Browse Articles

Phase-II monitoring of the lower truncated proportional hazard rate process based on progressive Type-II censoring

The problem of monitoring statistical processes using complete data has been extensively studied by researchers. However, in fields such as reliability engineering and lifetime experiments, complete samples are often not available. To address this gap, we introduce four control charts designed for monitoring both parameters of a family of distributions known as the lower truncated proportional hazard rate model, specifically under progressively Type-II censoring. Three of these control charts are exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) charts that utilize the likelihood ratio statistic and maximum likelihood estimators. The fourth chart is based on a novel weighted log-likelihood ratio statistic. We conduct a Monte Carlo simulation study to assess the performance of the proposed control charts. Finally, we present a practical example to illustrate the application of our methods.

Contact activation of coagulation in newly inserted indwelling catheters

Abstract The aim of this this cross-sectional observational study was to investigate coagulation and platelet activation in blood collected from newly inserted catheters. Blood samples were collected from newly inserted central venous, peripheral venous and arterial catheters in adult patients. Sample 1 was collected within seconds after insertion. Sample 2 was collected directly after Sample 1 but after proper flush and discard. A selected set of haemostatic assays were performed and the results for Sample 1 and 2 compared per catheter type. In total 10 patients per catheter type were included between December 2021 and June 2022. For central venous catheters, there was a difference in ROTEM NATEM clotting time, clot formation time, α-angle, prothrombin time international normalised ratio, factor VII and thrombin–antithrombin complex, supporting strongly enhanced activation in Sample 1 compared to Sample 2. Peripheral venous catheters and arterial catheters were less prone to activate coagulation. In conclusion, our results support flush and discard ahead of haemostatic assay blood sampling in newly inserted catheters. Furthermore, the results enhance the understanding of central venous catheter-related thrombosis formation.

Investigating the molecular relationships of Arabian toads via mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene analysis in Taif city, Saudi Arabia

Taxonomic studies of the Arabian toad (Sclerophrys arabica) are of great interest to better understand phylogenetic relationships and their differences in morphology and distribution. In this study, the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the Sclerophrys arabica are investigated utilizing the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Tissue samples from 30 individuals were obtained from various places in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and following DNA extraction, PCR and sequencing, phylogenetic analyses were performed. Phylogenetic investigation using Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods found that S. arabica belongs to a separate clade within the Bufonidae family, closely related to Sclerophrys gutturalis, and exhibits no gene flow with other toad species. Sclerophrys arabica’s strong phylogenetic relationships to other Sclerophrys species support the genus’ monophyly, but its relatively distant position from other species also reflects evolutionary separations within the Bufonidae family. This research demonstrates the utility of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene as a reliable genetic marker in amphibian phylogeny, contributing to our understanding of species relationships and providing a basis for future taxonomic and conservation work.

Identifying modifiable factors and their causal effects on osteoporosis risk

Association of physician-delivered virtual care near the end of life with healthcare use outcomes: A national population-based study of Canadians

Background The last 90 days of life are marked by high healthcare utilization in acute care settings, often conflicting with the preference to remain at home. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual care, but its impact on healthcare utilization near the end-of-life remains unclear. This study assessed the association between physician-delivered virtual care use near the end-of-life and acute healthcare utilization, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic across four Canadian provinces. Methods A retrospective population-based cohort study using linked health administrative data from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021, across British Columbia (BC), Alberta (AB), Ontario (ON), and Newfoundland & Labrador (NFLD). The study included 548,955 adult decedents who died within the study period. Virtual care use in the last 90 days of life, categorized by pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, was the primary exposure. Primary outcomes were rates of ED visits, hospitalizations, and in-hospital deaths during the last 90 days of life. Modified Poisson regression models were used to measure associations, adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results Among the 548,955 decedents, virtual care utilization during the pandemic varied by province, ranging from 53% in NFLD to 78% in BC. During the pandemic, virtual care was associated with higher ED visits (adjusted rate ratios [aRateRs] ranging from 1.12 to 1.72) and hospitalizations (aRateRs: ranging from 1.01 to 1.59) in most provinces. Virtual care was linked to a higher risk of in-hospital death in AB (adjusted risk ratios [aRiskR]: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.08–1.14; P < 0.001) and ON (aRiskR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.03–1.05; P < 0.001). Pre-pandemic, associations were weaker, with virtual care linked to lower in-hospital death rates in ON, AB and BC. Conclusion Virtual care during the pandemic was linked to increased acute healthcare utilization, contrasting with pre-pandemic patterns when it appeared more selective and associated with fewer in-hospital deaths. Findings highlight the evolving role of virtual care and the need for region-specific policies to optimize end-of-life care delivery.

