In this paper, I present a possible explanation for accelerated expansion of the universe, and introduce the cosmic scale, size of the universe and cosmic time, age of the universe. The observed expansion of the universe, which relates the stretching of Shrunk space to the new theory, is derived. This model is based on the two principal long-range forces: the gravitational force and the repulsive force generated by shrunk space. They are the two most basic fundamental quantities in the universe that govern cosmic evolution. They may provide the clockwork mechanism that operates our eternal cyclic universe. This model of Space-time and its unique properties of shrinking and stretching enables us to describe a sequence of events from the Big Bang to the Big Crunch.

Plant‒fungal associations often drive plant invasion success by increasing host growth, disease resistance, and tolerance to environmental stress. In this study, to determine whether the numerically dominant foliar endophyte Colletotrichum can directly enhance the resistance of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora to disease and environmental stressors, we planted sterile A. adenophora seedlings, inoculated them with three endophytic fungal strains of Colletotrichum with distinct genetic backgrounds and compared their role in the resistance of A. adenophora to the pathogenicity of three foliar pathogens from the Didymellaceae family, as well as to abiotic stress, including drought and nutrient stress. We observed that the foliar endophyte Colletotrichum reduced photosynthesis-related physiological indicators, increased resistance-related indicators, and decreased the biomass of A. adenophora in the absence of pathogen attack, drought and nutrient stress. However, some endophytic Colletotrichum strains exhibit positive effects on resistance to certain foliar pathogen attacks, and some endophytes increase the biomass of A. adenophora under drought or nutrient stress. Our results revealed that there are certain positive effects of foliar Colletotrichum endophytes on A. adenophora in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, which may be beneficial for its invasion.

Autonomous navigation in dynamic environments presents a significant challenge for mobile robotic systems. In this paper, we propose a novel approach utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for multi-object detection in 3D space and 2D segmentation using Bird’s Eye View (BEV) maps derived from 3D LiDAR data. Our method aims to enable mobile robots to localize movable objects and their occupancy, crucial for safe and efficient navigation. To address the scarcity of labeled real-world datasets, a synthetic dataset based on simulation environment is generated to train and evaluate our model. Additionally, we employ a subset of the NVIDIA r2b dataset for evaluation in real-world. Furthermore, we integrate our CNN-based detection and segmentation model into a ROS2-based framework, facilitating communication between mobile robots and a centralized node for data aggregation and map creation. Our experimental results demonstrate promising performance, showcasing the potential applicability of our approach in future assembly systems. While further validation with real-world data is warranted, our work contributes to the advancement of perception systems by proposing a solution for multi-source multi-object tracking and mapping.

Here I examine the overexploitation of Artemisia granatensis, a narrow endemic medicinal plant species from Sierra Nevada, Spain, and the consequences for its conservation. With over 50,000 flowering plant species used for medicinal purposes worldwide, many species face sustainability issues due to overharvesting and habitat loss. Historical documentation of A. granatensis use dates back to the 13th century, highlighting its significance in traditional medicine. However, this species has suffered extensive overexploitation, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading to a significant decline in populations. Conservation concerns were first raised in 1909, and despite the species being legally protected since 1982, illegal collection and environmental pressures persist. Today, A. granatensis is critically endangered, with fewer than 2,000 individuals remaining in fragmented populations. The study synthesizes historical and recent literature to understand the long-standing pressures on this species and the limited conservation efforts made. Cultivation of A. granatensis is proposed as a crucial strategy to reduce pressure on wild populations and ensure the survival of this flagship important plant species.

In order to deepen students' understanding of the deep learning network development and application process, this paper designed a deep learning-based teaching experiment simulation method for C. oleifera diseases and pest segmentation. The experimental process includes training data collection and preprocessing, network model training, result verification and analysis, etc., throughout the whole process of deep learning-based image segmentation task development. To this end, CDM-DeeplabV3+ network was proposed to segment C. oleifera leaf diseases fast and accurately, which was composed of a Residual Attention ASPP(CBAM-ASPP) and Dual Attention Encoder (DAM-Encoder). CBAM-ASPP obtained multiscale information by extending to five dilated convolutions and focused on the edge features using Convolutional Block Attention Module. The DAM-Encoder structure, which was connected with CBAM-ASPP in parallel, highlighted the tiny features by combining global and local features. Then, the C. oleifera diseases and pest dataset was built, and the model was compared with the traditional segmentation models DeeplabV3+, UNet, HrNetV2 and PSPNet. The experimental results show that the mIoU of CDM-DeeplabV3+ reaches 85.63%, which is 5.82% higher than that of the original model and the model parameters are reduced by nearly five times, proving the effectiveness and feasibility of segmenting pests and diseases on C. oleifera. The design of the experimental teaching content is inspired by the scientific research experiments of artificial intelligence, following the frontier of the discipline and easy to realize, reflecting the teaching concept of the integration of science and education.

The discovery that vitamin D2 is being generated by anaerobic microbial metabolism in the alimentary tract, raises the question whether such a source of vitamin D could contribute to vitamin D supply for the animal hosting this microbial production system. In ruminants, this microbial generation in the forestomach allows vitamin D2 to be readily absorbed when it reaches the small intestine, contributing to vitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 [25(OH)D2] found in their tissues. In monogastric animals like humans, the microbial generation of vitamin D2 is occurring in the large intestine. There is evidence that vitamin D hydroxy metabolites, delivered to the lumen of the colon can be absorbed. However, the parent vitamin D is more lipophilic than its metabolites, and like lipophilic vitamin K2 being produced by bacteria in the hindgut, may be poorly absorbed by the colon mucosa. It is now apparent that colon mucosal cells have the proteins megalin and cubilin in their basal membrane. These glycoproteins perform endocytosis of circulating proteins including vitamin D binding protein [DBP]. Inside the cell, DBP binds to cytoplasmic actin and thus provides an array of high affinity binding sites for vitamin D and its functional metabolites. Any traces of vitamin D2 that may diffuse into the colon mucosal cells from the lumen would thus be retained and accumulate on the DBP-actin. It would then be a substrate for functional hydroxylase metabolism for local endocrine action in these cells, and subsequent delivery of 25(OH)D2 by diffusion to apo-DBP in the circulation.

