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Najia Sherzay,1– 3 Ziauddin Azimi,1,2 Siti Hamimah Sheikh Abdul Kadir,1,4 Noor Shafina Mohd Nor1,4 1Institute for Pathology, Laboratory and Forensic Medicine (I-PPerForM), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, 47000, Malaysia; 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kabul University, Karte Sakhi, Kabul, Afghanistan; 3Laboratory of Electrophiles and Genome Operation, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; 4Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, 47000, MalaysiaCorrespondence: Najia Sherzay; Siti Hamimah Sheikh Abdul Kadir, Email najia.sherzay@epfl.ch; sitih587@uitm.edu.myPurpose: This study was designed and conducted to validate the reference values of hematological parameters for healthy adult male and female residents of Kabul city, Afghanistan.Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, the samples were collected according to a non-random sampling method. Blood samples were collected from students and employees of Kabul University. The study included 166 males and 125 females, aged 18– 45 years. The selection and exclusion of participants were carried out according to a questionnaire and the assessment of serum ferritin and vitamin B12 levels. Candidates with lower serum ferritin and vitamin B12, a history of chronic disease, females with menstruation or pregnancy, and those with chronic abdominal pain were excluded.Results: Reference ranges for all blood parameters were determined by a non-parametric method. The determined reference values were compared between males and females by the Z-test. Reference intervals for hemoglobin (4.5– 6.3 g/dL for males and 3.66– 5.67 g/dL for females) and hematocrit (36.23– 55.93% for males and 30.20– 53.86% for females) were significantly (p< 0.05) higher in males. No significant (p< 0.05) differences were observed between the reference intervals for the red blood cell count.Conclusion: Therefore, we conclude that the commonly used reference intervals should be revised for the Afghan population, as our findings indicated higher reference values for the hemoglobin and hematocrit indices.Keywords: reference range, blood parameters, Afghan population

Background and Objective: Considering the role of the hippocampus in memory, this study was done to evaluate the effect of 3-4,methylenedioxymethamphetamine on CA1 hippocampal neurons in male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study 18 sprague dawley male rats (200-250g) were randomly allocated into three groups as follow: control (intact), control sham and experimental groups. Sham and experimental groups were received normal salin (1 cc) and MDMA10mg/kg IP for 7 days, respectively. Following transcardial perfusion by paraformaldehid 4%, structure and ultrastructure of right CA1 hippocampus were assessed by crysel violet staining and electronic microscope. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16, ANOVA and Tukey tests. Results: There was no significant difference between control (mean=210±40.38) and sham groups (mean=199±38.7) in neuron density. Neuron number decreased significantly in experimental group (mean=98±25.4) in compare to control and sham groups (P

