Background and Objectives: Endoscopic epidural neuroplasty (EEN) facilitates adhesiolysis through direct epiduroscopic visualization, offering more precise neural decompression than that exhibited by percutaneous epidural neuroplasty (PEN). We aimed to compare the effects of EEN and PEN for 6 months after treatment with lower back and radicular pain in patients. Methods: This retrospective study compared the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores in patients with low back and radicular pain who underwent EEN or PEN with a steering catheter. The medical records of 107 patients were analyzed, with 73 and 34 undergoing EEN and PEN, respectively. Results: The VAS and ODI scores decreased at all time points after EEN and PEN. VAS and ODI scores decreased more in the EEN group than those in the PEN group at 1 day and 1- and 6-months post-procedure, indicating superior pain relief for both lower back and radicular pain through EEN. Conclusions: EEN is a superior treatment of pain control than PEN in lower back and radicular pain patients. Full article

The human physiological response “to stress” includes all metabolic and hormonal changes produced by a traumatic event at the micro or macro cellular levels. The main goal of the body’s first response to trauma is to keep physiological homeostasis. The perioperative non-specific adaptation response can sometimes be detrimental and can produce systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), characterized by hypermetabolism and hyper catabolism. We performed a narrative review consisting of a description of the surgical stress response’s categories of changes (neurohormonal and immunological response) followed by reviewing methods found in published studies to modulate the surgical stress response perioperatively. We described various preoperative measures cited in the literature as lowering the burden of surgical trauma. This article revises the anesthetic drugs and techniques that have an impact on the surgical stress response and proven immune-modulatory effects. We also tried to name present knowledge gaps requiring future research. Our review concludes that proper preoperative measures, adequate general anesthetics, multimodal analgesia, early postoperative mobilization, and early enteral nutrition can decrease the stress response to surgery and ease patient recovery. Anesthetics and analgesics used during the perioperative period may modulate the innate and adaptive immune system and inflammatory system, with a consecutive impact on cancer recurrence and long-term outcomes. Full article

Social distancing and the use of masks are crucial to prevent the spread of SARS-COV-2. Knowledge of the determinants of this behavior is essential to promote effective communication with the public in future public health crises that require mass public compliance with preventive behaviors. This systematic review focused on scientific evidence related to cognitive factors that underlie the intention of young adults’ intention to adhere to preventive social behavior (distancing and/or the use of facial masks) against COVID-19. A systematic literature search on the electronic database, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO was performed in December 2022 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The PEO (Population: young adults, Exposure: COVID-19, and Outcome: cognitive factors that underlie the intention of young adults to adhere to social distancing and/or the use of facial masks) was developed to identify search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria. None of the studies were seriously flawed according to the quality assessment, and they were considered to have a low risk of bias for selection. Several cognitive determinants emerged in the analysis. For both social distancing and the use of masks, the most relevant factors related to adherence include risk perception and perceived severity, the moral value of fairness, social responsibility, trust in the government, respect for authority, and the quality of institutional communication. Adherence to social distancing was found related to self-efficacy. These results reinforce social cognitive models showing the relevance of cognitions to adherence behavior, and highlight the responsibility of official institutions in the development of contexts and in adapting the communication for the effective promotion of adherence to the recommendations they launch. Full article

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is marked as one of the most economically devastating pathogens in shrimp aquaculture worldwide. Infection of cultured shrimp can lead to mass mortality (up to 100%). Although progress has been made, our understanding of WSSV’s infection process and the virus–host–environment interaction is far from complete. This in turn hinders the development of effective mitigation strategies against WSSV. Infection models occupy a crucial first step in the research flow that tries to elucidate the infectious disease process to develop new antiviral treatments. Moreover, since the establishment of continuous shrimp cell lines is a work in progress, the development and use of standardized in vivo infection models that reflect the host–pathogen interaction in shrimp is a necessity. This review critically examines key aspects of in vivo WSSV infection model development that are often overlooked, such as standardization, (post)larval quality, inoculum type and choice of inoculation procedure, housing conditions, and shrimp welfare considerations. Furthermore, the usefulness of experimental infection models for different lines of WSSV research will be discussed with the aim to aid researchers when choosing a suitable model for their research needs. Full article

