Search Results (28)

Background/Objectives: Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease affecting the thyroid, often leading to hypothyroidism, even in individuals with adequate iodine intake. Despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism through levothyroxine (LT4) therapy, many patients continue to experience persistent symptoms, likely due to ongoing thyroid autoimmunity. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has shown promise in treating autoimmune conditions, but its effect on thyroid volume (TV) remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of PBM combined with supplements in restoring thyroid function and normalising TV compared to the use of supplements alone. Methods: Ninety-eight females aged 20–50 years old were divided into two groups: Group 1 received PBM and supplements and Group 2 received supplements only. The PBM parameters were as follows: 820 nm wavelength, 200 mW power, continuous mode, 20 s per point at 8 points (32 J/cm² per point), twice weekly for three weeks. Both groups received vitamin D3 supplementation (if serum < 40 ng/dL) and 100 µg of oral selenium daily. Results: Ninety-seven participants completed the study (51 in Group 1, 46 in Group 2). Group 1 showed significantly greater improvements in TV normalisation and weight loss and reductions in BMI, waist/hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, TSH, anti-TPO, anti-TG, and LT4 dosage (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that low-fluence PBM combined with supplements can effectively improve thyroid function, reduce TV, and enhance anthropometric and clinical outcomes in HT patients. The protocol holds potential for broader application and further validation in larger trials. Full article

Flat panel displays for large applications (monitors and TVs) have structural weaknesses in improving the yield of mass-produced products due to large panels: the yield is defined by ratio of output quantity to input into panel fabrication process. From a panel manufacturing point of view, low-cost production should be achieved through improved yield of mass production (Samsung Display’s quantum dot display backplane panel). So, we set the target yield at an extreme value, over the golden yield (90%) at the beginning of new mass products. The main factors contributing to the yield loss were “lifted insulator and etched active pattern defects”. To reach the target yield, we focused on these two main defects. The root causes of these defects (delta coefficient of thermal expansion and galvanic corrosion) are explained, and a defect generation mechanism is proposed (the size of the separated large power line in relation to the defect rate). The power lines are defined based on an Electroluminescent Voltage at the Drain (ELVDD) and Electroluminescent Voltage at the Source (ELVSS). We developed a separated large power line design to reduce defect rates. This design plays a role in preventing these two defects during the mass production of medium to large display panels for use in TVs by ensuring that the large power line area is less than the optimum value (<0.44 cm²). Full article

Background: Tumor diameter may not reflect tumor burden accurately in all cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between tumor volume (TV) and aggressive features and prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Methods: Patients diagnosed with single foci PTC were recruited for the study. The largest tumor diameter was considered as the primary tumor diameter. TV was calculated using the formula for an ellipsoid shape, considering the three pathologically specified dimensions. Primary tumor diameter and TV were compared in terms of aggressive tumor characteristics and prognosis. Results: The data of 118 patients were analyzed. There was no significant relationship between primary tumor diameter and lymph node metastasis (LNM), extrathyroidal extension (ETE), and vascular invasion (p > 0.05 for each). In patients with tumor diameter >2 cm, TV was negatively associated with LNM (p = 0.015). One-unit increase in TV was associated with 1.629 times greater likelihood of absence of LNM (95% CI: 1.099–2.415). When the TV was ≤5.26 cm³, the sensitivity and specificity for the presence of LNM were 88.9% and 75.8%, respectively. Again in this group, the sensitivity for the occurrence of ETE was 100.0% and specificity was 45.7% when the TV was ≤9.49 cm³. There was no significant difference in the five-year disease-free survival between tumor diameter and TV. Conclusions: In contrary to studies with other cancer types in the literature, there was a significant but negative relationship between TV and LNM. Further large-scale studies are needed to determine whether TV can be used as a prognostic factor in PTC. Full article

