Simple Changes Research Articles

Acrylamide-based hydrogels with distinct osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential

Regeneration solutions for the osteochondral interface depth are limited, where multi-material implants have the potential to delaminate affecting the regeneration process and impacting the final integrity of tissue interface. Here we explore regionally mixed hydrogel networks, presenting distinct chemical features to determine their compatibility in supporting osteogenic or chondrogenic cell behaviour and differentiation. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) and poly(N-tert-butylacrylamide) (pNTBAM) hydrogels were assessed in terms of their chemical differences, mechanical strength, internal architecture, porosity and capacity to support cell viability, migration, and differentiation. pNTBAM polymerized with a Young’s modulus of up to 371 ± 31 kPa compared to the more flexible pNIPAM, 16.5 ± 0.6 kPa. Viability testing revealed biocompatibility of both hydrogels with significantly increased cell numbers observed in pNTBAM (500 ± 95 viable cells/mm2) than in pNIPAM (60 ± 3 viable cells/mm2) (P ≤ 0.05). Mineralization determined through alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium ion and annexin A2 markers of mineralization) and osteogenic behaviour (collagen I expression) were supported in both hydrogels, but to a greater extent in pNTBAM. pNTBAM supported significantly elevated levels of chondrogenic markers as evidenced by collagen II and glycosaminoglycan expression in comparison to little or no evidence in pNIPAM (P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, structurally similar, chemically distinct, acrylamide hydrogels display variable capacities in supporting osteochondral cell behaviours. These systems demonstrate spatial control of cell interaction through simple changes in monomer chemistry. Fine control over chemical presentation during the fabrication of biomaterial implants could lead to greater efficacy and targeted regeneration of semi-complex tissues.

Rapid divergence in vegetative morphology of a wind-pollinated plant between populations at contrasting densities.

Plant sexual dimorphism is thought to evolve in response to sex‐specific selection associated with competition for access to mates or resources, both of which may be density dependent. In wind‐pollinated plants in particular, vegetative traits such as plant size and architecture may influence resource acquisition and both pollen dispersal and receipt, with potential conflict between these two components of fitness. We evaluated the role of plant density in shaping plant traits by measuring evolutionary responses in experimental populations of the sexually dimorphic wind‐pollinated plant Mercurialis annua. After three generations of evolution, we observed divergence between high‐ and low‐density populations in several vegetative traits, whereas there was no divergence for reproductive traits. A reversal in the direction of sexually dimorphic traits expressed in young plants evolved in both low‐ and high‐density populations compared to the original population (stored as seeds). Compared to the source population, males at high density evolved to be taller when young, whereas at low density young females tended to become smaller. These results demonstrate that a simple change in plant density can induce age‐dependent and sex‐specific evolution in the ontogeny of vegetative organs, and illustrates the power of experimental evolution for investigating plant trait evolution.

Muscle coordination retraining inspired by musculoskeletal simulations reduces knee contact force

Humans typically coordinate their muscles to meet movement objectives like minimizing energy expenditure. In the presence of pathology, new objectives gain importance, like reducing loading in an osteoarthritic joint, but people often do not change their muscle coordination patterns to meet these new objectives. Here we use musculoskeletal simulations to identify simple changes in coordination that can be taught using electromyographic biofeedback, achieving the therapeutic goal of reducing joint loading. Our simulations predicted that changing the relative activation of two redundant ankle plantarflexor muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus—could reduce knee contact force during walking, but it was unclear whether humans could re-coordinate redundant muscles during a complex task like walking. Our experiments showed that after a single session of walking with biofeedback of summary measures of plantarflexor muscle activation, healthy individuals reduced the ratio of gastrocnemius-to-soleus muscle activation by 25 ± 15% (p = 0.004, paired t test, n = 10). Participants who walked with this “gastrocnemius avoidance” gait pattern reduced late-stance knee contact force by 12 ± 12% (p = 0.029, paired t test, n = 8). Simulation-informed coordination retraining could be a promising treatment for knee osteoarthritis and a powerful tool for optimizing coordination for a variety of rehabilitation and performance applications.

