Normal Conditions Research Articles

Histomorphometric analysis of Wharton\'s jelly size in pregnancies with normal and pre-eclamptic conditions, and its relation to baby weight

Multiple factors affect fetal birth weight (FBW) and fetal well-being. This study aims to evaluate how hypertension affects FBW and the area of Wharton's jelly (WJ). It also seeks to explore the protective properties of WJ by analyzing its relationship with FBW in normal and pre-eclamptic (PreE) pregnancies.Eighty umbilical cords (UCs) were analyzed, with forty from normotensive pregnancies and forty from PreE pregnancies. The cross-sectional area of the UC and vessels was measured using a vernier scale and ocular micrometer. The WJ area was calculated by subtracting the vascular area from the UC area, and then compared with FBW.In this study, the normal group had an average FBW of 2547.25 ± 240.79 grams and WJ area of 35.28 ± 8.42 mm, while the PreE group had an average FBW of 2424.75 ± 234.36 grams and WJ area of 29.04 ± 8.09 mm. Both FBW and WJ area were significantly lower in the PreE group. There was a strong positive correlation between WJ area and FBW in both the normal group (r = 0.895, p<0.0001) and the PreE group (r = 0.850, p<0.0001).The findings indicated that both FBW and WJ area were notably lower in the PreE group compared to the normal group. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation between WJ area and FBW was observed in both groups. These results emphasize the importance of WJ in fetal growth and highlight the significance of its quantity in determining birth weight.

Ally or traitor: the dual role of p62 in caspase-2 regulation

AbstractCaspase-2 is a unique and conserved cysteine protease that is involved in several cellular processes, including different forms of cell death, maintenance of genomic stability, and the response to reactive oxygen species. Despite advances in caspase-2 research in recent years, the mechanisms underlying its activation remain largely unclear. Although caspase-2 is activated in the PIDDosome complex, its processing could occur even in the absence of PIDD1 and/or RAIDD, suggesting the existence of an alternative platform for caspase-2 activation. Here, we show that caspase-2 undergoes ubiquitination and interacts with scaffolding protein p62/sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1) under normal conditions and in response to DNA damage. p62 promotes proteasomal but not autophagic caspase-2 degradation as well as its dimerization and activation that triggers the caspase cascade and, subsequently, cell death. Inhibition of p62 expression attenuates cisplatin-induced caspase-2 processing and apoptosis. Notably, the ZZ domain of p62 is critical for caspase-2 binding, whereas the UBA domain is seemingly required to stabilize the p62–caspase-2 complex. Thus, we have uncovered the dual role of p62 in regulating caspase-2 activity: it can foster the degradation of caspase-2 in the proteasome or facilitate its activation by acting as a scaffold platform.

Bearing capacity of eco-friendly RC short piles exposed to groundwater salts

AbstractTwenty-eight piles were divided into four groups. Two groups were made of natural aggregate, while the other two were made of full replacement of recycled aggregate. In each group, the cement was replaced with 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30% of silica fume. Two groups were stored for 270 days under normal water conditions, while the other two were stored underground water conditions. Tests results have shown that it’s possible to improve the strength and the structural behavior of piles under sulfate attack considerably by using 20% of silica fume, while 15% is sufficient when the piles are under normal conditions. However, high levels of silica fume 25–30% in recycled aggregate concretes piles and 20–30% in normal aggregate concretes piles gave a clear decrease in ultimate load capacity.

Overexpression of vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase from a recretohalophyte Reaumuria trigyna enhances vegetative growth and salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Reaumuria trigyna, a wild and endangered salt-secreting small shrub, is distributed in arid and semi-arid areas of Inner Mongolia, China. An H+-pyrophosphatase gene (RtVP1) was isolated from R. trigyna according to transcriptomic data, which encoded a plasma membrane and tonoplast-localized protein. RtVP1 was quickly upregulated by NaCl and exogenous abscisic acid treatment and rescued the sucrose deficiency sensitive phenotype of the AtVP1 mutant (avp1). Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing RtVP1 exhibited a higher leaf area, plant height, fresh weight, root length, and soluble carbohydrate accumulation compared to the wild type (WT) under normal conditions. RtVP1 overexpression increased the seed germination rate and decreased the reduction rate of fresh weight, root length, and chlorophyll content in transgenic plants under salt stress. Catalase enzyme activity, proline content, relative water content, and soluble sugar content were significantly increased in transgenic Arabidopsis under salt stresses, but the malondialdehyde content was dramatically decreased. More K+ and less Na+ were accumulated in transgenic Arabidopsis leaves, resulting in a relatively lower Na+/K+ ratio. In transgenic Arabidopsis roots, K+ was unchanged, but Na+ and the Na+/K+ ratios were reduced compared to those in WT. More Na+ and K+ were accumulated in the intracellular of transgenic yeast, and the Na+/K+ ratio was significantly reduced compared to the control. These results showed that R. trigyna RtVP1 promotes the vegetative growth of plants, mainly by regulating carbohydrate metabolism, and confers salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis by maintaining Na+/K+ homeostasis and enhancing the antioxidant and osmotic regulatory capacity. These results indicated that RtVP1 can serve as an important candidate gene for genetic improvement of crop yield and salt tolerance.

