In the present study, we studied the effect of apolipoprotein A-1 (APOA1) on the spatial and molecular characteristics of bone marrow adipocytes, using well-characterized ApoA1 knockout mice. APOA1 is a central regulator of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) metabolism, and thus HDL; our recent work showed that deficiency of APOA1 increases bone marrow adiposity in mice. We found that ApoA1 deficient mice have greatly elevated adipocytes within their bone marrow compared to wild type counterparts. Morphologically, the increased adipocytes were similar to white adipocytes, and displayed proximal tibial-end localization. Marrow adipocytes from wild type mice were significantly fewer and did not display bone-end distribution pattern. The mRNA levels of the brown/beige adipocyte-specific markers Ucp1, Dio2, Pat2, Pgc1a, and the expression of leptin were greatly reduced in the ApoA1 knock-out in comparison to the wild-type mice. In the knock-out mice adiponectin was remarkably elevated. In keeping with the close ties of hematopoietic stem cells and marrow adipocytes, we found that the elevated adiposity in the ApoA1 knock out mice is associated with a significant reduction of the hematopoietic stem cells and common myeloid, but not common lymphoid, progenitors. Moreover, the “beiging”-related marker osteopontin and the angiogenic factor VEGF were also reduced in the ApoA1 knock-out mice, further supporting the notion that APOA1, and most probably HDL-C, regulate bone marrow microenvironment, favouring beige/brown adipocyte characteristics.

The naturally occurring dipeptide carnosine (β alanyl L histidine) specifically attenuates tumor growth. Here, we asked whether other small imidazole containing compounds also affect viability of tumor cells without affecting non-malignant cells, and whether formation of histamine is involved. Patient-derived fibroblasts and glioblastoma cells were treated with carnosine, L alanyl L histidine (LA-LH), ß alanyl L alanine, L histidine, histamine, imidazole, β alanine and L alanine. Cell viability was assessed by cell-based assays and microscopy. The intracellular release of L histidine and formation of histamine was investigated by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled Mass Spectrometry. Whereas carnosine and LA LH inhibited tumor cell growth with minor effects on fibroblasts, L-histidine, histamine and imidazole affected viability in both cell types. Compounds without imidazole moiety did not diminish viability. In the presence of LA LH but not in the presence of carnosine a significant rise of intracellular amounts of histidine was detected in all cells. Formation of histamine was not detectable in the presence of carnosine, LA LH or histidine. In conclusion, the imidazole moiety of carnosine contributes to its anti-neoplastic effect, which is also seen in the presence of histidine and LA LH. Despite histamine had a strong effect on cell viability, formation of histamine is not responsible for the effects on cell viability of carnosine, LA LH and histidine.

Eating Disorders (ED) constitute a serious public health issue affecting predominantly women and appearing typically in adolescence or early adulthood. EDs are extremely difficult to treat as these disorders are ego-syntonic and many patients do not seek treatment. It is vital to focus on the development of successful early-intervention programs for individuals presenting at-risk and are on a trajectory towards developing EDs. This study is a randomized controlled trial evalu-ating an innovative digital gamified Acceptance and Commitment early-intervention program (AcceptME) for young females showing signs and symptoms of an ED and at high-risk for an ED. Participants (N=92; Mage=15.30 years, SD=2.15) received either AcceptME (N=62) or a waitlist control (N=30). Analyses indicated that the AcceptME program effectively reduced weight and shape concerns, with large effects when compared to waitlist controls. Most participants scored below the at-risk cut-off (WCS score<52) in the AcceptME at end-of-intervention (57.1%) com-pared to controls (7.1%) with odds of falling into the at-risk group being 14.5 times higher for participants in the control group. At follow-up, 72% of completers reported scores below the at-risk cut-off in the AcceptME group. The intervention also resulted in a decrease in ED symp-tomatology and increased body image flexibility. Overall, results suggest that the AcceptME program holds promise for early-intervention of young women at-risk for developing an ED.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive solid tumors, particularly due to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Today the characterization of this type of cells with an efficient, fast and low-cost method remains an issue. Hence, we have developed a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip based on dielectrophoresis (DEP) single cell electro-manipulation to measure the two crossover frequencies: f_x01 in low frequency range (below 500 kHz) and f_x02 in Ultra High Frequency range (UHF, above 50 MHz). First, in vitro conditions were investigated. U87-MG cell lines were cultured in different conditions in order to induce an undifferentiated phenotype. Then, ex vivo GBM cells from patients’ primary cell culture, were passed through the developed microfluidic system and characterized in order to reflect clinical conditions. This article demonstrates that the usual exploitation of low frequency range DEP does not allow the discrimination of the undifferentiated from the differentiated phenotypes of GBM cells. However, the presented study highlights the use of UHF-DEP as a relevant discriminant parameter. The proposed microfluidic lab-on-a-chip is able to follow the kinetic of U87-MG phenotype transformation in a CSC enrichment medium and their cancer stem cells phenotype acquirement.

Given the increasing public interest in how ingredients are processed and the growing demand for organic food products, it is critical to understand consumers’ expectations about the process-related quality of organic products. Consumers perceive organic food to be nutritious, healthy and either natural or less processed, as they are afraid of the loss of nutrients and other natural properties of the food products. However, emerging food processing technologies might generate healthy and safe food options with nutritional quality properties. Simplified communication schemes might help to overcome this barrier. The main objective of this paper is to propose a working definition of "careful processing" for organic products and test its consistency while being used in scoring different processing methods by consumers. Results show that the proposed definition allows to consistently rate alternative processing methods. Consumers tend to score novel processing methods such as pulsed electric fields and microwave as less careful, supporting the idea that organic consumers want the least man-made interference with their food products. Results show that a simple but effective definition of careful processing may help consumers to distinguish further organic food products from conventional ones, no matter which communication scheme is used.

The available magnetic field strength for high resolution NMR in persistent superconducting magnets has recently improved from 23.5 to 28 Tesla, increasing the proton resonance frequency from 1 to 1.2 GHz. For magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR, this is expected to improve resolution, provided the sample preparation results in homogeneous broadening. We compare two-dimensional (2D) proton detected MAS NMR spectra of four membrane proteins at 950 and 1.2 GHz. We find a consistent improvement in resolution that scales superlinearly with the increase in magnetic field for three of the four examples. In 3D and 4D spectra, which are now routinely acquired, this improvement indicates the ability to resolve at least 2 and 2.5 times as many signals, respectively.

System-of-systems (SoS) approach is often used for simulating disruptions to business and infrastructure system networks allowing for integration of several models into one simulation. However, the integration is frequently challenging as each system is designed individually with different characteristics, such as time granularity. Understanding the impact of time granularity on propagation of disruptions between businesses and infrastructure systems and finding the appropriate granularity for the SoS simulation remain as major challenges. To tackle these, we explore how time granularity, recovery time, and disruption size affect the propagation of disruptions between constituent systems of an SoS simulation. To address this issue, we developed a High Level Architecture (HLA) simulation of 3 networks and performed a series of simulation experiments. Our results revealed that time granularity and especially recovery time have huge impact on propagation of disruptions. Consequently, we developed a model for selecting an appropriate time granularity for an SoS simulation based on expected recovery time. Our simulation experiments show that time granularity should be less than 1.13 of expected recovery time. We identified some areas for future research centered around extending the experimental factors space.

We have shown that prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) increased beneficial gut microbiota (GM) and prevented high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis, but the mechanisms behind these effects are not clear. We studied whether XOS affects adipose tissue inflammation and insulin signaling, and whether the GM and fecal metabolome explain associated patterns. XOS was supplemented or not with high (HFD) or low (LFD) fat diet for 12-weeks in male Wistar rats (n = 10/group). Previously analyzed GM and fecal metabolites were biclustered to reduce data dimensionality and identify interpretable groups of co-occurring genera and metabolites. Based on our findings, biclustering provides a useful algorithmic method for capturing such joint signatures. On the HFD, XOS-supplemented rats showed lower number of adipose tissue crown-like structures, increased phosphorylation of AKT in liver and adipose tissue as well as lower expression of hepatic miRNAs. XOS-supplemented rats had more fecal glycine and less hypoxanthine, isovalerate, branched chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids. Several bacterial genera were associated with the metabolic signatures. In conclusion, the beneficial effects of XOS on hepatic steatosis involved decreased adipose tissue inflammation and likely improved insulin signaling, which were further associated with fecal metabolites and GM.

In the post antimicrobial era, increasing attention is paid towards using bacteriophage (phage in short) therapy to control antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The first step in phage therapy applications is isolating highly efficient lytic phages or phage cocktails from various sources. When a double-layer- agar with around 0.7% agar in top agar is employed, it results in a low number of phage isolation with a poor resolution, and in many cases, you miss the phage. To address this problem, a low concentration of agar in top agar is examined for better phage isolation. Here, our results proved the efficiency of isolating phage upon formulating a double-layer agar with 0.3% agar in top agar. A sewage sample was collected then phages were isolated, purified, and spotted on a top layer agar with 0.3% agar. The results showed the possibility of isolating a higher number of phages on 0.3% top agar than 0.7%. The finding advocates using 0.3% top agar for the double-layer agar, as it will provide fast, better, and easy phage screening and isolation.

Lattice and code cryptography can replace existing schemes such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography because of their resistance to quantum computers. In support of public key infrastructures, the distribution, validation and storage of the cryptographic keys is then more complex to handle longer keys. This paper describes practical ways to generate keys from physical unclonable functions, for both lattice and code based cryptography. Handshakes between client devices containing the PUFs and a server are used to select sets of addressable positions in the PUFs, from which streams of bits called seeds are generated on demand. The public and private cryptographic key pairs are computed from these seeds together with additional streams of random numbers. The method allows the server to independently validate the public key generated by the PUF, and act as a certificate authority in the network. Technologies such as High performance computing, and graphic processing units can further enhance security by preventing attackers to make this independent validation when only equipped with less powerful computers.

Automated machine learning (AutoML) has been heralded as the next wave in artificial intelligence with its promise to deliver high performance end-to-end machine learning pipelines with minimal effort from the user. However, despite AutoML showing great promise for computer vision tasks, to the best of our knowledge, no study has used AutoML for image-based plant phenotyping. To address this gap in knowledge, we examined the application of AutoML for image-based plant phenotyping using wheat lodging assessment with UAV imagery as an example. We compared the performance of an open-source AutoML framework, AutoKeras in image classification and regression tasks to transfer learning using modern convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. For image classification which classified plot images as lodged or non-lodged, transfer learning with Xception and DenseNet-201 achieved best classification accuracy of 93.2%, whereas Autokeras had 92.4% accuracy. For image regression which predicted lodging scores from plot images, transfer learning with DenseNet-201 had the best performance (R2=0.8303, RMSE=9.55, MAE=7.03, MAPE=12.54%), followed closely by AutoKeras (R2=0.8273, RMSE=10.65, MAE=8.24, MAPE=13.87%). Interestingly, in both tasks, AutoKeras models had up to 40-fold faster inference times compared to the pretrained CNNs. The merits and drawbacks of AutoML compared to transfer learning for image-based plant phenotyping are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the feasibility of using waste from granite gang saws (GCW-GS) to manufacture ultra-high performance, steel-fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). These machines cut granite blocks by abrasion using a steel blade and slurry containing fine steel grit. The waste generated by gang saws (GCW-GS) contains up to 15% Fe2O3 and up to 5% CaO. This is the main difference from the waste produced by diamond saws (GCW-D). Consequently, the second objective of this study is to compare the results of the waste obtained with gang saws with that from diamond saws, in order to determine the influence of iron and calcium oxides. The waste from cutting granite with gang saws was used in different percentages to replace micronized quartz powder of natural origin in the manufacture of UHPRFC. All the test specimens were analysed to determine their compressive strength, elasticity modulus, flexural strength and indirect tensile strength. The final conclusion is that wastes from both gang saws and diamond saws can be used to manufacture UHPFRC with an improvement in the mechanical properties up to a 35% replacement. The results for GCW-GS are better, mainly due to the pozzolanic effect of the iron dioxide. For higher percentage replacements the mechanical properties are close to the control concrete with small decreases.

Introduction: OS2966 is a fist-in-class, humanized and de-immunized monoclonal antibody which targets the adhesion receptor subunit, CD29/β1 integrin. CD29 expression is highly upregulated in glioblastoma and has been shown to drive tumor progression, invasion, and resistance to multiple modalities of therapy. Here, we present a novel Phase I clinical trial design addressing several factors plaguing effective treatment of high-grade gliomas (HGG). Study Design: This 2-part, ascending-dose, Phase I clinical trial will enroll patients with recurrent/progressive HGG requiring a clinically-indicated resection. In Study Part 1, patients will undergo stereotactic tumor biopsy followed by placement of a purpose-built catheter which will be used for intratumoral, convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of OS2966. Subsequently, patients will undergo their clinically-indicated tumor resection followed by CED of OS2966 to the surrounding tumor-infiltrated brain. Matched pre- and post-infusion tumor specimens will be utilized for biomarker development and validation of target engagement by receptor occupancy. Dose escalation will be achieved using a unique concentration-based accelerated titration design. Discussion: The present study design leverages multiple innovations including: 1) the latest CED technology, 2) 2-part design including neoadjuvant intratumoral administration, 3) a first-in-class investigational therapeutic, and 4) concentration-based dosing. Trial registration: A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational New Drug application (IND) for the above protocol is now active. A Phase I trial is registered at clinicialtrials.gov (NCT04608812).

