The absorption of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) depends on the solubility of these components in the gastric fluid. Parameters such as the total MCFA concentration, carboxyl ionization level, and carbon chain length affect the solubility of these molecules. Moreover, the enzymatic lipolysis of solubilized triacylglycerol (TAG) molecules may depend on the carbon chain length of the fatty acids (FAs) components and their positions on the glycerol backbone. This present study aimed at investigating the effect of electrolyte usually formed during the gastric digestion phase on the solubility of MCFA, and evaluating the influence of the FA carbon chain length on the lipolysis rate during the in vitro digestion simulation. The results obtained here showed that the increasing of electrolyte concentrations tend to decrease the mutual solubility of systems composed by the caproic and caprylic fatty acids + sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium chloride solutions. We also observed that a conventional version of the thermodynamic UNIQUAC model was able to correlate the liquid-liquid phase behavior of the electrolyte solutions. Regarding the in vitro digestion simulation, the experimental data indicated that the action of the pancreatic enzyme occurred preferentially in TAG molecules comprised of short and medium-chain fatty acids.

This review has been realized within the agribusiness sector and experiments the Transaction Cost Theory a branch of the New Institutional Economy which explain market failure caused by many factors. Transaction costs are associated with carrying a transaction between buyers and sellers. This study has been conducted between 2014 and 2017; and has collected data from 11 broiler producers in Jezzine, Lebanon, about: Production costs, capital investment, revenues, land tenure, access to infrastructure, and information about the contract. The propensity score matching method is used to compare the effect of participating in contract farming and to solve the hypotheses, which say: There is a positive relationship between contract farming and the economic benefits of broiler producers and the development of the broiler sector in Jezzine District. Findings from farmer’s interviews indicated that sustainability, guaranteed price, risk reduction, credit facilities and technical aids are the main reasons for signing a contract. In contrast, Farmers have expressed problems concerning the contractors’ responsibilities such as delay in payment and delivery. Also, when prices are high, it was argued that farmers were selling the products in the open market.

Novel coronavirus infection is a recent infective agent that causes severe potentially fatal pneumonia. The clinical presentation includes asymptomatic infection, severe pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure. Data pertaining to the clinical presentation of solid organ transplant recipients are scarce. Two cases of novel coronavirus infection in two recipients of renal transplant with variable clinical presentations and outcomes are reported. The first patient presented with progressive respiratory symptoms, acute renal failure, and passed away, whereas the second one, although presented with respiratory tract symptoms and hypoxemia remained stable and exhibited an excellent clinical recovery despite recent reception of thymoglobulin induction. This paper reports rare cases of novel coronavirus infection in renal transplant recipients. For an enhanced insight of the novel coronavirus infection and acute kidney injury on the clinical presentation, severity, and outcome in solid organ transplant recipients, further investigations are required.

In this manuscript, an automated framework dedicated to design space exploration and design optimization studies is presented. The framework integrates a set of numerical simulation, computer-aided design, numerical optimization, and data analytics tools using scripting capabilities. The tools used are open-source and freeware, and can be deployed on any platform. The main feature of the proposed methodology is the use of a cloud-based parametrical computer-aided design application, which allows the user to change any parametric variable defined in the solid model. We demonstrate the capabilities and flexibility of the framework using computational fluid dynamics applications; however, the same workflow can be used with any numerical simulation tool (e.g., a structural solver or a spread-sheet) that is able to interact via a command line interface or using scripting languages. We conduct design space exploration and design optimization studies using quantitative and qualitative metrics, and to reduce the high computing times and computational resources intrinsic to these kinds of studies, concurrent simulations and surrogate-based optimization are used.

A testable theoretical model is presented, proposing which brain parts and mechanisms are responsible for the nature and the nurture components of all human sexual orientations. The model integrates observations from humans and a wide range of animals. If validated, the model would provide a proximate explanation of the biological substrates of all sexual orientations. The basic assumptions of the model are: (1) Children learn automatically and subconsciously in non-sexual conditioning experiences cues for recognizing sexual mates. That skill emerges at puberty. (2) Adults in the child’s surroundings act as innocuous, unaware role-models that provide the learned cues for recognizing mates. (3) Voices of men and women serve as the innate, primary unconditioned stimuli (US) in that learning process. (4) The hypothalamus is the main area that elicits the signals of the unconditioned responses (UR). Those signals trigger the learning of the associated conditioned stimuli (CS) broadcasted by the role-models. (5) The amygdala, base nuclei of the Stria Terminalis (bnST) and hypothalamus play in humans similar roles to those they play in the other species. (6) The human medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) plays the roles played by the olfactory bulbs in rodents. (7) Detectors of innate primary US and activators of the unconditioned sexual responses (UR) are located in the MGN, Amygdala, bnST and Hypothalamus Axis (MASHA). The learned conditioned stimuli (CS) are recorded in the MASHA and in cortical areas. (8) The innate US-UR connections vary across three groups of children. In the first group, only men’s voices trigger the UR. In the second group, only women’s voices trigger the UR, and in a third group each voice can trigger the UR. That determines the learned cues. The first group will be attracted at puberty only to men, the second only to women, and the third group to both.

The C5-methylation of uracil to form 5-methyluracil (m⁵U) is a ubiquitous base modification of nucleic acids. Four enzyme families have converged to catalyze this methylation using different chemical solutions. Here, we investigate the evolution of 5-methyluracil synthase families in Mollicutes, a class of bacteria that has undergone extensive genome erosion. Many mollicutes have lost some of the m⁵U methyltransferases present in their common ancestor. Cases of duplication and subsequent shift of function are also described. For example, most members of the Spiroplasma subgroup, use the ancestral tetrahydrofolate-dependent TrmFO enzyme, to catalyze the formation of m⁵U54 in tRNA, while a TrmFO paralog (termed RlmFO) is responsible for m⁵U1939 formation in 23S RNA. RlmFO has replaced the S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-enzyme RlmD that adds the same modification in the ancestor and which is still present in mollicutes from the Hominis subgroup. Another paralog of this family, the TrmFO-like protein, has a yet unidentified function that differs from the TrmFO and RlmFO homologs. Despite having evolved towards minimal genomes, the mollicutes possess a repertoire of m⁵U modifying enzymes that is highly dynamic and has undergone horizontal transfer. This emphasizes the necessity for combining bioinformatics predictions with empirical testing and structural information to get a reliable functional annotation of these enzymes.

Henry’s constants for different existing compounds in water have great importance in transfer calculations. Measurement of these constants face different difficulties including high costs of experiment and low accuracy of measurement apparatus. Due to these facts, proposing a low cost and accurate approach becomes highlighted. To this end, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) have been used as Henry’s constant predictor tools. The molecular structure of compounds has been used as inputs of models. After training the models, the visual and mathematical studies of outputs have been done. The coefficients of determination of LSSVM and ANFIS algorithms are 0.999 and 0.990 respectively. According to the comprehensiveness of databank and accurate prediction of algorithms, it can be concluded that LSSVM and ANFIS algorithms are accurate methods for prediction of Henry’s constant in wide range of chemical structure of compounds in water.

Background and Objectives: The site types of Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis clonal plantations in southern Yunnan were compared, aiming to provide basis for site selection and scientific plantations management. Materials and Methods: In this study, 80 standard plots were set up in the 6−9-year-old Eucalypts plantations in Pu'er City and Lincang City. Furthermore, the quantitative theory I model and canonical correlation analysis were used to analyze the relationship between dominant tree growth traits and site factors, and evaluate the growth potential of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantation. Results: The multiple correlation coefficient between 8 site factors (altitude, slope, slope level, soil thickness, slope direction, texture, soil bulk density, and litter thickness) and the quantitative growth of the dominant wood was 0.825 (P < 0.05). According to the correlation coefficient of the quantitative regression model, slope, altitude, and soil thickness were the main factors for the classification of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations in southern Yunnan. In addition, E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations grew best downhill and mid uphill at relatively low altitude, where the soil layer was thick and composed of weathered red soil. Contrastingly, E. urophylla × E. grandis plantation growth was extremely poor in uphill sites at higher altitude, where the soil layer was thin and composed of semi-weathered purple soil. Furthermore, total N, and available B, Cu, and Zn content, as well as soil organic matter content in the soil had a great influence on the growth of E. urophylla × E. grandis. Conclusions: Nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer as well as trace elements such as B, Zn, and Cu can be properly applied in middle- and low-yield forests to promote the growth and development of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations.

Methods for high-quality DNA extraction and knowledge of sex expression and flowering time are essential for applying genomic-assisted breeding and improve the success with hybridization in Guinea yam. A dioecious or monoecious pattern of flowering and sometimes non-flowering is a common phenomenon within and between the Dioscorea species. The flowering in yam plants raised from botanical seeds often takes an extended period, mostly till the first clonal generation after propagation from the tubers. The prolonged process of testing required to identify plant sex and flowering intensity in yam breeding often poses a challenge to realize reduced breeding cycle and apply genomic selection. This study assessed sample preservation methods for DNA quality during extraction and potential of DNA marker to diagnose plant sex at the early seedling stage in white Guinea yam. The predicted sex at the seedling stage was further validated with the visual score for the sex phenotype at the flowering stage. DNA extracted from leaf samples preserved in liquid nitrogen, silica gel, dry ice, and oven drying methods was similar in quality with a high molecular weight than samples stored in ethanol solution. Yam plant sex diagnosis with the DNA marker (sp16) identified a higher proportion of ZW genotypes (female or monoecious phenotypes) than the ZZ genotypes (male phenotype) in the studied materials with 74% prediction accuracy. The results from this study provided valuable insights on suitable sample preservation methods for quality DNA extraction and the potential of DNA marker sp16 to predict sex in white Guinea yam.

Objective: A previous study showed that schizophrenia is accompanied by lowered levels of trace/metal elements including cesium. There are no data whether changes in cesium, rubidium and rhenium are associated with activated immune-inflammatory pathways, cognitive impairments, and the symptomatology of schizophrenia. Methods: This study measured cesium, rubidium, and rhenium, cognitive impairments (using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia) and the cytokines/chemokines interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and CCL11 (eotaxin) in 120 schizophrenia patients and 54 healthy controls. Severity of illness was assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Rating (FF) Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Results: Serum cesium was significantly lower in schizophrenia patients as compared with controls. Serum cesium was significantly and inversely associated with CCL11 and TNF-α, but not IL-1β. Moreover, there were significant inverse associations between serum cesium levels and the BPRS, FF, HAM-D and SANS scores and positive correlations between cesium and neurocognitive probe results including the Tower of London, Symbol Coding, Controlled Word Association, Category Instances, Digit Sequencing Task, and List Learning tests. Conclusion: The results suggest that lowered serum cesium levels may play a role in the pathophysiology of SCZ, specific symptom domains including negative, depressive and fatigue symptoms, neurocognitive impairments (spatial working, episodic and semantic memory and executive functions) and neuro-immune pathways as well.

Green public space immensely provides ecological soundness (ES), social resilience, social inclusiveness, mental health, self-esteem, and cultural prosperity from privileged class to lower ones. This research aims at estimating the effect of social services, safety, and infrastructural amenity in green space (parks) on mental health building self-esteem for elderly population. Data were collected from four parks out of 21 in Dhaka selected by systematic random sampling. Two-hundred and three elderly participants were picked up for survey using snowball sampling. The survey was conducted in a pre-structured questionnaire consisted of 40 close-ended questions. Data was analyzed applying ordinal logistic model, multivariate regression analysis, and Partial Least Square (PLS) -Path Modeling. The study explored several key findings-1) Infrastructural amenities impacted social services of parks; 2) Social services contributed positively to mental health boosting up self-esteem for elderly population. 3) Likewise, mental health for elderly population was affected by safety measure of green space. Dhaka requires constructing age-friendly parks to promote elderly mental health.

Modern Monte-Carlo-based rendering systems still suffer from the computational complexity involved in the generation of noise-free images, making it challenging to synthesize interactive previews. We present a framework suited for rendering such previews of static scenes using a caching technique that builds upon a linkless octree. Our approach allows for memory-efficient storage and constant-time lookup to cache diffuse illumination at multiple hitpoints along the traced paths. Non-diffuse surfaces are dealt with in a hybrid way in order to reconstruct view-dependent illumination while maintaining interactive frame rates. By evaluating the visual fidelity against ground truth sequences and by benchmarking, we show that our approach compares well to low-noise path traced results, but with a greatly reduced computational complexity allowing for interactive frame rates. This way, our caching technique provides a useful tool for global illumination previews and multi-view rendering.

