The population of Bifidobacterium spp in faecal samples from breast-fed and formula-fed infants were investigated and developed antibiogram. The common bacterial growth media such as Man Rogos Sharpe (MRS), Brain Heart Infusion (BHI), Luria Bertani (LB) broth and Bifidobacteria agar were evaluated by the enumeration of Bifidobacterium spp. in faecal material. The results demonstrated that the population of Bifidobacterium spp. in the faecal samples of breast-fed infants is numerically high and, low in formula-fed infants. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, (Xylose/Fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase) xfp, and RFLP map of Bifidobacteria isolates suggested a presence of possible new and different Bifidobacterium spp. The intensity of the reddish brown colour formed during the f6ppk (Fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase) assay confirms the presence of variable Bifidobacteria. The highest recovery and diversity of Bifidobacteria were obtained from Bifidobacteria agar media. Growth in various media resulted in the formation of small (SCV) and big colony variants (BCV). We understand that the various antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values obtained by applying different media, growth conditions, after bile salt treatment, and at low pH can vary. This study concludes that the variation of microbiological conditions differentiating resistant and susceptible strains is influenced by the test conditions as well.

The final assembly of appliances and automotive industries is a rigorous process, that has limited capabilities of full traceability associated with: (1) the parts installed, (2) their fabrication processes, and (3) the assembly work. This is also the case for each of its sub-assemblies The many parts and sub-assemblies that compose the final assembly, make full traceability a challenging fit, that is almost unsurmountable. Such full traceability along the entire supply-chain is not existent today and must be based on documentation of most assembled parts, assembly tasks, and inspection tasks that compose the full assembled product. In addition, security measures are needed to prevent hostile hacking and unauthorized approach to the assembly documentation throughout the entire supply chain. The related documentation and repeated verifications require considerable effort and have many chances for human errors. So, automating these processes has a great value. This article expounds a framework that harnesses block-chain and smart-contract technology to offer traceable and protected documentation of the assembly process. We expand the concept of a Bill-Of-Assembly (BOA) to incorporate data from the bill of materials (BOM), the associated assembly activities, the associated activities’ specification parameters and materials, and the associated assembly resources (machines and/or operators). The paper defines the operation of the BOA with blockchain and smart-contract technology, for attaining full traceability, safety, and security, for the entire assembled product. Future research could extend the proposed approach to facilitate the usage of the BOA data structure in constructing a digital twin of the entire simulated system.

This paper develops a two-layer optimization approach that provides energy-optimal control for vehicles and traffic signal controllers. The optimizer in the first layer computes the traffic signal timings to minimize the total energy consumption levels of approaching vehicles from upstream traffic. The traffic signal optimization can be easily implemented in real-time signal controllers, and it overcomes the issues in the traditional Webster’s method of overestimating the cycle length when the traffic volume-to-capacity ratio exceeds 50 percent. The second layer optimizer is the vehicle speed controller, which calculates the optimal vehicle brake and throttle levels to minimize the energy consumption of individual vehicles. The A-star dynamic programming is used to solve the formulated optimization problem in the second layer to expedite the computation speed so that the optimal vehicle trajectories can be computed in real-time and can be easily implemented in simulation software for testing. The proposed integrated controller is first tested on an isolated signalized intersection, and then an arterial network with multiple intersections to investigate the performance of the proposed controller under various traffic demand levels. The test results demonstrate that the proposed integrated controller can greatly improve energy efficiency with fuel savings up to 17.7%, at the same time enhancing traffic mobility by up to 47.18% reduction in traffic delay and up to 24.84% reduction in vehicle stops.

Artificial learning and machine learning is playing a pivotal role is the society especially in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Particularly its algorithms, neural networks or other recurrent networks drive this area. In this review, we have taken into account the diverse use of AI in a number of pharmaceutical industries including discovery of drugs, repurposing, development of pharmaceutical drug and its clinical trials. In addition, the efficiency of these artificial or machine learning programs in achieving the target drugs in short time period, along with accurate dosage and cost effectively of the drug has also been discussed. Numerous applications of AI in property prediction such as ADMET have been used for prediction of strength of this technology in QSAR. In case of de-novo synthesis, it results in generation of novel drug molecules with unique design proving this a promising field fir drug design. Moreover, its involvement in synthetic planning, ease of synthesis and much more contribute to automated drug discovery in near future.

Sterile α motif and histidine-aspartate domain–containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) is a multifunctional protein that limits cellular dNTP availability, interacts with specific retroviral proteins to induce degradation. Regulation of dNTP availability is crucial for cell cycle regulation and DNA stability. Demethylating agents such as azacytidine are in clinical use for cancer therapy, and reduce methylation of the SAMHD1 promoter and SAMHD1 gene expression. Here, we evaluated the effect of azacytidine on global DNA methylation in feline lymphocytes, and specifically on the abundance and cellular distribution of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated SAMHD1. Azacytidine increased cellular and nuclear SAMHD1 but did not increase phosphorylated SAMHD1. Phosphorylation is essential for SAMHD1 stability and function but is unaffected by demethylation. The findings suggest that treatment with azacytidine could increase viral restriction, and they lend support to development of in vivo models utilizing azacytidine to modulate SAMHD1 activity.

Obesity is one of the most prevalent health conditions in humans and companion animals across the world. Obesity is associated with multiple health conditions across species including premature mortality. It is therefore of importance across the fields of medicine and veterinary medicine. The regulation of body weight is a homeostatic process vulnerable to disruption by genetic and environmental factors. It is well established that the heritability of obesity is high in humans and laboratory animals, with ample evidence that the same is true in companion animals. In this review, we provide an overview of how genes link to obesity in humans, drawing on a wealth of information from laboratory animal models, and summarising the mechanisms by which obesity causes related disease. Throughout, we focus on how large-scale human studies and niche investigations of rare mutations in severely affected patients have improved our understanding of obesity biology and can inform our ability to interpret results of animal studies. For dogs, cats and horses, we review the similarities in obesity pathophysiology to humans and review those genetic studies that have been done to investigate them. Finally, we discuss how veterinary genetics may learn from humans about studying precise, nuanced phenotypes and implementing large-scale studies, but also how veterinary studies may be able to look past clinical findings to mechanistic ones and demonstrate translational benefits to human research.

Background and Objective: In the present study, the purpose was to compare the demographic, clinical and laboratory results of pediatric brucella cases who had liver involvement and who had no specific organ involvement. Material and Methods: The data of 248 patients between 2 and 18 years of age diagnosed with Brucellosis between July 2017 and August 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients who had liver involvement and who did not have other specific organ involvement were compared in terms of presentation, physical examination findings, age, gender, hemogram, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, bilirubines, sedimentation, CRP, clinical and laboratory findings, and culture and relapse rates. Results: No significant differences were detected between the patients who had liver involvement (n=92) and who did not have specific organ involvement (n=156) in terms of diagnosis age and gender. Loss of appetite, nausea and sensitive stomach were higher in the patients who had hepatic involvement, and weariness was determined to be more in the control group patients. In the patients who had hepatic involvement, the hemoglobin and platelet values were lower, and the sedimentation, CRP and blood culture growth were higher. The relapse rates were lower in patients who had liver involvement. Conclusion: In patients who have liver involvement, in addition to elevated hepatomegaly and transaminase levels, the growth rate of the acute-phase reactants and brucella is higher in blood culture; and the relapse rate is lower after treatment. Brucellosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatomegaly and transaminase elevation where brucellosis is seen endemically. We believe that early diagnosis of brucellosis is important in treatment response.

The system design for Sustainable manufacturing is to consider both ecological and financial constraints. Manufacturing industry demands to advance in sustainable manufacturing by accounting in environment factors in it. All the factors that affect the environment need to be analyzed so that proper amendments or suggestions can be provided. To favour this, Computer aided life cycle inventory model has been presented for CNC milling and turning processes. Based on utilization of resources and stages, whole machining operation time can be divided into three phases named as process (milling or turning), idle and basic times. As parameters are different for evaluating the process times i.e. depth and width of cut in case of milling and initial and final diameters for turning, two different case studies has been presented one for each milling and turning process. Effect of material choice has been studied for different processes. Highly dense and hard materials takes more time in finishing the job due to low cutting speed and feed rates as compared to that of sot materials. In addition, face milling takes more time and consumes more power as compared to peripheral milling due to more retraction time caused by over travel distance and lower vertical transverse speeds than the horizontal transverse speed used in peripheral retraction process.

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an important of mode of climatic variability that through altering climate patterns exerts a discernible impact on ecosystems and society. For this reason, ENSO has attracted much interest in the climate and health science community with many analysts investigating ENSO health links through considering the degree of dependency of the incidence of a range of climate diseases on the occurrence of El Niño events. Because of the mounting interest in the relationship between ENSO as a major mode of climatic variability and health this paper presents an overview of the basic characteristics of the ENSO phenomenon and its climate impacts, discusses the use of ENSO indices in climate and health research and outlines the present understanding of ENSO health associations. Also touched upon are ENSO-based seasonal health forecasting and the possible impacts of climate change on ENSO and the implications this holds for future assessments of ENSO health associations. The review concludes that there is still some way to go before a thorough understanding of the association between ENSO and health is achieved with a need to move beyond analyses undertaken through a purely statistical lens with due acknowledgement that ENSO as a complex non-canonical phenomenon and that simple ENSO health associations should not be expected.

This paper proposes a novel economic theory - Economic dynamics, which is the first in a series of articles on the economic dynamics. This paper is divided into four sections. Section 1 discusses the methodology and significance of the economic dynamics. The application of the standard model of theoretical physics as a new conceptual and modeling reference framework for the economic dynamics is an inevitable step beyond the Newtonian mechanics framework. Section 2 briefly outlines the content of the economic dynamics and its standard model, including market dynamics and its quantum electrodynamics model, both sharing the U(1) symmetry group; the sub-economic dynamics and its quantum chromodynamics model, both sharing the SU(3) symmetry group; the economic externality dynamics and its isospin dynamics model, both sharing the SU(2) symmetry group; and the ordinary rationality mechanism and its Higgs mechanism model, both causing spontaneous symmetry breaking. Additionally, through analysis of Pareto efficiency, it outlines economic gravity and its general relativity model. Section 3 provides three necessary foundational theoretical preparations for the economic dynamics, detailing scientific observation theory, economic rationality theory, and monetary pecuniary theory. Scientific observation theory first introduces the concept of observational directionality for empirical sciences, providing a shared orthogonal frame for cross-disciplinary observation, termed the orthogonality principle. By introducing the concept of observational disturbance degree, it distinguishes between high disturbance quadrants and low disturbance quadrants, corresponding to different mathematical paths, termed the diagonal rule. Quantum physics, higher-order cognition, and economic forward observation all fall within the high interference area, belonging to von Neumann's "yes-no" type of measurements, and are suitable for the same mathematical description. Economic rationality Theory, within the decision theory framework, defines three types of rationality theories: Economic rationality (or economic rational man), bounded rationality, and ordinary rationality, and defines the position of each rationality theory in the gauge field theory model of market dynamics. Economic rationality is a personified description of perfect competitive markets, the former being the global gauge potential, while the latter is the global gauge field strength. Bounded rationality describes specific market participants, the former being the local gauge potential, while the latter's market performance is the local gauge field strength. Ordinary rationality is the market ground state, possessing the properties of the Higgs field and the functions of the Higgs mechanism, causing spontaneous symmetry breaking in the market. The monetary pecuniary theory first argues for its light-like nature, thereby establishing a special relativity model of monetary peculiarity. This is a necessary condition for applying the gauge field theory model in market dynamics. Within the special relativity framework, using absolute prices (absolute time), a geometrized global money cone (light cone) can be constructed. Using intrinsic prices (proper time), individualized local wealth cones and poverty cones can be constructed, reflecting individual differences among market participants.

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.

Biodiversity conservation questions human practices towards biodiversity and, therefore, largely conflicts with ordinary societal aspirations. Decisions on the location of protected areas, one of the most convincing conservation tools, reflect such a competitive endeavor. Operations Research (OR) brings a set of analytical models and tools capable of resolving the conflicting interests between ecology and economy. Recent technological advances have boosted the size and variety of data available to planners, thus challenging conventional approaches bounded on optimized solutions. New models and methods are requested to use such a massive amount of data in integrative schemes addressing a large variety of concerns. Here, we provide an overview on the past, present and future challenges that characterize spatial conservation models supported by OR. By enlarging the spatial, temporal, taxonomic and societal horizons of biodiversity conservation planners navigate around multiple bio-socioeconomic equilibria and are able to decide on cost-effective strategies to improve biodiversity persistence.

