Greater Extent Research Articles

Persistence of atoms in molecules: there is room beyond electron densities.

Evidence that the electronic structure of atoms persists in molecules to a much greater extent than has been usually admitted is presented. This is achieved by resorting to N-electron real-space descriptors instead of one- or at most two-particle projections like the electron or exchange-correlation densities. Here, the 3N-dimensional maxima of the square of the wavefunction, the so-called Born maxima, are used. Since this technique is relatively unknown to the crystallographic community, a case-based approach is taken, revisiting first the Born maxima of atoms in their ground state and then some of their excited states. It is shown how they survive in molecules and that, beyond any doubt, the distribution of electrons around an atom in a molecule can be recognized as that of its isolated, in many cases excited, counterpart, relating this fact with the concept of energetic promotion. Several other cases that exemplify the applicability of the technique to solve chemical bonding conflicts and to introduce predictability in real-space analyses are also examined.

Cell Line and Media Composition Influence the Production of Giant Plasma Membrane Vesicles.

Giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) have been utilized as a model to study phase separation in the plasma membrane. Additionally, GPMVs have been employed as vehicle for delivering molecular cargo, including small molecule drugs and nanoparticles. Nearly all examples of GPMV production use a defined salt buffer that is a stark contrast to typical cell culture medium. In this study, we demonstrate that the addition of formaldehyde and dithiothreitol to a standard culture medium was capable of generating GPMVs at a concentration equal to or higher than the traditional production buffer. These methods were evaluated for two human cell lines: kidney endothelial and Schwann cells (SCs). Morphological properties of the resultant GPMVs exhibited no significant differences between the two formulations. Factors such as pH and seeding density significantly influenced the production of GPMVs in both mediums. The cell type and seeding density was shown to influence the number of GPMVs to the greatest extent. SCs yield more GPMVs at higher seeding densities compared to endothelial cells. Stability of the membrane of the GPMVs produced in both mediums was evaluated by monitoring passive diffusion of two fluorescently tagged dextrans (3 and 10 kDa). Regardless of the production formulation or cell type, approximately 85% GPMVs are impermeable to either dextran. Cold storage for on-demand use and shipping are essential for broader use of GPMVs. Toward this aim, we have evaluated the GMPV number and morphologies following storage at -80 °C and in liquid nitrogen. A significant loss of the GPMV number, ∼30%, was observed following storage across production formulations as well as cell types. Our results indicate that smaller GMPVs, <5 μm are more stable for preservation. In conclusion, GPMVs can be produced in a broad range of formulations, exhibit a high degree of stability, and can undergo cold storage for further adoption.

The priority of mesenchymal stem cells treated with melatonin in ameliorating thyroid impairment induced by amiodarone. Thorough look on the apoptotic pathway

Amiodarone treatment has been associated with thyroid alterations. This work was planned to consider therapeutic outcome of MSCs versus MSCs treated with melatonin in minimizing amiodarone –induced deviations in thyroid.We handed-down 50 male Wistar rats, then distributed them into 5 groups; I, II, III, IV, V; control, sham control, amiodarone treated, amiodarone and MSCs treated, and amiodarone, MSCs and melatonin treated groups respectively. Light microscopic examination; levels of T3, T4 and TSH, Oxidative/antioxidative tissue markers, immune-histochemical staining (Bcl2, BAX, iNOS) and real time PCR (IL-6 and VEGF and Caspase 3) were done. Results of group III showed degenerated follicles, decreased follicular cell count and diminished colloid. Some of the follicles were dilated with signs of inflammatory response and apoptosis. Increased collagen deposition in group III was marked. The positive immune-reactive cells of Bcl-2 was decreased and that of BAX and iNOS was increased, also T3 and T4 levels were significantly decreased, but TSH was significantly increased in group III comparing it to the group I. There were highly significant diminution in both SOD and GPx and upsurge in MDA intensities in groups III, IV when correlated to the control. In group IV and V the aforementioned values were restored. The PCR results showed significant increase in IL-6 and VEGF and Caspase 3 in group III compared to the control one, whereas, their values in groups IV and V were reestablished. It is concluded that stem cells can to a great extent ameliorate the thyroid damage induced by amiodarone.But, Adding melatonin to the stem cells culture was found to have auxiliary beneficial effect in the improving the thyroid structure and function.