Information security has become a significant issue in encryption due to the rapid progress of internet and network. Therefore, the development of the encryption algorithm is a growing and significant problem. In this study, a new color image encryption was introduced based on DNA complementary rules and pair coupled chaotic maps. At first, the plain color image was divided into three components (R, G, B) being converted into three DNA matrices using DNA encoding rules. Secondly, DNA addition for R, G and B components was implemented and scrambled the elements position of three DNA sequence via the pair coupled chaotic maps. Three gray coded images obtained and RGB encrypted image was achieved by restructuring R, G, B components. The simulation of experimental result and security analysis showed that this algorithm had larger secret key space and strong secret key sensitivity and it had excellent ability to resist against statistical and differential attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of DeepLabv3+with Squeeze-and-Excitation (DeepLabv3+SE) architectures for segmenting the choroid in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of patients with diabetic retinopathy., Methods: A total of 300 B-scans were selected from 21 patients with mild to moderate diabetic retinopathy. Six DeepLabv3+SE variants, each utilizing a different pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN) for feature extraction, were compared. Segmentation performance was assessed using the Jaccard index, Dice score (DSC), precision, recall, and F1-score. Binarization and Bland-Altman analysis were employed to evaluate the agreement between automated and manual measurements of choroidal area, luminal area (LA), and Choroidal Vascularity Index (CVI)., Results: DeepLabv3+SE with EfficientNetB0 achieved the highest segmentation performance, with a Jaccard index of 95.47, DSC of 98.29, precision of 98.80, recall of 97.41, and F1-score of 98.10 on the validation set. Bland-Altman analysis indicated good agreement between automated and manual measurements of LA and CVI., Conclusions: DeepLabv3+SE with EfficientNetB0 demonstrates promise for accurate choroid segmentation in OCT images. This approach offers a potential solution for automated CVI calculation in diabetic retinopathy patients. Further evaluation of the proposed method on a larger and more diverse dataset can strengthen its generalizability and clinical applicability., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Response gain is a crucial means by which modulatory systems control the impact of sensory input. In the visual cortex, the serotonergic 5-HT 2A receptor is key in such modulation. However, due to its expression across different cell types and lack of methods that allow for specific activation, the underlying network mechanisms remain unsolved. Here we optogenetically activate endogenous G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling of a single receptor subtype in distinct mouse neocortical subpopulations in vivo. We show that photoactivation of the 5-HT 2A receptor pathway in pyramidal neurons enhances firing of both excitatory neurons and interneurons, whereas 5-HT 2A photoactivation in parvalbumin interneurons produces bidirectional effects. Combined photoactivation in both cell types and cortical network modelling demonstrates a conductance-driven polysynaptic mechanism that controls the gain of visual input without affecting ongoing baseline levels. Our study opens avenues to explore GPCRs neuromodulation and its impact on sensory-driven activity and ongoing neuronal dynamics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are very precious, widely used, and face significant challenges in preparation methods. In this study, three mechanical methods are investigated for the preparation of GQDs. All of these methods are green, cost-effective, and simple. In fact, Graphite, as a main source of GQDs, is exfoliated and fragmented under mechanical forces by sonication and ball milling. This mechanical exfoliation method is effective for converting large flakes of graphite into quantum dots. Additionally, the proposed methods are simple and faster than other top-down GQD fabrication methods. High-power sonication is applied to graphene flakes by using the liquid-phase exfoliation method. The liquid phase consists of ethanol and water, which are completely eco-friendly. Exfoliation and fragmentation of graphene flakes are performed using different sonication and ball-milling times. The obtained results from the analysis of the synthesized GQDs exhibit pristine graphene's distinct structural, chemical, and optical properties. Several analyses, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, were applied to study the product structure. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to examine product size and morphology, which confirmed the nanosize of GQDs. The smallest observed size of GQDs is approximately 23 nm. It is estimated that 95% of the nanoparticles are between 0.001 and 0.1 μm in size (41 nm). The optical properties of GQDs were investigated by using ultraviolet-visible and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. The PL peak wavelength is approximately 610 nm. Eventually, the results proved that the combined use of two methods, ultrasonication and ball milling during liquid-phase exfoliation, will be a simple, cheap, and suitable method for the production of GQDs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

With a substantial rise in life expectancy throughout the last century, society faces the imperative of seeking inventive approaches to foster active aging and provide adequate aging care. The e-VITA initiative, jointly funded by the European Union and Japan, centers on an advanced virtual coaching methodology designed to target essential aspects of promoting active and healthy aging. This paper describes the technical framework underlying the e-VITA virtual coaching system platform and presents preliminary feedback on its use. At its core is the e-VITA Manager, a pivotal component responsible for harmonizing the seamless integration of various specialized devices and modules. These modules include the Dialogue Manager, Data Fusion, and Emotional Detection, each making distinct contributions to enhance the platform's functionalities. The platform's design incorporates a multitude of devices and software components from Europe and Japan, each built upon diverse technologies and standards. This versatile platform facilitates communication and seamless integration among smart devices such as sensors and robots while efficiently managing data to provide comprehensive coaching functionalities.

