Restricted Region Research Articles

Molecular characterization of full-length VP2 gene of canine parvovirus type 2 strains circulating in Egypt 2019–2021

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is a major cause of fatal gastroenteritis and myocarditis in puppies of domestic and wild carnivores. CPV-2 has accumulated changes over time lead to the emergence of three antigenic variants CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c. VP2 is the major capsid protein that determines virus antigenicity, and host range. Although the three CPV-2 variants were previously identified in Egypt, most reports covered a restricted geographic region and/or time period, and only analyzed partial fragments of VP2 gene. Therefore, this study was designed to test 100 rectal swabs collected from 7 Egyptian governorates between 2019 and 2021 for CPV-2 using PCR. A total of 65 positive samples were identified, mostly in pure dog breeds of young age. The three variants co-circulated in 2019, while CPV-2b was not detected in 2020 and 2021. The frequency of CPV-2b and CPV-2c was higher in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Analysis of CPV-2 full-length VP2 gene sequence from 19/65 positive samples has identified four common amino acid substitutions F267Y, S297A, A300G, Y324I, which are characteristic for the new CPV-2 variants currently circulating worldwide. Unique substitutions including A5G, G36R, V38E, Q370R, and G392V were recognized in certain samples, and appears to have distinct effect on receptor binding, nuclear translocation, and inter-species transmission. Phylogenetic analysis showed separation of CPV-2 strains into two clades. All strains of this study were classified in clade I with Asian strains. In conclusion, this study provides updated comprehensive molecular analysis of CPV-2 variants in Egypt.

Additions to the Papilionaceous Flora of Pachmarhi Hills, Madhya Pradesh

Thirty nine species of Papilionaceae are reported for the first time from Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh. This makes a total record of 99 species (103 taxa) of Papilionaceous plants from the region. As many as 9 species, namely, Argyrolobium flactidum, Atylosia kulnensis, Desmodium floribundum D. maculatum, Flemingia fruticulosa Phasealus velutinus, Shuteria, vestita, Sophora mollis and Teramnus mollis are new records for Madhya Pradesh. This fully justifies the need for intensive floristic surveys of the restricted regions for compilation of Flora of India.

Hollow fiber membrane governed microjet flow regime for confined crystallization of large‐sized crystal aggregates

AbstractConfined crystallization can realize controllable nucleation and growth of crystals with targeted morphologies in a restricted region. Here, we achieved confined reactive crystallization within a novel micro columnar jet flow regime constructed by the hollow fiber membrane. The interface of the jet flow corresponds as the restricted region for reactive crystallization, and the large‐sized calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystals aggregates with millimeter length can ordered and self‐assembly grow along the boundary of this region. Formation mechanism of the jet flow was systematically investigated by real‐time observation and force analysis. The detected detachment‐regrowth cycle during the experiments furtherly uncovered the potential for continuous operation. Linear (diameter: 0.12–0.3 mm; length: 1.5–3.1 mm) and lamellar crystals (thickness of 200–300 nm and average area of 0.21 mm2) were obtained by effectively manipulating the diameter and effective length of jet flow.

A light-controlled phospholipase C for imaging of lipid dynamics and controlling neural plasticity

Phospholipase C (PLC) is a key enzyme that regulates physiological processes via lipid and calcium signaling. Despite advances in protein engineering, no tools are available for direct PLC control. Here, we developed a novel optogenetic tool, light-controlled PLCβ (opto-PLCβ). Opto-PLCβ uses a light-induced dimer module, which directs an engineered PLC to the plasma membrane in a light-dependent manner. Our design includes an autoinhibitory capacity, ensuring stringent control over PLC activity. Opto-PLCβ triggers reversible calcium responses and lipid dynamics in a restricted region, allowing precise spatiotemporal control of PLC signaling. Using our system, we discovered that phospholipase D-mediated phosphatidic acid contributes to diacylglycerol clearance on the plasma membrane. Moreover, we extended its applicability invivo, demonstrating that opto-PLCβ can enhance amygdala synaptic plasticity and associative fear learning in mice. Thus, opto-PLCβ offers precise spatiotemporal control, enabling comprehensive investigation of PLC-mediated signaling pathways, lipid dynamics, and their physiological consequences invivo.