Monitoring of the Groundwater Level using GRACE with GLDAS Satellite Data in Ganga Plain, India to Understand the Challenges of Groundwater, Depletion, Problems, and Strategies for Mitigation

A sub-surface hydrogeological investigation conducted in the Gangetic Plain of India would involve studying the groundwater resources, aquifer characteristics, and overall hydrogeological conditions in the region. The Gangetic Plain is a vast alluvial plain formed by the sediments deposited by the Ganges and its tributaries, making it a significant groundwater (GW) bearing region, which is surrounded by a thick stratum of unconsolidated Alluvial deposits and comprises rich aquifer systems. This study describes a procedure for estimation of the subsurface GW levels for pre-monsoon, 2021 which has been determined by JPL, RL05, temporal datasets of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). The water level observed ranged from 2.3 m to 13 m in the Bhabhar and Terai Belt, 14 to 23 m in the Central Alluvial Plain and Khadar Belt, and 24 m to 31 m in the Marginal Alluvial Plain. Two types of variation are seen: local and geological variation. The GW storage justifies the remote sensing perspective and further validates our research study that regional terristrial water storage mapping can be expeditiously and accurately cognizable by the GRACE/GLDAS mission. This method is used to estimate changes in regional GW, it is a very accurate and time-limited method rather than the traditional method of GW estimation. The use of this technology will help in knowing the discharge status of GW in the state and make policies for its over-exploitation. Drinking water can be conserved to a great extent and monitoring of GW can also be done in the time frame. And attention can be given to those districts where water is being exploited more. In view of the increasing impact of climate change on water resources, this modeling will prove vital for understanding future scenarios and planning sustainable management strategies that will aid in the development of adaptation and mitigation measures.

An integrated group decision-making framework for evaluating the urban fire emergency management capability based on PDHLWPHM and PDHLWPGHM operator

Urban fire accident is a common dangerous accident in urban sudden accidents, which threatens the safety of people’s lives and property. For this reason, in recent years, all cities have incorporated the prevention and emergency management of urban fire accidents into their urban development planning, and actively improved their fire accident emergency management capabilities. However, how to evaluate the urban fire accident emergency management capacity of each city to ensure that people’s lives and property are protected to the greatest extent is an urgent problem to be considered and solved. Therefore, this paper defines a class of probabilistic double hierarchy linguistic Heronian mean (PDHLHM) operator, probabilistic double hierarchy linguistic Power Heronian mean (PDHLPHM) operators, and their dual operators that can reflect the relationship between two attributes during aggregation. Taking urban fire accident risk monitoring and early warning capability, fire infrastructure and communication system, fire-fighting and rescue capability, recovery and reconstruction capability as evaluation attributes, the probabilistic double hierarchy linguistic weight Power Heronian mean (PDHLWPHM) operator model and the probabilistic double hierarchy linguistic weight Power geometric Heronian mean (PDHLWPGHM) operator model are constructed for group decision-making. In addition, the idempotence, boundedness and monotonicity of these operators are studied, and the sensitivity of the parameters involved in the operator model is analyzed. Finally, the new model proposed in this paper is compared with the existing model to verify its scientificity.

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement of Punch Force and Neuromuscular Performance in Amateur Boxing: Toward a More Individualized and "Real-World" Approach.

