Indirect Procedure Research Articles

Monitoring Autophagy Flux and Activity: Principles and Applications.

Macroautophagy is a major degradation mechanism of cell components via the lysosome. Macroautophagy greatly contributes to not only cell homeostasis but also the prevention of various diseases. Because macroautophagy proceeds through multi-step reactions, researchers often face a persistent question of how macroautophagic activity can be measured correctly. To make a straightforward determination of macroautophagic activity, diverse monitoring assays have been developed. Direct measurement of lysosome-dependent degradation of radioisotopically labeled cell proteins has long been applied. Meanwhile, indirect monitoring procedures have been developed. In these assays, autophagosome marker proteins, microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B-II (LC3B-II) and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-associated protein-II (GABARAP-II) have been analyzed and the validity of the assays strongly depends on appropriate assessment of the fluctuation of LC3-II and/or GABARAP-II levels in the presence or absence of lysosomal inhibitors. This article describes these monitoring methods, paying special attention to the principles and characteristics of each procedure.

Standardization of Therapeutic Measures in Antibiotic Consumption Monitoring to Compare Different Livestock Populations.

Using sales data, information on antimicrobial consumption in animals is collected cumulatively across the European Union and member countries of the European Economic Area, which is documented and reported by every country and published within annual reports by the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC). These serve to perform cross-border comparisons of antimicrobial consumption, despite their ambiguity due to the different units and key figures used. To improve comparability, the European Medicines Agency has introduced the population correction unit (PCU), which represents the biomass of a livestock population and is related to antibiotic consumption. However, the PCU does not consider the variability of how a livestock population is composed structurally regarding the proportions of production types contained therein. To achieve better comparability between the different geographical areas, we therefore applied a system of standardization in different examples and in real antimicrobial consumption data. This was done by quantifying the consumption of antibiotics by livestock in exemplary regions and countries (Denmark, Germany, France) by means of the active substance used (mg/kg) and subjecting it to a direct and indirect standardization procedure to identify and measure differences in consumption in relation to the composition of livestock demographics. The consideration of livestock demographics results in substantial effects when comparing antimicrobial usage in livestock. To achieve a more compelling comparability in the context of monitoring antibiotic consumption in livestock populations, we recommend using an indirect standardization method, to control potential confounding effects caused by different livestock demographics. This assumes that animal populations can be structured accordingly well. Correspondingly, detailed information on antimicrobial usage by species should be available for this type of stratification.

Teaching Translation Techniques to Second Language Learners

Translation is recognized to be one of the most challenging subjects for learners in second language departments. Knowing that these difficulties can be either dependent to the individual or the translation training, this study presents reasons why a translation teacher should introduce learners to translation techniques for better skills. In this regard, the paper aims at proposing the most frequently used translation techniques to second language learners, more specifically, to French-speaking students in English departments. The research draws on findings present in the existing literature. The translation techniques or procedures collected from previous studies can be presented into two types: direct translation procedures (borrowing, calque and literal translation), and indirect or oblique translation procedures (transposition, modulation, equivalence and adaptation). Three other techniques (compensation, amplification and omission) are also added to these seven basic procedures. Since languages can have internal characteristics that distinguish one from another, the study ends up inviting learners to pay attention to some particular features that distinguish French and English while translating.

In situ undrained shear strength for cutting slopes erodibility estimation: case study in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, Brazil

Erosion is a natural relief modeling process that is influenced by several factors. Among these, we highlight the soil properties, designated by the specific concept of erodibility. Most of the existing methods for quantifying erodibility are based on field plots or indirect procedures developed from farmland approaches and methodologies limited to other study conditions such as slopes, where soil structure is different. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the erodibility of cutting slopes in the Quadrilatero Ferrifero region, Brazil, and its relationship with soil properties, using the hand vane test to determine undrained shear strength (SU) and associating its values with the erodibility factor K. The results show that SU has significant correlation with the fine soil particles, especially clay and silt. In addition, properties responsible for the increase in SU decrease erodibility factor K. The mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter, and aggregate stability index parameters show that aggregate diameter and stability are associated with higher SU and, conversely, lower K values. In addition, chemical properties, especially pH, also interfere in the results, however, in lower proportion when compared with the physical indexes. Finally, the undrained shear strength has a significant negative correlation with erodibility factor K, both in non-erodible (R2 = 0.6770, p value < 0.01) and erodible (R2 = 0.7885, p value < 0.01) soils, showing promising methods in the diagnosis of potentially erodible soils.

