Browse Articles

Deep learning-enhanced anti-noise triboelectric acoustic sensor for human-machine collaboration in noisy environments

Systematic review and epistemic meta-analysis to advance binomial AI-radiomics integration for predicting high-grade glioma progression and enhancing patient management

Adaptations to marine environments and the evolution of slow-paced life histories in endotherms

Bioactivity and chemical screening of endophytic fungi associated with seaweeds Gracilaria sp. and Sargassum sp. of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Maladaptation in cereal crop landraces following a soot-producing climate catastrophe

Capacity building of community health officers for optimizing the screening and early diagnosis of oral cancer in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Using GNN property predictors as molecule generators

A synergistic approach to tooth remineralization using nano-chitosan, fluoride, and pulsed magnetic field

Abstract Globally, dental caries remains a health concern due to their complications of pain, infection, and tooth loss. The traditional dental remineralization by using fluoride is effective but limited in advanced caries and continued treatments. While Calcium phosphate is beneficial in restoring mineral, it needs external aids to be effective. This research explores a synergistic approach to enhance tooth remineralization for a total of 72 samples by harnessing the effects of nano-chitosan, fluoride, and exposure to magnetic fields. The nano-chitosan solution is prepared using an ionic interaction method, initially without fluoride, and is subsequently mixed with fluoride at concentrations of 0.05% and 2%. The structural and morphological properties of the prepared nano-chitosan were confirmed using SEM, XRD, and FTIR. The samples were exposed to a pulsed magnetic field (PMF) of 18 mT ± 2% to assess its effect on remineralization. Demineralized teeth samples are treated by synthesized agents combined and free of exposure. Treatment efficacy is evaluated using XRD, EDX, SEM, and the Vickers microhardness test. The results showed optimal enhancement of dental enamel treated by 0.05% fluoride and ChNPs with the aid of exposure. Its morphology showed new mineral layers, likely fluorapatite, and it had the highest Ca/P ratio and maximum VHN value. These findings support the possibility of prevention of early developed lesions of teeth by this non-invasive technique with low cost. Commercially, it is suggested to assess the benefit of using PMF combined with remineralizing agents instead of high-cost materials in domestic settings.

Quasiparticle and superfluid dynamics in Magic-Angle Graphene

The cancer stem cells characteristics analysis of LGR5 + cells that influence lung cancer risk by using single cell RNA-seq analysis

Nasal vaccines for respiratory infections

Anisotropic DLVO-like interaction for charge patchiness in colloids and proteins

Insights into the threats of toxoplasmosis for free-ranging black-tufted marmosets living in our neighborhood

Lawful kinematics link eye movements to the limits of high-speed perception

Abstract Perception requires active sampling of the environment. What part of the physical world can be perceived is limited by the sensory system’s biophysical setup, but might be further constrained by the kinematic bounds of the motor actions used to acquire sensory information. Here, we tested this fundamental idea for humans’ fastest and most frequent behavior—saccadic eye movements—which entail incidental sensory consequences (i.e., swift retinal motion) that rarely reach awareness in natural vision. Using high-speed video projection, we display rapidly moving stimuli that faithfully reproduce, or deviate from, saccades’ lawful relation of velocity, duration, and amplitude. For each stimulus, observers perform perceptual tasks for which performance is contingent on consciously seeing the stimulus’ motion trajectory. We uncover that visibility of the stimulus’ movement is well predicted by the specific kinematics of saccades and their sensorimotor contingencies, reflecting even variability between individual observers. Computational modeling shows that spatiotemporal integration during early visual processing predicts this lawful relation in a tight range of biologically plausible parameters. These results suggest that the visual system takes into account motor kinematics when omitting an action’s incidental sensory consequences, thereby preserving visual sensitivity to high-speed object motion.

Identification and analysis of microplastics in peritumoral and tumor tissues of colorectal cancer

Author Correction: Near-infrared light and tumor microenvironment dual responsive size-switchable nanocapsules for multimodal tumor theranostics

An innovative method to determine the stress-dependency of Poisson’s ratio of granitic rocks

