Introduction: Bladder pain syndrome (BPS)/interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by bothersome symptoms as pain, urgency, urinary incontinence and in some cases urinary retention, impacting a patient’s quality of life. However, also recurrent cystitis could cause a chronic bladder inflammation which can explain discomfort of the bladder and similar symptoms, often referred by younger patients during clinical evaluation. The aetiology of IC/BPS is still unknown, and it may be multifactorial. Although a definitive treatment is not available, the challenge is finding new therapeutic strategies. Different intravesical treatments such as heparin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, pentosan polysulfate, dimethylsulfoxide, liposomes, and botulinum onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT‐A) are commonly proposed for BPS/IC. The aim of study was to evaluate the anti‐inflammatory effects of intravesical Vessilen® (a new formulation of 2% adelmidrol (the diethanolamide derivative of azelaic acid) + 0.1% sodium hyaluronate) administration in patients affected by IC/BPS or other bladder disorders. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. At baseline and after the treatment, validated questionnaires were administered to the patients: the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Modules (ICIQ‐FLUTS Long Form). The subjective perception of the severity of symptoms was investigated by the Patient global impression scale (PGIs). Results: Based on 25 patients who completed the cycle of weekly instillation for six weeks, we observed a significant decrease in the severity of bladder symptoms according to both ICIQ‐FLUTS scale (89.3 vs 61.3; p=0.021) and VAS score (4.4 vs 2.6; p<0.001). Moreover, according to PGI‐I, 80% of patients observed an improvement in symptoms (PGI‐I score ≤ 3). Conclusion: Intravesical administration of adelmidrol combined with sodium hyaluronate (Vessilen®) could be an innovative therapeutic approach for patient complaining interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) or other chronic inflammatory bladder disorders, due to its well‐known anti‐inflammatory and antinociceptive properties.Introduction: Bladder pain syndrome (BPS)/interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by bothersome symptoms as pain, urgency, urinary incontinence and in some cases urinary retention, impacting a patient’s quality of life. However, also recurrent cystitis could cause a chronic bladder inflammation which can explain discomfort of the bladder and similar symptoms, often referred by younger patients during clinical evaluation. The aetiology of IC/BPS is still unknown, and it may be multifactorial. Although a definitive treatment is not available, the challenge is finding new therapeutic strategies. Different intravesical treatments such as heparin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, pentosan polysulfate, dimethylsulfoxide, liposomes, and botulinum onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT‐A) are commonly proposed for BPS/IC. The aim of study was to evaluate the anti‐inflammatory effects of intravesical Vessilen® (a new formulation of 2% adelmidrol (the diethanolamide derivative of azelaic acid) + 0.1% sodium hyaluronate) administration in patients affected by IC/BPS or other bladder disorders. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. At baseline and after the treatment, validated questionnaires were administered to the patients: the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Modules (ICIQ‐FLUTS Long Form). The subjective perception of the severity of symptoms was investigated by the Patient global impression scale (PGIs). Results: Based on 25 patients who completed the cycle of weekly instillation for six weeks, we observed a significant decrease in the severity of bladder symptoms according to both ICIQ‐FLUTS scale (89.3 vs 61.3; p=0.021) and VAS score (4.4 vs 2.6; p<0.001). Moreover, according to PGI‐I, 80% of patients observed an improvement in symptoms (PGI‐I score ≤ 3). Conclusion: Intravesical administration of adelmidrol combined with sodium hyaluronate (Vessilen®) could be an innovative therapeutic approach for patient complaining interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) or other chronic inflammatory bladder disorders, due to its well‐known anti‐inflammatory and antinociceptive properties.

Pretilachlor is a chloroacetamide herbicide, mainly used for the control of weeds and broadleaf weeds in rice, and widely used in China. For the detection of residues of pretilachlor in the en-vironment and food, a highly sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody against pretilachlor was prepared, and the half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the monoclonal antibody was validated to be 31.47±2.35 μg/L. An indirect competitive ELISA (ic-ELISA) based on the antibody with a linear range of 6.25~100 μg/L was developed for the detection of pretilachlor residues in the environment and food crops. The specificity of the antibody was explained by computer simula-tions and experimental validation. No cross-reactivity of this monoclonal antibody to alachlor, acetochlor and metalaxyl, and it cross-reacted less than 3.0% to both butachlor and propisochlor. The limits of detection (LOD) for pretilachlor in lake, rice, and soil samples were 4.83~5.23 μg/L. The recoveries of all samples were 78.3%~91.3%. The ic-ELISA method was validated by high-performance liquid chromatography, thus, it can be used for residue detection of pretilachlor in the environment and grains.

