Revealing the spatial distribution mechanism of the coupling effect between soil water and salt is essential for managing saline-alkali farmland. This study utilized the multifractal method to analyze soil water and salt under varying water content levels in arid saline-alkali farmland. Soil samples were collected on the second (S1), fifth (S2), eighth (S3), eleventh (S4), and fourteenth (S5) days after a rainfall event. The findings showed that a significant decrease in soil water content, contrasting with an increase in soil salt content throughout the soil layers post-rainfall. As water content decreased, the spatial variability of soil water initially increased from S1-3 and then decreased, while the spatial variability of soil salt decreased. The spatial distribution between soil water and salt exhibited a high correlation at S3-4 (with relative water content of soil ranging from 0.52 to 0.75) due to their coupling effect. However, soil salt was unevenly leached by rainfall at high water content levels (S1-2) and precipitated at low water content levels (S5), resulting in low spatial variability correlations between soil water and salt. This study elucidated the coupling process of soil water and salt, identifying their spatiotemporal distribution mechanism in dryland agricultural areas.

Due to the optical properties of the Electron Transport Layer (ETL) and Hole Transport Layer (HTL), inverted perovskite solar cells can perform better than traditional perovskite solar cells. It is essential to compare both types to understand their efficiencies. In this article, we studied inverted perovskite solar cells with NiOx/CH3NH3Pb3/ETL (ETL = MoO3, TiO2, ZnO) structures. Our results showed that the optimal thickness of NiOx is 80 nm for all structures. The optimal perovskite thickness is 600 nm for solar cells with ZnO and MoO3, and 800 nm for those with TiO2. For the ETLs, the best thicknesses are 100 nm for ZnO, 80 nm for MoO3, and 60 nm for TiO2. We found that the efficiencies of inverted perovskite solar cells with ZnO, MoO3, and TiO2 as ETLs, and with optimal layer thicknesses, are 30.16%, 18.69%, and 35.21%, respectively. These efficiencies are 1.5%, 5.7%, and 1.5% higher than those of traditional perovskite solar cells. Our study highlights the potential of optimizing layer thicknesses in inverted perovskite solar cells to achieve higher efficiencies than traditional structures.

Ovarian cancer is among the most common causes of female mortality. Despite improvements in diagnostic methods, non-specific symptoms and delayed gynecological exams can lead to late-stage ovarian tumor discovery. In this study, the effect of an anti-cancer compound, 3-amino-N-(3-chloro-2-methylphenyl)-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-b]quinoline-2-carboxamide (Compound 1) was examined. Cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and metabolomic changes in ovarian cancer cell lines SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3, as well as glycosphingolipid (GSL) expression, both on cancer stem cells (CSCs), marked as CD49f+ and non-CSCs (CD49f-) were explored. Treatment with Compound 1 reduced the percentage of CSCs compared to non-treated cells (P < 0.001). The expression of eight GSLs on CSCs and non-CSCs was examined using flow cytometry. Both cell lines showed a change in the glycophenotype of the cells, either up or down of its expression, after the treatment. These findings raise the possibility of specifically targeting CSCs in ovarian cancer therapy. Additionally, treatment of Compound 1 resulted in a statistically significant increase in both early and late apoptosis (P<0.001) suggesting a pivotal role in initiating programmed cell death by the apoptotic pathway. The metabolic analysis revealed that the treated cancer cells showed reduced metabolic activity compared to the control group (P < 0.001)

Outliers seriously affect the accuracy in geometric model fitting. Previous works in coping with outliers involve threshold selection and scale estimation. However most scale estimators suppose the inlier distribution as a Gaussian model, which usually poorly meets the cases in geometric model fitting. Outliers, considered as the points with big residuals to all the true models, share common items with big values in quantized residual preferences, thus making the outliers gather away from the inliers in quantized residual preference space. In this paper we make use of this outlier consensus in quantized residual preference space by extending the usage of energy minimization to combine the model error and the spatial smoothness in quantized residual preference space for outlier detection. The energy minimization based outlier detection process follows an alternate sampling and labeling framework. After the outlier detection, an ordinary energy minimization method is employed to optimize the inlier labels, which also follows the framework of alternate sampling and labeling. The experimental results in this study show that the energy minimization based outlier detection method can detect most of the outliers in the data. Furthermore, the proposed energy minimization based inlier segmentation process segments the inliers into different models quite accurately. Overall, the performance of the proposed method is better than most of the state-of-the-art methods.

Balance is important in lifesaving competitions. We aimed to investigate the relationship between dynamic balance and physical function in elite lifesavers by measuring the foot muscle cross-sectional area, ankle joint muscle strength, toe grasp strength, plantar superficial sensation, and dynamic balance. In this observational study, we measured the foot muscle cross-sectional area, ankle dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, external flexion, isometric muscle strength, toe grasp strength, and superficial foot sensation of 15 adult lifesavers (12 males). The results showed that toe grasp strength and ankle plantar flexion isometric muscle strength are particularly important for the dynamic balance function of elite lifesavers working on sandy surfaces. Sand training improves intrinsic muscle training and dynamic balance function. However, high training intensity may cause a decrease in plantar surface sensation, which needs to be verified with sand training interventions in the future.

In the whole world, including Mexico, the rising prevalence of diabetes poses significant challenges to healthcare systems, with a notable impact on hospital admissions even being an ambulatory care sensitive condition, that means, hospital admissions are avoidable. Traditional healthcare methodologies have been instrumental in managing diabetes and preventing complications, yet they often face limitations such as merging, cleansing, and outlier analysis of health data to identify and address diseases effectively. This paper aims to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive comparison of the methodologies used in healthcare and data science for this purpose. This work uses hospital diabetes discharge records from 2010 to 2023, a total of 36,665,793 records, which belong to medical units of the Ministry of Health of Mexico. In this work, we seek to provide the arguments why as a data scientist it is mandatory to learn the field of knowledge of the problem and its implications if this is not done, and therefore to disclose insights that can help in policy decisions and reduce the burden of avoidable hospitalizations. The approach is mainly based on the standardization or adjust rates by sex and age groups. This study provides the foundations for a new way of data scientist must deal with health data.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious condition linked to immune-system dysfunction. Myositis-specific/associated antibodies (MSA/MAA) play a role in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) and interstitial lung disease (ILD), but their significance in PH remains unclear. We believe the presence of these antibodies, may be underestimated. This study analyzed adult PH patients without pre-existing IIM for MSA/MAA prevalence using a line-blot assay. We compared PH patients with and without ILD signs to a cohort clinically suspected of IIM/ILD (n=558). Our PH cohort (n=121) showed a significantly higher prevalence of overall weak positive MSA/MAAs and positive overlap syndrome-associated MAAs than the suspected IIM/ILD group (p

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) is one of the important grain legume crops cultivated in the semi-arid tropics, playing a crucial role in the economic well-being of subsistence farmers. India is the major producer of pigeonpea, accounting for over 75 per cent of the world's production. Sterility mosaic disease (SMD), caused by Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus (PPSMV) and transmitted by the eriophyid mite (Aceria cajani), is a major constraint to pigeonpea cultivation in the Indian subcontinent, leading to potential yield losses of up to 100 per cent. The recent characterization of another Emaravirus associated with SMD has further complicated the etiology of this challenging viral disease. This review focuses on critical areas, including the current status of the disease, transmission and host-range, rapid phenotyping techniques, as well as available disease management strategies. The review concludes with insights into the future prospects, offering an overview and direction for further research and management strategies.

Postprandial plasma glucose between 4 and 7.9 hours is associated with the diagnosis of diabetes, diabetes mortality, and cardiovascular mortality. However, it is unknown whether 2-hour plasma glucose during the oral glucose tolerance test conducted in this postprandial period (4–7.9 hours), termed as 2-h PGOGTT@4–7.9h, can accurately classify diabetes diagnosis and predict mortality risks. This study aimed to address these questions using 2,347 adult participants. Diabetes was defined as HbA1c ≥6.5%, and the ability of 2-h PGOGTT@4–7.9h to classify diabetes was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The results showed that 2-h PGOGTT@4–7.9h could classify diabetes with 92% accuracy. Participants were followed up for a mean of 21.4 years. A 1-natural-log higher 2-h PGOGTT@4–7.9h was associated with an increased risk of mortality from diabetes (adjusted HR, 21.1; 95% CI, 9.2–48.0) and cardiovascular disease (adjusted HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.13–1.91). Simulation analysis indicated that future studies may require at least 100 participants to investigate 2-h PGOGTT@4–7.9h for diabetes diagnosis. In conclusion, 2-h PGOGTT@4–7.9h may be useful for diabetes classification and prediction of mortality risk.

Preventing or treating infections at implantation sites where the risk of bacterial contamination is high requires the development of intelligent drug delivery systems. In this work, honeycomb structures as a potential drug carrier were obtained for the first time in a fast, one-step anodization process of titanium grade 4, lasting only 60 seconds. Fourth generation oxide nanotube layers were obtained from an aqueous solution of 0.5% AgNO3 in the voltage range from 50 to 80 at 15(1) °C. The FE-SEM method showed the length of the oxide nanotubes from 1.02(2) µm at 50 V to 230(8) nm at 80 V. The EDS analysis revealed that during anodizing, silver particles are deposited on the Ti G4 up to 2.2(5) wt.%. Electrochemical measurements by open circuit potential and anodic polarization curves methods proved the improvement of in vitro corrosion resistance as a result of Ti G4 anodizing. Assessment of the anodized Ti G4 as gentamicin sulfate carrier carried out using ATR-FTIR and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy revealed that the obtained oxide nanotube layers can be used for application of drugs directly to the tissue around the implant. This method of application allows full use of the therapeutic dose of the antibiotic used.

1-[5-(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]methanamine compound has been successfully synthesized by reacting p-Toluic hydrazide and glycine via polyphosphoric acid condensation route. The course of the reaction was found to be high yielding and the title compound was spectroscopically characterized by FT-IR, DSC, 13C/1H-NMR and Mass spectrometric techniques.

In patients with heart failure, the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is vital, offering crucial insights into hemodynamic impact and prognostic accuracy. Echocardiography stands as the primary imaging modality for diastolic function assessment, and using it effectively requires a profound understanding of the underlying pathology. This review covers four main topics: first, the fundamental driving forces behind each phase of normal diastolic dynamics, along with the physiological basis of two widely used echocardiographic assessment parameters, E/e' and mitral annulus early diastolic velocity (e'); second, the intricate functional relationship between the left atrium and LV in patients with varying degrees of LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD); third, the role of stress echocardiography in diagnosing LVDD and the significance of parameter changes in this context; and fourth, the clinical utility of evaluating diastolic function from echocardiography images across diverse cardiovascular care areas.

This study finds that in northern Jordan, breeder indicators present challenges to the sustainability and growth of sheep and goat farming, while economic indicators suggest a combination of financial stability alongside hurdles related to profitability and resource ownership. Breeder age plays a role in the management of livestock herds, due to factors such as experience, resources, or adherence to traditional practices. Experience significantly affects breeders' decisions on male insemination replacements, likely due to skill. Crop cultivation influences breeders' returns by reducing feeding costs, while strategic lamb sales management boosts individual animal profitability. Winter raises animal mortality due to cold stress. Other animals in herds increase kid mortality by spreading diseases. Breeder experience significantly affects lamb survival, stressing its role in care. Increasing sheep proportion enhances lamb production and reduces lamb mortality while managing rams and selling lambs positively affects herd health and productivity. A larger goat herd proportion positively correlates with kids sold but inversely with breeding males and overall kids, implying trade-offs affecting herd productivity and mortality rates. Sheep herds (92.5%) show slightly better reproductive success than goats (90.6%), implying superior long-term viability. Flock excels in birth, survival, and sales, but low sheep and lamb%. Improvement is needed for sustainability, and the potential is high. Goat breeding shines in birth, sales, and overall success, but needs attention to kid survival and other sustainability issues. In conclusion, despite challenges, there are promising opportunities to enhance sheep and goat farming in Jordan. Effective management, informed by breeders' experience and economics, is crucial. Empowering small-scale herders and implementing targeted interventions like winter mortality solutions and selective breeding is vital for sustainable growth.