The “Collapsing Ending” as a Turning Point in Contemporary Cinematic Narrative

Abstract More and more salient in recent cinematic productions have been the related phenomena of the “anti-ending”, the “zero ending”, and the “multiple ending”. The ending, in other words, appears to have forfeited the authority it once had to terminate a history and the power it once enjoyed to move people’s hearts. Today, more and more, stories cease abruptly, with no sign to warn of, or mark, their end. The “collapsing ending”, however, should not be seen as a simple change occurring at one particular locus in the stories told in cinema today but rather as a symptom of an important turning point in contemporary cinema’s very notion of narrative. That the traditional ending is collapsing indicates: firstly, that the interest of stories in contributing to knowledge-production is decreasing and that narrative is shifting, in its very nature, from being a type of demonstrative, to being a type of descriptive discourse; secondly, that audiences have begun to experience, vis-à-vis the various versions of “structured time”, a certain aesthetic fatigue, so that the demands typically made on narrative are just now in the process of shifting out of the cognitive realm, and into the realm of “gaming” and the pleasure of “gaming”; and thirdly, that the narrative authority of the creator/filmmaker is just now entering into an anxiety-driven state of self-undermining and that the power and predominance over discursive mechanisms which had once been the prerogative of the narrator is just now shifting into the hands of the narrative’s audience.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE RECYCLING PLANTS

The annual construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in India has been estimated to be 150 million tons. Currently, with only about 16 C&D waste recycling centers in India, with most of them having a capacity less than 500 tons per day, only an estimated 1% waste is recycled, a small proportion of waste is used for filling and levelling, and the rest simply goes to landfills, is left in place, or else dumped by roadsides. It may be noted that though the technology for recycling C&D waste and producing useful products is available, the idea has not really taken off in India. Some entrepreneurs have been forced to abandon their efforts to start recycling plants due to lack of profits and/or absence of policy support and regular customers. This research seeks to formulate a simple model for financial sustainability of C&D waste recycling plants in India and examine it in the context of available data for revenue and expenditure. Data was collected from various reports, research papers, and personal interviews. The study also provides insight into the barriers and possible solutions for improved financial sustainability of such plants and shows that C&D waste recycling can be easily sustainable through simple changes in the overall C&D waste management processes.

Environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery

AimsIn the UK, the NHS generates an estimated 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (4% to 5% of the nation’s total carbon emissions) and produces over 500,000 tonnes of waste annually. There is limited evidence demonstrating the principles of sustainability and its benefits within orthopaedic surgery. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery and the environmentally sustainable initiatives undertaken to address this. The secondary aim of this study was to describe the barriers to making sustainable changes within orthopaedic surgery.MethodsA literature search was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines through EMBASE, Medline, and PubMed libraries using two domains of terms: “orthopaedic surgery” and “environmental sustainability”.ResultsA total of 13 studies were included in the final analysis. All papers studied the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery in one of three areas: waste management, resource consumption, and carbon emissions. Waste segregation was a prevalent issue and described by nine studies, with up to 74.4% of hazardous waste being generated. Of this, six studies reported recycling waste and up to 43.9% of waste per procedure was recyclable. Large joint arthroplasties generated the highest amount of recyclable waste per procedure. Three studies investigated carbon emissions from intraoperative consumables, sterilization methods, and through the use of telemedicine. One study investigated water wastage and demonstrated that simple changes to practice can reduce water consumption by up to 63%. The two most common barriers to implementing environmentally sustainable changes identified across the studies was a lack of appropriate infrastructure and lack of education and training.ConclusionEnvironmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery is a growing area with a wide potential for meaningful change. Further research to cumulatively study the carbon footprint of orthopaedic surgery and the wider impact of environmentally sustainable changes is necessary.Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2022;3(8):628–640.

Challenges and Solutions for Global Mormon History

Challenges and Solutions for Global Mormon History

The Hyperporphyrin Concept: A Contemporary Perspective.

The Gouterman four-orbital model conceptualizes porphyrin UV–visible spectra as dominated by four frontier molecular orbitals—two nearly degenerate HOMOs and two exactly degenerate LUMOS under D4h symmetry. These are well separated from all the other molecular orbitals, and normal spectra involve transitions among these MOs. Unusual spectra occur when additional orbitals appear in this energy range, typically as a consequence of the central coordinated atom. For example, metals with empty d orbitals in a suitable energy range may lead to charge transfer from porphyrin (ligand) to metal, that is, so-called LMCT transitions. Metals with filled p or d orbitals may lead to charge transfer from metal to porphyrin, MLCT transitions. These cases lead to additional peaks and/or significant redshifts in the spectra and were classified as hyperporphyrins by Gouterman. Cases in which spectra are blueshifted were classified as hypsoporphyrins; they are common for relatively electronegative late transition metal porphyrins. Many of the same principles apply to porphyrin analogues, especially corroles. In this Perspective, we focus on two newer classes of hyperporphyrins: one reflecting substituent effects in protonated or deprotonated free-base tetraphenyporphyrins and the other reflecting “noninnocent” interactions between central metal ions and corroles. Hyperporphyrin effects on spectra can be dramatic, yet they can be generated by relatively simple changes and subtle structural variations, such as acid–base reactions or the selection of a central metal ion. These concepts suggest strategies for engineering porphyrin or porphyrinoid dyes for specific applications, especially those requiring far-red or near-infrared absorption or emission.

