Endothelial cells are the crucial inner lining of blood vessels, pivotal in vascular homeostasis and integrity. However, these cells are perpetually subjected to a myriad of mechanical, chemical, and biological stresses that can compromise their plasma membranes. A sophisticated repair system involving key molecules, such as calcium, annexins, dysferlin, and MG53, is essential for maintaining endothelial viability. These components orchestrate complex mechanisms, including exocytosis and endocytosis, to repair membrane disruptions. Dysfunctions in this repair machinery, often exacerbated by aging, are linked to endothelial cell death, subsequently contributing to the onset of atherosclerosis and the progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke, major causes of mortality in the United States. Thus, identifying the core machinery for endothelial cell membrane repair is critically important for understanding the pathogenesis of CVD and stroke and developing novel therapeutic strategies for combating CVD and stroke. This review summarizes the recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of endothelial cell membrane repair. The future directions of this research area are also highlighted.

Escalation of commitment explains the choice for investing in an option for which great investments have previously been made even though better choices became available. The last 25 years of producing innumerous versions of Alzheimer Disease animal models with virtually no predictive validity should have exposed the fact that using animals for studying AD is clearly a failing course of action and as such should have been abandoned long ago, giving room to other alternatives to flourish. In this assay, I explore the idea that the investment in new animal models for studying Alzheimer (AD) represents a classic case of escalation of commitment, and sunk cost dilemma, in the biomedical research.

The compatibility between the de Sitter Swampland conjecture and Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz $F(\bar{R})$ theories with a flat FLRW metric is studied. We first study the standard $f(R)$ theories and show that the only way in which the dS conjecture can be made independent of $R$ is by considering a power law of the form $f(R)\sim R^{\gamma}$. The conjecture and the consistency of the theory puts restrictions on $\gamma$ to be greater but close to $1$. For the $F(\bar{R})$ theories described by its two parameters $\lambda$ and $\mu$ we use the equations of motion to construct the function starting with an ansatz for the scale factor in the Jordan frame of the power law form. By doing a conformal transformation on the three metric to the Einstein frame we can obtain an action of gravity plus a scalar filed by relating the parameters of the theory. The non-projectable and projectable cases are studied and the differences are outlined. The $F(\bar{R})$ function obtained consists of terms of the form $\bar{R}^{\gamma}$ with the possibility of having negative power terms. The dS conjecture leads to inequalities for the $\lambda$ parameter, in both versions it gets restricted to be greater but close to $1/3$. For the general case in which $\mu$ and $\lambda$ are considered as independent, the action contains an extra term but we propose that the conjecture is still applicable. Once again the non-projectable and projectable cases are studied. The $F$ function obtained has the same form as before, the consistency of the theory and the dS conjecture lead to a set of inequalities on both parameters that are studied numerically. In all cases $\lambda$ is restricted by $\mu$ around $1/3$ and we obtain $\lambda\to1/3$ if $\mu\to0$. Finally we consider the $f(R)$ limit $\mu,\lambda\to1$ and we obtain consistent results.

Abstract: The glucocorticoid receptor (GR), including both alternative spliced isoforms (GRa and GRb), has been implicated in the development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and iatrogenic glucocorticoid-induced glaucoma (GIG). POAG is the most common form of glaucoma, which is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the world. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are commonly used therapeutically for ocular and numerous other diseases/conditions. One serious side effect of prolonged GC therapy is the development of iatrogenic secondary ocular hypertension (OHT) and OAG (i.e. GC-induced glaucoma (GIG)) that clinically and pathologically mimics POAG. GC-induced OHT is caused by pathogenic damage to the trabecular meshwork (TM), a tissue involved in regulating aqueous humor outflow and intraocular pressure. TM cells derived from POAG eyes (GTM cells) have lower expression of GRb, a dominant negative regulator of GC activity, compared to TM cells from age-matched control eyes. Therefore, GTM cells have a greater pathogenic response to GCs. Almost all POAG patients develop GC-OHT when treated with GCs, in contrast to a GC responder rate of 40% in the normal population. Increased expression of GRb can block GC-induced pathogenic changes in TM cells and reverse GC-OHT in mice. Endogenous expression of GRb in the TM may relate to differences in the development of GC-OHT among the normal population. A number of studies have suggested increased levels of endogenous cortisol in POAG patients as well as differences in cortisol metabolism, suggesting that GCs may be involved in the development of POAG. Additional studies are warranted to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in POAG and GIG in order to develop new disease modifying therapies to better treat these two sight threatening forms of glaucoma.

Image registration (IR) is a process that deforms images to align them with respect to a reference space, making it easier for medical practitioners to examine various medical images in a standardized reference frame, such as having the same rotation and scale. This document introduces image registration using a simple numeric example. It provides a definition of image registration along with a space-oriented symbolic representation. This review covers various aspects of image transformations, including affine, deformable, invertible, and bidirectional transformations, as well as medical image registration algorithms such as Voxelmorph, Demons, SyN, Iterative Closest Point, and SynthMorph. It also explores atlas-based registration and multistage image registration techniques, including coarse-fine and pyramid approaches. Furthermore, this survey paper discusses medical image registration taxonomies, datasets, evaluation measures, such as correlation-based metrics, segmentation-based metrics, processing time, and model size. It also explores applications in image-guided surgery, motion tracking, and tumor diagnosis. Finally, the document addresses future research directions, including the further development of transformers.

This study investigates the stochastic dynamics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection using a newly proposed stochastic model. Contrary to deterministic models that fail to encapsulate the inherent randomness and fluctuations in biological processes, our stochastic model provides a more realistic representation of HBV infection dynamics. It incorporates random variability, thereby acknowledging the changes in viral and cellular populations and uncertainties in parameters such as infection rates and immune responses. We examine the solution's existence, uniqueness, and positivity for the proposed model, followed by a comprehensive stability analysis. We provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for local and global stability, offering deep insight into the infection dynamics. Furthermore, we utilize numerical simulations to corroborate our theoretical results. This research provides a robust tool for understanding the complex behavior of HBV dynamics, contributing significantly to the ongoing quest for more effective HBV control and prevention strategies.

The study was performed to get the first insight of distribution of the low field volume magnetic susceptibility (MS) throughout the Zagreb city area, based on in-situ field measurements. Most interesting locations were selected for soil sampling and geochemical content was determined using ICP-OES. A geostatistical approach was applied on MS and geochemical results. Median value of 0.245 x 10-3 SI units is proposed to be used as relevant average MS value in Zagreb area. Mean concentrations of heavy metals in Zagreb soils (in µg/g) are: Pb (36.82), Zn (87.77), Cu (30.84), Cd (0.66), Cr (29.04), Co (11.89) and Ni (28.40), being relatively low in comparison with Croatian legislation and with European and world average. Boxplot analyses showed that 45% of studied elements do not show any anomaly, while the rest of elements mostly show only one weak anomaly and they are located at the same sites as MS anomalies. Statistical analysis found significant correlations between MS and following elements: Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Na, Pb, Sb and Zn. In-situ MS measurements proved to be an efficient tool for initial screening of large areas in terms of elevated heavy elements concentrations, enabling cheap and fast assessment of state of environment.

In an era characterized by the ever-shifting landscapes of the digital realm, this paper intricately examines the interplay between digital culture, cultural dynamics, and beliefs in academia. Utilizing insights from cutting-edge language models, the study uncovers nuanced cultural expressions among Arts and Sciences students navigating the digital domain. Employing qualitative methods including interviews, observations, in-depth literature reviews, and thematic analysis, findings highlight digital interactions' transformative impact on cultural narratives and the potential of digital ethnography as a lens for understanding intricate cultural phenomena. This research enriches digital ethnography and cultural dynamics, offering fresh perspectives on the symbiotic relationship between digital culture and traditional beliefs, underscored by data from a maximum purposeful sampling of thirty (30) participants. Overall, this exploration emphasizes digital culture's dynamic role in shaping and reflecting cultural convictions, contributing to the understanding of cultural dynamics and evolving digital ethnography in the academic landscape.

A remarkable strengths of deep neural networks lies in their ability to discover patterns and representations from complex data. Deep learning models can learn and refine features at different levels of abstraction, enabling them to handle complex tasks in computer vision recognition, natural language processing, and speech recognition. The ability to generalize from examples, coupled with the capacity to process vast amounts of data, empowers deep learning to achieve state-of-the-art results across a wide spectrum of applications. An argument for this ability is based on similarities between deep neural networks and the nervous system. In this report, we argue that despite the remarkable performance of deep learning, there are still gaps between deep learning and the nervous system that needs to be closed to enable deep learning doing tasks that currently only the nervous system can perform

Background and Objectives: Stroke is a main leading cause for mortality and morbidity worldwide. Treat-ment of this pathology is still under development and its risk factors remain the main target to be reached. Therefore, we aim to determine the role of interleukin 1 beta in atheromatosis, as risk factor for stroke and the reole of this biomarker in stroke prognosis. Materials and Methods: The study conducted enrolled 56 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke in the anterior (AVT) and posterior vascular territory (PVT). All patients had venous blood collected at admission and 7 days after the onset of the cerebral ischemia in order to determine plasma concentration for interleukin 1 beta. At the same time an extracranial carotid ultrasound was performed. Results: Interleukin 1 beta collected at admission was positively correlated with NIHSS at admission (Pearson index 0,424) and both measurements were corelated with carotid stenosis (Spearmen correlation index 0,529, respectively 0,653). Conclusion: Interleukin 1 beta could be a reliable biomarker for stroke prognosis and carotid atheromatosis development.

Aluminum matrix nanocomposites have been the subject of much attention due to their extraordinary mechanical properties and thermal stability. This research focuses on producing and characterizing an aluminum matrix reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) nanometric particles. The conventional powder metallurgy route was used to produce the nanocomposites, and the dispersion and mixing process was carried out by ultrasonication. The conditions of the dispersion and the volume fraction of the SiC were evaluated in the production of the nanocomposites. Microstructural characterization was carried out using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Mechanical characterization was carried out using hardness and tensile tests. The dispersion agent was investigated, and isopropanol leads to better dispersion with fewer agglomerates. Increasing the volume fraction of the reinforcement improves the hardness of the nanocomposites. However, greater agglomeration of the reinforcement is observed for larger volume fractions. The greatest increase in hardness (77% increase compared to the hardness of the Al matrix) is obtained with 1.0 vol % of SiC, corresponding to the sample with the best dispersion. The mechanical characterization through tensile tests attests to the effect of the reinforcement on the Al matrix. The main strengthening mechanisms identified were the load transfer, the texture hardening, Orowan strengthening, and the increase in the density of dislocations in the nanocomposites.

Monoterpenes as natural products are the subject of increased attention in the search for new pharmacological agents because of their numerous biological activities including antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antispasmodic, hypotensive, vasodilating effects, etc. In vitro and in vivo studies reveal their antidepressant, anxiolytic, and memory-enhancing in experimental dementia and Parkinson’s disease effects. Chemical modification of natural substances by conjugation with various synthetic components is a modern method of obtaining new biologically active compounds. The discovery of new potential drugs among monoterpene derivatives is a progressive direction in experimental pharmacology and a promising approach to the therapy of various pathologies. Biologically active substances such as monoterpenes borneol, camphor, geraniol, pinene, and thymol, were used to synthesize compounds with different properties, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, anti-depressant, anti-Alzheimer’s, anti-parkinsonian, antiviral and antibacterial (anti-tuberculosis). Myrtenal is a perspective monoterpenoid with therapeutic potential in various fields of medicine. Its chemical modifications often lead to new or more pronounced biological effects. As an example, conjugation of myrtenal with the known pharmacophore adamantane allows one to enhance some of its key properties. Myrtenal-adamantane derivatives exhibited a variety of beneficial properties – antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, anxiolytic, and neuroprotective, which are worth examining in more detail and at length.

