Special Characteristics Research Articles

Assessment and litigation of ocular injuries by less-lethal weapons.

The main cause of serious ophthalmological injuries, includingviolent eye amputations in the context of so-called less lethalweapons, is the use of blunt objects, such as batons or extendablesticks and the use of kinetic energy projectiles (rubber bullets,pellets, foam projectiles or others). Such injuries in the contextof population control have been considered to constitute cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment or even torture when they arecarried out, intentionally or unintentionally, by State officials(or with their acquiescence or protection) and involve any of thepurposes contemplated in the Convention against Torture. Dueto their special characteristics, they constitute rights violationsthat entail unique difficulties and complexity from both a legaland forensic point of view. This paper addresses some of thesedifficulties with practical legal and forensic recommendations.It is structured in two parts: First, legal, where we considerlegal difficulties and provide suggestions on elements for obtainingevidence are given. Second, medico-psychological andforensic where we review the elements to be considered in theinterview, the medical and ophthalmological evaluation, andthe psychometric, psychological and psychiatric evaluation.

Scalp Composite Tissue Transplantation for Repairing Upper Lip Defect: A Feasible Clinical Study.

The repair of upper lip defects is difficult and can result in asymmetry. The authors have developed a postauricular scalp composite tissue for the repair of upper lip defects. Herein, the authors, present the feasibility of scalp composite tissue grafts for repairing of upper lip defects. The authors conducted a retrospective study of 10 patients who underwent scalp composite tissue transplantation for upper lip repair. The surgical procedure consisted of the excision of skin lesions or scar tissue from the upper lip to prepare the recipient area, and then the scalp composite tissue was excised behind the ear and transplanted to the upper lip defect. The authors reviewed the photographs and clinical notes of these patients. The patients' self-reported satisfaction with the repair effect was assessed. Tissue sections and hematoxylin and eosin staining of the scalp composite tissues were performed. All patients successfully underwent lesion resection and scalp composite tissue transplantation to repair the wound. There was no necrosis of the scalp composite tissue in the early postoperative period. The lip wound healed completely within 2 weeks. The mean follow-up time was 16 months, ranging from 12 to 20 months. Histologic sections and hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that the scalp composite tissue had abundant capillaries and dense fibrous connective tissue. All 10 patients were satisfied with the clinical effect of the procedure. Scalp composite tissue transplantation is a viable method for repairing upper lip defects. The special histomorphological characteristics of the scalp provide the basis for clinical application. IV.

Review of the Development of an Unbonded Flexible Riser: New Material, Types of Layers, and Cross-Sectional Mechanical Properties.

Unbonded flexible risers consist of several helical and cylindrical layers, which can undergo large bending deformation and can be installed in different configurations to adapt to harsh marine environments; thus, they can be applied to transport oil and gas resources from ultra-deep waters (UDW). Due to their special geometric characteristics, they can ensure sufficient axial tensile stiffness while having small bending stiffness, which can undergo large deflection bending deformation. In recent years, the development of unbonded flexible risers has been moving in an intelligent, integrated direction. This paper presents a review of unbonded flexible risers. Firstly, the form and properties of each interlayer of an unbonded flexible riser are introduced, as well as the corresponding performance and configuration characteristics. In recent years, the development of unbonded flexible risers has been evolving, and the development of machine learning on unbonded flexible risers is discussed. Finally, with emphasis on exploring the design characteristics and working principles, three new types of unbonded flexible risers, an integrated production bundle, an unbonded flexible riser with an anti-H2S layer, and an unbonded flexible riser with a composite armor layer, are presented. The research results show that: (1) the analytical methods of cross-sectional properties of unbonded flexible risers are solved based on ideal assumptions, and the computational accuracy needs to be improved. (2) Numerical methods have evolved from equivalent simplified models to models that account for detailed geometric properties. (3) Compared with ordinary steel risers, the unbonded flexible riser is more suitable for deep-sea resource development, and the structure of each layer can be designed according to the requirements of the actual environment.

Left-behind Children in Chinese Urban Areas

“Left-behind children” are a pronounced social issue in China. Colossal attention has been paid to left-behind children in Chinese rural areas. However, as its economy advanced, the issue also surfaced in urban areas. Compared with their rural counterparts, urban left-behind children face more complicated psychological challenges and social pressures, which have the potential to negatively affect their physical and mental growth as well as their future social integration. This article focuses on delineating the special characteristics of urban left-behind children and looking into the issues confronting them and the factors contributing to their predicament.