This paper presents Mathematical Formulation for Neutrino-Fission of a heavy nuclei in Neutrino-environments. It has been proposed that neutrino fission is a dynamic two-process reaction, where more than one neutrino can be captured by target nucleus. A quantity named Neutrino-Zeta with units of eV^-1 has been defined to represent Neutrino-environments. Neutrino-zeta with assumed excited energy states for heavy nuclei A∼230-270 is estimated to be 0.0212 MeV^-1, with the probability of fission Barrier energy state P(E_x,f)= 0.169064014 with E_x,f =6MeV. P(E_x,f)=0.222664 is highest at zeta=0.1MeV^-1 . It has been shown that probabilities of certain excitation energy states and their corresponding decay reactions at those excitation energies can be equal for two neutrino-zetas. Neutron induced fission for different neutrinos hypothesize that probability of symmetric fission channels is higher at low neutrino-zetas, which can be tested experimentally.

Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber has been attracting increasing attention and has been studied in recent decades because of its good efficiency, high time resolution and relatively low cost. It has become a new standard technology for the Time of Flight system in particle and high energy physics experiments. In this paper, we introduce the operation principle and structure of the MRPC detector and review the applications on the Time of Flight system in several famous experiments, such as STAR, CBM and SoLID. The performances including time resolution and particle identification are discussed in detail. Some recent advances and perspectives with regard to the future development of the next generation MRPC are also outlined.

Background: Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) has a high lethality. About two-thirds of the severe cases may be rescued by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). However, about half of the patients supported by ECMO suffer major complications. High volume hemofiltration (HVHF) is a depurative extracorporeal support that provides homeostatic balance allowing hemodynamic stabilization in some critically ill patients. Methods: We implemented HVHF prior to ECMO consideration in the last five severe HCPS patients requiring mechanical ventilation and vasoactive drugs admitted to our intensive care unit. Patients were considered HVHF-responders if ECMO was avoided and nonresponders if ECMO support was needed. Results: The first two patients required ECMO, while the last three did not. Patients had a maximum serum lactate of 8.4 [4.3-14] mMol/L and a lowest cardiac index of 1.76 [1.45-2.9] L/min/m2. Nonresponders were connected later to HVHF, displayed progressive tachycardia and decreasing stroke volume. The opposite was true for HVHF-responders who also received targeted-HVHF compounded by aggressive hyperoncotic albumin, sodium bicarbonate and calcium supplementation plus ultrafiltration to avoid fluid overload. All patients survived, but one of the ECMO patients suffered a vascular complication. Conclusion: HVHF may contribute to support severe HCPS patients avoiding the need for ECMO in some of them. Early connection and targeted-HVHF may increase the chance of success.

The surface enhanced fluorescence（SEF）detection bases by plasmonic nanopillars array with nanoparticles has opened up a new gate in the application of biological imaging and sensing. The fluorescence enhancement of the probe molecule depends on its position in equilibrium, which is close to the hot spot leading to the electromagnetic field enhancement, but not too close to the metal surface resulting in quenching. Here, a large scale SiO₂-Ag-cicada wing SEF substrate was fabricated by magnetron sputtering with correction enhancement factor of 797.6. Thereinto the cicada wing provides the skeleton of the nanopillars array structure, the deposited Ag constructs two kinds of hot spots, and SiO₂ forms a separation layer to prevent quenching. Moreover, the substrate exhibited good reproducibility, high sensitivity with low limits of detection (LOD) and high stability for oxidation resistance. We propose that SEF substrate with modification of SiO₂ can not only improve the enhancement performance, but also expanding its application in the biological investigations.

Firstly, a new set of Quasi-Cubic Trigonometric Bernstein basis with two tension shape parameters is constructed, and we prove that it is an optimal normalized totally basis in the framework of Quasi Extended Chebyshev space. And the Quasi-Cubic Trigonometric Bézier curve is generated by the basis function and the cutting algorithm of the curve are given, the shape features (cusp, inflection point, loop and convexity) of the Quasi-Cubic Trigonometric Bézier curve are analyzed by using envelope theory and topological mapping; Next we construct the non-uniform Quasi-Cubic Trigonometric B-spline basis by assuming the linear combination of the optimal normalized totally positive basis have partition of unity and continuity, and its expression is obtained. And the non-uniform B-spline basis is proved to have totally positive and high-order continuity. Finally, the non-uniform Quasi Cubic Trigonometric B-spline curve and surface are defined, the shape features of the non-uniform Quasi-Cubic Trigonometric B-spline curve are discussed, and the curve and surface are proved to be continuous.

Molecular dynamics simulation is currently the theoretical technique eligible to simulate a wide range of systems from soft condensed matter to biological systems. However, of the excellent results that the technique has arrogated, this approach remains computationally expensive, but with the emergence of the new supercomputing technologies bases on graphics processing units graphical processing units-based systems GPUs, the perspective has changed. The GPUs allow performing large and complex simulations at a significantly reduced time. In this work, we present recent innovations in the acceleration of molecular dynamics in GPUs to simulate non-Hamiltonian systems. In particular, we show the performance of measure-preserving geometric integrator in the canonical ensemble, that is, at constant temperature. We provide a validation and performance evaluation of the code by calculating the thermodynamic properties of a Lennard-Jones fluid. Our results are in excellent agreement with reported data reported from literature, which were calculated with CPUs. The scope and limitations for performing simulations of high-throughput MD under rigorous statistical thermodynamics in the canonical ensemble are discussed and analyzed.

This study aims to suggest a basis for the selection of technologies for developing high-performance buildings to reduce energy consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-saving technologies comprising of 15 cases were categorized into passive, active, and renewable energy systems. EnergyPlus v8.8 was used to analyze the contribution of each technology in reducing the primary energy consumptions and CO₂ emissions in the Korean climate. The primary energy consumptions of the base model were 464.1 and 485.1 kWh/m²a in the Incheon and Jeju, respectively, and the CO₂ emissions were 83.4 and 87.4 kgCO₂/m²a, respectively. Each technology (cases 1–15) provided different energy-saving contributions in the Korean climate depending on their characteristics. The heating, cooling, and other energy-saving contributions of each technology indicate that their saving rates can be used when selecting suitable technologies during the cooling and heating seasons. Case 15 (active chilled beam with dedicated outdoor air system + ground source heat pump) showed the highest energy saving rate. In case 15, the Incheon and Jeju models were reduced by 189.4 (59.2%) and 206.2 kWh/m²a (57.4%) compared to the base case, respectively, and the CO₂ emissions were reduced by up to 32.7 (60.8%) and 35.6 kgCO₂/m²a (59.3%), respectively.

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem is a critical component in the design and operation of power transmission systems. Various optimization algorithms have been developed to address this issue. This paper expands the use of the Coronavirus Disease Optimization Algorithm (COVIDOA) to solve a multi-objective OPF problem (MO-OPF), incorporating renewable energy sources as dis-tributed generation (DG) across multiple scenarios. The main objectives are to minimize fuel costs, emissions, voltage deviations, and power losses. Due to its non-convex nature and computational complexity, OPF poses significant challenges. While COVIDOA has been utilized to solve engi-neering problems, it faces difficulties with non-linear and non-convex issues. This paper introduces an enhanced version, the Enhanced COVID Optimization Algorithm (ENHCOVIDOA), designed to improve the performance of the original method. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated through testing on IEEE 30-bus and 57-bus systems, as well as a real-world 28-bus system representing Iraq’s Standard Iraq Super Grid High Voltage (SISGHV-28 Buses). The Two-Point Estimation Method (TPEM) is also applied to manage uncertainties in renewable energy sources in some cases, leading to cost reductions and annual savings of ($87772.9374, $391246.87, & $ 2,493,881.40) for the IEEE 30-bus, 57-bus, and reality 28-bus systems, respectively. Thirteen dif-ferent cases were analyzed, and the results demonstrate that ENHCOVIDOA is notably more ef-ficient and effective than other optimization algorithms in the literature.

Future manned and deep space missions require an Electrical Power System (EPS) that can deliver high power while overcoming challenges like weight and volume constraints and the harsh environment of space. To supply, store, and transmit power to various satellite subsystems, a variety of DC-DC converters are employed. The design specifications of DC-DC converters for various satellite applications are identified in this article, which also offers a state-of-the-art review of non-isolated, isolated, and integrated topologies. Foreseeing the future of electric propulsion, various electric sources for electric propulsion are contrasted, and converters for electric propulsion are studied. The chosen topologies are compared in terms of practical parameters like reliability, modularity, redundancy, efficiency, and power density. Application-wise comparisons of the topologies are also presented, along with details on how well they work with different kinds of satellites. The article also identifies the areas that are still unexplored for each application. In view of the identified research gaps, a generalized Modular Isolated Interleaved topology of a DC-DC converter is proposed for satellite applications, which is one of the articles’ unique contributions. The MATLAB simulation results of the proposed method, taking Cuk converter as an example for a total power of 5kW are presented. Findings indicate that adding more modules improves the system’s overall reliability, efficiency, and power density by lowering losses, semiconductor current stress, and component size. Such designs are easily adaptable to satellite applications, particularly at high power levels.

Tefluthrin (Tef) is categorized as a type-I pyrethroid insecticide, telmisartan (Tel) functions as an angiotensin II receptor blocker, and KB-R7943 was identified as an inhibitor of Na+-Ca2+ exchange process. However, the influence of these compounds on the amplitude and gating properties of voltage-gated Na+ current (INa) in neurons associated with pain signaling remains unclear. In cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, whole-cell current recordings revealed that Tef or Tel increased the peak amplitude of INa, concomitant with an elevation in the time constant of INa inactivation, particularly in the slow component. Conversely, exposure to KB-R7943 resulted in a depression in INa, coupled with a decrease in the slow component of the inactivation time constant of INa. Theoretical simulations and bifurcation analyses were performed on a modeled interneuron in the spinal dorsal horn. The occurrence of INa inactivation accentuated the subthreshold oscillations (SO) in the membrane potential. With an increase in applied current, SO became more pronounced, accompanied by the emergence of high-frequency spiking (HF) with a frequency of approximately 150 Hz. Moreover, an elevation in INa conductance further intensified both SO and HF. Consequently, through experimental and in silico studies, this work reflects that Tef, Tel, or KB-R7943 significantly impacts the magnitude and gating properties of INa in neurons associated with pain signaling. The alterations in INa magnitude and gating in these neurons suggest a close relationship with pain transmission.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Candida auris presents a formidable global health challenge, causing severe healthcare-associated infections with high mortality rates. Its ability to colonize surfaces and resist standard disinfectants undermines traditional hygiene practices, prompting an urgent need for novel strategies. Ultraviolet C (UVC) light offers a promising approach due to its rapid and broad-spectrum germicidal efficacy. This review comprehensively examines the current knowledge of UVC LED technology in combating C. auris, highlighting its effectiveness, limitations, and potential applications in healthcare hygiene. UVC light has potent activity against C. auris, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. UVC can reduce C. auris on contaminated surfaces, aiding in transmission prevention. This review explores implementation strategies, including mobile UVC systems for targeted disinfection of high-risk areas and equipment, integration into air handling units (AHUs) to continuously disinfect recirculating air, and incorporation into water treatment systems. Current limitations in our understanding of UVC safety and effectiveness necessitate further research to optimize application protocols and ensure treatment safety while maintaining efficacy against C. auris. Integrating UVC disinfection technology into infection control programs holds promise for strengthening hygiene practices that will curb the global spread of C. auris and improve patient outcomes.

In order to study the effect of explosion load on the flexural performance of RC beams, two RC beams of the same size were carried out explosion test and bearing capacity test successively. Piezoelectric intelligent aggregate was embedded in the beams in advance to monitor the damage state of the beams, which realized the whole process of damage monitoring of the concrete inside the structure from explosion damage to compression damage.Based on wavelet packet analysis and residual bearing capacity damage evaluation criteria, the beam damage was quantitatively evaluated, and the bending bearing capacity of RC beam after explosion damage was compared and analyzed.The results show that the change of concrete strain gauge signal, the phenomenon of crack development and the increase of internal crack development index indicate that the RC beam is damaged by explosion load.After explosion damage, the damage index of the beam increases and the residual bending capacity decreases, which proves that the piezoelectric intelligent aggregate sensor can effectively monitor the bending capacity change of the component after explosion damage.

A significant challenge encountered in mmWave and Sub-terahertz systems used in 5G and 1 the upcoming 6G networks is the rapid fluctuation in signal quality across various beam directions. Extremely high-frequency waves are highly vulnerable to obstruction, making even slight adjustments in device orientation or the presence of blockers capable of causing substantial fluctuations in link quality along a designated path. This issue poses a major obstacle because numerous applications with low-latency requirements necessitate precise forecasting of network quality from many directions and cells. The method that is proposed in this research demonstrates an avant-garde approach for assessing the quality of multi-directional connections in mmWave systems by utilizing the Liquid Time Constant network (LTC) instead of the conventionally used Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) technique. The method’s validity was tested through an optimistic simulation involving the monitoring of multi-cell connections at 28 GHz in a scenario where humans and various obstructions were moving arbitrarily. The results with LTC are significantly better than those obtained by conventional approaches such as LSTM. The latter resulted in a test Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 3.44 dB, while the former, 0.25 dB, demonstrating a 13-fold improvement. For better interpretability and to illustrate the complexity of prediction, an approximate mathematical expression is also fitted to the simulated signal data using Symbolic Regression.

