The carbonyl iron particles were dispersed in a polychloroprene rubber (CR) matrix under an external magnetic field for practical application as microwave absorption composites film. The film prepared under external magnetic field with a thickness of only 0.54 mm showed least reflection loss of -15.98 dB and the reflection loss value less than -10.0 dB over the frequency range of 11.4~14.8 GHz. In comparison with the microwave absorption properties of calculation by transmission line theory based on the tested relative complex permittivity and permeability and film prepared by general route without external magnetic field, the film made with external magnetic field exhibited more excellent microwave absorption properties, strongly depending on the increment of anisotropy and rearrangement of magnetic particles. The results indicated the composite film made under external magnetic field have excellent microwave absorption properties, which suggest that the composites thin film could be used as a thinner and lighter microwave absorber.

The question of the relevance of human and natural capital, as well as the potential adverse effect of natural capital on economic growth, has gained increased attention in development economics. The aim of this paper is to theoretically and empirically assess the relevance of several forms of capital on economic growth in small economies that are dependent upon tourism or natural resources. The empirical framework is based on Impulse Response Functions obtained from Vector Autoregressive models in which we focus on the model where economic growth is the dependent variable for ten small economies that are dependent upon either tourism or natural resources. We find that there is evidence of the ‘’natural resource curse’’, especially in the economies that have a strong dependence on resources that are easily substitutable and whose prices constantly fluctuate. We further find that in the majority of observed cases the type of capital these small economies are most dependent on for their economic growth causes negative impulses in the majority of the observed periods. The main policy recommendation should be to assure that even these small economies should strive towards further diversification and avoid dependence on only one segment of their economy.

Cloud Computing is a promising and emerging technology that is rapidly being adopted by many IT companies due to a number of benefits that it provides, such as large storage space, low investment cost, virtualization, resource sharing, etc. Users are able to store a vast amount of data and information in the cloud and access it from anywhere, anytime on a pay-per-use basis. Since many users are able to share the data and the resources stored in the cloud, there arises a need to provide access to the data to only those users who are authorized to access it. This can be done through access control schemes which allow the authenticated and authorized users to access the data and deny access to unauthorized users. In this paper, a comprehensive review of all the existing access control schemes has been discussed along with analysis. Keywords: role-based access control, attribute-based access control, attribute-based encryption

Obtaining a genetic diagnosis of a primary mitochondrial disease (PMD) is often framed as a diagnostic odyssey. Yet, even after receiving a diagnosis, parents of affected children experience ongoing therapeutic and prognostic uncertainty, and considerable psychosocial challenges. Semi-structured interviews (N= 24) were conducted with parents of 13 children (aged 2-19 years) with a genetically confirmed PMD. Paternal (N=11) and maternal (N=13) perspectives were obtained, and thematic analysis performed on all interviews. A genetic diagnosis was valuable and empowering for parents, despite eliciting varied emotional responses. While the diagnosis helped focus management decisions, families often felt overwhelmed and unsupported in navigating the healthcare system. Most parents reported a serious impact on their romantic relationship. The sources of social support varied with a preference for established friendship and family support networks over disease-specific community support groups. Most parents favored prenatal genetic testing in the event of a future pregnancy. This study provides insight into the lived experiences of parents after a genetic diagnosis of PMD in their children. The findings draw awareness to supportive care needs and highlight important gaps that should be addressed to ensure that parents feel supported within a holistic framework of management for PMDs.

The application of artificial intelligence to point-of-care testing (POCT) disease detection has become a hot research field, in which breath detection which detects the patient's exhaled VOCs combined with sensor arrays of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithms as a new lung cancer detection is attracting more researchers' attention. However, due to low accuracy, high complexity computation and large number of parameters make the CNN algorithms difficult transplant to the embedded system of POCT devices. A lightweight neural network (LTNet) in this work is proposed to deal with this problem, and meanwhile, achieve high-precision classification of acetone and ethanol gases, which are respiratory markers for lung cancer patients. Compared to currently popular lightweight CNN models such as EfficientNet, LTNet has fewer parameters (32K) and its training weight size is only 0.155 MB. LTNet achieved an overall classification accuracy of 99.06% and 99.14% in the own mixed gas dataset and the University of California (UCI) dataset, which are both higher than that of the five existing models’, and it also offers the shortest training (844.38s and 584.67s) and inference time (23s and 14s) in the same validation set. Compared to the existing CNN models, LTNet is more suitable for resource-limited POCT devices.

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs), a subtype of glycolipids containing sphingosine, are critical components of vertebrate plasma membranes, playing a pivotal role in cellular signaling and interactions. In human articular cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA), GSL expression is known notably to decrease. This review focuses on the roles of gangliosides, a specific type of GSL, in cartilage degeneration and regeneration, emphasizing their regulatory function in signal transduction. The expression of gangliosides, whether endogenous or augmented exogenously, is regulated at the enzymatic level, targeting specific glycosyltransferases. This regulation has significant implications for the composition of cell surface gangliosides and their impact on signal transduction in chondrocytes and progenitor cells. Different levels of ganglioside expression can influence signaling pathways in various ways, potentially affecting cell properties, including malignancy. Moreover, gene manipulations against gangliosides have been shown to regulate cartilage metabolism and chondrocyte differentiation in vivo and in vitro. This review highlights the potential of targeting gangliosides in the development of therapeutic strategies for osteoarthritis and cartilage injury and addresses promising directions for future research and treatment.

A total of 473 metabolites were identified from 4 sour cherry genotypes using UPLC-TOF-MS. Untargeted metabolomics revealed the dominant chemical groups present in sour cherries. PCA showed that the diversity in sour-cherry metabolites was due to the genotype differences indicating iditol, malic acid, chlorobenzene, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and pyroglutamic acid as the predominant contributors. The variable importance in the projection (VIP > 1.0) in partial least-squares–discriminant analysis described 20 biomarker metabolites, representing the cherry metabolome profiles. A heatmap of Pearson’s correlation analysis between the 20 biomarker metabolites and antioxidant activities identified seven antioxidant determinants that displayed the highest correlations with different types of antioxidant activities. This study of correlating metabolomics and antioxidant activities elucidated that the higher nutritional value and biological functions of select sour cherry genotypes can be useful for the development of nutraceutical and functional foods.

An extensive thermodynamic study of N-methylformamide (CAS RN: 123-39-7) and N,N-dimethylformamide (CAS RN: 68-12-2), is presented in this work. The liquid heat capacities of N-methylformamide were measured by Tian–Calvet calorimetry in the temperature interval (250 – 300) K. The vapor pressures for N-methylformamide and N,N-dimethylformamide were measured using static method in the temperature range 238 K to 308 K. The ideal-gas thermo-dynamic properties were calculated using a combination of the density functional theory (DFT) and statistical thermodynamics. A consistent thermodynamic description was developed using the method of simultaneous correlation, where the experimental and selected titerature data for vapor pressures, vaporization enthalpies, and liquid phase heat capacities and calculated ide-al-gas heat capacities are treated together to ensure overall thermodynamic consistency of the results. Resulting vapor pressure equation is valid from the triple point to the normal boiling point temperature.

The effective Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system can improve the reliability, safety and economic benefits of microgrid operation. In this research, the lower central controller and upper WEB monitoring system are connected by the SCADA system which is as the hub of microgrid intelligent monitoring platform. This system contains a set of specific functions programmed by Java as a middleware which can provide control and communication between the central controller and the upper monitoring system. The system realizes the real-time data acquisition and storage, the control instructions parsing and transmitting, the microgrid security and stability, the load balancing and resource recovery of the microgrid. All that functions have been tested and verified in the actual operation.

In order to overcome the limitation of the traditional adaptive Unscented Kalman Filtering (UKF) algorithm in noise covariance estimation for statement and measurement, we propose a hybrid adaptive UKF algorithm based on combining Maximum a posteriori (MAP) criterion and Maximum likelihood (ML) criterion, in this paper. First, to prevent the actual noise covariance deviating from the true value which can lead to the state estimation error and arouse the filtering divergence, a real-time covariance matrices estimation algorithm based on hybrid MAP and ML is proposed for obtaining the statement and measurement noises covariance, respectively; and then, a balance equation the two kinds of covariance matrix is structured in this proposed to minimize the statement estimation error. Compared with the UFK based MAP and based ML, the proposed algorithm provides better convergence and stability.

Meningitis is a severe disease associated with death in children under five with highest rates of infections under age of one. Vaccines for Neisseria meningitides and Haemophilus influenza are used to prevent the main causative agents of meningitis. Administration of H. influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine is recommended at 2, 4 and 6 months with a booster dose at 18 months. N. meningitidis has two commercially available vaccines, the pure polysaccharide is recommended at 24 months meanwhile the protein-conjugated vaccines at 12 months. We sought in this study to examine if coadministering the vaccines for the two main meningitis causing bacteria might be synergistic as a preliminary step towards the possibility of shuffling immunization schedule. So, we coadministered Hib vaccine with commercially available vaccines either quadrate (ACWY) polysaccharide meningococcal (Men) or conjugated meningococcal (Nim) vaccines in Balb/C mice (n = 6/group) and compared to each vaccine administered separately and controls. Thirty-five days post immunization, we measured specific antibodies titers. Hib vaccine increased Men antibody titers significantly for serotypes Y and W. When Hib vaccine was coadministrated with Nim, antibody titer for Y, W and A significantly increased. For serotype C, there was no significant difference in antibody titers among immunized groups. As for effect of meningococcal vaccines on Hib, Men significantly increased Hib antibody titers while Nim had no effect. Collectively, our data suggested that coadministration of Hib and Men or Nim vaccines was safe and had synergistic effect on immune responses elicited to both vaccines. Further studies are needed before immunization schedule modifications. Such immunization schedule recommendation should provide better protection against this life-threatening disease in young children.

Aluminum wire is a common material for wire bonding due to its resistance to oxidation and low price. It does not melt when becoming a free air ball (FAB) during the electronic flame-off (EFO) process with wettability, and is applied by wedge bonding. This study used 20μm Zn-Coated Al-0.5wt.%Si (ZAS) wires to improve the FAB shape after the EFO process, while maintaining stability of the mechanical properties, including the interface bonding strength and hardness. In order to test circuit stability after ball bonding, the current-tensile test was performed. During the experiment, it was found that 80nm ZAS with wire bonding has lower resistance and higher fusing current. For the bias tensile test, the thicker Zn film diffused into the Al-Si matrix easily, after which the strength was reduced. The ball-bond interfaces had no change in their condition before and after the bias. Accordingly, ZAS could be a promising candidate for ball bonding in the future.

The main objective of this work is the assessment of the annual number of hospital admissions for respiratory disease (HARD) due to the exposure to in-healable particulate matter (PM10), within the greater Athens area (GAA), Greece. Towards this aim, the time series of the particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM10) recorded in six monitoring stations located in the GAA, for a 13-year period 2001-2013, is used. Initially, a descriptive statistical treatment of PM10 concentrations took place. Furthermore, the AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO was used to evaluate adverse health effects by PM10 in the GAA during the examined period. The results show that, during the examined period PM10 concentrations present a significant decreasing trend. Also, the mean annual HARD cases per 100,000 inhabitants ranged between 20 (suburban location) and 40 (city centre location). Approximately 70% of the annual HARD cases are due to city centre residents. In all examined locations, a declining trend in the annual number of HARD cases is appeared. Moreover, a strong relation between the annual number of HARD cases and the annual number of days exceeding the European Union daily PM10 threshold value was found.

In this article we compute many topological indices for the family of Möbius ladder. At first we give general closed form of M-polynomial of this family and recover many degree based topological indices out of it. We also compute Zagreb indices and Zagreb polynomials of this family.

In this paper we report a new development on the numerical model for aluminum-steam combustion. This model is based on diffusion flame of continuum regime and the thermal equilibrium between the particle and the flow field, which can be used to calculate the aluminum particle combustion model for two phase calculation conditions. The model prediction is in good agreement with the experimental data. A new type of vortex combustor was proposed for the combustion of aluminum and steam, and the mathematical model of the two phase reacting flow with in this combustor was established. The turbulence effects are modeled using the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) with Linear Pressure-Strain approach, and the Eddy-Dissipation model is used to simulate the gas phase combustion. Aluminum particles are injected into the vortex combustor and form a swirling flow around the chamber and their trajectories are traced using the Discrete Phase Model (DPM). The simulation results show that the vortex combustor can achieve high efficient combustion of aluminum and steam. The influencing factors, such as the eccentric distance of the inlet of aluminum particles, particle size and steam inlet diameter, etc., are studied. The work described in this paper represents an attempt to the design of a vortex combustor in order to increase aluminum combustion efficiency.