Glycogen storage disorders (GSDs) are a group of inherited metabolic disorders characterized by defects in enzymes involved in glycogen metabolism. Deficiencies in enzymes responsible for glycogen breakdown and synthesis can impair mitochondrial function. For instance, in GSD type II (Pompe disease), acid alpha-glucosidase deficiency leads to lysosomal glycogen accumulation, which secondarily impacts mitochondrial function through dysfunctional mitophagy, which disrupts mitochondrial quality control generating oxidative stress. In GSD type III (Cori disease), the lack of the debranching enzyme causes glycogen accumulation and affects mitochondrial dynamics and biogenesis by disrupting the integrity of muscle fibers. Malfunctional glycogen metabolism can disrupt various cascades thus causing mitochondrial and cell metabolic dysfunction through various mechanisms. These dysfunctions include altered mitochondrial morphology, impaired oxidative phosphorylation, increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and defective mitophagy. The oxidative burden typical of GSDs compromises mitochondrial integrity and exacerbates the metabolic derangements observed in GSDs. The intertwining of mitochondrial dysfunction and GSDs underscores the complexity of these disorders and has significant clinical implications. GSD patients often present with multisystem manifestations, including hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, and muscle weakness, which can be exacerbated by mitochondrial impairment. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the progression of GSD-related complications, such as cardiomyopathy and neurocognitive deficits. Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction thus represents a promising therapeutic avenue in GSDs. Potential strategies include antioxidants to mitigate oxidative stress, compounds that enhance mitochondrial biogenesis, and gene therapy to correct the underlying mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of GSDs. Recognizing and addressing this aspect can lead to more comprehensive and effective treatments, improving the quality of life of GSD patients. This review aims to elaborate on the intricate relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and various types of GSDs. The review presents challenges and treatment options for several GSD

Abstract: A biomaterial is proposed for closing extensive bone defects in the maxillofacial region. The composition of the biomaterial includes high-molecular chitosan, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronate, heparin, alginate and inorganic nanostructured hydroxyapatite. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate morphological and histological early signs of reconstruction of a bone cavity of critical size. The studies were carried out on 84 white female rats weighing 200-250 g. The study group consisted of 84 subjects in total, 40 in the experimental group and 44 in the control group. In all animals, three-walled bone defects measuring 0.5 x 04 x 05 cm were applied subperiosteally in the region of the angle of the lower jaw and filled in experimental group using lyophilized gel mass of chitosan-alginate-hydroxyapatite (CH-SA-HA). In control animals, the bone cavities were filled with an auto-blood clot after bone trepanation and bleeding. The observation periods are 3.5.7 days, 2.3.4.6.8 and 10 weeks. The control of bone regeneration was carried out using multiple morphological and histological analyses. Results showed that following implantation the chitosan construct actively replaced early-stage defects with the formation of a full-fledged new bone tissue as compared to the control group. Already, by the 7th day morphological analysis showed that formation of spongy bone tissue could be seen. After 2 weeks there was a pronounced increase in bone volume (P<0.01), and at 6 weeks after surgical intervention the closure of the defect was 70-80%, after 8 weeks - 100% without violation of bone morphology with a high degree of mineralization. Thus, the use of modified chitosan after filling eliminates bone defects of a critical size in the maxillofacial region, reveals early signs of bone regeneration, and serves as a promising material in reconstructive dentistry.

The research objects are the tax and budgetary policies of the Russian Federation. In this research, financial (budgetary) risks are understood as a decrease in the balance of the state (national) budget resulting from a reduction in revenues or an increase in expenditures. This research considers production in the main sectors of the economy as a key factor of financial risk in the COVID-19 pandemic. The research aims to analyze the main directions of the budgetary and tax policy of the Russian Federation aiming at supporting the economy and the population during the spread of COVID-19, which is especially relevant in connection with the expected recession in a number of sectors of the economy and a decrease in the level of employment and, accordingly, the well-being of citizens. In these conditions, it is necessary to adjust the budgetary and tax policy to preserve the state’s social obligations and expand social and economic support for businesses and citizens to smooth out the negative consequences of the impact of restrictive measures. The authors applied systemic and institutional approaches and statistical methods. The main results of the research reflect the need to (1) implement support measures (tax and budgetary incentives) for small and medium-sized enterprises, on which the crisis provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic has had the most destructive impact, and (2) to expand the volume of budgetary financing of social programs for financial risk management of the Russian economy during the COVID-19 pandemics.

Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising immunotherapy approach for cancer treatment, utilizing viruses to preferentially infect and eliminate cancer cells while stimulating immune responses. In this review we synthesize current literature on the molecular circuits of immune sensing and response to oncolytic virotherapy; focusing on viral DNA or RNA sensing by infected cells, cytokine and danger-associated signal sensing by neighboring cells, and subsequent downstream activation of immune pathways. The sequential sense-and-response mechanisms involve the triggering of molecular sensors by viruses or infected cells to activate transcription factors and related genes for a breadth of immune responses. We describe how molecular signals induced in the tumor upon virotherapy can trigger diverse immune signaling pathways, activating both antigen-presenting cell-based innate and T cell-based adaptive immune responses. Insights into these complex mechanisms provide valuable knowledge for enhancing oncolytic virotherapy strategies.

Abstract: Microstructural and mechanical properties of the eutectic Sn58Bi and micro-alloyed Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag solder alloys were compared. With the addition of Ag micro-alloy, the tensile strength was improved and this is attributed to a combination of microstructure refinement and an Ag3Sn precipitation hardening mechanism. However, ductility is slightly deteriorated due to the brittle nature of the Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Additionally, a board level reliability study of Ag micro-alloyed Sn58Bi solder joints produced utilising a surface-mount technology (SMT) process, were assessed under accelerated temperature cycling (ATC) conditions. Results reveal that micro-alloyed Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag has a higher characteristic lifetime with a narrower failure distribution. This enhanced reliability corresponds with improved bulk mechanical properties. It is postulated that Ag3Sn IMCs are located at the Sn-Bi phase boundaries and suppress the solder microstructure from coarsening during the temperature cycling, hereby extending the time to failure.

The main proteinase (Mpro), or 3CLpro, is a critical enzyme in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lifecycle and is responsible for breaking down and releasing vital functional viral proteins crucial for virus development and transmission. As a catalytically active dimer, its dimerization interface has become an attractive target for antiviral drug development. Recent research has extensively investigated the enzymatic activity of Mpro, focusing on its role in regulating the coronavirus replication complex and its significance in virus maturation and infectivity. Computational investigations have identified four druggable pockets, suggesting potential allosteric sites beyond the substrate-binding region. Empirical validation through site-directed alanine mutagenesis targeted residues in both the active and allosteric regions corroborated these predictions. Structural studies of drug target proteins can inform therapeutic approaches, with metadynamics simulations shedding light on the role of H163 in regulating Mpro function and providing insights into its dynamic equilibrium to the wild-type enzyme. Despite the efficacy of vaccines and drugs in mitigating SARS-CoV-2 spread, ongoing viral evolution, selective pressures, and continued transmission pose challenges, potentially leading to resistance mutations. Phylogenetic analyses indicated the existence of several resistance variations predating drug introduction to the human population, emphasizing the likelihood of drug spread. Hydrogen/deuterium-exchange mass spectrometry reveals the structural influence of the mutation, while clinical trials on 3CLPro inhibitors underscore the clinical significance of reduced enzymatic activity and offer avenues for future therapeutic exploration. Understanding the implications of 3CLPro mutations holds promise for shaping forthcoming therapeutic strategies against COVID-19. This review delves into factors influencing mutation rates and identifies areas warranting further investigation, providing a comprehensive overview of Mpro mutations, their categorization, and terminology. Moreover, we examined their associations with clinical outcomes, illness severity, unresolved issues, and future research prospects, including their impact on vaccine efficacy and potential therapeutic targeting.

A new one-pot technique for preparation of polysaccharide-based Pd- and Pd-Ag nanocatalysts by sequential supporting natural polymer (2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), chitosan (Chit), pectin (Pec)) and metals on zinc oxide was developed. The nanocatalysts based on polysaccharide were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), infrared spectroscopy (IRS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and elemental analysis methods. The catalyst characterization results indicated complete adsorption of polysaccharide and metal ions on zinc oxide, forming polymer-stabilized Pd nanoparticles of ~2 nm in size, evenly distributed on the support surface. The catalysts were studied in the hydrogenation of 2-hexyn-1-ol under mild conditions (0.1 MPa, 40 °C). The catalysts demonstrated nearly the same conversion of 2-hexyn-1-ol. The selectivity to cis-hexen-1-ol of the catalysts decreases in the following order: 0.5%Pd-Ag(3:1)HEC/ZnO>0.5%Pd-Ag(3:1)Pec/ZnO>0.5%Pd-Ag(3:1)Chit/ZnO. The optimum reaction temperature and catalyst loading for the Pd-Ag catalysts modified with HEC and Chit have been determined (40 °C, 0.05 g).

Globalization and digitalization have been associated with a number of challenges and opportunities. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the impact of globalization and digitization on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide recommendations for achieving sustainable development. The study used a multidisciplinary approach that combined diverse research methods. This included a literature review, case studies, and empirical research findings. The findings suggest that while globalization has had both positive and negative impacts on the SDGs, it also poses challenges to social and environmental sustainability. Globalization's impact on sustainable development goals is complex and multifaceted, requiring policymakers to implement diverse measures to mitigate negative effects and promote sustainable development, particularly in less developed regions and marginalized communities. In conclusion, this chapter highlights the need for a coordinated and holistic approach to sustainable development that prioritizes the Sustainable Design Goals in policy and decision-making.

(1) Background: Truing to find a fast and representative method for the approximate calculation of the culture density and the cell content of useful pigments, the examination of the absorption spectra of cultures of the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae, the haptophyte Isochrysis galbana, the chlorophyte Nephroselmis sp. and the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. were chosen, as representative species of different taxa. (2) Methods: The experimental cultures were made in small volumes with the discontinuous method, under specific conditions each one and during the culture the absorption spectra, the density of the culture and the concentration in the pigments chlorophyll, total carotenoids and phycocyanin was recorded. (3) Results: The algal density can be quite precisely predicted as the regression equation of the correlation of the OD value of 750 nm drawn from each absorption spectrum and the measured algal biomass was very strong. The same applies also for the relevant correlations between OD 750 nm and the recorded pigments. (4) Conclusions: Absorption spectra of microalgal cultures can be an easy, low cost and non-invasive method to get the necessary information for predicting the right time to collect an ideal combination of maximum biomass and useful pigments, provided that the interpretation of the spectra is done considering that they are usefully applicable for that purpose in a case sensitive manner in terms of species and prevailing conditions.

This study aims to establish a link between disturbances in the night sleep habitus, quality of sleep, and daytime sleepiness in adolescents with Internet addiction and different types of content consumed. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study of a school sample in three large cities in Central Siberia. 4,615 schoolchildren of 12–18 years old were examined. The Russian-language versions of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale, the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents, and the Social Media Disorder Scale were used to identify Internet addiction. Questions from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire were used to assess nighttime sleep. Daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale questionnaire. Results: Adolescents with Internet addiction go to bed and wake up late; they are characterized by a decrease in the duration of nighttime sleep, an increase in sleep onset latency, and frequent nighttime awakenings, as well as more pronounced daytime sleepiness. Among the sleep parameters studied, the indicators of daytime sleepiness and night awakening scales have the highest effect size in Internet-addicted adolescents, regardless of the media consumed. Conclusion: Internet-addicted adolescents are characterized by significant disturbances in the quality of nighttime sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness, which requires appropriate psychological correction.

Snakebite envenomation remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in rural populations. This study aimed to identify factors associated with complications from snakebite envenomation reported in health facilities in the Cascades region of Burkina Faso. This cross-sectional study used routine data of patients admitted for snakebite envenomation in five health facilities between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021. Data were collected on sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic characteristics of patients showing signs of envenomation. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with complications. Among the 846 patients with envenomation, 355 (42%) experienced complications. Local complications at the bite site included wounds (21.5%) and skin necrosis (12.5%). Systemic complications included hemorrhage (30.5%), shock (16.3%), and coma (4.3%), with a mortality rate of 3.2%. Factors significantly associated with complications were rural residence (AOR: 4.80; 95% CI: 2.21-11.4), incision at the bite site (AOR: 4.31; 95% CI: 2.51-7.52), tourniquet application (AOR: 5.52; 95% CI: 1.42-30.8), bleeding (AOR: 14.2; 95% CI: 8.80-23.4), abnormal vital signs (AOR: 14.3; 95% CI: 9.22-22.7), and non-administration of antivenom serum (AOR: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.8-4.8). These findings highlight the importance of antivenom availability and public awareness to reduce complications from snakebite envenomation.

The rapid advancement of large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, has revolutionized natural language processing, enabling these models to generate coherent and contextually relevant text. These capabilities hold significant potential for various applications, particularly in the medical field. LLMs can assist healthcare professionals by providing accurate information, supporting diagnostic processes, and enhancing medical education. However, the implementation of LLMs in clinical settings faces several barriers, including technical limitations, ethical concerns, regulatory constraints, and practical challenges. Ensuring accuracy, reliability, and interpretability is crucial, along with addressing biases, ensuring data privacy, and establishing ethical guidelines. Future research should focus on improving training techniques, developing explainable AI methods, and creating efficient, resource-saving models. Expanding applications through domain-specific models and multi-modal integration can further unlock the potential of LLMs. By addressing these challenges and prioritizing responsible development, LLM technology can be safely and effectively integrated into various domains, driving innovation and improving outcomes. This paper explores the current state of LLM technology, its medical applications, barriers to implementation, and directions for future research and development

With a view to understand and resolve the complexity of the food matrix, ohmic technologies alone or in combination were extensively employed. In this sense, the newest developments and advances of proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics whith their unique benefits could simplify and understand the link between physiological and pathological activities in biology, physiology, pathology, and food science and processing. This review aims to briefly introduce the basis of proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, then expansively review their impact on the assessment of meat quality and safety. Here, also, we discuss the application of proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics for the authentication and adulteration of meat and meat derivatives from different sources, and provides some perspectives regarding the use of emerging techniques such as rapid mass spectrometry (MS) and non-invasive measurements for the analysis of meat quality and safety. This paper summarizes all significant investigation in these matters, and underlines the advances in analytical chemistry technologies and meat science areas. By emphasizing the requirement for additional examinations, this paper attempts a comprehensive knowledge of “foodomics” and their potential to improve their employment in meat science.

