Background: This practice guideline was developed by the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Task Force, which was composed of clinical and methodological experts. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health and its Health Holding Company commissioned this guideline project to support the realization of the Vision 2030's healthcare transformation pillar. Methods: The guideline synthesis was guided by the GRADE-ADOLOPMENT methodology. Results: The final adoloped guideline addressed 12 clinical questions on blood pressure management in patients with CKD through a set of recommendations and performance measures. The recommendations included antihypertensive agents in children, non-renin angiotensin system inhibition (Non-RASi) vs RASi in adults, intensive vs standard blood pressure targets, early vs late assessment for kidney replacement therapy (KRT), late vs early preparation strategy for KRT, CKD symptoms during assessment for KRT or conservative management, initiation of KRT in patients with deteriorating CKD, choice of KRT modality or conservative management in certain CKD patient groups, changing or discontinuing KRT modalities, review frequency for KRT or conservative management, and Information, education and support. Conclusions: These conditional recommendations were based on low to very low certainty of evidence that highlights the need for high-quality randomized trials comparing different antihypertensive agents in patients with CKD.

This article examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA) in financial accounting and management, underscoring their role in driving the digital transformation of corporate finance. It discusses the shortcomings of traditional financial processes and highlights the potential of AI and RPA technologies to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness. The paper also explores the limitations of RPA, such as its challenges in processing unstructured data and handling complex decision-making scenarios. Looking forward, it considers the future trends in AI and RPA, emphasizing the benefits of cloud technology in scaling automated systems and addressing associated challenges.

The paper suggests that the physical priciple of special relativity's space-time transformation effect is wrong, Uniform linear motion without acceleration does not exist objectively, nor does its same reference frames. Therefore, it is inferred that the space-time transformation effect of special relativity is caused by the acceleration of moving objects, special relativity is only a part of general relativity, not a theoretical system that exists independently from general relativity. The corresponding mathematical demonstration and calculation verification are carried out, and the result proves that the inference of the paper is correct. At the same time, it further explains that the concept of absolute airspace is correct. Special relativity has serious errors in the concept of space, the principle of relativity and the physical principle of space-time transformation effect. Therefore, it is necessary to make a series of revisions to the theory of relativity and to reinterpret some related physical problems.

This paper focuses on the highly radioactive, long-lasting nuclear waste produced by the currently operating fission reactors and on the way to deal with the sensitive issue of spent fuel reprocessing. The review includes a short description of the fission process and a detailed analysis of the more hazardous radioisotopes produced either by secondary reactions occurring in the nuclear installations or by decay of the fission fragments. Also outlined are the strategies presently adopted to minimize the harmfulness of the nuclear waste to be disposed and discussed advanced options and possible solutions proposed for the recycling of the used fuel and for the reusing of some technologicaly relevant radioisotopes.

MFGE8 is a major exosome (EV) protein known to mediate inflammation and atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in animal studies. However, its role in the pathophysiology of human T2DM, obesity, and cardiovascular disease has been controversial and less explored. Earlier, we reported a rare Asian Indian population-specific missense variant (rs371227978; Arg148His) in the MFGE8 associated with increased circulating Mfge8 and T2DM. Here, we have further investigated the role of Mfge8 with T2DM risk in additional Asian Indians (n=4917) and Europeans and other multiethnic cohorts from UK Biobank (UKBB) (n= 455,808) and the US (n=1150). We also evaluated the exposure of Mfge8-enriched human EVs (with and without mutation) in zebrafish (ZF) for their impact on the cardiometabolic organ system. Most individual carriers of Arg148His variant not only had high circulating Mfge8 but also showed a positive significant correlation with glucose (r= 0.42; p = 4.9x10-04), while the non-carriers showed a negative correlation of Mfge8 with glucose (r = -0.38; p = 0.001) in Asian Indians. However, the same variant was monomorphic in Europeans and other ethnic groups of UKBB and US cohorts. Even in the absence of Arg148His variant, serum Mfge8 correlated significantly with blood glucose both in Caucasians (r = 0.56; p = 8.4x10-10) and individuals from other ethnicities (African Americans, Hispanics, and others) (r = 0.31; p = 5.8x10-4). Since Mfge8 is an EV marker, the exposure of Mfge8-enriched human EVs to ZF larvae rapidly developed fatty liver disease and heart hypertrophy and exhibited redundant growth with poor muscular architecture with and without the high-fat diet (HFD), while the control group fishes developed fatty liver disease and heart hypertrophy only after the HFD feeding. With strong evidence from animal studies supporting the role of Mfge8 in obesity, insulin resistance, and the development of atherosclerosis in T2DM, the current research suggests that circulating Mfge8 may be a potential marker for preventing or reducing the risk of T2DM and cardiovascular disease.

Introduction: Body size is correlated with many aspects of an animal species' natural history, such as life span, abundance, dispersal capacity and diet breadth. However, contrasting trends have been reported for the relationship between body size and these ecological traits. Methods: Butterfly species from fruit-feeding guilds were used to investigate whether body size correlates with species abundances, dispersal, permanence, and diet breadth in a Neotropical savanna in Brazil (Cerrado). We used Blomberg’s K and Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares models (PGLS) to measure phylogenetic signal strength in species traits, and to estimate size-dispersal-diet breadth associations while taking shared ancestry into account. Results: 539 individuals from 27 species were captured, and 190 individuals were recaptured, representing a 35% recapture rate. We found that body size negatively influenced butterfly abundance. In contrast, body size was positively associated with dispersal levels, distance traveled, number of traps visited, individual permanence, and diet breadth. These results indicate that larger butterflies have a greater proportion of dispersing individuals over longer distances, as they permanence were detected over longer periods than their smaller relatives. Moreover, larger butterflies are more generalized, based on the number of host plant families and genera they consume. Smaller butterflies demand fewer resources, which is reflected in their higher survival in small patches, and may explain their lower dispersal ability, and higher diet specialization. Nevertheless, lower dispersal ability, if not compensated by large population sizes, may threaten small-bodied species inhabiting environments with intense deforestation rates, such as the Cerrado. Conclusions: Body size positively influences dispersal and diet breadth in the fruit-feeding butterflies collected in this study.

TRPS1 (Tricho-rhino-phalangeal syndrome 1), is a GATA transcriptional activator gene encoding for a protein used as a sensitive immunohistochemical marker of breast carcinomas. In dermatopathology, TRPS1 is used as a marker of mammary Paget’s disease, and is also expressed by a variety of primary cutaneous tumors, mostly of adnexal origin. So far, limited data exist on the expression of TRPS1 in metastatic skin tumors. We studied the immunohistochemical expression of TRPS1 in 72 cutaneous metastatic tumors from the breast (n: 19) and other origins (n: 53) in order to assess its diagnostic usefulness. The intensity of TRPS1 immunostaining was expressed as a histoscore: product of percentage of positive cells (scored semi-quantitatively 0-4) and staining intensity (scored 0-3). In normal skin, nuclear TRPS1 expression was observed in cells of adnexal structures (pilosebaceous follicles and sweat glands). Eighteen (18/19, 94.7%) metastatic breast carcinomas showed diffuse and strong TRPS1 positivity (histoscore 12). Lower reactivity was found in some other metastases, including from the lung (11/22), the female genital tract (3/4), the kidney (2/4), whereas most (20/22) metastases from the digestive system and peritoneum, along with a case of metastatic prostate carcinoma, were negative. These results suggest that a high histoscore for TRPS1 is in favor of the mammary origin of a metastatic cutaneous carcinoma. Although TRPS1 is not absolutely specific or sensitive of a particular primary, we believe it can be added to a panel of other markers when investigating the origin of a cutaneous metastasis, namely when this is the first manifestation of the neoplastic disease.

Without an established energy management plan, human lifestyle improvement is incomprehensible. Adequate energy assets are the key to human lifestyle development, however, energy assets are restricted and exorbitant too. In this paper, an energy control system for a green environment called PMC (Power Management and Control) is proposed. The system is based on hybrid energy optimization, energy prediction, and multi-preprocessing. The blend of GA (Genetic Algorithm) and PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) is utilized to make a fusion methodology to improve occupant comfort index (OCI) and decrease energy utilization. The main theme of the proposed PMC technique is to improve OCI and decrease energy utilization. The proposed framework gives better OCI when compared with its counterpart Ant Bee Colony along with Knowledge Base framework (ABCKB), GA-based prediction framework (GAP), Hybrid Prediction with Single Optimization framework (SOHP), and PSO-based power consumption framework. Compared with the existing AEO framework, the proposed PMC methodology gives practically the same OCI, but consumes less energy. The proposed PMC methodology additionally accomplished the most extreme OCI (i-e 1) when compared with the existing model FA-GA (i-e 0.98). The proposed PMC model consumed less energy as compared to existing models ABCKB, GAP, PSO and AEO. The proposed model consumed more energy than SOHP but provided better OCI. The comparative outcomes show the viability of the proposed PMC framework in lessening energy utilization and improving the OCI. Unlike other existing mythologies except for the AEO framework, the proposed PMC technique is additionally confirmed through a simulated climate by controlling indoor climate using actuators, like Fan, light, AC and boiler.

Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels are calcium channels with diverse expression profiles and physiological implications in the retina. Neurons and glial cells of rat retinas with photoreceptor degeneration caused by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) exhibit basal calcium levels that are above those detected in healthy retinas. Inner retinal cells are the last to degenerate and are responsible for maintaining the activity of the visual cortex even after complete loss of photoreceptors. We considered the possibility that TRPC1 and TRPC5 channels might be associated with both the high calcium levels and the delay in inner retinal degeneration. TRPC1 is known to mediate protective effects in neurodegenerative processes, while TRPC5 promotes cell death. In order to comprehend the implications of these channels in RP, the co-localization and subsequent physical interaction between TRPC1 and TRPC5 in healthy retina (Sprague-Dawley rats) and degenerating (P23H-1, a model of RP) retina were detected by immunofluorescence and proximity ligation assays. There was an overlapping signal in the innermost retina of all animals where TRPC1 and TRPC5 physically interacted. This interaction increased significantly as photoreceptor loss progressed. Both channels function as TRPC1/5 heteromers in the healthy and damaged retina, with a marked function of TRPC1 in response to retinal degenerative mechanisms. Furthermore, our findings support that TRPC5 channels also function in partnership with STIM1 in Müller and retinal ganglion cells. These results suggest that increase in TRPC1/5 heteromers may contribute to slowing of the degeneration of the inner retina during the outer retinal degeneration.

Body-centered cubic bismuth (Bi) is considered an enticing pressure marker, and therefore it is highly desirable to command its accurate equation of state (EOS). However, significant discrepancies are noted among the previous experimental EOSs. In the present work, the EOS up to 300 GPa is theoretically obtained by direct solving the partition function via a direct integral approach (DIA). The calculated results nearly reproduce the hydrostatic experimental measurements below 75 GPa, and the deviations from the measurements gradually get larger with increasing pressure. Based on the ensemble theory of equilibrium state, DIA works with high precision particularly in high-pressure conditions, so the hydrostatic EOS presented in this work is expected to be a reliable pressure standard.

Porous β-tricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2; β-TCP) was prepared by freeze-drying and the effects of this process on pore shapes and sizes were investigated. Various samples were prepared by freezing β-TCP slurries above a liquid nitrogen surface at −180 °C with subsequent immersion in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C. These materials were then dried under reduced pressure in a freeze-dryer after which they were sintered by heating. Compared with conventional heat-based drying, the resulting pores were more spherical, which increased both the mechanical strength and porosity of the β-TCP. These materials had a wide range of pore sizes from 50 to 200 µm, with the mean and median values both approximately 100 µm regardless of the freeze-drying conditions. Mercury porosimetry data showed that the samples contained small, interconnected pores with sizes of up to 1.24 µm and macroscopic, interconnected pores up to 25.8 µm in size. The effects of non-ionic surfactants having different hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) values on foaming and pore size were also investigated. Materials made with surfactants having lower HLB values exhibited smaller pores and lower porosity whereas higher HLB surfactants gave higher porosity and slightly larger macropores. Even so, the pore diameter could not be readily controlled solely by adjusting the HLB value. The findings of this work indicated that high porosity (75%) and good compressive strength (>2 MPa) can both be obtained in the same porous material and that foaming agents with HLB values between 12.0 and 13.5 were optimal.

Ovarian tumors in mares are not common in comparison to other neoplasms and are divided into three categories: gonadal stromal tumors, coelomic epithelium surface tumors, and germinative cell tumors [12]. Some ovarian neo-plasms histologically show a mixture of multiple cell types in the same tumor, such as fibrothecoma, therefore the dif-ferentiation between fibroma and thecoma is often difficult [1]. According to World Health Organization, fibrothecoma is classified as sex cords stromal tumor (pure stromal tumor) [13]. Neoplasms, such as fibrothecoma have a very scarce morphology, clinical signs, ultrasonographic view and endocrine profile. To diagnose this type of tumor, a broad clini-cal examination is needed, but histopathology remains the most accurate. Herein, we report a case of incidentally found ovarian fibrothecoma during diagnostic laparotomy in 6-year-old KWPN mare which was presented to the clinic with colic symptoms. After unilateral ovariectomy, the altered right ovary, based on histopathological features was diag-nosed as fibrothecoma.

