DCT

Cemented carbide used in the rotor of a mud pulser is subjected to the scouring action of solid particles and corrosive mud media for a long time, which causes abrasive wear and electrochemical corrosion. To improve the wear and corrosive resistance of cemented carbide, samples with different cobalt content (WC-5Co, WC-8Co, and WC-10Co) receive deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) at -196 °C for 2.5 h. An optical metalloscope (OM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) are used to observe the phase changes of cemented carbides, and the XRD is also used to observe the change in residual stress on the cemented carbide's surface...

Triphenyltin (TPT) is a typical persistent organic pollutant whose occurrence in coral reef ecosystems may threaten the survival of reef fishes. In this study, a brightly colored representative reef fish, Amphiprion ocellaris was used to explore the effects of TPT at environmental levels (1, 10, and 100 ng/L) on skin pigment synthesis. After the fish were exposed to TPT for 60 days, the skin became darker, owing to an increase in the relative area of black stripes, a decrease in orange color values while an increase in brown color values, and an increase in the number of melanocytes in the orange part of the skin tissues...

Efferent sympathetic nerve fibers regulate several renal functions activating norepinephrine receptors on tubular epithelial cells. Of the beta-adrenoceptors (β-ARs), we previously demonstrated the renal expression of β3-AR in the thick ascending limb (TAL), the distal convoluted tubule (DCT), and the collecting duct (CD), where it participates in salt and water reabsorption. Here, for the first time, we reported β3-AR expression in the CD intercalated cells (ICCs), where it regulates acid-base homeostasis...

Decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) encompass various terms such as virtual, home-based, remote and siteless trials. The objectives of DCTs are to enhance the ease of participation for patients in clinical trials by minimising or removing the necessity for trial subjects to travel to the trial sites. This approach has been shown to reduce drop-out rates, increase study effectiveness and ultimately get life-altering drugs to market faster-saving sponsors billions. At the outset, DCTs deploy a wide range of digital technologies to collect safety and efficacy data from study participants, providing study treatments and performing investigations from the comfort of the patient's own home...

BACKGROUND: Considering that patellofemoral pain (PFP) is related to dynamic factors, dynamic extension on 4-dimensional computed tomography (4-DCT) may better reflect the influence of muscles and surrounding soft tissue than static extension. PURPOSE: To compare the characteristics of patellofemoral alignment between the static and dynamic knee extension position in patients with PFP and controls via 4-DCT. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3...

This work proposes a novel secret sharing scheme to enhance the security of Laryngeal Spinocellular Carcinoma or Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC) images using the Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT) as a cryptographic tool. The DCT-based secret sharing method divides LSCC images into shares, each containing DCT coefficients that represent the image's frequency components. The original image can only be reconstructed when a predefined number of shares are combined, ensuring confidentiality and preventing unauthorized access...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ding-Chuan-Tang (Abbreviated as DCT) is frequently prescribed for treatment of respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is characterized by coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the potential mechanism of DCT has not been investigated. AIM OF STUDY: The aim of the study is to explore the efficiency of DCT in the treatment of COPD in vivo and in vitro, and to illustrate the possible mechanism against COPD...

Telmisartan (TEL) is a promising antihypertensive agent among other angiotensin receptor blockers. However, its oral application is limited by its poor water solubility. This study presents the successful utilization of biomaterial-based hydrogel-forming microneedles integrated with a direct compressed tablet reservoir (HFMN-DCT) for the transdermal delivery of telmisartan in the treatment of hypertension. The combination of PVP, PVA, and tartaric acid was used in the HFMN formulation. A range of cross-linking temperatures and times were employed to optimize the characteristics of the HFMN...

BACKGROUND: The thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC) is the major apical sodium transporter located in the mammalian renal distal convoluted tubule (DCT). The amount of sodium reabsorbed in the DCT through NCC plays an important role in the regulation of extracellular fluid volume and blood pressure. Dopamine and its receptors constitute a renal antihypertensive system in mammals. The disruption of Drd4 in mice causes kidney-related hypertension. However, the pathogenesis of D4R-deficiency associated hypertension is not well documented...

Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) extract has been listed in the "Catalog of Used Cosmetic Ingredients (2021 Edition)", which can inhibit melanogenesis, thus exerting a whitening effect, and has been widely used in cosmetics. However, there are currently no quality standards for PC extract used in cosmetics, and the bioactive components associated with anti-melanogenesis remain unclear. In view of this, the present study was the first to investigate the spectrum-effect relationship between fingerprints of PC extract and melanogenesis inhibition...

