PubMed Central

The electrochemical discharge drilling (ECDD) process is a hybrid technique combining electrochemical and electric discharge drilling, essential for machining advanced engineering materials like metal sheets, composites, and ceramics. This study introduces potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ) mixed with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolytes to enhance the ECDD process. Key findings demonstrate that a 5% KMnO 4 in 95% NaOH electrolyte significantly improves dimensional accuracy, achieving a hole diameter deviation of only 0.74% from the 1.75 mm tool electrode diameter. This mixture also minimizes stray corrosion and localized heating, enhancing precision. The highest material removal rate (MRR) of 3.33 mg/min was achieved with this combination, representing a 4.1% increase over plain NaOH. Additionally, the tool wear rate (TWR) was reduced by 70% to 5.5 mg/min. The reduced tool wear observed in this study might be attributed to probable tool surface modifications, including the formation of protective oxide layers and oxygenated functional groups. Such modifications can enhance heat dissipation and stabilize the tool–electrolyte interface, thereby contributing to improved tool performance. The interaction between KMnO 4 and NaOH improved electrolyte stability, resulting in lower Heat Affected Zones (HAZs).

Purpose: Poor lung cancer patients’ outcomes and survival rates demand the discovery of new biomarkers for the specific, significant, and less invasive detection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression. The present study aimed to investigate the potential of miRNA expression as biomarkers in NSCLC utilizing a preclinical cell culture setup based on screening of miRNAs in NSCLC cells grown in 3D cell culture. Patients and Methods: The study was performed using lung cancer cell lines, varying in different levels of aggressiveness: NCI-H1299, A549, Calu-1, and NCI-H23, as well as noncancerous bronchial epithelial cell line HBEC3, which were grown in 3D cell culture. Total RNA from all cell lines was extracted and small RNA libraries were prepared and sequenced using the Illumina NGS platform. The expression of 8 differentially expressed miRNAs was further validated in 89 paired tissue specimens and plasma samples obtained from NSCLC patients. Statistical analysis was performed to determine whether miRNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics of NSCLC patients could be considered as independent factors significantly influencing PFS or OS. Results: Differentially expressed miRNAs, including let-7d-3p, miR-10a-3p, miR-28-3p, miR-28-5p, miR-100-3p, miR-182-5p, miR-190a-5p, and miR-340-5p, were identified through next-generation sequencing in NSCLC cell lines with varying levels of aggressiveness. Validation of patient samples, including tumor and plasma specimens, revealed that out of the 8 investigated miRNAs, only plasma miR-10a-3p showed a significant increase, which was associated with significantly extended progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.009). Furthermore, miR-10a-3p in plasma emerged as a statistically significant prognostic variable for NSCLC patients’ PFS (HR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3– 0.9, p=0.029). Conclusion: Our findings of screening miRNA expression patterns in NSCLC cells grown in 3D cell culture indicated that the expression level of circulating miR-10a-3p has the potential as a novel non-invasive biomarker to reflect the short-term prognosis of NSCLC patients.

The datasets for bee detection, pose estimation and segmentation consist of organized folders containing both images and corresponding labels. The detection dataset comprises a total of 7200 individual frames collected at 8 different beehives. The pose dataset contains 400 images of bees annotated with two key points per bee. The first point marks a head, second point marks a stinger. All frames have a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The segmentation dataset contains 2300 cropped images of bees. These cropped images are annotated with triangular markers that aid in estimating directional vectors. The labels in all proposed datasets were saved in YOLO format. The labeling process was automated by training YOLOv8 model on a set of manually annotated images for bee detection. After detection, all the labels were visually revised and corrected. Frames were captured using stationary mounted camera 30 cm above beehive landing boards. The data collection period spanned from June to July 2023 in Vilnius district.