The metabolism of lipoproteins, which regulates the transit of the lipid to and from tissues, is crucial to maintaining cholesterol homeostasis. Cardiac remodeling is referred to as a set of molecular, cellular, and interstitial changes that, following injury, affect the size, shape, function, mass, and geometry of the heart. Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA), which can be made from glucose, amino acids, or fatty acids, is the precursor for the synthesis of cholesterol. In this article, authors explain concepts behind cardiac remodeling, its clinical ramifications, and the pathophysiological roles played by numerous various components, such as cell death, neurohormonal activation, oxidative stress, contractile proteins, energy metabolism, collagen, calcium transport, inflammation, and geometry. The levels of cholesterol are traditionally regulated by two biological mechanisms at the transcriptional stage. First, the SREBP transcription factor family regulates the transcription of crucial rate-limiting cholesterogenic and lipogenic proteins, which in turn limits cholesterol production. Immune cells become activated, differentiated, and divided, during an immune response with the objective of eradicating the danger signal. In addition to creating ATP, which is used as energy, this process relies on metabolic reprogramming of both catabolic and anabolic pathways to create metabolites that play a crucial role in regulating the response. Because of changes in signal transduction, malfunction of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and sarcolemma, impairment of calcium handling, increases in cardiac fibrosis, and progressive loss of cardiomyocytes, oxidative stress appears to be the primary mechanism that causes the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure. De novo cholesterol production, intestinal cholesterol absorption, and biliary cholesterol output are consequently crucial processes in cholesterol homeostasis. In the article's final section, the pharmacological management of cardiac remodeling is explored. The route of treatment is explained into different steps: including, promising, and potential strategies. This chapter offers a brief overview of the history of the study of cholesterol absorption as well as the different potential therapeutic targets.

Hymenoptera allergens are the main triggers for anaphylaxis in susceptible dogs and humans. Hymenoptera venom specific immunotherapy (VIT), the only disease-modifying treatment, has the potential to prevent future life-threatening reactions in human patients. Prospective clinical data on VIT efficacy in dogs are currently lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to show that VIT is not only safe but also efficacious in preventing anaphylaxis in dogs allergic to Hymenoptera. This uncontrolled prospective clinical trial included 10 client-owned dogs with a history of anaphylaxis following repeated Hymenoptera stings. The sensitization to bee and wasp allergens was demonstrated by intradermal testing (IDT) and allergen-specific IgE serology. For VIT induction (induction phase), dogs received a shortened rush immunotherapy protocol with aqueous allergens, which was then followed by monthly injections of 100 g of alum-precipitated allergen (maintenance phase). VIT efficacy was determined by observing patients’ clinical reactions to re-stings. No systemic adverse events were seen during the induction and maintenance phase. From the seven re-stung dogs, only one developed a mild angioedema at the site of the sting; the remaining dogs were asymptomatic. These results show that VIT represents a safe and effective treatment option for Hymenoptera-allergic dogs.

Nutrients are the driving force of plant and herbivore interactions. Different elements and fertilization levels in soil, or artificially fertilized substrates can have a direct impact on plant defense responses. Meanwhile, nutrient levels mediated by root associated microbes can indirectly affect plant-herbivore interactions. Nutrient uptake promoted by beneficial mycorrhizal fungi or rhizobacteria interacting with roots can stimulate plant tolerance to herbivore attack, as evidenced by herbivore performance, plant nutrient status, plant biomass allocation and compensatory growth. In return, herbivory affects nutrient fluxes between plants and their associated beneficial microbes. Furthermore, aboveground and belowground herbivory can affect the nutrient exchange between plants and soil microbial communities, mainly for carbon-and nitrogen-based resources supporting herbivores´ life cycles. These ecological interactions are governed by jasmonic acid (JA) and key enzymes on the molecular level. This review summarizes the current scientific literature on the role of nutrients in plant-herbivore interactions. This will support efforts to optimize plant defense strategy via managing nutrient variance.

Neuronal PAS domain protein 2 (NPAS2) is a hemeprotein comprising a basic helix-loop-helix domain (bHLH) and two heme-binding sites, the PAS-A and PAS-B domains. This protein acts as a pyridine nucleotide-dependent and gas-responsive CO-dependent transcription factor and is encoded by a gene whose expression fluctuates with circadian rhythmicity. NPAS2 can heterodimerize with ARNTL in the activating limb of the transcriptional/translational feedback loop operating the circadian clock circuitry. NPAS2 can functionally substitute for the core transcription factor and histone/protein acetylase CLOCK in the molecular clockwork endowing central oscillators in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of hypothalamus as well as in peripheral oscillators in the cell of other body tissues, such as the liver and kidney.

With enhanced life expectancy and ageing global populations, the prevalence of multimorbidity continues to increase. However, there is a dearth of evidence linked to multimorbidity diagnoses, treatments and health outcomes which remains a concern for future proofing optimal healthcare services. Generating evidence is critical to managing multimorbidity, promoting public health and minimizing health inequalities via effective healthcare policies that improve quality of life for vulnerable populations. This study assessed meta-epidemiology of multimorbidity to report the gaps in scientific knowledge and clinical practice. A systematic methodology was designed and published in PROSPERO (CRD42022347308) to report meta-epidemiology analyses using databases including PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, The Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group Specialised Register of Controlled Trials and MEDLINE for studies published between the 1^st of January 1980 - 31^st December 2022. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled proportion of multimorbidity in adults. Forest plots, pooled odds ratios and statistical heterogeneity metrics were used to assess the association between multimorbidity and investigated factors. Funnel plots and Egger’s regression were used to detect and correct for publication bias. Our findings identified women to be 0.32 times more likely to have multimorbidity in comparison to males. In regard to ethnicity, white people were 0.47 times less likely to develop comorbidities than black people. People who identified as a drinker or unmarried were more likely to develop comorbidities than those who are non-drinkers or married, respectively. Regardless of smoking status, people were equally likely to have comorbidity. In terms of environmental influences, people in rural areas were found to be 0.2 times less likely to have comorbidity in comparison to those living in urban areas. Interestingly, people with a higher education level were 0.57 times more likely to develop comorbidities than those with only a high school education. It is evident that multimorbidity has a significant burden globally and impacts the provision of care necessitated across populations given its association with several social determinants of health. Robust research and healthcare policies are required to better manage multimorbidity in patients. An example of such intervention includes employing prevention programs to reduce risk and incidence of multimorbidity within at-risk populations.

With the deepening of the diversification and openness of financial system, financial vulnerability, as an endogenous attribute of financial system, becomes an important measurement of financial security. Based on network analysis, we introduce network curvature indicator improved by Copula entropy as an innovative metric of financial vulnerability. Compared with previous network curvature analysis method, CE-based curvature proposed in this paper can measure market vulnerability and systematic risk with significant advantages.

According to cancer death rates for women worldwide, this form of cancer ranks fourth after breast, bronchopulmonary, and colorectal cancer, affecting around 570,000 women annually. About 270,000 women each year pass away from this illness, 85% of them are from underdeveloped nations where cervical cancer claims more lives than any other kind of cancer. In Romania, cervical cancer ranks fourth in terms of death, behind breast, bronchopulmonary, and colorectal cancers, and second in terms of incidence, behind breast cancer. Endometriosis in the cervical region is quite uncommon. Only a tiny fraction of women had the condition upon diagnosis. It might be challenging to detect cervical endometriosis since it rarely manifests any symptoms or markers. Women who are asymptomatic can manage the condition expectantly; however, if the symptoms return often, surgery may be required. As many patients have concurrent diseases such fibroids, adenomyosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic endometriosis, cervical endometriosis therapy appears to be straightforward. There ought to be surgical intervention. Symptomatic cervical endometriosis, such as irregular or post-coital bleeding, may be treated surgically using the LLETZ surgery or another cervical ablation approach. Background and Objectives: (1) To assess one's degree of knowledge on the signs, causes, and methods of preventing cervical cancer or cervical endometriosis, as well as screening for these conditions. (2) To ascertain how the responder behaves about cervical cancer screening and prevention, as well as endometriosis in the cervical region. Materials and Methods: A case report about cervical cancer or cervical endometriosis was conducted among a patient from Romania, Timisoara. Results: In this study, we report the patient with cervical endometriosis, although he was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer. Conclusions: Cervical cancer, a condition that can have serious repercussions on the patient's health, even if there is no clear picture of paraclinical investigations, to raise the suspicion of cervical endometriosis and not cervical cancer.

Hay and straw are commonly used materials in agriculture. They are organic materials and therefore flammable. This article examines the behaviour of hay and straw when exposed to radiant heat. The objective of this study is to experimentally determine the ignition temperature of hay and straw under the influence of radiant heat. The research investigates the effects of sample type (hay and straw) and sample quantity on the thermal degradation process, temperature increase within the samples, and ignition temperature of the samples as a function of time. The ignition temperature of hay was determined to be higher (407°C) compared to straw (380°C). The results did not demonstrate a significant correlation between sample type and the thermal degradation process or the ignition temperature of hay and straw.

This study investigated the factors affecting consumers’ acceptance to use cashless payment services in Malaysia through the construction of the Cashless Society Acceptance (CSA) model. The Technology Readiness Index 2.0 and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 were employed to create the CSA model. A total of 434 questionnaires were collected from Malaysian consumers, aged 18 years and above. The results show that Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and Discomfort have the most significant influence on the consumers’ acceptance of cashless payment services with R-square of 71.4%.

TThis paper delves into the extension and characterization of radial positive definite functions into non-integer dimensions. We provide a thorough investigation by employing the Riemann-Liouville fractional integral and fractional Caputo derivatives, enabling a comprehensive understanding of these functions. Additionally, we introduce a secondary characterization based on the Bernstein characterization of completely monotone functions. The practical significance of our study is showcased through an examination of the positivity of the fundamental solution of the space-fractional Bessel diffusion equation, highlighting the real-world applicability of the developed concepts. Through this work, we contribute to the broader understanding of radial positive definite functions and their utility in diverse mathematical and applied contexts.

In this study organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell along with the spiro OMeTAD as a hole transport layer (HTL) and the PDINO as an electron transport layer (ETL) was simulated through the Solar Capacitance Simulator, one dimensional (SCAPS-1D) software to examine the performance of this type of polymer thin film organic solar cells. As an active layer the blend of polymer donor PBDB-T and non-fullerene acceptor ITIC-OE was used. Numerical simulation was performed by varying the thickness of HTL and active layer. Firstly, the HTL layer thickness was optimized to 50 nm, after that the active layer thickness varied up to 80 nm. These results of simulation demonstrated that the HTL thickness has rather little impact on efficiency while in the case of active layer thickness improves efficiency significantly. The temperature effect on the performance of solar cells was considered, by the simulation performed for temperature from 300 K up to 400 K and the efficiency of solar cell decreases with increasing temperature. Generally, polymer films usually are full of traps and defects, the density of defects (Nt) value was also introduced to the simulation, and it was confirmed that with the increasing of defect density (Nt), the efficiency of solar cell decreases. After thickness, temperature and defect density optimization, the reflection coating was also applied on it. It turned out that by introducing the reflection coating on the back side of solar cell, the efficiency increases by 2.5 %. Additionally, the positive effect of HTL and ETL doping on efficiency of this type of solar cells was demonstrated.

To estimate the degree of quantum entanglement, it is important to understand the statistical behavior of functions of spectrum of density matrices such as von Neumann entropy, quantum purity, and entanglement capacity. These entangle- ment metrics over different generic state ensembles have been studied intensively in the literature. As an alternative metric, in this work we study sum of square root spectrum of density matrices, which is relevant to negativity and fidelity in quantum information processing. In particular, we derive the exact mean and vari- ance of sum of square root spectrum over the Bures-Hall generic state ensemble extending known results obtained recently over the Hilbert-Schmidt ensemble.