Finlay, MJ, Greig, M, Bridge, CA, and Page, RM. Post-activation performance enhancement of punch force and neuromuscular performance in amateur boxing: Toward a more individualized and "real-world" approach. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1063-1071, 2024-Previous research on post-activation performance enhancement has been applied in several sporting settings, although this is lacking in a boxing setting. This study explored the effectiveness of 2 upper-body conditioning activities in improving punch-specific performance during an amateur boxing-simulated bout. On 3 separate occasions, 10 male senior elite amateur boxers performed the following conditioning activities before a boxing-specific simulation protocol: isometric (ISO) punch, elastic resistance (ER) punch, and a control trial. Boxers performed maximal punches against a vertically mounted force plate, and countermovement jumps (CMJ) at baseline, before round 1, after each round, and 4 minutes after the simulation. Both conditioning activities, but not the control trial, produced small worthwhile increases (effect size ≥ 0.20; equal to or greater than the smallest worthwhile change) in punch force, although worthwhile increases in rate of force development were limited to the cross during the ISO trial. No group-based improvements in CMJ performance were observed. Individual analysis revealed that 6 boxers improved punch-specific performance to the greatest extent in the ISO trial; in contrast, only 1 boxer did so in the ER trial. Three boxers exhibited similar performance increases across trials. In conclusion, both conditioning activities may be applied to an amateur boxer's warm-up to acutely enhance punch-specific performance. The ISO conditioning activity seems most effective; however, the interindividual variability suggests a need for protocols to be individualized to each athlete. The conditioning activities in the present study may be applied to sparring, competitive bouts, or to other combat sports.

Traumatic Brain Injury Alters the Trajectory of Age-Related Mitochondrial Change.

Some epidemiologic studies associate traumatic brain injury (TBI) with Alzheimer's disease (AD). To test whether a TBI-induced acceleration of age-related mitochondrial change could potentially mediate the reported TBI-AD association. We administered unilateral controlled cortical impact (CCI) or sham injuries to 5-month-old C57BL/6J and tau transgenic rTg4510 mice. In the non-transgenics, we assessed behavior (1-5 days, 1 month, and 15 months), lesion size (1 and 15 months), respiratory chain enzymes (1 and 15 months), and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) (1 and 15 months) after CCI/sham. In the transgenics we quantified post-injury mtDNAcn and tangle burden. In the non-transgenics CCI caused acute behavioral deficits that improved or resolved by 1-month post-injury. Protein-normalized complex I and cytochrome oxidase activities were not significantly altered at 1 or 15 months, although complex I activity in the CCI ipsilesional cortex declined during that period. Hippocampal mtDNAcn was not altered by injury at 1 month, increased with age, and rose to the greatest extent in the CCI contralesional hippocampus. In the injured then aged transgenics, the ipsilesional hippocampus contained less mtDNA and fewer tangles than the contralesional hippocampus; mtDNAcn and tangle counts did not correlate. As mice age their brains increase mtDNAcn as part of a compensatory response that preserves mitochondrial function, and TBI enhances this response. TBI may, therefore, increase the amount of compensation required to preserve late-life mitochondrial function. If TBI does modify AD risk, altering the trajectory or biology of aging-related mitochondrial changes could mediate the effect.

Can smart cities reduce labor misallocation? Evidence from China

The marketization of factors in China lags behind that of products, and this lag is directly manifested as insufficient effective supply of labor, rising labor costs of enterprises, and serious distortion of labor resource allocation, which to a great extent restricts the economic transformation from “quantity” to the “quality” growth. The labor allocation effect of smart cities plays an important role in promoting the transformation to high-quality development in China, but there is still a lack of empirical research testing this effect. Based on panel data of 151 cities at the prefecture level and above for the period 2006–2018, this paper uses a DID model to evaluate the impact of smart city pilot projects on labor misallocation. The results show that, first, smart cities can significantly reduce labor misallocation, and this finding holds under a series of robustness tests. Second, smart cities can reduce labor misallocation through the formation of industrial agglomeration and the upgrading of the industrial structure. Third, the effect of smart cities was more significant in central and eastern cities and large-scale cities than in western cities and small and medium-scale cities. Fourth, smart cities have a significant spatial spillover effect on the reduction of labor misallocation.

