Search Results (15)

This paper reports several preliminary investigations concerning the relative humidity (RH) detection response of a chemiresistive sensor that uses a novel sensing layer based on pristine carbon nano-onions (CNOs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at a 1/1 and 2/1 w/w ratio. The sensing device, including a Si/SiO₂ substrate and gold electrodes, is obtained by depositing the CNOs–PVA aqueous suspension on the sensing structure by drop casting. The composition and morphology of the sensing film are explored by means of scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The manufactured sensor’s room temperature RH detection performance is examined by applying a continuous flow of the electric current between the interdigitated electrodes and measuring the voltage as the RH varies from 5% to 95%. For RH below 82% (sensing layer based on CNOs–PVA at 1/1 w/w ratio) or below 50.5% (sensing layer based on CNOs–PVA at 2/1 w/w ratio), the resistance varies linearly with RH, with a moderate slope. The newly developed sensor, using CNOs–PVA at a 1:1 ratio (w/w), responded as well as or better than the reference sensor. At the same time, the recorded recovery time was about 30 s, which is half the recovery time of the reference sensor. Additionally, the changes in resistance (ΔR/ΔRH) for different humidity levels showed that the CNOs–PVA layer at 1:1 was more sensitive at humidity levels above 80%. The main RH sensing mechanisms considered and discussed are the decrease in the hole concentration in the CNOs during the interaction with an electron donor molecule, such as water, and the swelling of the hydrophilic PVA. The experimental RH detection data are analyzed and compared with the RH sensing results reported in previously published work on RH detectors employing sensing layers based on oxidized carbon nanohorns–polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP), oxidized carbon nanohorns–PVA and CNOs–polyvinylpyrrolidone. Full article

An accelerated sea-level rise (SLR) may threaten the future livability of the Netherlands. Three perspectives to anticipate this SLR are elaborated here regarding technical, physical, and spatial aspects: Protect, Advance, and Accommodate. The overall objective was to explore the tools and measures that are available for adaptation, assess their spatial impacts, and identify dos and don’ts in current spatial issues like housing, climate adaptation, infrastructure, and the energy transition. Each elaboration was performed by a consortium consisting of representatives from private parties (engineering consultancy, project contractors, (landscape) architects, economists), knowledge institutes (including universities), and government, using an iterative process of model computations and design workshops. The elaborations made clear that a realistic and livable future perspective for the Dutch Delta continues to exist, even with a maximum analyzed SLR of 5 m, and will consist of a combination of elements from all three perspectives. This will require large investments and space for new and upgraded water infrastructure and will have large impacts on land use, water availability, agriculture, nature, residential buildings, shipping, and regional water systems. There is still a significant degree of uncertainty regarding future SLR; therefore, it is not advisable to make major investment decisions at this time. Nevertheless, some no-regret measures are already clear: continuation of the protection of the Randstad agglomeration (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht) and its economic earning potential for future generations, adaptation of agriculture to more brackish and saline conditions, designation of space for additional future flood protection, extra storage capacity (for river discharge and increased precipitation), river discharge, and sand extraction (for future coastal maintenance). The research identified concrete actions for today’s decision-making processes, even though the time horizon of the analysis captures centuries. Including the perspectives in long term, policy planning is already necessary because the transition processes will take decades, if not more than a century, to be implemented. Full article

As part of a detailed investigation project focused on the painting materials and technical features used in Wallachia during the 17th and 18th century, the imperial icon “Mother of God with Child” from the Orthodox Church of the “Annunciation” in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania, was investigated before the restoration intervention. A minimally invasive multi-analytical approach consisting of high-resolution digital radiography, hyperspectral imaging, UV fluorescence imaging, portable X-ray fluorescence, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used. The results emphasized several key features, such as: the structure of the wooden panel, the nature of pigments and of the painting technique frequently used at that time, and various defects of the pictorial layer including traces of previous restoration works, most probably made at the end of the 18th century. Full article

