General anesthetic agents induce neurotoxicity through oligodendrocytes in the developing brain

General anesthetic agents can impact brain function through interactions with neurons and their effects on glial cells.Oligodendrocytes perform essential roles in the central nervous system,including myelin sheath formation,axonal metabolism,and neuroplasticity regulation.They are particularly vulnerable to the effects of general anesthetic agents resulting in impaired proliferation,differentiation,and apoptosis.Neurologists are increasingly interested in the effects of general anesthetic agents on oligodendrocytes.These agents not only act on the surface receptors of oligodendrocytes to elicit neuroinflammation through modulation of signaling pathways,but also disrupt metabolic processes and alter the expression of genes involved in oligodendrocyte development and function.In this review,we summarize the effects of general anesthetic agents on oligodendrocytes.We anticipate that future research will continue to explore these effects and develop strategies to decrease the incidence of adverse reactions associated with the use of general anesthetic agents.

Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

A Possible X-ray Quasi-periodic Oscillation in the Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Mrk 142

A possible quasi-periodic oscillation(QPO) at frequency 7.045 × 10^(-5) Hz is found in the narrow-line Seyfert 1galaxy Mrk 142 in the data of XMM-Newton collected on 2020 April 11.We find that the QPO signal is statistically significantly larger than the 5σ level and highly coherent with quality factor Q > 5 at the 0.3–10 keV band by using the method of the Lomb–Scargle Periodogram,the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform and the REDFIT.We analyze the data in 0.3–0.6 keV,0.6–1 keV,1–3 keV and 3–10 keV energy bands,and find obvious QPO signals at 0.3–0.6 keV and 1–3 keV bands.We then analyze the time-average spectra and time variability at the QPO frequency of 7.045 × 10^(-5) Hz,and use a model to fit them.We find that the QPO signal mainly comes from the X-ray hot corona.

General anesthetic agents induce neurotoxicity through astrocytes

Neuroscientists have recognized the importance of astrocytes in regulating neurological function and their influence on the release of glial transmitters.Few studies,however,have focused on the effects of general anesthetic agents on neuroglia or astrocytes.Astrocytes can also be an important target of general anesthetic agents as they exert not only sedative,analgesic,and amnesic effects but also mediate general anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity and postoperative cognitive dysfunction.Here,we analyzed recent advances in understanding the mechanism of general anesthetic agents on astrocytes,and found that exposure to general anesthetic agents will destroy the morphology and proliferation of astrocytes,in addition to acting on the receptors on their surface,which not only affect Ca^(2+)signaling,inhibit the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and lactate from astrocytes,but are even involved in the regulation of the pro-and anti-inflammatory processes of astrocytes.These would obviously affect the communication between astrocytes as well as between astrocytes and neighboring neurons,other neuroglia,and vascular cells.In this review,we summarize how general anesthetic agents act on neurons via astrocytes,and explore potential mechanisms of action of general anesthetic agents on the nervous system.We hope that this review will provide a new direction for mitigating the neurotoxicity of general anesthetic agents.

HI in High Gas-phase Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy WISEA J230615.06+143927.9

We present resolved Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope H I observations of the high gas-phase metallicity dwarf galaxy WISEA J230615.06+143927.9(z = 0.005)(hereafter J2306) and investigate whether it could be a Tidal Dwarf Galaxy(TDG) candidate. TDGs are observed to have higher metallicities than normal dwarfs. J2306 has an unusual combination of a blue g-r color of 0.23 mag, irregular optical morphology and high-metallicity(12 +log(O/H) = 8.68 ± 0.14), making it an interesting galaxy to study in more detail. We find J2306 to be an H I rich galaxy with a large extended, unperturbed rotating H I disk. Using our H I data we estimated its dynamical mass and found the galaxy to be dark matter(DM) dominated within its H I radius. The quantity of DM, inferred from its dynamical mass, appears to rule out J2306 as an evolved TDG. A wide area environment search reveals J2306 to be isolated from any larger galaxies which could have been the source of its high gas metallicity. Additionally, the H I morphology and kinematics of the galaxy show no indication of a recent merger to explain the high-metallicity.Further detailed optical spectroscopic observations of J2306 might provide an answer to how a seemingly ordinary irregular dwarf galaxy achieved such a high level of metal enrichment.

