The swift progress in low-dimensional nanocarbons, specifically in the realm of the authentic one-dimensional carbon chain featuring sp¹ hybridization, has unveiled exciting prospects for integrating them into cutting-edge technologies across diverse industries. To fully harness their potential, precise control over the growth process is necessary to obtain desired nanostructure and functionality. However, optimizing properties through traditional approaches has been challenging due to complex interactions. To address this, we implement a focused data-driven strategy for nanocarbon inverse design by leveraging a state-of-the-art data-driven nanocarbon genome approach (NCGA). By uncovering relationships between growth parameters and resultant traits, this serves as an expedient catalyst in engineering nanostructures with tailored attributes. We introduce an extensive array of technological approaches aimed at precisely controlling the growth process. These methods encompass stimulating and precisely adjusting synergistic effects, coordinating atomic vibrations at a collective level through the implementation of multilayer nano-interfaces, harnessing the potential of active screen plasma surface engineering, utilizing nano-patterning and allotropic phase transformations, incorporating heteroatom doping, and effectively directing self-assembly. These aim to unlock nanomaterials' latent potential and reveal novel neural pathways within the data-driven NCGA, enhancing its predictive capabilities. Specifically, triggering self-organization during growth can potentially unlock previously unexplored neural pathways. The data-driven NCGA offers a paradigm shift, accelerating discovery and design of nanocarbons with optimized, application-specific properties.

This paper explores the imminent threat posed by climate change to the unique platypus species. It delves into the ecological repercussions of global temperature rise and altered climate patterns on platypus habitats. The study emphasises the multifaceted impacts, including changes in aquatic habitat quality, food sources, and breeding rituals. Climate-induced shifts in phytoplankton spring blooms and anthropogenic pressures further endanger the platypus's habitat. The article stresses the importance of understanding these effects for both species conservation and anticipating broader ecological and socio-economic consequences. Mitigating climate change impacts requires a multidimensional approach, involving habitat manipulation and restoration strategies.

Using density functional theory (DFT), the density of states of NH4V3O8 (NVO) was analyzed pre and post-oxygen defects (Od) formation. The findings revealed a reduced bandgap in NVO after Od introduction, emphasizing the role of Od in enhancing conductivity of the material, thus improving its electrochemical attributes. Through the water bath method, both NVO and its oxygen-deficient counterpart, (NH4)2V10O25⸱8H2O (NVOd), were synthesized as potential cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Experimental outcomes resonated with DFT predictions, highlighting the beneficial role of oxygen defects in boosting electrical conductivity. Notably, the refined material displayed a remarkable capacity of 479.3 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, underscoring its promise for advanced energy storage solutions.

Polymer electrolyte was used as a medium for testing the performance of microband electrodes under conditions of linear diffusion. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry experiments were performed in such viscous medium, where diffusion rates are much slower than in fluid solutions. Confirmation of the existence of such conditions from the log i vs. log v or log i vs. log t relationships in the current equation always yielded values lower than the expected value of 0.5. This could indicate impure linear diffusion profile, i. e. some contribution from radial diffusion (edge effect). However, performing these tests in monomeric solvents of similar viscosities, such as glycerol or propylene glycol, gave the desired value of 0.5. These results lead to the conclusion that current equations which are based on Fick’s laws may not be applicable for polymer electrolytes, where various obstruction to diffusion make it a more complicated process than in monomeric solvents.

Dirofilariosis is an infectious disease caused by species of the Dirofilaria genus. It is manifested by the appearance of a subcutaneous swelling, especially in the eye region. We present the case of a 29-year-old patient that accused facial asymmetry in the right genian region. Following clinical and paraclinical evaluations, the diagnosis of parasitic cyst was established in the context of dirofilariosis with Dirofilaria repens (D. repens). Treatment consisted of surgical excision of the formation associated with prophylactic antibiotic medication. Macroscopic analysis of the excision piece revealed a structure that contains a cystic cavity and a filamentous form with a length of approximately 10 mM and a diameter of 1 mM. This is the first case of dirofilariosis located in the genian region reported in Romania. The overview of this pathology is important to raise awareness among physicians about its presence and its clinical variations.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus disease 2 (RHDV2) emerged in the United States in 2018 and has spread in both domestic and wild rabbits nationwide. The virus has a high mortality rate and can spread rapidly between infected individuals. Vaccination against RHDV2 provides the best protection against disease and should be considered by all rabbit owners. Here, we investigate the duration of immunity provided by vaccination with the Medgene Platform conditionally licensed commercial vaccine 6 months following the initial series. Rabbits received either the vaccination or a placebo and were challenged with RHDV2 6 months later. All vaccinated rabbits survived challenge whereas 18/19 non-vaccinated controls succumbed to infection within 10 or fewer days post-challenge. These results demonstrate lasting immunity following vaccination with the Medgene RHDV2 vaccine.

This review investigates the multifaceted role of the p66Shc adaptor protein and the gut microbiota in regulating mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, and their collective impact on the pathogenesis of chronic diseases. The study delves into molecular mechanisms by which p66Shc influences cellular stress responses through Rac1 activation, Forkhead-type transcription factors inactivation, and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, alongside modulatory effects of gut microbiota-derived metabolites and endotoxins. Employing an integrative approach, the review synthesizes findings from a broad array of studies, including molecular biology techniques and analyses of microbial metabolites' impacts on host cellular pathways. The results underscore a complex interplay between microbial metabolites, p66Shc activation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, highlighting the significance of the gut microbiome in influencing disease outcomes through oxidative stress pathways. Conclusively, the review posits that targeting the gut microbiota-p66Shc-mitochondrial axis could offer novel therapeutic strategies for mitigating the development and progression of metabolic diseases. This underscores the potential of dietary interventions and microbiota modulation in managing oxidative stress and inflammation, pivotal factors in chronic disease etiology.

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) promise to perform tasks currently done by classical artificial neural networks (ANNs) faster, in smaller footprints and using less energy. Neuromorphic processors are set out to revolutionize computing at a large scale, but the move to edge-computing applications calls for finely-tuned custom implementations to keep pushing towards more efficient systems. To that end, we have examined the architectural design space for executing spiking neuron models on FPGA platforms, focusing on achieving ultra-low area and power consumption. This work presents an efficient clock-driven spiking neuron architecture used for the implementation of both fully-connected cores and 2D convolutional cores, which rely on deep pipelines for synaptic processing and distributed memory for weight and neuron states. With them, we have developed an accelerator for an SNN version of the LeNet-5 network trained on the MNIST dataset. At around 5.5 slices/neuron and only 348 mW, it is able to use 33% less area and 4 times as less power per neuron as current state-of-the-art implementations while keeping low simulation step times.

Agriculture is an important sector of European Union in societal , economic and environmental dimensions. Sustainability of the sector require improvements in its key operations. Weeding is one of the crucial operation having impact on farms’ productivity, safety for farmers, food security and environmental state. To achieve EU policy goals of sustainable agriculture there are needed new technical and organizational solutions. One of the advanced techniques are laser based weeding technique. It is important to understand well the impacts of introduction of these tech-niques to the markets and agricultural practice in sustainability context. For that reason Social Life Cycle Assessment was performed. The method was based on participatory approach. The as-sessment was carried in three perspectives: general society, farmers, and business perspective re-lated to agriculture. Expert interviews based on questionnaires and workshops were realized to get the opinions on the impacts of a new laser technique on particular aspects of its implementation. The results show generally positive impact in all perspectives, especially in the perspective of farmers.

Abstract Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related death in women, largely reflecting early, prediagnosis dissemination of malignant disease to the peritoneum. EOC is poorly responsive to immune check-point inhibitors due to immunologic features including limited tumor mutational burden (TMB), poor infiltration by immune cells and active immunosuppression. Thus, novel strategies are needed to overcome the frequent lack of preexisting immunity in patients with EOC. We developed and tested an autologous dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccine (DCVAC) which has recently been shown to be safe and to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) in two independent randomized phase II clinical trials enrolling patients with EOC (SOV01, NCT02107937; SOV02, NCT02107950). In addition, our exploratory data analyses suggest that the clinical benefits of DCVAC were more pronounced in patients with EOC with lower than-median TMB and scant CD8+ T cells infiltration. Thus, DC-based vaccine stands out as a promising clinical tool to jumpstart anticancer immunity in patients with immunologically „cold“ EOC. Our findings underscore the need for personalized immunotherapy and clinical relevance of potential tumor-related biomarkers within immunotherapy field. Additional clinical trials are needed to address these strategies as well as the potential value of TMB and immune infiltrate at baseline as biomarkers to guide the clinical management of EOC.

(1) Background: Among the chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer became the leading cause of death in several countries. Our objective was the determination of whether prevalent type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher incidence of cancer. (2) Methods: This study is a nationwide analysis performed in Hungary. Study population was divided into a group with type 2 diabetes mellitus and into a non-diabetic group. The primary outcome was the risk related to overall cancer incidence. A key secondary outcome was the overall incidence of cancer in distinct study years. Further outcomes were the annual percent changes. (3) Results: The odds ratio related to the overall incidence of cancer was 2.50 (95% confidence interval: 2.46-2.55, P<0.0001) in patients with diabetes as related to controls. The odds ratio was higher in males than in females. The highest risk was found in the 18-39-year-old subgroup. The annual cancer incidence rate declined in controls, but not in patients with diabetes. Several types of cancer showed a decreasing tendency in non-diabetic controls.; (4) Conclusions: type 2 diabetes is associated with a higher risk of cancer. High risk in young patients with type 2 diabetes suggests that these young individuals should be considered as a risk group.

Neuronal cells are believed to rely on autophagy to maintain cellular homeostasis. Nevertheless, autophagy may be a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases because of the role it plays in neuronal cell death. Despite Beclin 1 association with autophagy and apoptosis, the molecular mechanisms that underlie Tau-induced vesicular pathology and Tau protein aggregates in humans remain poorly understood. Here, we set out to examine the role of three genes-ATG14L, Beclin 1 and VPS34- in autophagy nucleation failure-associated Tau disorders in fruit fly models. We found that either reduced ATG14L levels improve neuronal outcomes, or transgenic expression of ATG6/Beclin 1 greatly reduced age-dependent neurodegeneration and Tau pathology; whereas, the loss of Beclin 1 exacerbated these effects. Prior to p-Tau accumulation, the neuronal Beclin 1 network is critical for reducing p-Tau accumulation, indicating that the loss of Beclin 1 causes Tau pathology and neurodegeneration. As neurodegeneration progressed, glial cells showed an upregulation of vesicular Beclin 1 immunoreactivities. The reduced VPS34 also resulted in p-Tau accumulation, suggesting that neurons require both Beclin 1 and VPS34 to reduce p-Tau accumulation. Our results provide mechanistic insight into the molecular pathways that cause age-dependent Tau pathology and neurodegeneration due to an excess of autophagy nucleation processes and autophagy activity, and we derive novel inferences on the therapeutic possibilities of rebalanced Beclin 1 network by reducing autophagic specific nucleation component of ATG14L.

We present a case of a 47-year-old male who died unexpectedly from acute pulmonary hemorrhage 555 days after completing the BNT162b2 (Pfizer) COVID-19 vaccination primary series. Before death, he exhibited symptoms of a mild respiratory infection. Despite a healthy medical history and no medication use, the patient’s condition rapidly deteriorated and he experienced severe respiratory distress, followed by cardiopulmonary arrest with evidence of profuse pulmonary bleeding. Autopsy findings revealed massive lung congestion without embolism, normal heart size, moderate coronary atherosclerosis without myocardial infarction, and no evidence of other hemorrhagic events. The patient tested negative for COVID-19 and other respiratory pathogens at autopsy. Despite these findings, the medical examiner determined the cause of death was attributed to atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, without considering the recent pulmonary hemorrhage and unremarkable medical history. Investigation into the vaccine batch indicated a higher-than-average number of serious adverse events, including fatalities. The patient's BNT162b2 batch was among the top 2.8% for reported deaths. Moreover, the autopsy failed to investigate potential contributions from the vaccine, such as the presence of the Spike protein or related antibodies. The evidence suggests that the pulmonary hemorrhage, exacerbated by a viral infection, was the immediate cause of death, with the COVID-19 vaccine potentially playing a role in the development of cardiopulmonary pathology and hemorrhage. We propose autopsy protocols for COVID-19 vaccine recipients to better investigate vaccine-related pathologies among those with one or more prior injections.

Growth environment greatly alters many facets of pathogen physiology, including pathogenesis and antimicrobial tolerance. The importance of host-mimicking environments for attaining an accurate picture of pathogen behaviour is widely recognised. Whilst this recognition has translated into the extensive development of artificial cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum medium, attempts to mimic the growth environment in other respiratory disease states have been completely neglected. The composition of the airway surface liquid (ASL) in different pulmonary diseases is far less well characterised than CF sputum, making it very difficult for researchers to model these infection environments. In this review we discuss the components of human ASL, how different lung pathologies affect ASL composition, and how different pathogens interact with these components. This will provide researchers interested in mimicking different respiratory environments with the information necessary to design a host-mimicking medium, allowing for better understanding of how to treat pathogens causing infection in these environments.