Coastal areas are vital ecosystems, supporting diverse marine life and providing resources essential to human well-being. However, sewage pollution poses a significant threat to these delicate environments, impacting water quality, biodiversity, and public health. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has gained importance. We believe the presence of faecal sterols in coastal and marine sediments is a reliable indicator of sewage contamination. At most sites, the faecal contamination was observed with ranges from <dl to 18713 ng g⁻¹ dw. The coprostanol/cholesterol ratio was >0.2 at 68% of the sampling sites, suggesting a large spatial distribution of sewage contamination beyond the discharge points. The positive correlation of faecal sterols with AMR provides an insight that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can spread to areas away from point sources. We propose that sterol ratios be considered as a screening tool for selecting the sites for AMR assessment. The analyses of sterols will be less time and cost-intensive compared to pharmaceutical analyses and can be a reliable indicator for AMR studies in areas where prior knowledge and experience are lacking. Full article

Quercetin, a flavonoid polyphenol found in many plants, has garnered significant attention due to its potential cancer chemoprevention. Our previous studies have shown that acetyl modification of the hydroxyl group of quercetin altered its antitumor effects in HepG2 cells. However, the antitumor effect in other cancer cells with different gene mutants remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of quercetin and its methylated derivative 3,3′,4′,7-O-tetramethylquercetin (4Me-Q) and acetylated derivative 3,3′,4′,7-O-tetraacetylquercetin (4Ac-Q) on two human breast cancer cells, MCF-7 (wt-p53, caspase-3-ve) and MDA-MB-231 (mt-p53, caspase-3+ve). The results demonstrated that 4Ac-Q exhibited significant cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Conversely, methylation of quercetin was found to lose the activity. The human apoptosis antibody array revealed that 4Ac-Q might induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells via a p53-dependent pathway, while in MDA-MB-231 cells, it was induced via a caspase-3-dependent pathway. Furthermore, an evaluation using a superoxide inhibitor, MnTBAP, revealed 4Ac-Q-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells in a superoxide-independent manner. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential of acetylated quercetin as a new approach in cancer chemoprevention and offer new avenues for health product development. Full article

Wooden Cultural Heritage (WCH) represents a significant portion of the world’s historical and artistic heritage, consisting of immovable and movable artefacts. Despite the expertise developed since ancient times to enhance its durability, wooden artefacts are inevitably prone to degradation. Fungi play a pivotal role in the deterioration of WCH in terrestrial ecosystems, accelerating its decay and leading to alterations in color and strength. Reviewing the literature of the last 25 years, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of fungal diversity affecting WCH, the biochemical processes involved in wood decay, and the diagnostic tools available for fungal identification and damage evaluation. Climatic conditions influence the occurrence of fungal species in threatened WCH, characterized by a prevalence of wood-rot fungi (e.g., Serpula lacrymans, Coniophora puteana) in architectural heritage in temperate and continental climates and Ascomycota in indoor and harsh environments. More efforts are needed to address the knowledge fragmentation concerning biodiversity, the biology of the fungi involved, and succession in the degradative process, which is frequently centered solely on the main actors. Multidisciplinary collaboration among engineers, restorers, and life sciences scientists is vital for tackling the challenges posed by climate change with increased awareness. Traditional microbiology and culture collections are fundamental in laying solid foundations for a more comprehensive interpretation of big data. Full article

This paper gives its contributions in four stages. First, we propose the analytical expressions of power spectrum density (PSD) responses and cross-PSD responses to seven classes of fractional vibrators driven by fractional Gaussian noise (fGn). Second, we put forward the analytical expressions of PSD and cross-PSD responses to seven classes of fractional vibrators excited by fractional Brownian motion (fBm). Third, we present the analytical expressions of PSD and cross-PSD responses to seven classes of fractional vibrators driven by the fractional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) process. Fourth, we bring forward the analytical expressions of PSD and cross-PSD responses to seven classes of fractional vibrators excited by the von Kármán process. We show that the statistical dependences of the responses to seven classes of fractional vibrators follow those of the excitation of fGn, fBm, the OU process, or the von Kármán process. We also demonstrate the obvious effects of fractional orders on the responses to seven classes of fractional vibrations. In addition, we newly introduce class VII fractional vibrators, their frequency transfer function, and their impulse response in this research. Full article