Purpose is to o review the pathogenic mechanism for ocular hypertension and glaucoma development after pars plana vitrectomy. Both acute and chronic causes are considered and special attention is paid to the theories and clinical evidence on the risk of developing Open Angle Glaucoma (OAG) after Pars Plana Vitrectomy (PPV). Most existing scientific literature on the issue agree on the role of ascorbate as an oxygen scavenger within the vitreous chamber. Oxygen tension in the vitreous and anterior chamber is maximum inn proximity of the retinal surface and endothelium, respectively and steeply decreases toward the lens; on both sides, and trabeculate. Vitreous removal and, to a lesser extent, liquefaction, greatly reduces oxygen tension gradient in vitreous chamber while cataract extraction has similar effects on anterior chamber oxygen gradients. Oxygen derivatives originated from the cornea and retina are actively reduced by the vitreous gel and/or the crystalline lens. Vitreous removal and cataract extraction reduce drastically this function. Most reported clinical series confirm this hypothesis although protocol difference and follow-up length greatly impact the reliability of results.

Urban growth in various cities across the world, especially in developing countries, leads to land use change. Thus, predicting future urban growth in the most rapidly growing region of Nigeria becomes a significant endeavor. This study analyzes land use and land cover (LULC) change and predicts the future urban growth of the Lagos metropolitan region, using Cellular Automata (CA) model. To achieve this, the GlobeLand30 datasets from years 2000 and 2010 were used to obtain LULC maps, which were utilized for modeling and prediction. Change analysis and prediction for LULC scenario for 2030 were performed using LCM and CA_Markov chain modeling. The results show a substantial growth of artificial surfaces, which will cause further reductions in cultivated land, grassland, shrubland, wetland, and waterbodies. There was no appreciable impact of change for bare land, as its initial extent of cover later disappeared completely. Additionally, artificial surfaces/urban growth in Lagos expanded to the neighboring towns and localities in Ogun State during the study period, and it is expected that such growth will be higher in 2030. Lastly, the study findings will be beneficial to urban planners and land use managers in making key decisions regarding urban growth and improved land use management in Nigeria.

Raw material logistics reflects an important aspect of global trade. Raw materials form an essential basis for society, for daily life, and range from apples to zinc. This paper addresses the analysis and optimization of supply chains of raw materials in terms of their economic viability and their sustainability. Type representatives are chosen according to annual transported quantities. Hard coal represents bulk goods, aluminum primary raw materials with medium quantities, and rare earths primary raw materials with small quantities. Their respective supply chains are analyzed and subsequently possible strategies and methods and their application are discussed. The paper shows for the first time that the selection and application of optimization priorities (e.g. profitability or sustainability) depends on the primary raw material and its integration into global production chains.

Cold plasma (CP) is an ionised gas containing excited molecules and ions, radicals, free electrons, and emits electric fields and UV radiation. CP is potently antimicrobial and can be applied safely to biological tissue, birthing the field of plasma medicine. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) produced by CP affect biological processes directly or indirectly via the modification of cellular lipids, proteins, DNA, and intracellular signalling pathways. CP can be applied at lower levels for oxidative eustress to activate cell proliferation, motility, migration, and antioxidant production in normal cells, mainly potentiated by the unfolded protein response, Nrf2-activated antioxidant response element and PI3K/Akt pathway, which also activates NFκB. At higher CP exposures, inactivation, apoptosis and autophagy of malignant cells can occur via degradation of PI3K/Akt and MAPK-dependent and -independent activation of the master tumour suppressor p53, leading to caspase-mediated cell death. These opposing responses validate a hormesis approach to plasma medicine. Clinical applications of CP are becoming increasingly realised in wound healing, while clinical effectiveness in tumours is currently coming to light. This review will outline advances in plasma medicine and compare the main redox and intracellular signalling responses to CP in wound healing and cancer.

Aging induces numerous physiological alterations, with immunosenescence emerging as a pivotal factor. This phenomenon has attracted both researchers and clinicians, prompting pro-found questions about its implications for health and disease. Among the contributing factors, one intriguing actor in this complex interplay is human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a member of the herpesvirus family. Latent CMV infection exerts a profound influence on the aging immune system, potentially contributing to age-related diseases. This review delves into the intricate relationship between immunosenescence and CMV, revealing how chronic viral infection im-pacts the aging immune landscape. We explore the mechanisms through which CMV can im-pact both the composition and functionality of immune cell populations and induce shifts in in-flammatory profiles with aging. Moreover, we examine potential role of CMV in such pathol-ogies as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, COVID-19, and Long COVID. This review underlines the importance of understanding the complex interplay be-tween immunosenescence and CMV. It offers insights into the pathophysiology of aging and age-associated diseases, as well as COVID-19 outcomes among the elderly. By unraveling the connections between immunosenescence and CMV, we gain a deeper understanding of aging's remarkable journey and the profound role that viral infections play in transforming the human immune system.

Arginine shows Jekyll and Hyde behavior in several respects. It participates in protein folding via ionic and H-bonds and cation-pi interactions; the charge and hydrophobicity of its side chain makes it a disorder-promoting amino acid. Its methylation in histones; RNA binding proteins; chaperones regulates several cellular processes. The arginine-centric modifications are important in oncogenesis and as biomarkers in several cardiovascular diseases. The cross-links involving arginine in collagen and cornea are involved in pathogenesis of tissues but have also been useful in tissue engineering and wound-dressing materials. Arginine is a part of active site of several enzymes such as GTPases, peroxidases, and sulfotransferases. Its metabolic importance is obvious as it is involved in production of urea, NO, ornithine and citrulline. It can form unusual functional structures such as molecular tweezers in vitro and sprockets which engage DNA chains as part of histones in vivo. It has been used in design of cell-penetrating peptides as drugs. Arginine has been used as an excipient in both solid and injectable drug formulations; its role in suppressing opalescence due to liquid-liquid phase separation is particularly very promising. It has been known as a suppressor of protein aggregation during protein refolding. It has proved its usefulness in protein bioseparation processes like ion-exchange, hydrophobic and affinity chromatographies. Arginine is an amino acid, whose importance in biological sciences and biotechnology continues to grow in diverse ways.

Compared to other 2D materials, MBenes are at an early stage in both experimental and theoretical approaches. However, the wide range of possible 2D structures leads to novel and challenging properties and their consequent applications. From all the possible stoichiometries, we have performed a theoretical study of orthorhombic and hexagonal M2B2 MBenes in the framework of the Density Functional Theory. We have found that both symmetries of Cr2B2, Fe2B2, and Zr2B2 show a metallic behavior and could be grown under certain conditions, as they are demonstrated to be dynamically stable. Moreover, the values of the magnetic moment, in specific ferromagnetic cases exceeding 2.5 μB/M2B2, make them suitable as robust 2D magnets. All our findings represent an important step in the understanding of MBenes and open several windows to future research in fields like energy conversion and storage, sensing, catalysis, biochemistry, or nanotechnology, among others.

The global trade and transportation sectors heavily rely on the maritime industry. Still, its dependence on fossil energy sources poses significant environmental challenges and leads to unstable fuel prices that affect the cost of goods transported by sea. This paper aims to evaluate the viability of seaports as energy-intensive entities and explore the feasibility of implementing a Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy System (NRHES). The study presents a case study of the Tanjung Priok Port in Indonesia, focusing on estimating energy consumption, emissions, and the potential impact of carbon taxation on seaport operations. By quantifying these factors, the research provides insights into the energy requirements, environmental effects, and potential costs associated with seaport carbon taxation. A comprehensive analysis of the technical and economic feasibility of implementing an NRHES in the seaport case study is conducted, determining the optimal sizing and composition of components, considering the proportion of nuclear and renewable energy sources. Additionally, the economic analysis considers energy costs, net present cost, cash flow, return on investment, and internal rate of return. The findings aim to inform decision-makers about the benefits and challenges of adopting an NRHES, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future for the maritime industry.

Preclinical studies have identified glial cells as pivotal players in the genesis and maintenance of neuropathic pain after nerve injury associated with diabetes, chemotherapy, major surgeries, and virus infections. Satellite glial cells (SGCs) in the dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) express similar molecular markers and are protective under physiological conditions. They also serve similar functions in the genesis and maintenance of neuropathic pain, downregulating some of their homeostatic functions and driving pro-inflammatory neuro-glial interactions in the PNS and CNS, i.e. “gliopathy”. However, the role of SGCs in neuropathic pain is not simply as “peripheral astrocytes”. We delineate how these peripheral and central glia participate in neuropathic pain by producing different mediators, engaging different parts of neurons, and becoming active at different stages following nerve injury. Finally, we highlight the recent findings that SGCs are enriched with proteins related to fatty acid metabolism and signaling such as Apo-E, FABP7, and LPAR1. Targeting SGCs and astrocytes may lead to novel therapeutics for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

3D Zernike moments based on 3D Zernike polynomials have been successfully applied to the field of voxelized 3D shape retrieval and have attracted more attention in biomedical image processing. As the order of 3D Zernike moments increases, both computational efficiency and numerical accuracy decrease. Due to this phenomenon, a more efficient and stable method for computing high-order 3D Zernike moments was proposed in this study. The proposed recursive formula for computing 3D Zernike radial polynomials combines the recursive calculation of spherical harmonics to develop a voxel-based algorithm for the calculation of 3D Zernike moments. The algorithm was applied to the 3D shape Michelangelo's David with a size of 150×150×150 voxels. As compared to the method without additional acceleration, the proposed method uses a group action of order sixteen orthogonal group and saving unnecessary iterations, the factor of speed-up is 56.783±3.999 when the order of Zernike moments is between 10 and 450. The proposed method also obtained an accurate reconstructed shape with the error rate (normalized mean square error) of 0.00 (4.17×10^-3) when the reconstruction was computed for all moments up to order 450.

Since the beginning of the year 2020, the global healthcare system has been challenged by the threat of the SARS-COV 2 virus. Molecular, antigen, and antibody testing are the mainstay to identify infected patients and fight the virus. Molecular and antigen tests that detect the presence of the virus are relevant in the acute phase only. Serological assays detect antibodies to the Sars-CoV-2 virus in the recovering and recovered phase. Each testing methodology has its advantages and disadvantages. To evaluate the test methods, sensitivity (percent positive agreement - PPA) and specificity (percent negative agreement – PNA) are the most common metrics utilized, followed by the positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV), the probability that a positive or negative test result represents a true positive or negative patient. In this paper, we illustrate how patient risk and clinical costs are driven by false-positive and false-negative results. We demonstrate the value of reporting PFP (probability of false positive results), PFN (probability of false negative results), and costs to patients and healthcare. These risk metrics can be calculated from the risk drivers of PPA and PNA combined with estimates of prevalence, cost, and Reff number (people infected by one positive SARS COV-2).

Is it true that the nuclear technology applied to electric energy generation offers a clean, safe, reliable and affordable i.e. sustainable alternative? Yes it is, but its impact on the environment strongly depends on the implementation bearing residual risks due to a human factor, technical failures or natural catastrophes. A full response is therefore difficult and can first be given when the wicked multi-disciplinary problems get well formulated and “solved”. These problems have multi-dimensional nature lying at the interface between: necessary R&D effort, the industrial deployment and the technology impact in view of the environmental sustainability including the management of produced hazardous waste. This enormous complexity indicates that just a description of the problem might represent a problem. The paper proposes a holistic approach to assess the nuclear energy systems potential with respect to sustainable performance applying Multi-criteria decision analysis with a suitable objective tree and a multi-level criteria structure and examines the trading-off techniques for ranking of the alternatives. The framework proposes a multi-criteria and multi-stakeholders treatment which can be used as a pre-decisional support towards an implementation of nuclear fuel cycles adapted to national preferences and priorities. Proposed approach addresses some aspects of the environmental footprint of nuclear energy systems. Advanced nuclear fuel cycles, previously investigated by the NEA/OECD expert group WASTEMAN, are analyzed as a case study. Sustainability facets of waste management, resource utilization and economics are in focus.

With the increased use of laterite nickel ore, the impact of high Al2O3 slag on blast furnace smelting has gradually increased. In this paper, the effects of slag basicity and Al2O3 content on slag viscosity and enthalpy change under constant temperature conditions was investigated. The changes in slag structure were analyzed by activation energy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The relationship between slag components and slag temperature and viscosity when slag heat is reduced was investigated. The results showed that the viscosity first slightly decreased and then significantly increased with increasing basicity at constant temperature. With the addition of Al2O3 content, the viscosity of the slag increases. The activation energy increases with increasing slag basicity and Al2O3. With increasing basicity, the [SiO4]4- tetrahedral unit trough depth becomes shallow, the [AlO4]5- asymmetric stretching band migrates to lower wave numbers, and the slag structure depolymerizes. With the increase of Al2O3 content, the trough of [SiO4]4- tetrahedra deepens and the center of the symmetric stretching band moves to a higher wave number. The [AlO4]5- asymmetric stretching band becomes obvious, indicating the complexity of the slag structure. When the heat decreases, the slag temperature increases as the basicity increases, and the slag thermal stability is better at the basicity of 0.95-1.05. As the Al2O3 content increases, the thermal stability of the slag becomes worse.