Layered halide perovskites have emerged as a promising contender in solid-state lighting thanks to their tunable bandgap, high luminescence quantum yield, and high color purity. However, the fabrication of perovskite light-emitting devices in laboratories usually experiences low de-vice-to-device reproducibility since perovskite crystallization is highly sensitive to ambient condi-tions, such as humidity and temperature. Although device processing inside gloveboxes is primarily used to reduce the influence of oxygen and moisture, several extraneous variables, including gas-eous pollution traces and thermal fluctuations in the inert atmosphere or contaminations from re-sidual solvents confined in the enclosed environment, can destabilize the crystallization process and alter the properties of the emissive layers. Here, we examine different experimental set-ups for spin-coating deposition of layered perovskites in inert atmospheres and their influences on the formation of polycrystalline thin films. Our results demonstrate that fluctuations in the glovebox properties (concentrations of residual O2 and H2O or solvent traces), even in very short timescales, can negatively impact the consistency of the perovskite film formation, while thermal variation plays a relatively minor role in this phenomenon. Furthermore, careful storage of chemical species inside the workstation is critical for reproducing high-quality perovskite layers. Consequently, when applying our most controlled environment for perovskite deposition, the photoluminescence life-time of perovskite thin films shows a standard deviation of only 3%, whereas the reference set-up yields a 15% standard deviation. Regarding complete perovskite light-emitting diodes, the uncer-tainties in statistical luminance and EQE data are significantly reduced from 230% and 140% to 38% and 42%, respectively.

Foodborne illnesses can be infectious and dangerous and most of them are caused by bacteria. Some types of common food-related bacteria exist widely in nature and pose a serious threat to both humans and animals, and can cause poisoning, diseases, disabilities and even death. Rapid, reliable and cost-effective methods for bacteria detection are of paramount importance in food-safety and environmental monitoring. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) and electrochemical method have been widely used in food-safety and environmental monitoring. In this paper, the recent developments (2013-2023) covering PCR, LFIA and electrochemical method for various bacteria detection (Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli)) considering different foods types, analytical performances and the reported limit of detection (LOD) are discussed. It is found that the bacteria type and food sample type contribute significantly to the analytical performance and LOD. Detection by LFIA has higher average LOD (24 CFU/ml) than detection by electrochemical method (12 CFU/ml) and PCR (6 CFU/ml). Salmonella and E. coli in the Pseudomonadota domain usually have low LODs. LODs are usually lower for detection in fish and eggs. LFIA with gold and iron nanoparticles are prominent in the majority of articles of 26 CFU/ml and 12 CFU/ml respectively. Electrochemical method reveals that the average LOD is highest for cyclic voltammetry (CV) of 18 CFU/ml), followed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of 12 CFU/ml and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) of 8 CFU/ml. LOD usually decreases when replicate number increases until it remain unchanged. Exponential relations with (R²>0.95) between LOD of Listeria in milk by LFIA and electrochemical method with replicate number have been obtained. Finally, the review discusses the challenges and future perspectives (including the role of nanomaterials/advanced materials) to improve the analytical performance for bacterial detection.

A proposed low-temperature forging method aims to enhance stainless steel bearings by creating a martensitic subsurface layer, significantly boosting bearing fatigue life due to increased surface hardness. This technique induces beneficial residual stresses, particularly in axial bearings, streamlining their construction and improving machine elements. Challenges persist, especially with radial bearings, but simplicity in axial bearing forging promotes compact, resource-efficient facility construction. Future research will focus on applying this technique to axial bearing washers, potentially replicating success in other bearing components. Despite the energy ex-penditure for cooling during forging, the substantial increase in bearing fatigue life offsets this, enhancing overall longevity and reliability of critical machine components. Integration of this forging technique into bearing fabrication appears seamless, offering a promising trade-off be-tween energy use and enhanced performance.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence combined with behavioral sciences have led to the development of cutting-edge tools for recognizing human emotions based on text, video, audio, and physiological data. However, these data sources are expensive, intrusive, and regulated, unlike plants which have been shown to be sensitive to human steps and sounds. A methodology is proposed to use plants as human emotion detectors. Electrical signals from plants are tracked and labeled based on video data. Labeled data are then used for classification. MLP, biLSTM, MFCC-CNN, MFCC-ResNet, and additionally, Random Forests, 1-Dimensional CNN, and biLSTM without windowing models are set using a grid search algorithm with cross-validation. Finally, best-parameterized models are trained and used with the test set for classification. The performance of this methodology is measured with a case study with 54 participants, who were watching an emotionally charged video, as ground truth their facial emotions were simultaneously measured using face emotion analysis. The Random Forest model shows the best performance, particularly in recognizing high-arousal emotions, achieving an overall weighted accuracy of 55.2% and demonstrating high weighted recall in emotions such as fear 61.0% and happiness 60.4%. The MFCC-ResNet model offers decently balanced results, with Accuracy(MFCC-ResNet)=0.318 and Recall (MFCC-ResNet)=0.324. With the MFCC-ResNet model fear and anger are recognized with 75% and 50% recall respectively. Thus, using plants as an emotion recognition tool seems worth investigating, addressing both cost and privacy concerns.

Water plays a vital role in the healthy growth of pears. Early detection of water stress can play a significant role in the timely management of water deficiency for pear yield. Most current methods are labour-intensive, time-consuming, only provide point measurements, and could be destructive. In this research, a real-time non-destructive method using a push-broom hyperspectral system (400-1000nm) was used to collect hyperspectral image data and detect the water stress of the pear seedling leaves. To build a reliable prediction model, machine learning techniques were used. The Successive Projections Algorithm (SPA) was applied for optimal wavelength selection. In particular, CNN was applied to obtain the features of key wavelengths. Both the CNN features and key wavelengths were put into RR-MLR, BLR and ENN for analysis. The training accuracy of the three modellings all reach the accuracy above 70% after about 100 epochs, while combination of CNN features outperformed the mere main spectra analysis. This research demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging coupled with machine learning techniques could be applied to predict the water content of pear leaves predict non-destructively.

The SK model proposed by Sherrington and Kirkpatrick is an important mean field model for spin glasses. The dependence structure of Hamiltonians of the SK model is considered in this paper. We have investigated the covariance matrix of Hamiltonians of the SK model, and establish a relationship between the rank of the corresponding covariance matrix and the dimension of the space spanned by the Hamiltonians. Finally, we also give an upper bound for the rank of the covariance matrix, which might be the best.

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.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutations pose significant challenges to diagnostic tests as these mutations can reduce the sensitivity of commonly used RT-PCR assays. Therefore, there is a need to design diagnostic assays with multiple targets to enhance sensitivity. In this study, we identified a novel diagnostic target, nsp10 gene, using nanopore sequencing. Firstly, we determined the analytical sensitivity and specificity of our COVID-19-nsp10 assay. The COVID-19-nsp10 assay had the limit of detection of 74 copies/mL (95% confidence interval: 48-299 copies/mL) and did not show cross-reactivity with other respiratory viruses. Next, we determined the diagnostic performance of the COVID-19-nsp10 assay using 261 respiratory specimens, including 147 SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens belonging to ancestral strain and Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Mu, Eta, Kappa, Theta and Omicron lineages. Using the LightMix E-gene RT-PCR assay as the reference method, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the COVID-19-nsp10 assay were 100%. The median Cp values for the LightMix E-gene RT-PCR and our COVID-19-nsp10 RT-PCR were 22.48 (range: 12.95-36.60) and 25.94 (range 16.37-36.87), respectively. The Cp values of the COVID-19-nsp10 RT-PCR assay correlated well with those of the LightMix E-gene RT-PCR assay (Spearman’s ρ = 0.968; P<0.0001). In conclusion, nsp10 is a suitable target for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay.

This article studies electrostatic fields and potentials in the presence of conductors and point charges under the framework of solving Laplace’s equation with specifi ed boundary conditions. The results demonstrate that many problems posed and solved in elementary electrostatics through various heuristics such as the method of images, can be more rigorously treated under the solution framework of Laplace’s equation.

With the rapid development of intelligent transportation, Vehicle Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) is becoming increasingly important.As a critical component of intelligent transportation systems, the Conditional Privacy-Preserving Authentication (CPPA) scheme plays a significant role in ensuring drivers' privacy and security.However, current CPPA schemes still face limitations in terms of security and efficiency, with these schemes either imposing higher computational overhead for enhanced security or compromising some level of security to reduce overhead. Motivated by this challenge, we propose a CPPA scheme that strikes a better balance between efficiency and security.By leveraging the token mechanism to achieve multiple authentication and minimizing information leakage. Furthermore, our performance analysis demonstrates that our ECC-based algorithm can significantly reduce overhead, with pseudonymous generation requiring only 0.0039ms.

Solid-liquid interfacial phenomena play an essential role in our everyday lives and are often regarded as the outcome of interactions at the solid-liquid interface. However, the intricately intrinsic mechanism underlying interfacial interactions renders in-situ simulations and direct measurements challenging. As an effective analytic method for studying solid-liquid interfacial interactions, Microcalorimetry can provide the most basic thermodynamic information (including changes in enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy during solid-liquid binding/separation processes), which is extremely crucial for understanding interaction directionality and limitation. This review is dedicated to highlighting the pivotal role of microcalorimetry in studying solid-liquid immersion and adsorption processes. Specifically, we provide an overview of the commonly employed microcalorimetric methods, delve into the influence factors of enthalpy change, and finally discuss the specific applications of microcalorimetry in studying various solid-liquid binding processes. There remains a vast expanse of thermodynamic information regarding solid-liquid interactions that await exploration via calorimetry.

The changes in the properties of three biological events, that occur with cerebral aging, are discussed. These adverse changes already begin to develop early in mid-life and gradually become more pronounced with senescence. Essentially, they are reflections of the progressive decline in effectiveness of key processes, resulting in the deviation of essential biochemical trajectories to ineffective and ultimately harmful variants of these programs. The emphasis of this review is the major role played by mitochondria in such transition of these three important processes toward more deleterious variants as brain aging proceeds. 1. The immune system. The shift away from an efficient immune response to a more unfocused, continuing inflammatory condition. Such a state is both ineffective and harmful. 2. Reactive oxygen species are important intracellular signaling systems. Also, microglial phagocytic activity utilizing short lived reactive oxygen species contribute to the removal of aberrant or dead cells and bacteria. These processes are transformed into an excessive, untargeted and persistent generation of pro-oxidant free radicals (oxidative stress). 3. The normal efficient neural transmission is modified to a state of undirected, chronic low-level excitatory activity. Each of these changes is characterized by the occurrence of continuous activity that is inefficient and diffuse. The signal/noise ratio of several critical biological events is thus reduced as beneficial responses are gradually replaced by their impaired and deleterious variants.

Rebar cages form the skeletal framework of reinforced concrete structural members. They comprise longitudinal and transverse reinforcing bars, usually connected by tie wires. Past studies have identified tie-wire connections as the "weak links" in large, prefabricated rebar cages, leading to their failure during site handling and construction stages. Recent research has explored the use of mechanical U-bolt connectors to bolster stability and safety of rebar cages while reducing their vulnerability and risk of failure. This paper presents a comprehensive experimental and numerical investigation of a new type of mechanical connector, referred to as "Cage Clamp", to enhance rebar cage stability and safety. Component-level experimental tests are conducted to determine the force-displacement response of Cage Clamp connectors for crossbar connections in different degrees of freedom. The results highlight the remarkable strength and stiffness of Cage Clamp connectors, significantly outperforming traditional tie-wire connections. Furthermore, full-scale experimental tests are performed on a circular underground pile-shaft rebar cage with Cage Clamp connectors to assess its behavior under various site handling conditions. The data obtained from these experiments are used to construct and refine detailed 3D finite element models of the rebar cages, capable of capturing the complex behavior of rebar cages with Cage Clamp connectors. Using the numerical model, a sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the effect of the number of Cage Clamps on the deflection and stability of the rebar cage. The findings show that using cage clamps to connect pick-up rebar with lateral reinforcement at every 8 to 10 feet is sufficient to ensure the stability of the cage during typical site handling conditions. The results of this study serve as a basis for establishing analysis, design, fabrication, and handling guidelines for rebar cages, contributing to safe and efficient construction practices.