Scheduling and optimization have a central place in the research area of computing because it is increasingly important to achieve fully automated production processes to adjust manufacturing systems to the requirements of Industry 4.0. In this paper, we demonstrate how an automated wet-etch scheduling problem for a semiconductor industry can be solved by constraint answer set programming (CASP) and, its solver called clingcon. The considered scheduling problem includes a robot for lot transfers between the baths. CASP is a hybrid approach in automated reasoning that combines different research areas such as answer set programming, Constraint Processing and Satisfiability Modulo Theories. For a long time, exact methods such as constraint programming have displayed difficulties in solving real large-scale problem instances. Currently, the performance of state-of-the-art constrains solvers is comparatively better than a decade ago, and some complex combinatorial problems can be optimally solved. These theoretical and technical achievements open new horizons for declarative programming applications such as logistics. A successful solution to this problem is achieved and we found that in most cases tested, CASP is faster and obtains in most cases similar makespan values than solutions based on mixed integer linear programming and constraint paradigms.

Hereditary polyposis syndromes are rare but potentially devastating conditions which require multidisciplinary care from an early age. Societal guidelines serve as the framework for disease diagnosis, surveillance and treatment. Guidelines are based on expert opinion and ideally are evidence-based; however, recommendations may vary among different societies and can result in discordant care. This paper aims to summarize key differences in management based on societal guidelines for pediatric polyposis syndromes and identify some of the factors which may contribute to divergence in care.

Particle-mediated elasticity/viscoelasticity imaging has potential to expand the elasticity imaging field, as it can provide accurate and local tissue elastic properties as well as density, Poisson’s ratio, and viscosity. Here, we investigated elasticity imaging based on the use of small particles located within the tissue and at the tissue interface exposed to a static and dynamic external load. First, we discuss elasticity/viscoelasticity imaging methods based on the use of particles (bubbles and rigid spheres) located within the tissue. Elasticity/viscoelasticity imaging techniques based on the use of particles (bubbles, rigid and soft spheres) located at the tissue interface are then presented. Based on new advances, we updated some of the models for the responses of the particles located within the tissue and at the tissue interface available in the literature. Finally, we compared the mathematical models for the particles located within the tissue and at the tissue interface and evaluated the elasticity/viscoelasticity imaging methods based on the use of small particles. Therefore, instead of the use of the term elasticity imaging, we suggest the use of the term viscoelasticity imaging.

Background Neisseria gonorrhoeae can acquire antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from other Neisseria spp. such as commensals like Neisseria subflava. The prevalence of Neisseria subflava in the oropharynx is close to 100%. Low doses of antimicrobials in food could select for AMR in N. subflava, which could then be transferred to N. gonorrhoeae. In this study, we aimed to determine the lowest concentration of ciprofloxacin that can induce ciprofloxacin resistance (minimum selection concentration – MSC) in N. subflava. Methods Neisseria subflava Co000790/2 was serially passaged on GC agar plates containing ciprofloxacin concentrations ranging from 1:100- to 1:10,000-below its ciprofloxacin MIC (0.006 µg/ml) for six days. Results After 6 days of serial passaging at ciprofloxacin concentrations 1/100th of the MIC, 24 colonies emerged on the 0.06 µg/ml ciprofloxacin plate. Their ciprofloxacin MICs were between 0.19 to 0.25 µg/ml, and whole genome sequencing revealed a missense mutation T91I in the gyrA gene, which has previously been found to cause reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. Conclusion The N. subflava MSCde novo was determined to be 0.06 ng/mL or 1:100 below the MIC. The implications of this finding are that the low concentrations of antibiotics found in certain environmental samples and even the food we eat may be able to select for ciprofloxacin resistance in N. subflava.

Summary— Introduction: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks and destroys one type of white blood cell in particular, the CD4 lymphocytes, which are responsible for the body's immune response. This weakens the immune system to such an extent that it can no longer fight other viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi and tumours. Methods: We investigated the potential biological role of the natural compound Polydatin (or piceid) using SwissDock, a web service to predict the molecular interactions that can occur between a target protein and a small molecule. Discussion: For the first time, we have investigated the role of polydatin against HIV-1 protease and HIV-2 protease through a computational approach by comparing their estimated ΔG values (kcal/mol) and the nature of the interactions between the residues in the catalytic centre of the HIV proteases.Conclusion: From these simulations, Polydatin has excellent physical properties and an excellent estimated ΔG value (kcal/mol) of about -9.9 kcal/mol against HIV-2 protease and ΔG value (kcal/mol) of about -9.5 kcal/mol against HIV-1 protease. In addition, Polydatin was able to bind to two key amino acids of the catalytic triad sequence common to asparagine proteases (Asp25 and Gly27)

It is known that complexes based on natural polysaccharides are able to eliminate bone defects. Prolonged hyperglycemia means low bone regeneration and a chronic inflammatory response. The purpose of the study was to increase the efficiency of early bone formation in a cavity of critical size in diabetes mellitus in the experiment. The polyelectrolyte complex contains high molecular ascorbate of chitosan, chondroitin sulfate, sodium hyaluronate, heparin, adgelon serum growth factor, sodium alginate and amorphous nanohydroxyapatite (CH-SA-HA). Studies were conducted on 5 groups of white female Wistar rats: group 1 - regeneration of a bone defect in healthy animals under a blood clot; group 2 - regeneration of a bone defect under a blood clot in animals with diabetes mellitus; group 3 - bone regeneration in animals with diabetes mellitus after filling the bone cavity with a collagen sponge; group 4 - filling of a bone defect with a CH-SA-HA construct in healthy animals; Group 5 - filling of a bone defect CH-SA-HA in animals with diabetes mellitus. Implantation of the CH-SA-HA construct into bone cavities in type I diabetic rats can accelerate the rate of bone tissue repair. The inclusion of modifying polysaccharides and apatite agents in the construction may be a prospect for further improvement of the properties of implants.

p-type Ag-N dual acceptor doped ZnO thin films with long electrical stability were deposited by DC magnetron reactive co-sputtering technique. After deposition, the films were annealed at 400 °C for one hour in a nitrogen-controlled atmosphere. The deposited films were amorphous. However, after annealing they crystallize in the typical hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. The Ag-N dual acceptors were incorporated substitutionally in the structure of zinc oxide and achieving that the three samples presented the p-type conductivity in the ZnO. Initial electrical properties showed a low resistivity of from 1 to10^{−3} Ω.cm, Hall mobility of tens cm2/V.s and a hole concentration from 10^{17} to 10^{19} cm^{−3}. The electrical stability analysis reveals that the p-type conductivity of the ZnO:Ag,N films is very stable and does not revert to n-type, even after 36 months of aging. These results reveal the feasibility of using these films for applications in short-wavelength or transparent optoelectronic devices.

Melittin, a natural antimicrobial peptide, displays a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, which has caused increasing attention as a potential antibiotic alternative. However, melittin has not been used widely at present due to its high hemolysis and low proteolytic stability. In this study, N-terminal fatty acid was conjugated to melittin to develop new melittin-derived lipopep-tides (MDLs) for improving the limitation of melittin. Our results showed that, the antimicrobial activity of MDLs was increased by 2 to 16 times compared with native melittin, and the stability of these MDLs against trypsin and pepsin degradation was increased by 50 to 80%. Besides, the hemolytic of the MDLs decreased when the length of the carbon chain of fatty acids exceeded 10. Among them, the newly designed analog Mel-C8 showed optimal antimicrobial activity and protease stability. The antimicrobial mechanism studied revealed that the MDLs showed a rapid bactericidal effect by interacting with LPS or LTA and penetrating the bacterial cell membrane. In conclusion, we designed and synthesized a new class of MDLs with potent antimicrobial activity, high proteolytic stability, and low hemolysis through N-terminal fatty acid conjugation.

Powerful emitters of the ultraviolet C (UVC) light in the wavelength range of 230-280nm are necessary for the development of effective and safe optical disinfection technologies, high-sensitive optical spectroscopy and non-line-of-sight optical communication. This review considers such UVC-emitters with electron-beam pumping of heterostructures with quantum wells in the (Al,Ga)N material system. The important advantages of these emitters include the absence of the critical problem of p-type doping and the possibility of achieving record (up to several tens of watts for peak values) output optical power values in the UVC range. The review consistently considers about a decade of world experience in the implementation of various UV emitters with various types of thermionic, field-emission, and plasma-cathode electron guns (sources) used to excite various designs of active (light-emitting) regions in heterostructures with quantum wells AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN (x = 0 − 0.5, y = 0.6 − 1) fabricated either by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition or by plasma-activated molecular beam epitaxy. Special attention is paid to the production of heterostructures with multiple quantum wells/two-dimensional(2D) quantum disks GaN/AlN with a monolayer (1ML ~ 0.25nm) thickness, which ensures a high internal quantum efficiency of radiative recombination in the UVC range, low elastic stresses in heterostructures, and a high output UVC-optical powers.

: Shear-wave elastography (SWE) has become popular in clinical practice for many diseases.However, there are not adequate research for spleen-related diseases.This study aimed to investigate the potential of quantitative values obtained through SWE in evaluating spleen pathologies in the pediatric population and to demonstrate its perfomance to differentiate splenomegaly-related diseases.Research group retrospectively included children with pathological diagnoses related to spleen from November 2016 to April 2021 and they were categorized three groups as portal hypertension (PH), benign lymphoid hyperplasia (BLH), malignant infiltration (MI).Spleen sizes and parenchymal stiffness were also calculated for each group.Subsequently, mean spleen stiffness in each compared with normal values within the same age group.In total 2781 children (1379 children for study group, 1402 children for control group) were enrolled to the study.The highest stiffness were observed in the PH group, which is statistically higher than others (p&lt;0.05). Although the mean spleen stiffness in the group with BLH was higher than the control and MI group, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.08).The mean stiffness in the group with MI was significantly lower than both the control group (p=0.005) and PH (p=0.01).In conclusion, using SWE in the differential diagnosis of etiologies causing splenomegaly, could make important contribution.

Enteroviruses (EV) are important pathogens causing human disease with various clinical manifestations. To date, treatment of enteroviral infections is mainly supportive since no vaccination or antiviral drugs are approved for their prevention or treatment. Here, we describe the antiviral properties and mechanisms of action of leucoverdazyls - novel heterocyclic compounds with antioxidant potential. The lead compound, 1a, demonstrated low cytotoxicity along with high antioxidant and virus-inhibiting activity. A viral strain resistant to 1a was selected, and the development of resistance was shown to be accompanied by mutation of virus-specific non-structural protein 2C. This resistant virus had lower fitness when grown in cell culture. Taken together, our results demonstrate high antiviral potential of leucoverdazyls as novel inhibitors of enterovirus replication and support previous evidence of an important role of 2C proteins in EV replication.

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland initiated by pathogenic bacteria. In fact, mastitis is the second most important reason for the culling of cows from dairy herds, after infertility. In this review we focus on various forms of mastitis, including subclinical and clinical mastitis. We also stress the importance of the dry-off period as an important time when pathogenic bacteria might start their insult to the mammary gland. An important part of the review is the negative effects of mastitis on milk production and composition, as well as economic consequences for dairy farms. The two most important groups of bacteria that are involved in infection of the udder, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, are also discussed. Although all cows have both innate and adaptive immunity against most pathogens, some are more susceptible to the disease than others. That’s why we summarize the most important components of innate and adaptive immunity so that the reader understands the specific immune responses of the udder to pathogenic bacteria. One of the most important sections of this review is interrelationship of mastitis with other diseases, especially retained placenta, metritis and endometritis, ketosis, and laminitis. Is mastitis the cause or the consequence of this disease? Finally, the review concludes with treatment and preventive approaches to mastitis.

Pandemics, and other risk-related contexts, require dynamic changes in behavior as situations develop. Human behavior is influenced by both explicit (cognitive) and implicit (intuitive) factors. In this study, we used psychological distance as a lens to understand what influences our decision-making with regards to risk in the context of COVID-19. The study was based on the rationale that our relational needs are more concrete to us than the risk of the virus. First, we explored the impact of social-psychological distance on participants’ risk perceptions and behavioral willingness. As hypothesized, we found that close social relationships of agents promoted willingness to engage in risky behavior. In the second phase, we tested an intervention designed to increase the concreteness of information about virus transmission as a mechanism to mitigate the bias of social influence. We found that the concreteness intervention resulted in significantly reduced willingness to engage in risky behavior. As such, communications aimed at changing the behavior of citizens during times of increased risk or danger, should consider conceptually concrete messaging when communicating complex risk, and hence may provide a valuable tool in promoting health-related behavior.