INTRODUCTION: Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) account for about 70% of infections in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In recent years, pan-drug resistant (PDR) strains, strains that are not susceptible to any antibiotic, have been emerged and new treatment strategies are required. RESULTS: Fifty eligible patients were recruited in the three groups. A statistically significant reduction in the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was observed in the control group on day 4 in comparison to day 0 of VAP ( p = 0...

The economic losses incurred due to reduced muscle pigmentation highlight the crucial role of melanin-based coloration in the meat of black-bone chickens. Melanogenesis in the breast muscle of black-bone chickens is currently poorly understood in terms of molecular mechanisms. This study employed whole-transcriptome sequencing to analyze black and white breast muscle samples from black-bone chickens, leading to the identification of 367 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs, 48 DElncRNAs, 104 DEcircRNAs, and 112 DEmiRNAs involved in melanin deposition...

For patients who have difficulty in mechanical cleaning of dental appliances, a denture cleaner that can remove biofilm with dense extracellular polymeric substances is needed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of diatom complex with active micro-locomotion for removing biofilms from 3D printed dentures. The diatom complex, which is made by doping MnO2 nanosheets on diatom biosilica, is mixed with H2 O2 to generate fine air bubbles continuously. Denture base resin specimens were 3D printed in a roof shape, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (107  CFU/mL) was cultured on those for biofilm formation...

IMPORTANCE: The need to maintain clinical trial recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated the rapid uptake of digital health for the conduct of clinical trials. Different terms are used in different jurisdictions and clinical contexts, including digital trials, networked trials, teletrials (TT), and decentralized clinical trials (DCT) with a need to agree to terms. OBSERVATIONS: This clinical care review summarized publications and gray literature, including government policies for the safe conduct of clinical trials using digital health...

This paper introduces a method aiming at enhancing the efficacy of speaker identification systems within challenging acoustic environments characterized by noise and reverberation. The methodology encompasses the utilization of diverse feature extraction techniques, including Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs) and discrete transforms, such as Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), Discrete Sine Transform (DST), and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). Additionally, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) serves as the classifier for this method...

This study aimed to determine the dosimetric value of flattening filter-free (FFF) beams compared to flattening filter (FF) beams using different algorithms in the treatment planning of thoracic spine stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). A total of 120 plans were created for 15 patients using the Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) and the Acuros External Beam (AXB) algorithm with FF and FFF beams at 6 MV and 10 MV energies. Various dosimetric parameters were evaluated, including target coverage, dose spillage, and organs-at-risk sparing of the spinal cord and esophagus...

While industry and regulators' interest in decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) is long-standing, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated and broadened the adoption and experience with these trials. The key idea in decentralization is bringing the clinical trial design, typically on-site, closer to the patient's experience (on-site or off-site). Thus, potential benefits of DCTs include reducing the burden of participation in trials, broadening access to a more diverse population, or using innovative endpoints collected off-site...

PURPOSE: The distal nephron of kidney plays a pivotal role in advancing acute kidney injury (AKI). Understanding the role of distal nephrons in AKI and identifying markers of injured distal nephrons are critical to comprehending the mechanism of renal injury and identifying novel therapeutic targets. METHODS: We analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from mice with AKI induced by ischemia-reperfusion (IR), unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), cisplatin (CP), sodium oxalate (SO) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)...

Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) are trials where some or all of the trial-related activities occur at locations other than traditional clinical trial sites. FDA supports decentralization to improve participation in clinical trials. While there are benefits of DCTs, including convenience for participants, sponsors and investigators should be aware of potential challenges such as coordination of trial activities at locations other than traditional trial sites and supervision of delegated trial-activities performed remotely...

Retinal tears (RTs) are usually detected by B-scan ultrasound images, particularly for individuals with complex eye conditions. However, traditional manual techniques for reading ultrasound images have the potential to overlook or inaccurately diagnose conditions. Thus, the development of rapid and accurate approaches for the diagnosis of an RT is highly important and urgent. The present study introduces a novel hybrid deep-learning model called DCT-Net to enable the automatic and precise diagnosis of RTs. The implemented model utilizes a vision transformer as the backbone and feature extractor...