Traditional Use of Medicinal Plants Confirmed by the Baka in Southern and Eastern Cameroon

The limitations of biomedecine to provide effective solutions to certain pandemics has led many people to turn to alternative therapies. These palliative solutions, particularly phytomedecines, are much sought after for disease prevention and treatment. The Baka, a group of forest-dwelling people, hold knowledge on how wild plants can be effective in treating many illnesses. However, the greatest challenge for the identification of traditional medicines depends on the veracity of the information provided during ethnobotanic surveys by user populations. The present study describes forest plants used by the Baka and confirmed by them as being employed for traditional medicine. We carried out ethnobotanical surveys between 2019 and 2021 in 221 households within four districts of the Eastern and Southern Region of Cameroon. We used indices of significant use and performance applied to all mentioned species, alongside searches in the literature. The statistical tools used to distinguish the different groups/districts is Pearson’s X2 test. A total of 378 plant species were identified of 270 genera and 85 families. Ethnobotanical indices allowed to identify the most confirmed and efficient plants for several health problems. A pairwise comparison of these indices showed a significant correlation with a p-value < 2.2e-16 and a dissimilarity distance less than 0.5. Some plants selected are widely cited in other regions and/or countries for the same health problems. The presence of active molecules responsible for their biological activity was also proven, justifying their use in traditional medicine. This paper examines the potential to enhance the value of Cameroon’s pharmacopeia by integrating various ethnobotanical indices. It aims to discover new therapeutic molecules and develop improved traditional products from the diverse plant species documented. The findings indicate opportunities to advance both local and global healthcare solutions.

Simultaneously compensating tunable CD and adaptive PMD using two different nonlinearly chirped fiber Bragg gratings

Experimental research of simultaneous tunable chromatic dispersion (CD) and adaptive polarization mode dispersion (PMD) compensations in optical fiber communication system was reported. Two different nonlinearly chirped fiber Bragg gratings fabricated through the equivalent chirp technology were adopted in the experiment. One of the gratings was used as CD compensator, with a tunable dispersion range from 300 to 600 ps/nm. The other made of photosensitive polarization maintaining fiber was used as a tunable delay line of PMD compensator, which provided a varying amount of differential group delay (DGD) from 40 to 110 ps. Our experiment was operated at 10-Gb/s non-return-to-zero (NRZ) system and the results showed that the eye pattern recovery is excellent after both PMD and CD are compensated. Especially, the power penalty at a bit error rate (BER) of 10-9 is about 1 dB.

饱和型乙烯-丁烯弹性体的交联机理

乙烯-丁烯共聚物弹性体(POE)通常采用过氧化二异丙苯(DCP)进行交联反应,但是该交联反应的具体机理尚不明确。文中通过原位升温红外光谱结合外扰相关移动窗口二维相关红外(PCMW2D)和广义二维相关红外分析对POE的DCP交联机理进行了分析。在差示扫描量热分析(DSC)中,POE交联反应过程的温度区域能够在曲线中得到佐证。从PCMW2D图谱分析和DSC曲线中可以看出,交联反应的最大速率出现在170~188℃处。为了获得交联反应过程中具体的交联机理,在广义二维相关分析中对相应官能团对应的波数进行分析。从各个官能团运动的先后次序上能够将这一交联过程划分为4个具体步骤:DCP开始分解并释放出自由基;由DCP分解而来的自由基在主链亚甲基上进行自由基加成反应,生成新的链自由基;在侧链甲基上的1个氢原子受到由DCP分解而来的自由基的进攻,从而形成一部分甲基自由基;不同分子链之间的2个链自由基相互偶合生成新的共价键完成整个交联反应过程。

可穿戴单警装备安全认证协议研究

可穿戴单警装备成为未来公安领域智能警务装备的发展趋势,具备数据感知、移动计算、分析决策等智能服务支持能力。文章面向警务云应用场景,提出一种基于动态密值的可穿戴单警装备安全认证协议,利用轻量级密码学算法,实现可穿戴单警装备与智能终端的安全数据交互和可靠身份认证。该协议利用伪随机数动态选取共享密值和密钥,提升了会话周期的随机性和不可预测性;引入单向HMAC函数和Hash函数确保数据机密性和数据完整性,充分考虑无线通信链路可能存在的安全威胁,满足资源受限应用场景的可穿戴单警装备安全认证需求。

Hepatocellular carcinoma: Therapeutic advances in signaling,epigenetic and immune targets