This paper examines the transformation of the Ukrainian stock market by analyzing daily returns from the PFTS stock index spanning 1995-2022. Segmented into sub-periods, it tests the hypothesis that the market's efficiency has grown over time. Various data properties, including persistence, volatility, normality, and resistance to anomalies, are explored using different statistical techniques and methods. Volatility, indicated by standard deviation, exhibits a general decreasing trend, suggesting a shift towards a more efficient market. Returns show no significant differences across sub-periods, except for 2005-2007. R/S analysis indicates the decrease of persistence in the market: a trend towards increased efficiency. Normality tests support a normal distribution of daily returns throughout sub-periods. An analysis of anomalies reveals the market's resilience to day-of-the-week effects, with no specific trends observed. The results suggest the absence of serious changes in data properties in the Ukrainian stock market over the time, means evolutionary processes over 25 years can’t be clearly observed. Reforms and changes have had limited impact, justifying continued reform for the market's evolution.

Objective: To explore the hot spots and development trends of community public health research. Methods: The literature related to this topic was searched in CNKI and PubMed databases, and the trend map of the number of articles was drawn according to the obtained data. The included literature were analyzed with Vosviewer software for keyword and author co-occurrence, and CiteSpace 6.3.R1 Basic software was used for mechanism co-occurrence, key emergence and clustering analysis, and timeline distribution map drawing. Results: 189 Chinese literature and 77 English literature were selected. The Chinese literature focused on “community public health service, emergency management, and community governance”, and the research trend was “community public health emergency management and community governance”; English literature focuses on “nursing education, health education, human qualitative research”. Conclusion: Although the Chinese and English literature shows that scholars in this field have different emphases, the primary community health is the key and difficult point to realize the national public health service project, and improving the basic public health service in the primary community is related to the health of all the people, so it is very important.

Hydroalcoholic extracts from Malbec and Torrontés wine pomace (Vitis vinifera L.) originating from the high-altitude vineyards of Argentina's Calchaquí Valleys were characterized. Total phenolics, hydroxycinnamic acids, orthodiphenols, anthocyanins, non-flavonoid phenolics, total flavonoids, flavones/flavonols, flavanones/dihydroflavonols, and tannins were quanti-fied through spectrophotometric methods, with Malbec extract exhibiting higher concentra-tions in most of phytochemical groups when compared to Torrontés. HPLC-DAD identified more than 30 phenolic compounds in both extracts. Malbec displayed superior antiradical ac-tivity (ABTS cation, nitric oxide, and superoxide anion radicals), reduction power (iron, copper and phosphomolybdenum), hypochlorite scavenging, and iron chelating ability, compara-tively to Torrontés. The cytotoxicity assessments revealed that Torrontés affected the viability of HT29-MTX and Caco-2 colon cancer cells by 70% and 50%, respectively, at the highest tested concentration (1 mg/mL). At the same time, both extracts did not demonstrate acute toxicity in Artemia salina or in red blood cell assays at 500 µg/mL. Both extracts inhibited the lipoxygen-ase enzyme, with Malbec also reducing the tyrosinase activity and neither inhibited the xan-thine oxidase. The substantial phenolic content and diverse biological activities in Calchaquí Valleys' pomaces underline their potentialities to be valorized for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.

The present study describes the preparation of a composite material consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane-poly (n-isopropylacrylamide) (TPU-PNIPAM), which was employed for the se-lective adsorption separation of alcohol/water mixed solutions for the first time. The findings revealed that TPU and PNIPAM were interconnected through interchain hydrogen bonding, resulting in exposed hydrophobic isopropyl groups while covering the hydrophilic hydrogen bond sites. Selective separation of alcohols from alcohol/water mixed solutions occurred via London dispersion forces between alkyl groups. Increasing the PNIPAM load on the TPU surface led to a decrease in available hydrogen bond sites capable of bonding with water molecules, an increase in dispersible isopropyl groups interacting with alcohol alkyl groups, and enhanced selective adsorption capacity of TPU-PNIPAM towards alcohol/water mixed solutions. Moreover, TPU-PNIPAM exhibited a characteristic fast-slow-fast-equilibrium ad-sorption curve for different initial concentrations of alcohol/water mixtures, and its selective adsorption capacity increased when temperature reached 55℃. In addition to these general trends, under identical conditions, the selective adsorption capacity of TPU-PNIPAM gradually increased by methanol < ethanol < isopropyl alcohol < propyl alcohol, thus indicating a positive correlation between selectivity performance and hydrophobicity level.

The seasonal and vertical spatial variation characteristics of total N, NH4+—N and NO3-—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest at different stand ages were studied. The results showed that: (1) NH4+ —N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest was positively correlated with sample date, soil NO3-—N and forest age (P <0.05), and negatively correlated with soil depth (P < 0.01). NO3-—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest was negatively correlated with sample date and forest age (P < 0.05), and significantly negatively correlated with soil depth (P < 0.01); (2) the content of NH4+—N is greater than that of NO3-—N in each soil layer of Picea mongolica forest at three forest ages. The correlation analysis showed which had an impact on the content of NH4+—N and NO3-—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest. The content was lower in February and November, and higher in May and August；(3) The contents of total N, NH4+—N and NO3-—N in the soil of Picea mongolica forest in the three forest ages increased with the depth of soil layer (0-50cm), and showed an overall downward trend. The contents of NH4+—N in the soil layer of young forest (0-10cm, 10-20cm and 20-30cm, 30-40cm and 40-50cm) were significantly different (P＜0.05), and the contents of NO3-—N were also significantly different (P＜0.05), while their contents of middle-aged forest and near mature forest increased with the depth of soil layer, There was no significant difference in the content of NH4+—N; (4) The content of NH4+—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest generally showed the following change trend near mature forest > middle-aged forest > young forest. The change trend of soil NO3-—N content is consistent with that of the content of NH4+—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest.

N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a sulfhydryl-containing compound, is mainly used as a mucolytic and as an antidote for acetaminophen overdose. Flow injection and sequential injection systems were designed and optimized with the aim of providing precise, accurate and reliable flow methods for NAC determination in pharmaceuticals with very low sample and reagent consumption. Proposed methods are based on a redox reaction wherein NAC reduces a complex of Cu(II) and bathocuproine disulfonate (BCS) to orange [Cu(BCS)2]3– complex, which absorption was measured at λmax = 483 nm. The optimized FIA and SIA configuration yielded a linear calibration curve with correlation coefficients (R2 = 0.9999 and R2 = 0.9996) in the concentration range of 3.0 × 10–7 – 3.0 × 10–5 mol L–1 and analytical frequency of 120 h–1 for the FIA method and 4.0 × 10–7 – 4.0 × 10–5 mol L–1, at sampling rate 60 h–1 for the SIA method. The proposed flow methods were successfully applied for the determination of NAC in pharmaceutical products, as the results showed good agreement with the standard method prescribed by Pharmacopoeia. Recoveries were in the range from 98.4% to 101.9% for the FIA method and from 97.2% to 101.8% for the SIA method.

Climate change refers to a wide range of changes due to unstructured economic and human activities that impact the well-being status of all living and non-living things. Many adaptation and mitigation strategies focus on climate change solutions, at the center of which is the replacement of fossil fuels or other conventional energy sources with renewables. Mainly this is a contemporary issue for economies that seek ways to grow sustainably, such as developing countries. The purpose of the present study is to review how these renewable sources might have brought benefits for environmental improvement efforts within intense economic activities. Our effort targets the case of China since its efforts for transmission to a low-carbon country attract the world's research interest, given its significance in the global economic system. Mainly, this study’s attempt is based on searching relevant literature for potential changes in limiting greenhouse and carbon dioxide emissions toward China’s economic development status. The results of this study aim to become a valuable reference for further elaboration in light of climate change strategies with measurable outcomes in the growth process.

This paper aims to develop a hierarchical risk assessment model using the newly-developed evidential reasoning (ER) rule, which constitutes a generic conjunctive probabilistic reasoning process. In this paper, we first provide a brief introduction to the basics of the ER rule and emphasize the strengths for representing and aggregating uncertain information from multiple experts and sources. Further, we discuss the key steps of developing the hierarchical risk assessment framework systematically, including (1) formulation of risk assessment hierarchy, (2) representation of both qualitative and quantitative information, (3) elicitation of attribute weights and information reliabilities, (4) aggregation of assessment information using the ER rule and (5) quantification and ranking of risks using utility-based transformation. The proposed hierarchical risk assessment framework can potentially be implemented to various complex and uncertain systems. A case study on the fire/explosion risk assessment of marine vessels demonstrates the applicability of the proposed risk assessment model.

We have developed a self-consistent model for predicting velocity of 1/2[111] screw dislocation in binary iron--carbon alloys gliding by a high-temperature Peierls mechanism. The methodology of modelling includes: (i) Kinetic Monte-Carlo (kMC) simulation of carbon segregation in dislocation core and determination the total carbon occupancy of the core binding sites; (ii) Determination of kink-pair formation enthalpy of a screw dislocation in iron---carbon alloy; (iii) KMC simulation of carbon drag and determination of maximal dislocation velocity at which the atmosphere of carbon atoms can follow a moving screw dislocation; (iv) Self consistent calculation of average velocity of screw dislocation in binary iron--carbon alloys gliding by a high-temperature kink-pair mechanism under constant strain rate. We conduct a quantitative analysis of the conditions of stress and temperature at which screw dislocation glide in iron--carbon alloy is accomplished by a high-temperature kink-pair mechanism. We estimate the dislocation's velocity at which screw dislocation brakes away from the carbon cloud and thermally-activated smooth dislocation propagation is interrupted by sporadic bursts controlled by athermal dislocation activity.

Recently, many authors have been interested to introduce fuzzy implications over t-norms and t-conorms. In this paper, we introduce (S,N) and residuum fuzzy implication for Dubois t-norm and Hamacher's t-norm. Also, new concepts so-called (T,N) and residual fuzzy co-implication in dual Heyting Algebra are investigated. Some examples as well as application are discussed as well.

Cardiovascular diseases continuing to be a major contributor to illness and death on a global scale and the implementation of stents has given rise to a revolutionary transformation in the field of interventional cardiology. The thrombotic and restenosis complications associated with stent implantation pose ongoing challenges. In recent years, bioactive coatings have emerged as a promising strategy to enhance stent hemocompatibility and reduce thrombogenicity. This review article provides an overview of the surface engineering techniques employed to improve the hemocompatibility of stents and reduce thrombus formation. It explores the mechanisms underlying thrombosis and discusses the factors influencing platelet activation and fibrin formation on stent surfaces. Various bioactive coatings, including anticoagulant agents, antiplatelet agents, and surface modifications, are discussed in detail, highlighting their potential in reducing thrombogenicity. Evaluation methods for assessing hemocompatibility and thrombogenicity are also reviewed, ranging from in vitro assays to animal models. Recent advances in the field, such as nanotechnology-based coatings and bioactive coatings with controlled drug release systems, are highlighted. Surface engineering of bioactive coatings holds great promise for enhancing the long-term outcomes of stent implantation by enhancing hemocompatibility and reducing thrombogenicity. Future research directions and potential clinical applications are discussed, underscoring the need for continued advancements in this field.

Macrolide antibiotics, effective antimicrobial agents, are intensively used in human and veterinary medicine as well as in agriculture and therefore are found all over the world as environmental pollutants, harming sensitive eco-community organisms and provoking the selection of resistant forms. A novel azithromycin derivative was synthesized and as a rationally designed hapten conjugate ensured group immunorecognition of 6 major macrolide representatives (105-41%), erythromycin, erythromycin ethylsuccinate, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, azithromycin and dirithromycin in competitive immunoassay based on anti-clarithromycin antibodies. The heterologous hapten-based ELISA format simultaneously contributed to a 5-fold increase in sensitivity (ERY IC50 = 0.04 ng/mL). However, for the detection of trace macrolides in environmental samples, an underexploited in immunoassay field strategy was proposed in the present study to significantly improve the detectability of analytes. Unlike most approaches, it does not require special enhancers/amplifiers or additional concentration/extraction procedures, but only involves a larger volume of test samples. Gradual volume increase of samples (from 0.025 to 10 mL) analyzed in direct competitive ELISA, immunobeads, and immunofiltration assay formats based on the same reagents resulted in a significant improvement (more than 50-fold) in assay sensitivity and detection limit up to 5 and 1 pg/mL, respectively. The suitability of the test for detecting macrolide contamination of natural water was confirmed by recovery of macrolides from spiked blank samples (71.7-141.3%). A series of natural water samples from Lake Onega and its influents near Petrozavodsk were analyzed during a 2022-2023 using both the developed immunoassay and HPLC-MS/MS and revealed no macrolide antibiotic contamination.

