Browse Articles

A system-based evaluation and feedback mechanism for green quality of metropolis energy big data using probabilistic linguistic term sets

pH-sensitive gelatin–montmorillonite–cerium oxide nanocarriers for controlled quercetin delivery and machine learning release prediction

Sevoflurane does not restore alveolar fluid clearance in a murine model of endotoxin-induced acute lung injury

Abstract Volatile anesthetics have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and epithelial-protective effects in several sterile experimental models of acute lung injury (ALI). However, their effects in endotoxin-induced ALI remain unclear, and recent clinical data have raised concerns regarding their potential impact on patient outcomes. We investigated whether sevoflurane restores alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) and preserves epithelial integrity in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Wild-type (WT) and receptor for advanced glycation end-products–deficient (RAGE−/−) mice received intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and were exposed to sevoflurane (1 vol %) or control gas for 1 h. Our primary outcome, the net AFC rate was measured 48 h after injury. Secondary outcomes included lung histology, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) protein and cytokine levels, and lung expression of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), water transporter aquaporin-5 (AQP5), and adherens junction protein E-cadherin. LPS induced significant weight loss and severe lung injury, with impaired AFC and downregulation of ENaC and AQP5. Sevoflurane did not restore AFC, reduce alveolar-capillary permeability, or preserve epithelial junctional integrity. RAGE−/− mice exhibited attenuated lung injury and partial preservation of epithelial marker expression, without a statistically significant interaction with sevoflurane exposure. BAL cytokine levels were largely unaffected by sevoflurane. These findings suggest context-dependent effects of a 1-h exposure to 1.0 vol% sevoflurane in experimental ALI, with absence of epithelial benefit in a mouse model of endotoxin-induced ALI, in contrast with previously reported effects in a sterile model. This work may provide mechanistic insight into the differential translational impact of inhaled sedation strategies.

A tri-axis optomechanical accelerometer with plasmonic MIM waveguide and structural direction-dependent optical signatures

Abstract This paper presents a proposed tri-axis optomechanical accelerometer integrating a monolithic single-proof-mass MEMS suspension with an engineered metal–insulator–metal (MIM) plasmonic platform. The device utilizes a modified frog-arm spring system, optimized via finite element simulations to provide near-identical peak displacements ( $$\:\approx\:200\:nm$$ ) and mechanical sensitivities ( $$\:{S}_{M}\approx\:100\:nm/g$$ ) within a $$\:\pm\:2\:g$$ range, operating across a bandwidth of $$\:\approx\:473\:Hz$$ . Structural stability is verified through pre-stressed analysis, showing negligible warpage ( $$\:\approx\:1\:nm$$ ) and a substantial safety factor ( $$\:\approx\:{10}^{4}$$ ), while maintaining minimal axis interference with cross-axis coupling $$\:<0.2\text{\%}$$ . The optical transduction, analyzed through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods, employs a Hybrid Plasmonic Waveguide (HPW) configuration to induce a pronounced Fano-type resonance with an insertion loss of $$\:\approx\:-6.29\:dB$$ across the visible-to-near-infrared spectrum ( $$\:500-1500\:nm$$ ). By adopting an asymmetric structural architecture, the sensor generates direction-sensitive signatures characterized through a Bidirectional Optical Sensitivity Matrix, which maps nanoscale displacements to simultaneous wavelength and intensity modulation. This framework facilitates the discrimination of acceleration polarities (± X, ±Y, ±Z) and yields a balanced tri-axis Full Scale Normalized Optical Sensitivity (FS-NOS) of $$\:\approx\:0.002\:{nm}^{-1}$$ . Systematic noise analysis reveals a NEA of $$\:\approx\:0.78\:\mu\:g/\sqrt{Hz}$$ , supporting sub-µg resolution, while the minimum optical resolution for the Y-axis is calculated as $$\:61.07\:\mu\:g$$ . Furthermore, a sequential hierarchical decoupling approach is proposed to reconstruct 3D acceleration vectors from superimposed optical outputs. This work establishes a versatile framework for developing high-resolution, all-optical, EMI-immune plasmonic MOEMS tailored for precision inertial sensing.

The weibull model for evaluation of control reliability of carbapenem-sensitive acinetobacter baumannii infections: A case-series study

Munc18-1 is crucial for photoreceptor function, survival and regulation of syntaxin-3 localization and expression

Differential associations of longitudinal hearing and vision trajectories with dementia and mild cognitive impairment in older adults

Abstract Hearing and vision impairments are modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline, yet their longitudinal contributions to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia remain unclear. This study examined differential associations of baseline sensory function and longitudinal sensory trajectories with cognitive status at Wave 9. Nine waves of data (2006–2022) from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging were analyzed, including 11,146 participants aged 45 years and older. Parallel process latent growth modeling was used to examine associations between baseline hearing and vision, their rates of change over time, and cognitive status at the final wave (cognitively normal, MCI, dementia). More rapid hearing decline was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of being classified in the dementia group. Poorer baseline vision was associated with a higher likelihood of being classified in the MCI group. In contrast, baseline hearing and longitudinal vision decline were not significantly associated with MCI or dementia classification, respectively. These findings indicate that longitudinal hearing decline shows a stronger association with dementia classification than visual impairment, whereas poorer baseline visual function may be more strongly associated with earlier-stage cognitive status.

