Browse Articles

Human health risk assessment of toxic metals in Nass smokeless tobacco in Iran

Explainable TabNet ensemble model for identification of obfuscated URLs with features selection to ensure secure web browsing

Alien spiders in a palm house with the first report of parthenogenetic Triaeris stenaspis (Araneae: Oonopidae) infected by Wolbachia from new supergroup X

Abstract Palm houses in Europe serve as urban biodiversity hot spots for alien spiders. As a result of several years of research in the Poznań Palm House, we documented the occurrence of 14 spider species, 9 of which were alien to Europe: Coleosoma floridanum, Hasarius adansoni, Howaia mogera, Ostearius melanopygius, Parasteatoda tabulata, Parasteatoda tepidariorum, Scytodes fusca, Spermophora kerinci and Triaeris stenaspis. The most abundant species was C. floridanum (39.9%). Three spider species were recorded for the first time in Poland: C. floridanum, S. fusca and S. kerinci. We studied the occurrence of endosymbiotic Wolbachia and Cardinium in parthenogenetic T. stenaspis and recorded for the first time the occurrence of Wolbachia in this spider. The endosymbiont was characterized based on the sequences of six bacterial housekeeping genes: 16S rRNA, coxA, fbpA, ftsZ, gatB and hcpA. Our phylogenetic reconstruction of Wolbachia supergroups revealed that the bacteria recovered from the spider formed distinct lineages in relation to all known supergroups. We assigned it to a novel supergroup X with unique sequences within the 16S rRNA and ftsZ genes. We discussed faunistic results in terms of long-term survival rates and the risk of invasion of alien species of spiders.

Legacy parasite collections reveal species-specific population genetic patterns among three species of zoonotic schistosomes

Differential evolution-optimized gold nanorods for enhanced photothermal conversion

Abstract Noble metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have shown great potential in the field of sustainable energy. Gold nanorods (AuNRs), known for their size-dependent optical and electrical characteristics, are strong candidates for various applications, particularly in solar energy conversion. Additionally, AuNRs are well-established nanomaterials in precision medicine. In this paper, we optimize the shape and size of AuNRs to maximize light-to-heat conversion based on a validated theoretical model. Utilizing the Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm, a robust metaheuristic optimization approach, we calculated the optimal size and shape of AuNRs for selected wavelengths. The aspect ratio (AR), defined as the ratio of the diameter to the length of the AuNRs, was a key parameter in the optimization process. The optimization results reveal that for shorter wavelengths, near-spherical AuNRs (AR of 0.71 and 0.75) demonstrate the highest efficiency, while for longer wavelengths, more elongated AuNRs (AR of 0.24 and 0.17) outperform others. This study also includes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations to evaluate the impact of optimized AuNRs on heat generation in a real-world scenario. A case study is presented in which lasers of different wavelengths irradiate a borosilicate glass embedded with a slab of AuNRs at its center. The results, reported as temperature distributions and temperature evolution during irradiation, indicate that the optimized AuNRs significantly enhance heat generation across various laser wavelengths. Specifically, temperature increases were observed as follows: from 2.28 to $$39.08\,^\circ \textrm{C}$$ at 465 nm, from 1.91 to $$81.42\,^\circ \textrm{C}$$ at 532 nm, from 1.7 to $$65.14\,^\circ \textrm{C}$$ at 640 nm, from 40 to $$48.35\,^\circ \textrm{C}$$ at 808 nm, and from 0.94 to $$118.45\,^\circ \textrm{C}$$ at 980 nm, respectively. These findings underscore the effectiveness of the optimization process in enhancing photothermal conversion.

Large-scale atomistic study of plasticity in amorphous gallium oxide with ab-initio accuracy

Abstract Compared to the widely investigated crystalline polymorphs of gallium oxide ( $${\text {Ga}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ ), knowledge about its amorphous state is very limited. With the help of a machine-learning interatomic potential, we conducted large-scale atomistic simulations to investigate the formation and plastic behavior of amorphous $${\text {Ga}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ (a- $${\text {Ga}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ ). Amorphization of gallium oxide melt is successfully observed at ultrahigh cooling rates, including a distinct glass transition. The glass transition temperature is evaluated to range from 1234 to 1348 K at different cooling rates. Structural analysis shows similarities between a- $${\text {Ga}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ and amorphous alumina (a- $${\text {Al}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ ) in many aspects, including pair distribution function, coordination distribution, and bond angle distribution. In the tension simulations, highly plastic behavior at room temperature is observed, highly comparable to a- $${\text {Al}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ . Based on multiple quantitative characterization results, we show that a- $${\text {Ga}_{2}\text {O}_{3}}$$ exhibits a higher nucleation rate of localized plastic strain events compared to a- $$\text {Al}_{2}\text {O}_{3}$$ , which can increase the material’s resistance to shear banding formation during deformation.