Interethnic marriage amongst China’s ethnic population has not received the attention it deserves. This is partly due to the hesitation and resistance of the more prominent ethnic groups—Tibetans and Uyghurs—to enter an interethnic marriage. Still, it is less so for China’s Mongols, who now have an interethnic marriage rate of almost 90 percent. The intermarriage pattern had previously involved urbanities, but over the last twenty years, it has included those living in townships and villages, suggesting that the integration of Mongols within the People’s Republic’s mainstream society was gradual and arose from shared cultural beliefs and practices among Mongols and Han Chinese. It further indicates that marital issues will be like those in non-ethnic marriages. The paper explores prevailing attitudes toward interethnic marriages of the 1980s and the 2000s. The analysis highlights commonalities and shifts in marital expectations initially grounded in ethnic reaffirmation that is motived more out of personal commonality, commitment, and affection, suggesting that the offspring from these unions have hybridized or mixed ethnic identities, whereby urban Mongols entertain two identities—one ethnic and the other national. Full article

To effectively solve the increasingly complex problems experienced by human beings, the latest development trend is to apply a large number of different types of sensors to collect data in order to establish effective solutions based on deep learning and artificial intelligence [...] Full article

This research examines the significance of restoring efficient water management systems in India’s semiarid environment, with special emphasis on the role of traditional irrigation structures, such as tanks, in collecting and storing limited water resources. Assessing the benefits of any restoration program, especially when socioeconomic and environmental benefits are involved, is challenging. In the context of tank rehabilitation, a cost-benefit analysis will be conducted regarding economic and ecological returns in the post-desiltation phase. Since the restoration process requires a significant investment, assessing the project’s viability during the planning stage is better. The present study proposes a novel method to indirectly analyse the cost-benefit of the tank restoration process by correlating run-off and storage capacity of tanks before the planning phase. The Ambuliyar sub-basin, which covers an area of 930 square kilometres in Tamil Nadu, India, comprising 181 tanks (water bodies) of varying sizes and shapes, was taken for this study. This study employed the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method, incorporating factors such as soil type, land cover, land use practices, and advanced remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to simulate surface run-off. Run-off volume and tank capacity were compared for all seasons at the micro-watershed level. The results demonstrated that the run-off volume in each micro-watershed significantly exceeded the tank capacity across all seasons. Even during the summer, the run-off volumes in the micro-watershed were considerably higher than the tank capacity. The findings suggest tank restoration can effectively store run-off and significantly fulfil agricultural and other essential needs throughout the year, thereby improving the local rural economy. This study also highlights the need for periodic maintenance and rehabilitation of these tank systems to retain their functionality. Full article

The Chinese pearleaf crabapple tree, belonging to the Rosaceae family and with the scientific name Malus asiatica, bears fruits that serve as both food and medicine. The Horqin Right Wing Front Banner is a critical node for ecological security in the northern border regions of China, exerting significant influence on ecological health in China. Additionally, the resources in this region are limited, and residents have historically relied solely on maize cultivation for sustenance. Therefore, local measures combining ecological conservation and economic development have been implemented in vigorously promoting the Chinese pearleaf crabapple industry. Hence, it is necessary to study the ecological suitability of the local Chinese pearleaf crabapple. In this study, 15 evaluation indicators are employed for this purpose, with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) used to calculate single-factor weights. Additionally, GIS is utilized to establish membership functions for achieving dimensionless evaluation indicators, as well as a weighted index and model used to compute comprehensive suitability scores. Using the natural breakpoint method, the overall scores were categorized into five groups: most suitable, more suitable, barely suitable, unsuitable, and not applicable. The validation of zoning results includes verification of existing planting locations and conducting principal component analysis of the characteristics and yield of Chinese pearleaf crabapple to ensure the accuracy of the zoning. It is found that the validation results are generally consistent with the zoning results. The results indicate that the most suitable, more suitable, suitable, barely suitable, and unsuitable represent 16.49%, 32.07%, 30.36%, 14.52%, and 6.55% of the total zoning area, respectively. These findings can be applied to land use planning and in expanding the planting area of Chinese pearleaf crabapple. Full article

To reduce risk incidents in large bridge construction, it is necessary to study the interaction mechanisms and dynamic changes among various risk factors during the construction of large bridges. First, the evolution mechanism of construction risks for large bridges is analyzed, and a risk factor structure system is established. Then, based on system dynamics theory, a causal loop diagram and flow–stock diagram are constructed, and system dynamics equations for each variable in the flow diagram are established to build a system dynamics model. Finally, taking a large bridge construction project as an example, the variable equations are assigned actual values, and the construction risk level is simulated and analyzed. The results show that, ➀ continuous investment in safety funds can effectively reduce the overall risk level of the system, ➁ changes in the management risk subsystem have a significant impact on the overall risk level of large bridge construction, and ➂ increasing the safety investment ratio in both the personnel risk subsystem and the management risk subsystem can effectively reduce the total risk level of the system. Full article