The nutritional habits regulate the gut microbiota and may provoke and/or prevent autoimmune disease. Western diet is rich in sugars, meat and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, which lead to dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota, disruption of gut epithelial barrier and chronic mucosal inflammation. On the other hand, Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is rich in ω3 fatty acids, fruits and vegetables and has anti-inflammatory properties, which can restore gut eubiosis. The effect of MedDiet and its components in health and disease states have been thoroughly analyzed in several studies. Moreover, several studies have specifically investigated the association between MedDiet, microbiota and risk for autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, the MedDiet has been associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, which plays a critical role in reducing mortality in patients suffering from autoimmune diseases with comorbidities. The aim of the present review is to specifically highlight current knowledge regarding possible interactions of MedDiet with the patterns of intestinal microbiota focusing on autoimmunity and a blueprint through dietary modulations for the prevention and management of diseases’s activity and progression.

This study assesses the development of professional skills in university students using serious games (SG), from a sustainability perspective. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were set by the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Universities are strategic agents in the transformation process towards sustainability. This way, they should be committed to promoting such sustainable values in the students through curricular sustainability, implementing active methodologies and SG for that purpose. Transversal skills are essential for the development of future graduates. The objective of this study was to assess which professional skills should be developed through the SG called The Island, to improve the degree of student satisfaction with the incorporation of a sustainable curriculum. The data were obtained using a questionnaire, and then analysed using linear regression models, with their inference estimated through the goodness of fit and ANOVA. The first results indicated that the implementation of the SG promoted a strengthening of the students' sustainable curriculum through the development of those skills. It was concluded that the key to success in education for sustainable development is improving the development of strategic thinking, collaborative thinking, and self-awareness, in addition to encouraging systemic, critical, and problem-solving thinking.

Buildings use 30-40 % of all energy resources and are thus their main consumers in modern society. Moreover, buildings require a vast amount of different raw materials. During the last two decades, several green building certifications have been created in order to consider social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability of buildings. One of the most famous and widely used of these certifications is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). So far, the use of LEED has concentrated in the US and other developed countries. One reason that restricts the use of this point-based system certification in developing countries is the limited data about its costs. In this study, the extra cost of the certification process will be evaluated besides the changes needed in the design of the building to reach the points required by LEED. At the first stage, the number of points the case study earns in its current format (Scenario 1) were found out, then the cost difference of getting either the Certified (Scenario 2) or Silver (Scenario 3) level LEED certification for the building was studied. It was found that besides some technical considerations, filling the criteria of the Certified and Silver level increases the total costs of construction by 3.4% and 5.9%. Further improvement of the building’s energy efficiency would enable the attainment of a higher-level certification. The results of the study could help to promote the use of green building certifications in Western Asia.

Safety of source water streams is an urgent environmental issue, while protections in monsoon controlled subtropical regions face difficulties because of the lack of small scaled observation and analysis in small source water catchments. Basing on continuous weekly water quality data (2014-2017) in Pingqiao River Catchment, the annual average values of TN, NO₃, NH₄ and TP are 3.36, 1.64, 0.28 and 0.02 (mg/L) respectively. During dry, normal and wet seasons, the variability of parameters is over 35%, which indicates an obvious seasonality. Multiple methods are combined in order to assess the water quality and find the driving factors during dry, normal and wet seasons. This study suggests precipitation and fertilization are the mainly seasonal factors, which can make water quality better in wet season than dry season due to the dilution effect. The mechanism between seasonality and compound of nutrients can also be traced by log(TN:TP), and log(NO₃:NH₄). Among six main land use types (forest, tea plantation, cropland (paddy), urban, bare soil and water), the former three ones are influential mostly during dry and wet season. Tea plantation has the largest nutrients discharge amount per area, which is similar to cropland in dry season. By contrary, forest has the double power in reducing nitrogen release in wet and normal seasons. When transformed into paddies, croplands can lower the phosphorus concentration. Conclusions of this study can be used in southeastern China and similar regions on source water protection and agricultural plans.

State-of-the-art dielectrophoretic (DEP) separation techniques provide unique properties to separate particles from a liquid or particles with different properties such as material, morphology or size from each other. However, such separators do not operate at throughput that is sufficient for a vast fraction of separation tasks. The reason for this limitation is that, in order to move particles by dielectrophoresis, high electric field gradients to drive the separation are required. Conventionally, those gradients are generated by electrode microstructures that limit the maximum channel size. Here, we investigate DEP filtration, a technique that uses open porous microstructures instead of microfluidic devices to easily increase the filter cross section and therefore also the processable throughput by several orders of magnitude. Previously, we already separated baker’s yeast by DEP filtration in open porous ceramic structures. Now, we give a more elaborate experimental study about DEP filtration in these open porous structures and separate model particles, that are an order of magnitude smaller (500 nm, polystyrene), from aqueous suspensions. Almost 100% separation at flow rates of up to 9 mL min^-1 was achieved while the majority of the trapped particles could be recovered. We show how particle separation depends on key parameters (voltage, throughput, filter structure size). Further, we work towards selective particle separation and show that particle separation is very dependent on the particle polarizability: This creates the possibility to adjust selectivity by changing the electrical conductivity of the suspension around that of the particle. This study highlights the unique qualities of dielectrophoretic filtration enabling switchable, selective, and scalable particle separation to solve existing problems such as cell separation or precious metal recovery.

In this paper, the columnar supramolecular aggregates of photosensitive star-shaped azobenzenes with benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide core and azobenzene arms are analysed theoretically applying a combination of computer simulation techniques. Without a light stimulus, the trans-stars build one-dimensional columns of stacked molecules during the first stage of the noncovalent association. These columnar aggregates represent the structural elements of more complex experimentally observed morphologies -- fibers, spheres, gels and others. Upon UV light exposure, the azobenzene arms isomerise from thermodynamically stable planar trans- to a metastable kinked cis-state influencing the aggregate morphology. Here, we determine the most favourable mutual orientations of the \textit{trans}-stars in the stack in terms of (i) the pi-pi distance between the cores lengthwise the aggregate, (ii) the star slipped displacements and (iii) the rotation promoting the helical twist and chirality of the aggregate by calculating the binding energy diagrams using density functional theory. The model predictions are further compared with available experimental data. The intermolecular forces responsible for the stability of the stacks made of trans-azobenzene stars in crystals are quantified using Hirshfeld surface analysis. Finally, to characterize the self-assembly mechanism of such stars in solution, we calculate the hydrogen bond lengths, the normalized dipole moment and the binding energies as the functions of the columnar length using molecular dynamics trajectories, and conclude about the cooperative nature of this process.

Background: Elucidation of epigenetic mechanisms correlating with neuropathic pain in humans is crucial for the prevention and treatment of this treatment-resistant pain state. In the present study, associations between neuropathic pain characteristics and DNA methylation of the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1(TRPA1) gene were evaluated in chronic pain patients and preoperative patients. Methods: Pain and psychological states were prospectively assessed in patients who suffered chronic pain or were scheduled for thoracic surgery. Neuropathic characteristics were assessed using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) questionnaire. DNA methylation levels of the CpG island in the TRPA1 gene were examined using whole blood. Results: Forty-eight adult patients were enrolled in this study. Increases in DNA methylation rates at CpG -51 showed positive correlations with increases in the DN4 score both in preoperative and chronic pain patients. Combined methylation rates at CpG -51 also significantly increased together with increase in DN4 scores. Conclusions: Neuropathic pain characteristics are likely associated with methylation rates at the promoter region of the TRPA1 gene in human peripheral blood.

Mammalian cells maintain the complex glycerophospholipid (GPL) class compositions of their various membranes within close limits because this is essential to their well-being or viability. Surprisingly, however it is still not understood how those compositions are maintained except that GPL synthesis and degradation closely coordinated. Here, we hypothesize that abrupt changes in the chemical activity of the individual GPL classes coordinate the synthesis and degradation, as well other homeostatic processes. A previously proposed model proposed that in cellular membranes only a limited number of “allowed” or optimal GPL glass compositions exist because they are energetically more favorable than the other compositions, i.e. they represent local free energy minima (Somerharju et al. 2009). This model, however, could not satisfactorily explain how the optimal compositions are sensed by the key homeostatic enzymes i.e., the rate-limiting synthetizing enzymes and the degrading enzymes (i.e., homeostatic phospholipases). We now propose that when the mole fraction of a GPL class exceeds an optimal one, its chemical activity abruptly increases, which (i) increases its propensity to efflux from the membrane thus making it susceptible for hydrolysis by homeostatic phospholipases, (ii) increases its potency to inhibit its own biosynthesis via a feedback mechanism, (iii) enhances its conversion to another GPL class via a novel process termed “head group remodeling” or (iv) enhances its translocation to other subcellular membranes. Accordingly, abrupt changes in the chemical activity of the individual GPL classes is proposed to regulate and coordinate those four processes maintaining GPL class homeostasis in mammalian cells.

Rapid increase in digital data coupled with advances in deep learning algorithms is opening unprecedented opportunities for incorporating multiple data sources for modeling spatial dynamics of human infectious diseases. We used Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) in conjunction with satellite imagery-based urban housing and socio-economic data to predict disease density in a developing country setting. We explored both single (uni) and multiple input (multimodality) network architectures for this purpose. We achieved maximum test set accuracy of 81.6 per cent using a single input CNN model built with one convolutional layer and trained using housing image data. However, this fairly good performance was biased in favor of specific disease density classes due to an unbalanced data set despite our use of methods to address the problem. These results suggest CNN are promising for modeling spatial dynamics of human infectious diseases, especially in a developing country setting. Urban housing signals extracted from satellite imagery seem suitable for this purpose, under the same context.

High antioxidants level in food is gradually becoming popular because of the enhanced risk of oxidative stress in humans. Bread wheat is rich in vital antioxidants but its major bioactive compounds are not available for the human. This study was conducted with the aim to enhance the phytochemical constituents and antioxidative activity of wheat grains by fermenting it with the use of Bacillus subtilis KCTC 13241. The antioxidative potential was determined by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl- hydrazyl) and ABTS (3-ethyl-benzothiazo- line-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assay as well by the concentration of amino acids, flavonoids, minerals, carbohydrates, and phenolic compounds. Different varieties showed different free radical scavenging potential on fermentation, which was significantly high with respect to their corresponding unfermented wheat varieties. The highest potential was found in a fermented wheat variety named Namhae and this combination can be used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

The study explored the community perception of maternal deaths influenced by natural disaster, practice of maternal complications during natural disaster among the rural population in Bangladesh. It also explored the challenges faced by the community for providing health care and referring the complicated pregnant mothers during disaster. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) and eight in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted in the marginalized rural communities in the flood-prone Khaliajhuri sub-district, Netrakona district, Bangladesh. Flood is one of the major risk factors for influencing maternal death. Pregnant mothers seriously suffer from maternal complication, lack of antenatal checkup and even any doctor during flood. During the time of delivery, it is difficult to find even a skilled attendant and referring the patient with delivery complications to the healthcare facility. Boat is the only mode of transport. Majority maternal deaths occur on the boats during transfer from the community to the hospital. The rural people feel that the maternal deaths influenced by natural disaster are the natural phenomena. It needs some pre-preparation to support pregnant women during the disaster. There is unawareness of maternal health, related care and complications during disaster among the local health service providers and volunteers.

Wildfire is the main disturbance in forested ecosystems of southern Europe and is due to complex interactions between climate-weather, fuels and people. Warmer and drier conditions projected in this region are expected to profoundly affect wildfires, which will impact ecosystems and humans. We review the scientific literature addressing the assessment of climate change impacts on wildfires in southern Europe, with a twofold objective: (i) report the trends in wildfire danger and activity projected under warming climate in southern Europe and (ii) discuss the limitations of wildfire projections under the specific biogeographical context of southern Europe.We identified 22 projection studies that examined future wildfire danger or wildfire activity at local, regional or continental scale. Under the scenario with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, we found that projections studies estimate an increase in future fire danger and burnt areas varying, on average, from 2 to 4 % and from 15 to 25 % per decade, respectively. Fire-prone area expansion to the north and to Mediterranean mountains is a concern, while climate-induced burnt area increase might be limited by fuel availability in the most arid areas. While all studies agreed on the direction of changes, further comparisons on the magnitude of increase remained challenging because of heterogeneous methodological choices between projections studies (climate models, projection period, spatial scale and fire metrics). We then described three main sources of uncertainty that may affect the reliability of wildfire projections: climate projections, climate-fire models, and the influences of fuel load/structure and human related factors on the climate-fire relationships. We finally suggest research directions to address some of these issues for the purpose of refining fire danger and fire activity projections in southern Europe.

