Integrating electrospun aligned fiber scaffolds with bovine serum albumin-basic fibroblast growth factor nanoparticles to promote tendon regeneration.

Background: Electrospun nanofiber scaffolds have been widely used in tissue engineering because they can mimic extracellular matrix-like structures and offer advantages including high porosity, large specific surface area, and customizable structure. In this study, we prepared scaffolds composed of aligned and random electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers capable of delivering basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in a sustained manner for repairing damaged tendons.

Results: Aligned and random PCL fiber scaffolds containing bFGF-loaded bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles (BSA-bFGF NPs, diameter 146 ± 32 nm) were fabricated, respectively.

How Do Transformers Model Physics? Investigating the Simple Harmonic Oscillator.

How do transformers model physics? Do transformers model systems with interpretable analytical solutions or do they create an "alien physics" that is difficult for humans to decipher? We have taken a step towards demystifying this larger puzzle by investigating the simple harmonic oscillator (SHO), x¨+2γx˙+ω02x=0, one of the most fundamental systems in physics. Our goal was to identify the methods transformers use to model the SHO, and to do so we hypothesized and evaluated possible methods by analyzing the encoding of these methods' intermediates. We developed four criteria for the use of a method within the simple test bed of linear regression, where our method was y=wx and our intermediate was : (1) Can the intermediate be predicted from hidden states? (2) Is the intermediate's encoding quality correlated with the model performance? (3) Can the majority of variance in hidden states be explained by the intermediate? (4) Can we intervene on hidden states to produce predictable outcomes? Armed with these two correlational (1,2), weak causal (3), and strong causal (4) criteria, we determined that transformers use known numerical methods to model the trajectories of the simple harmonic oscillator, specifically, the matrix exponential method.

The Recent Progress of Tricyclic Aromadendrene-Type Sesquiterpenoids: Biological Activities and Biosynthesis.

The tricyclic-aromadendrene-type sesquiterpenes are widely distributed and exhibit a range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, antibacterial, insecticidal and cytotoxic properties. Several key sesquiterpene synthases (STSs) of this type have been identified, of which, viridiflorol synthase has been engineered for efficiently biosynthesizing viridiflorol in an strain. This paper comprehensively summarizes the distribution and biological activity of aromadendrene-type sesquiterpenes in plant essential oils and microorganisms.

Establishment of predictive models and determinants of preoperative gastric retention in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Background: Study on influencing factors of gastric retention before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) background: With the wide application of ERCP, the risk of preoperative gastric retention affects the smooth progress of the operation. The study found that female, biliary and pancreatic malignant tumor, digestive tract obstruction and other factors are closely related to gastric retention, so the establishment of predictive model is very important to reduce the risk of operation.

Aim: To analyze the factors influencing preoperative gastric retention in ERCP and establish a predictive model.

Prediction model establishment and validation for enteral nutrition aspiration during hospitalization in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a disease caused by abnormal activation of pancreatic enzymes and can lead to self-digestion of pancreatic tissues and dysfunction of other organs. Enteral nutrition plays a vital role in the treatment of AP because it can meet the nutritional needs of patients, promote the recovery of intestinal function, and maintain the barrier and immune functions of the intestine. However, the risk of aspiration during enteral nutrition is high; once aspiration occurs, it may cause serious complications, such as aspiration pneumonia, and suffocation, posing a threat to the patient's life.

Regulating the Porosity and Bipolarity of Polyimide-Based Covalent Organic Framework for Advanced Aqueous Dual-Ion Symmetric Batteries.

The all-organic aqueous dual-ion batteries (ADIBs) have attracted increasing attention due to the low cost and high safety. However, the solubility and unstable activity of organic electrodes restrict the synergistic storage of anions and cations in the symmetric ADIBs. Herein, a novel polyimide-based covalent organic framework (labeled as NTPI-COF) is constructed, featured with the boosted structure stability and electronic conductivity.

Explainable AI and transformer models: Unraveling the nutritional influences on Alzheimer's disease mortality.

This pioneering study introduces the use of transformer-based machine learning models and explainable AI approaches to explore the impact of nutrition on Alzheimer's disease (AD) mortality. Using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes iii 1988 to 1994) and the NHANES III Mortality-Linked File (2019) databases, we investigate the intricate relationship between various nutritional factors and AD mortality. Our approach features a novel application of transformer models, which are then benchmarked against established methods like random forests and support vector machines.

Functional properties and molecular docking of different nanoparticles with ROS-sensitive phenylboronylated chitosan as the carrier.

Objective: To prepare chitosan-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) that enhance the oral bioavailability of puerarin (Pur) and render it responsive to reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Significance: This research makes substantial progress towards the theory of intelligent drug delivery, offering a new reference for combining Pur with other natural medicinal active ingredients.

Methods: The acylation reaction between chitosan and ROS-sensitive 3-carboxyphenylboronic acid (PBA) was used to synthesise ROS-sensitive phenylboronylated chitosan (PBACS).

Agreement and repeatability of scotopic pupil size measurement with the 2WIN-S portable refractor in Chinese adults.

To assess the agreement and repeatability of scotopic pupil size measurement using 2WIN-S (Adaptica, Padova, Italy) portable refractor in Chinese adults. This prospective non-randomized open-label controlled study assessed the scotopic pupil size of 100 right eyes using OPD-Scan III (Optical path difference) (Nidek Technologies, Gamagori, Japan) and 2WIN-S. OPD-Scan III and 2WIN-S measure pupil size using infrared light and detector, while 2WIN-S measures bilateral eyes simultaneously, OPD-Scan III measures unilateral eyes individually.

Bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification of the cancer-promoting effect of DHODH in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a malignant tumor of the urinary system. To explore the potential mechanisms of DHODH in ccRCC, we analyzed its molecular characteristics using public databases. TCGA pan-cancer dataset was used to analyze DHODH expression in different cancer types and TCGA ccRCC dataset was used to assess differential expression, prognosis correlation, immune infiltration, single-gene, and functional enrichment due to DHODH.

The protective effects of Chromofungin in oligomeric amyloid β (Aβ)-induced toxicity in neurons in Alzheimer's disease.

Oligomeric Aβ is considered to play a harmful role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prolonged exposure to oligomeric Aβ could induce neuronal damage including cellular senescence. Amelioration of Aβ-induced cellular senescence has been considered as a promising strategy for the treatment of AD.

Mid-term Clinical Outcomes of "Light Bulb" Core Decompression with Arthroscopic Assistance in Peri-collapse Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

Objective: Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is commonly encountered in orthopedics. Without early clinical intervention, most patients with peri-collapse of the ONFH will develop femoral head necrosis and eventually require hip replacement surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with ONFH who underwent "light bulb" core decompression (CD) with arthroscopic assistance and to compare them with the outcomes of those treated with traditional procedures.

Effects of Geo-Stress and Natural Fracture Strength on Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in a Deep Fractured Tight Sandstone Reservoir.

Hydraulic fracturing technology has been widely used in the tight reservoir reconstruction. Unfortunately, with the deepening of mining depth and the increase of geo-stress, the propagation mechanism of medium-pressure fractures in the reservoir is significantly different from that of conventional shallow reservoirs. Based on the combined finite discrete element method, this paper conducts numerical simulation research on deep tight sandstone reservoirs in the west.

Proxy Importance Based Haptic Retargeting With Multiple Props in VR.

In virtual reality applications, in addition to visual feedback, real objects can be used as props for virtual objects to provide passive haptic feedback, which greatly enhances user immersion. Usually, real object props are not one-to-one correspondence with virtual objects. Haptic retargeting technique is proposed to establish the virtual-real correspondence by introducing an offset between the virtual hand and the real hand.

Differential effects of oxytetracycline on detoxification and antioxidant defense in the hepatopancreas and intestine of Chinese mitten crab under cadmium stress.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of oxytetracycline (OTC) on detoxification and oxidative defense in the hepatopancreas and intestine of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) under cadmium (Cd) stress. The crab was exposed to 0.6 μM Cd, 0.

Experimental analysis and safety assessment of thermal runaway behavior in lithium iron phosphate batteries under mechanical abuse.

Mechanical abuse can lead to internal short circuits and thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries, causing severe harm. Therefore, this paper systematically investigates the thermal runaway behavior and safety assessment of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries under mechanical abuse through experimental research. Mechanical abuse experiments are conducted under different conditions and battery state of charge (SOC), capturing force, voltage, and temperature responses during failure.

Using firefly algorithm to optimally size a hybrid renewable energy system constrained by battery degradation and considering uncertainties of power sources and loads.

In this paper, the planning of a hybrid system of wind turbine units, photovoltaic panels, and battery storage is presented by taking into account the limitation of the storage degradation. The scheme minimizes the construction and maintenance cost of power sources and storage equipment. The constraints of the problem include the operating model of the mentioned elements, the limitation of the number of the mentioned elements, the limitation of the storage degradation, and the power balance in the hybrid system.

Methods to increase the diagnostic efficiency of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for solid pancreatic lesions: An updated review.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is a means to procure adequate specimens for histological and cytologic analysis. The ideal EUS-FNA should be safe, accurate, and have a high sample adequacy rate and low adverse events rate. In recent years, many guidelines and trials on EUS-FNA have been published.

Interpretable conservation laws as sparse invariants.

Discovering conservation laws for a given dynamical system is important but challenging. In a theorist setup (differential equations and basis functions are both known), we propose the sparse invariant detector (SID), an algorithm that autodiscovers conservation laws from differential equations. Its algorithmic simplicity allows robustness and interpretability of the discovered conserved quantities.

Harnessing Transfer Learning for Dementia Prediction: Leveraging Sex-Different Mild Cognitive Impairment Prognosis.

This paper presents a machine learning-based prediction for dementia, leveraging transfer learning to reuse the knowledge learned from prediction of mild cognitive impairment, a precursor of dementia. We also examine the impacts of temporal aspects of longitudinal data and sex differences. The methodology encompasses key components such as setting the duration window, comparing different modeling strategies, conducting comprehensive evaluations, and examining the sex-specific impacts of simulated scenarios.

Mohawk protects against tendon damage via suppressing Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Degenerative tendon injuries are common clinical problems associated with overuse or aging, and understanding the mechanisms of tendon injury and regeneration can contribute to the study of tendon healing and repair. As a transcription factor, Mohawk (Mkx) is responsible for tendons development, yet, the roles of which in tendon damage remain mostly elusive. In this study, using Mkx overexpressed mice on long treadmill as an in vivo model and Mkx Achilles tenocytes stimulated by equiaxial stretch as an in vitro model, we anaylsed the effects of Mkx overexpression on the tendon.

Seeing Is Believing: Brain-Inspired Modular Training for Mechanistic Interpretability.

We introduce Brain-Inspired Modular Training (BIMT), a method for making neural networks more modular and interpretable. Inspired by brains, BIMT embeds neurons in a geometric space and augments the loss function with a cost proportional to the length of each neuron connection. This is inspired by the idea of minimum connection cost in evolutionary biology, but we are the first the combine this idea with training neural networks with gradient descent for interpretability.

Corrigendum to "Improving cooperativity of transcription activators by oligomerization domains in mammalian cells" [Synth Syst Biotechnol 8 (1) (2023) 114-120].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.