Cortical fold geometry modulates transcranial magnetic stimulation electric field strength and peak displacement

The impact of anthropometric characteristics on isometric trunk muscle endurance tests: A reliability and performance analysis

The Biering-Sorensen test (BST), the Side Bridge test (SBT) and the Ito test (IT) are three of the most used field-based tests to assess isometric trunk muscle endurance. The objectives were to analyze the relationship between the participants’ test performance and several anthropometry parameters, the data consistency and the sex effect on test scores. Forty-five recreational athletes (27 males and 18 females) performed the three isometric trunk holding tests twice in two testing sessions to perform the reliability analysis and later, the three tests were performed once more, but in different sessions (one for each test) to maximize test performance and reduce the bias of muscle fatigue. Data (i.e., test scores and anthropometric variables) were logarithmic transformed to ensure the normality and homoscedasticity assumption. Relative reliability was very good, with ICCs > 0.70 in all tests, while absolute reliability showed high values of typical error (12.1–24.1%). ANOVA showed significant differences between sessions for the BST and the SBT scores and between sexes in the BST (females: 193.7 ± 53.2 s; males: 161.9 ± 52.2 s). IT scores showed a negative correlation with mass in both sexes (males: r = −.436; p = .026; females: r = −.562; p = .019) and with biileocrestal breadth (r = −.735; p = .001) and biacromial breadth (r = −.745; p = .001) in females. BST scores correlated significantly with biacromial breadth (r = −.379; p = .050) in males. SBT scores were negatively correlated to mass (r = −.703; p < .001), biileocrestal breadth (r = −.672; p < .001), biacromial breadth (r = −.601; p = .001) and acromion-iliac index (r = −.493; p = .010) in males and to relative lower extremity length (r = −.493; p = .038) in females. In conclusion, trainers and clinicians should consider individual anthropometric and sex differences when interpreting test results, as larger body mass and upper body breadth may artificially lower endurance scores. Adjustments to normative values may be required in applied settings. Moreover, based on the reliability analysis, these tests could be used to classify participants consistently, but the BST and the SBT require an extensive familiarization period and they don’t seem to be useful to detect small changes in participants’ performance over time.

An applied study of phacoemulsification cataract surgery with the mortise and tenon limbal incision

FIAN: A frequency information-adaptive network for spatial-frequency domain pansharpening

Pansharpening aims to combine the spatial information from high-resolution panchromatic (PAN) images with the spectral information from low-resolution multispectral (LRMS) images generating high-resolution multispectral (HRMS) images. While Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have shown impressive performance in pansharpening tasks, their tendency to focus more on low-frequency information will lead to suboptimal preservation of high-frequency details, which are crucial for producing HRMS images. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of frequency domain information in pansharpening, but existing methods often consider the network as a whole, overlooking the unique abilities of different layers in capturing high-frequency components. This oversight can result in the loss of fine details and limit the overall performance of pansharpening. To overcome these limitations, we propose FIAN, a novel frequency information-adaptive network designed specifically for spatial-frequency domain pansharpening. FIAN introduces an innovative frequency information-adaptive filter module that can dynamically extract frequency-domain information at various frequencies, enabling the network to better capture and preserve high-frequency details during the pansharpening process. Furthermore, we have developed a frequency feature selection strategy to accurately extract the most relevant frequency-domain information, enhancing the network’s representational power. Lastly, we present a multi-frequency information fusion module that effectively combines the frequency-domain information extracted by the filter at different frequencies with the spatial-domain information. We conducted extensive experiments on multiple benchmark datasets to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves competitive performance compared to state-of-the-art pansharpening methods.

Emodin influences pyroptosis-related Caspase 1-GSDMD axis alleviated cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

Exchange and Communal Orientations (ECO) scale: The construction and validation of a method to measure target-specific relational orientations

