Ideal Size Research Articles

A pH-sensitive supramolecular nanosystem with chlorin e6 and triptolide co-delivery for chemo-photodynamic combination therapy

The combination of Ce6, an acknowledged photosensitizer, and TPL, a natural anticancer agent, has been demonstrated as a useful strategy to reinforce the tumor growth suppression, as well as decrease the systemic side effects compared with their monotherapy. However, in view of the optimal chemo-photodynamic combination efficiency, there is still short of the feasible nanovehicle to steadily co-deliver Ce6 and TPL, and stimuli-responsively burst release drugs in tumor site. Herein, we described the synergistic antitumor performance of a pH-sensitive supramolecular nanosystem, mediated by the host–guest complexing between β-CD and acid pH-responsive amphiphilic co-polymer mPEG-PBAE-mPEG, showing the shell–core structural micelles with the tight β-CD layer coating. Both Ce6 and TPL were facilely co-loaded into the spherical supramolecular NPs (TPL+Ce6/NPs) by one-step nanoprecipitation method, with an ideal particle size (156.0 nm), acid pH-responsive drug release profile, and enhanced cellular internalization capacity. In view of the combination benefit of photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy, as well as co-encapsulation in the fabricated pH-sensitive supramolecular NPs, TPL+Ce6/NPs exhibited significant efficacy to suppress cellular proliferation, boost ROS level, lower MMP, and promote cellular apoptosis in vitro. Particularly, fluorescence imaging revealed that TPL+Ce6/NPs preferentially accumulated in the tumor tissue area, with higher intensity than that of free Ce6. As expected, upon 650-nm laser irradiation, TPL+Ce6/NPs exhibited a cascade of amplified synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapeutic benefits to suppress tumor progression in both hepatoma H22 tumor-bearing mice and B16 tumor-bearing mice. More importantly, lower systemic toxicity was found in the tumor-bearing mice treated with TPL+Ce6/NPs. Overall, the designed supramolecular TPL+Ce6/NPs provided a promising alternative approach for chemo-photodynamic therapy in tumor treatment.

Adaptive deterministic approach for optimized sizing of high-energy battery system applied in electric-powered application

For achieving decarbonization globally, most electric applications, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaic (PV) generators, are moving toward the use of eco-friendly and renewable energy sources. Currently, one of the most utilized energy storage devices is the lithium-ion battery, which has various advantages than other systems. In addition, a lithium-ion battery presents nonlinear characteristics during operation. Therefore, these features should be considered in the design of battery systems with load requirements. In this paper, energy and power characteristics were analyzed in terms of battery system size in relation to EVs and PV generators. If a battery system is designed to supply power less than the energy demand, it will be utilized beyond the designed and safety range, and there will be generation of waste residual energy. However, if a battery system is designed to supply power more than the demand, additional investment and maintenance cost will be incurred to setup the battery system. Thus, this paper proposes an optimal sizing method for a lithium-ion battery system considering its nonlinear features using Peukert’s law and the analyzed load conditions. To obtain the ideal size of the battery system, an adaptive deterministic approach is implemented. After determining the optimal battery system size, a simulation of the battery system with a load profile is conducted to verify that it satisfies all constraints of the battery system.

The life history of longnose emperors (Lethrinus olivaceus) and a data-limited assessment of their stock to support fisheries management at Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia.

The spawning aggregations of coral reef species support artisanal fisheries throughout the Pacific Islands, but they are vulnerable to overexploitation and need improved fisheries management. To this aim, the authors employed a combination of fishery methods including life-history studies to estimate the age, growth and reproductive parameters of longnose emperor (Lethrinus olivaceus), and a length-based stock assessment to provide the community of Rangiroa Atoll with an assessment of their longnose emperor spawning aggregation fishery. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters of this species were estimated to be L∞ =80 (75-87) cm TL, K=0.18 (0.15-0.24), t0 =-0.82 (-1.43-0.27) with a mean natural mortality rate of 0.309 ± 0.038. The sex ratios observed in this study support the belief that this species exhibits functional protogyny with females reaching sexual maturity at 38 cm TL and approximately 3 years of age, and sex change occurring at approximately 45 cm TL and 4 years of age. The spawning potential ratio (SPR) of the longnose emperor stock was estimated to be between 19% and 28% across the years of this study, and simulations of SPR and yield per-recruit indicate that if the community wanted to conserve >30% of the stock's SPR, the ideal minimum size limit for this species is 50 cm TL. The results provide the baseline life-history information required to evaluate the fisheries for this species in the South Pacific region and support community-led management actions for this spawning aggregation fishery on Rangiroa Atoll.

