Chiral semiconductor nanostructures and nanoparticles are promising materials for applications in biological sensing, enantioselective separation, photonics, and spin-polarized devices. Here, we have studied the induction of chirality in atomically thin only 2 monolayers thick CdSe nanoplatelets (NPLs) grown by a colloidal method and exchanged with L-alanine and L-phenylalanine as model thiol-free chiral ligands. We have developed a novel two-step approach to completely exchange the native oleic acid ligands for chiral amino acids at the basal planes of NPLs. We performed an analysis of the optical and chiroptical properties of the chiral CdSe nanoplatelets with amino acids, which was supplemented by an analysis of the composition and coordination of ligands. After the exchange, the nanoplatelets retain HH, LH and SO exciton absorbance and bright HH exciton luminescence. Capping with thiol-free enantiomer amino acid ligands induce pronounced chirality of excitons in the nanoplatelets, as proven by circular dichroism spectroscopy, with high dissymmetry g-factor up to 3.4 × 10−3 achieved for HH excitons in the case of L-phenylalanine.

As the problem of air pollution becomes more urgent, the precise determination of the characteristics of air pollution and the associated mechanisms of transport of pollutants becomes an increasingly urgent task. The simulation results of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) [18] were used as initial data sets. The area of the Crimean Peninsula (within coordinates 44.50 latitude, 33.50 longitude) in 23 - 26 January, 2019 was chosen for the study. That time concentrations of pollutants (aerosol particles with a diameter of 2.5 (PM2.5) and 10 micrometers (PM10)) steadily increased and reached the maximum value. Four kinds of meteorological data sets were used in the work. The first and second data sets were the global NCEP/NCAR and (ERA-5) re-analyses. The third and fourth meteorological data sets were obtained using the Weather tracking and Forecasting model (WRF) as domains on high-resolution grids: 9 km and 2 km. The analysis of meteorological data sets was carried out to analyze the nature of the air masses movement in the studied region. Using the HYSPLIT model simulation was carried out to determine area of the sources of negative impact. The emissions transfer from the supposed sources of negative impact on the Crimea region is analyzed. The sensitivity of simulation the inverse and direct trajectories of air masses transfer was studied based a set of simulation results. On the basis of HYSPLIT model the simulation was carried out separately using meteorological data sets having different spatial and temporal resolutions. In general, the simulation results allowed us to conclude that the HYSPLIT model in combination with high-resolution meteorological input data of the WRF model are good to identify the sources of possible negative effects on atmospheric air located at long distances from the study site.

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages. Coffee is enjoyed for a variety of reasons, including its sensory characteristics among which flavor is the most important. Some sensory characteristics of coffee, such as acidity, are attributed to the levels of various organic acids (OAs) and chlorogenic acids (CGAs) present in the brew. The amount and composition of these organic acids are considered key factors that influence the acidity of the coffee. Many roasted coffee products on the market claim to be low in acid or even acid-free altogether. In the present study, we evaluated the acidity of different packaged coffee products. All coffee samples were brewed using the drip method per preparation instructions for each product, and pH values for all samples were measured and recorded. Our results revealed a wide range of pH values among the tested products, with the highest pH value (pH 5.72) in sample XL96 and the lowest value (pH 4.97) in sample XL10. The pH values for the remainder of the samples ranged between (pH 5.0-5.29). The results thus support the importance of creating a standard for the accurate representation of acidity level information on coffee labels.

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the mechanical properties of three CAD-CAM monolithic esthetic zirconia (Ceramill® Zolid FX Multilayer (ZF), IPS e.max® ZirCAD MT Multi (ZM), and KATANATM STML (KS)) with a CAD-CAM lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (IPS e.max® CAD LT (MC)) as control. 80 samples (20/group) were milled, sintered, and subjected to a three-point bending test (3-PBT) to measure flexural strength and elastic modulus; Vickers indentations were used to measure microhardness. The numerical outcomes were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with a statistical significance set at <0.05. Zirconia showed superior mechanical properties compared with lithium disilicate (P<0.05). ZM had the highest values of flexural strength (P<0.05), KS and ZM showed significantly higher elastic modulus values than ZF (P<0.05), and ZF and KS microhardness values were significantly higher than ZM (P<0.05). Monolithic multi-layered zirconia had enhanced mechanical properties when compared with lithium disilicate and can be a predictable replacement in clinical applications.

This article presents the development of an innovative Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) strategy, utilizing a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to improve the effectiveness of PV systems and expedite convergence. The new MPPT method incorporated a unique Swarm Self-Reinforcement Mechanism (SSRM) within the PSO algorithm, targeting quick convergence and excellent tracking accuracy. This approach enables the PSO to eliminate the fitness function that has the lowest value and subsequently reinforce it in the next iteration, revolving around the global maximum power point (GMPP). By applying this novel PSO-based method, the MPPT performance of PV systems was significantly improved, facilitating the algorithm to proficiently navigate through the solution space and quickly locate the GMPP, even in rapidly changing environmental conditions. The outcomes derived from this novel approach were contrasted with other algorithmic optimization methods, validating its superior convergence speed and tracking accuracy. Different swarm sizes were examined using SSRM, and the optimal swarm size for the system employing MPPT was identified to achieve the lowest convergence time (CT). The results showcased the impressive performance capabilities of this novel strategy, resulting in a time con-traction of up to 28% compared to the conventional PSO technique, where the optimal swarm size was found to be 5. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the evolution of PSO-based MPPT techniques, and paves the way for future advancements in this exciting field.

Amid global energy challenges, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is gaining traction for green hydrogen production. While catalyst research is ongoing, recognizing electrolyte effects remains crucial for sustainable hydrogen production via renewable-powered water electrolysis. This review delves into the intricate effects of electrolytes on the kinetics of HER. It examines key factors, including pH, cations, anions, impurities, and electrolyte concentration. It is discussed that electrolyte pH alters catalyst-electrolyte interactions and proton concentrations, thereby influencing factors such as hydrogen binding energy, water adsorption, and the overall reaction kinetics. Moreover, it is briefed that electrolyte cations, such as Li+, can impact HER positively or negatively, offering opportunities for improvement based on the metal substrate. Interestingly, there is a potential that HER can be tuned using Li+ ions to modify M-H bond energy, demonstrating flexibility beyond pH levels and counter ions. Varied adsorption energies of metal cations on metal electrodes are also found to influence HER kinetics. The effects of electrolyte anions and impurities are also discussed, emphasizing both positive and negative impacts on HER kinetics. Moreover, it is pointed out that the electrolyte engineering approach enhances the HER kinetics of both metal and carbon-based electrodes without permanent catalyst surface modifications. This review underscores the importance of electrolyte composition, highlighting both challenges and potential solutions in advancing HER research for sustainable energy production.

Ethylene, a gaseous phytohormone, is emerging as a central player in the intricate web of plant developmental processes from germination to senescence under optimal and stressed conditions. It is present in different plant parts, encompassing the stems, leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, and fruits. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of ethylene's fascinating roles in shaping various plant growth and adaptation aspects. It intricately examines the multifaceted impact of ethylene on pivotal aspects of plant development, including but not limited to cell division and elongation, senescence, abscission, fruit and flower development, root hair formation, chloroplast maturation, and photosynthesis. This comprehensive assessment encompasses the intricate pathways of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling, providing a snapshot of the regulatory mechanisms governing ethylene production. Understanding ethylene's multifaceted functions has significant implications for agriculture, biotechnology, and our fundamental comprehension of plant biology. This review underscores the need for continued investigation into ethylene's intricate mechanisms and its potential to revolutionize plant development and crop management.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy of reproductive-aged women characterized by hyperandrogenism, oligo-anovulation and insulin resistance closely linked with preferential abdominal fat accumulation. As an ancestral primate trait, PCOS was likely further selected in humans when scarcity of food in hunter-gatherers of the late Pleistocene additionally programmed for enhanced fat storage to meet the metabolic demands of reproduction in later life. As an evolutional model for PCOS, healthy normal-weight women with hyperandrogenic PCOS have subcutaneous (SC) abdominal adipose stem cells that favor fat storage through exaggerated lipid accumulation during development to adipocytes in vitro. In turn, fat storage is counterbalanced by reduced insulin sensitivity and preferential accumulation of highly-lipolytic intra-abdominal fat in vivo. This metabolic adaptation in PCOS balances energy storage with glucose availability and fatty acid oxidation for optimal energy use during reproduction; its accompanying oligo-anovulation allowed PCOS women from antiquity sufficient time and strength for childrearing of fewer offspring with a greater likelihood of childhood survival. Heritable PCOS characteristics are now affected by today’s contemporary environment through epigenetic events that predispose to lipotoxicity with excess weight gain and pregnancy complications, calling for an emphasis on preventive healthcare to optimize the long-term, endocrine-metabolic health of PCOS women in today’s obesogenic environment.

Efficient energy extraction in photovoltaic (PV) systems relies on the effective implementation of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) methods. Conventional MPPT techniques often suffer from slow convergence speeds and suboptimal tracking performance, particularly under dynamic variation of environmental conditions. Smart optimization algorithms (SOA) using metaheuristic optimization algorithms can avoid this limitation inherent in the conventional MPPT methods. The problem of slow convergence of the SOA is avoided in this paper using a novel strategy called Swarm Size Reduction (SSR) utilized with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, specifically designed to achieve short convergence time (CT) while maintaining exceptional tracking accuracy. The novelty of the proposed MPPT method introduced in this paper is the dynamic reduction of the swarm size of the PSO for improved performance of the MPPT of the PV systems. This adaptive reduction approach allows the algorithm to efficiently explore the solution space of PV systems and rapidly exploit to identify the global maximum power point (GMPP) even under fast fluctuation of uneven solar irradiance and temperature. This pioneering ultra-fast MPPT method represents a significant advancement in PV system efficiency and promotes the wider adoption of solar energy as a reliable and sustainable power source. The novel adaptive PSO algorithm also opens new possibilities for further innovations in optimization-driven applications, extending its potential impact on a diverse range of real-world challenges. The results obtained from this proposed strategy are compared with several optimization algorithms to validate its superiority.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a cytoprotective endogenous gas that is ubiquitously produced by the stress response enzyme heme-oxygenase. Being a gas, CO rapidly diffuses through tissues and binds to hemoglobin (Hb) increasing carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels. COHb can be formed in the erythrocytes or in plasma from cell-free Hb. Herein, it is discussed whether endogenous COHb is or is not an innocuous and inevitable metabolic waste product and it is hypothesized that COHb has a biological role. In the present review literature data is presented to support this hypothesis based on two main premises: (i) there is no direct correlation between COHb levels and CO toxicity; and (ii) COHb seems to have a direct cytoprotective and antioxidant role in erythrocytes and in hemorrhagic models in vivo. Moreover, CO is also antioxidant by generating COHb, which protects against the pro-oxidant damaging effects of cell free Hb. Up to now COHb has been considered as a sink for both exogenous and endogenous CO generated during CO intoxication or heme metabolism, respectively. Hallmarking COHb as an important molecule with a biological (and eventually beneficial) role is a turning point on CO Biology research, namely in CO intoxication and CO cytoprotection.

Macrophage-derived chemokine belongs to the CC subfamily. It is produced by dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages with or without external stimulation. We have previously shown a statistically significant depletion of MDC/CCL22 concentrations in a number of studies concerning COVID-19. These shifts in concentrations demonstrated stability unrelated to the SARS-CoV-2 genetic variant and remained noticeable even in convalescent patients. In this work, we analyze MDC/CCL22 dynamics in various diseases, including those that manifest with inflammation in lung tissue. In addition, we provide our hypothesis on such a decrease in MDC/CCL22 concentrations in COVID-19. If its secretion by producer cells is unperturbed, then it is possible for viral products to bind to this chemokine and to block its functional activity. There is, however, another possible explanation directly linked to depletion in DC subpopulations and the inhibition of their function. We also discuss MDC/CCL22's role in the immunology of novel coronavirus infection, based on both our own data and other studies.

We explore, for the first time in the literature, how the revenues of the ship-management companies respond to macroeconomic exogenous shocks. Using data for ship-management companies in Cyprus, we find evidence that a demand shock has the largest impact on revenues, exhibiting an almost one-for-one relationship. If the demand shock is permanent, we observe a ceteris paribus permanent effect on revenues. Similarly, this occurs irrespective of the final effect that demand has on the relevant freight rate, proxied via the Baltic dry and tanker (dirty and clean) indices. The BDI and the BDTI indices have smaller effect on revenues, standing at approximately 0.05% for every 1% shock, while the clean tanker index does not have an effect, most likely due to their fleet composition. In accordance with the literature, we find that a shock in the price of Brent oil increases revenues. Our results bear importance not only for ship-management companies per se, but also for countries that are ship-management hubs.