In this work model of mirror elements equilibrium of the micromechanical components is developed, the behavior analysis of the mirror element of micromechanical mirrors in case changing of control voltages of electrostatic actuators is carried out, an expression for determining the maximum value of deflection voltage at which the snap-down effect will take the following form is obtained in case of the influence of the coefficient of the electrostatic rigidity of electrostatic actuators. The developed equilibrium model of mirror elements and the obtained results of modeling can be used at design of micromechanical mirrors with internal suspensions.

The interest in virtual fencing, as opposed to traditional physical barriers, has increased since it makes it easier to move the boundaries of animal enclosures for agricultural and rewilding purposes. Despite this, the implementation of virtual fence systems, such as the Nofence© system, requires large financial investments. The necessity of individual collars also makes it more difficult to implement this system on a larger scale. If a herd of cattle tend to maintain cohesive social groups around dominant individuals, it might be possible to use fewer collars thereby making the system more cost efficient. This study investigates the pattern in spatial distribution in a herd of 17 Angus cows on Fanø in Denmark with GPS locations, using a Nofence© system. The aim of this paper is to determine how individuals position themselves in a herd, spatially, and identify a pattern in ranks. The method used in this study examines the distances between an individual to the rest of the herd mates using nearest neighbour and distribution plots. Contrary to the expectations, this study did not show a distinct pattern in herd distribution. While some tendencies in spatial distribution patterns were observed, only a low concordance could be found (W=0.15,p=3.02e−16). Therefore, interactions among individuals should be considered in future studies, rather than only investigating the herd as one unit. A cumulative curves of the ranks estimated over the entire periods allowed however a rough estimation of the hierarchy and allowed the identification of the highest ranked cows. Therefore it might be possible to use fewer collars if the high ranked cows are discovered, but the estimation of the hierarchy will require a period of observation overall several days as the hierarchical positions are fluctuating too much from days to days. Therefore the cumulative rank curves seems to be a valid solution.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including anti-programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibodies, are significantly changing treatment strategies for human malignant diseases including oral cancer. Cancer cells usually escape from immune system and acquire proliferative capacity and invasive/metastatic potential. We have focused on the two immune checkpoints, PD-1/PD-L1 and CD47/SIRPα in the tumor microenvironment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and performed a retrospective analysis of the expression of seven immune-related factors (PD-L1, PD-1, CD4, CD8, CD47, CD56 and CD11c), and examined their correlation with clinicopathological status. As a result, there were no significant findings relating seven immune-related factors and several clinicopathological statuses. However, the immune-checkpoint related factors (PD-1, PD-L1, CD47) were highly expressed in non-keratinized epithelium-originated tumors when compared to those in keratinized epithelium-originated tumors. It is of interest that immunoediting via immune checkpoint-related factors was facilitated in non-keratinized sites. Several researchers reported that keratinization of oral mucosal epithelia affected the immune response, but our present finding is the first study to show a difference of the tumor immunity in the originating-epithelium of OSCC, keratinized or non-keratinized. Tumor immunity, an immune escape status of OSCC might be different in the originating-epithelium, keratinized or non-keratinized.

In this work, we designed a MEMS device which allows simultaneous direct measurement of mechanical properties during deformation under external stress and characterization of the evolution of microstructure of nanomaterials within a transmission electron microscope. This MEMS device makes it easy to establish the correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties of nanomaterials. The device uses piezoresistive sensors to qualitatively measure the force and displacement of nanomaterials, e.g., in wire and thin plate forms. The device has a theoretical displacement resolution of 0.19 nm and a force resolution of 2.1 μN. The device has a theoretical displacement range limit of 2.74 μm and a load range limit of 27.75 mN.

The enterprise software sector is experiencing a significant transformation driven by rapid technological progress and evolving business needs. An effective release management process is crucial for the solution providers and customers, as they incorporate the principles of Industry 4.0 and 5.0. With the growing dependence on software solutions and services, ensuring their quality, reliability, and security is highly necessary. The release management process incorporates strategic planning, regression testing, accurate deployment, and continuous monitoring of software updates. However, the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) create a unique challenge to the release management process. The existing research needs to address the necessary adaptations for Industry 5.0, mainly in product-based software organizations, to the release management process without a change management system. After working with several software solution stakeholders, based on the responses from SaaS project stakeholders, we have presented a revised software release readiness workflow by incorporating a change management module. The preliminary result based on data over a limited period of time indicates that the revised workflow has the potential to improve the management of slippage, particularly by more effectively addressing NFR-related issues, thereby resulting in more predictable and reliable release cycles.

Background and Objectives Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1 MIM # 162200), also known as von Recklinghausen disease, is among the most common autosomal dominantly transmitted disorders characterized mainly by neurocutaneous manifestations such as café au lait spots, intertriginous freckling, various types of neurofibromas (cutaneous neurofibromas or plexiform tumors), neurological manifestations, and bone abnormalities. It occurs with an incidence of 1:3000–1:4000 cases. Cone-rod dystrophies belong to the large group of retinal dystrophies, a highly heterogeneous group of disorders clinically manifested mainly by damage to cone and rod cells and have a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Many genes are involved in their etiology, with more than 100 currently identified, including the CRX gene responsible for the autosomal dominant form of cone-rod dystrophy (ad CORD). Materials and Methods: The authors present an intriguing case of a patient diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) as an infant and ocular involvement (myopia and astigmatism onset at age 15), which yielded a surprising molecular testing result. Results: Molecular DNA analysis identified a rare occurrence of two mutational variants, including a pathogenic variant in the NF1 gene, c.3871-2A, and a likely pathogenic variant in the CRX gene c.119G>A. Conclusions: The authors present this case to highlight the surprises offered by molecular testing in a condition where the diagnosis is usually based on clinical criteria, thus providing patients with competent genetic advice.

The emotion of disgust protects individuals against pathogens, and it has been found that during pregnancy, it is elevated. Physiological mechanisms discussed in relation to these changes include immune markers and progesterone levels. The aim of this study is to assess the association between steroids and disgust in pregnancy. In a sample of 179 pregnant women, we have analyzed blood serum steroid concentrations and measured disgust sensitivity by text-based questionnaires in the first and third trimester. We found positive correlations between disgust sensitivity and the levels of C19 steroids, including testosterone, but also its precursors in the Δ5 pathway (androstenediol, DHEA, and their sulfates) and the Δ4 pathway (androstenedione). Furthermore, positive correlations between disgust sensitivity and 5α/β-reduced C19 steroid metabolites were consistently present in both trimesters. In the first trimester, we found a positive association between disgust sensitivity and 17-hydroxypregnanolone as well as some estrogens. In the third trimester, we have observed positive associations between disgust sensitivity and cortisol as well as immunoprotective Δ5 C19 7α/β-hydroxy-steroids. Our study has thus shown that disgust sensitivity is positively correlated with immunomodulatory steroids, and in the third trimester, steroids may reflect potential maternal anxiety-related symptoms.

Graphene hybrid-filler polymer composites have emerged as prominent materials that revolutionize heavy industries. This study encapsulates the in-depth analysis of different influential factors such as filler/graphene type, aspect ratios, dispersion methods, filler-matrix compatibility, fiber orientation, synergistic effects, different processing techniques, and post-curing conditions that affect the processing, properties and determine the resultant applications of graphene hybrid polymer composites. Additionally, it discusses the substantial role of graphene collaboration with other fillers such as carbon nanotubes, silica, nano-clays and metal oxides to produce functionalized hybrid polymer composites with synergistically enhanced tailored properties to offer solutions for heavy industries like aerospace, automotive, electronics, and energy harvesting. The review concludes with some suggestions and outlook on the future of these composite materials by emphasizing the need for continued research to fully optimize their potential.

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) technology enables continuous behavior monitoring, particularly valuable in healthcare. This study investigates the viability of using an ear-worn motion sensor for classifying daily activities, including lying, sitting/standing, walking, ascending stairs, descending stairs, and running. Fifty healthy participants (between 20 and 47 years old) engaged in these activities while under monitoring. Various machine learning algorithms, ranging from interpretable shallow models to state-of-the-art deep learning approaches designed for HAR, were employed for classification. Results demonstrate the ear sensor's efficacy, with deep learning models achieving 98% accuracy rate of classification. The obtained classification models are agnostic regarding which ear the sensor is worn and robust against moderate variations in sensor orientation (e.g., due to differences in auricle anatomy), meaning no initial calibration of the sensor orientation is required. The study underscores the ear's efficacy as a suitable site for monitoring human daily activity and suggests its potential for combining HAR with in-ear vital signs monitoring. This approach offers a practical method for comprehensive health monitoring by integrating sensors in a single anatomical location. This integration facilitates individualized health assessments, with potential applications in tele-monitoring, personalized health insights, and optimizing athletic training regimes.

Sensory integration is an essential function of human life, and its decline causes difficulties in the quality of life, especially in older adults. In this study, we proposed an arm-reaching task based on a virtual reality head-mounted display (VR-HMD) system to assess sensory integration in daily life, and examined whether reaching task performance was associated with age and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the brain regions of interest involved in sensory integration. We hypothesized that performance during a reaching task with multiple cognitive loadings would be affected by aging. The gap angle between the reaching hand and target positions was compared between older and middle-aged adults as a measure of sensory integration function. In addition, rsFC, which was significantly correlated with the gap angles of individual participants in the older adult group, was identified using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. The mean gap angle was significantly larger in the older adults than in the middle-aged group and was also significantly correlated with connections between the left primary motor area and the left inferior temporal gyrus, temporo-occipital part. Because the connectivity between the areas is known to be related to visuomotor integration, the results suggest the involvement of visuomotor integration in the decline of sensory integration function in old age and the validity of the gap angle during the proposed VR-HMD task as an index for the decline in function.

The regulation of cell death is a fundamental issue in cell biology and continues to be intensely investigated worldwide. The significance of research in this field persists because understanding the determinants of cell lifespan directly impacts the maintenance of multicellular organism homeostasis and, consequently, is crucial for addressing biomedical challenges associated with various diseases. It is recognized that the initiation of cell death can be prompted by both specific signals (such as cytokines or hormones) and nonspecific stimuli, including radiation, temperature increase, or oxidants. When these factors affect a cell, numerous signaling pathways are triggered in the cell, leading to neutralization of the effects of their negative effects or, in case of irreparable damage, to cell elimination. This removal of damaged cells occurs through apoptosis or programmed cell death, a highly regulated process. Numerous signaling molecules participate in orchestrating the apoptotic process, many of which also govern other essential functions within the organism. Physiological factors capable of triggering the apoptotic program in cells include nitric oxide (NO), which serves as one of the key signaling molecules regulating the functions of the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems of the organism. The unique chemical nature of NO, along with its numerous intracellular targets and physiologically active redox forms, raises questions about the specific mechanisms through which NO exerts its damaging effects on cells. Utilizing pharmacological preparations- such as sources (donors) of exogenous nitric oxide- represents an approach to investigating the initiation and execution of the apoptotic program in sensitive target cells. Furthermore, this approach holds promise as a direction for discovering new selective drugs.