Impacts of topography and weather barriers on commercial cargo bicycle energy using urban delivery crowdsourced cycling data

Commercial cargo bicycles have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, traffic congestion, and delivery times. However, urban physical barriers and small cargo capacities could limit their uptake in city logistics. This analysis explores the effects of payload, air density, wind, and topography on commercial cargo bicycle energy-use in cities with a focus on six European capitals (Berlin, Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Oslo, and London), and is supported by an empirical model using GPS traces and hourly weather data. The study finds that city hilliness could deplete up to 13-34% of the riders’ energy-use, while wind speed can negatively affect the bikes’ energy-use by up to 12-23%. Air-density effects are small; however, in cold cities like Oslo, they could reduce riders’ energy-use by up to 8% in wintertime. These estimates can enable future studies to assess the operational feasibility of commercial cargo bicycles and help policy makers to promote their use by subsidizing the purchase of batteries to mitigate energy-use differences across cities due to topographic or weather effects. Results reveal that, across the cities in this study, this “ideal battery size” varies from 0.1-0.8 kWh in Berlin to 1.6-2.1 kWh in Lisbon.

Relaxed Dot Plots: Faithful Visualization of Samples and Their Distribution.

We introduce relaxed dot plots as an improvement of nonlinear dot plots for unit visualization. Our plots produce more faithful data representations and reduce moiré effects. Their contour is based on a customized kernel frequency estimation to match the shape of the distribution of underlying data values. Previous nonlinear layouts introduce column-centric nonlinear scaling of dot diameters for visualization of high-dynamic-range data with high peaks. We provide a mathematical approach to convert that column-centric scaling to our smooth envelope shape. This formalism allows us to use linear, root, and logarithmic scaling to find ideal dot sizes. Our method iteratively relaxes the dot layout for more correct and aesthetically pleasing results. To achieve this, we modified Lloyd's algorithm with additional constraints and heuristics. We evaluate the layouts of relaxed dot plots against a previously existing nonlinear variant and show that our algorithm produces less error regarding the underlying data while establishing the blue noise property that works against moiré effects. Further, we analyze the readability of our relaxed plots in three crowd-sourced experiments. The results indicate that our proposed technique surpasses traditional dot plots.

Qual é a melhor maneira para definir o tamanho amostral para mudas de couve-flor?

ABSTRACT: This study compared four methods for defining the ideal sample size per experimental unit to estimate the overall experimental mean for the total length, shoot length, root length, and the number of leaves of cauliflower seedlings. An experiment was carried out where the number of leaves, shoot, root, and total length were measured, and the general, perpendicular distance, linear response plateau, and spline methods were tested. While the general method may under or overestimate sample size and the sampling of 10 seedlings suggested by the spline method is still too far from the stabilization point of the curve, the perpendicular distance and linear plateau response methods are recommended to obtain results corresponding to narrower confidence interval widths. Therefore, according to the perpendicular distance method, at least 15 seedlings per experimental unit are required to estimate the overall experimental mean of cauliflower seedlings reliably for the traits here measured.

Digital marketing and its effect on consumer behaviour: A case study of the Nigerian telecoms

The widespread uses of Internet technologies have changed how firms around the world communicate their products or services to consumers. Understanding consumers’ desires and creating products or services to cater to these needs remain the major concern of many organizations. Therefore, this study focused on the role digital marketing poses on consumers’ behavior and satisfaction. The study further identifies the factors influencing the use of digital marketing in the Nigerian telecommunication industry. A survey research method was used and the Cochran formula enables an ideal sample size calculation since the total population size of online consumers is infinite. Based on this calculation 500 respondents were surveyed due to the researcher's convenience, cost, and accessibility to the respondents. Data were collected using both primary and secondary sources. An online well-structured designed questionnaire (Google survey) was attached via online platforms. The questionnaire elicited information on respondents' perceived usefulness of the digital adverts and other marketing platforms as well as the factors influencing their use. Interestingly, the results showed that digital marketing thus has a significant relationship with consumers’ behavior and satisfaction. This further indicates that consumers appreciate regular and timely access to information provided on telecommunications products, services, and networks via digital marketing channels in making purchase decisions.