The importance of understanding the corrosion mechanisms of excavated metal artefacts help in determining the physico-chemical parameters of the burial environment and the formation of different corrosion products. These products can be observed and analysed with the help of various techniques that provide information on their morphology, chemical composition and structure. The analysis of ancient coins is extremely challenging in the presence of heavily corroded surfaces; as quantitative information may not exactly concur with its bulk composition. In the case of silver coins, the use of surface information can be used as a guide for bulk composition only. The current study carries out investigation and characterization of selected coins from a large coin hoard excavated from Amheida, Dakhla oasis, Egypt. The study and analysis of the alloy composition and corrosion products was performed using a multi-technique approach which included Light optical microscopes, Scanning Electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction analysis. Investigation of the coins revealed the presence of a thick active inhomogeneous corrosion crust, while analysis showed that the coins were made from a binary silver copper alloy (billon) while the corrosion crust was rich in chlorides and carbonates, later identified by XRD analysis as Paratacamite, Malachite and Chrysocolla.

Piggery wastewater (PWW) is characterized by its high concentrations of organic matter and ammonium, and by their odour nuisance. Traditionally, PWW has been treated in open anaerobic lagoons, anaerobic digesters and activated sludge systems, which exhibit high greenhouse gas emissions, a limited nutrients removal and a high energy consumption, respectively. Photosyn-thetic microorganisms can support a sustainable PWW treatment in engineered photobioreactors at low operating costs and with an efficient recovery of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous. These microorganisms are capable of absorbing solar irradiation through the photosynthesis process to obtain energy, which is used for their growth and associated carbon and nutrients assimilation. Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) represent the photosynthetic microorganisms with the most versatile metabolism in nature, while microalgae are the most studied photosynthetic microor-ganisms in recent years. This review describes the fundamentals, symmetry and asymmetry of PWW treatment using photosynthetic microorganisms such as PPB and microalgae. The main photobioreactor configurations along with the potential of PPB and microalgae biomass valori-zation strategies are also discussed.

Kidney diseases are a global health problem, and their frequency is continuously increasing. Available treatments provide limited kidney protection. The protective effect of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in several diseases have been extensively investigated. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties of EGCG are promising for the treatment and/or prevention of kidney diseases. This review analyzes the available evidence on the effects, and the likely protective mechanisms of action, of EGCG in a broad spectrum of kidney diseases, including acute kidney injury, drug-induced nephrotoxicity, kidney stone disease, diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, and kidney fibrosis.

JmjC-family of lysine demethylases (JMJC-KDMs) plays an essential role controlling gene expression and chromatin structure. In most cases, their function has been attributed to the demethylase activity. However, accumulating evidence demonstrates that these proteins play roles distinct from histone demethylation. This raises the possibility that they might share domains that contribute to their functional outcome. Here, we show that the JMJC-KDMs contain low complexity domains as well as intrinsically disordered regions, which in some cases reached 70% of the protein. Our data revealed that PHF2, KDM2A and KDM4B cluster by phase-separation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, our molecular analysis demonstrated that these domains are important to regulate transcription, suggesting that clustering via phase -separation is a common feature that JMJC-KDMs utilize, in addition to their catalytic activity, to facilitate their functional responses. Our study uncovers a novel potential function for the JMJC-KDM family that sheds light on the mechanisms to achieve the competent concentration of molecules in time and space within the cell nucleus.

Our bodies produce a host of electrophilic species that can label specific endogenous proteins in cells. The signaling roles of these molecules are underactive debate. However, in our opinion it is becoming increasingly likely that electrophiles can rewire cellular signaling processes at endogenous levels. Attention is turning more to understanding how nuanced electrophile signaling in cells is. In this perspective, we describe recent work from our laboratory that has started to inform on different levels of context-specific regulation of proteins by electrophiles. We discuss the relevance of these data to the field, and to the broader application of electrophile signaling to precision medicine development, beyond the traditional views of their pleiotropic cytotoxic roles.

Currently, old-style personal medicare techniques rely mostly on traditional methods, such as cumbersome tools and complicated processes, which can be time-consuming and inconvenient in some circumstances. Furthermore, such old methods need the use of heavy equipment, blood draws, and traditional bench-top testing procedures. Invasive ways of acquiring test samples can potentially cause patients discomfort and anguish. Wearable sensors, on the other hand, may be attached to numerous body areas to capture diverse biochemical and physiological characteristics as a developing analytical tool. Physical, chemical, and biological data transferred via the skin is used to monitor health in various circumstances. Wearable sensors can assess the aberrant conditions of the physical or chemical components of the human body in real-time, exposing the body state in time, thanks to unintrusive sampling and high accuracy. Most commercially available wearable gadgets are mechanically hard components attached to bands and worn on the wrist, with form factors ultimately constrained by the size and weight of the batteries required for the power supply. Wearable gadgets with “skin-like” qualities are a new type of automation that is only starting to make its way out of research labs and into pre-commercial prototypes. In this paper, we studied the recent advancement in battery-powered wearable sensors established on optical phenomena and skin-like battery-free sensors which brings a breakthrough in wearable sensing automation.

Abstract: Escherichia coli are remarkably versatile microorganisms and important members of the normal intestinal microbiota of humans and animals. This harmless commensal organism can acquire a mixture of comprehensive mobile genetic elements that contain genes encoding viru-lence factors, becoming an emerging human pathogen capable of causing a broad spectrum of intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. Nine definite enteric E. coli pathotypes have been well characterized, causing diseases ranging from various gastrointestinal disorders to urinary tract infections. These pathotypes employ many virulence factors and effectors subverting the func-tions of host cells to mediate its virulence and pathogenesis. This review summarizes new de-velopments in our understanding of diverse virulence factors associated encoding genes used by different pathotypes of enteric pathogenic E. coli to cause intestinal and extraintestinal diseases in humans.

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most common chronic inflammatory joint diseases, for which there remains a great clinical need to develop safer and more efficacious pharmacological treatments. The pathology of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis involves multiple tissues within the joint, including the synovial joint lining and the bone, as well as the articular cartilage in osteoarthritis. In this review, we discuss the potential for the development of oligonucleotide therapies for these disorders by examining the evidence that oligonucleotides can modulate the key cellular pathways that drive the pathology of the inflammatory diseased joint pathology as well as evidence in preclinical in vivo models that oligonucleotides can modify disease progression.

Open-plan office (OPO) layouts emerged to allow organizations to adapt to changing workplace demands. We explore the potential for OPOs to provide such adaptive capacity to respond to two contemporary issues for organizations: the chronic challenge of environmental sustainability, and the acute challenges emerging from the great COVID-19 homeworking experiment. We apply a socio-technical systems perspective and green ergonomics principles to investigate the relationship between an OPO environment and the occupants working within it. In doing so, we consider the relevant technical and human factors such as green technology and employee green behavior. We also consider how a green OPO might provide non-carbon benefits such as improving occupant wellbeing and supporting the emergence of a green organizational culture. Our investigation highlights several avenues through which an OPO designed with green ergonomic principles could benefit occupants, the organizations they work for, and the natural environment of which they are a part and on which they depend. We find reason to suspect that green OPOs could play an important role in sustainable development; and offer a research agenda to help determine whether in fact OPOs are another example of how going green is good business.

The possibilities of applying various methods to study Coleoptera give unexpected and original results. The studies were carried out with the help of fermental crown traps in 2018-2020 on the territory of eight regions in the central part of European Russia. The biodiversity of Coleoptera that fall into crown traps includes 294 species from 45 families. The number of species attracted to the fermenting bait is about a third of the total number of species in the traps (this is 97.4% of the number of all caught specimens). The largest number of species that have been found in traps belong to the families Cerambycidae, Elateridae and Curculionidae. The most actively attracted species mainly belong to the families Cerambycidae, Nitidulidae and Scarabaeidae. Species of these families are equally attracted by baits made of beer, white and red wines. To identify the Coleoptera biodiversity of a particular biotope, two-year studies are sufficient, which should be carried out throughout the vegetation season. Especially good results can be obtained from studies of rare species that are actively attracted by such baits. It is possible to study the verti-cal-horizontal distribution of Coleoptera fauna in individual biotopes.

In the present work we propose a dynamical mathematical model of the lung cells inflammation process in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this scenario the main protease Nsp5 enhances the inflammatory process, increasing the levels of NF kB, IL-6, Cox2, and PGE2 with respect to a reference state without the virus. In presence of the virus the translation rates of NF kB and IkB arise to a high constant value, and when the translation rate of IL-6 also increases above the threshold value of 7 pg mL^-1 s^-1 the model predicts a persistent over stimulated immune state with high levels of the cytokine IL-6. Our model shows how such over stimulated immune state becomes autonomous of the signals from other immune cells such as macrophages and lymphocytes, and does not shut down by itself. We also show that in the context of the dynamical model presented here, Dexamethasone or Nimesulide have little effect on such inflammation state of the infected lung cell, and the only form to suppress it is with the inhibition of the activity of the viral protein Nsp5.To that end, our model suggest that drugs like Saquinavir may be useful. In this form, our model suggests that Nsp5 is effectively a central node underlying the severe acute lung inflammation during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The persistent production of IL-6 by lung cells can be one of the causes of the cytokine storm observed in critical patients with COVID19. Nsp5 seems to be the switch to start inflammation, the consequent overproduction of the ACE2 receptor, and an important underlying cause of the most severe cases of COVID19.

The present work studies a swelling porous-elastic system with viscoelastic damping. We establish a general and optimal decay estimate which generalizes some recent results in the literature. Our result is established without imposing the usual equal-wave-speed condition associated with similar problems in literature.

The FOLFOX scheme, based on the association of 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin, is the most frequently indicated chemotherapy scheme for patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, development of chemoresistance is one of the major challenges associated with this disease. It has been reported that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is implicated in microRNA-driven modulation of tumor cells response to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. Besides, from pharmacogenomic research it is known that overexpression of genes encoding dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD), thymidylate synthase (TYMS), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), the DNA repair enzymes ERCC1, ERCC2, and XRCC1, and the phase 2 enzyme GSTP1 impair the response to FOLFOX. It has been observed that EMT is associated with overexpression of DPYD, TYMS, ERCC1, and GSTP1. In this review we investigated the role of miRNAs as EMT promotors in tumor cells, and its potential effect on upregulation of DPYD, TYMS, MTHFR, ERCC1, ERCC2, XRCC1 and GSTP1 expression, which would lead to resistance of CRC tumor cells to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. This constitutes a potential mechanism of epigenetic regulation involved in late-onset of acquired resistance in mCRC patients under FOLFOX chemotherapy. Expression of these biomarkers microRNA could serve as tools for personalized medicine, and as potential therapeutic targets in the future.

More people are surviving longer with cancer. Whilst this can be partially attributed to advances in early detection of cancers, there is little doubt that the improvement in survival statistics is also due to the expansion in the spectrum of treatments available for efficacious treatment. Transformative amongst those are immunotherapies, which have proven effective agents for treating immunogenic forms of cancer, though immunologically “cold” tumour types remain refractive. Oncolytic viruses, such as those based on adenovirus have great potential as anti-cancer agents and have seen a resurgence of interest in recent years. Amongst their many advantages is their ability to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) of infected tumour cells, thus providing the alluring potential to synergize with immunotherapies by turning immunologically “cold” tumours “hot”. Additionally, enhanced immune mediated cell killing can be promoted through the local overexpression of immunological transgenes, encoded from within the engineered viral genome. To achieve this full potential requires the development of refined, tumour selective “precision virotherapies” that are extensively engineered to prevent off-target up take via native routes of infection, and targeted to infect and replicate uniquely within malignantly transformed cells. Here, we review the latest advances towards this holy grail within the adenoviral field.

The RNA-guided endonuclease system CRISPR-Cas9 has been extensively modified since its discovery, allowing its capabilities to be extending far beyond double-stranded cleavage to high fidelity insertions, deletions, and single base edits. Such innovations have been possible due to the modular architecture of CRISPR-Cas9 and the robustness of its component parts to modifications and the fusion of new functional elements. Here, we review the broad toolkit of CRISPR-Cas9-based systems now available for diverse genome editing tasks. We provide an overview of their core molecular structure and mechanism and distil the design principles used to engineer their diverse functionalities. We end by looking beyond the biochemistry and towards the societal and ethical challenges that these CRISPR-Cas9 systems face if their transformative capabilities are to be deployed in a safe and acceptable manner.

