Simulation study for the energy and position reconstruction performances of the beam monitoring system of Carbon Ion Radiation Therapy using GEANT4.

Carbon Ion Radiation Therapy is operated in several countries because of its advantage to have high dose concentration and/or high linear energy transfer (LET). To estimate the beam performance of Carbon Ion Radiation Therapy, we target the 1% energy and 1 mm2 position resolutions of the beam monitoring system. The beam monitoring system consists of a scintillation crystal and fiber hodoscope.

Dioxazolones as electrophilic amide sources in copper-catalyzed and -mediated transformations.

Over the past decade, dioxazolones have been widely used as -acylamide sources in amidation processes of challenging substrates, typically employing precious transition metals. However, these catalytic systems often present several challenges associated with cost, toxicity, stability, and recyclability. Among the 3d transition metals, copper catalysts have been gaining increasing attention owing to their abundance, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.

Single-cell multiomics reveal divergent effects of DNMT3A- and TET2-mutant clonal hematopoiesis in inflammatory response.

DNMT3A and TET2 are epigenetic regulator genes commonly mutated in age-related clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Despite having opposed epigenetic functions, these mutations are associated with increased all-cause mortality and a low risk for progression to hematologic neoplasms. Although individual impacts on the epigenome have been described using different model systems, the phenotypic complexity in humans remains to be elucidated.

Leak Event Diagnosis for Power Plants: Generative Anomaly Detection Using Prototypical Networks.

Anomaly detection systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) have demonstrated high performance and efficiency in a wide range of applications such as power plants and smart factories. However, due to the inherent reliance of AI systems on the quality of training data, they still demonstrate poor performance in certain environments. Especially in hazardous facilities with constrained data collection, deploying these systems remains a challenge.

Shortest-Path Percolation on Random Networks.

We propose a bond-percolation model intended to describe the consumption, and eventual exhaustion, of resources in transport networks. Edges forming minimum-length paths connecting demanded origin-destination nodes are removed if below a certain budget. As pairs of nodes are demanded and edges are removed, the macroscopic connected component of the graph disappears, i.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification polymerase chain reaction in place of a modified Knott test in screening dogs for heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection combined with antigen detection test.

Objective: To improve the current recommendations for the diagnosis of canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) disease.

Animals: Blood samples collected from 35 shelter dogs in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: Samples were tested for the presence of microfilaria using the modified Knott (MK) test and D immitis DNA using species-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) PCR.

Mitochondria of T Lymphocytes Promote Anti-Pulmonary Tumor Immune Response.

Background: B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), a protein involved in apoptosis, has been proven to have carcinogenic potential and is well documented. With the recent advancement in optical technology, it has become possible to observe subcellular organelles such as mitochondria in real-time without the need for staining. Consequently, we have examined the movement of mitochondria in cancer cells, correlating it with the regulation of Bcl-2.

Melatonin alleviates myocardial dysfunction through inhibition of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition via the NF-κB pathway.

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a complex biological process of cellular transdifferentiation by which endothelial cells (ECs) lose their characteristics and acquire mesenchymal properties, leading to cardiovascular remodeling and complications in the adult cardiovascular diseases environment. Melatonin is involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes, including aging, and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. This molecule is an effective therapeutic candidate for preventing oxidative stress, regulating endothelial function, and maintaining the EndMT balance to provide cardiovascular protection.

Pulmonary-vein-to-pulmonary-artery ratio can be utilized to evaluate myxomatous mitral valve disease progression in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of pulmonary-vein-to-pulmonary-artery ratio (PV:PA) in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD), classified according to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) consensus guidelines.

Animals: 80 client-owned dogs with either MMVD (n = 65) or no cardiovascular disease (control group; n = 15) between August 5, 2020, and July 19, 2023.

Methods: This is a retrospective study.

Applicability of Brassica juncea as a bioindicator for As contamination in soil near the abandoned mine area.

Soil monitoring in abandoned mine areas is important from the perspective of ecological and human health risk. Arsenic (As) is a predominant metalloid contaminant in abandoned mine area and its behavior has been influenced by various soil characteristics. Bioindicator can be a useful tool in terms of testing the extent to which they are uptaken by plants bioavailability.

Administration of Gas6 attenuates lung fibrosis via inhibition of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and fibroblast activation.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast activation are major events in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis. Here, we investigated whether growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6) plays a protective role in lung fibrosis via suppression of the EMT and fibroblast activation. rGas6 administration inhibited the EMT in isolated mouse ATII cells 14 days post-BLM treatment based on morphologic cellular alterations, changes in mRNA and protein expression profiles of EMT markers, and induction of EMT-activating transcription factors.

Reconstruction of multiplex networks via graph embeddings.

Multiplex networks are collections of networks with identical nodes but distinct layers of edges. They are genuine representations of a large variety of real systems whose elements interact in multiple fashions or flavors. However, multiplex networks are not always simple to observe in the real world; often, only partial information on the layer structure of the networks is available, whereas the remaining information is in the form of aggregated, single-layer networks.

The effect of genetic variants of SLC22A18 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of colon cancer cells.