Optimal location and sizing of distributed generation to minimize losses using whale optimization algorithm

The conventional power plants often bring in power quality concerns for instance high power losses and poor voltage profile to the network which are caused by the locations of power plants that are placed a distance away from loads. With proper planning and systematic allocation, the introduction of distributed generation (DG) into the network will enhance the performance and condition of the power system. This paper utilizes the optimization approach named whale optimization algorithm (WOA) in the search of the most ideal location and size of DG while ensuring the reduction of power losses and the minimization of the voltage deviation. WOA implementation is done in the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution system (RDS) utilizing MATPOWER and MATLAB software for no DG, one DG and two DGs installation. The outcome obtained from using WOA was compared to other well-known optimization methods and WOA has shown its competency after comparison; the optimal location of WOA with other methods showing almost the same result. The best result presented was the system with two DGs installed due to the losses of the system was recorded to be the least compared to one DG or no DG installation.

Ideal Laser Particle Size Analyzer and Its Lower Limit of Measurement and Resolving Power

Ideal Laser Particle Size Analyzer and Its Lower Limit of Measurement and Resolving Power

Deeply Learned Invariant Features for Component-based Facial Recognition

Face recognition underage variation is a challenging problem. It is a difficult task because ageing is an intrinsic variation, not like pose and illumination, which can be controlled. We propose an approach to extract invariant features to improve facial recognition using facial components. Can facial recognition over age progression be improved by resizing independently each individual facial component? The individual facial components: eyes, mouth, and nose were extracted using the Viola-Jones algorithm. Then we utilize the eyes region rectangle with upper coordinates to detect the forehead and lower coordinates with the nose rectangle to detect the cheeks. The proposed work uses Convolutional Neural Network with an ideal input image size for each facial component according to many experiments. We sum up component scores by applying weighted fusion for a final decision. The experiments prove that the nose component provides the highest score contribution among other ones, and the cheeks are the lowest. The experiments were conducted on two different facial databases- MORPH, and FG-NET databases. The proposed work achieves a state-of-the-art accuracy that reaches 100% on the FG-NET dataset and the results obtained on the MORPH dataset outperform the accuracy results of the related works in the literature.

RESGATE VEGETATIVO DE Azadirachta indica POR ESTAQUIA

ABSTRACT Finding forest species adapted to different soil and climatic conditions and, that provide favorable attributes to commercial use is a challenge. Azadirachta indica is a potential species to attend to this goal. Thus, this paper aims to carry out the vegetative rescue of different Azadirachta indica Juss adult trees by cuttings. For that, Azadirachta indica individuals were randomly selected in a plantation of species set ten years ago and the cut was carried out at 30 cm in height. In sequence, verification was carried out on: (a) the stem cut ability to regrowth (collections and measurements of the shoot length on the 15th, 30th, 45th, and 60th days); (b) the need to use exogenous auxin for rooting induction [testing 0 (control), 2000, 4000, and 6000 mg.l-1 of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)]; (c) the ideal of the propagule size (with 8 cm and 13 cm in height); and (c) the rooting dynamics (every seven days for thirty-five days; the propagules were evaluated for callus formation, oxidation, and rooting). The species showed high regrowth ability, as well as easy rooting with or without the use of IBA; it was found that the ideal size for the propagule is 13 cm and that the process of rooting and root elongation is completed after thirty-five days of staking. The conclusion is: (a) using cuttings for the species vegetative rescue is interesting; (b) 13 cm is considered appropriate for the propagule size, and; (c) the aid of IBA at a dose of 2,000 mg L-1 is ideal to standardize rooting.

Heat transfer for the boiling crisis in porous systems

In this paper we analized and investigated the heat exchange crisis of boiling in porous structures, applicable in thermal power plants. Then we describe the heat exchange processes mechanism and determined the ideal sizes and thicknesses of porous structures. The designed porous structures can be implemented in gas turbine’s nozzles and combustion chambers. From an environmental point of view, the consumption coolant liquid is reduced by ten times in comparison the standard flow system. It’s effectively to develop mesh structures to allow the extension of the critical loads and manage the surface border.

Identifying the Ideal Target Vessel Size for Bariatric Embolization: Histologic Analysis of Swine and Human Gastric Fundi

This study aimed to identify the ideal arteriole size to target in bariatric embolization, with the goal of maximizing weight loss efficacy while maintaining patient safety. Although all published clinical trials of bariatric embolization have used embolic microspheres that were at least 300 μm in diameter, optimal weight loss outcomes have been achieved safely in swine using 50-μm embolics. Human fundal remnants from bariatric surgery were compared with swine fundal sections after bariatric embolization with 50-μm embolic microspheres to assess the ideal fundal vessel size for bariatric embolization. In swine, the 50-μm embolic microspheres deposited in the luminal half of the submucosa with a mean arteriole size of 49 μm ± 30. The mean arteriole diameter in the corresponding submucosal layer of the human gastric fundi was 40 μm ± 30. These measurements may inform future clinical trials and direct the development of embolic agents for bariatric embolization.