On 11 March 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was defined by the World Health Organization as a pandemic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the newly evolving human coronavirus infection, causing (COVID-19), first appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and spread rapidly all over the world. COVID-19 is being increasingly investigated in virology, epidemiology, and clinical management strategies. There is currently no established consensus on the standard of care in the pharmacological treatment of COVID-19 patients. However, certain medications suggested for other diseases tend to be potentially effective for treating this infection, although, so far, without clear evidence. Therapies include new agents which are currently tested in several clinical trials, in addition to other medications that have been repurposed as antiviral and immune-modulating therapies. Previous high-morbidity human coronavirus epidemics such as the 2003 SARS-CoV and the 2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) prompted the identification of compounds that could theoretically be active against the emerging coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the advances in molecular biology techniques and computational analysis allowed better recognition of the virus structure and quicker screening of chemical libraries to suggest potential therapies. This review aims to summarize rationalized pharmacotherapy considerations in COVID-19 patients, to serve as a tool for health care professionals at the forefront of clinical care during this pandemic. All the therapies reviewed require either additional drug development or randomized large-scale clinical trials to be justified for clinical use.

The severity and outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) largely depends on a patient’s age. Over 80% of hospitalizations are of those over 65 years of age with a 23-fold greater risk of death. In the clinic, COVID-19 patients most commonly present with fever, cough and dyspnea. Particularly in those over 65, it can progress to pneumonia, lung consolidation, cytokine release syndrome, endotheliitis, coagulopathy, multiple organ failure and death. Comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension increase the chances of fatal disease, but they alone do not explain the variability in COVID-19 symptoms. Here, we present the molecular differences between the young, middle-aged and elderly that may determine whether COVID-19 is a mild or life-threatening illness. We also discuss several biological age clocks that could be used in conjunction with genetic tests to identify both the mechanisms of the disease and individuals most at risk. Finally, based on these mechanisms, we discuss treatments that could increase survival in the elderly, not simply by inhibiting the virus, but by restoring patients’ ability to clear the infection.

Although nanotechnology is a new and rapidly growing area of science, the impact of nanomaterials on living organisms is unknown in many aspects. In this regard it is extremely important to perform toxicological tests, but complete characterization of all varying preparations is extremely laborious. The computational technique called quantitative structure-activity relationship, or QSAR, allows reducing the cost of time- and resource-consuming nanotoxicity tests. In this review, (Q)SAR cytotoxicity studies of the past decade are systematically considered. We regard here five classes of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs): metal oxides, metal-containing nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and silica nanoparticles. Some studies reveal that QSAR models are better than classification SAR models, while other reports conclude that SAR is more precise than QSAR. The quasi-QSAR method appears to be the most promising tool, as it allows accurately taking experimental conditions into account. However, experimental artifacts are a major concern in this case

Very hot (> 65 °C) beverages such as espresso were evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as probably carcinogenic to humans. For this reason, research into lowering beverage temperature without compromising its quality or taste is important. For espresso, one obvious possibility consists in lowering the brewing temperature. In two sensory trials using ISO 4120:2004 triangle test methodology, brewing temperatures of 80°C vs. 128°C and 80° vs. 93°C were compared. From the tested levels, espresso brewed at the lowest temperature had the highest acceptance. However, most tasters were unable to distinguish between 80°C and 93°C. The results of these pilot experiments proof the possibility to decrease the health hazard of very hot beverages by lower brewing temperatures.

Clean use of photons from light to activate chemical reactions offer many possibilities in different fields, from chemistry and biology to materials science and medicine. This review article describes the advances carried out in last decades toward the phototriggered synthesis of single-chain polymer nanoparticles (SCNPs) as soft nanomaterials with promising applications in enzyme-mimicking catalysis and nanomedicine, among other different uses. First, we summarize different strategies developed to synthesize SCNPs based on photoactivated intrachain homocoupling, phototriggered intrachain heterocoupling and photogenerated collapse induced by external cross-linker. Next, we comprehensively review the emergent topic of photoactivated multifolding applied to SCNP construction. Finally, we conclude by summarizing recent strategies towards phototriggered disassembly of SCNPs.

A number of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) encountered by military, commercial, and civilian aircraft have been reported to be structured craft that exhibit 'impossible' flight characteristics. We consider a handful of well-documented encounters, including the 2004 encounters with the Nimitz Carrier Group off the coast of California, and estimate lower bounds on the accelerations exhibited by the craft during the observed maneuvers. Estimated accelerations range from almost 100g to 1000s of g's with no observed air disturbance, no sonic booms, and no evidence of excessive heat commensurate with even the minimal estimated energies. In accordance with observations, the estimated parameters describing the behavior of these craft are both anomalous and surprising. The extreme estimated flight characteristics reveal that these observations are either fabricated or seriously in error, or that these craft exhibit technology far more advanced than any known craft on Earth. In many cases, the number and quality of witnesses, the variety of roles they played in the encounters, and the equipment used to track and record the craft favor the latter hypothesis that these are indeed technologically advanced craft. The observed flight characteristics of these craft are consistent with the flight characteristics required for interstellar travel. That is, if these observed accelerations were sustainable in space, then these craft could easily reach relativistic speeds within a matter of minutes to hours and cover interstellar distances in a matter of days to weeks, proper time.

Among the most important variables in the design of falling film microreactors (FFMRs) is the liquid film thickness as well as the gas/liquid interfacial area, which dictate the mass and heat transfer rates. In a previous work conducted in our lab the characteristics of a free-falling Newtonian liquid film have been studied and appropriate correlations have been proposed. In this work the geometrical characteristics of a non-Newtonian shear thinning liquid, flowing in an inclined open microchannel, have been experimentally investigated and design correlations that can predict with reasonable accuracy the features of a FFMR have been proposed. The test section used was an open μ-channel with square cross section (Wo=1200 μm) made of brass which can be set to various inclination angles. The liquid film characteristics were measured by a non-intrusive technique that is based on the features of a μ-PIV system. Relevant CFD simulations revealed that the volume average dynamic viscosity over the flow domain is practically the same as the corresponding asymptotic viscosity value, which can thus be used in proposed the design equations. Finally, a generalized algorithm for the design of FFMRs, containing non-Newtonian shear thinning liquids, is suggested.

Covalent DNA protein crosslinks (DPCs) are common lesions that block replication. We examine here the consequence of DPCs on mutagenesis involving replicational template-switch reactions in Escherichia coli. 5-azacytidine (5azaC) is a potent mutagen for template-switching, dependent on DNA cytosine methylase (Dcm), implicating the trapped Dcm-DNA covalent complex as the initiator for mutagenesis. The leading strand of replication is more mutable than the lagging strand, explained by blocks to the replicative helicase and/or fork regression. We find that template-switch mutagenesis induced by 5-azaC does not require DSB repair via RecABCD. The ability to induce the SOS response is anti-mutagenic by an unknown mechanism. Mutants in recB, but not recA, exhibit high constitutive rates of template-switching and we suggest that RecBCD-mediated DNA degradation prevents template-switching associated with fork regression. A mutation in the DnaB fork helicase also promotes high levels of template-switching. We also find that other DPC-inducers, formaldehyde (a non-specific crosslinker) and ciprofloxacin (a topoisomerase II poison) are also strong mutagens for template-switching. Induction of mutations and genetic rearrangements that occur by template-switching may constitute a previously unrecognized component of the genotoxicity and genetic instability promoted by DPCs.

Universities can do more to deliver against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with faculty, staff and students as well as their wider stakeholder community and alumni body. They play a critical role in helping shape new ways for the world, educating global citizens and delivering knowledge and innovation into society – universities can be engines of societal transformation. Here, using a case study approach, different ways of strategizing sustainability in a university setting are explored with an example from the UK, Europe and USA. The first case is a public UK university that adopted enterprise and sustainability as its academic mission to secure differentiation in a disrupted and increasingly marketized global higher education sector which then became a source of inspiration for change in regional businesses and the local community. The second case study is a business sector-led sustainability-driven transformation working with a private university in Bulgaria to catalyze economic regeneration and social innovation. Finally, the case of Harvard’s Office for Sustainability engagement program is given to show how this approach connects faculty and students with institutional sustainability plans and external partners. Each case is a living lab, positioning sustainability as an intentional strategy. Leadership at all levels, and by students, was key to success in acting with purpose. Partnerships within and with universities can help accelerate delivery of the SDGs, with higher education making a fuller contribution to sustaining the economic, cultural and intellectual well-being of our global communities.

Glucosamine is the most common nutrition supplement used in the United States. It is promoted not only as a pain reliever but also a therapy to slow osteoarthritis. Although studies with 3,800 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip found that glucosamine was no better than placebo, it continues to be used for these two indications due to its perceived safety. However, reports of an increased intraocular pressure are alarming, especially in glaucoma. Glycosaminoglycans play a key role in the physiology of the cornea, conventional outflow of aqueous humor and the retina. In theory, long-term treatment with glucosamine could reach a concentration that impacts the morphology and function of ocular tissues. We recommend ophthalmologists counsel glaucoma patients about the potential risks of glucosamine and encourage cessation in uncontrolled intraocular pressure.

Concentrations of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzanthrone, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and triphenylene) of soil samples from Diboll, an East Texas city (USA), were analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Samples were collected from five sites; Old Orchard Park, two heavy traffic intersections (Judd Street and Lumberjack Drive), an industrial site (West Borden Drive), and a truck stop. Acetone and dichloromethane extracts in all samples showed the presence of fluoranthene and pyrene. The sum of fluoranthene and pyrene concentrations in sites followed the order West Borden Drive > Judd Street > Lumberjack Drive > Old Orchard Park > truck stop. Concentrations of fluoranthene and pyrene were in the range 12.3 – 396.5 μg kg^-1 (ppb) and 13.6 – 209.8 μg kg^-1 ₍in dry soil₎, respectively. Benzanthrone, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and triphenylene concentrations were < 2 ppb levels. The higher concentrations in soils were associated with sites close to heavy traffic and vehicular emissions.

The Schelling model of segregation allows for a general description of residential movements in an environment modeled by a lattice. The key factor is that occupants change positions until they are surrounded by a designated minimum number of similarly labeled residents. An analogy to the Ising model has been made in previous research, primarily due the assumption of state changes being dependent upon the adjacent cell positions. This allows for concepts produced in statistical mechanics to be applied to the Schelling model. Here is presented a methodology to estimate the entropy of the model for different states of the simulation. A Monte Carlo estimate is obtained for the set of macrostates defined as the different aggregate homogeneity satisfaction values across all residents, which allows for the entropy value to be produced for each state. This produces a trace of the estimated entropy value for the states of the lattice configurations to be displayed with each iteration. The results show that the initial random placements of residents have larger entropy values than the final states of the simulation when the overall homogeneity of the residential locality is increased.

Protein-DNA interactions are critical for the successful functioning of all natural systems. The key role in these interactions is played by processes of protein search for specific sites on DNA. Although it has been studied for many years, only recently microscopic aspects of these processes became more clear. In this work, we present a review on current theoretical understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the protein target search. A comprehensive discrete-state stochastic method to explain the dynamics of the protein search phenomena is introduced and explained. Our theoretical approach utilizes a first-passage analysis and it takes into account the most relevant physical-chemical processes. It is able to describe many fascinating features of the protein search, including unusually high effective association rates, high selectivity and specificity, and the robustness in the presence of crowders and sequence heterogeneity.

In this paper we use the conformable fractional derivative to discuss some fractional linear differential equations with constant coefficients. By applying some similar arguments to the theory of ordinary differential equations, we establish a sufficient condition to guarantee the reliability of solving constant coefficient fractional differential equations by the conformable Laplace transform method. Finally, we analyze the analytical solution for a class of fractional models associated with Logistic model, Von Foerster model and Bertalanffy model is presented graphically for various fractional orders and solution of corresponding classical model is recovered as a particular case.

Many empirical and theoretical studies indicate that Brownian motion and diffusion models as its mean field counterpart provide appropriate modelling techniques for individual insect movement. However, this traditional approach has been challenged and conflicting evidence suggests that an alternative movement pattern such as Lévy walks can provide a better description. Lévy walks differ from Brownian motion since they allow for a higher frequency of large steps, resulting in a faster movement. Identification of the ‘correct’ movement model that would consistently provide the best fit for movement data is challenging and has become a highly controversial issue. In this paper, we show that this controversy may be superficial rather than real if the issue is considered in the context of trapping or, more generally, survival probabilities. In particular, we show that almost identical trap counts are reproduced for inherently different movement models (such as the Brownian motion and the Lévy walk) under certain conditions of equivalence. This apparently suggests that the whole ‘Levy or diffusion’ debate is rather senseless unless it is placed into a specific ecological context, e.g. pest monitoring programmes.

