Browse Articles

Research on 3D LiDAR outdoor SLAM algorithm based on LiDAR/IMU tight coupling

Severe inflammation and lineage skewing are associated with poor engraftment of engineered hematopoietic stem cells in patients with sickle cell disease

Abstract In sickle cell disease (SCD), the β6Glu→Val substitution in the β-globin leads to red blood cell sickling. The transplantation of autologous, genetically modified hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is a promising treatment option for patients with SCD. We completed a Phase I/II open-label clinical trial (NCT03964792) for patients with SCD using a lentiviral vector (DREPAGLOBE) expressing a potent anti-sickling β-globin. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the short-term safety and secondary endpoints included the efficacy and the long-term safety. We report on the results after 18 to 36 months of follow-up. No drug-related adverse events or signs of clonal hematopoiesis were observed. Despite similar vector copy numbers in the drug product, gene-marking in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and correction of the clinical phenotype varied from one patient to another. Single-cell transcriptome analyses show that in the patients with poor engraftment, the most immature HSCs display an exacerbated inflammatory signature (via IL-1 or TNF-α and interferon signaling pathways). This signature is accompanied by a lineage bias in the HSCs. Our clinical data indicates that the DREPAGLOBE-based gene therapy (GT) is safe. However, its efficacy is variable and probably depends on the number of infused HSCs and intrinsic, engraftment-impairing inflammatory alterations in HSCs. Trial: NCT03964792

Associations between objective and self-perceived physical activity and participation in everyday activities in mild stroke survivors

Background and purpose Stroke survivors present limited levels of physical activity (PA) and participation in everyday activities although the specific interaction between PA and participation in these individuals is still uncertain. This study aimed to analyse the relationship between PA and participation in everyday activities among Spanish mild stroke survivors. Methods A total of 130 mild stroke survivors (61.3 ± 12.4 years, 35% female) with preserved walking ability and without cognitive and communication impairments participated in this cross-sectional study involving several rehabilitation centres from Spain. Self-reported levels of PA were reported by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - short form (IPAQ-SF). Objective PA measures were monitored with the wristband Fitbit Inspire 2, recording the average steps/day and kilocalories/day. Participation and activity satisfaction levels were measured with the Satisfaction with Daily Occupations-Occupational Balance (SDO-OB) and participation retention through Activity Card Sort (ACS). Results ACS total score showed a weak correlation with self-reported PA (rho = 0.324) and moderate correlations with kilocalories/day and average steps/day (rho ≥ 0.581), while stronger correlations were found for the ACS subdomain of instrumental activities (rho ≥ 0.640) compared to the subdomains of leisure activities and social participation (rho ≤ 0.454). SDO-OB participation showed moderate correlations with kilocalories/day, and average steps/day (rho ≥ 0.647), and a weak correlation with self-reported PA (rho = 0.303). Weaker correlations were found for SDO-OB satisfaction with objective PA measures (rho = 0.407) and self-reported PA (rho = 0.254). Relationships between variables were explored by calculating Spearman correlation coefficients. Discussion and conclusions The objective and self-reported measures of PA in mild stroke survivors have a bilateral relationship with their current participation levels and the retained instrumental activities of daily living. However, the weaker correlations with leisure and social participation may suggest that promoting PA alone without integrating it into daily activities relevant to the stroke survivor may be insufficient to achieve comprehensive goals during rehabilitation programs.

Exploring the beneficial effect of gut microbiota metabolites on diabetic nephropathy via network pharmacology study

Exercise-induced anti-obesity effects in male mice generated by a FOXO1-KLF10 reinforcing loop promoting adipose lipolysis

A lightweight trichosanthes kirilowii maxim detection algorithm in complex mountain environments based on improved YOLOv7-tiny