Exogenous proteases are well established for hydrolysing proteins and improving the digestibility of amino acids, which, in animal production, enhances growth performance and diet formulation flexibility. Attention has now turned to the wider, or ‘extra-proteinaceous’, benefits of proteases. Both host and (gut) microbiome utilise amino acids for diverse functions beyond just cellular growth and proliferation. For example, the host produces a diverse array of proteinaceous secretions that seek to modulate the activity of the intestinal microbiome and opportunities to interact with host (e.g., epithelial) receptors. Reciprocally, the microbiome utilises various protein-based components to perform individual lifestyle traits, such as colonising gut niches, production of virulence traits, etc., which can be influenced by protease activity and amino acid availability. In addition, microbial fermentation of proteins and amino acids produces metabolites that may be considered undesirable (e.g., toxic) for the host’s cells or, for example, can act as signalling molecules, shaping the secretion of gut hormones and function. Parallels may also exist between various antibiotic growth promoters and proteases, in that both can target/impact microbial proteins (synthesis and degradation, respectively). There are many aspects to consider, such as determining optimal intestinal levels and spectra of proteolytic activity under various scenarios, but great potential exists.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition of kidney dysfunction due to diverse causes of injury. In healthy kidneys, protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs) are cleared from the systemic circulation by proximal tubule cells through the concerted action of plasma membrane transporters that facilitate their urinary excretion, but the endogenous metabolites are hardly removed with kidney dysfunction and may contribute to CKD progression. Accumulating evidence suggests that senescence of kidney tubule cells influences kidney fibrosis, the common endpoint for CKD with an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Senescence is a special state of cells characterized by permanent cell cycle arrest and limitation of proliferation, which promotes fibrosis by releasing senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors. The accumulation of PBUTs in CKD causes oxidative stress and increases the production of inflammatory (SASP) factors that could trigger fibrosis. Recent studies provide some clues that PBUTs may also promote senescence in kidney tubular cells. This review provides an overview on how senescence contributes to CKD and the involvement of PBUTs in this process, and how kidney senescence can be studied, Finally, some suggestions for future therapeutic options for CKD while targeting senescence are given.

The purpose of this work is to describe and explain the characteristics of pedagogy as a science of education, as an object, concepts and research method. The methodology assumed was the review of the history of pedagogy, especially the classics of pedagogy, those who built it with their experiences in laboratory schools. Here are listed the main concepts of pedagogy, its laws and principles; she establishes the opposition that exists between teaching-learning and education as formation of the personality; she also delimits the fields of the pedagogical method, of didactics or teaching-learning, and the methodology of educational labor that organizes the process and the educational context, the regime and the lifestyle, such as those experienced in the "colonies" or "communes" of children and adolescents, organized and directed by Neill and Makarenko. Since the present article does not derive from a primary source or from field work, as an empirical or experimental research, the results constitute the content of the article, as conclusions.

Organ transplantation remains the only treatment option for patients with end-stage organ dysfunction. However, there are numerous limitations that challenge its clinical application, including the shortage of organ donations, the quality of donated organs, injury during organ preservation and reperfusion, primary and chronic graft dysfunction, acute and chronic rejection, infection, and carcinogenesis in post-transplantation patients. Acute and chronic inflammation and cell death are two major underlying mechanisms for graft injury. Necroptosis is a type of programmed cell death involved in many diseases and has been studied in the setting of all major solid organ transplants, including the kidney, heart, liver, and lung. It is determined by the underlying donor organ conditions (e.g., age, alcohol consumption, fatty liver, hemorrhage shock, donation after circulatory death, etc.), preservation conditions and reperfusion, as well as allograft rejection. Specific molecular mechanisms of necroptosis have been uncovered in the organ transplantation setting, and potential targeting drugs have been identified. We hope this review article will promote more clinical research to determine the role of necroptosis and other types of programmed cell death in solid organ transplantation to alleviate the clinical burden of ischemia-reperfusion injury and graft rejection.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent the leading cause of global mortality with 1,7 million deaths a year. One of the alternative systems to drug therapy to minimize the risk of CVDs is represented by alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid of the Omega-3 series, known for its cholesterol-lowering effect. The main purpose of this review is to analyze the effects of ALA and investigate the relevant n-6/n-3 ratio in order to maintain functionally beneficial effects. Concerning the lipid-lowering preventive effects, ALA may favorably affect the values of LDL-C and triglycerides in either adult and pediatric populations and it has a positive and protective effect against hypertension, suggesting that ALA is an useful diet-related antihypertensive compound. According to the 2009 EFSA statement, dietary ALA may contribute to reducing the risk of CVDs, thanks to anti-hypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic and cardio-protective effects.

Complex interactions between gene variants and environmental risk factors underlie the pathophysiological pathways in major psychiatric disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a psychiatric condition in which susceptible alleles along with epigenetic memories contribute to the mutational landscape of the ailing brain. The present work reviews recent evolutionary, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms potentially linked to the etiology of autism. First, we present a clinical vignette to describe clusters of maladaptive behaviors frequently diagnosed in autistic patients. Next, we microdissect brain regions pertinent to the nosology of autism as well as cell networks from the bilateral body plan. Lastly, we catalog a number of pathogenic environments associated with disease risk factors. This set of perspectives provides emerging insights into the dynamic interplay between epigenetic and environmental variation in the development of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Machine learning methods have been a standard approach to select features that are associated with an outcome and build a prediction model when the number of candidate features is large. LASSO has been one of the most popular approaches to this end. LASSO approach selects features with large regression estimates, rather than based on statistical significance, associating the outcome, by imposing L1-norm penalty to overcome the high dimensionality of the candidate features. As a result, LASSO may select insignificant features while possibly missing significant ones. Furthermore, from our experience, LASSO has been found to select too many features. By selecting features that are not associated with the outcome, we may have to spend more cost to collect and manage them in the future use of a fitted prediction model. Using the combination of L1- and L2-norm penalties, elastic net (EN) tends to select more features than LASSO. The overly selected features that are not associated with the outcome act like white noise, so that the fitted prediction model loses the prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose to use the standard regression methods (without any penalizing approach) with stepwise variable selection procedure to overcome these issues. Unlike LASSO and EN, this method selects features based on statistical significance. Through extensive simulations, we show that this maximum likelihood estimation based method selects very small number of features while maintaining a high prediction power, while LASSO and EN make a large number of false selections to result in loss of prediction accuracy. Contrary to LASSO and EN, the regression methods combined with a stepwise variable selection method is a standard statistical method, so that any biostatistician can use it to analyze high dimensional data even without advanced bioinformatics knowledge.

AgW materials exhibit excellent properties and are widely used as contact materials in low- and medium-voltage switches. In this study, a pre-sintering and infiltration method was employed to pre-sinter W powder with Cu, Ni, and (Cu+Ni) addition in the low temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The low-temperature sintering behaviours of W skeletons with different additives were investigated. Subsequently, AgW70, AgW75, AgW80, and AgW85 materials were prepared through infiltration at 1050 °C. The microstructure morphology and physical properties of high-W contact materials were investigated using a metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope. The mechanism of low-temperature sintering-infiltration of high-W contact materials was elucidated. The results indicated that pure W and 1% Cu-added W skeletons experience minimal linear shrinkage within the temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The linear shrinkage curves of W skeletons with different additives coincided under the conditions of 950–1000 °C/90 min. At 1050 °C, after sintering for 150 min, the particle boundaries in the W skeleton were fully spheroidised, with a dihedral angle of 120°. At 1050 °C and after 150 min of infiltration, cross-sectional micrographs of the AgW material revealed the presence of irregular Ni layers, where Ni spatially enveloped/encapsulated Ag. With an increase in the W content, the electrical conductivity and relative density of AgW(70–85) materials decreased, whereas the hardness of the materials increased.

In this study, we discuss the thermospheric density response to the solar activity and QBO. By using the wavelet power spectrum method, the thermospheric density from 1967 to 2013 shows ~11-year period, semiannual and annual variations, while the seasonal variation is usually more significant under high solar activity conditions. Importantly, we investigate the possible link between the density and the QBO, with the aid of GAMDM model and different density residual method. As a result, the difference between the measured density and empirical model seemingly has QBO signal, but the ratio of them revels that the QBO signal does not exist in the thermospheric density. Comprehensively, we thought the stratospheric QBO cannot impact on the thermosphere, and more data and numerical modeling are needed for further validation.

We can improve our knowledge of the factors influencing women's decisions to have a caesarean section rather than a vaginal delivery, slow the rise in the caesarean section rate, encourage mothers to have vaginal delivery, and provide practical solutions to health system planners through statistical analysis of the proportion of women who prefer caesarean sections. This investigation is cross-sectional. It involved gathering information from 60 women (20–42 years old) who had given birth via caesarean section over four months, beginning in October 2022 and ending in January 2023. The main reasons of a caesarean section were presence of a fibrous node (caused by previous caesarean sections that were repeated) at 16.67%, intrauterine foetal death at 15%, cervical stenosis at 8.33% , 8.33% of births were repeated due to obstructed labour; 6.66% of caesareans were carried out because the mother contracted or had her uterus removed in order to prevent having children. This study found that there were a lot of complications. The bleeding or anaemia cases accounted for the highest percentage of complications (20%), followed by high blood pressure (16.67%), high fever (10%), and either shortness of breath, blood clotting, urinary tract infection, or wound inflammation (10%). The results of the current study indicated that the level of education, the employment of mothers, and the age of the pregnant were the most important social and demographic factors for increasing the rate of caesarean sections

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives, which has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties. The interaction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with cell membranes can affect their physicochemical properties, which, in turn, can cause a number of side effects in the use of these drugs. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy could be used to study the interaction of diclofenac with the membrane, if its spin-labeled analogs existed. This paper describes the synthesis of spin-labeled diclofenac (diclofenac-SL), which consists of a simple sequence of transformations such as iodination, esterification, Sonogashira cross-coupling, oxidation and saponification. EPR spectra showed that diclofenac-SL binds to in a lipid membrane composed of palmito-yl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC). 2H electron spin echo spectroscopy (ESEEM) was used to determine the position of the diclofenac-SL relative to the membrane surface. It has been established that the average its depth of immersion corresponds to the 5th position of the carbon atom in the lipid chain.

This paper examines the importance of choice of cooking fuels in wellbeing, analysing relationships between the proportion of population with primary reliance on different types of fuels for cooking (predictor variable), and key wellbeing indices (outcome variables) - Personal Health, Social Life, Civic Engagement, Life Evaluation, Negative Experience. By combining two global datasets from Gallup and WHO, the study adds to current evidence by taking a global perspective. Controlling for demographic factors such as income per capita, age, education level, employment, etc., regression modelling of these relationships show that clean cooking fuels are influential in all of the key wellbeing indices with the exception of the Life Evaluation Index. Among the key wellbeing indices, Personal Health and Negative Experience Indices are the most strongly influenced by choice of clean cooking fuels. By adding access to electricity as an additional predictor variable, the analysis highlights the potential for integrating eCooking into national electrification plans as part of sustainable energy transitions, given that health outcomes (Personal health and Negative experience indices) appear to be as closely linked to choice of cooking fuels as to access to electricity.

the process of rapidly digitalizing and transforming businesses, known as Industry 4.0, was already underway before COVID-19. However, the imposed restrictions during the pandemic significantly amplified the need and motivation for both businesses and consumers to utilize digital tools across all sectors including the sectors of bioeconomy. The agricultural and food production sectors have a predominant role in the bioeconomy of the European Union (EU), followed by wood production. These sectors make significant contributions not only to national economies but also to rural areas. Consequently, the digitalization of businesses within the bioeconomy sector not only transforms the enterprises and value chains themselves but also benefits the rural communities in which these enterprises are situated. This study aims to assess the barriers of the bioeconomy sector and ways to support digital transformation within this sector. The paper analyses bioeconomy in EU and the state of digitalisation in the EU. The empiric analysis is based on the cluster analysis of the digitalisation and R&D indicators of the EU and the AHP analysis that allows determining the digitalisation scenarios in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland carried out by four stake-holder groups - national government; advisory and extension; research and entrepreneurship. The results of the AHP indicate that experts from Lithuania and Poland preferred the scenario that suggested the self-initiative from the entrepreneurs of the sector, but experts from Latvia – prioritization of support for digital transformation using national and EU funding. The AHP results also indicate that the opinions of the national government, consulting, and research experts are more aligned throughout all three countries, but the opinion of entrepreneurs differs from these groups.