Snakebite envenomation, cognized as a neglected tropical disease, is a dread public health concern with the most susceptible groups being herdsmen, the elderly, active farmers, hunters, fishers, firewood collectors, 10 to 14-year old working children and individuals with limited access to education and health care. Snakebites are fragmentarily documented in Uganda primarily because most occur in rural settings where traditional therapists end up being the first line defence for treatment. Ethnobotanical surveys in Uganda have unveiled that some plants are used to antagonize the activity of various snake venoms. This review was sought to compile the sporadic information on the vegetal species reported as antivenins in Uganda. Electronic data indicate that no study entirely reported on antivenin plants in Uganda. A total of 77 plant species belonging to 65 genera, distributed among 42 botanical families claimed as antiophidic in Uganda are used for treatment of snakebites. Majority of these species belong to family Fabaceae (30.9%), Euphorbiaceae (14.3%), Asteraceae (11.9%), Amaryllidaceae (9.5%) and Solanaceae (9.5%). The antiophidic species listed are shrubs (40.5%), trees (32.9%) and herbs (17.7%), usually found in the wild and uncultivated. Antivenin extracts are primarily prepared from roots and leaves, through decoctions, infusions, powders and juices and administered orally or topically. The most frequently encountered therapeutically important species are Allium cepa L., Carica papaya L., Securidaca longipedunculata Fres., Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv. and Nicotiana tabacum L. Baseline epidemiological data on snake envenomation and antivenin plants in Uganda remain incomplete due to inadequate research and diverse ethnic groups in the country. There is a dire need to isolate and characterize the bioactive compounds in the claimed plants to enable their adroit utilization in handling the plague of snake envenomation. More baseline data should be collected on snake ecology and human behaviour as well as antivenin plants in Uganda. Indigenous knowledge on the use of plant preparations in traditional medicine in Uganda is humongous, but if this is not quickly researched and appropriately documented, indications as to the usefulness of this vegetal treasure house will be lost in the not so distant future.

Biological samples are a complex and heterogeneous matrix where different macromolecules with different physicochemical parameters cohabit in reduced spaces. The introduction of fluorophores into these samples, such as in the interior of cells, can produce changes in the fluorescence emission properties of these dyes caused by the specific physicochemical properties of cells. This effect can be especially intense with solvatofluorochromic dyes, where changes in the polarity environment surrounding the dye can drastically change the fluorescence emission. In this article, we studied the photophysical behavior of a new dye and confirmed the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) phenomenon with different approaches, such as by using different solvent proportions, increasing the viscosity, forming micelles and adding bovine serum albumin (BSA), through analysis of the absorption and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence. Our results show the preferences of the dye for nonpolar media, exhibiting AIE under specific conditions through immobilization. Additionally, this approach offers the possibility of easily determining the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Finally, we studied the rate of spontaneous incorporation of the dye into cells by fluorescence lifetime imaging and observed the intracellular pattern produced by AIE. Interestingly, different intracellular compartments present strong differences in fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime. We used this difference to isolate different intracellular regions to selectively study these regions. Interestingly, the fluorescence lifetime shows a strong difference in different intracellular compartments, facilitating selective isolation for a detailed study of specific organelles.

Climate change is a buzzword in the world. Scientist has approved it as global warming with its projection of undesired and unpredicted frequent extreme events and their vulnerabilities not only at present but also at future. There is an assumption of occurrence of adaptive capacity and behavior of farmers in agriculture production activity at some extent to neutralize climate change vulnerabilities of flood and landslides on paddy production. This paper empirically examines the effects of climate change in paddy production and farmer’s adaptive behaviors to neutralize such climatic shocks and events in paddy production by employing CD production function based econometric model. The study employed primary data collected through 642 household surveys. The study finds that climatic shocks and events have huge loss (60%) in paddy production and revenue income in such plot where farmers have not indigenous knowledge and practices. But both small and larger farmers who have adaptive capacity and behavior with their indigenous knowledge have less loss in paddy production and revenue income, although they have heterogeneity in their socio-economic characteristics (income, asset holding, literacy, experience, land holding and age). The farmers who have used adaptive behavior have indigenous knowledge and experiences including bamboo wall construction to control flood and landslides and seed change to resist climatic shocks and events. In hilly region, the farmers have not sufficient alternative measures, except both adaptive measures because of their poverty, illiteracy and remote locations. The study finds their higher effective level to minimize vulnerabilities to paddy production and revenue per farm plot, although these adaptive behaviors are cost effective and local entity. Comparatively, bamboo wall construction is more effective measure in the paddy production than others are (seed switch) to minimize the flooding materials from the flood and the landslides. Thus, low cost indigenous adaption behavior of farmers is effective measure to climate change and climate change induced disasters and events vulnerability in paddy production.

The use of circulating cell-free (cf) DNA to monitor cancer progression and response to therapy has significant potential but there is only limited data on whether this technique can detect the presence of low frequency subclones that may ultimately confer therapy resistance. In this study, we sought to evaluate whether whole-exome sequencing of cfDNA can accurately profile the mutation landscape of metastatic melanoma. We used whole-exome sequencing (WES) to identify variants in matched tumor-derived genomic (g) DNA and plasma-derived cfDNA isolated from a cohort of 10 metastatic cutaneous melanoma patients. WES parameters such as sequencing coverage and total sequencing reads were comparable between gDNA and cfDNA. There was significant concordance between gDNA and cfDNA based on the total number of variants identified and the degree of overlap in variants which was independent of the site of tumor biopsy. The mutant allele frequency of common single nucleotide variants was lower in cfDNA reflecting lower read depth and dilution of circulating tumor DNA in the circulation by other cfDNA species. In addition to known melanoma driver mutations, several other melanoma-associated mutations were found to be concordant between matched gDNA and cfDNA. This study highlights that WES of cfDNA can capture clinically-relevant mutations present in melanoma metastases, but does not appear to provide any additional unique information on tumor heterogeneity. Targeted deep sequencing may be required to detect low frequency genomic aberrations known for predicting therapy resistance.

Viral infections are a natural part of our existence. They can affect us in many ways that are the result of the interaction between the viral pathogen and our immune system. Most times the resulting immune response is beneficial for the host. The pathogen gets cleared thus protecting our vital organs with no other consequences. Conversely, the reaction of our immune system against the pathogen can cause organ damage (immunopathology) or lead to autoimmune disease. To date, there are several mechanisms for virus-induced autoimmune disease, including molecular mimicry and bystander activation, in support of the “fertile field” hypothesis, terms defined in our review. On the flip side, viral infections have been associated with protection from autoimmunity through mechanisms that include Treg invigoration and immune deviation, in support of the “hygiene hypothesis”, also defined here. Infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is one of the prototypes showing that the interaction of our immune system with viruses can either accelerate or prevent autoimmunity. Studies using mouse models of LCMV have helped conceive and establish several concepts that we today know and explain how viruses can lead to autoimmune activation or induce tolerance. Some of the most important mechanisms established during the course LCMV are described in this short review.

In this paper, a recent meta-heuristic optimization algorithm called the discrete-continuous hyper-spherical search algorithm is used to solve the mixed-integer nonlinear problem of soft open points (SOPs) and renewable distributed generators allocation along with new network reconfiguration methodology under different loading conditions to minimize the total power loss in balanced distribution systems. Multi-scenario studies, which aim to improve the investigation of the overall performance of the strategies, are conducted on IEEE 33-node and 83-node balanced distribution systems. The contributions of SOP losses to the total active losses, as well as the effect of increasing the number of SOPs connected to the system, are investigated to determine the real benefits gained from their allocation. The results obtained validate, with proper justifications, the effectiveness of allocating both SOPs and renewable distributed generators with the proposed network reconfiguration methodology to provide the best operation of distribution networks with minimum losses and enhanced power quality performance. It was also shown that SOPs successfully assist the growing integration plans of the renewable distributed generators units and can address issues related to voltage violations and network losses efficiently.

Detection of PLA2R and THSD7A among primary membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) patients transformed the diagnosis, treatment monitoring and prognosis. Anti-PLA2R can be detected in 70-90% of primary MGN patients while anti-THSD7A in 2-3% of anti-PLA2R negative primary MGN patients depending on the technique used. Serum and urine samples are less invasive and non-invasive respectively and can detect the presence of anti-PLA2R and anti-THSD7A with higher sensitivity and specificity, significant in patients’ monitoring and prognosis better than exposing patients to frequent biopsy which is an invasive procedure. Different techniques of detection of PLA2R and THSD7A in patients’ urine and sera were reviewed with the aim of providing newer and alternative techniques. We proposed the use of biomarkers (PLA2R and THSD7A) in making the diagnosis, treatment decision and follow up of patients with primary MGN. We also reviewed other prognostic renal biomarkers like retinol binding protein (RBP) and beta-2 microglobulin in order to detect progression of renal damage for early intervention.

Background: Essential hypertension is a major public health associated with increase pressure on the vascular walls and red blood cells (RBCs). In the present work, osmotic fragility (OF) of RBCs was reexamined in the means of its correlation with two risk factor; iron status and lipid profile. Experimental: OF, iron status parameters, and lipid profile components were measured in 60 patients and compared with the results of 30 controls. Results: The results showed a significant increase in all iron indices of hypertensive patients in comparing with healthy control group except TIBC, UIBC, and transferrin concentrations, which decrease in these patients in comparing with control group. Serum TGs, total cholesterol, VLDLc, and LDLc were increased while there is no significant in serum HDLc in patients to comparing with control group. There is no significant change in OF between patients and controls where p=0.173. The iron status parameters and lipid profile components were dependent on sex and smoking state. Hemoglobin and PCV were correlated significantly with total cholesterol and LDLc. Transferrin saturation showed a positive correlation with cholesterol, LDLc, and TGs, but negatively correlated with HDL_c. No significant correlation between all the measured parameters and OF in HT patients. There is a significant correlation between serum ferritin and systolic BP and between Hb and systolic BP. Conclusion: No significant effect on the OF in HT patients. HT patients have elevated level of iron parameters in comparing with controls. OD has no correlation with iron status parameters or with lipid profile components.

Small molecule inhibitors of adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) have got interest following the recent publication of their pharmacologically beneficial effects. Recently it comes out that FABP4 is an attractive molecular target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, other metabolic diseases, and some type of cancers. In the past years, hundreds of effective FABP4 inhibitors have been synthesized and discovered but, unfortunately, none of them is in the clinical research phase. The field of computer-aided drug design seems to be promising and useful for the identification of FABP4 inhibitors; hence, different structure- and ligand-based computational approaches were already performed for their identification. In this paper, we searched for new potentially active FABP4 ligands in the Marine Natural Products (MNP) database. 14,492 compounds were retrieved from this database and filtered through a statistical and computational filter. Seven compounds were suggested by our methodology to possess a potential inhibitory activity upon FABP4 in the range of 79–245 nM. ADMET properties prediction were performed to validate the hypothesis of the interaction with the intended target and to assess the drug-likeness of these derivatives; from these analyses, three molecules resulted as excellent candidates for becoming new drugs.

Background: Multifunctional nanoparticles are known for their wide range of biomedical applications. Controlling the magnetic properties of these nanoparticles is imperative for various applications, including therapeutic angiogenesis. The study was performed to evaluate the magnetic properties and their control mechanisms by the external magnetic field. Methods: A 100nm magnetic nanoparticle was placed in the magnetic field, and parametrically the magnet field strength and distance was evaluated. Various models of magnetic strength and disposition were evaluated. Magnetic flux density, force/weight, and magnetic gradient strength were the parameters evaluated in electromagnetic computational software. Results: The seven-coil method with three centrally placed coils as Halbach array, and each coil with a flux density of 7 Tesla, and with a coil dimension of 20cmx20cm (square model) of each coil showed a good magnetic strength and force/weight parameters in a distance of 15cm from the centrally placed coil. The particles were then evaluated for their motion characteristics in saline. It showed good displacement and acceleration properties. After that, the particles were theoretically assessed in a similar mathematical model after parametrically correcting the drag force. After application of high drag forces, the particles showed adequate motion characteristics. When the particle size was reduced further, the motion characteristics were preserved even with high drag forces. Conclusion: There is potential for a novel method of controlling multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles using high magnetic fields. Further studies are required to evaluate the motion characteristics of these particles in-vivo and invitro.

Conflict between agricultural water resources and socio-economy development is a global problem. Accurate evaluation of coordinated development of agricultural water resources and socio-economy and risk mitigation is necessary for sustainable development. An evaluation method, including selection of criteria, data collection, determination of weight, evaluation of coordinated development, prediction of parameters, and judgment of coordinated development state, has been proposed to study coordinated development degree. To deal with uncertainties, Monte Carlo method and fuzzy set method were used. The method is demonstrated to solve a real-world evaluation problem in Shanxi Province in the middle of China. Results show that coordinated development degrees were (0.7, 0.8) for most of the cities of Shanxi in 2015, indicating that coordinate development state was intermediate coordinate. To achieve balanced development, more attention should be put on socio-economic development in Taiyuan and Yanquan, and agricultural water resources utilization in Jinzhong, Yuncheng and Xinzhou. The average coordinated development degree is 0.758, and coordinate development state was intermediate coordinate from 2006 to 2015. Coordinated development degree has a trend of decreasing markedly, coordinate development state will be barely coordinated, and agricultural water resources utilization lags behind socio-economic development in 2020. The study demonstrates the practicability of the improved method, by evaluating coordinated development degree under uncertainty and forecasting future risks, which will conduce to promote sustainable development of agricultural water resources and socio-economy.