This paper introduces the ECO Scale—a novel self-report measure to assess the degree to which individuals exhibit a dispositional tendency to orient themselves according to communal or exchange rules when establishing and maintaining relationships with others. In a series of six studies (total N = 3,252) conducted with diverse samples of Polish, American, and British participants, we documented that the 20-item ECO Scale in two separate language versions (English and Polish) is a psychometrically solid measure that can be used in different research settings. In Studies 1–3, we demonstrated the two-dimensional structure of the scale and provided support for configural, metric, residual, and partial scalar invariance of the scale across Poland and the United States (US). Study 2 supports the discriminant and construct validity of the scale, and demonstrates gender differences across orientations. Study 3 confirmed the convergent and divergent validity of the communal and exchange dimensions. Study 4 demonstrated the high test-retest reliability of the scale. Finally, Studies 5 and 6 verified the diagnostic and predictive validity of the ECO Scale. Study 5 showed that a high level of communal orientation predicts perceptions of the ambiguous social situation as more communal, while a high level of exchange orientation predicts perceptions of the ambiguous social situation as more exchange-based. Study 6 demonstrated that relational orientations measured with the ECO Scale predicts not only the declared willingness to provide assistance in a situation characterized by purely communal, purely exchange, or conflictual communal and exchange cues, but also actual behavior in these situations.

Incidence and risk factors of dysphagia after cervical laminoplasty

The critical role of optimized energy density in controlling void morphology and enhancing mechanical properties of L-PBF Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy

Laser power is referred to as one of the critical process parameters governing the volumetric energy density in the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) process. The purpose of the study is to systematically investigate the influence of laser energy density on the void morphology, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the L-PBF printed parts which were fabricated with laser power ranging from 75 to 175 W. Comprehensive analysis of void defect was conducted by employing Archimedes’ method, optical microscope (OM), and X-ray microcomputed tomography (Micro-CT). Surface quality was analyzed by surface roughness measurement. Tensile testing was performed to establish the correlation between process parameters, material microstructure, and mechanical behavior in as-built samples. Under the optimal process parameters, this work achieved a minimum void fraction of 0.3%. At various laser energy densities, three distinct morphologies, namely lack of fusion (LOF), gas pores (GP), and keyhole (KH), were generated. Notably, LOF has a more detrimental effect on tensile characteristics, in comparison to GP and KH defects if laser power was less than 100 W. Interestingly, subsurface spherical pores at the hatch border demonstrate a less substantial influence on the tensile behavior of as-built samples than LOF. The correlation analysis revealed that the presence of void defects primarily influenced strength, modulus of elasticity, and strain at break. Energy density proved to play a pivotal role in defect generation, non-equilibrium microstructure, and mechanical properties of L-PBF. Based on our findings, selecting 100 W of laser power with a speed of 1200 mm/sec could be an optimal choice for achieving a satisfactory result in as-built L-PBF part.

Contrasting clonal and population genetic structure in two endangered Costa Rican Vanilla species of commercial interest

Abstract Wild relatives of the commercially grown Vanilla planifolia, such as Vanilla odorata and V. pompona, are understudied despite their ecological and agricultural importance. Both species are listed as endangered by the IUCN, but limited research on their genetic diversity hinders effective management. While Vanilla species reproduce extensively by cloning, wild populations may retain significant genetic diversity valuable for crop improvement and conservation. To evaluate genetic diversity and structure, we analyzed 146 individuals from 10 V. pompona populations and 75 individuals from six V. odorata populations in Costa Rica, using 11 and 10 microsatellites, respectively. Vanilla odorata showed higher clonality than V. pompona (63% vs. 35%). Both species exhibited low to moderate genetic diversity (V. odorata: HO = 0.47, HE = 0.29; V. pompona: HO = 0.43, HE = 0.41). Vanilla odorata populations revealed greater genetic differentiation than V. pompona populations (Nei’s GST = 0.51 vs. 0.091), with V. odorata also exhibiting isolation by distance (R² = 0.704, p < 0.05). Both species showed fine-scale genetic structure, with higher levels linked to clonality. Gene flow in V. pompona benefits from broad distribution and sexual reproduction, while V. odorata experiences limited gene flow due to its high clonality and restricted range. Protecting habitats and promoting outcrossing may aid V. odorata viability while V. pompona serves as an important resource for increasing genetic diversity in cultivated vanilla.

Cisplatin palbociclib combination differentially modulates PTEN AKT signaling via Hsp90 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents a significant global health challenge, marked by high mortality and recurrence. This study investigated the synergistic potential of cisplatin and palbociclib (C + P) against HCC cell lines. RT-qPCR revealed that C + P significantly downregulated HCC-related genes, including Hsp90, β-catenin, and components of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, compared to cisplatin alone and controls. Western blotting confirmed a reduction in phosphorylated AKT (P-AKT) with palbociclib and C + P, while PTEN, a tumor suppressor, was upregulated in the C + P group. Annexin V-FITC assays demonstrated a substantial increase in apoptosis in palbociclib and C + P treated cells. Cell cycle analysis indicated S and G0–G1 phase arrest with C + P, suggesting a combined cytotoxic effect. Scratch wound assays showed that both palbociclib and C + P significantly inhibited cell migration compared to cisplatin and controls. These findings suggest a promising synergistic effect of C + P in overcoming cisplatin resistance in HCC. However, further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex interactions between these drugs.