The bioherbicidal potential of four essential oils (EOs) from Mediterranean species of Thymus sp. pl.: Thymus algeriensis Boiss. et Reut., T. ciliatus Desf. subspecies coloratus (Boiss. et Reut.) Batt., T. vulgaris L., ecotype Fasano and T. vulgaris L. var. Varico was investigated to identify new sources of biomolecules. In vivo assays were carried out to assess the effect of the EOs on pre and post-emergence of two weed species: Lolium perenne L. and Amaranthus retroflexus L.. Four concentrations of EO emulsions (500, 750, 1000 and 2000 µl/100 mL) were applied. All the EOs expressed an important bioherbicidal activity against the target species. A total inhibition of seed germination was displayed at 2000 µl whereas a potent effec-tiveness was achieved even at 500 µl. On the contrary, for post-emergence experiments, L. perenne showed resistance to the EOs while A. retroflexus was highly sensitive, arguing a selectivity of the EOs. Bioassays were also performed on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh, for a better understanding of the structural modifications induced by the EOs. The root system of EO-treated A. thaliana seedlings was highly damaged.

Lidar and camera sensors are widely utilized in autonomous vehicles (AVs) and robotics due to their complementary sensing capabilities—lidar provides accurate depth information, while cameras capture rich visual data. However, effective fusion of these sensors requires precise calibration, which is often challenging due to the differences in sensing modalities. This paper presents a self-calibration algorithm based on Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to address this problem. Singular Value Decomposition is a powerful matrix factorization technique that helps identify key calibration parameters by decomposing matrices into singular vectors and values, representing essential calibration data. Our method not only automates the calibration process but also provides a reliable mechanism for detecting calibration errors, ensuring long-term accuracy and robustness in sensor fusion. The algorithm simplifies deployment in real-world applications by eliminating the need for manual calibration or external targets. Experimental results show that our approach improves sensor alignment and fusion accuracy, making it particularly useful for AV and robotic systems where maintaining precise calibration is critical.

This work addresses the analysis and characterization of deadlocks in discrete-event systems modeled by labeled Petri nets (LPNs) with undistinguishable and unobservable transitions. To provide a solution for the notorious problem, it is essential to present an effective characterization such that deadlock control and synthesis are technically and methodologically possible. To this end, we introduce the notion of dangerous implicit vectors (DIVs) which implicitly threaten the system deadlock-freedom. The set of dead markings is divided into two subsets: dead basis markings (DBMs) and dangerous implicit markings (DIMs). An algorithm is designed to compute the sets of DIVs and DIMs at a given basis state of a system. Moreover, by virtue of linear algebraic equations, we formulate sufficient conditions to identify the existence of blocking markings in an LPN. Finally, an algorithm is developed to construct an observed graph that is a compact representation of the reachability graph of a Petri net with respect to the existence of dead reaches. At the end of this paper, experiment results that illustrate the correctness and effectiveness of the reported solution are presented.

Human activities continuously alter the delivery of ecosystem services (ESs), which play a crucial role in human well-being. There is a pressing need for effective ecological management strategies that consider the spatial heterogeneity of ESs to support the transition from trade-offs to synergies. This study focuses on the Haba River Basin and examines characteristics of land use change and the shift from trade-offs to synergies. The results indicate that from 1990 to 2000, the initial phase of land development, 10.65% of the land experienced change. Subsequently, during the intensive period of land development from 2000 to 2010, 30.29% of the land underwent significant transformation, with approximately 78% of grassland, sparse grassland, forested land, and desert converted into arable land. However, between 2010 and 2020, as the focus shifted towards the establishment of native vegetation and the intensity of land development decreased, only a small percentage (3.65%) of the total area underwent changes. Based on an in-depth analysis of spatial heterogeneity from 1990 to 2020, it is believed there has been a shift from trade-offs to co-benefits between 2000-2010 and 2010-2020. The years 2010 and 2020 were pivotal time nodes for the transition from trade-offs to synergies and for reducing trade-offs, with NPP identified as a critical driving factor for Comprehensive ES （CES） functions. By considering the trade-offs/synergies relationship and hotspots of ecological service functions, combined with unified water resource management policies, comprehensive ecological management measures tailored to different regions are proposed. These measures have facilitated the implementation of robust ecological protection policies to shift ES development from trade-offs to synergies in arid areas, thereby enhancing overall ecosystem service functions in the Haba River Basin. The research findings offer crucial scientific support and guidance for ecosystem management in arid areas, particularly within Central Asia.