Waste reduction decreases rat activity from peri-urban environment

Globally, species in the genus Rattus (specifically Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus), are some of the most influential invasive taxa due to their high rates of competitive exclusion and large dietary breadth. However, the specific foraging strategies of urban-adjacent populations remain largely unknown. We examined Rattus spp. dependency on human food supplementation in a population on adjacent non-developed (or peri-urban) land. Via linear regression modeling, we measured rodent activity changes between native and invasive species before and after a decrease in human supplementation due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Santa Cruz, California, USA. We documented invasive rat activity via camera traps in normal (pre-COVID lockdown) conditions near dining halls and similar waste sources, and again under COVID lockdown conditions when sources of human supplementation were drastically decreased. After 120 trap nights we found a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in Rattus activity after the removal of human refuse, while native small mammal activity remained unchanged (p = 0.1). These results have strong conservation implications, as they support the hypothesis that proper waste management is an effective, less-invasive form of population control over conventional rodenticides.

Optimized Scintillation Imaging in low dose rate and bright room light conditions

Abstract Objective. To develop a robust method for non-contact surface dosimetry during Total Body Irradiation (TBI) that uses an optimally paired choice of scintillator material with camera photocathode and can work insensitively to the normal ambient room lighting conditions (~500 Lux). 
Approach: This goal was approached by assessing the emission contrast of scintillator signal to background room ratio (SBR) detected by the camera, in the challening conditions of low dose rate TBI with high room lights. A total of 9 fast-response scintillators, 3 wavelength shifters, and 2 camera photocathodes were systematically tested to determine the optimal combination. The effects of room lights on the scintillator signal and the background signal were assessed to avoid signal saturation while retaining accurate dose measurement. A bandpass wavelength filter was then applied to reduce the effects on room lights and scintillator signal.
Main Results: One scintillator (EJ262) combined with a blue-green sensitive photocathode camera and a 500nm band pass filter produced the greatest available scintillator SBR of 95 with maximal room lights on. The caveat is that this design rejects all patient Cherenkov light, which can be useful for visualizing the patient treatment. Another option which retained the Cherenkov signal but produced less available scintillator signal was found with another scintillator (EJ-260) and a red photocathode camera with SBR of 35, but a narrow bandpass filter is required to make it work in ambient room lights, which addition will also remove most of the Cherenkov signal. 
Significance: Non-contact scintillator imaging can be used for surface dosimetry in TBI with appropriate pairing of scintillator emission spectrum and camera photocathode sensitivity or optical filtering range.

Quantile Connectedness Amongst Green Assets Amid COVID-19 and Russia–Ukraine Tussle

With the advent of greening the global economy and the introduction of green financial assets, this study examines the connectedness and spillover effect of green assets using a QVAR approach focusing on the average connectedness and connectedness under extreme market conditions. The time of the study captures the crucial global incidents of COVID-19 and Russia–Ukraine war to investigate the effect of major incidents on the connectedness of green assets. The results of the QVAR analysis reveal that green assets are moderately connected under normal market conditions; however, their connection is strengthened under extreme market conditions. IOTA and SP Green Bonds are the net receivers of shocks from other assets, and SP Green Bonds are connected to green energy indices and green cryptocurrencies during turbulent markets. Since green cryptocurrencies are closely connected, a lower portion of them should be added to portfolios, whereas SP Green Bonds qualify as a good diversifying agent in a portfolio. The study has significant implications for market participants, investors, and policymakers.