La traduzione di poesia: una sfida in fieri. Studio di caso: In morte del fratello Giovanni, una proposta di traduzione in spagnolo

The Translation of Poetry: A Challenge in Progress. Case Study: In the Death of His Brother Giovanni (In morte del fratello Giovanni). A Proposal for Translation into Spanish Speaking and writing about translation appears to be a fashionable topic not only because of the heated debates it generates, but also because of its origins. However, talking about the translation of poetry becomes almost a quixotic task. What apparently appears to be a simple change of linguistic code entails, in reality, a transposition that brings together the Weltaschauung that underlies the text. We have chosen for our case study one of the best known and studied sonnets by the Italian poet Ugo Foscolo: In morte del fratello Giovanni. In the philological analysis and the translatological results we have laid the foundations for a modern Spanish translation that tries to preserve the form and rhyme of the original text.

Mind the Basel gap

The Basel credit gap, the difference between a country’s credit-to-GDP ratio and its estimated long-term trend, is used as a basis for setting countercyclical capital buffers under the Basel III regulatory framework. Using international data from the BIS, we show that the Basel credit gap, estimated by a one-sided HP filter, is nearly equivalent to a naive 16-quarter change in the credit-to-GDP ratio and performs equally well in terms of predicting banking crises. We demonstrate that the near-equivalence between deviations from trend and simple changes occurs when the one-sided HP filter is applied to a unit-root process. The goal of this paper is not to evaluate the performance of the Basel credit gap as an early-warning-indicator, but rather to demonstrate that its estimation method is unnecessarily complicated.

Initial Survey of Staphylococcus Bacteriophages and Simple Modifications in the Enrichment Method for Enhancing Plaques

Isolation of bacteriophages against Staphylococcus aureus is difficult when compared to the bacteriophages of other genera. We did a preliminary survey for the presence of bacteriophages of S. aureus and Escherichia coli in the environmental water samples. We did not get bacteriophages against S. aureus, but bacteriophages against E. coli were ample. Subsequently, a river-water sample was taken and through the enrichment method with some modifications, we got a bacteriophage against a methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Here, we are reporting simple changes in the enrichment method to enhance plaques that have an extremely tiny and turbid morphology. This can be useful for researchers facing difficulty in finding lytic bacteriophages from water samples.

The Negative Solvatochromism of Reichardt's Dye B30 - A Complementary Study.

The UV/Vis spectra of a hypothetical negative solvatochromic dye in a solvent are theoretically calculated assuming the classical damped harmonic oscillator model and the Lorentz‐Lorenz relation. For the simulations, the oscillator strength of the solvent was varied, while for the solute all oscillator parameters were kept constant. As a result, a simple change of the oscillator strength of the solute can explain the redshift and intensity increase of the UV/Vis band of the solute. Simulated results are compared with measured UV/Vis spectroscopic data of 2,6‐diphenyl‐4‐(2,4,6‐triphenylpyridinium‐1‐yl) phenolate B30 (Reichardt‘s dye) Significant correlations of the absorption energy (1/λmax) with the molar absorption coefficient ϵ as function of solvent polarity are demonstrated for several derivatives of B30. The approach presented is only applicable to negative solvatochromism. Therefore, while the approach is vital to fully understand solvatochromism, it needs to be complemented by other approaches, e. g., to describe the changes of the chemical interactions based on the nature of the solvent, to explain all its various aspects.

