Favorable State Research Articles

Medication recommendation for Parkinson’s disease based on dynamics of symptom progression

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a chronic condition, with extensive research on initial medication selection for treatment, but limited guidance on long-term medication management. This study aims to identify optimal medication adjustment strategies based on patient clusters, focusing on either maximizing time spent in favorable health states or minimizing time spent in unfavorable ones while avoiding adverse effects. To guide treatment, we developed decision models using prescription dosages converted into standardized units for various medications. Using data from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, we employed a multivariate time-series clustering approach to capture symptom progression dynamics. This analysis identified four distinct clusters: two representing desirable and undesirable states, and two highlighting motor-focused and non-motor-focused failures across multiple domains. We developed two separate Markov Decision Process (MDP) models to address these dual objectives, which were then integrated into a comprehensive framework that suggests optimal actions and cautions against risky ones for each patient state. This model provides valuable insights for clinical decision-making by offering flexible guidance on adjusting medication intensity rather than prescribing specific medication types, enhancing its applicability in clinical practice.

Neoliberalism in question: The Philippines' nurse education and labour export as liberal neo‐statist development agenda

AbstractMany scholars have used neoliberalism as an analytical framework to examine the Philippines' labour export policy. While neoliberalism entails a retreat of the state in favour of market reforms, evidence shows that state intervention of the market becomes larger and stronger over time. This paper utilises liberal neo‐statism as an alternative framework to understand the Philippines' nurse labour export by explaining that the state's role is larger than and goes beyond labour brokerage. Following the historical institutionalism approach, we show the significant timing, sequence, and path dependence that affect the emergence of institutions that govern the Philippines' nurse labour export. Our paper reveals how specific policies and regulations in labour export are tucked within the disguise of market reforms, but which are manifest within a larger state's control. These policies serve as the state's apparatus for remittance generation and protection of migrant labour rights and welfare.

The impact of mindfulness on academic achievement of students with the mediating role of adaptability: a structural equation modeling approach

IntroductionExamining the factors influencing students’ academic achievement can lead to improved educational planning and enhanced teaching and learning outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of mindfulness on academic achievement with the mediating role of adaptability among students at Jiroft University of Medical Sciences in southern Iran in 2024.MethodsThis descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 290 students from various fields at Jiroft University of Medical Sciences in southern Iran from January to April 2024. To select these 290 individuals, a stratified sampling proportional to size was first carried out based on the year of university entry and field of study. After the sample size was determined for each entry year and field of study, students were randomly selected using their student numbers and a random number table. The data collection instruments were the standard mindfulness, academic achievement, and adaptability questionnaires. Descriptive tests and structural equation modeling using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method were employed for data analysis, utilizing Smart PLS3 and SPSS26 software.ResultsThe findings indicate that students’ mindfulness positively affects their academic achievement (p < 0.001, β = 0.59). Additionally, mindfulness positively influences students’ adaptability (p < 0.001, β = 0.65). The results also show adaptability positively impacts students’ academic achievement (p = 0.001, β = 0.57). Finally, students’ mindfulness has a significant positive effect on their academic achievement through the mediating role of adaptability (p < 0.001).DiscussionAccording to the results, a favorable state of mindfulness and adaptability among students can improve academic achievement. Therefore, it is recommended that university administrators facilitate the enhancement of students’ mindfulness and adaptability by organizing relevant courses and workshops. This approach can contribute to their academic progress.

May a highly touristic tropical island sustain water resources? Navigating troubled waters to berth on a safe shore.

While being a major economic development force for tropical islands, tourism may aggravate disturbances on local water resources (scarcity, pollution) and the surrounding ecosystem. In this work, we used a discrete events modelling approach to characterize trajectories of Cat Ba Island (Vietnam) and its ability to reach specific trajectories. We wanted to assess if a healthy social ecosystem could be compatible with tourism. We found that co-existence between water resources and tourism may be reached; moreover, a systemic state where ecosystem and sociosystem can sustainably coexist may be reached. The implementation of urban ecological infrastructure is a key process to shift from the present state towards more favourable states. Another significant result is that the departure from the present state to reach more favourable ones may lead to a transitory degraded situation; only by keeping in mind the systemic objective significant transformations can be carried out.

