision sensing, and optical communication. To extend the capability of microcombs for such applications, large and reliable tunability is of critical importance. Here, we show broad spectral tuning of Kerr soliton microcombs in a thermally controlled crystalline microresonator with pump-detuning stabilization. The fundamental elements composing frequency combs, namely the center frequency, repetition frequency, and carrier-envelope offset frequency, are spectrally tuned by up to −48.8 GHz, −5.85 MHz, and −386 MHz, respectively, leveraging thermal effects in ultrahigh-Q crystalline magnesium fluoride resonators. We further demonstrate a 3.4-fold enhancement of soliton comb power resulting from thermal expansion with a temperature change of only 28 K by employing quantitative analyses of the fiber-to-resonator coupling efficiency.
Power distribution network expansion planning to improve resilience
Authors: Saberi Reza , Falaghi Hamid , Esmaeeli Mostafa , Ramezani Maryam , Ashoornezhad Ali , Izadpanah Reza 
Published: January 2023

AbstractHigh‐impact, low‐probability events that cause significant annual damages seriously threaten the health of distribution networks. The effects of these events have made the expansion planning for distribution systems something beyond the traditional reliability criteria, so there is an ever‐increasing need for modifications in current planning approaches and focusing on the resilience in the expansion planning of distribution networks. The new attitude dealing with resilience and distributed generation sources in distribution networks necessitates a fundamental reconsidering of traditional distribution network planning methods. Here, by modelling common natural disasters such as floods and storms, an appropriate index is introduced to evaluate the distribution network resilience in the presence of distributed generation (DG) sources, including conventional gas‐fired and photovoltaic sources. Then, by presenting an appropriate model for load and photovoltaic production, the problem of comprehensive distribution network planning, including substations, feeders, and DG sources, is mathematically formulated as a multi‐objective optimization problem to improve resilience and optimize costs. Furthermore, a non‐dominated sorting genetic algorithm is used to solve the problem of comprehensively planning a resilient distribution network. Implementation of the proposed model on the IEEE 54‐bus sample network shows that network resilience can be improved with minimum cost by optimal network planning.
A general N‐arm Archimedean spiral antenna synthesis method for broadband multiple orbital angular momentums generation
Authors: Yang Yang , Shen Fei , Zhang Zhen , Zhang Guangmin , Ye Longfang , Gong Yubin 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDue to the orthogonality, multiple orbital angular momentums (OAMs) have great potential for increasing communication capacity and improving imaging resolution. In this work, a general N‐arm Archimedean spiral antenna (ASA) synthesis method is proposed for generating broadband vortex waves carrying multiple OAMs. In the proposed method, the theoretical formulas of the whole OAM modes based on the improved current band theory for N‐arm ASA and the maximum common bandwidth of each N‐adjacent OAM mode are presented. The performance of the proposed method is verified by simulated results of three‐arm ASA, as well as simulated results and measured results of four‐arm ASA. The measured results show that the four‐arm ASA generates vortex waves carrying OAM modes of l = 0, 1, 2, 3 in 0.6–3, 1.4–3.8, 2.3–4.1 and 2.6–4.5 GHz. And the maximum common bandwidth of the four generated OAM modes is 2.6–3 GHz, which satisfies the design requirement of OAM's practical application.
An improved Z‐source inverter‐based sensorless induction motor‐driven photovoltaic water pumping with Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy MPPT
Authors: Priyadarshi Neeraj , Maroti Pandav Kiran , Azam Farooque , Hussien Mohamed G. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis research work presents an improved Z‐source inverter‐based sensorless field‐oriented control (FOC) and integral sliding mode controller (ISMC) controlled induction motor‐driven photovoltaic (PV) water pumping system with takagi‐sugeno (TS) fuzzy‐based maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Compared with conventional Z‐source inverter, the employed Z‐source inverter acts as a DC‐link boost power component which provides better buck‐boost behaviour, small‐sized converter, lesser harmonics, reduced in‐rush currents, unity power factor, no input/output filters requirements, and improved efficacy as main features. Also, the TS fuzzy approach‐based MPPT provides a dynamic model of piecewise linearization of non‐linear behaviour. It also proposes a sliding mode controller (SMC) based on the utilization of DC‐link voltage which delivers motor power control as well as the speed of the induction motor drive. The proposed ISMC gives smooth regulation under varying motor variables. The practical responses under changing environmental conditions justify the effectiveness of the proposed sensorless submersible induction motor (SIM)‐based PV water pumping design.
Research on the evaluation of rectal function after LAR based on CEEMDAN‐Fast‐ICA algorithm
Authors: Zan Peng , Zhao Yutong , Zhong Hua , Yu Yang , Wang Yuanbo , Shao Yijia , Li Chunyong 
Published: January 2023

AbstractRectal cancer is one of the most common lower gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. Currently, the common treatment is low anterior resection (LAR) of the rectum, which preserves the anus of the patient. However, it is easy to cause low anterior resection syndrome after surgery, which has a significant negative impact on the life of patients, and there is no unified evaluation standard for postoperative rectal function. To solve this problem, a multi‐sensor fusion rectal information acquisition system is designed in this paper, and a rectal signal processing method is proposed to theoretically evaluate the rectal function of postoperative patients. The method uses the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) to decompose the one‐dimensional rectal signal to solve the underdetermined ICA problem, uses the Fast independent component analysis (Fast‐ICA) to separate the pure rectal signal, uses the wavelet packet to extract features, and uses the particle swarm optimization optimizes support vector machine (PSO‐SVM) to classify and evaluate postoperative function. According to the experimental results, the rectal signal preprocessing effect is good, the evaluation prediction rate is 99.5565%, and the algorithm classification results are accurate, which provides a certain preliminary theoretical basis and reference value for the evaluation of rectal function after LAR.