In this work the investigation results of harvesting the RF energy of a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal for supply of smart home leak sensors network are presented. The collected RF energy has been used as an additional source to power the sensors. The main goal of the work was to conduct research on determining the limit values of the RF signal source power and the limit distances between the RF energy harvesting system and the RF signal source, at which it is possible to harvest the RF energy and charge the energy storage capacitor. The PCB-based Yagi-Uda type antenna for RF signal receiving and a suitable RF energy harvesting system was designed for this purpose. The hardware model of the harvesting system was investigated with the designed antenna, as well as with other antennas using a signal generator and Wi-Fi router as a sources of RF signal. The obtained results demonstrate that at typical Wi-Fi router transmitting power, which is 10–17 dBm, RF energy can only be collected when the router is several tens of centimeters away from the harvesting antenna. When a router with a maximum allowed power of 20dBm is used, the distance at which it is possible to collect the RF energy, reaches 120 cm just in the case when both the transmitting and receiving antennas are Yagi-Uda directional antennas.

Introduction: Online communities are gaining importance in modern society by actively structuring public opinion and initiating discussions about various socio-economical issues. As information and communication technologies advance, the online communities are confronted with novel technological and societal hurdles (the spread of misinformation, lack of active participation). To boost their efficacy and productivity, it’s crucial to enhance our understanding of user behavior, communication avenues and potential future trends of development. Objective: Online platforms serve a function beyond simply sharing information or knowledge; they act as influential social networks affecting various societal sectors, including politics, culture and the economy. There is a need to recognize online communities not as static entities, but as dynamic, evolving systems of collective intelligence. Methods: A representative quantitative study was carried out between 1 to 30 of October 2022 through direct, in-person interviews conducted at the respondent’s residence (known as an Omnibus survey). The sample of respondents is representative of the entire population of Lithuania regarding essential socio-demographic characteristics. By thoroughly analyzing data gathered from a comprehensive quantitative study, the study raises awareness of the issues surrounding online communities, while also shedding light on social networking behavior within these virtual spaces. Discussion: Despite the multitude of challenges inherent to virtual communication, there remains a significant knowledge gap in comprehending general user behavior within these online communities. The current research aims to bridge this gap by investigating user behavior in Lithuanian online communities.

Background: The main purpose of this was to determine study adhesion strength of molar tubes bonding with a composite adhesive after exposure to a sudden change in temperature (thermal cycles). Methods: The study sample consisted of 40 recently extracted human frst permanent molars, which were randomly divided into two groups of 20: group 1 was the experimental group (afected by thermal cycles), and group 2 was the control group. Molar tubes were bonded with a light-cure tube adhesive. The experimental group teeth were dipped 2,000 times in saline at 5 °C and at 55 °C. The control group were immersed in 37 °C saline. Molar tubes for both groups were removed with an adapted Mecmesim Multitesters 2.5—I, and the data were recorded with EMPEROR software. ANOVA was used to calculate and compare the results. Results: In the experimental group of the teeth, the maximum force was obtained at 94.2 N and the lowest force was 19.69 N. In the control group of the teeth, the maximum force was obtained at 159.1 N and the lowest force was 28.1 N. In the experimental group, the mean debonding force (59.12 N) was statically signifcantly smaller than in the control group (79.88 N), p=0.0345. The forces in the control group were by 1.35 times greater than those in the experimental group. Conclusions: The forces of the adhesion of molar tubes to the tooth surface were reduced after exposure to a sudden change in temperature (thermal cycles). The results were signifcantly diferent between the experimental group and the control group.

Electroporation with pulsed electric fields show a potential to be applied as an experimental focal therapy of tumors. Sub-microsecond regime of electric pulses displays unique electrophysical features operative in cells and membranes. Recently, MHz compression of nanosecond pulses electric fields (nsPEFs) bursts proved to enhance the effectiveness of the therapy. High morbidity of prostate cancer (PCa) and risk of overtreatment associated with this malignancy call for new minimal-invasive treatment alternative. Herein we present the in vitro study for developing applications based on this new technology. In this study, we used flow cytometric analysis, cell viability assay, caspase activity analysis, wound healing assay, confocal microscopy study, and immunofluorescence to investigate the biological effect of high-frequency nsPEFs on PCa cells. Our results show that high-frequency nsPEFs induces the permeabilization and cell death of PCa cells. The cytotoxicity is significantly enhanced in MHz compression of pulses and with the presence of extracellular Ca2+. High-frequency nsPEFs trigger changes in PCa cells’ cytoskeleton and their mobility. The presented data show a therapeutic potential of high-frequency nsPEFs in a PCa setting. The sub-microsecond regime of pulses can potentially be applied in nanosecond electroporation protocols for PCa treatment.