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)remains a global medical burden with rising incidence due to chronic viral hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.Treatment of advanced disease stages is still unsatisfying.Besides first and second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors,immune checkpoint inhibitors have become central for the treatment of HCC.New modalities like epigenetic therapy using histone deacetylase inhibitors(HDACi)and cell therapy approaches with chimeric antigen receptor T cells(CAR-T cells)are currently under investigation in clinical trials.Development of such novel drugs is closely linked to the availability and improvement of novel preclinical and animal models and the identification of predictive biomarkers.The current status of treatment options for advanced HCC,emerging novel therapeutic approaches and different preclinical models for HCC drug discovery and development are reviewed here.

Production of Biodiesel from Sludge Palm Oil by Esterification Process

Sludge palm oil （SPO） is an attractive feedstock and a significant raw material for biodiesel production. The use of SPO can lower the cost ofbiodiesel production significantly. In this study biodiesel fuel was produced from SPO by esterification process using P-toluenesulfonic acid （PTSA） as acid catalyst in different dosages in presence of methanol to convert free fatty acid （FFA） to fatty acid methyl ester （FAME）. Batch esterification process of SPO was carried out to study the influence of PTSA dosage （0.25-10% wt/wt）, molar ratio of methanol to SPO （6：1-20：1）, temperature （40-80 ℃）, reaction time （30-120 min）. The effects of those parameters on the yield of crude biodiesel and conversion of FFA to FAME were monitored. The optimum condition for batch esterification process was 0.75% wt/wt, 10：1 molar ratio, 60 ℃ temperature and 60 minutes reaction time.

内镜下视频自动荧光成像继窄带成像技术用于诊断Barrett食管的早期瘤形成

Background:Video-autofluorescence imaging(AFI) and narrow band imaging(NBI) are new endoscopic techniques that may improve the detection of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia(HGIN) in Barrett’s esophagus(BE) .AFI improves the detection of lesions but may give false-positive findings.NBI allows for detailed inspection of the mucosal and(micro) vascular patterns,which are related to HGIN.Objective:A proof-of-principle study to combine AFI and NBI to improve the detection of HGIN and to reduce false-positive findings.Design:Cross-sectional study of consecutive eligible patients.Setting:Single-center.Patients:Twenty patients with BE with suspected or endoscopically treated HGIN were investigated with 2 prototype imaging systems:AFI(inspection with high-resolution videoendoscopy and autofluorescence imaging for detection of lesions) and NBI(for detailed inspection of mucosal and vascular patterns of identified lesions) .Lesions were sampled for histopathologic evaluation.Main Outcome Measurements:The positive predictive value of AFI alone and of AFI-NBI for detecting HGIN and the reduction of falsepositive findings because of the use of NBI.Results:All of the 28 lesions with HGIN were identified with AFI.Seventeen were identified with white light(61%) .Forty-seven suspicious lesions were detected with AFI:28 contained HGIN(60%) and 19 were false positive(40%) .With NBI,25 of the true-positive lesions had definitely suspicious patterns,and 3 had dubiously suspicious patterns.Of the 19 false positives,14 were not suspicious on NBI.The false-positive rate,therefore,was reduced from 40% to 10%.Low-grade dysplasia was found in 4 of the remaining 5 false positives.All of the 14 patients with HGIN were identified by AFI-NBI(sensitivity 100%) .Limitations:Uncontrolled study in high-risk patients.Conclusions:This proof-of-principle study confirms that AFI can be used as a red-flag technique to detect suspicious lesions.With NBI,detailed inspection of the surface patterns can be performed.This combination may increase the accuracy of detecting HGIN in BE.

为提高生产效率和生产质量采用的电子纱线自停装置

描述了各种用途的电子传感器。这些传感器分别用于监控短纤纱、粗纱条、单丝、复丝以及细金属丝的纺纱、加捻、络筒、并纱/络筒、梳棉、牵伸、粗纱等。在长丝工业中主要应用于拉伸卷绕、拉伸加捻和变形工艺;在织造准备中用于分批整经和分条整经;在针织工业中用于圆型针织机;此外还用于特殊纺织机械部门。这意味着电子传感器在各种需要监控纱线和单丝的场合都有实际应用。