Sphingolipids are lipids derived from an 18-carbons unsaturated amino alcohol, the sphingosine. Ceramide, sphingomyelins, sphingosine-1-phosphates, gangliosides and globosides, are part of this group of lipids that participate in important cellular roles such as structural part of plasmatic and organelle membranes maintaining their function and integrity, cell signaling response, cell growth, cell cycle, cell death, inflammation, cell migration and differentiation, autophagy, angiogenesis, immune system. The metabolism of these lipids involves a broad and complex network of reactions that convert one lipid into others through different specialized enzymes. Impairment of sphingolipids metabolism has been associated with several disorders, from several lysosomal storage diseases, known as sphingolipidoses, to polygenic diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases. Sphingolipids are mainly located in central nervous system, and their abundance and distribution depend on brain development state and cell type. Although several studies have expanded the knowledge about sphingolipids function both in health and disease, it is still necessary to continue their study to understand the cellular implications of novel sphingolipids. These studies will also contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in which these molecules are part of their pathophysiology. In this review, we summarize the main sphingolipid characteristics and current knowledge about the synthesis, catabolism, regulatory pathways, participation in action potential and ionic channels, among other relevant functions.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge about Project-Based Learning (PBL) methodology in higher education by describing and analysing interrelations between competencies, and their contribution to knowledge transfer (KT) and students’ rating of the project. The sample consisted of 464 students from the Universities of Huelva (N=347; 74.8%) and Murcia (N= 117; 25.2%), enrolled in the second year of a degree in either Infant or Primary Education. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire comprising a total of 53 items measuring General, Specific and Transversal competencies, as well as students’ rating of the project. Competencies were selected from the course programmes for the degrees in Infant and Primary Education. Preliminary results showed that competencies were moderately to highly acquired after PBL, and that students reported notable KT as well as a positive assessment of the project. KT showed a high degree of association with students’ ratings and was established as a key factor in learning and learner satisfaction in higher education.

Through a modern derivation of Planck's formula for the entropy of an arbitrary beam of photons we derive a general expression for the entropy production due to the irreversible process of the absorption of an arbitrary incident photon spectrum in material and its dissipation into an infrared-shifted grey-body emitted spectrum, the rest being reflected or transmitted. Employing the framework of Classical Irreversible Thermodynamic theory, we define the generalized thermodynamic flow as the flow of photons from the incident beam into the material and the generalized thermodynamic force is then just the entropy production divided by the photon flow which is the entropy production per unit photon at a given wavelength. We compare the entropy production under sunlight of different inorganic and organic materials (water, desert, leaves and forests) and show that organic materials are the greater entropy producing materials. Intriguingly, plant and phytoplankton pigments (including chlorophyll) have peak absorption exactly where entropy production through photon dissipation is maximal for our solar spectrum $430<\lambda<550$ nm, while photosynthetic efficiency is maximal between 600 and 700 nm. These results suggest that the evolution of pigments, plants and ecosystems has been towards optimizing entropy production rather than photosynthesis. We propose using the wavelength dependence of global entropy production as a biosignature for discovering life on planets of other stars.

Food packaging plays an imperative role in the food processing sector by safeguarding foods from their point of harvesting until the moment of consumption. In recent years, biopolymers have attracted the attention of the scientific community as an alternative to conventional packaging materials, reducing the negative environmental impact. Among the available biopolymer sources, a lot of focus has been directed toward polysaccharides due to their superior barrier qualities against gases, oil, and odour and their processing versatility. Moreover, there is a growing interest in aliphatic polyesters as a potential replacement for petrochemical-based synthetic plastics. Both polysaccharides and aliphatic polyesters have gained popularity in sustainable food packaging due to their unique characteristics, including low cost, readily available, biodegradability, gas and moisture barrier qualities, film-forming capabilities, excellent heat resistance, and ability to be processed into films, trays, and coatings. This review highlights the structural features, properties and recent advancements of several vital polysaccharides, namely starch, chitosan, cellulose, alginate, pectin, carrageenan, and aliphatic polyesters, including polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) for developing packaging materials and their applications in the food industry. Conventional packaging and future perspectives of biopolymer-based food packaging are also comprehensively covered in this review.

The use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in education brings up new possibilities of promoting the learning and health experiences. In this sense, education contexts of 21st century must consider these two areas of knowledge, especially their integration. This article presents learning practices developed with mobile devices and games, in order to improve learning and well-being in children and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment in non-formal educational setting. The methodology is based on qualitative case studies with content-based data analysis, involving informal interviews and observation methods. The study considers data from 5 patients who participated in the research between 2015 and 2019. The results demonstrate a positive influence of the practices with mobile technologies and games in terms of learning and in the well-being feeling of patients during the treatment.

From the aerial parts of Salvia ballotiflora, eleven diterpenoids were isolated, among them, four icetexanes, and one abietane (1–5), which are first reported. Their structures were established by spectroscopic means, mainly ¹H and ¹³C NMR, including 1D and 2D homo- and hetero-nuclear experiments. Most of the isolated diterpenoids were tested for their antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and radical scavenging activities using the sulforhodamine B assay on six cancer cell lines, the TPA induced ear edema test in mice, and the reduction of the DPPH assay, respectively. Some diterpenoids showed anti-proliferative activity, these being icetexanes 6 and 3, which were the most active with IC₅₀ (µM) = 0.27 ± 0.08 and 1.40 ± 0.03, respectively, for U251 (human glioblastoma) and IC₅₀ (µM) = 0.0.46 ± 0.05, and 0.82 ± 0.06 for SKLU-1 (human lung adenocarcinoma), when compared with adriamycin (IC₅₀ (µM) = 0.08 ± 0.003, and 0.05 ± 0.003, as the positive control, respectively. Compounds 3 and 10 showed significant reduction of the induced ear edema of 37.4 ± 2.8 and 25.4 ± 3.0% (at 1.0 µmol/ear), respectively. Compound 4 was the sole active diterpenoid in the antioxidant assay (IC₅₀ = 98. 4 ± 3.3), using α-tocopherol as positive control, IC₅₀ (µM) = 31.7 ± 1.04. The diterpenoid profile found is of chemotaxonomic relevance and reinforces the evolutionary link of S. ballotiflora with other members of the section Tomentellae.

Cardiovascular disease is the first leading cause of death in the world. Patients with cardiovascular disease may experience various problems, including physiological and psychological problems. Apart from pharmacological therapy, complementary therapy is necessary as a support to conventional medicine. This review aims to describe complementary and alternative therapies for pain and anxiety in patients with cardiovascular disease. This review utilized data from ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and PubMed with search keywords of "Complementary" AND "Nursing" AND "Pain" AND "Anxiety" AND "Coronary artery disease". Ten articles that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The results show that nursing actions increasingly develop along with the patient needs. One form of holistic nursing action is complementary and alternative therapy (CAT) that consists of three categories: body-based methods, mind therapies, and sensory therapies. CAT has positive impacts on patients with heart disease. It can reduce anxiety and pain, lower blood pressure, and improve the quality of life. This review also shows that CAT has a positive impact on the recovery of patients with heart disease. Proper therapeutic management should be implemented to reduce the risks of physiological and psychological problems in patients.

Collision tumors, even uncommon, characterized by two distinctive (morphological, as well immunohistochemical) and spatially independent tumor components in the same location, are always puzzling for clinicians, pathologists and patients because they don’t fit in usual approaching schemes, neither diagnostic, nor therapeutic. Reviewing the specialized literature, until now, collision tumors have been reported in multiple locations such as the skin, esophagus, stomach, liver, kidney, bladder, adrenal gland or thyroid. We report a case of coexistence on the same site of a malignant tumor of ascending colon and a benign one emerging from peritoneal lining, thought initially by the surgeon to be right sided serosal carcinomatosis. But the histopatological examination reveals that those multiple serosal nodules were benign granular cell tumors collided with highly aggressive transparietal signet-ring colon carcinoma. These results put the patient's prognosis and therapeutic strategy in a different light than the clinical-imaging and intraoperative assessment.

β₂-m, β₂-microglobulin; CAF, cancer associated fibroblast; CSC, cancer stem cell; CTL, cytotoxic T lymphocyte; DC, dendritic cell; ECM, extracellular matrix; EGF-R, epidermal growth factor receptor; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; HLA, human leukocyte antigen; HNSCC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; HPV, human papilloma virus; ICP immune checkpoint; ICPi, immune checkpoint inhibitor; IFN, interferon; LMP, low molecular weight protein; mAb, monoclonal antibody; MDSC, myeloid-derived suppressor cell; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; MSI, multispectral imaging; NK, natural killer; OS, overall survival; PBL, peripheral blood lymphocytes; PBMNC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells; PD1, programmed death receptor 1; PD-L1, programmed death ligand 1; PFS, progression-free survival; PI3K, phosphatidyl-linositol-3-kinase; R/M, recurrence and or metastatic; STAT, signal transducer and activator of transcription; TAA, tumor-associated antigen; TAM, tumor associated macrophages; TAP, transporter associated with antigen processing; TCR, T cell receptor; TIL, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte; TLS, tertiary lymphoid structure; TME, tumor microenvironment; Treg, regulatory T cell; TSA, tumor-specific antigen; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGF-R, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor.

Lightning is responsible for most annually burned area by wildfires in the extratropical region of the Northern Hemisphere. Hence, predicting the occurrence of wildfires requires reliable forecasting of the chance of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes during storms. Here, we describe the development and verification of a probabilistic lightning-strike algorithm designed to run on a uniform 20-km grid over the Continental USA and Alaska. The algorithm consists of a large set of logistic equations parameterized via logistic regression using long-term data records of observed lightning strikes and meteorological reanalysis fields from NOAA. Principal Component Analysis was employed to extract 13 Principal Components (strong predictors) from a list of 611 potential predictors. Our statistical analysis revealed that the occurrence of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes primarily depends on three factors: horizontal temperature distribution by pressure levels, amount of low-level atmospheric moisture, and wind vectors. These physical variables impact the vertical separation of electric charges in the lower troposphere during storms causing the voltage potential between ground and the cloud deck to increase to a level that triggers electrical discharges. Results from a forecast verification using independent data showed excellent model skill, thus making this algorithm suitable for inclusion into software systems forecasting the chance of wildfire ignitions.

Post-industrial recycling (PIR) and post-consumer recycling (PCR) are measures to sustain re-sources by improving materials’ circularity and sustainability. Currently, circularity is mostly measured as the degree of reutilization of a material from 0 to 100 % at product or company lev-el. This lacks in assessing the resources’ usage over multiple product life cycles. Therefore, we propose to assess circularity as (i) the frequency resources are used in products (effective circu-larity eC) and (ii) a vehicle to reduce virgin resource use and environmental impacts (environ-mentally efficient circularity eeC). Besides, to compare the environmental impacts of using recy-cled materials from PIR or PCR, we analyse their impact reduction potential (IRP) indicating the environmental benefits of recycling in relation to virgin material put onto the market. We demonstrate the suggested indicators for a case study material: polypropylene. For this polymer type, the eC ranges between 0.93 and 9.08 uses of the resource on average depending on collec-tion, sorting, and recycling rates. Likewise, the eeC ranges between 0.31 and 1.50 uses per kg of CO2 equivalents emitted. PCR has a higher IRP regarding climate change impacts than PIR in all analysed scenarios. The results reveal the relevance of PCR and PIR beyond the product life cycle.

In this paper, a framework for simultaneous tracking and recognizing drone targets using a low-cost and small-sized millimeter-wave radar is presented. The radar collects the reflected signals of multiple targets in the field of view including drone and non-drone targets. The analysis of the received signals allows multiple targets to be distinguished because of the different reflection patterns. The proposed framework consists of four processes including signal processing, cloud points clustering, target tracking, and target recognition. Signal processing translates the raw signals into spare cloud points. These points are merged into several clusters, each representing a single target. Target tracking estimates the new locations of each detected target. A novel convolutional neural network model is developed for drone and/or non-drone targets feature extraction and recognition. For performance evaluation, a dataset collected with an IWR6843ISK mmWave sensor by Texas Instruments is used for training and testing the convolutional neural network. The proposed recognition model achieves an accuracy of 98.4% for one target and 98.1% for two targets.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is among the most common causes of death and one of the leading healthcare concerns worldwide. It can evolve into sepsis and septic shock, which have a high mortality rate, especially in critical patients and comorbidities. The definitions of sepsis were revised in the last decade as “life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection”. Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and complete blood count including white blood cells are among the most commonly analyzed sepsis-specific biomarkers also used in pneumonia in a broad range of studies. It appears to be a reliable diagnostic tool to expedite care of these patients with severe infections in the acute setting. PCT was found superior to most other acute phase reactants and indicators, including CRP as a predictor of pneumonia, bacteremia, sepsis and poor outcome. In addition, PCT use is beneficial to judge timing for cessation of antibiotic treatment in most severe infectious states. The clinicians should be aware of strengts and weaknesses of known and potential biomarkers in expedient recognition and management of severe infections. This manuscript is intended to present an overview of the definitions, complications and outcomes of CAP and sepsis, with special regard to PCT and other important markers.

