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Phenothiazine dye-loaded chitosan cryogels as multifunctional antibacterial wound dressings
Abstract Cryogels, owing to their low density, high porosity, lightweight structure, and interconnected three-dimensional network, have gained significant attention for biomedical applications. In the present study, a chalcone-based phenothiazine dye derivative (PTZ-chalcone) was successfully synthesized via direct condensation of 2-acetyl-5-bromothiophene with phenothiazine carboxaldehyde derivatives (Ib) using the Kröhnke method in methanolic KOH. The chemical structure of the synthesized compound was confirmed by spectral analysis. The PTZ-chalcone derivative was subsequently incorporated into chitosan (CS) cryogel matrix to fabricate sponge-like biomaterials. The resulting PTZ-chalcone-loaded CS cryogels were systematically characterized and evaluated, with particular emphasis on their antibacterial properties and their potential use as a wound dressing matrix. Likewise, the PTZ-chalcone-loaded CS cryogels displayed strong antibacterial action. In particular, the bactericidal effects of cryogels (CSC2 and CSC3) were demonstrated against Escherichia coli (33.5 ± 0.1 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (32.4 ± 0.28 mm), Acinetobacter baumannii (31.2 ± 0.41 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (29.2 ± 0.28 mm), Streptococcus pyogenes (28.7 ± 0.35 mm), and Enterococcus faecalis (27.5 ± 0.81 mm). The strong antibacterial activity of the PTZ-chalcone compound was validated by bacterial growth curves and protein leakage assays, demonstrating its ability to disrupt bacterial cell membranes. In the Microtox ® assay, the cryogels exhibited superior thermal stability and biocompatibility with no harmful effects. Further, the molecular docking analysis showed that PTZ-chalcone has a high binding affinity for proteins ((CDK6 and CDK2), suggesting potential applications in combating bacterial infections and cancer. These results imply that chalcone-loaded CS cryogels are efficient multifunctional biomaterials with great potential for woundhealing applications.
Resilient fractional order sliding mode control for islanded microgrids under cyber-physical attacks
Digital interactivity and presence are associated with cultural inheritance behavior through flow experience
Wear, fatigue characteristics, and antibacterial performance of UHMWPE reinforced with HAP+TiO2 for biomedical applications
Abstract This study aimed to develop and evaluate hybrid composites of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HAP) and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) for synthetic cartilage applications in joint prostheses. Three composite formulations were prepared using a solvent dispersing method followed by hot pressing, and their mechanical, tribological, and antibacterial properties were analyzed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to assess the dispersion quality of the fillers. TiO 2 content was varied (1, 3, 5, and 10 wt%) while HAP content was fixed at 20 wt%. In the UHMWPE matrix, HAP served as a bone osteo-inductive agent and TiO 2 as an anti-wear additive. Wear testing against Ti6Al4V alloy using dry sliding and simulated body fluid (SBF) revealed that 3 wt% TiO 2 enhanced wear resistance due to the formation of a dense lubricant film. The Agar Well Diffusion method confirmed significant antibacterial activity in the composites. Furthermore, fatigue tests conducted at frequencies of 1 Hz and 3 Hz demonstrated improved fatigue life and maximum stress for the P-H-3T composite (3 wt% TiO 2 ). This improvement was attributed to the homogeneous dispersion of the nanoparticles, which facilitated better stress transfer and delayed crack initiation. Excessive TiO 2 led to particle agglomeration, reducing fatigue resistance. The results highlight that 3 wt% TiO 2 provides an optimal balance between strength, wear resistance, and fatigue life for biomedical applications.
