Deep learning (DL) is playing an increasingly important role in our lives. It has already made a huge impact in areas, such as cancer diagnosis, precision medicine, self-driving cars, predictive forecasting, and speech recognition. The painstakingly handcrafted feature extractors used in traditional learning, classification, and pattern recognition systems are not scalable for large-sized data sets. In many cases, depending on the problem complexity, DL can also overcome the limitations of earlier shallow networks that prevented efficient training and abstractions of hierarchical representations of multi-dimensional training data. Deep neural network (DNN) uses multiple (deep) layers of units with highly optimized algorithms and architectures. This paper reviews several optimization methods to improve the accuracy of the training and to reduce training time. We delve into the math behind training algorithms used in recent deep networks. We describe current shortcomings, enhancements, and implementations. The review also covers different types of deep architectures, such as deep convolution networks, deep residual networks, recurrent neural networks, reinforcement learning, variational autoencoders, and others.
The use of nanotechnology in medicine and more specifically drug delivery is set to spread rapidly. Currently many substances are under investigation for drug delivery and more specifically for cancer therapy. Interestingly pharmaceutical sciences are using nanoparticles to reduce toxicity and side effects of drugs and up to recently did not realize that carrier systems themselves may impose risks to the patient. The kind of hazards that are introduced by using nanoparticles for drug delivery are beyond that posed by conventional hazards imposed by chemicals in classical delivery matrices. For nanoparticles the knowledge on particle toxicity as obtained in inhalation toxicity shows the way how to investigate the potential hazards of nanoparticles. The toxicology of particulate matter differs from toxicology of substances as the composing chemical(s) may or may not be soluble in biological matrices, thus influencing greatly the potential exposure of various internal organs. This may vary from a rather high local exposure in the lungs and a low or neglectable exposure for other organ systems after inhalation. However, absorbed species may also influence the potential toxicity of the inhaled particles. For nanoparticles the situation is different as their size opens the potential for crossing the various biological barriers within the body. From a positive viewpoint, especially the potential to cross the blood brain barrier may open new ways for drug delivery into the brain. In addition, the nanosize also allows for access into the cell and various cellular compartments including the nucleus. A multitude of substances are currently under investigation for the preparation of nanoparticles for drug delivery, varying from biological substances like albumin, gelatine and phospholipids for liposomes, and more substances of a chemical nature like various polymers and solid metal containing nanoparticles. It is obvious that the potential interaction with tissues and cells, and the potential toxicity, greatly depends on the actual composition of the nanoparticle formulation. This paper provides an overview on some of the currently used systems for drug delivery. Besides the potential beneficial use also attention is drawn to the questions how we should proceed with the safety evaluation of the nanoparticle formulations for drug delivery. For such testing the lessons learned from particle toxicity as applied in inhalation toxicology may be of use. Although for pharmaceutical use the current requirements seem to be adequate to detect most of the adverse effects of nanoparticle formulations, it can not be expected that all aspects of nanoparticle toxicology will be detected. So, probably additional more specific testing would be needed.
3D imaging sensors for the acquisition of three dimensional (3D) shapes have created, in recent years, a considerable degree of interest for a number of applications. The miniaturization and integration of the optical and electronic components used to build them have played a crucial role in the achievement of compactness, robustness and flexibility of the sensors. Today, several 3D sensors are available on the market, even in combination with other sensors in a "sensor fusion" approach. An importance equal to that of physical miniaturization has the portability of the measurements, via suitable interfaces, into software environments designed for their elaboration, e.g., CAD-CAM systems, virtual renders, and rapid prototyping tools. In this paper, following an overview of the state-of-art of 3D imaging sensors, a number of significant examples of their use are presented, with particular reference to industry, heritage, medicine, and criminal investigation applications.
Abstract This essay examines the priorities of marine ethnobiology amid the urgent, increasingly irreversible degradation of our oceans. A dilemma arises between choosing to safeguard the practices and resources most valued for their usefulness or economic worth and prioritizing the preservation and revitalization of traditional knowledge, regardless of its immediate practical applications. I argue that the solution, from the standpoint of sustainable marine management, transcends this dichotomy. The answer lies in reviving, understanding, and transforming all the diverse knowledge systems that emerge from the relationships between humans and marine ecosystems so that urgency does not obscure our historical and holistic understanding of our connection to the sea. Marine ethnobiology bridges this divide by integrating the holistic knowledge of communities and deepening our understanding of these relationships. Strengthening place-based knowledge systems can yield critical nature-based solutions to our global environmental crisis.
Teshome Gebremeskel Aragie, Kaleab Asres, Wondwossen Ergete
et al.