Benchmarking the effects of transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) in humans

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) provides clinical benefits for several neurological and psychiatric conditions. By overcoming the limitations and risks of conventional DBS, transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) has the potential to offer non-invasive stimulation of deep brain regions. However, research that investigates the efficacy of tTIS is limited to animal studies or computer simulations and its capability to modulate neural oscillations in humans has not been demonstrated so far. The method of tTIS is hypothesized to elicit its effects via neural entrainment, corresponding to the supposed mechanism of action underlying transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), another, more established non-invasive brain stimulation technique. Physiological effects of tACS are well established for cortical brain oscillations, but not for deep brain structures. In particular, aftereffects on the power of parieto-occipital alpha oscillations have been shown repeatedly. In a first attempt to test the efficacy of tTIS in the human brain, the current study thus seeks to compare the effects of tTIS to the well-studied aftereffect of tACS in the cortex. To investigate this research question, the current study compared MEG-recorded brain activity during a simple visual change detection task in 34 healthy subjects pre- and post-tTIS. Additionally, the effects of tTIS were contrasted to conventional tACS and a control stimulation. We expected that the parieto-occipital α-power will increase after tTIS and tACS, in contrast to the control stimulation. Overall, no difference between the experimental groups (tTIS, tACS and control stimulation) were found regarding the source-projected increase in α-power. Based on the results of the study two hypothesis can be made: tTIS, tACS and the control stimulation condition don't have an effect on human brain oscillations in the α-band, or, any experimental conditions of the current study can modulate brain oscillations in the α-band. Both hypotheses emphasize the importance of further studies investigating different carrier frequencies, and the comparison to sham stimulation.

SemiSANet: A Semi-Supervised High-Resolution Remote Sensing Image Change Detection Model Using Siamese Networks with Graph Attention

Change detection (CD) is one of the important applications of remote sensing and plays an important role in disaster assessment, land use detection, and urban sprawl tracking. High-accuracy fully supervised methods are the main methods for CD tasks at present. However, these methods require a large amount of labeled data consisting of bi-temporal images and their change maps. Moreover, creating change maps takes a lot of labor and time. To address this limitation, a simple semi-supervised change detection method based on consistency regularization and strong augmentation is proposed in this paper. First, we construct a Siamese nested UNet with graph attention mechanism (SANet) and pre-train it with a small amount of labeled data. Then, we feed the unlabeled data into the pre-trained SANet and confidence threshold filter to obtain pseudo-labels with high confidence. At the same time, we produce distorted images by performing strong augmentation on unlabeled data. The model is trained to make the CD results of the distorted images consistent with the corresponding pseudo-label. Extensive experiments are conducted on two high-resolution remote sensing datasets. The results demonstrate that our method can effectively improve the performance of change detection under insufficient labels. Our methods can increase the IoU by more than 25% compared to the state-of-the-art methods.

Data-dependent visualization of biological networks in the web-browser with NDExEdit.

Networks are a common methodology used to capture increasingly complex associations between biological entities. They serve as a resource of biological knowledge for bioinformatics analyses, and also comprise the subsequent results. However, the interpretation of biological networks is challenging and requires suitable visualizations dependent on the contained information. The most prominent software in the field for the visualization of biological networks is Cytoscape, a desktop modeling environment also including many features for analysis. A further challenge when working with networks is their distribution. Within a typical collaborative workflow, even slight changes of the network data force one to repeat the visualization step as well. Also, just minor adjustments to the visual representation not only need the networks to be transferred back and forth. Collaboration on the same resources requires specific infrastructure to avoid redundancies, or worse, the corruption of the data. A well-established solution is provided by the NDEx platform where users can upload a network, share it with selected colleagues or make it publicly available. NDExEdit is a web-based application where simple changes can be made to biological networks within the browser, and which does not require installation. With our tool, plain networks can be enhanced easily for further usage in presentations and publications. Since the network data is only stored locally within the web browser, users can edit their private networks without concerns of unintentional publication. The web tool is designed to conform to the Cytoscape Exchange (CX) format as a data model, which is used for the data transmission by both tools, Cytoscape and NDEx. Therefore the modified network can be directly exported to the NDEx platform or saved as a compatible CX file, additionally to standard image formats like PNG and JPEG.