Mario Ageno and the status of biophysics

This essay focuses on Mario Ageno (1915–1992), initially director of the physics laboratory of the Italian National Institute of Health and later professor of biophysics at Sapienza University of Rome. A physicist by training, Ageno became interested in explaining the special characteristics of living organisms origin of life by means of quantum mechanics after reading a book by Schrödinger, who argued that quantum mechanics was consistent with life but that new physical principles must be found. Ageno turned Schrödinger’s view into a long-term research project. He aimed to translate Schrödinger’s ideas into an experimental programme by building a physical model for at least a very simple living organism. The model should explain the transition from the non-living to the living. His research, however, did not lead to the expected results, and in the 1980s and the 1990s he focused on its epistemological aspect, thinking over the tension between the lawlike structure of physics and the historical nature of biology. His reflections led him to focus on the nature of the theory of evolution and its broader scientific meaning.

Design and Analysis of Digitally Tunable Transconductance Amplifier (DTTA) Using CNTFETs.

Carbon nanotube-FETs (CNTFETs) have become a potential challenger because of their exceptional electrical properties and compatibility with conventional CMOS technology. The design and study of digitally tunable transconductance amplifiers (DTTAs) using CNTFETs are the main topics of this work. By utilizing the special characteristics of CNTFETs, the suggested DTTA design makes transconductance tunable, providing a versatile method of adjusting amplifier settings without requiring modifications to the hardware architecture. This study provides a complete description of the CNTFET modeling techniques utilized for realistic circuit simulations, along with a detailed analysis of the DTTA based on CNTFETs. The circuit is implemented using a 32 nm CNTFET model and verified results with HSPICE.

Deprivation of methionine inhibits osteosarcoma growth and metastasis via C1orf112-mediated regulation of mitochondrial functions

Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone tumor that primarily inflicts the youth. It often metastasizes to the lungs after chemotherapy failure, which eventually shortens patients’ lives. Thus, there is a dire clinical need to develop a novel therapy to tackle osteosarcoma metastasis. Methionine dependence is a special metabolic characteristic of most malignant tumor cells that may offer a target pathway for such therapy. Herein, we demonstrated that methionine deficiency restricted the growth and metastasis of cultured human osteosarcoma cells. A genetically engineered Salmonella, SGN1, capable of overexpressing an L-methioninase and hydrolyzing methionine led to significant reduction of methionine and S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) specifically in tumor tissues, drastically restricted the growth and metastasis in subcutaneous xenograft, orthotopic, and tail vein-injected metastatic models, and prolonged the survival of the model animals. SGN1 also sharply suppressed the growth of patient-derived organoid and xenograft. Methionine restriction in the osteosarcoma cells initiated severe mitochondrial dysfunction, as evident in the dysregulated gene expression of respiratory chains, increased mitochondrial ROS generation, reduced ATP production, decreased basal and maximum respiration, and damaged mitochondrial membrane potential. Transcriptomic and molecular analysis revealed the reduction of C1orf112 expression as a primary mechanism underlies methionine deprivation-initiated suppression on the growth and metastasis as well as mitochondrial functions. Collectively, our findings unraveled a molecular linkage between methionine restriction, mitochondrial function, and osteosarcoma growth and metastasis. A pharmacological agent, such as SGN1, that can achieve tumor specific deprivation of methionine may represent a promising modality against the metastasis of osteosarcoma and potentially other types of sarcomas as well.

Air-conditioning load characteristics and grey box predicting model in subway stations

With the continuous expansion of metro, energy conservation of air-conditioning system in subway stations draws the attention of the whole world. Most of the researches are focused on improving the energy efficiency of the system, while the load characteristics of subway stations are paid little attention. The inaccurate load prediction in the designing of air-conditioning system results in redundancy and low operating efficiency. Therefore, accurately predicting the air-conditioning load is crucial for energy saving in subway stations. In this paper, an innovative three-stage subway air-conditioning load test method was proposed and implemented in nine subway stations in Qingdao. Based on the test data, the special air-conditioning load characteristics of subway stations as underground buildings were analyzed. The results showed that electrical equipment load accounted for the largest part, reaching 53.7 %, while only 42 % of the equipment power was converted into air-conditioning load. The positive role of the envelope should not be ignored, especially in the case of entrance and exit walls, which bore almost all of the fresh air load. Based on the three-stage test, a grey box model was established and the error was validated to be within 6 %. With this model, the load of air-conditioning system can be calculated by inputting passenger flow, power of electrical equipment and public area. This paper provides a reference for the design and operation of air-conditioning system in subway stations.