The paper discusses the mechanism of montmorillonite structure alteration and bentonites properties modification (on the example of samples from clay deposit Taganka, Kazakhstan) due to the thermochemical treatment (treatment with inorganic acid solutions at different temperatures, concentrations and reaction times). With the use of the suit of methods certain processes were distinguished: transformation of montmorillonite structure, which appears in the leaching of interlayer and octahedral cations, protonation of the interlayer and OH groups at octahedral sheets. Changes in the structure of the 2:1 layer of montmorillonite and its interlayer result in significant changes in the properties – reduction of cation exchange capacity and an increase of specific surface area. The results of the work showed that bentonite clays retain a significant portion of its adsorption properties even after the long term and intense thermochemical treatment (6M HNO3, 60°C, 108 hours)

The use of haptic devices in rehabilitation of impaired limbs has become rather popular, given the proven effectiveness in promoting recovery. In a standard framework, such devices are used in rehabilitation centers, where patients interact with virtual tasks, presented on a screen. To track their sessions, kinematic/dynamic parameters or performance scores are recorded. However, as Internet access is now available at almost every home, and in order to reduce the hospitalization time of the patient, the idea of doing rehabilitation at home is gaining wide consent. Medical care programs can be synchronized with the home rehabilitation device; patient data can be sent to the central server that could redirect to the therapist laptop (tele-healthcare). The controversial issue is that the recorded data do not actually represent the clinical conditions of the patients according to the medical assessment scales, forcing them to frequently undergo clinical tests at the hospital. To respond to this demand, we propose the use of a bilateral master/slave haptic system that could allow the clinician, who interacts with the master, to assess remotely and in real time the clinical conditions of the patient that uses the home rehabilitation device as the slave. In this paper, we describe a proof of concept to highlight the main issues of such an application, limited to one degree of freedom, and to the measure of the stiffness and range of motion of the hand.

Exosomes, a subset of extracellular vesicles, have emerged as pivotal mediators of intercellular communication, revolutionizing our comprehension of cellular interactions. Their diverse cargo, comprising proteins, nucleic acids, and bioactive molecules, plays a crucial role in various physiological and pathological processes. In the intricate landscape of adult neurogenesis, exosomes wield significant influence, actively participating in the generation of new neurons within the adult mammalian brain. Originating predominantly from non-niche cells, these vesicles contribute substantially to the regulation of neuroinflammation, thereby impacting neurogenesis and offering therapeutic promise for neurological disorders. In the specific context of Parkinson's disease (PD), exosomes assume a multifaceted role, prominently implicated in the propagation of α-synuclein oligomers and the orchestration of neuroinflammation. Stem cell-derived exosomes present themselves as promising therapeutic agents, capable of reshaping the microenvironment, repairing neuronal damage, and mitigating apoptosis. The ongoing exploration of exosomes continues to unravel intricate biological processes, paving the way for innovative medical interventions and treatments, particularly within the challenging landscape of neurodegenerative diseases such as PD. The comprehensive understanding of exosomal functions holds the potential to advance our therapeutic approaches, offering new avenues for intervention and treatment strategies in the realm of neurodegenerative disorders.

The synthesis of new collagen, chitosan and chitosan-collagen coated magnetic nanoparticles have been done. Two types of cross-linkers for polymer shell stabilization were used: glutaraldehyde (Gla) as a standard cross-linker and new one – squaric acid (SqA). Structure and morphology of prepared nanoparticles were characterized by ATR-FT IR, XRD and TEM analysis. The immobilization of lipase from Candida rugosa was performed on the nanoparticles surface. The amount of immobilized enzyme was quantified by the Bradford method. All of lipase-biopolymers coated nanoparticles were characterized with good activity recovery. A little hyperactivation of lipase immobilized on nanoparticles with SqA was observed. All of prepared lipase-immobilized nanoparticles were characterized with very good reusability.

N-Acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the ornithine/arginine biosynthesis pathway in eukaryotic and bacterial oxygenic phototrophs. NAGK is the most highly conserved target of the PII signal transduction protein in Cyanobacteria and Archaeplastida (red algae and Chlorophyta). However, yet there is still much to be learnt on how NAGK is regulated in vivo. The use of unicellular green Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model system has already been instrumental in identifying several key regulation mechanisms that control nitrogen (N) metabolism. With a combination of molecular-genetic and biochemical approaches, we show the existence of the complex CrNAGK control at transcriptional level, which is dependent on N source and N availability. In growing cells, CrNAGK requires CrPII to properly sense the feedback inhibitor arginine. Moreover, we provided primary evidence that CrPII is only partly responsible for regulating CrNAGK activity to adapt to changing nutritional conditions. Collectively, our results suggest that in vivo CrNAGK is tuned at transcriptional and post-translational levels, and CrPII and additional as yet unknown factor(s) are integral parts of this regulation.

It is unclear how important it is to reduce fluoroquinolone consumption in the general population to prevent the spread of fluoroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (bystander selection). Methods We assessed bystander selection by using Spearman’s correlation to assess if the country-level prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae was correlated with the prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance in four other gram-negative species - Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results Fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae was positively associated with homologous resistance in all 4 species - A. baumanii. (ρ=0.61, P=0.0003, E. coli (ρ=0.67, P<0.0001), K. pneumoniae (ρ=0.52, P=0.0004) and P. aeruginosa (ρ=0.40, P=0.0206). Positive associations were also found between the national prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance and fluoroquinolone consumption in the general population in the preceding year for 4 of the 5 species. Conclusions Gonococcal fluoroquinolone resistance can be productively viewed as being part of a syndemic of fluoroquinolone resistance. Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship programs may help retard the spread of fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae.

This study investigated the removal characteristics of N-nitrosamines and their precursors at three pilot-scale water reclamation plants. These plants applies different integrated membrane systems: (1) microfiltration (MF) / nanofiltration (NF) / RO; (2) sand filtration/three-step RO; and (3) ultrafiltration (UF) / NF and UF / RO. Variable removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by the RO membrane processes could be attributable to membrane fouling and feed water temperature. The effect of membrane fouling on N-nitrosamines removal was extensively evaluated at one of the plants by conducting one month of operation and chemical cleaning of the RO membrane element. Membrane fouling enhanced N-nitrosamines removal by the pilot-scale RO membrane process. This finding contributes to better understanding of variable removal of NDMA by RO membrane processes. This study also investigated the removal characteristics of N-nitrosamines precursors. The NF and RO membrane processes greatly reduced NDMA formation potential (FP), but the UF process had little effect. The contributions of MF, NF, and RO membrane processes for reducing FPs of NDMA, N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) were different, suggesting different size distributions of their precursors.

We present an open-source Star Tracker (ST) for Attitude Determination. Our implementation makes use of open source software of common usage in astronomy running on a Raspberry Pi 2 platform. The developed platform is open and available for parties interested in further development. Evaluation of the system showed that the ST is suitable for Cubesats of 2U or larger. The ST platform is capable of solving the Lost-In-Space (LIS) problem. Currently, the average accuracy reached of the algorithm is close to 5 seconds of arc with an average processing time of 75 seconds. However, a average accuracy of about 3 minutes of arc can be reached with 35 seconds in average processing time. We also describe the evaluation procedure, the found conclusions of this procedure, in particular the section of the algorithm where most of the processing time is spent and other possible source of errors not included in this study.

Background: Breastfeeding is essential for optimal infant health, offering numerous benefits such as infection prevention and enhanced bonding. Despite its importance, challenges exist, particularly for mothers of preterm and very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, necessitating effective lactation support strategies. Initiatives like the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) aim to promote breastfeeding success, while donor human milk (DHM) serves as an alternative bridge while the mother is supported to build up her supply. Adequate lactation support, counseling, and education are vital antenatally, during NICU stays and after discharge to improve breastfeeding rates and infant health outcomes, ultimately contributing to global efforts to reduce neonatal mortality and achieve sustainable development goals. This study explores existing research on factors influencing mothers’ ability to produce breast milk and sustain breastfeeding, with the aim of enhancing lactation support and improving infant health outcomes.Methods/Design: A systematic review will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Searches will be performed in the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), MEDLINE Ovid via EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and WILEY online Library) to identify and incorporate primary research articles related to the topic published between 2014 and 2024. Authors will search peer-reviewed articles, gray literature sources, and reference lists to identify eligible studies. Independent abstract and full-text screening by two reviewers will follow the title screening. The analysis of data will be carried out using Review Manager software (version 5.3.5). The I² test will be used to quantify the amount of unexplained heterogeneity. Potential biases related to study size (such as publication bias) will be examined through the application of several techniques, including funnel plots, Egger’s test, Begg’s test, and Trim and Fill analysis.Discussion: Our review represents a singular exploration into exclusive breastfeeding among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), focusing on breastfeeding assistance methods. With VLBW defined as less than 1500 g, and most low birth weight (LBW) babies born in LMICs, there is a critical need to address feeding challenges and promote optimal nutrition. Despite updated WHO guidelines in 2022, there is still a lack of comprehensive advice for this vulnerable population. Peer support interventions and health worker counseling have shown promise in increasing breastfeeding continuation rates in LMICs, but challenges persist due to workforce shortages and inadequate documentation. Promoting early postpartum milk expression is crucial for milk production and infant health. Our review aims to fill the gap in understanding VLBW mothers’ breastfeeding experiences in LMICs, shedding light on the effectiveness of breastfeeding support methods and identifying areas for further research. Systematic review registration: CRD42024547864

Objective: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the accuracy of resin-based fixed dental restorations, namely veneers, single crowns, and four-unit fixed partial dental prosthesis (FPDs) using two different 3D printers and polymer-based materials. Materials and Methods: A standard maxillary polyurethane jaw model containing prepared teeth was scanned using an intraoral scanner. The generated STL data were used to design the restorations virtually using CAD software. Two 3D printers were utilized for the provisional digital light processing and stereolithography for the castable resin patterns. Each printer produced 10 specimens of each type of restoration, for a total of 80 restorations. The 3d-printed restorations were then 3D scanned using the same intraoral scanner and evaluated for external and internal dimensional accuracy in terms of trueness and precision. A one-way ANOVA and Two-sample T-Test were implemented to compute the precision (variability between groups) and trueness (with the designed CAD model). A level of statistical significance of p-Value

Structure from Motion with Multi-View Stereo photogrammetry (SfM) is increasingly utilised in geoscience investigations as a cost-effective method of acquiring high resolution (sub-meter) topographic data, but has not been thoroughly tested in gullied savanna systems. The aim of this study was to test the accuracy of topographic models derived from aerial (via an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, ‘UAV’) and ground-based (via a handheld digital camera, ‘Ground’) SfM in modelling a hillslope gully system in dry-tropical savanna, and to assess the strengths and limitations of the approach at different scales. A UAV survey covered an entire hillslope gully system (0.715 km²), whereas a Ground survey covered a single gully within the broader system (650 m²). SfM topographic models, including Digital Surface Models (DSM) and dense point clouds, were compared against RTK-GPS point data and a pre-existing airborne LiDAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Results indicate UAV SfM can deliver topographic models with a resolution and accuracy suitable to define gully systems at a hillslope scale (e.g., 0.1 m resolution with ~ 0.5 – 1.3 m elevation error), while ground-based SfM is more capable of quantifying gully morphology (e.g., 0.01 m resolution with ~ 0.1 m elevation error). Key strengths of SfM for these applications include: the production of high resolution 3D topographic models and ortho-photo mosaics, low survey instrument costs (< $AUD 3,000); and rapid survey time (4 and 2 hours for UAV and Ground survey respectively). Current limitations of SfM include: difficulties in reconstructing vegetated surfaces; uncertainty as to optimal survey and processing designs; and high computational demands. Overall, this study has demonstrated great potential for SfM to be used as a cost-effective tool to aid in the mapping, modelling and management of hillslope gully systems at different scales, in tropical savanna landscapes and elsewhere.

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.

The use of low cost sensors has dramatically increased in recent years in all the engineering sectors. In the field of buildings and automotive, low cost sensors open very interesting perspectives, because they allow to monitor temperature and humidity distributions together with air quality, in a widespread and punctual way and allow control of all energy parameters. The main issue still open remains the validation of the measurements. In this work, we propose an innovative approach to verify the measurements given by some low-cost systems built ad hoc for automotive applications. Two independent low-cost measurement systems have been set to measure Particulate air Matter (PM) concentration, TVOC concentration, CO2 concentration, formaldehyde concentration, air temperature, relative humidity, pressure, air flow velocity and GPS position. These systems have been calibrated by the comparison with standard and certified sensors used by the regional authority of Emilia-Romagna region (ARPAE, Italy) for characterising the air-quality. The innovation of this approach lies in both the in-field comparison of low-cost and high quality sensors and the use of proper conversion approaches for mass concentration measurements. A quantitative analysis of the sensors performance is given, with a focus on effects of time-granularity, relative humidity, mass conversion from particle counts and size detection response. The results show that the low-cost sensors measurements of air temperature, relative humidity and particle number concentration are in a good agreement with high quality sensors measurements, with a strong impact of relative humidity on performance indicators. Overall, a good quality and consistency of the data among the sensors has been achieved.