Long Term X-Ray Spectral Variations of the Seyfert-1 Galaxy Mrk 279

We present the results from a long term X-ray analysis of Mrk 279 during the period 2018–2020.We use data from multiple missions–AstroSat,NuSTAR and XMM-Newton,for the purpose.The X-ray spectrum can be modeled as a double Comptonization along with the presence of neutral Fe Kαline emission,at all epochs.We determined the source’s X-ray flux and luminosity at these different epochs.We find significant variations in the source’s flux state.We also investigate the variations in the source’s spectral components during the observation period.We find that the photon index and hence the spectral shape follow the variations only over longer time periods.We probe the correlations between fluxes of different bands and their photon indices,and found no significant correlations between the parameters.

A Galaxy Image Augmentation Method Based on Few-shot Learning and Generative Adversarial Networks

Galaxy morphology classifications based on machine learning are a typical technique to handle enormous amounts of astronomical observation data,but the key challenge is how to provide enough training data for the machine learning models.Therefore this article proposes an image data augmentation method that combines few-shot learning and generative adversarial networks.The Galaxy10 DECaLs data set is selected for the experiments with consistency,variance,and augmentation effects being evaluated.Three popular networks,including AlexNet,VGG,and ResNet,are used as examples to study the effectiveness of different augmentation methods on galaxy morphology classifications.Experiment results show that the proposed method can generate galaxy images and can be used for expanding the classification model’s training set.According to comparative studies,the best enhancement effect on model performance is obtained by generating a data set that is 0.5–1 time larger than the original data set.Meanwhile,different augmentation strategies have considerably varied effects on different types of galaxies.FSL-GAN achieved the best classification performance on the ResNet network for In-between Round Smooth Galaxies and Unbarred Loose Spiral Galaxies,with F1 Scores of 89.54%and 63.18%,respectively.Experimental comparison reveals that various data augmentation techniques have varied effects on different categories of galaxy morphology and machine learning models.Finally,the best augmentation strategies for each galaxy category are suggested.

Solving the Conundrum of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in Galaxy Clusters

This paper develops the Dark Matter by Quantum Gravitation theory, DMbQG theory hereafter, in clusters of galaxies in the cosmologic model ΛCDM of the Universe. Originally this theory was developed by the author for galaxies, especially using MW and M31 rotation curves. An important result got by the DMbQG theory is that the total mass associated to a galactic halo depend on the square root of radius, being its dominion unbounded. Apparently, this result would be absurd because of divergence of the total mass. As the DE is negligible at galactic scale, it is needed to extend the theory to clusters in order to study the capacity of DE to counterbalance to DM. Thanks this property, the DMbQG theory finds unexpected theoretical results. In this work, it is defined, the total mass as baryonic matter plus DM and the gravitating mass as the addition of the total mass plus the negative mass associated to dark energy. In clusters it is defined the zero gravity radius (RZG hereafter) as the radius needed by the dark energy to counterbalance the total mass. It has been found that the ratio RZG/RVIRIAL ≈ 7.3 and its Total mass associated at RZG is ≈2.7 MVIRIAL. In addition, it has been calculated that the sphere with the extended halo radius RE = 1.85 RZG has a ratio DM density versus DE density equal to 3/7 and its total mass associated at RE is ≈3.6 MVIRIAL. This works postulates that the factor 3.6 may equilibrate perfectly the strong imbalance between the Local mater density parameter (0.08) versus the current Global matter density one (0.3). Currently, this fact is a big conundrum in cosmology, see chapter 7. Also it has been found that the zero velocity radius, RZV hereafter, i.e. the cluster border because of the Hubble flow, is ≈0.6 RZG and its gravitating mass is ≈ 1.5 MVIR. By derivation of gravitating mass function, it is calculated that at 0.49 RZG, this function reaches its maximum whose value is ≈1.57 MVIR. Throughout the paper, some of these results have been validated with recent data published for the Virgo cluster. As Virgo is the nearest big cluster, it is the perfect benchmark to validate any new theory about DM and DE. These new theoretical findings offer to scientific community a wide number of tests to validate or reject the theory. The validation of DMbQG theory would mean to know the nature of DM that at the present, it is an important challenge for the astrophysics science.

A nonlocal dispersal and time delayed HIV infection model with general incidences

Biologically,because of the impact of reproduction period and nonlocal dispersal of HIV-infected cells,time delay and spatial heterogeneity should be considered.In this paper,we establish an HIV infection model with nonlocal dispersal and infection age.Moreover,applying the theory of Fourier transformation and von Foerster rule,we transform the model to an integrodifferential equation with nonlocal time delay and dispersal.The well-posedness,positivity,and boundedness of the solution for the model are studied.