Purpose: To compare refractive prediction errors between phacotrabeculectomy and phacoemulsification. Methods: Refractive prediction error was defined as the difference in spherical equivalent between the predicted value using the Barrett Universal II formula and the actual value obtained at postoperative one month. Forty-eight eyes that had undergone phacotrabeculectomy (19 eyes, open-angle glaucoma; 29 eyes, angle-closure glaucoma) were matched with 48 eyes that had undergone phacoemulsification by age, average keratometry value and axial length (AL), and their prediction errors were compared. The factors associated with prediction errors were analyzed by multivariable regression analyses. Results: The phacotrabeculectomy group showed a larger absolute prediction error than the phacoemulsification group (0.51 ± 0.37 Diopters vs. 0.38 ± 0.22 Diopters, p = 0.033). Larger absolute prediction error was associated with longer AL (p = 0.010) and higher intraocular pressure (IOP) difference (p = 0.012). Hyperopic shift (prediction error > 0) was associated with shallower preoperative anterior chamber depth (ACD) (p = 0.024) and larger IOP difference (p = 0.031). In the phacotrabeculectomy group, the prediction error was inversely correlated with AL: long eyes showed myopic shift and short eyes hyperopic shift (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Surgeons should be aware of the possibility of worse refractive outcomes when planning phacotrabeculectomy, especially in eyes with high preoperative IOP, shallow ACD, and/or extreme AL. Full article

China’s technical progress on emissions and vast ocean area make the study for CO₂ emission reduction suitable in a marine fishery. This study uses the slack variables of SBM and the Malmquist index to analyze the CO₂ emission efficiency of Trawler, Seine net, Drift net, Fixed net, and Angling, along with their efficiency values, distinguishing the impact of technological progress, scale expansion, and technological efficiency. Results show that the CO₂ emission efficiency of the Angling and Seine industry is high with the development potential of the low-carbon fishery. Moreover, China’s technological progress is increasing, but the technical efficiency of CO₂ emission reduction is declining. Lack of pure technical efficiency is the primary constraint of low-carbon capture fishery, making changes in efficiency show a downward trend. These results expand the research depth of the efficiency impact of technological progress and reveal that technological progress keeps increasing, but the CO₂ emission reduction efficiency is decreasing. This indicates that emission reduction requires both technological growth and the technology’s capacity to reduce CO₂ emissions efficiently. Full article

Live-attenuated Rift Valley fever (RVF) vaccines transiently replicate in the vaccinated host, thereby effectively initiating an innate and adaptive immune response. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV)-specific neutralizing antibodies are considered the main correlate of protection. Vaccination with classical live-attenuated RVF vaccines during gestation in livestock has been associated with fetal malformations, stillbirths, and fetal demise. Facilitated by an increased understanding of the RVFV infection and replication cycle and availability of reverse genetics systems, novel rationally-designed live-attenuated candidate RVF vaccines with improved safety profiles have been developed. Several of these experimental vaccines are currently advancing beyond the proof-of-concept phase and are being evaluated for application in both animals and humans. We here provide perspectives on some of these next-generation live-attenuated RVF vaccines and highlight the opportunities and challenges of these approaches to improve global health. Full article

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between responses to intravitreal bevacizumab injection and renal function in diabetic macular edema (DME) patients. Methods: A retrospective study of the medical records of 104 treatment-naïve DME patients who received intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVBI) was conducted. Based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m²), the participants were classified into three groups. Intergroup comparisons of the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield retinal thickness (CST) changes were performed after three-monthly consecutive IVBIs. In the groups with decreased renal function, the response to further treatment with a different drug was investigated. Results: A total of 104 participants were included in the study: 60 participants in the preserved renal function group (eGFR ≥ 60), 25 participants in the moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) group (30 ≤ eGFR < 60), and 19 participants in the severe CKD group (eGFR < 30). After three-monthly consecutive IVBIs, BCVA (p < 0.001) and CST (p < 0.001) were significantly improved only in the preserved renal function group. Following further treatment of patients with decreased renal function, the treatment results were significantly better in those who were switched to aflibercept or dexamethasone implant than in those who were maintained on IVBI. Conclusions: From this preliminary study, we observed that renal function might affect the response to IVBI treatment in patients with DME. In the case of a poor response to initial IVBI treatment for DME in patients with moderate to severe CKD, our study supports switching to the aflibercept or dexamethasone implant. Full article

