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Nutritional profiling of horse gram through NIRS-based multi-trait prediction modelling

Abstract Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verd.) is an underutilised legume from the Indian subcontinent. Being a nutritious legume, it plays an important role in human nutrition in developing countries like India. Conventional assessment of nutritional traits, are labour and time intensive for screening of huge germplasm, hence alternative and rapid technique for conventional method for the determination of nutritional components of horse gram flour is needed. NIRS can be used for this purpose as it gives rapid and precise results for most of the plant products. In this study, a highly diverse collection of 139 horse gram accessions was utilized to generate reference data. Prediction models were developed for protein, starch, TSS, phenols, and phytic acid using MPLS regression method with spectral preprocessing using SNV-DT to remove scatter effects and baseline noise. Models were optimized for derivatives, gap selection, and smoothening and evaluated using different statistics including RSQ, bias and RPD. The RSQ and RPD for the best fit models obtained were protein (0.701; 1.85), starch (0.987; 4.03), TSS (0.800; 4.06), phenols (0.778; 2.15) and phytic acid (0.730; 1.88) indicating developed models are good for screening large number of germplasm collections and market samples. Statistical analyses, including paired t-tests, correlation, and reliability assessments, validated the strength of these models. This study represents the first report introducing a rapid, multi-trait evaluation approach for horse gram germplasm, highlighting its high predictive accuracy for pre-breeding applications. High throughput germplasm screening can be done through these developed models to identify trait-specific germplasm, which can be recommended to develop healthy products and thus can also be recommended for production in the farmer field simultaneously.

Usefulness of a standardized scleral buckling technique for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

Purpose Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) requires timely treatment to prevent vision loss. Buckling surgery is a vital intervention; however, surgeon proficiency in buckling surgery is declining, and efforts are needed to preserve it. This study evaluated the efficacy of a standardized buckling surgical technique for primary RRD. Methods In total, 69 eyes were included. The technique involved placing #287 silicone tires in the retinal break regions with a 9–10-mm mattress suture positioned using the posterior edge of the rectus muscle insertion as a reference point. Circumferential buckling was performed using a silicone band (#240) and silicone sleeve (#270). Results The 6-month follow-up showed an initial anatomical success rate of 92.8%, which reached 100% at the final follow-up. The mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.16 ± 0.45 pre-operation and 0.05 ± 0.24 at the 6-month follow-up (p = 0.05). Conclusion This technique utilizes the characteristics of the anatomical positional relationships between the scleral insertion of the lateral rectus muscle, which is reported to overlap with the vitreous base insertion, and the ora serrata and shows promise in identifying retinal breaks and determining buckling positions, indicating its potential effectiveness for the treatment of RRD. The favorable anatomical and visual outcomes support the potential usefulness of this technique in buckling surgeries.

Automation of flow cytometry data analysis with elastic image registration

Abstract Cell populations in flow cytometry are typically identified via visual manual gating, a time-consuming and error-prone approach to select subpopulations based on expression of cellular markers. Batch processing can be used to automate the analysis of bimodally distributed data but underperforms with highly-variable or continuously-expressed markers. We developed a visual pattern recognition automated gating tool, BD ElastiGate Software (hereafter ElastiGate), to recapitulate the visual process of manual gating by automatically adjusting gates to capture local variability. ElastiGate converts histograms and two-dimensional plots into images, then uses elastic B-spline image registration to transform pre-gated training plot images and their gates to corresponding ungated target plot images, thereby adjusting for local variations. ElastiGate was validated with biologically relevant datasets in CAR-T cell manufacturing, tumor-infiltrating immunophenotyping, cytotoxicity assays (> 500 data files), and a high-dimensional dataset. Accuracy was evaluated against corresponding manually gated analysis using F1 score statistics. ElastiGate performed similarly to manual gating, with average F1 scores of > 0.9 across all gates. ElastiGate, accessible as a FlowJo Software plugin or in BD FACSuite Software, uses minimal training samples to automate gating while substantially reducing analysis time and outperforming existing 2D plot autogating solutions in F1 scores and ease of implementation.

The effects of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies on students’ story retelling performance

This study aims to compare the retelling performance of two groups that engaged in reading activities with virtual reality and augmented reality texts. Furthermore, the results of the interventions using these technologies were compared with the results of the printed text reading activity. The study participants comprised 100 students aged 12–13 years studying in a secondary school. The researchers evaluated the students’ story-retelling performance through a rubric in the study. In the pre-test stage, the students performed a paper-based reading activity on the texts in the coursebook and their retelling performance was evaluated. In the post-test stage, the reading activities of the two groups were carried out with the intervention of virtual reality and augmented reality. While the pre-test results showed no significant difference between the groups, the post-test results indicated that the augmented reality intervention better supported the students’ retelling performance than virtual reality. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the sub-categories of setting and characters. Additionally, the virtual reality intervention did not create a significant difference in the sub-categories of characters, event/plot, problem, solution, and total score compared to the printed text reading activity. However, it produced better results in the setting sub-category than the printed text. A positive difference was observed in all sub-categories when the augmented reality intervention was compared to the printed text reading activity. AR showed greater benefits for retelling performance in this study, but further research is needed on long-term retention.