Aeolian saltation over plateau gobi: Field studies in the Zhongzaohuo gobi area, northeastern Tibetan plateau, China

Aeolian sand movement, affected by low air density, exhibits special characteristics. Our understanding of saltation, especially in plateau gobi regions, is limited. Here, we report results of aeolian saltation processes over gobi in the Zhongzaohuo area of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau using high-frequency saltation measurement. The key findings include: (1) In turbulent winds, aeolian sand saltation on plateau gobi occurs intermittently. As the aeolian sand transport activity parameter increases, the threshold wind speed Ut for sand movement decreases exponentially. Concurrently, the threshold wind speed required to move sand particles shows a significant increase, being 49%–68% higher than that in lower altitude gobi regions. (2) The average saltation height zq in plateau gobi ranges from 0.25 to 0.40 m, with a mean value of 0.36 ± 0.04 m, which is approximately 2.3–2.6 times higher than that in lower altitude gobi areas. (3) Sand transport rate in the plateau gobi is significantly reduced, being 57%–94% lower than that in lower altitude gobi areas. This research will deepen our knowledge of how turbulent winds affect aeolian sand movements in plateau gobi regions.

Case report– Periapical cemento-osseous dysplasia–CBCT findings

Case report– Periapical cemento-osseous dysplasia–CBCT findings

Study on the Translation of Verbal Humor in Bridget Jones’s Diary from the Perspective of Relevance Theory

Humor is a common phenomenon in daily life. Essentially, it is a special form of verbal communication. Since humor bears special language and cultural characteristics, the difficulty of translation is self-evident for translators. For many years, the translatability and untranslatability of humor have been the focus of the argument among scholars. Relevance theory attempts to explain the mechanism of humor generation and its translation from the perspective of cognition. Under the framework of relevance theory, this paper takes Bridget Jones's Diary and its Chinese version as the research object to explore the translation strategies of verbal humor, and evaluate whether the Chinese translation can represent the same humorous effect as the original. The results show that the translator adopts direct and indirect translation strategies when translating verbal humor, and the translation strategies have effectively achieved the same humorous effect as the original to some extent if the target language readers share the similar cognitive environment with the source language readers in some situations. Nevertheless, the humorous effects may not be fully conveyed in the target texts, especially when translating culturally loaded words and idiomatic expressions. In such cases, the author puts forward some tentative suggestions for improving the translated texts. The study makes an attempt to provide a feasibility analysis for the studies on translation of verbal humor in diary novels.

Emotional State Measurement Trial (EMOPROEXE): A Protocol for Promoting Exercise in Adults and Children with Cerebral Palsy.

The protocol described in this paper is part of a research project coordinated between three Spanish universities, where a technology aimed at improving the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy will be developed. Part of the proposed technology will consist of an interface and a series of applications to increase motivation for daily physical activity. The basis of these developments is the measurement of the emotional state of the subjects. The experimental protocol is designed with two research objectives, on the one hand to identify the emotional state through physiological signals, and on the other to determine whether music can be a motivating factor to promote physical activity. It is specifically designed for subjects with cerebral palsy, taking into account the special characteristics of this population. These are people with whom it is difficult to use questionnaires to have a basis to contrast with the measured physiological signals, so measurements must be taken in carefully chosen daily-life situations. We hope our findings show which physiological parameters are the most robust to measure the emotional state and how to design rehabilitation and physical activity promotion routines that are motivating, in addition to being able to avoid risk factors during the performance of these routines. NCT05621057.

Small diameter vascular grafts: progress on electrospinning matrix/stem cell blending approach.

The exploration of the next-generation small diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs) will never stop until they possess high biocompatibility and patency comparable to autologous native blood vessels. Integrating biocompatible electrospinning (ES) matrices with highly bioactive stem cells (SCs) provides a rational and promising solution. ES is a simple, fast, flexible and universal technology to prepare extracellular matrix-like fibrous scaffolds in large scale, while SCs are valuable, multifunctional and favorable seed cells with special characteristics for the emerging field of cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Both ES matrices and SCs are advanced resources with medical application prospects, and the combination may share their advantages to drive the overcoming of the long-lasting hurdles in SDVG field. In this review, the advances on SDVGs based on ES matrices and SCs (including pluripotent SCs, multipotent SCs, and unipotent SCs) are sorted out, and current challenges and future prospects are discussed.