There are gravitational field and baryonic matter (star, planet, gases etc.) in our world; gravitational field is much more fundamental for that the relativistic mass of the gravitational field of a neutron star is almost 10²¹ times the mass of the neutron star. And, it is astonishing that the relativistic mass density of the gravitational field on the surface of a neutron star can be larger than the mass density of the neutron star. It is well known that, in the weak gravitational field a light line appears a straight line while in the strong field it is a curved line. It is stressed that the result measured in the strong field is more fundamental for that in a galaxy the measurable object is generally with strong field. It results in that the way that the result measured on the Earth with weak field is used as the universal standard need be revised as gravity is studied in the scale of a galaxy. It seems that a new theory of gravity need be developed for the new observations.

In On Revolution, Hannah Arendt makes the case that a constitution must account for the need of the human person to participate in the building of society, both as a primordial and continual action of founding. This paper draws on Arendt's insight on the relationship between privacy and the notion of property, both of which the constitution must protect, as it is dependent on those notions. Property in its fullest sense is the means by which a person interacts with others and establishes a society. Particularly important for this notion of engagement are the concepts of shame and the love of goodness. The actor emerges from the private sphere to interact with others on the strength of the secrecy and confidentiality of her intimate, private relationships. Property is therefore essential to human flourishing and happiness. Following this, the activity of constructing the public forum on the basis of the private is an important feature of Arendt's constitutionalism. Human action showers third-party esteem on the actor's family and friends, binding them to the constitutional structure and strengthening familial relationships and social cohesion.

This article focuses on the economic dimensions of maternal health, highlighting the benefits of investing in maternal healthcare and the policy implications for sustainable development. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, the article explores the economic impact of maternal health, including its effects on human capital, productivity, and healthcare costs. It emphasizes the importance of addressing social determinants such as access to healthcare services, education, employment, income, and geographical disparities. By prioritizing maternal health, societies can unlock the economic potential of women, promote inclusive growth, and reduce gender disparities. The article discusses policy interventions, including the importance of healthcare infrastructure, financial support for maternal healthcare, and promoting gender equality. It also emphasizes the need for future research to quantify the economic benefits and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different interventions. Overall, the article underscores the economic imperative of investing in maternal health and provides valuable insights for policymakers and researchers seeking to enhance maternal health outcomes and promote sustainable economic development.

In sustainable agriculture, plant nutrients are the most important elements. Biofertilizers introduce microorganisms that improve the soil nutrients and increase their accessibility to crops. In order to meet the demands of a growing population, healthy crops need to be produced using the right type of fertilizers to provide them with all the major nutrients they require. However, an increasing dependency on chemical fertilizers is destroying the environment and negatively af-fecting the health of humans. Thus, using microbes as bioinoculants as the best replacement of chemical fertilizers as eco-friendly way for plant growth and soil fertility is believed to be the best method for improving plant growth and soil fertility. In sustainable agriculture, these microbes provide significant benefits to crops. In addition to colonizing plant systems (epiphytic, endo-phytic, and rhizospheric), beneficial microbes play a key role in absorbing nutrients from surrounding ecosystems. Plant associate microbes can promote plant growth regardless of natural and extreme conditions. Plant growth promoting microbes promote plant growth through a variety of direct and indirect methods, such as nitrogen fixation, plant growth hormone production, siderophores, HCN, several hydrolytic enzymes, and potassium, zinc, and phosphorus solubilization. Research on biofertilizers has been extensive and even available, which demonstrates how these microbes can deliver nutrients to crops in sufficient quantities to enhance their yield. This review examines in detail the direct and indirect mechanisms of PGPR action and their interaction in plant growth and resistance.

Vascular calcification (VC), is a common complication in patients with chronic kidney disease and increases mortality. Although oxidative stress is involved in the onset and progression of this disorder, the specific role of some main redox regulators such as catalase, the main scavenger of H2O2, remains unclear. In the present study, epigastric arteries of kidney transplant recipients, an in vivo model of VC and an in vitro model of VC exhibiting catalase overexpression (Cts) were analyzed. Peri-calcification areas of human epigastric arteries have increased levels of catalase and cytoplasmic rather than nuclear RUNX2. In the in vivo model, advanced aortic VC concurs with lower levels of the H2O2 scavenger, glutathione peroxidase 3 compared to controls. In an early model of calcification using vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), Cts VSMCs showed the expected increase in RUNX2 total levels. However, Cts VMSC also exhibited lower percentage of the nucleus stained for RUNX2 in response to calcifying media. At this early model of VC we did not observe dysregulation of mitochondrial redox state, an increase in general redox state was observed in the cytoplasm. These in vivo and in vitro results highlight the complex role of antioxidant enzymes as catalase in the process of VC by regulation of RUNX2 location.

To identify soil microbial communities, it is essential to understand their phenotypic and genetic characteristics. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are bacteria capable of promoting plant growth. In addition, rhizobacteria also serve as biological control agents. In addition to fixing atmospheric nitrogen, solubilising insoluble phosphate and secreting hormones such as indoloacetic acid, kinetics and gibberellins, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria help plants grow directly. Furthermore, they facilitate plant growth indirectly by inducing systemic resistance, siderophores, antibiotics, lytic enzymes, hydrogen cyanide production and stress regulation. This review examines in detail the direct and indirect mechanisms of PGPR action and their interaction in plant growth and resistance.

A close-range photogrammetric approach and its implementation using a CNC device and a macro camera are proposed. A tailored image acquisition approach is proposed that is implemented using this device. To increase reconstruction robustness and accuracy, the key point features detected in the acquired images are tracked across multiple views from multiple viewpoints at multiple distances. This approach reduces spurious correspondences and, as a result, the estimation accuracy of calibration parameters is increased and reconstruction errors are reduced. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed approach, which exhibits micrometre resolution and low implementation cost.

Membracis mexicana (Hemiptera: Membracidae) is distributed in four biogeographic provinces of Mexico, field observations indicate that there are different forms of this species but so far it has not been recorded how the different forms are and how they are distributed. The aim of this study was to quantify the phenotypic and genetic variation of M. mexicana and determine if the config-uration of biogeographic provinces impacts the distribution of this variation. To do this we ana-lyzed 307 photographs using 19 landmarks and geometric morphometrics to quantify the pheno-typic variation in helmets. We sequenced five molecular markers for 205 individuals to describe the phylogeographic pattern. As a result, we identified three morphological configurations of the helmet of M. mexicana and two genetic lineages. The morphotypes are 1) large and wide helmet with small dorsal spots, 2) small and narrow helmet with large dorsal spots, and 3) small and narrow helmet with small spots. Genetic lineages are distributed at southeast and western of Mexico. The western lineage corresponds to two helmet morphotypes (1 and 2) and the southeast lineage to morphotype 3. We found that the larger helmets correspond the western lineage and are distributed in Transmexican Volcanic Belt and Pacific lowlands provinces whereas the smallest helmets correspond to the southeast lineage and are present in Veracruzan and Yucatan Peninsula provinces.

Worldwide, the demand for natural and synthetic sweeteners in the food industry as an alternative to refined sugar is increasing. This prompted more research to estimate its safety and effect on health. The gut microbiome is critical in metabolizing selected sweeteners, which might affect overall health. Recently, more studies evaluated the relationship between sweeteners and the gut microbiome. This review summarizes the current knowledge addressing the role played by the gut microbiome in metabolizing selected sweeteners. It also addresses the influence of the five selected sweeteners or their metabolites on GI cancer-related pathways. Overall, the observed positive effect of sweetener consumption on GI cancer pathways, such as apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, requires further investigation to understand the underlying mechanism. Furthermore, more research is needed to address the main challenges of studying the field, thus advancing it further.

This research focuses on the development of a foot-worn device to assist individuals with limited mobility in walking. The device aims to reduce the risk of accidents by closely moni-toring the wearer's movements and detecting potential hazards. It incorporates sensors, in-cluding the MPU6050 gyro sensor and KY-031 vibration sensor, to track the wearer's walking behavior. In case of abnormalities, such as falls, the device triggers an auditory alert and noti-fies the caregiver via LINE Notify. The system is controlled by the Node MCU ESP8266, enabling seamless integration with the Internet of Things (IoT). The objective of this study is to design an IoT system for medical assistance. The researchers created a prototype of a smart ankle device capable of detecting falls and sending notifications to the user's smartphone. The effectiveness of the notification system was evaluated using the Line Notify application. Re-sults demonstrated a successful detection of falls in 48 out of 50 trials, with two instances of false alarms during normal walking. The overall efficiency of the smart ankle device was 98%. In summary, the proposed smart ankle device demonstrates promising potential for var-ious applications in fall detection and safety alert systems. Further improvements and collab-orations with healthcare experts are recommended to enhance its performance and make it commercially viable. The device's connectivity and responsiveness to IoT systems are vital aspects to be considered. Future research should aim to develop additional features in collab-oration with physiotherapists and healthcare professionals to meet user requirements. The de-vice holds significant benefits in terms of fall detection and safety alerts, and efforts should be made to enhance its durability, robustness, and commercialization prospects.

Coastal inundation is recently requiring a significant attention worldwide. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events (sea storms, tsunami waves) are highly stressing the coastal envi-ronments, e.g. endangering a large number of residential areas, ecosystems, tourist facilities, and also leading to potential environmental risks. Predicting such events and the generated coastal flooding is thus of paramount importance and can be reached by exploiting the potential of different tools, like remote sensors and numerical modeling. To this aim, a combination is possible between marine radars and wave-resolving propagation models. While instruments like X-band radars are able at precisely reconstructing both wave field and bathymetry within a coastal area that is some kilometers offshore, wave-resolving Boussinesq-type models can reproduce the wave propagation in the nearshore and the consequent coastal flooding. The present work illustrates the reconstruc-tion of coastal data (wave field and seabed depth) conducted using radar signals and a specifically suited data processing, named “Local Method”, and the use of such coastal data to run numerical simulations of wave propagation (using the FUNWAVE-TVD solver) aimed at reproducing coastal inundation over different scenarios. Such scenarios are built using two different European beaches, i.e. Senigallia (Italy) and Oostende (Belgium), and three different directional spreading values, to evaluate the performances in case of either long- or short-crested waves. The overall validation of the methodology, in terms of maximum inundation, shows good performances, especially in case of short-crested wind waves. Furthermore, the application on the Oostende beach demonstrates that the present methodology might work only using open-access tools, i.e. an easy investigation of the coastal inundation and a potential low-cost integration into early warning systems.

The study sought to determine the impact of the Big Five personality characteristics on aggressiveness among school children aged 12 to 16 in the Jenin governorate. The study employing the Big five-factor scale of Macri and Costa and the scale of aggressive behaviour in three areas [aggressive behaviour against oneself, aggressive behaviour against others, and aggressive behaviour against property]. The sample size in this study was 314 students. The quantitative study tool [the questionnaire] revealed the following correlation between the five major personality factors and aggression: neuroticism [+], openness [-], conscientiousness [-], extraversion [-], agreeableness [-]. The most prevalent main personality variables were conscientiousness and neuroticism. The degree of aggressiveness in the Jenin governorate was relatively low on the overall scale.

Repetitive elements are a major component of DNA sequences due to their ability to propagate through the genome. Characterization of Metazoan repetitive profiles is picking up, however, current pipelines are failing to identify a significant proportion of divergent repeats in non-model organisms. The order Decapoda, for which repeat content analyses are largely lacking, is characterized by extremely variable genome sizes that suggest an important presence of repetitive elements. Here we developed a new standardized pipeline to annotate repetitive elements in non-model organisms, which we applied on 20 Decapoda and 6 other crustacean genomes. With our new tool we identify 10% more repetitive elements than standard pipelines. Repetitive elements were more abundant in Decapoda species than in other crustaceans, with an incredibly large number of highly repeated satDNA families. Moreover, we demonstrated a high correlation between assembly size and transposable elements and a different repeat dynamics between Dendrobranchiata and Reptantia. The patterns of repetitive elements largely reflect the phylogenetic relationships of Decapoda and the distinct evolutionary trajectories within Crustacea. In summary, our results highlight the impact of repetitive elements on genome evolution in Decapoda and the value of our novel annotation pipeline, which will provide a baseline for future comparative analyses.

We attempt to re-express Nernst law in terms of a suitable information measure (IM). This is done on the basis of adapting the idea of purity to a thermal Gibbs environment, which yields what we might call a ``purity'' (and symbolize it by the symbol $D$). We further apply the properly generalization of this $D$-IM to a classical scenario. This generalization turns our to have interesting consequences, when used in conjunction with the classical Shannon entropy $S$. These consequences are related to Nernst law.