Brain plasticity is induced by learning during wakefulness and is consolidated during sleep. But the molecular mechanisms involved are poorly understood and their relation to experience-dependent changes in brain activity remains to be clarified. Localized mRNA translation is im-portant for the structural changes at synapses supporting brain plasticity consolidation. Sleep has been shown activate the translation mTOR pathway, via phosphorylation of 4E-BPs, during brain plasticity, but whether this activation is specific to synapses is not known. We investigated this question using acute exposure of rats to an enriched environment (EE). We measured brain activity with EEGs and 4E-BPs phosphorylation at cortical and cerebellar synapses with Western Blot. Sleep significantly increased the conversion of 4E-BPs to its hyperphosphorylated form at synapses, especially after EE exposure. EE exposure increased oscillations in the alpha band dur-ing active exploration and in the theta to beta (4-30Hz) range, as well as spindle density, during NREM sleep. Theta activity during exploration and NREM spindle frequency predicted changes in 4E-BPs hyperphosphorylation at synapses. Our results provide a link between EEG and mo-lecular markers of plasticity across wake and sleep.

One route to reducing CO2 emissions is to improve the energy efficiency of machines. For example, conventional combustion engines are being downsized (and down-speeded), are now running on lower viscosity engine lubricants (such as SAE 0W-20 or lower viscosity grades) and often also have stop-start systems fitted (to prevent engine idling when the vehicle is stopped). Some of these changes result in higher levels of mixed and boundary friction, and so accurate estimation of mixed/boundary friction losses is becoming of increased importance, both for estimating friction losses, and also for estimating wear volumes. Traditional approaches to estimating mixed/boundary friction, which employ real area of contact modelling such as the Greenwood-Tripp model [1] are widely used, but recent experimental data suggests that these approaches underestimate mixed/boundary friction losses [2-5]. A new model has been developed, based on experimental data, which estimates the proportion of mixed/boundary lubrication, X, as a function of the value (where is the ratio of the oil film thickness separating the surfaces to the combined root mean square surface roughness of the interface surfaces). The precise equation that describes the way in which X varies with takes the form of a “reverse S-curve”, which makes physical sense since S-curves arise naturally in growth processes, and in mixed/boundary lubrication, the real area of contact of rough surfaces grows as the load (and 1/) increases. Numerical estimates of mixed/boundary lubrication losses in internal combustion engines are presented here and compared with published data [2,6]. In addition, the improved method described here is used to estimate both the financial cost of mixed/boundary lubrication for today’s passenger car fleet, and the CO2 emissions associated with these friction losses.

The measurement range of a conventional current sensor is narrow because it is used with signals relative to the rated values of the measurement range from a voltage-type device. Consequently, multiple current sensors must be used in accordance with the measurement range. To address this problem, this paper proposes a new current sensor with a clamp-shaped part for low current measurement and a simple straight structure for high current measurement. The output signals of the proposed current sensor are amplified with a Hall element using the magnetic force of a rectangular air gap inside the clamp. To verify the characteristics of the proposed current sensor, a current was applied to an external load, and the value determined by the current sensor noted. Then, electromagnetic field analysis was performed through current sensor modeling and the results obtained compared to the actual sensor results. The proposed sensor had a 1% linearity in the output signals and exhibited dynamic characteristics over a wide current range.

A single qubit may be represented on the Bloch sphere or similarly on the 3-sphere S3. Our goal is to dress this correspondence by converting the language of universal quantum computing (UQC) to that of 3-manifolds. A magic state and the Pauli group acting on it define a model of UQC as a positive operator-valued measure (POVM) that one recognizes to be a 3-manifold M3. More precisely, the d-dimensional POVMs defined from subgroups of finite index of the modular group PSL(2, Z) correspond to d-fold M3- coverings over the trefoil knot. In this paper, one also investigates quantum information on a few ‘universal’ knots and links such as the figure-of-eight knot, the Whitehead link and Borromean rings, making use of the catalog of platonic manifolds available on the software SnapPy. Further connections between POVMs based UQC and M3’s obtained from Dehn fillings are explored.