Solute carrier family (SLC) transporters are expressed in the digestive system and play important roles in maintaining physiological functions in the body. In addition, SLC transporters act as oncoproteins or tumor-suppressor proteins during the development, progression, and metastasis of various digestive system cancers. SLC22A18, a member of the SLC22 gene family, is an orphan transporter with an unknown endogenous substrate.

Highly Sustainable Dyes Adsorption in Wastewater Using Textile Filters Fabricated by UV Irradiation.

Vast amounts of dyeing wastewater released from the textile industry can not only cause water pollution but also have negative effects on the human body, such as skin irritation and respiratory diseases. Dye adsorption technology is necessary for the treatment of wastewater discharged from the dyeing industry and for environmental improvement. However, to remove dyeing wastewater, more energy and solvents are used to fabricate adsorbents, or excessive energy is used to filter dyeing wastewater out, resulting in more environmental pollution.

Intelligent Complementary Multi-Modal Fusion for Anomaly Surveillance and Security System.

Recently, security monitoring facilities have mainly adopted artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide both increased security and improved performance. However, there are technical challenges in the pursuit of elevating system performance, automation, and security efficiency. In this paper, we proposed intelligent anomaly detection and classification based on deep learning (DL) using multi-modal fusion.

Enrichment of Activated Fibroblasts as a Potential Biomarker for a Non-Durable Response to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

We investigated whether the response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment varied according to inflammatory tissue characteristics in Crohn's disease (CD). Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data were obtained from inflamed and non-inflamed tissues from 170 patients with CD. The samples were clustered based on gene expression profiles using principal coordinate analysis (PCA).

Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Attenuates Myocardial Dysfunction via Inhibition of Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.

Cardiac tissue damage following ischemia leads to cardiomyocyte apoptosis and myocardial fibrosis. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an active polyphenol flavonoid or catechin, exerts bioactivity in tissues with various diseases and protects ischemic myocardium; however, its association with the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is unknown. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) pretreated with transforming growth factor β2 (TGF-β2) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) were treated with EGCG to verify cellular function.

Lethal effects of mitochondria via microfluidics.

Tumor cells can respond to therapeutic agents by morphologic alternations including formation of tunneling nanotubes. Using tomographic microscope, which can detect the internal structure of cells, we found that mitochondria within breast tumor cells migrate to an adjacent tumor cell through a tunneling nanotube. To investigate the relationship between mitochondria and tunneling nanotubes, mitochondria were passed through a microfluidic device that mimick tunneling nanotubes.

Crystallization-based upcycling of iron oxyhydroxide for efficient arsenic capture in contaminated soils.

Arsenic (As)-contaminated soil inevitably exists in nature and has become a global challenge for a sustainable future. Current processes for As capture using natural and structurally engineered nanomaterials are neither scientifically nor economically viable. Here, we established a feasible strategy to enhance As-capture efficiency and ecosystem health by structurally reorganizing iron oxyhydroxide, a natural As stabilizer.

Label-free detection of leukemic myeloblasts in hyaluronic acid.

Chronic myeloid leukemia is generally required bone marrow biopsy for diagnosis. Although examining peripheral blood is less invasive, it has not been fully validated as a routine diagnostic test due to suboptimal sensitivity. To overcome this limitation, a number of methodologies based on microfluidics have been developed for sorting circulating tumor cells from peripheral blood of patients with leukemia.

Shrimp miR-965 transfers tumoricidal mitochondria.

Background: Micro RNA of Marsupenaeus japonicas has been known to promote apoptosis of tumor cells. However, the detailed mechanisms are not well understood.

Results: Using tomographic microscope, which can detect the internal structure of cells, we observed breast tumor cells following treatment of the miRNA.

Suppressive effect of α-mangostin for cancer stem cells in colorectal cancer via the Notch pathway.

Background: Since colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in chemoresistance and in tumor recurrence and metastasis, targeting of CSCs has emerged as a sophisticated strategy for cancer therapy. α-mangostin (αM) has been confirmed to have antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluate the selective inhibition of αM on CSCs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and the suppressive effect on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced CSCs.

Inhibition of STAT6 Activation by AS1517499 Inhibits Expression and Activity of PPARγ in Macrophages to Resolve Acute Inflammation in Mice.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) promotes an anti-inflammatory process by inducing the development of M2 macrophages. We investigated whether modulating STAT6 activity in macrophages using AS1517499, the specific STAT6 inhibitor, affects the restoration of homeostasis after an inflammatory insult by regulating PPARγ expression and activity. Administration of AS1517499 suppressed the enhanced STAT6 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation observed in peritoneal macrophages after zymosan injection.

Resource-allocation constraint governs structure and function of microbial communities in metabolic modeling.

Predictive modeling tools for assessing microbial communities are important for realizing transformative capabilities of microbiomes in agriculture, ecology, and medicine. Constraint-based community-scale metabolic modeling is unique in its potential for making mechanistic predictions regarding both the structure and function of microbial communities. However, accessing this potential requires an understanding of key physicochemical constraints, which are typically considered on a per-species basis.