Detection of short-wave infrared (SWIR) and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) emissions remains challenging despite their importance in many emerging applications, including night vision, space imaging and remote sensing. III-V compound semiconductor materials such as InAs have an ideal band gap covering a spectral regime from near-infrared (NIR), SWIR to MWIR. However, due to their high dark current, InAs photodetectors normally require a low-temperature operation, which has greatly limited their practical applications. Here, we report the engineering of InAs nanowire arrays to achieve efficient photodetection of light at wavelengths ranging from NIR to MWIR (3500 nm). By using selective area metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy, we optimise the nanowire growth temperature and V/III ratio to achieve wurtzite (WZ)-based InAs nanowire arrays with a high WZ density of ∼67%. Due to the n-type background doping of the InAs nanowires and the p-type InAs substrate used for nanowire growth, a p-n junction is formed, and an ultrawide room-temperature photoresponse ranging from 500 to 3500 nm is obtained under zero bias. It is found that the waveguide modes supported by the InAs nanowires result in a high peak responsivity of 0.44 A W -1 and a detectivity of 1.25 × 10 10 cm √Hz W -1 at a wavelength of 1600 nm, a bias voltage of only -0.1 V and a relatively high operating temperature of 150 K. Such a strong light trapping effect in the InAs nanowires also leads to significantly lower reflection compared to that observed in planar photodetectors, and thus strong absorption in the substrate extending the photoresponse up to the InAs bandgap edge of 3500 nm. Our work shows that through careful material optimisation and device design, InAs nanowire arrays are promising for the development of high-performance ultra-broadband infrared photodetectors for wavelengths ranging from NIR, SWIR to MWIR.

Since life expectancy has increased significantly over the past century, society is being forced to discover innovative ways to support active aging and elderly care. The e-VITA project, which receives funding from both the European Union and Japan, is built on a cutting edge method of virtual coaching that focuses on the key areas of active and healthy aging. The requirements for the virtual coach were ascertained through a process of participatory design in workshops, focus groups, and living laboratories in Germany, France, Italy, and Japan. Several use cases were then chosen for development utilising the open-source Rasa framework. The system uses common representations such as Knowledge Bases and Knowledge Graphs to enable the integration of context, subject expertise, and multimodal data, and is available in English, German, French, Italian, and Japanese.

Neuronal plasticity underlying cerebellar learning behavior is strongly associated with type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1) signaling. Activation of mGluR1 leads to activation of the G q/11 pathway, which is involved in inducing synaptic plasticity at the parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapse (PF-PC) in form of long-term depression (LTD). To optogenetically modulate mGluR1 signaling we fused mouse melanopsin (OPN4) that activates the G q/11 pathway to the C-termini of mGluR1 splice variants (OPN4-mGluR1a and OPN4-mGluR1b). Activation of both OPN4-mGluR1 variants showed robust Ca 2+ increase in HEK cells and PCs of cerebellar slices. We provide the prove-of-concept approach to modulate synaptic plasticity via optogenetic activation of OPN4-mGluR1a inducing LTD at the PF-PC synapse in vitro . Moreover, we demonstrate that light activation of mGluR1a signaling pathway by OPN4-mGluR1a in PCs leads to an increase in intrinsic activity of PCs in vivo and improved cerebellum driven learning behavior., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Background: DNA methylation is an effective epigenetic process that is frequently linked to changes in gene expression. Zinc is a vital micronutrient that plays a crucial role in DNA methylation. Therefore, abnormal zinc levels may cause aberrant DNA methylation and other diseases., Objectives: To investigate the influence of zinc on gene-specific and global DNA methylation in humans and rodents, their tissues and their cells., Method: Systematic literature searches were conducted using Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases. Studies that met the inclusion criteria and were published in English language were included. Data including the first author, sample size, subjects, targeted genes, tissue types or cells analysed, zinc level, molecular techniques, DNA methylation outcomes, and consequences were extracted., Results: From a total of 2360 articles screened by title and abstract, 15 met the inclusion criteria. Qualitative analysis indicates that there are associations between zinc deficiency and gene-specific hypomethylation in humans and between zinc deficiency and hypermethylation in rodents. Zinc did not influence LINE-1 methylation in humans. Depending on cell type, zinc could have a positive or negative effect on global methylation in humans and rodents. As predicted, in general, gene expression was elevated by DNA hypomethylation and the corresponding protein levels were also upregulated. However, some studies showed that zinc deficiency led to reduced gene expression or no alteration in mRNA levels and corresponding protein levels., Conclusion: Our study shows links between zinc levels and DNA methylation. However, greater significance may be achieved if more than one independent investigator analyses the same set of genes in the same cell type. Therefore, gene-cell and animal-specific investigations are recommended to reduce variability and allow comparisons across studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The epitaxial growth of III-V nanowires with excellent optoelectronic properties on low-cost, light-weight, and flexible substrates is a key step for the design and engineering of future optoelectronic devices. In our study, GaAs nanowires were grown on synthetic mica, a two-dimensional layered material, via vapor-liquid-solid growth using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The effect of basic epitaxial growth parameters such as temperature and V/III ratio on the vertical yield of the nanowires is investigated. A vertical yield of over 60% is achieved at an optimum growth temperature of 400 °C and a V/III ratio 18. The structural properties of the nanowires are investigated using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and high-angle annular dark-field imaging. The vertical nanowires grown at a low temperature and a high V/III ratio are found to have a zincblende phase with a [111] B polarity. The optical properties are investigated by photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL measurements. First-principles electronic structure calculations within the framework of density functional theory elucidate the van der Waals nature of the nanowire/mica interface. Our results also show that these nanowires can be easily lifted off the bulk 2D mica template, providing a pathway for flexible nanowire devices.