Temperature field is an essential attribute of metal additive manufacturing in view of its bearings on the prediction, control, and optimization of residual stress, part distortion, fatigue, balling effect, etc. This work provides an analytical physics-based approach to investigate the effect of scan strategy parameters including time delay between two irradiations and hatching space on thermal material properties and melt pool geometry. This approach is performed through the analysis of the distribution of material properties and temperature profile in three-dimensional space. The moving point heat source approach is used to predict the temperature field. To predict the temperature field during the additive manufacturing process some important phenomena are considered. 1) Due to the high magnitude of temperature in the presence of the laser, the temperature gradient is usually high which has a crucial influence on thermal material properties. Consequently, the thermal material properties of stainless steel grade 316L are considered to be temperature-dependent. 2) Due to the repeated heating and cooling, part usually undergoes several melting and solidification cycles. This physical phenomenon is considered by modifying the heat capacity using the latent heat of melting. 3) The multi-layer aspect of metal AM process is considered by incorporating the temperature history from the previous layer since the interaction of the successive layers has an impact on heat transfer mechanisms. 4) Effect of heat affected zone on thermal material properties is considered by the superposition of material properties in regions where the temperature fields of two consecutive irradiations have an overlap since the consecutive irradiations change the behavior of the material properties. The goals are to 1) investigate the effects of temperature-sensitive material properties and constant material properties on the temperature field. 2) Study the behavior of thermal material properties under different scan strategies. 3) Study the importance of considering the effect of heat affected zone on thermal material through the prediction of melt pool geometry. 4) Investigate the effect of hatching space on melt pool geometry. This work is purely employed physics-based analytical models to predict the behavior of material properties and temperature field under different process conditions, and no finite element modeling is used.

Background: The front-line treatment of advanced NeuroEndocrine Neoplasms (NENs) depends on clinical and pathological factors but there are no standard second-line therapies. Methods: Metastatic NENs patients were treated at the ENETS (European NeuroEndocrine Tumor Society) center of excellence of Naples (Italy), from 2014 to 2017 with second-line metronomic temozolomide, 75 mg/m2 per os “one week on/one week off”. Toxicity was graded with NCI-CTC criteria v4.0; objective responses with RECIST v1.1 and performance status (PS) according to ECOG. Results: Twenty-six consecutive patients were treated. Median age was 65.5 years. The predominant primary organs were pancreas and lung. Grading was G2 in 11 patients, G3 in 15. Eleven patients presented with PS 1 and 15 with PS 2. The median time-on-temozolomide therapy was 12.2 months (95% CI: 11.4-19.6). No G3/G4 toxicities were registered. Complete response was obtained in 1 patient, partial response in 4, stable disease in 19 (disease control rate: 92.3%), and progressive disease in 2. The median overall survival from temozolomide start was 28.3 months. PS improved in 73% of patients. Conclusions: Metronomic temozolomide is a safe and active treatment for G2 and G3 NENs. Prospective and larger trials are needed to confirm these results.

Conventional models do not fully explain composition of the solar system – for example, the presence of p-nuclei and post-post-Fe-nuclei remains not yet understood (and is one of the great unresolved puzzles of nuclear astrophysics in general); other puzzles exist. We offer a hypothesis which can explain the appearance of non-native elements in the solar system, and a feasible scenario for its implementation. The hypothesis suggests that a nuclear-fission "event" occurred in the inner part of the solar system at the time currently defined as the birth of the system. Conventional models have never considered fission as a contributing nuclei-production mechanism. Upon examination of the existing models and factual data (presented in volumes of publications but never combined into an aggregate), we identified one plausible scenario by which a fission event (not demolishing the entire solar system) could occur: an encounter with a compact super-dense stellar "fragment" (with specific properties) and its "explosion" in fission-cascades. Such scenario also helps resolve other long-standing puzzles of the solar system. For example, it provides that the fission-produced nuclei subsequently transformed into the material that (eventually) accreted into the "rocky" objects in the system (terrestrial planets, asteroids, etc.) and enriched the pre-existed hydrogen-helium objects (the Sun and the gaseous giants) – this offers an explanation for the planets’ inner position and compositional differences within the predominantly hydrogen-helium rest of the solar system. Other implications also follow.

Afterthe series of earthquakes in August 1953, most of Kefalonia’s building stock totally collapsed. The buildings that emerged as a result of a collective effort are commonly referred to as «arogi» buildings, with the term arogimeaning help or assistance. In this way, merely referring to these structures is a direct mention to the circumstances under which they were constructed. The reconstruction of the building stock of the island was based in a series of building types proposed from the authorities, and proceeded replacing the richness of the architectural forms that stood before the earthquake, with austere but necessary settlements. Nevertheless, it is these buildings that constitute today’s image of the island. This study wishes to introduce us to “arogi” buildings structural system, as it was applied in Kefalonia after 1953 earthquake, with reference to recent bibliography and the recent experience of 2014 earthquake. The purpose of setting the grounds for such a research would be to highlight the effectiveness of this structural system. Moreover, to emphasize the fact that “arogi” buildings and their construction procedure incorporate Kefalonia’s recent history and have eventually produced today’s available “traditional” architecture of the island.

Introduction: The rising trend in allergic diseases has occurred in parallel with an increasing prevalence in obesity, and suggesting a possible association. The increased body mass has numerous health consequences, including an impairment function of the respiratory system. The associations between eating habits and hypersensitivity to allergens have not been clarified sufficiently. Aim: to evaluate pulmonary function, nutritional status, eating habits and risk factors of obesity in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis. Material and Methods: The study was performed in 106 children with allergic rhinitis (mean age 12.1+/-3.4; M/F 60/46) from the Department of Allergology. 43 (40.6%) of children presented only allergic rhinitis and in 63 (59.4%) additionally diagnosed with asthma bronchiale. Clinical data, detailed interview about allergies, assessment of pulmonary function and nutritional status, allergy skin test (Allergopharma) and spirometry (Jaeger) were evaluated. Nutritional habits were assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. The statistical analysis was done using the program Statistica v 10.0. Results: In the study group the mean centile of BMI was 49.4; underweight presented 25.4% of children, 55.6 % normal BMI and 18.8 % presented overweight or obesity. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant (adjusted R-squared: 0.97; p<0.05) association between high BMI and snacking between meals and low physical activity. No statistical association between the severity of diseases and BMI or body composition was observed. Conclusions: 1. The prevalence of excess body mass in the study group reached 13.5%. Eating habits were incorrect, especially obese children significantly more frequently ate snacks between meals than children with normal body weight. 2. Among the studied group of children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis and asthma bronchiale, the significant risk factors of obesity were snacking and low physical activity.

The change in both streamflow and baseflow in urban catchments has received significant attention in the latest decades as a result of their drastic variability. In this research, effects of climate variation and dynamics of land use are measured separately and in combination on streamflow and baseflow in the Little Eagle Creek (LEC) watershed (Indianapolis, Indiana). These effects are examined using land use maps, statistical tests, and hydrological modeling. Transition matrix analysis was used to investigate the change in land use between 1992 and 2011. Temporal trends and changes in meteorological data were evaluated from 1980-2017 using the Mann-Kendall test. Changes in streamflow and baseflow were assessed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model using multiple scenarios that varied in land use and climate change. Evaluation of the model outputs showed streamflow and baseflow in LEC are well represented using SWAT; however, comparing the calibration and validation period showed SWAT performs better for the calibration. During 1992-2011, roughly 30% of the watershed experienced change, typically cultivated agricultural areas became urbanized. Baseflow is significantly affected by the observed urbanization; however, the combination of land and climate variability has a larger effect on the baseflow in LEC. Generally, the variability in the baseflow and streamflow appears to be heavily driven by the response to climate change in comparison to variability due to altered land use. The results reported herein expand the current understanding of variation in hydrological components, and provides useful information for management planning regarding water resources, as well as water and soil conservation in urban watersheds in Indiana and beyond.

Acrylamide (AA), a molecule which potentially increases the risk of developing cancer, is easily formed in food rich in carbohydrates, such as biscuits, wafers and breakfast cereals, at temperatures above 120 °C. Thus, it is eminent the need to detect and quantify the AA content in processed foodstuffs, in order to delineate the limits and mitigation strategies. This work reports the development and validation of a high-resolution mass spectrometry-based methodology for identification and quantification of AA in specific food matrices of biscuits, by using LC-MSⁿ with electrospray ionization and Orbitrap as mass analyser. The developed analytical method showed good repeatability (RSD_r 11.1%) and 3.55 μg kg^-1 and 11.8 μg kg^-1 as limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), respectively. The choice of multiplexed targeted-SIM mode (t-SIM) for AA and AA-d3 isolated ions provided enhanced detection sensitivity, as demonstrated in this work. Results for AA concentration obtained vary between 323.7 and 2056.1 μg kg^-1. During baking an increase in AA concentration was observed, as well as between samples taken from different areas of the baking oven. Statistical processing of data was performed in order to compare the AA levels with several production parameters, such as time/cooking temperature, placement on the cooking conveyor belt, color and moisture for different biscuits. The composition of the raw materials was statistically the most correlated factor with the AA content when all samples are considered. The statistical treatment presented herein enables an important prediction of factors influencing AA formation in biscuits contributing for putting in place effective mitigation strategies.

The theory of the continuous two-dimensional (2D) Fourier Transform in polar coordinates has been recently developed but no discrete counterpart exists to date. In this paper, we propose and evaluate the theory of the 2D discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) in polar coordinates. This discrete theory is shown to arise from discretization schemes that have been previously employed with the 1D DFT and the discrete Hankel Transform (DHT). The proposed transform possesses orthogonality properties, which leads to invertibility of the transform. In the first part of this two-part paper, the theory of the actual manipulated quantities is shown, including the standard set of shift, modulation, multiplication, and convolution rules. Parseval and modified Parseval relationships are shown, depending on which choice of kernel is used. Similar to its continuous counterpart, the 2D DFT in polar coordinates is shown to consist of a 1D DFT, DHT and 1D inverse DFT.

Background: The dietary factors and nutrients contributing to the prevention of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic nephropathy is unclear, so we investigated dietary factors affecting urinary albumin excretion in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: 42 patients with type 2 diabetes were participated, the subjects were divided to a normal albuminuria group (urinary albumin / creatinine ratio of less than 30 mg / g Cr) and a microalbuminuria group of 30 mg / g to 299 mg / g Cr. We performed casual blood sampling and conducted a food frequency questionnaire survey. Results: There were no significant differences in age, BMI and other physiological and biochemical data, the average daily intake of energy and many of nutrients, while β-cryptoxanthin was significantly lower in the microalbuminuria group than in the normal group (506.4 ± 793.9 μg/day vs. 715.3 ± 500.3 μg/day, p <0.05). The intake of 17 food groups per day showed that the intakes of fruits were significantly lower in the microalbuminuria group than in the normal group (76.9 ± 134.1 g vs. 111.9 ± 84.5 g, p <0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that fruits and foods rich in β-cryptoxanthin would make it possible to prevent diabetic nephropathy progression.

Nematode biodiversity is mostly unknown; while about 20,000 nematode species have been described, estimates for species diversity range from 0.1 to 100 million. The study of nematode diversity, like that of meiofaunal organisms in general, has been mostly based on morphology-based taxonomy, a time-consuming and costly task that requires well-trained specialists. This work represents the first on the taxonomy of Mexican nematodes to integrate morphological and molecular data. We add seven new morphological records for the Mexican Caribbean: Anticomid sp1, Cylicolaimus sp1, Oncholaimus sp2, Platycoma sp1, Catanema sp1, Enopliodes spp., and Metachromadora spp. We recover 55 COI sequences that represent 20 species. Of the studied sites, Cozumel had 12 species and Cancún had two species (Rhips sp1 and Monoposthia mirabilis) represented by several individuals. All sequences are new for the genetic international databases GenBank and BOLD. Phylogenetic analyses and species delineation methods support the occurrence of the 20 entities and confirm the high resolution of COI sequences in delimiting species. ABGD and mPTP methods disentangled 20 entities, whereas Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) recovered 22 genetic species. DNA taxonomy was demonstrated to be an efficient, fast, and low-cost method to address a taxonomical shortfall of meiofaunal organisms.