VMD2基因突变相关性Best黄斑营养不良迟发者常见

Purpose: To perform a detailed morphologic and functional evaluation of Best m acular dystrophy (BMD) associated with mutations in the VMD2 gene. Design: Retro spective study. Participants: The records of 16 patients with BMD and heterozygo us VMD2 mutations (group 1) and 5 patients with Best-like lesions with no detec table disease-associated alterations in the VMD2 gene (group 2) were evaluated retrospectively. Methods: The data were reviewed regarding visual acuity (VA), c olor vision, perimetry, autofluorescence of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) , fluorescein angiography, electro-oculography (EOG), and full-field electrore tinography (ERG) and multifocal ERG (mfERG). Main Outcome Measures: VMD2 mutatio ns, age at onset of BMD, RPE auto-fluores- cence, EOG, ERG, and mfERG. Results: The mean age of the patients in group 1 w as 47.1 years (range, 16.7-86.5), and age at onset varied between 5 and 58 year s (median, 42.0). Visual acuity ranged between 20/16 and 20/400 (median, 20/40). No association existed between the specific nature of theVMD2 mutation and dise ase onset or expressivity. Retinal pigment epithelium autofluorescence was incre ased corresponding to ophthalmoscopically visible yellow material, whereas it wa s decreased in the atrophic stage of BMD. Electro-oculography light rise was re duced in 18 of 19 eyes. Electroretinography amplitudes were normal in 3 patients and reduced in 6 patients. Multifocal ERG revealed in 10 of 20 eyes a central a mplitude reduction and in 7 eyes a generalized one. There were no marked differe nces in clinical and functional findings between the patients in groups 1 and 2, except that the mean age of the patients in group 2 was higher (64.0 years [ra n ge, 45.7-80.6]) and the median VA lower (20/50 [range, 20/32-20/320]). Conc lus ions: The onset of BMDis highly variable and occurred in the majority of patient s after the second decade of life. Bestlike lesions may develop in older patient s without associated VMD2 mutations. Those manifestations may be related to a sp ecific form of age-related macular degeneration.

Urchin-like multiscale structured fluorinated hydroxyapatite as versatile filler for caries restoration dental resin composites

Caries is one of the most prevalent human diseases,resulting from demineralization of tooth hard tissue caused by acids produced from bacteria,and can progress to pulpal inflammation.Filling restoration with dental resin composites(DRCs)is currently the most common treatment for caries.However,existing DRCs suffer from low fracture strength and lack comprehensive anti-caries bioactivity including remineralization,pulp protection,and anti-cariogenic bacteria effects.In this study,inspired by plant roots’ability to stabilize and improve soil,fluorinated urchin-like hydroxyapatite(FUHA)with a three-dimensional whisker structure and bioactive components of calcium,phosphorus,and fluorine was designed and synthesized by a dynamic self-assembly method.Furthermore,versatile FUHA particles with different loading fractions were used as functional fillers to fabricate methacrylate-based DRCs,where the urchin-like hydroxyapatite(UHA)filled DRCs and commercial DRCs(Z350XT and BEAUTIFIL II)served as the control groups.The results demonstrated that FUHA with 50 wt%loading in resin matrix endowed DRC(F5)with excellent physicochemical properties,dentin remineralization property,cell viability,promotion of dental pulp stem cells mineralization,and antibacterial properties.Meanwhile,F5 also presented good clinical handling and aesthetic characteristics.Therefore,structure/functional-integrated FUHA filled DRCs have potential as a promising strategy for tooth restoration and anti-caries bioactivity.

EHD friction properties of ISO VG 320 gear oils with smooth and rough surfaces

The elastohydrodynamic(EHD)friction properties of seven ISO VG 320 gear oils including three polyalphaolefins(PAOs),three polyglycols(PG)and a mineral oil have been investigated in rolling/sliding conditions at six different temperatures and three roughnesses.Film thickness,Stribeck and traction curves have been generated using a ball‐on‐disc tribometer.Film thickness results are in agreement with previous work that it is primarily controlled by pressure‐viscosity coefficient and viscosity of lubricants.The results with smooth surface show that all oils experience significant shear heating leading to friction reduction at higher strain rates or lambda ratios but only PGs reach limiting friction whereas mineral oil and PAOs do not.Friction curves obtained at different temperatures and roughnesses enable simulating an extensive range of lubrication regimes and allow isothermal friction correction for shear heating.Stribeck curves with rough surfaces show an increase in friction in the lambda range of 0.5–3.5,where asperity separation varies from partial to full–indicating that roughness effects can be expected even under full film condition.This increase in friction is attributed to formation of a micro‐EHD region,and is seen only with mineral oil and PAOs whereas not with PGs.The results also highlight how EHD friction properties of different family of fluids could be influenced by roughness effects,and the possible mechanisms are discussed.