Analysis on the Evolution Characteristics of Rural Tourism Public Service System from the Perspective of Digitalization—Empirical Evidence from the Silk Road Economic Belt

The integration of digitalization with public tourism services has emerged as a new model for the development of the rural tourism public services. The Silk Road Economic Belt is a crucial area for the future development of the tourism industry. Exploring the coupling of the digitalization and the development trends of the rural tourism public services is significant for advancing rural tourism in this region. This study applies Complex Adaptive Systems theory and Synergy theory to the development of the digitization of rural tourism public services, clarifying the structure of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system. Based on this, a collaborative development evaluation system for the digitization of rural tourism public services is constructed, focusing on the Silk Road Economic Belt. By using the SMI-P evaluation model, ArcGIS spatial visualization, Gini coefficient, and kernel density methods, the collaborative development of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system was measured and analyzed in this paper. The findings reveal the following: (1) The collaborative development of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system in the Silk Road Economic Belt shows a gradual upward trend, yet the overall level of the collaboration is transitioning from a state of imbalance. (2) Compared to the Southwest, the Northwest exhibits a lower overall level of collaboration, with growing disparities in collaborative development indices among provinces, although there is a trend toward higher levels of aggregation. (3) The development of the rural tourism public services is trending toward a favorable state of multi-dimensional collaboration, characterized by significant regional features, including multi-polarization and unbalanced development. Finally, optimization paths for the digital development of the rural tourism public services were proposed in this study, which can provide guidance for improving the construction of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system and exploring clear development pathways.

Interfacial Modification of ZnO/ZnMgO Bilayer for Efficient and Stable InP Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes via Ultraviolet Ozone Treatment.

The development of efficient charge transport layers is crucial for realizing high-performance and stable quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs). The use of a ZnO/ZnMgO bilayer as an electron transporting layer (ETL) has garnered considerable attention. This configuration leverages the high electron mobility of ZnO and the favorable surface state of ZnMgO. Furthermore, the versatility of this configuration extends to its wide range of thickness tunability, rendering it suitable for the construction of thick devices for top-emitting structures with microcavities. However, despite the promising attributes of this bilayer configuration, the impact of the ZnO/ZnMgO bilayer ETL interface on QD-LEDs performance remains largely unexplored. Thus, this study investigated the effect of ultraviolet ozone (UVO) treatment on the stabilization of the ZnO/ZnMgO interface. UVO treatment was found to significantly enhance luminance uniformity across the QD-LEDs emission area while improving operational stability by over 4-fold. Comprehensive analyses employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that UVO treatment significantly reduced the defect states of the hydroxyl groups and removed the insulating native ethanolamine ligands, thereby facilitating improved and uniform electron transport. Moreover, the effectiveness of UVO treatment in enhancing electron transport was supported by impedance analyses. Therefore, this paper presents an effective approach for enhancing the interface of a highly potent ZnO/ZnMgO bilayer ETL, which can ultimately improve the luminance uniformity and stability of QD-LEDs.

Tristetraprolin affects invasion-associated genes expression and cell motility in triple-negative breast cancer model.