(1)Background: Early-age concrete shrinkage induces stress that impact the cost and service life of concrete pavements. (2)Methods: In this study, strain measurements of field slabs were conducted and a methodology was presented that independently derived autogenous, drying, and thermal shrinkages in the initial stages of concrete placement. Total strain was measured according to five different environmental conditions and shrinkage strain was calculated for each condition. (3)Results: By measuring the strain of the slab and the specimen, the drying shrinkage strain was measured to be approximately 54% better than that by the conventional non-stressed cylinder method because it was possible to measure the drying shrinkage strain at the surface rather than in the middle part of the slab along its depth direction. When the water-to-cement ratio increased (35→40%), there was a considerable reduction (317με→82με) of autogenous shrinkage strain for the concrete at 28 days of age. Furthermore, calculation of stress-dependent strain allowed the presentation of more intuitive and accurate results. (4)Conclusion: As the measurement of independent shrinkage occurrence is possible, the consequent calculated result of the stress-dependent strain acting on real slabs will facilitate improvement in the construction quality, reduction in the development of defects in the concrete structure, and increase in the service life.

Heterocycles are unique precursors for the synthesis of various pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals particularly those possessing N- or O- moieties. The development of methods to prepare heterocycles is of great importance in synthesis of organic compounds, especially the heterocycles which can be found in natural products. The synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen containing heterocycles viz. coumarins, dihydropyrimidinones, imidazoles, isoxazoles and benzimidazoles represented an attractive and demanding work for chemists as these nucleus has found extensive applications in several fields such as material science, analytical chemistry and most importantly in medicinal chemistry. Organic synthesis has been attracted towards the development of new environmental friendly procedures to achieve the goals of green chemistry. The fundamental aspects of green chemistry are use of biocatalysts and environmental benign solvents under mild conditions. The present review article summarized the green synthetic methods and biological activities of nitrogen and oxygen containing heterocycles.

After a long a glorious history, marked by the first direct proofs of neutrino existence and of the mixing between the first and third neutrino generations, the reactor antineutrino experiments are still well alive and will continue to give important contributions to the development of elementary particle physics and astrophysics. In parallel to the SBL experiments, that will be dedicated mainly to the search for sterile neutrinos, a new kind of experiments will start playing an important role: the medium baseline reactor experiments, aiming to study the neutrino mass ordering. The first example of this kind, the liquid scintillator JUNO experiment, characterized by a very high mass and unprecedented energy resolution, will soon start data taking in China. Its main aspects are discussed here, together with its potentialities for what concerns the mass ordering investigation and also the other issues that can be studied with this detector, spanning from the accurate oscillation parameter determination, to the study of solar neutrinos, geoneutrinos, atmospheric neutrinos and neutrinos emitted by supernovas and to the search for signals of potential Lorentz invariance violation.

The purpose of this study is to determine the equilibrium conditions for the formation of a mixture of propane and normal butane hydrates including temperature, pressure and mole fraction. In order to prevent the formation of hydrates in the cooling path, it is necessary to examine the conditions of hydrate formation and provide solutions. Modeling of hydrate formation conditions was performed using Hydoff software and compared with experimental results in this field, which obtained an acceptable error percentage. The range of temperature is between 267-276 °C and the molar percentage of propane is 0.7,0.8 and 0.9 and the mathematical equation was presented to predict hydrate formation. By analyzing the results, it was found that by increasing the concentration of ethane in the presence of other compounds, hydrate growth increased and hydrates formed more stable, also by increasing the concentration of propane and normal butane the amount of equilibrium pressure will decrease.

Inhalational anesthetics was previously reported to suppress glioma cell malignancy, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aims to investigate the effects of sevoflurane and desflurane on glioma cell malignancy changes via microRNA (miRNA) modulation. The cultured H4 cells were exposed to 3.6% sevoflurane or 10.3% desflurane for 2 hrs. The miR-138, -210 and -335 expression were determined with qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation and migration were assessed with wound healing assay, Ki67 staining and cell count kit 8 (CCK8) assay with/without miR-138/-210/-335 inhibitor transfections. The miRNA downstream proteins, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), were also determined with immunofluorescent staining. Sevoflurane and desflurane exposure to glioma cells inhibited their proliferation and migration. Sevoflurane exposure increased miR-210 expression whereas desflurane exposure upregulated both miR-138 and miR-335 expressions. The administration of inhibitor of miR-138, -210 or -335 inhibited the suppressing effects of sevoflurane or desflurane on cell proliferation and migration, in line with the HIF-1α and MMP9 expression changes. These data indicated that inhalational anesthetics, sevoflurane and desflurane, inhibited glioma cell malignancy via miRNA upregulation and their downstream effectors, HIF-1α and MMP9, downregulation. The implication of the current study warrants further study.

Nanobubbles, gas-filled entities that possess a size of less than , have notably emerged as critical components within various domains such as environmental science and medicine, primarily due to their remarkable stability and distinctive diffusion characteristics that differentiate them from larger bubbles. This comprehensive study meticulously explores the diffusion rates and stability of hydrogen and oxygen when encapsulated in oxyhydrogen nanobubbles, specifically within aqueous environments, utilizing the Chapman-Enskog theory, which is a well-established framework for understanding gas diffusion processes, alongside a modified Arrhenius equation to effectively evaluate activation volume and stability parameters. The findings from this investigation reveal that the diffusion processes of both gasses experience a significant reduction in rate due to the influence of high internal pressure, as well as the molecular interactions occurring with water, whereby hydrogen is observed to exhibit a marginally accelerated diffusion rate in comparison to oxygen. It is crucial to understand that elements like surface charges, zeta potential, and the idea of activation volume significantly influence the enduring stability of nanobubbles, particularly in specific environmental scenarios that could boost their longevity. These significant findings pose a challenge to classical diffusion models, thereby suggesting a promising potential for the sustained application of nanobubbles in various fields such as water treatment processes and therapeutic medical interventions. Future research endeavors should prioritize the refinement of theoretical models while also aiming to experimentally validate the mechanisms of stability that have been observed across a range of diverse applications to further substantiate these findings.

Quaternion and biquaternion symmetry transformations have been applied to non-Cartesian reference systems of direct and reciprocal crystal lattices. The transformations performed directly in the sets of crystal reference axes simplify the calculations, eliminate the need for orthogonalization, permit the use of crystallographic vectors for defining the directions of rotations and perform the computations directly in the crystal coordinates. The applications of the general quaternion transformations are envisioned for physical, chemical, crystallographic and engineering applications. The general quaternion multiplication rules for any symmetry-unrestricted lattices have been derived for the triclinic crystallographic system and have been applied to the biquaternion representations of all point-group symmetry elements, including the crystallographic hexagonal system. Cayley multiplication matrices for point groups, based on the biquaternion symbols of proper and improper symmetry elements, have been exemplified.

In the paper, we develop some numerical schemes including finite difference scheme and finite volume scheme for the fractional Laplacian operator, and apply the resulted numerical schemes to solve some fractional diffusion equations. First, the fractional Laplacian operator can be characterized as the weak singular integral by a integral operator with zero boundary condition. Second, because of the solution of fractional diffusion equation is usually singular near the boundary, we apply finite difference scheme to discrete fractional Laplacian operator and fractional diffusion equation by fractional interpolation function. Moreover, it is find that the differential matrix of the above scheme is symmetric matrix, and strictly row-wise diagonally dominant in special fractional interpolation function. Third, we show finite volume scheme to discrete fractional diffusion equation by fractional interpolation function, and analyze the properties of differential matrix. Finally, the numerical experiments are given, and verify the correctness of theoretical results and the efficiency of the schemes.

Mental wellness can be related to healthier living, the learning process and working environments for people in the university community. A wide range of mental wellness programmes have been explored to provide students with pleasant and satisfying experiences. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of integrating Zen meditation(禪)and music listening on the mindfulness and happiness levels of university music therapy students. Qualitative methodology was used, and data were collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews. To investigate various aspects of data regarding the role of meditation and music (MM) programme for mindfulness and happiness, this study used thematic analysis within a qualitative research design. The results of this study indicate that the 8-week MM programme is effective in enhancing mindfulness and happiness and has positive responses to daily life stress (e.g., exam anxiety, financial difficulties, and emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic). The role of meditation and music in promoting mental health and well-being has long been discussed and the combination of the two has been recognised as a beneficial intervention. This paper could contribute to the support of mental health resources and coping strategies in higher education, as well as expand the potential range of integrating practices involving music and meditation.

Pediatric chronic pain is an important public health issue given its notable impact on numerous domains of living. Pediatric chronic pain is also often comorbid with emotional, developmental, or behavioral conditions which can lead to more severe negative outcomes and an even greater reduction in positive outcomes compared to those without comorbidities. Flourishing is a positive outcome that chronic pain status has been shown to impact. We explored flourishing in children aged 6-17 years living with chronic pain as well as those with chronic pain and comorbidities using data from the 2018/2019 National Survey of Child Health. There were significant associa-tions between chronic pain condition status and all demographic variables (sex, age, race/ethnicity, poverty level, parental education, health insurance status). Results of hierarchical logistic regression found that chronic pain condition status significantly predicted flourishing. Children with chronic pain were 2.33 times less likely to flourish, and children with chronic pain plus an emotional, developmental, or behavioral comorbidity were 13 times less likely to flourish than typical peers. Given their significantly lower likelihood of flourishing, there is an urgent need for interventions targeted at children experiencing chronic pain and mental health comor-bidities.

Different types of disasters, whether natural or human character, lead to the significant loss of human lives. In the latter case, the quick action of identification of corpses and human remains is mandatory. There are a variety of protocols to identify victims, however, genetics is one of the tools that allow an exact identification of the victim. However, several factors may interfere with this identification, from the biological samples’ degradation not allowing the analysis of nuclear information, to failure to dispose of biological samples from family members. Access to certain family members could be a determinant of the proper choice of genetic markers that allow the identification of the victim, or his/her inclusion in a given genetic maternal or paternal lineage. With the new advances in the genetic field, it is expected to allow soon the identification of victims from disasters only with his/her biological postmortem samples, being possible to draw a robot portrait and its most likely physical characteristics. In all cases, genetics is the only modern tool with universal character and can be used in essentially all biological samples, giving and identification of more or less accurate statistical character, depending on whether nuclear or lineage markers are used.

The last few years have witnessed an explosion of research on Sustainable development. Most of this research is concentrated on the developed countries related to the issues not compatible with developing countries. This paper fills the gap and reviews the literature related to developing and emerging economies and their environmental and social constraints under Renewable energy and sustainable development (RESD). It also investigates how RESD can be implemented in the presence of serious issues pertaining to population increase, shortage of energy supply, lack of transportation, shortage of clean water, less food production and bad environmental systems and these are coupled with war, and hunger and political instability. The main contribution of this paper is to present extensive discussion in the context of hypotheses of economic growth and its association with energy consumption, and renewable energy options for sustainable development.

The Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework serves as a valuable framework to explore and understand social and ecological interactions, and pathways in water governance. Yet, it lacks a robust understanding of change. We argue an analytical and methodological approach to engaging global changes in SES is critical to strengthening the scope and relevance of the SES framework. Relying on SES and resilience thinking, we propose an institutional and cognitive model of change that institutions and natural resources systems co-evolve to provide a dynamic understanding of SES that stands on three causal mechanisms: institutional complexity trap, rigidity trap, and learning processes. We illustrate how Data Cube technology could overcome current limitations and offer reliable avenues to test hypothesis about the dynamics of social-ecological systems and water security by offering to combine spatial and time data with no major technical requirements for users.

The radial distribution networks are designed for unidirectional power flows and are passive in nature. However, with the penetration of Distributed Generation (DG), the power flow becomes bidirectional and the network becomes active. The integration of DGs into distribution network creates many issues with: system stability, protection coordination, power quality, islanding, proper placement and sizing etc. Among these issues, the two most significant are optimal sizing and placement of DGs and their protection coordination in utility network. The proper coordination of relays with high penetration of DGs placed at optimal location increases the availability and reliability of the network during abnormal operating conditions.This research addresses most of the available methods for efficient sizing and placement of DGs in distribution system (numerical, analytical and heuristic) as well as the developed protection coordination techniques for utility networks in the presence of DGs (Artificial Intelligence (AI), adaptive and non-adaptive, multi-agent, hybrid). This paper indicates the possible research gaps and highlights the applications possibilities and methods’ limitations in the area of DGs.

This paper examines the relationship between GDP per capita and waste generated in European Union countries, highlighting the importance of this relationship for understanding the environmental consequences of economic growth and formulating waste management policies. The analysis findings demonstrate that, in most cases, higher GDP is associated with higher amounts of waste, although there are exceptions to this trend. A smaller number of countries are also found where no such relationship exists. These are primarily high-income countries in the lower part of the EKC or countries in transition. Cluster analysis reveals regional differences in the relationship between GDP and waste that the economic factors and the level of development in the regions concerned can explain. Bulgaria is among the European countries with the lowest economic growth associated with a large amount of waste. The analysis, therefore, focuses on Bulgaria. The impact of GDP per capita, Human Development Index and Population Density on municipal waste in Bulgaria is studied. The aim is to identify significant relationships and dependencies between these factors and the amount of waste. Based on the results of multiple regression analysis and the findings from municipal waste management data in Bulgaria, specific actions are proposed for municipal waste management in the country. Recommendations are made for developing sustainable waste management policies and sharing best practices between regions.