Introduction: Lepidium sativum L., commonly known as garden cress, is a well-known medicinal plant used in many low- and middle-income communities for their primary healthcare. In Ethiopia, L. sativum seed is traditionally used to address various health issues; however, its safety profile has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the acute and subacute toxicity of Lepidium sativum seed extract in Wistar rats. Methods: An acute toxicity study was conducted in female Wistar albino rats that were administered in a single oral dose and followed for 14 days. Sub-acute oral toxicity study was conducted in rats of both sexes using a 28-day oral toxicity study model. Observations of the animals were performed regularly during the study period, and body weight was measured weekly. Finally, organ weight and histopathology, hematology, and clinical chemistry data were collected on the 29th day. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted, and the results are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Significance was declared at p < 0.05. Results: Rats treated with 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg of L. sativum seed extract showed significant signs of toxicity, such as diarrhea, decreased movement, and piloerection. The extract caused significant hepatic enlargement in both sexes in the 1000 mg/kg extract-treated groups. Elevation of liver enzymes with associated histopathological derangements of the liver was observed in both sexes in the 1000 mg/kg treatment groups. Conclusion: The acute toxicity study of 70 % ethanol extract of L. sativum seeds did not result in mortality among rats at the administered doses. Therefore, the LD50 value of the extract was estimated to exceed 5000 mg/kg, categorizing it as practically non-toxic (GHS Category 5). However, the subacute toxicity study revealed detrimental effects on liver histopathology, clinical chemistry, and hematologic parameters at the 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg doses tested.
Andressa Oliveira Braz Dias, Carlos André Moura Arruda, Alissan Karine Lima Martins
et al.
Introdução: A Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) tem sido o principal fator de aprimoramento da Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) no Brasil. Essa pesquisa aborda as Populações do Campo, da Floresta e das Águas (PCFA) caracterizadas por povos que têm seus modos de vida relacionados com a natureza. Objetivo: Analisar a atuação de equipes da ESF em territórios de PCFA do Ceará. Metodologia: Trata-se de estudo transversal exploratório e descritivo, com amostra intencional de 68 profissionais da saúde e usuários de equipes da ESF rural dos municípios de Crato, Itapipoca, Quiterianópolis e Trairi, no Ceará. Todos os participantes estavam vinculados a experiências significativas desenvolvidas nesses territórios. As equipes e comunidades foram selecionadas por meio do recebimento de experiências inovadoras cadastradas por membros das comunidades e profissionais de saúde na página do SERPOVOS (https://ceara.fiocruz.br/serpovos/). A partir deste cadastro, foram selecionados quatro municípios em que as experiências se situavam em áreas rurais, que atendiam comunidades/movimentos populares do campo, da floresta e das águas. Os participantes de pesquisa foram convidados a participar de uma oficina e a responder um instrumento constituído pela ficha de caracterização dos participantes e questionário. Análises estatísticas de implementação dos atributos da APS foram realizadas. Resultados: Os 68 participantes de pesquisa eram predominantemente mulheres (61,8%), na faixa etária de 31 a 50 anos (47%). A avaliação da presença dos atributos essenciais da APS nos territórios apresentou fragilidades. Apenas o atributo longitudinalidade mostrou resultado favorável com 80,7% das respostas e os demais parâmetros como abordagem centrada no território, acesso e acolhimento, integralidade e coordenação do cuidado, não atingiram os resultados desejados. Conclusão: Observou-se a necessidade de incentivar a prática dos atributos da Política Nacional da Atenção Básica pelos profissionais das equipes da ESF e usuários, pois muitos dos parâmetros comuns às equipes não estão sendo realizados nos territórios rurais.
Miscellaneous systems and treatments, Public aspects of medicine
This work investigates the impact of position and attitude perturbations on the beamforming performance of multi-satellite systems. The system under analysis is a formation of small satellites equipped with direct radiating arrays that synthesise a large virtual antenna aperture. The results show that performance is highly sensitive to the considered perturbations. However, by incorporating position and attitude information into the beamforming process, nominal performance can be effectively restored. These findings support the development of control-aware beamforming strategies that tightly integrate the attitude and orbit control system with signal processing to enable robust beamforming and autonomous coordination.
Gudeta Duga Geresu MSc, Tilahun Tesfaye Abebe MSc, Diriba Alemayehu Gadisa MSc
et al.
Phytolacca dodecandra (L’ Herit), or ‘Endod’, is one of the widely known medicinal plants in Ethiopia. Berries of the endod have been used as a detergent for centuries. The present study was aimed to test the hepatoprotective effects of the plant against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury in rats. Mice of either sex were used for oral acute toxicity tests and APAP-induced lethality tests. Hepatoprotective experiments were done on male rats using 2 g/kg of APAP to induce liver damage. Liver enzymes, total bilirubin (TB), and lipid profile were determined. Liver tissues were also examined histopathologically to see a morphologic change in the control and experiment groups. The protective effect of the plant extract was also tested through sodium pentobarbital (SPB)-induced sleeping time. A significant increase in serum levels of liver enzymes, TB, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides (TGs) was seen from oral administration of 2 g/kg APAP. Total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were decreased. Serum levels of all parameters were reversed to normal after administration of silymarin 100 mg/kg and, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg doses of the extract. A significant dose-dependent hepatoprotective effect of Phytolacca dodecandra Methanol Root Extract (PDME) was seen in terms of LDL. Histopathological investigations and SPB-induced sleeping time confirmed the findings of biochemical analysis. The findings of the present study indicate that PDME protected the liver from APAP injury.