First national survey of terrestrial biodiversity using airborne eDNA

Effect of variable phosphorus availability on root mechanisms involved in mobilization of the soil P in three lupine species

Willow silvopastoral systems as a strategy to reduce methane emissions while maintaining cattle performance

Abstract Willow (Salix sp.) is a common tree used in agroforestry for biofuel production and contains condensed tannins (CTs). This study investigated, for the first time, the feasibility of using willow grazing in a silvopastoral system to improve ruminant productivity while minimizing environmental impact. The specific objectives were to: (a) characterise willow’s CTs, and (b) explore their effect on methane emissions and animal performance. Twenty growing castrated beef cattle (steers) were used in a two-treatment study comparing grazing systems: a willow fodder mix with a grass understory (WFG) and perennial ryegrass grazing (PRG). The study was conducted using a two-period Latin square design. Steers grazing on WFG had an average daily CT intake of 617 g/d. For CTs, the mean degree of polymerisation was 10.6, and the ratio of procyanidin to prodelphinidin was 28.9:71.2. No significant differences were observed between the two treatments in metabolisable energy intake (P = 0.0728), nitrogen intake (P = 0.844), forage dry matter intake (P = 0.100), or total dry matter intake (P = 0.0591). A 27% reduction in methane production was observed for the WFG treatment relative to PRG (P < 0.001; 173 vs. 273 g/d). This study is the first to provide evidence of the significant potential that willow could have in sustainable livestock production systems worldwide.

Anti-inflammatory effect of fluvastatin on polarized macrophages and its dependence on the mevalonate pathway

Abstract The study focuses on the effects of fluvastatin on immunomarkers of the M1 and M2 macrophages and its direct role in macrophage (M0) polarization. Moreover, it investigates the dependency of immunomodulatory properties of fluvastatin on the mevalonate pathway. Macrophages (M0, M1, M2), differentiated from human blood monocytes, were treated with fluvastatin. Mevalonate and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate intermediates were introduced to assess the mevalonate pathway dependence. The immunomarkers were evaluated with qPCR, ELISA, Griess assay, and flow cytometry. Fluvastatin significantly reduces the pro-inflammatory gene expression (NFκB, IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS) in M1 while enhancing the anti-inflammatory markers (Arg-1, TGFβ) in M2 macrophages. The production of the TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 cytokines is reduced in M1, and IL-10 production increased in M2 macrophages. Fluvastatin decreases the iNOS activity in M1 macrophages. The intermediates reverse the fluvastatin’s effects on anti-inflammatory gene expression by M2 macrophages, cytokine production (by M1 and M2 macrophages), and iNOS activity (by M1 macrophages). Their impact on surface marker expression was somewhat limited. These findings demonstrate that fluvastatin exerts anti-inflammatory effects on polarized macrophages without affecting polarization per se and also highlight the dependency on the mevalonate pathway. This study deepens the understanding of statins’ immunomodulatory mechanisms, suggesting potential applications in treating inflammatory diseases.

DEM-CFM analysis of Lode angle influence on the undrained cyclic behavior of anisotropically consolidated soils

Abstract This study examines the behavior of anisotropically consolidated granular assemblies under undrained cyclic true triaxial loading paths. To achieve this, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is conjugated with the Coupled Fluid Method (CFM) to account for fluid-solid interaction in undrained conditions. The examined loading paths include two phases: anisotropic consolidation and undrained cyclic true triaxial loading. During consolidation, samples are sheared at various Lode angles to reach a spectrum of initial static shear stress levels. In the second stage, undrained cyclic loading is applied with constant shear stress amplitudes at various Lode angle values. The results indicated that the monotonic and cyclic Lode angle, initial static shear stress, and amplitude of deviatoric stress have pronounced effects on the secant shear modulus degradation and the rate of excess pore water pressure generation of granular assemblies. In tandem with macro-scale observations, the evolution of the microstructure within assemblies is analyzed using the coordination number, redundancy index, inter-particle contact fabric tensor, and particle orientation fabric tensor. The micro-scale findings confirm that the anisotropy induced by changes in the loading direction significantly impacts the shear strength of the assemblies. Additionally, the fabric of assemblies aligns along the preferential direction corresponding to the major principal stress, influencing the dilative response.