The improved wear and corrosion resistance of gray cast iron (GCI) with enhanced mechanical properties is a proven stepping stone towards the longevity of its versatile industrial applications. In this article, we have tailored the microstructural properties of GCI by alloying it with titanium (Ti) and tungsten (W) additives, which resulted in improved mechanical, wear, and corrosion resistance. The results also show the nucleation of the B-, D-, and E-type graphite flakes with the A-type graphite flake in the alloyed GCI microstructure. Additionally, the alloyed microstructure demonstrated that the ratio of the pearlite volume percentage to the ferrite volume percentage was improved from 67/33 to 87/13, whereas a reduction in the maximum graphite length and average grain size from 356 ± 31 µm to 297 ± 16 µm and 378 ± 18 µm to 349 ± 19 µm was detected. Consequently, it improved the mechanical properties and wear and corrosion resistance of alloyed GCI. A significant improvement in Brinell hardness, yield strength, and tensile strength of the modified microstructure from 213 ± 7 BHN to 272 ± 8 BHN, 260 ± 3 MPa to 310 ± 2 MPa, and 346 ± 12 MPa to 375 ± 7 MPa was achieved, respectively. The substantial reduction in the wear rate of alloyed GCI from 8.49 × 10⁻³ mm³/N.m to 1.59 × 10⁻³ mm³/N.m resulted in the upgradation of the surface roughness quality from 297.625 nm to 192.553 nm. Due to the increase in the corrosion potential from −0.5832 V to −0.4813 V, the impedance of the alloyed GCI was increased from 1545 Ohm·cm² to 2290 Ohm·cm². On the basis of the achieved experimental results, it is suggested that the reliability of alloyed GCI based on experimentally validated microstructural compositions can be ensured during the operation of plants and components in a severe wear and corrosive environment. It can be predicted that the proposed alloyed GCI components are capable of preventing the premature failure of high-tech components susceptible to a wear and corrosion environment. Full article

Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome tend to report deficits in cognitive functions; however, there is no clear consensus on which cognitive domains are impaired. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in cognitive performance between a group of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and a group of pain-free subjects controlling for the covariables anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. In total, 130 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and 111 pain-free subjects with an average age of 54.96 years completed the evaluation protocol consisting of sociodemographic data, psychological data, and neurocognitive tests. All data were collected from May 2022 to May 2023. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were conducted to assess intergroup differences in all neurocognitive tests. MANCOVA analyses showed that the group of patients with fibromyalgia showed a worse cognitive performance than the group of pain-free subjects after controlling for anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. This study found that fibromyalgia patients exhibited worse cognitive performance and executive function than pain-free subjects. Thus, cognitive performance seems to not be related with anxiety, depression, or sleep quality in our sample of women with FMS. Full article

Every numerical general relativistic investigation starts from the solution of the initial value equations at a given time. Astrophysically relevant initial values for different systems lead to distinct sets of equations that obey specific assumptions tied to the particular problem. Therefore, a robust and efficient solver for a variety of strongly gravitating sources is needed. In this work, we present the OpenMP version of the Compact Object CALculator (COCAL) on shared memory processors. We performed extensive profiling of the core COCAL modules in order to identify bottlenecks in efficiency, which we addressed. Using modest resources, the new parallel code achieves speedups of approximately one order of magnitude relative to the original serial COCAL code, which is crucial for parameter studies of computationally expensive systems such as magnetized neutron stars, as well as its further development towards more realistic scenarios. As a novel example of our new code, we compute a binary quark system where each companion has a dimensionless spin of $0.43$ aligned with the orbital angular momentum. Full article

Our study employs multi-level agent-based modeling and computational techniques to explore education as a complex system. With an underlying focus that education should be underpinned by a scientific understanding of student learning, we created computational models that simulated learning dynamics in classrooms, integrating both quantitative and qualitative insights. Through these models, we conducted experiments aligned with real classroom data to address key questions, such as “How can we effectively support the academic progress of underperforming students, who are disproportionately from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, to close their multi-year achievement gap in mathematics?” Our study analyzes various instructional approaches for mathematical learning, and our findings highlight the potential effectiveness of Productive Failure as an instructional approach. Considerations of the broader applicability of computational methods in advancing educational research are also provided. Full article