The popular appreciation of dry white wines is most frequently directed to young wines. However, present consumption trends comprise the valorisation of aged dry white wines. Therefore, the present work was aimed at the sensory analysis of these wines with different ages to define their sensory space and to understand which factors drive their quality evaluation by experienced tasters (critics, oenologists and students). Individuals were asked to evaluate several synthetic and aesthetic attributes and to characterise the analytic sensory profile through a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) methodology. The quality evaluations were differently correlated with wine synthetic parameters according to the taster group. For both critics and oenologists, overall quality scores were driven by persistence and complexity. Moreover, quality was also highly correlated with power for critics and with balance for oenologists. Quality scores were highly correlated with wine browning (absorbance at 420 nm) for critics. The tasting panel showed a homogeneous analytic description of aroma, taste and mouthfeel consistent with wine age. The different ages could be associated to a continuous sensory space characterised by a decreasing perception of freshness and increase in mature and mellowed descriptors. All wines shared an austere in-mouth perception elicited by their acidity, saltiness, bitterness, smoothness and dryness. The age prediction showed that most tasters failed to guess the age wines with more than roughly 13 years old, indicating that tasters were not familiar with the sensory features of white wines with 17 to 46 years old. In conclusion, experienced tasters consistently described the sensory space and recognised the high quality of aged dry white wines. Education programs may use the defined sensory spaces according to aging and to expand the range of quality perception by consumers.

Air pollution has created a lot of problems in the developed and developing countries. To avoid or reduce these problems, constant monitoring of the air should be ensured. The conventional techniques is costly because it requires a lot of money and time consuming. Biomonitoring has been the alternative method. Moss, lichens and plants are biomonitors available to entrap air pollutants. The aim of this paper is to discuss one of the ways of monitoring air pollution – Moss bag technique. To do this, types, choice, preparation, handling of bags after preparation of moss were discussed. From the literatures consulted, it was discovered that there were differences in the techniques used by the researchers. In all, the use of mosses with emphasis on the employment of moss bag have proved to be a powerful tool in airborne particulate and toxic elements. To conclude, developing countries should focus more on this technique because it will reduce cost of air monitoring.

A review of quantitative risk assessment (QRA) models of L. monocytogenes in produce was carried out, with the objective of appraising and contrasting the effectiveness of the control strategies placed along the food chains. Despite nine of the thirteen QRA models recovered focused on fresh or RTE leafy greens, none of them represented important factors or sources of contamination in the primary production, such as type of cultivation, water, fertilisers or irrigation method/practices. Cross-contamination at processing and during consumer’s handling was modelled using transfer rates, which were shown to moderately drive the final risk of listeriosis; highlighting therefore the importance of accurately representing the transfer coefficient parameters. Many QRA models coincided in the fact that temperature fluctuations at retail or temperature abuse at home were key factors contributing to increasing the risk of listeriosis. In addition to a primary module that could help assess current on-farm practices and potential control measures, future QRA models for minimally-processed produce should also contain a refined sanitisation module able to estimate the effectiveness of various sanitisers as a function of type, concentration and exposure time. Finally, L. monocytogenes growth in the products down the supply chain should be estimated by using realistic time-temperature trajectories, and validated microbial kinetic parameters, both of them currently available in the literature.

Digital transformation, organizational resilience, and agility are now becoming one of the keys to meeting the competitive challenges of modern organizations. It is no surprise that digital transformation and digital technologies have also begun to significantly impact the energy industry, moving towards improving the sector's profitability and efficiency. However, to navigate through the difficult process of digital transformation in today's turbulent environment, organizations, including those in the energy sector, need to build organizational resilience. Nevertheless, the nature of the relationship between digital transformation and organizational resilience has not yet been sufficiently clarified. Focusing on the level of digital transformation, and more precisely within the two dimensions of digital maturity, i.e. digital intensity and transformation management intensity, as well as based on the perspective of dynamic capabilities, this study developed a configurational framework and proposed a theoretical model to study the equifinal paths through which digital transformation and dynamic capabilities influence organizational resilience in energy sector companies. Based on a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA) conducted on selected companies in the energy sector, i.e. Polish CHP plants, the relationship between digital transformation, dynamic capabilities and organizational resilience was investigated. The results show that a high level of organizational resilience can be achieved through two main paths based on the dominance of dynamic capabilities and the dominance of digital maturity. The study found that digital maturity can significantly influence CHP resilience. Moreover, the transformation management intensity is strongly related to high organizational resilience. The paper concludes by describing theoretical and practical implications, as well as research limitations and prospects for future research.

Purpose: This research investigates the influence of supplier relationship management methods on the operational efficiency and customer satisfaction of Italian restaurants.Design/Methodology/Approach: Employing a qualitative research methodology, data was gathered via interviews and questionnaires from a sample of 200 individuals across many Italian restaurants throughout Italy.Findings: The investigation uncovered robust relationships between supplier relationship management approaches and other operational factors, highlighting the interdependence of management tactics. Efficient management of supplier relationships not only improves the efficiency of the supply chain, but also has an impact on the procurement of ingredients, the variety of menu options, and the integration of technology.Research Limitations/Implications: Although technology developments were shown to enhance operational efficiency, their influence on customer satisfaction was minimal. The research highlights the complex nature of factors that influence customer happiness, indicating the need of adopting a well-rounded strategy that combines technology with personalised care. Identified continuous improvement opportunities provide valuable insights for restaurant owners to enhance strategy and better meet consumer expectations.Practical Implications: This research provides useful insights on the management of Italian restaurants, but it has limitations due to its qualitative approach and dependence on self-reported data.Social Implications: However, the results add to the current knowledge and provide practical consequences for restaurant owners who want to improve their operational efficiency and customer pleasure.Originality/Value: Italian restaurants may achieve long-term success in a highly competitive culinary industry by acknowledging the interdependence of management strategies and using customer-focused techniques.

This study investigated the characteristics of radio-frequency middle-pressure argon plasma used in the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al2O3 films. Based on the electrical characteristics, that is current, voltage, and phase shift between them, and stability of plasma plume, the optimum plasma power, allowing reliable switching on the plasma for any step of an ALD cycle, was determined. Spectral measurements were performed to determine the gas temperature and reactive species that could be important in the ALD process. The density of metastable argon atoms was estimated using tunable laser absorption spectroscopy. It was concluded that plasma heating of substrates did not affect film growth and proposed that the crystallization-enhancing effect of plasma was due to the action of OH radicals, produced in the plasma.

The current state-of-the-art does not provide a universal and rapid method of determining the state of health (SOH) of a battery or a supercapacitor without carefully examining the degradation of hundreds of full charge/discharge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries and supercapacitors of different cell chemistries were studied by impedance spectroscopy during lifetime tests. Faradaic and capacitive charge storage are distinguished by the relationships between stored electric charge and capacitance. For batteries, impedance spectroscopy is best applicable in the flat region of the voltage-charge curve. An approximately linear correlation between pseudocapacitance and Ah capacity is observed as long as overcharge and deep discharge are avoided. The correct calculation of quantities related to complex impedance and differential capacitance is outlined – which may also be useful as an introductory text and tutorial for newcomers to the field. Novel diagram types are proposed for the purpose of instant performance and failure diagnosis of batteries and supercapacitors.

We propose a novel approach for time series forecasting with many predictors, referred to as the GO-sdPCA, in this paper. The approach employs a variable selection method known as the group orthogonal greedy algorithm and the high-dimensional Akaike information criterion to mitigate the impact of irrelevant predictors. Moreover, a novel technique, called peeling, is used to boost the variable selection procedure so that many factor-relevant predictors can be included in prediction. Finally, the supervised dynamic principal component analysis (sdPCA) method is adopted to account for the dynamic information in factor recovery. In simulation studies, we found that the proposed method adapts well to unknown degrees of sparsity and factor strength, which results in good performance even when the number of relevant predictors is large compared to the sample size. Applying to economic and environmental studies, the proposed method consistently performs well compared to some commonly used benchmarks in one-step-ahead out-sample forecasts.

This article deals with special curves similar to those known in mathematics as Lamé curves. Their equations have a certain similarity with the equations of Lamé curves. But these curves are more like ellipses in appearance. Like ellipses, they have major and minor axes. These are such curves that their major and minor semi-axis coincide with an ellipse but are different than an ellipse. The main feature of these curves is that for any triangle whose base coincides with the axis of a given curve and the vertex is on a given curve, the condition aⁿ+bⁿ=cⁿ is obtained. The number “n” is called the degree or rank of this curve. To distinguish this group of curves, we called them Elbe curves. The equations of these lines are also provided in the paper.

A comprehensive multi-jet physics program is anticipated for experiments at future colliders. Key physics processes necessitate detectors that can distinguish signals from W and Z bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson. Typical examples include channels with W^{+}W^{-} or Z^{o}Z^{o} pairs and processes involving New Physics, in those cases where neutral particles must be disentangled from charged ones due to the presence of W or Z bosons in their final states. Such a physics program demands calorimetric energy resolution at or beyond the limits of traditional calorimetric techniques. Multiple-readout calorimetry, which aims to reduce fluctuations in energy measurements of hadronic showers, is a promising approach. The first part of this article reviews dual and triple readout calorimetry within a mathematical framework describing the underlying compensating mechanism. The second part proposes a potential implementation using an integrally active and total absorption detector. This model serves as the basis for several Monte Carlo studies, illustrating how the response of a multiple-readout calorimeter depends on construction parameters. Among the layouts considered, one configuration operating in triple-readout mode shows the potential to achieve an energy resolution approaching 20\%/\sqrt{E}.

Coppicing has been neglected in recent decades leaving gaps in knowledge on silvicultural interventions, especially the long-term effects on coppices of South-East Europe. Thus, our work aims to define the long-term effects of thinning in sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) sub-mountainous thermophilic low coppices in the Croatian Dinarides. The experiment includes two localities with thinning plots and control plots. Thinning was done in 2002 with 17.71% of wood volume removed in the European beech coppice and 26.09% in the sessile oak coppice. 1276 trees were marked, measured (DBH, tree height, number of stems per stump) and assessed for vitality, origin and six silvicultural features revealing tree quality. Descriptive statistics for all variables, RMANOVA for DBH and height and for continuous variables mean+-+ standard deviation for categorical frequency and relative frequency variables were carried out. The results show a statistically significant positive long-term effect of thinning on tree growth, stem and crown features and support findings that thinning, by increasing growth and quality, is a necessary intervention in European beech and sessile oak low coppices. The recent economic crisis, the sudden increase in energy prices, and the increased demand for assorted wood products have initiated higher interest in coppices in Croatia.

This review article aims to delve into several aspects of sweetpotatoes and their leaves, including their nutritional composition, health benefits, culinary uses, and potential future implications as a superfood. It suggests an in-depth exploration of sweet potatoes' history, status, and prospects, highlighting their significance and potential economic value. Sweetpotatoes, often referred to as a powerhouse of nutrients, have gained popularity recently due to their remarkable nutritional composition and versatile culinary uses. This starchy root vegetable comes from the Convolvulaceae family and is consumed worldwide, playing a significant role in diverse cultures and cuisines. Besides their vibrant colors ranging from orange to purple, sweetpotatoes offer many health benefits, making them an essential addition to a well-balanced diet. Its extraordinary nutritional profile and numerous health benefits make it a superfood. Incorporating it into the diet can improve digestion, strengthen immunity, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. With their versatility in the kitchen, there is no deficiency of charming and healthy recipes to explore. So, make room for sweet potatoes on your plate and unlock their vast potential to enhance your overall health and well-being. Overall, the future of sweetpotatoes looks bright as research and innovation aim to improve their nutritional value, adapt them to changing climate conditions, develop new varieties and products, and promote sustainable production practices. These developments can contribute to food security, economic growth, and healthier diets. Future research should focus on nutritional composition, health benefits, sustainable farming practices, cultivar development, and industrial applications to ensure sustainable and efficient production. By prioritizing research in these areas, we can enhance the utilization of sweet potatoes in various fields and secure their future for the next century.

Previous studies show that women with a history of high-grade CIN have a greater risk of subsequent high-grade anogenital intraepithelial neoplasia or cancer, and the risk is greater for vaginal cancer than for anal and vulvar cancers. It is hypothesized that the laparoscopic hysterectomy procedure may cause a higher incidence of VaIN in hysterectomized women. There are few studies addressing this issue and they show mixed results. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of high-grade or worse VaIN in the population of women undergoing hysterectomy for CIN3 or benign uterine disease, illustrate treatment options and follow-up. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 170 women who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN3) or benign gynecological disease. The follow-up strategy included performing a cotest and colposcopy with biopsy if necessary. The median time between primary treatment and diagnosis of high-grade VaIN was 18 months. Results: High grade or worse VaIN was found in 8 patients after hysterectomy (4.7%). All cases of high-grade VaIN occurred in women with persistent HPV infection. The most frequent genotype was 16. Women hysterectomized for CIN3 showed an 8-fold greater risk than women hysterectomized for benign disease of developing high-grade VaIN. The risk of VaIN is low in women hysterectomized for benign disease. The risk of developing VaIN is greater in women with viral persistence Conclusion. All these elements suggest that it is the history of HPV-related disease of the lower genital tract and viral persistence, rather than hysterectomy itself, that should be considered a risk factor for the development of high-grade VaIN. After hysterectomy, patients with a history of CIN should undergo annual screening with vaginal dome cytology and HPV testing.