Reproducibility of quantitative cervical strain elastography in nonpregnant patients and the effect of vaginal misoprostol on measured parameters

Klotho null mutation leads to retinal degeneration characterized by functional impairment, gliosis, and deposition of amyloid-beta and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins

Background Klotho mutation has been known to accelerate aging and degenerative pathogenesis, notably in the kidney and the brain. Nevertheless, the aftermath of Klotho function deprivation in the retina has not been detailed. This study aimed to provide an in-depth analysis of retinopathy caused by Klotho mutation. Results The homozygous Klotho mutant mice retinas were analyzed at the 6th, 8th and 10th weeks of age, along with their heterozygous, and wild-type littermates between both genders. The electroretinogram results showed retinal function impairment with Klotho null mutation, as compared with their littermates. Nevertheless, there was no difference in the retinal layer thickness, morphology, and cell death up to 10 weeks of age among the three genotypes. No evident damage was detected in the photoreceptors, interneurons, and retinal ganglion cells with Klotho mutation up to 10 weeks of age. Amyloid-beta and hyperphosphorylated tau protein deposits were detected in the Klotho mutant retina, along with glial cell activation at 10 weeks of age. Conclusions The results revealed that Klotho null mutation leads to retinal degeneration characterized by functional impairments, gliosis, and amyloid-beta and hyperphosphorylated tau protein deposition in the retina. Klotho protein function is, therefore, mandatory for the maintenance of a healthy retina. The mouse Klotho null mutation may be used as a study model for age-related retinal degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.

Analyzing cardiovascular disease hospitalization risks due to cold and heat waves in Dezful

Influence of soil spatial variability on the reliability of sandy slopes incorporating anisotropy and non-stationarity

Influence of soil spatial variability on the reliability of cohesive soil slopes has been investigated extensively in the previous studies. However, it is seldom investigated for sandy slopes, especially incorporating anisotropy and non-stationarity. This paper explores the impact of the anisotropic spatial variation and non-stationary characteristics of soils on the reliability of sandy slopes. Specifically, two types of non-stationary random field (RF) are included, namely RF Type 1(soil strength increases along the depth) and RF Type 2 (strength increases along the direction perpendicular to bedding). For sandy slopes, the reliability index (β) is stable as the major autocorrelation distance of soil properties increases, and it decreases as the minor autocorrelation distance increases, which aligns with the observations for clay slopes. For slopes with horizontal bedding, the results of β under stationary RF are close to those under RF type 1. For dip-slopes and reverse-dip slopes with a 1:1 ratio, the difference between β under stationary RF and RF Type 1 is small. For dip-slopes with 1:2 ratio, this difference remains small, but for the reverse-dip slopes, it is significant. These findings differ from the previous studies on clay slopes, where the difference between β under stationary RF and RF Type 1 is significant for each slope scenario. Besides, β under RF type 2 is the smallest for dip slopes and reverse-dip slopes with ratio = 1:2, and it is the highest for reverse-dip slopes with ratio = 1:1.

Chronic rejection models for vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation

Retraction: Dual generative adversarial networks based on regression and neighbor characteristics

Hybridization of SMILES and chemical-environment-aware tokens to improve performance of molecular structure generation

Earth’s climatic past illuminates future South Asian monsoon patterns

Research on path planning of robotic arms based on DAPF-RRT algorithm

In response to the widely used RRT-Connect path planning algorithm in the field of robotic arms, which has problems such as long search time, random node growth, multiple and unsmooth path turns, a path planning algorithm combining dynamic step size and artificial potential field is proposed. To solve the problem of scattered sampling points in the RRT-Connect algorithm, a goal-biased strategy is introduced. To address the problem of slow expansion caused by using fixed step sizes, a dynamic step size strategy is introduced to dynamically adjust the step size. To reduce randomness in the expansion process, the artificial potential field method is integrated to constrain the growth of new nodes by the random sampling function, the target gravitational function and the repulsion function. Finally, the planned path is pruned and smoothed using cubic B-splines to improve redundant points and turns in the path, and reduce the occurrence of shaking during the motion of the robotic arm. In the same environment, the improved algorithm reduces path length by 15.4% and planning time by 49.2%, compared with the RRT-Connect algorithm.