One of the main challenges as the market for fully commercial electrified vehicles quickly expands is predicting the electromagnetic interference (EMI) in traction voltage systems (TVSs) in differential mode (DM) and common mode (CM). The number of subsystems connected to vehicle TVSs is increasing, and thus, so are the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. These requirements should make sure that neither the function nor lifetime of any source or load is affected by another, but experience shows that they are often insufficient. The purpose of this article is to show how circuit simulations can complement these requirements and that a generalized artificial network/line impedance stabilization network (LISN) is insufficient to correctly predict the EMI situation of a real vehicle. This article presents a method for complexity reduction in TVS DM simulations and a comparison with the usage of LISN to predict the EMI between subsystems; the article also addresses how to mitigate the EMI with DM filters for the subsystems. The proposed method creates a foundation for a faster and safer development process. The simulation model’s development includes a traction battery and TVS subsystems. It is found that a standardized LISN does not reflect the behavior of a commercial TVS and cannot be used solely to judge if a subsystem will operate as intended within a TVS without creating EMI. A change in switching frequency in the DUT can cause severe resonance between TVS subsystems, but this is not seen with a LISN. The conclusion of the article is that LISN can provide a false sense of security and that calibrated simulation models of a complete TVS are necessary to predict the behavior in that TVS; this study also highlights the importance of using DM filters to ensure protection against resonance frequencies. Full article

In order to fully utilize the resources of agricultural waste in Gansu Province’s semi-arid area. Local commercial organic fertilizer (ST1) was selected as the control, and four kinds of planting and breeding waste composts (PBCs) were designed with sheep manure (SM), cow manure (CM), tail vegetable (TV), mushroom residue (MR), and corn straw (CS) to study the effects of the different PBC formulations on the yield and quality of mini Chinese cabbage. In contrast to local commercial organic fertilizer, the STS (SM:TV:CS = 6:3:1) treatment increased the economic yield by 5.56%. Additionally, STS also significantly increased the VC content of mini Chinese cabbage, increased the organic acid by 14.66%, increased the free amino acid by 38.98%, and the nitrate concentration was significantly reduced by 41.05%. Meanwhile, the STS formula also increased the concentrations of polyphenols and essential amino acids of mini Chinese cabbage and also had excellent performance in volatile compounds. As a result, the STS formula can make full use of local planting and breeding waste resources and produce high yield and high quality of local mini Chinese cabbage. The study provided a theoretical foundation and technical guidance for screening suitable local compost formulas, as well as for the achievement of high-yield and high-quality mini Chinese cabbage production in the semi-arid areas of central Gansu province. Full article

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate visual outcomes and patient satisfaction after bilateral implantation of a new hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens called Clareon (Alcon) using the mini-monovision technique. Methods: A single-center, prospective, nonrandomized study was conducted in Tandil (Buenos Aires, Argentina), including patients scheduled for cataract surgery. To achieve mini-monovision, the spherical equivalent was calculated between −0.25 and +0.25 D for the dominant eye, and between −0.75 and −1.00 D for the non-dominant eye. The main outcomes were uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and uncorrected intermediate visual acuity (UIVA) evaluated at 66 cm. A secondary outcome, patient satisfaction, was assessed using the CatQuest-9SF questionnaire. Results: The mean binocular UDVA was 0.01 ± 0.05 logMAR three months after surgery, while the mean binocular UIVA was 0.20 ± 0.06 logMAR. The postoperative mean spherical equivalent in the dominant eye was −0.27 ± 0.12, and in the non-dominant eye was −0.87 ± 0.25. Before surgery, the CatQuest-9SF questionnaire revealed that 83.33% of patients were dissatisfied with their vision during daily activities. Over 50% reported significant difficulties with reading newspapers, sewing, and reading TV subtitles. Additionally, 66.6% struggled with recognizing faces, 50% with seeing product prices, and 50% with walking on uneven ground. Post-surgery, most patients experienced improved vision for daily tasks, with no reports of high dissatisfaction or significant difficulties. Patients were quite satisfied with their vision for hobbies and TV subtitles, and very satisfied (90%) with seeing supermarket prices. Conclusions: patients implanted with a new enhanced monofocal IOL using the mini-monovision technique showed improved distance and intermediate visual acuity, reduced need for glasses, and expressed a high degree of satisfaction. Full article