Introduction
The response to stress is driven by two interdependent systems: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulate cardiac control, endocrine levels, and immune function (Tsigos et al., 2000).
Previous research suggests that regular exercisers show reduced responses to acute psychosocial stressors (Mücke et al., 2018). Nevertheless, it is currently unknown if the stress response in exercisers depends on the type of stressor and physiological marker of interest. Also, little research has directly compared male and female participants.
Understanding the specificity of the response is crucial for designing future research on exercise and stress.
This pilot study should clarify the feasibility of the presented design and methods to address this research gap.
Methods
We adopted a crossover design, exposing subjects to two laboratory-based stress tests in random, counterbalanced order. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) induces psychosocial stress, while the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST; Smeets et al., 2012) incorporates additional physiological components by immersing one hand in ice water.
Young, healthy, physically active subjects (n = 12; 6 females, 6 males; age = 20-3 yrs) were invited to the laboratory twice, one month apart. Females were eumenorrheic and invited within the self-reported mid-luteal phase. Participants were asked to arrive well-rested and under standardized dietary conditions. After a 15-minute resting period during which baseline measures were taken, participants underwent the stress test. Subsequently, participants sat in a quiet room for follow-up sampling of heart rate (HR), serum blood (+0 min, +5 min, +25 min), saliva, and subjective stress via a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS100; +0 min, +5 min, +10 min, +15 min, +25 min).
Free cortisol and HR were defined as primary markers for HPA and ANS activity, respectively, and analyzed using a [timepoint x test x sex] ANOVA followed by the Games-Howell. VAS100 was analyzed using continuous ordinal regression.
Results
HR was higher during the TSST than the MAST (∆ HR = 21.1 bpm, 95% CI [8.8, 33.4]). No sex differences for HR were found.
Sex differences indicate lower cortisol in females (g = 0.87, 95% CI [0.49, 1.26]), but no time- or interaction effects were found (p > 0.05).
VAS100 significantly increased following the stress tests. The MAST evoked higher VAS100 than the TSST (g = 0.46, 95% CI [0.13, 0.79]), and women reported higher levels of subjective stress than men (g = 0.62, 95% CI [0.29, 0.95]).
Discussion
While HR is a marker of ANS activity, the amount of movement during the interview phase might increase HR during the TSST. On the other hand, the VAS100 might reflect the physical pain experienced by the ice water and less so the psychosocial component. Despite increases in subjective stress, cortisol levels exhibited no change. This difference is in line with previous work hypothesizing even a protective effect of cortisol on subjective stress (Het et al., 2012).
We conclude that the design is promising for testing hypotheses concerning the physiological and subjective stress response during acute laboratory stress tests in an exercising population. As this is a pilot study, inferential statistics should be read cautiously. This study was designed to facilitate a larger-scale project with sufficient power.
References
Het, S., Schoofs, D., Rohleder, N., & Wolf, O. T. (2012). Stress-induced cortisol level elevations are associated with reduced negative affect after stress: Indications for a mood-buffering cortisol effect. Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e31823a4a25
Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K. M., & Hellhammer, D. H. (1993). The ’Trier Social Stress Test’—A tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology, 28(1–2), 76–81. https://doi.org/10.1159/000119004
Mücke, M., Ludyga, S., Colledge, F., & Gerber, M. (2018). Influence of regular physical activity and fitness on stress reactivity as measured with the Trier Social Stress Test Protocol: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48(11), 2607–2622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0979-0
Smeets, T., Cornelisse, S., Quaedflieg, C. W. E. M., Meyer, T., Jelicic, M., & Merckelbach, H. (2012). Introducing the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST): A quick and non-invasive approach to elicit robust autonomic and glucocorticoid stress responses. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 37(12), 1998–2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.012
Tsigos, C., Kyrou, I., Kassi, E., & Chrousos, G. P. (2000). Stress: Endocrine physiology and pathophysiology. In K. R. Feingold, B. Anawalt, M. R. Blackman, A. Boyce, G. Chrousos, E. Corpas, W. W. de Herder, K. Dhatariya, K. Dungan, J. Hofland, S. Kalra, G. Kaltsas, N. Kapoor, C. Koch, P. Kopp, M. Korbonits, C. S. Kovacs, W. Kuohung, B. Laferrère, … D. P. Wilson (Eds.), Endotext. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK278995/