The early-season area estimation of the winter wheat crop as a strategic product is important for decision makers. Classification of multi-temporal images is an approach which is affected by many factors like appropriate training sample size, proper frequency and acquisition times, vegetation indices (VIs) type, temporal gradient of spectral bands and VIs, appropriate classifier and missed values because of cloudy conditions. This paper addresses the impact of appropriate frequency and acquisition times and VIs type along with the spectral and VI gradient on random forest (RF) classifier when missed values exist in multi-temporal images. To investigate the appropriate temporal resolution for image acquisition, the study area was selected on an overlapping area between two LDCM paths. In our developed method, the miss values of cloudy bands for each pixel are retrieved by the mean of k-nearest ordinary pixels. Then the multi-temporal image analysis is performed by considering different scenarios provided by decision makers in terms of desired crop types that should be extracted at early-season in the study areas. The classification results obtained by the RF decrease by 1.6% when temporally missed values retrieved by the proposed method, which is an acceptable result. Moreover, the experimental results demonstrated that if temporal resolution of Landsat 8 increased to one week the classification task can be conducted earlier with almost better results in terms of OA and kappa. The impact of incorporating VIs along with the temporal gradients of spectral bands and VIs as new features in RF demonstrated that the OA and Kappa are improved 3.1% and 6.6%, respectively. Furthermore, the obtained result showed that if only one image from seasonal changes of crops is available, the temporal gradient of VIs and spectral bands play the main role to discriminate remarkably wheat from barley. The experiments also demonstrated that if both wheat and barley merge to a single class the crop area can be estimated two months earlier with 97.1 and 93.5 in terms of OA and kappa, respectively.

Fluorophore molecules can be monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy which are highly useful and widely used techniques in cell biology, biochemistry and medicine (e.g., biomarker analysis, immunoassays, cancer diagnosis). Several fluorescent micro- and nanoparticle systems based on block copolymer micelles and cross-linked polymer networks, quantum dots, -conjugated polymers, and dendrimers have been evaluated as optical imaging systems. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the construction of fluorescent single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) which are valuable artificial soft nano-objects with tunable, small size (as small as 3 nm). In particular, the main methods currently available to endow SCNPs with fluorescent properties are discussed in detail, showing illustrative examples.

Analytical channel design tools have not advanced appreciably in the last decades, and continue to produce designs based upon a single representative discharge that may not lead to overall sediment continuity. It is beneficial for designers to know when a simplified design may be problematic and to efficiently produce alternative designs that approximate sediment balance over the entire flow regime. The Capacity/Supply Ratio (CSR) approach, an extension of the Copeland method of analytical channel design for sand channels, balances the sediment transport capacity of a design reach with the sediment supply of a stable upstream reach over the entire flow duration curve (FDC) rather than just a single discharge. Although CSR has a stronger physical basis than previous analytical channel design approaches, it has not been adopted in practice because it can be a cumbersome and time-consuming iterative analysis without the use of software. We investigate eighteen sand-bed rivers in a comparison of designs based on the CSR approach and five single-discharge metrics: the effective discharge (Qeff), the 1.5-year recurrence interval discharge (Q1.5), the bankfull discharge (Qbf), and the discharges associated with 50th (Qs50) and 75th (Qs75) percentiles of the cumulative sediment yield curve. To facilitate this analysis we developed a novel design tool using the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language in Excel® to produce stable channel slope-width combinations based on the CSR methodology for both sand- and gravel-bed streams. The CSR Stable Channel Design Tool’s (CSR Tool) code structure was based on Copeland’s method in SAM and HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System) and was tested with a single discharge to verify outputs. The Qs50 and Qs75 single-discharge designs match the CSR output most closely, followed by the Qbf, Qeff, and Q1.5. The Qeff proved to be the most inconsistent design metric because it can be highly dependent on the binning procedure used in the effectiveness analysis. Furthermore, we found that the more rigorous physical basis of the CSR analysis is potentially most important in designing ‘labile’ channels with highly erodible substrate, high perennial flow ‘flashiness,’ low width-to-depth ratio, and high incoming sediment load. The CSR Tool provides a resource for river restoration practitioners to efficiently utilize in-depth design techniques that can promote sediment balance in dynamic fluvial systems.

Circles, semicircles and its derived circular sectors are ubiquitous both in human creations and in the natural realm. However, mathematically speaking they have always represented a certain level of enigma or even mysticism since ancient times for being such a perfect shape that enclosed the irrational value that we now call π. Such figure was relatively unknown until the seventeenth century; polymaths like Guarini even equated it, after so many centuries, to the Archimedes fraction of 22/7 or sometimes 25/8 which, giving a value 3.125 introduces a considerable degree of error; Eventually, Lambert had to demonstrate, well advanced the eighteenth century that π was actually an irrational number. In recent years, the author has worked with sections of spheres and other curved bodies as related to radiative heat transfer and applied to the finding of form factors pertaining to such special geometries, to the point of defining new postulates. The main theorems so far enunciated refer to the radiative exchange between circles and half disks, but recently the possibility to treat circular sectors has arrived, thanks to the research already conducted in which, by virtue of Cabeza-Lainez first postulate, we are able to know the form factor of any spherical segment over itself, discarding in this way, the former uncertainties that appeared when dealing with the inner side of spherical surfaces. As it is known, to find the exact expression of the configuration factor by integration alone is mostly a tedious task and the results are not readily available as it has been frequently proved. In the said problem of the circular sectors, the author could integrate the first two steps of the basic formulation for radiant exchange. Subsequently, the novelty of the procedure lies in introducing a finite differences approximation for the third and fourth integrals which still remain unsolved, once that we have been able to find the first and second integrals of the form factor. This possibility had not been identified by former research. This sole output provides us with an ample variety of scenarios previously unforeseen. As a consequence, we would be able to analyze with more precision but freely, the spatial transference of radiant heat for figures composed of circular sectors such as spherical sectors like quarters or octaves of spheres. Many architectural, industrial or aircraft modules and objects fall into this category. We already know that spherical shapes cannot be discretized with any accuracy as there are no spherical tiles of the same size, therefore we hope to overcome with our finding a persistent extent of error. In this situation we are able to reduce a considerable amount of hindrances in the progress of thermal radiation science, due to the advances hereby presented. As the new formulations found can be adapted for algorithms, they will be integrated in simulation procedures with significant avail. Our achievement may be considered timely in the effort invested to square the elements of mathematics for radiative transfer. Important sequels are already being derived for radiation in the entrance to tunnels, aircraft design, low-energy building construction and also lighting and HVAC industries to cite just a few.

Vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) was covalently bonded onto graphene oxide. Several methods, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, were used to demonstrate the presence of VTES on the surface of graphene oxide and the creation of this covalent link. Following that, different quantities of the resultant vinyltriethoxysilane functionalized graphene oxide (VTESFGO) were mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form VTESFGO/PVA nanocomposite films (NCFs) with a 3-dimensional network structure. The creation of these NCFs and the presence of a three-dimensional network were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The three-dimensional network structure provided these NCFs extraordinary characteristics. The mechanical and thermal stability, oxygen transfer rate (OTR), and water resistance pressure (WRP) of the NCFs were investigated. The nanocomposite film (NCF) with the highest weight percentage of VTESFGO (3.0 wt.%) was 47.5% more thermally stable than pure PVA, with an oxygen transmission rate of 0.3 cm3/m2 per day and a water resistance pressure of 780 mm/cm2. However, as the weight percentage of VTESFGO increased, the mechanical strength of the NCFs decreased as a result of silanol self-condensation, resulting in particulate formation, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy.

This research analysed the distribution of publicly awarded funding, by United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) to defined University Groups and compared it against the aim and objectives of UKRI’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) strategy. Previous work has identified failures in the allocation of research awards, with some groups being under-represented in successful bids. UKRI have acknowledged the situation needs to improve yet concern exists over whether change has been enacted. Publicly accessible information provided freely by UKRI was used in conducting a comprehensive analysis of the current position. The results showed that the marginalisation of groups applies at a University Group level, with over-representation of the elite universities of the Russell Group in successfully funded project bids. The data shows how, both in total financial expenditure and in the number of projects financed, the awarding of research funding to the universities with the largest popular base, namely the group identified as Post-92 universities, is relatively very small. These universities, as identified by measurements such as social inclusion within university rankings, contribute to greater equality of opportunities for student populations and reduce the impact of economic discrimination. By greatly minoritizing the Post-92 universities through funding UKRI is effectively reducing access for their disadvantaged students.

Plants are subjected to abiotic stresses throughout their developmental period. Abiotic stresses include drought, salt, heat, cold, heavy metals, nutritional element and oxidative stresses. Improving plant response to various environmental stresses is critical for plant survival and perpetuation. The WRKY transcription factors have special structure (WRKY structural domains), which enable WRKY transcription factors to have different transcriptional regulatory functions. The WRKY transcription factors can not only regulate abiotic stresses response and plant growth and development by regulating phytohormone signalling pathways, but also promote or suppress the expression of downstream genes by binding to the W-box [TGACCA/TGACCT] in the promoters of their target genes. In addition, WRKY transcription factors not only interact with other families of transcription factors to regulate plant defence responses in abiotic stresses, but also self-regulate by recognizing and binding to W-boxes in their own target genes to regulate their defence responses to abiotic stresses. However, in recent years, research reviews on the regulatory roles of WRKY transcription factors in higher plants are scarce and shallow. In this review, we focus on the structure and classification of WRKY transcription factors, as well as the identification of their downstream target genes and molecular mechanisms involved in the response to abiotic stresses, which can improve the tolerance ability of plants in abiotic stress and we also look forward to their future research directions, with a view to providing theoretical support for the genetic improvement of crop abiotic stresses tolerance.

Dark energy and dark matter are described as different manifestations of vacuum energy in the cyclic universe framework of Extra Dimensional Symmetry (EDS). Motivated by the cosmological constant problem, EDS doubles large spatial dimensions with microscopic partners of opposite chirality and dimension number (gravitational charge). In this framework, the bulk of vacuum energy, constrained by a Planck density constraint, exists in a gravitationally inert state where actual gravitational constant is zero G. This is in contrast with the gravitationally active state where actual gravitational constant is two Gs with each of these two states corresponding to opposite particle chirality. Dark energy is described as a small repulsive component of vacuum energy constrained to the active state by an asymptotically evolving asymmetry. Dark matter is described as the attractive component of vacuum energy, enabled by neutrino induced gravitational constant which also serves as neutrino mass generation mechanism. While ordinary neutrino interaction with dark energy yields light neutrino mass, chiraly inverted neutrino interaction with dense vacuum energy yields heavy neutrino mass. Transition to sterile neutrino phase can be activated by the gravitational effect of shear stress on the microscopic partners of the visible spatial dimensions. Observational and experimental tests are briefly discussed.

Based on the geochemical analysis of the volcanic material from the sediment core AMK-340, central zone of the Reykjanes Ridge, we could detect two ash-bearing sediment units accumulated during the Termination I. They correlate to the Ash Zone I in the North Atlantic Late Quaternary sediments having an age of 12170-12840, within the Younger Dryas cold chronozone, and 13600-14540 years, within and Bølling-Allerød warm chronozone. The ash of the Younger Dryas unit is presented mostly by the mafic and persilicic material originated from the Icelandic volcanoes; Vedde Ash is presented in one sediment sample from this unit. The ash of the Bølling-Allerød unit is presented mostly by the mafic shards which are related to the basalts of the rift zone on the Reykjanes Ridge, having presumably the local origin. A detection of Vedde Ash helped to specify the timing of the previously reconstructed paleoceanographic changes for the Termination I in the point of study: a significant warming in the area could occur as early as 300 years prior to the end of the conventional Younger Dryas cold chronozone.

SUDEP is a sudden death in a person with epilepsy, without evidence of a seizure before death. While its cause is still unclear, various factors have been linked to seizure onset and cardiopulmonary function. Studies have shown that although 91.3% of epilepsy patients want information on premature death, only 31% of them receive it. The numbers emphasize the need for open and sensitive communication by medical professionals. It is important to choose the appropriate moment for the conversation, avoiding periods of stress and ensuring emotional stability in the patient, as well as clear, appropriate and easy to comprehend information about SUDEP. To facilitate this, knowing the patient's level of knowledge is essential. Education on the warning signs of seizures and SUDEP can help take precautions and can decrease the incidence of the phenomenon itself. Effective epilepsy care requires a comprehensive plan, including medication adherence and lifestyle changes. Regular communication and collaboration between the patient, caregiver and health professionals are essential for the effective management of epilepsy, so just as epilepsy has a fluid, changeable course of disease and follow-up appointments are very important, the topic of SUDEP is not a one-time conversation either.