An untrained couch potato involuntarily forced to undergo a long strenuous exercise towards exhaustion will feel it at the end as a discomforting fatigue. A well-trained athlete will feel the same but after a longer time. Patients of various neurological diseases will do so much earlier. All may also finally experience muscle pain and soreness the next day.Muscle fatigue is an exercise-induced reduction in maximal voluntary muscle force. Muscle fatigability varies with muscle use, age and sex. It is commonly divided into two broad categories: peripheral and central fatigue. The first refers to the many processes in the fatiguing muscle(s), the second to subsequent processes in the central nervous system (CNS). Peripheral muscle fatigue can be caused by numerous different mechanisms, ranging from the accumulation of metabolites within muscle fibers to their damage. Central fatigue involves the inadequacy of the CNS to generate and maintain sufficiently strong motor command. There must of course be a mediator relating the two fatigue types, and this is the collection of small-diameter group III (Aδ) and IV (C) nerve fibers emanating from the muscle and distributing their activation effects throughout the CNS.Muscle fatigue develops during eventually exhausting exercise that goes along with activations of the cardio-vascular and respiratory system to supply oxygen and energy resources. While these functions are supported by a number of sensory afferents, fatigue-activated group III/IV muscle afferents have been proposed to contribute their share to cardio-vascular and ventilatory reflex responses that are mediated in the brainstem. Neural feedback from working skeletal muscle is a vital component in providing a high capacity for endurance exercise because muscle perfusion and O₂ delivery determine the fatigability of skeletal muscle (Amann 2012).The development of chronic muscle fatigue is related to muscle wasting mediated by aging, myopathies, muscle dystrophies, immobilization, insulin resistance, diseases associated with systemic inflammation (arthritis, sepsis, infections), trauma, cardio-vascular (heart failure) and respiratory disorders (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)), chronic kidney failure, multiple sclerosis (MS), and, more recently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Winter rapeseed (Brassica rapa) has good chilling and freezing tolerance. INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION1 (ICE) plays a crucial role in cold signaling in plant; however, its role in B. rapa remains unclear. In this study, we identified 41 ICE1 homologous genes from 6 widely cultivated Brassica species. These genes exhibited high conservation, with evolutionary complexity between diploid and allotetraploid species. Cold stress induced ICE1 homolog expression, with differences between strong and weak cold-tolerant varieties. Two novel ICE1 paralogs, BrICE1 and BrICE2 were cloned from B. rapa Longyou 6. Subcellular localization assays showed that they localized to the nucleus, and low temperature did not affect their nuclear localization. Overexpression of BrICE1 and BrICE2 increased cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis, and enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that overexpression of BrICE1 and BrICE2 inhibited root growth in Arabidopsis, and low temperatures could induce the degradation of BrICE1 and BrICE2 via the 26S-proteasome pathway. In summary, ICE1 ho-mologous genes exhibit complex evolutionary relationships in Brassica species, and are involved in the CBF pathway, and ROS scavenging mechanism in response to cold stress; these regulating mechanisms might be also responsible for balancing the development and cold defense of B. rapa.

An efficient cooling system is necessary for the reliability and safety of the modern microchips for longer life. As microchips become smaller and more powerful, the heat flux generated by these chips per unit area also rises sharply. Traditional cooling techniques are inadequate to meet the recent cooling requirements of microchips. To meet the current cooling demand of Microelectromechanical devices (MEMS) devices and microchips, microchannel heat sinks (MCHS) technology is the latest invention that can dissipate a significant amount of heat because of its high surface area to volume ratio. This study provides a concise summary of design, material selection, and performance parameters of MCHS that are developed over the last few decades. The limitations and challenges associated with different techniques employed by researchers over time to enhance the thermal efficiency of microchannel heat sinks are discussed. The effects on the thermal enhancement factor, Nusselt number, and pressure drop at different Reynold numbers, in passive techniques (flow obstruction) i.e. ribs, grooves, dimples, and cavities change in curvature of MCHS are discussed. This study also discusses the increase in heat transfer using nanofluids and how change in coolant type also significantly affects the thermal performance of MCHS by obstructing flow. This study provides trends and useful guidelines for researchers to design more effective MCHS to keep up with the cooling demands of power electronics.

This work aims to investigate the effect of process temperature and catalyst content by thermochemical degradation of municipal solid waste (MSW) fraction (organic matter + paper + plastic) on the yield of reaction products (bio-oil, biochar, H2O and gas), physi-cochemical properties and chemical composition of bio-oils, as well as on the morphol-ogy and crystalline phases of biochar in laboratory scale. The organic matter, paper and plastic segregated from the gravimetric composition of total waste sample were subject-ed to the pre-treatments of drying, crushing and sieving. Thermal pyrolysis was per-formed at 400, 450 and 475 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, and catalytic pyrolysis at 450°C and 1.0 atmosphere, using 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0% (wt.) of FCC zeolite, bath mode, using a laboratory-scale borosilicate glass reactor. The bio-oil was characterized for acidic val-ue. The chemical functions present in the bio-oil identified by FT-IR and the composi-tion by GC-MS. Biochar was characterized by SEM/EDS and XRD. Thermal pyrolysis of the MSW fraction shows bio-oil yields between 9.44 and 9.24% (wt), aqueous phase yields between 21.93 and 18.78% (wt), solid phase yields between 67.97 and 40.34% (wt) and gas yields between 28.27 and 5.92% (wt). The bio-oil yield decreased with in-creasing process temperature. For the experiments using FCC, the biochar and gas yields slightly increased with increasing FCC content, while that of bio-oil decreased and the H2O phase remained constant. GC-MS of bio-oils identified the presence of hy-drocarbons and oxygenates, as well as nitrogen-containing compounds including am-ides and amines. The acidity of the bio-oil increased with increasing temperature and with the aid of FCC as a catalyst. The presence of hydrocarbons in bio-oil was identified by the addition of FCC catalyst due to the deoxygenation of carboxylic acids, followed by decarboxylation and decarbonylation reactions, producing aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.

As it turns out, both isotope scaling and density limits are phenomena closely linked to fluid closure. The necessity to include ion viscosity arises for both phenomena. Thus, we have added ion viscosity to our model. The experimental isotope scaling has been successfully recovered in our fluid model through parameter scans. Although ion viscosity typically exerts a small effect, the density limit is manifested by increasing the density by approximately tenfold from the typical experimental density. In our case, this increase originates from the density in the Cyclone base case. Notably, these phenomena would not manifest with a gyro-Landau fluid closure. The isotope scaling is nullified by the addition of a gyro-Landau term, while the density limit results from permitting ion viscosity to become comparable to the gyro-Landau term. The mechanism of zonal flows, demonstrated analytically for the Dimits upshift, yields insights into the isotope scaling observed in experiments. In our approach, ion viscosity is introduced in place of the Landau fluid resonances found in some fluid models. This implies that the mechanism of isotope scaling operates at the level of fluid closure in connection with the generation of zonal flows. The strength of zonal flows in our model has been verified, particularly in connection with the successful simulation of the nonlinear Dimits shift. Consequently, a role is played by our approach in the temperature perturbation part of the Reynolds stress.

