Optimal Method Research Articles

The futility of being selfish in vaccine distribution

We study vaccine budget-sharing strategies in the SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model given a structured community network to investigate the benefit of sharing vaccine across communities. The network studied comprises two communities, one of which controls vaccine budget and may share it with the other. Different scenarios are considered regarding the connectivity between communities, infection rates and the unvaccinated fraction of the population. Properties of the SIR model facilitates the use of dynamic message passing (DMP) and optimal control methods to investigate preventive and reactive budget-sharing scenarios. Our results show a large set of budget-sharing strategies in which the sharing community benefits from the reduced global infection rates with no detrimental impact on its local infection rate.

Biomass and Transparent Supramolecular Elastomers for Green Electronics Enabled by the Controlled Growth and Self-Assembly of Dynamic Polymer Networks.

Determining the optimal method for preparing supramolecular materials remains a profound challenge. This process requires a combination of renewable raw materials to create supramolecular materials with multiple functions and properties, including simple fabrication, sustainability, a dynamic nature, good toughness, and transparency. In this work, a strategy is presented for toughening supramolecular networks based on solid-phase chain extension. This toughening strategy is simple and environmentally friendly. In addition, a series of biobased elastomers are designed and prepared with adjustable performance characteristics. This strategy can significantly improve the transparency, tensile strength, and toughness of the synthesized elastomer. The synthesized biobased elastomers have great ductility, repairability, and recyclability, and they show good adhesion and dielectric properties. A biobased ionic skin is assembled from these biobased elastomers. Assembled ionic skin can sensitively detect external stimuli (such as stretching, bending, compression, or temperature changes) and monitor human movement. The conductive and dielectric layers of the biobased ionic skin are both obtained from renewable raw materials. This research provides novel molecular design approaches and material selection methods for promoting the development of green electronic devices and biobased elastomers.

Optimizing the extraction process of total saponins from Panax vietnamensis based on response surface analysis and backpropagation neural network-genetic algorithm

Panax vietnamensis (PV), a member of the Araliaceae family, is noted for its saponin-rich roots and rhizomes. Recent pharmacological studies have shown its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-myocardial ischemia, and hypoglycemic effects, establishing PV as a highly valuable variety of ginseng worldwide. Herein, we used an ultrasound-assisted method to optimize the extraction of total saponins from PV, and developed a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the backpropagation (BP) neural network model and predict the best process conditions. The best process with an ethanol concentration of 65.8 %, extraction times of 4.0, ultrasonic temperature of 40.7°C, and an extraction rate of 4.4103 % was achieved through response surface optimization. Conversely, the best process optimized by the GA-BP neural network model had an ethanol concentration of 70.0 %, extraction times of 4.0, ultrasonic temperature of 41.0°C, and an extraction rate of 4.5492 %. Moreover, 254 terpenoids, consisting of 182 triterpenes, 33 monoterpenes, 19 sesquiterpenes, and 20 diterpenes, along with various types of saponins, were identified through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS (UPLC-MS/MS). Specifically, 87 dammarane-type saponins were detected, including 46 protopanaxadiol types, 41 protopanaxatriol types, 5 octilonol types, and 18 oleanolic acid types. The total saponin extraction rate achieved through the GA-BP neural network model surpassed that of the response surface optimization process, indicating the superiority and stability of the GA-BP neural network optimized process and thus revealing the optimal method for PV total saponin extraction. The comprehensive analysis of PV saponins using UPLC-MS/MS enhanced our understanding of total saponins in PV, laying the foundations for the strategic development and utilization of PV plant resources.

Structural features of rice starch-protein system: Influence of retrogradation time and quick-freezing temperature

This work investigated the effect of retrogradation time (0 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h) and freezing temperature (−20 °C, −32 °C, −80 °C) on the muti-scale structures of the rice starch-protein system of quick-frozen wet rice noodles. The Relative crystallinity and porosity of the rice starch-protein system increased with increasing retrogradation time. However, while longer retrogradation does lead to an improvement in relative crystallinity, it also results in significant damage to the microstructure. When the retrogradation time was 6 h, the microstructure of the rice starch-protein system was less damaged and the quality was better. The mass fractal dimension and relative crystallinity of the rice starch-protein system exhibited an increase as the freezing temperature was decreased from −20 to −80 °C. Additionally, the retrogradation degree of starch decreased, the size of ice crystals decreased, and the disruption of microforms was reduced. The muti-scale structures of the rice starch-protein systems were similar when quick-frozen at temperatures of −32 and −80 °C. Therefore, the optimal treatment method for practical production is to quick-freeze at −32 °C and age for 6 h to obtain high-quality quick-frozen wet rice noodles.