NORMALIZED SOLUTIONS FOR THE GENERAL KIRCHHOFF TYPE EQUATIONS

In the present paper,we prove the existence,non-existence and multiplicity of positive normalized solutions(λ_(c),u_(c))∈R×H^(1)(R^(N))to the general Kirchhoff problem-M■,satisfying the normalization constraint f_(R)^N u^2dx=c,where M∈C([0,∞))is a given function satisfying some suitable assumptions.Our argument is not by the classical variational method,but by a global branch approach developed by Jeanjean et al.[J Math Pures Appl,2024,183:44–75]and a direct correspondence,so we can handle in a unified way the nonlinearities g(s),which are either mass subcritical,mass critical or mass supercritical.

Higher-order expansions of powered extremes of logarithmic general error distribution

In this paper,Let M_(n)denote the maximum of logarithmic general error distribution with parameter v≥1.Higher-order expansions for distributions of powered extremes M_(n)^(p)are derived under an optimal choice of normalizing constants.It is shown that M_(n)^(p),when v=1,converges to the Frechet extreme value distribution at the rate of 1/n,and if v>1 then M_(n)^(p)converges to the Gumbel extreme value distribution at the rate of(loglogn)^(2)=(log n)^(1-1/v).

Image Steganography by Pixel-Value Differencing Using General Quantization Ranges

A new steganographic method by pixel-value differencing(PVD)using general quantization ranges of pixel pairs’difference values is proposed.The objective of this method is to provide a data embedding technique with a range table with range widths not limited to powers of 2,extending PVD-based methods to enhance their flexibility and data-embedding rates without changing their capabilities to resist security attacks.Specifically,the conventional PVD technique partitions a grayscale image into 1×2 non-overlapping blocks.The entire range[0,255]of all possible absolute values of the pixel pairs’grayscale differences in the blocks is divided into multiple quantization ranges.The width of each quantization range is a power of two to facilitate the direct embedding of the bit information with high embedding rates.Without using power-of-two range widths,the embedding rates can drop using conventional embedding techniques.In contrast,the proposed method uses general quantization range widths,and a multiple-based number conversion mechanism is employed skillfully to implement the use of nonpower-of-two range widths,with each pixel pair being employed to embed a digit in the multiple-based number.All the message bits are converted into a big multiple-based number whose digits can be embedded into the pixel pairs with a higher embedding rate.Good experimental results showed the feasibility of the proposed method and its resistance to security attacks.In addition,implementation examples are provided,where the proposed method adopts non-power-of-two range widths and employsmultiple-based number conversion to expand the data-hiding and steganalysis-resisting capabilities of other PVD methods.

Intelligent Transformation: General Intelligence Theory

This paper aims to formalize a general definition of intelligence beyond human intelligence. We accomplish this by re-imagining the concept of equality as a fundamental abstraction for relation. We discover that the concept of equality = limits the sensitivity of our mathematics to abstract relationships. We propose a new relation principle that does not rely on the concept of equality but is consistent with existing mathematical abstractions. In essence, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for general interaction and argues that this framework is also an abstraction that satisfies the definition of Intelligence. Hence, we define intelligence as a formalization of generality, represented by the abstraction ∆∞Ο, where each symbol represents the concepts infinitesimal, infinite, and finite respectively. In essence, this paper proposes a General Language Model (GLM), where the abstraction ∆∞Ο represents the foundational relationship of the model. This relation is colloquially termed “The theory of everything”.

A Simulation of the Dependence of Tidal Interaction on Galaxy Type in Compact Groups

We have investigated the role that different galaxy types have in galaxy-galaxy interactions in compact groups. N-body simulations of 6 galaxies consisting of a differing mixture of galaxy types were run to compare the relative importance of galaxy population demographic on evolution. Three different groups with differing galaxy content were tested: all spiral, a single elliptical and 50% elliptical. Tidal interaction strength and duration were recorded to assess the importance of an interaction. A group with an equal number of spiral and elliptical galaxies has some of the longest and strongest interactions with elliptical-elliptical interactions being most significant. These elliptical-elliptical interactions are not dominated by a single large event but consist of multiple interactions. Elliptical galaxies tidally interacting with spiral galaxies, have the next strongest interaction events. For the case when a group only has a single elliptical, the largest magnitude tidal interaction is an elliptical on a spiral. Spirals interact with each other through many small interactions. For a spiral only group, the interactions are the weakest compared to the other group types. These spiral interactions are not dominated by any singular event that might be expected to lead to a merger but are more of an ongoing harassment. These results suggest that within a compact group, early type galaxies will not form via merger out of an assemblage of spiral galaxies but rather that compact groups, in effect form around an early type galaxy.