In this paper, based on the cumulated damage generated by the cyclical application of the testing vibration profile, a methodology to determine the reliability index of the analyzed component is given. In the analysis, the testing time, component geometry, applied weight, and material resonant frequency are all of them considered by using a dynamic, and amplitude factor. Then, from the generated vibration response data of the analysis, the corresponding bending stress is determined for each one of the rows of the testing profile. And by the cyclical application of the whole testing profile, the corresponding damage is cumulated to each profile cycle until the cumulated damage is D=1. Finally, the reliability that each one of the cumulated blocks (cyclical profile application) is determined by considering, the random vibration is a stress variable. Thus, we use the cumulative damage model with the inverse power law stress/life relationship to determine the two parameter Weibull distribution used to estimate the reliability index of each cumulated block. As a numerical application, we analyze a cantilever aluminum beam Al 6061-T6.

Substance use is a growing problem among young people in sub-Saharan Africa; tobacco use is the dominant one among these practices. The aim was to analyse prevalence rates and determinants for cigarette smoking of school-attending adolescents in the capital, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. In June 2017, a survey questionnaire was implemented in 16 schools among adolescents aged 14–19 (52% girls). The Chi-square (p<0.05) and odds ratios (OR) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Potential explanatory variables for the dependent variables were introduced into a multinomial logistic regression model, and p-values were transformed to LogWorth values. The prevalence of lifetime smoking experience among 1,845 participants was 14.8%; 6.5% were current users, and 2.2% were daily smokers. The most significant determinants for cigarette smoking included having friends who smoke, being a boy, attending a private school, smoking initiation at a young age, other substance use and violent behaviour. It is imperative to initiate preventive actions against smoking and other use of tobacco in Guinea-Bissau. Considering the significant impact of the peer group, policymakers need to engage young people in developing primary prevention strategies to curb the use of tobacco and other substances.

Before calcification begins, the early embryonic and fetal skeletal development of both mammalian Homo sapiens and the chondrichthyan fish Raja asterias consists exclusively of cartilage. This cartilage is formed and shaped through processes involving tissue segmentation and the frequency, distribution, and orientation of chondrocyte mitoses. In the subsequent developmental phase, mineral deposition in the cartilage matrix conditions the development further. The stiffness and structural layout of the mineralized cartilage have a significant impact on the shape of the anlagen (early formative structures of organs or tissues) and the mechanical properties of the skeletal segments. The fundamental difference between the two studied species lies in how calcified cartilage serves as a scaffold for osteoblasts to deposit bone matrix, which is then remodeled. In contrast, chondrichthyans retain the calcified cartilage as the definitive skeletal structure. This study documents the distinct mineral deposition pattern in the cartilage of the chondrichthyan R. asterias, in which calcification progresses with the formation of focal calcification nuclei or “tesserae”. These are arranged on the flat surface of the endo-skeleton (crustal pattern) or aligned in columns (catenated pattern) in the radials of the appendicular skeleton. This anatomical structure is well adapted to meet the mechanical requirements of locomotion in the water column. Conversely, in terrestrial mammals, endochondral ossification (associated with the remodeling of the calcified matrix) provides limb bones with the necessary stiffness to withstand the strong bending and twisting stresses of terrestrial locomotion. In this study, X-rays of marine mammals (reproduced from previously published studies) document how the endochondral ossification in dolphin’s flipper adapts to the mechanical demands of aquatic locomotion. This adaptation includes the reduction in the length of the stylopodium and zeugopodium and an increase in the number of elements in the autopodium’s central rays.

Background: Neuroprotective and immunomodulatory microRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), neural growth factors, and anti-inflammatory cytokines are contained in nano-sized extracellular vesicles called mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exo). These vesicles attenuate neuro-inflammation, promote neo-vascularization, induce neurogenesis, and decrease the apoptotic loss of neural cells. Methods: Systematic retrieval of information was performed on PubMed. 60 articles were found in a search on Mesenchymal Stem Cell, Exosomes, and Alzheimer's Disease. These 2 articles were Meta-analyses, Randomized Controlled Trials, clinical trials, and Systematic Reviews. The rest were Literature review articles. These articles were till the year 2024. Appropriate studies were isolated, and important information from each of them was understood and entered into a database from which the information was used in this article. The clinical trials on Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes for Alzheimer's Disease were searched on clinicaltrials.gov. Results: Several experimental investigations have shown that MSC-Exo improves cognitive im-pairment in rats. In this review paper, we summarized existing understanding regarding the molecular and cellular pathways behind MSC-Exo-based cognitive function restoration, with a focus on MSC-Exos therapeutic potential in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: AD is a significant health issue in our culture and is linked to several important neuropathological characteristics. Exosomes generated from stem cells, such as MSCs or NSCs, have been examined more and more in a variety of AD models, indicating that they may be viable therapeutic agents for the treatment of diverse disorders. Exosome yields may be increased and their therapeutic efficacy can be improved using a range of tailored techniques and culture conditions. It is necessary to provide standardized guidelines for exosome manufacture to carry out excellent preclinical and clinical research.

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.

With more companies entering the realm of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), and governments enacting policies to support the development of low-altitude economies, the commercial potential of eVTOL is being recognized by the public. However, true commercialization is still a long way off. This article analyzes the technologies, product features, potential markets, and government policies related to eVTOL, and constructs a four-stage, four-layer Policy-Technology Roadmap (P-TRM) model to guide the R&D process of eVTOL. Then transform it into a system structural model, and the Decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method is used to identify several key nodes in the R&D process. Utilizing the Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC) theory for interpretation and analysis, the article concludes by proposing strategies in product, technology, and policy support for how eVTOL can successfully cross the chasm. This preliminary analysis of the development path, key nodes, and necessary measures for crossing the chasm provides insights for the R&D and commercialization of eVTOL.