The impact of bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 and reduced nitrogen fertilization on soil properties and peanut yield

The excessive use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers has led to farmland degradation and reduced crop yields. To address this drawback, reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer and Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 inoculant are the optimal cultivation method. The impact of different N rates (0, 20, and 40 kg ha-1) combined with the Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 inoculant on soil chemical properties, growth, development, and peanut yield was designed in the field in Phuoc Hung commune, An Phu district from May to August 2023. The field experiment was designed with 6 treatments and 4 replications. The research results showed that different N rates adequately augmented soil chemical traits such as pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic matter (SOM), total N, available phosphorous (AP), and exchangeable potassium (EK). Furthermore, different N fertilizers rates combined with Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 inoculant adequately augmented plant height, number of leaves, total chlorophyll, nodulous number and weight per groundnut plant. Reducing N fertilizer application by 50% (20 kg N ha-1) was the optimal N reduction rate when combined with the Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20, which resulted in 17.6% higher peanut yield compared to no N application and no difference compared to 100% of recommended N application (P<0.01)). Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 inoculant increased peanut yield by 19.6% when compared to no Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 inoculant (P<0.01). Nitrogen – fixing ability of Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 promoted peanut yield and reduced fifty percentage of the N fertilizer application. Bacillus sp. NTLG2-20 is the promising species for the production of biological fertilizer in the future.

METHODS OF MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS AND PROCESSING OF EEG SIGNALS: OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE AND LATEST TRENDS

Aim. With the help of retrospective analysis, establish the current level of achievements in the field of applying methods of mathematical analysis and processing of biomedical signals, in particular EEG, and characterize the main trends. Materials and methods. The research was conducted using theoretical methods, by studying and analyzing freely available literature, publications, materials of working groups of domestic and foreign scientists over the past few years. Results. The analysis of scientific works devoted to the development and development of EEG showed that over the past five years there has been a deepening of the tendency to separate the methods of improving the hardware and software parts of electroencephalographic complexes. The last of them, in turn, can be divided into several main directions. The first direction is the improvement of real-time EEG analysis methods, including automatic processing included in the software of EEG complexes. The second direction combines mathematical methods of signal analysis to detect existing pathologies and predict the onset of pathological conditions, such as statistical, spectral-correlation analysis, building mathematical models. The next direction brings together the application of mathematical methods for EEG signal processing and further use in deep learning, the use of convolutional neural networks to detect epileptic seizures, sleep disorders, differentiation of neuropsychiatric disorders, etc. The direction of using EEG in prosthetics deserves special attention. Methods of mathematical processing of the EEG signal are widely implemented in the development of bionic prostheses. The main achievements in these directions are considered in detail in the work. Conclusions. While the improvement of the material and technical part of the EEG is focused on the issues of improving the methods of recording biological signals, finding optimal methods of suppressing noise without losing the useful signal and does not currently have breakthrough results, the methods of analysis and processing of the already received signal have developed rapidly. The use of EEG to detect pathological conditions, the study of the neurophysiological basis of cognitive processes, etc., has always attracted the interest of scientists, but the use of neural networks for EEG processing and analysis and their implementation in robotics developments has given this direction a new impetus.

Statistical Complexity Analysis of Neurovascular Coupling with Cognitive Stimulation in Healthy Participants.

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the tight relationship between changes in cerebral blood flow and neural activation. NVC can be evaluated non-invasively using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD)-measured changes in brain activation (cerebral blood velocity [CBv]) using different cognitive tasks and stimuli. This study used a novel approach to analyzing CBv changes occurring in response to 20 tasks from the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III in 40 healthy individuals. The novel approach compared various information entropy families (permutation, Tsallis, and Rényi entropy) and statistical complexity measures based on disequilibrium. Using this approach, we found the majority of the attention, visuospatial, and memory tasks from the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III that showed lower statistical complexity values when compared with the resting state. On the entropy-complexity (HC) plane, a receiver operating characteristic curve was used to distinguish between baseline and cognitive tasks using the area under the curve. Best area under the curve values were 0.91 ± 0.04, p = .001, to distinguish between resting and cognitively active states. Our findings show that brain hemodynamic signals captured with TCD can be used to distinguish between resting state (baseline) and cognitive effort (stimulation paradigms) using entropy and statistical complexity as an alternative method to traditional techniques such as coherent averaging of CBv signals. Further work should directly compare these analysis methods to identify the optimal method for analyzing TCD-measured changes in NVC.