Identification and analysis of a reverse dynamic strain ageing in welded joints of C-Mn steels in the secondary circuit welds of nuclear power plants

In an original way, we exploit a restricted region within the dynamic strain ageing domain where a simultaneous increase in strength and uniform elongation has been shown, with increasing free solute concentrations. This unusual reverse dynamic strain ageing was shown to be a marker of the interaction between strain ageing and strain hardening. Analysis, based on a dual experimental and theoretical approach, shows that dynamic strain ageing reduces the ability of the material to exhibit dynamic recovery. This regime operates at very low solute concentrations and saturates above a critical solute concentration. All the results obtained support the dislocations/solutes interactions as the main mechanism.

Lineage-specific requirements of Alx4 function in craniofacial and hair development.

Disruption of ALX4 causes autosomal dominant parietal foramina and autosomal recessive frontonasal dysplasia with alopecia, but the mechanisms involving ALX4 in craniofacial and other developmental processes are not well understood. Although mice carrying distinct mutations in Alx4 have been previously reported, the perinatal lethality of homozygous mutants together with dynamic patterns of Alx4 expression in multiple tissues have hindered systematic elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involving Alx4 in organogenesis and disease pathogenesis. We report generation of Alx4f/f conditional mice and show that tissue-specific Cre-mediated inactivation of Alx4 in cranial neural crest and limb bud mesenchyme, respectively, recapitulated craniofacial and limb developmental defects as found in Alx4-null mice but without affecting postnatal survival. While Alx4-null mice that survive postnatally exhibited dorsal alopecia, mice lacking Alx4 function in the neural crest lineage exhibited a highly restricted region of hair loss over the anterior skull whereas mice lacking Alx4 in the cranial mesoderm lineage exhibited normal hair development, suggesting that Alx4 plays partly redundant roles in multiple cell lineages during hair follicle development. The Alx4f/f mice provide a valuable resource for systematic investigation of cell type- and stage-specific function of ALX family transcription factors in development and disease.

A distributed containment tracking control of the UAV formation with prescribed performance subject to collision avoidance

SummaryIn this paper, the issue of finite‐time containment tracking control under collision avoidance constraints for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation is investigated. To tackle the challenge of collision avoidance in the context of formation containment tracking, combined with a prescribed performance function, a distributed containment tracking control scheme is proposed. Firstly, a UAV formation containment control model from a top view perspective is established. Next, to solve the internal collision avoidance within the formation, a restricted movement region is constructed for each UAV using a distributed prescribed performance function, which guarantees that each UAV's trajectory is maintained within a predefined area. Furthermore, invoking with the finite‐time control theory for the formation, a distributed containment tracking control scheme is developed to complete finite‐time tracking of the formation. Finally, simulation results are carried out to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.

Human sensory adaptation to the ecological structure of environmental statistics.

Humans acquire sensory information via fast, highly specialized detectors: For example, edge detectors monitor restricted regions of visual space over timescales of 100-200ms. Surprisingly, this study demonstrates that their operation is nevertheless shaped by the ecological consistency of slow global statistical structure in the environment. In the experiments, humans acquired feature information from brief localized elements embedded within a virtual environment. Cast shadows are important for determining the appearance and layout of the environment. When the statistical reliability of shadows was manipulated, human feature detectors implicitly adapted to these changes over minutes, adjusting their response properties to emphasize either "image-based" or "object-based" anchoring of local visual elements. More specifically, local visual operators were more firmly anchored around object representations when shadows were reliable. As shadow reliability was reduced, visual operators disengaged from objects and became anchored around image features. These results indicate that the notion of sensory adaptation must be reframed around complex statistical constructs with ecological validity. These constructs far exceed the spatiotemporal selectivity bandwidth of sensory detectors, thus demonstrating the highly integrated nature of sensory processing during natural behavior.