Motivated by two definitions of distance, “pre-symmetric w-distance” and “w-cone distance”, we define the concept of a pre-symmetric w-cone distance in a TVS-CMS and introduce its properties and examples. Also, we discuss the TVS-cone version of the recent results obtained by Romaguera and Tirado. Meanwhile, using Minkowski functionals, we show the equivalency between some consequences concerning a pre-symmetric w-distance in a usual metric space and a pre-symmetric w-cone distance in a TVS-CMS. Then, some types of various w-cone-contractions and the relations among them are investigated. Finally, as an application, a characterization of the completeness of TVS-cone metric regarding pre-symmetric concept is performed, which differentiates our results from former characterizations. Full article

The return of agricultural waste to the field is one of the most effective strategies of increasing crop yield, improving the soil’s physicochemical properties, and improving the soil rhizosphere environment. In the present study, sheep manure (SM), cow manure (CM), tail vegetable (TV), mushroom residue (MR), and corn straw (CS) were used as raw materials, and no fertilization (CK1) and local commercial organic fertilizer (CK2) treatments were used as controls. Eight composts were set up using specific mass ratios of different compost materials. After fermentation, field experiments were conducted to determine the cabbage yield, soil’s physicochemical properties, and soil rhizosphere conditions. The eight composts increased the soil organic matter and nutrient contents significantly. Among the eight fermentation formulas, T6 (CM:CS:TV:SM = 1:1:2:6), T7 (MR:CS:TV:SM = 1:1:2:6), and T8 (CM:MR:CS:TV:SM = 1:1:1:2:5) were relatively effective. Therefore, high-throughput sequencing was performed on T6, T7, T8, CK1, and CK2. T6, T7, and T8 exhibited increased relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinomycetes, and Firmicutes, while the Acidobacteria abundance was decreased. In addition, Ascomycota’s and Basidiomycetes’ relative abundance decreased, and the oil chytrid and mortierella increased. The microbial community structure was affected significantly by pH, electrical conductivity, available potassium, available nitrogen, and organic matter. In general, the three composts increased yield by improving the soil’s physicochemical properties, fertility, and microbial community structure. Among them, T6 had the most significant effect and is the optimal formula for use as a local organic cabbage fertilizer, and it could facilitate sustainable agricultural development. Full article

Background: Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain neoplasm in adults, with a poor prognosis despite a constant effort to improve patient survival. Some neuroradiological volumetric parameters seem to play a predictive role in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the volumetric areas of contrast-enhancing tumors and perineoplastic edema on the survival of patients treated for glioblastoma. Methods: A series of 87 patients who underwent surgery was retrospectively analyzed; OS and PFS were considered the end points of the study. For each patient, a multidisciplinary revision was conducted in collaboration with the Neuroradiology and Neuro-Oncology Board. Manual and semiautomatic measurements were adopted to perform the radiological evaluation, and the following quantitative parameters were retrospectively analyzed: contrast enhancement preoperative tumor volume (CE-PTV), contrast enhancement postoperative tumor volume (CE-RTV), edema/infiltration preoperative volume (T2/FLAIR-PV), edema/infiltration postoperative volume (T2/FLAIR-RV), necrosis volume inside the tumor (NV), and total tumor volume including necrosis (TV). Results: The median OS value was 9 months, and the median PFS value was 4 months; the mean values were 12.3 and 6.9 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the OS-related factors were adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (p < 0.0001), CE-PTV < 15 cm³ (p = 0.03), surgical resection > 95% (p = 0.004), and the presence of a “pseudocapsulated” radiological morphology (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Maximal safe resection is one of the most relevant predictive factors for patient survival. Semiautomatic preoperative MRI evaluation could play a key role in prognostically categorizing these tumors. Full article