With the continuous improvement and observable benefits of electric vehicles (EVs), major logistic companies are introducing more EVs into their conventional fleets. This gives rise to a new type of vehicle routing problem with mixed vehicles, where heterogeneous internal combustion vehicles (ICVs) and electric vehicles are considered in route planning. In addition, certain deliveries that are not efficient on any type of vehicles, are outsourced to third-party common carriers. In this paper, we define this problem as a mixed vehicle routing problem with common carriers (MVRPC). The objective of such problems is to minimize the transportation costs by considering routes with ICVs and EVs, the possibility of visiting recharging stations, outsourcing options, and drivers’ layover regulations. This variant of the vehicle routing problems has many practical applications, particularly in the design of long-haul transportation and last-mile delivery services. Effective MVRPC solutions play a key role in promoting the going Green image and optimally allocating resources. The problem has received limited attention in the literature likely because addressing all the needed aspects is especially challenging. To solve the large-scale problem, we develop a branch-and-cut pricing framework that relies on strong cuts and customized labeling algorithms. Numerical experiments highlight the effectiveness of our algorithm. This success can be attributed to tailored critical resources, dynamically bounded bidirectional labeling procedures, strong dominance criteria, and implementation strategies.

The contemporary discourse focuses on the fourth industrial revolution and its impact on compa-nies. An explicative, quantitative, questionnaire survey was conducted with managers of 101 companies in Hungary and 54 in Austria. Our study focused on assessing their preparedness for Industry 4.0 and the key factors they take into account when implementing Industry 4.0 initiatives. We also examined whether there is a correlation between the areas in which companies have made improvements to support Industry 4.0. To complement our quantitative analysis, we conducted a series of four semi-structured interviews with two Hungarian and two Austrian companies. The aim of the interviews was to further investigate the digital readiness of companies and to formulate recommendations for companies venturing into the field of digitalisation. A particular focus was put on comparing the digital maturity of these two neighbouring Central European countries, given the significant differences in their digital maturity as shown by the macro indicators of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Therefore, we conducted a micro-level analysis to investigate the extent to which DESI scores correspond to the digital performance of companies at the orga-nisational level.

The fundamental objective is to study the application of multivariate sets of data in Gaussian distribution. This paper examines broad measurements of structure for both Gaussian and non-Gaussian distributions, which shows that they can be described in terms of the infor-mation-theoretic between the given covariance matrix and correlated random variables (in terms of relative entropy). In order to develop the multivariate Gaussian distribution with entropy and mutual information, several significant methodologies are presented through the discussion supported by illustrations, both technically and statistically. The content obtained allows readers to better perceive concepts, comprehend techniques, and properly execute software programs for future study on the topic's science and implementations. It also helps readers grasp the themes' fundamental concepts. Involving the relative entropy and mutual information as well as the potential correlated covariance analysis based on differential equations, a wide range of information is addressed, including basic to application concerns.

Bicycling is a tremendously efficient means of transportation both in socio-economic and environmental sustainability parameters. Therefore, they are fast becoming the primary mode of transportation in some other parts of Africa. Quelimane is a city which is found in Mozambique where bicycle-taxi is a major means of transportation. However, very little is known about the social and economic profiles of these city bicycle-taxi riders. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the socio demographic and economic profile of bicycle-taxi riders. A cross-sectional study survey using a simple random probabilistic sample (n = 357, α = 0.05) was conducted. The questionnaire consisted of 20 items in five major groups, sociodemographic, economics, riding factors, safety and motivational factors. Pearson Chi square, t test and linear regression tests were carried out to test for statistical analysis. The activity is carried out mostly by males (98.9 %), under the age of 35 years. Their academic records, ranking highest, with secondary education background, bicycles are obtained through rental programs in order to perform taxing. After expenses, daily earnings generate a total revenue of USD 5.75. Sex, marital status, house type, years riding, bicycle make and meal per day, are associated with daily revenue income. Bicycle-taxi activity in Quelimane is an income generating activity. Mainly young citizens are involved due to the high unemployment rate. Nonetheless, bicycle taxing created an untapped market for self-employment, where the majority of youths in Quelimane generate their own revenue, thereby improving their livelihood.

This work communicates the connection of measured shadowgraphs from optically induced air breakdown with emission spectroscopy in selected gas mixtures. Laser-induced optical breakdown is generated using 850 mJ and 170 mJ, 6-ns pulses at a wavelength of 1064 nm, the shadowgraphs are recorded using time-delayed 5-ns pulses at a wavelength of 532 nm and a digital camera, and emission spectra are recorded for typically a dozen of discrete time-delays from optical breakdown by employing an intensified charge-coupled device. The symmetry of the breakdown event can be viewed as close-to spherical symmetry for time-delays of several 100 ns. Spectroscopic analysis explores well-above hypersonic expansion dynamics using primarily the diatomic molecule cyanide and atomic hydrogen emission spectroscopy. Analysis of the air breakdown and selected gas breakdown events permits the use of Abel inversion for inference of the expanding species distribution. Typically, species are prevalent at higher density near the hypersonically expanding shockwave, measured by tracing cyanide and a specific carbon atomic line. Overall, recorded air breakdown shadowgraphs are indicative of laser-plasma expansion in selected gas mixtures, and optical spectroscopy delivers analytical insight into plasma expansion phenomena.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity are escalating globally among the general population. However, there are limited evidence on the trends and prevalence of overweight /obesity in the military setting. Increased rates of injuries, low work productivity, incurred higher healthcare costs and prematurely discharge from service are consequences of overweight/obesity among the military. Therefore, we aimed to systematically describe the trends and prevalence of overweight and obesity in the military population, by regions and military service branches. Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were used. Inclusion criteria were military population (inclusive of all service branches) with BMI reported as the overweight/obesity indicator. Population related to military but not exclusively military personnel such as the retirees, the veterans and their dependents were excluded. From the 27 included studies, 13 were published between year 2010 to 2014 and half were conducted in the United States. Overall, studies showed increasing trend in the prevalence of overweight (30% to 50%) and obesity (2% to 30%); only one study showed a decreasing trend of 0.9% and 0.6% for the prevalence of overweight and obesity respectively. However, the rates of increment differed between countries, where Asian countries demonstrated lower overweight prevalence compared to the United States and the European countries. In conclusion, the military population is not protected from overweight and obesity. Interventions should be implemented to prevent overweight / obesity among the military personnel.

Coating of suitable materials having thickness of few atoms to several microns on a substrate is of great interest to the scientific community. Hard coatings develop under the significant composition of suitable-natured atoms where their force-energy behaviors when in certain transition state favour binding. In the binding mechanism of suitable atoms, electron belonging to outer ring filled state of gas-atom undertakes another clamp of energy knot belonging to outer ring unfilled state of solid-atom. Set process conditions develop the binding of different-natured atoms when processing their suitable composition in a system. Atoms of different nature develop structure in the form of hard coating by locating their ground points between the original ones. Here, gas-natured atoms increase the potential energy under decreasing levitational force of electrons, whereas, solid-natured atoms decrease the potential energy under decreasing gravitational force of electrons. In TiN coating, Ti–Ti atoms bind under the difference of expansion of their lattices, called nets of energy knots, where one atom just lands on the already landed atom. An adhered N-atom to a Ti-atom forms its position among four Ti-atoms where N-atom occupies the interstitial site of Ti-atoms. Two oppositely working force-energy behavior atoms deposit in the form of coating at substrate surface as per set conditions of the process. The rate of ejecting (or dissociating) solid-natured atoms depend on the nature of their source (target), process parameters and processing technique. In random arc-based vapor deposition system, depositing differently natured atoms at substrate surface depends on the input power. In addition to intrinsic nature of atoms, different properties and characteristics of coatings emerge as per engaged forces under their involved energy. The present study sets new trends in the field of coatings involving the diversified class of materials and their counterparts.

A useful and increasingly common additive manufacturing (AM) process is the selective laser melting (SLM) or direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process. SLM/DMLS can produce full-density metal parts from difficult materials, but it tends to suffer from severe residual stresses introduced during processing. This limits the usefulness and applicability of the process, particularly in the fabrication of parts with delicate overhanging and protruding features. The purpose of this study was to examine the current insight and progress made toward understanding and eliminating the problem in overhanging and protruding structures. To accomplish this, a survey of literature was undertaken, focusing on process modeling (general, heat transfer, stress and distortion, and material models), direct process control (input and environmental control, hardware-in-the-loop monitoring, parameter optimization, and post-processing), experiment development (methods for evaluation, optical and mechanical process monitoring, imaging, and design-of-experiments), support structure optimization, and overhang feature design; approximately 140 published works were examined. The major findings of this study were that a small minority of the literature on SLM/DMLS deals explicitly with the overhanging stress problem, but some fundamental work has been done on the problem. Implications, needs, and potential future research directions are discussed in-depth in light of the present review.

Recently, pharmaceutical research has been focused on the design of new antibacterial drugs with higher selectivity towards several strains. Major issues concern the possibility to obtain com-pounds with fewer side effects, at the same time effectively overcoming the problem of antimi-crobial resistance. Several solutions include the synthesis of new pharmacophores starting from piperazine or morpholine core units. Mass spectrometry-based techniques offer important sup-port for the structural characterization of newly synthesized compounds to design safer and more effective drugs for various medical conditions. Here, two new piperazine derivatives and four new morpholine derivatives were synthesized and structurally characterized through a combined approach of FT-ICR and LTQ mass spectrometry. The support of both high-resolution and low-resolution mass spectrometric data namely accurate mass measurements, isotopic distribu-tion and MSn spectra, was crucial to confirm the success of the synthesis. These compounds were further evaluated for inhibitory activity against a total of twenty-nine Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to determine the action spectrum and the antimicrobial effectiveness. Results demonstrated compounds’ antimicrobial activity against many tested bacterial species, providing an inhibitory effect linked to different chemical structure and suggesting that the new-synthesized derivatives could be considered as promising antimicrobial agents.

After 40 years of the discovery of metallocene catalysts, there are still several aspects that remain unresolved, especially when the “conventional” alkylaluminum activators are not used. Herein, we systematically investigate the synthesis of PE via three different zirconocene catalysts, with different alkyl substituents, activated via different organoboron compounds. The polymerization behavior, as well as the properties of the materials, are evaluated. The results demonstrate that the highest catalytic activity is shown by Bis(cyclopentadienyl)dimethylzirconium activated by trityl tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate. Also finding that toluene is the optimum solvent for these systems and at these reaction conditions. Moreover, to validate our experimental results, a comprehensive mathematical model is developed on the basis of thermodynamic and kinetic principles. The concentration of ethylene transferred to the solvent phase (toluene) in a liquid-vapor equilibrium (LVE) system is estimated based on the Duhem’s theorem. Arrhenius expressions for the kinetic rate constants of a proposed kinetic mechanism are estimated by a kinetic model, in which the rate of polymerization is fitted by a least-square optimization procedure and the molecular weight averages by the method of moments. The simulations of the coordination polymerization suggest the presence of two types of active sites, principally at low temperatures, and the reactivation of the deactivated sites via a boron-based activator. However, the effect of the temperature on the reactivation step is no clear; a deeper understanding via designed experiments is required.

Six mode shapes, including bending and torsion, were documented for five different basketball rims and backboards at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA. The frequency and damping ratio of each mode shape were also determined. The empirical process began with the time-domain excitation and response of each rim-backboard system. The impulse of excitation came from an impact hammer separately applied to sequentially, to each node. The sinusoidal response was gathered from an accelerometer at a fixed location, node 1. Each time-domain excitation-response was then converted to a frequency domain Bode plot for each node by a B&K 2034 Signal Analyzer, giving transfer functions of output/input versus frequency. Structural Measurements System (SMS) Software was used to fit mode shapes to the Bode plots. Each of the six mode shapes were fitted to the Bode plots of each node at a specific modal frequency. Each of the six mode shapes were a function of the locations of the nodes, and the Bode plot gathered at each node. The first and second modes were critical for showing that the Energy Rebound Testing Device statistically correlated with the energy transferred to the rim and backboard. A known perturbation mass was selectively attached to the rim, to help isolate the dynamic masses and spring rates for the rim and backboard, to ascertain the kinetic energy transferred to the rim had a 95.67% inverse correlation with rim stiffness.

