Group S1 Research Articles

Do we need to fix the anterior fracture component in insufficiency fractures of the pelvis? A biomechanical comparison on an FFP type IIIc fracture in an osteoporotic pelvic bone model

There is a growing understanding of the specific characteristics of insufficiency fractures of the pelvis and of general requirements for the treatment of affected patients with focus on early mobilization and effective pain reduction as the main goals of therapy. While there is consensus on the significance of achieving stability of the dorsal pelvic ring structures there is still an open discussion about the potential benefits of additional stabilization of an anterior fracture component.Within a biomechanical test setup, two established methods of dorsal fracture fixation were tested under axial loading (25–1200 N; 1000 test cycles) on an explicit osteoporotic bone model (n = 32) with a standardized FFP type IIIc fracture with and without additional fixation of the anterior fracture component. Dorsal fixation was performed with and long and a short 7.3 mm cannulated screw in S1 in one group (n = 16), and a trans sacral bar with an additional short 7.3 mm cannulated screw in S1 in the other group (n = 16). Half of the samples received a 7.3 mm cannulated retrograde transpubic screw for anterior fixation.The fixation with the trans sacral bar and the additional anterior screw fixation showed the highest rate of stability (p = 0.0014), followed by the double SI-screw fixation with stabilization of the anterior fracture (p = 0.0002). During testing, we observed the occurrence of new sacral fractures contralateral to the initial fracture in 22/32 samples.The results let us assume that stabilization of an additional anterior fracture component relevantly improves the stability of the entire ring construct and might prevent failure of the dorsal stabilization or further fracture progression.

Effect of sprint interval training load on maximal oxygen uptake in trained men.

Sprint interval training (SIT) improves maximal aerobic and anaerobic performance, including oxygen uptake (VO2<inf>max</inf>), power output, and sprint performance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SIT load on V̇O<inf>2max</inf> in trained subjects. SIT was performed twice a week for three weeks by twenty-four trained men (aged: 20.7±2.7, V̇O<inf>2max</inf> 43.6±6.5) and consisted of seven bouts of 10-s cycling sprints followed by a 4-min rest. Subjects were divided into two groups depending on the relative resistance of the load compared to their body mass (BM): 7.5% (S7.5) and 10% (S10). We measured the peak power, mean power, and peak cadence in SIT during the first and final sessions. V̇O<inf>2max</inf>, maximum aerobic power (MAP), heart rate, and lactate (La) concentration were measured before and after SIT using incremental tests. After 3 weeks of SIT, V̇O<inf>2max</inf>, MAP, and La improved significantly in both S7.5 and S10 groups. In addition, changes in V̇O<inf>2max</inf> in S10 were higher than those in S7.5 (2.2±11.2% vs. 9.23±9.57%, P=0.029, adjusted by pre V̇O<inf>2max</inf>). MAP measurements showed the same results (2.2±11.3% vs. 8.3±10.0%, P=0.015, adjusted by pre-MAP). However, there was no significant interaction between time and group. A significant increase in peak cadence from first session to sixth sessions was observed in S7.5 (P=0.01, ES = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02-1.78) but not in S10 (P=0.132, ES = 0.22, 95% [CI]: -0.59-1.01). Our results suggest that 3 weeks of SIT improves endurance performance in trained subjects. It seems that SIT at 10% load may tend to be more effective.

Formulating an altered dentin substrate to improve dentin bonding

Statement of problemSecondary caries is a major factor in the failure of dental restorations. However, studies on the fabrication of acid-resistant and antibacterial dentin to improve dentin bonding are sparse. PurposeThe purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the effects of 2 types of fluoride-containing etchants on dentin bonding and explore the feasibility of formulating an altered dentin substrate to improve dentin bonding. Material and methodsNaF-containing and SnF2-containing etchants were developed by adding sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride to a 35% phosphoric acid aqueous solution. Two groups (N1 and N2) containing NaF, 10 and 30 mg/mL respectively, and 2 groups (S1 and S2) containing SnF2, 18.6 and 55.8 mg/mL respectively, were formulated. The etchant of the control group (C) was 35% phosphoric acid gel. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), microhardness, antierosion, and antibacterial tests were performed on the treated dentin. Moreover, the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of each group was tested, and the fracture mode was determined after testing. Statistical analysis was performed with the 2-way ANOVA test (α=.05). ResultsThe exposed collagen fiber was observed in group C, and minerals were formed on the dentin in the experimental groups. SEM, FTIR, and the microhardness test indicated more remineralization in the SnF2-containing etchant groups. The µTBS of S1 (77.5 ±10.36 MPa) was the highest in all groups, and group C (38.5 ±9.01 MPa) was the lowest. Moreover, the antierosion and antibacterial properties of the S2 group were the best among all groups (P<.05). ConclusionsCompared with NaF-containing etchant, SnF2-containing etchant could improve the dentin substrate, increase remineralization, improve bonding strength, and enhance antibacterial ability, especially by increasing resistance to acid erosion.

Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Efficacy of Steroidal Saponins for Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Hybrid Grouper (♀Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × ♂Epinephelus lanceolatu) Fed Higher-Lipid Diets.

An analysis of the extent of the effect of steroidal saponin addition on glucose and lipid metabolism in hybrid grouper liver was performed at the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels. Feeds (52% crude protein, 14% crude lipid) were prepared containing 0% (S0), 0.1% (S0.1), and 0.2% (S0.2) steroidal saponins. After eight weeks of feeding trial, compared to the S0 group, the activities of serum albumin, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase were significantly lower and the activities of lysozyme, acid phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase were significantly higher in the S0.1 group (p < 0.05). The superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities in the livers of the S0.1 group were significantly higher than those of the S0 group, while the malondialdehyde content was significantly lower than that of the S0 group (p < 0.05). There were forty-two differentially expressed genes and thirty-two differential metabolites associated with glucose and lipid metabolism enriched using KEGG and GO. In the S0 group, the expression of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1, prostaglandin E synthase 1, and thromboxane-2 synthase mRNA was significantly higher than in the S0.1 group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of genes in the S0 group were significantly higher than those in the S0.1 group (p < 0.05), including for glycogen synthase kinase, glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit 2, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, glucose transporter 4, and malate dehydrogenase. The expression of mRNA such as fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 was significantly lower in the S0.1 group than in the S0 group, while the expression of carnitine acyltransferase 1, acyl-CoA synthetase, and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase genes was significantly higher in the S0 group (p < 0.05). In summary, glycogen synthesis, gluconeogenesis, and the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway were inhibited by 0.1% steroidal saponins, and glycogenolysis, glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway were activated. This study aims to provide a reference for the formulation of grouper feeds with a higher crude-lipid level.

Reduction of apparent temporal variations of tidal parameters by a proper local response model

We describe a new harmonic tidal analysis method, which constrains the solution to be near a reference model. This regularization stabilizes the linear regression, allowing us to infer model parameters for each tidal harmonic. This overcomes the need to create a priori groupings of harmonics. The inversion is done iteratively by adjusting the reference model to reduce the data misfit. The frequency dependence of the solution is thus data-driven. We find models for the different spherical degrees independently. Our procedure allows narrow-band variations of the tidal admittance. We test the hypothesis that some of the temporal variations of tidal parameters found in previous studies were caused by inappropriate body tide models in combination with a priori wave grouping. We determine a local response model from 11.5 years of data recorded by the superconducting gravimeter SG056 at Black Forest Observatory (BFO, Schiltach). Using this as an a priori model in a non-regularized moving window analysis of wave groups composed from summed harmonics, we find that periodic variations of groups M1, K1, mu 2, N2, L2, and S2 are reduced by up to a factor of 7 compared to earlier studies. Some variations previously seen in the M2 group are captured as well.

Evaluating the In Vitro and In Vivo Prebiotic Effects of Different Xylo-Oligosaccharides Obtained from Bamboo Shoots by Hydrothermal Pretreatment Combined with Endo-Xylanase Hydrolysis.

Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) enriched with high fractions of X2-X3 are regarded as an effective prebiotic for regulating the intestinal microflora. In this study, the original XOS solution was obtained from bamboo shoots through hydrothermal pretreatment under optimized conditions. Subsequently, enzymatic hydrolysis with endo-xylanase was performed on the original XOS solution to enhance the abundance of the X2-X3 fractions. The results demonstrated that hydrothermal pretreatment yielded 21.24% of XOS in the hydrolysate solution, and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis significantly increased the proportion of the X2-X3 fractions from 38.87% to 68.21%. Moreover, the XOS solutions with higher amounts of X2-X3 fractions exhibited superior performance in promoting the growth of probiotics such as Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Lactobacillus acidophilus in vitro, leading to increased production of short-chain fatty acids. In the in vivo colitis mouse model, XOS solutions with higher contents of X2-X3 fractions demonstrated enhanced efficacy against intestinal inflammation. Compared with the colitis mice (model group), the XOS solution with higher X2-X3 fractions (S1 group) could significantly increase the number of Streptomyces in the intestinal microflora, while the original XOS solution (S2 group) could significantly increase the number of Bacteroides in the intestinal microflora of colitis mice. In addition, the abundances of Alcaligenes and Pasteurella in the intestinal microflora of the S1 and S2 groups were much lower than in the model group. This effect was attributed to the ability of these XOS solutions to enhance species diversity, reversing the imbalance and disorder within the intestinal microflora. Overall, this work highlights the outstanding potential of XOS enriched with high contents of X2-X3 fractions as a regulator of the intestinal microbiota and as an anti-colitis agent.

SIRT6 pharmacological inhibition delays skin cancer progression in the squamous cell carcinoma

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) has a critical role in cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC): SIRT6 silencing in skin SCC cells has pro-differentiating effects and SIRT6 deletion abrogated DMBA-TPA-induced skin tumorigenesis in mice. On the other hand, SIRT6 acts as tumor suppressor in SCC by enhancing glycolysis in tumor propagating cells. Herein, pharmacological modulation of SIRT6 deacetylase activity was investigated in cSCC, with S6 (inhibitor) or MDL-800 (activator). In cSCC cells, S6 recreated the pro-differentiating effects of SIRT6 silencing, as the levels of Keratin 1, Keratin 10 and Loricrin were upregulated compared to controls. Next, the effects of SIRT6 pharmacological modulation were evaluated in a DMBA-TPA-induced skin cancer mouse model. Mice treated with the inhibitor S6 in a preventive approach, i.e. at the beginning of the promotion stage, presented reduced number and size of papillomas, compared to the controls. The epidermal hyperproliferation marker Keratin 6 and the cSCC marker Keratin 8 were less abundant when SIRT6 was inhibited. In S6-treated lesions, the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) markers Zeb1 and Vimentin were less expressed compared to untreated lesions. In a therapeutic approach, i.e. treatment starting after papilloma appearance, the S6 group presented reduced papillomas (number and size), whereas MDL-800-treated mice displayed an opposite trend. In S6-treated lesions, Keratin 6 and Keratin 8 were less expressed, EMT was less advanced, with a higher E-cadherin/Vimentin ratio, indicating a delayed carcinogenesis when SIRT6 was inhibited. Our results confirm that SIRT6 plays a role in skin carcinogenesis and suggest SIRT6 pharmacological inhibition as a promising strategy in cSCC.

Viscoelastic Characteristics in Mouse Model of Hepatic Steatosis With Inflammation by Kelvin-Voigt Fractional Derivative Modeling.

The aim of the work described here was to measure the characteristics of viscoelasticity and fluidity in a mouse model of hepatic steatosis and inflammation using a nano-indentation test and the Kelvin-Voigt fractional derivative (KVFD) model and to explore the viscoelasticity and fluidity characteristics in mice with different degrees of hepatic steatosis with inflammation. Twenty-five ApoE mice were randomly divided into an experimental high-fat diet group (n=15) and an ordinary-food control group (n=10), then subdivided into four subgroups based on pathological degree of hepatic steatosis: S0 (normal), S1 (mild), S2 (moderate) and S3 (severe). The 25 liver specimens from these mice were evaluated by a slope-keeping relaxation nano-indentation test. Elasticity (E0) was significantly higher in the S3 group than in the S1 and S2 groups, while fluidity (α) and viscosity (τ) were significantly lower in S3 than in S1 and S2 (all p values < 0.05). The following cutoff values for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis >33% with inflammation were also determined: E0 > 85.01 Pa (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.917, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.735-0.989), α ≤ 0.38 (AUC: 0.885, 95% CI: 0.695-0.977),\ and τ ≤ 3.92 (AUC: 0.813, 95% CI: 0.607-0.939). Increases in the degree of hepatic steatosis with inflammation in mice paralleled gradual increases in the stiffness of the liver and gradual decreases in the fluidity and viscosity of the liver.