This study investigated the inhibitory effect of Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanolic extract (SOE) on growth and metastasis of hepatic tumors in C57BL/6JNarl mice, which is the model of tumor-igenesis induced by subcutaneous injection of Hepa1-6 murine hepatoma cells on the back of mice. Feeding 25 mg SOE/kg BW daily for 14 days effectively reduced the hepatoma weight in tu-mor-bearing mice by 59.7%. SOE intervention reduced the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene in tumor tissue by 48.5% and down-regulated the antioxidant system, by reducing the gene ex-pression of catalase (48.0%), glutathione peroxidase (46.3%), and superoxide dismutase (32.0%). In addition, SOE intervention increased the production of ROS by 21.4%, and the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 by 135.3%, 179.3% and 91.7%, respectively, indicating that SOE intervention promoted the acute inflammatory response. Results of H&E staining analysis showed that SOE had the ability to inhibit angiogenesis in tumor tissue. Fur-thermore, SOE treatment inhibited the expression of migration-related genes, such as MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9 and β-catenin, and the inhibition rates were 24.8%, 27.4%, 10.4% and 21.9%, respectively. These results imply that SOE had the ability to suppress tumor metastasis. On the other hand, SOE intervention decreased the serum contents of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 by 27.4%, 30.4%, and 30.7%, respectively, indicating that SOE intervention has an anti-inflammatory effect on normal tissues of mice. Since SOE intervention had no signif-icant effect on liver and kidney weights, and no mice died throughout the experiment, it shows that it is safe to feed SOE under this experimental condition. Based on the above results, SOE has a great potential to be used in the treatment of hepatoma.

An off-grid solar energy storage system (ESS) in National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) was built and officially operated on Jun. 16th 2022. The system is installed in a 40' general container with PV panels of solar power 8250 W_p on top of the container. The ESS is made by repurposed lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries of 20 kWh capacity, where a battery management system (BMS) is adopted to ensured the safety of the battery system. An energy management system (EMS) is built to receive, process, analyse, store, and output the energy information. In this manuscript, a brief engineering report about the system is given.

Introduction: The trophoblast derived angiogenic factors are considered to play an important role in the pathophysiology of various complications of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to establish relationship between concentrations of soluble Human Leukocyte Antigen-G (sHLA-G) in maternal serum and amniotic fluid at 16-22 weeks of gestation and the sonographic measurements of the fetal and placental growth. Materials and methods: sHLA-G in serum and amniotic fluid, as well as fetal biometric data and placental volume and perfusion indices were determined in 41 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. Results: The sHLA-G levels were unchanged both in amniotic fluid and in serum during mid-pregnancy. The sHLA-G level in serum correlated positively with amniotic sHLA-G level (β=0.63, p<0.01). Significant correlation was found between serum sHLA-G level and abdominal measurement (β=0.41, p<0.05) and estimated fetal weight (β=0.41, p<0.05). The amniotic sHLA-G level and placental perfusion (VI: β = -0.34, p<0.01 and VFI: β = -0.44, p<0.01, respectively) were negatively interrelated. A low amniotic sHLA-G level was significantly associated with nuchal translucency (r = -0.102, p<0.05). Conclusions: sHLA-G assayed in amniotic fluid might be a potential indicator for placental function, whereas the sHLA-G level in serum can be a prognostic modality for feto-placental insufficiency.

In this paper, a low-power Injection-Locked Clock and Data Recovery (ILCDR) using 28nm FDSOI technology is presented. The back-gate auto-biasing of UTBB-FDSOI transistors allows us to create a QRO (Quadrature Ring Oscillator) reducing both size and power consumption. By injecting a digital signal into this circuit, we realize an Injection-Locked Oscillator (ILO) with low jitter. Thanks to the good performance of this oscillator, we propose a low power ILCDR with fast locking time and low jitter for burst-mode applications. The main novelty consists in the implementation of a complementary QRO based on back-gate control using FDSOI technology to realize a simple and efficient ILCDR circuit. With a Pseudo-Random Binary Sequence (PRBS7) at 868Mbps, the recovered clock jitter is 26.7ps (2.3%UIp-p) and the recovered data jitter is 11.9ps (1%UIp-p). With a 0.6V power supply, the power consumption is 318μW. The estimated Chip area is around 6600μm².

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a kidney disease that is characterized by the deposition of IgA (immunoglobulin A) in the kidney tissue, leading to inflammation and damage. This disease is a common chronic glomerulopathy that affects people worldwide (1). Therefore, it is crucial to identify factors that worsen the disease, monitor its activity, and predict appropriate treatments. Complement component 4d (C4d) is a protein that is involved in the activation of the complement system, which is a part of the immune system.

Today, issues related to people’s mental health and well-being have been described as a challenge for society, globally as well as in Sweden. This calls for new approaches to mental health promotion. The aim was to evaluate the adequacy of the content and structure, describing experiences of study circles as a means of supporting participants' self-care and self-compassion. The overall design is a descriptive, QUAL+quan design, where quantitative and qualitative results are integrated. Five participants participated in a focus group interview, of whom four completed questionnaires. One individual interview was conducted with the study circle leader. Study circles can be an arena for mental health promotion as learning and sharing of experience contributes to a sense of coherence, as well as self-compassion and a genuine concern for one’s own and others' wellbeing, but not considered an alternative to psychiatric care, for those in need of professional services. Study circles can be a possible means to support self-care and thereby promote mental health in the general population, and a valuable contribution to public health. However, in addition to modifications of the content, further research is needed on the qualifications for study circle leaders as well as the dissemination of study circles.

Despite accumulating evidence that suggests a unique gut microbiota composition in athletes, a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon is lacking. Furthermore, seasonal variation in the gut microbiota of athletes, particularly during the off-season, remains underexplored. This study aimed to compare the gut microbiotas between athletic subjects (AS) and non-athletic subjects (NS), and to investigate variations between athletic and off-season periods. The data were derived from an observational study involving Japanese male handball players. The results revealed a distinct gut microbiota composition in AS compared with NS, characterized by significantly higher alpha-diversity and a greater relative abundance of Faecalibacterium and Streptococcus. Moreover, a comparative analysis between athletic and off-season periods in AS demonstrated a significant change in alpha-diversity. Notably, AS exhibited significantly higher alpha-diversity than NS during the athletic season, but no significant difference was observed during the off-season. This study demonstrates the characteristics of the gut microbiota of Japanese handball players and highlights the potential for changes in alpha-diversity during the off-season. These findings contribute to our understanding of the dynamic nature of the gut microbiota of athletes throughout the season.

The industrial metaverse paradigm is generally a virtual environment that integrates various technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) to enhance business operations and processes. It aims to streamline workflows, reduce error rates, improve efficiency, and provide a more engaging experience for employees. The promise of the industrial Metaverse to drive sustainability and resource efficiency is compelling. Utilizing advanced technologies like the Industrial Metaverse is essential for staying competitive in today’s rapidly evolving business environment. However, the environmental impact of the technologies underpinning the industrial metaverse, like data centres and network infrastructure, should not be overlooked. The ecological footprint of these technologies must be considered in the sustainability equation. Researchers have warned that by 2025, without sustainable AI practices, AI will consume more energy than the human workforce, significantly offsetting carbon-zero gains. As the metaverse persists in evolving and gaining momentum, it will be necessary for companies to prioritize sustainability and explore new ways to balance technological advancements with environmental stewardship. However, recent studies have conjectured that the Metaverse holds the potential to reduce carbon emissions, as digital replacements for physical goods become more prevalent and physical activities like mobility and construction are reduced. However, the specific extent to which this substitution can alleviate environmental concerns remains understudied, presenting a knowledge gap in understanding the real-world impact of digital replacements. Thus, the objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the industrial metaverse as well as explore the environmental impact of the industrial metaverse. The methodological approach is that of integrative literature review design wherein multiple sources from web science and databases such as ACM library, IEEE Library, and Google Scholar, were analysed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the developments in the industrial metaverse. Specifically, firstly by considering the Industrial metaverse architecture we elucidate the concept of the "industrial metaverse" and the associated enabling technologies. Secondly, an exploration through discussion, of the prevalent use cases and deployment of the emerging industrial metaverse. Thirdly, exploration of the impact of the industrial metaverse on the environment. In the fourth instance, we address novel security and privacy risks as well as upcoming research challenges, keeping in mind that the industrial metaverse is based on a strong data fabric. Results point to the Industrial Metaverse as having both positive and negative environmental effects by energy consumption, e-waste, and pollution. Overall research, however, indicates that most industrial metaverse applications have a positive environmental impact and subsequently trend toward sustainability. Ultimately for sustainability in the industrial metaverse, enterprises may consider utilizing renewable energy sources and cloud services. Furthermore, examining the effects of products on the environment as well as creating a circular economy.

Computational simulations of three-dimensional flow around a NACA 0018 wing with an aspect ratio of AR=5 are carried out using the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations with the Shear-Stress Transport turbulence model closure. Simulations were performed to capture the aerodynamic stall hysteresis using a developed Pseudo-Transient Continuation (PTC) method based on a dual time step approach in the CFD code OpenFOAM. The flow was characterized by an incompressible Mach number of M=0.12 and a moderate Reynolds number Re=0.67×10^6. The results obtained indicate the presence of a noticeable aerodynamic hysteresis in the static dependencies of the force and moment coefficients, as well as the manifestation of bi-stable flow separation patterns, accompanied by the development of asymmetry in the stall zone. The URANS simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained for the NACA 0018 finite aspect ratio wing from the low-speed wind tunnel under the same test conditions. A new phenomenological bifurcation model of aerodynamic stall hysteresis under static and dynamic conditions is formulated, which is proven to be able to closely match the experimental data.

Powdery mildew is a severe disease causing substantial yield losses in wheat production worldwide. The Chinese wheat landrace Changanhongmai (CAHM) exhibits high resistance to the physiological race E09 of powdery mildew. This study aims to characterize the powdery mildew resistance gene in CAHM, and develop molecular markers for marker-assisted selection of wheat. To investigate the genetic characteristics of this resistant gene, we developed F1 plants, F2 generation population, and F2:3 families from a cross between CAHM and SY225. Genetic analysis demonstrated that all F1 plants were resistant to the disease, while the ratio of resistant to susceptible plants was 3: 1 in both the F2 population and F2:3 families, indicating that CAHM is inherited in a manner of single dominant powdery mildew resistance gene, which was tentatively designated as PmCAHM. By using bulk segregation analysis, we constructed a genetic map encompassing Xgwm273, Xwmc626, Xgwm11, Xgwm18, Xgdm28, Xgpw7812, Xgpw5195, Xwmc694 and PmCAHM. Among these markers, Xgpw7812 and Xgpw5195 were flanking markers tightly linked to PmCAHM at a genetic distance of 2.5 cM and 8.4 cM, respectively. Furthermore, nullisomic-tetrasomic analysis revealed that PmCAHM is located on chromosome 1B. These results indicate that PmCAHM differs from the internationally recognized powdery mildew resistance genes in both location and source. In addition, a new germplasm/line NW1748 with large seeds and powdery mildew resistance was developed from the cross and back cross populations of Fengyou 1718 (FY1718)/CAHM//FY 1718. Therefore, PmCAHM can serve as a novel powdery mildew resistance source for breeding of wheat by using NW1748 as the donor in the future.

In February 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was the first to approve the combination of cisplatin (CDDP) and pemetrexed (PEM) as standard first-line chemotherapy for untreated, unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, after that approval, no progress was made in the standard first-line treatment of MPM for almost 15 years. Positive results from a phase 3 study (Mesothelioma Avastin Cisplatin Pemetrexed Study: MAPS) verifying the effect of bevacizumab, an anti-angiogenesis agent added to CDDP/PEM for unresectable MPM, were published in The Lancet in December 2015; however, this did not lead to approval by national drug regulatory agencies. Furthermore, no second-line treatment was established for cases refractory to CDDP/PEM. In August 2018, the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency of Japan was the first in the world to approve monotherapy with nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), for previously unresectable, advanced, or recurrent MPM. Following Japan, in October 2020, the FDA approved the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab for the treatment of previously untreated, unresectable MPM. In this article, we review the transition of drug treatment for MPM, in light of the historical background, focusing on the benefits of ICIs.

The goal of the study presented in this article is to investigate interconnection issues of the Intelligent Electrical Networks (IENs) with the existing ones, as well as the deployment of the appropriate load forecasting demand techniques. The concept of IENs has recently emerged as a potential solution to the global energy problem, due to the more flexible dispersed production units that are involved. In the same context, additional issues, such as the reduction of production-transfer-distribution costs as well as power losses are analyzed as well, via the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs). To this end, it is necessary to use appropriate advanced infrastructure, where in combination with modern telecommunication networks will make possible the full exploitation of IENs. Moreover, to make the electricity system more efficient, to avoid voltage and frequency imbalance issues and to implement optimal production and consumption planning, the Electric Load Forecast (ELF) is a vital process and plays a key role in the planning as well as in the management of electricity systems. Therefore, recent state of the art approaches in ELF methods are discussed as well.

The theory of water transport in trees, according to which the main driving force of water movement is the suction created by the evaporation of water by the meniscus (the curved surface of the capillary liquid column) on the evaporating elements, supported from below by root pressure, is flawed. The capillary effect in nature is around one meter. In the case of open-air gaps, the leaf cannot suck in the water against gravity because, in this case, the plant would not be sucking in water, but air through the open-air gap. If not, how do trees transport water? When evaporation occurs, there is no suction towards the canopy, but pressure is due to a reduction in the cross-section of the water pipe caused by heat loss through evaporation. At night, when evaporation stops, a thermal equilibration process is triggered, which restores the original cross-section of the pipe. This generates suction and draws water from the soil. As the hydrostatic pressure in the pipe is high for tall trees, the pipe is cut off. To prove my theory, I have given several examples. Water transport is not based on physical mechanical laws alone. There may be complex physiological, biochemical, and biophysical processes behind the operation of the pipe system.

