Conventional Parameters Research Articles

Sensory-directed approach to explore cider typicity: the case of ciders from the Canary Islands (Spain)

PurposeThe main aim of this study is to characterise and identify specific chemo-sensory profiles of ciders from the Canary Islands (Spain).Design/methodology/approachCommercial samples of Canary ciders were compared to ciders from the Basque Country and Asturias. In total, 18 samples were studied, six for each region. The analysis comprised their sensory profiling and chemical characterisation of their polyphenolic profile, volatile composition, conventional chemical parameters and CIELAB colour coordinates. In parallel, the sensory profile of the samples from the Canary Islands was first compared with their Basque and Asturian counterparts by labelled sorting task. Then, their specific aroma profile was characterised by flash profile. Further quantification of sensory-active compounds was performed by GC–MS and GC-FID to identify the volatile compounds involved in their aroma profile.FindingsResults show that Canary ciders present a specific chemical profile characterised by higher levels of ethanol, and hydroxycinnamic acids, mainly t-ferulic, t-coumaric and neochologenic acids, and lower levels of volatile and total acidity than their Asturian and Basque counterparts. They also present a specific aroma profile characterised by fruity aroma, mainly fruit in syrup and confectionary, and sweet flavours related to their highest levels of vinylphenols formed by transformation of hydroxycinnamic acids.Originality/valueAn integrated strategy to explore the typicity of the currently existing Canary ciders in the market was developed. The results are important in that they will help other regions to identify specific typical chemo-sensory profiles and to promote the creation of certifications supporting regional typicity.

Evaluation method of sandy conglomerate reservoir heterogeneity based on the combined weighted TOPSIS model

At present, single parameters for characterizing reservoir heterogeneity are commonly used in oilfield exploration and development, such as the permeability coefficient of variation, permeability inrush coefficient, and extreme difference, which have problems such as characterization blind spots. The heterogeneity of thick-bedded sand and conglomerate reservoirs is affected by various factors due to their thick layer characteristics, and it is difficult to effectively evaluate the heterogeneity of thick-bedded sand and conglomerate reservoirs with a single parameter. According to the characteristics of the thick sandy conglomerate reservoir, a comprehensive index calculation method of heterogeneity based on the combination weighting TOPSIS evaluation model was proposed to comprehensively evaluate the heterogeneity of the sandy conglomerate reservoir by synthesizing the parameters affecting the heterogeneity of the reservoir, such as porosity, permeability, thickness of sand layer, effective thickness coefficient, permeability variation coefficient, permeability rush coefficient, permeability contrast and mudstone content. This approach is conducive to the normalized evaluation of complex reservoirs, and the quantitative characterization is more accurate and comprehensive. Based on the former classification scheme and the geological characteristics of the study area, the evaluation criteria of the heterogeneity of the sandstone conglomerate reservoir are determined according to the comprehensive heterogeneity index. The research shows that the objective weights of each indicator parameter of reservoir heterogeneity can be reasonably calculated by improving the CRITIC weighting method, and the combined weights reflecting the importance of the indicators can be obtained by modifying the objective weights through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The calculated heterogeneous comprehensive index can be used to quantitatively characterize the heterogeneity of sand conglomerate reservoirs and solve the problems existing in conventional single parameters. The heterogeneous synthetic index has a good correlation with conventional parameters and has a good positive correlation with productivity. The weaker the heterogeneity is, the higher the productivity.

Prognostic Implication of Right Ventricular Free Wall Longitudinal Strain and Right Atrial Pressure Estimated By Echocardiography in Patients With Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation.

The interaction between right ventricular (RV) function and pulmonary hypertension is crucial for prognosis of patients with severe functional tricuspid regurgitation. RV free wall longitudinal strain (RVFWLS) has been reported to detect RV systolic dysfunction earlier than other conventional parameters. Although pulmonary artery systolic pressure measured by Doppler echocardiography is often underestimated in severe functional tricuspid regurgitation, right atrial pressure (RAP) estimated by echocardiography may be viewed as a prognostic factor. Impact of RAP and RVFWLS on outcome in patients with severe functional tricuspid regurgitation remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate prognostic implication of RAP, RVFWLS, and their combination in this population. We retrospectively examined 377 patients with severe functional tricuspid regurgitation. RAP, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, RV fractional area change, and RVFWLS were analyzed. RAP of 15 mm Hg was classified as elevated RAP. All-cause death at 2-year follow-up was defined as the primary end point. RVFWLS provided better prognostic information than RV fractional area change by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, elevated RAP and RVFWLS of ≤18% were independent predictors of clinical outcome. Patients with RVFWLS of ≤18% had higher risk of all-cause death than those without by Kaplan-Meier curve analysis. Furthermore, when patients were stratified into 4 groups by RAP and RVFWLS, the group with elevated RAP and RVFWLS of ≤18% had the worst outcome. Elevated RAP and RVFWLS of ≤18% were independent predictors of all-cause death. The combination of elevated RAP and RVFWLS effectively stratified the all-cause death.