This study investigated the presence and characteristics of Juglans neotropica in three ecosystems in Southern Ecuador: Montane Evergreen Forest, Evergreen Seasonal Lower Montane Forest, and Semideciduous Foot Montane Forest. The main focus was the species’ multipurpose nature as both a fruit and timber source. Six study sites, totaling at least 0.5 hectares each, were established, with four in Loja province and two in Zamora Chinchipe province. The results showed significant differences in dendrometric variables across the sites, with the most favorable growth recorded in The Tundo, where trees exhibited an average diameter at breast height (DBH) of 45.16 cm, basal area (G) of 1.41 m², total height (TH) of 19.22 m, canopy height (CH) of 13 m, cubic volume (CV) of 3.55 m³, and total volume (TV) of 5.22 m³. The species displayed a clumped distribution pattern, as indicated by a Morisita index greater than 1. Regarding abundance, the highest density of 297 trees per hectare was found in Argelia, while Victoria had the lowest density of 46 trees per hectare. The research provides a better insight into the occurrence, forest structure characteristics, and distribution of Juglans neotropica, an important multipurpose species, in Southern Ecuador. Full article

Hypoxia leads to changes in tumor microenvironment (upregulated CAFs) with resultant aggressiveness. A key factor in the physiological response to hypoxia is hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1$\alpha$). [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-FAPI PET imaging has been demonstrated in various cancer types. We hypothesized that [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-FAPI PET may be used as an indirect tracer for mapping hypoxia by correlating the image findings to pathological analysis of HIF-1$\alpha$ expression. The [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT scans of women with cancer of the cervix were reviewed and the maximum and mean standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVmean) and FAPI tumor volume (FAPI-TV) were documented. Correlation analysis was performed between PET-derived parameters and immunohistochemical staining as well as between PET-derived parameters and the presence of metastasis. Ten women were included. All patients demonstrated tracer uptake in the primary site or region of the primary. All patients had lymph node metastases while only six patients had distant visceral or skeletal metastases. The mean SUVmax, SUVmean, and FAPI-TV was 18.89, 6.88, and 195.66 cm³, respectively. The average FAPI-TV for patients with additional sites of metastases was higher than those without. Immunohistochemistry revealed varying intensities of HIF-1$\alpha$ expression in all tested samples. There was a positive correlation between the presence of skeletal metastases and staining for HIF-1$\alpha \left(r=0.80;p=0.017\right)$. The presence of skeletal metastasis was correlated to the HIF-1⍺ staining (percentage distribution). Furthermore, the FAPI-TV was a better predictor of metastatic disease than the SUVmax. Full article

Accurate diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height (H) information can be acquired through terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and airborne LiDAR scanner (ALS) point cloud, respectively. To utilize these two features simultaneously but avoid the difficulties of point cloud fusion, such as technical complexity and time-consuming and laborious efforts, a feature-level point cloud fusion method (FFATTe) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the TLS and ALS point cloud data in a plot are georeferenced by differential global navigation and positioning system (DGNSS) technology. Secondly, point cloud processing and feature extraction are performed for the georeferenced TLS and ALS to form feature datasets, respectively. Thirdly, the feature-level fusion of LiDAR data from different data sources is realized through spatial join according to the tree trunk location obtained from TLS and ALS, that is, the tally can be implemented at a plot. Finally, the individual tree parameters are optimized based on the tally results and fed into the binary volume model to estimate the total volume (TVS) in a large area (whole study area). The results show that the georeferenced ALS and TLS point cloud data using DGNSS RTK/PPK technology can achieve coarse registration (mean distance ≈ 40 cm), which meets the accuracy requirements for feature-level point cloud fusion. By feature-level fusion of the two point cloud data, the tally can be achieved quickly and accurately in the plot. The proposed FFATTe method achieves high accuracy (with error of 3.09%) due to its advantages of combining different LiDAR data from different sources in a simple way, and it has strong operability when acquiring TVS over large areas. Full article

The use of enzyme-based biosensors for the detection and quantification of analytes of interest such as contaminants of emerging concern, including over-the-counter medication, provides an attractive alternative compared to more established techniques. However, their direct application to real environmental matrices is still under investigation due to the various drawbacks in their implementation. Here, we report the development of bioelectrodes using laccase enzymes immobilized onto carbon paper electrodes modified with nanostructured molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). The laccase enzymes were two isoforms (LacI and LacII) produced and purified from the fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43 that is native to Mexico. A commercial purified enzyme from the fungus Trametes versicolor (TvL) was also evaluated to compare their performance. The developed bioelectrodes were used in the biosensing of acetaminophen, a drug widely used to relieve fever and pain, and of which there is recent concern about its effect on the environment after its final disposal. The use of MoS₂ as a transducer modifier was evaluated, and it was found that the best detection was achieved using a concentration of 1 mg/mL. Moreover, it was found that the laccase with the best biosensing efficiency was LacII, which achieved an LOD of 0.2 µM and a sensitivity of 0.108 µA/µM cm² in the buffer matrix. Moreover, the performance of the bioelectrodes in a composite groundwater sample from Northeast Mexico was analyzed, achieving an LOD of 0.5 µM and a sensitivity of 0.015 µA/µM cm². The LOD values found are among the lowest reported for biosensors based on the use of oxidoreductase enzymes, while the sensitivity is the highest currently reported. Full article