The right heart catheterisation constitutes the gold standard for pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis. However, echocardiography remains a reliable, non-invasive, inexpensive, convenient, and easily reproducible modality not only for the preliminary screening of PH but also for PH prognosis. The aim of this review is to describe a cluster of echocardiographic parameters for the detection and prognosis of PH and analyse the challenges of echocardiography implementation in patients with suspected or established PH. The most important echocardiographic index is the calculation of pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) through the tricuspid regurgitation (TR). It has shown high correlation with invasive measurement of pulmonary pressure, but several drawbacks have questioned its accuracy. Besides this, the right ventricular outflow track acceleration time (RVOT-AT) has been proposed for PH diagnosis. A plethora of echocardiographic indices: right atrial area, pericardial effusion, the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), the TAPSE/PASP ratio, tricuspid annular systolic velocity (s′) and recently, can reflect the severity and prognosis of PH. Recent advances in echocardiography with 3-dimensional right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction, RV free wall strain and right atrial strain may further assist the prognostication of PH.

The use of individual protective covers (IPCs) to protect newly planted citrus trees from HLB infection is being widely adopted in Florida, an HLB endemic citrus producing area. It is known that IPCs positively influence most horticultural traits, increasing tree growth, flush expansion, and leaf size enabling trees to sustain a balanced carbohydrate metabolism by preventing CLas infection and induced higher leaf chlorophyll levels. This may result in more productive trees. However, as the tree grows IPCs eventually are removed, typically between 2 and 3 years after initial installation. Once IPCs are removed, trees become exposed to the ACPs and ultimately become infected. In this work we covered trees from Valencia sweet orange with IPCs for 30 months, until the trees entered fruit bearing age. We investigated how IPC protection of newly planted trees for 30 months influenced fruit quality and yield of ‘Valencia’ trees for three consecutive seasons after IPC removal compared to non-covered trees. The use of IPCs kick-started the newly planted citrus trees, resulting in more yield and fruits with better internal and external quality. After 30 months of IPC protection, tree canopies were larger and denser supporting more fruit per tree than in non-protected trees for three consecutive seasons even though by the end of the first season after IPC removal trees were HLB positive. Tree height, scion diameter, canopy volume, and leaf area were significantly improved as compared to non-covered trees. Additionally, fruit quality was significantly improved in the three seasons following IPC removal as compared to non-covered trees. However, a decline in quality was measurable in fruit from IPC trees after the second harvesting season, with trees affected by HLB. Based on the results from this study, we conclude that benefits from IPC protection may last for at least three consecutive seasons once trees enter the productive age despite CLas-infection within 12 months after IPC removal.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), leading to elevated mortality rates among patients. We aimed to evaluate the levels of cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), global longitudinal strain (GLS), ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hsTn), in SLE patients and to explore their relationship with clinical parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 82 SLE patients without evident cardiac or kidney impairment and 41 age- and sex matched healthy controls. We comparatively evaluated CAVI, GLS, VAC, and hsTn between SLE patients and controls, and we assessed their association among SLE patients with disease activity based on the SELENA-SLEDAI Activity Index. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of CAVI and hsTn within the SLE cohort. Results: In comparison to healthy controls, SLE patients presented with significantly higher CAVI, GLS and hsTn levels, while VAC was significantly reduced (p&lt;0.001). Further, SLE patients with active disease (SELENA-SLEDAI≥4) exhibited higher levels of CAVI and troponin than those with inactive disease (p&lt;0.001). SLEDAI was an independent predictor of CAVI, while VAC and SLEDAI were independent determinants of hsTn in SLE cohort. Conclusion: SLE patients displayed abnormal levels of CAVI, VAC, GLS, and troponin compared to healthy individuals. Our findings implicate the potential of those CV novel CVD risk factors to refine screening and therapeutic strategies for this specific population.

The multidimensionality of chronic pain forces us to look beyond isolated pain assessment such as pain intensity, which does not consider multiple key parameters, particularly in patients suffering from post-operative Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome (PSPS-T2). Our ambition was to provide a novel Multi-dimensional Clinical Response Index (MCRI), including not only pain intensity but also functional capacity, anxiety-depression, quality of life and objective quantitative pain mapping assessments, the objective being to capture patient condition instantaneously, using machine learning techniques. Two hundred PSPS-T2 patients were enrolled in a real-life observational prospective PREDIBACK study with 12-month follow-up and received various treatments. From a multitude of questionnaires/scores, specific items were combined using exploratory factor analyses to create an optimally accurate MCRI; as a single composite index, using pairwise correlations between measurements, it appeared to better represent all pain dimensions than any other classical score. It appeared to be the best compromise among all existing indexes, showing the highest sensitivity/specificity related to Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC). Novel composite indexes could help to refine pain assessment by changing the physician’s perception of patient condition on the basis of objective and holistic metrics, and by providing new insights to therapy efficacy/patient outcome assessments, before ultimately being adapted to other pathologies.

Neuro-rehabilitation services are essential in reducing post-stroke impairments, enhancing independence, and improving recovery in hospital and post-discharge. However these services are therapist-dependent and resource intensive. Patients’ disengagement and boredom in stroke units are common which adversely affect functional and psychological outcomes. Novel techniques such as use of iPads™ are increasingly researched to overcome such challenges. The aim of this review is to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, acceptability, and barriers to the use of iPads™ in stroke neuro-rehabilitation. Four databases and manual literature search were used to identify published studies using the terms “iPad”, “Stroke”, and “neuro-rehabilitation”. Studies were included in accordance with the review selection criteria. A total of 16 articles were included in the review. The majority of the studies focused on iPads use in speech and language therapy. Although of small scale, the studies highlighted that iPads are feasible, have the potential to improve rehabilitation outcomes, and can improve patient’s social isolation. Patients’ stroke severity and financial limitations are some of the barriers highlighted in this review. This review presents preliminary data supportive for the use of iPad technology in stroke neuro-rehabilitation. However, further research is needed to determine impact on rehabilitation goals acquisition, clinical efficacy, and cost-efficiency.

Drought negatively affects the growth and development of barley. To explore the genetic variation in barley under drought stress, ten breeding genotypes were tested using polyethylene glycol-6000 to simulate drought conditions. We observed that drought stress adversely affected germination-related traits across all barley genotypes and this impact varied between genotypes, suggesting genotype-specific drought tolerance. The drought tolerance index was an ideal criterion for selecting drought-tolerant genotypes as it well characterized the gradient responses of barely genotypes to drought stress. Based on this indicator, genotype OB1878-ON-50 is recommended as a significant germplasm resource for breeding programs under lower precipitation conditions due to its superior tolerance to drought stress.

The complexity of modern power grids, exacerbated by integrating diverse energy sources, espe-cially inverter-based resources (IBRs), presents a significant challenge to grid operation and plan-ning since linear models fail to capture the intricate IBR dynamics. This study employs the Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics (SINDy) method to bridge the gap between theoretical un-derstanding and practical implementation in power system analysis. It introduces the novel Volterra-based Nonlinearity Index (VNI) to examine system-level nonlinearity comprehensively. The distinction of dynamics into first-order linearizable terms, second-order nonlinear dynamics, and third-order noise elucidates the intricacy of power systems. The findings demonstrate a fundamental shift in system dynamics as power sources transit to IBRs, revealing system-level nonlinearity compared to module-level nonlinearity in conventional syn-chronous generators. The VNI quantifies nonlinear-to-linear relationships, enriching our comprehension of power system behavior and offering a versatile tool for distinguishing between different nonlinearities and visualizing their distinct patterns through the proposed VIN profile.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL)-based instruction versus lecture-based instruction on Grade 12 students’ performance in circular motion unit. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design, the impact of POGIL-based instruction versus lecture-based instruction on students’ performance as measured by three types of cognitive outcomes: Knowing, Applying and Reasoning (KAR). The total number of participants was approximately 110 students (N=110); 54 were assigned to treatment groups (25 girls and 29 boys) and 56 were assigned to control groups (27 girls and 29 boys). The treatment group was taught a unit of circular motion in physics using POGIL-based instruction while the control group was taught the unit using lecture-based instruction. The findings of the study showed statistically significant differences between students of the control group and the treatment group in favor of the later regarding their circular motion performance, suggesting the superiority of the POGIL in enhancing student understanding of the circular motion.

In the ongoing work, environmentally sound technologies for converting organic wastes into fertilizers, to improve soil sustainability and crop yield have been identified and assessed. Wet wastes were combined with 50% wood sawdust and 50% 50% wet wastes (Compost 1) or (10% Straw + 90% wet wastes) (Compost 2) to produce soil improvers with a balanced level of nutrients and their effectiveness on soil ecosystem functioning have been tested and compared to horse manure (HM) and nitrogen:phosphorous:potassium (NPK) fertilizers. Unfertilized soil was used as control. Soil chemical and biological properties, have been detected after the harvesting of broccoli and red cabbage (90 days from the initial treatments). Three independent experiments have been conducted in open field in a randomized complete block design with three replications (n=9). Results showed that Compost 1 had the highest C/N ratio and CSC, indicating a better humification of wet material. Compost 1 even if contained a minor amount of organic carbon, as well as a less activity of FDA and DHA than Compost 2, was the most effective in improving soil quality, significantly increasing the labile fraction of organic matter, the oxidative enzyme (DHA), microbial biomass and crop yield. Both composts increased crop productivity.

In the early decades of the 19th century, the deaf population in the eastern US and Canada was distributed across a vast area. After the 1817 founding of the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, CT and the subsequent establishment of schools for the deaf in New York City (NYSD), Philadelphia, and many other US states, hundreds of deaf students called these schools home for several years. After leaving school, the early American Deaf community faced a challenge: How would the community maintain its social and linguistic ties across a vast geographical area once community members had dispersed to their hometowns? In this paper we analyze the attendance registries of two large gatherings of deaf individuals in Hartford in the years 1850 and 1854. These were among the largest and earliest known gatherings of deaf adults. The demographic data included in these registries open a window onto the evolving American Deaf community of the mid-19th century. Our analyses of the attendees’ school affiliations, ages, and marital status show that the signing community that had taken root among students at schools in Hartford and New York persisted among the adult graduates of those schools in towns across the northeastern US. We compare the places of residence of ASD and NYSD alumni in 1850 and 1854 to their hometowns when they first enrolled at school. Our comparisons suggest the mid-19th-century signing community had become more urban; it was centered to a greater extent in populous cities such as New York, Boston, and Hartford than had been true when the attendees had enrolled in school. We consider how the geography of deafness in the 19th century might inform our understanding of the sources of regional variation in ASL. We also consider how early cross-regional interactions may have inhibited such regional variation.

This paper explores the application of Blockchain technology in food traceability, focusing specifically on olive oil. It addresses the significant challenges in the food industry, such as verifying authenticity and detecting harmful substances. The research highlights the potential of Blockchain to enhance traceability by leveraging its decentralized and secure architecture, which en-sures data integrity and facilitates rapid monitoring throughout the supply chain. The paper also examines the synergy between Blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT), which is critical for real-time tracking in product production. The research conducted has led to a practical demonstration through a web application connected to the Ethereum test network, designed for the quality control of olive oil via smart contracts. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of Blockchain technology and its transformative potential in ensuring food traceability, particularly for high-value commodities like olive oil.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals call for the eradication of poverty, and China has proposed the Rural Revitalization Strategy based on the achievements of its poverty alleviation efforts in 2020. As a vital component of this strategy, the impact of land transfer on farmers' income growth has become a hot topic in both theoretical and practical sectors. This paper utilizes data from the CFPS database for the years 2010-2018 to construct OLS regression models and a Heckman two-stage model to analyze the effects of land transfers on the incomes of different types and sources among farmers. The empirical results show: First, land transfers do promote income growth among farmers, but the effect is primarily positive for those transferring out land, with negligible impact on those acquiring land. Second, the impact of land transfers varies between different types of income for transferees and transferors. Wage income contributes up to 88.26% to the income growth of transferors, a significantly higher rate than the decrease in business income; however, the increase in business income for transferees does not offset the decline in wage income, leading to no significant change in overall income. Further sensitivity analysis using the Heckman two-stage model confirms the robustness of these findings. The conclusions of this study provide theoretical and empirical evidence to optimize land transfer policies, enhance participation in land transfers, and ultimately achieve the mission of rural revitalization.

We use the Maximum Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT) to analyse the interconnectedness between the stock markets of continental Europe and the BRICS countries. More specifically, we examine the presence of financial contagion in the stock markets of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa subsequent to the EuroZone Sovereign Debt Crisis (EZDC). We find evidence of co-movement and volatility spillover at short time scales between the Eurozone equity market and the equity markets in South Africa and Russia, with the Eurozone stock market leading the BRICS markets. The presence of co-movement in short time scales is indicative of the presence of financial contagion. No financial contagion is observed in the Brazilian, Chinese, and Indian stock markets during the European sovereign debt crisis. The absence of financial contagion observed in these three BRICS countries during the European sovereign debt crisis suggests that policymakers in these countries should prioritise addressing idiosyncratic shock channels.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a significant public health threat due to its ability to cause severe gastrointestinal diseases in humans, ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening conditions such as hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). As the primary reservoir of STEC, cattle play a crucial role in its transmission through contaminated food and water, posing a considerable risk to human health. This comprehensive review explores host-pathogen interactions during STEC colonization of the bovine gut, focusing on the role of gut microbiota in modulating these interactions and influencing disease outcomes. We integrated findings from published transcriptomics, proteomics, and genomics studies to provide a thorough understanding of how STEC adheres to and colonizes the bovine gastrointestinal tract. The insights from this review offer potential avenues for the development of novel preventative and therapeutic strategies aimed at controlling STEC colonization in cattle threby reducing the risk of zoonotic transmission.