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an RNA-binding protein that negatively regulates its target mRNAs and has been shown to inhibit tumor progression and invasion. Tumor invasion requires precise regulation of cytoskeletal components, and dysregulation of cytoskeleton-associated genes can significantly alter cell motility and invasive capability. Several genes, including SH3PXD2A, SH3PXD2B, CTTN, WIPF1, and WASL, are crucial components of the cytoskeleton reorganization machinery and are essential for adequate cell motility. These genes are also involved in invasion processes, with SH3PXD2A, SH3PXD2B, WIPF1, and CTTN being key components of invadopodia-specialized structures that facilitate invasion. However, the regulation of these genes is not well understood. This study demonstrates that ectopic expression of TTP in MDA-MB-231 cells leads to decreased mRNA levels of CTTN and SH3PXD2A, as well as defects in cell motility and actin filament organization. Additionally, doxorubicin significantly increases TTP expression and reduces the mRNA levels of cytoskeleton-associated genes, enhancing our understanding of how doxorubicin may affect the transcriptional profile of cells. However, doxorubicin affects target mRNAs differently than TTP ectopic expression, suggesting it may not be the primary mechanism of doxorubicin in breast cancer (BC) treatment. High TTP expression is considered as a positive prognostic marker in multiple cancers, including BC. Given that doxorubicin is a commonly used drug for treating triple-negative BC, using TTP as a prognostic marker in this cohort of patients might be limited since it might be challenging to understand if high TTP expression occurred due to the favorable physiological state of the patient or as a consequence of treatment.

Roles of Impurity Levels in 3d Transition Metal-Doped Two-Dimensional Ga2O3.

Doping engineering is crucial for both fundamental science and emerging applications. While transition metal (TM) dopants exhibit considerable advantages in the tuning of magnetism and conductivity in bulk Ga2O3, investigations on TM-doped two-dimensional (2D) Ga2O3 are scarce, both theoretically and experimentally. In this study, the detailed variations in impurity levels within 3d TM-doped 2D Ga2O3 systems have been explored via first-principles calculations using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) +U method. Our results show that the Co impurity tends to incorporate on the tetrahedral GaII site, while the other dopants favor square pyramidal GaI sites in 2D Ga2O3. Moreover, Sc3+, Ti4+, V4+, Cr3+, Mn3+, Fe3+, Co3+, Ni3+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ are the energetically favorable charge states. Importantly, a transition from n-type to p-type conductivity occurs at the threshold Cu element as determined by the defect formation energies and partial density of states (PDOS), which can be ascribed to the shift from electron doping to hole doping with respect to the increase in the atomic number in the 3d TM group. Moreover, the spin configurations in the presence of the square pyramidal and tetrahedral coordinated crystal field effects are investigated in detail, and a transition from high-spin to low-spin arrangement is observed. As the atomic number of the 3d TM dopant increases, the percentage contribution of O ions to the total magnetic moment significantly increases due to the electronegativity effect. Additionally, the formed 3d bands for most TM dopants are located near the Fermi level, which can be of significant benefit to the transformation of the absorbing region from ultraviolet to visible/infrared light. Our results provide theoretical guidance for designing 2D Ga2O3 towards optoelectronic and spintronic applications.

Bioencapsulation of probiotics with self-assembled DNA capsules for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases

Intestinal probiotics play a critical role in the prevention and treatment of diseases and have been developed as a drug carrier in biomedical engineering. However, the application of probiotics for oral delivery is hindered by their poor viability in the harsh gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and their unsatisfactory-drug loading efficiency. Herein, we propose a universal and programmable strategy for coating bacteria with self-assembled deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) capsules. We conducted in-situ DNA-oriented polymerization (isDOP) on bacteria and directly synthesized microcapsules on live bacterial cells using rolling circle amplification (RCA). Additionally, Fe-Curcumin (Fe-Cur), a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging nanodrug, was simultaneously enveloped in the DNA network during amplification. Bacteria coated with DNA capsules exhibit significantly enhanced survival in harsh environments. In murine colitis models, this system exhibited enhanced therapeutic efficacy by relieving intestinal inflammation and repairing the epithelial barrier with no apparent systemic toxicity. It also restores the gut microbiome to a favorable state of diversity and composition. We suggest that self-assembled DNA capsule improves the viability of oral delivery of probiotics and provides a platform for efficient drug loading, ensuring enhanced therapeutic effects for the treatment of various diseases. This study proposes a bacteria-based isDOP method, a flexible and simplified strategy for equipping probiotics with DNA that significantly enhances their loading capacity and viability, thereby ensuring enhanced therapeutic effects for the treatment of various diseases.