Detecting Trichosanthes Kirilowii Maxim (Cucurbitaceae) in complex mountain environments is critical for developing automated harvesting systems. However, the environmental characteristics of brightness variation, inter-plant occlusion, and motion-induced blurring during harvesting operations, detection algorithms face excessive parameters and high computational intensity. Accordingly, this study proposes a lightweight T.Kirilowii detection algorithm for complex mountainous environments based on YOLOv7-tiny, named KPD-YOLOv7-GD. Firstly, improve the multi-scale feature layer and reduce the complexity of the model. Secondly, a lightweight convolutional module is introduced to replace the standard convolutions in the Efficient Long-range Aggregation Network (ELAN-A) module, and the channel pruning techniques are applied to further decrease the model’s complexity. Finally, the experiment significantly enhanced the efficiency of feature extraction and the detection accuracy of the model algorithm through the integration of the Dynamic Head (DyHead) module, the Content-Aware Re-Assembly of Features (CARAFE) module, and the incorporation of knowledge distillation techniques. The experimental results showed that the mean average precision of the improved network KPD-YOLOv7-GD reached 93.2%. Benchmarked against mainstream single-stage algorithms (YOLOv3-tiny, YOLOv5s, YOLOv6s, YOLOv7-tiny, and YOLOv8), KPD-YOLOv7-GD demonstrated mean average precision improvements of 4.8%, 0.6%, 3.0%, 0.6%, and 0.2% with corresponding model compression rates of 81.6%, 68.8%, 88.9%, 63.4%, and 27.4%, respectively. Compared with similar studies, KPD-YOLOv7-GD exhibits lower complexity and higher recognition speed accuracy, making it more suitable for resource-constrained T.kirilowii harvesting robots.

Improving the punching capacity of footings using geocell, geogrid and granular soil replacement

Abstract Punching failure in footings occurs in thin pads that is subjected to heavy concentrated loads, such as concrete pads below racks’ supports in heavy storage facilities. Since the punching capacity depends on the stress distribution beneath the footing, it could be enhanced by improving the soil stiffness beneath the footing. This research examines the effects of geocell layers, geogrid layers, and base soil stiffness on the punching capacity of isolated footings. Seven identical footings were subjected to experimental testing until failure, with continuous monitoring of load, settlement, strain in rebars, and contact pressure. The control footing was rested on pure sand; two footings were rested on one and two geogrid layers, two footings were rested on one and two geocell layers and the last two footings were rested on pure crouched stone and mixture of sand and crushed stone. The results indicated that all footings exhibited pure punching failure. In addition, enhancing the base granular soil stiffness through geocell confinement, geogrid reinforcement, or replacement with stiffer soil concentrated contact stress under the load, thereby increasing punching capacity, reducing settlement and increasing the subgrade reaction at the center while decreasing it at the mid-edge and corners. The efficiency of geocell and geogrid layers depends on their proximity to the footing; the closest geocell layer was most efficient, while the closest geogrid layer was least efficient. Implementing geocell layers, geogrid layers, and soil replacement improved punching capacity by 20%, 11%, and 17%; subgrade reaction values at the center by 90%, 65%, and 200%; and reduced settlement at the center by 70%, 75%, and 45%, respectively.

Perfect anomalous refraction metasurfaces empowered half-space optical beam scanning

Awaiting discovery: How biases in faunistic surveys hinder conservation in mountain protected areas—A case study from Romania’s oldest national park

It is virtually impossible to compile a complete list of species and map their distributions in any protected area; nevertheless, a near complete inventory is vital for an adequate management plan. We use Retezat National Park (Romania) as a case study to assess the bias in faunistic inventories over the past 70 years. Retezat National Park is one of the most studied in Eastern Europe since it shelters some of the last patches of virgin old-growth forest in Europe. We reviewed the scientific literature published since the early 1900s dealing with faunistic surveys and retrieved the occurrence records available on GBIF for the study area. We identified a total of 4374 animal species belonging to 2113 genera, 494 families, 99 orders, 23 classes, and nine phyla. The number of publications started to accumulate after 1979, when the park became a Biosphere Reserve, reached a peak in the early 2000 and severely decreased during the last decade, highlighting a decline in the researchers’ interest in faunistic surveys and, possibly, a delay between data collection and their publication. GBIF-mediated data made a small contribution, most records (60%) being collected in 2019. The bias analyses included only the distribution records available in the scientific literature, since they were already validated through peer-review. The number of publications and background of experts involved influenced the taxonomic coverage and inventory completeness. We found a strong spatial bias in terms of inventory coverage, with diversity hotspots located near roads and research facilities. Our study provides a roadmap for cost-effective future faunistic studies by prioritizing conservation efforts towards the most understudied areas and taxa within the park.