In this paper, we describe the synthesis and characterization of iridium (III) half sandwich complexes of stoichiometry [Cp+IrCl2L] with Cp = 5-C5 EtMe4; L = alanine anhydride (I), ortho- (II) and para-aminophenol (III). For comparative purposes, the ionic complex [Cp*IrCl(o-phen)](PF6); Cp* = (5-C5Me5) (IV) has been also synthesized and characterized. All the isolated complexes have been characterised by C, H and N elemental analysis; infrared and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies; 1H-1H COSY; mass spectrometry (ESI/TOF), thermogravimetry and, in the case of (IV), by conductivity measurements. The cytotoxic behaviour of the isolated complexes was studied against HeLa and complexes (III) and (IV) were found to have an IC50 close to 160-170 m, quite close to the IC50 value of cisplatin which was found to be 134,7 m, indicating that they are good cytotoxic agents. However, complexes (I) and (II) showed IC50 values above 250 m indicating their low cytotoxicity.

This study evaluates and contrasts the changes in vegetation cover over three decades in two forest areas in northern Mexico with different management statuses: one with sustainable forest exploitation and the other under protection as a Flora and Fauna Protection Area (FFPA). The hypothesis proposed that both areas would maintain or increase their vegetation cover since 1995. Using QGIS 3.32 “Lima” software and supervised and unsupervised classification methods, satellite images from the periods 1995-2008, 2008-2014, 2014-2021, and 1995-2022 were analyzed. The results showed that the Ejido El Largo y Anexos significantly increased forest areas and reduced grasslands due to sustainable management practices, with notable expansion of pine-oak and pine forests. In contrast, the Tutuaca Flora and Fauna Protection Area (FFPA) showed a notable loss of oak and oak-pine forests, suggesting ineffectiveness in its conservation policies. However, a lesser loss of Douglas fir forest was observed, indicating some effective protection efforts. The comparison reveals opposing dynamics: while Ejido El Largo y Anexos demonstrates success in sustainable management, the Tutuaca FFPA faces conservation challenges. In conclusion, this study highlights the need for active management approaches to maintain ecosystem cover and functionality.

Bark beetles are one of the major causes of tree mortality in coniferous forests worldwide. The large-scale disturbances by beetle outbreaks have strongly increased in Honduras and other countries, leading to significant ecological, economic, and social consequences. However, the taxonomy, local distribution, and environmental aspects of most bark beetles and their biological predators remain poorly studied. Here, we applied a morphological approach to identify Scolytinae individuals across different forest areas in Honduras. Moreover, the barcoding approach was used by amplifying and sequencing the mitochondrial COI gene. The intraspecific genetic diversity of Ips apache was also analyzed. 1,131 individuals were examined, and 27 genera were identified. Most of the specimens were identified as belonging to the genus Ips, accounting for 53.2% of the total. Xyleborus accounted for 16.5% and Temnoscheila accounted for 10%. Less than four individuals were found for fifteen genera. Ips, Temnoscheila, Xyleborus, Hypothenemus and Pityophthorus exhibited the most extensive geographic distribution among the sampled sites. At the genus level, Olancho, El Paraíso, and Copán displayed the highest diversity. This study is the first report of two genera (Xylomeira and Stephanopachys) in Honduran pine forests. Among individuals of I. apache, there was evidence of intraspecific genetic diversity, but no population structure was detected. While our findings update the list of bark beetles and biological predators associated with Honduran coniferous forests, more taxonomic inventories and ecological studies are required to understand the spread of bark beetles in pine forests.

Identifying punch types as part of punch kinematic analysis is a key component for both coaches and players, providing critical insights into the variety and effectiveness of punches, which are essential for refining overall performance. Existing research indicates that punch type classification typically relies on data from either wearables or video data. Both approaches have their merits and demerits but require a significant amount of labeled data for modeling the classification algorithm. In this work, we propose a novel approach that significantly reduces the labeling effort by one-sixth by leveraging video data to enhance the training information of sensor data. This enriched training phase enables more accurate punch classification with reduced labeled data. Subsequently, the real-time punch identification and classification use only the wearable data. On a real dataset, with 15% of the labeling efforts, our approach achieved an accuracy rate of 91.41% for rear hand punch recognition and 91.91% for lead hand punch recognition, along with 92.33% and 94.56% for punch classification, respectively. Through the development of our Smart Boxer system, we aim to revolutionize punch analytics in boxing, providing comprehensive insights while enhancing the overall training and competitive experience for athletes and enriching fan engagement with the sport.

While advances in information and communication technology have increased the efficiency of information distribution, it has also brought several challenges to the database industry. One of the main challenges is ensuring the real-time availability of data, which is critical. In addition, downtime in centralized database systems can cause significant failures. Therefore this research applies database replication, especially the multi-master method, is used to increase availability and reduce the possibility of failure. For distributed transaction distribution, this research uses the auto-promote master method and web services for PostgreSQL database replication. The focus of the research is on real-world college site selection transactions, where speed, scalability, and high data availability are critical. The results show that combining these methods can improve system performance and protect data availability. With fast response time, high throughput, and low error rate, the API performs well with various loads. As a testament to scalability and reliability, the system can handle large volumes of traffic without experiencing significant crashes. For containerization, Docker supports efficient and stable performance and ensures consistency and manageability. Future recommendations include improving the data security mechanism and further efforts to optimize the distribution system architecture.

Abstract: Little is known about landbird group dynamics in response to predation. Here, we describe the interactions between the Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) and its predators regarding the survival advantages grouping behaviour may provide. Livestream webcam observations were conducted in Madikwe Game Reserve (South Africa) from August 2020 to December 2021. Emphasis was placed on predator–prey interaction and its effect on group size and structure in a spatial framework. Although Black-Backed Jackals (Lupulella mesomelas) are not adept at hunting birds, they might negatively impact guineafowl by curtailing their feeding time during winter with constant harassment. We found that these canids often approach larger and denser groups in the morning and late evenings. Surprisingly, guineafowl most often responded by standing nearby. On the contrary, a higher predator-induced response was associated with the presence of predatory birds, arguably as part of an evolutionary stable prey-predator system. This line of thought is also supported by the lack of a precise defensive mechanism elicited by jackal attacks, unlike those of aerial predators. Nevertheless, we contend that grouping in Helmeted Guineafowl is a defensive strategy to respond to predator attacks while individuals engage in daily activities.