We consider an $N$ fermion system at low temperature $T$ in which we encounter special particle number values $N_m$ exhibiting special traits. These values arise in focusing attention upon the degree of mixture (DM) of the pertinent quantum states. Given the coupling constant of the Hamiltonian, the DMs stay constant for all $N$-values, but experience sudden jumps at the $N_m$. For a quantum state described by the matrix $\rho$, its purity is expressed by $Tr \rho^2$ and then the degree of mixture is given by $1 - Tr \rho^2$, a quantity that coincides with the entropy $S_q$ for $q=2$. Thus, Tsallis entropy of index two faithfully represents the degree of mixing of a state, that is, it measures the extent to which the state departs from maximal purity . Macroscopic manifestations of the degree of mixing can be observed through various physical quantities. Our present study is closely related to properties of many-fermion systemsn that are usually manipulated at zero temperature. Here we wish to study the subject at finite temperature. Gibbs' ensemble is appealed to. Some interesting insights are thereby gained.

Applications for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) range from monitoring the environment to automating factories. However, sustained and effective functioning is made more difficult by Sensor Nodes (SNs) limited energy supplies in which optimization is the main issue. So with the aim of increasing the lifespan by decreasing the energy consumption of WSN, Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol with Deep Learning (DL) algorithm is analyzed in this paper. LEACH is a hierarchical mechanism that elects Cluster Heads (CHs) and regularly rotates their positions in order to allocate energy use effectively by using the same amount of energy. However, Deep Learning (DL) method is used to further improve energy optimization. In many applications, the types of Deep Learning methods like Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have shown to be very useful. Using this method, WSNs may make more efficient decisions that reduce energy consumption. Data aggregation, duty cycling, and transmission protocols may all be optimized by Deep Learning model's ability to recognize patterns and forecast network behavior. This results in lower energy consumption, a longer lifespan for the network, and better overall performance.

Snow cover plays a critical role in the global energy and water cycles. Snow cover on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) provides vital water sources in western China and Himalayan regions in addition to its weather and climate significance. The massive high mountain topography of the TP is main conditions for the presence and persistence of snow cover on the plateau at the mid-low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (NH). However, how mountain topography controls snow cover distribution on the TP is largely remain unclear and the relationship is not well quantified. Here, the spatial distribution of snow cover and topographic controls on snow cover on the TP are examined based on snow cover frequency (SCF) derived from MODIS snow cover product (MOD10A2 v5) and digital elevation model (DEM). The results show that snow cover on the TP is spatially unevenly distributed and is characterized by rich snow and high SCF on the interior and surrounding high mountain ranges, and less snow and low SCF in inland basins and river valleys. Snow cover on the TP presents elevation dependence with the higher the altitude, the higher the SCF, the longer the snow cover duration and the more stable the intra-annual variation. Annual mean SCF below 3000 m above sea level (masl) is less than 4% and it reaches 77% above 6000 masl. The intra-annual snow cover variation below 4000 masl features a unimodal distribution, while above 4000 masl it presents a bimodal distribution. The mean minimum SCF below 6000 masl occurs in summer, while above 6000 masl it occurs in winter. Because of differences in solar radiation and water vapor sources, mean SCF generally increases with mountain slopes and it is the highest on the north-facing aspect, whereas the lowest is observed on the south-facing aspect.

In the face of escalating cybercriminal sophistication, an innovative approach to network anomaly detection has been pursued in this longitudinal study, integrating computational data analytics in a geographic, organizational, and behavioral context. A data-driven scoring mechanism was employed to systematically analyze and correlate source countries of IP addresses and organization-associated Autonomous System (AS) Numbers (ASN) with network anomalies. Significant correlations between certain countries, specific organizations, and high behavior scores were identified through the data analytics. An increase in connection requests was also found to be linked with elevated behavior scores. Validated by cross-validation techniques, these findings emphasize the necessity for continuous model recalibration. The transformative role of integrative data analytics in cybersecurity is underscored, paving the way for the development of more sophisticated, context-aware anomaly detection systems. Specifically, the analysis underscores the need for organizations to adopt a proactive and adaptive approach to cybersecurity that can keep pace with the evolving threat landscape.

The Cl- transporting proteins CFTR, SLC26A9, and anoctamin (ANO1; ANO6) appear to have more in common than anticipated initially. They all participate in the pathogenic process and clinical outcome of renal and airway diseases. In the present review we will therefore concentrate on recent findings concerning electrolyte transport in airways and kidney, and the role of CFTR, SLC26A9, and anoctamins (ANO1 and ANO6). A particular focus will be on the airway diseases cystic fibrosis and asthma, as well as renal alkalosis and polycystic kidney disease. In essence, latest findings are summarized that demonstrate CFTR as the only relevant secretory Cl- channel in airways under basal (non-stimulated) conditions and after stimulation by secretagogues. For proper CFTR function, expression of ANO1 and ANO6 appears to be a prerequisite. Evidence is summarized suggesting that the Cl- transporter SLC26A9 may have a reabsorptive rather than a Cl- secretory function in the airways. In renal collecting ducts bicarbonate secretion takes place due to synergistic tasks of CFTR and the Cl-/HCO3- transporter SLC26A4 (pendrin), which is likely to be supported by ANO1. Finally, in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the secretory function of CFTR in renal cyst formation might have been overestimated, while ANO1 as well as ANO6 turned out to be crucial in ADPKD, and therefore represent novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of polycystic kidney disease.

Rapidly rotating neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields are observed to emit pulsed emission in the whole range of electromagnetic spectrum from radio to high energy gamma-rays. These so called pulsars are known for their exceptional rotational stability. The radio emission from pulsars is generally believed to be powered by the rotational energy of neutron stars. More than 3000 pulsars have been currently known from radio observations, however, it is observed that a large population of pulsars is also bright in optical, X-rays and gamma-rays. The Fermi-LAT observations in the energy range above 100 MeV have discovered about 300 pulsars. However, origin of high energy non-thermal radiation from pulsars is not completely understood and remains an active area of research. In this contribution, we report a summary of observational features of the gamma-ray pulsars and perform pulsar population study to predict their detectability for the MACE gamma-ray telescope, which has just started its regular science operation at Hanle in India.

The climate and its changes are major risk factors for agricultural activities because agricultural systems are highly affected by climatic factors such as temperature, rain, humidity, wind, and solar radiation. While some agricultural areas of the world are irrigated, the vast majority rely on natural rainfall patterns. Farmers will consume more water as a result of climate change and experience less water availability, resulting in a decrease in production capacity. As one of the most important natural phenomena affecting agricultural productivity, drought is a limiting environment for plant growth. The response of plants to water stress is complex and involves coordination between gene expression and its integration with hormones. It has been shown that bacteria have mechanisms to reduce water stress in these plant species and promote greater growth. The underlined mechanism involves root-to-shoot phenotypic changes in growth rate, architecture, hydraulic conductivity, water conservation, plant cell protection, and damage restoration through integrating phytohormones modulation, stress-induced enzymatic apparatus, and metabolites. This review demonstrates how plant growth-promoting bacteria can mitigate negative effects associated with water stress in plants and provide examples of technology conversion in agroecosystems.

Micromobility has gained attention from policymakers, industry stakeholders, and academia; however, a comprehensive conceptualization of micromobility is still missing. Existing definitions are largely vehicle-centric: either listing modes or detailing vehicle characteristics. This paper addresses this gap by developing a ‘beyond vehicles’, multi-dimensional conceptualization of micromobility, accompanied by a novel socio-technical definition. Through a review of related concepts, combined with an analysis of the use and definitions of the term micromobility in publications, this study establishes a new conceptualization of micromobility. It incorporates human, social, and cultural dimensions, considers environmental, economic, infrastructure, vehicle technology, regulatory and policy aspects, and considerations for public health. Our definition of micromobility encompasses a wide range of mobility options typically used for shorter trips and manoeuvrable by an individual without motor assistance, at least for short distances. These modes are characterized by their ‘micro’ attributes, including low energy demand, environmental impact, and road space use relative to automobility. The conceptualization incorporates a range of micromobility modes, including fully human-powered (including walking), partially motor-assisted, and fully powered options. These modes typically operate at speeds not exceeding 25 to 32 kilometres per hour (or 45 km/h for faster options), weigh (typically substantially) below 350 kilograms and often yield significant (public) health benefits. Trip length is generally less than 15 kilometres, and daily distances under 80 kilometres. Importantly, our definition includes the practices, policies, cultures, and infrastructures that emerge around the use of micromobility options and shape their uptake. This proposed conceptualization significantly broadens the prevailing vehicle-focus in micromobility debates towards a socio-technical perspective. Embracing a widely accepted conceptualisation of micromobility would offer several advantages, including robust design standards, legislation, and evaluation metrics and methods. Additionally, this paper highlights the pivotal role micromobilities can play in transcending the limitations of automobility, towards more sustainable and equitable mobility futures.

Characterized in biomedical terms, stretching exercises have been defined as movements applied by external and/or internal forces – to increase muscle and joint flexibility, decrease muscle stiffness, to elevate joint range of motion (ROM), to increase the length of the morpho-functional unit “muscle-tendon”, to improve joint, muscle and tendon movements, contraction and relaxa-tion. The present review examines and summarizes the initial and recent literature data related to the biomechanical, physiological and therapeutic effects of static stretching (SS) on flexibility and other physiological characteristics of the main structural and functional unit “joint-ligaments-tendon-muscle”. The healing and therapeutic effects of SS, soon combined with other rehabilitation techniques (massage, foam rolling – with and without vibrations; hot/cold therapy, etc.) are discussed in relationship to creation of individual (patient-specific) or group programs for treatment and prevention of joint injuries as well as for improving performance in sports. From a theoretical point of view, the role of SS as positively affecting the composition of the connective tissue matrix is pointed out: type I-III collagen synthesis, hyaluronic acid and glucosaminoglycans (GAGs) turnover – under influence of the transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β-1). Different variables as collagen type, biochemistry, elongation and elasticity are used as molecular biomarkers. Recent studies evaluated that the static progressive stretching therapy could prevent/reduce the development of arthrogenic contractures, joint capsule fibrosis, muscle stiffness and need new clinical applications. Combined stretch techniques are proposed and ap-plied in medicine and sports, depending on their long- and short-term effects on variables such as ROM, EMG activity, muscle stiffness, etc. The results obtained are of theoretical and practical interest for development of new experimental, mathematical and computational models and creation of efficient therapeutic programs. The healing SS effects on the main structural and functional unit – “joint-ligament-tendon-muscle” need further investigations, which could clarify and evaluate benefits of SS in prophylaxis and treatment of joint injuries - in healthy and ill in-dividuals, in older adults, as compared to young, active and well-trained persons, as well as to professional athletes.

Nitrate and nitrite are the most extensively used food additives in the food industry for their multifunctional properties, and they have been in the spotlight for decades for its controversial back effects. The conversion of nitrate and nitrite to various nitroso compounds, specifically N-nitrosamine raises the question of the integrity of these additives. Nitrosamine is a well-known carcinogen and mutagen. A large number of studies demonstrate the carcinogenic effects of these salts. Are these findings credible? Nonetheless, the regulatory agencies approve its usage; is it biased? Are we feeding on the carcinogens in processed foods? The current work provides an insight into the basic and toxicological findings of the food additives -nitrate and nitrite.

Let G be a connected Lie group with Lie algebra g. This review is devoted to studying the fundamental dynamic properties of elements in the normalizer NG of G. Through an algebraic characterization of NG we analyze the different dynamics inside the normalizer. NG contains the well-known left-invariant vector fields and the linear and affine vector fields on G. In any case, we show the shape of the solutions of these ordinary differential equations on G. We give examples in low-dimensional Lie groups. It is worth saying that these dynamics generate the linear and bilinear control systems on Euclidean spaces and the invariant and linear control systems on Lie groups. Moreover, the Jouan Equivalence Theorem shows how to extend this theory to control systems on manifolds.