A numerical method for generation of shot peened surfaces

Abstract Shot peening is a widely utilized surface modification technique, and the surface morphology of the treated materials plays a crucial role in determining their friction and fatigue properties. Surface morphology generation is a pivotal process in simulating shot-peened surface friction and other performance characteristics. However, there are limited available methods for shot-peened surfaces until now. In this paper, we present a method that directly specifies the height probability distribution and power spectrum to generate shot-peened surfaces. Compared to methods that specify height parameters, this method has more flexibility. This approach replaces the traditional Johnson transformation method with an optimization algorithm to generate height data that follows a high probability distribution, while the power spectrum is derived from the Fourier transform of an exponential autocorrelation function. The results show that this approach can generate shot-peened surfaces using any conventional height parameters, with a maximum difference in height parameters between the reconstructed surface and the original surface of no more than 18.63%. Compared to the Johnson transformation method, this method significantly reduces the errors in skewness and kurtosis of the generated surface. It offers rapid surface generation for shot-peened surfaces, leading to significant time and cost savings in experiments.

Effects of donor smoking history on early post-transplant lung function measured by oscillometry

IntroductionPrior studies assessing outcomes of lung transplants from cigarette-smoking donors found mixed results. Oscillometry, a non-invasive test of respiratory impedance, detects changes in lung function of smokers prior to diagnosis of COPD, and identifies spirometrically silent episodes of rejection post-transplant. We hypothesise that oscillometry could identify abnormalities in recipients of smoking donor lungs and discriminate from non-smoking donors.MethodsThis prospective single-center cohort study analysed 233 double-lung recipients. Oscillometry was performed alongside routine conventional pulmonary function tests (PFT) post-transplant. Multivariable regression models were constructed to compare oscillometry and conventional PFT parameters between recipients of lungs from smoking vs non-smoking donors.ResultsThe analysis included 109 patients who received lungs from non-smokers and 124 from smokers. Multivariable analysis identified significant differences between recipients of smoking and non-smoking lungs in the oscillometric measurements R5-19, X5, AX, R5z and X5z, but no differences in %predicted FEV1, FEV1/FVC, %predicted TLC or %predicted DLCO. An analysis of the smoking group also demonstrated associations between increasing smoke exposure, quantified in pack years, and all the oscillometry parameters, but not the conventional PFT parameters.ConclusionAn interaction was identified between donor-recipient sex match and the effect of smoking. The association between donor smoking and oscillometry outcomes was significant predominantly in the female donor/female recipient group.

Effects of Slow Freezing and Vitrification of Human Semen on Post-Thaw Semen Quality and miRNA Expression

Semen cryopreservation has played an important role in medically assisted reproduction for decades. In addition to preserving male fertility, it is sometimes used for overcoming logistical issues. Despite its proven clinical usability and safety, there is a lack of knowledge of how it affects spermatozoa at the molecular level, especially in terms of non-coding RNAs. Therefore, we conducted this study, where we compared slow freezing and vitrification of good- and poor-quality human semen samples by analyzing conventional sperm quality parameters, performing functional tests and analyzing the expression of miRNAs. The results revealed that cryopreservation of normozoospermic samples does not alter the maturity of spermatozoa (protamine staining, hyaluronan binding), although cryopreservation can increase sperm DNA fragmentation and lower motility. On a molecular level, we revealed that in both types of cryopreservation, miRNAs from spermatozoa are significantly overexpressed compared to those in the native semen of normozoospermic patients, but in oligozoospermic samples, this effect is observed only after vitrification. Moreover, we show that expression of selected miRNAs is mostly overexpressed in native oligozoospermic samples compared to normozoospermic samples. Conversely, when vitrified normozoospermic and oligozoospermic samples were compared, we determined that only miR-99b-5p was significantly overexpressed in oligozoospermic sperm samples, and when comparing slow freezing, only miR-15b-5p and miR-34b-3p were significantly under-expressed in oligozoospermic sperm samples. Therefore, our results imply that cryopreservation of normozoospermic sperm samples can modulate miRNA expression profiles in spermatozoa to become comparable to those in oligozoospermic samples.

