Browse Articles

Changes in physical characteristics of extreme rainfall events during the Indian summer monsoon based on downscaled and bias-corrected CMIP6 models

An evaluation of surgical excision versus steroid injection for the management of ganglion cysts

Development and validation of a prognostic model for critically ill type 2 diabetes patients in ICU based on composite inflammatory indicators

Evaluation of anterior fixed appliances on maxillary arch growth in preschool children

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate a new modified fixed appliance for rehabilitation of premature loss of anterior teeth in preschool children versus a modified Nance appliance on maxillary arch growth with parental satisfaction. The study was conducted as a clinical trial and it was carried out at Pediatric Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University. Forty preschool children from both genders aged from 3–5 years were included in the study. The selected children were divided into two groups; Group I: Twenty children received a modified fixed bridge. Group II: Twenty received a modified Nance appliance. Evaluation of both appliances on maxillary growth was carried out at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Finally, parental satisfaction was also recorded. It was revealed that, there was continuous maxillary growth in both groups at different follow up periods with no sexual dimorphism, and parental satisfaction was significantly higher in group I than group II. A modified fixed bridge was better than Nance appliance regarding parental satisfaction and it doesn’t interfere with maxillary growth.

Association of oxidative balance score with the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in younger US adults with diabetes

Study of the mechanical compression properties of Rosa sterilis S.D. Shi based on FEM

Spatiotemporal glacier retreat on the Tibetan Plateau since the LGMG to early holocene based on compilation of moraine boulder ages

Increased FGF-19 levels following explantation in women with breast implant illness

Modulation of biological activities in adipose derived stem cells by histone deacetylation

Abstract Difficult-to-heal wounds management accounts for about 4% of healthcare costs, highlighting the need for innovative solutions. Extracellular signals drive cell proliferation during tissue regeneration, while epigenetic mechanisms regulate stem cell homeostasis, differentiation, and skin repair. Exploring epigenetic regulation in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) holds promise for improving skin injury treatments. We investigated the effects of histone deacetylase inhibitor (SAHA) on ADSCs to better understand its cellular and molecular impacts. ADSCs were treated with SAHA for 72 h, showing no change in cell viability at the studied concentrations. However, the expression of histone deacetylase decreased at 1000 nM, while the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 increased after SAHA treatment, as confirmed by immunofluorescence. CCND1 gene expression increased, whereas protein expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) decreased. Cell cycle analysis showed an increase in G2 phase in SAHA-treated cells. Microarray analysis revealed 74 upregulated and 40 downregulated differentially expressed genes, including upregulation of P53 targets, CDKN1A and MDM2. Proteomic analysis identified 631 upregulated and 823 downregulated proteins compared to the vehicle. Pathway enrichment analysis showed cell cycle, ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling and DNA processes were among the affected pathways. This study suggests SAHA modulates ADSCs’ biological processes, highlighting its potential for skin regeneration.

Adapting a style based generative adversarial network to create images depicting cleft lip deformity

Fabrication of heteroatom-doped graphene-porous organic polymer hybrid materials via femtosecond laser writing and their application in VOCs sensing

2D wrinkle assisted zigzag plasmonic chains for isotropic SERS enhancement

Abstract Template-assisted colloidal self-assembly has gained significant attention due to its flexibility and versatility. By precisely controlling the shape of the template, it is possible to achieve custom-designed nanoparticle assemblies. However, a major challenge remains in fabricating these templates over large areas at a low cost. Recently, one-dimensional (1D) nano-wrinkle structures have been effectively used for the linear assembly of single-chain or multi-chain nanoparticles, which feature abundant interparticle nanogaps that facilitate efficient plasmonic coupling. To further enhance these assemblies by incorporating diffraction modes, we develop two-dimensional (2D) zigzag wrinkle structures that successfully assemble nanoparticles into plasmonic zigzag chains. Micro spectral measurements and FDTD simulations reveal that zigzag assemblies of plasmonic nanoparticle chains offer isotropic behavior and exhibit stronger plasmonic coupling compared to 1D assemblies, which could be highly beneficial for sensing applications. Due to the responsive PANI shell encapsulating the gold nanoparticles, this 2D zigzag assembly enables flexible tuning of plasmonic resonance under pH regulation.