Abstract 4137296: Single-cell Atlas of Human Epicardial Adipose Tissue Reveals Aging IL4R + Naive B cell Contributing To Atrial Fibrillation

Background: Numerous recent evidence suggested a role of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), the visceral fat depot of the heart, in the development of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the association remain elusive. Methods: We performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on eleven EAT samples collected from 2 groups of subjects: patients with nonvalvular AF undergoing coronary bypass surgery for severe CAD (n=7), and a control group of patients without concomitant AF (n=4). Comparative analyses were performed between the groups, including cellular compositional analysis, cell type–resolved transcriptomic changes, and functional analysis. Results: Unsupervised clustering of 92734 nuclei identified 11 clusters, encompassing all known cell types in the adipose tissue. Pseudobulk differential expression analysis between the AF and control groups revealed pronounced differences in a select subset of genes located on the X and Y chromosomes, including XIST and TSIX. Subsequent pathway analysis identified that the most significantly impacted pathways were those associated with immune cell functions. Meanwhile, differences in cellular composition and transcriptomic profiles, particularly concerning B cells, were observed between normal and AF conditions, highlighting distinct immune cell dynamics. Comparison of pathways across different B cell states revealed the enrichment of distinct pathways within each state, including those involved in cellular senescence, antigen processing and presentation, and programmed cell death signatures. Notably, aging IL4R + naive B cell and inflammatory ITGB1 + memory B cell were identified as important regulators potentially involved in functional changes of EAT and AF pathogenesis. Conclusions: We built a complete single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of human EAT in normal and AF conditions. Our study lays the foundation for developing novel therapeutic strategies for treating AF by targeting and modifying B cell functions within EAT.

Enhancing multiclass COVID-19 prediction with ESN-MDFS: Extreme smart network using mean dropout feature selection technique

Deep learning and artificial intelligence offer promising tools for improving the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosing various lung conditions using portable chest x-rays (CXRs). This study explores this potential by leveraging a large dataset containing over 6,000 CXR images from publicly available sources. These images encompass COVID-19 cases, normal cases, and patients with viral or bacterial pneumonia. The research proposes a novel approach called "Enhancing COVID Prediction with ESN-MDFS" that utilizes a combination of an Extreme Smart Network (ESN) and a Mean Dropout Feature Selection Technique (MDFS). This study aimed to enhance multi-class lung condition detection in portable chest X-rays by combining static texture features with dynamic deep learning features extracted from a pre-trained VGG-16 model. To optimize performance, preprocessing, data imbalance, and hyperparameter tuning were meticulously addressed. The proposed ESN-MDFS model achieved a peak accuracy of 96.18% with an AUC of 1.00 in a six-fold cross-validation. Our findings demonstrate the model’s superior ability to differentiate between COVID-19, bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia, and normal conditions, promising significant advancements in diagnostic accuracy and efficiency.

Triple-Gene Overexpression of the AcrA-AcrB-TolC Transporter System in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Contributes to a Higher Secretion of Free Fatty Acids in Response to Nitrogen Shortage and Salt Stress

One important aspect of cyanobacterial homoeostasis is reducing the toxicity of excess free fatty acids (FFAs) generated in the cells by means of both secreting these into the medium and recycling them toward membrane lipid synthesis. In this study, the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 served to implement the overexpression of native genes of the transportation system. Specifically, we worked with the Sll0180-Slr2131-Slr1270 homologs of Escherichia coli AcrA-AcrB-TolC, respectively, to create single- and triple-overexpressing strains of OA, OB, OC, and OABC. Remarkably, the OABC strain that triply overexpressed the sll0180_slr2131_slr1270 genes acquired a significant amount of intracellular lipids, up to 23.5% of dry cell weight, under the normal condition. Nitrogen-deficient stress undoubtedly raised extracellular FFAs and intracellular lipids in overexpressing strains, especially in the OABC strain, which exhibited 33.9% and 41.5% of dry cell weight, respectively. During the first 5 days of treatment, salt stress at 256 mM significantly increased the FFA efflux, notably for the OB strain, but had no effect on intracellular lipids. It is noteworthy that the OA and OABC strains outperformed all other strains in terms of growth throughout the 16 days of nitrogen shortage. Furthermore, in comparison to the wild-type control, all the overexpressing strains exhibited a considerable increase in carotenoid accumulation. Thus, our results point to the effective role of the sll0180_slr2131_slr1270 transportation system in facilitating FFA secretion, especially in response to environmental stressors.