Инфографика как средство оптимизации обучения русскому языку китайских студентов

The aim of this paper is to study the key features of infographic texts and the stages of working with them when working with Chinese students, as well as the justification for the use of infographics as a way of optimizing the educational process while teaching Russian as a foreign language to Chinese students. The article deals with the special characteristics and specifics of working with infographics in the Russian language lessons. The article gives examples of work-organizing process, analyzes basic infographic components, and describes the process of their creation. “Self-made” infographics are to be used by students and teachers during the lesson to actualize the topic, to study lexical and grammatical material, and facilitate its quick assimilation. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the development of the methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language to Chinese students on the basis of infographical texts. As the result of the study, the author highlights the specific features of infographical text in connection with the specifics of character based cultural type perception and advantages of using infographics while teaching Russian as a foreign language to Chinese students. The study highlights that infographics are considered to be graphical data carriers and can become an effective educational tool for all language activities. Thus, the author also provides a step-by-step methodical approach to teaching Russian as a foreign language to Chinese students on the basis of infographical text.

Classifying PDO Kalamata Olive Oil from Geographic Origins of the Messenia Region based on Statistical Machine Learning

Kalamata is a smart city located in southeastern Greece in the Mediterranean basin and it is the capital of the Messenia regional unit. It is known for the famous Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Kalamata olive oil produced mainly from the Koroneiki olive variety. The PDO Kalamata olive oil, established by Council regulation (EC) No 510/2006, owes its quality and special characteristics to the geographical environment, olive tree variety, and human factor. The PDO Kalamata olive oil is produced exclusively in the regional unit of Messenia, being the main profit of local farmers. However, soil chemical composition, microclimates, and agronomic factors are changed within the Messenia spatial area leading to differentiation of PDO Kalamata olive oil characteristic. In this paper, we use statistical machine learning algorithms to determine the geographical origin of Kalamata olive oil at PDO level based on synchronous excitation−emission fluorescence spectroscopy of olive oils. Evaluations of the statistical models are promising for differentiating the origin of PDO Kalamata olive oil with high values of prediction accuracy thus enabling companies that process and bottle kalamata olive oil to choose olive oil from a specific region of Messenia that fulfills certain characteristics. Concretely, the current research effort focuses on a specific olive oil variety within a limited geographic region. Intuitively, future research should also focus on validation of the proposed methodology to other olive oil varieties and production areas.

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling of Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Milling of the Nomex Honeycomb Structure

Machining of Nomex honeycomb composite (NHC) structures is of critical importance in manufacturing parts to the specifications required in the aerospace industry. However, the special characteristics of the Nomex honeycomb structure, including its composite nature and complex geometry, require a specific machining approach to avoid cutting defects and ensure optimal surface quality. To overcome this problem, this research suggests the adoption of RUM technology, which involves the application of ultrasonic vibrations following the axis of revolution of the UCK cutting tool. To achieve this objective, a three-dimensional finite element numerical model of Nomex honeycomb structure machining is developed with the Abaqus/Explicit software, 2017 version. Based on this model, this research examines the impact of vibration amplitude on the machinability of this kind of structure, including cutting force components, stress and strain distribution, and surface quality as well as the size of the chips. In conclusion, the results highlight that the use of ultrasonic vibrations results in an important reduction in the components of the cutting force by up to 42%, improves the quality of the surface, and decreases the size of the chips.

EFNN-Nul0- a trustworthy knowledge extraction about stress identification through evolving fuzzy neural networks

This paper presents a novel hybrid architecture, denoted as EFNN-Nul0 (evolving neuro-fuzzy system based on null-unineurons), meticulously crafted for stress identification within the realm of pattern classification. The model seamlessly integrates neural networks, fuzzy systems, and n-uninorms to cultivate knowledge within an adaptive, real-time learning context. Neuro-fuzzy rules, encapsulating interdependencies among input features through IF-THEN type relationships, are formulated utilizing null-unineurons derived from n-uninorms. This construction enables the articulation of both AND- and OR-connections, thereby augmenting the interpretability of the generated rules. The evolution of neurons is facilitated by an extended adaptation of the autonomous data partition method (ADPA). To dynamically interpret the evolution of rules, the paper introduces (i) a mechanism that tracks changes in rules over data stream samples, providing insights into the process dynamics as a structural active learning component, and (ii) a concept for incrementally updating feature weights. These weights encapsulate the varying impact levels of features on stress identification, enabling the reduction of rule length by effectively masking out less significant features. The outcomes of the rules are represented by certainty vectors, recursively updated through an indicator-based recursive weighted least squares (I-RWLS) approach. Neuron activation levels play a pivotal role in determining the weights, ensuring stable local learning. The effectiveness of the proposed model is substantiated through a comprehensive comparison with existing hybrid and evolving approaches in the literature, focusing on binary and multi-class pattern classification. Aspects that identify special characteristics of neuro-fuzzy models related to interpretability will also be demonstrated in this work. The results demonstrate the model's superior performance, characterized by consistently higher accuracy trend lines over time. Furthermore, the model's interpretability is underscored by the coherent neuro-fuzzy rules, contributing to its remarkable accuracy (the EFNN-Nul0 achieved approximately 99% accuracy in stress identification), establishing its efficacy in addressing stress identification within classification problems.

