The Interaction between Vergence and Accommodation Cues in the Assessment of Fusional Vergence Range.

Fusional vergence range tests are commonly used in optometric practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible contribution of CA/C, AC/A, and proximal cues (PCT) to the magnitude and presence of blur and recovery during the measurement of fusional vergence ranges and to determine whether the occurrence of blur is influenced by these vergence and accommodation cues. A total of 27 participants with normal binocular vision were included and AC/A, CA/C, and PCT ratios were evaluated.

Repurposing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy grading.

Background And Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is perceived differently by patients and physicians, complicating its assessment. Current recommendations advocate combining clinical and patient-reported outcomes measures, but this approach can be challenging in patient care. This multicenter European study aims to bridge the gap between patients' perceptions and neurological impairments by aligning both perspectives to improve treatment decision-making.

Hybrid Patterns and Solitonic Frequency Combs in Non-Hermitian Kerr Cavities.

We unveil a new scenario for the formation of dissipative localized structures in nonlinear systems. Commonly, the formation of such structures arises from the connection of a homogeneous steady state with either another homogeneous solution or a pattern. Both scenarios, typically found in cavities with normal and anomalous dispersion, respectively, exhibit unique fingerprints and particular features that characterize their behavior.

Benefits of Incorporating Lignin into Starch-Based Films: A Brief Review.

Polysaccharides are an excellent renewable source for developing food-packing materials. It is expected that these packages can be an efficient barrier against oxygen; can reduce lipid peroxidation, and can retain the natural aroma of a food commodity. Starch has tremendous potential to be explored in the preparation of food packaging; however, due to their high hydrophilic nature, packaging films produced from starch possess poor protective moisture barriers and low mechanical properties.

Impact Testing in Implant-Supported Prostheses and Natural Teeth: A Systematic Review of Properties and Performance.

Dental implants offer an effective solution for partial and total edentulism, but mechanical and biological complications exist. Furthermore, high occlusal loads challenge implants and lead to potential failures. This review focuses on impact testing in contrast to incremental and static tests, an underexplored aspect of assessing daily loads on implants, bringing to light potential complications.

How artificial intelligence is transforming nephrology.

Current research in nephrology is increasingly focused on elucidating the complexity inherent in tightly interwoven molecular systems and their correlation with pathology and related therapeutics, including dialysis and renal transplantation. Rapid advances in the omics sciences, medical device sensorization, and networked digital medical devices have made such research increasingly data centered. Data-centric science requires the support of computationally powerful and sophisticated tools able to handle the overflow of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

In Vitro Assessment of a New Block Design for Implant Crowns with Functional Gradient Fabricated with Resin Composite and Zirconia Insert.

This study aims to evaluate and compare the mechanical resistance, fatigue behavior and fracture behavior of different CAD/CAM materials for implant crowns. Eighty-eight implant crowns cemented-screwed with four sample groups: two monolithic G1 Zirconia (control) and G3 composite and two bi-layered G2 customized zirconia/composite and G4 prefabricated zirconia/composite. All static and dynamic mechanical tests were conducted at 37 °C under wet conditions.

Quality assessment of regenerated bone in intraosseous and intramuscular scaffolds by spectroscopy and nanoindentation.

The efficiency of synthetic bone grafts can be evaluated either in osseous sites, to analyze osteoconduction or ectopically, in intramuscular or subcutaneous sites, to assess osteoinduction. Bone regeneration is usually evaluated in terms of the presence and quantity of newly formed bone, but little information is normally provided on the quality of this bone. Here, we propose a novel approach to evaluate bone quality by the combined use of spectroscopy techniques and nanoindentation.

Understanding predictions of drug profiles using explainable machine learning models.

Purpose: The analysis of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) molecular properties is of relevance to drug design, as they directly influence the drug's effectiveness at its target location. This study concerns their prediction, using explainable Machine Learning (ML) models. The aim of the study is to find which molecular features are relevant to the prediction of the different ADME properties and measure their impact on the predictive model.

Sustainable Electromagnetic Prototype for Detecting Internal Deterioration in Building Walls.

The aim of this study was to develop a sustainable electromagnetic prototype to detect the interior deterioration of walls in buildings in order to mitigate uncertainty as it is a challenge to observe the interior state of walls without utilising destructive procedures. The method used was experimental, developmental and quantitative in its approach. The inductance, electric current, modulated frequency and power of the electromagnetic field were used to penetrate the constructed specimens, which were built of materials such as concrete, brick, adobe, plaster and fine sand and had walls with a thickness of less than 300 millimetres.

From 'Farm to Fork': Exploring the Potential of Nutrient-Rich and Stress-Resilient Emergent Crops for Sustainable and Healthy Food in the Mediterranean Region in the Face of Climate Change Challenges.

In the dynamic landscape of agriculture and food science, incorporating emergent crops appears as a pioneering solution for diversifying agriculture, unlocking possibilities for sustainable cultivation and nutritional bolstering food security, and creating economic prospects amid evolving environmental and market conditions with positive impacts on human health. This review explores the potential of utilizing emergent crops in Mediterranean environments under current climate scenarios, emphasizing the manifold benefits of agricultural and food system diversification and assessing the impact of environmental factors on their quality and consumer health. Through a deep exploration of the resilience, nutritional value, and health impacts of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) such as quinoa, amaranth, chia, moringa, buckwheat, millet, teff, hemp, or desert truffles, their capacity to thrive in the changing Mediterranean climate is highlighted, offering novel opportunities for agriculture and functional food development.

