Browse Articles

A delphi consensus study for treatment of full-thickness macular hole in Taiwan

Impact of agricultural machinery input on agricultural green production efficiency in the YREB from a spatial spillover perspective

Increased burden of rare variants in GWAS associated genes in familial multiple sclerosis

Metabolic features of patients with repeated Omicron infections highlight new targets for therapeutic intervention

Evaluation of AlphaFold modeling for elucidation of nanobody–peptide epitope interactions

Effects of COVID-19 convalescence on pregnancy outcomes in frozen-thawed embryo transfer: A retrospective cohort study

In this study, we aimed to examine whether frozen-thawed embryo transfer during the recovery period after coronavirus disease can affect treatment outcomes. This population-based retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent frozen-thawed embryo transfer in the first cycle and did not have a history of coronavirus disease (n = 355, control group) or recovered from coronavirus disease within 6 months (n = 185) or 6–12 months (n = 230). Univariate analysis was performed to determine significant associations between the baseline variables, frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle characteristics, clinical pregnancy rates, ongoing pregnancy rates, and pregnancy complication rates. Variables with significant associations in the univariate analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the effect of baseline characteristics, frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle characteristics, and history of coronavirus disease on clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and pregnancy complication rates. Patients who recovered from coronavirus disease within 6 months were more likely to experience complications during pregnancy than control group patients (33.7% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that a history of coronavirus disease within 6 months (odds ratio: 2.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.93–4.58) was a risk factor for pregnancy complications; however, a history of coronavirus disease was not a risk factor for clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, human chorionic gonadotrophin positivity rate, abortion rate, or live birth rate. Frozen-thawed embryo transfer can be conventionally performed during the recovery period after coronavirus disease; however, enhanced monitoring and follow-up during pregnancy are necessary to ensure the safety of the entire pregnancy and delivery process.

The effects of mediterranean and Persian diet on sexual function and semen parameters quality among infertile men: a randomized controlled trial

Data anomaly repair method based on fuzzy voting and multi-segment interpolation

Analysis of cytokine profiles in aqueous humor based on optical coherence tomography in pachychoroid spectrum diseases

Self-adaptive evolutionary neural networks for high-precision short-term electric load forecasting

Experimental assessment of chemical solvents for asphaltic sludge removal to mitigate formation damage in oil reservoirs

Abstract The reaction between acid and crude oil during oil well acidizing results in the formation of asphaltic sludge, a protonated complex enriched with H⁺ ions that forms within oil reservoirs. Its intricate structure and limited solubility make removal challenging, distinguishing it from asphaltene precipitation. This study aims to address the research gap regarding the effectiveness of solvents in asphaltic sludge removal. Three solvents, namely xylene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and a kerosene-diesel mixture, were tested to evaluate their dissolution efficiency compared with the solubility of different asphaltene types. The results indicated that THF and xylene were the most effective solvents, with solubility rates of 70% and 60%, respectively. In contrast, the kerosene-diesel mixture exhibited nearly 0% solubility due to the absence of aliphatic and nonpolar compounds in the sludge required for effective dissolution. Analysis of influencing parameters revealed that increasing solvent volume to 20 mL/g improved solubility by 20%. In reservoir conditions, rock particle deposition is likely. The presence of 0.5 g of rock powders reduced THF and xylene solubility to 30% and 39%, respectively, due to H⁺ ion deactivation. Increasing contact time to 60 min and mixing speed to 1800 RPM further improved solubility by up to 10% and 20%, respectively.

Head-to-head comparison of V-A ECMO, Impella and ECPELLA in normal ovine hearts

Abstract Temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS), including veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and micro-axial pumps (Impella), is increasingly used in clinical practice for refractory circulatory failure. Complex physiological responses to each technique or their combination (ECPELLA) remain debated and are often specific to cardiovascular pathology. A paucity of data on physiological responses to MCS in normal subjects makes comprehensive understanding of such responses in variable disease states difficult, as well as during weaning MCS in recovering hearts. This translational investigation compared three MCS techniques with variable pump flows in healthy sheep (n = 7) to establish baseline for future studies in cardiomyopathic models. All MCS techniques increased arterial elastance, but reduced LV myocardial work, coronary arterial flow and LV myocardial oxygen consumption. ECPELLA was more effective in increasing total systemic blood flow and MAP. The overall similarity between the MCS techniques suggests that the more invasive and complex combination of devices (ECPELLA) can only be justified for management of the severe failing heart as the means for decompressing LV. A study investigating the comparative impacts of different regimes and MCS techniques in a cardiomyopathic model is warranted.