Water supply is a mandatory service for Tanzanians from respective legal public water utilities, and their sustainability reflects implementations of best management strategies at a local level. The objective of this study was to assess current approaches used in water quality and quantity management in Tanzania. This was achieved through secondary water data tends, on-site water quality assessments, visits of respective water supply and sanitation authorities, and assessment of their performances. It was observed that water supplied in rural-based authorities was quite different from that supplied in an urban setting as far as quality and quantity is concerned, urban-based supplies being of assistance to users over rural ones. A new strategy on water management is presented for sustainable water supply in Tanzania; it is based on controlling groundwater abstractions and preference of surface water in public water supplies. Rural water supply management must learn several practices realized at urban supplies for the betterment of respective majority water users.

Aptamers have a well-earned place in therapeutic, diagnostic, and sensor applications, and we now show that they provide an excellent foundation for education, as well. Within the context of the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) at The University of Texas at Austin, students have used aptamer selection and development technologies in a teaching laboratory to build technical and 21st century skills appropriate for research scientists. One of the unique aspects of this course-based undergraduate research experience is that students develop their own projects, and take ownership of their own science in what would otherwise be a traditional teaching lab setting. Of the many successes, this work includes the isolation and characterization of novel calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (anti-CIAP) RNA aptamers by an undergraduate researcher. Further, preliminary survey data suggest that students who participate in the aptamer research experience express significant gains in their self-efficacy to conduct research, and their perceived ability to communicate scientific results, as well as organize and interpret data. This work will describe the use of aptamers in an educational setting, highlight the positive student outcomes of the aptamer research experience, and more particularly present the research findings relative to the anti-CIAP aptamer.

Bottom-up systems biology entails the construction of kinetic models of cellular pathways by collecting kinetic information on the pathway components (e.g. enzymes) and collating this into a kinetic model, based for example on ordinary differential equations. This requires integration and data transfer between a variety of tools, ranging from data acquisition in kinetics experiments, to fitting and parameter estimation, to model construction, evaluation and validation. Here, we present a workflow that uses the Python programming language, specifically the modules from the SciPy stack, to facilitate this task. Starting from raw kinetics data, acquired either from spectrophotometric assays with microtitre plates or from NMR spectroscopy time courses, we demonstrate the fitting and construction of a kinetic model using scientific Python tools. The analysis takes place in a Jupyter notebook, which keeps all information related to a particular experiment together in one place and thus serves as an e-labbook, enhancing reproducibility and traceability. The Python programming language serves as an ideal foundation for this framework because it is powerful yet relatively easy to learn for the non-programmer, has a large library of scientific routines and active user community, is open-source and extensible, and many computational systems biology software tools are written in Python or have a Python API. Our workflow thus enables investigators to focus on the scientific problem at hand rather than worrying about data integration between disparate platforms.

Nowadays the positive immune involvement in the eradication of tumor cells is assigned to the adaptive immune response. By awakening of in vivo responding T cells that are suppressed by the tumor and prevents immunological cure of the cancer. The adaptive immune response is a complex of different cells and protein molecules. Normally activated T cells are well-ordered by several late occurring inhibitors to contain the response to the unknown invaders and spare the normal cells. The tumor strengthens this inhibitory response to escape from immune elimination. Immunotherapy is to unleash the full capacity of the adaptive immune system by blocking this inhibitor response by monoclonal antibodies but with the potential drawback of autoimmune phenomena. Seen the success of the immunotherapy another feature of the immune system is overlooked. Cytokines and chemokines became in oblivion after their suspected necrosis of the tumor (TNF) did not fulfil their initial hope. When patients seek help for their complaints the ovarian cancer is in most cases already metastasized to the peritoneum and omentum. Here, we show that on the one hand chemokines produced by Th2, CD8 and NK cells inhibit cancer spreading and thus leads to a better operability and thus better survival. On the other hand, chemokine receptors are expressed by the tumor that are a decoy by binding chemokines that normally should attract antigen cross-presenting dendritic cells, which start an adaptive T cell response.

Parasitic infections are often not the direct cause of death of fish but the presence of wounds in the fish's body due to parasitic attacks is a trigger factor for secondary infection. Secondary infections can be caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses, which ultimately cause the death of fish. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of parasites and fungi that infected eel (Anguilla sp.) in the waters of Poso, Buol, Toli-toli and Donggala, Central Sulawesi as an important part of the diagnosis of fish disease in the framework of teraupetic strategies. Eel were taken as many as 30 individuals / location for observation of parasites and fungi. Parasitological examination was carried out for external and internal parasites on the mucous layer of the body, gills, intestines and stomach, while fungal isolations were carried out on muscles, skin and tissues that have abnormalities. After identification, the prevalence and intensity were carried out. The results showed that the highest prevalence of parasites were Camallanus sp (70%), Proteacephalus sp (50%) and Gyrodactylus sp (40%), and the nematode Camallanus sp the tapeworm Proteocephalus sp had the highest intensity of 57.5 and 30.8 respectively. Fungal prevalence were found highest in Saprolegnia sp (36%), and Fusarium sp (32%).

Adolescence is a critical developmental period associated with an increase in stress, the appearance of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and changes in sleep patterns. Even though the disruption of sleep patterns in stress and anxiety and depressive disorders is well known, the independent effects of childhood trauma and stressful life events on sleep patterns are less understood. We tested the independent effects of stress (childhood trauma and stressful life events) while controlling for anxiety and depression on adolescent sleep patterns. Seven hundred fifty-two adolescents completed self-report questionnaires about childhood trauma, stressful life events, anxiety, and depression. Four sleep factors identifying movement during sleep, sleep regularity, sleep disturbances and sleep pressure were extracted in the principal component analysis of sleep questions. Both childhood trauma and recent stressful life events were significantly associated with sleep disturbances before and after controlling for anxiety and depression.

Several transgenic rice lines have been developed and are currently under field trials around the world. There are future plans for the commercial release of transgenic rice into the environment. Rice is an autogamous plant and therefore not perceived to be a very high candidate for pollen mediated gene flow to wild and weedy relatives. However, in a tropical environment like Ghana, where sexually compatible wild Oryza species which belongs to the AA genome are present within the ecology of cultivated rice, the possibility of gene flow to wild species cannot be overlooked. There is little evidence on gene flow and its consequences on the wild rice species should they acquire useful genes through gene flow. This review discusses the chances of cultivated to wild rice gene flow in Ghana and the biosafety considerations that should be put in place before the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) rice.

We present the generation and nonlinear frequency conversion of nanosecond cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) in two-mode fiber (TMF). Based on the polarized dependence vector mode coupling characteristic and the precise wavelength tunability of an acoustically-induced fiber grating (AIFG), the nanosecond cylindrical vector beams (CVBs, 1064 nm, 10 ns) is directly generated in a TMF with convenient switching characteristics between the radial and azimuthal vector beams. Furthermore, the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is produced based on the transmission of the nanosecond CVBs in the 100-meters long TMF, and the spatial intensity and polarization distributions characteristics the 1st-order Stokes shifted component is consistent with the nanosecond CVBs pump pulse. This work provides a method for achieving wavelength conversion of the CVBs in optical fiber.

The study of the distribution and health risk assessment is meaningful to provide basic data for environmental management．To investigate the pollution of potential toxic organics and their health risk to human beings, water samples were collected at 7 sites of main surface water of Beijing during wet and dry seasons respectively. The targeted 92 organics were detected, including phthalates (PAEs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phenols. The results showed that: there were 56 organics detected out, and the number ratios of detected compounds to the total compounds of the same kind increased as the following: VOCs, phthalates, phenols, PAHs. 8 VOCs were detected in wet season, and 3 in dry season. The concentration of 2,2-Dichloropropane was highest as 10.62ug/L, while the concentrations of other VOCs were below 5ug/L; There were 11 phthalates detected during dry season. The content of Bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate was highest as 188.47ng/L; 17 phenols were found in samples during wet season, and the highest concentration was 1244.73ng/L for 4-nitrophenol; PAHs could be detected in all samples, and the detected compounds and the corresponding average concentrations were higher in wet seasons than those in dry seasons, which indicated that non-point pollution was possibly the main pollution source. The health risk assessment of the detected 56 pollutants by using a model from US EPA showed that, the risk caused by the four kinds of toxic organics in this study was in the acceptable ranges.

This study aimed to assess the ecotoxicological effects of the interaction of fullerene (C₆₀) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. The uptake of nC₆₀, B[a]P and mixtures of nC₆₀ and B[a]P into tissues was confirmed by GC-MS, LC-HRMS and ICP-MS. Biomarkers of DNA damage as well as proteomics analysis were applied to unravel the toxic effect of B[a]P and C₆₀. Antagonistic responses were observed at the genotoxic and proteomic level. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were only identified in the B[a]P single exposure and the B[a]P mixture exposure groups containing 1 mg/L of C₆₀, the majority of which were down-regulated (~52%). No DEPs were identified at any of the concentrations of nC₆₀ (p < 0.05, 1% FDR). Using DEPs identified at a threshold of (p < 0.05; B[a]P and B[a]P mixture with nC₆₀), gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that these proteins were enriched with a broad spectrum of biological processes and pathways, including those broadly associated with protein processing, cellular processes and environmental information processing. Among those significantly enriched pathways, the ribosome was consistently the top enriched term irrespective of treatment or concentration and plays an important role as the site of biological protein synthesis and translation. Our results demonstrate the complex multi-modal response to environmental stressors in M. galloprovincialis.

Longitudinal dispersion coefficient (LDC) plays an essential role in modeling the transport of pollution and sediment in the natural rivers. As a result of transportation processes, the concentration of pollution changes along the river. Different studies have been conducted to provide simple equations for estimating LDC. In this study, Support Vector Regression (SVR), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), M5P and Random Forest (RF) examined to predict the LDC in the natural streams. The hydraulic and geometric features of different rivers gathered for developing the mentioned models for LDC estimation and various statistical criteria were utilized to scrutinize of the models. Furthermore, the Taylor chart was used to evaluate the models and achieved results showed that among machine learning models, M5P displayed the superior performance with CC of 0.823, SI of 0.812, NS of 0.577 and WI of 0.879. As well, S-D model with CC of 0.795 SI of 0.827, NS of 0.558 and WI of 0.890 had more precise results than other empirical models. The results indicates that the developed M5P model with simple formulations was superior to other machine learning models and empirical models and therefore, it can be used as a proper tool for estimating LDC in natural rivers.

Today in times of increasing inequality, climate change, and major social challenges, education is the best way to equip citizens, scholars and leaders to implement meaningful change and prevent future crises. Biologi education and science will solve these problems to supporting sustainable development goals especially in soil remediation, clean water, education quality and clean and affordable energy. This paper will describe how biological education could solve these problems. New biology can solve the problem about hunger use biotech, use synthetic biological material to find new advance material. New biology could driving intersectorial, interdisciplinary and international connectivity, and the leveraging of existing investments in synthetic biology, materials science, allied science and technology areas, are the major challenges in delivering the Materials from Biology vision.

Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the South Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still cultivate it on marginal lands to assure production for their self-consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but it has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over € 4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption in the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha^-1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and daytime temperatures always above 32°C. This review describes the ability of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This potential area of expansion for durum wheat production in SSA is not linked to any breeding technology, but rather it remains dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia, and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.

Filter Media (FM) sourced from recycled organic and mineral material offers a low cost and effective means of treating urban stormwater. Using recycled materials rather than from an increasingly scarce source of virgin materials (typically sandy loam soil) can ensure a sustainable long-term economy and environment. This paper presents results from the laboratory analysis and mathematical modeling to highlight the performance of recycled organic and mineral material in removing nutrients and metals from stormwater. Analysis included physical and chemical characterisation such as particle size distribution, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), bulk density, effective cation exchange capacity, and pollutant removal performance. Design mixes (DM), comprising a combination of organic and mineral materials, were characterised and used to develop/derive modelling design within the Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation (MUSIC v6) [1]. Comparison is made to the Adoption Guidelines for Stormwater Biofiltration Systems - Summary Report [2] which were based on the Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration (FAWB) guidelines to assist in the development of biofiltration systems, including the planning, design, construction and operation of those systems. An observed outcome from over two decades of biofiltration guideline development has been the exclusion of alternative biofilter materials due to claims of excessive leaching. Results from this study indicate that high nutrient and metal removal rates can be achieved over a range of hydraulic conductivities using design mixes of recycled organic and mineral materials that have a demonstrated equivalence to existing guideline specifications.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas and is one of the most common ailments of the gastrointestinal system that results in significant morbidity and mortality. The main etiologic causes of AP are alcohol consumption, gallstones, hypertriglyceridemia, and biliary stones. The clinical signs and symptoms, and diagnostic criteria of AP are well established in the literature and multiple studies. Multiple scoring systems have been used to predict the severity, prognosis, and mortality associated with AP. The present review of the literature brings to light the significant and recent contributions in the etiology, risk factors, epidemiology, diagnosis, complications, prognosis and newest modalities in treatment that could be beneficial in the management of AP.