No system nor standardized analytical procedures at commercial laboratories exist to facilitate and accurately measure potential viable virus contamination in feed ingredients and complete feeds globally. As a result, there is high uncertainty of the extent of swine virus contamination in global feed supply chains. Many knowledge gaps need to be addressed to improve our ability to prevent virus contamination and transmission in swine feed. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge involving: 1) the need for biosecurity protocols to identify production, processing, storage, and transportation conditions that may cause virus contamination of feed ingredients and complete feed, 2) challenges of measuring virus inactivation, 3) virus survival in feed ingredients during transportation and storage, 4) minimum infectious doses, 5) differences between using a Food Safety Objective versus a Performance Objective as potential approaches for risk assessment in swine feed, 6) swine virus inactivation from thermal and irradiation processes, and chemical mitigants in feed ingredients and complete feed, 7) efficacy of virus decontamination strategies in feed mills, 9) benefits of functional ingredients, nutrients, and commercial feed additives in pig diets during a viral health challenge, and 10) considerations for improved risk assessment models of virus contamination in feed supply chains.

This paper proposes an approach for image data extraction and driving behavior analysis using geographic information and driving data. Information derived from geographic and global positioning systems was used for image data extraction. In addition, we used an onboard diagnostic II and a controller area network bus logger to record driving data for driving behavior analysis. Driving behavior was analyzed using sparse automatic encoders and data exploration to detect abnormal and aggressive behavior. A regression analysis was used to derive the relationship between aggressive driving behavior and road facilities. Several traffic improvements were proposed for specific intersections and roads. The results indicate that lane ratios without lane markings and with straight lane markings are important features that affect aggressive driving behaviors.

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) have been used for more than a century; since their discovery in 1850 by Strecker. To date, MCRs route is regarded as a beneficial strategy due to its capacity to quickly produce molecular diversity and structural complexity of interest for a variety of applications. Despite having famous MRCs such as the Ugi, Passerini, Biginelli, and Hantzsch, this re-view portrays the importance of MCRs in the synthesis of desired products towards applications such as medicinal purposes, sustainable chemistry, and polymerisation. MCRs provide ad-vantages such as reducing the number of sequential multiple reactions to one step, atom economy, recyclable catalysts, mild conditions, preventing waste and reduce solvent use.

On October 18, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented the blueprint for building a modernized socialist nation through the realization of the Xiao Kang (Every nation enjoys a peaceful and affluent life, it is meaningless to eliminate the poor) social construction at the 19th Congress of China. Subsequent to the 2008 financial crisis, the world has moved on to the new economic status of the New Normal. China has also entered the era of “Xinchang Thai,” which is moving from the high-growth to the moderate-growth phase. Therefore, the government of China emphasizes privatization, liberalization, and deregulation. China is also influenced by government policies due to the nature of socialism. This study confirms China’s current stage of economic development based on Barro’s theory. Thus, we use a quantile regression model and examine the correlation between economic growth and functional classification of government expenditure during Xi Jinping's term of office. Furthermore, we selected Korea as a comparative country as the two countries have common features.

We proposed in this work the introduction of a new vision of stochastic processes through geometry induced by dilation. The dilation matrices of a given process are obtained by a composition of rotation matrices built in with respect to partial correlation coefficients. Particularly interesting is the fact that the obtention of dilation matrices is regardless of the stationarity of the underlying process. When the process is stationary, only one dilation matrix is obtained and it corresponds therefore to Naimark dilation. When the process is nonstationary, a set of dilation matrices is obtained. They correspond to Kolmogorov decomposition. In this work, the nonstationary class of periodically correlated processes was of interest. The underlying periodicity of correlation coefficients is then transmitted to the set of dilation matrices. Because this set lives on the Lie group of rotation matrices, we can see them as points of a closed curve on the Lie group. Geometrical aspects can then be investigated through the shape of the obtained curves, and to give a complete insight into the space of curves, a metric and the derived geodesic equations are provided. The general results are adapted to the more specific case where the base manifold is the Lie group of rotation matrices, and because the metric in the space of curve naturally extends to the space of shapes, this enables a comparison between curves’ shapes and allows then the classification of processes’ measure.

Green marketing has emerged as an integral strategy in promoting sustainability across various industries, particularly in response to heightened environmental concerns and consumer demands for eco-friendly products. This paper critically reviews the concept of green marketing from environmental, consumer, corporate, and regulatory perspectives, highlighting both its opportunities and challenges. From the environmental standpoint, green marketing aims to mitigate the negative impacts of industrial activities by promoting products that are less harmful to the environment. On the consumer side, increasing environmental awareness drives demand for sustainable products, though challenges such as greenwashing often undermine consumer trust. Corporately, green marketing offers opportunities for enhancing brand image and competitiveness, though balancing profitability and sustainability goals remains a challenge for businesses. Regulatory frameworks play a crucial role in shaping green marketing practices, ensuring transparency and accountability, and preventing deceptive practices like greenwashing. The paper also discusses emerging trends such as digital transparency, the role of social media in green marketing, and the incorporation of circular economy principles into corporate strategies. The review concludes with recommendations for businesses to enhance their green marketing efforts, emphasizing the need for transparency, stakeholder collaboration, and interdisciplinary approaches to address complex sustainability challenges.

Enterobacteriaceae can contaminate meat during various stages of processing, including slaughter, evisceration, and butchering, causing foodborne illnesses. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae associated with carcasses obtained from slaughterhouses and raw cut meat collected from butcher shops. A total of 120 samples of camels and cattle were identified using biochemistry and PCR testing. Total viable count (TVC) was range from 4.91 to 5.37 Log10 CFU/g in slaughterhouses and butcher shops. E. coli was predominating with 84 (70%) among all samples, where the camels had the highest with 100% and sheep the lowest with 30%. Salmonella spp. was confirmed in 40% of camel samples, 47.5% of cattle samples, and 32.5% in sheep samples. Twenty-five Enterobacteriaceae genera were confirmed using PCR. Where sheep’s samples had the highest occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae with 15 different genera followed by camels and cattle samples with 14 different genera. The prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae among camel, cattle, and sheep carcasses raises significant concerns regarding food safety. Adherence to good hygiene practices throughout animal slaughtering is crucial to minimize the risk of infection and transmission and ensure food safety.

MPC (Magneto-Photonic Crystal) Optimisation is a feature-rich Windows software application designed to enable researchers to analyze the optical and magneto-optical spectral properties of multilayers containing gyrotropic constituents. A set of computational algorithms aimed at enabling the design optimization and optical or magneto-optical (MO) spectral analysis of 1D magnetic photonic crystals (MPC) is reported, together with its Windows software implementation. Relevant material property datasets (e.g., the optical spectra of refractive index, absorption, and gyration) of several important optical and MO materials are included, enabling easy reproduction of the previously published results from the field of MPC-based Faraday rotator development, and an effective demonstration-quality introduction of future users to the multiple features of this package. We also report on the methods and algorithms used to obtain the absorption coefficient spectral dispersion datasets for new materials, for which the film thickness, transmission spectrum, and refractive index dispersion function are known.

Many cryptographic systems require random numbers, and weak random numbers lead to insecure systems. In the modern world, there are several techniques for generating random numbers, of which the most fundamental and important methods are deterministic extractors proposed by von Neumann, Elias, and Peres. Elias’s extractor achieves the optimal rate (i.e., information theoretic upper bound) h(p) if the block size tends to infinity, where h(·) is the binary entropy function and p is probability that each bit of input sequences occurs. Peres’s extractor achieves the optimal rate h(p) if the length of input and the number of iterations tend to infinity. The previous researches related to both extractors did not mention practical aspects including running time and memory-size with finite input sequences. In this paper, based on some heuristics, we derive a lower bound on the maximum redundancy of Peres’s extractor, and we show that Elias’s extractor is better than Peres’s one in terms of the maximum redundancy (or the rates) if we do not pay attention to time complexity or space complexity. In addition, we perform numerical and non-asymptotic analysis of both extractors with a finite input sequence with any biased probability under the same environments. For doing it, we implemented both extractors on a general PC and simple environments. Our empirical results show that Peres’s extractor is much better than Elias’s one for given finite input sequences under the almost same running time. As a consequence, Peres’s extractor would be more suitable to generate uniformly random sequences in practice in applications such as cryptographic systems.

: Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world; its production is based mainly on varieties of the Coffea arabica species. Mexico stands out for its specialty and organic coffee. In Guerrero the production is given by small indigenous community’s cooperatives that market their product as raw material. Official Mexican Standards stipulate the necessary requirements for its commercialization within the national ter-ritory. In this work, the physical, chemical, and biological characterizations of green, medium, and dark roasted beans from C. arabica varieties were carried out. Analysis of HPLC showed higher chlorogenic acid (55 mg/g) and caffeine (1.8 mg/g) contents in the green beans of the Bourbon and Oro Azteca varieties. The caffeine (3.88 mg/g) and melanoidins (97 and 29 mg/g) contents increased according to the level of roasting; a dissimilar effect was found in the chlorogenic acid content (14.5 mg/g). The adequate nutritional content and the sensory evaluation allowed the classification of dark roasted as premium coffee (84.25 points) and the roasted medium as specialty coffee (86.25 points). The roasted coffees presented antioxidant activity without cytotoxic effect. The results obtained will serve as a basis for making decisions on the improvements of the coffees analyzed.

The integration of solar energy systems with agricultural practices, known as agrivoltaic systems, presents a promising solution for advancing sustainable food and energy production. This approach involves installing photovoltaic panels on agricultural lands, which allows for simultaneous crop cultivation and energy generation. Agrivoltaic systems offer a dual benefit: they enhance land use efficiency by utilizing the same area for both solar power generation and crop production, and they contribute to sustainable energy transitions. This abstract explores the benefits and challenges associated with agrivoltaic systems. Key advantages include increased land productivity, reduction in water usage due to shading effects, and potential economic gains from dual income streams. Furthermore, these systems can mitigate land use conflicts by combining food production with renewable energy generation. However, there are challenges to address, including the potential for decreased crop yields under solar panels, the need for appropriate system design to balance energy generation and agricultural needs, and the economic feasibility of initial investment and maintenance. The integration of agrivoltaic systems represents a critical step toward achieving sustainable development goals by promoting environmental stewardship and resource efficiency. Future research and advancements in technology are essential to optimize system performance and maximize benefits for both agriculture and energy sectors.

After the ban on tributyltin-based antifouling paints, DCOIT (4,5-Dichloro-2-octylisothiazol-3(2H)-one) became one of the most used antifouling biocides. DCOIT is a pseudo-persistent contaminant in port areas and is toxic to non-target species, but its ability to bioaccumulate and be transferred along the trophic chain remains unknown. This study aimed to preliminarily investigate the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and biomagnification of DCOIT and SiNC-DCOIT (DCOIT immobilized in silica mesoporous nanocapsules) from the microalga Tetraselmis chuii to the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis during exposure experiments considering 24 h of uptake followed by 72 h depuration. Mussels rapidly internalized and metabolized both DCOIT and SiNC-DCOIT. The predator-prey biomagnification factors (BMFTL) suggested that both forms of the biocide can be trophically transferred, with higher concentrations of DCOIT and SiNC-DCOIT in mussels than in microalgae (BMFTL &gt; 1). However, the bioaccumulation and bioconcentration factors indicated a low bioaccumulation capability in the short term, suggesting that the depuration rate overcomes the uptake. Our findings contribute to the development of environmental risk assessments for DCOIT and SiNC-DCOIT, but do not exclude the possibility of DCOIT bioaccumulation in the long-term in areas with constant input of DCOIT. Further studies are needed to understand these processes under continuous exposure scenarios to DCOIT.

Enamel erosion is a process which happens every time we eat and it may be accelerated by some particular acid foods, drinks or other agents. Dental enamel when damaged by low pH substances becomes chalky, rough, opaque, yellowed and it can be related to dentinal hypersensitivity. To the present day, several possible solutions are available, therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a biocompatible minerals serum based on calcium silicate, sodium phosphate and fluoride (Regenerate™) on the damaged enamel by four different acid liquids. 135 ovine teeth were equally divided into 5 groups and submerged for one week into lemon juice, energy drink, coffee, tea and physiologic solution for the negative control. The first 4 groups were evaluated for their color with an analogical color scale (Vita® Scale) and for their surface assigning a qualitative aspect among opaque, rough, chalky or smooth. Then they were treated with hydroxyapatite gels and re-evaluated for the same parameters. Data were checked for the normal distribution with Shapiro-Wilk test and analyzed with dependent t-test or Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, every test with a p≤0.05. Both color and surface aspect showed a strongly significant improvement after the treatment. Biocompatible minerals serum based on hydroxyapatite is able to reverse teeth erosion, improve the color and restore the smoothness of the dental enamel.