Background and Objectives: In this current state, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is more prevalent in the population, and metformin is used as a first-line medication for treating it. There was up surge in the utilization of alternative therapies in the management of diabetes. Especially in diabetes, Herbal medicines are considered safe and reliable by majority of the population. Aim: The purpose of this research is aimed to estimate the safety and efficacy of Polyherbal Metabolite Compounds (PHMC) capsules in adults with T2DM. Materials and Methods: In this study, 60 T2DM patients aged 18-60 years were randomly assigned to Groups A (30) receiving Metformin 500 mg twice a day after food and Group B (30) receiving PHMC capsule 500 mg twice a day after food in a prospective, randomized and open-label clinical study. The in-silico simulation study was performed to selected plants major compounds on target protein Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (1K3A). Result: The PHMC is found to be safe and effective in the management of T2DM. The FBS, PPBS and HbA1c were significantly lowered (p

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with adverse genetics remains unsatisfactory, with very low response rates to standard chemotherapy and shorter durations of remission commonly observed in these patients. The complex biology of AML with adverse genetics is continuously evolving. Herein, we discuss recent advances which have investigated the contribution of cell intrinsic mechanisms as well as of the immune system to myeloid leukemogenesis in this specific subset of AML. We focus on the biological rationales for combining targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which are currently being investigated in ongoing trials, and could hopefully ameliorate the poor outcomes for these patients

The article delves into the intricate phase transitions of 1-Octadecanol and n-Nonadecane within a binary system, unveiling dynamic structural changes under varying conditions. Through Fouri-er-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, specific molecular vibrations were identified, shedding light on the molecular composition and interactions. The study highlights the challenges in detecting subtle phase transitions and emphasizes the individuality of molecular behaviours in closely related compounds. The findings underscore the complexity of phase transitions in binary systems and advocate for a nuanced approach to studying molecular structures and behaviours. Addi-tionally, the research contributes valuable insights into the molecular dynamics of Organic Polymer Functional Adsorption Materials, offering implications for synthetic waxy layers in plant epidermis.

(1) Background: TNF inhibitors (TNFi) have revolutionized the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, 30-40 % of RA patients do not respond adequately to those biologics. In addition to neutralizing soluble TNF, TNFi have the ability to bind the transmembrane form of TNF, tmTNF. Importantly, tmTNF can act itself as a receptor that induces a “Reverse Signaling” (RS) in cells. We previously showed that certolizumab, a Fab’ TNFi, activates RS in human primary monocytes, at least in part through the transcription factor NRF2 that is known to regulate the expression of genes involved in anti-inflammatory response and oxidative stress. (2) Methods: Here, we have developed an assay for the prediction of clinical response of RA patients to TNF inhibitors. This assay is based on mRNA quantitation of CD36 activation and of 6 genes induced by NRF2 following tmTNF RS in fresh monocytes. (3) Results: We could predict the response to anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with 93.3 % accuracy. However, our method was not suitable for the prediction of the response to TNF soluble receptor etanercept. (4) Conclusions: We have developed a rather simple, short-term, test that can be standardized. Predicting the response to TNF mAbs will help physicians offer the best available treatment and provide patients with personalized medicine.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a candidate for screening programs, since its prognosis is excellent when diagnosed in an early disease stage. Targeted screening of those at high risk for developing CM, a cost-effective alternative to population-wide screening, requires valid procedures to identify the high-risk group. Self-assessment of the number of nevi has been suggested as a component of such procedures, but its validity has not yet been established. We analyzed the level of agreement between self-assessments and expert assessments of the number of melanocytic nevi in the area between the wrist and the shoulder of both arms based on 4548 study subjects in whom mutually blinded double counting of nevi was performed. Nevus counting followed the IARC protocol. Study subjects received written instructions, photographs, a mirror, and a “nevometer” to support self-assessment of nevi larger than 2 mm. Nevus counts were categorized based on the quintiles of the distribution into five levels defining a nevus score. Cohen’s weighted kappa-coefficient was estimated to measure the level of agreement. In the total sample, agreement between self-assessments and expert-assessments was moderate (raw agreement: 50.29%, weighted κ=0.596). Self-assessed nevus counts were higher than those determined by experts (mean differ-ence: 3.33 nevi). The level of agreement was independent of sociodemographic and cutaneous factors; however, participants’ eye color had a significant impact on the level of agreement. Our findings show that even with comprehensive guidance, only a moderate level of agreement between self-assessed and expert-assessed nevus counts can be achieved. Self-assessed nevus information does not appear to be reliable enough to be used in individual risk assessment to target screening activities.

Redox mediators comprising I–, Co3+, and Ti3C2Tx MXene were applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In the as-prepared DSCs (I-DSCs), wherein hole conduction occurred via the redox reaction of I−/I3− ions, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) was not altered by the addition of Ti3C2Tx MXene. The I-DSCs were exposed to light to produce Co2+/Co3+-based cells (Co-DSCs), wherein the holes were transferred via the redox reaction of Co2+/Co3+ ions. A PCE of 9.01% was achieved in a Co-DSC with Ti3C2Tx MXene (Ti3C2Tx-Co-DSC), which indicated an improvement from the PCE of a bare Co-DSC without Ti3C2Tx MXene (7.27%). It was also found that the presence of Ti3C2Tx MXene in the redox mediator increased the hole collection, dye regeneration, and electron injection efficiencies of the Ti3C2Tx-Co-DSC, leading to an improvement in both the short-circuit current and the PCE when compared with those of the bare Co-DSC without MXene.

Photovoltaic (PV) technologies are developing rapidly as a result of their ability to reduce energy consumption from conventional sources as well as the growth of global energy expenditures. Nevertheless, several impact categories during the PV panel life cycle occur and some principal sectors are affected. These impact categories are assessed by applying life cycle analysis (LCA) techniques through various software programs, databases and methods. Such analyses of energy technologies are crucial, as they can reveal the occurrence of hazardous emissions at distinct life cycle stages. In the present paper, a PV panel impact assessment through life cycle analysis is carried out. More precisely, a combination of PV technologies—monocrystalline, multicrystalline, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), amorphous, and ribbon—is studied. The impact categories of ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, ionising radiation, photochemical ozone formation, acidification, eutrophication, and ecotoxicity, as well as the sectors of human health, ecosystem quality, and environment, are assessed using the openLCA software, the ecoinvent database, the eco-indicator 99, IMPACT 2002+, ReCiPe, and TRACI methods.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of breast (females), prostate, testicular and thyroid cancer in the Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCSs), served by cancer registries, where the presence of endocrine disruptors (EDs), reported to be linked to these tumors, was documented. Evidence of carcinogenicity of EDs present in NPCs was assessed based on evaluation by international scientific institutions/committees. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) were computed for each NPCS and cancer site with reference to the time window 1996-2005. Excess incidence of one or more cancer site at study was found in twelve out of fourteen NPCSs. Significantly increased SIRs were found for breast cancer in eight NPCSs, for prostate cancer in six, for thyroid cancer (both gender) in four and for testicular cancer in two. Non significantly increased SIRs were found in five NPCSs for testicular cancer and in two for thyroid cancer (males). Even if increased incidence of one or more cancer sites at study were found in several NPCSs, the ecological study design and the multifactorial etiology of the considered tumors do not allow reaching conclusions in terms of causal links with environmental contamination. In light of the observation of some excesses in SIRs, continuing epidemiological surveillance is warranted.

The most important plastic resins used for wire coating are Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Nylon, Polysulfone and Low-high density polyethylene (LDPE / HDPE). In this article,the coating process is performed using elastic-viscous fluid as a coating material for wire coating in a pressure type coating die. The elastic-viscous fluid is electrically conducted in the presence of an applied magnetic field. The governing non-linear equations are modeled and then solved analytically by utilizing an Adomian decomposition method (ADM). The convergence of the series solution is established. The results are also verified by Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Method (OHAM). The effect of different emerging parameters such as non-Newtonian parameters α and β, magnetic parameter M and the Brinkman number Br on solutions (velocity and temperature profiles) are discussed through several graphs. Additionally, the current result also compares with the published work already available in the literature.

This paper proposes a new approach for multi-focus images fusion based on Region Mosaicing on Contrast Pyramids (REMCP). A density-based region growing method is developed to construct a focused region mask for multi-focus images. The segmented focused region mask is decomposed into a mask pyramid, which is then used for supervised region mosaicking on a contrast pyramid. In this way, the focus measurement and the continuity of focused regions are incorporated and the pixel level pyramid fusion is improved at the region level. Objective and subjective experiments show that the proposed REMCP is more robust to noise than compared algorithms and can fully preserves the focus information of the multi-focus images meanwhile reducing distortions of the fused images.

Structural health monitoring has been studied by a number of researchers as well as various industries to keep up with the increasing demand for preventive maintenance routines. This work presents a novel method for reconstruct prompt, informed strain/stress responses at the hot spots of the structures based on strain measurements at remote locations. The structural responses measured from usage monitoring system at available locations are decomposed into modal responses using empirical mode decomposition. Transformation equations based on finite element modeling are derived to extrapolate the modal responses from the measured locations to critical locations where direct sensor measurements are not available. Then, two numerical examples (a two-span beam and a 19956-degree of freedom simplified airfoil) are used to demonstrate the overall reconstruction method. Finally, the present work investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of the method through a set of experiments conducted on an aluminium alloy cantilever beam commonly used in air vehicle and spacecraft. The experiments collect the vibration strain signals of the beam via optical fiber sensors. Reconstruction results are compared with theoretical solutions and a detailed error analysis is also provided.

Tinnitus is a common phantom auditory percept, believed to be related to plastic changes in the brain due to hearing loss. However, tinnitus can also occur in absence of any clinical hearing loss. Then, since there is no hearing loss, the mechanisms that drive plastic changes remain largely enigmatic. Previous studies showed subtle differences in sound-evoked brain activity associated with tinnitus in subjects with tinnitus and otherwise, normal hearing, but the results are not consistent across studies. Here, we aim to investigate those differences using monaural rather than binaural stimuli. Sound-evoked responses were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in participants with and without tinnitus. All participants had clinically normal audiograms. The stimuli were pure tones with frequencies between 353 and 8000 Hz, presented monaurally. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the response in the auditory cortex revealed no difference in tonotopic organization, which confirmed earlier studies. A GLM analysis showed hyperactivity in the lateral areas of the bilateral auditory cortex. Consistent with the tonotopic map, this hyperactivity mainly occurred in response to low stimulus frequencies. This may be related to hyperacusis, which was associated with tinnitus found in the parahippocampus. This may reflect an interference between tinnitus and spatial orientation.

Tailings generated by mining account for the largest proportion of global waste from industrial activities. Copper is relatively uncommon world-wide, with low concentrations in sediments and waters, yet is very elevated around mining sites. On the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, USA, jutting out into Lake Superior, 140 mines extracted native copper from the Portage Lake Volcanic Series, part of an intercontinental rift system. Between 1901-1932, two mills at Gay (Mohawk, Wolverine) sluiced 22.7 million metric tonnes (MMT) of copper-rich tailings (stamp sands) into Grand (Big) Traverse Bay. Here we examine: 1) 3D coastal elevation and reef bathymetry, 2) particle dispersal, 3) copper concentrations and leaching, plus 4) shoreline toxicity. About 10 MMT of tailings created a migrating coastal beach that stretches 7 km from the Gay pile to the Traverse River Seawall. Another 10 MMT are moving underwater on the coastal shelf, threatening Buffalo Reef, an important lake trout and whitefish breeding ground. Aerial photos, ALS (plane) LiDAR, and relatively inexpensive UAS (drone) surveys characterize shoreline structure and aid initial remediation. Because sands (natural beach quartz, stamp sand basalt) are silicates of similar density, particle dispersal is similar and challenging. However, stamp sand beaches contrast greatly with natural sand beaches in both physical profile and chemistry. Dispersing particles retain copper, and release toxic concentrations. Leaching is elevated by exposure to high DOC and low pH waters. Field experiments, shoreline seining, and benthic sampling confirm serious impacts on aquatic biota, supporting tailings removal.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is one of the most common hereditary cancer syndrome in human populations, associated with germline variants in MLH1, MSH2/EPCAM, MSH6 and PMS2 genes. The advent of next generation sequencing has proven a significant impact in germline variant detection in the causative genes; however, a large proportion of patients with clinical criteria still receive uncertain or negative results. PMS2 is the least frequent reported gene, associated with up to 15% of LS cases with late-onset disease and low penetrance phenotype; however, the proportion of PMS2-LS cases is considered to be highly underestimated. In this context, we consulted public available databases (ClinVar, LOVD) for missense and intronic PMS2 variants and performed an in silico analysis of the genomic sequence. Splicing bioinformatics tools proven effective in other genes were used to assess both the wild-type DNA sequence and reported genetic variants. Splicing alterations were predicted in silico and using GTEx short-read RNA expression data. Out of the 2384 missense variants discovered, 90% were classified with uncertain significance (VUS). 4.9% of missense variants were shown to have a potential splicing consequence (DS > 0.2) using SpliceAI. As described in the original publication, SpliceAI-visual was proven effective in annotation of short intronic variants (< 50 bp). Four short intronic variants were identified using SpliceAI-visual as potentially splicing disturbing, in spite of using a lower threshold (DS > 0.1). Moreover, we observed that Splicing Regulatory Elements (SREs) may play a fundamental role in alternative splicing in PMS2 gene, ESE motifs being overrepresented in highly expressed exons 5, 11 and 14. Computational analysis performed in our study serves as a valuable filtering step for guiding further RNA sequencing experiments. Additional functional data is necessary to evaluate the significance of our findings.