Food waste planning at universities is often a complex matter due to the large volume of food and variety of services. A major portion of university food waste arises from dining systems including meal booking and distribution. Although dining systems have a significant role in generating food wastes, few studies have designed prediction models that could control such wastes based on reservation data and behavior of students at meal delivery times. To fill this gap, analyzing meal booking systems at universities, the present study proposed a new model based on machine learning to reduce the food waste generated at major universities that provide food subsidies. Students' reservation and their presence or absence at the dining hall (show/no-show rate) at mealtime were incorporated in data analysis. Given the complexity of the relationship between the attributes and the uncertainty observed in user behavior, a model was designed to analyze definite and random components of demand. An artificial neural network-based model designed for demand prediction provided a two-step prediction approach to dealing with uncertainty in actual demand. In order to estimate the lowest total cost based on the cost of waste and the shortage penalty cost, an uncertainty-based analysis was conducted at the final step of the research. This study formed a framework that could reduce the food waste volume by up to 79% and control the penalty and waste cost in the case study. The model was investigated with cost analysis and the results proved its efficiency in reducing total cost.

GaAs nanowires are regarded as promising building blocks of future optoelectronic devices. Despite progress, the growth of high optical quality GaAs nanowires is a standing challenge. Understanding the role of twin defects and nanowire facets on the optical emission and minority carrier lifetime of GaAs nanowires is key for the engineering of their optoelectronic properties. Here, we present new insights into the microstructural parameters controlling the optical properties of GaAs nanowires, grown via selective-area metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. We observe that these GaAs nanowires have a twinned zinc blende crystal structure with taper-free {110} side facets that result in an ultra-low surface recombination velocity of 3.5 × 104 cm s-1. This is an order of magnitude lower than that reported for defect-free GaAs nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid technique. Using time-resolved photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence measurements, we untangle the local correlation between structural and optical properties demonstrating the superior role of the side facets in determining recombination rates over that played by twin defects. The low surface recombination velocity of these taper-free {110} side facets enable us to demonstrate, for the first time, low-temperature lasing from bare (unpassivated) GaAs nanowires, and also efficient room-temperature lasing after passivation with an AlGaAs shell.

Controlling gain of cortical activity is essential to modulate weights between internal ongoing communication and external sensory drive. Here, we show that serotonergic input has separable suppressive effects on the gain of ongoing and evoked visual activity. We combined optogenetic stimulation of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) with wide-field calcium imaging, extracellular recordings, and iontophoresis of serotonin (5-HT) receptor antagonists in the mouse visual cortex. 5-HT1A receptors promote divisive suppression of spontaneous activity, while 5-HT2A receptors act divisively on visual response gain and largely account for normalization of population responses over a range of visual contrasts in awake and anesthetized states. Thus, 5-HT input provides balanced but distinct suppressive effects on ongoing and evoked activity components across neuronal populations. Imbalanced 5-HT1A/2A activation, either through receptor-specific drug intake, genetically predisposed irregular 5-HT receptor density, or change in sensory bombardment may enhance internal broadcasts and reduce sensory drive and vice versa., Competing Interests: ZA, RB, KS, TS, PW, MM, SH, DJ No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Azimi et al.)