In globe artichoke both the edible portion and the waste biomass are recognized as valuable sources of bioactive compounds. For this study, heads with 30 cm-long floral stems, including 2-3 leaves, were harvested from five genotypes which included two traditional vegetatively-propagated varietal types (‘Brindisino,’ and ‘Violetto di Foggia,’) and three "seed"-propagated hybrids (‘Tempo,’ ‘Opal,’ and ‘Madrigal’). The study aimed to determine the total and individual polyphenolic concentrations (measured spectrophotometrically and by HPLC) and antioxidant activity (AA) in different artichoke parts, namely the "hearts" (H), head waste (HW), stem waste (SW), and leaf waste (LW). ‘Brindisino’ SW exhibited the highest accumulation of luteolin (26,317 mg kg−1 F.W.), while ‘Tempo’ H displayed the highest cynarin content (190 mg kg−1 F.W.). ‘Tempo’ HW and H showed the highest levels of apigenin (640 mg kg−1 F.W.), and the greatest source of chlorogenic acid was found in the HW of ‘Opal’ and the H of ‘Brindisino’ (4,300 mg kg−1 F.W.). The hybrids generally exhibited lower total polyphenolic concentrations than the traditional genotypes, particularly evident in the LW. The SW demonstrated the highest concentration of total polyphenols (18,000 mg kg−1 F.W.), followed by the edible H and non-edible HW (12,000 mg kg−1 F.W.), while the LW exhibited the lowest concentration (2,000 mg kg−1 F.W.). Interestingly, the AA did not precisely align with the total polyphenolic concentration, showing slight variations between the examined parts and genotypes.

In recent years, the production of renewable energy represents one of the main challenges of modern and future society. The new cultivation method called Agrivoltaic (hereafter AV), combines and associates agricultural production and renewable energy (photovoltaic) production in a collaborative synergy from which both benefit. In this study, the dry matter and essential oils yield of six medicinal species (Salvia officinalis L., Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Lavendula angustifolia L., Thymus citriodorus L. and Mentha spicata L.) grown underneath a dynamic AV system in comparison to those in full sun (T), were evaluated. In particular, below the dynamic AV system, due to the rotation of the panels, two plot areas on the ground were distinguished: one always covered by the panels (UP), and another one covered alternatively (BP). During the aromatic crop cycles, the solar radiation, infrared leaf temperature and air temperatures in UP, BP and T plot, were measured. In addition, at harvest time, weed survey was carried out. The results showed that, in general, the solar radiation and infrared leaf temperature were lower in UP plot than in either the BP and T plots, while the air temperatures were similar in all compared plots. Also the weed cover percentage was lower in the UP plot than other ones. The essential oils yield in the sage, thyme, mint and rosemary plants were higher in both UP and BP plots than for T plot. Thus, shading and/or less weed infestation may have been the main factors favorably influencing the performance of medicinal crops under a dynamic AV system.

Thunderstorms are among the most common and most dangerous meteorological hazards in the world. They cause lightning and can lead to strong wind gusts, squall lines, hail and heavy precipitation combined with flooding, and therefore pose a threat to health and life, can cause enormous property damage and also endanger flight savety. Monitoring and forecast of thunderstorms are therefore important topics. In this work a novel method for the detection and forecast of thunderstorms and strong convection is presented. The detection is based on the global GLD360 lightning data in combination with satellite information from the satellite series Meteosat, HIMAWAARI and GOES, covering the complete geostationary ring. Three severity levels are defined depending on the occurrence of lightning and the brightness temperature difference of the water vapour channels and the infrared window channel (∼ 10.8 μm). The detection of thunderstorms and strong convection is the basis for the nowcasting up to 2 hours, which is performed with the optical flow method TV-L1. This method provides the needed atmospheric motion vectors for the extrapolation of the thunderstorm movement. Both, the validation results as well as the feedback of the customers show the great value of the new NowCastSat-Aviation (NCS-A) method. For example, the Critical Success Index (CSI) is with 0.64 still quite high for the 60 minute forecast of severe thunderstorms. The method is operated 24/7 by the German Weather Service (DWD) and used to provide thunderstorm information to aviation customers and the central weather forecast unit of DWD.

Little is known about fertility preservation within the TGD community. Few receive adequate counseling placing them at risk for decision regret. The goal of this project was to develop, and pilot test the Transgender Fertility Preservation Knowledge Scale (TFPKS) to support the development and evaluation of health education resources. A community engaged; cross sectional retrospective design was used. Participants (n=189) provided information describing demographics, healthcare decision-making preferences, experiences/knowledge of fertility preservation, and treatment decision regret. The sample included 189 TGD adults. Most were white and aged 26-35 (33.3%) and not offered a consultation (73.0%). Many (41.2%) report they would have participated if offered. Knowledge regarding fertility preservation to support this desire was low. Most participants identified a patient-centered (69.4%) decision making preference. Much remains to address the healthcare inequities within the TGD population regarding fertility preservation. Overall participants had low levels of knowledge to support decision making. Further, healthcare system and individual barriers to fertility preservation remain prevalent. A foundational step towards addressing these disparities, is the identification of a valid and reliable instrument to measure TGD knowledge of fertility preservation.

This article investigates the prospect of implementing multidisciplinary and multicultural student teamwork (MMT) involving Case-based Learning (CBL) and Problem-based Learning (PBL) as a sustainable teaching practice. Based on a mixed methods approach, which includes direct observation (both physical and virtual), questionnaire distribution and focus-group interviews the study reveals that MMT through CBL and PBL can both facilitate and hinder sustainable learning. Our findings show that while MMT enhances knowledge sharing, it also poses a wide range of challenges, raising questions about its social significance as a sustainable teaching practice. The study suggests the implementation of certain mechanisms, such as ‘Teamwork Training’ and ‘Pedagogical Mentors’, aiming to strengthen the sustainable orientation of MMT through CBL and PBL.

The ubiquity of mobile sensors (such as GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope) together with increasing computational power have enabled an easier access to contextual information, which proved its value in next generation of the recommender applications. The importance of contextual information has been recognized by researchers in many disciplines, such as ubiquitous and mobile computing, to filter the query results and provide recommendations based on different user status. A context-aware recommendation system (CoARS) provides a personalized service to each individual user, driven by his or her particular needs and interests at any location and anytime. Therefore, a contextual recommendation system changes in real time as a user’s circumstances changes. CoARS is one of the major applications that has been refined over the years due to the evolving geospatial techniques and big data management practices. In this paper, a CoARS is designed and implemented to combine the context information from smartphones’ sensors and user preferences to improve efficiency and usability of the recommendation. The proposed approach combines user’s context information (such as location, time, and transportation mode), personalized preferences (using individuals past behavior), and item-based recommendations (such as item’s ranking and type) to personally filter the item list. The context-aware methodology is based on preprocessing and filtering of raw data, context extraction and context reasoning. This study examined the application of such a system in recommending a suitable restaurant using both web-based and android platforms. The implemented system uses CoARS techniques to provide beneficial and accurate recommendations to the users. The capabilities of the system is evaluated successfully with recommendation experiment and usability test.

In forensic acoustics, a possible area of analysis is represented by unwanted sound that 1 is perceived as a source of intrusion or disturbance within a certain auditory context. This context 2 is defined as the "auditory scene" and refers to the set of sounds present in a specific environment. 3 The presence of unwanted sounds in the auditory scene can cause a wide range of negative effects, 4 including disturbance, discomfort, moral or immoral harm, and other types of negative impact on the 5 health and well-being of individuals exposed to noise. In 2022, the technical specification UNI/TS 6 11844:2022 dedicated to the measurement and analysis of intrusive noise was published. The standard 7 introduces the concept of intrusive noise and defines its calculation methods based on environmental 8 measurements. The purposes of this technical specification is to provide an objective support to 9 methods already in used in acoustic disputes, where the assessment of the annoyance of a noise is 10 often a subjective evaluation of the technician. This work delves into the application to some real 11 cases, identifying the potentiality and the limits of the standardized method.

As the demand for aromatic and medicinal herbs increases, so does the pressure to intensify production, increasing the risk of overexploitation of these natural resources. Sustainability corresponds to the preservation of something that exists in the present and must be maintained in the future, implying accountability and obligation. However, in order to maintain the conditions and essential goods for the survival of future generations, consumers and businesses must commit to sustainable practices. The circular economy is considered one of the solutions to promote a sustainable system and can be defined as a transition from a linear model, where resources are transformed, used and discarded, to a circular (regenerative) model, where materials are reused whenever possible. An ecologically correct approach to waste reuse avoids the negative impacts associated with improper disposal of agro-industrial wastes, such as mass proliferation of microorganisms, production of greenhouse gases, loss of energy potential, and other negative impacts on the environment or human health. The objective of this study is to provide a compilation of good agricultural practices that promote sustainability in the production of medicinal and aromatic herbs, particularly in the areas of cultivation, harvesting, drying, extraction, and packaging, and to highlight the potential for evaluating processing residues in medicinal and aromatic herbs.

There is a growing consensus that culture influences the perception of facial expressions of emotion. However, little is known about whether and how culture shapes the production of emotional facial expressions, and even less so about whether culture differentially shapes the production of posed versus spontaneous expressions. Drawing on prior work on cultural differences in emotional communication, we tested the prediction that people from the Netherlands (a historically heterogeneous culture where people are prone to low-context communication) produce facial expressions that are more distinct across emotions compared to people from China (a historically homogeneous culture where people are prone to high-context communication). Furthermore, we examined whether the degree of distinctiveness varies across posed and spontaneous expressions. Dutch and Chinese participants were instructed to either pose facial expressions of anger and disgust, or to share autobiographical events that elicited spontaneous expressions of anger or disgust. Using the complementary approaches of supervised machine learning and information-theoretic analysis of facial muscle movements, we show that posed and spontaneous facial expressions of anger and disgust were more distinct when produced by Dutch compared to Chinese participants. These findings shed new light on the role of culture in emotional communication by demonstrating, for the first time, effects on the distinctiveness of production of facial expressions.

Aeroponics is a relatively new soilless culture technology, which may produce food in space limited cities or non-arable land with high water use efficiency. The shoot and root growth, root characteristics, mineral contents of two lettuce cultivars were measured in aeroponics, as compared with hydroponics and substrate culture. The results showed that aeroponics remarkably improved the root growth with a significant greater root biomass, root/shoot ratio, and several times higher total root length, root area and root volume. However, the greater root growth did not lead to a better shoot growth compared with hydroponics, due to the limited availability of nutrients and water. It can be concluded that aeroponics systems may be better for high value true root crops production. Further research is necessary to figure out the suitable pressure, droplet size, and misting interval in order to improve the continuously availability of nutrients and water in aeroponics, if it is used to grow crops like lettuce for harvesting above-ground parts.

There is a great interest in finding antioxidants and products with antimicrobial activities from natural sources. The aim of this study was to obtain and identify the phenolic components and organic acids from Camellia oleifera cake. In addition, their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were also investigated. The purity of phenolic components and organic acids obtained were 94.1 ± 0.5% w/w and 96.0 ± 0.3% w/w, respectively. There are 15 phenolic components have been detected and identified by HPLC-ESI-MS. Oxalic, citric, acetic, malic, and succinic acids are found to be major organic acids. The phenolic components and organic acids both had good antioxidant capacity, evaluated by 4 antioxidant activity assays (hydroxyl radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition). In addition, the phenolic components and organic acids exhibited significant inhibitory activity against bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and fungi Mucor racemosus, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus stolonifer. The phenolic components and organic acids from C. oleifera cake both showed good antioxidant capacity and exhibited antimicrobial activities. These results may be useful for the future use of phenolic components and organic acids from C. oleifera cake.

Stratocumulus (Sc) is the most common cloud type in China. Sc clouds may or may not be accompanied by various types of precipitation that are representative of different macro- and microphysical characteristics. The finely resolved CloudSat data products are used in this study to quantitatively investigate the macro- and microphysical characteristics of precipitating and non-precipitating Sc (PS and NPS, respectively) clouds over Eastern China (EC). Based on statistical information extracted from the CloudSat data, Sc clouds are highly likely to occur alone, in association with liquid precipitation, or in association with drizzle over 25.65% of EC. The cloud bases of NPS clouds are higher than those of PS clouds, although the latter display higher cloud top heights and thicker cloud thicknesses. The spatial distributions of microphysical characteristics differ between PS and NPS clouds. The magnitudes of microphysical characteristics in NPS clouds are relatively small and decrease with height, whereas the magnitudes of microphysical characteristics in PS clouds are relatively large and peak in response to certain circulation patterns and over certain terrain. The variations in microphysical characteristics in Sc clouds with height and contoured frequency by altitude diagrams (CFADs) of radar reflectivity may indicate that different microphysical processes operate in PS and NPS clouds. In NPS clouds, hydrometeor particles accumulate by coalescence as they rise; once the particles are too large to be supported by updrafts, the cloud droplets form raindrops. In PS clouds, raindrops increase continuously in size via collision-coalescence processes as they fall. The levels between 2.5 and 3.0 km represent the space where particles grow most rapidly. Particles are affected by updrafts and accumulate at levels between 2.5 and 1.0 km as height decreases.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess unique mechanical, physical, electrical and absorbability properties coupled with their nanometer dimensional scale that renders them extremely valuable for applications in many fields including nanotechnology and chromatographic separation. The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview about the applications of CNTs in chiral and achiral separations of pharmaceuticals, biologics and chemicals. Chiral SWCNTs and MWCNTs have been directly applied for the enantioseparation of pharmaceuticals and biologicals by using them as stationary or pseudostationary phases in chromatographic separation techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and gas chromatography (GC). Achiral MWCNTs have been used for achiral separations as efficient sorbent objects in solid-phase extraction techniques of biochemicals and drugs. Achiral SWCNTs have been applied in achiral separation of biological samples. Achiral SWCNTs and MWCNTs have been also successfully used to separate achiral mixtures of pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Collectively, functionalized CNTs have been indirectly applied in separation science by enhancing the enantioseparation of different chiral selectors whereas, non-functionalized CNTs have shown efficient capabilities for chiral separations by using techniques such as encapsulation or immobilization in polymer monolithic columns.