The shortage of fresh water resources has made the desalination of seawater a widely adopted technology. Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is the most commonly used method for desalination. The SWRO process is energy-intensive, and most of the energy in SWRO is spent on pressurizing the seawater to overcome the osmotic barrier for producing fresh water. The pressure needed depends on the salinity of the seawater, its temperature, and the membrane surface properties. Membrane compaction occurs in SWRO due to hydraulic pressure application for long-term operations and operating temperature fluctuations due to seasonal seawater changes. This study investigates the effects of short-term feed water temperature increase on the SWRO process in a full-scale pilot with pretreatment and a SWRO installation consisting of a pressure vessel which contains seven industrial-scale 8” diameter spiral wound membrane elements. A SWRO feed water temperature of 40 °C, even for a short period of 7 days, caused a permanent performance decline illustrated by a strong specific energy consumption increase of 7.5%. This study highlights the need for membrane manufacturer data that account for the water temperature effect on membrane performance over a broad temperature range. There is a need to develop new membranes that are more tolerant to temperature fluctuations. Full article

Background: The integration of technology-based interventions into health and care provision in our aging society is still a challenge especially in the care pathway for people with dementia. Objective: The study aims to: (1) identify which socio-demographic characteristics are independently associated with the use of the embodied conversational agent among subjects with dementia, (2) uncover patient cluster profiles based on these characteristics, and (3) discuss technology-based interventions challenges. Methods: A virtual agent was used for four weeks by 55 persons with dementia living in their home environment. Results: Participants evaluated the agent as easy-to-use and quickly learnable. They felt confident while using the system and expressed the willingness to use it frequently. Moreover, 21/55 of the patients perceived the virtual agent as a friend and assistant who they could feel close to and who would remind them of important things. Conclusions: Technology-based interventions require a significant effort, such as personalized features and patient-centered care pathways, to be effective. Therefore, this study enriches the open discussion on how such virtual agents must be evidence-based related and designed by multidisciplinary teams, following patient-centered care as well as user-centered design approaches. Full article

Intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) are critical ophthalmic emergencies that require urgent diagnosis and treatment to prevent blindness or globe loss. This study aimed to examine the various clinical presentations of IOFBs, determine the prognostic factors for final visual outcomes, establish diagnostic protocols, and update treatment strategies for patients with IOFBs. We retrospectively reviewed patients with IOFBs between 2005 and 2019. The mean age of the patients was 46.7 years, and the most common mechanism of injury was hammering (32.7%). The most common location of IOFBs was the retina and choroid (57.7%), and the IOFBs were mainly metal (76.9%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that poor final visual outcomes (<20/200) were associated with posterior segment IOFBs (odds ratio (OR) = 11.556, p = 0.033) and retinal detachment (OR = 4.781, p = 0.034). Diagnosing a retained IOFB is essential for establishing the management of patients with ocular trauma. To identify IOFBs, ocular imaging modalities, including computed tomography or ultrasonography, should be considered. Different strategies should be employed during the surgical removal of IOFBs depending on the material, location, and size of the IOFB. Full article

FOXC1, a transcription factor involved in cell differentiation and embryogenesis, is demonstrated to be a negative regulator of Nanog in this study. FOXC1 is up-regulated in retinoic acid-induced differentiation of F9 Embryonal Carcinoma (EC) cells; furthermore, FOXC1 specifically inhibits the core pluripotency factor Nanog by binding to the proximal promoter. Overexpression of FOXC1 in F9 or knockdown in 3T3 results in the down-regulation or up-regulation of Nanog mRNA and proteins, respectively. In order to explain the mechanism by which FOXC1 inhibits Nanog expression, we identified the co-repressor HDAC2 from the FOXC1 interactome. FOXC1 recruits HDAC2 to Nanog promoter to decrease H3K27ac enrichment, resulting in transcription inhibition of Nanog. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that FOXC1 is involved in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Full article