The impact of propeller effects and power contribution on the aerodynamics of small aircraft is indispensable. The aerodynamic analysis of wings in flight varies from rigid wing analysis due to wing deflection caused by transferred aerodynamic loads. This paper investigates the intertwined influence of propeller effects and elasticity on the aerodynamics of small propeller-driven aircraft. Through a detailed methodology, a twin-engine propeller-driven aircraft is analyzed as a case study, providing insights into the proposed approach. Two critical analyses are presented: an examination of propeller effects in rigid aircraft and the incorporation of elastic wing properties. The former establishes a foundational understanding of aerodynamic behaviour, while the latter explores the impact of wing elasticity on performance. Validation is achieved through comparative analysis with wind tunnel test results from a similar rigid structure aircraft. Utilizing NASTRAN software, aerodynamic analysis of the elastic aircraft is conducted, complemented by semi-empirical insights. The results highlight the importance of these factors across different angles of attack. Furthermore, deviations from the rigid aircraft configuration emphasize the considerable influence of static aeroelasticity analysis, notably increasing longitudinal characteristics by approximately 20%, while showing a lower impact of 5% in lateral-directional characteristics. This study contributes to enhanced design and operational considerations for small propeller-driven aircraft, with implications for future research and innovation, particularly for the purpose of efficient concepts in advanced air mobility.

Solid tumors universally possess the ability to evade contact inhibition of proliferation (CIP), a mechanism halting cell proliferation when cell-cell contacts occur. Merlin, an ERM-like protein, crucially regulates CIP and is frequently deactivated in various cancers, indicating its signifi-cance as a tumor suppressor in cancer biology. Despite extensive investigations into Merlin's role in cancer, its lack of intrinsic catalytic activity and frequent conformation changes has made it notoriously challenging to study. To address this challenge, we harnessed innovative luciferase technologies to create and validate a split-luciferase biosensor system. This system enables precise quantification of Merlin's conformation and activity both in vitro and within living cells. This biosensor significantly enhances the study of Merlin's molecular functions, serving as a potent tool to explore its contributions to CIP and tumorigenesis.

The presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria on veterinary clinic surfaces may be problematic. In this study we collected swab samples (Fisherbrand, double transport swabs with Stuart’s liquid medium) and water samples from five veterinary rehabilitation clinics. Swabs and water samples were transported to a microbiology lab for processing. At the lab swabs were used to inoculated Hardy’s Cdiff Banana broth (for Clostridium difficile [Cdiff]), and five different types of bacterial growth media, including: Hardy CHROM MRSA agar (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA], and S. pseudintermedius [SIM]), Mannitol Salt Agar (S. aureus), Eosin Methylene Blue agar (enterics [ENT]), Pseudomonas Isolation agar (Pseudomonas sp.), and Tryptic Soy Agar [TSA] (non-specific). The most prominent species cultured was Cdiff (on nearly 55% of swabs). Bacillus sp. and Enterics were encountered on nearly 35% of swabs, with MRSA and SIM on just over 10% of swabs. The most contaminated sample site was harnesses/life jackets used with the underwater treadmill (33% of swabs). Underwater treadmill water had total bacterial counts from 1.6 to 2.7 e3 cfu/ml. Of all bacterial species detected SIM tends to be more pathogenic for dogs. Targeted cleaning/disinfecting in these clinics could help reduce risks for both animals and caregivers utilizing these clinics.

The sperm heads of frozen/thawed horse spermatozoa were injected into ovulated mouse oocytes where they decondensed and formed paternal pronuclei in which the DNA damage has been evaluated. The motile spermatozoa exhibit none or minor level of DNA damage and the xenogenic zygotes cleave to the two-cell embryonic stage with regular nuclei and no micronuclei (MNs). On the other hand, the immotile spermatozoa exhibit typically high levels of DNA damage and blastomeres in two-cell stage embryos contain multiple MNs. Moreover, extremely high sperm DNA damage prevents even the cleavage to the two-cell stage.Keywords: keyword 1; keyword 2; keyword 3 (List three to ten pertinent keywords specific to the article yet reasonably common within the subject discipline.)

Aluminum alloy Al 2024-T3 were successfully joined using friction stir spot jwelding joining (FSSW). Satisfactory joint strengths were obtained at different welding parameters (tool rotational speed, tool plunge depth, dwell time) and tool pin profile (straight cylindrical, triangular and tapered cylindrical). Resulting joints were welded with welded zone. The different tools significantly influenced the evolution on the stir zone in the welds. Lap-shear tests were carried out to find the weld strength. Weld cross section appearance observations were also done. The macrostructure shows that the welding parameters have a determinant effect on the weld strength (x: the nugget thickness, y: the thickness of the upper sheet and SZ: stir zone). The main fracture mode was pull out fracture modes in the tensile shear test of joints. The results of tensile shear tests showed that the tensile-shear load increased with increasing rotational speed in the shoulder penetration depth of 0.2 mm. Failure joints were obrerved in the weld high shoulder penetration depth and insufficient tool rotation.

During autumn/winter in 2016 – 2017 and 2020 – 2021, highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) caused severe outbreaks in Germany and Europe. Multiple clade 2.3.4.4b H5 HPAI subtypes were responsible for increased mortality in wild birds and high mortality and massive losses in the poultry sector. To clarify putative entry sources and delineate interconnections between outbreaks in poultry holdings and wild birds, we applied whole-genome sequencing and phylodynamic analyses combined with the results of epidemiological outbreak investigations. Varying outbreak dynamics of the distinct reassortants allowed for the identification of individual, putatively wild bird-mediated entries into backyard holdings, several clusters comprising poultry holdings, local virus circulation for several weeks, direct farm-to-farm transmission and potential reassortment within a turkey holding with subsequent spill-over of the novel reassorted virus into the wild bird population. Whole-genome sequencing allowed for allowed for a unique high-resolution molecular epidemiology analysis of HPAIV H5Nx outbreaks, recommended to be used as a standard tool. The presented detailed account of the genetic, temporal and geographical characteristics of the recent German HPAI H5Nx situation emphasizes the role of poultry holdings as an important source of novel genetic variants and reassortants.

We studied the influence of lava meal, zeolite and top layer of sandy soil as bedding additives on gaseous C and N losses from a sloping-floor barn of naturally ventilated animal housing. We selected four barn units where eight young bulls’ group was reared in each barn. Chopped straw of wheat and barley applied daily at the rate of 5 kg per livestock unit (LU) in bedding areas where one LU consisted of 500 kg body mass of live bulls. Zeolite, lava meal and sandy soil (18% clay + silt) applied in barn at the rate of 10, 20 and 30% of straw dose, respectively. Static flux chamber was used to measure gases emissions from the barn unit and mass balance calculation was used to calculate straw manure total N (TN) losses during housing phase. On an average, all bedding additives decreased 85% of the NH₃ emission compared to control; however, they did not influence CH₄ emission. Zeolite decreased CO₂ (35%) and N₂O (37%) emission rates. Subsequently, lava meal, sandy soil and zeolite decreased 23, 37, and 50% of TN losses from barn manure, respectively. Overall, measured N emissions through NH₃-N and N₂O-N from the barns was 11% of calculated TN losses while remainder 89% was most probably attributed to di-nitrogen (N₂), a harmless gas. Hence, in straw-based cattle housings, zeolite could be a promising additive for reduction of CO₂, N₂O and NH₃ emissions and sandy soil can be considered as cheap and readily available resource for reducing NH₃ emission.

(1) Background: Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD ) are major global health issues, impacting morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Despite the proven benefits of pharmacist involvement in managing these conditions, their potential in hospitals remains underused. This study aimed to identify patients at high risk of rehospitalisation post-exacerbation of asthma or COPD, to target pharmaceutical interventions. (2) Methods: Data from the University Hospital for January-December 2019 on adult admissions for asthma/COPD were analyzed, focusing on demographics, hospitalization, and clinical outcomes. (3) Results: Among the 140 patients enrolled, a significant majority (91%) underwent adjustments in their treatment regimens during their hospital stay, and nearly 59% faced readmission within six months. A survival analysis highlighted a notable disparity in the rates of rehospitalisation-free survival between patients with asthma and those with COPD, identifying COPD patients as having a higher susceptibility to rehospitalisation. (4) Conclusion: The study found COPD pa-tients at greater risk but didn't specify a priority profile, suggesting the necessity for broad, cus-tomized interventions to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare strain.

In the current study we test the hypothesis that the consumption of macrolides in food-animals is positively associated with the prevalence of macrolide resistance in M. pneumoniae at a country-level. The prevalence of M. pneumoniae macrolide resistance was positively associated with the consumption of macrolides for both food animals (Rho = 0.66; P=0.007) and humans (Rho = 0.54; P=0.040). Linear regression analysis revealed that macrolide consumption in food animals but not humans was borderline significantly associated with macrolide resistance (coef. 5547 [95% CI -596-11691] and coef. 0.006 [95% CI -0.008-0.020], respectively).

We investigate a singularly perturbed q-difference differential Cauchy problem with polynomial coefficients in complex time and space with quadratic nonlinearity. We construct local holomorphic solutions on sectors in the complex plane with respect to the perturbation parameter with values in some Banach space of formal power series in space with analytic coefficients on shrinking domains in time. Two aspects of these solutions are addressed. One feature concerns asymptotic expansions in the parameter for which a Gevrey type structure is unveiled. The other fact deals with confluence properties as q tends to 1. In particular the built up Banach valued solutions are shown to merge in norm to a fully bounded holomorphic map in all its arguments that solves a nonlinear partial differential Cauchy problem.

This study investigates the impact of real-time emotional feedback on the quality of teamwork conducted over videoconferencing. We developed a framework that provides real-time feedback through a virtual mirror based on facial and voice emotion recognition. In an experiment with 28 teams (84 participants), teams collaborated over Zoom to set up a virtual Mars station using custom simulation software. Participants were divided into 14 experimental teams which were shown the virtual mirror, and 14 control teams without it. Team performance was measured by the improvement in the Mars simulation output quality. Our analysis using correlation, multilevel regression, and machine learning revealed that fewer interruptions but an increasing number over time correlated with higher performance. Higher vocal arousal and happiness also enhanced performance. We confirmed that female presence in teams boosts performance. SHAP values indicated that high variability in happiness, head movement, and positive facial valence—an “emotional rollercoaster”—positively predicted team performance. The experimental group outperformed the control group, suggesting that virtual mirroring improves virtual teamwork and that interrupting each other more, while speaking less, leads to better results.

This review paper highlights feasible and practicable approaches for managing end-of-life rolling stocks. It aims to promote and enable sustainable procurement policy for rolling stocks. Firstly, it demonstrates that modern rolling stocks can potentially gain the environmental benefits since almost all of their materials used in the rolling stock manufacturing can be recycled and reused. In this study, brief definition and concept of various train types are introduced and discussed, accompanied by some demonstrative illustrations. Then, component analyses, recovery rates and percent proportion of each material in various rolling stock assemblies have been evaluated. The estimation of material quantities that can potentially be recycled has been carried out using industry data sources. The suitable management procedures for end-of-life rail vehicles are then discussed, together with the life cycle of the key materials in which the recyclability criteria take into account the environmental risks and the best and safest approaches to deal with them. The aim of this study is to increase the awareness of the public, train manufacturers and rail industries on the benefits to the environments from rolling stock recycling, which could result in sustainable society and urban livings.

This research aims to explore the use of sodium benzoate C6H5-COOH as corrosion inhibitor added to the mixing water of concrete, and test the mechanical performances of five types of concretes over several time periods, 7, 28, 56 and 90 days, in the absence and in the presence of limestone fillers. Hence the results confirm the increase in this resistance over time. Through this, tests were carried out cement paste after addition of sodium benzoate and limestone fillers, we see clearly that the start and the and setting time of cement shift out considerably which indicates that sodium benzoate aims to delay start and end setting time of cement. In addition, Abrams cone slump tests on concrete in the fresh state were carried out in order to see the influence of the addition of sodium benzoate and tests on the cement consistencies in the absence and presence of superplasticizing adjuvant “ORAFLOW THM 17200” which has the main role of improving the workability and quality of the concrete while comparing with ordinary concrete.

Starvation of photoreceptors induced by reduced dysregulated ocular blood flow is proposed as a common pathway for the pathogenesis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The current study evaluated the safety and efficacy of ophthalmic nerve stimulation (ONS) as an ocular blood flow neuromodulator, combined with ascorbic acid (AA) as a potent anti-oxidant in the treatment of RP. Additionally, the initial characteristics of rod responders were identified. Forty participants with simple, non-syndromic RP presented with a characteristic triad of RP (the bone spicule pigmentation, attenuation of retinal blood vessels, and waxy optic disc pallor), were en-rolled in a prospective open-label single-armed interventional study. The severity of the disease was clinically graded into six stages. Patients with an established diagnosis of RP; aged ≥ 4 years, with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≥ 20/400 were included. All participants were daily treated with bilateral ONS sessions combined with intravenous administration of AA for two weeks. The primary efficiency endpoint was 6 months’ changes in scotopic vision as measured by a 10-item, 100-point, Low Luminance Questionnaire-10 (LLQ-10). The secondary efficiency points included best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and contrast sensitivity. Rod responders were defined by ≥ 25 points increment of LLQ-10 score at 6 months after treatment. The results showed that ONS combined with AA treatment significantly improved low luminance vision, BCVA, and contrast sensitivity in patients with RP (p≤ 0.05). At 6-month visit, twenty-four (60%) patients were identified as rod responders and 16 (40%) patients were rod-non-responders. The mean change in LLQ-10 score was (46.35 ±16.81) in rod responders versus (4.9 ± 7.6) in non-responders (p < 0.0001). A clinically significant improvement of BCVA (≥0.2 logMAR) and contrast sensitivity (≥0.3 log unit) were demonstrated in 50% of the right eyes of rod responders. No serious adverse effects were reported and headache in 5 patients (12.5%) was the only en-countered side effect in this study. In conclusion, ocular neuromodulation is a safe therapeutic strategy for RP. It significantly improved night vision, BCVA, and contrast sensitivity. Determinants of rod responders include a shorter duration of night blindness, an earlier stage of the disease, and a relatively thicker ganglion cell layer at baseline. Additionally, two therapeutic scenarios were recognized; an early disease-modifying intervention that restores night vision and reverses the disease process and a late cone rescue intervention that improves/maintains central vision.