Most of the mid-high permeability sandstone oilfields in China have entered the ultra-high water cut stage, accompanied with the highly-dispersed residual oil, and the control effect of mi-cro-heterogeneity on the residual oil is increasingly prominent. Understanding the microscopic characteristics of pore structural and its evolution during the long-term waterflooding is critical for enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of oil field exploitation. While the previous insights paid more attention to the geometrical and morphological features of pore structure and ignores the relation of pore structure with the fluid flow capacity. In this study, we propose a microscopic pore structure classification method considering pore size and local permeable capacity, which realizes the physical classification and quantitative evaluation of pore structure characteristics for different permeability rocks. The micro-pore structure is classified into 6 types based on the key evaluation parameters of pore diameter and flow flux area. By taking six mid-high permea-bility sandstone core samples from Daqing oilfield in China, a series of long-term waterflooding experiments are carried out and the interior pore structure was captured using high precision CT scanning technique. The results reveals that high-permeability reservoirs exhibit concentrated pores diameters and finer throats, whereas mid-permeability reservoirs exhibit smaller pores and throats in greater quantity. With the increase of water injection volumes, the permeable ca-pacity and connectivity of the high-connectivity pore space in ultra-high- and high-permeability reservoirs are enhanced, and in mid-permeability reservoirs, the micro-heterogeneity intensifies the increase in low-connectivity small pores. These findings provide new insights for the micro-scopic heterogeneity and a solid theoretical basis for investigating the occurrence of microscopic residual oil and optimising enhanced oil recovery strategies at the late stage of ultra-high water cut.

This paper aims to demonstrate how the detection of communities for epidemiological networks can be used to reduce the dimensionality of optimal control problems. A range of planted partition stochastic blockmodels are generated, where the underlying communities in the model vary in detectability. A high-performance computing workflow is then used to simulate and estimate reduced model dynamics for the networks, which in turn is used to find optimal control solutions.

In urban areas like Chicago, daily life extends above ground level due to prevalence of high-rise buildings where residents and commuters live and work. This study examines the variation in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations across building stories. PM2.5 levels were measured using PurpleAir sensors, installed between April 8 and May 7, 2023, on floors one, four, six, and nine of an office building in Chicago. Additionally, data were collected from a public outdoor PurpleAir sensor on the fourteenth floor of a condominium located 800 meters away. Results show that outdoor PM2.5 concentrations peak at 14 meters height, then decline by 0.11 μg/m3 per meter elevation, especially noticeable from midnight to 8 AM under stable atmospheric conditions. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations increase steadily by 0.02 μg/m3 per meter elevation, particularly during peak work hours, likely caused by greater infiltration rates at higher floors. Both outdoor and indoor concentrations peak around noon. We find that indoor and outdoor PM2.5 are positively correlated, with indoor levels consistently remaining lower than outside levels. These findings align with previous research suggesting decreasing outdoor air pollution concentrations with increasing height. The study informs decision-making by community members and policymakers regarding air pollution exposure in urban settings.

Infectivity assays are the key analytical technology for development of manufacturing processes for virus-based therapeutics. Here, we introduce a novel assay format that utilizes label-free bright field images to determine the kinetics of infection-dependent changes in cell morphology. In particular, cell rounding is directly proportional to the amount of infectious virus applied, enabling rapid determination of viral titers in relation to a standard curve. Our kinetic infectious virus titer (KIT) assay is stability-indicating and, due to its sensitive readout method, provides results within 24 hours post-infection. Compared to traditional infectivity assays, which depend on a single readout of an infection endpoint, cumulated analysis of kinetic data by a fit model results in precise results (CV &lt; 20%) based on only three wells per sample. This approach allows for a high throughput with ~400 samples processed by a single operator per week. We demonstrate the applicability of the KIT assay for VSV-GP and NDV, but it can potentially be extended to a wide range of viruses that induce morphological changes upon infection. The versatility of this assay, combined with its independence from specific instruments or software, makes it a promising solution to overcome the analytical bottleneck in infectivity assays within the pharmaceutical industry and as a routine method in academic research.

From a structural point of view, understanding interfacial electrostatic features of ligand-receptor complexes is crucial for biophysics-based design of therapeutics with improved efficacy and safety. Here, with a high-throughput structural feature extraction approach, this article reports a set of electrostatic structural features from glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) complex structures determined using experimental tools. Leveraging a set of computational structural biophysical analyses, this article systematically characterized the electrostatic interactions within the GLP-1-GLP-1R complexes with two sets of criteria to identify interfacial salt bridges and hydrogen bonds. Overall, the results here reveal intricate details of electrostatic interactions critical for GLP-1 binding to its receptor GLP-1R, providing biophysical insights into the stabilization of the GLP-1-GLP-1R complex structure and the molecular basis of GLP-1/GLP-1R signaling. Furthermore, the electrostatic structural features extracted from GLP-1 and GLP-1R complex structures are useful in the development of a machine learning-based ligand-receptor binding affinity calculating model, i.e., a GLP-1-GLP-1R-specific general intermolecular binding affinity calculator (GIBAC), paving the way for accelerated discovery and structure-based design of drug candidates targeting the GLP-1/GLP-1R system with improved efficacy and safety.

Sustainable development of our society demands recycling of metallic wastes which may contain a variety of metallic impurities. Thus, it is desirable to develop a ‘universal’ structure, such as an amorphous alloy tolerating high concentrations of metallic pollutants. We performed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to manufacture a novel multicomponent amorphous alloy of twenty elements (20e-HEAA). Analysis reveals both topological and chemical compositional short-range ordering in the obtained 20e-HEAA and formation of B-B clusters. Electronic structure calculations reveal the metallic nature of the amorphous alloy with its Fermi level falling in a valley in the density of states. Moreover, the Zn 3d and Cd 4d electrons exhibit a localized nature and thus, should be excluded from the valence electron concentration (VEC) analysis in the study of high-entropy alloys. The information obtained here is helpful to get insight into multicomponent high entropy materials, especially multicomponent high-entropy amorphous alloys as potential circular metals.

Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) is a common pathogen with high prevalence of infection in human populations. Diagnosis of H. Pylori infection is critical for its treatment, eradication, and prognosis. Biosensors have been demonstrated to be powerful for rapid onsite detection of pathogens, particularly for point-of-care test (POCT) scenarios. In this work, we propose a novel optical biosensor, based on nanomaterial porous silicon (PSi) and photonic surface state Tamm Plasmon Polariton (TPP), for detection of cytotoxin-associated antigen A (CagA) antigen of H. Pylori bacterium. We fabricated the PSi TPP biosensor, analysed its optical characteristics and demonstrated through experiments towards sensing of CagA antigen, that TPP biosensor has sensitivity of 100 pm/(ng/ml), limit of detection of 0.01 ng/ml, and specificity in terms of positive-to-negative ratio of more than six. From these performance factors, it can be concluded that TPP biosensor can serve as an effective tool for diagnosis of H. Pylori infection, either in analytical labs or in POCT applications.

High-rise building machines (HBMs) play a critical role in the successful construction of super-high skyscrapers, providing essential support and ensuring safety. The HBM’s climbing system relies on a jacking mechanism consisting of several independent jacking cylinders. A reliable control system is imperative to maintain a smooth posture of the construction steel platform (SP) under the action of the jacking mechanism. This research introduces three multivariate time series neural network models—namely, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), and Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN)—to predict the posture of HBM. The models take pressure and stroke measurements from the jacking cylinders as inputs, and their outputs determine the levelness of the SP and the posture of the HBM at various climbing stages. The development and training of these neural networks are based on historical on-site data, with the predictions subjected to thorough comparative analysis. All proposed neural network models exhibit the capability to dynamically predict the posture of the HBM during the climbing process, using data from sensors. Notably, the GRU model shows better predictive performance.

The study focuses on a novel porous TiNi-based material for ophthalmic orbital implants which was produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and, after proper surface modification, possesses a specific microstructure of its surface pores, which makes it attractive for biomedical use in implants. After preparation via SHS, the obtained porous TiNi material was etched in acidic environment, to get rid of its surface Ti2Ni secondary-phase particles. This was found to improve the material’s surface morphology, adding micro-roughness to its macro-rough pores. As a result, cell growth tests conducted on the material demonstrated improved cell adhesion and growth kinetics on such a porous material with improved roughness. Finally, the material was tested in vivo as an ophthalmic orbital implant, demonstrating good biocompatibility, good degree of biointegration with surrounding eyeball tissues, and no signs of rejection after as long as 180 days. Thus, the novel porous TiNi-based material shows promise for its use in ophthalmic implantology, for instanse for manufacturing musculoskeletal stumps of the eyeball after evisceration, as it is biocompatible, has a high tissue-implant integration potential and demonstrates reduced risks of exposure and rejection of the implant.

Numerous structures at the nano- and microscale manifest distinctive properties with far-reaching implications across diverse fields, including electronics, electricity, medicine, and surface engi-neering. Established methods such as nanoimprint lithography, photolithography, and self-assembly play crucial roles in the fabrication of nano- and microstructures; however, they exhibit limitations in generating high-aspect-ratio structures when utilizing high-viscosity pho-tocurable resins. In response to this inherent challenge, we propose a highly cost-effective ap-proach facilitating the direct replication of high-aspect-ratio structures, specifically nanowires, through the utilization of anodized aluminum substrates. This study elucidates the streamlined fabrication process for multiscale porous surfaces achieved through the evaporation-induced in-tegration of solid nanowires printed with high-viscosity photocurable resin.

Unsupervised physics-informed deep learning can be used to solve computational physics problems by training neural networks to satisfy the underlying equations and boundary conditions without labeled data. Parameters such as network architecture and training method determine the training success. However, the best choice is unknown a priori as it is case specific. Here, we investigated network shapes, sizes, and types for unsupervised physics-informed deep learning of the two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged flow around cylinders. We trained mixed-variable networks and compared them to traditional models. Several network architectures with different shape factors and sizes were evaluated. The models were trained to solve the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations incorporating Prandtl's mixing length turbulence model. No training data were deployed to train the models. The superiority of the mixed-variable approach was confirmed for the investigated high Reynolds number flow. The mixed-variable models were sensitive to the network shape. For the two cylinders, differently deep networks showed superior performance. The best fitting models were able to capture important flow phenomena such as stagnation regions, boundary layers, flow separation, and recirculation. We also encountered difficulties when predicting high Reynolds number flows without training data

This work deals with a novel porous TiNi-based material for ophthalmic orbital implants that was produced by high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and possesses a specific microstructure of its surface pores, which makes it attractive for biomedical use in implants. After preparation via SHS, the obtained porous TiNi material was etched in acidic environment, to get rid of its surface Ti2Ni secondary-phase particles. This was found to improve the material’s surface morphology, adding micro-roughness to its macro-rough pores. As a result, cell growth tests conducted on the material demonstrated improved cell adhesion and growth kinetics on such a porous material with improved roughness. Finally, the material was tested in vivo as an ophthalmic orbital implant, demonstrating good biocompatibility, good degree of biointegration with surrounding eyeball tissues, and no signs of rejection after as long as 180 days. Thus, the novel porous TiNi-based material shows promise for its use in ophthalmic implantology, for instanse for manufacturing musculoskeletal stumps of the eyeball after evisceration, as it is biocompatible, has a high tissue-implant integration potential and demonstrates reduced risks of exposure and rejection of the implant.

In the previous work, the pure fatigue behavior of AM60 magnesium alloy (PF-AM60) was compared with the corrosion fatigue behavior of these specimens (CF-AM60). In this research, in continuation of the previous job, the pure fatigue behaviors of AM60 with polylactic acid (PLA) coating (PF-AM60-PLA) and also, corrosion fatigue behaviors of magnesium alloy with PLA coating (CF-AM60-PLA) were evaluated. Polymer coating was made by fused deposition modeling (FDM) with a 3D printer and attached to standard fatigue test specimens with a glue. Then, they were immersed in the simulated body fluid (SBF) for 27 days. In the end, a high-cycle bending fatigue test was performed on samples. The fracture surface of the samples was also observed using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Due to corrosion, the weight of the specimens redcued by an average of 35%. The corrosion rate decreased in the first 7 days and then increased. PF samples with coating had an average of 49% increase in fatigue lifetime. Regarding the CF samples, despite the use of a 10 times stronger solution, the fatigue lifetime of these samples decreased by only 35%. FESEM results also showed cleavage plates and striations. In addition, the separation of the glue from the coating and Mg was observed. Corrosion products including microcracks and holes were seen on the fracture surface of CF specimens, which caused stress concentration and crack growth. Holes caused by the release of gases were also observed in polymer coatings.