Wood is poised to become a material of choice for future construction. When appropriately managed, it is a renewable material with unique mechanical properties. Beyond its inherent sustainability, the use of wood has a crucial role in addressing climate change concerns due a significantly lower energy consumption and emissions during manufacturing and transportation, while simultaneously acting as a carbon sink. Thus, there has been a growing demand for hardwoods for structural applications, including Castanea sativa Mill., the focal point of this investigation. Albeit in a limited capacity, Eurocode 5-2 offers friction coefficients for softwoods, but it falls short for hardwoods which it is a gap to bridge with this research. These coefficients play a critical role in numerical simulations involving friction, enabling the optimization of joints and, by extension, the overall structural integrity. Test samples were evaluated at 18% moisture content, which is typical of Service Class 2, for various orientations of timber-to-timber and timber-to-steel friction. Considering previous friction coefficients at 12% moisture content, the linear variation was evaluated at an intermediate value of 15%. The results provide an experimental database for numerical simulations and highlight the influence of moisture content on the coefficients, which increase linearly along moisture percentages.

The relationship between the structure characteristics and performances of coal based hydrogenation isomeric base oil (CTL) and metallocene catalyzed coal based polyalphaolefin (mPAO) base oil was clarified here. CTL and mPAO were compared with typical petroleum based and natural gas based commercial API Class III and IV base oils. Pressurized differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC), Rotary Bomb Oxidation Test (RBOT) and four-balls friction tester were used to evaluate the oxidation stability and lubrication performance of base oils under different working conditions. The sensitivity of different base oils to typical antioxidants and extreme pressure antiwear agents was compared. Specially, the composition and structure of CTL base oil are obviously different from GTL and mineral base oil. The coal-based CTL and mPAO base oils exhibit commendable viscosity-temperature properties, characteristics, coupled with low-temperature fluidity, fire safety, and minimal evaporation loss. The lubricating properties, oxidation stability and the sensitivity to extreme pressure antiwear agents of CTL are close to those of similar base oils. But the sensitivity of CTL to typical antioxidants is relatively poor. Besides, compared with commercial PAO base oil, mPAO has lower isomerization degree and fewer isomerization types. The oxidation stability and sensitivity to typical antioxidants of mPAO base oil are comparable with those of commercial PAO base oil, while its lubrication performance and sensitivity to typical extreme pressure antiwear agents are significantly better than those of commercial PAO base oil.

Introduction: The association of gene variants for interleukin 6(IL-6) (rs1800796), interleukin 10 (IL-10) (rs1800896) and tumor necrosis factorα (TNFα (rs1800629) with the occurrence of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) was investigated to determine whether these genetic variants are a risk factor. Materials and methods: 199 blood samples from pregnant women who had given birth prematurely and 200 control blood samples were analyzed to determine single nucleotide polymor-phisms (SNPs) of genes for IL-6 (rs1800796), IL-10 (rs1800896) and TNFα (rs1800629). The control samples were samples from pregnant women with term delivery. Isolation of DNA was per-formed on mini-spin columns according to the manufacturer's protocol. The quality and purity of the isolated DNA were tested using a Qubit 3 fluorometer. Genotyping was performed with an ABI PRISM 7500 SDS using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. The genotypes obtained were an-alyzed using the 7500 Software v2.3 package. Results: Carriers of the A/A genotype for the rs1800629 of the TNFα gene have 4.81 times greater chance of late-onset PTB compared to carriers of the G/G and A/G genotypes in the recessive inheritance model. The presence of the G/G genotype in the recessive inheritance model compared with the G/A and A/A genotypes for the rs1800896 of the IL-10 gene represents a potentially protective factor, with mothers in the term-birth group having an almost 2-fold lower odds of PTB in general and an almost 10-fold lower odds of early PTB. On the other hand, carriers of the A/G genotype of rs1800896 have a 1.54-fold higher chance of preterm birth in general and a 1.6-fold higher chance of late preterm birth in the super dominant inheritance model compared to the A/A and G/G genotypes in the group of mothers with PTB. In this study, no association was found between PTB and rs1800796 of the IL-6 gene. Conclusion: rs1800629 in mothers was associated with PTB. rs1800896 shows a potentially protective effect for the occurrence of PTB in this study. No association was found between PTB and rs1800796.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in over 720 million confirmed cases and 7 million deaths worldwide, with insufficient treatment options. Innumerable efforts are being made around the world for faster identification of therapeutic agents to treat the deadly disease. Postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 (PASC), also called Long COVID, is still being understood and lacks treatment options as well. A growing list of drugs are being suggested by various in silico, in vitro and ex vivo models, however currently only two treatment options are widely used: the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor remdesivir, and the main protease inhibitor nirmatrelvir in combination with ritonavir. Computational drug development tools and in silico studies involving molecular docking, molecular dynamics, entropy calculations and pharmacokinetics can be useful to identify new targets to treat COVID-19 and PASC, as shown in this work and our recent paper that identified alendronate as a promising candidate. We have now investigated all bisphosphonates which can bind competitively to nidovirus RdRp-associated nucleotidyl (NiRAN) transferase domain, and systematically down selected seven candidates (CHEMBL608526, CHEMBL196676, CHEMBL164344, CHEMBL4291724, CHEMBL4569308, CHEMBL387132, CHEMBL98211), two of which closely resemble the approved drugs minodronate and zoledronate. This work and our recent paper together provide an in silico mechanistic explanation for alendronate and zoledronate users having dramatically reduced odds of SARS-CoV-2 testing, COVID-19 diagnosis, and COVID-19-related hospitalizations, and indicate that similar observational studies with minodronate could be valuable.

Myocardial heterogeneity is an attribute of the normal heart. We have developed integrative models of cardiomyocytes from the subendocardial (ENDO) and subepicardial (EPI) ventricular regions that take into account experimental data on specific features of intracellular electromechanical coupling in the guinea pig heart. The models adequately simulate experimental data on the action potential and contraction of the ENDO and EPI cells. The modeling results predict that heterogeneity in the parameters of calcium handling and myofilament mechanics in isolated ENDO and EPI cardiomyocytes via cooperative mechanisms of mechano-calcium-electric feedback are essential to produce the differences in Ca²⁺ transients and contraction profiles and may further enhance transmural differences in the electrical properties between the cells. Simulation results predict that ENDO cells have greater sensitivity to changes in afterload than EPI cells. These data are important for understanding the behavior of cardiomyocytes in the intact heart.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of using L-PRF in patients undergoing impacted lower third molar surgery with either primary or secondary closure techniques. Methods: This prospective, randomised, double-blind, split-mouth clinical trial was conducted in patients with bilateral lower impacted third molars of similar position. Primary closure was performed in group 1 and secondary closure in group 2. Group 1 closure technique was applied to one side of the patients and group 2 closure technique was applied to the other side at different times. Nine pa-tients were excluded from the study due to alveolitis and failure to attend regular control visits out of the 45 patients evaluated. Results: Of the 36 patients included in the study, 23 were female and 13 were male and the mean age was 22.42±3.36 years. The secondary closure group had lower VAS scores at hour 6 (p

The article presents the results of cyanide leaching of gold-containing concentrate using the trichlorocyanuric acid (TCCA) oxidizer. Gold-containing concentrate obtained from a gold tailings sample from a gold recovery factory (GRF) in one of the deposits of Kazakhstan that was not previously studied for concentrability. According to X-ray phase analysis and energy dispersive spectrometry (DSM) data, the main compounds in the tailings sample under study are: pyrite FeS2, quartz SiO2, calcite CaCO3, albite NaAlSi3O8, muscovite KAl2Si3AlO10(OH)8, dolomite CaMg(CO3)2, and oxidized iron compounds. Microscopic studies have established the presence of gold grains in free form, ranging in size from 0.9-10.2 mkm Au-ultrafine and fine gold. Obtaining a gold-containg concentrate with a gold content of 15.95 g / t is possible according to the enrichment scheme, which includes centrifugal separation, classification according to the fineness class -0.05 mm, additional grinding of hydrocyclone sands to a fineness of 90.0-95.0% of the class finer than 0.050 mm, and control centrifugal separation. Since pyrite in technogenic raw materials is the main gold-containing mineral, this paper presents studies on the oxidizability of pyrite with the TCCA oxidizer. The results of studies on the oxidation of pyrite using the TCCA oxidizer show that the products of its hydrolysis oxidize pyrite with the formation of various iron compounds on its surface. Pretreatment of gold-containing concentrate with oxidizer TCCA for 3 hours before the cyanidation process (20 hours) allows to increase the recovery of gold in the solution by 5.8 %.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the availability of portable devices for nasal FeNO measurement, which could replace exhaled NO measurement based on the continuous aspiration of multiple flow measurement systems. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study. The healthy subjects without rhinosinusis disorders (control group) and those with diagnosed allergic rhinitis (AR group) were enrolled in the study. They underwent nasal and bronchial FeNO measurements by both fixed flow NObreath® connected to nasal mask and multiple flows HypAir FeNO®. Results: A total of 153 people were recruited including 63 healthy subjects and 90 subjects with AR. There were no statistically significant differences in anthropometric characteristics between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were a significant increase in FeNO values in the AR group compared to the control group; concentrations of nasal and bronchial FeNO mearsured by NObreath® were 76.0 ± 50.7 ppb (vs 36.0 ± 28.1 ppb, P < 0.01) and 32.3 ± 15.4 ppb (vs 9.2 ± 5.6 ppb, P < 0.001), and those mearsured by NObreath® Hypair FeNO® were 1796.9 ± 523.3 ppb (vs 400.2 ± 123.1 ppb, P < 0.001) and 37.3 ± 23.0 ppb (vs 17.4 ± 18.3 ppb, P < 0.01). A weak correlation between the values measured by NObreath® and Hypair FeNO® devices was observed (r = 0.023 and r = 0.089, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The handheld NObreath® device is effective in measuring FeNO concentrations in both normal subjects and AR patients. The advantages in price and size, creating a compact, low-cost device that is convenient for use and research.

With the rising cost of animal feed protein, finding affordable and effective substitutes is crucial. Walnut kernel cake, a polyphenols, fiber, protein and fat-rich byproduct of walnut oil extraction, has been underexplored as a potential protein replacement in pig feed. In this study, we found that feeding large Diqing Tibetan pigs walnut kernel cake promoted adipose deposition and improved pork quality during pig growth. Transcriptome analysis revealed the upregulation of genes ANGPTL8, CCNP, ETV4, and TRIB3, associated with adipose deposition. Pathway analysis highlighted enrichment in adipose-deposition-related pathways, including PPAR, Insulin, PI3K-Akt, Wnt, and MAPK signaling. Further analysis identified DEGs (differentially expressed genes) positively correlated with adipose-related traits, such as PER2 and PTGES. Single-cell transcriptome data pointed to the specific expression of CD248 and PTGES in adipocyte progenitor/stem cells (APSCs), pivotal for adipocyte differentiation and adipose deposition regulation. This study demonstrates walnut kernel cake's potential to substitute soybean cake in pig feed, providing high-quality protein and promoting adipose deposition. It offers insights into feed protein replacement, human functional food, fat metabolism, and related diseases, with marker genes and pathways supporting pig breeding and pork quality improvement.

Cancer cells require substantial amounts of energy and substrates for their metabolic hyperactivity, enabling the synthesis of new cells at the expense of healthy ones. Preliminary in vitro data suggest that a mix of free essential amino acids (EAA-mix) can promote cancer cell apoptosis by enhancing autophagy. This study aimed to confirm, both in vitro and in vivo, whether EAA intake could influence the development of colon cancer in mice. We investigated changes in cancer proliferation in CT26 cells treated with EAA-mix, and in mice fed with EAA rich modified diets (EAARD) as compared to those on a standard laboratory diet (StD). CT26 cells were injected subcutaneously (s.c.) or intraperitoneally (i.p.). After 21 days, tumors were removed and measured. In vitro data corroborated that EAA-mix impairs cancer growth by inducing autophagy and apoptosis. In vivo data revealed that mice on StD developed significantly larger (s.c.) and more numerous (i.p.) cancers than those on EAARD. EAA administration appears to influence cancer cell survival with notable anti-proliferative properties.