New HⅠObservations Toward the NGC 5055 Galaxy Group with FAST

We report a new high-sensitivity HⅠmapping observation of the NGC 5055 galaxy group over an area of 1°.5×0°.75 with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST).Our observation reveals that the warped HⅠdisk of NGC 5055 is more extended than what was previously observed by WSRT,out to239(61.7 kpc).The total HⅠmass of NGC 5055 is determined to be~1.1×10^(10)M_Θ.We identified three HⅠclouds with HⅠmasses of the order of~10^(7)M_Θat the southeastern edge of the HⅠdisk,as well as a candidate high-velocity cloud with an HⅠmass of(1.2±0.5)×10^(6)M_Θto the north of NGC 5055.The HⅠcontent of UGCA337 is robustly detected for the first time by the FAST observations.It has a narrow HⅠlinewidth of W_(50)=17.4±3.8 km s^(-1)with a total HⅠmass of(3.5±0.3)×10^(6)M_Θ.Comparing the gas content and g-r color of UGCA 337 with typical low-mass dwarf galaxies,UGCA 337 appears relatively gas-poor despite its blue color.This suggests that UGCA 337 may have undergone gas stripping in the past.We also analyzed the possible origin of the diffuse HⅠclouds located at the outskirts of NGC 5055,and speculate that they might be the remnant features of a merger event in the past.

A NOTE ON THE GENERAL STABILIZATION OF DISCRETE FEEDBACK CONTROL FOR NON-AUTONOMOUS HYBRID NEUTRAL STOCHASTIC SYSTEMS WITH A DELAY

Discrete feedback control was designed to stabilize an unstable hybrid neutral stochastic differential delay system(HNSDDS) under a highly nonlinear constraint in the H_∞ and exponential forms.Nevertheless,the existing work just adapted to autonomous cases,and the obtained results were mainly on exponential stabilization.In comparison with autonomous cases,non-autonomous systems are of great interest and represent an important challenge.Accordingly,discrete feedback control has here been adjusted with a time factor to stabilize an unstable non-autonomous HNSDDS,in which new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals and some novel technologies are adopted.It should be noted,in particular,that the stabilization can be achieved not only in the routine H_∞ and exponential forms,but also the polynomial form and even a general form.

Cost Control Strategies for Hubei General Highway Greening Project

In order to respond to the national policy of focusing on the service of building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development,and to reduce the cost of greening projects while ensuring the effect of highway landscape,a process and cost control points of highway greening design,construction,and maintenance are summarized through a review of the literature.Additionally,this paper examines the attributes of highway greening and proposes cost control strategies that are aligned with these attributes.It is proposed that the implementation of cost control strategies for highway greening should commence at the project establishment phase,with the objective of establishing a comprehensive and effective cost management control system.While guaranteeing the greening landscape effect and the duration of the project,it is essential to regulate the crucial nodes in each phase of the design,construction,and maintenance process.Furthermore,it is vital to facilitate close collaboration between all parties involved,thereby reducing costs,conserving resources,and lowering energy consumption.This approach can also lead to enhanced economic and social benefits for highway greening projects.

Influencing factors and risk prediction model for emergence agitation after general anesthesia for primary liver cancer