A scalable security co-processor design for IoT applications
Abstract The development and implementation of scalable and efficient security solutions have become a critical area of focus in cybersecurity research and practice. This trend is receiving more attention lately due to the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats to Internet of Things (IoT) networks. This paper proposes a novel cryptographic co-processor architecture based on RISC-V, designed to offer both high efficiency and flexibility for IoT applications. The design introduces a generic interface for cipher blocks, supports parallel execution of cipher operations, and avoids custom modifications to the RISC-V instruction set architecture. The proposed design extends the RISC-V architecture without new instruction sets to support AES-128 and SHA-256 operations, demonstrating its capabilities through these ciphering blocks. The new processor architecture ensures efficient data transfers between memory and cipher units, without delaying the processor pipeline, by utilizing Memory-Mapped I/O (MMIO) and Direct Memory Access (DMA) modules to optimize data handling. The proposed design is implemented and verified on the Xilinx ZCU-102 FPGA board using the Vivado 2022.2 tool. The proposed design achieves throughput rates of 8.2 Gbps for the AES-128 cipher block and 482 Mbps for the SHA-256 cipher block, operating at a relatively low system clock frequency of 64 MHz. The throughput is calculated based on the core cycle count of each algorithm, as this metric is commonly adopted in the literature. Nevertheless, the total end-to-end cycles of the proposed design equal the core cycles plus the serializer and deserializer cycles. The cycle count of the serializer/deserializer depends only on the processor’s data bus width. Also, the total power consumption of the proposed design is 1.575 watts. Achieving such high throughput at this reduced frequency is significant as it helps designers better minimize the power consumption, thereby enhancing the overall energy efficiency and performance of the system.
Fast large scale full-wave multiple-scattering computation for three-dimensional random rough surfaces
Preliminary embryo-fetal developmental toxicity study of pritelivir in CD1-IGS mice
Abstract Pritelivir is a novel anti-herpes simplex virus drug that is currently in clinical trials in nonpregnant immunocompromised subjects. Here we conducted a preliminary embryo-fetal developmental toxicity study of pritelivir in CD1-IGS mice. Pritelivir was administered by oral gavage to time-mated mice at dose levels of 0, 10, 60 and 200 mg/kg/day from gestational day 6 through 15. Maternal food consumption, body weight and clinical observations were monitored throughout gestation. The mice were sacrificed at gestational day 18 and assessed based on embryo-fetal development and viability. Fetuses were weighed and examined for external and visceral variations and malformations. The results showed that exposure to pritelivir did not cause maternal or developmental toxicity in mice. Thus, both maternal and fetal no-observed-adverse-effect-level of pritelivir was determined to be 200 mg/kg/day. At this dose, the area under the concentration-time curve for pritelivir at steady state in maternal animals was 20 times greater than reported in humans at the clinical dose of 100 mg/day. Placenta-to-maternal plasma and fetus-to-maternal plasma concentration ratios in mice were 0.4 and 0.2, respectively, indicating transfer but not accumulation of pritelivir in the fetoplacental compartment. Taken together, our findings support further preclinical studies of pritelivir for its use in pregnancy.
Expression of miR-155, miR-223, miR-29b, miR-142-3p, and miR-142-5p in kidney allografts with acute tubular necrosis, rejection phenotypes, and BK-polyomavirus nephropathy
Combined aerobic and resistance exercise improves glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity: a meta-analysis
Formulation, characterization and evaluation of cytotoxic potential for febuxostat loaded chitosomes against cervical cancer cells (Hela cells)
Abstract The presented study is focused on evaluating the efficiency of repurposing Febuxostat (FBX) as a chemotherapeutic newcomer against the cervical cancer cell line (Hela cells). Exploiting nanotechnology benefits in drug delivery, FBX was incorporated into chitosan-coated niosomes (Chitosomes). Using a 2 3 factorial design, eight formulations were characterized for their entrapment efficiency percentage, particle size, and zeta potential. The optimum (FBX) loaded chitosomes displayed a mean particle size of 339 ± 14 nm, an entrapment efficiency of 91.07 ± 0.33%, and a Zeta potential of + 26.9 ± 1.2 ± 1.2 mV. In vitro cytotoxicity studies performed on Hela cells indicated a significant ( P < 0.05) decrease in IC 50 value around 3-fold compared with pure FBX. The cellular uptake showed a 2-fold increase compared to the free drug. Upon studying the cell death cycle, it was revealed that apoptotic cell death was caused by the drug in the G1/S phase. Altogether, these findings revealed that the optimized chitosomal dispersion exhibited superior cytotoxic activity compared to free FBX, indicating it as a promising efficient and biocompatible delivery system for cervical cancer treatment.