Effects of oxygen content on microstructure and creep property of FGH96 superalloy were investigated. When oxygen content increased from 135ppm to 341ppm, prior particle boundary (PPB) rose from degree 2 to degree 3, and the size of γ′ phase on PPB enlarged from 1.07μm to 1.27μm, and MC carbide size grew from 77.4nm to 104.0nm. Meanwhile, the steady creep rate accelerated form 4.34×10-3 h-1 to 1.87×10-2 h-1, and the creep rupture life shortened from 176h to 94h, and the creep rupture mode transferred from intergranular and transgranular mixed fracture to along PPB fracture. During creep, the micro-twins formation and gliding will be restrained by ∑3 boundaries. FGH96 superalloy with higher oxygen content contains less ∑3 boundaries and its micro-twins cross slipped instead of single direction slip in lower oxygen content superalloy. Consequently, specimen with higher oxygen content creeped faster and raptured earlier.

Visual exploration of complex data helps interpretation, especially in the case of omics data analysis in life sciences and clinical research. Generating and analysing omics data requires bioinformatic skills, while they are interpreted by domain experts, for whom parsing large and complex data structures may be challenging. However, outcomes of visual analytics are often difficult to quantify, which emphasises precision and reproducibility, especially for research on human diseases. Here, we propose a workflow combining a reproducible computational environment with a dedicated visualisation functionality for systems biology diagrams. By linking the Galaxy with the MINERVA Platform, we visualise and explore COVID-19 transcriptomic data to demonstrate the utility of our workflow. Visualised data recapitulate findings of the original publication and offer new insights about the COVID-19 pathology. Our results offer a blueprint for quick prototyping of computational workflows that facilitate communication and exploration of complex data in biomedical research.

Background: The validation of laser usage during laparoscopic procedures, notably by Camran Nezhat in the late 1980s, has been significant. Lasers offer precision and depth control in tissue vaporization without bleeding. Surgical intervention remains central in managing endometrio-sis-associated pain and infertility, especially for patients unresponsive to hormonal therapy. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 200 patients with SPE who underwent laparo-scopic laser vaporization. Surgery was performed using a CO2 laser, and histological confirma-tion of endometriosis was obtained for all cases. Pain scores and SF-36 questionnaire domains were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively. Fertility outcomes were evaluated among pa-tients desiring pregnancy. Results: Significant improvements in pain score and SF-36 questionnaire domains were ob-served postoperatively (p-value

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a home-based efficacious modality for replacement of renal function in end-stage kidney failure patients but is still under-prescribed. A major limitation is the durability of the dialytic technique. Continuous exposure of the peritoneum to bioincompatible conventional glucose-based solutions is thought to be the main cause of long-term morpho-functional peritoneal changes eventually resulting in ultrafiltration failure. Poor PD solution biocompatibility is primarily related to the high glucose content, which is not only detrimental to the peritoneal membrane but has many potential metabolic side effects. To improve the clinical outcome and prolong the survival of the treatment, PD-related bioincompatibility urgently needs to be overcome. However, combining dialytic and osmotic efficacy with a satisfactory biocompatible profile proves quite difficult. New approaches targeting the composition of the PD solution include replacement of glucose with other osmotic agents and the addition of cytoprotective or osmo-metabolic compounds. Other strategies include infusion of mesenchymal cells or the administration of orally active agents. In the present article we review the current evidence on efforts to improve the biocompatible and functional performance of PD, focusing on studies performed in vivo (animal models of PD, human subjects on PD).

In recent years the number of available chemical pesticides has been significantly reduced and there have been an urgent need for discovery of alternative to chemical pesticides products, as among others the natural zeolites (zeolitic rocks). We determined the mineralogical and chemical composition of a specific and continuous layers of zeolitic rock sample (ZeotP) from Petrota, Ev-ros, Greece and evaluated its oviposition deterrent effect for the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Terphritidae). The tested natural zeolite contained 70 wt. % Clinoptilolite, 18 wt. % Amorphous material, 7 wt. % Feldspars, 4 wt. % Cristobalite and 1 wt. % Quartz. We tested the oviposition deterrent effect of ZeotP mixed or not with an emulsifier adjuvant NU-FILM-P® in water and applied on the surface of olive fruits. The ZeotP oviposition deterrent effect for the ol-ive fly was very high under a series of tested temperatures (17°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) and RHs (23%, 33%, 55%, 75%, 94%). In addition, the ZeotP residual deterrent effect after equable water spraying was high and similar to the respective effect of a pyrethroid insecticide (Decis®). Our results may contribute to an effective control of the olive fruit fly using an alternative to chemical pesticides natural zeolite (zeolitic rocks) product.

Studies on the possible association between bacteria and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain inconclusive, largely due to methodological variations/limitations. The objective of this study was to characterize the species composition as well as functional attributes of the bacteriome associated with OSCC. DNA obtained from 20 fresh OSCC biopsies (cases) and 20 deep-epithelium swabs (matched control subjects) were sequenced for the V1-V3 region using Illumina’s 2x300 bp chemistry. High quality, non-chimeric merged reads were classified to species level using a prioritized BLASTN-algorithm. Downstream analyses were performed using QIIME, PICRUSt, and LEfSe. Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. polymorphum was the most significantly overrepresented species in the tumors followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Campylobacter sp. Oral taxon 44, while Streptococcus mitis, Rothia mucilaginosa and Haemophilus parainfluenzae were the most significantly abundant in the controls. Functionally, genes involved in bacterial mobility, flagellar assembly, bacterial chemotaxis and LPS synthesis were enriched in the tumors while those responsible for DNA repair and combination, purine metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, ribosome biogenesis and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis were significantly associated with the controls. This is the first epidemiological evidence for association of F. nucleatum and P. aeruginosa with OSCC. Functionally, an “inflammatory bacteriome” is enriched in OSSC.

Amid escalating urbanization, devising rational commercial space layouts is a critical challenge. Leveraging machine learning, this study uses a Back-propagation (BP) neural network to optimize commercial spaces in Weinan City's central urban area. The results indicate an increased number of commercial facilities with a trend of multi-centered agglomeration and outward expansion. Based on these findings, we propose a strategic framework for rational commercial space development emphasizing aggregation centers, development axes, and spatial guidelines. This strategy provides valuable insights for urban planners in small and medium-sized cities in the Yellow River Basin and metropolitan areas, ultimately showcasing the power of machine learning in enhancing urban planning.

Day by day, the share of renewable energy-based power plants such as offshore wind farms and photovoltaic power plants, in the present-day power systems is escalating. Nevertheless, most of these power-producing facilities have been located quite far away from the load centers. At this stage, HVDC power systems provide satisfactory options due to qualities such as reduced line losses, substantial controllability, and environmental advantages. Nevertheless, unique converter designs are required to combine asynchronous HVDC networks with each other and with already existing high voltage alternating current (HVAC) networks. In this study, based on the above special cases, a unique DC-DC modular multilevel converter (MMC) architecture is presented that provides an excellent solution for both integrating modern asynchronous HVDC networks and integrating these modern HVDC power systems with existing asynchronous HVAC power systems. The mathematical analysis of the recommended DC-DC MMC design has been examined in detail and the power transfer between two asynchronous power grids has been realized in a simulation environment. Efficient bilateral power transmission has been made achievable by the control system. The recommended DC-DC MMC topology has shown to be a highly successful approach, in the interconnection of HVDC power systems, according to the simulation results.

Two polyurethanes (PUs) were similarly synthesized by reacting a cycloaliphatic isocyanate with 1,4 butanediol and two polyols of different nature (polyester, polycarbonate diol) with molecular weights of 1000 Da. The PU made with polycarbonate diol polyol (YCD) was the only showing intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C. For assessing the mechanism of intrinsic self-healing of YCD, a structural characterization by molecular weights determination, infrared and X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was carried out. It was concluded that the self-healing at 20 °C of YCD was due to non-covalent dynamic exchange interactions among the carbonate groups of the soft segments. Therefore, the chemical nature of the polyol played a key role in developing PUs with intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells released from the primary tumor and intravasate into the blood or lymphatic vessels, where they are transported to distant sites and act as seeds that initiate cancer metastases. Recent advances in CTC research have shown their relevance as prognostic markers for early and metastatic disease detection, predictive biomarkers for relapse, and response to medical intervention or therapy. The rapidly evolving landscape of CTC biology has opened new avenues for understanding cancer progression, metastasis, and treatment response. Additionally, translating these findings into clinical applications holds promise for improving cancer diagnostics, prognosis, and personalized therapeutic strategies. This review discusses the significance of CTCs in cancer research and their associated challenges. We explore recent developments in the detection and characterization of CTCs and their implications in cancer research and clinical practice.

There are several well-described molecular mechanisms that influence cell growth and are relat-ed to the development of cancer. Chemokines constitute a fundamental element which are not only involved in local growth but also affect angiogenesis, tumor spread and metastatic disease. Among them, the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and its specific receptor the chemo-kine C-X-C motif receptor 4 (CXCR4) have been widely studied. The overexpression in cell mem-branes of CXCR4 has been shown to be associated with the development of different kinds of his-tological malignancies, such as adenocarcinomas, epidermoid carcinomas, mesenchymal tumors or neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). The molecular synapsis between CXCL12 and CXCR4 leads to the interaction of G proteins and activation of different intracellular signaling pathways in both gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) and bronchopulmonary (BP) NENs conferring greater ca-pacity for locoregional aggressiveness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the ap-pearance of metastases. Therefore, it has been hypothesized how to design tools that target this receptor. The aim of this review is to focus on current knowledge of the relationship between CXCR4 and NENs, with a special emphasis on diagnostic and therapeutic molecular targets.

The aim of this work is research dedicated to the search for new bactericidal systems for use in cosmetic formulations, dermocosmetics, or the production of wound dressings. Over the last two decades chitosan due to its special biological activity, has become a highly indispensable biopolymer with very wide application possibilities. Literature reports on the antibacterial effects of chitosan are very diverse, but our research has shown that they can be successfully improved through chemical modification. Therefore, in this study, results on the synthesis of new Schiff bases chitosan – dCsSB-SFD and dCsSB-PCA obtained using two aldehydes: sodium 4-formylbenzene-1,3-disulfonate (SFD) and 2-pyridine carboxaldehyde (PCA) respectively. Chitosan derivatives synthesized in this way demonstrate stronger antimicrobial activity. Carrying out the procedure of grafting chitosan with a caproyl chain allowed obtaining compatible blends of chitosan derivatives with κ-carrageenan, which are stable hydrogels with a high swelling coefficient. Furthermore, covalently bounded PCL improved the solubility of obtained polymers in organic solvents. With this respect, the Schiff base-containing polymers obtained in this study, with special hydrogel and antimicrobial properties are very promising materials for the potential use as a controlled-release formulation of both, hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs in cosmetic products for skin health.