Development & psychometrics of the SOLID-S – An inventory assessing software security culture in software development companies

Software security is a crucial requirement for most of the software used nowadays. Besides specialized knowledge of engineers and developers, organizational culture can contribute to software security to a great extent if specific cultural dimensions are in alignment with security. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the SOLID-S, a six-dimensional inventory assessing this type of software security culture in software development companies. We present the iterative test development process of the inventory and examine its psychometric properties in an empirical study with N=327 participants by means of Item Response Theory. We identify the SOLID-S to have appropriate measurement qualities in terms of accuracy, fairness across subgroups, item fit and dimensionality. Results suggest that the inventory's subscales comply with the Partial Credit Model and, hence, raw sum scores of the subscales can be interpreted reliably. The SOLID-S can therefore be used for research, as a starting point for organizational change programs, or to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aiming to improve security culture.

Physicochemical and heavy metal analysis of Yavani-Sadav Churan – An Ayurvedic formulation

Ayurveda is the most ancient documented healing heritage of the world that describes health management through natural products. Bhaishjya Kalpana, a branch of Ayurveda, describes details of pharmaceutical preparations of different dosage forms. Chooran kalpana is one of the solid dosage forms considered the secondary Kalpana of Kalka kalpana. In a common language, it is known as powder medicine and is used extensively in Ayurvedic treatment. For promoting Ayurveda, traditional health management introduced the term Drug standardization in the manufacturing of Ayurvedic medicine to ensure good quality medicines for the satisfaction of customers in the international market. Drug standardization is the core issue not only for Bhaishjya Kalpana but also for the entire Ayurveda health care. In the present study, Yavani–Sadav Churan was prepared and the physicochemical and Heavy metal analysis of churan is the main aim of the study. In this study, different parameters for assessment of purity, quality, and safety of Yavanisadava chooran will be carried out like organoleptic characteristics, loss on drying, total ash, acid insoluble ash, water-soluble extractives, and Alcohol soluble extractives. pH, Bulk density, Tap density, Particle size, TLC and Heavy metal analysis by AAS method etc., which contribute to a great extent for standardization.

Impacts of Climate Change on Teesta River Basin Char Lands: A Study of Livelihood and Ecosystem Dynamics in Bangladesh

This study anticipates identifying how does climate change affect the livelihood and ecosystem of char land of Teesta River basin char land. Structured questionnaire and related documents were used for both primary and secondary data collection. Survey was conducted in two districts (Rangpur and Nilphamari) and four unions (Lakhitari, Topa Madhupur, Shatibari, Gulmund) of four upazilas (Gangachara, Kaunia, Dimla, Jaldhaka). A total of 50 respondents from each selected char union was selected following a multistage random sampling procedure. Thus, there was altogether 200 respondents selected for this study. Data related to age, education level, occupation, knowledge about climate change of char inhabitants and perception of char dwellers regarding climate change was measured. A total number of 93% of the respondents clearly grasp that climate change refers to changes in long-term typical weather. It was observed that ongoing climate change has 78% impact on agriculture followed by health of peoples and other animals that is 20%. In the rainy season they observed increase in lightning from sun as the highest effect of climate change that has a WAI of 1.77. Teesta river basin people perceived dry spell frequency as the second highest extent of climate change that had a WAI of 1.74 followed by timing of rain offset, uneven distribution of rainfall and timing of rain onset. According to their perception it was found that great extent of loss was found in skills of char peoples (48.35%) followed by knowledge of char peoples (44.27%). It was also observed that a third great extent of loss was found in char peoples good health (41.67%) followed by ability to work (39.06%). Out of all the respondents 166 (43.2%) observed that soil is becoming dry day by day due to climate change followed by rivers becoming dry (37.8%) (Table 8). They found that growing trees have become difficult (45.1%), due to drought underground water is decreasing (61.7%) and air became dry due to climate change, and these are small extent of loss. Char inhabitants observed that climate change impact on physical capital and great extent impact was perceived on people's migration to another place (41.4%). Teesta River basin char dwellers opined about 24 adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on livelihood and ecosystem in that area.