Isothiourea-Catalysed Acylative Kinetic Resolution of Tertiary Pyrazolone Alcohols.

The development of methods for the selective acylative kinetic resolution (KR) of tertiary alcohols is a recognised synthetic challenge with relatively few successful substrate classes reported to date. In this manuscript, a highly enantioselective isothiourea-catalysed acylative KR of tertiary pyrazolone alcohols is reported. The scope and limitations of this methodology have been developed, with high selectivity observed across a broad range of substrate derivatives incorporating varying substitution at N(2)-, C(4)- and C(5)-, as well as bicyclic constraints within the pyrazolone scaffold (30 examples, selectivity factors (s) typically >100) at generally low catalyst loadings (1 mol%). The application of this KR method to tertiary alcohols derived from a natural product (geraniol), alongside pharmaceutically relevant drug compounds (indomethacin, gemfibrozil and probenecid), with high efficiency (s > 100) is also described. The KR process is readily amenable to scale up, with effective resolution on a 50 g (0.22 mol) scale demonstrated. The key structural motif leading to excellent selectivity in this KR process has been probed through computation, with an NC=O•••isothiouronium interaction observed within the favoured transition state. Similarly, the effect of C(5)-aryl substitution that leads to reduced experimental selectivity is probed, with a competitive π-isothiouronium interaction identified as leading to reduced selectivity.

Influence of high-carbon wire drawing method on its production efficiency

The issue of improving the production efficiency and competitiveness of high-carbon steel wire, determined by a rational ratio of quality and costs of its production, is an urgent task. The main way to solve it is the development and implementation of an effective technical process, the main elements of which are the technological process and equipment for its realization. Since the middle of the last century, domestic steel wire production has been operating on imported equipment, which significantly hampers the use of modern technological processes. This unfavorable situation has been aggravated at present by the imposition of severe economic sanctions by “unfriendly states”. The way out of this situation in the current production is the improvement of existing and introduction of new methods of wire drawing. According to the original methodology the analysis of the existing at one of the domestic enterprises route of drawing of high-carbon wire rope wire with a diameter of 1.70 mm from wire rod of 5.50 mm with the use of standard single monolithic fibers, twin monolithic fibers, roller fibers, as well as modules including roller and monolithic fibers (combined drawing) was carried out. The obtained results have shown that when using standard fibers, the drawing route should be designed with the minimum possible multiplicity, which will provide on the existing equipment to improve the quality of wire and reduce the cost of its production. The greatest efficiency is provided by the application of combined drawing: twofold reduction of drawing multiplicity, energy saving up to 30%, improvement of wire quality by creating a favorable stress-strain state when deforming the wire first in roller and then in monolithic drawing. In addition, in comparison with the roller fibers, the equipment is simplified and the costs of its purchase and operation are reduced. Recommendations on the directions of increasing the efficiency of production in the conditions of existing production, purchase of new imported and designing of domestic drawing equipment are given

Towards Functionalization of Extracellular Vesicle with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Long-Term Imaging