Abstract 4129523: MicroRNA-1282 Rescues Diabetic Limb Ischemia Via a SERF2-Protein Aggregation Pathway

Introduction: Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), a severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD) causing restricted blood flow to the lower limbs due, in part, to impaired angiogenesis. However, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in diabetic CLTI remains poorly understood. By integrating plasma miRNA sequencing data from PAD patients with diabetes with a diabetic CLTI mouse model, we have recently identified the conserved miRNA miR-1282 that is in cis-antisense orientation to SERF2, a gene associated with amyloid aggregation. Therefore, we hypothesize that miR-1282 orchestrates endothelial angiogenesis and proteostasis during diabetic CLTI. Methods: Using miR-1282 overexpression or SERF2 knockdown studies, we characterized mouse orthologs of human miR-1282 and SERF2 for angiogenesis, apoptosis, protein aggregation, and oxidative stress in diabetic mouse skeletal muscle endothelial cells (ECs). In vivo, miR-1282 mimics were delivered intramuscularly to assess their impact on blood flow recovery, angiogenesis, and protein aggregation. Mechanistic insights in ECs were gained via RNA-seq, predictive algorithms, and proteomic analyses. Results: miR-1282 inhibited the expression of its cis-antisense target SERF2 by 98%. miR-1282 is a hypoxia-induced endothelial-enriched miRNA, and its expression was inversely correlated with SERF2 expression. miR-1282 levels were markedly reduced after femoral artery ligation (FAL) in diabetic db/db mice. Overexpression of miR-1282 or SERF2 knockdown enhanced angiogenesis and reduced protein aggregation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in both normal and hypoxic conditions in vitro. Delivery of miR-1282 mimics in db/db mice improved blood flow recovery by 108% and angiogenesis by 98%, and reduced protein aggregation by 48% and tissue necrosis. Coupling RNA-seq profiling and prediction algorithms of ECs upon miR-1282 overexpression or SERF2 knockdown revealed EREG, BAG5, CASP3, ARG1, and HSP90AA1 as potential downstream regulators. Pathway enrichment analysis implicated inhibition of endothelial apoptosis, ER stress, and protein stability among the most dysregulated processes. Conclusion: A novel mouse ortholog of human miR-1282 augments endothelial functions and diminishes protein aggregation in diabetic CLTI via suppression of its cis-antisense target SERF2. These findings uncover new potential therapeutic targets in treating diabetic CLTI.

Detection of Indian Counterfeit Currency Notes with MATLAB-Based Feature Extraction

Fakes are a major threat to India’s economy hence the need for a solution that will help detect these materials easily and accurately. The detection of counterfeit currency is a major concern for almost all countries, and this research focuses on developing a MATLAB-based counterfeit currency detection system which evaluates a true image of the Indian Currencies with the help of image processing and pattern recognition technique. Benefiting from MATLAB’s powerful image processing resources, the system conducts the necessary preprocessing, feature extraction and classification of vital security elements of currency, such as watermarks, security threads and micro-lettering which play an important role in identifying the genuine currency from the counterfeit. The specific characteristics of edge and texture are statistically and geometrically calculated, and the normal and high-resolution light conditions are at high accuracy with varying resolutions. In order to determine a distinction between actual and fake notes, support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are used. By validating this MATLAB solution, it has been determined to be effective as an easy to use, robust and customizable software that has the potential to work in numerous operations within banking and retail and prevent the spreading of counterfeit money.

Electric‐Field Control of the Local Thermal Conductivity in Charge Transfer Oxides

AbstractPhonons, the collective excitations responsible for heat transport in crystalline insulating solids, lack electric charge or magnetic moment, which complicates their active control via external fields. This presents a significant challenge in designing thermal equivalents of basic electronic circuit elements, such as transistors or diodes. Achieving these goals requires precise and reversible modification of thermal conductivity in materials. In this work, the continuous tuning of local thermal conductivity in charge‐transfer SrFeO3‐x and La0.6Sr0.4CoO3‐x oxides using a voltage‐biased Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) tip at room temperature is demonstrated. This method allows the creation of micron‐sized domains with well‐defined thermal conductivity, achieving reductions of up to 50%, measured by spatially resolved Frequency Domain Thermoreflectance (FDTR). By optimizing the oxide's chemical composition, the thermal states remain stable under normal atmospheric conditions but can be reverted to their original values through thermal annealing in air. A comparison between Mott–Hubbard and charge‐transfer oxides reveals the critical role of redox‐active lattice oxygen in ensuring full reversibility of the process. This approach marks a significant step toward fabricating oxide‐based tunable microthermal resistances and other elements for thermal circuits.

Oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics alters the intestinal environment and metabolic outcomes in mice

IntroductionOral exposure to microplastics (MPs) is a global health concern. In our previous study, MPs induced glucose intolerance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) under a high-fat diet-induced leaky gut syndrome (LGS). This study aims to evaluate the effects of high concentrations of MP on lipid metabolism under normal dietary conditions and to assess the changes in the intestinal tract resulting from MP exposure.MethodsC57BL6/J mice were fed a normal diet (ND) without polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) or with PS-MPs (1000 µg/L or 5000 µg/L) for six weeks. Subsequently, intestinal permeability, gut microbiota, and metabolite levels in the serum, feces, and liver were determined.ResultsMice fed the ND showed no increase in intestinal permeability in either group. However, high MPs concentrations led to increased serum lipid levels and exacerbated fatty liver function. Oral exposure to MPs did not affect the number of innate lymphoid cells or short-chain fatty acids in the intestine. However, it increased the number of natural killer cells, altered the gut microbiota, induced inflammation, and modulated the expression of genes related to nutrient transport in the intestine. The severity of intestinal disturbance tended to worsen with dose.DiscussionDespite the absence of LGS, high concentrations of MPs induced dyslipidemia and NAFLD. Oral exposure to MPs triggered intestinal inflammation via natural killer cells, altered the gut microbiota, and modulated nutrient metabolism. Our study highlights the need for environmental measures to reduce oral MPs exposure in the future.

New atherosclerosis progression markers in patients with post-Chernobyl metabolic syndrome

Relevance. As an epidemiologically proven consequence of the Chernobyl NPP accident, circulatory diseases are among the leading morbidities in liquidators. To predict the development of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with metabolic syndrome, there is the ongoing search for informative laboratory markers.The objective is to show how osteopontin, osteoprotegerin, fetuin-A, and risk factors for genetic circulatory disorders are associated with traditional risk factors for circulatory disorders in Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident liquidators suffering metabolic syndrome. Another objective is to explore the perspectives to use these indicators to forecast coronary atherosclerosis progression.Methods. The study group included 50 male liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident who suffered metabolic syndrome. The patients were split in two groups depending on osteopontin concentration in blood serum, i.e. above or under the upper reference limit. Medical history data, biochemical parameters, including inflammatory proteins, osteoprotegerin, fetuin-A, and genotyping of polymorphic variants of genes associated with the risk of circulatory diseases were analyzed. A control group of 30 conditionally healthy men was formed to determine the normal osteopontin, osteoprotegerin and fetuin-A values in blood serum.Results and discussion. With osteopontin value exceeding 21.4 ng/mL, the liquidators’ medical history showed 1.5 times higher frequency of myocardial infarction, 2.5 times higher frequent history of acute cerebral circulation disorder; ischemic heart disease was associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It was shown that the group of liquidators (osteopontin over 21.4 ng/ml) was characterized by a reliable increase in atherogenicity coefficient and osteoprotegerin level. Meanwhile, when compared to the control group, the same group of patients showed lower fetuin-A values and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, homocysteine, leptin and ghrelin. It was found that in liquidators, the presence of the A allele in the vitamin B12-dependent methionine synthase (MTR) gene (2756 A>G) is associated with more pronounced biochemical markers of atherosclerosis progression compared to GG genotype carriers.Conclusion. Osteopontin performs a protective role in tissue damage, being is practically undetectable in normal conditions. However, in case of pathology its value increases dramatically. In patients with metabolic syndrome, decreased fetuin-A and osteopontin values exceeding 21.4 ng/mL require additional examination with a focus on cardiovascular pathology (coronary artery calcinosis), as well as a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to ensure early detection of diminished bone mineral density and body mass. It was found that in liquidators, the presence of A-allele (genotypes AA and AG) in the MTR 2756 A>G gene is characterized by deeper atherogenic changes in the lipid spectrum, increased atherogenicity coefficient and decreased adiponectin content. This justifies the need for genotyping to build individual forecast for atherosclerosis progression in this category of patients.