Clinical Study on Spider Groups of Drugs with Special Emphasis on Tarentula through the Cases Epileptic Convulsion

I worked on patients suffering from Epileptic convulsion with age between 2 years to 10 years as inclusion criteria in the cases. It was observed through comparative study which verified the importance of keeping these symptoms. Patients were relieved to great extent by the medicines which are obtained by the totality of symptoms. Epileptic convulsion is the disorder characterised by a staring spell, uncontrollable jerking movement of the arms and legs, loss of consciousness or awareness, fatigue, body ache, Persistent EPILEPSY, weight loss, discomfort feeling, weakness &amp; temporary confusion. Psychic symptoms such as fear, anxiety. Homoeopathic constitutional treatment based on the individual case is the most suitable treatment and would aim to heal the underlying physical crisis causing the Epileptic convulsion. The remedies work by stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal itself, acting as a catalyst for healing. Homeopathy can be of assistance in retrieving normal health and treating any other physical issues and sequel related to Epileptic convulsion. Homoeopathic medicines can also prevent relapse of Epileptic convulsion. Methods: Randomised controlled trial study design has been adopted to know the efficacy of homoeopathic treatment in cases of Epileptic convulsion and its complication. A total number of 30 patients, showing features of uncontrollable jerking movement of the arms and legs body ache, low grade EPILEPSY, discomfort, temporary confusion&amp; weakness were selected who were fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Follow up has been taken for two months with at least six visits. From guardian of every subject, a written informed consent has been taken.

Comparison of 3 diagnostic methods for pulmonary tuberculosis in suspected patients with negative sputum smear or no sputum.

To explore the diagnostic value of 3 methods for sputum smear-negative and non-sputum patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). This prospective study enrolled sputum smear-negative and non-sputum patients with suspected TB admitted to Jiangxi Chest Hospital between January 2020 and December 2022. The 3 methods were bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)-acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear, GeneXpert MTB/RIF, and gene chip for Mycobacterium strain identification. The diagnostic performance of the 3 tests was evaluated with BALF Mycobacterium culture + BALF-AFB smear + GeneXpert MTB/RIF + Gene chip as the gold standard. A total of 456 samples were collected from 114 patients with suspected TB. Twenty-four patients were diagnosed with TB. The combination of GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip for Mycobacterium strain identification yielded the highest area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.953 and had sensitivity of 90.57%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.42%, accuracy of 95.61%. GeneXpert MTB/RIF achieved AUC of 0.906, sensitivity of 81.13%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 85.92%, accuracy of 91.23%. BALF-AFB smear had AUC of 0.519, sensitivity of 3.77%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 54.46%, and accuracy of 55.26%. The combination of GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip for Mycobacterium strain identification yielded the highest κ of 0.911, while BALF-AFB smear had the lowest κ value of 0.040. For TB in sputum smear-negative and non-sputum patients using BALF Mycobacterium culture + BALF-AFB smear + GeneXpert MTB/RIF + Gene chip as the gold standard, BALF-AFB smear showed low diagnostic performance, while, though GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip had good diagnostic performance, combining GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip improved the diagnostic value to a great extent.

Impact of quarantine on stress management, inter-personal, and spiritual growth of quarantined nurses

Due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease, 83% of households experienced a reduction in income, more than 25% of Filipinos reported anxieties, and 66,000 deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported. With the pandemic, nurses are an essential part of the healthcare industry. With the notion that nurses now handle a variety of patients, sometimes nurses neglect their health. This study bridges the gap between the nurses’ health situation when afflicted with COVID-19, and how they can manage their health in terms of stress management, interpersonal, and spiritual aspects while in quarantine. Thus, using the quantitative design, this study determined the extent of impact of quarantine on the stress management, interpersonal, and spiritual growth of nurses who were infected with COVID-19 and experienced quarantine in Negros Occidental when they were taken as a whole and grouped according to age, sex, civil status, areas of the hospital, and types of quarantine facility. Also, it investigated on the relationship between the demographics and the impact of quarantine on stress management and interpersonal and spiritual growth of nurses. The study determined a very great extent of quarantine impact on the stress management, interpersonal, and spiritual growth of nurses who were infected with COVID-19 and experienced quarantine in Negros Occidental. There was a significant relationship for age and areas of the hospital on the impact of quarantine; while there was no significant relationship for the variables sex, civil status, and types of quarantine facilities on the impact of quarantine. It is essential to recognize that stress is a subjective experience that varies from person to person; it is crucial for policymakers and healthcare providers to recognize the importance of addressing the mental health needs of individuals in quarantine facilities. At the same time, the administrators should recognize and address different challenges encountered by nurses in quarantine to ensure their well-being.