In the past years, nanotechnology has been increasingly applied in modern medicine owing to their advantages including high drug loading, increased drug stability, longer circulation time, EPR effect, and lower systemic toxicity compared to small molecular drugs. While most nanomaterials are fabricated synthetically, extracellular vesicles (EVs) present a special class as they are naturally produced by mammalian cells during inward budding of endosomes, which seems beneficial regarding stability, immunotolerance, capacity to cross natural barriers, and inherent targeting properties in vivo compared to synthetically prepared nanomaterials. Although EV-based cancer vaccines are currently tested in clinical phases I and II, a huge gap, preventing broad application of EVs, remains the lack of detailed information concerning the in vivo behavior of EVs. To understand the role of EVs and to optimize their application in future, long-term tracking of EVs is crucial.Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), tube-like, carbon-based nanomaterials with a diameter of around 1 nm and a length of around 100 nm, holding great promise as imaging probes for medical diagnostics owing to their optical properties in the short-wave infrared region. The fluorescent properties of SWCNTs are caused by excitons (bound electron-hole pairs) those energetically favorable dark states result naturally in a low photoluminescence yield. A way to circumvent this effect is oxygen-doping of SWCNT or introduction of sp3 defects which lead to lower energetic states which trap excitons and circumvent dark states. This results in a prolonged photoluminescence lifetime and an emission in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) window allowing imaging with deep optical penetration, reduced scattering, and low autofluorescence. In addition, SWCNTs possess a high photostability, low photobleaching, and negligible fluorescence blinking. The high photostability of SWCNTs in combination with an emission in the SWIR window as well as a size in the nanometer regime, mark SWCNTs as excellent imaging probes for in vivo tracking of extracellular vesicles.To achieve specific labeling of EVs with SWCNTs, we are using bioorthogonal chemistry. Metabolic engineering of cells is an elegant method to equip membrane proteins with bioorthogonal reactive groups. To this end, cells are treated with unnatural sugars which are metabolically incorporated into the glycan chain of proteins. Recently, it was revealed that EVs from metabolically engineered cells also carry unnatural sugars in their membrane proteins. We successfully isolated EVs from MCF-7 cells, which were treated with azide-bearing mannose. Using Cy5-DBCO, we could prove that azide groups present on EVs were able to react with the dye. EVs isolated from metabolically engineered HeLa cells seemed to possess a too low number of azide groups. Hence, EVs were modified successfully with DSPE-PEG-azide. Modification of EVs with Cy5-DBCO enabled in vitro imaging.We followed several strategies to introduce DBCO groups onto SWCNTs to link those to EVs. We were able to successfully functionalize SWCNTs with ssDNA carrying DBCO as an end-group as well as DPSE-PEG-DBCO. However, due to lack of specificity we embarked to use sp3 defects as reactive sites for modification of SWCNTs. Diazonium salt chemistry was used to introduce sp3 defects with a carboxylic acid group which allows further modification using a DBCO end-functionalized PEG linker.Ultimately, we will conjugate DBCO-modified SWCNTs with azid-bearing EVs to enable long-term tracking in vivo.

(Invited) Efficient P-Doping Via Suppressing Bad P−Sn Interaction

The utilization of non-metallic phosphorus (P) doping is recognized for its advantages in enhancing the conductivity of hematite while minimizing recombination. This is attributed to the suppression of electron trapping facilitated by the favorable electron state of P5+. However, our investigation reveals a significant impact on the overall photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of P-doped Fe2O3 due to tin (Sn) diffusion from the bottom FTO substrate. Upon identifying the unfavorable interaction between the unintentional dopant Sn4+ and intentional dopant P5+, we have developed a straightforward P-doping method. The resulting P:Sn:Ti-Fe2O3 (P:Sn:Ti triple-doped Fe2O3) exhibits a remarkable improvement in photocurrent density, reaching 3.44 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE, surpassing values reported in previous P-doping hematite studies. Following co-catalyst deposition, the NiFeOx/P:Sn:Ti-Fe2O3 photoanode achieves a maximum photocurrent density of 4.30 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE. This study affirms that suppressing the negative interaction between dopants is crucial for significantly enhancing PEC performance.

Positive potential pretreatment of TiO2 photoanode towards efficient charge separation

Low charge separation efficiency (ηsep) of TiO2 impedes its applications of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. A positive potential pretreatment approach has been developed to construct a surface polarization with −OH groups at a potential of 1.48 VRHE. When the pretreatment time of 6 h is used, the ηsep and photocurrent density (Jph) reach up to 54 % (vs. 24 %, TiO2) and 0.92 mA cm−2 (vs. 0.32 mA cm−2, TiO2) under AM 1.5 G illumination, respectively. The photovoltage can be increased from 0.17 V to 0.52 V. When the pretreatment time is extended to 22 h, a higher Jph of 1.57 mA cm−2 and ηsep of 87 % can be obtained. Furthermore, the positive potential pretreated TiO2 possesses excellent PEC stability. The PEC improvements can be attributed to the surface polarization with the −OH groups and favorable surface states of Ti-OH, but not to the formation of Ti3+ or oxygen vacancies.