Serial tissue Doppler imaging in the evaluation of bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated pulmonary hypertension among extremely preterm infants: a prospective observational study

ObjectivesTo evaluate serial tissue Doppler cardiac imaging (TDI) in the evolution of bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated pulmonary hypertension (BPD-PH) among extremely preterm infants.DesignProspective observational study.SettingSingle-center, tertiary-level neonatal intensive care unit.PatientsInfant born <28 weeks gestation.Main outcome measuresUtility of TDI in the early diagnosis and prediction of BPD-PH and optimal timing for screening of BPD-PH.ResultsA total of 79 infants were included. Of them, 17 (23%) had BPD-PH. The mean gestational age was 25.9 ± 1.1 weeks, and mean birth weight was 830 ± 174 g. The BPD-PH group had a high incidence of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (83% vs. 56%, p < 0.018), longer oxygen days (96.16 ± 68.09 vs. 59.35 ± 52.1, p < 0.008), and prolonged hospital stay (133.8 ± 45.9 vs. 106.5 ± 37.9 days, p < 0.005). The left ventricular eccentricity index (0.99 ± 0.1 vs. 1.1 ± 0.7, p < 0.01) and the ratio of acceleration time to right ventricular ejection time showed a statistically significant trend from 33 weeks (0.24 ± 0.05 vs. 0.28 ± 0.05, p < 0.05). At 33 weeks, the BPD-PH group showed prolonged isovolumetric contraction time (27.84 ± 5.5 vs. 22.77 ± 4, p < 0.001), prolonged isovolumetric relaxation time (40.3 ± 7.1 vs. 34.9 ± 5.3, p < 0.003), and abnormal myocardial performance index (0.39 ± 0.05 vs. 0.32 ± 0.03, p < 0.001). These differences persisted at 36 weeks after conceptional gestational age.ConclusionsTDI parameters are sensitive in the early evolution of BPD-PH. Diagnostic accuracy can be increased by combining the TDI parameters with conventional echocardiographic parameters. BPD-PH can be recognizable as early as 33–34 weeks of gestation.

Integrated assessment of groundwater contamination: A multi-marker approach for comprehensive water quality monitoring

Abstract This study investigated the presence of adenoviral markers (Library-Independent microbial source tracking tool) in the groundwater of Ludhiana, Punjab, India, a hitherto unexplored area. While deep aquifers post-chlorination were adenovirus free, shallow aquifers near farm wastewater pits exhibited human adenovirus and bovine adenovirus. Coliform-negative samples also harboured pathogens, highlighting the limitations of conventional indicators. Surface water displayed higher viral contamination, potentially impacting groundwater. The use of farm wastewater for irrigation and open pit disposal emerged as key contributors, advocating for sustainable wastewater management. Physiochemical and microbial analyses revealed variations across sites, emphasizing regional and temporal variations. The weighted arithmetic water quality index ranged from good to very poor, with deep aquifers showing better quality than shallow ones. A novel approach incorporating graphical representations of adenovirus estimations alongside water quality index provided a more comprehensive understanding. Intriguingly, the study revealed the presence of coliforms irrespective of water quality grade, questioning its reliability as a sole indicator. Correlations between specific water quality grades and adenovirus types suggested targeted control measures. The lack of significant correlations between viral markers and conventional parameters in groundwater compared to surface water studies highlighted the unique dynamics of groundwater contamination.

Duration of detrusor overactivity as an independent predictive factor of upper urinary tract deterioration in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury: results of a retrospective cohort study.

To determine whether duration of detrusor overactivity (DO) during a cystometric study is an independent predictive factor of upper urinary tract deterioration (UUTD) in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Retrospective cohort study. A rehabilitation facility in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Data were obtained from medical records of patients who underwent cystometric evaluation at 6-12 months after TSCI. The independent predictor of interest is the duration of DO, which was evaluated by the DO/cystometry ratio (DOratio). Other conventional urodynamic parameters (maximum detrusor pressure, cystometric capacity, bladder compliance, and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia) and clinical parameters (age, sex, level and severity of injury, comorbidities, bladder emptying method, and history of urinary tract infection) were determined. The outcome was UUTD, which is indicated by chronic kidney disease (GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2), hydronephrosis, and/or vesicoureteral reflux. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to determine the independent associations between DOratio and UUTD by adjusting with all other parameters. Medical records of 194 patients with TSCI were included in the study. During a combined total of 1260 follow-up years of those patients, 34 UUTD events were identified, indicating an incidence rate of 27.0 cases per 1000 person-years. After adjusting for all other parameters, a high DOratio (≥0.33) was significantly associated with UUTD (hazard ratio = 3.00 [95% CI: 1.12-7.99], p = 0.025). DOratio may be an independent cystometric predictor of UUTD in patients with TSCI. However, further prospective study is needed prior to applying DOratio as a predictor of UUTD in clinical settings. There was no clinical trial registration since this study is not a clinical trial.