A Review of Transparent and Artificial Boundary Conditions Techniques for Linear and Nonlinear Schrodinger Equations

In this review article we discuss different techniques to solve numerically the time-dependent Schrodinger equation on unbounded domains.We present in detail the most recent approaches and describe briefly alternative ideas pointing out the relations between these works.We conclude with several numerical examples from different application areas to compare the presented techniques.We mainly focus on the one-dimensional problem but also touch upon the situation in two space dimensions and the cubic nonlinear case.

Low rank approximation in G0W0 calculations

The single particle energies obtained in a Kohn-Sham density functional theory(DFT) calculation are generally known to be poor approximations to electron excitation energies that are measured in transport,tunneling and spectroscopic experiments such as photo-emission spectroscopy. The correction to these energies can be obtained from the poles of a single particle Green's function derived from a many-body perturbation theory. From a computational perspective, the accuracy and efficiency of such an approach depends on how a self energy term that properly accounts for dynamic screening of electrons is approximated. The G_0W_0 approximation is a widely used technique in which the self energy is expressed as the convolution of a noninteracting Green's function(G_0) and a screened Coulomb interaction(W_0) in the frequency domain. The computational cost associated with such a convolution is high due to the high complexity of evaluating W_0 at multiple frequencies. In this paper, we discuss how the cost of G_0W_0 calculation can be reduced by constructing a low rank approximation to the frequency dependent part of W_0. In particular, we examine the effect of such a low rank approximation on the accuracy of the G_0W_0 approximation. We also discuss how the numerical convolution of G_0 and W_0 can be evaluated efficiently and accurately by using a contour deformation technique with an appropriate choice of the contour.

扎哈·哈迪德建筑事务所:参数化塔楼研究

扎哈·哈迪德建筑事务所创办至今，已经走过了三十年的历程，期间在全球各地拔地而起，创作了大量独特和超前的项目。这些成就背后的学术支撑是扎哈，哈迪德女士（Zaha Hadid）与派特里克·舒马赫博士（Patrik Schumacher）令人印象深刻的建筑理论工作。

Stereotactic radiosurgery for haemorrhagic cerebral cavernous malformation:a multi-institutional,retrospective study

Background Cerebral cavernous malformations(CCMs)frequently manifest with haemorrhages.Stereotactic radiosurgery(SRS)has been employed for CCM not suitable for resection.Its effect on reducing haemorrhage risk is still controversial.The aim of this study was to expand on the safety and efficacy of SRS for haemorrhagic CCM.Methods This retrospective multicentric study included CCM with at least one haemorrhage treated with single-session SRS.The annual haemorrhagic rate(AHR)was calculated before and after SRS.Recurrent event analysis and Cox regression were used to evaluate factors associated with haemorrhage.Adverse radiation effects(AREs)and occurrence of new neurological deficits were recorded.Results The study included 381 patients (median age:37.5 years(Q1–Q3:25.8–51.9))with 414 CCMs.The AHR from diagnosis to SRS excluding the first haemorrhage was 11.08 per 100 CCM-years and was reduced to 2.7 per 100 CCM-years after treatment.In recurrent event analysis,SRS,HR 0.27(95%CI 0.17 to 0.44),p<0.0001 was associated with a decreased risk of haemorrhage,and the presence of developmental venous anomaly(DVA)with an increased risk,HR 1.60(95%CI 1.07 to 2.40),p=0.022.The cumulative risk of first haemorrhage after SRS was 9.4%(95%CI 6%to 12.6%)at 5 years and 15.6%(95%CI%9 to 21.8%)at 10 years.Margin doses>13 Gy,HR 2.27(95%CI 1.20 to 4.32),p=0.012 and the presence of DVA,HR 2.08(95%CI 1.00 to 4.31),p=0.049 were factors associated with higher probability of post-SRS haemorrhage.Post-SRS haemorrhage was symptomatic in 22 out of 381(5.8%)patients,presenting with transient(15/381)or permanent(7/381)neurological deficit.ARE occurred in 11.1%(46/414)CCM and was responsible for transient neurological deficit in 3.9%(15/381)of the patients and permanent deficit in 1.1%(4/381)of the patients.Margin doses>13 Gy and CCM volume>0.7 cc were associated with increased risk of ARE.