Growing bacterial colonies harness emergent genealogical demixing to regulate organizational entropy

Spatiotemporal organization of individuals within growing bacterial colonies is a key determinant of intraspecific interactions and colony-scale heterogeneities. The evolving cellular distribution, in relation to the genealogical lineage, is thus central to our understanding of bacterial fate across scales. Yet, how bacteria self-organize genealogically as a colony expands has remained unknown. Here, by developing a custom-built label-free algorithm, we track and study the genesis and evolution of emergent self-similar genealogical enclaves, whose dynamics are governed by biological activity. Topological defects at enclave boundaries tune finger-like morphologies of the active interfaces. The Shannon entropy of cell arrangements reduce over time; with faster-dividing cells possessing higher spatial affinity to genealogical relatives, at the cost of a well-mixed, entropically favorable state. Our coarse-grained lattice model demonstrates that genealogical enclaves emerge due to an interplay of division-mediated dispersal, stochasticity of division events, and cell-cell interactions. The study reports so-far hidden emergent self-organizing features arising due to entropic suppression, ultimately modulating intraspecific genealogical distances within bacterial colonies.

System dynamics-multiple the objective optimization model for the coordinated development of urban economy-energy-carbon system

The deepening conflict between human societal progress and efforts to combat climate change necessitates immediate coordination among the Economy-Energy-Carbon (EEC) management. The study applies IPCC accounting methods to compute the historical carbon emissions in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle from 2005 to 2021. It assesses the developmental efficiency of various subsystems in the EEC system by employing the rank-sum ratio. Taking a typical city in the region (Chongqing) as a case study, this study integrates System Dynamics (SD) with NSGAIII to develop an EEC multi-objective optimization model. It utilizes the VIKOR model to select the optimal solution. Based on this, the analysis explores the coupled and coordinated state of the EEC system from 2022 to 2030 under the optimal solution mode. Research findings indicate that: (1) The overall carbon emissions exhibit a slight increase, where carbon sources surpass the carbon sink created by land use. (2) Compared to results from other preference-based scenarios, in the scenario where subsystem efficiencies are all optimal, the minimum cumulative carbon emissions amount to 1520.52 million tons, with the economy maintaining a favorable status. Moreover, the overall coupling coordination of the EEC is in a relatively favorable state, and it tends to improve annually. (3) To attain the coordinated development of the EEC system by 2030, the energy structure of the representative city must decrease coal consumption by 26.17%, maintain the construction land ratio below 3.7%, and guarantee forest coverage exceeds 57.77%. This study, utilizing complex system simulations and optimization analyses across various scenarios, offers pertinent recommendations for attaining urban low-carbon development while upholding societal advancement.

Hydrochar from winemaking industry wastes as solid biofuel: A thermal and kinetic analysis of pyrolysis and combustion

Pyrolysis and combustion behavior of the hydrochar (HY) from co-hydrothermal carbonization (co-HTC) of vine pruning (VP) and exhausted grape marc (EGM) by using vinasse as wet catalytic vector was investigated through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). For both raw- and co-HTC biomass, different iso-conversional methods were used for kinetic analysis, and the thermodynamic parameters were determined. Overall, even if HY exhibited a lower activation energy compared to EGM and VP during both pyrolysis and combustion, HTC has positive effects on the hydrochar’s structure, which achieved a more thermodynamically stable, structurally ordered, and energetically favorable state. The obtained kinetic and thermodynamic parameters would contribute to the development of biomass thermochemical conversion technologies and the application of hydrochar-based energy systems.