The Alpha-Synuclein Gene (SNCA) is a Genomic Target of Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 (MeCP2)—Implications for Parkinson’s Disease and Rett Syndrome

Mounting evidence suggests a prominent role for alpha-synuclein (a-syn) in neuronal cell function. Alterations in the levels of cellular a-syn have been hypothesized to play a critical role in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD); however, mechanisms that control expression of the gene for a-syn (SNCA) in cis and trans as well as turnover of a-syn are not well understood. We analyzed whether methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a protein that specifically binds methylated DNA, thus regulating transcription, binds at predicted binding sites in intron 1 of the SNCA gene and regulates a-syn protein expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and electrophoretic mobility-shift assays (EMSA) were used to confirm binding of MeCP2 to regulatory regions of SNCA. Site-specific methylation and introduction of localized mutations by CRISPR/Cas9 were used to investigate the binding properties of MeCP2 in human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. The significance of MeCP2 for SNCA regulation was further investigated by overexpressing MeCP2 and mutated variants of MeCP2 in MeCP2 knockout cells. We found that methylation-dependent binding of MeCP2 at a restricted region of intron 1 of SNCA had a significant impact on the production of a-syn. A single nucleotide substitution near to CpG1 strongly increased the binding of MeCP2 to intron 1 of SNCA and decreased a-syn protein expression by 60%. In contrast, deletion of a single nucleotide closed to CpG2 led to reduced binding of MeCP2 and significantly increased a-syn levels. In accordance, knockout of MeCP2 in SK-N-SH cells resulted in a significant increase in a-syn production, demonstrating that SNCA is a genomic target for MeCP2 regulation. In addition, the expression of two mutated MeCP2 variants found in Rett syndrome (RTT) showed a loss of their ability to reduce a-syn expression. This study demonstrates that methylation of CpGs and binding of MeCP2 to intron 1 of the SNCA gene plays an important role in the control of a-syn expression. In addition, the changes in SNCA regulation found by expression of MeCP2 variants carrying mutations found in RTT patients may be of importance for the elucidation of a new molecular pathway in RTT, a rare neurological disorder caused by mutations in MECP2.

The Effect Of Visa Exemption Policy On Indonesian Export

This study examines the effect of the visa exemption policy on Indonesia’s exports, by using Staggered Difference in Difference (DID) method and Indonesia's export data to 191 partner countries in 2015 - 2019 period. This study finds that visa exemption policy of Indonesia has effect on its export, but it is not "one size fits all". A significant positive effect was generated by visa-exemption received by American region, and a significant negative effect on exports was generated by visa exemption received by Oceania region. American region is one of the priority recipients of visa exemption policy of Indonesia, and provides the most visa exemption to Indonesia after the Asian region. Meanwhile, Oceania is the most restricted region in terms of visa exemption policy both unilaterally or reciprocally with Indonesia.
 
 Keywords: Visa Exemption, International Trade, Export, Staggered DID
 JEL Codes: F13, F16, F22

Increasing tolerable coupling coefficients range of series-series compensated inductive wireless power transfer systems operating in restricted sub-resonant frequency region with constant current output

Frequency control of series-series compensated inductive power transfer links (SS-IWPTL) operated in sub-resonant region while feeding variable voltage-type loads (e.g. batteries) with constant current under uncertain coupling conditions allows to minimize volt-ampere (VA) rating of transmitting-side converter. In such systems, variations of coupling coefficient and load voltage are counteracted by operational frequency adjustment so that primary current magnitude remains nearly unchanged throughout the complete operational range, as opposed to input voltage and phase shift control approaches. In practice, allowable operational frequency band is typically restricted by certain application and/or standard (e.g. SAE J2954). As a result, tolerable load voltage span and coupling coefficients range are also limited. Classical design guidelines impose the resonant frequency of SS-IWPTL to coincide with the upper bound of allowable operational frequency band for operation with the minimum expected coupling coefficient and the lower bound corresponding to operation with the maximum expected coupling coefficient. The paper demonstrates that generalizing this approach by releasing the former constraint adds a degree of freedom, allowing to expand tolerable coupling coefficients range for a given operational frequency band at the expense of slight efficiency deterioration. Analytical relations describing the above-mentioned behavior are established, clearly indicating the arising trade-offs. Simulation and experiments validate the proposed methodology.