(1) Background: The aim of study was to investigate the salt consumption by children and adolescents from the Silesian Province (Poland), taking into account the region’s dietary traditions and number of years of school education. (2) Methods : 300 students aged 10–18 from different types of schools, were enrolled in the study and divided into groups in terms of: school, sex, the state of nutrition. The survey questionnaire about dietary habits, including the frequency and serving size with respect to 12 salty products was used. On the basis of the frequency and the amount of consumed products, as well as the data on salt content, the amount of total daily intake of salt was estimated.; (3) Results: The mean daily intake of salt by children and adolescents was 1.083 g ( 0.433 g of sodium); children aged 10–12 consumed the highest amount of salt (1.296 g/day) compared to pupils aged 13–15 (1.131 g of sodium) and adolescents aged 16–18 (0.863 g/day); (4) Conclusions: With age, as a result of various factors, the consumption of salt declines. The parents impact and the familial socio-environmental factors begin to wane, and other factors start to have influence, e.g. school education of healthy lifestyle, health behavior of peers.

New analytical solutions of the heat conduction equation are presented in cylindrical and spherical coordinates. Then these solutions are reproduced with high accuracy by recent explicit and unconditionally stable finite difference methods. After this, real experimental data from the literature regarding a heated cylinder are reproduced by the explicit numerical methods as well as by Finite Element Methods (FEM) ANSYS workbench. Convection and nonlinear radiation are also considered on the boundary of the cylinder, and it is shown that the explicit methods are much more accurate than the commercial software.

The contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the pathophysiology of cerebral aneurysms in monozygotic twins is under-reported and presents ambiguous arguments. The morphology and hemodynamics of neurovascular arteries in a pair of monozygotic twins (MTs) were investigated to reveal the underlying mechanisms. Four arterial models were reconstructed for the twin A-right brain and left brain, twin B-left brain, and B-left brain without anterior cerebral arteries based on preclinical scanned information. Subsequently, the dimensions, configurations and outlined curves of the three-perspective geometries were compared between the MTs. Adopting an in-vitro validated numerical cerebral aneurysm model, hemodynamic patterns were investigated and compared in the MT models, respectively. Morphological comparisons of the MTs show the size and shape of cerebral arteries exist significant differences, despite of the expected genetic similarities. These differences can be attributed to variations during embryological development and external environmental influences. Qualitatively and generally, numerical results indicate the MTs have some hemodynamic similarities (e.g., time-averaged pressure (TAP) distributions (~13400 Pa), and oscillatory shear index (0~0.49), but present significant differences in specific local arteries due to morphological variances. Specifically, the difference in the volumetric blood flow rate in corresponding arteries between the MTs is from 16% (smallest) in anterior choroidal artery (AChA) to 221% (largest) in the ophthalmic artery (OphA), varying with specific compared arteries. Also, the registered hemodynamic indicators, such as the maximum time-averaged wall shear stress (TWSS) (53.6 Pa vs. 37.8 Pa), and different local OSI distributions were observed between the MTs. The findings revealed that morphological variations in MTs could be generated by embryological and environmental factors, thus assuming they share the identical morphology in cardiovascular and neurovascular systems may lead to significant misevaluations in hemodynamics quantifications and further lesions.

Zingiber cassumunar Roxb. is a powerful medicinal plant that has been used as traditional medicine to cure respiratory problems, pain, and inflammation in China, Indonesia, Thailand and other Asian countries by using the crude extracts. The objective of this research is to identify phytochemical composition of Z. cassumunar Roxb. and to analyze antibacterial activity of crude extract, purified compounds, and their microencapsulated products of Rhizome Z. cassumunar Roxb. Identification of phytochemical composition in crude extract of rhizome Z. cassumunar Roxb. was achieved by chromatography-mass spectrophotometer. The major phytochemical composition in crude extract of Z. cassumunar Roxb. is essential oils, including terpinen4-ol (37.7%), β-pinene (20.8%), and (E)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)but-1-ene (13.3%). Crude extract of Z. cassumunar Roxb. was purified with silica gel flash column chromatography, resulting two purified compounds. The antibacterial activity of crude extract, purified compounds, and their microencapsulated products of Rhizome Z. cassumunar Roxb. were evaluated against agricultural and foodborne pathogens by using disc agar diffusion and broth microdilution techniques. All of the samples studied (crude extracts, purified compounds, and microencapsulated of Z. cassumunar Roxb.) were effective against all the bacteria. Based on the results of the disc-diffusion assay suggested that amongst the samples studied, purified compounds (compound 1 and 2) and microencapsulated purified compounds (compound 1 and 2) exhibited more effective against all the bacteria compared to the crude extracts. Antibacterial activity of the rhizome of Z. cassumunar Roxb. was contributed mainly by the essential oils components as the active compounds. Gram-negative bacteria (X. oryzae, X. translucens, Pseudomonas spp, E. coli, and S. typhimurium) appeared to the most resistant to the crude extracts, purified compounds, and microencapsulated of Z. cassumunar Roxb. compared to the gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus, B. cereus, and L. monocytogenes). Microencapsulated of the tested samples (crude extract, purified compound 1, and purified compound 2) of the rhizome Z. cassumunar Roxb. exhibited high antibacterial activity with no significantly different with the tested samples without microencapsulation. These results suggest potential antibacterial properties of Z. cassumunar Roxb., which useful for agricultural plant health, food preservation, natural therapies, and pharmaceuticals.

Globally mangrove forests are substantially declining and a globally synthesized database of the drivers of deforestation and drivers’ interaction is scarce. Here we synthesized the key social-ecological drivers of global mangrove deforestation by reviewing about two hundred published scientific studies over the last four decades (from 1980 to 2021). Our focus was on both natural and anthropogenic drivers with gradual and abrupt impacts and their geographic ranges of effects and how these drivers interact. We also summarized the patterns of global mangrove coverage decline between 1990 and 2020 and identified the threatened mangrove species and their geographic ranges. Our consolidated studies reported a 8,600 km2 decline in the global mangrove coverage between 1990 and 2020 with the highest decline occurring in South and Southeast Asia (3870 km2). We could identify 11 threatened mangrove species, two of which are critically endangered (Sonneratia griffithii and Bruguiera hainseii). Our reviewed studies pointed to aquaculture and agriculture as the predominant driver of global mangrove deforestation though the spatial distribution of their impacts varied. Gradual climate variations, i.e. seal-level rise, long-term precipitation and temperature changes and driven coastline erosion, constitute the second major group of drivers. Our findings underline a strong interaction across natural and anthropogenic drivers with the strongest interaction between the driver groups aquaculture and agriculture and industrialization and pollution. Our results suggest prioritizing globally coordinated empirical studies linking drivers and mangrove changes and a global development of policies for mangrove conservation.

1) Background: A significant proportion of child laborers are compelled to work in exploitative environments, experience both deteriorating health and financial loss. The present study sought to determine the factors affecting child labour and the characteristics of their working environment. 2) Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 80 child labourers aged 5 to 17 years. Alongside descriptive statistics, a newly devised technique known as Influencing Causes Index (ICI) was administered and tested. 3) Results: The startling demographic findings reveal that peak share of child labourers are young children (12-14 years) and 32.5% child laborers had never attended school. The thorough assessment of determinants reflects that not only poverty, but schooling expenses and lack of access opportunity to primary schools are also the top-ranked push factors to trigger children towards labour. Around 72.5% of children work for over 8 hours a day. A significant proportion of participants received no leave, training, or access to hygiene facilities. The existing pattern of employment and working conditions resulted in musculoskeletal pain and dermatological infections among child labourers (p&lt;0.05). 4) Conclusion: This research suggests that income measures for households, and an education programme for both children and parents would expedite the abolition of child labour.

Some of the barriers preventing Virtual Reality (VR) from being widely adopted are the cost and unfamiliarity of VR systems. Here we propose that in many cases the specialized controllers shipped with most VR head-mounted displays can be replaced by a regular smartphone, cutting the cost of the system, and allowing users to interact in VR using a device they are already familiar with. To achieve this, we developed SmartVR Pointer, an approach that uses smartphones as a replacement for the specialized controllers for two essential operations in VR: selection and navigation by teleporting. In SmartVR Pointer a camera mounted on the head-mounted display (HMD) is tilted downwards so that it points to where the user will naturally be holding their phone in front of them. SmartVR Pointer supports three selection modalities: tracker-based,gaze-based, and combined/hybrid. In the tracker-based SmartVR pointer selection we use image-based tracking to track a QR code displayed on the phone screen and them map the phone’s position to a pointer shown within the field of view of the camera in the Virtual Environment. In the gaze-based selection modality the user places the pointer using their gaze and taps on the phone for selection. The combined technique is a hybrid between head-gaze-based interaction in VR and smartphone-based Augmented Reality. It allows the user to control a VR pointer that behaves like a mouse pointer by moving their smartphone to select objects within the virtual environment, and to interact with the selected objects using the smartphone’s touch screen. The touchscreen is used for selection and dragging. SmartVR Pointer is simple and requires no calibration and no complex hardware assembly or disassembly. We demonstrate successful interactive applications of SmartVR Pointer in a VR environment with a demo where the user navigates in the virtual environment using teleportation points on the floor and then solves a Tetris-style key-and-lock challenge.

The growth rate in academic and scientific publications increased very fast. Researchers must choose a good representative and significant literature in publications, which has become challenging worldwide. Usually, the paper citation number indicates this paper's potential influence and importance. However, this standard metric of citation numbers cannot be used as a measurement to judge the popularity and significance of the recently published papers. To address this challenge, this paper presents an effective prediction method called FutureCite to predict the future citation level of research articles. FutureCite combines machine learning with text and graph mining techniques, leveraging their abilities in classification, datasets in-depth analysis, and feature extraction. FutureCite aims to predict future citation levels of research articles applying a multilabel classification approach. FutureCite can extract significant semantic features and capture the interconnection relationships found in scientific articles during feature extraction using textual content, citation networks, and metadata as feature resources. Our goal is to contribute to the advancement of substantial effective approaches impacting the citation counts in scientific publications by enhancing the precision of future citations. We conducted several experiments using a comprehensive publication dataset to evaluate our method and determine the impact of using a variety of machine learning algorithms. FutureCite demonstrated its robustness and efficiency and showed promising results based on different evaluation metrics. Using the FutureCite model has significant implications in improving the researchers' ability to determine targeted literature for their research and better understand the potential impact of research publications.

In response to a threefold increase in osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF) at our institution over the past decade and the subsequent development of new fractures within a year in a third of cases, we evaluated the effectiveness of STIR MRI scans in conjunction with CT scans for initial OVF diagnosis. This study, conducted over five months, involved full spine sagittal STIR MRI scans alongside CT scans for patients over 50 with minor injury-related vertebral fractures. The independent assessments by radiologists and neurosurgeons of 64 patients revealed that while CT scans identified 161 fresh fractures, of which only 68 were previously reported, MRI detected 266 fractures, 1.65 times more than CT. CT scans showed single fractures in 27% of patients and multiple fractures in 73%, whereas MRI identified single fractures in 9% and multiple fractures in 91% of patients. Additionally, MRI demonstrated a 1.5-fold increase in adjacent fracture detection. The use of MRI influenced treatment plans in 67% of cases. Given these findings, we advocate for including a STIR MRI of the entire spine alongside CT scans in OVF cases, as it significantly enhances fracture detection and can alter treatment strategies.

Pressure drop and flow pattern of oil-water flows were investigated in a 19 mm ID clear polyvinyl chloride pipe consisting of U-bend with radius of curvature of 100 mm. The range for oil and water superficial velocities tested were and respectively. Measurements were carried out under different flow conditions in a test section that consisted of four different parts: upstream of the bend, at the bend and at two redeveloping flow locations after the bend. The result indicated that the bend had limited influence on downstream flow patterns. However, the shear forces imposed by the bend caused some shift flow pattern transition and bubble characteristics in the redeveloping flow section after the bend relative to develop flow before the bend. Generally, pressure gradient at all the test sections increased with both oil fraction and water superficial velocity and there was a sharp change of pressure gradient profile during phase inversion. The transition point where phase inversion occurred was always within the range of . Pressure losses differed at the various test sections and the difference was strongly linked to the superficial velocity of the phases and the flow pattern. At high mixture velocity, pressure losses at the redeveloping section after the bend were higher than that at the bend and that for fully developed flows. At low mixture velocity, pressure losses at the bend are higher than in the straight sections. Pressure drop generally decreased with level of flow development downstream of the bend.