Insight on novel sulfamoylphenyl pyrazole derivatives as anticancer carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

AbstractAs another part continue for our previous study, variable substituted pyrazoles bearing sulfamoylphenyl moiety were synthesized and screened against two cancer related human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms and acetazolamide (AAZ) used as a reference standard. Some compounds as 4e and 6c manifested a promising inhibitory activity against both isoforms (KI = 0.072, 0.081 and 0.073, 0.095 µM), respectively. While others as 4a and 5e showed inhibitory activity against hCA IX only (KI = 0.062, 0.04 µM) or against hCA XII only as compound 5b (KI = 0.106 µM) compared to AAZ (KI = 0.065, 0.046 µM), respectively. Also, the anticancer efficacy against 60 cancer cell lines for the target compounds was assessed, and the most promising ones were 4d and 5a-d. Further investigation of the anticancer activity of 5b on MCF-7 cell line explored (IC50 = 5.21 µM) compared to doxorubicin (IC50 = 11.58 µM). Moreover, compound 5b was exposed to cell cycle analysis and apoptotic assay on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line under both normal and hypoxic conditions at its IC50 concentration with elevation of total apoptotic cells % in MCF-7 relative to the control cells; respectively. Finally, molecular modelling simulations rationalized the in vitro testing results.

Physicochemical Characterization of Gasoline and Analysis of the Vulnerability and Criticality of Atmospheric Pollutants in N'Djamena

In this work we made an analysis for the physicochemical characterization of gasoline sold on the roadsides of the city of N'Djamena. For our first experience on the storage of gasoline in cans exposed to the sun, we noticed the formation of lumps and solid particles at the bottom of the cans. We then sampled a sample by district and subjected it to the analysis conditions. The analyses focused on Density at 15°C; ASTM distillation; Reid vapor pressure, Octane number; Determination of corrosion of copper blades as well as Determination of sulfur content. The results of the analyzed contraband gasolines are out of specifications under normal analysis conditions. Despite the many studies carried out on air pollution by particles, uncertainties remain. It is more or less complex to treat particulate pollution in urban areas, this is in fact due to the modifications resulting from different meteorological factors (wind, precipitation, etc.), topographical (slope, etc.) and urban morphological, which constitute limiting factors in the dispersion of these pollutants, thus, different maps have been studied according to the vulnerability and criticality of the accentuated situation relating to pollution throughout the city of N'Djamena. The results confirm the presence of particles that can affect human health. In addition to the presence of all the elements that we have been able to discover, there is on average the result of the presence of PM10 particles which is: 66.98016239 ug/m<sup>3</sup> well above the WHO guideline which recommends 50 μg/m<sup>3</sup>/day as well as the daily average for PM2.5 which is: 56.83616723 ug/m<sup>3</sup> well above the WHO guideline which recommends 25 μg/m<sup>3</sup>/day. The objective of this article is to clearly present the urgency of air pollution throughout the territory in order to take a binding decision on the current situation based on the proliferation and illicit sale of petroleum products in the city of N'Djamena, particularly gasoline.

SURG-57. FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME IMAGING (FLIM) PROVIDES HIGHLY ACCURATE, DYE-FREE TUMOR MARGIN DETECTION DURING GLIOMA RESECTIONS

Abstract INTRODUCTION Fluorescence guided tumor margin detection is an important tool to enhance the extent of resection for gliomas. Existing dyes, such as 5-ALA, require planned administration, surgical resection in dark conditions, and are only effective for high-grade tumors. We have developed a novel laser scanning probe to assess tissue autofluorescence decay (lifetime) which allows tumor margin detection without exogenous dyes and under normal room light conditions. This technology has been optimized for margin detection in low-grade and high-grade gliomas. METHODS Patients undergoing craniotomy for resection of gliomas were enrolled. During resection of the final tumor margin, multiple 1x1 mm regions were scanned with FLIm and biopsied for evaluation by a neuropathologist. FLIm data and ground truth pathology were processed by a machine-learning algorithm to develop classifiers for the FLIm data. Classifiers were then applied to the full data set to determine the accuracy of FLIm predictions. RESULTS 12 patients with non-enhancing (LGG) and 25 patients with enhancing (HGG) tumors were enrolled, with a total of 228 biopsies obtained. For LGG, sensitivity of FLIm for detection of residual tumor was 0.89 (95% CI 0.8-0.98) with a specificity of 0.92 (95% CI 0.86-0.97), resulting in a positive predictive value of 0.76 and negative predictive value of 0.96 with an overall accuracy of 0.91. For HGG, sensitivity of FLIm for detection of residual tumor was 0.92 (95% CI 0.84-1.0) with a specificity of 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99), resulting in a positive predictive value of 0.90 and negative predictive value of 0.96 with an overall accuracy of 0.94, exceeding reported values for 5-ALA. CONCLUSION FLIm can distinguish between residual low and high-grade glioma and normal brain at resection margins with very high sensitivity and specificity. This quantitative technology does not require administration of exogenous dyes and can be used under normal room light illumination.