Examples of surfaces with canonical maps of degree 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18

In this note, we present examples of complex algebraic surfaces with canonical maps of degree 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18. They are constructed as quotients of a product of two curves of genus 10 and 19 using certain non-free actions of the group S3×Z32\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$S_3\ imes {\\mathbb {Z}}_3^2$$\\end{document}. To our knowledge, there are no other examples in the literature of surfaces with canonical map of degree 13, 15 and 18.

Absorption and Distribution of Imidacloprid and Its Metabolites in Goldfish (Carassius auratus Linnaeus).

Imidacloprid (IMI) is the first-generation neonicotinoid insecticide. But, the long-term use of IMI as a pesticide has caused severe water pollution. Recently, the toxicity of IMI to aquatic organisms has received increasing attention. This study aimed to investigate the absorption and distribution of IMI in various tissues (gills, intestine, liver, muscle, brain and gonads) of goldfish through short-term and continuous exposure tests over 28 days. The results of short-term exposure indicated that the concentration of IMI and its metabolites in tissues at the transfer stage decreased steadily after 1 day of 40 mg/L IMI water treatment and was below the detection limit after 3 days. Continuous exposure for 28 days at various treatment concentrations showed that the concentrations of IMI and its metabolites differed significantly among the different tissues of the goldfish. In the 20 mg/L treatment group (S1), the highest concentration of IMI was found in the liver (12.04 μg/gtissue), followed by the intestine (9.91 μg/gtissue), muscle (6.20 μg/gtissue), gill (6.11 μg/gtissue), gonads (5.22 μg/gtissue) and brain (2.87 μg/gtissue). In the 40 mg/L treatment group (S2), the order of the tissue concentrations was similar to that of the S1 group, with the highest concentration observed in the liver (12.04 μg/gtissue), followed by the intestine (9.91 μg/gtissue), muscle (6.20 μg/gtissue), gill (6.11 μg/gtissue), gonads (5.22 μg/gtissue) and brain (2.87 μg/gtissue). Furthermore, the study detected 5-hydroxy-IMI, IMI urea and 6-chloronicotinic acid in IMI metabolites in all tissues, while IMI was detected only in the intestine and liver. Overall, the results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the metabolic behavior of IMI in organisms and provide new data to support the assessment of IMI toxicity in fish.

Study the Effect of Selenium Supplementations on the Liver, Kidney and Thyroid Gland Activities in Male Rats

The liver, kidney, and thyroid glands are main vital in biochemical and physiological activities in animals and humans. In this study, we examined the effects of adding selenium supplementation on the improvement activity of many glands such as the liver, kidney, and thyroid after cadmium chloride administration (induced toxicity) in male rabbits. This study included 16 male rabbits divided into four groups, the 1st group (CON) was control and administration normal fed and drinking water, the 2nd group (NC ) was negative control group that administration of 1ml of cadmium chloride (100ppm) with normal fed, the 3rd group (S1) was administration of 1ml of sodium selenite, and 4th group (S2) was administration of 5ml of selenium and all groups continuous for same style up to 8th week of experiment. Antioxidant and oxidative stress status was investigated by measuring the levels of T-AOC and MDA. The liver was assessed by estimation of ALT, AST, TP, and TB while kidney was assessed by calculation of blood CRI and UR and the thyroid gland assessed by measurement of serum T3 and T4. The levels of selenoprotein (SeP) mg/l were assessed by HPLC for standard and S2 group. The results of present study shows highly statistical differences between four group when compare the mean±SD of the levels of ALT,AST,TP,TB,CRI,UR,T3, and T4 (p-value &lt;0.005). In conclusion, this study showing highly ability of selenium supplementation to lowering the levels of the markers of liver, kidney, and thyroid gland and work as protective factor from toxicity induced by cadmium in male rabbits.

A diagnostic model of nerve root compression localization in lower lumbar disc herniation based on random forest algorithm and surface electromyography.