The background of this work is related to the scheduling of household appliances, taking into account variations in energy costs during the day, due to official Brazilian domestic tariffs: constant and white. The white tariff can reach an average price of around 17\% lower than the constant, but charges twice its value at peak hours. In addition to cost reduction, we propose a methodology to reduce user discomfort due to time shifting of controllable devices, presenting a balanced solution through the analytical analysis of a new method here called tariff space, derived from white tariff posts. To achieve this goal, we explore the geometric properties of the movement of devices through the tariff space (geometric locus of the load), over which we can define a limited region in which the cost of a load under the white tariff will be equal to or less than the constant tariff. As a trial for the efficiency of this new methodology, we collected some benchmarks (such as execution time and memory usage) against a classic multi-objective algorithm (Hierarchical) available in the language portfolio in which the project has been executed (Julia language). As a result, both methodologies achieve similar results, but the one presented in this article shows a significant reduction in processing time and memory usage, which could lead to the future implementation of the solution in a simple, low-cost embedded system like an ARM cortex M.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) are remnants of ancient retroviral infections that, over millions of years, became integrated into the human genome. While normally inactive, environmental stimuli such as infections have contributed to the transcriptional reactivation of HERV promoting pathological conditions including the development of autoimmunity, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. What infections then trigger HERV activation? Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is a pluripotent driver of human disease. Aside from granulomatous diseases Crohn’s, sarcoidosis and Blau syndrome, MAP is associated with autoimmune disease: type one diabetes (T1D), multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune thyroiditis. MAP is also associated with Parkinson’s disease. Autoimmune diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis are the diseases with the strongest MAP/HERV association. There are several other diseases associated with HERV activation including diseases whose epidemiology and/or pathology would prompt speculation for a causal role of MAP. These include non-solar uveal melanoma, colon cancer, glioblastoma and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This article further points to MAP infection as a contributor to autoimmunity, neurodegenerative disease and cancer via unsilencing of HERV. We examine the link between the ever-increasing number of MAP- associated diseases, the MAP/HERV intersection with these diverse medical conditions and propose treatment opportunities based upon this association.

Aim: To analyze a single center's experience with Short Bowel Syndrome/ Chronic Intestinal Failure (SBS/CIF) in adult patients treated with Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN). Materials and methods: In the last thirty years, 13 patients with SBS/CIF were included in an HPN program. Results: Between 1992 and 2023, 13 patients were included in an HPN program. The primary underlying pathology was acute mesenteric ischemia. The median age of the starting HPN was 44 years old. Most are submitted to several surgeries of extensive intestinal resection with posterior intestinal reconstruction. Five of the 13 patients have died while on HPN for a median of 42 months. The causes of death HPN-related were catheter sepsis, endocarditis with cardiac failure, or hepatic failure. One patient died due to underlying pathology: pelvic abscesses and bleeding related to radiotherapy. Eight patients remain alive with a median time of HPN of 173 months. During the HPN support, the most frequent complications were venous catheter infection and venous territory thrombosis. None of the eight patients alive have hepatic failure. Two patients recently started teduglutide, with good tolerance, and need reduction of HPN support. All these eight patients have a satisfactory quality of life (parenteral support needs range between five to two nutrition bags per week). Conclusion: HPN remains the gold standard of SBS/CIF treatment, although Teduglutide may reduce HPN needs and HPN complications and provide a better quality of life. An HPN multidisciplinary healthcare group support is essential to ensure these patients' survival and quality of life. Keywords Short bowel Syndrome, Chronic Intestinal failure, Home Parenteral Nutrition, Teduglutide, Complications of Parenteral Support.

Generative artificial intelligence tools are flourishing across various sciences, particularly in the educational domain. ChatGPT, with its versions 3.5 and 4.0, stands out for its multilingual capabilities, catering to both students and educators. This research aimed to evaluate the performance differences between these versions, and importantly, to compare the accuracy of ChatGPT's responses in English versus Arabic. In our study, we presented ChatGPT with 39 chemistry problems related to 6th-7th grade curriculum, including twenty-five open questions and fourteen multiple-choice questions. Each response was categorized as accurate, partially accurate, or inaccurate. Our analysis, focused on trends across versions and languages, revealed significant enhancements in version 4.0, particularly in its ability to process Arabic. However, despite these improvements, our findings indicate that responses in English consistently outperformed those in Arabic in terms of accuracy. In light of this discrepancy, we suggest that ChatGPT either incorporates additional Arabic databases into its training regimen or develops a code that adopts the following strategy to ensure more accurate responses in science education: questions should first be translated from Arabic to English, addressed, and then retranslated into Arabic before being presented to the user. This approach takes advantage of the greater accuracy of responses in English to benefit Arabic-speaking users, and it may also improve outcomes for speakers of other languages who experience less precise answers in the fields of chemistry or science education.

Daridorexant, as the first Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist (DORA) marketed in Europe, offers a novel therapeutic approach to insomnia. However, data regarding its real-world safety are scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess its safety profile using a large-scale pharma-covigilance database. Daridorexant-related Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System were scrutinized, and ADRs were selected using reporting odds ratio (ROR) as a measure of disproportionality. Frequencies of events related to daridorexant were compared to all other drugs (reference group, RG1) and only to other DORAs (RG2). Only significant disproportionalities to both RGs were evaluated in-depth. A total of 845 dari-dorexant-related reports were selected; nightmares (n = 146; Dari vs. RG1: ROR = 113.74; 95%CI[95.13, 136]; Dari vs. RG2: ROR = 2.35; 95CI%[1.93, 2.85]), depression (n = 22; Dari vs. RG1: 2.13; [1.39, 3.25]; Dari vs. RG2: ROR = 2.31; 95CI%[1.45, 3.67]), and hangover (n = 20; Dari vs. RG1: ROR = 127.92; 95CI%[81.98, 199.62]; Dari vs. RG2: 3.38; [2.04, 5.61]) were considered as safety signals. These data provide valuable insights into the real-world safety profile of dari-dorexant, supporting the existence of safety signals related to nightmares, depression, and hang-over.

Background: To compare photodynamic therapy 41 and the use of probiotics in reducing halitosis assessed through gas chromatography and microbiome analysis. Methods: Participants aged from 18 to 25 years, showing sulfide (SH2) ≥ 112 ppb on gas chromatography, were selected. They were divided into 4 treatment groups: Group 1 - Tongue Scraping; Group 2- Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT); Group 3- Probiotics; Group 4- Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT) and Probiotics. The halimetry process was performed before, immediately after the treatments, 7 days, 14 days and 30 days after the initial collection. The collections for later microbiological analysis were made along with the halimetry, for the microbiome analysis. Results: Treatment with aPDT or probiotics under these experimental conditions was not able to change the bacteria present in the biofilm of the tongue. Conclusions: More research is needed to know the behavior of the oral microbiome in the presence of halitosis and the effectiveness of new treatments.

Bioinformatics is a rapidly developing field enabling scientific experiments through computer models and simulations. Considering the vast databases of biological data available, it is ex-tremely important to develop efficient methods and algorithms for their processing. Sequence comparison is the best method for studying the evolutionary interaction between genes. It is based on alignment – the process of arranging two or more sequences to achieve the maximum level of identity and degree of similarity. The paper presents a new version of the algorithm for pairwise DNA sequences alignment, based on a new method called CAT, where a dependency with a previous match and the closes neighbor are taken in consideration to increase uniqueness of the CAT profile and to reduce possible collisions, i.e. two or more sequence having same CAT profiles. This makes proposed algorithm suitable for finding exact match of a concrete DNA se-quence in a big set of DNA data faster. The generation of CAT profiles is made once before data has been uploaded to the database, allowing the profiles to be used as metadata for the sequenc-es. It consists of an algorithm to calculate a CAT profile against the selected reference sequences and an algorithm to compare two sequences based on the calculated CAT profiles. Improve-ments in generation of the CAT profiles, are detailed described in the paper. Block scheme, pseudo code tables and figures were updated according to the proposed new version and ex-perimental results. Experiments have been carried out with the new version of the method and different datasets to align DNA sequences based on the CAT method. New experimental results in terms of collisions, speed, and efficiency of the proposed solutions are presented. Experiments related to the performance comparison with Needleman-Wunsch were re-executed with the new version of the algorithm to confirm that we have the same performance. An analysis of the per-formance of the proposed CAT based algorithm against Knuth–Morris–Pratt algorithm, which has a complexity of O(n) and is one of the most widely used for searching biological data, was performed. The impact of prior matching dependencies on uniqueness for generated CAT pro-files is investigated. The analysis of the experimental results obtained by sequence alignment shows a small deviation of the proposed algorithm based on the CAT method, which can be ig-nored if this deviation is acceptable at the expense of performance. The time efficiency of the CAT algorithm remains constant, regardless of the length of the sequences. Therefore, the ad-vantage of the proposed method is its fast processing in the alignment of large sequences, for which the execution of the exact algorithms takes a long time. The example code realization of the CAT Method, under the protection of the GNU General Public License v3.0, can be accessed on GitHub at: https://github.com/HristoS/CATSequenceAnalysis.

Rapid increase in urbanization and industrialization due to increase in human population has led to increase in global warming resulting to climate change that affects the ecosystem. Unusual natural disasters such as cyclones, storms, floods, weather fluctuations, rising seal levels, transitional ecosystems and coastal disruptions are major adverse effects of climate change. There are huge worrisome concerns and uncertainties about the future of the planet earth due to climate change caused by high carbon emissions. Global aggressive policies in control of Carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions from several combustion mechanisms have paved way for alternative/ clean energy sources. Green hydrogen is a promising means of clean energy sources for commercial power generation stations and other crucial systems such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) , motors, drives, backup power for buildings, and also serving as a source of electrical energy for remote locations. The goal of this study is to review the current level of Sub-Saharan African nations’ preparedness to adopt green hydrogen as a way to mitigate local energy supply issues and strengthen their individual economies.

The use of privileged scaffolds as starting point for the construction of libraries of bioactive compounds is a widely used strategy in drug discovery and development. Scaffold decoration, morphing and hopping are additional techniques that allow to modify the privileged framework chosen and better explore the chemical space around it. In this study, two series of highly functionalized pyrimidine and pyridine derivatives were synthesized by scaffold morphing approach of triazine compounds obtained previously as antiviral agents. Newly synthesized azines were evaluated against lymphoma, hepatocarcinoma, and colon epithelial carcinoma cells showing in five cases acceptable to good anticancer activity associated to low cytotoxicity on healthy fibroblasts. Finally, ADME in vitro studies were conducted on the best derivatives of the two series showing good passive permeability and resistance to metabolic degradation.

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.

The Work Ability Index (WAI) is the most widely used questionnaire for the self-assessment of working ability. Because of its different applications, shorter versions, and widespread use in healthcare activities, it is worthwhile assessing its characteristics. The WAI was distributed online among the workers of a healthcare company; the results were compared with data contained in the workers' personal health records and with absence registers. 340 out of 575 workers (59.1%) participated; 6.5% of them reported poor work ability. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the one-factor version best described the characteristics of the WAI. The scores of the complete WAI, the shorter form without the list of diseases, and the minimal one-item version (WAS) had equal distribution and were significantly correlated. The WAI score was inversely related to age and significantly lower in women than in men, but it was higher in night workers than in colleagues due to the probable effect of selective factors. The WAI score was also correlated with absenteeism, but no differences were found between males and females in the average number of absences, suggesting that cultural or emotional factors influence the self-rating of the WAI. Workers tended to overreport illnesses in the online survey compared to data collected during occupational health checks. Musculoskeletal disorders were the most frequently reported illnesses (53%). Psychiatric illnesses affected 21% of workers and had the greatest impact on work ability. Multilevel ergonomic and human factor intervention seems to be needed to recover the working capacity of healthcare workers.