We study the tight focusing properties of generic bright and dark HyOPS beams in the presence of primary coma. The role of the polarization singularity index and handedness of the polarization of the HyOPS beams on the focused structure has been discussed. Results have been presented for the total intensity, component intensities, and component phase distributions for left-, and right-handed bright and dark star and lemon types singularities. The presence of primary coma distorted the focal plane intensity distributions for both positive and negative index generic C-points. Coma is known to disturb the circular symmetry of the focal plane intensity distribution. Similarly in tight focusing polarization is known to disturb the symmetry. Therefore, a beam with structured and inhomogeneous polarization distribution tightly focused under the influence of coma is a fit case to study. It is found that the presence of primary coma aberration in the focusing system produces a positional shift of the high-intensity peaks and a reduction of the intensity on one side of the center. As the strength of the primary coma increases, the focal plane intensity distributions shift more and more toward the right from the initial position. Unlike the scalar vortex case, in the case of HyOPS beams, the focal plane intensity distribution undergoes rotation, as the helicity of the HyOPS beams is inverted, in addition to shifting. All the component phase distributions are found to be embedded with phase vortices of charge ±1.

The main aim of this work is to present a step-by-step procedure to model and analyze the power loss distribution of three-level Gallium Nitride (GaN) inverters. It has been applied to three distinct three-phase three-levels voltage source inverters utilized in electric traction drives: Active Neutral Point Clamped, Neutral Point Clamped and T-Type Neutral Point Clamped. The proposed analytical power loss modelling, combined to an equivalent representation of the electrical machine demonstrated to be a viable solution to achieve a time-saving and low computational burden simulation platform, leading to satisfying accuracy results. This has been confirmed by comparing the results carried out from the simulations of a 110kW permanent magnet synchronous motor drive and those determined by considering a simplified circuital representation based on the proposed analytical power loss modelling.

Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives and include trans-retinoic acid, isotretinoin, tamibarotene, and bexarotene, all of which are currently available for clinical use. The clinical development of retinoid therapy for neuroblastoma has a history spanning more than four decades. The most promising agent is isotretinoin, which can contribute to improving event-free survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma by approximately 10 % when administered over six months as maintenance therapy. Although isotretinoin is regarded as an essential component in the standard clinical management of high-risk neuroblastoma, its use for this purpose in the US and EU is off-label. To promote isotretinoin use in Japan as a treatment for neuroblastoma, our clinical research team is planning to launch an investigator-initiated, registration-directed clinical trial. The present review article discusses the basic science behind retinoid therapy, pre-clinical / clinical evidence on neuroblastoma, the concept of the proposed clinical trial, and prospects for this therapy.

Abstract: High power semiconductor laser is a kind of photoelectric device with high efficiency and high stability, the performance of its drive system directly affects its output characteristics and service life. In order to solve the problems of stability and robustness of the output power of semiconductor laser, a semiconductor laser driving power supply with high efficiency, low ripple and strong anti-interference ability was developed. The power supply adopts full-bridge LCC resonant power topology. Firstly, a mathematical model is established to analyze the relationship between LCC resonator parameters and output current gain. Secondly, a LCC resonator parameter design method is proposed to reduce the current stress of components, and the variable frequency phase shift (PFM-PWM) composite control strategy and linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC) algorithm are proposed, which not only ensures the zero voltage (ZVS) conduction of MOS tube, but also reduces the on-off loss of MOS tube. Improved power efficiency and suppressed output current ripple; At the same time, the instability of the output current is ensured due to the input voltage, load and parasitic parameter change of the circuit. Finally, the simulation and experimental results show that the power supply can be continuously adjustable in the output current range of 0-40A, the current ripple is less than 0.8%, and the working efficiency is up to 92%. It has the characteristics of high stability, small ripple, high efficiency, low cost and good robustness.

The physical and mechanical properties of rocks will change significantly after being subjected to high temperatures, which poses safety hazards to underground projects such as coal underground gasification. In order to investigate the effect of temperature on the macroscopic and microscopic properties of rocks, this paper has taken sandstone as the research object and conducted uniaxial compression tests on sandstone specimens at different temperatures (20-1000 ℃) and different heating rates (5-30 ℃/min) at 1200 ℃. At the same time, the acoustic emission (AE) test system was used to observe the acoustic emission characteristics of the rock damage process, and the microstructural changes after high temperature were analyzed with the help of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The test results show that the effect of temperature on sandstone is mainly divided into three stages: Ⅰ (20-500 ℃) stage is the strengthening zone, the evaporation of water and the contraction of primary fissures, sandstone densification is enhanced. Specifically, the compressive strength and elastic modulus increase, the macroscopic damage mode is dominated by shear damage, and the fracture micro-morphology is mainly brittle fracture. Stage II (500-600°C) is the transition zone, 500°C is the threshold temperature for compressive strength and modulus of elasticity, and the damage mode changes from shear to cleavage damage, and the sandstone undergoes brittle-ductile transition in this temperature interval. Stage III is the physicochemical deterioration stage. The changes in physical and chemical properties make the sandstone compressive strength and modulus of elasticity continue to decline, the macroscopic damage mode is mainly dominated by cleavage damage, and the fracture microscopic morphology is more toughness fracture. The effect of different heating rates on the mechanical properties of sandstone was further studied, and it was found that the mechanical properties of the rock were more deteriorated under higher heating rates.

This article explores the relationship between metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, providing a comprehensive overview of its risk factors and prevalence. Metabolic syndrome, characterized by a cluster of interconnected risk factors, significantly increases the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. The study, conducted over a one-year period, involved 117 patients with ages between 30 to 79 years old. Various elements such as gender, age, education level, background, smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary aspects, physical activity, and their contribution in developing the metabolic syndrome, were analysed.Central adiposity and high blood pressure emerged as prominent elements of the condition. The findings underscore the importance of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome. Encouraging regular physical activity, maintaining a balanced diet, rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, and avoiding harmful behaviours, such as smoking or alcohol consumption, are essential in reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome and its associated cardiovascular complications. The study highlights the need for public health initiatives, as well as individualized preventive strategies to combat the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Through promoting awareness of its risk factors and implementing effective interventions, healthcare professionals can contribute to better cardiovascular health worldwide. Further research in this area will continue to enhance our understanding of the metabolic syndrome and refine preventive and therapeutic approaches for its management.

This paper is concerned with developing an efficient numerical algorithm for fast implementation of the sparse grid method for computing the $d$-dimensional integral of a given function. The new algorithm, called the MDI-SG ({\em multilevel dimension iteration sparse grid}) method, implements the sparse grid method based on a dimension iteration/reduction procedure, it does not need to store the integration points, nor does it compute the function values independently at each integration point, instead, it reuses the computation for function evaluations as much as possible by performing the function evaluations at all integration points in a cluster and iteratively along coordinate directions. It is shown numerically that the computational complexity (in terms of CPU time) of the proposed MDI-SG method is of polynomial order $O(Nd^3 )$ or better, compared to the exponential order $O(N(\log N)^{d-1})$ for the standard sparse grid method, where $N$ denotes the maximum number of integration points in each coordinate direction. As a result, the proposed MDI-SG method effectively circumvents the curse of dimensionality suffered by the standard sparse grid method for high-dimensional numerical integration.

Pyrochlore oxides (A2B2O7) are potential nuclear waste substrate material due to their superior radiation resistance properties. We performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the structural properties and displacement cascades in ytterbium titanate pyrochlore (Yb2Ti2O7). We computed threshold displacement energy ( Ed ) and lattice constant ( ao) of Yb2Ti2O7. The effect of displacement cascades in Yb2Ti2O7 of recoils of energies 1 keV, 2 keV, 5 keV, 10 keV in different crystallographic directions ([100], [110], [111]) were studied. The number of defects is found to be proportional to the energy of incident PKA. Additionally, the Ed of pyrochlore is computed and it exhibits anisotropy. Furthermore, radiation damage in high-entropy pyrochlore (HEPy) i.e., YbYTiZrO7, YbGdTiZrO7 , Yb0.5Y0.5Eu0.5Gd0.5TiZrO7 were investigated and compared with Yb2Ti2O7. It was found that HEPy have a larger Ed as compared with Yb2Ti2O7 which exhibits characteristic of lower radiation damage resistance than HEPy. Our simulation proposed that HEPy alloys are more radiation resistant than individual pyrochlore constituents . This work will provide atomic insights in developing substrate materials for nuclear waste applications.

In crank presses, an important role is played by the presence of actuators with dwell, in which, with continuous movement of the input links, the output working link remains stationary at some part of the work. The use of a high-class structural group (fourth class) expands the functionality of the crank press, including it can ensure the link dwell of the working link on a given section of movement during the required period of time. As a result of the conducted research, four variants of actuators of the crank knee press were designed. Due to the rational choice of the positions of racks and crosshead guide, the best layout of the dimensions of the press mechanism has been achieved, changing the coordinates of the racks accordingly allows to design a mechanism with upper or lower dwells of the working links. When synthesizing (selecting) parameters such as: l_2 and h, it is possible to obtain a height of different duration. All this is shown on the basis of a numerical experiment based on kinematic analysis. In addition, the complex structure of the mechanism makes it possible to ensure the exact link dwell, which cannot be achieved due to the well-known knee presses based on the second-class mechanism [21].

This study examines the effect of a corporate citizenship-oriented high performance work system (CC-oriented HPWS) and the interactive influence of CC-oriented HPWS and person-organization fit (PO fit) on creativity at the individual level. Our analysis of field data collected from 303 employees in two branch companies with a two-phase collection method provides empirical support for our theoretical model. The results indicate that high performance work system (HPWS) reflecting corporate citizenship (CC) correlates positively with individual creativity. In addition, the moderating effect of PO fit is significant in the relationship between CC-oriented HPWS and creativity at the individual level. On this basis, this paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for future research.

Encapsulation is a valuable strategy to protect and deliver anthocyanins (ACNs), phenolic com-pounds with outstanding antioxidant capacity but limited stability. In this study, coacervation was used to encapsulate an ACNs-rich red cabbage extract (RCE). Two agri-food by-products polymers, whey protein isolate (WPI) and apple high-methoxyl pectin (HMP), were blended at pH 4.0 in a specific ratio to induce the formation of nanoparticles (NPs). The process optimisation yielded a monodispersed population (PDI < 0.200) of negatively charged (-17 mV) NPs with an average diameter of 380 nm. RCE concentration influenced size, charge, and antioxidant capacity in a dose-dependent manner. NPs were also sensitive to pH increase from 4 to 7, showing a progressive breakdown. The encapsulation efficiency was 30%, with a retention of ACNs within the polymeric matrix being influenced by their chemical structure: diacylated and/or C3-triglucoside forms were more efficiently encapsulated than monoacylated C3-diglucosides. In conclusion, we report a promising, simple, and sustainable method to produce monodispersed NPs for ACNs encapsu-lation and delivery. Evidence of differential binding of ACNs to NPs, dependent on specific ac-ylation/glycosylation patterns, indicate that care must be taken in the choice of the appropriate NPs formulation for the encapsulation of phenolic compounds.

Cervical carcinogenesis is the leading cause of cancer related death in women and the role of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) as a possible risk factor in the development of this cancer is well recognised. Despite the availability of multi-therapeutic approaches, there is still a major concern regarding the prevention of metastatic dissemination and excessive tissue injuries. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a safer and more efficient treatment modality. Ficus Carica, a natural plant, has shown potential therapeutic properties through its fruit latex when applied to HPV-positive cervical cancer cell lines. However, the mechanisms of action of Ficus Carica (fig) latex are not well understood. This study aims to provide a deeper insight into the biological activities of fig latex on human cervical cancer cell lines expressing high-risk HPV types 16 and 18. The data obtained from this study reveals that fig latex influences the expression of genes in-volved in "Class I MHC-mediated antigen presentation" as well as "Antigen processing: Ubiquitination and Proteasome degradation." These genes play a crucial role in host immune surveillance and the resolution of infection. Findings from this study suggest that fig latex may enhance T cell responses against oncogenic HPV, which could be beneficial for the clearance of early-stage cancer.

High-efficiency rock breaking by hydraulic jetting is the key to radial horizontal drilling technology. In order to improve the drilling efficiency of hydraulic jet rock breaking in radial horizontal wells, based on LS-Dyna display dynamics, a numerical simulation model of single nozzle jet rock breaking is established to analyze the influence of different nozzle parameters on rock breaking effect. Then, the numerical simulation model of the spin multi-nozzle jet bit is established, and the influence of different rotation speeds on the rock breaking effect of the jet bit is analyzed. Finally, the rock breaking drilling characteristics of the spin multi-nozzle jet bit and the conventional multi-nozzle jet bit are compared and analyzed. The results show that when the jet impacts the rock surface, the larger the inclination angle is, the larger the rock breaking width formed by the jet is. The smaller the dip angle, the greater the rock breaking depth. When the inclination angle is greater than 60 °, it is difficult to meet the needs of reaming. The width and depth of the nozzle gradually increase with the increase of the diameter. When the nozzle diameter is greater than 1.3mm, the growth rate of rock breaking depth begins to decrease. The optimum nozzle diameter is 1.3 mm. When v = 50m / s, the damage caused by the jet to the rock surface is very small, because the condition of rock fracture is not reached at this time. This shows that there is a critical value of the water jet impact velocity, and only when the velocity is reached, the rock will break. When the velocity is v = 150m / s, v = 200m / s, v = 250m / s, v = 300m / s, the rock breaks. At the same time, the higher the speed, the higher the degree of rock fracture, the greater the fracture depth, the greater the fracture area, the better the fracture effect. The tangential and radial velocity of the jet increases the shear and tensile failure rate of the sample, and improves the rock breaking efficiency of the jet, which has certain guiding significance for improving the rock breaking drilling efficiency of radial horizontal well drilling.