Association of trigger thumb with congenital malformations and developmental milestones among children in a nationwide birth cohort

Modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery avoids complications in mice

Background Roux-en-Y gastric bypass（RYGB）surgery delivers an improvement in obesity and obesity-related risks. However, due to the limited operational space in the abdominal cavity of mice, the technical complexity of RYGB surgery and the postoperative complications hinder its mechanism research. The aim was to develop a device that makes it easier to anastomose the esophagus to the jejunum. Methods We have invented a simple gastrointestinal anastomosis auxiliary device consisting of a rigid front end and a flexible rear end. Thirty male C57BL6J mice were subjected to RYGB with an auxiliary device. Postoperative recovery and survival status of mice were evaluated using body weight, food intake, body fat, and glucose tolerance. Results Based on the RYGB surgical methodology reported in previous literature, the anastomosis device described in this article assists in end-to-end anastomosis of the esophagus and jejunum, which reduces surgical difficulty and time. CT scan results revealed that, following a short - term recovery period after mRYGB surgery, no leakage or stenosis was detected at the anastomotic site in the mice. Moreover, after postoperative recovery, there was no significant difference in food intake, weight and body fat distribution compared with Sham mice, but the glucose tolerance of mRYGB mice was significantly improved. Conclusions Our modified RYGB surgical method can effectively avoid the problems of anastomotic leakage and stenosis in mice and improve long-term quality of life.

Biliary microbiome profiling via 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma and choledocholithiasis

Autoencoder techniques for survival analysis on renal cell carcinoma

Survival is the gold standard in oncology when determining the real impact of therapies in patients outcome. Thus, identifying molecular predictors of survival (like genetic alterations or transcriptomic patterns of gene expression) is one of the most relevant fields in current research. Statistical methods and metrics to analyze time-to-event data are crucial in understanding disease progression and the effectiveness of treatments. However, in the medical field, data is often high-dimensional, complicating the application of such methodologies. In this study, we addressed this challenge by compressing the high-dimensional transcriptomic data of patients treated with immunotherapy (avelumab + axitinib) and a TKI (sunitinib) into latent, meaningful features using autoencoders. We applied a semi-parametric statistical approach based on the COX Proportional Hazards model, coupled with Breslow’s estimator, to predict each patient’s Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and determine survival functions. Our analysis explored various penalty configurations and their combinations. Given the complexity of transcriptomic data, we extended our model to incorporate both tabular data and its graph variant, where edges represent protein-protein interactions between genes, offering a more insightful approach. Recognizing the interpretability challenges inherent in neural networks, particularly autoencoders, we analyzed the mutual information between genes in the original data and their latent feature representations to clarify which genes are most associated with specific latent variables. The results indicate that different types of autoencoders are better suited for different tasks: denoising autoencoders excel at accurate reconstruction, while the sparse variant is more effective at producing meaningful representations. Additionally, combining these penalties enhances both reconstruction quality and the interpretability of latent features. The interpretable models identified genes such as LRP2 and ACE2 as highly relevant to renal cell carcinoma. This research underscores the utility of autoencoders in managing high-dimensional data problems.

Publisher Correction: The regulatory role of ACP5 in the diesel exhaust particle-induced AHR inflammatory signaling pathway in a human bronchial epithelial cell line

Hypotaurine promotes glioma cell invasion by hypermethylating the Wnt5a promoter

Glioma is a particularly lethal central nervous system tumor. Identifying the boundary between gliomas and normal tissues is difficult due to their infiltrative and invasive growth characteristics. This can result in the inevitable recurrence of the tumor after surgery. Preventing the residual tumor from growing or spreading is a major obstacle in treating gliomas. An earlier study suggested that hypotaurine could enhance the invasion of glioma cells while inhibiting the activity of demethylases. The hypotaurine synthesis-deficient U251 cell line usage showed a decrease in the cells’ invasion capability. Analysis of gene expression profiles showed that reducing the activity of a critical enzyme in hypotaurine production, 2-aminoethanethiol dioxygenase (ADO), had a notable effect on the extracellular matrix-receptor interaction. Decreased intracellular ADO expression led to a significant increase in Wnt5a expression. Cells exposed to hypotaurine exhibited decreased levels of both intracellular Wnt5a protein and its corresponding mRNA. The observed characteristic was linked to increased methylation of the Wnt5a gene promoter, possibly due to hypotaurine’s ability to inhibit demethylase enzymes. To sum up, the research showed that U251 cells lacking hypotaurine synthesis were susceptible to epigenetic changes, and Wnt5a seemed to function as a cancer inhibitor in this scenario. It would be beneficial to reevaluate this tumor suppressive effect in real tumor samples, which may contribute to the development of new glioma interference strategies.

Characterization of wrapping and coating techniques for light-reflecting materials of LaBr3(Ce) scintillation detector

Abstract Scintillation detectors need materials that reflect light in order to detect the incident photons or charged particles. It is necessary to attain an extremely high light accumulating efficiency. The purpose of this study is to investigate how coating and wrapping reflective materials which are employed to maximize light collection affect scintillator output. The MCNPX code was used for the simulation of the setup including LaBr3:Ce with the default reflector. The scintillators’ spectrum responses were evaluated with 235U, 238U, and 137Cs included. All the outcomes were discussed and explicated.