A single qubit may be represented on the Bloch sphere or similarly on the $3$-sphere $S^3$. Our goal is to dress this correspondence by converting the language of universal quantum computing (uqc) to that of $3$-manifolds. A magic state and the Pauli group acting on it define a model of uqc as a POVM that one recognizes to be a $3$-manifold $M^3$. E. g., the $d$-dimensional POVMs defined from subgroups of finite index of the modular group $PSL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ correspond to $d$-fold $M^3$- coverings over the trefoil knot. In this paper, one also investigates quantum information on a few \lq universal' knots and links such as the figure-of-eight knot, the Whitehead link and Borromean rings, making use of the catalog of platonic manifolds available on SnapPy. Further connections between POVMs based uqc and $M^3$'s obtained from Dehn fillings are explored.

Bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) are increasingly used as substitutes for bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, driven by concerns over the adverse effects of BPA. However, there is a lack of infor-mation on the extent of exposure to these chemicals in children. This study aims to assess the extent of BPA, BPF, and BPS exposure and determine factors that influence such exposure. A group of Thai children (age 6-13 years, n=358) were recruited between October 2019-2020. Two first morning void was collected one week apart. Demographic and exposure-related information was gathered. Urinary concentrations of bisphenols were analyzed by liquid-chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Correlation between bisphenol concentrations and various factors was determined using generalized estimating equations with linear model. BPA, BPF, and BPS were detected at 79.6%, 31.0%, and 16.8%, with geometric mean (GM) concentrations of 1.41, 0.013, and 0.014 ng/mL respectively. Younger children aged < 10 years exhibited 1.3-1.6 times higher GM levels of all bisphenols compared to older children. Exposure to food stored in plas-tic containers were associated with higher levels of BPF and BPS. In conclusion, BPA was the most fre-quently detected bisphenol in urine samples from Thai children, followed by BPF and BPS.

The main goal of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission over land surfaces is the production of global maps of soil moisture (SM) and vegetation optical depth (τ) based on multi-angular brightness temperature (TB) measurements at L-band. The operational SMOS Level 2 and Level 3 soil moisture algorithms account for different surface effects, such as vegetation opacity and soil roughness at 4 km resolution, in order to produce global retrievals of SM and τ. In this study, we present an alternative SMOS product which was developed by INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) and CESBIO (Centre d’Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsphère). This SMOS-INRA-CESBIO (SMOS-IC) product provides daily SM and τ at the global scale and differs from the operational SMOS Level 3 (SMOSL3) product in the treatment of retrievals over heterogeneous pixels. Specifically, SMOS-IC is much simpler and does not account for corrections associated to the antenna pattern and the complex SMOS viewing angle geometry. It considers pixels as homogeneous to avoid uncertainties and errors linked to inconsistent auxiliary data sets which are used to characterize the pixel heterogeneity in the SMOS L3 algorithm. SMOS-IC also differs from the current SMOSL3 product (Version 300, V300) in the values of the effective vegetation scattering albedo (ω) and soil roughness parameters. An inter-comparison is presented in this study based on the use of ECMWF (European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting) SM outputs and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). A 6 year (2010-2015) inter-comparison of the SMOS products SMOS-IC and SMOSL3 SM (V300) with ECMWF SM yielded higher correlations and lower ubRMSD (unbiased root mean square difference) for SMOS-IC over most of the pixels. In terms of τ, SMOS-IC τ was found to be better correlated to MODIS NDVI in most regions of the globe, with the exception of the Amazonian basin and of the northern mid-latitudes.

The affinity constant, also known as the equilibrium constant, binding constant, equilibrium association constant, or the reciprocal value, the equilibrium dissociation constant (K_d), can be considered as one of the most important characteristics for any antibody-antigen pair. Many methods based on different technologies have been proposed and used to determine this value. However, since a very large number of publications and commercial datasheets do not include this information, significant obstacles in performing such measurements seem to exist. In other cases where such data are reported, the results have often proved to be unreliable. This situation may indicate that most of the technologies available today require a high level of expertise that does not seem to be available in many laboratories. In this paper, we present a simple approach based on standard immunoassay technology that is easy and quick to perform. It relies on the effect that the molar IC₅₀ approaches the K_d value in the case of infinitely small concentrations of the reagent concentrations. A two-dimensional dilution of the reagents leads to an asymptotic convergence to K_d. The approach has some similarity to the well-known checkerboard titration used for the optimization of immunoassays. A well-known antibody against the FLAG peptide, clone M2, was used as a model system and the results were compared with other methods. This approach could be used in any case where a competitive assay is available or can be developed. The determination of an affinity constant should belong to the crucial parameters in any quality control of antibody-related products and assays and should be mandatory in papers using immunochemical protocols.