A non-Newtonian fluid model is used to investigate the two-dimensional pulsatile blood flow through a tapered artery with a stenosis. The mixed convection effects of heat and mass transfer are also taken into account. By applying non-dimensionalization and radial coordinate transformation, we simplify the system in a tube. Under the finite difference scheme, numerical solutions are calculated for velocity, temperature concentration, resistance, impedance, wall shear stress and shearing stress at the stenosis throat. Finally, Quantitative analysis is carried out.

The appearance of bubbles and foam can influence the likeability of a wine even before its consumption. Since foams are essential to visual and taste attributes of sparkling wines, it is of great importance to understand which compounds affect bubbles and foam characteristics. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of interactions among proteins, amino acids, and phenols on the characteristics of foam in sparkling wines by using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. Results has shown that several compounds present in sparkling wines influence foam quality differently, and importantly, highlighted how the interaction of those compounds might result in different effects on foam parameters. Amongst the results, mannoproteins were found to be most likely to promote foam and collar stability, while phenols were likely to increase the ratio of small bubbles and collar height in the foam matrix. In summary, this work contributes to a better understanding of the effect of wine compounds on foam quality as well as the effect of the interactions between those compounds.

As a renewable industrial crop, Miscanthus offers numerous advantages, namely high photosynthesis activity (as a C4 plant) and exceptional CO2 fixation rate. These properties make Miscanthus very attractive for industrial exploitation, such as lignin generation. Here, we present a systematic study analyzing the correlation of the lignin structure with Miscanthus genotype and plant portion (stem versus leaf). Specifically, the ratio of the three monolignols and corresponding building blocks as well as the linkages formed between the units have been studied. Depending on the Miscanthus genotype and plant component (leaf versus stem), correlations between chemical structure and properties of the lignins have been determined, i.e. correlations in molecular weight, polydispersity and decomposition temperature. Lignin isolation was performed using non-catalyzed organosolv pulping and the structure analysis includes NREL, FTIR, UV-Vis, HSQC-NMR, TGA, pyrolysis GC/MS. Structural differences were found for stem and leaf-derived lignins. Compared to beech wood lignins, Miscanthus lignins possess lower molecular weight and narrow polydispersities (< 1.5 Miscanthus vs. > 2.5 beech) corresponding to improved homogeneity. In addition to conventional univariate analysis of FTIR spectra, multivariate chemometrics revealed distinct differences for aromatic in-plane deformations of stem versus leaf-derived lignins. These results emphasize the potential of Miscanthus as low-input resource and Miscanthus-derived lignin as promising agricultural feedstock.

We present a review of the current state of the field for a rapidly evolving group of technologies related to solar energy harvesting in built environments. In particular, we focus on recent achievements in enabling the widespread distributed generation of electric energy assisted by energy capture in semi-transparent or even optically clear glazing systems and building wall areas. Whilst concentrating on the cutting-edge recent results achieved in the integration of traditional photovoltaic device types into novel concentrator-type windows and glazings, we compare the main performance characteristics reported with these achievable using more conventional (opaque or semi-transparent) solar cell technologies. A critical overview of the current status and future application potential of multiple existing and emergent energy harvesting technologies for building integration is provided.

Localizing the source of a signal is often as important as deciphering the signal’s message. Localization mechanisms must cope with the challenges of representing the spatial information of weak, noisy signals. Comparing these strategies across modalities and model systems allows a broader understanding of the general principles shaping spatial processing. In this review we focus on the electrosensory system of knifefish and provide an overview of our current understanding of spatial processing in this system, in particular, localization of conspecific signals. We argue that many mechanisms observed in other sensory systems, such as the visual or auditory systems, have comparable implementations in the electrosensory system. Our review therefore describes a field of research with unique opportunities to provide new insights into the principles underlying spatial processing.

Palmitic acid metabolism involves delta-9 and delta-6 desaturase enzymes forming palmitoleic acid (9cis-16:1; n-7 series) and sapienic acid (6cis-16:1; n-10 series), respectively. The corresponding biological consequences and lipidomic research on these positional MUFA isomers are under development. Furthermore, sapienic acid can bring to the de novo synthesis of the n-10 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) sebaleic acid (5cis,8cis-18:2), but such transformations in cancer cells are not known. The model of Caco-2 cell line was used to monitor sapienic acid supplementation (150 and 300 μM) and evidence the formation of n-10 fatty acids as well as their incorporation at levels of membrane phospholipids and triglycerides. Comparison with palmitoleic and palmitic acids evidenced that lipid remodeling was influenced by the type of fatty acid and positional isomer, with increase of 8cis-18:1, n-10 PUFA and decrease of saturated fats in case of sapienic acid. Cholesteryl esters were formed only in case of sapienic acid. EC₅₀ of sapienic acid (232.3 μM at 96 hrs) was the highest found among the tested fatty acids, thus influencing cell viability that was only reduced at 25% at 300 μM, whereas palmitoleic acid induced cell death. Two-photon fluorescent microscopy with Laurdan as a fluorescent dye provided information on membrane fluidity, highlighting that sapienic acid increases the distribution of fluid regions, probably connected with the formation of 8cis-18:1 and the n-10 PUFA in cell lipidome. Our results bring evidence for MUFA positional isomers and de novo PUFA synthesis for developing lipidomic analysis and cancer research.

Although current antiretroviral drug therapy can suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication, a lifelong prescription is necessary to avoid viral rebound. The problem of persistent and ineradicable viral reservoirs in HIV-infected people continues to be a global threat. In addition, some HIV-infected patients do not experience sufficient T-cell immune restoration despite being aviremic during treatment, and this is likely due to altered hematopoietic potential. To achieve global eradication of HIV disease, a cure is needed. To this end, tremendous efforts have been made in the field of anti-HIV gene therapy. This review will discuss the concepts of HIV cure and relative viral attenuation and provide an overview of various gene therapy approaches aimed at a complete or functional HIV cure and protection of hematopoietic functions.

Having sustained, over the course of more than two decades, record-breaking natural catastrophe losses, American insurers and reinsurers are justifiably questioning the potential linkage between anthropogenic climate change and extreme weather. Here, we explore issues pertaining to this linkage, looking at both the likely short-term implications for the insurance industry, as well as potential longer-term impacts on financial performance and corporate resilience. We begin our discussion with an overview of the implications that climate change is likely to have on the industry, especially as it relates to how catastrophic risks are construed, assessed, and managed. We then present the rudiments of an econometric analysis that explores the financial resilience of the property/casualty (P/C) industry in the face of both natural and man-made catastrophes. In this analysis, we explore the profitability consequences of several illustrative scenarios involving large-scale losses from extreme weather—specifically, a sequence of storms like those striking the U.S. in 2004—and a scenario that explores the prospect of a Katrina-scale storm in combination with a mass terror attack on the scale of 9/11. At systemic levels of aggregation, our analysis suggests a high degree of macro-resilience for the insurance industry. Moreover, we find that insurer resilience is higher for larger impacts, considering both the speed of recovery, as well as the inverse of the area under the unaffected system profile. We conclude with a summary of our findings and a closing commentary that explores the potential implications of these results for P/C insurers moving forward.

Our understanding of the fate and distribution of micro- and nano- plastics in the marine environment and their impact on the biota compartment is limited by the intrinsic difficulties of conventional analytical techniques (light scattering, FT-IR, Raman, optical and electron microscopies) in the detection, quantification and chemical identification of small particles in liquid samples. Here we propose the use of optical tweezers, a technique awarded in 2018 with the Nobel prize, as an analytical tool for the study of micro- and nano- plastics in sea water. In particular, we exploit the combination of optical tweezers with Raman spectroscopy (Raman Tweezers, RTs) to optically trap plastic particles with sizes from tens of µm down to 90 nm and unambiguously reveal their chemical composition. RTs applications are shown on particles made of the most common plastic pollutants, including polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon and polystyrene, that are artificially fragmented and aged directly in seawater. RTs allow us to assess the size and shapes of microparticles (beads, fragments, fibers) and can be applied to investigate particles covered with organic layers. Furthermore, operating at the single particle level, RTs enable unambiguous distinction of plastic particles from marine microorganisms and seawater minerals, overcoming the capacities of standard Raman spectroscopy in liquid, limited to average measurements. Coupled to suitable extraction and concentration protocols, RTs could have a strong impact in the study of the fate of micro and nanoplastics in marine environment, as well as in the understanding of the fragmentation processes on a multi-scale level.

Transient flows result in unbalanced forces and high pressure in pipelines. Under these conditions, the combined effects of flow-induced forces along with sudden pipe displacements can create cracks in the pipeline, especially at the junctions. This situation consequently results in water leakage and reduced operational efficiency of the pipeline. In this study, displacements and stresses in a buried pressurized water transmission pipe installed by pipe jacking method are investigated using numerical modeling and considering interactions between fluid, pipe, and soil. The analyses were performed consecutively under no-flow, steady flow, and transient flow conditions, in order to investigate the effects of flow conditions on displacements and stresses in the system. Analyses of the results show that displacements and stresses in the jointed concrete pipes are significant under transient flow conditions. Moreover, because of pressure transient effects, maximum tensile stresses exceed the tensile strength of concrete at the junctions, leading to cracks and consequent water leakage.

We study the performance of a classical and quantum magnetic Otto cycle with a quantum dot as a working substance using the Fock-Darwin model with the inclusion of the Zeeman interaction. Modulating an external/perpendicular magnetic field, we found in the classical approach an oscillating behavior in the total work that is not perceptible under the quantum formulation. Also, we compare the work and efficiency of this system for different regions of the Entropy, $S(T,B)$, diagram where we found that the quantum version of this engine always shows a reduced performance in comparison to his classical counterpart.

Groundwater plays a pivotal role as the largest potable water sources in Bangladesh. However, the quality of the groundwater faces challenges due to xenobiotic compounds in it. Excess amount of arsenic (As) has already been found in groundwater in many parts of Bangladesh. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the water quality and associated human health risk in central Bangladesh. A total of 99 groundwater samples from the central part of Bangladesh were analyzed to assess human health risk due to high level of nitrate (NO3-) and other trace elements i.e. arsenic (As), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn). It was found that NO3- concentration (253.17 mg/L) in the groundwater samples exceeds the recommended guideline value by the WHO (50 mg/L). Moreover, this study area also characterized with elevated concentration of As (19.44 µg/L), Fe (811.35 µg/L), and Mn (455.18 µg/L) in the groundwater. Non-carcinogenic human health risk was calculated by justifying HQ (Hazard Quotient) and HI (Hazard Index) and attributed potential conjunctive human health risks due to NO3-, As, Fe and Mn in the study area. Moreover, high carcinogenic risk was found due to As contamination in the groundwater samples in the study area.

Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world, mostly from the Central Highlands region where water has been becoming a scarce resource. Since 2014, drought has been strongly affecting Central Highlands’ agriculture, particularly coffee production. The drought leads to changes in flowering, ripening and thus harvesting times of coffee. Coffee productivity has reduced about 50 percent. Ultimately, coffee quantity and quality is jeopardized which endangers coffee farmers who occupy 90 per cent of population and their livelihoods mainly rely on coffee. Most of coffee farmers have had to develop alternative strategies to respond to the drought. Based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from 50 coffee households in a community in the Central Highlands, this research has indicated that farmers had to find the ways to adapt as well as to cope with drought. The ways of adaptation and coping were diverse, including short, medium and long-term plans. To strengthen the adaptation and coping strategies of farmers with drought in the short term, it is recommended that authorities provide more technical and financial support to farmers. Furthermore, longer term strategies need to focus on land use planning, investment in irrigation schemes, and consolidated afforestation schemes in appropriate areas.

Tree condition, pruning and orchard management practices within intensive horticultural tree crop systems can be determined via measurements of tree structure. Multi-spectral imagery acquired from an unmanned aerial system (UAS) has been demonstrated as an accurate and efficient platform for measuring various tree structural attributes, but research in complex horticultural environments has been limited. This research established a methodology for accurately estimating tree crown height, extent, plant projective cover (PPC) and condition of avocado tree crops, from a UAS platform. Individual tree crowns were delineated using object-based image analysis. In comparison to field measured canopy heights, an image-derived canopy height model provided a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.65 and relative root mean squared error of 6%. Tree crown length perpendicular to the hedgerow was accurately mapped. PPC was measured using spectral and textural image information and produced an R2 value of 0.62 against field data. A random forest classifier was applied to assign tree condition into four categories in accordance with industry standards, producing out-of-bag accuracies >96%. Our results demonstrate the potential of UAS-based mapping for the provision of information to support the horticulture industry and facilitate orchard-based assessment and management.