Environmental degradation leads to a totally unsustainable food system. In addition to this is-sue, the consumption of foods that improve people's health and well-being is recommend-ed. These guidelines create new challenges and the demand for alternatives to meet these needs in the short term. One of the alternatives is undoubtedly the use of by-products of winemaking, namely in the form of grape pomace flour (GPF), which is obtained in a totally sustainable way, requires no further water consumption or agricultural land, and is an ingredient that boasts all the characteristics that meet the circular economy and has colossal potential in promoting nutrition and healthy eating. To verify the benefits of using the Touriga Nacional and Arinto (Vitis vinifera L.) flour varieties, analytical determinations were made to identify and quantify different components, such as nitrogen and extractable phosphorus, ash, moisture, proteins, fats, dietary fibers, total sugars, and phenolic content. GPF could become a valuable ingredient due to its nutritional quality and high content in various polyphenols namely flavonoids and pyranoanthocyanins.

The implementation of morphing wing mechanisms holds promise in enhancing aircraft perfor-mance, as indicated in current literature. The Clean Sky 2 AirGreen 2 European project is currently conducting ground and wind tunnel tests to validate innovative studies on morphing wing structures. The project aims to showcase the effectiveness of these morphing architectures on a potentially flying demonstrator at true scale. This article describes design methodology and struc-tural testing of a scaled morphing flap structure capable of 3 different morphing modes required for low-speed (take-off/landing) and high-speed (cruise) conditions. A significant scale factor of 1:3 was selected to enhance the importance and relevance of the wind tunnel test campaign. Geometrical scaling to the real flap prototype was deemed impractical due to limitations associated with scaling the embedded mechanisms and actuators responsible for shape changing. Static analyses were performed using the finite element method to address the most critical loads determined through three-dimensional CFD analysis. The Finite Element (FE) analysis results were briefly outlined, and comparisons were drawn between the obtained results and the empirical data collected during the structural test. Good correlations were observed between the results and numerical predictions, encompassing static deflections under applied loads and elastic deformations. Consequently, the modeling approaches utilized during the design and testing phases were considered highly suc-cessful. Therefore, based on the results extrapolated from simulations under ultimate load condi-tions relevant to the wind tunnel test campaign, the scaled flap prototype was deemed suitable for testing.

This study examines the balancing between urban transportation security and supply chain efficiency amid global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, attacks on maritime lanes, and geopolitical conflicts. The authors combine bibliometric network analysis and natural language processing (NLP) to review scholarly literature from 2017 to 2023. This approach identifies and visualizes evolving thematic trends. Findings reveal a shift towards integrating advanced technologies such as blockchain, AI, and IoT to enhance security without compromising efficiency. This study highlights the significance of integrating urban planning principles and sustainable practices to enhance transportation security and supply chain efficiency within urban environments. Actionable insights for policymakers and supply chain managers emphasize the adoption of integrated, technology-driven security solutions to foster resilient and sustainable supply chains. This research contributes to academic discourse by refining the understanding of evolving priorities in transportation security and supply chain management, offering both theoretical and practical implications for secure and efficient global supply chains.

Objective: To identify risk factors(RF) related to abnormal glucose regulation(AGR) 3 years postpartum according to 3-month-postpartum glucose status. Research design: Normoglycemic pregnant women of the St. Carlos Gestational Study included before gestational week 12, during 2015-2017. Of 3,036 eligible women, 2529 were followed-up until delivery: 1400 participated in postpartum follow-up. AGR defined as fasting serum glucose (FSG)>5.6 mmol/L and/or HbA1c >5.7% (39 mmol/mol) and/or 2h-SG ≥140/mg/dL after 75-g OGTT. 12-modifiable and 3-unmodifiable RF were analyzed for associations with glycemic changes. Reinforcement of Mediterranean Diet adherence was provided to all women at the postpartum visit by a dietitian Results: 137/1400(9.8%) women presented AGR 3 years postpartum, 27/137(19.7%) also had at 3 months, whereas 110/137(80.2%) had not. The remaining 1,263(90.2%) women were normoglycemic 3 years postpartum, 1180/1263(84.3%) were at 3 months, while 83/1263(6.08%) had AGR and became normoglycemic. Women with GDM were more likely to progress to AGR 3 years postpartum (OR:1.60[1.33-1.92]) and less likely to remain normoglycemic (OR:0.22[0.15-0.33]) versus non-GDM women. Having >2/3 unmodifiable RF was associated with a reduced rate of maintained normoglycemia (OR:0.56[0.39-0.80]) and an increased risk of progression to AGR (OR:1.90[1.28-2.83]). Having >5/12 modifiable RF was associated with a reduced rate of maintained normoglycemic (OR:0.74[0.51-0.99]) and reversion of AGR (OR:0.49[0.25-0.97]), an increased progression to AGR (OR:1.40[1.00-2.09]), and persistence of AGR (OR:2.57[1.05-6.31]). Pre-gestational BMI≥25kg/m2 (OR:1.80[1.19-2.71]), post-delivery weight gain (OR:2.22[1.10-4.48]), and waist circumference >89.5cm (OR:0.54[0.36-0.79]), (all p<0.05) were the main modifiable RF. Conclusions: RF related to an increased probability for 3-year-postpartum AGR despite 3-month normoglycemia were identified, potentially useful when designing personalized strategies for pregnant women, directed towards minimizing unfavorable outcomes.

For the first time, an environmentally friendly waste-free closed cycle for the formation of EMI shielding materials that are promising for 5G communications is considered. Based on the proposed closed technological cycle, two types of EMI shielding materials have been obtained; both materials have significant prospects for signal shielding in all ranges that are allocated in different countries for 5G communication. The first type of materials are transparent conductive meshes with a transparency of more than 80% and with a shielding efficiency of more than 40 dB in the S and L bands and about 30 dB in the K and Ka bands. The study of signal reflection characteristics in the S, L, C, K and Ka bands showed the promise of using these materials as transparent 5G signal reflectors. The reflection coefficient in all considered ranges is above 90% (-0.5 dB). The second type of shielding material are continuous silver micro caps films characterized by a shielding efficiency of 90.1 dB at a thickness of 6.2±1.2 µm. We have also shown that silver micro caps can separate into silver flakes and ribbons when sonicated. These materials can also be used to produce EMI shielding coatings and composites. A detailed analysis of the shielding properties showed that each type of materials obtained in a closed technological cycle is comparable with the best literature results and significantly wins in terms of cost.

Cyclic voltammetry can be applied as the reliable method for the determination of chloride ions in a range from several to couple hundred ppm. Since the standard potential of chloride ion/gaseous chlorine is 1.36 V vs NHE the efficient oxidation of Cl- ion occurs at very positive electrode potentials, usually higher than + 1.7 V vs NHE electrode. It is possible to observe this phenomenon only at noble-metal or inert carbon electrodes. Many other solutes, usually organic compounds, are often oxidized at this potential. This is the reason why determination of Cl- content directly from increase of the oxidation current is not reliable and can lead to overestimated values. However, gaseous chlorine, generated at positive potential dissolves in the analyzed solution and can be reduced in the reverse scan of cyclic voltammetric curve. Optimization of the experimental procedure using the statistical tools allowed for the development of the improved method for the direct quantification of chloride ions in acid copper electroplating baths. Under the proposed experimental conditions, the calibration curve (Cl2 voltammetric reduction current vs. chloride ions concentration) is represented by the linear model for the concentration of chlorides ranging from 10 to 200 mg/dm3.

Black hole X-ray binary systems consist of a black hole accreting mass from its binary companion, forming an accretion disk. As a result, twin relativistic plasma ejections (jets) are launched towards opposite and perpendicular directions. Moreover, multiple broadband emission observations from X-ray binary systems range from radio to high-energy gamma-rays. The emission mechanisms exhibit thermal origins from the disk, stellar companion, and non-thermal jet-related components (i.e., synchrotron emission, inverse comptonization of less energetic photons, etc.). In many attempts at fitting the emitted spectra, a static black hole is often assumed regarding the accretion disk modeling, ignoring the Kerr metric properties that significantly impact the geometry around the usually rotating black hole. In this work, we study the possible implications of the spin inclusion in predictions of the X-ray binary spectrum. We mainly focus on the most significant aspect inserted by the Kerr geometry, the innermost stable circular orbit radius dictating the disk’s inner boundary. The outcome suggests a higher-peaked and hardened X-ray spectrum from the accretion disk and a substantial increase in the inverse compton component of disk-originated photons. Jet-photon absorption is also heavily affected at higher energy regimes dominated by hadron-induced emission mechanisms. Nevertheless, a complete investigation requires the full examination of the spin contribution and the resulting relativistic effects beyond the disk truncation.

The rapid progress in renewable energy sources and the increasing complexity of energy distribution networks have highlighted the need for efficient and intelligent energy management systems. This paper presents a comparative analysis of two optimisation algorithms, P and M70, used for the optimal control of the operation of microgrids in islanded mode. The main objective is to minimise production costs while ensuring a reliable energy supply. Algorithm P prioritises the use of photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage and operates the diesel generator at minimum capacity to reduce fuel consumption and maximise the use of renewable energy sources. Algorithm M70, on the other hand, uses a heuristic approach to adaptively manage energy resources in real time. In this study, the performance of both algorithms is evaluated through simulation in different operating scenarios. The results show that both algorithms significantly improve the efficiency of the microgrid, with the M70 algorithm showing better adaptability and cost efficiency in dynamic environments. This research contributes to ongoing efforts to develop robust and scalable energy management systems for future smart grids.

Enterococcal bacteraemia (EB) is on the rise both in Sweden and globally. While Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is susceptible to ampicillin and piperacillin/tazobactam (pip/taz), Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) is not. The use of pip/taz has increased dramatically in Sweden, but it is unknown if this has affected the relative incidence of E. faecalis/E. faecium bacteraemia. Here we investigate whether the number and proportion of E. faecium bacteraemia (EfmB) cases have increased. Additionalle, risk factors associated with EfmB with focus on prior antibiotic exposure are analyzed. Medical journals of 360 patients with EB admitted to Sahlgrenska University Hospital were reviewed. The proportion of EfmB cases increased from 41% in 2015 to 51% in 2021. Hospital-acquired infection, previous exposure to pip/taz, and carbapenems were identified as independent risk factors for EfmB. There were considerable patient related differences between the EfmB and EfsB groups but there was no difference in mortality rates. In conclusion, the increasing proportion of EfmB cases is concerning and was seen parallell to the expanding use of pip/taz, one possible contributing factor. Our findings suggest that a cautious approach to antibiotic use is essential to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This study presents a comprehensive approach to trim optimization as a energy efficiency improvement measure, focusing on reducing fuel consumption for one RO-RO car carrier. Utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, the methodology incorporates Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to develop a mathematical model for estimating key parameters such as brake power, daily fuel oil consumption (DFOC) and propeller speed. The complex ANN model is then integrated into a user-friendly software tool for practical engineering applications. The research outlines a seven-phase trim optimization process and discusses its potential extension to other types of ships, aiming to establish a universal methodology for CFD-based engineering analyses. Based on trim optimization results, the biggest DFOC goes up to 10.5% at 7.5m draft and up to 8% for higher drafts. Generally, in every considered case, it is recommended to sail with the trim towards the bow, meaning that the ship’s weight (ballast) should be adjusted to tilt slightly forward.

Graphene foam prepared by chemical vapor deposition method is a promising thermal interfacial material. However, the thermal properties of graphene foam highly depend on the experimental fabrication conditions during the chemical vapor deposition process. Aiming to reveal how to prepare the appropriate graphene foam for the various thermal management scenarios, the influence of experimental conditions on thermal properties of graphene foam is investigated. Furthermore, the contribution of thermal conductivity and thermal radiation to the effective thermal coefficient of graphene foam is carried out for comparison. Research results show that, the porosity and the cross-section shape of struts of growth template are two critical factors to affect the thermal transport of graphene foam, especially with the increase of temperature. In addition, the deposition time of graphene determines the wall thickness and affects the thermal conductivity directly. The thermal radiation contributes more than thermal conductivity when the temperature climbs continuously. Comparatively, the effective thermal coefficient of graphene foam composite with high porosity and circular shape struts is much superior to others at high temperature. The research findings can provide important guidance for the graphene foam fabrication and its applications in the field of thermal management.

The aim of the study was to develop casein-fucoidan composite nanostructures through the method of polyelectrolyte complexation and subsequent spray drying. To determine the optimal parameters for the preparation of the composite structures and to investigate the influence of the production and technological parameters on the main structural and morphological characteristics of the obtained structures, 3(k-p) fractional factorial design was applied. The independent variables (casein to fucoidan ration, glutaraldehyde concentration and spray intensity) were varied at three levels (low, medium, and high) and their effect on the yield, the average particle size and the zeta potential were evaluated statistically. Based on the obtained results, models C1F1G1Sp.30, C1F1G2Sp.40, and C1F1G3Sp.50, which have an average particle size ranging from (265 ± 32) nm to (357 ± 25) nm, production yield in the range (48.9 ± 2.9) % to (66.4 ± 2.2) % and zeta potential varying from ( −20.12 ± 0.9) mV to (−25.71 ± 1.0) mV were selected as optimal for further use as drug delivery systems.