Black soils in the southwest of the Brazilian Pantanal: Organic carbon and secondary carbonates accumulation in Phaeozems–Gleysol-Chernozem

The southwest of the Brazilian Pantanal contains areas formed by calcareous sediments, which give this hydromorphic environment special characteristics in the formation of soils such as Phaeozems, Chernozems and Gleysols. These soils have a dark surface horizon, enriched with organic matter, high natural fertility in the sorption complex and high clay activity. These soils are important because they store large amounts of organic carbon and can be used in carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases studies. However, despite their abundance in the Pantanal region and importance, these soils are few studied. Thus, our study aimed to characterize the morphology, physical, and chemical attributes of black soils in this region, identifying the main mechanisms of organic carbon and secondary carbonate accumulation. Three profiles located in the municipality of Corumbá-MS were studied, namely Phaeozem (profiles P1), Gleysol (profile P2) and Chernozem (profiles P3). In all profiles, high concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ elements were observed, mainly derived from the sediments of the Serra da Bodoquena and the Urucum-Amolar residual plateau, ion transport fluxes and secondary carbonate dissolution. The preservation of these elements and 2:1 clays is closely linked to the rainfall dynamics of the region, alternating between floods and droughts. The high 2:1 clays and exchangeable Ca2+ benefits the stabilization of organic carbon by means of organic–mineral interactions and promote the increase of humin content. In Phaeozem and Chernozem, the highest levels of secondary carbonates were observed at the top of the B horizons of these soils, where the pressure of CO2 is lower. Being a lowland area under the direct influence of flooding, the development of secondary carbonates is limited in the B horizons of the Gleysol, where access to the water table and root activity at depth increases the CO2 pressure and hinders the re-precipitation of carbonates in this soil, precipitating in the capillary bangs and in the upper zone (surface horizons).

Jilin city central wastewater treatment plant renovation design scheme

Jilin City is one of the top ten famous Chinese cities worth introducing to the world. To further improve the construction of urban infrastructure and meet the needs of the economic and social development of Jilin City, the Jilin City Government Joint Development and Reform Commission and the Ecological Environment Bureau decided to expand and renovate the former Jilin City wastewater treatment plant. This study designs a wastewater treatment plant by comprehensively considering the policy needs and the local basic background characteristics of Jilin to solve the wastewater overflow problem. The design modified the anaerobic tank and Carroussel oxidation ditch processes, which have more advantages than traditional treatment processes, mainly including better BOD, nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency, less power consumption, and lower operating costs. This treatment plant design contains two special characteristics: the design considers the overall plan and pipeline layout of the wastewater treatment plant, and the size data of each module are calculated through theoretical study conforming to the real case.

Biological and Medicinal Properties of Natural Chromones and Chromanones.

Emerging threats to human health require a concerted effort to search for new treatment therapies. One of the biggest challenges is finding medicines with few or no side effects. Natural products have historically contributed to major advances in the field of pharmacotherapy, as they offer special characteristics compared to conventional synthetic molecules. Interest in natural products is being revitalized, in a continuous search for lead structures that can be used as models for the development of new medicines by the pharmaceutical industry. Chromone and chromanones are recognized as privileged structures and useful templates for the design of diversified therapeutic molecules with potential pharmacological interest. Chromones and chromanones are widely distributed in plants and fungi, and significant biological activities, namely antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, etc., have been reported for these compounds, suggesting their potential as lead drug candidates. This review aims to update the literature published over the last 6 years (2018-2023) regarding the natural occurrence and biological activity of chromones and chromanones, highlighting the recent findings and the perspectives that they hold for future research and applications namely in health, cosmetic, and food industries.