Abstract Uniaxial Compressive test (UCS) results are essential in evaluation the values of Poisson’s ratio. However, according to the suggestion of the International Society for Rock Mechanics, Poisson’s ratio can be determined using three alternative methods: the secant, average and tangent. Applying these methods causes discrepancies in the results; according to our experiences, the differences can be threefold or more. This paper aims to study the process of changes of Poisson’s ratio for intact rock during loading from micro-crack initiation to failure stage. The objective of this theoretical investigation is to establish a straightforward mathematical formulation between σ/σc and intact rock’s Poisson’s ratio value. To outline these changes forty two granite rocks were investigated from Bátaapáti radioactive waste repository (Hungary) and the calculation was performed by using the new formula from the beginning of loading till failure stage at UCS test. In the laboratory test program, Poisson’s ratio derived from standard tests varies with momentary stress; it steadily increases as stress rises until reaching the stress level causing unstable crack propagation. Additionally, the Poisson’s rate follows a linear increase with stress, up to the point of unstable crack propagation stress. The research demonstrated that the proposed equations provide competent values for the root mean squared error value (ranging from 0 to 0.04), the mean absolute percentage error (ranging from 0.6% to 18%) and the mean absolute error (ranging from 0 to 0.04). Contrary to previous ideas, our results suggest that the Poisson’s ratio is not a constant for rigid rocks.

Immunomodulatory multifunctional janus collagen-based membrane for advanced bone regeneration

Whole-genome sequencing analysis to identify antimicrobial resistance regions and virulence factors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from the Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is a significant global health burden, with drug-resistant TB, especially multidrug-resistant TB, causing severe challenges to treatment. In Ethiopia, a high TB-burden country, drug resistance has continued spreading. However, some studies indicate genetic diversity, transmission dynamics, and resistance-conferring mutations by using targeted amplification, there are limited reports of whole genome sequencing analysis to uncover the antimicrobial resistance and virulent genes. Based on that, the objective of this project was to identify antimicrobial resistance regions and characterize virulence factors in M. tuberculosis isolates through in silico whole-genome sequence analysis. A FASTQ file of 45 M. tuberculosis isolates whole genome sequence was downloaded from the SAR database. Following quality control using FASTQC coupled with MultiQC and trimming with Trimmomatic, de novo assembly was conducted using SPAdes. The Burrows-Wheeler Aligner was used for mapping against the M. tuberculosis H37Rv reference genome, followed by variant calling with FreeBayes. In silico spoligotyping was performed using SpoTyping, and drug resistance mutations were identified with TB-Profiler and validated using Mykrobe. Virulence factors were detected through ABRicate and the Virulence Factor Database. STRING was used to network the virulent genes. All statistical analyses were performed using R software. This study revealed the most prevalent TB-lineage in the Amhara region was L4 (58.53%), followed by L3 (34.15%), and L1 (4.88%), and in silico spoligotyping classified 90.24% of the isolates into 12 shared types, with SIT 149 (41.46%) and SIT 21 (14.63%) as the most frequent spoligotypes. Seven major genotypic families were identified, with T3-ETH being the dominant family (48.78%). Drug resistance analysis revealed that 38 isolates (92.7%) were multidrug-resistant, and 1 (2.4%) was pre-extensively drug-resistant. Lineage 4 (59%) and its sub-lineage 4.2.2 (51.3%) show the highest resistance. The most frequent mutations to rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin, ethionamide, fluoroquinolone, and 2nd-line injectable drugs occurred at rpoB Ser450Leu, katG Ser315Thr, pncA c.-11A > G, embB Gly406Ala, rpsL Lys43Arg, Lys88Thr, ethA Met1, gyrA Ala90Val, Asp94Asn, and rrs 1401A > G, respectively. Additionally, a mutation at the mmpR5 gene for bedaquiline and clofazimine resistance occurred in one isolate. A total of 67 virulence genes were identified and 63 of them occurred in all isolates. The high prevalence of MDR-TB and the detection of resistance to both first- and second-line drugs in this study underscore the urgent need for enhanced TB control measures in the Amhara region.

Leishmania sand fly-transmission is disrupted by Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 bacteria

Abstract Most human pathogenic Leishmania species are zoonotic agents; therefore, sand fly-based control strategies are essential to prevent parasite circulation. Here, we used the Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 strain, that inhibits the development of Plasmodium in mosquitoes, but in the context of Leishmania-infected sand flies. We show that D. tsuruhatensis TC1 colonizes the midgut of Phlebotomus duboscqi sand flies and impacts the development of L. major parasites, independently of the colonization timing. This phenotype is likely an indirect consequence of D. tsuruhatensis colonization, related with the induction of sand fly gut dysbiosis. Importantly, Leishmania-infected, D. tsuruhatensis-fed sand flies are less able to transmit L. major parasites and cause disease in mice. Modelling supports the disruption of disease endemicity in the field, highlighting D. tsuruhatensis as a promising agent for the control of leishmaniasis.