Cobalt, like other critical elements, is gaining in importance today. The great technological advances and the deep knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of this element have allowed to enhance its applications in various fields, such as: catalysts, paints, alloys for the mechanical and aerospace industries, as well as the medical sector and in recent times, its use within the rechargeable battery industry. The main exploitable deposits are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have economic potential due to a strong influence on their mineralization processes. However, the growing demand for cobalt and the search for less dependence on African deposits leads to targeting other regions, so it is necessary to carry out exhaustive exploration to find out the potential of its reserves for a subsequent benefit of the mineral. Generally, cobalt comes as a by-product of the extraction of other metallic minerals, mainly from Cu-Co, Ni-Co, Ni-Cu-Co deposits. From the above, a first review is carried out on the differences that exist in the geochemical, mineralogical and forecast properties that exist within the different deposits that harbor cobalt. As a second review topic, it delves into efficient processing for cobalt recovery, which is generally carried out by flotation, acid leaching, in addition to its recovery from secondary sources, such as batteries and metallurgical waste. However, generally speaking there is still a vast lack of fundamental knowledge about the processability of cobalt. Said processing has been affected from the point of view of mineralogy, that is, understanding and knowing the cobalt-bearing minerals, as well as gangue mineralogy, these aspects exercise significant control during their processing and selection of the most appropriate route. suitable for cobalt extraction (leaching and/or flotation). In this context, the document concludes with a vision of the challenges that the mining industry must implement to enter circular economy models, mainly in the creation of sustainable processes from secondary sources.

The Lagrangian formalism is developed for the population dynamics of interacting species that are described by several well-known models. The formalism is based on standard Lagrangians, which represent differences between the physical kinetic and potential energy-like terms. A method to derive these Lagrangians is presented and applied to selected theoretical models of the population dynamics. The role of the derived Lagrangians and the energy-like terms in the population dynamics is investigated, and it is shown that the obtained standard Lagrangians can be used to study oscillatory behavior of the models and the period of their oscillations, which may have ecological and environmental implications. These and other physical and biological insights gained from the derived standard Lagrangians are discussed.

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized traditional services, giving rise to emerging smart infrastructures by connecting the physical and digital worlds. Sensory data is essential in IoT-based systems for providing context-aware and location-based services. Hence, the accurate localization of IoT devices is paramount. Anchor misplacement can significantly affect location information and coverage services in IoT. We study the effect of anchor misplacement in typical IoT settings where sensors are randomly deployed, can be mobile and may belong to multiple providers. We identify sensing coverage holes formed by anchor misplacement and analyze their presence and impact. To mitigate the impact of anchor misplacement on network reliability, we propose a framework to identify the affected sensor nodes and then identify and remove misplaced anchor nodes. The validity of our approach is verified, and its effectiveness is demonstrated by several experiments with different network topologies and parameters. Our results are promising and can be utilized in multiple coverage applications, such as smart agriculture systems and habitat monitoring, regardless of the sensors or deployment types. It also sheds light on best practices and methods for a reliable design of IoT-based systems.

A roadmap is proposed that defines a systematic approach for craft preservation and its evaluation. The proposed roadmap aims at deepening craft understanding, so blueprints of appropriate tools that support craft documentation, education, and training can be designed while achieving preservation through the stimulation and diversification of practitioner income. A roadmap is required because understanding making activities that include “care, judgement, and dexterity” [1] call for interdisciplinary contributions from Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Art History, as well as Physical and Computational Sciences, to cover the multifaceted expression of crafts as living and developing heritage, as a source of income, and as the expression of the mind through “imagery, technology, and sedimented knowledge” [2]. In addition to this roadmap, an evaluation strategy is proposed to validate the efficacy of the developed results and provide a benchmark for the efficacy of craft preservation approaches. The proposed contribution aims at the catalysation of craft education and training with digital aids, widening access and engagement to crafts, economising learning, increasing exercisability, and relaxing remoteness constraints in craft learning.

Targeted cancer therapy has grown exponentially in the last decade, representing the largest frontier in the modern concept of precision medicine. This renaissance is largely due to our rapidly evolving ability to biochemically harness our immune systems to target cancer-specific antigens. Combined with an increasing armamentarium of surgical and non-invasive techniques for cancer mitigation we have upgraded cancer therapy from a non-specific assault on cell-division to a multi-modal, targeted approach. This renaissance has resulted in an increase in the perioperative footprint of patients with advanced cancer. The scope of the perioperative clinician has evolved from one of passive/reactive management of complications to a proactive approach that starts in the preoperative optimization phase and continues into the postoperative period. The perioperative world should not exist in a silo, and thus involvement of the oncology team is paramount. To provide safe oncologic care, it is essential to be up to date in newer cancer therapies, lest we act on erroneous and/or outdated information. Oncologists should weigh in on immune status, recent chemotherapeutic exposures, and potentially evolving toxicities. These might involve critical changes to perioperative infectious prophylaxis, steroid administration, and coagulopathy management. First, patients living beyond the typical life-expectancy for their cancer will carry a high burden of cancer-related downstream effects. General metabolic issues will include malnutrition, cachexia, and gastric outlet obstruction. Severe protein-calorie malnutrition, as well as hepatic and renal dysfunction can impact the metabolism and clearance of drugs. The cardiovascular, endocrinologic, pulmonary, and central nervous system implications of new cancer therapies will be discussed extensively below. Second, we have to enhance our ability to manage a cancer population who may be experiencing increasing novel chemotherapeutic toxicities. Newer agents differ from historical agents, which were blunt-force tools aimed at nonspecific destruction of cell-division. These drugs are efficacious but physiologically costly. Newer immunogenic therapies have a slightly improved acute safety profile, and a more complex chronic toxicity profile that may be overt or insidious. Chronic toxicities can present overtly or as a smoldering undertone to other active medical conditions such as sepsis, pneumonia, failure to thrive, or renal failure. The new therapies discussed in this review occur in the context of an overall increasingly multi-faceted cancer care machine. An example is screening for esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett's esophagus, or periodic chest CTs for patients with a strong history of tobacco use. These interventions are more likely to detect disease while it is still resectable, and resections will commonly accompany neo-adjuvant therapy. These approaches commonly involve new immunotherapies whose efficacy is higher-yield with a lower disease burden. In a recent example, the immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) ipilimumab plus nivolumab have significantly increased survival rate for squamous cell esophageal cancer when combined with standard chemotherapy. Surgical resection has evolved to one that often accompanies neoadjuvant chemo and radiation. The increasing efficacy of this approach may de-necessitate many major resections, and increase the number of sub-anatomic resections and minimally invasive procedures. Improved techniques - notably for hepatectomy, whipple procedure, prostatectomy, nephrectomy - have increased the safety profile and decreased the perioperative physiologic burden. This has enabled a broader subset of patients (due to cancer burden or due to medical comorbidities) to qualify for the operation, and increased the involvement of anesthesia and their perioperative services. With an increase in surgical candidacy comes an increase in post-surgical complications, and post-surgical maintenance such as drains, embolizations, imaging studies, etc. In the non-OR anesthesia realm, there have been considerable advancements in cancer “micro-treatments” such as hepatic metastasis embolization, tumor ablation, and peri-tumor vascular embolization. There are an ever-increasing number of IR-guided embolizations for bleeding tumors, aspiration of malignant effusions, and drainage of abscesses. This review serves to provide insight into new categories of chemotherapy and their perioperative implications.

Pain is frequently reported during cancer disease, and still remains poorly controlled in 40% of patients. Recent developments in oncology have helped to better control pain. Targeted treatments may cure cancer disease and significantly increase survival. Thereby, a novel population of patients (cancer survivors) has emerged, also enduring chronic pain (27.6% moderate to severe pain). The present review discuss the different options currently available to manage pain in (former) cancer patients in the light of progress made in the last decade. Major progress in the field are recent development of a chronic cancer pain taxonomy now included in International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and update of WHO analgesic ladder. Until recently, cancer pain management has mostly relied on pharmacotherapy, opioids being considered as mainstay. The opioids crisis has prompted the reassessment of opioids use, both in cancer patients and cancer survivors. The review focuses on the current utilization of opioids, on the neuropathic pain component often neglected and on techniques and non-pharmacological strategies available which help to personalize patient’s treatment. Cancer pain management is now closer to the management of chronic non-cancer pain i.e. “an integrative pain care” aiming to improve patient’s quality of life.

High efficiency and safety are critical factors in ensuring optimal performance and reliability of systems and equipment across various industries. Fault Monitoring (FM) techniques play a pivotal role in this regard by continuously monitoring system performance and identifying the presence of faults or abnormalities. However, traditional FM methods face limitations in fully capturing the complex interactions within a system and providing real-time monitoring capabilities. To overcome these challenges, Digital Twin (DT) technology has emerged as a promising solution to enhance existing FM practices. By creating a virtual replica or digital copy of a physical equipment or system, DT offers the potential to revolutionize fault monitoring approaches. This paper aims to explore and discuss the diverse range of predictive methods utilized in DT and their implementations in FM across industries. Furthermore, it will showcase successful implementations of DT in FM across a wide array of industries, including manufacturing, energy, transportation, and healthcare The utilization of DT in FM enables a comprehensive understanding of system behavior and performance by leveraging real-time data, advanced analytics, and machine learning algorithms. By integrating physical and virtual components, DT facilitates the monitoring and prediction of faults, providing valuable insights into the system’s health and enabling proactive maintenance and decision-making.

Snakes are a vital component of wildlife resources and are widely distributed across the globe. Bungarus multicinctus, a highly venomous snake, is found in central and southern China. B. multicinctus is a highly venomous snake and is distributed in central and southern China. Snakes are an ancient group of reptiles, and their genome resources can provide important clues for understanding the evolutionary history of reptiles. Meanwhile, genomic resources play a crucial role in comprehending the evolution of species. So far, the genomic resources of snakes are a rarity. In 2021, a snake sample was collected from Beiliu Longgukeng, Guangxi, which was identified as B. multicinctus through morphological identification. In this study, we present a highly contiguous genome of B. multicinctus with a size of 1.51 Gb. The genome contains a repeat content of 40.15%, with a total length exceeding 620 Mb. Additionally, we annotated a total of 24,869 functional genes. This research is of great significance for comprehending the evolution of B. multicinctus and provides a genomic basis for the genes involved in venom gland function.

Background: Pteropodine (PT) is a component of some plants with potentially useful pharmaco-logical activities for humans. This compound has biomedical properties related to the modulation of the immune system, nervous system, and inflammatory processes. This study addresses the an-ti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity of pteropodin in a murine model of arthritis and induced edema of the mouse ear. Methods: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity, we used the reversed passive Arthus reaction (RPAR), which includes the rat paw edema test, the rat pleurisy test, and a mouse ear edema model. The antioxidant effect was evaluated by determining the myeloperoxidase enzyme activity. Results: PT showed an anti-inflammatory effect in the different specific and non-specific tests. We found a 52 to 74% of inhibitory effect of PT in the rat paw edema test, 52% of reduction of the pleural exudate volume, and low neutrophil count (28%), when compared to the control group. We also found a 81% of inflammatory inhibition of the ear edema, and a significant myeloperoxidase enzyme inhibition by the three doses of PT. Conclusions: PT exerted a potent an-ti-inflammatory effect in the acute inflammation model in rodents.

Chondrosarcoma, represents approximately 0.1% of all neoplasms of the head and neck, being considered a rare disease, but with a relatively good prognosis. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate is estimated at 70-80%, being considered a disease with a low growth rate. About 13% of all cases of chondrosarcoma, are located in the region of the head and neck. We present the case of a young patient treated multimodally, lost from the oncological records less than two years after the diagnosis, without evidence of disease progression. The early loss from the oncological follow-up programs of patients with a lower risk of early repalpse, without evidence of a recurrence or metastasis could be the consequence of a major complication among which we could assume an aspiration pneumonia secondary to a dysphagia, associated with an aggressive multidisciplinary treatment. Large tumor size and positive resection margins (R1 resection) are risk factors that support an intensive adjuvant approach in order to reduce the risk of recurrence, but the low grade of tumor, associating a lower risk of recurrence as well as the adverse events (AE) of adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy justifies a more reserved therapeutic approach. Taking into account the longer life expectancy of these patients, it is recommended to use a more conformal irradiation technique in order to reduce doses to radiosensitive structures as well as to omit elective neck irradiation, taking into account the lower risk of lymph node involvement. The lack of guidelines that include very rare tumors including low grade chondrosarcoma of head and neck make a unified approach difficult, but the data presented even in case reports could contribute to choosing the regimen that offers the best therapeutic ratio.