We analyze a time-delayed SIQR model that considers the transportation-related infections and entry-exit screening. This model aims to determine the measures for preventing and controlling major emergent infectious diseases and the associated costs. We calculate the basic reproduction number (R0), apply the linearization method, and construct an appropriate Lyapunov function to determine the stability of the disease-free equilibrium in the local and global. We collect COVID-19 infection data from two regions in the United States in 2020 for data fitting, obtain a set of optimal parameter values, and show that the model is suitable for simulating the outbreak and spread of emerging infectious diseases. We find that transportation-related infections increase the basic reproduction number, enhancing the impact on disease spread. Entry-exit screening effectively suppress the spread of disease by reducing the basic reproduction number. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of the incubation period on disease and find that a shorter incubation period results in a shorter duration but a larger scale of infection, and the peaks are reduced. We conduct a sensitivity analysis of the R0 and propose three measures to prevent the spread of new infectious diseases based on the most sensitive parameters: wearing masks, implementing urban closures, and administering medication to sick but not yet hospitalized patients promptly. In the case of COVID-19, we use Pontryagin’s minimum principle to get time-varying control measures to control the spread of the outbreak. Optimal control effectively controls the development and deterioration of the disease. Finally, several control measures are compared through cost-effectiveness analysis, and the results show that wearing masks is the most cost-effective measure. Our study provides some practical guidance for controlling the spread of major emerging infectious diseases.

Chymotrypsin from the digestive organs of bigfin reef squid, a major commercial squid species in Thailand, was purified to 41.27-fold with 5.74% yield by a sequential purification process including ammonium sulfate precipitation, size exclusion and ion exchange chromatography. According to SDS-PAGE, the molecular weight of purified chymotrypsin was 43 kDa. Native-PAGE analysis revealed a single band for this purified enzyme. Optimum pH and temperature for chymotrypsin activity of the purified enzyme were pH of 7.0 with a temperatures of 55°C. The purified chymotrypsin remained stable throughout a wide range of pH levels (6–11) and at relatively high temperature (50°C). It was significantly inhibited by PMSF and TPCK. The values of the kinetic constants Km and Kcat were found to be 1.33 mM and 31.46 s‒1, respectively. The purified chymotrypsin has the N-terminal amino acid IVGGQEATPGEWPWQAALQV. This study provided new information about the biochemical properties of pure chymotrypsin from bigfin reef squid, which is useful in the future investigation, aquaculture and application of bigfin reef squid.

Cyanobacteria are extensively studied and cultured because they can produce many value-added substances among which are pigments, mainly the phycobiliproteins phycocyanin (PC), phycoerythrin (PE), allophycocyanin (APC) and chlorophyll-a and carotenoids as well. As numerous cyanobacterial species await optimization for maximizing pigment production, we examined here two local marine species, Phormidium sp. and Cyanothece sp. batch cultured under 18-19.5 oC, at 40 ppt salinity with Walne’s nutrient medium, using white LED light of low (2000 lux) and high (8000 lux) intensity and additionally blue, green and red LED light. Significant differences were found among the intensities and colors of light used. Maximum growth was induced by high white light in both species (2.15 g dw/L in Phormidium and 1.47 g/L in Cyanothece). Next to them was green light (1.25 g/L) in Cyanothece and low white and green (1.26 – 1.33 g/L) in Phormidium. Green light maximized phycocyanin content in Phormidium (0.45 mg/mL), while phycoerythrin was maximized (0.17 mg/mL) by blue light and allophycocyanin by all colors (~0.80 mg/mL). All colors maximized phycocyanin in Cyanothece (~0.32 mg/mL) while phycoerythrin and allophycocyanin were maximized under green light (~0.138 and 0.38 mg/mL respectively). In Phormidium maximization of chlorophyll-a (9.3 μg/mL) was induced by green light while total carotenoids and b-carotene (3.05 and 0.89 μg/mL respectively) by high white light. In Cyanothece both white light intensities along with green light maximized chlorophyll-a content (~9 μg/mL) while high white light and green maximized total carotenoids (2.6-3.0 μg/mL).

Development of agriculture in Russia and Belarus is based on the practical implementation of "smart" systems in agriculture based on the use of modern wireless, intelligent technologies and Internet of Things. This review presents research articles (mainly, in Russian) published in the period of 2013 – 2022 on the use of cloud technologies and Internet of Things for the development of agriculture in Russia and Belarus. An analysis of the use of cloud technologies and Internet of Things in the modern world is given on the basis of research articles and reviews published in English in the period of 2017 – 2022. The main directions of digitalization of modern agriculture are listed. The uses of cloud technologies and Internet of Things in agriculture are described along with promising directions for further research and applications.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) constitute of cells having potential of self-renewal and proliferation and are commonly isolated from bone marrow aspirates of large bones. The osteogenic potential of these stem cells has been extensively exploited by scientists during the last many years for the biological evaluation of synthetic scaffolds with applications in tissue engineering. Current work aimed to synthesize N-arylhydrazone derivatives of orotic acid and their evaluation as stimulators of human mesenchymal stem cells. Some of the analogs show good to moderate proliferation rate.

In the past few years, cloud-based additive manufacturing has shown its application and potential in industries. For this reason, when the demand for cloud-based additive products increases, efficient scheduling of related tasks becomes more important to achieve optimized duration. This research proposes a Heuristic Scheduling Algorithm (HSA) for use in Cloud-Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) with an approach to Critical Chain Buffer Management (CC/BM). This research aims to schedule and optimize the time in cloud-based additive manufacturing, in addition to the parts production process, it also includes the steps of receiving online orders and informing the manufacturing unit and sending them to the customer. The HSA proposed in this research consists of three phases 1- Buffer sizing, 2- Additive manufacturing and logistics scheduling, and 3- Buffer controlling. To evaluate, the performance of the algorithm is simulated. The finding shows that the proposed HAS can effectively solve the CBAM scheduling problem.

In this paper, an analytical form of Rump Function is presented. This seminal function constitutes a fundamental concept of digital signal processing theory and is also involved in many other areas of applied mathematics. In particular, Rump Function is performed in a simple manner as the limit of a sequence of real functions letting ? tend to infinity. This limit is zero for strictly negative values of the real variable ? whereas it coincides with the independent variable ? for strictly positive values of the variable ?. The novelty of this work compared to other research studies concerning analytical expressions of the Ramp Function, is that the proposed formula is not exhibited in terms of miscellaneous special functions, e.g. Gamma Function, Biexponential Function or any other special functions such as Error Function, Hyperbolic Function, Orthogonal polynomials etc. Hence, this formula may be much more practical, flexible and useful in the computational procedures which are inserted into digital signal processing techniques and other engineering practices.

To improve efficacy and safety of sunscreen emulsions, UV‐filter skin permeation could be kept as low as possible by reducing UV‐filter content or changing emulsion composition. In this work, different lipid phase ratio (12, 14 and 16% w/w) were assessed for their ability to affect the technological and sensory properties of O/W emulsions in which bemotrizinol (BMTZ), a broad spectrum sunscreen agent, was incorporated free or loaded into nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLC) to reduce its release from the vehicle and, hence, its skin permeation. The following technological properties were evaluated in vitro by suitable methodologies: spreadability, viscosity, pH, occlusion factor, BMTZ release, sun protection factor (SPF). Sensory attributes were assessed by trained panelists in three different phases: before/during pick‐up, rub‐in, after application. Raising the lipid phase ratio led to an increase of viscosity and to a corresponding drop of spreadability while the incorporation of BMTZ‐loaded NLC determined a decrease of occlusion factor and an increase of SPF. No BMTZ release was observed from all emulsions. Sensory attributes were mainly affected by lipid phase ratio. These results suggest that lipid phase ratio and BMTZ incorporation into NLC could contribute to determine technological and sensory properties of O/W emulsions.

Background: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) is a complicated disease that affects millions of people all over the world. Previous studies have shown that PASC impacts 10% of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients of which 50-70% are hospitalized. It has also been shown that 10-12% of those vaccinated against COVID-19 were affected with PASC and its complications. The severity and the later development of PASC symptoms is positively associated with the early intensity of the infection. Results: The generated health complications caused by PASC involve a vast variety of organ systems. Patients affected by PASC have been diagnosed with neuropsychiatric and neurological symptoms. Cardiovascular system also has been involved and several diseases such as myocarditis, pericarditis, and coronary artery diseases were reported. Chronic hematological problems such as thrombotic endothelialitis and hypercoagulability were described as a condition that could increase the risk of clotting disorders and coagulopathy in PASC patients. Chest pain, breathlessness, and cough in PASC patients were associated with respiratory system in long COVID-19 causing respiratory distress syndrome. The observed immune complications were notable, involving several diseases. Renal system also was impacted and result in raising the risk of diseases such as thrombotic issues, fibrosis, and sepsis. Endocrine gland malfunction can lead to diabetes, thyroiditis, and male infertility. Symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite and taste were also among reported observations due to several gastrointestinal disorders. Skin abnormalities might be an indication of infection and long-term implications such as persistent cutaneous complaints were linked to PASC. Conclusions: Long COVID is a multidimensional syndrome with considerable public health implications, affecting several physiological systems and demanding thorough medical therapy as well as more study to address its underlying causes and long-term effects.

The extensive collection of paper documents and books stored in the archives of universities worldwide is a hidden cultural heritage that is frequently inaccessible. To overcome this problem, the University of Genoa, Italy, seeks to collect, store, and digitize a wide variety of items, encompassing books, manuscripts, archival materials, and documents related to museum artifacts, which together form a cultural heritage of great importance and historical significance. To make such a cultural heritage accessible to both humans and machines, images and videos must be provided with alternate descriptions, metadata, and speech-to-text transcriptions while ancient texts, for which OCR techniques are often not effective, must be accompanied by word-for-word transcripts. This work presents the design of a transcription system for the “University Museum System” at the University of Genoa, Italy (SMA-UniGe), including user interface elements and users’ engagement techniques. The goal is to create an accessible digital heritage that can be enjoyed by all, facilitated by a community of digital volunteers who are eager to dedicate their time, have a great experience, socialize, and interact on the proposed transcription system. The system exploits gamification theory to transform the typically monotonous task of transcription into a captivating experience. This activity is in line with the so-called University third mission, i.e., the activity of public engagement that aims at generating knowledge outside the academic environment to the benefit of the social, cultural, and economic development.

By using the Sala-i-Martin version of extreme bounds analysis, which is based on the cumulative density function, cross-sectional evidence is presented on the robust determinants of the infection and case mortality rates of Covid-19. The results show that, for most part, different factors determine the infection and mortality rates in developed and developing countries. However, common factors are also apparent, including the risk environment, the number of tests per million and the percentage of population over 65. Notwithstanding the possibility that the official data represent a partial reflection of the truth, it is concluded that the results presented in this study provide useful information that may aid decision-making in the fight against the pandemic.

Along with the advantages associated with access to information and fast communication, screen time from increased digital media consumption has recently been associated with adverse effects on youth well-being. To get a clearer picture of its value for global youth based sustainability initiatives, this study investigates the effects of increased digital media consumption on youth's interests in ecosystem services, sustainability and science as a means for disease prevention. We achieve this, using data on 187821 adolescent students from 50 countries worldwide. Methodologically, we rely on a mixed bivariate ordered probit representation of youth's joint interest in the biosphere (ecosystem services and sustainability) and science as a means for disease prevention, which we then estimate using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Methods. We found that each level increase in adolescent students' reported frequency of news blogs visits and web browsing on broad science adversely affect their interests in ecosystem services, sustainability and science as a means for disease prevention. Although each level increase in youth's frequency of ecological website visits also reduces by 20% (with 95% CI [-0.36; -0.32]) their interests in the biosphere, it is found to increase however by 3% (with 95% CI [0.02; 0.05]) their interest science as a means for disease prevention. Overall, our results highlight heterogeneous effects of digital media consumption on adolescents' well-being in terms of their interests in ecosystem services, sustainability, and science as a means for disease prevention.

Oxidative stress occurs when cells are exposed to elevated levels of reactive oxygen species that could damage biological molecules. One bacterial response to oxidative stress involves disulfide bond formation either between protein thiols or between protein thiols and low-molecular-weight thiols. Bacillithiol was recently identified as a major low-molecular-weight thiol in Bacillus subtilis and related Firmicutes. Four genes (bshA, bshB1, bshB2 and bshC) are involved in bacillithiol biosynthesis. The bshA and bshB1 genes are part of a seven-gene operon (ypjD), which includes the essential gene cca, encoding CCA-tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. The inclusion of cca in the operon containing bacillithiol biosynthetic genes suggests that the integrity of the 3’ terminus of tRNAs may also be important in oxidative stress. Addition of the 3´ terminal CCA sequence by CCA-tRNA nucleotidyltransferase to give a mature tRNA and functional molecules ready for aminoacylation plays an essential role during translation and expression of the genetic code. Any defects in these processes, for example, the accumulation of shorter and defective tRNAs under oxidative stress, could exert a deleterious effect on cells. This review summarizes the physiological link between tRNA^Cys regulation and oxidative stress in Bacillus.