Composting is a promising source of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms directly involved in the decay of organic matter. However, there is a paucity of information related to bacterial and fungal diversity in compost and their enzymatic activities during the composting process. In this work, bacterial and fungal diversity during the mesophilic and thermophilic phases of textile waste composting was investigated as a way to explain the physical–chemical results obtained during the composting process. This was accomplished using a next-generation sequencing approach that targets either the 16S rRNA or ITS genomic regions of bacteria and fungi, respectively. It was observed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacterial phyla present at the mesophilic phase but not at the thermophilic one. Composting textile waste exhibits a sustained thermophilic profile (above 55 °C) that usually precludes fungal activity. Nonetheless, the presence of fungi at the thermophilic phase was observed. Rozellomycota, Basidiomycota, and Ascomycota were the most dominant phyla during both composting phases. Such thermophilic fungi with great ability to decay organic matter could be isolated as pure cultures and used for the bioaugmentation of textile waste composting to achieve an advanced maturity level of textile waste compost.

BACKGROUND The inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare, idiopathic, usually benign, mass-forming disease with myofibroblastic proliferation and a varying amount of inflammatory cells. Although it can affect various organs, the biliary tract is a rare localization of primary IMT, clinically, endoscopically and radiologically imitating cholangiocarcinoma. The treatment options are based only on clinical practice experience. CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old woman was referred to our center due to progressive fatigue, weight loss, abdominal pain, night sweats, and elevated liver enzymes. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) revealed proximal common hepatic duct and hilar biliary strictures extending bilaterally to lobular bile ducts. Although initial clinical, endoscopic and radiological signs were typical for hilar cholangiocarcinoma, histological examination showed no signs of malignancy. In total, 8 biopsies using different approaches were performed (several biopsies from dominant stricture during ERCP and direct cholangioscopy; ultrasound-guided liver biopsy; diagnostic laparoscopy with liver and lymph node biopsies). Histological examination revealed signs of IMT, and the final diagnosis of biliary IMT was stated. Although IMT is usually a benign disease, in our case, it was complicated. All pharmacological treatment measures were ineffective. The patient still needs permanent stenting, suffers from recurrent infections and mechanical jaundice. Despite that, the patient already survived 24 mo. CONCLUSION IMT presenting with hilar biliary strictures is a unique diagnostic and clinical challenge as it is indistinguishable from cholangiocarcinoma, and there are no evidence-based treatment options. Our goal is to increase the understanding of this rare disease and its possible course.

Electroporation—a transient electric-field-induced increase in cell membrane permeability—can be used to facilitate the delivery of anticancer drugs for antitumour electrochemotherapy. In recent years, Ca2+ electroporation has emerged as an alternative modality to electrochemotherapy. The antitumor effect of calcium electroporation is achieved as a result of the introduction of supraphysiological calcium doses. However, calcium is also known to play a key role in membrane resealing, potentially altering the pore dynamics and molecular delivery during electroporation. To elucidate the role of calcium for the electrotransfer of small charged molecule into cell we have performed experiments using nano- and micro-second electric pulses. The results demonstrate that extracellular calcium ions inhibit the electrotransfer of small charged molecules. Experiments revealed that this effect is related to an increased rate of membrane resealing. We also employed mathematical modelling methods in order to explain the differences between the CaCl2 effects after the application of nano- and micro-second duration electric pulses. Simulation showed that these differences occur due to the changes in transmembrane voltage generation in response to the increase in specific conductivity when CaCl2 concentration is increased.