The notion of Golden structure was introduced 15 years ago by the present authors and know a constant interest by several geometers. Now, we propose a new generalization apart of that called metallic structure and considered also by the authors. By adding a compatible Riemannian metric we focus on the study of submanifolds in this setting.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by binding to messenger RNAs. miRNAs are important regulators of gene expression, and their dysregulation is implicated in many human and dog diseases. Most cancers tested, to date, have been shown to express altered miRNA levels, which indicates their potential importance in the oncogenic process. Based on this evidence, numerous miRNAs have been suggested as potential cancer biomarkers for both diagnosis and prognosis. miRNA-based therapies have also been tested in different cancers and have provided measurable clinical benefits to patients. In addition, understanding miRNA biogenesis and regulatory mechanisms in cancer can provide important knowledge about resistance to chemotherapies, leading to more personalized cancer treatment. In this review, we have comprehensively summarized the importance of miRNA in human and dog cancer research. We have discussed the current state of development and potential for miRNA as both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target.

Innovation is rapidly growing and affecting various industries, including hydrocarbon processing. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive and organized review of the literature on innovation ecosystems and their performance. It will examine existing definitions of innovation ecosystems and related concepts and identify metrics and indicators for measuring innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The term "innovation ecosystem" has gained considerable attention from scholars and practitioners over the past fifteen years. Despite the proliferation of research in this area, there are concerns about its fragmented knowledge base. While previous reviews have highlighted the theoretical connections between innovation ecosystems and related concepts, there is still a need for a more comprehensive understanding of the current state of innovation ecosystem research. The study used a systematic literature review approach that combines bibliographic coupling and content analysis methods, drawing on over 100 studies to identify five streams of current innovation ecosystem research: technology innovation, platform innovation ecosystems, regional development, innovation ecosystem conceptualization and theorization, and entrepreneurship and innovation. The study's contribution lies in decoding the intellectual structure of current innovation ecosystem research and providing targeted recommendations for future research.

Fires pose a significant threat to human life and property. An autonomous fire detection and fighting robot has the potential to mitigate the challenges associated with firefighting. This paper presents the implementation of an autonomous fire detection and fighting robot equipped with sensors, algorithms, and actuators to detect, locate, and suppress fires autonomously. The robot's mechanical and electrical components were designed, prototyped, and tested in a controlled environment to evaluate its ability to navigate through obstacles, detect fires, and suppress them autonomously. The results show that the robot effectively detects and suppresses fires, making it a promising solution for firefighting applications. The study contributes to the development of autonomous robots for firefighting, enhancing the safety of firefighters and the effectiveness of firefighting operations.

The daVinci Surgical Robot has revolutionized minimally invasive surgery by enabling greater accuracy and less invasive procedures. However, the system lacks advanced features and autonomy necessary for it to function as a true partner. To enhance its usability, we introduce the implementation of a ChatGPT-based natural language robot interface. Overall, our integration of a ChatGPT-enabled daVinci Surgical Robot has potential to expand the utility of the surgical platform by supplying a more accessible interface. Our system can listen to the operator speak and, through the ChatGPT-enabled interface, translate the sentence and context to execute specific commands to alter the robot’s behavior or to activate certain features. For instance, the surgeon could say (even in Spanish) “please track my left tool” and the system will translate the sentence into a specific track command. This specific error-checked command will then be sent to the hardware which will respond by controlling the camera of the system to continuously adjust to center the left tool in the field of view. We have implemented many commands including “Find my tools” (tools that are not in the field of view) or start/stop recording that can be triggered based on a natural conversational context. Here, we present details of our prototype system, give some accuracy results, and explore its potential implications and limitations. We also discuss how artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) of the future could be leveraged by robotic surgeons to reduce errors and enhance the efficiency and safety of surgical procedures and even ask for help.

In this paper, the feasibility of automated and accurate in vivo measurements of vascular parameters continuously and non-invasively using ultrasound sensor is presented. Vascular parameters such as pulse wave velocity (PWV), blood pressure (BP), arterial compliance (AC) and stiffness index (SI) are affluent indicators of cardiovascular disorders and needs to be monitored non-invasively and continuously during surgeries and follow-up procedures. Cuff based or invasive catheter techniques are considered as gold standard to measure BP and are fed manually to compute AC and SI which employ imaging algorithms. In this context, a Continuous and Non-Invasive Vascular Stiffness and Arterial Compliance Screener (CaNVAS) is developed to measure said parameters continuously and non-invasively using ultrasound sensor. Acoustic waves of 5 MHz (2.2 – 10 MHz) are driven through target arterial walls, reflected echoes captured, pre-processed and frequency shift is used to calculate PWV. It is observed that PWV measured using CaNVAS varies exponentially with BP values obtained from sphygmomanometer (BPMR-120) and this relationship is used to compute instantaneous values of BP. The proposed device is validated by performing measurements on 250 subjects in pre and post exercise conditions and found to have 95% accuracy and an average of 12.5% coefficient of variation.

Endophytic microbes are a ubiquitous group of plant-associated communities that colonize the intercellular or intracellular host tissues while giving numerous beneficial effects to the plants. All the plant species are thought to be associated with endophytes, majorly constituted with bacteria and fungi. During the last two decades, there has been a considerable movement toward the study of endophytes associated with coffee plants. In this review, the main consideration is given to address the coffee-associated endophytic bacteria and fungi, particularly their action on plant growth promotion and the biocontrol of pests. In addition, we sought to identify and analyze the gaps in available research. Additionally, the potential of endophytes to improve the quality of coffee seeds is briefly discussed. Even though there are limited studies on the subject, it has been well recognized the potentiality of coffee endophytes in plant growth promotion through enhancing nitrogen fixation, availability of minerals, nutrient absorption, secretion of phytohormones, and other bioactive metabolites. Further, the antagonistic effect against various coffee pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and also insect pests lead to the protection of the crop. Furthermore, it is recognized that endophytes enhance the sensory characteristics of coffee as a new field of study.

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a chronic, systemic and often severe disease. The main causative agent of CanL is a protozoan parasite, Leishmania infantum, with phlebotomine sand flies acting as vectors. In Europe and other continents, L. infantum is also responsible for leishmaniosis in other animals, such as cats, horses and humans. In Portugal, animal and human leishmanioses are endemic, and high prevalence levels of infection and disease have been reported in dogs. There is a prejudice against stray animals and also those housed in shelters, assuming they have higher levels of infection with vector-borne pathogens, including L. infantum, when compared to domestic animals. In north-eastern Portugal, serum samples were obtained from March to May 2022 in three shelters (n = 179) and 13 veterinary clinics (n = 164), resulting in 343 dogs being analysed for antibodies to Leishmania spp. by the direct agglutination test (DAT). The overall seroprevalence was 9.9%, with 15.2% seroprevalence in domestic dogs and 5.0% in the shelter ones (p = 0.003). The fact that shelter dogs had a lower seroprevalence could be explained by more regular veterinary care provided in shelters regarding preventive measures, including insecticides with an antifeeding effect, in comparison with domestic dogs.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is actually considered a public health priority according to the increasing number of patients affected by this condition: this casuistry is not only related to specific glomerular, tubular or autoimmune diseases or a consequence of acute kidney injury (AKI) episodes leading to organ failure, but it is tied to the progression of life expectancy and the impact of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. CKD and its comorbidities promote low grade inflammatory status with an impact on patients’ clinical conditions, reducing their possibility for kidney transplantation or graft survival and their survival when receiving renal replacement therapies such as hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). CKD is often referred to as an ageing accelerator: innate immune system dysregulation, in the uraemic proinflammatory milieu, is involved in this accelerated senescence phenomena and pentraxins, particularly Pentraxin-3 (PTX-3), are of particular interest in the development of kidney disease. A complete understanding of the mechanism of CKD progression, innate immune system involvement and a proper definition of PTX-3 role in kidney disease, could redefine the approach for diagnosis and a more centered patients’ management to slow down CKD progression over time and reduce its clinical and social impact.

The gradient descent algorithm has become the standard algorithm for computing the extreme values of functions, but for multivariate functions this algorithm is mostly ineffective. This is because the convergence rate of each element is inconsistent in most cases. However, in this paper, we found that the gradient sign is a self-optimizing operator, ensuring that the convergence rate is consistent across all elements. This also explains, from an optimization perspective, the success of the Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) in generating adversarial samples that are indistinguishable from the normal input, but can easily fool neural networks. We also found that the fractional order gradient is also self-optimizing, and that the convergence speed of this algorithm can be controlled by adjusting the order of the gradient. Experiments suggest that this algorithm not only generates adversarial samples faster than other algorithms, but that a single source image can generate many such samples. This algorithm is also more effective than others at generating adversarial samples from simple images.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have become an important way to summarize data. The hierarchy of evidence-based medicine confers a high platform to meta-analyses. Hence, it is imperative that the analytical and reporting strategy associated with a meta-analysis be standardized. The modern tradition of reporting and publishing a meta-analysis is riddled with several methodological flaws. The most common of these flaws involve the choice of the model used to conduct the meta-analysis and the way that the heterogeneity of studies is assessed. The use of the I² statistic as a means of detecting within-study heterogeneity is a common methodological flaw encountered in reporting summary statistics.One of the ways to rectify the above flaws is to arm reviewers with an objective way to scrutinize the manuscript. This narrative review enlists six checklists for reviewers to improve the reporting of meta-analyses. The first two checklists address reporting of the risk of bias and assessment of publication bias with the help of a funnel plot. Checklists 3, 4, and 5 address the choice of model selected for the meta-analysis, the method to assess the confidence interval, and the measures of heterogeneity. The final checklist addresses the question asked in the meta-analysis, binary versus an effect size estimate. Although there are many more aspects which can help improve the assessment of a manuscript, these basic checklists can be employed by reviewers without the need for an external statistical analysis to enhance and improve meta-analyses.

Salvia is a large genus in traditional Chinese medicine with hundreds of species. Tanshinones are a highly representative class of exclusive compounds found in the Salvia genus that exhibit significant biological activity. Tanshinone components have been identified in 16 species of the Salvia genus. The CYP76AH subfamily (P450) is crucial for the synthesis of tanshinone due to its catalytic generation of polyhydroxy structures. 420CYP76AH genes were obtained, clear clustering relationships. In this study 15 CYP76AH genes from 10 Salvia species were cloned and studied from the perspectives of evolution and catalytic efficiency. Structure-function relationship revealed several conserved residues which might be related to the function of CYP76AHs. Amino acids (97I, 116V, and 290T) are conserved in CYP76AH1 group, while amino acids (117G, 208S, 237Y, and 479F) are CYP76AH3 group protein sequence characteristics with unique enzyme function.This research holds significant implications for the classification of the Salvia genus and provide efficient catalytic elements for the synthetic biology production of tanshinones.Keywords: Salvia; CYP76AH; P450; biosynthesis; functional gene

Materials known as Nd:YAG are crystalline materials of the cubic system made from neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, which among others, have excellent optical properties. Nd:YAG four-level laser devices are highly used in both the health and industrial sectors. In this study, a simple and inexpensive alternative to manufacturing Nd:YAG materials through solid state reactions following powder processing routes was proposed. For this, an intense mixture of the precursor materials (Al2O3 and Y2O3) was carried out, followed by the addition of neodymium atoms to improve the optical properties of the resulting material. High energy mechanical mixing of the precursor powders resulted in submicron particles, with good size distributions of the powders. The advance of YAG formation was monitored by intermediate phase formation during heat treatment through interrupted tests at different temperatures and analysis by X-ray diffraction. From this analysis, it was found that reaction for the formation of the desired YAG is completed at 1500°C. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses determined the presence of functional groups corresponding to the YAG. Finally, the study by optical emission spectroscopy showed wavelengths in agreement with the electronic structure of the elements of the synthesized Nd:YAG.