Classification and logging identification of reservoir space near the upper Ordovician pinch-out line in Tahe Oilfield

Abstract Real drilling near the upper Ordovician pinch-out line in the Tahe Oilfield shows that the drilling encountered karst reservoir. However, due to the transitional position between the denudation area and the overlying area and the special karst geological background, the existing drilling and completion data show that the reservoir space types in this area are complex and diverse. In this article, the classification of reservoir space near the Upper Ordovician pinch-out line and the extraction of logging response characteristics have been carried out based on drilling, logging, core, and crude oil quality data. Through this study, the classification scheme of karst reservoir space in the study area is proposed. The reservoir space types of karst reservoirs include fracture–cave, fracture–pore (light and low resistivity), fracture–pore (heavy and high resistivity), dissolved pore–pore (light and low resistivity), dissolved pore–pore (heavy and high resistivity), isolated pore (relatively isolated distribution of pores and fractures, weakly connected), and cave-type reservoir (sand and gravel filled or semi-unfilled). Furthermore, conventional logging parameters and five parameters sensitive to reservoir properties are extracted. The intersection maps based on the combination forms, fluid properties, and reservoir space effectiveness of different types of reservoir spaces are effective in distinguishing seven types of reservoir spaces and two types of stratified karst reservoirs. In this study, the reservoir space types and logging response characteristics of reservoirs near the Upper Ordovician pinch-out line are defined, which can provide a reliable geological basis for the quantitative identification and distribution evaluation of karst reservoirs.

Evaluation of Alacepril Administration in Canine Patent Ductus Arteriosus According to Plasma Chymase Activity.

Chymase in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) actively contributes to cardiac disease progression. Chymase is activated to produce angiotensin II during tissue injury and is involved in hemodynamics. A recent study demonstrated that plasma chymase activity reflects hemodynamic changes and aids in understanding patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) pathophysiology. The present study examined the relationship between plasma chymase activity and the administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Alacepril was administered to 13 puppies with PDA. Conventional echocardiographic parameters and non-invasive blood pressure were measured before and after medication. Plasma chymase activity was calculated using the colorimetric absorbance method. Plasma chymase activity significantly increased, but blood pressure significantly decreased. We detected an increase in plasma chymase activity due to ACE inhibition in PDA cases treated with alacepril. Plasma chymase activity was affected and altered by alacepril. In veterinary medicine, plasma chymase activity may be a novel method for assessing the pathology of and therapy for cardiac diseases.

STRUCTURED H∞ CONTROL BASED ROBUST POWER SYSTEM STABILIZER FOR STABILITY OF MULTI-MACHINE SYSTEM

A robust design of power system stabilizers (PSSs) using H∞ output feedback control has been introduced in this work. To facilitate the implementation of the designed PSSs, the proposed technique employs the H∞ to tune the fixed-structure conventional lead-lag PSS parameters of the multi-machine system. These PSSs are used to improve the damping of the local and inter-area low-frequency oscillations in power systems under different operating conditions. The proposed control is tested on a multi-machine system, which is a three-machine nine-bus system. A comparative simulation study shows a significant enhancement and good performance of the proposed design compared to an IEEE conventional power system stabilizer.