In this paper, we present the results of the research concerning extraction of informative gene expression profiles from high-dimensional array of gene expressions considering the state of patients’ health using clustering method, ML-based binary classifiers and fuzzy inference system. Applying of the proposed stepwise procedure can allow us to extract the most informative genes taking into account both the subtypes of disease or state of the patient’s health for further reconstruction of gene regulatory networks based on the allocated genes and following simulation of the reconstructed models. We used the publicly available gene expressions data as the experimental ones which were obtained using DNA microarray experiments and contained two types of patients’ gene expression profiles—the patients with lung cancer tumor and healthy patients. The stepwise procedure of the data processing assumes the following steps—in the beginning, we reduce the number of genes by removing non-informative genes in terms of statistical criteria and Shannon entropy; then, we perform the stepwise hierarchical clustering of gene expression profiles at hierarchical levels from 1 to 10 using the SOTA (Self-Organizing Tree Algorithm) clustering algorithm with correlation distance metric. The quality of the obtained clustering was evaluated using the complex clustering quality criterion which is considered both the gene expression profiles distribution relative to center of the clusters where these gene expression profiles are allocated and the centers of the clusters distribution. The result of this stage execution was a selection of the optimal cluster at each of the hierarchical levels which corresponded to the minimum value of the quality criterion. At the next step, we have implemented a classification procedure of the examined objects using four well known binary classifiers—logistic regression, support-vector machine, decision trees and random forest classifier. The effectiveness of the appropriate technique was evaluated based on the use of ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis using criteria, included as the components, the errors of both the first and the second kinds. The final decision concerning the extraction of the most informative subset of gene expression profiles was taken based on the use of the fuzzy inference system, the inputs of which are the results of the appropriate single classifiers operation and the output is the final solution concerning state of the patient’s health. To our mind, the implementation of the proposed stepwise procedure of the informative gene expression profiles extraction create the conditions for the increasing effectiveness of the further procedure of gene regulatory networks reconstruction and the following simulation of the reconstructed models considering the subtypes of the disease and/or state of the patient’s health. Full article

The fast development of urbanization has led to imbalances in cities, causing congestion, pollution, and urban sprawl. In response to the growing concern over the distribution of demand and supply, a more coordinated urban structure is addressed in comprehensive planning processes. In this study, we attempt to identify urban structure using a Network–Activity–Human model under the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) concept, since TOD is usually regarded as an urban spatial planning tool. In order to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the urban structure, we define the TOD index and unbalance degree and then classify the urban areas accordingly. We take the city of Beijing as a case study and identify nine urban types. The results show a hierarchical urban structure: the city center covers most of the hotspots which display higher imbalances, the surroundings of the city center are less developed, and the city edges show higher potentials in both exploitation and transportation development. Moreover, we discuss the extent to which the spatial scale influences the unbalance degree and apply a sensitivity analysis based on the goals of different stakeholders. This methodology could be utilized at any study scale and in any situation, and the results could offer suggestions for more accurate urban planning, strengthening the relationship between TOD and spatial organization. Full article

The experience of being a Muslim in Scotland today is shaped by the global and national post-9/11 shift in public attitudes towards Muslims, and is infused by the particular social, cultural, and political Scottish ways of dealing with minorities, diversity, and integration. The paper explores the development of Muslim communities in Scotland, highlighting the ongoing changes in their structure and the move towards a Scottish experience of being Muslim. This experience combines a sense of civic and social belonging to Scotland with a religious and ideological commitment to Islam. Full article

Much of the United States’ critical infrastructure is either aging or requires significant repair, leaving U.S. communities and the economy vulnerable. Outdated and dilapidated infrastructure places coastal communities, in particular, at risk from the increasingly frequent and intense coastal storm events and rising sea levels. Therefore, investments in coastal infrastructure are urgently needed to ensure community safety and prosperity; however, these investments should not jeopardize the ecosystems and natural resources that underlie economic wealth and human well-being. Over the past 50 years, efforts have been made to integrate built infrastructure with natural landscape features, often termed “green” infrastructure, in order to sustain and restore valuable ecosystem functions and services. For example, significant advances have been made in implementing green infrastructure approaches for stormwater management, wastewater treatment, and drinking water conservation and delivery. However, the implementation of natural and nature-based infrastructure (NNBI) aimed at flood prevention and coastal erosion protection is lagging. There is an opportunity now, as the U.S. government reacts to the recent, unprecedented flooding and hurricane damage and considers greater infrastructure investments, to incorporate NNBI into coastal infrastructure projects. Doing so will increase resilience and provide critical services to local communities in a cost-effective manner and thereby help to sustain a growing economy. Full article