Abstract: The internationally accepted goals of eliminating climate gas emissions implies substantial investments in renewable energy (RE) facilities. This will inevitably lead to major impacts on landscapes. Landscape concerns linked to RE facilities are already leading to controversies in many local communities. In this article, we focus on the question of landscape democracy related to the establishment of RE facilities. Based on recommendations from the European Landscape Convention, an analytical framework is presented identifying three main dimensions of landscape democracy, followed by an overview of arrangements, procedures and methods that are or may be used to encourage democracy. The procedures and methods are analysed based on examples from Denmark and Norway. This is followed by an analysis of decision levels with a special focus on the principle of subsidiarity. Finally, recommendations are presented to strengthen landscape democracy in relation to the installation of RE-facilities.

The phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy is a growing threat to public health with far-reaching implications. The widening gap between the vaccinated and the proportion needed for herd immunity raises two critical research questions that are of interest to practitioners, researchers, and policymakers: (1) What determines one’s decision to be vaccinated? and (2) What is the implication of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy on economic recovery? In this study, we use empirical data in the context of South Africa to investigate factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and their implications for economic recovery. Findings reveal key socio-demographic and institutional drivers of COVD-9 vaccine hesitancy, which include age (the youth are more hesitant), inadequate information on the vaccine (those who perceive they have adequate information are vaccinated), trust issues in government institutions, conspiracy beliefs, vaccine-related factors, and perceived side effects associated with the vaccine. Additionally, an individual’s decision to remain hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination has implications for businesses and the economy by limiting movement and trade, increasing unemployment, and causing a resurgence of new variants. Based on the findings, action plans such as information dissemination, convenience vaccination centers, consistency communications, and targeted campaign strategies are recommended for improving vaccine intakes and a positive economic recovery.

Diabetes is a prevalent global health issue associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a well-known inflammatory, neurovascular complication of diabetes and a leading cause of preventable blindness in developed countries among working-age adults. However, the ocular surface components of diabetic eyes are also at risk of damage due to uncontrolled diabetes, which is often overlooked. Inflammatory changes in the corneas of diabetic patients indicate that inflammation plays a significant role in diabetic complications, much like in DR. The eye´s immune privilege restricts immune and inflammatory responses, and the cornea and retina have a complex network of innate immune cells that maintain immune homeostasis. Nevertheless, low-grade inflammation in diabetes contributes to immune dysregulation. This article aims to provide an overview and discussion of how diabetes affects the ocular immune system’s main components, immune-competent cells, and inflammatory mediators. By understanding these effects, potential interventions and treatments may be developed to improve the ocular health of diabetic patients.

Sperm morphology can predict the reproductive male fertilizing potential. This study aimed to determine the morphological and morphometric spermatozoa characteristics from guinea pigs subjected to different photoperiodic stimulation. Thirty F1 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to three photoperiodic treatments: FT1 (photoperiod with 10L/14D LED light), FT2 (photoperiod with 10L/14D sunlight), and FT0 (room without direct light source). At 107 ± 9.8 days of age, sperm concentration and motility were higher in FT0 and FT1 (p<0.05); furthermore, there were no differences in nucleus length and ellipticity between FT0 and FT1, but FT1 was higher in perimeter and nuclear area, while FT0 was higher in roughness, regularity, midpiece length and tail (p<0.01). Expanding acrosome (Type 2) was more frequent in FT2, but there was variation in head measurements between all morphological categories. Pregnancy rate, calving age and mating age were higher in FT0, meanwhile FT1 initiated successful matings earlier (p<0.01). FT0 had a higher fertility rate, and FT1 age of mating and first calving were earlier than FT0 but no pregnancies were reported for FT2. The photoperiodic stimulation can increase the morphometric dimensions of guinea pig spermatozoa, favoring the reproductive characteristics, but sunlight could reduce their size due to heat stress.

Introduction of Cl- and O- atoms into C4-vinyl carbocations was studied by X-ray diffraction analysis and IR spectroscopy. Chlorine atoms are weak electron acceptors in ordinary molecules, but within vinyl carbocations, manifest themselves as strong electron donors that accept a positive charge. The attachment of a Cl atom directly to a C=C bond leads to an increase in the e-density on it, exceeding that of the common double bond. The positive charge should be concentrated on the Cl atom, and weak δ- may appear on the C=C bond. More distant attachment of the Cl atom—to a C atom adjacent to the C=C bond—has a weaker effect on it. If two Cl atoms are attached to the Сγ atom of the vinyl cation, as in Cl2СγСδHСαHCH3, then the cation switches to the allyl type with two practically equivalent and almost uncharged СγСδСα bonds. When such a strong nucleophile as the O atom is introduced into the carbocation, a protonated ester molecule with a C-O(H+)-C group and a C=C bond forms. Nonetheless, in the future, there is still a possibility of obtaining carbocations with a non-protonated C-O-C group.

Abstract: The purpose of this review is to summarize recent knowledge on the main processes that occur during wound healing, including the responses of various cell types and the molecular mechanisms involved. Particular attention is also dedicated to new therapies often involved in the resolution of wounds, whether acute or chronic. Awareness of these dynamics is important for the various professional figures who are confronted with these kinds of problem daily. However, the study of the healing mechanisms has yet to be defined in detail, in fact there are alterations of variously coordinated events which lead to a delayed resolution or, as in the case of keloids, to pathological states consisting in the excessive formation of scars with consequences yet to be seen. to define. Therefore, it is necessary to know the most feasible approaches and the most effective therapies.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) ethanol fermentation has left an indelible trace in human history. It is regarded as the original beverage synthesis, and has developed into an essential energy supply for mankind today. However, the history of ethanol synthesis using S. cerevisiae, including the mechanism analysis process, has not been carefully and succinctly reported. In this paper, we review the history of ethanol synthesis using S. cerevisiae. In addition, we also review the substrates that drive S. cerevisiae ethanol synthesis, including the utilization of glucose, sucrose, starch and molasses, in order to summarize the current development status and to contribute to the further improvement of this field.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a blood cancer that primarily affects children but also adults. It is due to the malignant proliferation of lymphoid precursor cells that invade the bone marrow and can spread to extramedullary sites. ALL is divided into B cell (85%) and T cell lineages (10 to 15%); rare cases are associated with the natural killer (NK) cell lineage (<1%). To date, the survival rate in children with ALL is excellent while in adults continues to be poor. Despite the therapeutic progress, there are subsets of patients that still have high relapse rates after chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and an unsatisfactory cure rate. Hence, the identification of more effective and safer therapy choices represents a primary issue. In this review, we will discuss novel therapeutic options including bispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates,chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based therapies, and other promising treatments for both pediatric and adult patients.

With the development of industrialization, traditional manufacturing technologies are no longer able to meet the production needs of modern society. Additive manufacturing has successfully solved the problems existing in traditional manufacturing technology. Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder bed melting technology that produces metal parts by selectively melting metal powders on a platform using a laser beam. It is widely used in additive manufacturing. This article introduces the characteristics and current development status of SLM technology, summarizes the main application fields and common defects of SLM, and finally explores and prospects the future development trend of SLM.

The snATAC + snRNA platform allows epigenomic profiling of open chromatin and gene expression with single-cell resolution. The most critical assay step is to isolate high-quality nuclei to proceed with droplet-base single nuclei isolation and barcoding. With the increasing popularity of multiomic profiling in various fields, there is a need for optimized and reliable nuclei isolation methods, mainly for human tissue samples. Herein we compared different nuclei isolation methods for cell suspensions, such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC, n=18) and a solid tumor type, ovarian cancer (OC) (n=18), derived from debulking surgery. Nuclei morphology and sequencing output parameters were used to evaluate the quality of preparation. Our results show that NP-40 detergent-based nuclei isolation yields better sequencing results than collagenase tissue dissociation for OC, significantly impacting cell identification and analysis. Given the utility of applying such techniques to frozen samples, we also tested frozen preparation and digestion (n=6). A paired comparison between frozen and fresh samples validated the quality of both specimens. Finally, we demonstrate the reproducibility of scRNA and snATAC + snRNA platform, by comparing the gene expression profiling of PBMC. Our results highlight how the choice of nuclei isolation methods is critical for obtaining quality data in multiomic assays. It also shows that the measurement of expression between scRNA and snRNA is comparable and effective for cell type identification.

In this study, the literature on varnish contamination is investigated among the various con-taminations of lubricant. As the period of use of lubricant increases, the lubricant deteriorates and becomes contaminated. The varnish causes filter plugging, sticking of hydraulic valves and fuel injection pumps, obstruction of flow, reduction of clearance, poor heater and cooler perfor-mance, and increase of friction and wear in various lubrication systems. These problems also cause mechanical system failure, performance degradation, and increased maintenance and re-pair cost. To improve the problems causes by the varnish, an adequate understanding of varnish is required. Therefore, in this literature review, definitions and characteristics, generating ma-chinery, generating mechanisms, causes, measurement methods, and prevention or removal methods are summarized. Most of the data are reports of companies related to lubricant and machine maintenance, and are included in some papers. We hope that this summary of varnish will be helpful to those who are engaged in reducing or preventing varnish problems.

World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the monkeypox (MPX) epidemic a global public health emergency due to its re-emergence, remarkable increase in the number of MPX cases worldwide, and its potential spread. This paper introduces the symptoms, complications, and features of MPX; its transmission, diagnosis and testing, vaccines and treatment; MPX and sexually transmitted diseases, especially the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); possible natural hosts or reservoirs of the monkeypox virus (MPXV). A useful tool for MPX and surgical safety recommendations are presented. The challenges in fighting the MPX epidemic, One Health strategy, and future research are discussed.

Evaluation of market connectedness and asymmetric volatility spillover has recently seen a surge in financial risk analytics and portfolio diversification. We carried out a meta-literature review on connectedness and spillovers, providing solid insight into the research field and robust guidelines for future investigation. The review consists of a quantitative bibliometric analysis of 594 papers and a qualitative content analysis of 77 papers covering 1991 to 2021. The results of the meta-citation analysis shows that Diebold's Spillover index (2007) is the predominant method in most works as far as market connectedness and spillover is concerned. With an extensive review, we answered the following objectives (1) Analyze the most influential authors, journals, and publications, (2) Understand the research streams and most studied streams, (3) Understand the theme structure and thematic evolution, and keyword trends, (4) Examine the pattern of collaboration, and most productive affiliations, (5) Explore future research directions and untapped areas. The content analysis revealed the following important research streams in the current literature (1) Asymmetries in the market connectedness, (2) Influence of Macro Factors in the market connectedness and spillover, (3) the Role of Oil in market spillovers and hedging portfolios, (4) Dynamic cross-market connectedness and spillovers. The ongoing financial turmoil and market advancements make market connectedness a vital research topic; thus, our work would significantly contribute to macroeconomic policymakers, researchers and hedging investors.

Keywords: Obesity; hypothalamus; appetite; glucose homeostasis; weight-loss drugs; AGRP; POMC; NTS; incretins.

Speckle Plethysmography (SPG) and Photoplethysmography (PPG) are different biophotonics technologies that allow for measurement of hemodynamics. As the difference between SPG and PPG under low perfusion conditions is not fully understood, a Cold Pressor Test (CPT) was used to modulate blood pressure and peripheral circulation. A custom-built setup simultaneously derived SPG and PPG from the same video streams at two wavelengths (639 nm and 850 nm). SPG and PPG were measured at right index finger location before and during CPT using finger Arterial Pressure (fiAP) as reference. The effect of CPT on Alternating Component amplitude (AC) and Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) of dual-wavelength SPG and PPG signals was analysed across participants. Furthermore, waveform differences between SPG, PPG, and fiAP based on frequency harmonic ratios, were analysed for each subject (n=10). Both PPG and SPG at 850 nm show a significant reduction during CPT for both AC and SNR. However, SPG showed significantly higher and more stable SNR than PPG in both study phases. Harmonic ratios were found substantially higher in SPG than PPG. Therefore, in low perfusion conditions, SPG seems to offer a more robust pulse wave monitoring with higher harmonic ratios than PPG.