Analysis and Comparison of Three Bending Tests on Phosphogypsum-Based Material According to Peridynamic Theory

Phosphogypsum-based materials have gained much attention in the field of road infrastructure from the economic and sustainable perspectives. The Three-point bending test, the Four-point bending test and the Semi-circular bending test are three typical test methods applied for fracture energy measurement. However, the optimal test method for fracture energy evaluation has not been determined for phosphogypsum-based materials. To contribute to the gap, this study aims to analyze and compare the three test methods for fracture energy evaluation of phosphogypsum materials based on the peridynamic theory. For this purpose, the load–displacement, vertical displacement–Crack Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD) and fracture energy of the phosphogypsum-based materials were measured and calculated from the three test methods. The simulated load–displacement and vertical displacement–CMOD by PD numerical models, with different fracture energy as inputs, were compared to the corresponding tested values according to simulation error results. The results showed that the Four-point bending test led to minimized errors lower than 0.189 and indicators lower than 0.124, demonstrating the most optimal test method for the fracture energy measurement of phosphogypsum-based material. The results of this study can provide new methodological references for the selection of material fracture energy measurement tests.

Cemented and Press-fit Femoral Stems for the Management of Oncologic Femoral Tumors.

Stem fixation in reconstruction after resection of femoral tumors is debated. Cemented stems offer immediate stability but risk aseptic loosening, while press-fit stems allow bone ingrowth but risk stress shielding and subsidence. Our retrospective review aimed to determine implant failure rates and their associated factors, as well as the rates of infection, debridement, and mortality for both fixation groups (cemented or press-fit stems) used in patients undergoing resection of femoral tumor disease and subsequent arthroplasty. We retrospectively studied 252 patients who underwent resection of femoral tumors and subsequent arthroplasty using cemented (n = 173; 69%) or press-fit (noncemented) (n = 79; 31%) stems between 1999 and 2020. Implant failure was the primary outcome, with secondary outcomes including rates of implant infection, debridement, and mortality. Multivariable regression was done to assess risk factors for implant failures. The study found implant failure rates of 11% and 18% for cemented stems and press-fit stems, respectively. Lower stem to diaphyseal ratios ( P = 0.024) and younger patients ( P = 0.008) were associated with a higher risk of implant failure in cemented stems. The infection rates were 14% and 10% for cemented and press-fit stems, respectively. Debridement rates were 16% and 13% for cemented and press-fit stems, respectively, while the 1-year mortality rate was 16% for cemented stems and 1.5% for press-fit stems. This study is the largest of its kind, providing patient characteristics and outcomes in both cemented and press-fit stems in the setting of reconstruction for femoral tumors. Both methods can be effective, with outcomes dependent on patient-specific factors, such as life expectancy, activity level, and body habitus, as well as proper implant fit. Additional studies of both implants and longer follow-up are required to elucidate the optimal fixation method for each individual patient. Level III, retrospective noncomparative study.

Cushing's disease and bone.

Bone impairment associated with Cushing's disease (CD) is a complex disorder, mainly involving deterioration of bone quality and resulting in an increased fracture rate, often despite normal bone mineral density. Bone complications are common in patients with CD at the time of diagnosis but may persist even after successful treatment. There is currently no agreement on the optimal diagnostic methods, thresholds for anti-osteoporotic therapy and its timing in CD. In this review, we summarize the current data on the pathophysiology, diagnostic approach and management of bone complications in CD.