TThe number of supermarkets offering a grocery delivery has been increasing during the last years. Many studies deduce CO₂ emission savings using this concept. Since the delivery of groceries also consumes energy and produces emissions, break-even points can be calculated, from where the delivery has environmental advantages compared to the customer pickup. In this paper, influences of differing vehicle use on break-even points for savings of energy and CO₂ emissions are analyzed for the case of Haidhausen Süd, a city district of Munich in Germany. Internal combustion engine and electric vehicles are investigated to depict current as well as future trends. After an introduction to the used methodology, the potential to save energy and CO₂ emissions related to the delivery of groceries in the chosen district of Munich is evaluated. Afterwards, influences on the break even points are presented and discussed. As the results show, a delivery of groceries leads to energy and carbon dioxide savings in a wide range of private vehicle use for grocery shopping trips. Nevertheless, if the complete customer vehicle fleet is electrified, the use of delivery vehicles with an internal combustion engine can cause an additional environmental impact at the current modal split for shopping trips in Germany.

We have performed first-principles calculations to study the interfacial exchange coupling and magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) energy in a SmCo₅/Sm₂Co₁₇ multilayer model systems. The phase of SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ stacking along (0001) direction are structurally well matched. The atomic structure, including the alignment and the separation between layers, were firstly optimized. Then the non-collinear magnetic structures were calculated to explore the exchange coupling across the interface and the variation of MCA energy. We found that the inter-phase exchange coupling strength, rotating behavior and MCA energy are strongly dependent on the atomic thickness of the SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ phase.

This paper presents the results of a recent study that was conducted with a number of German municipalities/cities. Based on the obtained and briefly presented recommendations emerging from the study, the authors propose the concept of an Urban Data Space (UDS), which facilitates an eco-system for data exchange and added value creation thereby utilizing the various types of data within a smart city/municipality. Looking at an Urban Data Space from within a German context and considering the current situation and developments in German municipalities, this paper proposes a reasonable classification of urban data that allows to relate the various data types to legal aspects and to conduct solid considerations regarding technical implementation designs and decisions. Furthermore, the Urban Data Space is described/analyzed in detail, and relevant stakeholders are identified, as well as corresponding technical artifacts are introduced. The authors propose to setup Urban Data Spaces based on emerging standards from the area of ICT reference architectures for Smart Cities, such as DIN SPEC 91357 “Open Urban Platform” and EIP SCC. Thereby, the paper walks the reader through the construction of an UDS based on the above mentioned architectures and outlines all the goals, recommendations and potentials, which an Urban Data Space can reveal to a municipality/city.

The calcium-sensing receptor (CAS), as a chloroplast thylakoid membrane protein, involved in the process of [Ca2+] ext-induced [Ca2+]cyt increase (CICI) in the plant. However, the underlying mechanism regulating this process is lacking. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that CAS may perform additional roles in the plant. Here, we provide an update covering the multiple roles of CAS in stomatal movement regulation and calcium signaling in the plant. We also analysis the possible phosphorylation mechanism of CAS by light and discuss the role of CAS in abiotic stress (drought, salt stress) and biotic stresses (plant immune signaling). Finally, we provide a perspective for future experiments which are required to fill gaps in our understanding of the biological function of CAS in the plant.

Indonesia has a large area of degraded land, i.e. 30 million ha, which could potentially be utilized for biofuel plantations. The leguminous tree pongamia (Pongamia pinnata syn. Milettia pinnata) could be utilized to produce biofuel while restoring degraded land. Here, we explore the potential of pongamia as a source of biofuel and for restoring degraded land in Indonesia. Pongamia occurs across Indonesia, in Sumatra, Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. It grows to a height of 15–20 m and can grow in a range of environmental conditions. Its seeds can generate up to 40% crude oil by weight. It can help to restore degraded land and improve soil properties. Pongamia also provides wood, fodder, medicine, fertilizer and biogas. Therefore, as a multipurpose species, pongamia holds great potential to combat Indonesia’s energy crisis and to restore much of the degraded land.

In China, there is an increasing need for greater genetic diversity in maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm and hybrids appropriate for mechanical harvesting. In order to test and distinguish American maize inbred lines with exceptional combining ability, four Chinese maize inbred lines (Chang7-2, Zheng 58, four-144 and four-287) were used to judge the combining ability and heterosis of 16 USA inbred lines by a NCII genetic mating method. The results showed that among the American inbred lines, 6M502A, LH208, NL001, LH212Ht, PHW51, FBLA and LH181 expressed good GCA for yield characteristics; while RS710, PHP76, FBLA, and PHJ89 showed excellent GCA for machine harvesting characteristics. Five hybrids (NL001 × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, FBLA × four-144, LH181 × four-287, PHK93 × four-287) had better SCA values for yield characteristics, at 1.69, 1.07, 1.48, 1.84 and 1.05, respectively; while NL001 × Chang 7-2, 6M502A × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, LH181 × four-287, PHW51 × Chang7-2 had better TCA values for yield characteristics, at 3.03, 2.80, 2.41, 2.19 and 1.91, respectively; NL001 × Chang7-2, 6M502A × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, LH181 × four-287, PHW51 × Chang7-2 showed excellent Control Heterosis values, with 21.48%, 19.64%, 15.93%, 14.05% and 11.60% increases, respectively, compared to the check and potential for future utilization in Inner Mongolian corn production.

HIV-1 assembly is a complex mechanism taking place at the plasma membrane of the host cell. It requires nice spatial and temporal coordination to end up with a full immature virus. Researchers have extensively studied HIV-1 assembly molecular mechanism during the past decades, in order to dissect the respective roles of viral proteins, viral genome and host cell factors. Nevertheless, the time course of the process has been observed in living cells only a decade ago. The very recent revolution of optical microscopy, combining high speed and high spatial resolution now permit to study assemblies and their consequences at the single molecule level within (living) cells. In this review, after a short description of these new approaches, we will show how HIV-1 assembly in cells has been revisited using these advanced super resolution microscopy techniques and how much it could make a bridge in studying assembly from the single molecule to the host cell.

Three kinds of hydrophobic groups grafted starches of maleic anhydride grafted starch (MAH-g-starch), lactic acid grafted starch (LA-g-starch), and methyl acrylate grafted starch (MA-g-starch) were prepared by in-situ solid phase polymerization. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were confirmed successful grafting. The grafting ratios of MAH-g-starch, LA-g-starch and MA-g-starch were 6.50%, 12.45%, and 0.57%, respectively. Influenced by the grafting ratio, LA-g-starch had the best hydrophobic properties and the largest molecular weight, and those for MA-g-starch was the worst. The surfaces of grafted starches were covered with graft polymer, with obvious surface roughness and bond degree of MAH-g-starch and LA-g-starch. The crystalline structure of grafted starches showed some damage, with LA-g-starch exhibiting the greatest decrease in crystallinity, and less of a change for MA-g-starch. Overall, the grafting reaction improved thermoplasticity, with LA-g-starch the most improved, followed by MAH-g-starch, and then MA-g-starch.

To elucidate dynamic developmental processes in plants, live tissues and organs have to be visualized frequently and for long time periods. The development of roots is studied in depth at a cellular resolution not only to comprehend the basic processes fundamental to maintenance and pattern formation but also study stress tolerance adaptation in plants. Despite technological advancements, maintaining continuous access to samples and simultaneously preserving their morphological structures and physiological conditions without causing damage presents hindrances in the measurement, visualization and analyses of growing organs including plant roots. We propose a preliminary system which integrates the optical real-time visualization through light microscopy with a liquid culture which enables us to image at the tissue and cellular level horizontally growing Brachypodium roots every few minutes and up to 24 hours. We describe a simple setup which can be used to track the growth of the root as it grows including the root tip growth and osmotic stress dynamics. We demonstrate the system’s capability to scale down the PEG-mediated osmotic stress analysis and collected data on gene expression under osmotic stress.

Food intake plays a pivotal role of human growth, which necessarily contributes 45% of global economy and wellbeing in general. Consumption of balanced food is elementary for overall good health while a shift of equilibrium can lead to malnutrition, prenatal death, obesity, osteoporosis and bone fractures, coronary heart diseases (CHD), idiopathic hypercalciuria, diabetes and many more. Though CHD, osteoporosis, malnutrition, obesity are being classified thoroughly in the literature, there are fragmented findings in the regime of kidney stone diseases (KSD) and the correlation with food intake therein. KSD associated with hematuria and renal failure poses an increasing threat to the healthcare and global economy while its emergence of Indian populations is being affected with multi-factorial urological disorder resulting from several factors. In this realm, epidemiological, biochemical, macroeconomic situations been portrayed when food intake is also a paramount importance which rarely been forecasted. Hence, in this article we will be reviewing the corollary connotation with diverse food consumption and the efficacy it plays in KSD extrapolating in Indian context.

Hippophae is a tree species with ecological, economic and social benefits. In this study, we assembled and annotated chloroplast genomes of sympatric Hippophae gyantsensis and H. rhamnoides subsp. yunnanensis. Their full-length are 155260 and 156415 bp, respectively. Each of them has 131 genes, comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes and 38 transfer RNA genes. After comparing the chloroplast genomes, we found 1302 base difference loci, and 63.29% are located in the intergenic region or intron sequences and 36.71% are located in the coding sequences. The SSC region has the highest mutation rate, followed by the LSC region; the IR regions have the lowest mutation rate. Among the protein-coding genes, three had a ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks) >1 (but P values were non-significant) and 66 had Ka/Ks <1 (46 were significant). In general, the chloroplast protein-coding genes may be subject to purification selection. Among H. gyantsensis and H. rhamnoides subsp. yunnanensis chloroplast protein-coding genes, there are 20 and 16 optimal codons, respectively. Most of the optimal codons were ending with A or U, which indicates significant AT preference. It is an important reference for studies on the general characteristics and evolution of the Hippophae chloroplast genome.

Habitual entrepreneurs became an important group of entrepreneurs who make a large contribution to the process of wealth creation. Previous studies have indicated that habitual entrepreneurship is a widespread phenomenon. It highlights the need to focus on the habitual entrepreneurs to understand the dynamic aspect of entrepreneurship. The aim of the article is to present the results of preliminary research on the relationships of entrepreneurial behavior of novice entrepreneurs and habitual entrepreneurs, in particular their motivation and impact on the entrepreneurial process. Research were conducted on a sample of 373 small innovative enterprises in the fourth quarter of 2017. The scale of habitual entrepreneurs in the examined sample is 32.44% and is comparable with research carried out in other countries. Survey results reveal that habitual entrepreneurs have greater tendency to create opportunities (introduction new products or services) than novice entrepreneurs. Habitual entrepreneurs also have higher development rate (increase of turnover) and larger share in the international market than novice entrepreneurs. The article also contains indications for further research into the phenomenon of multiple entrepreneurship.

Celiac disease (CD) is a genetically conditioned autoimmune process that appears in susceptible people. It can affect people of any age, and slightly predominates in females. It has a fairly homogenous global distribution, with an average prevalence of 1-2%, the frequency having increased in recent decades. The only effective treatment is a strict and permanent gluten-free diet (GFD), although the level of compliance with it is poor, at about 50% of cases. To monitor the effectiveness of the GFD, several procedures involving various approaches are employed: a) periodic interviews by nutritionists; b) clinical follow-up; c) serological controls of specific antibodies; d) endoscopies with collection of duodenal biopsies; e) structured questionnaires; f) determination of gluten peptides derived from gluten in feces and/or urine. All of these procedures are useful when applied, alone or in combination, depending on the cases. Some patients will only need to consult to their doctors, while others will require a multidisciplinary approach to assess their compliance with the GFD. In children, normalization of duodenal mucosa was achieved in 95% of cases within 2 years, while it is more delayed in adults, whose mucosa take longer to heal completely.

S100A10, which is also known as p11 is located in the plasma membrane and forms a heterotetramer with annexin A2. The heterotetramer, comprising of 2 subunits of annexin A2 and S100A10, activates the plasminogen activation pathway which is involved in cellular repair of normal tissues. Increased expression of annexin A2 and S100A10 in cancer cells leads to increased levels of plasmin which promote degradation of the extracellular matrix, increased angiogenesis and invasion of the surrounding organs. Although many studies have investigated the functional role of annexin A2 in cancer cells including ovarian cancer, S100A10 has been less studied. We recently demonstrated that high stromal annexin A2 and high cytoplasmic S100A10 expression is associated with a 3.4 fold increased risk of progression and 7.9 fold risk of death in ovarian cancer patients. Other studies have linked S100A10 with multidrug resistance in ovarian cancer, however, no functional studies to date have been performed in ovarian cancer cells. This article reviews the current understanding on S100A10 function in cancer with a particular focus on ovarian cancer.