(832) - The Utility of Conventional and Novel Hm3 Pump Parameters in the Assessment of Haemodynamic Changes: A Mock Loop Study

(832) - The Utility of Conventional and Novel Hm3 Pump Parameters in the Assessment of Haemodynamic Changes: A Mock Loop Study

Association of Disrupted Delta Wave Activity During Sleep With Long-Term Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality

BackgroundDelta wave activity is a prominent feature of deep sleep, which is significantly associated with sleep quality. ObjectivesThe authors hypothesized that delta wave activity disruption during sleep could predict long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD mortality risk. MethodsThe authors used a comprehensive power spectral entropy-based method to assess delta wave activity during sleep based on overnight polysomnograms in 4,058 participants in the SHHS (Sleep Heart Health Study) and 2,193 participants in the MrOS (Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study) Sleep study. ResultsDuring 11.0 ± 2.8 years of follow-up in SHHS, 729 participants had incident CVD and 192 participants died due to CVD. During 15.5 ± 4.4 years of follow-up in MrOS, 547 participants had incident CVD, and 391 died due to CVD. In multivariable Cox regression models, lower delta wave entropy during sleep was associated with higher risk of coronary heart disease (SHHS: HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.02-2.06; P = 0.03; MrOS: HR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.17-2.73; P < 0.01), CVD (SHHS: HR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.21-2.11; P < 0.01; MrOS: HR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.00-2.05; P = 0.05), and CVD mortality (SHHS: HR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.18-3.18; P < 0.01; MrOS: HR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.12-2.47; P = 0.01) after adjusting for covariates. The Shapley Additive Explanations method indicates that low delta wave entropy was more predictive of coronary heart disease, CVD, and CVD mortality risks than conventional sleep parameters. ConclusionsThe results suggest that delta wave activity disruption during sleep may be a useful metric to identify those at increased risk for CVD and CVD mortality.

Magnetic resonance imaging as a non-invasive adjunct to conventional assessment of functional differences between kidneys in vivo and during ex vivo normothermic machine perfusion

IntroductionNormothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is increasingly considered for pre-transplant kidney quality assessment. However, fundamental questions about differences between in vivo and ex vivo renal function, as well as the impact of ischemic injury on ex vivo physiology, remain unanswered. This study utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), alongside conventional parameters to explore differences between in vivo and ex vivo renal function and the impact of warm ischemia on a kidney’s behavior ex vivo. MethodsRenal MRI scans and samples were obtained from living pigs (n=30) in vivo. Next, kidney pairs were procured and exposed to minimal, or 75 min of warm ischemia, followed by 6 hours of hypothermic machine perfusion. Both kidneys simultaneously underwent 6-hour ex vivo perfusion in MRI-compatible NMP circuits to obtain multiparametric MRI data. ResultsIschemically injured ex vivo kidneys showed a significantly altered regional blood flow distribution compared to in vivo and to minimally damaged organs. Both ex vivo groups showed diffusion restriction relative to in vivo. ConclusionOur findings underscore the differences between in vivo and ex vivo MRI-based renal characteristics. Therefore, when assessing organ viability during NMP, it should be considered to incorporate parameters beyond the conventional functional markers that are common in vivo.

Prognostic significance of echocardiographic deformation imaging in adult congenital heart disease.

Due to medical and surgical advancements, the population of adult patients with congenital heart disease (ACHD) is growing. Despite successful therapy, ACHD patients face structural sequalae, placing them at increased risk for heart failure and arrhythmias. Left and right ventricular function are important predictors for adverse clinical outcomes. In acquired heart disease it has been shown that echocardiographic deformation imaging is of superior prognostic value as compared to conventional parameters as ejection fraction. However, in adult congenital heart disease, the clinical significance of deformation imaging has not been systematically assessed and remains unclear. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews checklist, this systematic review included studies that reported on the prognostic value of echocardiographic left and/or right ventricular strain by 2-dimensional speckle tracking for hard clinical end-points (death, heart failure hospitalization, arrhythmias) in the most frequent forms of adult congenital heart disease. In total, 19 contemporary studies were included. Current data shows that left ventricular and right ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) predict heart failure, transplantation, ventricular arrhythmias and mortality in patients with Ebstein's disease and tetralogy of Fallot, and that GLS of the systemic right ventricle predicts heart failure and mortality in patients post atrial switch operation or with a congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries. Deformation imaging can potentially impact the clinical decision making in ACHD patients. Further studies are needed to establish disease-specific reference strain values and ranges of impaired strain that would indicate the need for medical or structural intervention.

Extraction processes of high added value molecules from wood waste: overview and comparison of processes for an eco-friendly recovery from paper industry by-product

The work aims to optimize an industrial greener extraction process of chemical components in wood waste from the paper industry. Extracts from a mixture of two species (Picea abies and Abies alba) were studied. Several parameters were found to play a key role in the extraction yield: to the conventional parameters such as the chemical composition of the extracting medium or the temperature, a key criterion was the choice of a process procedure in order to take into account the absorption of the solvent by the wood. The implementation of several operating modes, namely solid-liquid single-batch extraction, countercurrent extraction, percolation extraction, near supercritical, and supercritical fluid extraction is discussed in terms of yield and ease of implementation when scaling up.