Ensemble machine learning method for δ18O prediction in groundwater
Abstract Groundwater δ 18 O interpretation in arid regions is challenging due to complex recharge, salinization, and limited datasets. We applied ensemble machine learning, Random Forest, Lasso, and Gradient Boosting, to predict δ 18 O using hydrochemical and spatial variables in the mid-Nile Valley. Under random splitting, RFR performed best (R 2 = 0.83), followed by Lasso (0.81) and GBR (0.80). Longitude, chloride, potassium, and magnesium emerged as the main predictors, consistent with hydrochemical evidence. But performance dropped under spatial cross-validation, a more realistic test: RFR R 2 = 0.50, Lasso = 0.45, GBR = 0.41. So, part of the predictive skill comes from spatial structure, not transferable relationships. A sensitivity test without longitude showed that hydrochemical variables alone explain about 40% of the δ 18 O variance (R 2 = 0.405). Within the data-rich range (-3‰ to -1‰, n = 54), the model achieved a mean absolute residual of 0.70‰ and a 95% prediction interval of ± 2.26‰. Outside this range, for Eocene end-members ( n = 7) and Quaternary enriched samples ( n ≈ 6), uncertainty increased substantially. Machine learning is useful for isotope prediction in data-scarce regions, but results must be interpreted with caution. Spatial effects matter. The model is best suited for site-specific analysis within its reliable range. Future work should focus on collecting more end-member samples to bridge the isotopic gap.
Melatonin-treated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes reverse liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 in male wistar albino rats
Abstract Liver fibrosis is defined as the substitution of hepatocytes with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, accompanied by abnormalities in matrix remodelling. We aimed to assess the efficacy of melatonin-pretreated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MT/Exos) in mitigating liver fibrosis. MT/Exos were isolated from their parent cells and characterised by measuring protein content, particle size, and cluster of differentiation (CD) markers. In vivo studies (MT/Exos (100 µg/rat) via the caudal vein twice weekly for 4 weeks) include assessment of liver biomarkers, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, apoptotic markers, fibrotic cytokines, and histopathological changes. MT/Exos with 1 mg/ml protein showed double-membrane vesicles sized 50–100 nm, and expressed CD63 and CD81 markers. Treated rats showed restoration of albumin levels, significant improvements in liver enzymes, notable elevations in SOD activity and Nrf2 levels, and a marked reduction in MDA levels. TNF-α, IL-17, NF-κB-p50, and p65 levels were attenuated, and IL-10 levels increased significantly. p53, Bax, caspase-3, TGF-β, SMAD3, collagen I, and miRNA 196 also showed a substantial decrease in treated rats (P < 0.05). Histopathological examination confirmed a marked reduction of collagen deposition and inflammatory infiltration. MT/Exos were successfully isolated and characterized. The MT/Exos-treated group showed improvements in all liver function parameters, with increased levels of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory markers. MT/Exos reduced apoptotic and fibrotic modulators and improved histopathological features. These findings confirm the synergistic effect of melatonin preconditioning in improving the therapeutic potential of MSC-derived exosomes as a novel anti-fibrotic agent. Overall, MT/Exos may offer a promising therapeutic approach for liver fibrosis with potential clinical relevance pending further studies.
Double negative T cells decline in inflammatory reproductive dysfunction
Abstract Double-negative T cells (DNTs; CD3 + CD4 − CD8 − ) have been implicated in immune regulation in autoimmune settings, but their relevance to reproductive tissue immune balance and inflammation-associated infertility remains unclear. Here, we define a population of TCRβ + NK1.1 − DNTs enriched in the mouse ovary and uterus and profiled its phenotype, tissue behavior, and function in inflammatory models associated with impaired fertility. In parallel, we performed RNA-seq on spleen- and thymus-derived NK1.1 − DNT and CD8 + T cell enriched population. Relative to CD8 + T cells, peripheral NK1.1 − DN T-cell-enriched populations displayed an activated, regulatory-like transcriptional profile with reduced Cd8a / Cd8b1 , Il7r , and cytotoxic effector markers, alongside increased expression of Pdcd1 , Lag3 , Tox , and Il10 . Ex vivo, FACS-sorted splenic DNTs produced low inflammatory cytokine output after CD3/CD28 stimulation and suppressed CD8 + T-cell proliferation primarily through contact-dependent mechanisms. In vivo, ovarian DNTs decreased following CD8-targeting depletion, and ovarian and uterine DNTs showed limited exchange in parabiosis. In chronic interferon-γ-driven inflammation (ARE −/− ) and zona pellucida 3-induced ovarian inflammation, reproductive tissues exhibited reduced DNT frequencies, a shift in the DNT: CD8 + T ratio favoring CD8 + T cells and increased activated CD8 + phenotypes. Finally, adoptive transfer of ex vivo FACS-sorted wild-type DNTs into ARE −/− females increased pregnancy frequency, supporting DNT-associated immunoregulation as a feature of inflammation-associated infertility.