Deep Neural Network (DNN) inference demands substantial computing power, resulting in significant energy consumption. A large number of negative output activations in convolution layers are rendered zero due to the invocation of the ReLU activation function. This results in a substantial number of unnecessary computations that consume significant amounts of energy. This paper presents ECHO: Energy-efficient Computation Harnessing Onilne Arithmetic - A MSDF-based accelerator for DNN inference, designed for computation pruning, utilizing an unconventional arithmetic paradigm known as online/ most-significant digit first (MSDF) arithmetic which performs computations in a digit-serial manner. The MSDF digital serial computation of online arithmetic enables overlapped computation of successive operations leading to substantial performance improvements. The online arithmetic, coupled with a negative output detection scheme, facilitates early and precise recognition of negative outputs. This, in turn, allows for the timely termination of unnecessary computations, resulting in a reduction of energy consumption. The implemented design has been realized on the Xilinx Virtex-7 VU3P FPGA and subjected to a comprehensive evaluation through a rigorous comparative analysis involving widely used performance metrics. Experimental results demonstrate promising power and throughput improvements compared to contemporary methods. In particular, the proposed design achieved an average improvement in power consumption of up to 81%, 82.9%, and 40.6% for VGG-16, ResNet-18, and ResNet-50 workloads compared to the conventional bit-serial design, respectively. Furthermore, significant average speedups of 2.39×, 2.6×, and 2.42 were observed when comparing the proposed design to conventional bit-serial designs for VGG-16, ResNet-18, and ResNet-50 models respectively.

This systematic review provides a comprehensive neuropsychological analysis of psychotic spectrum disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. It explores cognitive impairments in memory, attention, and executive function, and the relation between brain abnormalities and these deficits. The paper emphasizes the use of neuropsychological tests in diagnosis and early psychosis management, while also discussing interventions, the impact of dementia on psychosis, and the neurobiological patterns associated with these conditions. Additionally, it underlines the importance of childhood trauma in the development of psychosis and examines the effects of substance abuse and brain injury. Neuropsychological evaluations and targeted therapies are highlighted as crucial for the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of psychotic disorders. The research further includes evidence of neurocognitive dysfunction in individuals with a high risk of psychosis and emphasizes the advanced brain aging in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The necessity of comprehensive clinical evaluations and targeted therapies for cognitive impairments is underscored throughout the research. The potential effects of dementia on individuals with psychosis, neurobiological patterns, the role of childhood trauma, the impact of psychosis in dementia patients, and proposed treatments are also explored in depth. Overall, the paper underscores the integral role neuropsychological knowledge plays in understanding, diagnosing, managing, and treating psychotic spectrum disorders.

Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term impact of paediatric dentistry programmes on children and adolescents to reduce oral health inequalities. It measures and assesses the improvement effects of paediatric dentistry programmes on the oral health of children and adolescents as part of the efforts to decrease oral health disparities in this age group. It included 406 individuals who participated in student and paediatric dentistry programmes between 2013 and 2019 at screening facilities in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Frequency analysis was conducted for demographic characteristics, and binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing the prevalence of dental caries as the dependent variable. Data were analysed using PASW Statistics with the statistical significance level set at α=0.05. Regarding oral health indicators based on the frequency of participation in paediatric dentistry programmes for children and adolescents, participants with seven or more sessions had lower prevalence rates of dental caries, malocclusion, and periodontal disease than those with only one session. Second, when comparing oral health indicators in paediatric dentistry programmes between primary and adolescent age groups, individuals under continuous management showed a decrease in permanent teeth affected by dental caries, dental caries prevalence, and malocclusion prevalence (excluding primary school age). Third, binary logistic regression analysis revealed significant influences (p

Modelling water vapour flow, heat transfer and porosity in porous adsorbent is somewhat challenging simulation problem. Primary macroscopic water vapour flow models, such as Darcy's law, fail to predict the pressure drop entirely correctly for the reason that many of flow parameters not considered because of the simplifications that remain made for the multi-scale structure of the porous adsorbents. For one to develop a good physical understanding of such water vapour flows and the accuracy of existing 3D simulation models, there is a need for some accurate 3D geometry to be studied. This present work describes two-phase water vapour flow and adsorption/ desorption performed on porous adsorbent by a Dynamic vapour sorption (DVS). The CFD simulation results are associated with experiments results. It is decided that for such complex porous adsorbent CFD simulation problems the use of COMSOL Multiphysics and SolidWorks flow simulation will be utilised.

Severe cancer pain significantly diminishes patients' quality of life, leading to increased reliance on caregivers. Although opioid analgesics are effective, they may induce opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OIBD) with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and constipation. While controlled-release oxycodone is a viable option, its prolonged use can lead to opi-oid-induced constipation (OIC). Addressing this, a relative novel formulation - a fixed 2:1 ratio of oxycodone and naloxone in prolonged release - aims to provide analgesia while alleviating OIC. This review critically assesses the evidence on the efficacy, safety, and patient experience of ox-ycodone/naloxone prolonged release in managing severe cancer pain, emphasizing the necessity for a targeted approach in this patient population.

Despite a large amount of research on synchronous and mutually induced kidney and heart damage, the basis of the disease is still not fully clarified. Healthy mitochondria are essential for normal kidney and heart function. Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs when the clearance or process of generation and fragmentation of mitochondria is disturbed. The kidney is the second organ after the heart in the number of mitochondria. Kidney tubules are rich in mitochondria due to the high energy requirements for absorption processes of large amounts of ultrafiltrate and dissolved substances. The place of action of oxidative stress is the influence on the balance in the production and breakdown of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species . A more precise determination of the place and role of key factors that play a role in the onset of the disease is necessary for understanding the nature of the onset of the disease and the creation of therapy in the future. The narrative review integrates results found in previously performed studies which have evaluated oxidative stress participation in renocardial syndrome type 3.

In this paper, we focus on the impact of financial liberalization on stability of emerging stock market. We identify crises in a group of Latin American (Argentina, Brazil and Chile) and Asian countries (Philippines, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand) during 1975–2005. This paper aims to apply the methodology of CMAX method. Our results indicate that liberalization triggers more unstable stock market in the short run and generate several crises. Still, liberalization seems to generate more stable financial markets in the long run. Financial liberalization does not increase the frequency of crises in emerging countries and at long-term, crises are less several.

We propose a method for creating parallel Bessel-like vortical optical needles with an arbitrary axial intensity distribution via superposition of different cone-angle Bessel vortices. We analyze the interplay between the separation of individual optical vortical needles and their respective lengths and introduce a super-Gaussian function as their axial profile. We also analyze the physical limitations to observe well-separated optic needles, as they are influenced by mutual interference of the individual beams. To verify our theoretical and numerical results, we generate controllable spatial arrays of individual Bessel beams with various numbers and spatial separations by altering the spectrum of the incoming laser beam via the spatial light modulator. We demonstrate experimentally how to implement such beams using a diffractive mask. The presented method facilitates the creation of diverse spatial intensity distributions in three dimensions, potentially finding applications in specific microfabrication tasks or other contexts. These beams may have benefits in laser material processing applications such as nanochannel machining, glass via production, modification of glass refractive indices, and glass dicing.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition that can affect multiple organ systems and is characterized by the formation of non-caseating granulomas in various organs, including heart. Due to suboptimal diagnostic rates, the true prevalence and incidence of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) remain to be determined. In patients with suspected CS, initial examination should include 12-lead ECG or ambulatory ECG monitoring, as well as echocardiography with the estimation of LV, RV function and strain rate. In patients with confirmed extracardiac sarcoidosis and with high clinical suspicion for CS, sophisticated imaging modalities, including cardiac MRI and PET are indicated. Typical patterns of inflammation and myocardial scarring should pose a high suspicion for CS. In patients without diagnosed extracardiac sarcoidosis and high clinical suspicion, although with low diagnostic porobability, endomyocardial biopsy should be considered to establish the diagnosis of definite isolated cardiac sarcoidosis. Timely diagnosis enables the initation of therapy and close monitoring of adverse cardiac events that can be life-threatening, including sudden cardiac death, ventricular tachycardia, high-degree AV block, and heart failure. Implementation of biomarkers in correlation to cardiac imaging can determine the disease severity and progression, but also be helpful in following the treatment response. The formation of larger global registries can be helpful in the identification of independent predictors of adverse clinical events and development of specific diagnostic algorithms to reduce the overal risk of this serious condition.

In China's mountainous coastal terrain, the storm badly damaged low-rise buildings. At present, it is not clear how the relative position of buildings and mountains affects the surface of a low-rise building’s fluctuating coefficient. The study compared these results with the wind pressure distribution without the surrounding environment. The primary objective of this study is to examine the fluctuating coefficient variation rule based on the spacing between hillsides and buildings under 0° wind angle. Additionally, the study analyzes the fluctuating wind pressure coefficient across wind angles between 0°~90°. The distribution of wind pressure in different common hillside landforms was examined through a wind tunnel experiment, which also compared with the distribution in an open environment. The study examined the fluctuating coefficient as the distance between the building and the hillside changed, specifically for wind blowing at a 0° angle. Next, an analysis is conducted on the changing pattern of the fluctuating coefficient for low-rise buildings ranging from a wind angle of 0° to 90°. Simultaneously, the investigation examined the power spectrum and wind pressure’s probability distribution, while considering the proximity of the building to an adjacent hill. The findings indicated that the changing wind pressure factor on the surface of the structure differed based on the relative location of the hillside and the building. The roof's wind pressure coefficient fluctuated and gradually increased until it reached its peak, unaffected by the surroundings. The low-frequency energy decreased in windward eaves, while the high-frequency energy progressively rose as the distance between the hillside and the building increased. The wind pressure on the leeward side exhibited Gaussian characteristics in its probability distribution.

Thoracic aortopathy encompasses a spectrum of conditions affecting the aorta, ranging from aneurysms to dissections, posing significant challenges in management and care. In recent years, remote care, facilitated by telemedicine and digital health technologies, has emerged as a promising approach to overcome barriers in delivering timely and efficient healthcare services. This paper explores the practical considerations and challenges associated with implementing remote care strategies in the management of thoracic aortopathy in India with the largest population in the world. By evaluating existing literature and drawing upon clinical experiences, we discuss the potential benefits, limitations, and best practices for incorporating remote care into the management of patients with thoracic aortopathy. Additionally, we address important factors such as patient engagement, technology integration, privacy concerns, and regulatory requirements to optimize the delivery of remote care in this specialized field.

The kiwiberry is a trendy variety that shows a high demand for consumption but presents commercialization challenges due to its short life. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of edible alginate coatings in prolonging the shelf life of this fruit. Two different forms were tested (coarse emulsions(C) and nanoemulsions(N)) and the effects of two different coating application techniques (spraying(S) and dipping(D)) were tested. Additionally, the use of Vis-NIR for quality monitorization was assessed as well. Fruits were treated with ten different treatments, using the following base formulations:Alginate(AL) 2%(w/v) enriched with eugenol(Eug) and citral(Cit) at minimum inhibitory concentrations (0.10% and 0.15%) and double MIC. Samples were taken from cold storage (0° C), at 2 and 4 weeks. For fruit quality evaluation, colour analysis, firmness, soluble solids content, dry matter and weight loss were performed. During storage, the colour and SSC parameters increased. Firmness decreased over time.Weight loss was the parameter with higher significant differences, increasing over time and more pronounced in treatments with higher essential oils components. This study suggests that AL-S, AL-D, AL-Cit 0.15+Eug0.1-N-S, AL-Cit0.15+Eug0.1-N-D and AL-Cit0.15+Eug0.1-C-D can preserve kiwiberries quality. Moreover, we verify that the Vis-NIR spectral analysis could be beneficial for performing coatings discrimination.

The wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris grows naturally throughout the northern hemisphere, including the Mediterranean region. Wild grapevines were also observed sporadically across the southern Levant and has so far been considered as non-native feral plant. Nevertheless, no formal characterization was conducted for wild grapevines in this region, thus its taxonomical assignment remains elusive. Here we describe the morphological, anatomical, and ecological characterization of wild grapevines that is a naturally thriving plant in Israel and conclude that Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris is a native plant in this region which marks the southern border of its distribution range. These findings, combined with the recently-published genetic evidence for these populations significantly advance our understanding of the species’ ecology and persistence under climate change.

Hoechst 33342 (H33342) is a fluorescent probe that is commonly used to stain DNA of living cells. To do so, it needs to interact with and permeate through cell membranes. The pH of biological media may vary quite significantly and this influences H33342 ionization state, and may change its rate of permeation through biomembranes. In this work, we address the effect of pH in the association of H33342 with lipid bilayers using a combined experimental and computational approach. The partition of H33342 to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) lipid membranes was experimentally quantified using fluorescence spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to select the most stable isomer of H33342 for the overall charges 0, +1, and +2, expected to predominate across the 5 &lt; pH &lt; 10 range. The interaction of these isomers with POPC bilayers was then studied by both unrestrained and umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations. While probe insertion occurs for all ionization states, with similar overall equilibrium location, orientation was found to depend on the probe charge, with the neutral form lying mostly parallel and the doubly charged displaying a significant tilt relative to the membrane plane. Both experimental results and computational free energy profiles indicate that the partition coefficient of H33342 displays a small variation over a wide pH range, not exceeding one order of magnitude. The enthalpy of interaction is negative and is larger at lower pH values. This suggests efficient hydrogen bonding between the probe and the lipid, namely for the protonated +2 form. The relatively high lipophilicity obtained for the charged species contrasts with the decrease in their general hydrophobicity as estimated from water and octanol partition. This highlights the distinction between lipophilicity and hydrophobicity, and the importance of considering association with lipid bilayers when predicting the affinity for biomembranes.