At secondary healthcare, Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CREs) such as observed in Klebsiella pneumoniae are a global public health priority with significant clinical outcomes. In this study, we describe clinical, phenotypic, and genotypic characteristics of three pan-drug resistant (PDR) isolates that demonstrated extended resistance to conventional and novel antimicrobials. All patients had risk factors for acquisition of multidrug resistant organisms while microbiological susceptibility testing showed resistance to all conventional antimicrobials. Advanced susceptibility testing demonstrated resistance to broad agents such as ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, and meropenem-vaborbactam. Nevertheless, all isolates were susceptible to cefiderocol, one of the novel antimicrobials that demonstrated potent in vitro activity against resistant Gram-negative bacteria including CREs pointing towards potential therapeutic role for PDR pathogens. Expanded genomic studies revealed multiple antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs), including blaNMD-5 and blaOXA derivative types as well as a mutated outer membrane porin protein (OmpK37).

Mosquitoes transmit pathogens that cause human diseases such as malaria, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika fever, and filariasis. Chemical pesticides are effective instruments for reducing disease transmission and managing mosquito populations. However, these chemicals have drawbacks such as high production costs and negative effects on the environment and non-target organisms. Furthermore, as mosquitoes develop resistance to chemical insecticides, they become less effective. As a result, researchers are investigating novel insecticides. Advances in microbial biotechnology have resulted in a wide range of value-added products, including biopesticides for agricultural and public health purposes. In this review, we highlight the mainly untapped biotechnological potential of microorganisms for vector mosquito control and disease transmission reduction. Also, we underline the importance of more basic research and improved translational research methodologies, encouraging efforts to bridge the gap between academic research on biopesticides and public health interventions.

In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the Kenya case of multivariate causality of carbon dioxide emissions by employing a time series data spanning from 1961-2011 using the ARDL method of cointegration analysis. The long-run elasticities show that, a 1% increase in financial development increases carbon dioxide emissions by 0.28%, a 1% increase in GDP per capita increases carbon dioxide emissions by 1.32% and a 1% increase in urbanization decreases carbon dioxide emissions by 1.14%. There was a unidirectional causality running from financial development, food production index, GDP per capita, industrialization and urbanization to carbon dioxide emissions. The innovation accounting shows that 20% of future shocks in carbon dioxide emissions are due to fluctuations in financial development, 9% of future shocks in financial development are due to fluctuations urbanization and 22% of future shocks in food production index are due to fluctuations in carbon dioxide emissions.

This article is devoted to the problem of genetically coding of inherited cyclic structures in biological bodies, whose life activity is based on a great inherited set of mutually coordinated cyclic processes. The author puts forward and arguments the idea that the genetic coding system is capable of encoding inherited cyclic processes because it itself is a system of cyclic codes connected with Boolean algebra of logic. In other words, the physiological processes in question are cyclical because they are genetically encoded by cyclic codes. In support of this idea, the author presents a set of his results on the connection of the genetic coding system with cyclic Gray codes, which are one of many known types of cyclic codes. This opens up the possibility of using for modeling inherited cyclic biostructures those algebraic and logical theories and constructions that are associated with Gray codes and have long been used in engineering technologies: Karnaugh maps, Hilbert curve, Hadamard matrices, Walsh functions, dyadic analysis, etc. Additionally, the connections of these constructions with statistical rules of genomic DNAs and binary-genomic numbers are considered.

Post-stroke depressive disorders (PSD) and post-stroke cognitive impairments (PCI) are frequent consequences of ischemic stroke (IS). The study was focused on exploring possible associations between relative volumes of cortical and limbic brain structures during the acute period of IS, and changes in biochemical indices of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, sympathoadrenal medullary and inflammatory systems, with the development of PSD or PCI after mild or moderate IS. Patients developing PSD later on had significantly smaller relative volumes of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and temporal pole versus patients without depressive symptoms. PCI development was associated with significantly smaller volumes of temporal pole and supramarginal gyrus versus patients without cognitive changes. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed higher likelihood of developing PSD in patients with smaller temporal pole volume (β0=10.9; β=-4.27; p=0.04) and increased salivary α-amylase activity (β0=-3.55; β=2.68e-05; p=0.02,). PCI likelihood was higher in patients with smaller supramarginal gyrus volume (β0=3.41; β=-0.99; p=0.047), smaller temporal pole volume (β0=3.41; β=-3.12; p=0. 06), and increased hair cortisol concentration at admission (index of accumulated stress load within a month before IS; β0=3.41; β=-0.05; p=0.08). The data support the hypothesis suggesting predisposition to PSD and PCI and multi hit scenarios of their pathogenesis with IS providing a final hit.

INTRODUCTION: This study focusses on diagnosis of stages of AD (Alzheimer’s disease) including MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) from two data modalities - gene expression and clinical data of ADNI (Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative ) participants using multiclassification. The gene expression dataset is highly imbalanced and of HDLSS (high-dimensional and low-sample-size) characteristics. This is the only study where multiclassification based AD stage diagnosis is done to identify multiple stages of Alzheimer. We are able to achieve the best multiclassification result in both the modalities and identify new genetic biomarkers. METHODS: Combination of XGBoost and SFBS (“Sequential Floating Backward Selection”) methods is used to select features. We are able to select the most effective 95 gene probsets out of 49,386. For clinical study data, 8 most effective biomarkers could be selected using SFBS. For both genomic and clinical data, DL (‘Deep Learning’) classifier is used to identify stages - CN (Cognitive Normal), MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment), AD (Alzheimer’s Disease / Dementia). Because of high data imbalance in genomic data, border line oversampling is used for model training and original data for validation. RESULT & DISCUSSION: With clinical data, we achieved ‘ROC AUC’ scores 0.97, 0.95, 0.94 for CN, MCI, Dementia stage respectively . We achieve ‘ROC AUC’ scores 0.75, 0.74, 0.70 for CN, MCI, Dementia stage respectively and 0.67 for both micro average F1 scores and micro weighted F1 score. This is the best result so far for AD stage diagnosis from gene expression profile data through multiclassification with ADNI data. Results reflect that our multiclassification model can efficiently handle the imbalanced data of HDLSS nature to identify samples of minority class. MAPK14, ZNF835, MID1, HLA-DQA1, TEP1 are some of the new genes found to be associated with AD risk. DRAXIN, HSPA12B, USP47 etc. are found to be AD preventive or suppressor.

In recent decades the Mediterranean area observed an increase in large fires, despite the decrease in the number of fire ignitions, following a worldwide tendency. Climate change has been the main culprit for large burnt areas, and alterations of forest ecosystems, resulting in the increased recurrence of forest fires. In Portugal, the analogous trend resulted in the destruction of large rural, urban and industrial areas, where after the 2017 months of June and October catastrophic events, the government implemented the 2019 specific policies for preventing fire outbreaks and defending the forest against fires. This compulsory policy demanded that landowners and local governments alike needed to contact specific authorities requesting authorization for their intentions to clean properties in and around urban areas, roads, and forest limits. Despite policy and careful monitoring, ignitions still occur, and in many cases resulting from the implementation of such policies. The study analyses the before and after policy implementation, considering 6904 ignitions records from the period between 2014 and 2023 from the central area of Portugal, covering the transition area between the agricultural fields of the Tagus valley and the Monte-junto-Estrela Mountain range, the district of Santarém. The authorization to use fire in clearance practices is granted according to a set of weather conditions, temperature, wind intensity, and relative humidity, when analyzing fire ignitions with the average daily wind intensity at the site of the occurrence, we observed that more than half of wildfires occur on days with winds between 10 and 20 Km/h, whereas intensities greater than 30 Km/h only 1% of the total occurrences, and of these 22% occurred due to the use of fire in the burning of agricultural leftovers and cut and piled bushes. The circulation of the thermal depression in the Iberian Peninsula gives rise to increasing intensity throughout the day, reaching a maximum in the late afternoon, this factor combined with the misjudgment of safe conditions leads us to suggest stricter intervals and the need for awareness of daily variation in conditions.

A novel interaction between the enzyme platelet-activating factor acetyl hydrolase (PAF-AH) and certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as sulindac, celecoxib, diclofenac and nimesulide, has been uncovered by this in-silico research. PAF-AH is known for its critical role in maintaining the fluidity and functionality of cell membranes by hydrolysing phospholipids and removing oxidized fatty acids. Since tumour microenvironments are largely marked by inflammation and oxidative stress, the discovery that these non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can bind to the active pocket of PAF-AH. Suggests that they may be able to modulate its activity and thereby influence its role in cancer pathogenesis. Such modulation could lead to significant anti-tumour effects, including the reduction of inflammation, the inhibition of angiogenesis and the suppression of metastasis, particularly in cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, and lung. However, in certain con-texts, this interaction may cause the opposite effect, leading to cancer development. Therefore, this study is a gateway for the development of therapeutic strategies based on PAF-AH modulation and highlights the importance of the tumour microenvironment in the assessment of potential effects of NSAIDs. Furthermore, this finding may guide the selection of NSAIDs for the anti-inflammatory treatment of cancer patients, ruling out in-discriminate use of drugs that may promote neoplastic progression. This may also indicate the potential for repositioning specific NSAIDs within cancer treatment, thereby contributing to more precise and personalized therapeutic approaches.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, and its incidence has been rising in parallel with the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. A critical marker for the progression of NAFLD is advanced hepatic fibrosis (AHF), which can result in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study sought to investigate the potential associations between five nutrition-related indices—the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), controlled nutritional score (CONUT), triglyceride-total cholesterol-body mass index (TCBI), and albumin/globulin ratio (AGR)—and the progression of NAFLD and AHF. Methods: This study analyzed the association between five nutrition-related indicators and the occurrence of NAFLD and AHF by utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 to 2020.03. After adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, clinical, and laboratory-related factors, the associations were examined employing various statistical techniques, including multivariate logistic regression, subgroup analysis, and smooth curve fitting analysis. Results: This study included 5,514 subjects, of whom 2,088 were diagnosed with NAFLD and 359 with AHF. After adjusting for potential confounding factors using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the results revealed that GNRI, PNI, and TCBI were positively associated with the incidence of NAFLD, while CONUT and AGR demonstrated negative associations with NAFLD. Additionally, GNRI, CONUT, and TCBI were positively associated with the incidence of AHF, while AGR demonstrated a negative association with AHF.Conclusions: The study demonstrates that nutritional status plays a dual role in the progression of NAFLD and AHF, serving as both a risk and protective factor. These findings offer a scientific foundation for the early identification of high-risk populations and the development of individualized nutritional intervention strategies.

Avian mutations in vaccine strains obtained from embryonated eggs could impair vaccine effec-tiveness. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the adjusted relative vaccine effectiveness (arVE) of seed cell-cultured influenza vaccines (ccIV) compared to egg-based influ-enza vaccines (eIV) in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza related outcomes (IRO) or IRO by clinical codes, in subjects 18 and over. We completed the literature search in January 2021; ap-plied exclusion criteria, evaluated risk of bias of the evidence, and performed heterogeneity, pub-lication bias, qualitative, quantitative and sensitivity analyses. All estimates were computed us-ing a random approach. International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, CRD42021228290. We identified 12 publications that reported 26 adjusted arVE results. Five publications reported 13 laboratory confirmed arVE and seven reported 13 code-ascertained arVE. Nine publications with 22 results were at low risk of bias. Heterogeneity was explained by season and risk of bias. We found a significant 11% (8 to 14%) adjusted arVE favoring ccIV in preventing any IRO in the 2017-2018 influenza season. The arVE was 3% (-01 to 7%) in the 2018-2019 influenza season. We found moderate evidence of a significant advantage of the ccIV in preventing IRO, compared to eIV, in a well-matched A(H3N2) predominant season.