BACKGROUND General anesthesia is commonly used in the surgical management of gastrointestinal tumors;however,it can lead to emergence agitation(EA).EA is a common complication associated with general anesthesia,often characterized by behaviors,such as crying,struggling,and involuntary limb movements in patients.If treatment is delayed,there is a risk of incision cracking and bleeding,which can significantly affect surgical outcomes.Therefore,having a proper understanding of the factors influencing the occurrence of EA and implementing early preventive measures may reduce the incidence of agitation during the recovery phase from general anesthesia,which is beneficial for improving patient prognosis.AIM To analyze influencing factors and develop a risk prediction model for EA occurrence following general anesthesia for primary liver cancer.METHODS Retrospective analysis of clinical data from 200 patients who underwent hepatoma resection under general anesthesia at Wenzhou Central Hospital(January 2020 to December 2023)was conducted.Post-surgery,the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale was used to evaluate EA presence,noting EA incidence after general anesthesia.Patients were categorized by EA presence postoperatively,and the influencing factors were analyzed using logistic regression.A nomogram-based risk prediction model was constructed and evaluated for differentiation and fit using receiver operating characteristics and calibration curves.RESULTS EA occurred in 51(25.5%)patients.Multivariate analysis identified advanced age,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)grade Ⅲ,indwelling catheter use,and postoperative pain as risk factors for EA(P<0.05).Conversely,postoperative analgesia was a protective factor against EA(P<0.05).The area under the curve of the nomogram was 0.972[95%confidence interval(CI):0.947-0.997]for the training set and 0.979(95%CI:0.951-1.000)for the test set.Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed a good fit(χ^(2)=5.483,P=0.705),and calibration curves showed agreement between predicted and actual EA incidence.CONCLUSION Age,ASA grade,catheter use,postoperative pain,and analgesia significantly influence EA occurrence.A nomogram constructed using these factors demonstrates strong predictive accuracy.

Epidemiological, Clinical Aspects and Factors Associated with Typical Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the General Population of Parakou, Republic of Benin

Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a benign and chronic disease that can impair the quality of life. Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical aspects and factors associated with typical GERD in the general population of Parakou in the Republic of Benin. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection which took place from May 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019. The study population consisted of any subject aged at least 15 years and living in Parakou. Subjects aged at least 15 years, present on the day of the survey and having given their free and informed verbal consent were included. The Short form of QRS®(Reflux-Qual Short form) questionnaire and the “Hospital Anxiety and Depression” score were used to assess the quality of life and anxiety/depression, respectively. The sampling was probabilistic through a 2-stage cluster sampling. The variable of interest was the presence of GERD. Results: Out of 390 subjects surveyed, 28 had symptoms of typical GERD, representing a prevalence of 7.18%. The average age of these subjects was 27.11 ± 7.88 years. Fifteen subjects (53.57%) were male, giving a sex ratio of 1.15. Fourteen (50%) had a secondary level of education, 12 (42.86%) were pupils/students, 18 (64.29%) were single. The monthly income of 22 subjects (78.57%) was lower than the guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage (40,000 FCFA). The average duration of progression of symptoms was 15.89 ± 4.97 months. Symptoms occurred less than twice a week in 22 subjects (78.57%). The clinical manifestations were both diurnal and nocturnal in 12 subjects (42.86%). None of the 28 subjects with GERD had clinical warning signs. Asthma, diabetes, consumption of high fat or spice foods, carbonated drinks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcoholic beverages and tobacco were statistically associated with the occurrence of GERD. Each of the 28 subjects had at least one associated factor. A significant impair in quality of life was observed in 27 patients (96.43%). Conclusion: Typical GERD is relatively common in the general population of Parakou in the Republic of Benin. It often affects young males. Among the risk factors identified, the most common are carbonated drinks, spicy meals and diabetes. GERD significantly impairs quality of life. Raising awareness about the disease and its associated factors is necessary among the general population.

“Flow” Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Depression Treatment in a Primary Healthcare General Practice—An Open-Label Cohort Study Measuring Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S) Outcomes

Background: Flow FL-100 is a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device self-administered by a patient at home in combination with a software application delivered wellbeing behaviour therapy training. tDCS has evidence of effectiveness in treating symptoms of depression. Purpose/Aim: This post marketing study evaluated the effect of Flow on depression for primary care general practice patients with depression symptoms. Methods: Open-label patient cohort design with no control group. Inclusion criteria were aged 18 years or over and reporting depression symptoms. Participants self-administered five 30 minute tDCS sessions per week for the first three weeks, and then 3 sessions per week following this. Three, six and ten week assessment with participant self-report measure: Montgomery- Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S). Results: MADRS-S remission rates were between 29% - 30% at three weeks, 33% - 34% at six-weeks and 50% at 10-weeks treatment. There was a significant improvement in MADRS-S with large effect sizes at all time points. Conclusions: Flow tDCS can be delivered through a primary healthcare general practice service and patients will choose to use. Flow tDCS provides an effective depression treatment in addition and as an alternative to antidepressants and psychotherapy. tDCS has evidence as an effective depression treatment, and the widespread availability of tDCS in primary care general practice should be considered.