Legionella bacteria can proliferate in poorly maintained water systems, posing risks to users. All Legionella species are potentially pathogenic but Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is usually the primary focus of testing. However, Legionella anisa (L. anisa) also colonises water distribution systems, is frequently found with L. pneumophila and could be a good indicator for increased risk of nosocomial infection. Anonymized data from three commercial Legionella testing laboratories afforded analysis of 565,750 water samples. Data covered July 2019 to August 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Results confirmed L. anisa commonly colonises water distribution systems, being the most frequently identified non-L. pneumophila species. Proportions of L. anisa and L. pneumophila generally remained similar but increases in L. pneumophila during COVID-19 lockdown suggests static water supplies might favour its growth. Disinfection of hospital water systems was effective but re-colonization did occur, appearing to favour L. pneumophila, although L. anisa colony numbers also increased as a proportion of the total. While L. pneumophila remains the main species of concern as a risk to human health, L. anisa’s role should not be under-estimated, either as a potential infection risk or as an indicator of the need to intervene to control Legionella colonization of water supplies.

The presence of cracks reduces egg quality and safety, which are easy to cause food safety hazards to consumers. Machine vision-based methods for crack egg detection have made significant success on in-domain egg data. However, the performance of deep learning models usually decreases under practical industrial scenarios, such as the different egg varieties, origins, and environmental changes. Existing researches which rely on improving network structures or increasing training data volumes, can not effectively solve the problem of model performance decline on unknown egg testing data in practical egg production. To address these challenges, a novel and robust detection method is proposed to extract max domain-invariant features to enhance the model performance on unknown testing egg data. Firstly, multi-domain egg data is built on different egg origins and acquisition devices. Then, a multi-domain trained strategy is established by using Maximum Mean Discrepancy with Normalized Squared Feature Estimation (NSFE-MMD) to obtain the optimal matching egg training domain. With the NSFE-MMD method, the original deep learning model can be applied without network structure improvements, which reduces the extremely complex tuning process and hyperparameter adjustments. Finally, robust crack egg detection experiments are carried out on several unknown testing egg domains. The YOLOV5 model trained by proposed multi-domain trained method with NSFE-MMD has a detection mAP of 86.6\% on the unknown test domain 4, and the YOLOV8 model has a detection mAP of 88.8\% on domain 4, which is an increase of 8\% and 4.4\% compared to the best performance of models trained on a single domain, and an increase of 4.7\% and 3.7\% compared to models trained on all domains. In addition, the YOLOV5 model trained by the proposed multi-domain trained method has a detection mAP of 87.9\% on egg data of the unknown testing domain 5. The experimental results demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed multi-domain trained method, which can be more suitable for the large quantity and variety of egg detection production.

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

Individuals have different rumination patterns after experiencing traumatic events in different cultural backgrounds and situations. This study was aimed to explore the experience of Chinese young and middle-aged patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to understand the content and nature of their rumination. Fourteen participants were selected using the purposive sampling method in XXX hospital from May 2023 to December 2023. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’ s 7-step phenomenological method. The content of rumination in young and middle-aged patients with ACS can be summarized into 2 categories: non-adaptive rumination and adaptive rumination. Non-adaptive rumination included 3 themes: worry or anxiety, scare, and depression. Adaptive rumination included 4 themes: tracing of disease processes, enhancement of disease cognition, improvement of health awareness, and adjustment of lifestyle cognition. In conclusion, although Chinese young and middle-aged patients with ACS experience negative emotions after a traumatic cardiac event, they gradually make positive changes, and optimism and information support play important roles in this transition, which provide a fundamental understanding of rumination experiences in Chinese young and middle-aged patients with ACS and provide new data for healthcare providers when designing intervention programs to enhance post-traumatic growth in these patients.

This paper investigates the integration of SHM within the frame of Industry 4.0 technologies, highlighting the potential for intelligent infrastructure management through the utilization of Big Data analytics, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The study also presents a success case focused on a novel SHM methodology for detecting and locating damages in metallic aircraft structures, employing dimensional reduction techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA). By analyzing strain data collected from a network of sensors and comparing it to a baseline pristine condition, the methodology aims to identify subtle changes in local strain distribution indicative of damage. Through extensive Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations and a PCA contribution analysis, the research explores the influence of various factors on damage detection, including sensor placement, noise levels, and damage size and type. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in detecting cracks and holes as small as 2mm in length, showcasing the potential for early damage identification and targeted interventions in diverse sectors such as aerospace, civil engineering, and manufacturing. Ultimately, this paper underscores the synergistic relationship between SHM and Industry 4.0, paving the way for a future of intelligent, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure.

During the 3rd millennium cal BC, the Indus communities exploited great quantities of chert from the Rohri Hills mines in Upper Sindh for making different types of artefacts. This paper discusses the way chert was transported to the Indus Civilization centres and the problems related to the type, quantity and quality of raw material and artefacts that were transported, when, why, and where. This paper raises the question of land and water transport. Both these methods were probably used according to the landscape location of the Indus sites. Another problem regards the landscape characteristics of the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age before the climate changes which took place around the end of the 3rd millennium cal BC, and the disappearance of the Hakra River, which was an important watercourse during the Indus phase. What do we know of the way the Indus communities exploited, transported, and circulated knappable chert? Why the Indus settlements excavated around the Rohri Hills, the largest chert mines of the Indian Subcontinent, have yielded little evidence of chert artefacts and nodules? What do we know of this important problem which is strictly related with the everyday life of the Indus communities and their economy? Why this problem has been systematically neglected by most archaeologists despite its importance?