A novel time-series probabilistic forecasting method for multi-energy loads

Due to the strong nonlinearity, stochasticity, and high coupling of multi-energy loads, this paper proposes a time-series probabilistic forecasting method based on radial basis function network-based autoregressive with exogenous inputs (RBF-ARX) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM). First, due to the nature of the nonlinear coupling between multi-energy loads, the degree of correlation is quantitatively evaluated by introducing the maximum information coefficient with the optimal feature method. Second, the Fourier transform method is used to categorize the load data into deterministic and stochastic components. For the deterministic component, the RBF-ARX method is used for forecasting, which can realize multiple inputs and multiple outputs. It only requires less training data with faster computation speed than other benchmark methods. For the stochastic component, a GMM with an improved Markov Monte Carlo sampling is used to generate the time-series stochastic component, which can accurately characterize the probabilistic properties. This paper compares the forecasting accuracy and computation time under 4 seasons using the proposed model with benchmark models. Results show that the proposed model can improve forecasting accuracy of multi-energy loads by at least 50 % and the computational efficiency can be improved by at least 30 %, which means a superior performance.

Investigating the antiviral activity of Erigeron annuus (L.) pers extract against RSV and examining its active components

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe plants in the genus Erigeron are known to exhibit antiviral activities, including those against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In traditional medicine Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers (EA) has been used in the treatment of pulmonary diseases and acute infectious hepatitis. Aim of this studyThe aim of this study is to determine the optimum extraction method to produce the most potent anti-RSV extract, elucidate its mode and mechanisms of antiviral activity in both in vitro and in vivo models, and identify the chemical structures of the bioactive compounds. Materials and methodsThe whole plant of EA was extracted with ethyl acetate, methanol, ethanol, water, aqueous methanol (60, 80% and 100%) and aqueous ethanol (50, 75% and 95%) using maceration, reflux, and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods. The antiviral activities of the extracts were determined in vitro. The in vitro antiviral activities of the extracts were determined using Hep-2 cells. Four in vitro experiments were performed to determine the mode of antiviral activity of the most active extract, ethyl acetate fraction (EAE) of Erigeron annuus whole plant extract prepared by refluxing with 50% ethanol, by examining its ability to inactivate the virus directly, inhibit viral adsorption and penetration, inhibit viral replication and preventive effect. The effect of temperature and duration of treatment on these modes of action was also determined. The antiviral activity of the EAE was also assessed in vivo in a mouse model. The lung index, viral load, and lung tissue histology were measured. qRT-PCR and ELISA studies were performed to determine the expression of key genes (TLR-3 and TLR-4) and proteins (IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) related to RSV infection. The most active antiviral compound was isolated using chromatography techniques, and its chemical structure was identified through electrospray triple quadrupole mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. ResultsThe EAE was the most active on RSV. In vitro experiments showed that the antiviral activity of EAE is via direct inactivation, inhibition of entry, and inhibition of the proliferation of the virus. In vivo experiments showed that the EAE effectively inhibited the proliferation of RSV in the lungs and alleviated the lung tissue lesions in RSV-infected mice. The antiviral activity of the EAE is mediated by downregulating the expression of TLR3 and TLR4 in the lung, upregulating the expression of IL-2 and IFN-γ, and downregulating the expression of TNF-α. Apigenin 7-O-methylglucuronide was found to be a major bioactive compound in EAE. ConclusionsThe results of this study confirmed the antiviral activity of EA by inactivating, inhibiting the entry, and inhibiting the proliferation of RSV. The activity is mediated by regulating the immunity and inflammatory mediators. Apigenin 7-O-methylglucuronide is the bioactive compound present in EA.

Swelling of Sealing Assembles Parts Manufactured from Composite Materials

One of the advantages of plastics over metals and other materials is that there are very simple and inexpensive ways to make products from them. It is known that there are more than 100 methods for manufacturing plastic products. The use of these methods depends on the configuration of the product being manufactured, the technical conditions required of it, its purpose and economic efficiency. Although there are more than 100 processing methods, the most common of them are mainly extrusion in the production of large-sized products, including pipes, sheet materials, webs, various profiles, rods, as well as in the production of medium-sized products. and small parts in terms of quantity, casting pressure and pressing methods. Based on economic indicators, the optimal method for preparing any composite materials should be taken into account and grouped in advance. The development of new technological methods for manufacturing parts and products from polymers and their compositions is of great importance.