Detection and Delineation of Potential Areas for Tourism Activities in Coastal Zone of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra (India)

Tourism is a device of economic development in developed, developing, and even in underdeveloped countries. The AHP based MCDA techniques used for detection and delineation of the tourism potential zones in the coastal area of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra (India). The conventional and satellite data viz. ASTER data has been used for spatial analysis in GIS software. Seacoast, elevation, slope, river, LULC, available amenities, accessibility and connectivity, cultural and historical places, and density of settlements used as the criterions for detection of potential zones for tourism activities. The experts’ opinions, literature survey and fieldwork used as the source of information for the selection of criterions and determination of ranks. The weighted overlay technique used to find the comparative levels of tourism potentials: very high, high, moderate and less potentials for tourism. About 13% of TGA shows comparatively very high tourism potential, 25.80% shows high, 54.62 % shows moderate, and 6.57 % shows less tourism potential. The overall accuracy of the categorized map estimated about 89.60%. The thematic maps viz. amenities and settlement were processed using inverse distance weighted (IWD) interpolation technique. Therefore, some areas from the category, ‘high potential’ merged in the category, ‘moderate potential’ and reduced the producer’s accuracy of the classified map. The sandy beaches, lowland area with a gentle slope, river landscape features, road network, cultural and historical places, ideal size of settlements and number of amenities are attractions of tourists in the region. The technique used in this study can be an effective apparatus for precise analysis of site suitability for tourism activities.

Membrane-Decorated Exosomes for Combination Drug Delivery and Improved Glioma Therapy.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive tumor of the central nervous system in adults. The standard therapy of GBM fails to eradicate it due to the drug resistance of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) and the presence of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Temozolomide (TMZ) is the first-line anti-GBM drug after surgery. However, the high activity of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) limits the therapeutic effect of TMZ. Herein, we reported dual-receptor-specific exosomes as vehicles loaded with TMZ and O6-benzylguanine (BG) for eradicating TMZ-resistant GBM. Exosomes pose great promise as nanocarriers due to their intrinsic low immunogenicity, strong cargo-protective capacity, ideal size range, and natural penetration ability of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). The target ligands angiopep-2 and CD133 RNA aptamers were conjugated on exosomes via an amphiphilic molecule bridge, which was induced to express on donor cells. The resulting nanocarriers exhibited efficient uptake by U87MG and GSCs, excellent BBB penetration ability, and perfect GBM accumulation due to An2 and CD133 aptamer functionalization. Such superior properties of the two dual-receptor-specific exosomes resulted in excellent in vitro proliferation inhibition of U87MG and GSCs and extension of the median survival time of U87MG-bearing mice, without causing adverse effects. The formed exosome nanocomposites can serve as powerful nanomedicine for GBM therapy and provide a promising avenue for targeted therapy against other diseases of the central nervous system.

Enhancing water flux and antifouling properties of PES hollow fiber membranes via incorporation of surface‐functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn this study, polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membranes incorporated with surface‐functionalized iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were developed in order to improve water flux and antifouling properties of PES membrane. Commercial Fe3O4 nanoparticles was coated by polydopamine (PDA), followed by functionalization using (3‐aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and sulfonic acid to produce Fe3O4/PDA‐Amine and Fe3O4/PDA‐Sulf nanoparticles, respectively. All the nanoparticles‐modified membranes were synthesized using dope solution composed of different nanoparticles, followed by a series of instrumental characterization and filtration assessments.RESULTSIt is found that the membrane incorporated with Fe3O4/PDA‐Amine exhibited the best filtration performance, achieving water flux of 137.23 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection of 92.16%. As a comparison, the pristine PES membrane only showed 82.60 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and 71.92%, respectively. The membrane with Fe3O4/PDA‐Sulf also showed lower performance, recording 129.88 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and 88.39%, respectively. The improved performance of the Fe3O4/PDA‐Amine‐modified PES membrane could be attributed to its lowest water contact angle (65.10°), highest porosity (68.14%), ideal pore size (65 nm) as well as good structural integrity. More importantly, the improved surface properties also led to outstanding fouling resistance, achieving flux recovery rate of 97%. This membrane also achieved excellent chemical oxygen demand (95.17%) and color (89.86%) reduction when tested using river water sample.CONCLUSIONOur work demonstrated a simple approach to functionalize the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and showed the effectiveness of the surface‐functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles in improving not only the surface properties of PES membrane but also its filtration performance in terms of permeability, rejection and antifouling property. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Investigation of the use of extended surfaces in paraffin wax phase change material in thermal management of a cylindrical lithium-ion battery: Applicable in the aerospace industry