Human papillomavirus (HPV), a DNA virus, causes one the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI), spreading through direct sexual contact to the anogenital and oropharyngeal regions. Although most infected individuals may be asymptomatic and naturally undergo viral clearance, in some individuals HPV causes carcinogenesis of the infected epithelia. HPV now accounts for over 70% of oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPC). More than 90% of these OPC are associated with HPV 16, one of the 14 high-risk subtypes. In recent years, HPV positive (HPV+) OPC has been one of the most rapidly rising cancers, by new cancer incidence rates, especially among men. The HPV driven OPCs present some unique infection driven cellular and molecular features, constituting distinct preventive, therapeutic and prognostic strategies, in contrast to HPV negative (HPV-) OPC. In this manuscript, we drive through the role of HPV, from a sexually transmitted infection to malignancy transformation landscape, while parsing through the significant immune response environment. In this comprehensive review we collate key literature around transmission and epidemiology of HPV, while addressing the current state of clinical management, diagnosis, prevention and screening strategies, that can help shed light on this critical area.

Currently, there is a high interest in smart sensors and integrated composite materials in various industries such as construction, aviation, automobile, medical, information technology, communication, and manufacturing. Here, a new conceptual design for a force and temperature sensor system is developed by integrating fiber optic Bragg grating sensors embedded within composite materials, and a mathematical model is proposed that allows one to estimate strain and temperature based on signals obtained from optical Bragg gratings. This is important for understanding the behaviors of sensors under different conditions and for creating effective monitoring systems. Describing the strain gradient distribution, especially considering different materials with different values of Young's modulus, provides insight into how different materials respond to applied forces and temperature changes. The shape of the strain gradient distribution was obtained, which is a quadratic function with a maximum value of 1500 µ, with a maximum value at the center of the lattice and a symmetrically decreasing strain value with distance from the central part of the fiber Bragg grating. With axial strain at the installation site of the Bragg grating sensor under applied force values ranging from 10 to 11 N, the change in strain was linear. As a result of theoretical research, it was found that the developed system with fiber-optic sensors based on Bragg gratings embedded in composite materials is resistant to external influences and temperature changes.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Antioxidant activity, Bioactive compounds, Elementary analysis, Nutritional and phytochemical composition, Seaweed.

Higher education equips youth with the requisite knowledge and skills for navigating environmental education and sustainability. The current study aims to test a comprehensive model for integrating environmental education and sustainability principles within the higher education ecosystem. The model emphasizes problem-based and service-learning approaches, technological integration, and behaviour change models to foster environmental education, and community engagement and enhance overall well-being. In this study, researchers examined the impact of curriculum, extracurricular activities, and community engagement as independent variables on dependent variables namely environmental education, sustainability, and well-being while also considering the mediating role of the undergraduates' awareness level. Data was collected from a higher education academic Institute in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) technique using Smart-Partial Least Squares (PLS) software was used to test these hypothesized relationships empirically. The study findings revealed a significant positive impact of curriculum development, extracurricular activities, and community engagement efforts on elevating undergraduates' awareness levels. Awareness levels mediated the effect of environmental education, sustainability, and well-being, highlighting the need to integrate environment-related topics into academic and extracurricular activities. This underscores higher education's potential to shape eco-conscious leaders by infusing environmental education into academic life. These findings have implications for higher education institutions, policymakers, and community organizers, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to environmental education for a sustainable society. By fostering environmental awareness among youth and integrating it into broader societal initiatives, educational institutions can play a crucial role in shaping a generation committed to sustainability and well-being.

From the existing millions of fungal species only a few cause disease. In this study, we investigated invasive fungal infections in the head and neck over a 19-year period (2005 to 2024) at a large academic healthcare system. Among 413 cases, 336 were noninvasive, and 77 were invasive. The highest incidence of invasive infections occurred in the sinonasal cavities, with a 15-fold difference compared to other sites. Most infections affected adults over 40 years old. The most common organisms were Mucorales (51%), hyaline molds (29%), and Candida (11%). Risk factors included malignancy, transplant, diabetes, and illicit drug use. Mortality was high in patients with malignancy and/or transplant. Infections affecting the mandible were usually a complication of osteoradionecrosis and were associated with coinfection of Candida and Actinomyces. At other sites, infections were rare and were usually the result of penetrating injuries or immunosuppression. Treatment typically involved a combination of antifungals and surgical procedures.

A smart water quality monitoring system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm was designed to protect water resources from pollution in real-time. Long-range (LoRa) application of the low-power, wide-area networking (LPWAN) concept has become a phenomenon in IoT smart monitoring applications. This study proposes the implementation of a LoRa network in a water quality monitoring system-based IoT approach. The LoRa nodes were embedded with measuring sensors pH, turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), and dissolved oxygen (DO), in the designated water station. It operates at a transmission power of 14 dB and a bandwidth of 125 kHz. The network properties were tested with two different antenna gains of 2.1 dBi and 3 dBi with three different spread factors (SF) of 7, 9, and 12. The water stations were located at Sungai Pantai and Sungai Anak Air Batu, both rivers on the Universiti Malaya campus. Following a dashboard display and K-means analysis of the water quality data received by the LoRa gateway, it was determined that both rivers are Class II B rivers. The results from the evaluation of LoRa performance on the Received Strength Signal Indicator (RSSI), Signal Noise Ratio (SNR), loss packet, and path loss at best were -83 dBm, 7 dB, < 0%, and 64.41 dB, respectively, with a minimum received sensitivity of -129.1 dBm. LoRa has demonstrated its efficiency in an urban environment for smart river monitoring purposes.

In this study, we utilized the UniProt database to extract breast cancer genes Total 2658 genes in Homo sapiens are obtain. Then 166 genes are taken and after delating duplicates 158 genes were remains. These genes were then analyzed for their biological pathways using Gene Ontology enrichment analysis through the Genecodis platform, resulting in the identification of 12 unique genes involved in disease pathways. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was conducted using the STRING database and Cytoscape software, identifying ANLN,TREM1,LZTFL1,OXSM,PLA2G3,TAS2R13,ABCB10,ECT2,TRPC,BCAS3,PLA2G3,ZDHHC7 and ERBB2 as potential gene targets for breast cancer.