Вплив занять оздоровчої аеробіки із використанням вправ з єдиноборств на фізичну підготовленість студенток

Purpose: to study the influence of recreational aerobics classes using exercises from various types of martial arts on the level of physical fitness of female students. Material and methods. The following methods were used to achieve the aim of the study: analysis and synthesis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical experiment, method of control exercises (testing), pedagogical observation, methods of mathematical statistics. The study involved 1st and 2nd year female students (n=42) attending health aerobics classes. The students were divided into experimental (n=21) and control groups (n=21). Results: the comparison of physical qualities at the beginning of the experiment shows the lack of reliability of differences between them (p&gt;0,05). In the course of the experiment the peculiarities of the methodology of conducting classes in health- improving aerobics were studied. The content of classes for female students was developed with the inclusion of exercises from different types of martial arts. The content included special imitation exercises (hook, jab, uppercut, etc.) and additional equipment from different types of martial arts (boxing, Thai boxing, kickboxing). Classes were held three times a week and lasted 60 minutes. At each lesson, a combination of 64 exercises was learned. The introduction of imitation exercises from different types of martial arts into the health aerobics classes had a positive effect on the results of the repeated testing of female students of the experimental group. At the end of the experiment in exercises of flexion and extension of arms in a lying down support, torso tilt forward from a sitting position and torso raising in a sit for 1 min. the results changed statistically significantly (p&lt;0,001). This can be explained by the fact that martial arts exercises contribute to the development of strength abilities to the greatest extent, and exercises in health aerobics have a significant impact on the development of flexibility. The results in shuttle run 4×9 m, 100 m run and long jump from a place did not undergo significant changes (p&gt;0,05), though there is a small tendency to positive changes. Conclusions. It is established that the use of imitation exercises from different types of martial arts in classes on health-improving aerobics, directed not only on the development of aerobic abilities, but also on mastering and improvement of techniques of movements from boxing, kickboxing and Thai boxing, positively influences the development of physical qualities of female students. It was found that as a result of attending classes, female students had a significant improvement in flexibility and strength of the arms and abdominal press (p&lt;0,001). Indicators of coordination, speed, power and speed abilities also increased, but these changes are not significant (p&gt;0,05). Keywords: health-improving aerobics, martial arts, physical fitness, exercises, complex, imitation, motor abilities.