Keywords: Hypertensive emergency; diagnosis; lactate dehydrogenase; high sensitivity cardiac troponin T; brain natriuretic peptide; area under the curve.

Many problems in the fields of finance and actuarial science can be transformed into the problem of solving backward stochastic differential equations (BSDE) and partial differential equations (PDE) with jumps, which are often difficult to solve in high-dimensional cases. To solve this problem, this paper applies the deep learning algorithm to solve a class of high-dimensional nonlinear partial differential equations with jump terms and their corresponding backward stochastic differential equations (BSDE) with jump terms. Using the nonlinear Feynman-Kac formula, the problem of solving this kind of PDE is transformed into the problem of solving the corresponding backward stochastic differential equations with jump terms, and the numerical solution problem is turned into a stochastic control problem. At the same time, the gradient and jump process of the unknown solution are separately regarded as the strategy function and they are approximated respectively by using two multilayer neural networks as function approximators. Thus, deep learning-based method is used to overcome the “curse of dimensionality” caused by high-dimensional PDE with jump, and the numerical solution is obtained. In addition, this paper proposes a new optimization algorithm based on the existing neural network random optimization algorithm, and compares the results with the traditional optimization algorithm, and achieves good results. Finally, the proposed method is applied to three practical high-dimensional problems: Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, bond pricing under the jump Vasicek model and high-dimensional option pricing model with default risk. The proposed numerical method has obtained satisfactory accuracy and efficiency. The method has important application value and practical significance in investment decision-making, option pricing, insurance and other fields.

Traveling salesman problems (TSPs) are well-known combinatorial optimization problems, and most existing algorithms are challenging for solving TSPs when its scale is large. To improve the efficiency of solving large-scale TSPs, this work presents a novel adaptive layered clustering framework with improved genetic algorithm (ALC\_IGA). The primary idea behind ALC\_IGA is to break down a large-scale problem into a series of small-scale problems. First, the $k$-means and improved genetic algorithm are used to segment the large-scale TSPs layer by layer and generate the initial solution. Then, the developed two phases simplified $2$-opt algorithm is applied to further improve the quality of the initial solution. The analysis reveals that the computational complexity of the ALC\_IGA is between $O(n\log n)$ and $O(n^2)$. The results of numerical experiments on various TSP instances indicate that, in most situations, the ALC\_IGA surpasses the state-of-the-art algorithms in convergence speed, stability, and solution quality. Specifically, the ALC\_IGA can solve instances with $2 \times 10^5$ nodes within 0.15h, $1.4 \times 10^6$ nodes within 1h, and $2 \times 10^6$ nodes in three dimensions within 1.5h.

Excessive high fat diet (HFD) consumption can induce food addiction which is believed to involve the communication between the hypothalamus and mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons, originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). These brain regions are densely populated with opioid receptors, raising the possibility that these receptors, and particularly mu opioid receptors (MORs), are involved in mediating reward induced by palatable foods. This study sought to investigate the involvement of MORs in high fat diet (HFD)-induced reward and if there is any difference between male and female subjects in this response. We also assessed if exposure to HFD would potentiate the rewarding action of oxycodone, a relatively selective MOR agonist. The place conditioning paradigm was used to determine if conditioning for a short time (STC, 2 h) or long time (LTC, 16 h) with HFD induces reward or alters the rewarding action of oxycodone. Male and female C57BL/6J mice as well as MOR knockout and wildtype mice of both sexes were tested for basal place preference on day 1 and then conditioned with HFD in one chamber and regular chow diet (RCD) in another chamber and tested for place preference again after three sets of STC and again after a set of LTC. Each set consisted of two conditioning with RCD and two conditioning with HFD. Controls were conditioned with RCD in both conditioning chambers. Following the last place preference test, mice were treated with oxycodone and conditioned in the HFD-paired chamber and saline in the RCD-paired chamber for one hour once a day to explore the possibility if the HFD could alter oxycodone reward. The result showed that HFD induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in both male and female subjects following the LTC. This response was further potentiated after oxycodone conditioning. The latter response was mediated via MORs, as it was blunted in MOR knockout mice. However, HFD-induced CPP was observed following LTC in only female MOR knockout mice, suggesting for sexual dimorphism in this response.

Leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein1 (LRG1) is a member of the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) family that was implicated in multiple diseases including cancer, aging and heart failure as well as diabetes and obesity. LRG1 plays a key role in diet-induced hepatosteatosis and insulin resistance by mediating the crosstalk between adipocytes and hepatocytes. LRG1 also promotes hepatosteatosis by upregulating de novo lipogenesis in the liver and suppressing fatty acid β oxidation. In this study, we investigated the association of LRG1 with obesity markers including leptin and other adipokines in adolescents (11-14 years; n=425). BMI-for-age classification based on WHO growth charts was used to define obesity. Plasma LRG1 was measured by ELISA while other markers were measured by multiplexing assay. Median (IQR) of LRG1 levels was higher in obese [30 (25, 38) µg/mL] and overweight [30 (24, 39) µg/mL] adolescents, compared to normal-weight participants [27 (22, 35) µg/mL]. The highest tertile of LRG1 had an OR [95%CI] of 2.55 [1.44, 4.53] for obesity. LRG1 was positively correlated to plasma levels of HsCRP (R=0.2), Leptin (R=0.2) and Chemerin (R=0.24) with p<0.001. Additionally, it was positively associated with plasma level of IL6 (R=0.17) and IL10 (R=0.14) but not TNF-α. In conclusion, LRG1 levels are increased in obese kids and associate with increased levels of adipogenic markers. These results suggest the usefulness of LRG1 as an early biomarker for obesity and its related pathologies in adolescents.

Among solar thermal collectors, the evacuated flat panel is emerging as a reference technology for operation at higher temperatures of up to 200 °C with an increased annual energy production owing to both direct and diffuse light capture. Accurate measurements of the optical properties of the selective absorbers used in such devices are key for a reliable estimation of the overall performance. These optical properties must be measured under high vacuum at high temperatures, conditions under which the panels are meant to operate. In this study, we accurately measured these properties using a calorimetric technique. The measurement procedure is based on a power balance equation for a flat sample suspended in a high-vacuum chamber with minimal thermal losses and is well adapted for this class of devices. Calorimetric measurements obtained under Sun and LED light revealed excellent reproducibility and good agreement with those obtained using traditional optical analysis at low temperatures in air. When extended up to the absorber stagnation temperature, which often exceeds 300 °C, the calorimetric measurements started to deviate from the optical measurements, indicating the importance of measuring under the operating conditions.

A pilot study on laser 3D printing of inorganic free-form micro-optics is experimentally validated. Ultrafast laser nanolithography is employed for structuring hybrid organic-inorganic material SZ2080TM followed by high-temperature calcination post-processing. The combination allows production of 3D architectures and the heat-treatment results in converting the material to inorganic substance. The produced miniature optical elements are characterized and their optical performance demonstrated. Finally, the concept is validated for manufacturing compound optical components such as stacked lenses. This is opening for new directions and applications of laser made microoptics under harsh conditions such as high intensity radiation, temperature, acidic environment, pressure variations, which include open space, astrophotonics, and remote sensing.

Different external stimuli are perceived by multiple sensor histidine kinases and transmitted by phosphorylation via the phosphotransfer protein Ypd1p in the multistep phosphorelay system of the high osmolarity glycerol signaling pathway of filamentous fungi. How the signal propagation takes place is still not known in detail, since multiple sensor histidine kinase genes in most filamentous fungi are coded in the genome, whereas only one gene for Ypd1 exists. That raises the hypothesis that various Ypd1 isoforms are produced from a single gene sequence, perhaps by alternative splicing, facilitating a higher variability in signal transduction. We found that the mRNA of MoYPD1 in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is subjected to an increased structural variation and amplified putative isoforms on a cDNA level. We then generated mutant strains overexpressing these isoforms, purified the products and present here one previously unknown MoYpd1 isoform on a proteome level. Alternative splicing was found to be a valid molecular mechanism to increase the signal diversity in eukaryotic multistep phosphorelay systems.

Development of effective treatments for high-grade glioma (HGG) is hampered by 1) the blood-brain barrier (BBB), 2) an infiltrative growth pattern, 3) rapid development of therapeutic resistance, and, in many cases, 4) dose-limiting toxicity due to systemic exposure. Convec-tion-enhanced delivery (CED) has the potential to significantly limit systemic toxicity and in-crease therapeutic index by directly delivering homogenous drug concentrations to the site of disease. In this review, we present clinical experiences and preclinical developments of CED in the setting of high-grade gliomas.

As new treatment modalities are being explored in neuro-oncology, viruses are emerging as a promising class of therapeutics. Virotherapy consists of introduction of either wild-type or engineered viruses to the site of disease, where they exert anti-tumor effect. These viruses can either be non-lytic, in which case they are used to deliver gene therapy, or lytic, which induce tumor cell lysis and subsequent host immunologic response. Replication-competent viruses can then go on to further infect and lyse neighboring glioma cells. This treatment paradigm is being explored extensively in both preclinical and clinical studies for a variety of indications. Virus-based therapies are advantageous due to the natural susceptibility of glioma cells to viral infection, which improves therapeutic selectivity. Furthermore, lytic viruses expose glioma antigens to the host immune system and subsequently stimulate an immune response that specifically targets tumor cells. This review surveys the current landscape of oncolytic virotherapy clinical trials in high-grade glioma, summarizes preclinical experiences, identifies challenges associated with this modality across multiple trials, and highlights potential to integrate this therapeutic strategy into promising combinatory approaches.

Administration of crude polysaccharides extract from natural product is a promising gut microbiota-targeted approach to preventing obesity and associated metabolic disorders. Dietary restrictions can change the type and number of gut bacteria, which is an important factor in delaying the onset and burden of diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-yield crude polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris (CMP) on high-fat diet (HFD) mice model and the gut microbiota community assembly, and to identify whether selenium (Se) addition would improve CMP action mode during cultivation. We found that the CMP treatment ameliorated adipose and liver pathologic morphology and fat accumulation in obese mice, while, SeCMP intervention was not superior than CMP in body mass gain, but notably decreasing serum triglyceride level increased by HFD. The upregulated expression of gene Cyp7a1 in liver and protein UCP1 in brown adipose tissue (BAT) preliminary indicated that the effect might relate to bile acids (BAs) metabolism pathway and thermogenesis. In addition, CMP showed a drastic decrease in the gut microbes which positively correlated with dyslipidemia parameters. Our result reveals the potential of CMP to be used as functional food in the prevention of diet-induced adipose and liver steatosis, so does SeCMP has outstanding capacity of improving dyslipidemia.

There is a growing use of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) globally due to the many advantages of Direct Current (DC) transmission systems over Alternating Current (AC) transmission, including enabling transmission over long distances, higher transmission capacity and efficiency. Moreover, HVDC systems can be a great enabler in the transition to a low carbon electrical power system which is an important objective in today’s society. The objectives of the paper are to give a comprehensive overview of HVDC technology, its development, and present status, and to discuss its salient features, limitations and applications.

Analyses of the Hubble diagrams are presented for SN1a supernovae and gamma ray bursts in the redshift ranges z = 0.01–1.3 and 0.034–8.1, respectively. Data are presented on the typical z/μ scale and also on the less common yet increasingly sensitive photon flight time t/(z+1) scale. The primary conclusion is that on the basis of the presently accessible data in the redshift range z = 0.01–8.1, the slope of the Hubble diagram is, or is extremely close to, exponential.

The critical hypoxia in COVID-19 patients during this pandemic, has taken away many lives all around the globe. The mechanism has been poorly understood and initially, word got around that it was a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pneumonia. The atypical images in lung computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans were alarming. This immediately alerted everyone including poor countries to purchase lacking sophisticated ventilator equipment. However, in some countries, even 88% of the patients on ventilators lost their lives. New observations and pathological findings are gradually clarifying the disease. What seems evident is that it is not only one disease but several, with different responses in different countries and different altitudes. The critical hypoxia and «gasping» present in some patients are not totally understood. It was mentioned that it could be like a High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). Hereby, as high-altitude medicine and hypoxia physiology specialists, we compare the pathophysiology with that of high-altitude exposure in order to understand the mechanisms involved. Some differences in lung radiological images along with transmission and viral attack mechanisms are discussed. The oxygen transport triad used at high-altitude can be applied on this pathology in order to propose even the use of erythropoietin (EPO) early in the treatment. The immune system is the most important long-term survival tool, so we suggest a short-term strategy: the use of special Earth open-circuit astronaut-resembling suits with effective outside air filtering re-breathing mechanisms in order to return to work and daily activities, without contamination risk. Thereby, the curve can be flattened without quarantine and the economy could recover.

COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) is a pandemic disease with an estimated mortality rate of 3.4% (estimated by the WHO as of March 3, 2020). Until now there is no antiviral drug and vaccine for COVID-19. The current overwhelming situation by COVID-19 patients in hospitals is likely to increase in the next few months. About 15 percent of patients with serious disease in COVID-19 require immediate health services. Rather than waiting for new anti-viral drugs or vaccines that take a few months to years to develop and test, several researchers and public health agencies are attempting to repurpose medicines that are already approved for another similar disease and have proved to be fairly effective. This study aims to identify FDA approved drugs that can be used for drug repurposing and identify biomarkers among high- risk and asymptomatic groups. In this study gene-disease association related to COVID-19 reported mild, severe symptoms and clinical outcomes were determined. The high-risk group was studied related to SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and life cycle by using Disgenet and compared with curated COVID-19 gene data sets from the CTD database. The overlapped gene sets were enriched and the selected genes were constructed for protein-protein interaction networks. Through interactome, key genes were identified for COVID-19 and also for high risk and asymptomatic groups. The key hub genes involved in COVID-19 were VEGFA, TNF, IL-6, CXCL8, IL10, CCL2, IL1B, TLR4, ICAM1, MMP9. The identified key genes were used for drug-gene interaction for drug repurposing. The chloroquine, lenalidomide, pentoxifylline, thalidome, sorafenib, pacitaxel, rapamycin, cortisol, statins were proposed to be probable drug repurposing candidates for the treatment of COVID-19. However, these predicted drug candidates need to be validated through randomized clinical trials. Also, a key gene involved in high risk and the asymptomatic group were identified, which can be used as probable biomarkers for early identification.

Lamellar eutectic structure of Al_0.7CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) is emerging as a promising candidate for structural applications because of its high strength-ductility combination. The alloy consists of a fine-scale lamellar fcc+B2 microstructure with high flow stresses >1500 MPa under quasi-static conditions. The response to shear loading was not investigated so far. This is the first report on the shear deformation of an eutectic structured HEA and effect of precipitation on shear deformation. The dynamic shear response (DSR) of the eutectic HEA was examined in two microstructural conditions, with and without the presence of L1₂ precipitates. A split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was used to compress the hat-shaped specimens to study the local DSR of the alloy. The adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) in two different microstructural conditions were characterized after deformation at dynamic strain rates. The adiabatic shear localization occurs at low strains for the high strength material, and the eutectic microstructure does not delay cracking. The width of ASBs and the extent of plastic deformation around them has been correlated with the rate of straining. Dynamic recrystallization within ASBs and profuse twinning around it was observed. Local mechanical response of individual lamellae before and after shear deformation was examined using nano-indentation.

In this paper we describe a nonparametric maximum likelihood (NPML) method for estimating multivariate mixing distributions. Given $N$ independent observations, convexity theory shows that the NPML estimator is discrete with at most $N$ support points. The original infinite NPML problem then becomes the finite dimensional problem of finding the location and probability of the support points. The probability of the support points is found by a Primal-Dual Interior-Point method; the location of the support points is found by an Adaptive Grid method. Our method is able to handle high-dimensional and complex multivariate mixture models.An important application is discussed for the problem of population pharmacokinetics and a non-trivial example is treated.Our algorithm has been successfully applied in hundreds of published pharmacometric studies. In addition to population pharmacokinetics, this research also applies to empirical Bayes estimation and many other areas of applied mathematics.

Virus diseases of strawberry present several complex problems. More than 25 viruses have been described in the genus Fragaria thus far. Here, we describe a novel rhabdovirus, tentatively named strawberry virus 1 (StrV-1), that infects F. ananassa and F. vesca plants. Genomic sequences of three distinct StrV-1 genotypes co-infecting a single F. ananassa host were obtained using combined Illumina and Ion Proton high-throughput sequencing. StrV-1 was transmitted to herbaceous plants via Aphis fabae and A. ruborum, further mechanically transmitted to Nicotiana occidentalis 37B and sub-transferred to N. benthamiana, N. benthamiana DCL2/4i, N. occidentalis 37B and Physalis floridana plants. Irregular chlorotic sectors on leaf blades and the multiplication of calyx leaves seem to be the diagnostic symptoms for StrV-1 on indexed F. vesca clones. StrV-1 was detected in asymptomatic grafted plants and in 49 out of 159 field strawberry samples via RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. The bacilliform shape of the virions, which have a cytoplasm-limited distribution, their size, and phylogenetic relationships support the assignment of StrV-1 to a distinct species of the genus Cytorhabdovirus. Acyrthosiphon malvae, A. fabae and A. ruborum were shown to transmit StrV-1 under experimental conditions.

A multi-strand composite welding wire was applied to join high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel, and microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated. The electrical signals demonstrate that the welding process using a multi-strand composite welding wire is highly stable. The welded joints are composed of columnar austenite and dendritic ferrite and welded joints obtained under high heat input and cooling rate have a noticeable coarse-grained heat-affected zone and larger columnar austenite in weld seam. Compared with welded joints obtained under the high heat input and cooling rate, welded joints have the higher fractions of deformed grains, high angle grain boundaries, Schmid factor and the lower dislocation density under the low heat input and cooling rate, which indicate a lower tensile strength and higher yield strength. The rotated goss (G_RD) orientation of a thin plate and the cube (C) orientation of a thick plate are obvious after welding, but the S orientation at 65° sections of Euler’s space is weak. The δ-ferrite was studied based on the primary ferrite solidification mode. It is observed that low heat input and high cooing rate result in the increasing of δ-ferrite and high dislocation density was obtained in grain boundaries of δ-ferrite. M₂₃C₆ precipitates due to low cooling rate and heat input in weld seam and deteriorates the elongation of welded joints. The engineering stress-strain curves also show the low elongation and tensile strength of welded joints under low heat input and cooling rate, which is mainly caused by the high fraction of δ-ferrite and the precipitation of M₂₃C₆.

As novel materials for carbon capture, phase change solvents can separate into two immiscible phases during the CO2 capturing procedure under a certain temperature. The solvent systems can significantly decrease the energy consumption since the solvents can be regenerated by only heating the rich-CO2 phase. In this work, amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) were synthesized using quaternary ammonium salts and amino acids as raw materials, and the aqueous solutions were prepared as novel liquid-solid phase change solvents. The results showed that the solvents had excellent CO2 absorption capacity, and the AAILs functionalized by glycine and tryptophan exhibited significant phase change properties. The mechanism of phase-change of the solvent were mainly due to the lower solubility of the product after reaction between AAILs and CO2. The solvent with tryptophan as anion could be regenerated by only heating the CO2-riched solid phase, which might significantly decrease energy consumption of regeneration. And the absorbent could be reused with the regenerated absorption ratio up to 79%. The solvent system has great potential in industrial application due to the easy operation process and efficient recycling ability.

Objective: Lipids are secreted into milk as bilayer-coated structures: milk lipid globules (MLGs). Adipophilin (ADRP) and perilipin 3 (TIP47) are associated with MLGs in human breast milk; however, the role of these proteins in milk lipid secretion is not fully understood. The aim of the study was to investigate levels of ADRP, TIP47 and total lipid content in human breast milk, their mutual correlations and dynamics during lactation. Research Methods & Procedures: Milk samples from 22 healthy lactating women (Caucasian, Central European) were collected at five time points during lactation (1–3, 12–14, 29–30, 88–90 and 178–180 days postpartum). Mass spectrometry-based method was used for quantification of ADRP and TIP47 in the samples. The gravimetric method was used to determine milk total lipid content. Results: We observed distinctive trends in ADRP, TIP47 levels and lipid content in human breast milk during the first 6 months of lactation. We also found a significant association between lipid content and ADRP, lipid content and TIP47, and ADRP and TIP47 concentrations in breast milk at all sampling points. Moreover, we derived an equation for estimating the mean lipid content of milk based on ADRP concentration in human breast milk. Conclusions: A mass spectrometry-based method was developed for quantifying ADRP and TIP47 in human breast milk. Strong mutual correlations were found between ADRP, TIP47 and total lipid content in human breast milk.

Promoter is a small region of DNA sequence in response to various transcription factors, which initiates a particular gene expression. The promoter-engineered bio-sensor can activate or repress gene expression through transcription factor recognizing specific molecules, such as polyamine, sugars, lactams, amino acids, organic acids or redox molecule, however, the reported applications of promoter enhanced bio-sensor are not too much. This review paper highlights the strategies of construction of promoter-gene engineered bio-sensor with human and bacteria’s genetic promoter array for high-throughput screening (HTS) molecular drugs, study of membrane protein’s localization and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling mechanism of regulating factor, enzyme activity, detection of the toxicity of intermediate chemicals, and probing bacteria density to improve value-added product titer. These bio-sensors’s sensitivity and specificity can be further improved by proposed approaches of Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ added random Error-prone PCR and site-directed mutagenesis which is applied for construction of bacteria’s “mutant library”. It is expected to establish flexible HTS platform (Bio-sensor array) to large-scale screen transcription factor-acting drugs, reducing the toxicity of intermediate compounds, and constructing gene dynamic regulatory system in “push and pull” mode to effectively regulate the valuable medicinal product production. This proposed novel promoter-engineered biosensors aided synthetic genetic circuit construction will maximize the efficiency of bio-synthesis of medicinal compound, which will greatly promote the development of microbial metabolic engineering and biomedical science.

Impervious surface mapping with high-resolution remote sensing imagery has attracted increasing interest as it can provide detailed information for urban structure and distribution. Previous studies have suggested that the combination of LiDAR data and high-resolution imagery for impervious surface mapping performs better than using only high-resolution imagery. However, due to the high cost of the acquisition of LiDAR data, it is difficult to obtain the multi-sensor remote sensing data acquired at the same acquisition time for impervious surface mapping. Consequently, real landscape changes between multi-sensor remote sensing data at different acquisition times would lead to the error of misclassification in impervious surface mapping. This issue has mostly been neglected in previous works. Furthermore, the observation differences generated from multi-sensor data, including the problems of misregistration, missing data in LiDAR data, and shadow in high-resolution images would also challenge the final mapping result in the fusion of LiDAR data and high-resolution images. In order to conquer these problems, we propose an improved impervious surface mapping method incorporating both LiDAR data and high-resolution imagery at different acquisition times in consideration of real landscape changes and observation differences. In the proposed method, a multi-sensor change detection by supervised multivariate alteration detection is employed to obtain changed areas and misregistration areas. The no-data areas in the LiDAR data and the shadow areas in the high-resolution imagery are extracted by independent classification yielded by its corresponding single sensor data. Finally, an object-based post-classification fusion is proposed to take advantage of independent classification results with single-sensor data and the joint classification result with stacked multi-sensor data. Experiments covering the study site in Buffalo, NY, USA demonstrate that our method can accurately detect landscape changes and obviously improve the performance of impervious surface mapping.

The superharmonic imaging of tissue has the potential for high spatial and contrast resolutions, compared to the fundamental and second harmonic imaging. For this technique, the spectral bandwidth of an ultrasound transducer is divided for transmission of ultrasound and reception of its superharmonics (i.e., higher than the second harmonic). Due to the spectral division for the transmission and reception, transmitted ultrasound energy is not sufficient to induce superharmonics in media without using contrast agents, and it is difficult that a transducer has a -6-dB fractional bandwidth of higher than 100%. For the superharmonic imaging of tissue, thus, multi-frequency array transducers are the best choice if available; transmit and receive elements are separate and have different center frequencies. However, the construction of a multi-frequency transducer for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging is particularly demanding because of its small size of less than 1 mm. Here, we report a recently developed dual-element focused IVUS transducer for the third harmonic imaging of tissue, which consists of a 35-MHz element for ultrasound transmission and a 105-MHz element for third harmonic reception. For high quality third harmonic imaging, both elements were fabricated to have the same focus at 2.5 mm. The results of tissue mimicking phantom tests demonstrated that the third harmonic images produced by the developed transducer had higher spatial resolution and deeper imaging depth than the fundamental images.

Alternative fuels available at low cost, friendly to natural environments and meet the energy needs and demands, have witnessed a growing demand and use today. Ethanol is an attractive renewable energy source with a high content of oxygen. Ethanol can be produced through ethanolisis, however for this work direct blending of conventional diesel, waste plastic pyrolysis oil and ethanol with commercial fuel improver CI-0808 purchased from Innospec company was attempted. The primary purpose of adding a cetane improver was to improve the combustion characteristics of the blends by at least 1- 3 ignition quality points. Five mixing ratios were chosen in the following order, 50:25:25, 60: 20:20, 70: 15:15, 80: 10:10 and 90: 5:5 for Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil (WPPO), ethanol and conventional diesel (CD) respectively. However, for the fuel additive mixing ratio the total volume percentage was considered and the ratio put at 0.01% of the total quantity of blended fuel. In this work WPPO, diesel blends and fuel additives improvers were used as alternative fuel. This was to evaluate their performance and emission characteristics in a stationary single cylinder water cooled experimental diesel engine. The CI-0808 was added due to its potential power to reduce emissions of CO, UHC, NO_X, PM and improved engine performance. The results obtained were compared carefully to ASTM standards and discussed using graph curves figures and tabulated values. The conclusion was that ethanol and WPPO blends can be used in diesel engines as alternative fuel without modification. Used in combination with cetane improvers the emissions reduce significantly and performance improved equalling that of conventional diesel fuel.