While the demand in reduction of CO₂ increases, the need for CO₂ sequestration processes is very high. One promising technology is the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). In this paper we refer to several papers which study the three main steps in CCS chain. CO₂ capture technologies, CO₂ transportation to the storage sites and the very critical step the CO₂ storage. Recently a novel method (mineral carbonation) for CO₂ sequestration has been proposed which is based in the reaction of CO₂ with calcium or magnesium oxides or hydroxides to form stable carbonate materials. Greece is a country that emits CO₂ mainly from the lignite fired power plant in Western Greece. After the study of the bibliographic references about the use of mineral carbonation process while injecting CO₂ in the appropriate geological forms we concluded that there are also these forms in our country and mainly in the area near to the power plant such as in sites Vourinos and Pindos. In these sites exist minerals rich in oxides and hydroxides of Ca, Mg and Fe representing the perfect materials for mineral carbonation.

The present paper aims to elucidate the impact of climate change on the availability and security of water and energy in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA Region). The region is particularly challenged by a number of factors including a large variability of bio-geographical characteristics, extreme population growth over the last few decades and substantial societal and economical transitions as well as armed conflicts in some of the countries of the region. Anticipated changes in climate conditions will exacerbate the challenges with regard to providing sufficient amounts of water and energy to the communities in the region. Impacts of climate change will materialize as an increasing number of heat waves, primarily in urban structures and the decline in water availability as a result of enhanced droughts and a growing numbers of dry spells. The interrelationships between energy and water and their mutual dependencies are addressed by the Water-Energy-Nexus concept. With regard to the challenges addressed here, Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean are a particular point in case. Mitigation and adaptation strategies include enhanced efficiency of energy and water use, integrated technology assessments regarding electricity generation and the production of potable water and electricity through concentrated solar power.

Education and awareness raising are the primary tools of global health policy to change public behaviour. Considering the limitations of awareness agenda and the lack of social research to inform alternative approaches, our objective was to generate new empirical evidence on the consequences of antibiotic-related awareness raising in a low-income country context. We implemented an educational activity in two Lao villages to share general antibiotic-related messages, but also to learn about people’s conceptions and health behaviours. Two rounds of census survey data enabled us to assess the activity’s outputs, its knowledge outcomes, and its immediate behavioural impacts in a difference-in-difference design. Our panel data covered 1,130 adults over two rounds, including 58 activity participants and 208 villagers exposed indirectly via conversations in the village. We found that activity-related communication circulated among more privileged groups, which limited its indirect effects. Among participants, the activity influenced the awareness and understanding of “drug resistance,” while effects on attitudes were minor. Evidence on behavioural impacts was sparse and mixed, but the range of possible consequences included a disproportionate uptake of antibiotics from formal healthcare providers. Our study casts doubt on the continued dominance of awareness raising as a behavioural tool to address antibiotic resistance.

T-2 toxin produced by fungi of Fusarium genus is highly toxic to human and animals and has been shown to induce apoptosis in various organs/tissues. Apoptosis and autophagy are interconnected processes and these interactions are important for cellular homeostasis as well as pathogenesis. In this study, we report for the first time that T-2 toxin induced autophagy in human liver cells (L02). We showed that T-2 toxin induced the formation of acidic vesicular organelles, concordant with the time and dose-dependent alterations in LC3-phosphatidylethanolamine conjugate (LC3-II) LC3-I/II and p62/SQSTM1 suggesting an enhanced autophagic flux. The T-2 toxin-induced formation of autophagosome and lysosomal fusion was observed by expressing mRFP-GFP-LC3 in L02 cells by lentiviral transduction, and autophagosome was observed by transmission electron microcopy. We found that while T-2 toxin activated both apoptosis and autophagy, activation of autophagy appears to be a leading event reflecting the protective mechanism of cells against the insults by T-2 toxin. Activating autophagy by rapamycin (RAPA) inhibited the apoptosis while suppressing autophagy by chloroquine greatly enhanced the T-2 toxin-induced apoptosis suggesting the crosstalk of autophagy and apoptosis. In summary, our study showed that activation of autophagy protects liver cells from T-2 toxin-induced apoptosis suggesting autophagy may be targeted for prevention of the T-2 toxin-induced toxicity in human and animals.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder where both T cells and B cells are implicated in pathology. However, it remains unclear how these two distinct populations cooperate to drive disease. There is ample evidence from studies in both MS patients and mouse models that Th17, B cells, and follicular T helper (TFH) cells contribute to disease. This review article describes the literature that identifies mechanisms by which Th17, TFH, and B cells cooperatively drive disease activity in MS and EAE. The curation of this literature has identified that CNS-infiltrating TFH cells act with TH17 cell to contribute to an inflammatory B cell response in neuroinflammation. This demonstrates that TFH cells and their products are promising targets for therapies in MS.

One of the most crucial and economically beneficial tasks for energy customer is peak load curtailment. On account of the fast response of renewable energy resources (RERs) such as photovoltaic (PV) units and battery energy storage system (BESS), this task is closer to be efficiently implemented. Depends on the customer peak load demand and energy characteristics, the feasibility of this strategy may warry. When adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is exploited for forecasting, it can provide many benefits to address the above-mentioned issues and facilitate its easy implementation, with short calculating time and re-trainability. This paper introduces a data driven forecasting method based on fuzzy logic for optimized peak load reduction. First, the amount of energy generated by PV is forecasted using ANFIS which conducts output trend, and then, the BESS capacity is calculated according to the forecasted results. The trend of the load power is then decomposed in Cartesian plane into two parts, left and right from load peak, searching for BESS capacity equal. Network switching sequence over consumption is provided by a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) with respect to BESS capacity and PV energy output. Finally, to prove the effectiveness of the proposed ANFIS-based peak shaving method, offline digital time-domain simulations have been performed on a real-life practical test micro grid system in MATLAB/Simulink environment and the results have been experimentally verified by testing on a practical micro grid system with real-life data obtained from smart meter and also, compared with several previously-reported methods.

Prototypical functions of the chemokine receptor CCR6 include immune regulation by manoeuvring cell chemotaxis and selective delimiting of the pro-inflammatory TH17 and regulatory Treg subsets during chronic or acute systemic inflammation. Inhibition of CCR6 is proposed to attenuate disease symptoms and promote recuperation of multiple inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Prescription medicines with pharmacodynamics involving the inhibition of the chemokine axis CCR6-CCL20 is very limited. Developing such therapeutics is still at an early experimental stage which has mostly utilized pre-clinical models and neutralizing mono or polyclonal antibodies against either partner, CCR6 or CCL20. Other methods have been constitutive use of small molecules as peptide inhibitors or small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) to interfere with transcription at the nuclear level. We in our review aim at introducing the wide array of potential CCR6-CCL20 inhibitors that have been tried to date in the research field with accent on attendant immune-modulator capacity and which are immensely promising compounds as forerunners of future curatives. 16 different tractable inhibitors of the CCR6-CCL20 duo have been identified to possess high medicinal potential to the drug developers worldwide to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. A multitude of antibody preparations are already available in the current pharmaceutical market as patented treatment for diseases in which the CCR6-CCL20 axis is operative, yet must be used only as supplements with existing routinely prescribed medication as they collectively produce adverse side effects. Novel inhibitors are needed to evaluate this invaluable therapeutic target which holds much promise in the research and development of complaisant remedies for inflammatory diseases.

The release of nanomolar concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) by endothelial cells (EC), via activation of constitutive NO synthase (eNOS), represents the pre-requisite for the vaso-protective role of vascular endothelium. On the other hand, exaggerated release of NO as a consequence of activation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), leads to endothelial dysfunction and, at the late stages, to the development of atherothrombosis. Oxidyzed LDLs (OxyLDL) represent the major candidate to trigger biomolecular processes accompanying endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation leading to atherosclerosis development though the pathophysiological mechanism still remains to be elucidated. Here, we summarize recent evidence suggesting that oxyLDL produce significant impairment in the balance in the eNOS/iNOS machinery, downregulating eNOS via HMGB1-TLR4-Caveolin-1 pathway. On the other hand, a sustained activation of the scavenger receptor LOX-1 leads to NFkB activation which, in turn, increases iNOS, leading to EC oxidative stress. Finally, these events are associated to reduced protective autophagic response and accelerated apoptotic EC death which activates atherosclerotic development. Taken togheter, these informations shed new light into the pathophysiological mechanisms of oxy-LDL-related impairment of EC functionality and open new perspective in atherothrombosis prevention.

An azaphenothiazine derivative, 6-chloroethylureidoethyldiquino[3,2-b;2’,3’-e][1,4]thiazine (DQT) has recently been shown to exhibit immunosuppressive activities in mouse models. It also inhibited the expression of CXCL10 at the protein level, at non-toxic concentrations, in the culture of KERTr cells treated with double-stranded RNA, poly(I:C). In this report, we demonstrated that DQT inhibits the transcription of the CXCL10 gene. Although CXCL10 is an IFNγ-inducible protein, we found that the CXCL10 protein was induced without the detectable release of IFNγ or IκB degradation. Hence, we concluded that IFNγ or NFκB were not involved in the regulation of the CXCL10 gene in KERTr cells transfected with poly(I:C) as well as in the inhibitory activity of DQT. On the other hand, we found that IFNβ was induced under the same conditions and its expression was inhibited by DQT. Kinetic analysis showed that an increase in IFNβ concentrations occurred 4-8 h after poly(I:C) treatment, while the concentration of CXCL10 was undetectable at that time and started to increase later, when IFNβ reached high levels. Therefore, DQT may be regarded as a new promising inhibitor of IFNβ expression and IFNβ-dependent downstream genes and proteins, e.g., CXCL10 chemokine, which is implicated in pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.

In modern Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) multicore systems, cores can produce several simultaneous memory requests. The processing of such requests over the memory controller negatively impacts the interference delay triggered by running parallel tasks on the platform. In this paper, we propose a software-based testing approach for analyzing memory interference delay, when cores are exposed to extensive read/write requests that access in parallel their Cache Coherent Interconnect. The hardware targeted in this work is the well-known LayerScape QorIQ LS2085A, which can be approached as a potential successor to the Freescale QorIQ P4080. The test analysis was conducted based on a bare-metal operating system that we developed to guarantee a deterministic execution environment at all time points. Our testing was accomplished using a set of carefully designed synthetic benchmarks as well as TACLeBench benchmarks.

This study explores the effect of seasonality on soil carbon efflux and pasture growth based on field and lysimeter experiments during summer-fall and winter-spring in two years. Focus is also pointed on irrigation strategies to alleviate the crop response to seasonal fluctuations in precipitation and surface temperatures. Soil respiration, soil and air temperature, leaf photosynthesis, plant dry weight and leaf area index were quantified and analyzed. It has been found significant differences in the CO₂ efflux between the two growing season. Emission of soil CO₂ allowed to characterize and to prioritize the temperature and rain influence in seasonal brachiaria response. During the seasons, the transient variation of CO₂ efflux was highly correlated with rainfall (r = 0.87, P < 0.05), and poorly correlated with soil temperatures (r = 0.5, P < 0.05). The CO₂ efflux and plant response to different level of reposition of evapotranspiration demonstrated that irrigation during fall mitigates the reduction of growth conditioned by drying soil and the lower temperatures. The lower temperatures are limiting only when the soil moisture is below 32% of the field capacity. Thus, we propose to keep the soil moisture around 50% during the fall as a key practices for mitigating the effect of seasonality and its intensification with the climate change, even more if added to management routine practices the soil and water conservation.

Infectious diarrhoea such as shigellosis causes considerable morbidity and mortality, especially in infants, immune-compromised individuals and those living with HIV/AIDS. It is endemic in developing countries and in Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, where diarrhoeal disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. This study was undertaken to establish incidences of Shigella, its serotype and resistant pattern of isolates from human faeces from residence of Johannesburg, South Africa. All stools received between January to April from the private healthcare system were cultured on Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate and MacConkey Agar and Shigella was confirmed by standard biochemical reactions and a serological method. An antimicrobial sensitivity test was used. A total of 11 009 samples from patients between 22 days to 94 years old yielded 110 Shigella isolates, of which 47 (43%) were S. flexneri, 61 (55%) were S. sonnei, 1 (1%) was S. dysenteriae and 1 (1 %) was S. boydii. The majority of patients were children between < 1 to 5 years, 76 (69%), followed by those between 6 to 10 years 13 (12%). In children up to 10 years, S. sonnei was confirmed in 52 cases (59%) and S. flexneri in 36 cases (41%). Overall, 53 (48%) males and 57 (52%) females were infected.