A Nonlinear Active Disturbance Rejection Feedback Control Method for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Air Supply Subsystems

The control strategy of the gas supply subsystem is very important to ensure the performance and stability of the fuel cell system. However, due to the inherent nonlinear characteristics of the fuel cell gas supply subsystem, the traditional control strategy is mainly based on proportional integral (PI) control, which has the disadvantages of large limitation, large error, limited immunity, and inconsistent control performance, which seriously affects its effectiveness. In order to overcome these challenges, this paper proposes an optimal control method for air supply subsystems based on nonlinear active disturbance rejection control (ADRC). Firstly, a seven-order fuel cell system model is established, and then, the nonlinear ADRC and traditional PI control strategies are compared and analyzed. Finally, the two strategies are simulated and compared. The validation results indicate that the integral absolute error (IAE) measure of PI control is 0.502, the integral square error (ISE) measure is 0.1382, and the total variation (TV) measure is 399.1248. Compared with the PI control, the IAE and ISE indexes of ADRC were reduced by 61.31% and 58.03%, respectively. ADRC is superior to PI control strategy in all aspects and realizes the efficient adjustment of the system under different working conditions. ADRC is more suitable for the nonlinear characteristics of the gas supply system and is more suitable for the oxygen excess ratio (OER).

Re-evaluation of risk and oncological outcomes of resection of veins and arteries in the resection of pancreatic cancer.

Advances in chemotherapy have led to increasing major vascular resection during pancreatectomy which has been contraindicated due to high morbidity. This study aimed to verify the safety and oncological outcomes of vascular resection during pancreatectomy in the era of neoadjuvant therapy. Data from patients who underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer at Seoul National University Hospital between 2001 and 2021 were reviewed. Clinicopathological outcomes were analyzed according vessel resection. A propensity-score-matched (PSM) analysis was performed to evaluate survival outcomes. Of 1596 patients, the proportion of those who underwent vascular resection increased from 9.2% to 23.4% over time divided into 5-year intervals. There were no differences in major complications (15.6% vs. 13.0%; p = .266) and 30-day mortality rate (0.3% vs. 0.6%; p = .837) between the vascular and nonvascular resection groups. After PSM, the vascular resection group demonstrated comparable survival outcome with the nonvascular resection group (5 year-survival-rate 20.4 vs. 23.7%; p = .194). Arterial resection yielded comparable survival outcome with nonvascular resection (5 year-survival-rate 38.1% vs. 23.7%; p = .138). Appropriate vascular resection-even arterial-is safe and effective in patients carefully selected for radical surgery in the era of neoadjuvant therapy. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal indication and method for vascular resection in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes as Drug Delivery Vehicles in Disease Therapy.

Exosomes are small vesicles containing proteins, nucleic acids, and biological lipids, which are responsible for intercellular communication. Studies have shown that exosomes can be utilized as effective drug delivery vehicles to accurately deliver therapeutic substances to target tissues, enhancing therapeutic effects and reducing side effects. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a class of stem cells widely used for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and immunotherapy. Exosomes derived from MSCs have special immunomodulatory functions, low immunogenicity, the ability to penetrate tumor tissues, and high yield, which are expected to be engineered into efficient drug delivery systems. Despite the promising promise of MSC-derived exosomes, exploring their optimal preparation methods, drug-loading modalities, and therapeutic potential remains challenging. Therefore, this article reviews the related characteristics, preparation methods, application, and potential risks of MSC-derived exosomes as drug delivery systems in order to find potential therapeutic breakthroughs.

Does Two-Step Infusion Improve the Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics Target Attainment of Meropenem in Critically Ill Patients?

The optimal method for administering meropenem remains controversial. This study was conducted to explore the optimal two-step infusion strategy (TIT), and to investigate whether TIT is superior to intermittent infusion therapy (IIT) and prolonged infusion therapy (PIT). A physiologically based pharmacokinetics model for critically ill patients was established and evaluated. The validated model was utilized to evaluate the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) target attainment of meropenem. The PK/PD target attainment of different TITs varied greatly, and the total infusion duration and the first-step dose greatly affected these values. The optimal TIT was 0.25 g (30 min) + 0.75 g (150 min) at MICs of ≤2 mg/L, and 0.25 g (45 min) + 0.75 g (255 min) at MICs of 4–8 mg/L. The PK/PD target attainment of optimal TIT, PIT, and IIT were 100 % at MICs of ≤1 mg/L. When MIC increased to 2–8 mg/L, the PK/PD target attainment of optimal TIT was similar to that of PIT and higher than IIT. In conclusion, TIT did not significantly improve the PK/PD target attainment of meropenem compared with PIT. IIT is adequate at MICs of ≤1 mg/L, and PIT may be the optimal meropenem infusion method in critically ill patients with MICs of 2–8 mg/L.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Lonicera similis Flowers at Three Harvest Periods: Comparison of Composition, Characterization, and Antioxidant Activity.