The key to simulating soil erosion is to calculate the vegetation cover (C) factor. Methods that apply remote sensing to calculate C factor at regional scale cannot directly use the C factor formula. That is because the C factor formula is obtained by experiment, and needs the coverage ratio data of croplands, woodlands and grasslands at standard plot scale. In this paper, we present a C factor conversion method from a standard plot to a km-sized grid based on large sample theory and multi-scale remote sensing. Results show that: 1) Compared with the existing C factor formula, our method is based on the coverage ratio of croplands, woodlands and grasslands on a km-sized grid, takes the C factor formula obtained from the standard plot experiment and applies it to regional scale. This method improves the applicability of the C factor formula, and can satisfy the need to simulate soil erosion in large areas. 2) The vegetation coverage obtained by remote sensing interpretation is significantly consistent (paired samples t-test, t = −0.03, df = 0.12, 2-tail significance p < 0.05) and significantly correlated with the measured vegetation coverage. 3) The C factor of the study area is smaller in the middle, southern and northern regions, and larger in the eastern and western regions. The main reason for that is the distribution of woodlands, the Hunshandake and Horqin sandy lands and the valleys affected by human activities. 4) The method presented in this paper is more meticulous than the C factor method based on the vegetation index, improves the applicability of the C factor formula, and can be used to simulate soil erosion on large scale and provide strong support for regional soil and water conservation planning.

A multiscale (micro-macro) approach is proposed for the establishment of the full thermal and induced stress fields in cracked composites that are subjected to heat flow. Both the temperature and stresses distributions are determined by the solution of a boundary value problem with one-way coupling. In the micro level and for combined thermomechanical loading, a micromechanical analysis is employed to determine the effective moduli, coefficients of thermal expansion and thermal conductivities of the undamaged composite. In the macro level, the representative cell method is employed according to which the periodic damaged composite region is reduced, in conjunction with the discrete Fourier transform, to a finite domain problem. As a result, a boundary value problem is obtained in the Fourier transform domain which is appropriately discretized and solved. The inverse transform and an iterative procedure provide the full thermal and stress fields. The proposed method is verified by comparisons with exact solutions. Applications are given for the determination of the thermal and stress fields in cracked fiber-reinforced polymeric composite, cracked porous ceramic material and cracked periodically layered ceramic composite caused by the application of heat flow. The presented formulation admits however the application of a combined mechanical and heat flux on cracked composites.

In this paper we introduce a computational model for the simulation of hypervelocity impact (HVI) phenomena which is based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Our paper constitutes the first application of DEM to the modeling and simulating of impact events for velocities beyond 5 kms⁻¹. We present here the results of a systematic numerical study on HVI of solids. For modeling the solids, we use discrete spherical particles that interact with each other via potentials. In our numerical investigations we are particularly interested in the dynamics of material fragmentation upon impact. We model a typical HVI experiment configuration where a sphere strikes a thin plate and investigate the properties of the resulting debris cloud. We provide a quantitative computational analysis of the resulting debris cloud caused by impact and a comprehensive parameter study by varying key parameters of our model. We compare our findings from the simulations with recent HVI experiments performed at our institute. Our findings are that the DEM method leads to very stable, energy–conserving simulations of HVI scenarios that map the experimental setup where a sphere strikes a thin plate at hypervelocity speed. Our chosen interaction model works particularly well in the velocity range where the local stresses caused by impact shock waves markedly exceed the ultimate material strength.

If we assume that: a. The four fundamental forces of nature are independent waves without rest mass, and their speeds are constant in a vacuum, just like light. b. Light or electromagnetic waves and gravity are comparable in structure. The weak and strong interials are similar in structure. c. Light and the weak interaction have the same speed c_L with spin number +1 or -1. d. Gravity and the strong interaction have the same speed c_G without spin. e. The primary particles, namely electrons (or positrons), electron neutrinos, and dark neutrinos in this paper, are made of the above four waves. We can find and describe some fundamental characteristics of the primary particles (e.g., their sizes, energies, and interactions) and introduce new attractive results from them (e.g., the source of the Pauli exclusion principle, the solution of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, and c_G slightly faster than c_L).

Train fault detection primarily relies on the comparative analysis of collected images with standard reference images, making the accurate identification of the collected image types crucial for effective fault detection. Most current systems achieve indirect classification of carriage images by using Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) devices to recognize carriage identification number information while capturing the carriage images. However, damaged RF tags or blurred characters can hinder these devices, obstructing further train fault analyses. The unique features of carriage linear array images, such as high resolution, extreme aspect ratios, and local non-linear distortions, pose significant challenges to recognition algorithms. This paper proposes a method specifically designed to recognize these types of images. First, we implement an object detection algorithm to locate the positions of key components in carriage linear array images. By leveraging the spatial layout mapping between these key components and the carriage type classification, we simplify the complex image recognition problem into a sparse point set alignment task. To ensure effective registration despite local distortions in the linear array images, we propose a weighted radial basis function. To address the issues of unknown matching relationships and quantity mismatches during point set alignment, the proposed objective function is designed to maximize the similarity between Gaussian mixtures of point sets, thereby determining the RBF weights. Extensive experiments have demonstrated that our algorithm achieves 100% recognition accuracy under local nonlinear scale distortions of less than 15%. The algorithm remains effective even in the presence of some false positives or missed detections in key component object detection results. It can accurately identify the target category from 79 image categories within 24 milliseconds on an i7 CPU without GPU support. It is of great significance to reduce system cost and promote automatic exterior fault detection for train rolling stock.

Background/Objectives: Dental implants have become a cornerstone of restorative dentistry, providing a long-lasting method for tooth replacement. The level of osseointegration has a big impact on the biomechanical stability at the bone-implant contact (BIC), which determines how long these implants will work. However, the exact consequences of changing osseointegration levels on different implant designs, especially in bones with variable densities, are not well known. Three short dental implants were tested in this study: BioMet 3iT3, Straumann® Standard Plus Short Regular Neck (SPS-RN), and Straumann® Standard Plus Short-Wide Neck (SPS-WN). 3D finite element analysis (FEA) was used to look at how well they worked biomechanically. This paper tests the implants at four stages of osseointegration: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% in both high-density (Bone Type III) and low-density (Bone Type IV) cancellous bone. It also created and examined realistic CAD models under static occlusal loading conditions to assess stress distribution and major strains at the bone-implant contact.; Results: The study discovered that as osteointegration increases, von Mises stress and principal strains go down significantly for all implant types. The SPS-WN implant had the lowest strain values, especially for bone with low density. These reductions demonstrate increased mechanical stability as the bone-implant inter-face becomes more capable of dispersing mechanical stresses, minimizing the potential for localized deformation and bone resorption.; Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of achieving optimum osseointegration to reduce mechanical stress and increase the lifespan of dental implants. The SPS-WN type implant performed better in biomechanical tests than the others, especially when bone conditions were not ideal. This makes it a great choice for clinical applications that need long-term implant success.

This article provides a literature review on tubal carcinoma to offer an updated insight into its preventative strategies, diagnosis, treatment, and oncological surveillance. In addition to the search string utilized, the authors' focus extended to key scientific studies, consensus statements, guidelines, and relevant case reports essential for the proper clinical management of the disease, providing a methodologically well-structured literature review combined with the practical expertise in the oncological field. The article also includes two emblematic clinical cases that emphasize the importance of understanding the physiopathology and the current state of the art in the anatomopathological advancements of tubal/ovarian/peritoneal carcinoma, often assimilated into a single clinical entity.

Background: The objectives were to evaluate: the safety and immunogenicity of nonavalent human papillomavirus (nHPV) vaccine in adult Spanish women living with HIV (WLHIV); the prevalence of anal and cervical dysplasia and nHPV vaccine genotypes in anus and cervix; and risk factors for high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection in anal mucosa. Methods In this single-center, open-arm, non-randomized clinical trial, nHPV vaccine was administered at 0, 2, and 6 months to WLHIV enrolled between February 2020 and November 2023, measuring vaccine antibody titers pre-vaccination and at 2, 6, and 7 months after the first dose. Cervical and anal cytology and HPV PCR genotyping studies were performed. Women with abnormal cytology and/or anal or cervical HPV infection at baseline underwent high-resolution anoscopy and/or colposcopy. Results: 122 participants were included with mean age of 49.6 years: 52.5% smoked; 10.7% had anal-genital condylomatosis; 38.5% infection by HR-HPV in anus and 25.4% in cervix, most frequently HPV-16; 19.1% had AIN1 and 3.1% CIN1 and CIN2. Vaccine administration did not modify viral-immunological status (CD4 [809±226.8 cells/uL vs. 792.35 ±349.95; p=0.357]) or plasma HIV load (3.38±4.41 vs. 1.62±2.55 cop/uL [log]; p=0.125). Anti-HPV antibodies ([IQR: 0-0] vs. 7.63 nm [IQR: 3.46-19.7]; p=0.0001) and seroconversion rate (8.2% vs. 96.7% [p=0.0001]) were increased at 7 versus 0 months. There were no severe vaccine-related adverse reactions; injection-site pain was reported by around half of participants. HR-HPV infection in anus was solely associated with concomitant cervix infection (HR 5.027; 95% CI: 1.009-25.042). Conclusions: nHPV vaccine in adult WLHIV is immunogenic and safe.

The firmware developed for the readout and trigger processing of the information emerging from BIS78-RPC Muon Spectrometer chambers in the ATLAS experiment at CERN, is presented here, together with data processing techniques, data acquisition software and tests of the readout chain system, on the road to make these chambers operational in the ATLAS experiment. This work is performed in the context of the BIS78-RPC project, which deals with the pilot deployment of a new generation of sMDT+RPC chambers in the experiment. Such chambers are planned to be fully deployed in the whole barrel inner layer of the Muon Spectrometer during the Phase-II upgrade of the ATLAS experiment. On-chamber front-ends include an amplifier, a discriminator ASIC and an LVDS transmitter. The signal is digitized by CERN HPTDC chips and then processed by an FPGA which is the heart of the readout and trigger processing, using various techniques. The work presented here is a continuation of the work presented in [1].

The responses of inflammatory cytokines and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session were compared between 7 postmenopausal (57±2 y) and 8 premenopausal females (44±3 y) during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle, when estrogen and progesterone are highest, and. HIIT consisted of 10 x 1 min running intervals (90% maximum heart rate) separated by 1 min recovery intervals. Blood samples were collected at baseline (fasted), pre-exercise (postprandial), and 0, 30 and 90 min post-HIIT and analyzed for interleukin (IL-6) and 10 (IL-10), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and BDNF. IL-6 significantly increased from pre-exercise to 0 min post-HIIT in postmenopausal (+40%, p=0.01) but 30 min post-HIIT in premenopausal females (+60%, p=0.02). IL-6 remained elevated at 90 min post-HIIT in premenopausal (+104%, p=0.05) and to a higher degree in postmenopausal (+385%, p&lt;0.001). IL-10 showed no response. TNF-α increased from pre- to 0 min post-HIIT (+10%, p=0.05), then decreased to below pre-exercise at 30 min (-10%, p=0.02) and 90 min (-5%, p=0.04) in both groups. BDNF increased immediate post-HIIT in premenopausal (+60%, p&lt;0.001) but not postmenopausal females. The differences in IL-6 and BDNF response to HIIT between pre and postmenopausal females provide evidence of the role of female reproductive hormones in the regulation of these exercise-induced responses.

The effect of H2S with high concentrations on catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM) process has seldom been focused on previously. Herein, a thermodynamic analysis of the DRM reactions in the presence of H2S with the concentration varying in 0-20 vol% was conducted firstly. Several typical types of catalysts including MgO, NiO/MgO and LaNiO3 in different states were prepared for executing DRM at 800 C, 0.1 MPa in the feed of 20 vol% CO2 and 20 vol% CH4 balanced with N2. The catalytic performance of each catalyst for DRM process under conditions of absence and presence of H2S was compared. A promotion effect of increasing H2S concentration on both the conversions of CO2 and CH4 and the molar yields of CO and H2 was observed on all the catalysts especially the MgO and the pristine NiO/MgO. While a significant decline in catalytic activity of either the reduced NiO/MgO or the reduced LaNiO3 catalyst after adding H2S, moderate reactant conversions still sustained. The results of process analysis and catalyst structure characterization suggest that H2S participation can contribute to the increment in CO2 and CH4 conversion, and active S-adsorbed species may play the key role of catalysis in the reactions involving H2S.

The new unique technology for granulation of metals and nonmetallic melts is presented in the paper. It was created on the newly developed controlled film flow disintegration with rapid cooling of the droplets and solidified granules in amorphous state. Three new phenomena discovered by us created the base for 3 different methods for granulation of metals and nonmetallic melts in a wide range of granules’ sizes. Electromagnetic resonance method allows producing granules of metals in the range of 1 mm and over. The soliton-like vibrational regime is available for production of any granulation material in the range 0.1-1 mm. Moreover, the shockwave regime is applicable for producing particles from 10 micrometers by size. All methods produce particles of the stated size with a narrow distribution by size: deviation from the average size no more than 50%. The other known methods do not produce granules with such high cooling rate, which can realize the amorphous state and cannot regulate size of particles in such bright but narrow range from 10 micrometers to 1-2 mm.