Mitigating cardiac allograft vasculopathy in a murine model via CD40-TRAF6 blockade and cyclosporin A synergy

Study on the improvement of freeze resistance of historical architectural bricks by organo silicon waterproofing agent

Molecular mechanism of antagonist recognition and regulation of the α1A-adrenoceptor

Creep constitutive model of strain energy density considering the whole process of creep deformation

Aiming at the problem that the traditional creep model is difficult to reflect the characteristics of accelerated creep stage of rock, the influence of stress state on accelerated creep is fully considered, and a constitutive model which can describe viscoplastic creep is established based on strain energy density function. In order to comprehensively improve the accurate description of the three stages of rock creep, based on the traditional Nishihara model, an improved creep model is proposed by connecting a nonlinear viscoplastic element in series. The continuous medium strain energy theory is used to analyze the sudden change process of creep macroscopic mechanical behavior, and the critical strain energy density value is defined as the control parameter to predict the occurrence time of accelerated creep. At the same time, the origin software is used to introduce different creep data for fitting. The results show that the creep constitutive model can fit the rock creep test curve well and identify the parameters. It can better simulate the creep deformation characteristics of rock under different stress levels. It can accurately reflect the nonlinear creep characteristics of the whole process of rock creep. It shows that the newly established creep constitutive model has strong applicability and correctness. It provides a new creep constitutive model for future geotechnical engineering.

Identification of mitophagy-related genes with diagnostic value in acute rejection following kidney transplantation using bioinformatics analysis

Enhanced extreme gradient boosting based algorithm for mobility management of autonomous vehicles from sub 6 GHz to mmWave networks

A methodology for designing accurate, modifiable and reproducible scientific graphics in environmental studies using GPT4Designer

Mathematical modeling, drying kinetics, and economic analysis of a hybrid photovoltaic thermal solar dryer for henna leaves

Abstract Solar dryers offer a sustainable and efficient method for drying many agricultural products, preserving their quality, color, and medicinal properties while minimizing energy consumption and environmental impact. Current research on henna processing reveals a significant gap in drying engineering studies, creating a critical barrier to process optimization and quality enhancement. While numerous studies have investigated henna’s physical and chemical characteristics, the engineering aspects of drying—including heat and mass transfer mechanisms, equipment design, and process parameter optimization—remain substantially understudied. This knowledge gap hinders the development of efficient, standardized drying methods that could improve product quality, reduce energy consumption, and increase production yields in commercial henna processing. So, during the present study, a direct solar dryer integrated with a photovoltaic system was used for drying Henna leaves at Aswan University, Egypt, during January 2025. Where a comparison study was conducted between the drying of Henna leaves by the developed direct solar dryer (DDSD) and open-air drying (OAD) at three-layer thicknesses of 2 cm, 4 cm, and 6 cm. The comparison study between both drying systems was established in terms of mathematical modeling, drying parameters, EMD, and economic analysis. The obtained results showed that the equilibrium moisture contents of Henna leaves samples dried in OAD and (DDSD) reach ranged between 2.52 and 3.23% (2.17 and 2.69%) on a dry base. Applying the DDSD to dry Henna leaves resulted in a reduction in drying time by approximately 7.14%, 13.33%, and 18.75% for layer thicknesses of approximately 2, 4, and 6 cm, respectively. Additionally, the EMD of the Henna leaves dried using the DDSD ranged from 2.84 × 10–9 to 22.96 × 10–9 m2/s. Furthermore, Lewis (Newton), Weibullian, and Page were the most appropriate mathematical drying models for Henna leaves at layer thicknesses of approximately 2, 4, and 6 cm, respectively, for dried samples by DDSD. On the other hand, the economic analysis revealed that the DDSD has the potential to generate substantial cost savings, amounting to 3,348 USD per year. Additionally, the payback period was calculated to be 0.077 years (less than one month), demonstrating the system’s rapid return on investment and economic viability.