An Oral Interleukin-23–Receptor Antagonist Peptide for Plaque Psoriasis

BackgroundThe use of monoclonal antibodies has changed the treatment of several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis. However, these large proteins must be administered by injection. JNJ-77242113 is a novel, orally administered interleukin-23–receptor antagonist peptide that selectively blocks interleukin-23 signaling and downstream cytokine production.MethodsIn this phase 2 dose-finding trial, we randomly assigned patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis to receive JNJ-77242113 at a dose of 25 mg once daily, 25 mg twice daily, 50 mg once daily, 100 mg once daily, or 100 mg twice daily or placebo for 16 weeks. The primary end point was a reduction from baseline of at least 75% in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score (PASI 75 response; PASI scores range from 0 to 72, with higher scores indicating greater extent or severity of psoriasis) at week 16.ResultsA total of 255 patients underwent randomization. The mean PASI score at baseline was 19.1. The mean duration of psoriasis was 18.2 years, and 78% of the patients across all the trial groups had previously received systemic treatments. At week 16, the percentages of patients with a PASI 75 response were higher among those in the JNJ-77242113 groups (37%, 51%, 58%, 65%, and 79% in the 25-mg once-daily, 25-mg twice-daily, 50-mg once-daily, 100-mg once-daily, and 100-mg twice-daily groups, respectively) than among those in the placebo group (9%), a finding that showed a significant dose–response relationship (P<0.001). The most common adverse events included coronavirus disease 2019 (in 12% of the patients in the placebo group and in 11% of those across the JNJ-77242113 dose groups) and nasopharyngitis (in 5% and 7%, respectively). The percentages of patients who had at least one adverse event were similar in the combined JNJ-77242113 dose group (52%) and the placebo group (51%). There was no evidence of a dose-related increase in adverse events across the JNJ-77242113 dose groups.ConclusionsAfter 16 weeks of once- or twice-daily oral administration, treatment with the interleukin-23–receptor antagonist peptide JNJ-77242113 showed greater efficacy than placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. (Funded by Janssen Research and Development; FRONTIER 1 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05223868.)

High-efficiency fourth harmonic generation and polarization smoothing based on an orthogonal cascade of DKDP crystals.

Because of the high efficiency of frequency conversion and beam-target coupling, a fourth harmonic (4ω) laser has a splendid application prospect in a high-power laser facility. The polarization smoothing (PS) crystal is preferably after the frequency conversion crystal to flexibly obtain the best uniformity illumination of the target. However, as a high irradiance 4ω laser beam propagates through the PS crystal, the transverse stimulated Raman scattering (TSRS) effect of the PS crystal will be stronger, resulting in significant energy dissipation and crystal damage. This paper proposes a novel, to the best of our knowledge, fourth harmonic generation (FHG) scheme based on an orthogonal cascade of the DKDP crystals. This orthogonal cascaded FHG (OC-FHG) scheme employs two cascaded FHG crystals with orthogonal optical axes, and the PS crystal is in the middle. The PS crystal can rotate the polarization direction of the 2ω laser by 90°, while the polarization direction of the 4ω laser is maintained to a great extent. This OC-FHG scheme realizes the FHG by two steps, and the laser intensity at the PS crystal cuts down nearly 50%. The output intensity of the 4ω laser can be increased from 1.8G W/c m 2 to about 3.6G W/c m 2 under the condition of effectively inhibiting the TSRS effect. Meanwhile, the output 4ω laser contains two orthogonal polarized beams realizing in-beam polarization smoothing instantaneously. In addition, the novel FHG scheme can also have a high conversion efficiency and bandwidth tolerance.

MDT: semi-supervised medical image segmentation with mixup-decoupling training.

Objective. In the field of medicine, semi-supervised segmentation algorithms hold crucial research significance while also facing substantial challenges, primarily due to the extreme scarcity of expert-level annotated medical image data. However, many existing semi-supervised methods still process labeled and unlabeled data in inconsistent ways, which can lead to knowledge learned from labeled data being discarded to some extent. This not only lacks a variety of perturbations to explore potential robust information in unlabeled data but also ignores the confirmation bias and class imbalance issues in pseudo-labeling methods.Approach. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a semi-supervised medical image segmentation method 'mixup-decoupling training (MDT)' that combines the idea of consistency and pseudo-labeling. Firstly, MDT introduces a new perturbation strategy 'mixup-decoupling' to fully regularize training data. It not only mixes labeled and unlabeled data at the data level but also performs decoupling operations between the output predictions of mixed target data and labeled data at the feature level to obtain strong version predictions of unlabeled data. Then it establishes a dual learning paradigm based on consistency and pseudo-labeling. Secondly, MDT employs a novel categorical entropy filtering approach to pick high-confidence pseudo-labels for unlabeled data, facilitating more refined supervision.Main results. This paper compares MDT with other advanced semi-supervised methods on 2D and 3D datasets separately. A large number of experimental results show that MDT achieves competitive segmentation performance and outperforms other state-of-the-art semi-supervised segmentation methods.Significance. This paper proposes a semi-supervised medical image segmentation method MDT, which greatly reduces the demand for manually labeled data and eases the difficulty of data annotation to a great extent. In addition, MDT not only outperforms many advanced semi-supervised image segmentation methods in quantitative and qualitative experimental results, but also provides a new and developable idea for semi-supervised learning and computer-aided diagnosis technology research.