Impact of the aileron gap sealing on the aileron effectiveness

PurposeThe purpose of the presented aileron modification analysis is the improvement of the flight handling by eliminating adverse phenomena in the aileron area, such as aileron shaking movements, without the risk of deterioration of flow characteristics during manoeuvres. It was also crucial to reduce aileron forces acting on the control stick.Design/methodology/approachNumerical CFD analysis of the aileron system with modifications of sealing in the aileron gap area were performed. The effect of the caulking strip at the upper surface of the aileron gap was determined, as well as caulking at the entrance to the aileron gap on the bottom surface. A solution has also been proposed, consisting of completely closing the aileron gap by using a diaphragm. The three-dimensional flow analysis was carried out, allowing localization of the flow disturbances in the aileron gap at cruising speed. The result of the analysis are the aerodynamic and the hinge moment coefficients determining forces on the control stick, depending on the type of seals.FindingsIt has been shown that the use of subsequent sealing means has a direct impact on the hinge moment value. The results of the CFD analysis showed that the more closed aileron gap is, the higher aileron forces are generated on the control stick. Completely closing the flow in the aileron gap changes the character of the force generated on the control stick.Practical implicationsThrough CFD analyses of the aileron gap sealing in the PZL-130 Orlik aircraft, the impact of successive aileron gap sealing on the aileron efficiency was determined. It has been shown that simple change of the aileron gap size by the slat sealing can significantly affect the value of the forces generated on the control stick.Originality/valueThe research using CFD methods allowed to verify the impact of the particular type of aileron gap sealing on the hinge moment value and thus to determine proper sealing configuration for the PZL-130 Orlik aircraft at low computational cost.

SILVER AND CERIUM NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIS METHODS

The study of nanoparticles is currently an area of intense scientific interest due to a wide range of application possibilities in medical and biological fields. Therefore, national initiatives in the field of nanotechnology and nanoparticle research receive broad government support in many countries of the world. Nanoparticle synthesis methods are simple and can be carried out without special laboratory equipment. The very fact of the simplicity of the synthesis process from the technical side makes the synthesis and use of nanoparticles in medicine, biotechnology and other fields of human activity extremely attractive. Silver nanoparticles have a pronounced antibacterial effect against a wide range of bacterial pathogens. The antioxidant properties of cerium nanoparticles are described, which provide the prospect of their use in the therapy of tumor and viral diseases. That is why the purpose of the work is to analyze and compare possible methods of synthesis of silver and cerium nanoparticles and to single out the most promising method. The analysis of the known methods of synthesis of silver and cerium nanoparticles, as well as a comparison of their advantages and disadvantages, allowed us to conclude that the biological synthesis of nanoparticles is the most promising, in particular with the use of plant extracts. An important feature of the biological method of synthesis of nanoparticles is the absence of toxic reducing agents and the complex multi-stage process in comparison with the chemical method of synthesis. Moreover, the biological method of synthesis allows obtaining nanoparticles of a certain size and shape in a wide range of values, while the physical method is very limited. Regulation of the size and shape of nanoparticles obtained by biological synthesis is provided by a simple change of the synthesis conditions, namely the pH value, acidity, concentration of the corresponding metal salt, etc. Green synthesis is a safe ecological and cost-effective method of synthesis of silver and cerium nanoparticles.

Sex in the Psittacine

The dedication most parrot caregivers have to their avian companion’s wellbeing, combined with their air-conditioned, artificially-lighted indoor lifestyles, means they are in perfect shape to want to reproduce. If they’re not careful, caregivers may foster a sexual relationship with their parrot that leads to frustration on both sides. This article discusses the myriad factors that determine a parrot’s natural reproductive cycle, and explains how to make some simple changes to prevent hormone-related problematic behaviors from developing.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE RECYCLING PLANTS

The annual construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in India has been estimated to be 150 million tons. Currently, with only about 16 C&D waste recycling centers in India, with most of them having a capacity less than 500 tons per day, only an estimated 1% waste is recycled, a small proportion of waste is used for filling and levelling, and the rest simply goes to landfills, is left in place, or else dumped by roadsides. It may be noted that though the technology for recycling C&D waste and producing useful products is available, the idea has not really taken off in India. Some entrepreneurs have been forced to abandon their efforts to start recycling plants due to lack of profits and/or absence of policy support and regular customers. This research seeks to formulate a simple model for financial sustainability of C&D waste recycling plants in India and examine it in the context of available data for revenue and expenditure. Data was collected from various reports, research papers, and personal interviews. The study also provides insight into the barriers and possible solutions for improved financial sustainability of such plants and shows that C&D waste recycling can be easily sustainable through simple changes in the overall C&D waste management processes.

Enrichment for Snakes (And Other Reptiles)

An enriched environment for reptiles under captive management isn’t just a tank with some extra objects in it. To really enrich the lives of our reptiles, we need to be creative and introduce some novelty into their lives. This article introduces different ways that reptiles’ lives and environments can be enriched. From using food and feeding to provide cognitive enrichment, to making simple changes to the environment to give them new ways to move and new materials to experience, and even providing opportunities for social enrichment, Lori Torrini offers practical, creative, low-cost examples of how to provide for their needs.