When working with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 during a pandemic response, having a rapid, reproducible and reliable assay for infectious virus quantitation and utilization for evaluation of potential therapeutics is critical. Compared to traditional agarose overlay plaques visualized with neutral red, assays performed with Avicel R RC-591 semi-solid overlay provide a simplified format for rapid and easy detection and neutralization testing. The method is easily modified for higher throughput using dispensers or automated processing. Fixation using formalin provides flexibility when dealing with pathogenic agents such as SARS-CoV-2 where tissue culture plates might be removed from biocontainment for staining. Although plaque assays are considered straightforward in principle, having an easily reproducible, consistent plaque assay is an invaluable tool.

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). At the time of conducting this study, it had recorded over 1.6 million cases while more than 105,000 have died due to it, with these figures rising on a daily basis across the globe. The burden of this highly contagious respiratory disease is that it presents itself in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patterns in those already infected, thereby leading to an exponential rise in the number of contractions of the disease and fatalities. It is therefore crucial to expedite the process of early detection and diagnosis of the disease across the world. The case-based reasoning (CBR) model is an effective paradigm that allows for the utilization of cases’ specific knowledge previously experienced, concrete problem situations or specific patient cases for solving new cases. This study therefore aims to leverage the very rich database of cases of COVID-19 to solve new cases. The approach adopted in this study employs the use of an improved CBR model for state-of-the-art reasoning task in classification of suspected cases of Covid19. The CBR model leverages on a novel feature selection and semantic-based mathematical model proposed in this study for case similarity computation. An initial population of the archive was achieved with 68 cases obtained from the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM) repository. Results obtained revealed that the proposed approach in this study successfully classified suspected cases into their categories at an accuracy of 97.10%. The study found that the proposed model can support physicians to easily diagnose suspected cases of Covid19 base on their medical records without subjecting the specimen to laboratory test. As a result, there will be a global minimization of contagion rate occasioned by slow testing and as well reduce false positive rates of diagnosed cases as observed in some parts of the globe.

The gut microbiota (GM) communicates with the brain via biochemical signaling constituting the gut-brain axis, which significantly regulates the body's physiological processes. The GM dysbiosis can impact the digestive system and the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) linked to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, the scientific data compiled from diverse sources primarily emphasizes the neuropathological characteristics linked to the accumulation of modified insoluble proteins (such as β-Amyloid peptides and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins) in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and the potential impact of gut microbiota (GM) on AD susceptibility or resilience. The specific GM profile of human beings may serve as an essential tool for preventing or progressing neurodegenerative diseases like AD. This review focuses mainly on the effect of gut microfauna on the gut-brain axis in the onset and progression of AD. The GM produces various bioactive molecules that may serve as proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory signaling, contributing directly or indirectly to the repression or progression of neurodegenerative disorders by modulating the response of the brain axis. Human studies must focus on further understanding the gut-brain axis and venture to clarify microbiota-based therapeutic strategies for AD.

(1) Background: Globally, about 600 million people are afflicted with diabetes, and one of its most prevalent complications is neuropathy, a debilitating condition. At present, the exploration of novel therapies for alleviating diabetic neuropathy-associated pain is genuinely captivating, considering that current therapeutic options are characterized by poor efficacy and significant risk of side effects. In the current research, we evaluated the antihyperalgesic effect of sildenafil (phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor) – metformin (antihyperglycemic agent) combination and its impact on biochemical markers in alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathy in rats; (2) Methods: The study comprised a cohort of 70 diabetic rats and 10 non-diabetic rats which were submitted to hot, cold, and tactile stimulus tests. Morover, we investigated the influence of this combination on TNF-α, IL-6 nitrites and thiols levels in brain and liver tissues; (3) Results: The results demonstrated that all sildenafil-metformin combinations decreased the pain sensitivity in von Frey test, Hot-plate test and Cold-plate test. Furthermore, alterations in nitrites and thiols concentrations and pro-inflammatory cytokines (specifically TNF-α and IL-6) were noted following a 15-day regimen of various sildenafil-metformin combinations. (4) Conclusions: The combination of sildenafil and metformin has a synergistic effect in alleviating pain in alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathy rats. Additionally, the combination effectively decreased inflammation, inhibited the rise in NOS activity, and provided protection against glutathione depletion.

The leaves of Nicotiana glauca (Solanaceae) plant, are known for its major cause of health concern. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and polyphenols composition of aerial parts of N.glauca collected from its wild habitat in Jordan, using Methanol-Conventional (MC) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) extraction methods in addition to nicotine content determination using UHPLC. The results have shown that the MC extract contains fewer total phenols and flavonoid content than the DES extract at ratio of 90% (0.1194 ±0.009 and 0.311± 0.020 mg/mL equivalent to gallic acid) and (0.01084±0.005 and 0.928 ± 0.09 mg/mL equivalent to rutin), respectively. Moreover, the study showed that the MC extract contains 635.07 ppm nicotine compared to the DES extraction method, which contains 1194.91 ppm. Both the MC and the DES extracts exhibited weak antioxidant activities with the highest was 33%inhibition equivalent to ascorbic acid was found for DES at (90%) ratio. The UHPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of variations in the detected compounds between the two extraction methods used. This study found that en-vironmentally friendly DES extraction of N. glauca produced higher phenol and flavonoid content than MC method, highlighting green chemistry methods' superior efficiency and environmental benefits for extracting valuable phytoconstituents.

A new two-step method for developing a nanocomposite of polypropylene (PP) decorated with photocatalytically active TiO2 nanoparticles (nTiO2) is proposed. This method involves low-temperature plasma functionalization of polypropylene followed by ultrasound-assisted anchoring of nTiO2. The nanoparticles, polymeric substrate, and resultant nanocomposite were thoroughly characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), microscopic observations (SEM, TEM, EDX), spectroscopic investigations (XPS, FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTA), and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites was evaluated through the degradation of methyl orange. The individual TiO2 nanoparticles ranged from 2-6 nm in size. Oxygen plasma treatment of PP generated surface functional groups (mainly -OH and -C=O), transforming the surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, which facilitated efficient deposition of nTiO2. Optimized plasma treatment and sonochemical deposition parameters resulted in an active photocatalytic nTiO2/PP system, degrading 80% of methyl orange under UVA irradiation in 200 minutes. The proposed approach is considered versatile for the functionalization of polymeric materials with photoactive nanoparticles and, in a broader perspective, can be utilized for the fabrication of self-cleaning surfaces.

In the paper, the results of an investigation into trace elements found in slag sulphides from 14 archaeological Bronze Age settlements of the Cis-Urals, Trans-Urals and North and Central Kazakhstan are presented. The study used Cu-(Fe)-sulphides as indicator minerals. Cu-(Fe)-S minerals in slags are primarily represented by covellite and chalcocite, as well as by rarer bornite and single chalcopyrite grains. Slag sulphides formed relic clasts and neogenic droplets of different shapes and sizes. Supergenic ores in the Bronze Age in Urals and Kazakhstan played a significant role in the mineralogical raw material base. In sulphides, the main indicator elements Fe, Co, Ni, As, Se, Te, Sb, Ag, Pb, and Bi are important markers of copper deposit types. Sulphides from olivine Cr-rich spinel containing slags of Ustye, Turganik, and Kuzminkovskoe 2 are characterised by As-Co-Ni assemblages and confined to copper deposits in ultramafic rocks. Olivine sulphide-containing slags from Kamenny Ambar, Konoplyanka and Sarlybay 3 are characterised by Co-Se-Te assemblage and confined to mafic rocks. Glassy sulphide-containing slags from Katzbakh 6, Turganik, Ordynsky Ovrag, Ivanovskoe, Tokskoe, Bulanovskoe 2, Pokrovskoe, Rodnikovoe, and Taldysay are characterised by Ag-Pb-(Ba)-(Bi) assemblage and confined to cupriferous sandstone deposits. High As, Sb, Sn and Ba contents found in slags can be seen as indicators of alloying or flux components in primary copper smelting. These include samples from Ustye, Katzbakh 6, Rodnikovoe, and Taldysay sites, where high Ba and As slag contents are identified. The compilation of a database with a broad sample of sulphide compositions from Bronze Age slags and mines in the Urals and Kazakhstan will permit the further identification of ore types and raw materials associated with a particular deposit.

This study aims to provide analyses of the levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) using a two-pronged approach that combines data from in situ Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks with remotely sensed aerosol optical depth (AOD). Our approach involved setting up a network of custom-designed PM sensors that could be powered by the electrical grid or solar panels. These sensors were strategically placed throughout densely populated areas of North Texas to collect data on PM levels, weather conditions, and other gases from September 2021 to June 2023. The collected data was then used to create models that predict PM concentrations in different size categories, demonstrating high accuracy with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9. This highlights the importance of collecting hyperlocal data with precise geographic and temporal alignment for PM analysis. Furthermore, we expanded our analysis to a national scale by developing machine learning models that estimate hourly PM2.5 levels throughout the continental United States. These models used high-resolution data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-16) Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) dataset, along with meteorological data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), AOD reanalysis, and air pollutant information from the MERRA-2 database, covering the period from January 2020 to June 2023. Our models were refined using ground truth data from our IoT sensor network, the OpenAQ network, and the National Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) network, enhancing the accuracy of our remote sensing PM estimates. The findings demonstrate that the combination of AOD data with meteorological analyses and additional data sets can effectively model PM2.5 concentrations, achieving a significant correlation coefficient of 0.849. The reconstructed PM2.5 surfaces created in this study are invaluable for monitoring pollution events and performing detailed PM2.5 analyzes. These results were further validated through real-world observations from two in situ MINTS sensors located in Joppa (South Dallas) and Austin, confirming the effectiveness of our comprehensive approach to PM analysis. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated the national standard for PM2.5 to 9 μg/m3, a move aimed at significantly reducing air pollution and protecting public health by lowering the allowable concentration of harmful fine particles in the air. Using our analysis approach to reconstruct the fine-time resolution PM2.5 distribution across the entire United States for our study period, we found that the entire nation encountered PM2.5 levels that exceeded 9 μg/m3 for more than 20% of the time of our analysis period, with the eastern United States and California experiencing concentrations exceeding 9 μg/m3 for over 50% of the time, highlighting the importance of regulatory efforts to maintain annual PM2.5 concentrations below 9 μg/m3.

The objective of this paper was to study the expression pattern of the GLOD4 gene in the testis and its regulatory effect on testicular cells. Currently, the regulated mechanism through are unclear. Here, we explored how GLOD4 functions in goat leydig cells to enhance our understanding of spermatogenesis and improve reproduction in breeding rams. In this study, we demonstrated that the localization of GLOD4 in testicular cells using immunohistochemistry and subcellular localization analyses. Subsequently, we analyzed the GLOD4 expression pattern in 4 age-based groups (0, 6, 12, and 18 months old) using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT‒PCR) and protein blotting. Finally, we performed GLOD4 gene silencing and overexpression studies in testicular cells from goats and explored the effects of GLOD4 on cell proliferation, the cell cycle, steroid hormone secretion and the expression of candidate testosterone hormone-regulated genes. GLOD4 was mainly expressed in testicular leydig cells, and the subcellular localization results showed that the GLOD4 protein was mainly localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Silencing of GLOD4 significantly suppressed the mRNA expression levels of the testosterone secretion-related genes CYP11A1, 3β-HSD and CYP17A1 and the mRNA expression levels of cell-cycle related genes CDK6, PCNA, and Cyclin E. Moreover, the cell cycle was blocked at the G2/M phase after GLOD4 silencing, which significantly suppressed testosterone secretion. In contrast, GLOD4 overexpression significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of the testosterone secretion-related genes CYP11A1, 3β-HSD, and CYP17A1 and increased the expression of the cell-cycle related genes CDK6, PCNA, and Cyclin E. Moreover, GLOD4 overexpression promoted the cell cycle from G0/G1 phases to enter the S phase and G2/M phases,promoted the secretion of testosterone. Taken together, our experimental results indicate that GLOD4 may affect the development of cells in Qianbei Ma goats of different ages by influencing the cell cycle, Proliferation and testosterone hormone synthesis. These findings enhance our understanding of the functions of GLOD4 in the cells of goats.