Coculture of bacterial levans and evaluation of its anti-cancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

This research represents a novel study to assess how coculture affects levan yield, structure, bioactivities, and molecular weight. Among the 16 honey isolates, four bacterial strains recorded the highest levan yield. The Plackett–Burman design showed that the coculture (M) of isolates G2 and K2 had the maximum levan yield (52 g/L) and the effective factors were sucrose, incubation time, and sugarcane bagasse. The CCD showed that the most proper concentrations for maximum levan yield (81 g/L): were 130 g/L of sucrose and 6 g/f of sugarcane bagasse. Levan’s backbone was characterized, and the molecular weight was determined. G2 and K2 isolates were identified based on 16 sRNA as Bacillus megaterium strain YM1C10 and Rhizobium sp. G6-1. M levan had promising antioxidant activity (99.66%), slowed the migration activity to a great extent, and recorded 70.70% inhibition against the hepatoblastoma cell line (HepG2) at 1000 µg/mL. Gene expression analysis in liver cancer cell lines (HePG2) revealed that M levan decreased the expression of CCL20), 2GRB2, and CCR6) genes and was superior to Doxo. While increasing the expression of the IL4R and IL-10 genes. The DNA damage values were significantly increased (P < 0.01) in treated liver cancer cell lines with levan M and Doxo. The results referred to the importance of each of the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups and the molecular weight in levans bioactivities.

Addiction Patient’s Relationship to Self and Predictions on the Estimated Hospitalization Duration

Addictions are physical and/or psychological dependency disorders characterized by repetitive and compulsive behaviours in which the individual has difficulty controlling impulses. In this study, behaviours are defined as chronic alcohol or substance use. Thus, compulsions will generate negative consequences on a person's quality of life. Among the causes of addiction are genetic and biological factors, environmental factors, trauma, abuse, lack of emotional support, stress, social pressures, poor coping mechanisms, social and cultural factors.&#x0D; Material and method&#x0D; In this study, part of a larger study, 81 patients diagnosed with toxic-nutritional liver cirrhosis, chronic alcohol users, aged between 32 and 68 years were included. The study period was of two years, and anamnestic data (number of hospitalization days, hospitalization frequency) were collected for the period 2015-2022. In order to carry out the linear research, SPSS statistical software was used. Patients, after obtaining consent, were administered a psychological questionnaire designed to assess unconditional self-acceptance, based on the hypothesis that low self-tolerance generates self-destructive behaviours, i.e. addictions.&#x0D; &#x0D; Results &#x0D; The necessary statistical steps were followed in order to check the database and it was possible to obtain correlations between the number of hospitalization days, the hospitalization frequency and the scores obtained in the questionnaire. Finally, it was possible to generate a simple linear regression prediction with the number of hospitalisation days /inpatient frequency as the dependent variable and the test score as the independent variable.&#x0D; The results showed that as unconditional self-acceptance decreases (decreasing score), the hospitalization duration or the number of patient presentations to the doctor increases.&#x0D; Conclusions &#x0D; Unconditional self-acceptance, environmental tolerance, coping mechanisms have a major impact on the patient's well-being and compliance with treatment. Psychosomatic disorders accompany the addiction patient to a much greater extent than the diagnosis made by clinicians. This demonstrates the need for a diagnostic tool, the lack of collaboration with the psychiatrist, ultimately generating costs on the health system and reducing the quality of the patient’s life.&#x0D; In order to optimise the diagnosis, a tool within the clinician's reach (internal medicine doctor, gastroenterologist, etc.) and a real collaboration with the psychiatrist or clinical psychologist is necessary.