This study aimed to investigate the muscle activation of patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) during walking by surface electromyography (SEMG) and establish a diagnostic model based on SEMG parameters using random forest (RF) algorithm for localization diagnosis of compressed nerve root in LDH patients. Fifty-eight patients with LDH and thirty healthy subjects were recruited. The SEMG of tibialis anterior (TA) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) were collected bilaterally during walking. The peak root mean square (RMS-peak), RMS-peak time, mean power frequency (MPF), and median frequency (MF) were analyzed. A diagnostic model based on SEMG parameters using RF algorithm was established to locate compressed nerve root, and repeated reservation experiments were conducted for verification. The study evaluated the diagnostic efficiency of the model using accuracy, precision, recall rate, F1-score, Kappa value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The results showed that delayed activation of TA and decreased activation of LG were observed in the L5 group, while decreased activation of LG and earlier activation of LG were observed in the S1 group. The RF model based on eight SEMG parameters showed an average accuracy of 84%, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.93. The RMS peak time of TA was identified as the most important SEMG parameter. These findings suggest that the RF model can assist in the localization diagnosis of compressed nerve roots in LDH patients, and the SEMG parameters can provide further references for optimizing the diagnosis model in the future.

Complex S3-symmetric 3HDM

CP violation plays a very important role in nature with implications both for Particle Physics and for Cosmology. Accounting for the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe requires the existence of new sources of CP violation beyond the Standard Model. In models with an extended scalar sector CP violation can emerge either explicitly, i.e., at the Lagrangian level, or spontaneously. Spontaneous CP violation occurs in the framework of the electroweak symmetry breaking whenever the Lagrangian conserves CP and the vacuum breaks it. This requires that not all vacuum expectation values be real. In the context of multi-Higgs extensions of the Standard Model imposing the existence of a scalar basis where all couplings are real is a sufficient condition for CP to be explicitly conserved. We discuss a three-Higgs-doublet model with an underlying S3 symmetry, allowing in principle for complex couplings. In this framework it is possible to have either spontaneous or explicit CP violation in the scalar sector, depending on the regions of parameter space corresponding to the different possible vacua of the S3 symmetric potential. We list all possible vacuum structures allowing for CP violation in the scalar sector specifying whether it can be explicit or spontaneous. It is by now established that CP is violated in the flavour sector and that the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix is complex. In order to understand what are the possible sources of CP violation in the Yukawa sector we analyse the implications of the different available choices of representations for the quarks under the S3 group. This classification is based strictly on the exact S3-symmetric scalar potential with no soft symmetry breaking terms. The scalar sector of one such model was explored numerically. After applying the theoretical and the most important experimental constraints the available parameter space is shown to be able to give rise to light neutral scalars at the mathcal{O} (MeV) scale.

Clinical and radiological efficacy of spino-pelvic fixation in the treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis

Pelvic fixation is performed to obtain proper coronal and sagittal alignment when the pelvic obliquity is more than 15º in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS). Since many NMS patients were wheelchair or bed-ridden status, there has been controversy on the effect of pelvic fixation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of pelvic fixation on correction of spinal deformity and quality of life (QoL) in NMS patients. A total of 77 NMS patients who underwent deformity correction were divided into three groups and retrospectively analyzed preoperatively, postoperatively, and at 2-year follow-up: pelvic fixation group (Group A, n = 16), fixed to S1 (Group B, n = 33), and fixed to L5 (Group C, n = 28). The correction rate of scoliosis was 60.0%, 58.0%, and 56.7% in groups A, B, and C, respectively, with no statistical difference (P > 0.05). The correction rate of pelvic obliquity was 61.3%, 42.8%, and 57.5% in respective groups A, B, and C, with no significance (P > 0.05). The correction loss of scoliosis and pelvic obliquity showed no statistical significance between three groups for 2-year follow-up (all Ps > 0.05). There were no significant differences regarding clinical outcomes and postoperative complications among the three groups (all Ps > 0.05). Therefore, pelvic fixation using iliac screws is not substantially influencing radiological and clinical outcomes in the patients with NMS.