Objective: Lower extremity ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) may occur with trauma-related vascular injury and various vascular diseases, during the use of a tourniquet, temporary clamping of the aorta in aortic surgery, and acute or bilateral acute femoral artery occlusion. Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased basal oxidative stress in diabetes may cause an increase in the effects of increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction due to IRI. It is of great importance to examine therapeutic approaches that can minimize the effects of IRI, especially for patient groups under chronic oxidative stress. Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles mimic the antioxidant enzymes and act as a catalyst that scavenges ROS. In this study, it was aimed to investigate whether CeO2 has protective effects on skeletal muscles in lower extremity IRI in mice with streptozocin-induced diabetes. Methods: A total of 38 Swiss albino mice were divided into six groups as follows: control group (group C, n=6), diabetes group (group D, n=8), diabetes-CeO2 (group DCO, n=8), diabetes-ischemia/reperfusion (group DIR, n=8), and diabetes-ischemia/reperfusion-CeO2 (group DIRCO, n=8). DCO and DIRCO groups were given doses of CeO2 0.5mg/kg intraperitoneally 30 minutes before the IR procedure. A 120-minute ischemia-120-minute reperfusion period with 100% O2 was performed. At the end of the reperfusion period, muscle tissues were removed for histopathological and biochemical examinations. Results: Total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were found to be significantly lower in group DIR compared with group D (p=0.047 and p=0.022, respectively). In group DIRCO and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were found to be significantly higher than in group DIR (p

Keywords: pelvic ultrasound, follicle number per ovary, FNPO, ovarian volume, PCOM, upper normal limits, referral population

Large-scale hydrological modeling in China is challenging given the sparse meteorological stations and large uncertainties associated with atmospheric forcing data.Here we introduce the development and use of the China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the SWAT model (CMADS) in the Heihe River Basin(HRB) for improving hydrologic modeling, by leveraging the datasets from the China Meteorological Administration Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS)(including climate data from nearly 40000 area encryption stations, 2700 national automatic weather stations, FengYun (FY) 2 satellite and radar stations). CMADS uses the Space Time Multiscale Analysis System (STMAS) to fuse data based on ECWMF ambient field and ensure data accuracy. In addition, compared with CLDAS, CMADS includes relative humidity and climate data of varied resolutions to drive hydrological models such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Here, we compared climate data from CMADS, Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) and traditional weather station (TWS) climate forcing data and evaluatedtheir applicability for driving large scale hydrologic modeling with SWAT. In general, CMADS has higher accuracy than CFRS when evaluated against observations at TWS; CMADS also provides spatially continuous climate field to drive distributed hydrologic models, which is an important advantage over TWS climate data, particular in regions with sparse weather stations. Therefore, SWAT model simulations driven with CMADS and TWS achieved similar performances in terms of monthly and daily stream flow simulations, and both of them outperformed CFRS. For example, for the three hydrological stations (Ying Luoxia, Qilian Mountain, and ZhaMasheke) in the HRB at the monthly and daily Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency ranges of 0.75-0.95 and 0.58-0.78, respectively, which are much higher than corresponding efficiency statistics achieved with CFSR (monthly: 0.32-0.49 and daily: 0.26 – 0.45). The CMADS dataset is available free of charge and is expected to a valuable addition to the existing climate reanalysis datasets for deriving distributed hydrologic modeling in China and other countries in East Asia.

Background: The control of energy metabolism is fundamental for cell growth and function, and anomalies are implicated in complex diseases and ageing. It is important for cells to carefully tune metabolic pathways to optimize their function in response to different nutrient or physiological conditions. Metabolism in yeast cells can be easily manipulated by supplying different carbon sources: on glucose yeast rapidly proliferates by fermentation, analogous to tumour cells growing by aerobic glycolysis, whereas on non-fermentable carbon sources metabolism shifts towards respiration. Results: We screened deletion libraries of fission yeast to identify over 200 genes required for respiratory growth. The growth medium and auxotrophic mutants strongly influenced respiratory metabolism. Most genes uncovered in the mutant screens have not been implicated in respiration in budding yeast. We applied gene expression profiling approaches to compare steady-state fermentative and respiratory growth and to analyse the dynamic adaptation to respiratory growth. The transcript levels of most genes functioning in key energy metabolism pathways were coherently tuned, reflecting anticipated differences in metabolic flows between fermenting and respiring cells. We show that the acetyl-CoA synthase, rather than the citrate lyase, is essential for acetyl-CoA synthesis in fission yeast. We also investigated the transcriptional response to mitochondrial damage by genetic or chemical perturbations, defining a retrograde response that involves the concerted regulation of distinct groups of nuclear genes that may avert harm from mitochondrial malfunction. Conclusions: These systematic and targeted analyses provide a rich framework of the genetic and regulatory basis of fundamental metabolic states to guide future studies on energy metabolism in fission yeast and beyond. Our study pinpoints weaknesses of commonly used auxotroph mutants for investigating energy metabolism. As a model for cellular energy regulation, fission yeast provides an attractive and complementary system to budding yeast.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder presenting a dysregulated immune response and derangement of the epidermal barrier lipids. The Th2-type cytokines interleukin IL-4 and IL-13 play a prominent role in AD by activating the Janus Kinase/Signal Transduction and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) intracellular signal axis. This study aimed to investigate the role of JAK/STAT in the lipid perturbations induced by Th2 signaling in 3D-epidermal equivalents. We used tofacitinib, a low-molecular-mass JAK inhibitor, to screen for the JAK/STAT-mediated deregulation of lipid metabolism. Th2 cytokines decreased the expression of elongases 1, 3, and 4, and serine-palmitoyl-transferase and increased that of sphingolipid delta(4)-desaturase, and carbonic anhydrase 2. Th2 cytokines inhibited the synthesis of palmitate and caused a depletion of triglycerides. This depletion was associated with altered PC profiles and fatty acid (FA) metabolism. Overall, the ceramide profiles were minimally affected. Except for most sphingolipids and very long chain FAs, the effects of Th2 on lipid pathways were reversed by co-treatment with tofacitinib. An increase in the mRNA levels of CPT1A and ACAT1, reduced by tofacitinib, suggests that Th2 cytokines promote FA beta-oxidation. In conclusion, pharmacological inhibition of JAK/STAT activation prevents the lipid disruption caused by halted homeostasis of FA metabolism.

The accuracy of cosmic ray observation by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory Wide Field-of-view Cherenkov/fluorescence Telescope Array (LHAASO-WFCTA) is influenced by variations in aerosols in the atmosphere. The solar photometer (CE318-T) is extensively utilized within the Aerosol Robotic Network as a highly precise and reliable instrument for aerosol measurements. With this CE318-T 23, 254 sets of valid data samples in 394 days from October 2020 to October 2022 at the LHAASO site were obtained. Data analysis revealed that the baseline Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and A˚ngstro¨m Exponent (AE) at 440-870 nm (AE440−870nm) of the aerosols were calculated to be 0.03 and 1.07, respectively, suggesting that the LHAASO site is among the most pristine regions on Earth. The seasonality of the mean AOD are the order of spring &gt; summer &gt; autumn = winter. The monthly average maximum of AOD440nm occurred in April (0.11 ± 0.05) and the minimum was in December (0.03 ± 0.01). The monthly average of AE440−870nm exhibited slight variations. The seasonal characterization of aerosol types indicated that clean continental background aerosol predominated in autumn and winter, which is the optimal period for the absolute calibration of the WFCTA. Additionally, the diurnal daytime variations of AOD and AE across the four seasons are presented. Our analysis also indicates that the potential origins of aerosol over the LHAASO in four seasons were different and the atmospheric aerosols with higher AOD probably originate mainly from Northern Myanmar and Northeast India region. These results provide a baseline for comparison to the future on-site measurement of extinction coefficient profile and aerosol phase function by LHAASO-WFCTA, also enrich the valuable materials on aerosol observation in the Hengduan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau.

French Guiana, located in the Guiana Shield, is a natural reservoir for many zoonotic pathogens that are of considerable medical or veterinary importance. Until now, there are few data available on the description of parasites circulating in this area, especially on protozoan belonging to the phy-lum Apicomplexa; conversely, the neighbouring countries describe a high parasitic prevalence in animals and humans. Epidemiological surveillance is necessary, as new potentially virulent strains may emerge from these forest ecosystems, such as Amazonian toxoplasmosis. However, there is no standard tool for detecting protozoa in wildlife. In this study, we developed Meat-Borne-Parasite, a high-throughput meta-barcoding workflow for detecting Apicomplexa based on Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing platform using the 18S gene of fourteen Apicomplexa-positive samples collected in French Guiana. Sequencing reads were then analysed with MetONTIIME pipeline. Thanks to a scoring rule, we were able to classify as Apicom-plexa-positive 10 samples out of 14 and reveal the presence of co-carriages. The same samples were also sequenced with Illumina platform, for validation purposes. On samples identified as Apicomplexa-positive by both platforms, a strong positive correlation at up to genus level was reported. Overall, the presented workflow represents a reliable method for Apicomplexa detec-tion, which may pave the way for more comprehensive biomonitoring of zoonotic pathogens.

A novel determination method using flow-through cartridge purification and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the identification and quantification of 30 mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, sterigmatocysin, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, roquefortine C, methylergonovine, ergocornine, lysergol, enniatin A, enniatin A1, enniatin B, enniatin B1, beauvericin, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetylDeoxynivalenol, 15-acetylDeoxynivalenol, patulin, verruculogen, neosolaniol, gliotoxin, HT-2 toxin, wortmannin, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, and β-zearalanol) in feedstuffs. Mycotoxins were extracted from sample by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (16/84 v/v), then purified by a Cleanert® MC clean-up column. As a result, the pigments and other matrices were efficient removed from the sample extract solution. The purified eluate was collected, then evaporated and redissolved by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) for UPLC-MS/MS detection. A BEH Shield RP18 chromatographic column was employed for separation of 30 mycotoxins in a total of 14 min. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied for qualitative and quantitative analysis, and matrix calibration curves obtained with the external-standard method was used for quantitation of target analytes. Under optimized conditions, the linearity range was from 2 to 1000 ng/g, and the limit of quantification of the developed method was from 2 to 50 ng/g. The recoveries of 30 mycotoxins spiked in urine samples were from 72.0% to 118.5%, and the relative standard deviation was below 20%. The method was also well approved by certified reference sample, and applied on the real feedstuff samples testing successfully.

The massive amount of human biological, imaging and clinical data produced by multiple and diverse sources, necessitates integrative modeling approaches able to summarize all this information into answers to specific clinical questions. In this paper, we present a hypermodeling scheme able to combine models of diverse cancer aspects regardless of their underlying method or scale. Describing tissue-scale cancer cell proliferation, biomechanical tumor growth, nutrient transport, genomic-scale aberrant cancer cell metabolism, and cell signaling pathways that regulate the cellular response to therapy, the hypermodel integrates mutation, miRNA expression, imaging, and clinical data. The constituting hypomodels as well as their orchestration and links are described. Two specific cancer types, Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma) and non-small cell lung cancer, are addressed as proof of concept study cases. Personalized simulations over the actual anatomy of a patient have been carried out. The hypermodel has also applied to predict tumor control after radiotherapy and the relationship between tumor proliferative activity and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Our innovative hypermodel holds promise as a digital twin based clinical decision support system and the core of future in silico trial platforms, although additional retrospective adaptation and validation is necessary.

This paper concentrates on the general birth-death processes with two different types of catastrophes. The Laplace transform of transition probability function for birth-death processes with two-type catastrophes are is successfully expressed with the Laplace transform of transition probability function of the birth-death processes without catastrophe. The first effective catastrophe occurrence time is considered. The Laplace transform of its probability density function, expectation and variance are obtained.

Preschoolers with disabilities and their caregivers have been neglected in health and social service provision in most low-income countries and arguably too in low resourced areas of more affluent nations. Yet as this rapid review of published literature identifies, there are low-cost, evidence-based strategies to address their needs that can be implemented in communities by local people. Five key features of the necessary supports are examined. First the leadership functions required to create and implement the support services. Second, the family-centred, home-based support provided to caregivers and the personnel undertaking this form of support. Third, providing opportunities for peer support to flourish and encouraging the formation of advocacy groups across families. Fourth, mobilizing the support of significant groups within the community; notably traditional healers and leaders; health services and poverty alleviation initiatives. Fifth, devising ways in which preschool educational opportunities can be offered to children as a prelude to their inclusion in primary schools. The review serves a further purpose. It provides an example of how public health researchers and academics could achieve more rapid implementation of evidence-based knowledge into existing and new support services through dissemination to community practitioners.

The basic idea is to expand the completed zeta function $\xi(s)$ in MacLaurin series (infinite polynomial), which can be further expressed as infinite product (Hadamard product) by conjugate complex roots. Finally, the functional equation $\xi(s)=\xi(1-s)$ leads to $(s-\alpha_i)^2 = (1-s-\alpha_i)^2, i \in \mathbb{N}$ with solution $\alpha_i= \frac{1}{2}, i \in \mathbb{N}$, where $\alpha_i$ are the real parts of the zeros of $\xi(s)$, i.e., $s_i =\alpha_i\pm j\beta_i, i\in \mathbb{N}$. Therefore, a proof of the Riemann Hypothesis is achieved.