Cretaceous stratigraphic framework and sedimentary architecture, Pakistan: signatures of rift–drift tectonics and submarine volcanism along the western continental margin of the Indian Plate

Abstract The lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and depositional environments of the Cretaceous successions in Pakistan were investigated to reveal the major geological events, including local, regional and global-scale tectonics, phases of volcanism, basin condensation, emergence of structural highs and episodes of non-deposition. The succession is entirely missing at Salt Range but is excellently exposed in the Kirthar–Sulaiman Fold-Thrust belts. Such deviating nature (e.g. Hazara, Kala Chitta, Surghar and Kohat), suggesting episodical tectonic activities, is associated with inter–intra rifting and drifting of the India–Madagascar–Seychelles and Antarctica–Australian plates during the Cretaceous. Correspondingly, several unconformities within the Cretaceous succession at numerous stratigraphic intervals consistently attest to the effect of tectonics throughout the period. The recognized unconformities over Kawagarh, Lumshiwal, Parh and Fort Munro formations testify to episodic uplifts on local and/or regional scales during the Coniacian–Santonian, Coniacian–Maastrichtian, Campanian and Maastrichtian in response to the separation of Madagascar from the India–Seychelles Plate. In contrast, there was continuous sedimentation of carbonate, clastic and/or submarine volcanics in the Kirthar and Indian–Eurasian suture zone. Significant geological events in the restricted regions, e.g. local-scale submarine volcanism (Bibai Formation), ironstone deposition (Dilband Formation) and basin condensation (Khuzdar), were also associated with such rifting–drifting phases along the WNW margin of the Indian Plate.

Biometric systems for identification and verification scenarios using spatial footsteps components

AbstractHumans are distinguished by their walking patterns; many approaches, including using various types of sensors, have been used to establish walking patterns as biometrics. By studying the distinguishing features of a person's footsteps, footstep recognition may be utilized in numerous security applications, such as managing access in protected locations or giving an additional layer of biometric verification for secure admittance into restricted regions. We proposed biometric systems for verifying and identifying a person by acquiring spatial foot pressure images from the values obtained from the piezoelectric sensors using the Swansea Foot Biometric Database, which contains 19,980 footstep signals from 127 users and is the most prominent open-source gait database available for footstep recognition. The images acquired are fed into the ConvNeXt model, which was trained using the transfer learning technique, using 16 stride footstep signals in each batch with an Adam optimizer and a learning rate of 0.0001, and using sparse categorical cross-entropy as the loss function. The proposed ConvNeXt model has been adjusted to acquire 512 feature vectors per image, and these feature vectors are used to train the logistic regression models. We propose two biometric systems. The first biometric system is based on training one logistic regression model as a classifier to identify 40 different users using 1600 signals for training, 6697 signals for validation, and 200 signals for evaluation. The second biometric system is based on training 40 logistic regression models, one for each user, to validate the user's authenticity, with a total number of 2363 training signals, 7077 validation signals, and 500 evaluation signals. Each of the 40 models has a 40-training signal per client and a different number of signals per imposter, a different number of signals for the validation that ranges between 8 and 650 signals, a 5-signal for an authenticated client, and a different number of signals per imposter for evaluation. Independent validation and evaluation sets are used to evaluate our systems. In the biometric identification system, we obtained an equal error rate of 15.30% and 21.72% for the validation and evaluation sets, while in the biometric verification system, we obtained an equal error rate of 6.97% and 10.25% for the validation and evaluation sets.

Multiregion sampling of de novo metastatic prostate cancer reveals complex polyclonality and augments clinical genotyping.