The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe

Abstract This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past two millennia, influenced buffer crop selection, focusing on five crops: rye, millet, buckwheat, oat, and hemp. For this study, we analyzed archaeobotanical data from 135 archaeological contexts and historical data from 242 manor inventories across the northeastern Baltic region, spanning the period from 100 to 1800 AD. Our findings revealed that rye remained a main staple crop throughout the studied periods reflecting environmental adaptation to northern latitudes. The drought-tolerant and thermophilic millet crop exhibited resilience during the adverse dry climatic conditions of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly while showing a significant decline during the Little Ice Age. During the period of post-1500 AD, a significant shift towards cold-resilient summer crops such as buckwheat and hemp is recorded. This study enhances our understanding of how historical agricultural systems responded to both socioeconomic factors and climatic change in northern latitudes, offering notable potential solutions for modern agricultural practices in the face of future climate variability trends.

Randomized studies in China show that studying and promoting civic honesty needs to consider local norms

Abstract Civic honesty is a crucial behavior that policymakers and business leaders strive to promote among citizens and employees. We conducted online and field experiments in China adapting the setting of a recent research which employed an innovative design to study civic honesty behavior around the globe. Results show that the psychological mechanism underlying lost-wallet reporting behavior in China is somewhat different from what has been suggested in the literature. Chinese participants indicated they are significantly more likely to put WeChat than email as contact information on their lost items, corroborating a local norm in China that email is infrequently used by ordinary Chinese citizens. Moreover, we tested multiple behavioral interventions in the field. Aiding a lost-property finder to connect to an owner using WeChat led to a reporting rate of 59.3% (vs. 7% as shown in a recent research that used email as the communication means; note that due to differences in experimental designs, no direct comparison of these reporting rates should be made however). Our research suggests that interacting with citizens from a targeted population to formulate locally informed research questions and design may be crucial for understanding and promoting civic honesty behavior.

Polydopamine grafting polyether ether ketone to stabilize growth factor for efficient osteonecrosis repair

Abstract This study examines the biocompatibility, osteogenic potential, and effectiveness of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composites for treating osteonecrosis, seeking to establish a theoretical basis for clinical application. A range of PEEK composite materials, including sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK), polydopamine-sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK-PDA), bone-forming peptide-poly-dopamine-sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK-PDA-BFP), and vascular endothelial growth factor-poly-dopamine-sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK-PDA-VEGF), were constructed by concentrated sulfuric acid sulfonation, polydopamine modification and grafting of bioactive factors. The experiments involved adult male New Zealand rabbits aged 24–28 weeks and weighing 2.6–4 kg. The SPEEK-PDA-BFP possesses the smallest water contact angle, indicating the highest hydrophilicity, with its surface characterized by a rich density of clustered BFP particles. The SPEEK-PDA-BFP exhibits superior adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation capabilities, along with pronounced bacteriostatic effects, which are attributed to its dense particle clusters. The SPEEK-PDA-BFP facilitates the formation of regular and dense bone trabeculae. Comparative study on treating osteonecrosis with SPEEK-PDA-VEGF and SPEEK-PDA-BFP highlighted the superior formation of mature bone trabeculae and angiogenic protein CD31 around SPEEK-PDA-VEGF. The PEEK composite materials have good biocompatibility, osteogenic activity and bone repair activity. In particular, SPEEK-PDA-VEGF composite materials have the best effect on bone repair.