The use of phase change materials (PCMs) for cooling lithium-ion batteries is examined in this research. Because of the unique benefits of lithium-ion batteries, their use in electric cars has gotten a lot of attention. The lithium-ion battery is one of the most extensively utilized components as the heart of a hybrid car. These batteries generate a lot of heat while charging or discharging. If the batteries are not correctly handled, their life will be drastically shortened. In this study, a cylindrical battery is submerged in a PCM-filled chamber. Several fins of the same length are placed on the battery. The aim is to find the ideal battery compartment size and fin count to lower maximum battery temperature during the discharging process. COMSOL Multiphysics commercial software is used for the simulations. The results show that the battery with 15 fins has the best PCM melting performance at the beginning of cooling process. After one third of the cooling time, the maximum melting of PCM that is equal to 26.159% takes place. Also, in the entire cooling process, the lowest maximum temperature and the maximum volume fraction of the liquid occur when the number of fins is 9. The battery temperature rises as the number of fins increases beyond nine. Furthermore, an enclosure with the lowest maximum temperature is supplied to enclosure the lithium-ion battery.

Effect of a Palliative Care Screening Tool for Oncology Patients.

This pilot quality improvement project implemented an adapted screening tool within an outpatient oncology center for patients with advanced cancer to identify unmet patient needs, aid decision making, and increase the number of patients referred to palliative care. Baseline data were collected via retrospective convenience sampling to track the number of palliative care referrals generated from the oncology center. Over a 6-week period, screening was implemented during patient evaluations with their oncologist to identify needs for palliative care intervention and as a decision aid to support referring patients to a specialized palliative care service. During the pilot, key nursing staff were affected by COVID-19, and the ideal sample size was not met. Despite a small sample size, the number of palliative care referrals increased. The increased number of referrals affirms the use of a screening tool to identify palliative care needs and as a formal decision-making process to improve patient access to palliative care.

Effect of plot size and plant spatial arrangement on the efficiency of family selection in sugarcane

The purpose of this study was to identify the ideal sample size representing a family in its potential, to identify superior families and, in parallel, determine in which spatial arrangement they may have a better accuracy in the selection of new varieties of sugarcane. For such purpose, five families of full-sibs were evaluated, each with 360 individuals, in the randomized blocks design, with three replications in three different spacing among plants in the row (50 cm, 75 cm, and 100 cm) and 150 cm between the rows. To determine the ideal sample size, as well as the better spacing for evaluation, the bootstrap method was adopted. It was observed that 100 cm spacings provided the best average for the stalk numbers, stalk diameter and for estimated weight of stalks in the stool. The spacing of 75 cm between the plants allowed a better power of discrimination among the families for all characters evaluated. At this 75 cm spacing was also possible to identify superior families with a sample of 30 plants each plot and 3 reps in the trial. Highlights The bootstrap method was efficient to determine the ideal sample size, as well as the best spacing for evaluation. The 75-cm spacing had the highest power of discrimination among families, indicating that this spacing is the most efficient in evaluating sugarcane families for selection purposes. From all the results and considering selective accuracy as the guiding parameter for decision making, the highest values obtained considering the number of stalks and weight of stalks in the stools were found at the 75-cm spacing.

A Biomimetic Drosera Capensis with Adaptive Decision‐Predation Behavior Based on Multifunctional Sensing and Fast Actuating Capability

AbstractThe sophistication, adaptability, and complexity of biological systems have provided enormous inspiration and have been a continuous source of numerous innovations. Soft living organisms like drosera capensis have amazing predatory behavior that can capture prey of ideal size, enabling them to interact with environmental stimuli efficiently. Mimicking such natural intelligence in artificial systems with systematical functions of multiple information perception, neuronal transmission, and adaptive motility remains a grand challenge. Here, a biomimetic drosera capensis is reported that is capable of multifunctional self‐sensing, automatic regulation, and adaptive actuation in response to diverse stimuli with intelligent predation capability in an entirely closed‐loop fashion. The functional system heterogeneously integrates the thermal‐responsive soft actuator as the muscle‐like motor and flexible tactile, strain, and piezoelectric multimodal sensors as somatosensory receptors. With the synergistic effect of multifunctional sensing and fast actuating schemes, the artificial drosera capensis deconvolutes multiple characteristics of the catching process (e.g., strain rate, magnitude, and direction) and thus holds impressive predatory behavior for ideal‐sized prey. This electronically innervated artificial drosera capensis with multimodal sensing and self‐regulated actuating capability through the closed‐loop control of sensing and actuating system paves the way for the development of adaptive soft robots.