Composting, planting, and breeding waste for return to the field is the most crucial soil improvement method under the resource utilization of agricultural waste. However, how the vegetable yield and rhizosphere soil environment respond to different composts is still unknown. Therefore, eight formulations were designed for compost fermentation using agricultural waste [sheep manure (SM), tail vegetable (TV), cow manure (CM), mushroom residue (MR), and corn straw (CS)] without fertilizer (CK1) and local commercial organic fertilizer (CK2) as controls to study the yield and rhizosphere soil environment of greenhouse zucchini in response to different planting and breeding waste compost. Applying planting and breeding waste compost significantly increased the soil’s organic matter and nutrient content. It inhibited soil acidification, which T4 (SM:TV:CS = 6:3:1) and T7 (SM:TV:MR:CS = 6:2:1:1) treatments affected significantly. Compared to CK2 treatment, T4 and T7 treatments showed a greater increase, with a significant increase of 14.69% and 11.01%, respectively. Therefore, T4, T7, and two control treatments were selected for high-throughput sequencing based on yield performance. Compared with the CK1 treatment, although multiple applications of chemical fertilizers led to a decrease in bacterial and fungal richness, planting and breeding waste compost maintained bacterial diversity and enhanced fungal diversity. Compared to CK2, the relative abundance increased in T7-treated Proteobacteria (Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, and Lysobacter) and T4-treated Bacteroidetes (Flavobacterium) among bacteria. An increase in T4-treated Ascomycota (Zopfiella and Fusarium) and Basidiomycota among fungi and a decrease in T7-treated Mortierellomycota have been observed. Functional predictions of the bacterial Tax4Fun and fungal FUNGuild revealed that applying planting and breeding waste compost from the T4 treatment significantly increased the abundance of soil bacterial Metabolism of Cities, Genetic Information Processing, and Cellular Processes decreased the abundance of Pathotroph and Saprotroph-Symbiotroph fungi and increased the abundance of Saprotroph fungi. Overall, planting and breeding waste compost increased zucchini yield by improving soil fertility and microbial community structure. Among them, T4 treatment has the most significant effect, so T4 treatment can be selected as the optimized formulation of local commercial organic fertilizer. These findings have valuable implications for sustainable agricultural development. Full article

Three-dimensional TVs have been commercialized in recent few years; however, poor visual and motor performances may have an impact on consumer acceptance of 3D TVs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 3D TVs on eye movement and motor performance. Specifically, the effect of stereoscopic display parallax of 3D TVs and movement task index of difficulty (ID) on eye movement was investigated. In addition, the effect of stereoscopic display parallax of 3D TVs and movement task ID on motor performance was also investigated. Twelve participants voluntarily participated in a multi-directional tapping task under two different viewing environments (2D TV and 3D TV), three different levels of stereoscopic depth (140, 190, 210 cm), and six different Index of Difficulty levels (2.8, 3.3, 3.7, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1 bit). The study revealed that environment had significant effects on eye movement time, index of eye performance, eye fixation accuracy, number of fixations, time to first fixation, saccadic duration, revisited fixation duration, hand movement time, index of hand performance, and error rate. Interestingly, there were no significant effects of stereoscopic depth on eye movement and motor performance; however, the best performance was found when the 3D object was placed at 210 cm. The main novelty and contributions of this study is the in-depth investigations of the effect of 3D TVs on eye movement and motor performance. The findings of this study could lead to a better understanding of the visual and motor performance for 3D TVs. Full article