Agricultural activities are the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon emissions from agricultural land use (CEALU) have become a hot issue across the world. However, few scholars explored the impact of agricultural land policies on carbon emissions, such as the High-standard farmland construction(HSFC) in China.Thus，by relying on provincial panel data for China for the period 2005-2017, the effect of the high-standard basic farmland construction policy on carbon emissions from agricultural land use per unit area and its regional differences were quantitatively analyzed using the difference-in-difference (DID) model. The results showed that: 1) China's CEALU per unit area presented a fluctuating upward trend during the period 2005-2017, from 392.58 kg/ha to 457.72 kg/ha, with an average annual growth rate of 1.31%. 2) The high-standard farmland construction(HSFC) policy produced a significant carbon emission reduction effect in agricultural land use, and reduced the CEALU per unit area by 10.80% on average. With the promotion of this policy, its carbon emission reduction effect in agricultural land use presented an overall increasing trend. 3) The carbon emission reduction effect of the high-standard farmland construction policy in agricultural land use was significant in central China, but non-significant in eastern China and western China.

Nitraria tangutorum Bobrov is a berry shrub with white flowers and red fruits, which grows in the deserts in the Tibetan Plateau, Mongolia, and western China. Its fruit N. tangutorum fruit (NTF) contains various bioactive compounds, with anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective functions. However, the high saccharide content of NTF makes it unsuitable for diabetic patients. In this study, we fermented NTF to obtain N. tangutorum fermented juice (NTJ), and N. tangutorum fermented residue (NTR), which are suitable for diabetics to consume. We characterized the bioactive compounds in NTF, NTR, and NTJ, and found that fermentation increased the diversity of bioactive compounds, and greatly reduced sucrose, glucose, and fructose content while generating trehalose, which has the potential to manage blood glucose levels. Further, NTJ displays anti-diabetic potential due to various compounds anti-diabetic properties. This study provides a basis for further clinical research on NTJ's anti-diabetic function in humans.

Fluorescent bioprobes are invaluable tools for visualizing live cells and deciphering complex biological processes by targeting intracellular biomarkers without disrupting cellular functions. In addition to protein-binding concepts, fluorescent probes utilize various mechanisms, including membrane, metabolism, and gating-oriented strategies. This study introduces a novel fluorescent mechanism distinct from existing ways. Here, we developed a B-cell selective probe, CDrB, with unique transport mechanisms. Through SLC-CRISPRa screening, we identified two transporters, SLCO1B3 and SLC25A41, by sorting out populations exhibiting higher and lower fluorescence intensities, respectively, demonstrating contrasting activities. We confirmed that SLCO1B3, with comparable expression levels in T and B cells, facilitates the transport of CDrB into cells, while SLC25A41, overexpressed in T lymphocytes, actively exports CDrB. The observation suggests that SLC25A41 plays a crucial role in discriminating between T and B lymphocytes. Furthermore, it reveals the potential for reversible localization of SLC25A41 to demonstrate its distinct activity. This study is the first report to unveil a novel strategy of SLC by exporting the probe. We anticipate that this research will open up new avenues for developing fluorescent probes.

The high-quality development of urban-rural integration is a vital component of China's economy, serving as a strategic response to the in-depth deployment of new urbanization and rural revitalization strategies. This integration is underscored by the promotion of entrepreneurship in agriculture, rural areas, and among farmers, which acts as a driver for fostering high-quality development in urban-rural areas through market competition. The resulting influx of resources and commodities with similar characteristics plays a crucial role in bridging the urban-rural divide. To maintain objectivity, it is important to adopt a balanced approach and refrain from using biased language. This study delves into the connotation and internal mechanism of the high-quality development of urban-rural integration, centering on the principle of 'quality'. Specifically, it examines the role of entrepreneurship in agriculture, rural areas, and among farmers, and evaluates its direct impact and transmission mechanism. The research employs balanced panel data from 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region spanning from 2003 to 2021. The findings reveal that entrepreneurship in agriculture, rural areas, and among farmers serves as a catalyst for promoting high-quality urban-rural development through the construction of a virtuous cycle, whereby resource factors and commodity services are exchanged. Moreover, this deep integration yields diverse effects across economic, spatial, demographic, social, and ecological domains, underscoring the necessity of continued support for entrepreneurship in agriculture, rural areas, and among farmers to facilitate a seamless urban-rural economic cycle and fully realize the benefits of high-quality development.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have garnered considerable attention in academic and industrial circles due to their potential applications in flat panel displays and solid-state lighting technologies, leveraging the advantages offered by organic electroactive derivatives over their inorganic counterparts. The thin and flexible design of OLEDs enables the development of innovative lighting solutions, facilitating the creation of customizable and contoured lighting panels. Among the diverse electroactive components employed in the molecular design of OLED materials, the benzophenone core has attracted much attention as fragment for synthesis of organic semiconductors. On the other hand, the benzophenone also functions as a classical phosphor with high intersystem crossing efficiency. This characteristic makes it as compelling candidate for effective reverse intersystem crossing, potentially leading to the development of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters. These emitting materials witnessed a pronounced interest in recent years due to their incorporation in metal-free electroactive frameworks and the capability to convert triplet excitons into emissive singlet excitons through reverse intersystem crossing (RISC), consequently achieving exceptionally high external quantum efficiencies (EQEs). This review article comprehensively overviews the synthetic pathways, thermal characteristics, electrochemical behaviour and photo-physical properties of the derivatives based on benzophenone. Furthermore, we explore their applications in OLED devices, both as host materials and emitters, shedding light on the promising opportunities that benzophenone-based compounds present in advancing OLED technology.

The altitude of the habitat is one of the important regulators of species survival. Kaçkar Mountains National Park is located in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. This is the first study on the benthic diatom flora of the high mountain lakes in Kaçkar Mountains National Park, which is situated between 2782 and 3075 m a.s.l. A total of 84 diatom species were identified from benthic communities of 15 habitats in summer (19 July, 28 August) and autumn (10 September) months of 2020. The genus Pinnularia (13 species) formed the basis of the taxonomic list followed by Eunotia (5 species), Navicula (5 species), and Frustulia (4 species) genera, respectively. The waters in all the studied lakes were fresh, low-saline, with low-alkaline or circumneutral pH and organically uncontaminated as evidenced by prevailed bioindicator groups. Statistical methods and comparative floristic results confirm the role of the lake altitude for the diatom species distribution. Species richness was higher in lakes with lower altitude, but a statistical approach also revealed a tendency for it to increase with altitude if species richness increased. Further studies will be needed to continue exploring this pattern. In the first round of analysis, diatom species groups were categorized according to IUCN categories, revealing one potentially threatened and one rare species. To protect studied high mountain lakes, their ecological conditions must be constantly monitored in the Kaçkar Mountains National Park.

Gut microbiota dysfunction is a key factor affecting chronic kidney disease (CKD) susceptibility. Puerariae Lobatae Radix (PLR), a traditional Chinese medicine and food homologous herb, is known to promote gut microbiota homeostasis, however, its role in renoprotection remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and potential mechanism of PLR to alleviate CKD. An 8-week 2% NaCl-feeding murine model was applied to induce CKD and evaluate the therapeutic effect of PLR supplementary. After gavage for 8 weeks, PLR significantly alleviated CKD-associated creatinine, urine protein increasement and nephritic histopathological injury. Moreover, PLR protected kidney from fibrosis by reducing inflammatory response and down-regulating the canonical Wnt / β-catenin pathway. Further, PLR rescued gut microbiota dysbiosis and protected high salt-induced gut barrier dysfunction. We found enrichment of Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium after PLR intervention, the relative abundance of which were in positive correlation with normal maintenance of renal histology and function. Next, fecal microbiota transplantation experiment verified that the positive effect of PLR on CKD was at least partially exerted through gut microbiota reestablishment and down-regulation of the Wnt / β-catenin pathway. Our study provides evidence for new function of PLR on kidney protection and put forward a potential therapeutic strategy target for CKD.

(1) Background: CTA has validated the use of pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation as a credible indicator of coronary inflammation and plays a crucial role in coronary artery disease (CAD). This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of high-dose statins on PCAT attenuation at coronary lesion sites and changes in plaque distribution; (2) Methods: Our prospective observational study included 52 patients (mean age 60.43) with typical chest pain, a low-to-intermediate likelihood of CAD, and documented atheromatous plaque through CCT. We utilized advanced features of the CaRi-Heart® and syngo.via Frontier® systems to assess coronary plaques and changes in PCAT attenuation; (3) Results: Changes in plaque morphology were investigated, revealing significant alterations. Notably, in mixed plaques, calcified portions increased (p &lt; 0.0001), while non-calcified plaque volume (NCPV) decreased (p = 0.0209). PCAT attenuation generally decreased after one year and remained low, indicating reduced inflammation in the following arteries: LAD (p = 0.0142), LCX (p = 0.0513), and RCA (p = 0.1249). The CaRi-Heart® risk also decreased significantly (p = 0.0041). Linear regression analysis demonstrated a correlation between increased PCAT attenuation and higher volumes of NCPV (p &lt; 0.0001, r = 0.3032) and lipid-rich plaque volume (p &lt; 0.0001, r = 0.3281); (4) Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that high-dose statin therapy significantly reduces CAD risk factors, inflammation, and plaque vulnerability, as evidenced by the notable decrease in PCAT attenuation, a critical indicator of plaque progression.

There are many applications of anomaly detection in IoT domain. IoT technology consists of large number of interconnecting digital devices not only generating huge data continuously but also making real-time computations. Since IoT devices are highly exposed due to Internet, they frequently meet with the challenges of illegitimate accesses in the form of intrusions, anomaly, fraud, etc. Identifying these illegitimate accesses in IoT domain can be an exciting research problem. In numerous applications fuzzy clustering and rough set theory have been successfully employed. As the data generated in IoT domains are high-dimensional, the clustering methods used for lower dimensional data cannot be applied efficiently. In this article, mixed approaches consisting of nano topology and fuzzy clustering techniques are proposed for anomaly detection. First of all, the nano topology is generated to find lower dimensional apace and then a couple of well-known fuzzy clustering techniques are employed on it for the efficient anomaly detection. The effectiveness of the proposed approaches is evaluated using time-complexity analysis, experimental studies with a synthetic dataset and a real-life dataset along with comparative studies with traditional fuzzy clustering approaches namely fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM) algorithm, Gustafson-Kessel (GK) Algorithm, Gath-Geva (GG) Algorithm, Mahalanobis Distance based Fuzzy C-Means algorithm (M-FCM), and Common Mahalanobis Distance based Fuzzy C-Means algorithm (CM-FCM). Experimentally, it has been found that the proposed approaches outperform the aforesaid algorithms in terms of detection rates, accuracy rates, false alarm rates and computational times.

Trio-based exome sequencing and high-resolution HLA typing were employed to analyze three patients with autoimmune adrenal insufficiency (AAI), including those with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS) type 2, as well as their parents. Benign or likely benign variants of the AIRE gene were identified in all participants of the study. These variants, coupled with clinical data and the results of antibody studies to type I interferons, helped to exclude APS-1. Patients with APS-2, in contrast to patient with AAI, inherited distinct variants of unknown significance in the CLEC16A gene, which is associated with autoimmune diseases including AAI. Various risk alleles in other genes associated with autoimmunity were identified in all patients. HLA typing of second class loci revealed alleles related to APS types 2, 3, and 4. Nevertheless, the frequencies of the haplotypes identified are substantial in the healthy Russian population, precluding from regarding these alleles as genetic determinants linked to APS development. Immunological examination can detect antibody carriers and predict the risk of autoimmune disease development. In the future, to identify genetic predictors of autoimmune endocrinopathies, it is recommended to analyze the whole genome of patients and their relatives, examining clinically relevant variants in non-coding regions.

Recently, “mature” silkworms (MS) of Bombix mori have been considered as a potential nutraceutical, with a number of health benefits reported for steamed and lyophilized MS powder (SMSP). However, no obesity-related effects have been reported for SMSP. In the present study, anti-obesity effects of SMSP were investigated in adult mice in vivo, aged 12 weeks at the onset of drug administration, fed normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD), respectively, for 12 weeks. SMSP significantly suppressed body weight gain, intra-abdominal adipose tissue, and food efficiency in both ND-fed and HFD-fed adult mice. In addition, SMSP significantly decreased food intake and liver weight in HFD-fed mice, indicating that SMSP suppressed appetite and simultaneously reduced the conversion of feed into body weight in HFD-fed mice. SMSP also significantly lowered serum levels of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, asparagine transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase. However, SMSP had no significant effect on the weights of kidney, spleen, and thymus and serum levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. Taken together, the above results suggest that SMSP has potent anti-obesity effects and is safe for long-term use as a potential therapeutic and/or nutraceutical in both obese patients and non-obese individuals.