High-step-up quadratic DC–DC converter based on switched capacitor and coupled inductor techniques

Stroma and lymphocytes identified by deep learning are independent predictors for survival in pancreatic cancer

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers known to humans. However, not all patients fare equally poor survival, and a minority of patients even survives advanced disease for months or years. Thus, there is a clinical need to search corresponding prognostic biomarkers which forecast survival on an individual basis. To dig more information and identify potential biomarkers from PDAC pathological slides, we trained a deep learning (DL) model based U-net-shaped backbone. This DL model can automatically detect tumor, stroma and lymphocytes on whole slide images (WSIs) of PDAC patients. We performed an analysis of 800 PDAC scans, categorizing stroma in percentage (SIP) and lymphocytes in percentage (LIP) into two and three categories, respectively. The presented model achieved remarkable accuracy results with a total accuracy of 94.72%, a mean intersection of union rate of 78.66%, and a mean dice coefficient of 87.74%. Survival analysis revealed that SIP-mediate and LIP-high groups correlated with enhanced median overall survival (OS) across all cohorts. These findings underscore the potential of SIP and LIP as prognostic biomarkers for PDAC and highlight the utility of DL as a tool for PDAC biomarkers detecting on WSIs.

Graphene absorber on an SOI chip for active and passive mode locking of lasers

Abstract We demonstrate both passive and active mode-locking of fiber lasers using a graphene-based absorber integrated on a silicon photonics platform manufactured using a wafer-scale CMOS process. Passive mode-locking is achieved at a 28 MHz repetition rate, generating 1.7 ps optical pulses, while active mode-locking is demonstrated at repetition rates of 4 GHz and 10 GHz. This work demonstrates the potential of scalable graphene-based saturable absorbers for fiber laser locking and paves the way for future fully integrated mode-locked laser systems.

Effect of solution focused approach on women aged 35 or over with in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer: A quasi-experimental trial

Background We aimed to explore the influence of solution-focused approach (SFA) on anxiety and depression, sleep quality, quality of life and clinical pregnancy rate among women aged 35 or over undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Methods The study was performed at the reproductive center in a public hospital in Lanzhou city. Totally, 112 women were enrolled in this study, and were divided into group SFA (n = 56) and group control (n = 56). The patients in the group SFA completed five sessions (30 minutes/turn), and patients in the group control received routine care. Results The intervention group showed a significant decrease in anxiety (t =  11.906, P <  0.001) and depression scores (t =  14.991, P <  0.001), as well as PSQI scores (t =  7.055, P <  0.001), and increased FertiQoL scores (t =  -2.828, P <  0.001). Comparing the two groups after the intervention, the intervention group demonstrated significantly lower SAS scores (t =  -10.348, P <  0.001), SDS scores (t =  -8.416, P <  0.001), and PSQI scores (t =  -5.087, P <  0.001), while FertiQoL scores were higher than the control group (t =  2.389, P =  0.019). The intervention group reported a satisfaction rate of 96.2% to 100% with the SFA. Conclusions SFA can help relieve anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality and reproductive life quality. Improvement in psychological distress might not contribute to increasing female fecundity. Patients in the group SFA were satisfied with the intervention. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300075444).

Author Correction: Unveiling the radiation shielding efficacy of diorite, granodiorite, tonalite, and granite: experimental and simulation study

Expression of Concern: Impaired expression of type I and type II interferon receptors in HCV-associated chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis

Publisher Correction: Facilitating high throughput collections-based genomics: a comparison of DNA extraction and library building methods

A scoping review of the existing evidence linking school food procurement contract type with school food provision

Objective School food and catering constitutes the largest area of public sector food spend in the UK, with the potential to influence health on a population scale. This review sought to understand and map the existing evidence linking school meals contracts for food procurement with the quality of food provided and health and academic outcomes for school children. Design A scoping review of the peer reviewed and grey literature published between 1988 and 2023 was conducted. The strategy searched in Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC and Google, using key words related to population, exposure and outcomes. Setting UK and International. Participants School meal services. Results Thirty documents were included representing 16 papers, 3 books and 11 reports. Documents revealed a complex and fragmented school meal provision system and inconsistent evidence relating to the outcomes of interest. Most studies focused on sustainability or nutrition/ guideline compliance and the main types of food providers discussed were commercial contractors, local authorities and in house catering. However, there was a lack of clarity in contract specifications and definitions of quality and concerns over compliance monitoring and financial viability impacting quality. We found no substantial body of peer reviewed research linking school food procurement contract type with food quality or outcomes of interest. Conclusions The lack of research in this area (and conflicting findings) meant that it was impossible to draw robust conclusions on the benefits of using any particular contract provision type over another. Given the magnitude of public sector spending and the need for urgent improvements to the dietary health of the nation, this presents a significant gap in our knowledge.