Is housing collateral important to the business cycle? Evidence from China

This paper investigates whether housing collateral is important to the business cycle in China. We develop two models, one without housing collateral as benchmark and one variant allowing for it. Indirect Inference procedure tests these two models’ compatibility with the data. We find that the benchmark model passes the test, while the collateral model is strongly rejected. According to the benchmark model, shocks from the housing market have limited impact on the Chinese business cycle. By contrast, the exogenous spending shock from government and net exports, the monetary policy shock and the goods-sector cost/productivity shock, all in turn most likely connected to world business cycle shocks (especially the global financial crisis), are found to be the main drivers.

Dynamic transperineal ultrasonography correlates with prolonged pudendal nerve latency in female with fecal incontinence.

The pelvic floor is a complex anatomical entity and its neuromuscular assessment is evaluated through debated neurophysiological tests. An innovative approach is the study of pelvic floor through dynamic transperineal ultrasound (DTU). The aim of this study is to evaluate DTU sensitivity in recognizing patients with fecal incontinence and to evaluate its concordance with the results of the motor latency studied via pudendal nerve terminal motor latency (PNTML). Female patients affected by FI addressed to our center of coloproctology were prospectively assessed. After a coloproctological evaluation, comprising the PNTML assessment to identify pudendal neuropathy, patients were addressed to DTU to determine anterior and posterior displacement of puborectalis muscle by a blinded coloproctologist. In order to compare the data, a cohort of female healthy volunteers was enrolled. Sixty-eight subjects (34 patients and 34 healthy volunteers) were enrolled. The sensitivities of anterior displacement, posterior displacement and either anterior or posterior displacement in determining the fecal incontinence were 82%, 67% and 91%, respectively. A further high correlation of either anterior or posterior displacement with PTNML was also noted (88%). DTU is an indirect, painless and reproducible method for the identification of the pelvic floor neuromuscular integrity. Its findings seem to highly correlate with FI symptoms and with PNTML results. In the near future, after larger comparative studies, DTU would be considered a potential reliable non-invasive and feasible indirect procedure in the identification of fecal incontinence by pudendal neuropathy. Trial registration number is NCT03933683.

Influence of Acid Etching and Universal Adhesives on the Bond Strength to Dentin.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the application mode of three universal adhesive systems on interfacial physical properties of indirect composite restorations adhesively cemented to dentin cavities. Seventy-eight bovine lower incisors were selected and a slice of dentin (thickness: 2 mm) between the buccal surface and pulp chamber was obtained for each tooth. Conical cavities were made on this surface. The internal walls of the cavities were then coated with a hydrophilic gel, filled with composite resin and photopolymerized. The dentin/cone sets were divided into 6 groups (n=10) according to type of universal adhesive (TETRI: Tetric N Bond, FUT: Futura Bond U, SBU: Single Bond Universal) and acid etching on dentin (A: with acid etching; WA: without acid etching). The acid etching and the adhesive systems were applied to the surface of the dentin. All composite resin cones were sandblasted (Al2O3, 20 s) and silanized. After surface treatment, the cones were cemented (RelyX Ultimate) into the dentin cavity and photopolymerized. After thermocycling (10,000 cycles), samples were submitted to marginal adaptation analysis (using caries detector dye), push-out test (0.5 mm/min), and failure mode analysis. Additional samples were prepared for nanoleakage analysis (SEM). The data (MPa) were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-test (5%). The groups in which the dentin was acid etched showed significantly lower bond strength values in the push-out test (p<0.01). Dentin acid etching significantly reduced the bond strength between universal adhesive systems and dentin in indirect restorative procedures.