Regulation of osteogenesis and angiogenesis by cobalt, manganese and strontium doped apatitic materials for functional bone tissue regeneration.

Strontium, cobalt, and manganese ions are present in the composition of bone and useful for bone metabolism, even when combined with calcium phosphate in the composition of biomaterials. Herein we explored the possibility to include these ions in the composition of apatitic materials prepared through the cementitious reaction between ion-substituted calcium phosphate dibasic dihydrate, CaHPO·2HO (DCPD) and tetracalcium phosphate, Ca(PO)O (TTCP). The results of the chemical, structural, morphological and mechanical characterization indicate that cobalt and manganese exhibit a greater delaying effect than strontium (about 15 at.

Functionalization of Alginate Hydrogels with a Multifunctional Peptide Supports Mesenchymal Stem Cell Adhesion and Reduces Bacterial Colonization.

Hydrogels with cell adhesive moieties stand out as promising materials to enhance tissue healing and regeneration. Nonetheless, bacterial infections of the implants represent an unmet major concern. In the present work, we developed an alginate hydrogel modified with a multifunctional peptide containing the RGD cell adhesive motif in combination with an antibacterial peptide derived from the 1-11 region of lactoferrin (LF).

Estimating black carbon levels using machine learning models in high-concentration regions.

Black carbon (BC) is emitted into the atmosphere during combustion processes, often in conjunction with emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NO) and ozone (O), which are also by-products of combustion. In highly polluted regions, combustion processes are one of the main sources of aerosols and particulate matter (PM) concentrations, which affect the radiative budget. Despite the high relevance of this air pollution metric, BC monitoring is quite expensive in terms of instrumentation and of maintenance and servicing.

Repetitive active and passive cognitive stimulations induce EEG changes in patients with Rett syndrome.

Background: Despite being considered a rare disease, Rett syndrome is a leading cause of profound cognitive impairment in females. This study explores game-based cognitive stimulation to enhance attention during learning tasks, offering an alternative treatment perspective.

Methods: Fifteen diagnosed Rett syndrome girls participated in four 24-minute sessions, including a 5-minute initial resting state recording.

An efficient procedure for the blood flow computer simulation of patient-specific aortic dissections.

In this work we present a novel methodology for the numerical simulation of patient-specific aortic dissections. Our proposal, which targets the seamless virtual prototyping of customized scenarios, combines an innovative two-step segmentation procedure with a CutFEM technique capable of dealing with thin-walled bodies such as the intimal flap. First, we generate the fluid mesh from the outer aortic wall disregarding the intimal flap, similarly to what would be done in a healthy aorta.

Towards climate neutrality in the Spanish N-fertilizer sector: A study based on radiative forcing.

Agricultural systems in the 21st Century face the double challenge of achieving climate neutrality while maintaining food security. Synthetic fertilizers rich in nitrogen (N-fertilizers) boost agricultural production at the expense of increasing climate impact. Public policies, such as the Farm-to-Fork (F2F) Strategy, aim to reduce the extensive use of N-fertilizers with the ultimate goal of achieving a climate neutral European Union (EU).

Development of a low-cost robotized 3D-prototype for automated optical microscopy diagnosis: An open-source system.

In a clinical context, conventional optical microscopy is commonly used for the visualization of biological samples for diagnosis. However, the availability of molecular techniques and rapid diagnostic tests are reducing the use of conventional microscopy, and consequently the number of experienced professionals starts to decrease. Moreover, the continuous visualization during long periods of time through an optical microscope could affect the final diagnosis results due to induced human errors and fatigue.

Shedding Light on Dark Chemical Matter: The Discovery of a SARS-CoV-2 M Main Protease Inhibitor through Intensive Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation.

The development of specific antiviral therapies targeting SARS-CoV-2 remains fundamental because of the continued high incidence of COVID-19 and limited accessibility to antivirals in some countries. In this context, dark chemical matter (DCM), a set of drug-like compounds with outstanding selectivity profiles that have never shown bioactivity despite being extensively assayed, appears to be an excellent starting point for drug development. Accordingly, in this study, we performed a high-throughput screening to identify inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M) using DCM compounds as ligands.

Proof of concept for a new sensor to monitor marine litter from space.

Worldwide, governments are implementing strategies to combat marine litter. However, their effectiveness is largely unknown because we lack tools to systematically monitor marine litter over broad spatio-temporal scales. Metre-sized aggregations of floating debris generated by sea-surface convergence lines have been reported as a reliable target for detection from satellites.

Arnold diffusion for an a priori unstable Hamiltonian system with 3 + 1/2 degrees of freedom.

In the present paper, we apply the geometrical mechanism of diffusion in an a priori unstable Hamiltonian system [L. Chierchia and G. Gallavotti, Ann.

EEG connectivity patterns in response to gaming and learning-based cognitive stimulations in Rett syndrome.

Background: Functional connectivity is scarcely studied in Rett syndrome (RTT). Explorations revealed associations between RTT's clinical, genetic profiles, and coherence measures, highlighting an unexplored frontier in understanding RTT's neural mechanisms and cognitive processes.

Aims: To evaluate the effects of diverse cognitive stimulations-learning-focused versus gaming-oriented-on electroencephalography brain connectivity in RTT.