Manual handling is a major risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders and one of the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years globally, necessitating multifaceted risk reduction measures. One potential intervention for manual handling tasks is work technique training assisted by augmented feedback on biomechanical exposures. However, there is a research gap regarding its effectiveness specifically for manual handling tasks in both real work environments and controlled settings, as well as its ability to induce retained reductions in biomechanical exposure. The gap was investigated using a rapid review comprising a literature search using two databases and 11 reviews/overviews to identify studies from the past 20 years, up to studies published by June 1, 2024. Sixteen studies were identified, with 14 of them being of high or moderate methodological quality and were included. Three studies were conducted in real work environments and eleven in controlled settings. Most studies (n = 9) used auditory feedback, followed by vibration feedback (n = 6). In real work environments, the evidence for the effectiveness of sensor-based augmented feedback in reducing biomechanical exposure during administration was considered to be inconsistent and very limited directly after administration. For longer periods after administration, ranging from one week to more than six months, there is currently no evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the feedback. In controlled settings, there was strong evidence for its effectiveness during and immediately after administration, and limited evidence for effectiveness up to six months post-administration when considering the tasks included in the training. Future research needs are discussed.

Accurate forecast of tail water level (TWL) is of great importance for the safe and economic operation and management of hydropower stations. The predictive performance is significantly influenced by the backwater effect of downstream hydropower stations and tributaries, but the explicit quantification method of the backwater effect is lacked. In this study, a deep learning model based forecasting framework for TWL predictions is established and applied to forecast TWL of Xiangjiaba (XJB) hydropower stations, which is influenced by the backwater effect of downstream tributaries including Hengjiang River (HJR) and Minjiang River (MJR). Firstly, the lag time of the backwater effect of HJR and MJR is analyzed based on the permutation importance. The results demonstrate that the lag time of backwater effect on the TWL of XJB is 5-7 hours for the HJR and 1-2 hours for the MJR. Then, the runoff thresholds of the HJR and MJR for impacting the TWL of the XJB station are obtained by scenario comparison, and the results show that the thresholds of HJR and MJR are 700 m3/s and 7000 m3/s respectively. Finally, the deep learning methods based TWL forecasting model is established based on the lag time and threshold analysis. The model is used to forecast the TWL in future 48 hours. The results show that the forecasting model has a good predictive performance with 98.22% of absolute errors less than 20 cm. The mean absolute error over the validation dataset is 5.27 cm and the maximum absolute error is 63.35 cm.

As China put forward its “carbon emissions peak and carbon neutrality” goals, how to achieve carbon reduction had become a key for China’s goal. The manufacturing industry is an important source of carbon dioxide emissions. For a manufacturing country like China, adjustments in various aspects of the industry would have a huge impact on carbon emissions. As an important reform of contemporary production mode, the process of production automation in China will inevitably affect China's carbon emissions. Therefore, the analysis of the impact of production automation on carbon dioxide emissions was an important basis for judging the future carbon reduction in China. Refer to the traditional study of carbon Kuznets curve, this paper analyzed the impact of average wage on production automation and the role of production automation in the carbon Kuznets curve(CKC). This paper proposed that production automation plays a mediating role in the process of carbon emissions, and gives a verification model of the mediating role. By analyzing the relationship between average wage and production automation process, the U-shaped curve relationship between them was verified. By examining the relationship between carbon dioxide emission data and production automation industry in China, we verified that production automation plays a partial mediating role in the change of carbon Kuznets curve. Combined with the analysis of the two parts, this paper believed that with the continuous development of China's intelligent manufacturing industry, China's carbon reduction prospects were more optimistic, and there was a good industrial foundation to achieve the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals. Finally, this paper proposes policy suggestions as increase research investment in production automation, help promote the application of production automation, encourage the research and application development of low-carbon technology, especially encourage modular design, so as to give full play to the role of production automation in the process of carbon neutrality in China.

Short stature has been associated with increased various disease and all-cause death, but no reliable data exist the association between height and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in diabetic patients. We investigated the relationship between short stature, development of ESRD, and mortality in type 2 diabetes. This study analyzed clinical data using the National Health Insurance Database in Korea. Height was stratified by five groups according to age and sex. Risk of ESRD and all-cause mortality was analyzed with Cox proportional hazards models. During a 6.9-year follow-up period, 220,457 subjects (8.4%) died and 28,704 subjects (1.1%) started dialysis. Short stature significantly increased the incidence of ESRD and all-cause mortality in the overall cohort analysis. In multivariable analysis, hazard ratios (HR) for development of ESRD comparing the highest versus lowest quartiles of adult height were 0.86 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.83–0.89). All-cause mortality also decreased with highest height compared to patients with lowest height after fully adjusting for confounding variables (HR 0.79, 95% CI, 0.78–0.81). Adult height had an inverse relationship with newly diagnosed ESRD and all-cause in both males and females. Short stature is strongly associated with an increased risk of ESRD and all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes.

Interstitial pneumonia is a general term for diseases in which inflammation occurs mainly in the interstitium of the lung. It is also pointed out that interstitial pneumonia reduces alveolar function and makes it difficult to take in oxygen through inspiration, causing symptoms such as dyspnea and coughing, which may eventually lead to respiratory failure. At present, there is no effective treatment and only conservative treatment exists. This time, we report that the therapeutic effect was confirmed in patients with interstitial pneumonia who took platinum-palladium. In this case, improvement tendencies were observed in patients with Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but improvement tendencies were also observed in many other lung diseases. In order to explore the mechanism, AMPK was measured at the in vitro level, and blood KL-6 and hydrogen peroxide levels in the patient were measured at the in vivo level. AMPK values were significantly elevated by more than 800%, KL-6 and hydrogen peroxide levels were also significantly decreased by drinking platinum-palladium. Platinum-palladium exhibits a strong antioxidant effect and is the only substance in the world that can approach all four types of active oxygen. In addition, when it was actually administered to patients, there were cases of dramatic improvement, and it was confirmed that KL-6, a parameter of lung function, decreased in 16 out of 32 patients As the number of cases is expected to increase in the future, the substance is expected to be effective as a drug, although it is currently classified as a soft drink.

Shrubland and forestland covers are highly prone to fire. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been widely used for biomass quantitative assessment. This study aims were the following: (1) to compute the NDVI annual curve for two types of land cover eucalypts and shrubland areas; (2) to collect field data in these two types of land cover to estimate aboveground biomass (AGB); and (3) to produce AGB maps for eucalypts and shrubland areas by modelling AGB with NDVI and validate them with other data sources. A study area in the central inland Portugal was considered. The Sentinel-2 MSI imagery for the year of 2022 and 2023 were used to compute the NDVI. The NDVI annual curve for 2022 showed a minimum observed between July and August, in accordance with the climatological data, and allowed differentiating eucalypts from shrubland areas. Spectral signatures also confirmed this differentiation. The fitted linear models for AGB prediction using the NDVI imagery showed good fitting performances (R2 of 0.76 and 0.69). The AGB maps provide a relevant decision support tool for forest management and for fire hazard and fire severity mitigation. Further research is needed using more robust data sets for models’ independent validation.

Objectives: Few studies in literature evaluate the "mean measure" of root divergence. Most of them are linear measurements, they hardly describe the dental furcation conformation. It is left to the subjectivity of the operator deciding whether a furcation is convergent or divergent. The goal of this study is to create a visual evaluation method to overcome these problems giving a conformation of the entire interradicular space. Material and methods: A user-friendly software (Paint®, Windows10®) was used to measure endo-oral radiographs of upper and lower molars. Three kinds of measurements were taken. Three operators used the software to measure 20 radiographs, then the technique was repeated on 250 radiographic images to identify an average measurement. The ratio of these three measurements allowed to develop a new visual evaluation method of the interradicular space. Results: Intra and inter-operator reproducibility was statistically assessed on a sample of 20 anonymous endo-oral radiographs measured by 3 blind operators. Then, a sample of 250 anonymous endo-oral radiographs were measured by a blind operator and were statistically evaluated to identify an average value to define a main conformation of the interradicular space. Measurements made by the 3 operators on the 20 radiographic images showed that the technique is reproducible, and a mean value of the interradicular space was obtained. Conclusions: A new anatomical evaluation of the interradicular space in its entirety, which could help the clinicians in the therapy of furcated molars, can be obtained.

Food security relies mainly on a few major crop such as wheat, maize, rice and yam. Many of the cultivated plant such as Cyperus exculentus are still considered invasive plants and are neglected and underutilized. In the perspective to valorization of the species, this systematic review aimed at identifying the biology, production constraints and uses of tigernut for future research directions. Extensive searches were carried out and studies were screened and extracted using established systematic review methods. A total of 175 papers met the inclusion criteria. Approximately 52% and 21.71% of the studies were undertaken in Europe and Africa respectively. Most of the papers reviewed for the study were published between [2010-2015[. The review highlighted the critical research gaps in genetic diversity using SSR makers and evolutionary biology. Further, production constraints and solution approaches for the promotion of the species were the other gaps identified in the reviewed studies. Production constraints were specifically related to the insufficient mineral fertilizers and difficult in harvesting. Tigernut is used in more fields such as food, medicinal, cosmetic, biofuel and fishing and fish breeding. Such investigations would help in decision-making and elaboration of breeding strategies, and advancing steps towards sustainable use of the species.

This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) within a real-world context. We analyzed medical records from January 2022 to August 2023, focusing on individuals aged 18 and older diagnosed with resectable NSCLC who received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy prior to surgical intervention. The cohort comprised 56 patients, predominantly smokers (95%) and male (74%), with 80% presenting at stage III. Of the participants, 44 underwent surgery, with 95% receiving lobar resection. Clinical assessments via PET-CT imaging revealed an 86% rate of response or disease stabilization, while pathological evaluations showed complete and major pathological responses in 61% of cases. This real-world data supports the safety and efficacy of incorporating immune checkpoint inhibitors in the neoadjuvant treatment of NSCLC, followed by surgical resection.

Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in innate immunity, particularly in combating infections and tumors. However, in hematological cancers, NK cells often exhibit impaired functions. Therefore, it is very important to activate its endosomal toll-like receptors (TLRs) as a potential strategy to restore its antitumor activity. We stimulate NK cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and NK cells isolated, the NK cells were stimulated with specific TLR ligands (Poly I:C, Imiquimod, R848, and ODN2006) and evaluated changes in IFN-γ, CD107a, NKG2D, NKp44 expression, Granzyme B secretion, cytokine/chemokine release, and cytotoxic activity. Results revealed that Poly I:C and Imiquimod enhanced activation of both immunoregulatory and cytotoxic NK cells, increasing IFN-γ, CD107a, NKG2D, and NKp44 expression. R848 activated immunoregulatory NK cells, while ODN2006 boosted CD107a, NKp44, NKG2D, and IFN-γ secretion in cytotoxic NK cells. R848 also increased secretion of various cytokines/chemokines. Importantly, R848 and ODN 2006 significantly improved cytotoxicity against leukemic cells. Overall, TLR stimulation enhances NK cell activation, suggesting TLR8 (R848) and TLR9 (ODN 2006) ligands as promising candidates for antitumor immunotherapy.

Micro-gyroscopes based on the Coriolis principle are widely employed in inertial navigation, motion control, and vibration analysis applications. This paper presents our main contributions which include a novel dual-frame optomechanical gyroscope, a unique photonic crystal cavity design, and advanced numerical simulation and optimization methods. The proposed design utilizes an optical cavity formed between dual oscillating frames, whereby input rotation induces a measurable phase shift via optomechanical coupling. Actuation of the frames is achieved electrostatically via an interdigitated comb-drive design. Through theoretical modeling based on cavity optomechanics and finite element simulation, the operating principle and performance parameters are evaluated in detail. Results indicate an expected angular rate sensitivity of 22.8 mV/°/s and angle random walk of 7.1×10-5 °/h1/2, representing superior precision than to existing micro-electromechanical systems gyroscopes of comparable scale. Detailed analysis of the optomechanical transduction mechanism suggests this dual-frame approach could enable angular vibration detection with resolution exceeding state-of-the-art solutions.

The concept of transformative resilience emerges from complex recent literature and represents a way to interpret the potential opportunities to change in vulnerable territories, where a socio-economic change is required. This article extends the perspective of transformative resilience to assessing of the landscape multi-functionality of inland areas, exploring the potentials to identify a network of synergies among the different municipalities able to trigger a process of territorial resilience. A Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) for multi-functionality landscape assessment aims to support the local actors to understand local resources and multi-functional values of the Partenio Regional Park (PRP) and surrounding municipalities, in the South of Italy, stimulating their cooperation to the management of environmental and cultural sites and the co-design of new strategies of enhancement.