The signal specificity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) including serotonin receptors (5-HT-R) depends on the trafficking and localization of the GPCR within its subcellular signaling domain. Visualizing traffic-dependent GPCR signals in neurons is difficult, but important to understand the contribution of GPCRs to synaptic plasticity. We engineered CaMello (Ca 2+ -melanopsin-local-sensor) and CaMello-5HT 2A for visualization of traffic-dependent Ca 2+ signals in 5-HT 2A -R domains. These constructs consist of the light-activated G q/11 coupled melanopsin, mCherry and GCaMP6m for visualization of Ca 2+ signals and receptor trafficking, and the 5-HT 2A C-terminus for targeting into 5-HT 2A -R domains. We show that the specific localization of the GPCR to its receptor domain drastically alters the dynamics and localization of the intracellular Ca 2+ signals in different neuronal populations in vitro and in vivo. The CaMello method may be extended to every GPCR coupling to the G q/11 pathway to help unravel new receptor-specific functions in respect to synaptic plasticity and GPCR localization., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Although the hospital managers always try to improve the quality of the medical services, sometimes their efforts might affect reversely and push the system in what is so commonly called as "the death spirals of quality." The most important reason of falling into these spirals is the lack of a systemic thought that considers the feedback relationships between the numerous effective variables in the system performance, such as human resources service capacity. In this regard, the purpose of the present research is to design and simulate a dynamic human resources service capacity-based model to demonstrate the death spirals of quality phenomenon based on the service time per service and the possibility of error generation along with identifying the policies to cope with them. The system dynamics simulation approach is used to show the dynamics of the capacity of service from the standpoint of human resources. A model is simulated for the services of a hospital clinic as a case study. The simulation results of the designed dynamic model express that applying the desired policies for the case study can provide a good basis for fighting these spirals in a dynamic situation.

Impairment of peripheral neurons by anti-cancer agents, including taxanes and platinum derivatives, has been considered to be a major cause of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), however, the precise underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we examined the direct effects of anti-cancer agents on Schwann cells. Exposure of primary cultured rat Schwann cells to paclitaxel (0.01 μM), cisplatin (1 μM), or oxaliplatin (3 μM) for 48 h induced cytotoxicity and reduced myelin basic protein expression at concentrations lower than those required to induce neurotoxicity in cultured rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Similarly, these anti-cancer drugs disrupted myelin formation in Schwann cell/DRG neuron co-cultures without affecting nerve axons. Cisplatin and oxaliplatin, but not paclitaxel, caused mitochondrial dysfunction in cultured Schwann cells. By contrast, paclitaxel led to dedifferentiation of Schwann cells into an immature state, characterized by increased expression of p75 and galectin-3. Consistent with in vitro findings, repeated injection of paclitaxel increased expression of p75 and galectin-3 in Schwann cells within the mouse sciatic nerve. These results suggest that taxanes and platinum derivatives impair Schwan cells by inducing dedifferentiation and mitochondrial dysfunction, respectively, which may be important in the development of CIPN in conjunction with their direct impairment in peripheral neurons.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is an extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with primary involvement of the skin. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence rate of MF in Isfahan (Iran) and to compare the results with other reports. We collected our data from the MF clinic of Alzahra Hospital which is the main center for treatment of MF patients in Isfahan (2007-2008). Eleven cases were reported to the MF clinic of Alzahra during the study, seven of which were diagnosed as MF. The incidence rate of MF in Isfahan in 2007-2008 was 3.91/1 million persons. The age spectrum was 28-80 years and the mean 43.14 years. The male : female ratio was 3:4. In conclusion, the incidence rate of MF in Isfahan (Iran) is similar to other areas. However, the male : female ratio is opposite to that of other studies.