Post-ovulatory aging (POA) is an inevitable factor during some assisted reproduction technology procedures, and results in poor fertilization rates and impaired embryo development. This study used RNA sequencing analysis and experimental validation to study the similarities and differences between in vivo- and in vitro-matured porcine oocytes before and after POA. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between fresh in vivo-matured oocyte (F_vivo) and aged in vivo-matured oocyte(A_vivo) and DEGs between fresh in vitro-matured oocyte (F_vitro) and aged in vitro-matured oocyte(A_vitro) were intersected to explore the co-effects of POA. It was found that "organelles", especially "mitochondria", were significantly enriched GO terms. The expression of genes related to the “electron transport chain” and “cell redox homeostasis” pathways related to mitochondrial function significantly showed low expression patterns in both A_vivo and A_vitro groups. WGCNA analysis to explore gene expression modules specific to A_vivo. Trait-modules association analysis showed that the red modules were most associated with in vivo aging. There are a total of 959 genes in the red module, which are mainly enriched in “RNA binding”, “mRNA metabolic process”, etc. GO terms, and “spliceosome” and “nucleotide excision repair” pathways. DNAJC7, IK, and DDX18 were at the hub of the gene regulatory network. And these genes were all expressed higher in A_vivo. In summary, POA affects the organelle function of oocytes. A_vivo oocytes have some unique gene expression patterns. These genes may be potential anti-aging targets. This study helps us understand the detailed mechanism of POA and provides strategies for researching oocyte aging.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative olfactory disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. Alterations in the hexosamine or glucose-related pathways have been described through AD progression. Specifically, an alteration in glucosamine 6 phosphate isomerase 2 (GNPDA2) protein levels has been observed in olfactory areas from AD subjects. However, the biological role of GNPDA2 in neurodegeneration remains unknown. Using mass-spectrometry, multiple GNPDA2 interactors were identified in human nasal epithelial cells (NECs) mainly involved in intraciliary transport. Moreover, GNPDA2 overexpression induced an increment in NEC proliferation rates, accompanied by transcriptomic alterations in Type II interferon signalling or cellular stress responses. In contrast, the presence of beta-amyloid or mutated Tau-P301L in GNPDA2-overexpressing NECs induced a slow-down in the proliferative capacity in parallel with a disruption in protein processing. The proteomic characterization of Tau-P301L transgenic zebrafish embryos demonstrated that GNPDA2 overexpression interfered with collagen biosynthesis and RNA/protein processing, without inducing additional changes in axonal outgrowth defects nor neuronal cell death. In humans, a significant increase in serum GNPDA2 levels was observed across multiple neurological proteinopathies (AD, Lewy body dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, mixed-dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) (n=187). These data shed new light on GNPDA2-dependent mechanisms associated to the neurodegenerative process beyond the hexosamine route.

INTRODUCTION: With an increase in the aging population, the application of evidence-based practice in geriatric education can strengthen knowledge, skills, and clinical experience for healthcare students caring for older adults. Age Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) is one of the frameworks founded on providing evidence-based and low-risk care centered on what matters most to older adults, their families, and caregivers. Virtual Reality (VR) platforms are gaining popularity due to their ability to provide an immersive, hands-on learning experience resembling an actual medical practice or care setting. Immersive learning enhances students’ sensory perceptions, promoting an innovative and engaging way of acquiring concepts that are difficult to teach in real life. This study aimed to design, develop, implement, and evaluate a case-based training module highlighting AFHS and educating medical students on the 4Ms approach in geriatric care (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility). METHODOLOGY: The project was a feasibility study completed in two phases. Phase one included planning and development of a case-based scenario incorporating 4Ms of AFHS. Phase two included implementing and evaluating the VR training module into the geriatric curriculum for medical students. RESULTS: The final VR case displays a hospital and post-acute setting where an elderly patient is admitted for a hip fracture. Students learn how to triage and treat patients from admission to discharge while demonstrating their knowledge of AFHS. Approximately 10% of students completed the evaluation survey, and preliminary results indicate significant knowledge change in pre-post scenario-based training on AFHS. CONCLUSION: The VR education platform and embedded scenario promise an innovative adaptation of technology in learning the concepts of the 4Ms of AFHS. However, future studies should explore VR education with clinical assessment evaluation to ensure competence in providing Age-Friendly care.

Introduction: maxillary hypoplasia and mandibular asymmetry may be corrected with orthognathic surgery at the completion of growth. Many patients require segmental Le Fort I osteotomies to obtain the most stable results. Unfortunately, if Invisalign is chosen for pre-surgical preparation, ClinCheck © software does not allow for prediction when these complex surgeries are planned. The objective of this paper was to show the potential of aligners beyond its software in most complex cases like multiple-piece maxillary osteotomies in cleft and non-cleft patients. Method: Thirteen patients who underwent pre-surgical treatment with clear aligners-Invisalign (study group) were matched in terms of diagnosis, surgical procedure, and orthodontic complexity with thirteen patients treated using fixed appliances (control group). A technique based on simple superimposition was devised to enhance the software for creating a suitable occlusion for segmental pre-surgical treatments. Virtual curves following the lower arch were employed to guide the correct pre-surgical positions of the upper teeth. The amount of impressions required in both groups to achieve satisfactory pre-surgical alignment of the segmented arches was compared. Results: one or no refinement phase were needed in the Invisalign group to reach an acceptable pre-surgical occlusion while the amount of pre-surgical impressions taken in order to reach adequate coordination with fixed appliance treatment was slightly higher. The average overall treatment duration did not show a statistically significant variation between the groups. Conclusions: it appears that clear aligner could serve as an effective treatment for individuals with skeletal discrepancies, including cleft and craniofacial anomalies, necessitating segmental Le Fort I osteotomies when aided by the suggested superimposition approach during digital pre-surgical movement simulations. More sophisticated softwares will certainly be implemented in the future.

GNSS is nowadays a standard tool for monitoring and studying the Earth’s dynamic environment. However, the development of dense GNSS measurements remains limited in many experiments by the cost of geodetic-class equipments allowing to achieve the high precision required by many applications. Recently, multi-constellation, multi-frequency, low-power and, above all, less expensive GNSS electronic chips have become available. We present a prototype of a low-cost, open-source multi-GNSS station. Our prototype comprises a dual-frequency GNSS chip, a calibrated antenna, a Raspberry Pi card and a 4G key for data transmission. The system is easy to deploy in the field and allows precise positioning in real time and post-processing. We assess the performance of our prototype in terms of raw data quality, and quality of the obtained high rate and daily position one-year-long time series. Our results demonstrate a quality equivalent to geodetic-class equipment and better quality than other low-cost systems proposed so far.

Genetic enhancement of grain production and quality is a priority in wheat breeding projects. In this study, we assessed two key agronomic traits - grain protein content (GPC) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) - across 179 Bulgarian contemporary and historic varieties, and landraces in three growing seasons. Significant phenotypic variation existed for both traits among genotypes and seasons, and no discernible difference was evident between the old and modern accessions. To understand the genetic basis of the traits, we conducted a genome-wide association study with MLM using phenotypic data from the crop seasons, best linear unbiased estimators, genotypic data from the 25K Infinium iSelect array, and a Bonferroni-adjusted p-value. As a result, 776 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) organized into quantitative trait loci were discovered, including 25 loci associated with GPC, and 35 loci linked to TKW. Additionally, 14 environmentally stable QTNs were identified for TKW. Certain loci on chromosomes 2A, 3A, and 6B favorably in-fluenced GPC, while the locus on chromosome 6D impacted TKW positively. These loci may reflect novel associations to the two traits. Annotations for proteins involved in the remobilization of carbon and nitrogen from vegetative tissues to developing grain during senescence, as well as in the following buildup of resources required for seed germination, have been found for selected pu-tative candidate genes. These include genes coding for 11S globulin seed storage protein, glutamine synthetase, metalloendopeptidase, components of the ubiquitin/proteasome system, sucrose transporter, alpha-amylase, NAC and bZIP transcription factors. Our findings highlight promising genomic regions for targeted breeding programs aimed at improving grain yield and protein content.

Motivated by empirical observations, we propose a possible extension of Gibrat's law. By applying it into the random growth theory of income distribution (Gabaix, 2009), we find that the income distribution is described by a generalized Pareto-type distribution (GPD) with three parameters. We observe that there is a parameter /elta in the GPD that plays a key role in determining the shape of income distribution. By using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, we empirically show that, for typical market-economy countries, /elta is close to 0 significantly, such that the income distribution is characterized by a two-class pattern in which the bottom 90% of the population is approximated by an exponential distribution and the richest 1%~3% is approximated by an asymptotic power law. However, we empirically find that, for China both in planned economy period and in early stages of market reformation (from 1978 to 1990), /elta is significantly deviated from 0, such that the bottom of the population no longer conforms to an exponential distribution.

This review examines the relationship between blackhole activity and kinematic gas-star misalignment in brightest group galaxies (BGGs) with different merger rates. The formation history of galaxy groups is assessed through "age-dating" as an indicator of distinct major mergers involving the BGG. BGGs within groups characterized by a higher frequency of major mergers are more likely to host active SMBHs. A consistent correlation is identified between the level of black hole activity, as indicated by the 1.4 GHz and 325 MHz radio emissions, and the degree of kinematic misalignment between the gas and stellar components in BGGs. In dynamically relaxed groups, where blackhole accretion rate is relatively (∼1 dex) lower due to the lack of recent ( ≤1 Gyr) major mergers, there is reduced (∼ 30%) misalignment between the gas and stellar components of BGGs compared to unrelaxed groups. Additionally, the study reveals that BGGs in unrelaxed groups show higher levels of star formation rate and increased occurrence of mergers, contributing to observed color differences. Exploring the properties and dynamics of the gas disc influenced by mechanical AGN feedback through hydrodynamic simulations suggests that AGN wind-induced effects further lead to persistent gas misalignment of the disk around the supermassive blackhole.

Synchronous electrical cardioversion is a relatively common procedure in the emergency department (ED), often performed for unstable supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) or unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT). However, it is also used for stable cases resistant to drug therapy, which carry a risk of deterioration. In addition to the inherent risks linked with procedural sedation, there is a possibility of malignant arrhythmias or bradycardia, which could potentially result in cardiac arrest following this procedure. Here, we present a case of complete heart block unresponsive to transcutaneous pacing and positive inotropic and chronotropic drugs for 90 minutes, resulting in multiple cardiac arrests. The repositioning of the transcutaneous cardio-stimulation electrodes, one of them placed in the left latero-sternal position and the other at the level of the apex, led to immediate stabilization of the patient. Extubation of the patient was performed the following day, while full recovery and discharge within 7 days, after insertion of a permanent pacemaker.

The conformity assessment of products or a measured value with the given standards is carried out based on the global risk of producers and consumers calculation. A product may conform to specifications but be falsely rejected as non-conforming. This is about the producer's risk. If a product doesn't meet the requirements but is falsely accepted as conforming, that poses a risk to the consumer. The conventional approach to risk assessment, which yields only a single numerical value for the global risk of producers and consumers, is naturally extended, and utilized for assessing risk in measurement models with linear regression. The outcomes of the two-dimensional extension, along a moderate scale, are the parabolas with an opening upwards. Risk surfaces were obtained through three-dimensional extension over the area limited by the moderate scale and guard band axes. Four models with different ranges of tolerance intervals were used to test this innovative method of risk assessment in linear regression. The corresponding standard measurement uncertainties are determined by applying a simplified measurement model with the use of comprehensive data on the measurement performance and by determining measurement uncertainty derived from consideration of the functional relationship obtained by linear regression analysis. Models that utilize information from linear regression analysis to determine measurement uncertainty are biased towards risks at the edges of the moderate scale. Testing the model's performances with metrics related to the confusion matrix, such as the F1 score, further substantiated this assertion. The diagnostic odds ratio has been proven to be extremely effective in identifying the curve along the guard band axis, along which the global risks of producers and consumers are at their lowest.

Pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), characterized by the onset of multiple sclerosis before the age of 18, is gaining increased recognition. Approximately 5 percent of MS cases manifest before the age of 18, with less than 1 percent occurring before the age of 10. Despite its rarity, pediatric MS exhibits distinct characteristics, with an association between younger age at onset and a comparatively slower disease progression. Despite this slower progression, individuals with POMS historically reach disability milestones at earlier ages than those with adult-onset multiple sclerosis. While various immunomodulatory agents demonstrate significant benefits in MS treatment, such as reduced relapse rates and slower accumulation of brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the majority of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) commonly used in adult MS lack evaluation through pediatric clinical trials. Current evidence is predominantly derived from observational studies. This comprehensive review aims to consolidate existing knowledge on the mechanisms of action, efficacy, safety profiles, and recommended dosages of available DMTs specifically in the context of pediatric MS. Furthermore, the review outlines recent advancements and explores potential medications still in developmental stages, providing a thorough overview of the current landscape and future prospects for treating POMS.

The paper explores the Kullback-Leibler divergence formalism (KLDF) applied to the stable MG1 queue manifold. More potentially, both service time probability and cumulative functions which make KLDF exact are obtained. The credibility of KLDF is justified through consistency axioms. Some potential applications of Kullback-Leibler divergence to Biometry are presented. The paper concludes with closing remarks combined with some challenging open problems and the next phase of research.

We show that Universe inflation occurs when Einstein's gravity couples to nonlinear electromagnetic fields with cosmic stochastic magnetic fields background. Nonlinear electrodynamics with two parameters is used. The strength of magnetic fields to have the Universe inflation is obtained. It is shown that singularities of the energy density and pressure are absent for any scale factors. At large scale factors one arrives at equation of state for ultra-relativistic case. It is demonstrated that the curvature invariants do not have singularities. By computing the deceleration parameter we show that graceful exit takes place with reasonable e-folding number. The duration of Universe inflation as a function of model parameters is obtained. The classical stability and causality are analyzed by calculating the speed of the sound.

Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse (ARFI) is an ultrasound integrated method, measuring stiff-ness by point shear wave elastography. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ARFI of the liver and of the spleen, combined with spleen dimension and platelet count, in predicting clinical events in cirrhosis, a prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2017 and February 2021. The following ratio scores with ARFI measurements were performed: ALSDP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelets ratio score), ASSDP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Diam-eter-to-Platelets ratio score), ASSAP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Area-to-Platelets ratio score), ALSAP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Area-to-Platelets ratio score). In 100 enrolled subjects, spleen ARFI, ASSDP, ASSAP, were significantly associated with high-risk oesophageal varices (HRVs) in the prospec-tive short- and long-term follow-up and in the cross-sectional study (p 0.7). ARFI-ratio scores can predict, in cirrhotic patients, the risk of developing HVRs in short and long-term period.

Aiming at the problem of UAV cluster configuration reconstruction, in order to obtain the cluster reconstruction method, the theory and simulation of cluster reconstruction control strategy is studied by simplifying the model，deducing the theoretical formula and analyzing the example. Taking 10 UAVs cluster as an example, the distribution of UAVs in different configurations was analyzed. According to the change of cluster configuration, the principle of formation reconstruction and the execution ability of configuration, the cluster capability was analyzed. The group behavior is modeled by group behavior rules, reconfiguration topology analysis and reconfiguration cost measurement. Based on the cluster parameters and configuration characteristics, simulation experiments were carried out to obtain the change curve of the reconstruction cost and time and the trajectory movement diagram of the UAV in different configurations.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the most lethal type of cancer, it has the lowest 5-year survival rate among all other types of cancers. More than half of PC cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage due to PC’s insidious and non-specific symptoms. Surgery remains the most efficacious treatment option currently available, but only 10-20% of PC cases are resectable upon diagnosis. As of now, the sole biomarker approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) for PC is carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9); however, its use is limited use for early diagnosis. An in-creasing number of studies have investigated a combination of biomarkers. Lately, there has been considerable interest in the application of a liquid biopsy, including the utilization of microRNAs (miRNAs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Screening for PC is indicated for high-risk patients; studies on new diagnostic models combined with biomarkers for early detection have also shown promising results for the ability of these models and biomarkers to aid clinicians in deciding on whether to start screening. This review seeks to provide a concise overview of the advancements in existing biomarkers and explore novel strategies for the early detection of PC.

Coffee Coffea arabica L. depends on abundantly distributed rainfall and drought impacts their development, fruit production, bean quality, and ultimately, beverage quality. Plant Biotechnology by means of genetic manipulation and plant regeneration by the somatic embryogenic process is an alternative technology to overcome these prob-lems. In the present work we used the molecular approach of the trehalose/trehalase role in plant surviving in extreme drought/salt environments. We used a cassette containing the antisense C. arabica L. trehalase gene under the RD29 promoter from A. thaliana and the NOS terminator to genetically modified an em-bryogenic coffee C. arabica L. cv typica line under osmotic stress supplemented with mannitol (0.3M) and sorbitol (0.3M) containing medium. Drought resistant SE lines were recovered and regenerate plants. Resistant SE lines showed a higher rate of competence to induce secondary SE capacity. A transcrip-tome analysis was performed from high competent SE lines to understand the acquired molecular mechanisms to developed SE. From the up-regulated genes, a PPI network made by STRING v12.0 with high confidence (0.700) revealed the presence of the 10 modules. The cell cycle, chromatin remodeling, somatic embryogenesis, oxidative stress, generic transcription pathway, carbon metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, trehalose biosynthesis, proline bio-synthesis and glycerolipid metabolism.

Micro nano bubbles (MNBs) can generate ·OH in situ, which provides a new idea for the safe and efficient removal of pollutants in water supply systems. However, the difficulty in obtaining stable MNBs causes the low efficiency of ·OH generation, which makes the inability to guarantee the removal efficiency of pollutants. This paper reviews the application research of MNBs technology in water security from three aspects: the generation process of MNBs in water, the generation rule of ·OH during MNBs collapse, and the control mechanism of MNBs on pollutants and biofilms. We found that MNBs generation methods are divided into chemical and mechanical (about 10 kinds) categories, and the instability of bubble size restricts the application of MNBs technology. The generation of ·OH by MNBs is affected by pH, gas source, bubble size, temperature, external stimulation. And pH and external stimulus have more influence on ·OH generation in situ than other factors. Adjusting pH to alkaline or acidic conditions and selecting ozone or oxygen as the gas source can promote the ·OH generation. MNBs’ collapse also releases a large amount of energy, which the temperature and pressure can reach 3000K and 5Gpa respectively, making it efficient to remove ≈90 % of pollutants (i.e., trichloroethylene, benzene, and chlorobenzene). The biofilm can also be removed by physical, chemical, and thermal effect. MNBs technology also has great application potential in drinking water, which can be applied to improve water quality, optimize household water purifiers, and enhance the taste of bottled water. Under the premise of safety, let people of different ages taste, finding that compared with ordinary drinking water, 85.7 % of people think MNBs water is softer, 73.3 % of people think MNBs water is sweeter. This further proves that MNBs water has a great prospect in the drinking water application. This review provides innovative theoretical support for solving the problem of drinking water safety.

Educational institutions must identify students who are academically struggling to provide them with necessary support to improve their performance. In this context, recommendation systems powered by deep learning techniques are vital for detecting and categorizing such students. These systems help students plan their future by uncovering patterns in their historical academic data. This study introduces a new deep learning model designed to classify academically underperforming students in educational settings. The model incorporates a Gated Recurrent Neural Network (GRU) and includes specific neural network features like a dense layer, max-pooling layer, and the ADAM optimization algorithm. The model's training and evaluation were conducted using a dataset comprising 15,165 student assessment records from various academic institutions. The performance of the developed GRU model was benchmarked against other educational recommendation systems, including Recurrent Neural Network models, AdaBoost, and the Artificial Immune Recognition System v2. The proposed GRU model demonstrated remarkable accuracy, achieving an overall rate of 99.70%.

This study focuses on the reasoning of symptoms of TCM internal diseases. Taking cough as an example, the BERT-BiLSTM-CRF model is used for entity recognition. Experiments show that the model has the best entity recognition effect on three types of texts, including teaching cases, clinical cases and literature data, and the F1 value is up to 0.967. It can effectively identify symptoms, course of disease, tongue condition and pulse condition in TCM diagnosis and treatment texts, which lays a solid foundation for intelligent assisted syndrome differentiation and treatment of TCM. By constructing four types of entity corpora and using three mainstream entity recognition models for experiments, it is found that the BERT-BiLSTM-CRF model has a good entity recognition effect in three types of data: teaching cases, clinical cases and literature data. Experimental results show that the F1 values of the BERT-bilSTM-CRF model in teaching cases, clinical cases and literature data are 0.967, 0.82 and 0.91, respectively, which provides an effective method for information extraction in the field of TCM syndrome differentiation diagnosis and treatment, and lays a foundation for further research on knowledge reasoning.

Objective: To use the ancient and modern medical record cloud platform (V2.3.5) to organize and explore the medication patterns of the "Three Causes, Extremity, and One Disease Syndrome Formula" by Chen Wuxuan, and to summarize its therapeutic ideas. Method: Collect and organize the "San Yin Si Tian Fang" in the "San Yin Ji Yi Zheng Fang Lun", and use the modern medical record cloud platform (V2.3.5) to conduct medication frequency statistical analysis, cluster analysis, and complex network analysis. As a result, a total of 16 Chinese herbal medicines were collected in the "Three Causes, Extreme and One Disease Syndrome Formula", involving 75 traditional Chinese medicines. Statistical analysis showed that roasted licorice was the most commonly used, followed by Pinellia ternata, papaya, ginger, and Poria cocos; Medications mainly include warm drugs, sweet and pungent flavors, as well as drugs that promote lung and spleen meridians. Cluster analysis can divide the above-mentioned traditional Chinese medicine into two groups, with specific grouping as follows. Group 1: ginger, white peony, aconite, papaya, and achyranthes bidentata; Group 2: roasted licorice, poria cocos, dried ginger, pinellia ternata, and green peel. Conclusion: The characteristics of the 16 prescriptions are biased towards Xin Gan Wen, emphasizing the regulation of the spleen and stomach, which may be related to the common use of prescription by doctors in the Song Dynasty and the tendency towards warm and dry medication.

Suspended and deposited sediments in streams can interfere with filter-feeding caddisfly larvae by reducing feeding sites and feeding efficiency, potentially lowering densities, growth rates, and secondary production of an important trout prey. We conducted field studies at multiple stream sites with differing suspended sediment loads, and a laboratory study conducted under controlled conditions, together designed to examine the role of suspended sediments in the population dynamics and behavior of Brachycentrus occidentalis (Trichoptera: Brachycentridae) larvae in a Minnesota, USA, trout stream. Stream sites that had elevated turbidities and suspended sediments also had significantly more fine bottom substrates and higher substrate embeddedness. In addition, Brachycentrus densities were reduced, growth rates were slower, secondary production was reduced, and overall benthic macroinvertebrate taxa richness was lowest at the site with the highest suspended sediment loading. Colder water temperatures at one site also influenced Brachycentrus production. In 24-hour laboratory studies conducted in recirculating aquaria, the feeding activities of Brachycentrus larvae were reduced and positioning altered under high turbidities (500 nephelometric turbidity units, NTU) relative to low turbidities (50 NTU or lower). High suspended sediment loads have adversely affected filter-feeding caddisfly larvae by embedding and burying preferred coarse feeding substrates, altering their feeding positions and movements during highest flows, and ultimately impacting densities, growth rates, and secondary production.

Livestock management is challenging for resource-poor (R-P) farmers due to unavailability of quality feed, limited professional advice and rumor-spreading about animal health condition in a herd. This research seeks to improve animal health in southern Africa by promoting sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), a nutraceutical fodder legume. An automated geospatial model for precision agriculture (PA) can identify suitable locations for its cultivation. Additionally, a novel approach of radio frequency identifier (RFID) supported telemetry technology can track animal movement, and the analyses of data using artificial intelligence can determine sickness of small ruminants. This RFID-based system is being connected to a smartphone app (under construction) to alert farmers of potential livestock health issues in real-time so they can take immediate corrective measures. An accompanying Decision Support System (DSS) site is being developed for R-P farmers to obtain all possible support on livestock production, including the designed PA and RFID-based DSS.

Introduction: Substance-induced psychotic disorder (SIPD) is a mental health condition linked to the use of a psychotropic substance whose pathogenesis has not been totally clarified. The present retrospective observational study has the objective to identify differences in clinical features and peripheral biomarkers in SIPD patients according to the main substance of abuse.Methods: A total sample of 218 patients was divided in 3 groups according to the type of consumed substance: alcohol, cannabis and psychostimulants. The 3 groups were compared for continuous variables by one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and for qualitative variables by χ² tests. After removing alcohol-induced psychotic disorder group, the same analyses were repeated. Statistically significant variables from these latter analyses were included in a binary logistic regression model to confirm their reliability as predictors for cannabis- or psychostimulants-induced psychotic disorders. Results: Psychotic cannabis abusers were younger (p<0.01) and had an earlier age at onset (p<0.01). On the contrary, alcohol consumers resulted to have a longer duration of illness (p<0.01), more previous hospitalizations (p=0.04), more frequent medical comorbidity (p<0.01), higher mean Modified Sad Person Scale scores (p<0.01). Finally, psychostimulant abusers had more frequently a lifetime history of poly-substance use disorders (p<0.01). Binary logistic regression revealed that higher mean Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores (p<0.01) higher sodium (p=0.012) and haemoglobin(p=0.040) plasma levels were predictors of cannabis misuse in SIPD patients.Conclusions: Different clinical factors and biochemical parameters con be associated to SIPD according to the main substance of abuse, thus requiring a specific management by clinicians.

Nurses have experienced several psychological and work-related issues during the COVID-19 pandemic including pandemic burnout and job burnout. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of social support and resilience on COVID-19 pandemic burnout and job burnout among nurses. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Greece. Study population included 963 nurses. We measured social support, resilience, COVID-19 pandemic burnout, and job burnout with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Brief Resilience Scale, COVID-19 burnout scale, and single item burnout measure respectively. Nurses received high levels of social support, while their resilience was moderate. Additionally, nurses experienced moderate levels of COVID-19 burnout and job burnout. Increased social support (adjusted beta = -0.075, 95% CI = -0.125 to -0.024) and increased resilience (adjusted beta = -0.399, 95% CI = -0.491 to -0.308) were associated with reduced COVID-19 pandemic burnout. We found a negative relationship between social support and job burnout (adjusted beta = -0.263, 95% CI = -0.405 to -0.121). A similar negative relationship was found between resilience and job burnout (adjusted beta = -0.529, 95% CI = -0.785 to -0.272). Social support and resilience can act as protective factors against COVID-19 pandemic burnout and job burnout among nurses. Policy makers should develop and implement appropriate strategies to improve nurses’ social support and resilience since they are the backbone of healthcare systems worldwide.