An all-digital RF transmitter architecture based on jitter-enhanced PWM for flexible frequency applications

Abstract We propose a novel flexible jitter-enhanced pulse width modulation(PWM) hardware architecture, which aims to improve the modulation resolution while reducing the requirement of PWM frequency. The architecture creatively distributes the jitter effect uniformly to every radio frequency(RF) cycle corresponding to the same baseband cycle by controllable jitter, which provides a new modulation resolution growth method in the time domain. The architecture provides flexibility to adapt to different basebands and radio frequencies. By using jitter, the modulation resolution of this paper can improve 5.32 bit at most, and the EVM performance can reach -41.21dB. The architecture proposed in this paper can use lower PWM frequency of 400MHz, which greatly reduces the frequency requirement of switching power amplifier in RF transmitting system. The jitter method proposed in this paper significantly improves the low modulation resolution of the traditional PWM all-digital RF transmitter and greatly changes the efficiency of all digital transmitters in the wireless communication system.

How do people feel about sleep diaries? Factors influencing sleep diaries completion with and without daily exposure to light

Study Objectives Sleep diary is a common tool in sleep medicine, but was barely validated in practice so far. Lack of light exposure is associated with sleep disorders, especially insomnia. For that purpose, our team developed a sleep diary with information about light exposure. Our objectives were to compare the proportion of informative usual sleep diaries (USD) and light/sleep diaries (LSD) and to evaluate factors influencing the quality of filling them. Methods A monocentric, prospective, controlled interventional study was conducted. Patients included were randomized into two parallel groups: distribution of an USD (used in common practice), versus distribution of a LSD (similar to the USD but with light exposure data). The main outcome was the proportion of diaries returned and correctly filled out. A multivariate logistic regression model was then used to identify factors associated with the correct filling. Results A total of 325 USD and 324 LSD were distributed. 295 (45.5%) diaries were returned by patients: 158 (48.6%) USD, 137 (42.3%) LSD. The proportion of correctly completed diaries was 25.2% for USD versus 20.4% for LSD, which corresponds to a difference in the proportion of −4.86% [−10.25%; +∞[. The hypothesis of non-inferiority of LSD compared to USD cannot therefore be retained for a non-inferiority threshold of −10%. Multivariate analysis identified the level of difficulty experienced by the patient as an important factor influencing the quality of completion (OR =  0.99 [0.979–0.998]). The proportion of returned sleep diaries was greater in the USD and LSD insomniac subgroup (p < 0.0001). Conclusions The non-inferiority of this new diary was not reached but this study highlighted the importance of clear explanations, patient motivation and restricted amount of collected data. Interestingly, insomniac patients represent a major target population for this tool.

Therapeutic potential of AAV2-shmTOR gene therapy in reducing retinal inflammation and preserving endothelial Integrity in age-related macular degeneration

Neural network-based ensemble approach for multi-view facial expression recognition

In this paper, we developed a pose-aware facial expression recognition technique. The proposed technique employed K nearest neighbor for pose detection and a neural network-based extended stacking ensemble model for pose-aware facial expression recognition. For pose-aware facial expression classification, we have extended the stacking ensemble technique from a two-level ensemble model to three-level ensemble model: base-level, meta-level and predictor. The base-level classifier is the binary neural network. The meta-level classifier is a pool of binary neural networks. The outputs of binary neural networks are combined using probability distribution to build the neural network ensemble. A pool of neural network ensembles is trained to learn the similarity between multi-pose facial expressions, where each neural network ensemble represents the presence or absence of a facial expression. The predictor is the Naive Bayes classifier, it takes the binary output of stacked neural network ensembles and classifies the unknown facial image as one of the facial expressions. The facial concentration region was detected using the Voila-Jones face detector. The Radboud faces database was used for stacked ensembles’ training and testing purpose. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique achieved 90% accuracy using Eigen features with 160 stacked neural network ensembles and Naive Bayes classifier. It demonstrates that the proposed techniques performed significantly as compare to state of the art pose-ware facial expression recognition techniques.

The association between occupational noise exposure and hearing loss among petrochemical enterprise workers in Hainan, South China

Mindfulness mediates the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in young adults

Background Chronotype influences risk of depression, with evening-types at higher risk, although the reasons for this are uncertain. Potential mediating factors include mindfulness, sleep quality, rumination, and alcohol consumption, but research is lacking. Methods We explored the role of these factors in the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms amongst young adults, using cross-sectional data collected from a university student sample (N =  546). Results Evening-types had significantly higher levels of depression symptoms, poorer sleep quality, and lower levels of ‘acting with awareness’ and ‘describing’, as well as higher rumination and alcohol consumption. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the link between chronotype and depression was fully mediated by ‘acting with awareness’, ‘describing’, sleep quality, and alcohol consumption. Limitations Only subjective measures were employed, and due to the cross-sectional design, no causal inferences can be made. Conclusion The mediation results shed light on the crucial role of specific mindfulness facets, sleep, and alcohol consumption for explaining why evening types are at higher risk of depression; findings have import for potential interventions aiming to reduce depression risk amongst young adults in particular.