miRNA-mediated therapeutic effects of AST-001 through modulation of key marker genes in autism spectrum disorder

Preoperative whey protein supplementation for postoperative nausea, vomiting and recovery in well-nourished gynecologic tumor patients: a randomized controlled trial

Hydrothermal synthesis of morus alba waste biomass-derived carbon dots with enhanced quantum yield for optoelectronic chitosan nanocomposites

Antimicrobial activity of plasma-activated water against Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbrood

Abstract Paenibacillus larvae , the causative agent of American foulbrood, poses a major threat to global apiculture. This study evaluated the antibacterial efficacy of plasma-activated water generated using air (PAW-Air) or argon (PAW-Argon) against vegetative P. larvae . PAW-Air contained higher concentrations of nitrate (NO₃⁻; 100–1,000 mg/L) and nitrite (NO₂⁻; 50–600 mg/L), whereas PAW-Argon contained higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂; 30–150 mg/L). Despite these physicochemical differences, both PAW-Air and PAW-Argon significantly reduced viable cell counts. Viable counts ranged from 4.65 to 4.74 log CFU/mL following PAW-Air treatment and from 4.54 to 4.67 log CFU/mL following PAW-Argon treatment. PAW exposure increased membrane-compromised cells and reduced relative membrane integrity to 35.87–37.47%, accompanied by enhanced leakage of intracellular nucleic acids and proteins, and severe morphological damage. Among representative long-lived reactive species, H₂O₂ exhibited dose-dependent antibacterial effects, whereas NO₃⁻ and NO₂⁻ showed comparatively weaker effects. In a honeybee larval infection model, larvae fed PAW-treated bacteria showed significantly reduced bacterial loads, with no detectable colonies in the PAW-Air groups and only 1.11 ± 0.67 CFU/larva in the PAW-Argon group. Larval survival was also improved in PAW-treated groups (59.38–60.42%) compared with untreated infection controls (43.23%). These findings suggest that PAW can reduce the culturability and infectivity of vegetative P. larvae , likely through oxidative membrane-associated damage, and provide a basis for further investigation of plasma-based strategies for American foulbrood control.

AI-based decision support for sustainable landscape regeneration in aging residential communities

Pose-derived biomechanical feature profiling and proxy pattern classification of basketball player movements

Comprehensive exposure assessment of residents in a former tin mining area in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Soliton solutions and dynamical behaviors in ferroelectric thin films

Effect of nitrogen-rich COF incorporation on the structure and separation performance of polyamide nanofiltration membranes

Abstract The development of nanofiltration (NF) membranes combining high water permeability with precise ion selectivity remains limited by the permeability–selectivity trade-off of conventional polyamide (PA) thin-film composite membranes. Herein, a nitrogen-rich imine-linked covalent organic framework (COF) was incorporated into the PA selective layer via interfacial polymerization to regulate membrane structure and ion transport. Structural characterization confirmed COF formation and its integration into the PA layer. COF incorporation enhanced membrane hydrophilicity, decreasing the water contact angle from ~ 62° to ~ 30°, which is attributed to COF-derived polar nitrogen-containing groups and AFM-confirmed surface roughening. Pure water flux also increased from ~ 43 to 50 L m⁻ 2  h⁻ 1 . The COF-modified membranes exhibited improved desalination performance with a rejection order of MgSO 4  > Na 2 SO 4  > MgCl 2  > NaCl. At the highest COF loading, MgSO 4 and Na 2 SO 4 rejection reached ~ 99% and ~ 98%, respectively, while MgCl 2 and NaCl rejection increased to ~ 50% and ~ 43%. Although zeta potential became less negative after COF incorporation, rejection improved, indicating combined contributions from hydrated ion size exclusion, PA-layer modification, enhanced wettability, and ion–framework interactions. Density functional theory calculations revealed stronger electronic perturbation and preferential interaction for sulfate-containing systems than chloride-containing systems, consistent with the experimental ion-selectivity trend.

PCOSFusion: a hybrid HOG–LBP feature-based approach for PCOS classification using StackPCOS and StackBoostPCOS

SMARTMed: semi-fragile dual watermarking with deep tamper detection and adversarial DNN fingerprinting for secure medical image transmission

Green synthesis of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles using Justicia adhatoda leaf extract for antimicrobial and anticancer applications

Therapeutic potential of crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails Lanistes carinatus and Bellamya unicolor

Abstract Freshwater snails are emerging sources of bioactive molecules with potential biomedical and therapeutic relevance. This study evaluated crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails, Lanistes carinatus and Bellamya unicolor , for antioxidant enzymes, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines, and peptide composition. Both species exhibited low activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), with slightly higher levels in L. carinatus . Despite this, the crude protein extracts inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus ; L. carinatus showed stronger antifungal activity against Candida albicans , while neither extract affected Aspergillus niger . Selective cytotoxicity was observed : L. carinatus was most active against MCF-7 and HeLa cells, whereas B. unicolor was highly potent against HCT-116 and moderately active against PC3 cells, with minimal effects on normal WI-38 cells. LC–MS/MS identified 26 short peptides, likely contributing to the antimicrobial and anticancer activities.These findings provide preliminary evidence of the therapeutic potential of L. carinatus and B. unicolor crude protein extracts, highlighting freshwater snails as candidate sources of bioactive molecules that merit further investigation.