PSD-95 (Dlg4) is an ionotropic glutamate receptor scaffolding protein essential in synapse stability and neurotransmission. PSD-95 levels are reduced during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s disease (HD), and it is believed to contribute to synaptic dysfunction and behavioral deficits. However, the mechanism responsible for PSD-95 dysregulation under these conditions is unknown. The Heat Shock transcription Factor 1 (HSF1), canonically known for its role in protein homeostasis, is also depleted in both aging and HD. Synaptic protein levels, including PSD-95, are influenced by alterations in HSF1 levels and activity, but the direct regulatory relationship between PSD-95 and HSF1 has yet to be determined. Here, we showed that HSF1 chronic or acute depletion in cell lines and mice decreased PSD-95 expression. Furthermore, HSF1(+/-) mice had reduced PSD-95 synaptic puncta that paralleled a loss in thalamo-striatal excitatory synapses, an important circuit disrupted early in HD. We demonstrated that HSF1 binds to regulatory elements present in the PSD-95 gene and directly regulates PSD-95 expression. HSF1 DNA-binding on the PSD-95 gene was disrupted in an age-dependent manner in WT mice and worsened in HD cells and mice, leading to reduced PSD-95 levels. These results demonstrate a direct role of HSF1 in synaptic gene regulation that has important implications in synapse maintenance in basal and pathological conditions.

Since the controllers of the variable speed seawater pump and the 3-way valve of a ship central cooling system receive the feedback signal from the same output, the two controllers may interfere and operate inefficiently under certain conditions. Therefore, studying an efficient control tuning method for the central cooling water system is necessary. The central cooling water system was modeled in this study using MATLAB Simulink, utilizing actual operation data, and unknown parameters are estimated to fine-tune. The model is then verified using another operating data set. Additionally, transfer functions are developed for freshwater output temperature against 3-way valve openness input and seawater pump motor electric power frequency input. Then, the two PI controllers are tuned through the Internal Model Control guide, supposing the two systems are decoupled. Moreover, the modified IMC tuning method is suggested for the seawater pump system, which has larger time constants because of a heat exchanger. This method simplifies combining the two PI controller tuning, enhancing the seawater pump's overall efficiency and 3-way valve operation. This study determined that the proposed tuning methods through the IMC guide confirmed the efficiency of controlling the seawater pump speed and 3-way valve with reasonable control of freshwater outlet temperature.

Background and Objectives: Zonulin (Zo) is a molecule that has been identified as an intestinal permeability marker in recent years. It has been previously linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, but its role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Zo and systemic inflammation (SI), endothelial dysfunction (ED), and especially renal functions, in patients with CKD. Materials and Methods: One hundred sixty-three participants were enrolled in this study and were divided into two groups (patient and control), according to the presence of CKD. Results: A total of 104 patients with CKD (mean age: 58.9 ±1.4) and 59 control subjects (mean age: 59.0 ±1.1) were included, with similar age (p = 0.934) and gender (p = 0.196) between the groups. In the comparison analysis, plasma Zo levels in the CKD group (166.16 ± 53.54) were significantly higher than those in the control group (143.30 ± 60.92) (p < 0.001). In the correlation analysis, the serum Zo level showed a positive correlation with claudin-3 (r = 0.612, p < 0.001), IL-6 (r = 0.307, p < 0.001), and creatinine (r = 0.313, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (r = -0.320, p < 0.001) and TC (r = -0.074, p = 0.047). Additionally, according to a linear regression analysis, the Zo level was significantly associated with GFR after adjusting for age and SBP (β value = -0.918, p = 0.012). Conclusion: High serum Zo levels in patients with CKD reflected increased intestinal permeability and were associated with impaired renal function. Moreover, it was thought that Zo level could be associated with SI, but novel clinical studies are needed to elucidate its relationship with ED.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the drivers and outcomes of the brand love derived from consumption experiences in the automobile retail sector. We examine the effects of consumers’ perceptions of perceived service quality and the trust they feel towards a car dealership (cognition) on emotions and brand love (affection), and the effects of brand love on consumers´ behavioural intentions (conation). This research provides insights into customer brand love in the automobile industry.

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of self-perception, emotional well-being, and health-related behaviors. During this stage, adolescents undergo significant physical, emotional, and social changes that influence their overall health and interactions with their environment. This study analyzes the prevalence of behaviors related to self-perceived health, mood, and substance use among adolescents, identifies risk factors, and draws comparisons between different groups. It also examines how these factors interact with family and community dynamics to inform strategies for improving mental health care. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study using questionnaires was conducted. Participants were adolescents aged 14 to 18 years from a school in the Baix Llobregat province of Catalonia. Descriptive and bivariate statistical analyses were performed using the chi-square test and p-value calculations with R Project software. Frequency and percentage analyses were employed to describe the health behaviors and emotional states of the participants. Results: The study reveals significant variations in adolescents' self-perceived health, emotional management, and substance use patterns. Adolescents with lower self-perceived health and negative mood states tend to exhibit higher rates of substance use, particularly alcohol and tobacco. Gender differences were observed, with girls generally reporting better health awareness and emotional regulation compared to boys. Conclusions: This study highlights the need for integrated approaches to family, community, and mental health care. Findings emphasize the importance of early intervention programs addressing emotional well-being and substance use in a holistic manner. Public health policies should prioritize comprehensive strategies involving schools, families, and communities to foster healthier behaviors and improve adolescent mental health outcomes.

This study examines the exchange rate rebound effects of the Central Bank intervention in the selected ECOWAS economies. An empirical understanding of these effects is very important to trade adjustment as well as the macroeconomic stability in these countries. Using the panel data modelling framework, the study finds that the impact of the Central Bank intervention on exchange rate is insignificant and it does not lead to the exchange rate rebound. In addition, money supply as well as monetary policy rate implemented by the monetary authorities significantly influences the level of exchange rate in a positive direction.

Creativity in virtual work environments and its influence on emotional exhaustion is a relationship with inconclusive results. Furthermore, autonomy, when it loses its original purpose of acting as a job resource, takes on an ambiguous role that needs further research. Objective: To analyze the relationship between creativity and emotional exhaustion, along with the role assumed by work autonomy in this link, in an online work context. Methodology: The sample is formed by 448 employees with university studies. The statistical analysis is done through a simple moderation process. Results: Creativity and work autonomy mitigate emotional exhaustion. Control over work surely reduces the impact of work related stressors, and this safety climate promotes adaptive and original responses that improve employees' emotional health. However, when creative demands coincide with an autonomy that extends working hours, instead of establishing limits, this supposed benefit becomes a demand that prevents employees from disconnecting until emotionally exhausting them. Conclusion: A virtual work environment is an ideal habitat for creativity and self-management to improve employees' emotional health, as long as work autonomy acts as a resource.

Technology is in the way to reach in its climax but the basic understanding of science in many phenomena is still awaited even though the nature witnesses it. Scientific research reveals strong analogy between photon and electron. When an atom deals neutral state, it levitates electron of outer ring from the back surface while placing the bit-energy at front surface. Gravitation behavior of that electron starts at the centre of relaxation point by including the force of side pole where the pulling force of nearby unfilled state of that atom from the front surface results into depict forcing energy shape like Gaussian distribution symbol with both ends turned called unit photon. The inertia is being involved at each stage of changing direction of that electron by introducing the disappearances of forces of two poles against the appearances of forces of two opposite poles during rest to motion and motion to rest in the first half-cycle. The same is the case in the second half-cycle of that electron during rest to motion and motion to rest but it is under different introduction of the disappearances of forces against appearances of forces. However, at stage of levitating or gravitating period of electron, only one force is being involved at one time where the opposite force is disappeared. The uninterrupted confined inter-state electron-dynamics of atom under the availability of several bits of bit-energy results into generate forcing energy shape like a wave. Two bits of bit-energy where shape of bit for first half-cycle is like integral symbol and second half-cycle is like opposite integral symbol which are being placed along the configuring trajectory of inter-state electron-dynamics during forward-direction cycle and two bits of bit-energy shape in opposite order are being placed along the trajectory of inter-state electron-dynamics during back-direction cycle. Generating forcing energy of unit photon in each cycle is pushing to the rear side by remaining connected till the electron is not restoring the state of rest. Silicon atom is considered as a model system under neutral state. Uninterrupted confined inter-state electron-dynamics result into generate forcing energy that can travel immeasurable length and unavailability of necessitating bit-energy at any interrupted stage result into generate an overt photon. Inter-state electron-dynamics for at least two cycles generate an overt photon –a photon length twice to unit photon. Under certain interaction of unit photon, it divides equally into two bits of bit-energy instead of dividing into tits and bits of heat. The mechanism of generating photon characteristic current by the electron of neutral state atom validates that atoms are four-dimensional discs at centre of dealing no force. An isolated electron is being grounded under directed forcing energy to impinge a neutral state atom where the gained instantaneous velocity under merged energy resulting into distort atom at that point. Matter changes the role of energy and force under various sorts of interactions. Here, heat energy and photon energy explore matter at atomic and electron levels, thus, devise basis of science to describe.

Rapid SARS-CoV-2 self-tests have the potential to expand access to COVID-19 testing and improve community-level case detection, particularly in resource-constrained countries such as Kenya. However, prior to their introduction, their acceptability must be assessed. This qualitative study explored key decision-takers’ values towards SARS-CoV-2 self-testing in Kenya. Healthcare workers, representatives of civil society, and potential implementors from Mombasa and Taita-Taveta were selected as decision-takers. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data on their values towards self-testing. A thematic analysis approach was applied. Most informants considered that the Kenyan public is equipped to accept and use self-testing safely as an approach to help to reduce workload at public healthcare facilities, and know one’s COVID-19 status in a private manner. The informants emphasized the need to provide counselling to end-users, to support those needing to self-isolate, and to engage different civil society stakeholders in information provision on self-testing. Fear of stigma and of forced isolation were noted as potential deterrents to self-testing uptake for some individuals. In conclusion, there is high acceptability of self-testing in Kenya among decision-takers. However, enhanced education, counselling, and addressing deterrents to testing would be helpful to ensure effective use of SARS-CoV-2 self-testing in Kenya.

This study investigates the structured spatial organization through a focus on streets, blocks and buildings, proposing them as fundamental components in conceptualizing cities as layered pal-impsests. Former Ottoman capital city, Bursa, serve as case study due to its rich evolutionary history and the potentiality of the urban heritage values/elements they demonstrate. Following the “Tanzimat” Era, a period marked by modernization and renewal, the urban fabric of Ottoman capital cities underwent significant reforms aimed at aligning them with the principles of mo-dernity. Maps dating back to the 19th century serve as the most illustrative sources for compre-hending the evolving character and layout of these cities. The foundational aspects of the charac-ter and appearance of the historic environment played crucial roles not only in shaping the mod-ern city but also in preserving and enhancing urban heritage areas by harmonizing them with contemporary urban conditions. Factors such as street age, street hierarchy, block typology, and the localization of historical landmarks are indispensable for grasping the developmental trajec-tory of these cities, offering insights that bridge spatial scales and span across historical eras. Employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, this research builds upon descrip-tive and analytical approaches to urban morphology. The methodology entails comprehensive morphological analysis, which involves assessing changes and persistence in the urban fabric of selected heritage site, both pre-existing and post-modernization, drawing from its historically scientific maps. The analysis focuses on abstracting key attributes such as type, configuration, size, and the relationship between the elements.

Throughout history, the pursuit of diagnosing and predicting crop yields has evidenced genetics, environment, and management practices' intertwined roles in achieving food security. However, the sensitivity of crop phenotypes and genetic responses to weather and climate remains unclear, hampering the identification of the underlying abilities of plants to adapt to climate change. We hypothesize that the PAWN global sensitivity analysis (GSA) coupled with a genetic by environment (GxE) model -built of environmental covariance and genetic markers structures- can evidence the contributions of climate on the predictability of maize yields in the U.S. and Ontario, Canada (US-CA). The GSA-GxE modeling framework estimates the relative contribution of climate variables such as solar radiation, temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity on improving maize yield predictions in US-CA. We use an improved version of the Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative multi-dimensional database to build the environmental covariance matrices for the proposed GSA-GxE framework. The PAWN indices show that the aggregated GxE model’s highest sensitivity levels over US-CA were attributed to solar radiation, temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity. In one-third of the locations, rainfall was the primary climate variable responsible for maize yield predictability. Also, a consistent pattern of top sensitivity indices by location indicates that Relative Humidity, Solar Radiation, and Temperature were distributed as the main or the second most relevant drivers of maize yield predictability.

Genomics has put prokaryotic rank-based taxonomy on a solid phylogenetic foundation. However, most taxonomic ranks were set long before the advent of DNA sequencing and genomics. In this concept paper, we thus ask the simple yet profound question: Should prokaryotic classification schemes besides the current phylum-to-species ranks be explored, developed, and incorporated into scientific discourse? Could such alternative schemes provide better solutions to the basic need of science and society for which taxonomy was developed, namely, precise and meaningful identification? A neutral genome-similarity based framework is then described that could allow alternative classification schemes to be explored, compared, and translated into each other without having to choose only one as the gold standard. Classification schemes could thus continue to evolve and be selected according to their benefits and based on how well they fulfill the need for prokaryotic identification.