De novo metastatic prostate cancer is highly aggressive, but the paucity of routinely collected tissue has hindered genomic stratification and precision oncology. Here, we leveraged a rare study of surgical intervention in 43 de novo metastatic prostate cancers to assess somatic genotypes across 607 synchronous primary and metastatic tissue regions plus circulating tumor DNA. Intra-prostate heterogeneity was pervasive and impacted clinically relevant genes, resulting in discordant genotypes between select primary restricted regions and synchronous metastases. Additional complexity was driven by polyclonal metastatic seeding from phylogenetically related primary populations. When simulating clinical practice relying on a single tissue region, genomic heterogeneity plus variable tumor fraction across samples caused inaccurate genotyping of dominant disease; however, pooling extracted DNA from multiple biopsy cores before sequencing can rescue misassigned somatic genotypes. Our results define the relationship between synchronous treatment-sensitive primary and metastatic lesions in men with de novo metastatic prostate cancer and provide a framework for implementing genomics-guided patient management.

Jump effect of an eccentric cylinder rolling on an inclined plane

This work addresses the intriguing phenomenon of the jump effect exhibited by an eccentric cylinder rolling on an inclined plane. Our main objective is to determine the region of the parameter space where the cylinder can undergo a jump after pure rolling motion. In previous works, it was assumed that slipping always precedes a jump, leading to the belief that slip is necessary. In contrast, our study challenges this prevailing notion by demonstrating the existence of situations where a jump can occur after pure rolling motion. We present a detailed theoretical description of the jump effect, investigating the dependence of the jump behavior on the initial conditions, the forces involved, and the parameter values. Through rigorous analysis, we determine the restricted region in the parameter space that allows for jumps to occur without slipping. Our findings contribute to the ongoing debate surrounding the jump effect in eccentric cylinder dynamics.

Photoporation-mediated spatial intracellular delivery of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSCCMs) are promising candidates for disease modeling and therapeutic purposes, however, non-viral intracellular delivery in these cells remains challenging. Gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-sensitized photoporation creates transient pores in the cell membrane by vapor nanobubble formation, allowing diffusion of extracellular biomolecules. This non-viral technique was employed to test and optimize its distinct physical mode of action in iPSCCMs. Photoporation optimization was aimed at achieving high delivery rates while minimizing cell death. Various AuNP concentrations, in conjunction with different laser fluences, were explored to facilitate the intracellular delivery of 10 kDa and 150 kDa FITC-labelled dextran as model macromolecules. Cardiomyocyte viability was assessed using the CellTiter-Glo® viability assay, while the delivery efficiency was quantified through flow cytometry. On 30 day-old cardiomyocytes, AuNP photoporation was able to yield ∼60 % delivery efficiency while maintaining a high cell viability (∼70 %). Overall, higher AuNP concentrations resulted in greater delivery efficiencies, albeit at the expense of lower cell viability. Finally, photoporation was capable of patterning a geometric shape, demonstrating its exceptional selective resolution in delivering molecules to spatially restricted regions of the cell culture. In conclusion, AuNP-photoporation exhibits considerable potential as an effective and gentle non-viral method for intracellular delivery in iPSCCMs.•AuNP-photoporation is a non-viral intracellular delivery method suitable for iPSCCMs with high efficiency and cell viability•This method is capable of spatially resolved intracellular delivery with excellent resolution

Novel Artificial Intelligence Tool for Real-time Patient Identification to Prevent Misidentification in Health Care.

Errors in the identification of true patients in a health-care facility may result in the wrong dose or dosage being given to the wrong patient at the wrong site during radiotherapy sessions, radiopharmaceutical administration, radiological scans, etc. The aim of this article is to reduce the error in the identification of correct patients by implementation of the Python deep learning-based real-time patient identification program. The authors utilized and installed Anaconda Prompt (miniconda 3), Python (version 3.9.12), and Visual Studio Code (version 1.71.0) for the design of the patient identification program. In the field of view, the area of interest is merely face detection. The overall performance of the developed program is accomplished over three steps, namely image data collection, data transfer, and data analysis, respectively. The patient identification tool was developed using the OpenCV library for face recognition. This program provides real-time patient identification information, together with the other preset parameters such as disease site, with a precision of 0.92%, recall rate of 0.80%, and specificity of 0.90%. Furthermore, the accuracy of the program was found to be 0.84%. The output of the in-house developed program as "Unknown" is provided if a patient's relative or an unknown person is found in restricted region. This Python-based program is beneficial for confirming the patient's identity, without manual interventions, just before therapy, administering medications, and starting other medical procedures, among other things, to prevent unintended medical and health-related complications that may arise as a result of misidentification.