Artificial intelligence for image recognition in diagnosing oral and oropharyngeal cancer and leukoplakia

Abstract Visual diagnosis is one of the key features of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) and oropharynx (OPSCC), both subsets of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with a heterogeneous clinical appearance. Advancements in artificial intelligence led to Image recognition being introduced recently into large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT 4.0. This exploratory study, for the first time, evaluated the application of image recognition by ChatGPT to diagnose squamous cell carcinoma and leukoplakia based on clinical images, with images without any lesion as a control group. A total of 45 clinical images were analyzed, comprising 15 cases each of SCC, leukoplakia, and non-lesion images. ChatGPT 4.0 was tasked with providing the most likely diagnosis based on these images in scenario one. In scenario two the image and the clinical history were provided, whereas in scenario three only the clinical history was given. The results and the accuracy of the LLM were rated by two independent reviewers and the overall performance was evaluated using the modified Artificial Intelligence Performance Index (AIPI. In this study, ChatGPT 4.0 demonstrated the ability to correctly identify leukoplakia cases using image recognition alone, while the ability to diagnose SCC was insufficient, but improved by including the clinical history in the prompt. Providing only the clinical history resulted in a misclassification of most leukoplakia and some SCC cases. Oral cavity lesions were more likely to be diagnosed correctly. In this exploratory study of 45 images of oral lesions, ChatGPT 4.0 demonstrated a convincing performance for detecting SCC only when the clinical history was added, whereas Leukoplakia was detected solely by image recognition. ChatGPT is therefore currently insufficient for reliable OPSCC and OSCC diagnosis, but further technological advancements may pave the way for the use in the clinical setting.

Evaluating simulated teaching audio for teacher trainees using RAG and local LLMs

Deep learning model based prediction of vehicle CO2 emissions with eXplainable AI integration for sustainable environment

Examining the physical and psychological effects of combining multimodal feedback with continuous control in prosthetic hands

Abstract Myoelectric prosthetic hands are typically controlled to move between discrete positions and do not provide sensory feedback to the user. In this work, we present and evaluate a closed-loop, continuous myoelectric prosthetic hand controller, that can continuously control the position of multiple degrees of freedom of a prosthesis while rendering proprioceptive feedback to the user via a haptic feedback armband. Twenty-eight participants without and ten participants with upper limb difference (ULD) were recruited to holistically evaluate the physical and psychological effects of the controller via isolated control and sensory tasks, dexterity assessments, embodiment and task load questionnaires, and post-study interviews. The combination of proprioceptive feedback and continuous control enabled more accurate position and force modulation than without proprioceptive feedback, and restored blindfolded object identification ability to open-loop discrete controller levels. Dexterity assessment and embodiment questionnaire results revealed no significant physical performance or psychological embodiment differences between control types, with the exception of perceived sensation questions, which were significantly higher (p < 0.001) for closed-loop controllers. Key differences between participants with and without ULD were identified, including increasingly lower perceived body completeness and heterogeneity in frustration in participants with ULD, which can inform future development and rehabilitation.

A comparison of force adaptation in toddlers and adults during a drawer opening task

Abstract Adapting movements to rapidly changing conditions is fundamental for interacting with our dynamic environment. This adaptability relies on internal models that predict and evaluate sensory outcomes to adjust motor commands. Even infants anticipate object properties for efficient grasping, suggesting the use of internal models. However, how internal models are adapted in early childhood remains largely unexplored. This study investigated a naturalistic force adaptation task in 1.5-, 3-year-olds, and young adults. Participants opened a drawer with temporarily increased resistance, creating sensory prediction errors between predicted and actual drawer dynamics. After perturbation, all age groups showed lower peak speed, longer movement time, and more movement units with trial-wise changes analyzed as adaptation process. Results revealed no age differences in adapting peak speed and movement units, but 1.5- and 3-year-olds exhibited higher trial-to-trial variability and were slower in adapting their movement time, although they also adapted their movement time more strongly. Upon removal of perturbation, we found significant aftereffects across all age groups, indicating effective internal model adaptation. These results suggest that even 1.5-year-olds form internal models of force parameters and adapt them to reduce sensory prediction errors, possibly through more exploration and with more variable movement dynamics compared to adults.