Sperm cells must undergo a complex maturation process after ejaculation to be able to fertilize an egg. One component of this maturation is hyperpolarization of the membrane potential to a more negative value. The ion channel responsible for this hyperpolarization, SLO3, was first cloned in 1998, and since then much progress has been made to determine how the channel is regulated and how its function intertwines with various signaling pathways involved in sperm maturation. Although SLO3 was originally thought to be present only in the sperm of mammals, recent evidence suggests that a primordial form of the gene is more widely expressed in some fish species. As with many reproductive genes, SLO3 is rapidly evolving with low conservation between closely related species and different regulatory and pharmacological profiles. Despite these differences, SLO3 appears to have a conserved role in regulating sperm membrane potential and driving large changes in response to stimuli. As with the differences in regulation of the channel, the effect of this hyperpolarization of the membrane potential may vary among mammalian species. Recent discoveries have elucidated the role of SLO3 in these processes in human sperm and provided tools to target the channel to affect human fertility.

2,7-bis(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)-9H-carbazole (1) was synthesized by reacting 4-ethynylpyridine hydrochloride with 2,7-dibromo-9H-carbazole. The full characterization of compound 1 is presented, and the crystal structure of its monohydrate co-crystal was determined by single-crystal XRD analysis.

Peptides are promising drug development frameworks thanks to their high target selectivity, tolerability and relatively low production cost. However, despite the fact that several thousand potentially therapeutic peptides reported, only sixty have arrived at the market. This concerning low proportion is partially explained by undesired properties such as peptide-induced hemolytic activity. Hence, we aim to get a better insight into the chemical space of hemolytic peptides using a novel approach based on network science and interactive data mining as an alternative to design more effective peptide drugs with low hemolytic activity. Metadata networks (METNs) were used to characterize and find general patterns associated to hemolytic peptides, whereas Half-Space Proximal Networks (HSPNs), created using five different two-way dissimilarity measures, represented the hemolytic peptide space. Then, using the best candidate HSPNs, we extracted various scaffolds that capture information of almost all the chemical space but avoiding peptide overrepresentation. Such scaffolds can have many applications, such as training accurate ML-based prediction models, constructing one-class multi-query similarity searching models and characterizing the diversity of hemolytic peptides using a manageable set of peptides. Finally, by means of an alignment-free approach, we reported 47 putative hemolytic motifs, which might provide hints about the mechanisms of hemolysis and can also be used as toxic signatures when developing novel peptide-based drugs.

The number of animals bred, raised, and slaughtered each year is on the rise, resulting in increasing impacts to welfare. Farmed animals are also becoming more diverse, ranging from pigs to bees. The diversity and number of species farmed invites questions about how best to allocate currently limited resources towards safeguarding and improving welfare. This is of the utmost concern to animal welfare funders and effective altruism advocates, who are responsible for targeting the areas most likely to cause harm. For example, is tail docking worse for pigs than beak trimming is for chickens in terms of their pain, suffering, and general experience? Or are the welfare impacts equal? Answering these questions requires making an interspecies welfare comparison; a judgment about how good or bad different species fare relative to one another. Here, we outline and discuss an empirically-based methodology that aims to improve our ability to make interspecies welfare comparisons by investigating welfare range, which refers to how good or bad animals can fare. We begin our proposal with a theory of welfare. We operationalize that theory of welfare by identifying metrics that are defensible proxies for measuring welfare, including cognitive, affective, behavioral, and neuro-biological measures. We assign differential weights to those proxies that reflect their evidential value for the determinants of welfare, such as the “Delphi'' structured deliberation method with a panel of experts. Then we review the evidence and score its quality to ascertain whether a particular taxa may possess the proxies in question to construct a taxa-level welfare range profile. Finally, we use a Monte Carlo simulation to generate an overall estimate of comparative welfare range relative to our hypothetical index species - humans. Interspecies welfare comparisons will help facilitate empirically informed decision-making to streamline the allocation of resources and to ultimately better prioritize and improve animal welfare.

In ageing tissues, long-lived extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are susceptible to the accumulation of structural damage due to diverse mechanisms including glycation, oxidation and protease cleavage. Peptide location fingerprinting (PLF) is a new mass spectrometry (MS) analysis technique capable of identifying proteins exhibiting structural differences in complex proteomes. PLF applied to published young and aged intervertebral disc (IVD) MS datasets (posterior, lateral and anterior regions of the annulus fibrosus), identified 268 proteins with age-related structural differences. For several ECM assemblies (collagens I, II and V and aggrecan), these differences were markedly conserved between degeneration-prone (posterior and lateral) and resistant (anterior) regions. Significant differences in peptide yields, observed within collagen I, II and V α-chains (COL1A2, COL2A1, COL5A1), were located within their triple helical regions and/or cleaved C-terminal propeptides, indicating potential accumulation of damage and impaired maintenance in ageing. Several proteins (COL5A1, COL2A1 and aggrecan) also exhibited tissue region (lateral)-specific differences in structure between aged and young, suggesting that some ageing mechanisms may act locally within tissues. This study not only provides evidence of age-related changes in ECM protein structures which are tissue-region specific, but also highlights the ability of PLF to identify potential protein biomarkers of localised tissue remodelling.

The study aimed to identify different molds that grow on various food surfaces. As a result, we conducted a case study for the detection of mold on food surfaces based on the “you only look once (YOLO) v5” principle. In this context, a dataset of 2050 food images with mold growing on their surfaces was created. The dataset was trained using the pre-trained YOLOv5 algorithm. In comparison to YOLOv3 and YOLOv4, this current YOLOv5 model had better precision, recall, and average precision (AP), which were 98.10%, 100%, and 99.60%, respectively. The YOLOv5 algorithm was used for the first time in this study to detect mold on food surfaces. In conclusion, the proposed model successfully recognizes any kind of mold present on the food surface. Using YOLOv5, we are currently conducting research to identify the specific species of the detected mold.

Background: global longitudinal strain (GLS) measures myocardial deformation and is a sensitive modality for detecting subclinical myocardial dysfunction and predicting cardiac outcomes. The accuracy of speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) is dependent on temporal resolution. A novel software enables relatively high frame rate (Hi-FR) (~200 fps) echocardiographic images acquisition which empowers us to investigate the impact of Hi-FR imaging on GLS analysis. The goal of this pilot study was to demonstrate the feasibility of Hi-FR for STE. Methods: In this prospective study, we acquired echocardiographic images using clinical scanners on patients with normal left ventricular systolic function using Hi-FR and conventional frame rate (Reg-FR) (~50 FPS). GLS values were evaluated on apical 4-, 2- and 3-chamber images acquired in both Hi-FR and Reg-FR. Inter-observer and intra-observer variabilities were assessed in Hi-FR and Reg-FR. Results: There were 143 resting echocardiograms with normal LVEF included in this study. The frame rate of Hi-FR was 190 ± 25 and Reg-FR was 50 ± 3, and the heart rate was 71 ± 13. Strain values measured in Hi-FR were significantly higher than those measured in Reg-FR (all p < 0.001). Inter-observer and intra-observer correlations were strong in both Hi-FR and Reg-FR. Conclusions: We demonstrated that strain values were significantly higher using Hi-FR when compared with Reg-FR in patients with normal LVEF. It is plausible that higher temporal resolution enabled the measurement of myocardial strain at desired time point. The result of this study may inform clinical adoption of the novel technology. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate the value of Hi-FR to assess myocardial strain in stress echocardiography in the setting of tachycardia.

Accelerated degradation of collagen membranes (CMs) in diabetic rats is associated with increased infiltration of macrophages and blood vessels. Since pre-implantation immersion of CMs in cross-linked high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (CLHA) delays membrane degradation, we evaluated its effect on the number of macrophages and endothelial cells (ECs) within the CM. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in 16 rats, while 16 healthy rats served as control. CM discs were labeled with biotin, soaked in CLHA or PBS and implanted under the scalp. Fourteen days later, CMs were embedded in paraffin and the number of macrophages and ECs within the CMs was determined using antibodies against CD68 and Transglutaminase II, respectively. Diabetes increased the number of macrophages and ECs within the CMs (∼2.5-fold and 4-fold, respectively). Immersion of CMs in CLHA statistically significantly reduced the number of macrophages (p<0.0001) in diabetic rats, but not that of ECs. In the healthy group, CLHA had no significant effect on the number of either cells. Higher residual collagen area and membrane thickness in CLHA-treated CMs in diabetic animals were significantly correlated with reduced number of macrophages but not ECs. Immersion of CM in CLHA inhibits macrophage infiltration and reduces CM degradation in diabetic animals.

Sentinel-1 satellite system continuously observes European countries in a relatively high revisit frequency of 6 days per orbital track. Given the Sentinel-1 configuration, most areas in Czechia are observed every 1–2 days by different tracks in a moderate resolution. This is attractive for various types of analyses by various research groups. The starting point for processing is an original data provided by ESA, for interferometry (InSAR) this level is a Single Look Complex (SLC) data. This work represents advantages of storing data augmented to a specifically corrected level of data, SLC-C. The presented database contains Czech nation-wide Sentinel-1 data stored in burst units that have been preprocessed to the state of a consistent well-coregistered dataset of SLC-C. These are resampled SLC data with their phase values reduced by a topographic phase signature, ready for fast interferometric analyses (an interferogram is generated by a complex conjugate between two stored SLC-C files). The data can be used directly into multitemporal interferometry techniques, e.g. Persistent Scatterers (PS) or Small Baseline (SB) techniques applied here. A further development of the nation-wide system utilising SLC-C data would lead into a dynamic state where every new pre-processed burst triggers a processing update to detect unexpected changes from InSAR time series and therefore provide a signal for early warning against a potential dangerous displacement, e.g. a landslide, instability of an engineering structure or a formation of a sinkhole. An update of the processing chain would also allow use of cross-polarised Sentinel-1 data, needed for polarimetric analyses. The current system is running at a national supercomputing centre IT4Innovations in interconnection to the Czech Copernicus Collaborative Ground Segment (CESNET), providing fast on-demand InSAR results over Czech territories. A full nation-wide PS processing using data over Czechia has been performed in 2017, discovering several areas of land deformation. Its downsampled version and basic findings are demonstrated within the article.

The most prevalent Ca2+-buffer proteins (CaBPs: parvalbumin—PV; calbindin—CaB; calretinin—CaR) are widely expressed by various neurons throughout the brain, including the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Even though their retinal expression has been extensively studied, a coherent assessment of topographical variations is missing. To examine this, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the mouse retina. We found variability in the expression levels and cell numbers for CaR, with stronger and more numerous labels in the dorso-central area. CaBP+ cells contributed to RGCs with all soma sizes, indicating heterogeneity. We separated 4-9 RGC clusters in each area based on expression levels and soma sizes. Besides the overall high variety in cluster number and size, the peripheral half of the temporal retina showed the greatest cluster number, indicating a better separation of RGC subtypes there. Multiple labels showed that 39% of the RGCs showed positivity for a single CaBP, 30% expressed two CaBPs, 25% showed no CaBP expression and 6% expressed all three proteins. Finally, we observed an inverse relation between CaB and CaR expression levels in CaB/CaR dually- and CaB/CaR/PV triple labeled RGCs, suggesting a mutual complementary function.

Although the regulatory function of miRNAs and their targets have been characterized in model plants, a possible underlying role in the cotton response to herbivore infestation has not been determined. To investigate this, we performed small RNA and degradome sequencing between resistant and susceptible cotton cultivar following infestation with the generalist herbivore whitefly. In total, 260 miRNA families and 241 targets were identified. Quantitative-PCR analysis revealed that several miRNAs and their corresponding targets exhibited dynamic spatio-temporal expression patterns. Moreover, 17 miRNA precursors were generated from 29 long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) transcripts. Genome-wide analysis also led to the identification of 85 phased small interfering RNA (phasiRNA) loci. Among these, nine PHAS genes were triggered by miR167, miR390, miR482a, and two novel miRNAs, including those encoding a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) disease resistance protein, an auxin response factor (ARF) and MYB transcription factors. Through combined modeling and experimental data, we explored and expanded the miR390-tasiARF cascade during the cotton response to whitefly. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of ARF8 in whitefly-resistant cotton plants increased auxin and jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation, resulting in an increased tolerance to whitefly infestation. These results highlight the provides a useful transcriptomic resource for plant-herbivore interaction.

We applied a framework to assess climate change vulnerability of 52 major vegetation types in the western United States to provide spatially-explicit input to adaptive management decisions. The framework addressed climate exposure and ecosystem resilience; the latter derived from analyses of ecosystem sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Measures of climate change exposure used observed climate change (1981-2014) and then climate projections for the mid-21st century (2040-2069 RCP 4.5). Measures of resilience included (under ecosystem sensitivity) landscape intactness, invasive species, fire regime alteration, and forest insect & disease risk, and (under adaptive capacity), measures for topo-climate variability, diversity with functional species groups, and vulnerability of any keystone species. Outputs are generated per 100km² hexagonal area for each type. As of 2014, moderate climate change vulnerability was indicated for >50% of the area of 50 of 52 types. By the mid-21^st century, all but 19 types face high or very high vulnerability with >50% of the area scoring in these categories. Measures for resilience explain most components of vulnerability as of 2014, with most targeted vegetation scoring low in adaptive capacity measures and variably for specific sensitivity measures. Elevated climate exposure explains increases in vulnerability between the current and mid-century time periods.