Metabolic Pathway Pairwise-Based Signature as a Potential Non-Invasive Diagnostic Marker in Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder. Early screening, particularly in blood plasma, has been demonstrated as a promising approach to the diagnosis and prevention of AD. In addition, metabolic dysfunction has been demonstrated to be closely related to AD, which might be reflected in the whole blood transcriptome. Hence, we hypothesized that the establishment of a diagnostic model based on the metabolic signatures of blood is a workable strategy. To that end, we initially constructed metabolic pathway pairwise (MPP) signatures to characterize the interplay among metabolic pathways. Then, a series of bioinformatic methodologies, e.g., differential expression analysis, functional enrichment analysis, network analysis, etc., were used to investigate the molecular mechanism behind AD. Moreover, an unsupervised clustering analysis based on the MPP signature profile via the Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) algorithm was utilized to stratify AD patients. Finally, aimed at distinguishing AD patients from non-AD groups, a metabolic pathway-pairwise scoring system (MPPSS) was established using multi-machine learning methods. As a result, many metabolic pathways correlated to AD were disclosed, including oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid biosynthesis, etc. NMF clustering analysis divided AD patients into two subgroups (S1 and S2), which exhibit distinct activities of metabolism and immunity. Typically, oxidative phosphorylation in S2 exhibits a lower activity than that in S1 and non-AD group, suggesting the patients in S2 might possess a more compromised brain metabolism. Additionally, immune infiltration analysis showed that the patients in S2 might have phenomena of immune suppression compared with S1 and the non-AD group. These findings indicated that S2 probably has a more severe progression of AD. Finally, MPPSS could achieve an AUC of 0.73 (95%CI: 0.70, 0.77) in the training dataset, 0.71 (95%CI: 0.65, 0.77) in the testing dataset, and an AUC of 0.99 (95%CI: 0.96, 1.00) in one external validation dataset. Overall, our study successfully established a novel metabolism-based scoring system for AD diagnosis using the blood transcriptome and provided new insight into the molecular mechanism of metabolic dysfunction implicated in AD.

Impact of Robotic-Assisted Gait Training in Subacute Spinal Cord Injury Patients on Outcome Measure.

The improvement of walking ability is a primary goal for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) is an innovative method for its improvement. This study evaluates the influence of RAGT vs. dynamic parapodium training (DPT) in improving gait motor functions in SCI patients. In this single-centre, single-blinded study, we enrolled 105 (39 and 64 with complete and incomplete SCI, respectively) patients. The investigated subjects received gait training with RAGT (experimental S1-group) and DPT (control S0-group), with six training sessions per week over seven weeks. The American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale Motor Score (MS), Spinal Cord Independence Measure, version-III (SCIM-III), Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury, version-II (WISCI-II), and Barthel Index (BI) were assessed in each patient before and after sessions. Patients with incomplete SCI assigned to the S1 rehabilitation group achieved more significant improvement in MS [2.58 (SE 1.21, p < 0.05)] and WISCI-II [3.07 (SE 1.02, p < 0.01])] scores in comparison with patients assigned to the S0 group. Despite the described improvement in the MS motor score, no progression between grades of AIS (A to B to C to D) was observed. A nonsignificant improvement between the groups for SCIM-III and BI was found. RAGT significantly improved gait functional parameters in SCI patients in comparison with conventional gait training with DPT. RAGT is a valid treatment option in SCI patients in the subacute phase. DPT should not be recommended for patients with incomplete SCI (AIS-C); in those patients, RAGT rehabilitation programs should be taken into consideration.

Formation evaluation and rock type classification of Asmari Formation based on petrophysical- petrographic data: A case study in one of super fields in Iran southwest