Comparison of Non B-Ig and B-Ig.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) has been widely acknowledged to be produced solely by B-lineage cells. However, growing evidence has demonstrated the expression of Ig in an array of cancer cells, as well as normal cells including epithelial cells, epidermal cells, mesangial cells, monocytes, and neutrophils. Ig has even been found to be expressed in non-B cells at immune-privileged sites such as neurons and spermatogenic cells. Despite these non-B cell-derived Igs (non-B-Igs) sharing the same symmetric structures with conventional Igs (B-Igs), further studies have revealed unique characteristics of non-B-Ig, such as restricted variable region and aberrant glycosylation. Moreover, non-B-Ig exhibits properties of promoting malignant behaviours of cancer cells, therefore it could be utilised in the clinic as a potential therapeutic biomarker or target. The elucidation of the generation and regulation of non-B-Ig will certainly broaden our understanding of immunology.

Cancer-Derived Immunoglobulin G and Pancreatic Cancer.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) is traditionally believed to be produced solely by B cells. Nonetheless, mounting evidence has demonstrated that various types of Igs are extensively expressed in many cell types. Among them, IgG is found to be highly expressed in cancer cells and is thus labeled as cancer-derived IgG. Cancer-derived IgG shares identical fundamental structures with B cell-derived IgG, but displays several unique characteristics, including restricted variable region sequences and unique glycosylation modifications for those expressed by epithelial cancers. Cancer-derived IgG plays multiple crucial roles in carcinogenesis, including facilitating cancer invasion and metastasis, enhancing cancer stemness, contributing to chemoresistance, and remodeling the tumour microenvironment. Recent studies have discovered that cancer-derived sialylated IgG (SIA-IgG) is extensively expressed in pancreatic cancer cells and is predominantly located in the cytoplasm and on the cell membrane. Cancer-derived IgG expressed by pancreatic cancer presents a restrictive variable region sequence and contains a unique sialylation site of the Fab region. Functionally, cancer-derived IgG participates in pancreatic cancer progression via different mechanisms, such as promoting proliferation, facilitating migration and invasion, resisting apoptosis, inducing inflammation, and modulating the tumour microenvironment. SIA-IgG has shown potential as a clinical biomarker. The expression of SIA-IgG is associated with poor tumour differentiation, metastasis, and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer. High expression of SIA-IgG can serve as an independent prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer. Additionally, SIA-IgG expression elevated with malignant progression for the precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer. These findings present a prospect of applying cancer-derived IgG as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target in the management of pancreatic cancer, and aiding in overcoming the challenge in the treatment of this stubborn malignancy.

Improving the high-temperature performance by constructing restricted amorphous regions in PEEK

Improving the high-temperature performance of polymers through crosslinking without compromising properties such as ductility and processability remains a significant challenge. In this study, we synthesize a cross-linkable poly (ether ether ketone) end-capped with phenylethynyl groups (PEEK-PEPs) and subsequently melt-blended it with semi-crystalline PEEK to create the PEEK alloy (PEEK/PEEK-PEPs). Under thermal treatment, the curing process of PEEK-PEPs is dominated by the formation of a cross-linked network, accompanied by chain growth reactions. The chain growth reaction will gradually become the dominant reaction as the treatment time increases. These results are validated by successive self-nucleation and annealing, as well as measurements of gel fraction and viscosity before and after thermal treatment. With this approach, the storage modulus (E') of PEEK/PEEK-PEPs is improved by 95 % at 290 °C, and the heat deflection temperature (HDT) is increased by 25 °C. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of PEEK/PEEK-PEPs at room temperature and 150 °C increases to 125 MPa and 72 MPa, respectively, which is 30 % and 31 % higher than that of pristine PEEK resins, while the strain at break remains at the same level as PEEK. These findings potentially provide an advanced polymer alloy preparation method for high-temperature applications, particularly in extreme environments.