Lonicera similis Hemsl. (L. similis) is a promising industrial crop with flowers rich in phenolic compounds. In this study, an ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was designed to extract phenolic compounds from L. similis flowers (LSFs). A contrastive analysis on the phenolic compounds' yield and characterization and the antioxidant activity of the extracts at three harvest stages (PGS I, PGS II, and PGS III) are reported. The results indicate that the optimal conditions are a sonication intensity of 205.9 W, ethanol concentration of 46.4%, SLR of 1 g: 31.7 mL, and sonication time of 20.1 min. Under these optimized conditions, the TPC values at PGS I, PGS II, and PGS III were 117.22 ± 0.55, 112.73 ± 1.68, and 107.33 ± 1.39 mg GAE/g, respectively, whereas the extract of PGS I had the highest TFC (68.48 ± 2.01 mg RE/g). The HPLC analysis showed that chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin, isoquercitrin, and ferulic acid are the main components in the phenolic compounds from LSFs, and their contents are closely corrected with the harvest periods. LSF extracts exhibited a better antioxidant activity, and the activity at PGS I was significantly higher than those at PGS II and PGS III. The correlation analysis showed that kaempferol and ferulic acid, among the eight phenolic compounds, have a significant positive correlation with the antioxidant activity, while the remaining compounds have a negative correlation. Minor differences in extracts at the three harvest stages were found through SEM and FTIR. These findings may provide useful references for the optimal extraction method of phenolic compounds from LSFs at three different harvest periods, which will help to achieve a higher phytochemical yield at the optimal harvest stage (PGS I).

Mixed Saliva Chemical Parameters Changes in Age‑Related Oral Diseases

Introduction. The prevalence of oral cavity age-related diseases, such as chronic periodontitis (CP) and oral lichen planus (OLP) increases in the elderly and senile age people. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the biochemical parameters of mixed saliva in age-related oral diseases and evaluate impact of correction by total protein concentration.Materials and methods. The study included 86 elderly people from 60 to 74 years. They were divided into following groups: excessive attrition of teeth patients (n = 16); moderate CP patients (n = 22); OLP patients (n = 28); healthy peoples (n = 20). Reagent strips Siemens Multistix 10 SG (USA), analyzer Siemens Clinitek Status+ (USA), chemistry analyzer Mindray BS-240Pro (China) were used. In total, 16 biochemical markers and 4 calculated indices were determined. Saliva results were expressed without any correction, and corrected by total protein concentration.Results. It was found that OLP patients differed by a higher specific gravity and an increased level of total protein and calcium from the control group. CP patients had a higher level of c-reactive protein in compared to the healthy peoples. There were no differences between groups after correction.Discussion. The data corresponded to literature sources describing mixed saliva changes in age-related oral diseases. However, correction methods practically were not used in the considered works.Conclusion. Mixed saliva chemical markers changed in age-related oral diseases. It is necessary to find the optimal correction method because dilution and viscosity can significantly affect mixed saliva research results.

Optimal placement of light sensor for improving energy efficiency and visual comfort in smart buildings

The energy consumed by artificial lighting accounts for a significant part of the energy consumption in buildings. Thus, energy consumption can be significantly decreased using optimization techniques, such as the optimum placement of the lighting sensors. In this paper, an optimal placement method of the light sensors is presented to minimize the lighting system's equipment costs and energy consumption and also meet visual comfort under the requirements of the European standard EN12464–1 regarding illuminance-based criteria. In the beginning, based on the illumination measurement grid's mathematical model, the potential location of the sensors is determined. As an average of the dimming levels of the LED lights, the objective function has been introduced. Then, the illuminance and uniformity levels are defined as constraints for the optimization problem. The Battle Royale Optimization (BRO) algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem. Ultimately, based on the results of the BRO algorithm and the calculation of the illuminance deviation, the optimal location of the light sensors is determined. The proposed method is tested in an office room. A fuzzy logic controller is developed to regulate the lighting control system's dimming levels to evaluate the proposed method's performance with other approaches. The comparison results have shown that the proposed method is superior as regards the number of sensors and the optimal sensor position, significant savings in energy consumption of up to 30.8%, and satisfactory visual comfort per the requirements of the European standard EN12464–1.