The Oligo-Miocene Asmari Formation is one of the most important hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Middle East. The oilfield under study is one of the largest oilfields in the Zagros basin with the Asmari Formation being the major reservoir rock. In this study, petrographic analyses, petrophysical data and neural network clustering techniques were used for identifying rock types in the Asmari reservoir. Facies analysis of the Asmari Formation in the study area has resulted in the definition of 1 clastic lithofacies and 14 carbonate microfacies types. Using petrophysical logs from 43 wells and their correlation with capillary pressure ( P c ) curves, led to the recognition of 7 electrofacies (EF1-EF7). Microscopic evidence of Electrofacies group C1 and S1 show that the sedimentary facies of these electrofacies are most commonly found in restricted and shoal facies belts zone. Also, petrographic studies show that the sedimentary facies of C2, C3, C4, S2 and S3 were formed in the open marine, Lagoon, and Tidal flat facies belt zone of homoclinal ramp sedimentary environment during the Oligo-Miocene based on relative sea level changes respectively. The link between electrofacies and geological data indicated that both sedimentary and diagenetic processes controlled the reservoir quality of the Asmari Formation. Porosity, permeability and water saturation were used to estimate the reservoir quality of each electrofacies. EFs 1 and 2 with high porosity and permeability, low water saturation is considered as the best reservoir with regard to sedimentary textures (dolowackestone and dolograinstone) and the effect of diagenetic processes such as dolomitization processes. Vuggy, growth framework and interparticle porosities are major in EF-2, while the intercrystalline porosity is the major type in EF-1. EFs 3 and 4 show low values of porosity, permeability and high percentage of water saturations, which characterizes them as poor reservoir rocks. Finally, EF-5 is the only electrofacies in the siliciclastic parts of the Asmari reservoir, which is composed of rounded and well-sorted quartz grains that are slightly cemented. In sandstone electrofacies, electrofacies EF- 5 (S1), is the best type of sandstone reservoir rock and to move towards electrofacies EF-7 (S3), will reduce reservoir quality. In carbonate electrofacies, also, electrofacies no 1, the best type of carbonate reservoir rock can be observed and move towards electrofacie number 4, lower quality of reservoir rocks is seen. • This research can be useful in the development of the field and determining oil production in the future of similar fields.

Discrete symmetries and efficient counting of operators

We present DECO (“Discrete and Efficient Counting of Operators”), an implementation of the Hilbert series to enumerate subleading operator bases for SMEFT-like EFTs with symmetry groups as typically found in flavour and BSM physics. DECO can accommodate EFTs with arbitrary numbers and combinations of the SM gauge groups, as well as the discrete groups S4, A4, and ℤn, and U(1) groups with residual global charge (and these groups’ most important representations). The program is highly modular and can easily be extended to additional groups and/or representations. We demonstrate the design cases for DECO by using it to cross-check subleading operator bases of EFTs in the literature, which allows us to identify a missing operator in a widely used model for the neutrino masses and discuss said operator’s impact.

Potential of Chinese Yam (Dioscorea polystachya Turczaninow) By-Product as a Feed Additive in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides): Turning Waste into Valuable Resources.

Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya Turczaninow) by-product produced in the water extraction process is commonly directly discarded resulting in a waste of resources and environmental pollution. However, the value of Chinese yam by-product which still contains effective ingredients is far from being fully realized; hence, it has the potential to be a safe and effective feed additive in aquaculture. To investigate the impacts of Chinese yam by-product on growth performance, antioxidant ability, histomorphology, and intestinal microbiota of Micropterus salmoides, juvenile fish (initial weight 13.16 ± 0.05 g) were fed diets supplemented with 0% (control), 0.1% (S1), 0.4% (S2), and 1.6% (S3) of Chinese yam by-product for 60 days. The results showed that no significant difference was found in weight gain, specific growth rate, and survival among all the experimental groups (P > 0.05). Feed conversion ratios of the S1 and S3 groups were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). SOD activity of the S3 group and GSH contents of Chinese yam by-product groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). MDA levels of the S2 and S3 groups were significantly lower than those in the control group and the S1 group (P < 0.05). Besides, Chinese yam by-product could protect liver and intestine health, as well as increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria and decrease the abundance of potential pathogens. This study suggests that Chinese yam by-product has the potential to be used as a functional feed additive in aquaculture, providing a reference for efficient recovery and utilization of by-products from plant sources during processing and culturing high-quality aquatic products.

Some new 3-designs invariant under the groups Sz(8) and S6(2)

In this paper, we determine all simple block-transitive 3-designs on 65 points with block stabilizer of order greater than 2, admitting the 2-transitive action of the group [Formula: see text]. As a result, we find 23 3-designs on 65 points that have [Formula: see text] as an automorphism group. Also we construct four 3-([Formula: see text]) designs for [Formula: see text] and two 3-([Formula: see text]) designs for [Formula: see text]. All of these designs have [Formula: see text] as the full automorphism group. Some of these designs are flag and anti-flag-transitive.