Robust estimation of stationary continuous‐time arma models via indirect inference

In this article, we present a robust estimator for the parameters of a stationary, but not necessarily Gaussian, continuous‐time ARMA(p,q) (CARMA(p,q)) process that is sampled equidistantly. Therefore, we propose an indirect estimation procedure that first estimates the parameters of the auxiliary AR(r) representation (r ≥ 2p−1) of the sampled CARMA process using a generalized M‐ (GM‐)estimator. Since the map which maps the parameters of the auxiliary AR(r) representation to the parameters of the CARMA process is not given explicitly, a separate simulation part is necessary where the parameters of the AR(r) representation are estimated from simulated CARMA processes. Then, the parameters which take the minimum distance between the estimated AR parameters and the simulated AR parameters give an estimator for the CARMA parameters. First, we show that under some standard assumptions the GM‐estimator for the AR(r) parameters is consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. Then, we prove that the indirect estimator is also consistent and asymptotically normally distributed when the asymptotically normally distributed LS‐estimator is used in the simulation part. The indirect estimator satisfies several important robustness properties such as weak resistance, ‐robustness and it has a bounded influence functional. The practical applicability of our method is illustrated in a small simulation study with replacement outliers.

Schneiderian membrane thickness variation following endodontic procedures: a retrospective cone beam computed tomography study

BackgroundTo assess the change of the Schneider membrane thickness measured by CBCT before and after root canal treatment, retreatment and pulp capping procedures.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted on CBCT scans of a patient population of Guy’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London. Three groups of patients were studied: Group 1 consisted of patients referred for primary endodontic treatment; Group 2 for endodontic retreatment; Group 3 for indirect pulp capping procedures (serving as a control group). Follow up scans were carried out 1 year after treatment. Measurements were carried out on CBCT scans and data were analysed statistically by Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Linear regression was used to assess predictive parameters for membrane thickness.ResultsA statistically significant reduction of the Schneider membrane thickness was observed one year after endodontic treatment and retreatment (P < 0.05) but no significant reduction was observed after pulp capping procedures. Linear regression showed that age and gender were significant predictors influencing the Schneider membrane thickness.ConclusionsWithin the limitations of this retrospective study, following root canal treatment and re-treatment a Schneiderian membrane thickness reduction occurred at 1-year follow-up.The removal of odontogenic infection following endodontic treatment may help reducing the thickness of the Schneider membrane.

Electro-Thermal Modelling and Experimental Verification of Power Semiconductor Diode

The aim of the proposed paper is discussing problematics related to the thermal modelling of power electronic components. More in detail, the electro-thermal relationship is investigated for the selected power diode, while analysis shall serve for system optimization considering thermal performance with the use of highly accurate 3D simulation model. The presented approach describes the procedure of the simulation model development, whereby the main part is discussing necessities relevant for material property identification through the indirect procedure, i.e, material properties are not known from the manufacturer. Electro-thermal dependencies are defined within the proposed model, while this model enables parametric changes of the geometrical properties of the device. Added value of this procedure is the possibility of its use in exact determination of the lifetime of a semiconductor component using mathematical models taking into account operational variables (current, voltage, temperature, etc.). The proposed model is verified and validated through thermovision experimental measurements within defined operational conditions.

Investigations into series resonant inverter power control parameters for an effective metal induction surface hardening

Metal hardening depends on the material properties and the way the heat is being applied; therefore, a careful induction heating system parameter should be carefully selected, and in particular to meet the hardening requirements. In this study, a focus on a cost-effective design of the induction coil and the converter is presented. For that, a sample bar metal made of XC48 is considered. The methodology exploits an indirect procedure. It starts from the coil design according to the metal sample size, followed by a 2D finite element method for parameters and losses determination for the specified hardening depth. The power supply using resonant series converters is evaluated through electrical modelling simulation and which integrates a phase-locked loop scheme to account for load parameter variation. A comparison between the electrical and heat power is conducted to highlight the importance of the inverter control parameters leading to high efficiency and an appropriate and satisfactory hardening profile. A prototype system is built to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach described.