Accurate Medical Vial Identification Through Mixed Reality: A HoloLens 2 Implementation

The accurate identification of medicine vials is crucial for emergency medical services, especially for vials that resemble one another but have different labels, volumes, and concentrations. This study introduces a method to detect vials in real-time using mixed reality technology through Microsoft HoloLens 2. The system is also equipped with an SQL server to manage barcode and vial information. We conducted a comparative analysis of the barcode detection capabilities of the HoloLens 2 camera and an external scanner. The HoloLens 2 effectively identified larger barcodes when they were 20–25 cm away in normal lighting conditions. However, it faced difficulties in detecting smaller barcodes that were consistently detected by the external scanner. The frame rate investigation revealed performance fluctuations: an average of 10.54 frames per second (fps) under standard lighting conditions, decreasing to 10.10 fps in low light and further reducing to 10.05 fps when faced with high barcode density. Resolution tests demonstrated that a screen resolution of 1920 × 1080 yielded the best level of accuracy, with a precision rate of 98%. On the other hand, a resolution of 1280 × 720 achieved a good balance between accuracy 93% and speed. The HoloLens 2 demonstrates satisfactory performance under ideal circumstances; however, enhancements in detecting algorithms and camera resolution are required to accommodate diverse surroundings. This approach seeks to help paramedics make quick and accurate decisions during critical situations and tackle common obstacles such as reliance on networks and human mistakes. Our new approach of a hybrid method that integrates an external Bluetooth scanner with the MR device gives optimal results compared to the scanner-only approach.

Modeling the Effect of Milk Vetch–Rice Rotation on N Runoff Loss in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

The winter planting of green manure (GM) is widely used in South China to reduce chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer use, improve soil fertility, and maintain rice yields, but its effect on N runoff loss in paddy fields remains unclear. This study combines multi-site field experiments with a process model (WHCNS-Rice) to assess how GM with reduced N fertilizer impacts N runoff loss and its forms in the Yangtze River’s middle and lower reaches, considering different rainfall years. The network field experiments included four treatments: conventional fertilization (FR), conventional fertilization plus straw return (FRS), GM with a 40% N reduction (MR), and GM-straw combined return with a 40% N reduction (MRS). Monitoring the results showed that compared to the winter fallow treatment, the GM treatments reduced the peak and average total N (TN) concentrations by 11.1–57.9% (average 26.9%) and 17.1–27.3% (average 22.3%), respectively. The TN runoff loss under the GM treatment decreased by 3.50–10.61 kg N ha−1 (22.5–42.1%). GM primarily reduced the runoff loss of dissolved inorganic N (DIN), with reductions at different sites ranging from 0.22 to 9.66 kg N ha−1 (8.4–43.4%), indicating GM effectively decreases N runoff by reducing DIN. Model simulations of ponding water depth, runoff, TN concentration in surface water, and TN loss in paddy fields produced the consistency indices and simulation efficiencies of 0.738–0.985, 0.737–0.986, 0.912–0.986, and 0.674–0.972, respectively, indicating that the model can be used to evaluate water consumption and N runoff loss in the GM-paddy system. The simulations showed that GM with a 40% N fertilizer significantly reduced N runoff loss under all rainfall conditions, with the greatest reductions in wet years. Under wet, normal, and dry conditions, the GM treatments significantly reduced average TN loss by 0.37–5.53 kg N ha−1 (12.77–29.17%), 0.21–5.32 kg N ha−1 (9.95–24.51%), and 0.02–3.2 kg N ha−1 (1.78–23.19%), respectively, compared to the winter fallow treatment. These results indicate that the combination of GM and a 40% reduction in N fertilizer can significantly reduce N runoff loss from paddy fields, demonstrating good effectiveness under various rainfall conditions, making it a green production model worth promoting.