Entropy as a mathematical concept is the first of its own kind, and second to none. Barely one or two papers in literature have investigated fractal dimensions of very basic entropies, such as Shannon, Tsallis, and Rényi entropic expressions. This was a thoughtful inspiration to delve into a step forward towards a unified information- theoretic fractal theory. The storytelling of this current paper starts by introducing my third entropy formula, namely Ismail’s entropy, , as a novel generalization to Shannonian entropy with a visionary link to both long- and short-range interactions, (LRIs), (SRIs) respectively. Clearly, this would generate a fourfold unification with statistical mechanics as well as contemporary physics. Hence, this adds more credibility and weight for this study. The fractal dimension of , is identified in this paper. As an essential part of this work, it was influential to spotlight the importance of fractal geometry to space industry as well as education, which is crucial to develop our societies. Thus, some potential fractal applications to CubeSat Technologies and Education are highlighted. So, will the deep search for more ground-breaking research has come to an end. Certainly, not. This was another inspiration to propose new open problems to widen research gates to the scientific community for more research pathways. Consequently, the paper ends with closing remarks combined with some challenging open problems and the next phase of research.

We develop new theory from a broad case-study approach to explore a better understanding of what constitutes knowledge and its value as identifiable to human-machine teams. From past research, this trail of exploration will lead to these initial questions: What is the value of debate in the furtherance of knowledge? Will machines with AI be able to contribute to a debate if we humans cannot define it or determine its value sufficiently for a machine’s understanding, contribution, exploration and identification? Like humans, as teammates, machines must be able to determine with AI what constitutes the usable knowledge that contributes to a team’s success in the field (e.g., testing "knowledge" in the field, identifying new knowledge, using knowledge to develop innovation) or its failure (viz., trouble shooting; identifying weaknesses; discovering vulnerabilities, hiding by deception). It matters not whether a debate is public, private or unexpressed by an individual human or machine agent alone; we speculate in this exploration that the process advances the science of autonomous human-machine teams and assists in interpretable machine learning. We conclude with questions and a speculation: How does a human become aware or express its awareness of knowledge? Can a machine be as expressive as its human teammates? And how does a human-machine teammate become aware that its teammates possess sufficient knowledge to perform a task? We speculate that the structure of “knowledge," once found, is resistant to alternatives (i.e., it is ordered); that its functional utility is generalizable; and that its applications are multifaceted (akin to maximum entropy production). The complexity of the team is taken into consideration in our search for knowledge, which can also be used as an information metric.

This study aims to reveal the revolutionary Gamma Distribution Manifold (GDM) info-geometric analysis combined with potential Gamma distribution (GD) applications to advance Satellite Earth Observations (SEOs). An exposition of the GDM Fisher Information Matrix (FIM) was undertaken, together with the analytic investigation of the existence of FIM’s inverse. The derivation of GDM’s Geodesic Equations (GEs) is undertaken. The solution of the obtained Geodesic Equations is optimally complicated, and it provides more extensions to numerous open problems. Notably, the current paper provides a first-time unification between three multi-interdisciplinary fields, namely, information geometry theory, probability theory, and Satellite earth observations. Looking at the other side of the coin, the provided revolutionary approach in this current work reports the significant impact of info-geometric analysis on the probabilistic dynamics as well as the influential role of information geometry on satellite and space industry. This poses numerous open issues that initiates a new form of contemporary unification between these inter-disciplinaries to discover another visionary thinking out of traditional statistical frames. In other words, refraining ourselves from using classical statistical frames of thinking and delving into a new info-geometric vision of statistical distributions as well as examining real life applications of information geometry to advance satellite earth observations. The curtain is drawn on this paper by providing several challenging open problems in combination with a concluding remark and the next phase of research.

This study examined the accumulations and transfer of manganese into 11 wild plants from the mining soils of Gümüşköy, Turkey. The greatest silver resource in Turkey is found in the Gümüsköy mining area, which is situated roughly 25 kilometers to the west of Kütahya. ICP-MS was used to determine the Mn contents in soil and plant samples that were taken from the field. In the research area, the average Mn concentrations in the soil, roots, and shoots of wild plants were 1872, 1076, and 1048 ppm, respectively. Based on their ECS and ECR values, the plants were divided into three groups: the best plants, good plants, and candidate plants. While Glaucium flavum, Carduus nutans, Phlomis sp., Onosma sp., and Verbascum thapsus were selected as the best plants, Cynoglossum officinale, Anchusa arvensis were determined as good plants, and the others (Alyssum saxatile, Centaurea cyanus, Silene compacta, Isatis were determined as candidate plants. According to the current study, all of the best and good plants in the study region had a very high ability to remove Mn. As a result, these plants can be helpful in studies involving phytoremediation or remediation of Mn-polluted soil.

Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Objectives: To investigate the outcomes of early ballon kyphoplasty (BKP) intervention compared with late intervention for osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Background: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures, can lead to kyphotic deformity, severe back pain, depression, and disturbances in activities of daily living (ADL). BKP has been widely utilized to treat symptomatic OVFs and has proven to be a very effective surgical option for this condition. BKP is relatively a safe and effective method due to less acrylic cement leakage and greater kyphosis correction. Materials and Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted at our hospital for patients who underwent BKP for osteoporotic vertebral fractures in the time frame between January 2020 and December 2022. Ninety-nine patients were included in this study, patients were classified into two groups: 36 patients underwent early BKP intervention (EI)

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

The paper provides a discussion on the results of studies of the effect exerted by combined degradation factors typical of four types of wear: abrasion, impact-abrasion, tribocorrosion, and impact-abrasion-corrosion, conducted for chain wheels made of Ni-Cu alloyed Austempered Ductile Iron. The studies consisted in determining the content of retained austenite in the structure of the cast irons in question, establishing the measures of wear following wear testing, and identifying basic surface degradation mechanisms observed in the chain wheels tested following multifactorial wear processes. The chain wheels made of ADI were found to have sustained the greatest damage under the impact-abrasion-corrosion (three-factor) wear scenario, while the wear was least advanced in the abrasion (one-factor) wear case. Another observation derived from the studies is that the combined effect of dynamic forces, corrosion, and quartz sand-based abrasives causes increased surface degradation in the cast iron grades taken into consideration compared to processes characterised by a reduced number of degradation factors (i.e. one- or two-factor wear processes). Additional hardness tests and XRD analyses have revealed a distinctive effect attributable to combined degradation factors on the surface hardness increase value and implied that bench testing was followed by phase transition.

B4GALNT2 is a vital candidate gene that affects the growth traits litter size in and growth traits of sheep, but whether it has the same function in goats remains to be further investigated. In this study, we utilized 348 Nanjiang Yellow goats as experimental subjects, conducted a whole exon, and the conserved the non-coding region SNP scanning of the B4GALNT2 gene. Our results revealed the presence of a synonymous mutation, rs672215506, within the exon of the B4GALNT2 gene in the Nanjiang Yellow goat population. This mutation was found to be associated with reduced mRNA stability of the B4GALNT2 gene. The results of SNPs detection of conserved non-coding region of B4GALNT2 gene showed that there were five potential regulatory SNPs in the Nanjiang Yellow goat population, except for rs66095343, the ~500 bp fragments of four SNPs (rs649127714, rs649573228, rs652899012 and rs639183528) could significantly increase luciferase activity both in goat skeletal muscle cells and 293T cells . Genetic diversity indexes indicated low or intermediate levels for all six SNPs analyzed, each conforming to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium regarding genotypic frequencies. Association analysis indicated that rs660965343, rs649127714 and rs649573228 were significantly correlated with growth traits in the later stage of growth and development of Nanjiang Yellow goat. The haplotype combinations of H2H3 and H2H2 had higher body weight and greater body size; moreover, H2H2 haplotype combinations were significantly correlated with the litter size of Nanjiang Yellow goat. The results of our study demonstrate the potential utility of the B4GALNT2 gene as a functional genetic marker in breeding programs for Nanjiang Yellow goats.

Heart failure is a prevalent cardiovascular condition with significant health implications, necessitating effective diagnostic strategies for timely intervention. This study explores the potential of continuous monitoring of non-invasive signals, specifically integrating Photoplethysmogram (PPG) and Electrocardiogram (ECG), for enhancing early detection and diagnosis of heart failure. Leveraging a dataset from the MIMIC-III database, encompassing 682 heart failure patients and 954 controls. Feature selection techniques were used to systematically select key features which were identified for their clinical relevance and significance in capturing cardiovascular dynamics and to reduce computational complexity and to decrease the chance of overfitting the ML algorithms. These features are then utilized to train and evaluate machine learning algorithms, resulting in a model with an impressive accuracy of 98%, sensitivity of 97.60%, specificity of 96.90%, and precision of 97.20%. The integrated approach outperforms single-signal strategies, showcas-ng its potential for early, precise, and non-invasive heart failure diagnosis. Furthermore, the study underscores the significance of continuous monitoring through wearables, emphasizing the benefits of integrating multiple signals for a comprehensive evaluation of cardiovascular health. The proposed approach holds promise for implementation in hardware systems to enable continuous monitoring, aiding in early detection and prevention of critical health conditions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to optimize the fermentation process of Radix Ranunculi ternate via microbial fermentation and analyze the changes in the contents of the main components, the antioxidant and hypoglycemic capacities of the extract before and after fermentation. Methods: The solid-state fermentation process was optimized using single-factor tests and the response surface method, with the yield of the alcohol extract of R. ternate as an evaluation index. Results: The best fermentation process was optimized using solid-state endophytic fungus fermentation technology as follows: strain addition ratio of Chaetomium globosum/Fusarium equiseti =1:1, fermentation for 5 d, sieve size of 40 mesh, liquid/material ratio of 0.8:1 mL·g−1, fermentation temperature of 31 °C, and inoculation amount of 7.5%. Under the optimized conditions, the contents of the water-soluble extract and total polysaccharides decreased by 12.71% and 12.95%, respectively, in the fermentation, The contents of ethanol-soluble-extract, flavonoids, saponins, polyphenols, organic acids, and total amino acids of fermented R. ternate increased by 19.77%, 57.14%, 79.67%, 14.29%, 17.63% and 3.82%, respectively, and the scavenging rate for DPPH, ABTS+, ·OH free radicals and inhibitory rate for α-amylase also increased by 19.02%, 14.17%, 7.53% and 34.54%, respectively, compared with unfermented R. ternate. Conclusions: Solid-state fermentation opens new avenues for the development and application of R. ternate as natural antioxidant and hypoglycemic food.

Accurate power curve modelling is essential to continuously evaluate the performance of a wind turbine (WT). In this work, we characterize the wind power curves using SCADA data acquired at a frequency of 5 minutes in a wind farm (WF) consisting of 5 WTs. Regarding the non-parametric methods, we select artificial neural networks (ANNs) to make curve estimations. Given that, we have the curves provided by the manufacturer of the WTs given by some very precisely measured pair of wind speed and power points. We can evaluate the difference between the manufacturer characterization and the ones estimated with the data provided by the SCADA system. Before the estimation, we propose a method of filtering the anomalies based on the characteristics provided by the manufacturer. We use three-quarters of the available data for curve estimation and one-quarter for the test. One WT suffered a break in the test part, so we can check how the test estimates reflect this problem in its wind-power curve compared to the estimations obtained in the WTs that worked adequately.

With the development of Internet, big data and artificial intelligence technology, personal information protection has become the focus of social attention. The legal boundary of data protection has become increasingly prominent, involving the collection, storage, use, transmission and disclosure of personal information. This paper aims to explore the legal boundary of data protection, analyze the legal basis, legal principles and legal provisions of personal information protection, and put forward corresponding legal suggestions, in order to provide reference for the improvement of China's data protection legal system.

Intra Voxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) imaging provides non-invasive perfusion measurements, eliminating the need for contrast agents. The aim of this work was to explore the feasibility of IVIM in whole brain perfusion studies, where isotropic 1mm voxel is widely accepted as a standard. This study treats on validity of time limited, precise, segmentation ready Whole Brain IVIM imaging protocol suitable for clinical reality. To assess the influence of SNR on the estimation of S0, f, D* and D IVIM parameters a series of measurements and simulations under MATLAB environment were performed for three estimation techniques, utilizing known “ground truth” and noised data. Scanner specific SNR was estimated based on healthy subject IVIM MRI study in 3T scanner. Measurements were conducted for 25,6x25,6x14,4 cm FOV with 256x256 in plane resolution and 72 slices resulting in 1x1x2 mm voxel size. Simulations were performed for 36 SNR levels around measured SNR value. Single voxel grid search estimation method mean relative error for S0 f D* D estimates at measured SNR level were: 5.00%,81.91%, 76.31%, 18.34% respectively. Analysis has shown that high resolution IVIM is possible, although there is significant variation in estimation accuracy and precision depending on SNR level and chosen estimation method.