A novel powder sheet laser additive manufacturing method using irregular morphology feedstock

Irregular (i.e. non-spherical) morphology powder is more cost-efficient to produce than spherical shaped powder. However, its reduced levels of flowability limit the wide application ranges of laser beam powder bed fusion (LPBF). To address this issue, a novel powder sheet additive manufacturing concept (MAPS) is proposed. Herein, a pre-manufactured metal particle-polymer binder composite (i.e. powder sheet) feedstock is employed as a raw material. The printability of irregularly shaped powder particles in sheet (MAPS) format was physically investigated using a range of different process parameters. The manufacturing process was observed by high-speed imaging. Microstructural and chemical element characterisations of the irregularly shaped powder particle print were then compared against those prints which were conducted using sheet-based (MAPS) spherical powder morphologies. The results indicated that the geometric accuracy and density of irregular powder morphology sheet printing improved when using a negative defocus strategy of the laser beam. A negative defocusing strategy allowed for the melting mode of the material to be transformed from keyhole to a more favourable conduction state. High speed imaging revealed that more spatter and vapour plume were observed with the increase in the magnitude of the negative defocus. The multi-morphology 304 L stainless steel (SS304) samples were printed in a single printer using an efficient method for the first time, i.e. printing spherical SS304 material on top of irregular SS304. EDX results indicated an insignificant change of chemical elements between the spherical and irregular prints. EBSD results revealed that columnar grains could grow through the irregular-spherical transition zone and similar grain size can form between spherical and irregular prints. The results of this study provide insights into the optimum printing configurations for powder sheet additive manufacturing using a cost-effective solution of irregular morphology material.

Sensitive surface plasmon resonance biosensor by optimized carboxylate functionalized carbon nanotubes/chitosan for amlodipine detecting

The adoption of biophotonic sensing technologies holds significant promise for application in health care and biomedical industries in all aspects of human life. Then, this piece of writing employs the powerful effective medium theory and FDTD simulation to anticipate the most favorable state and plasmonic attributes of a magnificent nanocomposite, comprising carboxylate functionalized carbon nanotubes and chitosan (CS). Furthermore, it thoroughly explores the exhibited surface plasmon resonance behaviors of this composite versus the quantity of CS variation. Subsequently, enlightening simulations are conducted on the nanocomposite with a delicate layer and a modified golden structure integrating as a composite. The intricate simulations eventually unveil an optimal combination to pave the way for crafting an exceptional specific biosensor that far surpasses its counterpart as a mere Au thin layer in terms of excellence. The proposed biosensor demonstrated linear behavior across a wide range from 0.01 μM to 150 μM and achieved a detection limit of 10 nM, with a sensitivity of 134◦RIU−1.

Use of non-invasive mesodiencephalic brain modulation for enhancing stress resistance in athletes

BACKGROUND: During many years of intensive training, professional athletes may experience manifestations of stress due to significant physical and emotional stress, which require corrective measures. AIM: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of mesodiencephalic modulation of the brain to increase stress resistance in athletes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted, in which 57 athletes of complex coordination sports took part, of which 42 were girls and 15 were young men, the average age of the subjects was 18 ± 5,4 years. Two groups were formed: main (n = 35) and control (n = 22). To assess the functional capabilities of the body, all subjects included in the study were assessed for nonspecific adaptation responses by the percentage of lymphocytes and the ratio of leukogram elements in peripheral blood, and the level of adaptation and anxiety was assessed using structured questionnaires. Athletes of the main group (n = 35) underwent a course of mesodiencephalic modulation of the brain. RESULTS: The increase in adaptation capabilities in the control group was due to an increase in the frequency of the increased activation reaction, and in the main group — a calm activation reaction, which, in the presence of stress, is a more favorable adaptation state. CONCLUSIONS: The use of non-invasive mesodiencephalic modulation of the brain to increase stress resistance in athletes is advisable. Course of mesodiencephalic modulation of brain by cycle consisting of 10 procedures, duration 30 min, average intensity — 1.19 mA, allows to reduce level of psychoemotional tension, to improve general well-being, to increase speed of recovery processes after training. The course of mesodiencephalic modulation contributed to an increase in the adaptation capabilities of the body of athletes.