Among the various types of gas sensors, the chemoresistive gas sensors based on metal oxides are considered the most attractive ones due to their simple operation, low costs and miniaturization. Thin films of V2O5 undoped and doped with TiO2 were studied as nitrogen dioxide, methane and hydrogen sensors. The experimental kinetics of the electrical conductivity changes due to introduction and removal of gas on metal oxide gas sensors were successfully explained in terms of the Langmuir adsorption theory.

Cultural tourism in Tanzania presents a diverse tapestry of traditions, varied ethnic groups, and historical accounts. This article aims to pinpoint areas for further exploration in the cultural tourism sector of Tanzania and analyze their potential impacts. The study conducted a systematic review of the literature following established inclusion criteria as well as the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. A total of 21 articles focused on Tanzania Cultural Heritage Tourism from sources such as Google Scholar and web databases were examined, revealing several research gaps, including theoretical, contextual and methodological aspects. Furthermore, the research offers insights into theoretical implications and recommends avenues for future studies that could advance the field by addressing these knowledge gaps providing valuable direction to new researchers interested in exploring these specific areas as well as practitioners seeking a comprehensive understanding of various aspects related to Tanzania's cultural heritage tourism

This bibliographic study addresses key aspects related to fishing, product safety, and climate change in the Adriatic Sea region. The examination of product safety focuses on the assessment of contaminants originating from human activities such as industry, mining, agriculture, and household waste disposal. The contamination of the aquatic environment has emerged as a pressing global concern, extending to the Adriatic subbasin. Aquatic organisms, including fish, are prone to accumulating pollutants directly from polluted water sources and indirectly through the food web. The bio-accumulation of potentially hazardous substances, particularly heavy metals, pesticides, PCBs, PAHs, and antibiotic resistance in aquatic organisms, poses a significant threat to human health. Climate change effects will deplete our seafood supply in terms of quantity and safety owing to negative consequences such as higher levels of pollution, parasites, viruses, infections, acidification, and toxicities such as shellfish poisoning. Global food safety strategies should be developed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote environmentally friendly technology, which indirectly affects seafood quality and microbiological safety, especially for Adriatic Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by the most polluted waters in the world.

Cell-culture meat is a novel concept to replace traditional meat produced from animals, and to satisfy rising food demands due to the world population growth. It is still a young field and requires to solve technical issues including cell sources and types, efficient culture for large scale production, taste and texture for customer satisfaction. The current review summarized traditional beef meat production and evaluation methods for customer satisfaction. In particular, serum biomarkers for beef meat evaluation are discussed, which can be applicated for cell-culture meat production.

The numerical implementation of the controllers allows the use of very complex algorithms with ease. However, in practice, due to its proven advantages, the PID controller (and its variants) is widely used in industrial control systems as well as in many other applications that require continuous control. Most of the methods for tuning the parameters of PID controllers are based on time-invariant linear models of the processes, which in practice can lead to poor performance of the control system. The paper presents an application of reinforcement learning algorithms in tuning of PID controllers for the control of some classes of continuous nonlinear systems. Tuning the parameters of PID controllers is done with the help of Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradients (TD3) algorithm which presents a series of advantages compared to other similar methods from Machine Learning dedicated to continuous state and action spaces. TD3 algorithm is an off-policy Actor-Critic based method and was used as it does not require a system model. The presented technique is applied for control of a biotechnological system which has a strongly nonlinear dynamic. The proposed tuning method is compared to the classical tuning methods of PID controllers. The performance of the tuning method based on the TD3 algorithm is demonstrated through simulation illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Promoting the sustainable development of resource-based cities is of great significance to the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Combining the environmental status and economic development, we objectively evaluate the ecological safety level of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, compare and analysis the main factors affecting the ecological safety of different resource-based cities, and formulate precise and differentiated ecological safety protection measures in river basins to achieve high-quality development. Taking the Yellow River Basin as an example, this paper analyses the ecological level of the Yellow River Basin based on the theory of sustainable development, calculates the ecological safety level of 30 resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2006 to 2020 by TOPSIS model, and makes convergence analysis by classification. Through the DID empirical test of sustainable development planning policy on ecological safety factors, distinguish the development characteristics of different resource-based cities. The results show that: (1) the ecological safety level of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin is generally developing well, and there are differences among different types of resource-based cities; (2) the kinetic energy of sustainable development of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin is mainly industrial transformation, and the power of science and technology is insufficient; (3) local governments pay limited attention to environmental protection, and the sustainable development planning of resource-based cities in 2013 mainly promotes the adjustment of industrial structure of resource-based cities.

To stabilize the Earth’s climate a large-scale transition is needed to non-carbon emitting renewable energy technologies like wind and solar energy. Although these renewable energy sources are now lower-cost than fossil fuels, their inherent intermittency make them unable to supply a constant load without storage. To address these challenges rechargeable electric batteries are currently the most promising option; however, their high capital costs limit current deployment velocities. To both reduce the cost as well as improve performance 3D printing technology has emerged as a promising solution. This literature review provides the state-of-the-art enhancements of battery properties with 3D printing including efficiency, mechanical stability, energy and power density, customizability and sizing, production process efficiency, material conservation and environmental sustainability as well as the progress in solid-state batteries. The principles, advantages, limitations, and recent advancements associated with the most common types of 3D printing are reviewed focusing on their contributions to the battery field. 3D printing batteries offer design flexibility, material flexibility, reduces pack weight, minimizes material waste, increases the range of applications and has the potential to reduce costs. As 3D printing technologies become more accessible, the prospect of cost-effective production for customized batteries is extremely promising.

The uncertainty in the secondary path of an Active Noise Control (ANC) headphone affects the waterbed effect and stability of the feedback system. This study focuses on the uncertainty of the secondary path when real users wear headphones, and proposes a new uncertainty constraint based on the measured results of the secondary path transfer function under different wearing conditions of dummy head and limited subjects. This constraint and a cascaded second-order infinite impulse response filter with fixed coefficients are used to formulate a control strategic function, which is optimized by the Improved Grey Wolf Optimizer (IGWO) algorithm to obtain the optimal controller with better noise reduction performance. The proposed method and simulation model are validated based on the experimental test results. The results demonstrate that the safety factor and waterbed suppressing factor contained in the proposed uncertainty constraint ensures more stable noise reduction and effective suppression of the waterbed effect for new subjects without a priori data.

Effective and rapid mixing is essential for various chemical and biological assays. The present work reports a simple and low-cost micromixer based on magnetofluidic actuation. The device takes advantage of magnetoconvective secondary flow, a bulk flow induced by an external magnetic field, for mixing. A paramagnetic stream of diluted ferrofluid and a non-magnetic stream are introduced to a straight microchannel. A permanent magnet placed next to the microchannel induced a non-uniform magnetic field. The magnetic field gradient and the mismatch in magnetic susceptibility between the two streams create a body force, which leads to rapid and efficient mixing. The micromixer reported here could achieve a high throughput and a high mixing efficiency of 90 % in a relatively short microchannel.

This paper seeks to model the crack propagation in of AAs (aluminum-alloys) 2524-T3 and 7050-T7452 subjected to fatigue loading at low temperature. Fatigue crack growth tests were performed on AAs 2524-T3 and 7050-T7452 subjected to constant-amplitude and actual random-spectra loading histories at room temperature of about 25 °C and at cryogenic temperature of -70 °C, respectively, to determine their crack growth properties and residual lives. The interaction mechanisms between cryogenic temperature and the fatigue load were deduced on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. Temperature-dependent residual lives under actual random-spectrum load history were modeled based on a modified accumulation damage rule by accounting for the load interaction. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.

Bio-molecular reagents like antibodies required in experimental biology are expensive and their effectiveness, among other things, is critical to the success of the experiment. Although such resources are sometimes donated by one investigator to another through personal communication between the two, there is no previous study to our knowledge on the extent of such donations, nor a central platform that directs resource seekers to donors. In this paper, we describe, to our knowledge, a first attempt at building a web-portal titled Bio-Resource Exchange that attempts to bridge this gap between resource seekers and donors in the domain of experimental biology. Users on this portal can request for or donate antibodies, cell-lines and DNA Constructs. This resource could also serve as a crowd-sourced database of resources for experimental biology. Further, in order to index donations outside of our portal, we mined scientific articles to find instances of donations of antibodies and attempted to extract information about these donations at the finest granularity. Specifically, we extracted the name of the donor, his/her affiliation and the name of the antibody for every donation by parsing the acknowledgements sections of articles. To extract annotations at this level, we propose two approaches – a rule based algorithm and a bootstrapped relation learning algorithm. The algorithms extracted donor names, affiliations and antibody names with average accuracies of 57% and 62% respectively. We also created a dataset of 50 expert-annotated acknowledgements sections that will serve as a gold standard dataset to evaluate extraction algorithms in the future. Contact: [email protected], [email protected] Database URL: http://tonks.dbmi.pitt.edu/brx Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Database online.

The mechanisms underlying the establishment of asymmetric structures during development remain elusive. The wing of Drosophila is asymmetric along the Anterior-Posterior (AP) axis, despite that its growth signals that drive its growth are presumably symmetric. Here, we investigated the contribution of cell recruitment, a process that drives wing fate differentiation in Drosophila, to the asymmetric shape and pattern of the adult wing. Genetic impairment of cell recruitment results in a significant reduction in adult wing asymmetry, primarily affecting the region between longitudinal vein 5 and the wing margin (L5-M). Morphometric analysis reveals that the lack of cell recruitment results in a more symmetric wing with respect to the AP, suggesting a contribution of cell recruitment to the establishment of asymmetry in the adult wing. A close examination of the expression of the wing selector gene vestigial (vg) in wing disc does not support this hypothesis. However, the circularity of the Vg pattern significantly increase in recruitment-impaired wing disc, suggesting that while the decrease of the L5-M region in the adult wing may not be attributed to cell recruitment, it could contribute to the overall asymmetry of the adult wing. We conclude that cell recruitment, a widespread mechanism that participates in growth and patterning of several developing systems, could drive, at least partially, the asymmetric shape of the Drosophila wing.

The analysis and simulation of water quality in distribution networks is a complex issue of great concern today. The analysis of the evolution of water age, as a simple indicator of water quality in the network, is of great interest in both design and operation phases. Understanding the factors that have the strongest influence on water quality is key to developing adequate strategies aimed at preserving it. This paper firstly analyses the factors with biggest influence in the tanks water age, to support the selection of the most appropriate configuration from the point of view of water quality during design phases. Then, the main considerations when modelling tanks following the different mixing models considered in Epanet have been presented. Also, a real tank behaviour has been characterised through field measurements and Epanet simulations in order to determine the best fitted mixing model.

Reasonable allocation of production plans and saving the overall electricity cost are crucial for large manufacturing conglomerates, which is an effective way for conglomerates to realize open-source and cost-saving. This paper develops an optimization model of off-site industrial production scheduling for enterprises in response to the problems of high electricity costs due to the irrational allocation of production schedules on the demand side of China's electric power and the difficulty of promoting industrial and commercial distributed photovoltaic (PV) projects in China. The model makes full use of the conditions of different PV resources and different electricity prices in different places to optimize the scheduling of industrial production in different places. The model is embedded with two sub-models of the electricity price prediction model and distributed photovoltaic kWh cost model to complete the model parameters, in which the electricity price prediction model utilizes the LSTM neural network. The integrated model is then solved by the particle swarm algorithm. To verify the effectiveness of the model in solving the problem of off-site production scheduling on the demand side of electricity, the research team researched two off-site pharmaceutical factories belonging to the same large pharmaceutical company. Finally, the research data were substituted into the model for solving, and it was concluded that the optimization model could significantly reduce the cost of electricity consumption of the enterprise by about 7.9 %.