Activator effect on sawdust-based adsorbent efficiency: application to organic pollutants decontamination

The aim of this study is to valorize available Sawdust as a ligno-cellulosic and locally abundant solid waste generated by different activities, via combined chemical and physical activations route and its application for the removal of hydroxybenzene as a toxic pollutant from aqueous solution in discontinuous mode. Enhancement of adsorption capacities by impregnating separately the powdered sawdust in acidic (phosphoric acid: 20%), basic (potassium hydroxide: 20%) and salty (Ammonium Persulfate: 0.1M) solutions then pyrolysis at 600°C for 1hour in tubular furnace resulting in SWDA, SWDB and SWDS- based adsorbents. The adsorptive rates of the obtained adsorbents were compared to the commercial activated carbon from Merck taken as a reference. The batch adsorption experiments resulted in a maximum adsorption capacities obtained from Langmuir model of up to 192.31, 123.56 and 109.89 and 133.33 mg/g for SWDA, SWDB, SWDS and Merck respectively. Conventional parameters influencing the removal capacity of the considered pollutant such as contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, initial concentration and temperature were also studied. Samples characterization was carried out using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses for functional groups determination, Iodine number test for porosity and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) for microstructure examination of the samples.  Adsorption kinetics was found to comply with the pseudo second order with a good correlation factor (R2 &gt; 0.99) with intra-particle diffusion as the rate determining steps. Thermodynamics of Hydroxybenzene adsorption process was spontaneous (ΔG o &lt;0) and endothermic (ΔHo &gt;0). This study showed that sawdust as a waste could prove to be a very efficient adsorbent in removing toxic substances from wastewater.

Optimized treatment parameter by computer simulation for high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment of uterine adenomyosis: Short-term and long-term results.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of using optimized parameters obtained by computer simulation for ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of uterine adenomyosis in comparison with conventional parameters. We retrospectively assessed a single-institution, prospective study that was registered at Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS) of Republic of Korea (KCT0003586). Sixty-six female participants (median age: 44 years) with focal uterine adenomyosis were prospectively enrolled. All participants were treated with a HIFU system by using treatment parameters either for treating uterine fibroids (Group A, first 20 participants) or obtained via computer simulation (Group B, later 46 participants). To assess the treatment efficacy of HIFU, qualitative indices, including the clinically effective dysmenorrhea improvement index (DII), were evaluated up to 3 years after treatment, whereas quantitative indices, such as the nonperfused volume ratio and adenomyosis volume shrinkage ratio (AVSR), on MRI were evaluated up to 3 months after treatment. Quantitative/qualitative indices were compared between Groups A and B by using generalized linear mixed effect model. A safety assessment was also performed. Results showed that clinically effective DII was more frequently observed in Group B than in Group A (odds ratio, 3.69; P = 0.025), and AVSR were higher in Group B than in Group A (least-squares means, 21.61; P = 0.001). However, two participants in Group B developed skin burns at the buttock and sciatic nerve pain and required treatment. In conclusion, parameters obtained by computer simulation were more effective than the conventional parameters for treating uterine adenomyosis by using HIFU in terms of clinically effective DII and AVSR. However, care should be taken because of the risk of adverse events.

DeepLabCut-based daily behavioural and posture analysis in a Cricket.

Circadian rhythms are indispensable intrinsic programs that regulate the daily rhythmicity of physiological processes, such as feeding and sleep. The cricket has been employed as a model organism for understanding the neural mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms in insects. However, previous studies measuring rhythm-controlled behaviours only analysed locomotive activity using seesaw-type and infrared sensor-based actometers. Meanwhile, advances in deep learning techniques have made it possible to analyse animal behaviour and posture using software that is devoid of human bias and does not require physical tagging of individual animals. Here, we present a system that can simultaneously quantify multiple behaviours in individual crickets, such as locomotor activity, feeding, and sleep-like states, in the long-term, using DeepLabCut, a supervised machine learning-based software for body keypoints labeling. Our system successfully labelled the six body parts of a single cricket with a high level of confidence and produced reliable data showing the diurnal rhythms of multiple behaviours. Our system also enabled the estimation of sleep-like states by focusing on posture, instead of immobility time, which is a conventional parameter. We anticipate that this system will provide an opportunity for simultaneous and automatic prediction of cricket behaviour and posture, facilitating the study of circadian rhythms.