The segmentation of abnormal regions is vital in smart manufacturing. However, the existing segmentation system for detecting sauce-packet leakage on intelligent sensors encounters an issue of imaging blurring caused by uneven illumination. This issue adversely affects segmentation performance, thereby impeding the rapid production of industrial assembly lines. To alleviate this issue, we propose the two-stage Illumination-aware Sauce-packet Leakage Segmentation (ISLS) method for intelligent sensors. The ISLS comprises two main stages: Illumination-aware region enhancement and leakage region segmentation. In the first stage, YOLO-Fastestv2 is employed to capture the Region of Interest (ROI), which reduces redundancy computations. Additionally, we propose an image enhancement to relieve the impact of uneven illumination, enhancing the texture details of ROI. In the second stage, we propose a novel feature extraction network. Specifically, we propose the Multi-scale Feature Fusion Module (MFFM) and the Sequential Self-Attention Mechanism (SSAM) to capture discriminative representations of leakage. The multi-level features are fused by MFFM with a small number of parameters, which capture leakage semantics at different scales. The SSAM realizes the enhancement of valid features and the suppression of invalid features by adaptive weighting of spatial and channel dimensions. Furthermore, we generated a self-built dataset of sauce-packets, including 606 images with various leakage areas. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that our ISLS method shows better results than several state-of-the-art methods, with additional performance analyses deployed on intelligent sensors to affirm the effectiveness of our proposed method. Our code is available at https://github.com/LSJ5106/SauceDetect.

This paper is aimed at studying the temporal evolution of the surface displacements occurred over the past few years in the ocean-reclaimed platforms of the Shanghai megacity (China), which are mainly ascribable to consolidation processes of large dredger fills and alluvial deposits. With respect to previous analyses carried out over the same area, this work provides a joint multi-platform differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) analysis, based on the application of the advanced Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm. This led us to retrieve long-term deformation time-series that are helpful for a better understanding of the on-going deformation phenomena. To this aim, we have exploited two sequences of SAR data collected by the ASAR/ENVISAT and by the COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) sensors, respectively, spanning the whole time period from 2007 to 2016. Unfortunately, the large time gap (of about three years) existing between the available ASAR/ENVISAT and CSK datasets gave rise to additional difficulties for their combination. Nevertheless, this problem has been faced by benefiting from the knowledge of a time-dependent model describing the temporal evolution of the expected deformations affecting the Shanghai ocean-reclaimed platforms.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty procedure is of major importance, given the significant increasing aging population and higher number of orthopedic procedures related to vertebral compression fractures. Vertebroplasty is a complex technique involving injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) into the compressed vertebral body for mechanical stabilization of the fracture. Our understanding and ability to modify these mechanisms through alterations in cement material is rapidly evolving. However, the rate of cardiac complications secondary to PMMA injection and subsequent cement leakage has increased with time. The following review considers the main features of PMMA bone cement on the heart, and the extent of influence of materials on cardiac embolism. Clinically, cement leakage results in life-threatening cardiac injury. The convolution of this outcome through an appropriate balance of complex material properties is highlighted via clinical case report.

Background: Nephrolithiasis, or kidney stone disease, presents a significant global health burden, with incidence rates and treatment practices varying widely globally. This study aims to discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, treatment modalities, and challenges for nephrolithiasis in the lower half of the World Bank Rank; low and lower-middle-income countries. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed for each country on the list, focusing on studies published from January 2000 onwards and reporting data on prevalence, risk factors, treatment practices, and economic implications. Results: Nephrolithiasis represents a significant burden for healthcare systems, with noteworthy geographical variability in prevalence possibly dependent on socioeconomic status and gender. Risk factors include dietary habits, climate, pollution, and infectious diseases. Treatment practices in some regions still rely on open surgery due to limited access to advanced endourological techniques, while other regions demonstrate high proactivity in research. The burden is exacerbated by inadequate healthcare infrastructure and training. Conclusions: Addressing nephrolithiasis in challenging economic circumstances requires targeted interventions, including improved access to modern treatment methods, enhanced training for healthcare professionals, and better socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Future research should focus on region-specific strategies and the development of sustainable healthcare solutions.

Graphene-based nanoparticles possess remarkable physiochemical properties, making them promising for diverse applications in biomedicine, agriculture, food, and industrial applications. These nanoparticles have also been used in the fight against COVID-19. Human and environmental exposure to graphene-based nanomaterials is increasing at an unprecedented rate. However, there is still a huge knowledge gap regarding its safety in clinical applications. The topic remains controversial; although several routes of degradation exist, the cytotoxicity of graphene-based nanoparticles has been demonstrated. Various factors that can influence the cytotoxicity of graphene-based materials are discussed. This review summarizes the physiochemical properties of graphene-based materials and critically examines the possible effects of graphene-based nanoparticles on the molecular level and adverse health outcomes. While oxidative stress-mediated cell damage has been proposed as a primary cytotoxicity mechanism for graphene-based materials, various in vivo biodistribution and cytotoxicity mechanisms are also highlighted. Therefore, this review of the literature provides an overview of the cytotoxicity of GBMs and raises concerns about their widespread application with potential hazardous consequences on the environment and human health.

The role of innate immunity in neutralization of viral infections (including COVID-19) and forming long-lasting and specific immune memory is considered. It is assumed that antiviral protection is generated by the mechanism of RNA interference (RNAi) and is based on the presence of specific viral patterns in the DNA library of the host cells.

Mpox, formerly known as Monkeypox, is a rare viral disease initially discovered in Africa in 1958. Since its first identification, several outbreaks have occurred in various African nations. Recently, the global community has witnessed a resurgence in the number of Mpox cases reported worldwide, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the ongoing multi-country outbreak a public health emergency in July 2022. This study reports on the first cases of Mpox detected in Khartoum State, Sudan, outlining the epidemiology, preparedness, and public health response to this new challenge. A total of 55 suspected cases were identified, with two confirmed cases. The clinical manifestations observed in these cases align with the classic skin rash typical of Mpox, presenting alongside symptoms like fever, headache, and joint pain. The findings underscore the need for heightened surveillance, early detection, and timely intervention to prevent the domestic spread of Mpox and its potential impact on public health. Continued global efforts are needed to support effective screening, diagnostic, and control measures, ultimately enhancing preparedness and response in the face of this emerging disease.

Climate change, increasing global food needs, and decreasing global resources brought a new era to human every-day live with a strong turn to circular economy and sustainability. Food packaging and preservation is an important global sector where enchanced research is carried out. New methods such as active packaging and chemical preservatives replacement are of major interest. Many researchers were published studies about active packaging films, replacement of chemical preservatives with natural originated extracts, and novel incorporation procedures. Sequentially to our and other scientists’ previous work, in this paper we present the results of the improvement which was achieved by incorporating the developed nanohybrid of natural-halloysite/carvacrol-extract, the pure natural carvacrol extract and the commonly used low-density-polyethylene. The well known corona-treatment procedure was employed to produced the optimum final film and the results shown that the low-density-polyethylene incorporated with natural-halloysite/carvacrol-extract nanohybrid and coated external with extra carvacrol extract exhibited aproximatelly 100% higher Young-Modulus values, slightly decreased ultimate strength by 20%, and almost stable elonation at break properties. The water-vapor and oxygen barrier increased by 40%. Finally, the antioxidant activity of the corrona-treated film increased by 28% compared to the similar but untreated product because of the lower release rate of the carvacrol.

Long COVID, a name often given to the persistent symptoms following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, poses a multifaceted challenge for health. This review explores the intrinsic relationship between comorbidities and autoimmune responses in shaping the trajectory of long COVID. Autoantibodies have emerged as significant players in COVID-19 pathophysiology, with implications for disease severity and progression. Studies show immune dysregulation persisting months after infection, marked by activated innate immune cells and high cytokine levels. The presence of autoantibodies against various autoantigens suggests their potential as comorbid factors in long COVID. Additionally, the formation of immune complexes may lead to severe disease progression, highlighting the urgency for early detection and intervention. Furthermore, long COVID is highly linked to cardiovascular complications and neurological symptoms, posing challenges in diagnosis and management. Multidisciplinary approaches, including vaccination, tailored rehabilitation, and pharmacological interventions, are used for mitigating long COVID's burden. However, numerous challenges persist, from evolving diagnostic criteria to addressing the psychosocial impact and predicting disease outcomes. Leveraging AI-based applications holds promise in enhancing patient management and improving our understanding of long COVID. As research continues to unfold, unravelling the complexities of long COVID remains paramount for effective intervention and patient care.

This study presents an innovative approach for the utilization of industrial by-products and municipal waste in the production of sustainable and environmentally friendly cement mortar. We explored stabilized stainless-steel reduced slag (SSRS) and polyethylene (PE) plastic waste as partial replacements for aggregates. Various engineering properties of the resulting cement mortar specimens, including slump, slump flow, compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, water absorption, and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), were investigated through comprehensive experimental tests. The influence of different water-cement (w/c) ratios and substitution amounts on the engineering properties of the cement mortar samples was thoroughly examined. The findings revealed that an increase in PE substitution adversely affected the overall workability of the cement mortar mixtures, whereas an increase in SSRS amount contributed to enhanced workability. As for the hardened properties, a consistent trend was observed for both cases, with higher w/c ratios and substitution amounts leading to reduced mechanical properties. Water absorption and UPV test results validated the increased formation of porosity with higher w/c ratios and substitution amounts. This study proposes a promising method to effectively repurpose industrial by-products and municipal wastes, transforming them into sustainable construction and building materials. Additionally, a comparative analysis of transportation costs and carbon footprint emissions between SSRS-cement mortar and PE-cement mortar was conducted to assess their environmental impact and sustainability. Generally, higher w/c ratios and replacement levels corresponded to reduced carbon footprint. The geographical location of the source of SSRS and PE remains a challenge and studies to overcome this challenge must be further explored.

The fulfillment of rights to maternal healthcare is a key factor for wellbeing of woman. However, there is a lack of instrument to know the experience of women during maternity to bind the monitoring. The aim of this study was to validate an instrument to measure the woman’s perception of the fulfillment of rights during healthcare in pregnancy, childbirth and immediate postpartum. The instrument consist in 50 items was screening by an exploratory factor analysis. Additionally, the final version of the instrument consists in 29 items which was validate by confirmatory factor analysis and know-group validity. The instrument was applied in 185 Spanish women. The global Aiken’s V of initial instrument proposal was 0.89. Process resolves an instrument with 5 factors (information, privacy, consent, support, and participation) that explained the 60% of the total variance. The score of the instrument was correlated with resilience, maternity beliefs, and positive and negative affect. External validation showed relations with age, gravida, and number of labors. Additionally, the reliability Cronbach´s was 0.93 [0.91; 0.94]. In conclusion, the instrument developed is consistent and has appropriate psychometric properties for assess the fulfillment rights maternity healthcare.

This study investigates the unique morphology and mechanical properties of multi-jet electrospun cashew gum (CG) when combined with high molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEO) and glycerol. Cashew gum (CG) is an inexpensive, non-toxic polysaccharide derived from Anacardium occidentale trees. Initially, the electrospinnability of aqueous solutions of cashew gum alone or in combination with PEO was evaluated. It was found that cashew gum alone was not suitable for electrospinning; thus, adding a small quantity of PEO was needed to create the necessary molecular entanglements for fiber formation. By using a single emitter with a CG:PEO ratio of 85:15, straight and smooth fibers with some defects were obtained. However, additional purification of the cashew gum solution and the incorporation of glycerol as a plasticizer were necessary to produce defect-free straight and smooth fibers. Interestingly, when the optimized formulation was electrospun using multiple simultaneous emitters, thicker aligned fiber bundles were achieved. Moreover, the resulting oriented fiber mats exhibited unexpectedly high elongation at break at ambient conditions. These findings highlight the potential of this bio-polysaccharide-based formulation for non-direct water contact applications requiring elastic properties.

In this paper, we study the dynamics of following system of nonlinear difference equations x_n+1 = x_n-1y_n - 1, y_n+1 = y_n-1z_n - 1, z_n+1 = z_n-1x_n - 1. Especially we investigate the periodicity, boundedness and stability of related system of difference equations.

This perspective discusses the ongoing real-world practice using nitazxoanide, NSAIDs and/or azithromycin (Kelleni’s protocol) to manage the evolving manifestations of SARS CoV-2 Omicron EG.5.1, its descendant HV.1 as well as BA.2.86 and its descendant JN.1 subvariants in Egypt. These subvariants are well-known for their highly evolved immune-evasive properties and the manifestations include some peculiar manifestations as persistent cough besides high fever in young children as well as high fever, persistent severe cough, change of voice, loss of taste and smell, epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized malaise and marked bone aches in adults including the high risk groups. It’s suggested that the ongoing SARS CoV-2 evolution is continuing to mostly affect the high risk groups of patients, to some of whom we’ve also successfully prescribed nitazoxanide and/or NSAIDs for post-exposure prophylaxis of all household contacts. We also continue to recommend starting the immune-modulatory antiviral Kelleni’s protocol as soon as possible in the course of infection and adjusting it in a personalized manner to be more aggressive from the beginning for the high risk patients, at least until the currently encountered surge of infections subsides.