Globalization, knowledge economy, information technology advancements, and the rise of learning societies contribute to the concept of a learning city. The study examines the economic indicators of Yazd city, Iran, in the context of learning city development. A descriptive-analytical approach with a survey method and cluster sampling was employed. Data analysis involved Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, single-sample T-test, simple linear regression, and Kendall's W test. The normality test confirmed data normality. The T-test indicated that experts perceived the current state of most variables in Yazd as undesirable. Regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between the economic index and independent variables. Kendall's W test prioritized areas based on economic indicators, with the top 7 and bottom 5 areas identified for focused interventions. The study emphasizes the need to prioritize areas within Yazd based on their economic indicators. This prioritization informs strategies for enhancing social and legal aspects of Yazd's transformation into a learning city. Further research should explore effective methods to cultivate a full-fledged learning environment in the city.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health threat, necessitating innovative strategies for control and prevention. This comprehensive review explores the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Lysine Exporter (LysE) gene, unveiling its multifaceted roles and potential uses in controlling and preventing tuberculosis (TB). As a pivotal player in eliminating excess L-lysine and L-arginine, LysE contributes to the survival and virulence of M. tuberculosis. This review synthesizes findings from different electronic databases and includes 13 studies focused on the LysE of M. tuberculosis. The research unveils that LysE can be a potential drug target, a diagnostic marker for TB, and a promising candidate for vaccine development. The absence of LysE in the widely used BCG vaccine underscores its uniqueness and positions it as a novel area for TB prevention. In conclusion, this review underscores the significance of LysE in TB pathogenesis and its potential as a drug target, diagnostic marker, and vaccine candidate. The multifaceted nature of LysE positions it at the forefront of innovative approaches to combat TB, calling for sustained research efforts to harness its full potential in the global fight against this infectious disease.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health threat associated with serious clinical consequences worldwide. The WHO reports an estimated 58 million people globally living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with 1.5 million new cases and over 350,000 deaths annually due to HCV-related diseases. Despite the existence of multiple diagnostic methods, the accessibility of diagnosis and treatment is often hindered across the continent by limited resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, and low public awareness of Hepatitis C virus Hepatitis C virus infection is a major public health concern in African countries, which have the highest prevalence rates of HCV in the world (1–26%). Egypt, African country which had the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in the world. Its national hepatitis C elimination initiative emerges as an exemplary case of success an having screened over 60 million individuals, and treated more than 4 million, thereby markedly diminishing both the prevalence and incidence of the disease. The strategies employed by Egypt offer critical insights and adaptable frameworks for other African Countries facing analogous challenges. The Aim of this Review is to highlight the triumphs and hurdles of Egypt's approach, while also providing strategic guidance for African Countries to accelerate the journey towards the eradication of hepatitis C.

This study aimed to review the dietary risk factors for root caries prevalence in older adults, from socially active people to frail patients. A comprehensive search strategy was used to select studies from PubMed and Scopus databases. Two evalua-tors performed data extraction, screening, and quality assessment independently. Only studies written in English were included. Caries is very common in the elderly, as there are several aggravating factors such as the decrease of the ability to self-care and, by extension, insufficient oral hygiene, a carious diet, limited exposure to fluoride, xero-stomia, gingival recession, limited access to dental care. Root caries is prevalent in the elderly due to gingival recession and root exposure to the oral environment. Dietary risk factors significantly affect root caries prevalence in older adults, including high intake of sugars and an alteration of their composition preference in this age group. Caries risk appears more significant in frail, standardized patients who feed with even softer food or supplements.

The increasing availability of longitudinal data (repeated numerical observations of same units at different times) requires the development of flexible techniques to automatically detect common errors in such data. Besides obvious and easily identifiable cases, such as missing or out-of-range data, large longitudinal dataset often present problems not easily traceable by the techniques used for generic datasets. In particular, elusive and baffling problems are i) inversion of one or more values from one unit to another; ii) anomalous jumps in the series of values, iii) errors in the timing of the values due to a recalculation operated by the data providers to compensate previous errors. This work proposes a statistical-mathematical approach based on a system of indicators that is able to capture the complexity of the described problems by working at the formal level, regardless of the specific meaning of the data. The proposed approach identifies suspect erroneous data and is applicable in a variety of contexts. We implement this approach in a relevant database of European Higher Education institutions (ETER) by analyzing Total academic staff, that is one of the most important variables, used in empirical analysis as proxy of size and also considered by policy makers at European level.

In the dynamic landscape of modern education, characterized by an increasingly active involvement of IT technologies in learning, the imperative to transfer to students the skills necessary to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the process represents an important goal. This paper presents a novel framework for knowledge transfer, diverging from traditional programming language-centric approaches by integrating PSoC 6 microcontroller technology. This framework establishes a cyclical learning cycle encompassing theoretical fundamentals and practical experimentation, fostering AI literacy at the edge. Through a structured combination of theoretical instruction and hands-on experimentation, students develop proficiency in understanding and harnessing AI capabilities. Emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, this approach equips students with the tools to navigate the complexities of real-world AI applications effectively. By leveraging PSoC 6 as an educational tool, a new generation of individuals is efficiently cultivated with essential AI skills. These individuals are adept at leveraging AI technologies to address societal challenges and drive innovation, thereby contributing to long-term sustainability initiatives. Specific strategies for experiential learning, curriculum recommendations, and results of knowledge application are presented, aimed at preparing students to excel in a future where AI will be omnipresent and indispensable.

Agriculture is an industry that heavily relies on the environment. The increasing frequency of ex-treme disasters attributable to climate change has adversely affected agricultural land and dis-rupted the stability of the supply of agricultural products. Therefore, we implemented a research program focused on current strategies for adapting to agricultural meteorological disasters. The primary goal was to actively promote disaster prevention information and techniques through information platforms and applications and to provide refined forecasting and an early warning system to enhance preparedness for and recovery from agricultural disasters. This initiative can transform passive mitigation into dynamic action by disseminating crucial information to farmers. We integrated meteorological data and crop characteristics to develop disaster prevention strate-gies for the predisaster, during-disaster, and postdisaster stages to empower farmers to implement autonomous disaster prevention, ensuring their profitability and minimizing the impact of disas-ters. This paper presents an agricultural disaster prevention system involving cross-disciplinary collaboration to establish an early warning system for crop disasters. However, the effectiveness of the early warning system relies on the availability of complete meteorological and crop infor-mation, necessitating high-density agricultural meteorological stations, refined weather forecast services, historical crop damage data, and ongoing research and development on disaster preven-tion technology. In the system, a diversified social media interface is used to provide local farmers with weather forecast information. When impending disasters are identified, the platform acti-vates disaster prevention measures to reduce agricultural losses. This article paper introduces Taiwan’s agricultural disaster prevention system as a complete disaster prevention strategy.

Floods are among the most serious natural disasters worldwide; they cause enormous crop losses every year and threaten world food security. There are many studies focused on flood impact assessments for administrative districts but fewer on postdisaster impact assessments for specific crops. Therefore, this study used remote sensing data, including the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), elevation data, slope data, and rainfall data, combined with crop growing season data to construct a crop flood damage assessment index (CFAI). First, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to assign weights to the impact factors; then, the weighted composite score method was used to calculate the CFAI; and finally, the impact was classified as slight, moderate, or severe based on the magnitude of the CFAI . This method was used for the Missouri River floods of 2019 in the U.S. Due to the lack of measured data, the disaster vegetation damage index (DVDI) was used to validate the results. The combined approach achieved a high degree of consistency in spatial distribution. The CFAI can respond well to the degree of crop impact after flooding, providing new ideas and reference standards for agriculture-related departments.

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are membrane model used to study membrane properties. Electroformation is one of the methods used to produce GUVs. During electroformation protocol dry lipid film is formed. Drying of the lipid film induce Cholesterol (Chol) demixing artifact, in which Chol forms anhydrous crystals, where these crystals does not participate in formation of vesicles. This leads to a lower Chol concentration in the vesicle bilayers compared to the Chol concentration in the initial lipid solution. To address this problem, we propose novel electroformation protocol that includes rapid solvent exchange, plasma cleaning and spin-coating methods to produce GUVs. We tested the protocol focusing on vesicles with high Chol content using different spin-coating durations and vesicle types deposition. Additionally, we compared the novel protocol using completely dry lipid film. The optimal spin-coating duration for vesicles made out of phosphatidylcholine/Chol mixture was 30 s. Mulitlamellar vesicles (MLVs), large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) obtained by extrusion of MLVs through 100 nm membrane pores and LUVs obtained by extrusion of previously obtained LUVs through 50 nm membrane pores were deposited on electrode for 1.5/1 Chol/phosphatidylcholine lipid mixture and the results were compared. Electroformation using all three deposited vesicle types gave a high GUVs yield, but deposition of LUVs obtained by extrusion of MLVs through 100 nm membrane pores gave the most reproducible results. Using deposition of these LUVs, we produced GUVs with high yield for 6 different Chol concentrations (from 0 % to 71.4%). Using protocol that includes dry lipid film GUVs yield was lower and Chol demixing artifact was induced, proving that the lipid film should never undergo drying when Chol content is high.

The European Union Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC; WFD) aims to achieve a good ecological and chemical status of all bodies of surface water by 2027. The development of an integrated guidance on surface water chemical monitoring (e.g. WFD Guidance Document No. 7/19) has been transferred into national German law (Ordinance for the Protection of Surface Waters, OGewV). For the majority of compounds, this act requires a monthly sampling frequency to assess the chemical water quality status of a surface water body. To evaluate the representativeness of the sampling strategy under the OGewV, high-frequency online monitoring data is investigated under different sampling scenarios and compared with current, monthly grab sampling strategy. About 23 million data points were analyzed for this study, three chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, nitrate-nitrogen, chloride concentration) and discharge data were selected from four catchment of different sizes ranging from 51391 km² to 84 km² (Elbe, Vereinigte Mulde, Neiße and two stations at Lockwitzbach). In this paper we proposed short-term online-monitoring (STOM) as a sampling alternative. STOM considers the placement of online sensors over a limited duration and return interval. In general we: (I) compare the results of conventional grab sampling with STOM, (II) investigate the different performance of STOM and grab sampling using discharge data as proxy for analyzing event-mobilized pollutants and (III) investigate the related uncertainties and costs of both sampling methods. Results show, that STOM outperforms grab sampling for parameters where minimum/maximum concentrations are required by law as the probability to catch a single extreme value is higher with STOM. Furthermore, parameters showing a pronounced diurnal pattern, like dissolved oxygen, are also captured considerably better. The performance of STOM showed no substantial improvements for parameters with small concentration variability, as nitrogen-nitrate The analysis of discharge events as a proxy parameter for event-mobilized pollutants proved that the probability of capturing samples during events is significantly increased by STOM.

Nanocrystalline silicon oxide (nc-SiOx:H) is a multipurpose material with its varied application in solar cells as a transparent front contact, intermediate reflector, back reflector layer and even tunnel layer for passivating contacts, owing to easy tailoring of its optical properties. In this work, we systematically investigate the influence of gas mixture (SiH4, CO2, PH3 and H2), RF power and process pressure on the optical, structural and passivation properties of thin n-type nc-SiOx:H films prepared in an industrial, high throughput, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) reactor. We provide a detailed description of the n-type nc-SiOx:H material develop-ment using various characterization techniques (SEM, EDX, Raman spectroscopy, and spectro-scopic ellipsometry) with a focus on the relationship between the material properties and the pas-sivation they provide to n-type c-Si wafers characterized by their effective carrier lifetime (τeff). Further, we also outline the parameters to be kept in mind while developing different n-type nc-SiOx:H layers for different solar cell applications. We report a tunable optical gap (1.8 – 2.3 eV) for our n-type nc-SiOx:H films as well as excellent passivation properties with τeff up to 3.5 ms (iVoc ~ 715 mV) before annealing. Oxygen content plays an important role in determining the crystallinity and hence passivation quality of the deposited nanocrystalline silicon oxide films.

China's cotton production has shown a concentration to the advantageous regions in recent years. Based on the relevant data of cotton production in China, the study measures the cotton production agglomeration levels of 16 major cotton-producing provinces from 1978 to 2020, summarizes the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of cotton production agglomeration, and analyzes the factors influencing cotton production agglomeration using spatial econometric models. The results indicate that: Firstly, since the opening-up and reform, China's cotton production agglomeration levels have shown an overall upward trend, exhibiting periodic dynamic changes over time, and the spatial pattern reveals a dynamic regional gradient. Secondly, there is spatial correlation among the production scales of cotton in different provinces, with a trend resembling a "U" shape, and the agglomeration form shows a low-level convergence. Thirdly, technological level, policies, substitute industrial products and foreign trade are identified as important factors. The cotton production in each province is spatially correlated through these factors, and there is also a presence of spillover effects. In conclusion, the government should prioritize considerations of various influencing factors to formulate tailored support policies, promote large-scale production to enhance technological levels, and focus on policies aimed at improving the quality of cotton.