Machine learning-based prediction model for long-term mortality after ischemic stroke
The impact of leadership, social interaction, and support on subjective well-being among employees in a Malaysian public university: the mediating role of self-efficacy
Investigation on the unsteady aerodynamic coefficients of iced conductors and the applicability of quasi-static assumptions
Abstract This study investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of crescent-shaped iced conductors through combined wind tunnel experiments and numerical analysis. Wind tunnel tests were conducted to obtain both steady and unsteady aerodynamic coefficients, the latter measured using an oscillating conductor model. The steady coefficients were acquired under various wind velocities ranging from 10 to 18 m/s and ice thicknesses of 14, 24 and 33 mm, covering trans-critical and super-critical Reynolds number regimes. Analytical expressions relating steady coefficients to the angle of attack were derived via polynomial fitting. A BP neural network model was subsequently developed and trained on this experimental data to predict aerodynamic coefficients for untested conditions. Furthermore, a MATLAB-based quasi-static model was established to convert steady coefficients into unsteady equivalents, enabling a direct comparison with the unsteady oscillation test data to validate the quasi-static assumption. The results confirm that the quasi-static assumption retains reasonable applicability in the studied regime. More importantly, the developed BP neural network demonstrates robust predictive capability, with its outputs showing close agreement with wind tunnel measurements, achieving determination coefficients exceeding 0.95. This work provides enhanced analytical tools and validated data for improving the prediction of conductor galloping—a critical wind-induced vibration—thereby contributing to the safety assessment and structural design of overhead transmission lines.
An explanation of the number of peaks and symmetries of starbursts
Abstract Starbursts are the light-intensity patterns seen when small bright sources are observed at low illumination levels, typically stars at night. Starburst patterns are formed because the eye’s wave aberrations generate caustics at the retina. However, a fascinating yet unexplained fact about starbursts is that they usually exhibit p -fold symmetry. Moreover, the number of peaks, related to the symmetry perceived by the subject, is not always the same. The main aim of this study is to explain these visual optics phenomena. For this purpose, we provide a theoretical framework based on the geometric and algebraic properties of the wave aberration function expressed as a Zernike polynomial expansion. Specifically, we investigated the number and distribution of the fertile cusps of Gauss of the wave aberration function. We also established the connections between these points with the symmetries and the number of starburst peaks. We found that starbursts are likely generated by wave aberrations dominated by axially symmetric polynomials combined with a certain amount of non-axially symmetric ones. For instance, whereas a wave aberration with a dominant spherical aberration (Zernike polynomial $$Z_4^{0}$$ ) plus $$Z_3^{3}$$ may induce a 3-peaks starburst with a 3-fold symmetry, a wave aberration combining $$Z_4^{0}$$ and $$Z_4^{4}$$ may induce a 4-fold symmetry starburst with four or eight peaks. In addition to providing a comprehensive explanation of starburst symmetries, our theory has other promising applications; for instance, we could infer some basic properties of an eye’s wave aberration function from a measurement (subjective or objective) of the starburst pattern.
Evaluation of radiation damage effects of low-energy Auger and conversion electrons emitted by 134Ce decay using a Monte Carlo method
Abstract Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) is a cancer treatment method that delivers radiation to specific tumor cells, enabling efficient tumor cell killing. Radionuclides emitting short-range beta or alpha particles have previously been the primary focus. TRT approaches utilizing low-energy electrons, such as Auger and internal conversion electrons, have attracted interest because of their highly localized tumor-killing potential. 134 Ce is an imaging surrogate in the form of a 134 Ce/ 134 La pair for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in 225 Ac targeted alpha therapy, and it has recently exhibited promising therapeutic properties. This study employs TOPAS-nBio, a Monte Carlo simulation tool, to investigate the radiation damage effects of 134 Ce from dosimetric and DNA-scale perspectives. The DNA damage yield analysis incorporates both physical and chemical processes. In the water sphere geometry, the overall dose contribution of 134 Ce shows patterns generally similar to those of other Auger-emitting radionuclides, and 134 Ce shows damage yields per decay close to those of 161 Tb on the DNA scale. Although 134 Ce induces fewer DNA double-strand breaks per decay in the nucleus than 125 I and 161 Tb, it exhibits a higher double-strand break yield when normalized to absorbed dose. Such damage outcome predictions suggest that further research on radionuclide therapy using 134 Ce is worthwhile.