Indirect (hydrogen-driven) electrodeposition of porous silver onto a palladium membrane

Hydrogen permeation through a pure palladium film (25 μm thickness, optically dense) is employed to trigger electron transfer (hydrogen-driven) reactions at the external palladium | aqueous electrolyte interface of a two-compartment electrochemical cell. Two systems are investigated to demonstrate feasibility for (i) indirect hydrogen-mediated silver electrodeposition with externally applied potential and (ii) indirect hydrogen-mediated silver electrodeposition driven by external formic acid decomposition. In both cases, porous metal deposits form as observed by optical and electron microscopies. Processes are self-limited as metal deposition blocks the palladium surface and thereby slows down further hydrogen permeation. The proposed methods could be employed for a wider range of metals, and they could provide an alternative (non-electrochemical or indirect) procedure for metal removal or metal recovery processes or for indirect metal sensing.Graphical abstract

Evaluating the uncertainty for a complex experiment: the case of the plasma potential measurement

A general method for the determination of the uncertainty of a physical quantity measured during an experiment is presented. This procedure is described step-by-step so it can be applied to any measurement and experiment available for undergraduate and graduate students, from the simplest to the most complex. The method is then applied to a classic measurement of plasma physics: the plasma potential determination using an emissive probe. This kind of experiment is routinely performed in plasma physics laboratories and may be realized by graduate students. The emissive probe diagnostic relies on a data analysis method called the inflection point. This method follows an indirect procedure on which the step-by-step uncertainty calculation strategy presented in the first part of the article is presented.

Adaptive Minimax Testing for Circular Convolution

Given observations from a circular random variable contaminated by an additive measurement error, we consider the problem of minimax optimal goodness-of-fit testing in a non-asymptotic framework. We propose direct and indirect testing procedures using a projection approach. The structure of the optimal tests depends on regularity and ill-posedness parameters of the model, which are unknown in practice. Therefore, adaptive testing strategies that perform optimally over a wide range of regularity and ill-posedness classes simultaneously are investigated. Considering a multiple testing procedure, we obtain adaptive i.e. assumption-free procedures and analyse their performance. Compared with the non-adaptive tests, their radii of testing face a deterioration by a log-factor. We show that for testing of uniformity this loss is unavoidable by providing a lower bound. The results are illustrated considering Sobolev spaces and ordinary or super smooth error densities.

Direct approach to determine the size setting error and size resolution of an optical particle counter.

In cleanroom environments, light scattering airborne particle counters are typically employed to monitor particle contamination of production lines and for general classification purposes. In addition to the amount of airborne particles, these instruments also measure the size of each registered particle. This is essential for quality assurance, as different particle sizes have various associated risks connected. Critical parameters for particle sizing are therefore an instrument's size resolution and size setting, and these need regular calibration. The ISO standard 21501-4:2018 describes a calibration method, yet this method requires detailed technical insider knowledge. In this paper, we present an alternative method that allows direct in-use calibration of a particle counter without the need for information, which is typically only available to the instrument manufacturer. In a direct comparison, both methods perform in compliance with the requirements in ISO 21501-4:2018, although our direct approach generally yields lower uncertainties. In addition, our calibration method provides results that are closely related to the instrument's properties during its application, contrary to the ISO method's indirect calibration procedure that requires voltage readouts from internal terminals.

Bio-Inductive Materials in Direct and Indirect Pulp Capping-A Review Article.

The article is aimed at analyzing the available research and comparing the properties of bio-inductive materials in direct and indirect pulp capping procedures. The properties and clinical performances of four calcium-silicate cements (ProRoot MTA, MTA Angelus, RetroMTA, Biodentine), a light-cured calcium silicate-based material (TheraCal LC) and an enhanced resin-modified glass-ionomer (ACTIVA BioACTIVE) are widely discussed. A correlation of in vitro and in vivo data revealed that, currently, the most validated material for pulp capping procedures is still MTA. Despite Biodentine’s superiority in relatively easier manipulation, competitive pricing and predictable clinical outcome, more long-term clinical studies on Biodentine as a pulp capping agent are needed. According to available research, there is also insufficient evidence to support the use of TheraCal LC or ACTIVA BioACTIVE BASE/LINER in vital pulp therapy.

The Indirect Bonding Technique in Orthodontics-A Narrative Literature Review.

The technique described as indirect bonding is an alternative to the conventional intraoral method of bracket placement. The appliance position is planned and fixed on a plaster model and then transferred into the oral cavity. Indirect bonding is a precise and time-saving technique of bracket placement, growing in popularity in recent years. It provides a combination of great precision with time efficiency. The fundaments of the indirect bonding technique are presented here. From the first clinical trial conducted almost fifty years ago, the method has evolved; the progress that has been made is described. Modern technologies involving computer scanning and manufacturing have led to great precision in bracket placement. Digital innovations such as rapid prototyping and stereolithography open up a new avenue of research and represent the next steps in indirect technique development. Individual 3D transfers are convenient in difficult clinical cases and can improve the effectiveness of the procedure, reduce the number of technical stages and reduce total chairside time. This paper also summarizes the advancement in adhesive materials, including an overview of advantages and disadvantages of different types of bonding resins and of the mean shear bond strength (SBS) achieved in the indirect procedure.