_{Superconducting foams of YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$ (YBCO) are proposed as trapped field magnets or supermagnets. The foams with an open-porous structure are light-weight, mechanically strong and can be prepared in large sample sizes. The trapped field distributions were measured using a scanning Hall probe on various sides of an YBCO foam sample after field-cooling in a magnetic field of 0.5 T produced by a square Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet. The maximum trapped field (TF) measured is about 400 G (77 K) at the bottom of the sample. Several details of the TF distribution, the current flow and possible applicatons of such superconducting foam samples in space applications, e.g., as active elements in flux-pinning docking interfaces (FPDI) or as portable strong magnets to collect debris in space, are outlined.}

LDAS-Monde, an offline land data assimilation system with global capacity, is applied over the CONtiguous US (CONUS) domain to enhance monitoring accuracy for water and energy states and fluxes. LDAS-Monde ingests satellite-derived Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) estimates to constrain the Interactions between Soil, Biosphere, and Atmosphere (ISBA) Land Surface Model (LSM) coupled with the CNRM (Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques) version of the Total Runoff Integrating Pathways (CTRIP) continental hydrological system (ISBA-CTRIP). LDAS-Monde is forced by the ERA-5 atmospheric reanalysis from the European Center For Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) from 2010 to 2016 leading to a 7-yr, quarter degree spatial resolution offline reanalysis of Land Surface Variables (LSVs) over CONUS. The impact of assimilating LAI and SSM into LDAS-Monde is assessed over North America, by comparison to satellite-driven model estimates of land evapotranspiration from the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) project, and upscaled ground-based observations of gross primary productivity from the FLUXCOM project. Also, taking advantage of the relatively dense data networks over CONUS, we also evaluate the impact of the assimilation against in-situ measurements of soil moisture from the USCRN network (US Climate Reference Network) are used in the evaluation, together with river discharges from the United States Geophysical Survey (USGS) and the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC). Those data sets highlight the added value of assimilating satellite derived observations compared to an open-loop simulation (i.e. no assimilation). It is shown that LDAS-Monde has the ability not only to monitor land surface variables but also to forecast them, by providing improved initial conditions which impacts persist through time. LDAS-Monde reanalysis has a potential to be used to monitor extreme events like agricultural drought, also. Finally, limitations related to LDAS-Monde and current satellite-derived observations are exposed as well as several insights on how to use alternative datasets to analyze soil moisture and vegetation state.

The exceptional increase in molecular DNA sequence data in open repositories is mirrored by an ever-growing interest among evolutionary biologists to harvest and use those data for phylogenetic inference. Many quality issues, however, are known and the sheer amount and complexity of data available can pose considerable barriers to their usefulness. A key issue in this domain is the high frequency of sequence mislabelling encountered when searching for suitable sequences for phylogenetic analysis. These issues include the incorrect identification of sequenced species, non-standardised and ambiguous sequence annotation, and the inadvertent addition of paralogous sequences by users, among others. Taken together, these issues likely add considerable noise, error or bias to phylogenetic inference, a risk that is likely to increase with the size of phylogenies or the molecular datasets used to generate them. Here we present a software package, phylotaR, that bypasses the above issues by using instead an alignment search tool to identify orthologous sequences. Our package builds on the framework of its predecessor, PhyLoTa, by providing a modular pipeline for identifying overlapping sequence clusters using up-to-date GenBank data and providing new features, improvements and tools. We demonstrate our pipeline’s effectiveness by presenting trees generated from phylotaR clusters for two large taxonomic clades: palms and primates. Given the versatility of this package, we hope that it will become a standard tool for any research aiming to use GenBank data for phylogenetic analysis.

Pulmonary artery stenosis represents a group of disorders involving main, branch or peripheral pulmonary arteries resulting either in pain, dyspnea, hemoptysis or even no symptoms. Early diagnosis and timely intervention are crucial for reducing mortality, while timely diagnosis is challenging due to the nonspecific symptoms. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is useful in the diagnosis because it can provide more details about the abnormal changes in the lumen, vessel wall and adjacent mediastinal structures. Congenital and acquired pulmonary artery anomalies have some characteristics on CTPA, which can be useful for differential diagnosis. Awareness of these conditions and is important for the radiologists. This pictorial review provides an overview of CTPA imaging features of pulmonary artery stenosis.

This paper proposes a method to utilize weather and land cover models to generate future environmental scenarios, and presents the watershed models to simulate the hydrological impact on watershed-scale hydrology. The Weather Generator model and General Circulation Model were applied to produce rainfall and local temperature under different climate conditions, and the Conservation and Land Use and its Effects model was incorporated to simulate future land cover variability. The circumstances of future climate and land cover changes were used as inputs to drive the HEC-HMS rainfall runoff model for obtaining surface runoff in a mountainous area. The WASH123D model was then utilized for the entire watershed simulation. Modeling results were then examined to discuss hydrological impacts on three different time periods: near future (2020-2039), future (2050-2069), and distant future (2080-2099). The Fengshan Creek basin in northern Taiwan was selected as study site. Simulations results indicated that the influence of climate change revealed more relevant effects when compared to local land cover changes. The ground water levels tended to diminish as the land cover area changed. In addition, both river and groundwater levels reveal that it is drier in dry season and wetter in wet season in future.

Dystonia and tremor are distinct movement disorders, but they overlap in certain circumstances. First, dystonia and tremor may co-exist in the same individual, in the same or different regions of the body. Second, dystonic movements are sometimes rapid and repetitive, and they may mimic tremor. The term dystonic tremor first appeared in the literature to describe a rapid and repetitive dystonic movement that mimicked tremor but could be discriminated from essential tremor. With the first consensus statement on tremor, the term dystonic tremor was instead used to describe any combination of dystonia with tremor in the same body region, a definition retained in the latest consensus statement. Both definitions continue to be used in the modern literature. To address this problem, a group of specialists in dystonia and tremor met to review the problem and develop recommendations for more consistent approach. The group agreed that a terminology that could be applied in the clinic was essential, even though laboratory-based measures may sometimes be required. The group also agreed that the term tremor should exclusively refer to rhythmic movements, and the establishment of boundaries for rhythmicity is needed. The group also agreed that repetitive movements that are grossly arrhythmic in the context of dystonia, should be called jerky dystonia, rather than terms that imply tremor. Moreover, when both tremor and dystonia coexist, they should be described according to affected body regions rather than given distinct labels.

There are thousands of rare genetic diseases that could be treated with classical gene therapy strategies such as the addition of the defective gene via viral or non-viral delivery or by direct gene editing. However, several genetic defects are too complex for these approaches. These “genomic mutations” include aneuploidies, intra and inter chromosomal rearrangements, large deletions, or inversion and copy number variations. Chromosome Transplantation (CT) refers to the precise substitution of an endogenous chromosome with an exogenous one. By the addition of an exogenous chromosome and the concomitant elimination of the endogenous one, every genetic defect, irrespective of its nature, could be resolved. In the current review, we analyze the state of the art of this technique and discuss its possible application to human pathology. CT might not be limited to the treatment of human diseases. By working on sex chromosomes, we showed that female cells can be obtained from male cells, since chromosome-transplanted cells can lose either sex chromosome, giving rise to 46,XY or 46,XX diploid cells, a modification that could be exploited to obtain female gametes from male cells. Moreover, CT could be used in veterinary biology, since entire chromosomes containing an advantageous locus could be transferred to animals of zootechnical interest without altering their specific genetic background and the need for long and complex interbreeding. CT could also be useful to rescue extinct species if only male cells were available. Finally, the generation of “synthetic” cells could be achieved by repeated CT into a recipient cell. CT is an additional tool for genetic modification of mammalian cells.

Tooth extraction techniques have been refined over the years in order to be less traumatic and better preserve alveolar bone. A recently introduced extraction method involves the use of the Magnetic Mallet®, which allows the clinician to be more precise, faster and less traumatic. The aim of the present study was to clinically evaluate whether extractions performed by means of the Magnetic Mallet® can lead to less bucco-lingual bone resorption. Between February 2023 and June 2023, 9 patients with an average age of 62 years underwent 29 extractions using the Magnetic Mallet®. Sectoral CBCTs were performed in order to measure bucco-lingual bone thickness at time 0 (T0, before extraction) and 3 months after extraction (T3M). All the extractions were performed by 2 different expert operators using exclusively the magnetic mallet. For statistical analysis, a two-sample t-test was performed between the measurements taken at T0 and those taken at T3M in the 29 dental elements and between the difference in bone loss among the 2 different clinicians. 22 teeth were extracted in the upper jaw and 7 in the lower jaw. The average degree of mobility was 1. The average degree of force impressed by the instrument to extract the teeth was 2, while the average frequency of blows administered was 7. The average time taken for the extractions was 3½ minutes. After 4 months, the mean bucco-lingual bone resorption was 1.54 mm (SD: +-). The difference of bucco-lingual bone thickness between T0 and T3 was significant at an alpha significance level of 0.01. No difference were found in bone resorption based on the clinician. The use of the Magnetic Mallet® during tooth extraction led to less bucco-lingual bone resorption in the 3 months following dental extraction, compared to the traditional use of manual hammers, chisels and levers.

Medulloblastoma (MB) is one of the most common malignant pediatric brain tumors. Current therapy results in poor prognosis for high-risk SHH/p53-mutated MB, emphasizing the importance of more effective therapeutic strategies. Here, we investigated potential radiosensitizing effects of checkpoint kinase inhibitors (Chk-i) prexasertib (Chk1/2) and SAR-020106 (Chk1) in human SHH/p53-mutated MB in vitro and in vivo. UW228 and DAOY cells were treated with Chk-i and irradiation (RT). Metabolic activity, proliferation, and apoptosis was determined at d3, long-term clonogenicity at d14. DNA damage was assessed after 1, 24, and 72 h. Patient-derived SHH/p53-mutated, luciferase-transfected MB cells were implanted orthotopically into NSG mice (d0). Fractionated therapy (daily, d7-11) was applied. Body weight (BW) was documented daily, tumor growth weekly, and proliferation at d42. In vitro, Chk-i exhibited dose-dependent reduction of metabolic activity, proliferation, and clonogenicity, and enhancement of apoptosis. Combination with RT showed additive antitumor effects and enhanced residual DNA damage. In vivo, tumor growth was delayed by Chk-i alone. Low-dose prexasertib enhanced RT-induced tumor growth inhibition (37-fold) and reduced proliferating cells, high-dose prexasertib and SAR-020106 showed opposite effects (n=3, n.s.). BW assessments revealed that the treatment was well tolerated. Our data indicate a benefit of Chk-i in combination with RT in SHH/p53-mutated MB. However, high-dose Chk-i may compromise the RT effect, possibly by its anti-proliferative activity. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time the antitumor activity of the Chk1-specific inhibitor SAR-020106 in the murine brain.

In Parkinson's disease, neuroinflammation is a complex defense mechanism. Activated microglia and Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) are key points in the regulation of neuroinflammation. 1-Piperidin Propionic Acid (1-PPA) has been recently described as a novel inhibitor of PAR2. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of 1-PPA in neuroinflammation and microglial activation in Parkinson's disease. Protein aggregates and PAR2 expression were analyzed by thioflavin S assay and immunofluorescence in cultured human fibroblasts from Parkinson's patients, treated or not with 1-PPA. A significant decrease of amyloid aggregates and expression of PAR2 were observed after 1-PPA treatment in all patients. A parallel decrease of PAR2 expression, that was higher in sporadic Parkinson’s patients, was also observed both at transcriptional and protein level. In addition, in mouse LPS-activated microglia, the inflammatory profile was significantly downregulated after 1-PPA treatment, with a remarkable decrease of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-togheter with PAR2 decreased expression.In conclusion, 1-PPA determines reduced neuroglia inflammation and amyloid aggregates formation, suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of PAR2 could be proposed as a novel strategy to control neuroinflammation.

Fintech facilitates financial inclusion by introducing new sustainable and accessible business models in developing countries. Open banking API technology is used by various fintech businesses in both developing and developed countries, with varying effects on financial markets. It changes the financial market distribution structure by separating financial product manufacturing and distribution and intensifying competition between traditional financial institutions and fintech companies. Fintech companies innovate by using this tool to create new business models. In December 2019, Korea established a standardized "open banking API platform," sharing an interbank payment network with fintech companies. It has since shown explosive growth, surpassing the trading volume of the UK, the country that introduced open banking APIs for the first time. This study analyzes new business models fintech companies created using this API technology. Based on existing literature, statistics from the platform operator (the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute), and investigations of 30 Korean fintech mobile applications, this study analyzes new fintech business models that provide financial services using this platform. These companies create sustainable business models by combining multiple APIs. Four representative business models (simple funds transfer, simple payment, cross-border remittance, and asset management) are analyzed to reveal how fintech companies create business models with open APIs.

In this paper we consider type II bivariate generalized power series Poisson distribution as a compound Poisson distribution with bivariate generalized power series compounding distribution. We obtain some properties, p.m.f. and conditional distributions. In addition we also give a brief discussion about the multivariate extension of this case. Then we introduce type II bivariate generalized power series Poisson process and consider a bivariate risk model with type II bivariate generalized power series Poisson model as the counting process. For this model we derive distribution of the time to ruin and bounds for the probability of ruin. We obtain partial integro-differential equation for the ruin probabilities and express its bivariate transform through two univariate boundary transforms,where one of the initial capitals is fixed at zero.