(S)-Atenolol ((S)-2-(4-(2-Hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy)phenyl)acetamide) has been synthesized in >99% ee with use of Candida antarctica lipase B from Syncozymes (Shanghai, China), in a kinetic resolution of the corresponding racemic chlorohydrin. Deprotonation of the starting phenol building block was base catalyzed. The enantiopurity of the chlorohydrin building block remained unchanged upon subsequent amination. All four steps in the synthesis protocol have been optimized compared to previously reported methods, which makes this new protocol more sustainable and in accordance with green chemistry principles compared to previously reported protocols.

Background: In 2020, the incidence of cancer was 844,778 cases among the population aged 0 to 19 years. Ninety percent of the population under 18 years of age lives in low- and middle-income countries, where cancer survivors report adverse outcomes. disease, which negatively impacts individuals’ general health, emotional state and external factors such as academic performance. Therefore, the objective of this article was to report the performance of the WCST and the sociodemographic characteristics of oncopediatric patients from Cali, Colombia. We report the reliability of the WCST instrument and indicate the association between the type of cancer and executive functioning in patients. Methods: In a cross-sectional observational study, 24 oncopediatric patients were interviewed and evaluated via the WCST. Results: The mean age was 12.08 years (3.98), 20.8% were women, 70.8% had a diagnosis of leukemia, 8 patients had acquired brain deficits, and more than 75% had adequate functioning in terms of the indicators of executive functions. Robust statistics were used to explore the differences between the types of diagnoses and performance in executive functions, and no statistically significant differences were found (p = 0.156). We accumulated evidence that the WCST has a reliable Cronbach's α of 0.804 and that oncopediatric patients without brain deficits had high scores for executive functions (p = 0.002) with a moderate effect size (0.727). Conclusions: The WCST is reliable for discriminating executive function among pediatric cancer patients. The evidence suggests that there are no differences between the types of cancer evaluated and executive functioning in the participants.

Background: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a dietary self-care promotion program for hemodialysis patients based on Hurley's self-efficacy model. Methods: The needs of hemodialysis patients were identified, and an online community-based dietary self-care promotion program was developed with expert evaluations. 44 hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=22) and a control group (n=22). The program was applied to the experimental group for four weeks. Before and after the intervention, as well as four weeks after the intervention, dietary self-efficacy, dietary self-care behavior, interdialytic weight gain, serum phosphorus, and serum potassium were assessed in both groups. Results: Significant differences over time and between groups were observed in dietary self-efficacy, interdialytic weight gain, serum phosphorus, and serum potassium. The interaction between time and group was also significant. While no significant differences were found over time in dietary self-care behavior, significant group differences and interaction effects between time and group were identified. Conclusions: The results indicate that the dietary self-care promotion program using an online community for hemodialysis patients is more effective in enhancing dietary self-efficacy and dietary self-care behavior compared to conventional treatment. This suggests the clinical applicability of the proposed dietary self-care promotion program.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully revealed numerous susceptibility loci for obesity. PREDATORR study (2014) shows that in Romania, 34,6% of adults aged 20-79 y/o are overweight, 31,4% are obese with a high risk of cardiometabolic complications, a number that puts almost 67% of Romania's population in the abnormal weight group. Our study aims to investigate the current staus of genetic foundation in metabolic disease associated with obesity, applied to a pilot group of patients specifically examining the impact of known polymorphisms and their haplotype of six food intake-regulating genes: leptin (LEP), leptin receptor (LEP-R), serotonin receptor (5HTR2A), ghrelin (GHRL), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and fat-mass and obesity-associated (FTO) with the following polymorphisms: LEP A-2548G, LEPR A-223G, 5HTR2A G-1439A, GHRL G-72T, NPY T-29063C, FTO A-T and body mass index (BMI). A notable link between the LEP-2548 rs7799039 gene's AG genotype and the risk of obesity was observed, particularly pronounced in males aged 40-49, with an approximately sevenfold increased likelihood of obesity. The 5HTR2A rs6311 AA genotype was associated with a higher BMI, not statistically significant. The FTO rs9939609 gene's AA genotype emerged as a significant predictor of obesity risk. Besides these significant findings, no substantial associations were observed with the LEPR, 5HTR2A, GHRL and NPY genes. Haplotype association analysis showed a suggestive indication of GRGMLA (rs7799039, rs1137101, rs6311, rs696217, rs16139, rs9939609 sequence) haplotype with susceptibility effect towards obesity predisposition. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed statistically significant associations between LEP and LEPR gene (p = 1e-04), LEP and GHRL gene (p = 0.0047), GHRL and FTO gene (p=0.03). The outcomes of this study, to our knowledge, one of the very few on the Romanian population, aimed to be a starting point for further research on the targeted interventional strategies to reduce cardiometabolic risks.

Cannabis sativa is one of the oldest plants utilized by humans for both economic and medical purposes. Although the use of cannabis started millennia ago in the Eastern part of the hemisphere, its use has moved and flourished in the Western Nations in more recent centuries. C. sativa is the source of psychoactive cannabinoids that are consumed as recreational drugs worldwide. The C21 aromatic hydrocarbons are restricted in their natural occurrence to cannabis (with a few exceptions). Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) is the main psychoactive component in cannabis with many pharmacological effects and various approved medical applications. However, a wide range of side effects are associated with the use of Δ9-THC, limiting its medical use. In 1966, another psychoactive cannabinoid, Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC) was isolated from marijuana grown in Maryland but in very low yield. Δ8-THC is gaining increased popularity due to its better stability and easier synthetic manufacturing procedures compared to Δ9-THC. Passing the U.S. Farm Bill in 2018 led to an increase in the sale of Δ8-THC in the United States. The marketed products contain Δ8-THC from synthetic sources. In this review, methods of extraction, purification, and structure elucidation of Δ8-THC will be presented. The issue of whether Δ8-THC is a natural compound or an artifact will be discussed, and the different strategies for its chemical synthesis will be presented. Δ8-THC of synthetic origin is expected to contain some impurities due to residual amounts of starting materials and reagents as well as side products of the reactions. The various methods of analysis and detection of impurities present in the marketed products will be discussed. The pharmacological effects of Δ8-THC, including its interaction with CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in comparison with Δ9-THC, will be reviewed.

This study focuses on the potential medicinal properties of Campsis radicans L. extracts and its aim is to investigate the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of these extracts on the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29). Cytotoxic activity in the HT-29 cell line was evaluated, and the 3-dimensional structures of phenolic compounds were obtained using the GC-MS method. Docking simulations were performed with AutoDock Vina, targeting proteins that are crucial in the apoptotic pathway (Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3). Drug similarities and ADMET estimates of the phenolic compounds were obtained from databases. The highest antioxidant activity of Campsis radicans L. plant was observed in ethanol and water extracts, with notable inhibition capacities. While the total phenolic content was highest in ethanol, water, and ether extracts respectively the total flavonoid content was highest in ethanol, then ether, and water extracts. Certain elements were undetectable in mineral determination, and others exceeded the toxic doses for plants. The water extract exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxic activity in the HT-29 cell line, with an IC50 value of 4.47 mg/mL. Molecular docking results revealed the binding of phenolic molecules to the active sites of apoptotic pathway proteins. The findings suggest that Campsis radicans L. plant possesses cytotoxic properties, significant phenolic and flavonoid content, and a high antioxidant capacity. These properties make it a potential candidate for treatment use, emphasizing its potential therapeutic value in the HT-29 cell line. Further research and exploration on the identified phenolic compounds could contribute to the development of novel therapeutic agents.

Recent literature has seen a rapid expansion in the reference to front-end forensics as an indication of the untapped value of forensic science. While some of these contributions have centered on development of forensic intelligence from a single area of investigation, others call for a more fundamental change in the relationship between crime laboratories and policing, particularly relating early laboratory analysis with big datasets to provide leads to investigators. We highlight several recently implemented tactical strategies of crime laboratories that contribute to the body of forensic intelligence. Beyond the scientific gains from these tactical applications, the corresponding details on associated efficiencies, costs, time savings, and quality improvements offer insights towards patterns of success for the community of crime laboratories. Further details expand an interpretation of what constitutes success with an eye on the contributions of the crime laboratory towards public health, safety, and protection of the innocent in addition to societal gains from conviction of the guilty. The economic interpretation of the value provided by the forensic laboratory assists in the cost-benefit review of strategic and tactical decisions and supports the justification for laboratory public funding with measures of the return on investment from public support of the forensic laboratory

Evaluating soil quality across various altitudinal gradients, both with and without vegetative cover, is crucial for the proper functioning of soil and optimal crop growth, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agroecosystems. Although the altitudinal gradient significantly influences soil quality, the ability to predict this quality, expressed through an index, in soils with and without vegetative cover, is still insufficiently explored. This study aimed to assess soil quality in the Jun Jun micro-watershed, located in the Tungurahua region, Ecuador. To achieve this objective, three categories of altitudinal gradients were selected: less than 2800 meters above sea level (masl), between 2800 and 2900 masl, and greater than 2900 masl. A total of 24 soil samples were collected in the mentioned gradients, considering both areas with and without vegetative cover. The indicators used included chemical and biological parameters such as soil organic carbon (OC), earthworm density (WD), earthworm biomass (WB), organic matter (OM), pH, total nitrogen (TN), and organic carbon (OC). The results revealed that in areas with altitudinal gradients below 2800 masl, soil quality index values were higher compared to other altitudes. In vegetated areas, a decrease in index values was observed as the altitudinal gradient increased, indicating a deterioration in soil quality with altitude. These findings are significant in providing a quantitative assessment of the effects of altitudinal gradient and vegetative cover influence on soil quality.

Plantar flexors (PF) spasticity is known to poorly correlate with active dorsiflexion (DF) impairment throughout the swing phase of hemiparetic gait. Spastic Cocontraction, instead, stemming from descending pathways, potentially misdirect antagonist PF activity opposing DF during swing. Electromyographic (EMG) recordings, while unable to differentiate between reflex-based and descending origins, may offer valuable insights into this distinction by exploring PF EMG activity after tibial nerve neurotomy (which eliminates PF spasticity). Eleven subjects with hemiparesis walking at comfortable velocity and 11 controls walking at comfortable and slow velocity, underwent kinematic and PF/DF EMG analysis. Five of the hemiparetic subjects underwent tibial neurotomy &gt;1 year prior. We evaluated spasticity at rest (Tardieu scale), maximal ankle dorsiflexion, tibialis anterior agonist recruitment and gastrocnemius medialis and soleus cocontraction coefficients during swing. At slow velocity, controls (0.80±0.12 m/s) moved at a similar pace as hemiparetic subjects (0.73±0.37 m/s, NS). Hemiparetic subjects showed: (i) reduced ankle DF across swing (ii) increased PF cocontraction, including before any DF (iii) higher cocontraction despite absent spasticity in tibial neurotomy subjects (iv) higher tibialis anterior recruitment. Increased PF cocontraction occurs in the absence of spasticity or ankle DF despite higher agonist recruitment. Spastic cocontraction is a major factor limiting active DF at swing, unlike spasticity.

This study focuses on enhancing controllable fibrin-based hydrogels for tissue engineering, addressing existing weaknesses. By integrating a novel copolymer, we improve the foundation for cell-based angiogenesis with adaptable structural features. Tissue engineering often faces challenges like waste disposal and nutrient supply beyond the 200 µm diffusion limit. Angiogenesis breaks through this limitation, allowing the construction of larger constructs. Our innovative scaffold combination significantly boosts angiogenesis, resulting in longer branches and more capillary network junctions. The copolymer attached to fibrin fibers enables precise adjustment of hydrogel mechanical-dynamic properties for specific applications. Our material proves effective for angiogenesis, even under suppression factors like suramin. In our study, we prepared fibrin-based hydrogels with and without the copolymer PVP12400-co-GMA10mol%. Using a co-culture system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), we analyzed angiogenetic behavior on and within the modified hydrogels. Capillary-like structures were reproducibly formed on different surfaces, demonstrating the general feasibility of three-dimensional endothelial cell networks in fibrin-based hydrogels. This highlights the biomaterial's suitability for in vitro pre-vascularization of biohybrid implants.

In this study we have investigated the effect of the addition of Nb2O5 (up to 5 mol%) on the structure and luminescent properties of ZnO-B2O3 glass doped with 0.5 mol % Eu2O3 by using of infrared (IR), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Physical properties as molar volume, oxygen packing density and glass transition temperature were determined using the results of differential thermal analyisis (DTA) and Archimedes principle for density. IR and Raman spectra revealed that niobium ions incorporate into the base zinc borate glass as NbO4 trtraherda and NbO6 octahedra. A strong red emission from the 5D0 level of Eu3+ ions was registered under near UV (392 nm) excitation using the sharp 7F0 - 5L6 transition of Eu3+. The integrated fluorescence intensity ratio R (5D0 → 7F2/5D0 → 7F1) was calculated to estimate the degree of asymmetry around the active ion, suggesting a location of Eu3+ in non-centrosymmetric sites. The higher Еu3+ luminescence emission observed in zinc borate glasses containing 1÷5 mol% Nb2O5 compared to the Nb2O5-free zinc borate glass evidences that Nb2O5 is suitable component for modification of host glass structure and improving the emission intensity.