Investigating the quality of Spiess-like and SPSA approaches for dynamic OD matrix estimation

Since OD matrices are not directly observable, indirect procedures have been developed to estimate OD matrices from traffic data. Traffic management must move toward dynamic traffic assignment models because they capture congestion propagation effects. In this context, dynamic OD matrices are needed. This paper first explores the extension of a conventional bilevel analytical static method to the dynamic context, then analyses the solutions obtained regarding both convergence to measured traffic data and structural similarity to an a priori OD matrix. A simulation optimization technique, SPSA, is then proposed because its flexibility allows inclusion of traffic counts (as in Spiess method) and emerging ICT traffic measurements. The performances of these two types of algorithms are analyzed in detail, focussing on faults of classical convergence measures to obtain an estimated dynamic OD matrix structurally similarity to the a priori OD matrix and pros and cons of variants of selected methods.

Abstract TP487: Comprehensive Profiling of Secreted Factors in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Moyamoya Disease Patients

Background: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic cerebrovascular disease characterized by progressive occlusion of the internal carotid arteries leading to ischemic and hemorrhagic events. The underlying pathogenesis of MMD remains unclear. In this study we investigated key secreted molecules in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MMD patients including relation to the extent of neovascularization and eventual functional outcomes. Methods: This study included intraoperative CSF collected from 32 controls (Chiari malformation and cranial nerve hyperactive syndromes) and 73 MMD patients (ischemic: 39; hemorrhagic: 34) that underwent combined direct and indirect superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery revascularization procedure. 62 factors were analyzed using multiplex luminex assay, including angiogenic growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines. Cellular retinoic acid binding protein (CRBP1) was also measured using ELISA. Functional outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin scale score (mRS). Matsushima criteria was used for grading the neovascularization. Results: Forty molecules were significantly elevated in both MMD subtypes in comparison with controls. The common top highly secreted CSF proteins included platelet-derived growth factor bb, chemokine ligand 5 and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (p&lt;0.001). CRBP1 and other growth factors such as brain-derived nerve growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were also elevated in both MMD subtypes (p&lt;0.01). Our results also revealed a number of proteins not previously reported in MMD. Ingenuity pathway analysis indicated that the ischemic and hemorrhagic MMD subtypes exhibited similar cellular/molecular functions and pathways including cellular activation, migration and inflammatory response. Interestingly, while neuro-inflammation and dendritic cell pathways were activated in MMD patients, lipid signaling pathways involving nuclear receptors PPAR and LXR/RXR signaling were inhibited. Conclusions: CSF analysis revealed that a number of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors are elevated in both MMD subtypes. These molecules potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of MMD and could be potential future therapeutic targets.

Statistical learning algorithm for concurrency of tensile strength tests

Direct and indirect test procedures are utilized to provide tensile strengths of rock and concrete samples. While the measurements provided by these methods are considered as identical in theory, a difference between the values is recorded in practice. To provide an association between the tensile test methods, a data-driven algorithm for identifying the uncertainty systems has been suggested. This study presents a novel algorithm including two steps: data processing-fusion and simulation. In the first step, both random and systematic error components in the tensile strength testing procedures are fused by uncertainty treatment-based data processing. By this way, instead of some assumptions and descriptive statistics, a data-fusion method is adapted. After that, a Monte Carlo simulation is performed using parametric and nonparametric probability distributions. Thus, a concurrency between the tensile strength procedures including strength values and uncertainty intervals is provided. The case study implemented by a real data set showed that the proposed algorithm has a feature of transparency, flexibility and also accuracy. The density functions used in the simulations do not require being normal while the conventional uncertainty-based data processing, Taylor’s ISO-GUM method depends on the normality. In addition, the algorithm does not need specification of coverage factor and it also works without any sensitivity coefficient. The methodology can be recommended to provide an agreement between the tensile strength values of rocks especially with limited number of data.