In today’s data-driven marketing landscape, accurately predicting customer responses to marketing campaigns is critical for optimizing engagement and return on investment (ROI). This study utilizes a Decision Tree (DT) model to identify key factors influencing customer behaviour. Initially, the model achieved a high accuracy of 87.3% but struggled with precision and recall due to class imbalance. By applying a resampling technique, the model’s performance improved significantly, with a recall increase from 44% to 83.1% and an F1-score improvement from 49% to 74.2%. Key influential features identified include how recently a customer made a purchase, the number of days they have been a customer, and the number of previous campaigns they responded to. The study highlights the DT model’s interpretability, making it a practical tool for marketing professionals to improve campaign effectiveness and customer targeting.

Background: Neuroinflammation has long been implicated in the progression of amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation and the decline of cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently, many transcription factors, downstream signaling pathways, and molecular mechanisms that regulate the polarization of microglia have been explored. Furthermore, microglia may also exert a complex role in AD through the transformation of Aβ plaques or debris clearance, reflected in Aβ phagocytosis. One of the mediators of neuroinflammation in AD is the activated microglia. Therefore, the regulation of microglial function may be the key to successfully treating AD. Methods: This is a review article. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and research meeting abstracts were searched up to 2024 for studies of microglia and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease. Systematic information retrieval was performed and appropriate studies were isolated based on important information available in the studies. The information from each of the articles was un-derstood and extracted to form a database. Results: The similar neuropathological results between several animals and AD cases show the possibility to implement microglia-related changes as an earlier diagnostic marker for AD in humans. The gene sets identified in various transcriptomic studies further foster this avenue of research by offering potential targets for therapeutic development. Multiple studies suggest that microglia-associated neuroinflammation at a special stage could also be protective, and there-fore, intervention should be delicate so that a beneficial response is retained. Conclusion: The phenotype balance between A1 (toxic) and A2 (safe) microglial phenotypes to toxic illness in AD has become a hot research topic at present. Substantial evidence, both in vitro and in vivo, has suggested that the loss of the normal A2 phenotype and the activation of toxic A1 microglia contribute to neurodegeneration in AD. Promoting or restoring the polarization of mi-croglia towards the A2 phenotype may thus represent an effective therapeutic strategy for ame-liorating neuroinflammation and progressive neurocognitive impairments.

Abstract: (1) Background and rationale: To validate the reported therapeutic coverage, a lymphatic filariasis post-mass drug administration (MDA) campaign survey was conducted in the Lukonga health zone from 10 June to 15 July 2023. (2) Materials and methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted at the community level in 30 villages in the Lukonga health zone from 10 June to 15 July 2023. The study population included all individuals from the visited com-munities. The study variables included age, sex, drug use (ivermectin + albendazole), adverse events, and adherence to MDA guidelines for supervised drug use. Questionnaires were administered on Android phones using the SurveyCTO platform. Stata version 17 was used for data analysis. (3) Results: Of the 1092 respondents, 54.8% were female and one-third were between the ages of 5 and 14. Two-thirds of the households surveyed, or 64%, had more than six people living in them, and 1031 individuals, or 94%, reported being present during the community mass drug distribution. Notably, 678 individuals, or 66%, reported taking the drugs offered, and 66.4% of those who took the drugs reported doing so in the presence of drug distributors. Thus, the survey coverage was 65.7% [95% CI: 62.9–68.7]. The results of this study show that the survey coverage was above the 65% threshold recommended by the WHO but below the 82.3% reported by the Lukonga health zone. The main reason for non-compliance was a fear of ivermectin-related side effects (47%). Supervised or directly observed treatment was not adhered to (66.4%). (4) Discussion and conclusions: Key challenges to further increase treatment coverage include assessing data quality, building capacity, motivating drug distributors, improving data reporting tools, proper recording by drug distributors, and ac-curate reporting on non-residents who take the drugs during the MDA. In addition, harmonization of the numerator for calculating drug coverage in the health zone is critical.

Brain tumors still remain a deadly cancer that, in most cases, is difficult to diagnose at an earlier stage. Therefore, it is necessary to develop rapid, sensitive methods for detecting cancer biomarkers. Such a biomarker may be a microRNA which expression level in body fluids is strongly correlated with cancer. Numerous studies have demonstrated changes in the expression of microRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples collected from patients with brain tumors. These new biomarkers have the potential to help diagnose brain cancers at an early stage, avoiding the most invasive procedures. This review discusses the functional role of microRNAs and the prospects for their use as diagnostic biomarkers in patients with brain tumors.

Energy distance is used to eigenvalue distributions in this new Wishart distribution study, providing a new perspective on high-dimensional data. Multivariate statistics relies on Wishart distribution to explain covariance matrices. This analysis shows how degrees of freedom and covariance matrix configurations affect eigenvalue dispersion. We use energy distance based on eigenvalue distributions to assess Wishart distribution differences without the "curse of dimensionality" via extensive simulation simulations. This approach improves measurement accuracy and processing efficiency in distribution comparisons and enables new analytical pathways in scientific fields that need data covariance comprehension. Our results show that degrees of freedom and matrix structure considerably affect energy distances, expanding the theoretical framework and practical applications of statistical models.

Pancreatic cancer is a serious and aggressive type of cancer that affects the digestive system and has a low chance of survival. Although traditional treatment methods have achieved some efficacy, the survival rate of patients remains low. Therefore, exploring novel treatment strategies is important. This article looks at the research done on bioactive compounds and plant extracts for treating pancreatic cancer. Bioactive compounds, such as naringenin and ziyuglycoside II, have significant anticancer activity and exert anti-pancreatic-cancer effects by inducing cell apoptosis, inhibiting the cell cycle, and blocking signaling pathways. Plant extracts, such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate and resveratrol, also demonstrate good anti-pancreatic cancer activity and inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. Additionally, the combined application of bioactive compounds and plant extracts may result in improved therapeutic effects. This article aims to provide a theoretical basis for the application of bioactive compounds and plant extracts in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and to help guide future medical research and practice.

This study addresses a gap in literature by comprehensively analyzing the emotional well-being of healthcare workers. Methods: The study employed an analytical cross-sectional design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies among 84 healthcare workers. Quantitative data was analyzed using STATA version 17 while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Ethical approval was sought from the University of Livingstonia Research Ethics Committee (UNILIA-REC). Results: 88% of the participants had experienced verbal abuse; stress and anger, 87% emotional tiredness, 22% depression, and 4% physical abuse. Emotional tiredness was associated with department (p=0.004) and work demand (p=0.0047), stress and anger were associated with experience (p=0.033), department (p=0.002) and work demand (p=0.002), depression was associated with age (p=0.035), experience (p=0.025), cadre (p=0.046), staffing (p=0.005) and work demand(p=0.044), verbal abuse was associated with department (p=0.035) and physical abuse was associated with knowledge of policies (p=0.002). Being aware of emotions and controlling them was the common coping strategy used by most (26%) of the respondents. The study established that most (78%) of healthcare workers did not receive formal training on coping skills for emotional disturbances. Conclusions: Healthcare workers experience some emotional disturbances within their professional roles. There is a need for healthcare workers to be trained on how to cope with emotional disturbances.

Background: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) on mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock excluding Impella and IABP use. Method: The large Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was utilized to study any association between the use of ECMO in adults over age of 18 on mortality and complications with a diagnosis of cardiogenic shocks. Results: ICD-10 codes for ECMO, and cardiogenic shock for available years 2016-2020 were utilized. A total of 796,585 (age 66.5±14.4) patients had a diagnosis of cardiogenic shock excluding Impella. 13,160 (age 53.7±15.4) were treated with ECMO without IABP. Total inpatient mortality without any device was 32.7%. It was 47.9% with ECMO. Using multivariate analysis adjusting for 47 variables such as age, gender, race, lactic acidosis, three-vessel intervention, left main myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, systolic heart failure, acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, chronic renal disease, etc., ECMO utilization remained highly associated with mortality (OR: 1.78, CI: 1.6-1.9, p<0.001). Evaluating teaching hospitals only revealed similar findings. Major complications were also high in ECMO cohort. Conclusion: In patients with cardiogenic shock, the use of ECMO was associated with the high in hospital mortality regardless of comorbid condition, high-risk futures, or type of hospital.

The railway industry focus in the past years was to research, find and develop methods to mitigate noise and vibration resulted from wheel/rail contact along track infrastructure. This resulted in a wide range of abatement measures that are available for the professionals of the industry today. However, although there are many options in the market, their practical implementations depend upon general constraints that affect most technological application in the engineering world. The progression of these technologies have facilitated the selection of more adequate methods for each best case scenario, but further studies are ought to be made to proper assess if each one is fit for their purpose. Every method implementation must be analyzed through budget and timeframe limitations, which includes building, maintenance and inspection costs and time allocation, while also aiming to meet different benefits, such as environmental impact control and wear of the whole infrastructure. There are several situations and facilities in a railway project design that need noise and vibration mitigation methods and each design allocates different priorities for each one of them. Traditionally the disturbance caused by railways to the community are generated by wheel/rail contact sound radiation that expresses in different ways, depending on the movement of the rolling stock and track alignment, such as rolling noise, impact noise and curve noise. More specifically, in special trackworks such as turnouts, the main area of this study, there are two noises types that must be evaluated: impact noise and screeching noise. With respect to the second, it is similar to curve squeals and, being such, its mitigation methods are to be assigned as if it was to abate curve squeal in turnouts and crossings. The impact noise on the other hand, emerges from the sound made by the rolling stock moving through joints and discontinuities (i.e. gaps) that composes these special components of a railway track. A life cycle analysis is therefore substantial for this reality and in this case will be applied to Squeal and Impact Noise on Special Trackwork. The evaluation is based on a valid literature review and the total costs were assumed by industry reports to maintain coherency. The period for a life cycle analysis is usually of 50 years, hence it was the value assumed. As for the general parameters, an area with high density of people was considered to estimate the values for a community with very strict limits for noise and vibration.

(1) Background: Heavy and chronic alcohol intake causes altered gut-permeability and dysfunction; and exhibits a unique pro-inflammatory state. Thyroid-associated hormones and proteins may be dysregulated by alcohol administration; however, the impact of altered gut-derived changes on thyroid function is unclear. This study investigated the role of gut-dysfunction and pro-inflammatory activity on thyroid function in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). (2) Methods: Male and female AUD patients (n=44) were grouped as Gr.1 with normal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (n=28, 0.8≤TSH≤3 mIU/L); and Gr.2 with clinically elevated TSH levels (n=16, TSH&gt; 3 mIU/l). Demographics, drinking measures, comprehensive metabolic panel, and candidate thyroid markers (TSH, circulating triiodothyronine [T3] and free thyroxine [fT4]) were tested. Plasma-derived gut-dysfunction associated markers (lipopolysaccharide [LPS], LPS-binding protein [LBP], and LPS-induced pathogen-associated protein [CD14]), and cytokine profile (IL1-β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, PAI-1) were analyzed and compared with the thyroid, demographic, and drinking markers. (3) Results: Both groups presented with a borderline overweight category of BMI. Gr.2 presented with numerically higher level of chronic and heavy drinking patterns vs Gr.1. fT4 levels were elevated while T3 was within normal limits in both the groups. Gut-dysfunction markers LBP and CD14 were numerically elevated in Gr.2 vs Gr.1 suggesting subtle ongoing changes; however, the difference was not statistically significant. All pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly elevated in Gr.2 among IL1-, MCP-1, and PAI-1. Gr.2 showed a strong and statistically significant effect of gut-immune-pituitary response (r=0.896, p=0.002) on TSH levels in a multivariate regression model with LBP, CD14, and PAI-1 levels as upstream variables; this assessment was not significant in Gr.1. In addition, AUROC analysis demonstrated that many of the cytokines strongly predicted TSH in Gr.2, including IL-6 (area=0.774, p&lt;0.001) and TNF- (area=0.708, p=0.017) among others. This was not observed in Gr.1. Gr.2 demonstrated elevated fT4 as well as TSH, which suggests that there was subclinical thyroiditis with underlying CNS dysfunction and lack of a negative feedback loop. (4) Conclusions: These findings reveal the toxic effects of heavy and chronic drinking that play a pathological role in thyroid gland dysregulation employing the gut-brain axis. These results also strongly emphasize potential directions to strongly consider thyroid dysregulation in the overall medical management of AUD.

Ceramide is a lipid that regulates cell death including apoptosis and necroptosis and acts as a powerful tumor suppressor. These characteristics have supported the development of ceramide-based cancer therapeutics. In the present study, ceramide mimetics (RT-25, RT-71 and YM-07) were designed and chemically synthesized, and their potential as necroptosis-inducing chemotherapeutic reagents was examined. RT-71 and YM-07, but not RT-25, potently decreased cell viability in multiple cancer cell lines. The ranges of IC50 values for RT-71 and YM-07 were 8.4–40.8 µM and 4.4–23.7 µM, respectively. Cleavage of PARP, an apoptosis marker, was not observed in MCF-7 cells treated with the mimetics. To determine the effects on necroptotic cell death, we used siRNAs specific to mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). MLKL knockdown significantly suppressed the cell death induced by YM-07 but not RT-71. These results suggest that YM-07 exhibits pro-necroptotic activity. Taken together, these findings indicate ceramide mimetic YM-07 as a lead compound for developing MLKL-activating necroptotic reagents. Our results help establish a foundation for pro-necroptotic therapy for cancer.