Impact of mixed-height vegetation patches on energy loss in open-channel flow

Abstract This study investigates the influence of riparian vegetation on energy losses in open-channel flow, focusing on channels partially covered by mixed-height vegetation patches, a common feature in natural rivers and canals. While previous research has primarily focused on flow resistance in fully vegetated channels, there has been limited attention to channels with unevenly distributed vegetation patches. To address this gap, we developed an innovative experimental approach to evaluate energy loss in channels with mixed-height vegetation patches under different submergence conditions. The experimental setup involved a channel partially covered with vegetation of varying heights, mimicking the natural, uneven distribution of vegetation patches. The results provided key insights into flow velocity distribution and turbulence intensity under these conditions. Furthermore, we introduced a standardized conceptualization method for the submergence ratio, specifically the concept of effective height ( $${h}_{e}$$ ), to standardize the calculation methods for submerged and emergent vegetation.Using this parameter, we derived a theoretical formula for calculating energy loss caused by vegetation patches, which closely matched the experimental data. This method offers a reliable framework for calculating hydraulic resistance in channels with uneven vegetation distribution.

Author Correction: A combined adjuvant and ferritin nanocage based mucosal vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae induces protective immune responses in a murine model

Correction: Stratum-specific health outcome estimation in Pakistan using double goal CART

Regulatory effect of agriphotovoltaic systems with different panel heights on the thermal environment

Analysis of allohexaploid wheatgrass genome reveals its Y haplome origin in Triticeae and high-altitude adaptation

Determinants of stroke among adult hypertension patients in dessie comprehensive specialized hospital and Kombolcha general hospital, Amhara, Ethiopia: A case-control study

Introduction Despite the increased admission of stroke patients in hospitals as a result of hypertension, especially in Ethiopia, there are limited studies that aim to explore important determinants of stroke, mainly among adult hypertensive patients. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify determinants of stroke among adult hypertension patients in Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Kombolcha General Hospital, Amhara, Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based case-control study design was conducted at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Kombolcha General Hospital from April 10, 2023, to May 30, 2023, on 105 cases and 420 controls selected by using a systematic random sampling technique. Data entry and processing were done using EPI-data version 4.4.2 and exported to SPSS version 26.0 for further analysis. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic analysis was done to identify determinants of stroke among hypertension patients. Data were interpreted by using the odds ratio with a 95% confidence level, and a P-value < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results A total of 105 cases and 420 controls participated in this study with a complete response (100%). Stroke among adult hypertension patients was significantly associated with a family history of hypertension (AOR =  2.8, 95% CI: 1.8–4.3), being physically inactive (AOR =  2.13, 95% CI: 1.4–3.3), current smoking cigarettes (AOR =  3.2, 95% CI: 2.1–5.2), current alcohol drinking (AOR =  4.7, 95% CI: 2.87–7.9), and having heart disease (AOR =  2.04, 95% CI: 1.3–3.25). Conclusions Having a family history of hypertension, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and heart disease were determinants of stroke. Health education on lifestyle practices, early hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases in each follow-up visit is very essential for improving stroke prevention.

Exploring the relationships between macrophyte groups and environmental conditions in lake ecosystems

Complete biosynthetic pathway of furochromones in Saposhnikovia divaricata and its evolutionary mechanism in Apiaceae plants

Correction: SYBR Gold dye enables preferential labelling of mitochondrial nucleoids and their time-lapse imaging by structured illumination microscopy

Broad-spectrum ubiquitin-specific protease inhibition as a mechanism for the cytotoxicity of YM155 in cancers

Kupffer cell and recruited macrophage heterogeneity orchestrate granuloma maturation and hepatic immunity in visceral leishmaniasis

Abstract In murine models of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the parasitization of resident Kupffer cells (resKCs) drives early Leishmania infantum growth in the liver, leading to granuloma formation and subsequent parasite control. Using the chronic VL model, we demonstrate that polyclonal resKCs redistributed to form granulomas outside the sinusoids, creating an open sinusoidal niche that was gradually repopulated by monocyte-derived KCs (moKCs) acquiring a tissue specific, homeostatic profile. Early-stage granulomas predominantly consisted of CLEC4F + KCs. In contrast, late-stage granulomas led to remodeling of the sinusoidal network and contained monocyte-derived macrophages (momacs) along with KCs that downregulated CLEC4F, with both populations expressing iNOS and pro-inflammatory chemokines. During late-stage infection, parasites were largely confined to CLEC4F - KCs. Reduced monocyte recruitment and increased resKCs proliferation in infected Ccr2 −/− mice impaired parasite control. These findings show that the ontogenic heterogeneity of granuloma macrophages is closely linked to granuloma maturation and the development of hepatic immunity in VL.