In the field of civil aviation, the nose landing gear is a critical component that is prone to damage during taxiing. With the advent of new technologies such as towing taxi-out and hub motors, the nose landing gear faces increasingly complex operational environments, thereby imposing higher performance demands. Ensuring the structural safety of the nose landing gear is fundamental for the successful application of these technologies. However, current research on aircraft nose landing gear under these new conditions is somewhat lacking, particularly in terms of reliable analysis models for real-world scenarios. This study focuses on a typical Class C aircraft, specifically the B-727 model, for which a finite element model of the nose landing gear is developed. Modal testing of the aircraft’s nose landing gear is conducted using the impact hammer method, and the results are compared with those from the simulations. The experimental data indicate that the error range for the first seven natural frequencies is between 0.23% and 9.27%, confirming the high accuracy of the developed landing gear model. Furthermore, with towing taxi-out as the primary scenario, a dynamic model of the aircraft towing system is established, and an analysis on the structural strength and topological optimization of the nose landing gear under various conditions, including high speeds and heavy loads, is performed. The results show that the developed model can effectively support the analysis and prediction of the mechanical behavior of the nose landing gear. Under high-speed, heavy-load conditions, the nose landing gear experiences significantly increased loads, with the maximum deformation primarily occurring at the lower section of the shock strut’s outer cylinder. However, no damage occurred. Additionally, under these conditions, an optimized structural design for the landing gear was identified, which, while ensuring structural strength, achieves a 22.32% reduction in the mass of the outer cylinder, also ensuring safety in towing taxi-out conditions. Full article

In a number of tomographic applications, data cannot be fully acquired, resulting in severely underdetermined image reconstruction. Conventional methods in such cases lead to reconstructions with significant artifacts. To overcome these artifacts, regularization methods are applied that incorporate additional information. An important example is TV reconstruction, which is known to be efficient in compensating for missing data and reducing reconstruction artifacts. On the other hand, tomographic data are also contaminated by noise, which poses an additional challenge. The use of a single regularizer must therefore account for both the missing data and the noise. A particular regularizer may not be ideal for both tasks. For example, the TV regularizer is a poor choice for noise reduction over multiple scales, in which case ${\ell }^1$ curvelet regularization methods are well suited. To address this issue, in this paper, we present a novel variational regularization framework that combines the advantages of different regularizers. The basic idea of our framework is to perform reconstruction in two stages. The first stage is mainly aimed at accurate reconstruction in the presence of noise, and the second stage is aimed at artifact reduction. Both reconstruction stages are connected by a data proximity condition. The proposed method is implemented and tested for limited-view CT using a combined curvelet–TV approach. We define and implement a curvelet transform adapted to the limited-view problem and illustrate the advantages of our approach in numerical experiments. Full article

Acute myeloid leukemia is the second most frequent type of leukemia in adults. Due to a high risk of development of chemoresistance to first-line chemotherapy, the survival rate of patients in a 5-year period is below 30%. One of the reasons is that the AML population is heterogeneous, with cell populations partly composed of very primitive CD34+CD38- hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, which are often resistant to chemotherapy. First-line treatment with cytarabine and idarubicin fails to inhibit the proliferation of CD34+CD38- cells. In this study, we investigated Metformin’s effect with or without first-line conventional chemotherapy, or with other drugs like venetoclax and S63845, on primitive and undifferentiated CD34+ AML cells in order to explore the potential of Metformin or S63845 to serve as adjuvant therapy for AML. We found that first-line conventional chemotherapy treatment inhibited the growth of cells and arrested the cells in the S phase of the cell cycle; however, metformin affected the accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase. We observed that CD34+ KG1a cells respond better to lower doses of cytarabine or idarubicin in combination with metformin. Also, we determined that treatment with cytarabine, venetoclax, and S63845 downregulated the strong tendency of CD34+ KG1a cells to form cell aggregates in culture due to the downregulation of leukemic stem cell markers like CD34 and CD44, as well as adhesion markers. Also, we found that idarubicin slightly upregulated myeloid differentiation markers, CD11b and CD14. Treatment with cytarabine, idarubicin, venetoclax, metformin, and S63845 upregulated some cell surface markers like HLA-DR expression, and metformin upregulated CD9, CD31, and CD105 cell surface marker expression. In conclusion, we believe that metformin has the potential to be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of resistant-to-first-line-chemotherapy AML cells. Also, we believe that the results of our study will stimulate further research and the potential use of changes in the expression of cell surface markers in the development of new therapeutic strategies. Full article