In this study, a new diphosphate compound, Ag0.2Na0.6FeP2O7, was synthesized using a solid-state reaction method and extensively studied using various techniques. The compound's structure was confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis, revealing a single-phase monoclinic structure with the P21/C space group. The electrical behavior of the compound was investigated, and its conductivity followed Jonscher's universal law. The correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model explained the temperature-dependent ac conductivity and parameter "s" well. The study also explored the contribution of single-polaron and bipolaron hopping to the a.c. conductivity and discussed the ionic conductivity in relation to the structural characteristics of the sample. Overall, this investigation significantly enhances our comprehension of the distinctive electrical properties of Ag0.2Na0.6FeP2O7 and its potential practical applications.

The rise in population density, vehicle ownership, and urban development has significantly influenced travel demand and altered travel patterns, leading to traffic congestion in rapidly growing urban centers like Accra, Ghana. The traditional approach of expanding roadways to accommodate rising traffic is no longer environmentally sustainable. Instead, emphasis has shifted towards travel demand management (TDM) strategies as a more sustainable solution. This study aimed to investigate a range of TDM strategies that can be adopted in Accra to improve traffic flow through the lenses of everyday road users. The study employed a questionnaire survey and a stratified sampling technique to gather data from 615 respondents for relative importance index (RII) ranking, and Chi-square statistical analysis. The findings reveal that the topmost preferred strategies were mass transit improvements, walking and cycling improvements, and alternative work schedules. Notably, mass transit improvements emerged as the most preferred strategy. The study also unveiled a statistically significant correlation between variables such as age, education level, marital status, income level, and mode of transportation with all selected TDM preferences. However, no significant relationship was found between gender and car ownership with all selected TDM preferences. The study provides valuable insights regarding road users’ preferences for TDM strategies that can aid in planning future urban mobility systems to proactively manage travel demand, alleviate congestion, and promote sustainable transportation options for the city’s residents.

This review paper explores the multifaceted landscape of digital heritage preservation and presentation, focusing on various methods and technologies employed in the field. The introduction highlights the significance of digital heritage in preserving and showcasing cultural, historical, and natural assets. It emphasizes the non-destructive nature of digital preservation methods, enabling wider access and research possibilities. The paper also discusses the relevance of cultural computing in creating engaging user experiences and recognizes its potential in bridging cultural gaps. The literature review section presents a diverse range of technologies and tools, such as ZENetic Computer, C-Vyasa Sanskrit, Pandulipi Samshodhak, JATAN, and immersive projects like "Alice in Wonderland." The methods and technologies section delves into the technical aspects of digital heritage preservation. It explores photogrammetry, 3D depth sensing, 3D laser scanning, augmented reality, digital storytelling, focus stacking, and multiple view stereovision. Each technology is discussed in detail, highlighting its applications, benefits, and relevance in cultural heritage preservation. Finally, the comparative analysis section offers insights from various research papers and books, comparing different methodologies and approaches in the field. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of digital heritage preservation, showcasing the diverse methods and technologies that contribute to the safeguarding and presentation of our cultural heritage for future generations.

Smart electronic devices and telemedicine are widely used in humans' daily lives. This provides remote treatment of patients using information and communications technology. New telemedicine technologies, such as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), make it easier for medical and computing devices to communicate regularly and effectively. Critical motivations for adapting the IoMT are reduced cost, increased quality of life, and timely medical intervention. IoMT is significant because it enables continuous, real-time patient monitoring during routine everyday activities using a variety of wearables and sensors. With big data, the IoMT technology makes excellent use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support disease detection and health condition prediction, alerting patients and healthcare providers. Many research studies have been conducted to explore various aspects of IoMT and its applications in the real world. However, it is challenging to comprehend all the techniques and solutions proposed by the research community. Therefore, this survey sheds light on some crucial aspects of IoMT technologies and explores the potential research gaps and directions the research community could tackle. The survey examines and discusses the characteristics of IoMT standards, protocols, and types. It then delves into the layers of IoMT and distinguishes them into Fog and edge. The studies published under each type were explored, and the limitations of these works were highlighted. The research gaps and directions on IoMT approaches and technologies were also highlighted. With such findings and research directions, further research endeavors could be carried out to address the issues and existing limitations in the IoMT.

Reed (Phragmites autralis) is a plant species with a seasonal reproductive cycle, it has a very high biomass in U Minh Thuong National Park. This characteristic that management of forest fire is dificult in Vietnam. To evaluate height, diameter, density, growth, biomass of fresh and dry, biochar on reed plants; it include plant, stem, leaves, flowers; analysis indicators of growth, biomass, biochar on reed. compare chemical indicators of peat and biochar in U Minh Thuong and Kien Luong of Mekong Delta. Relationship of peat chemical with growth and biomass. Study adsorption from reed biochar with pig urine and inorganic chemical of nitrogen and phosphorus. Study on types of peatland thickness, each one had 5 plots, investigated height (Ht), diameter of stem (D0.0); weigh part of plants, stems, leaves and flowers. the soil samples collected on investigated 20 plots, biochar is analyzed for its chemical composition, then the biochar is adsorbed with pig urine and phosphorus and nitrogen inorganic. The results evaluated fresh biomass on parts of reed plant, dry biomass and biochar on parts of them. Results height 3.39 – 4.74 m, diemeter 1.8 – 3.17 cm, biomass 0.04 – 0.1 m3 / m2, weight 15.46 – 20.54 kg / m2. The dry weight / plant 127.34 – 358.58 g, a dry plant trunk 79.55 – 217.78 g, a dry plant leaves 33.78 – 112.16 g, a dry plant flowers 4.4 – 19.64 g. A plant Biochar 26.16 – 73.57 g, a trunk biochar 14.41 – 39.44 g, a leaf biochar 8.16 – 22.59 g, a flower biochar 2.59 – 11.54 g, Peat analysis, indicators decrease P2O5, SO42-, NH4+ and increase are pH, humic acid, N%, K2O, Fe2+. Compare biochar indicators of U Minh Thuong and Kien Luong indicators higher are 9/11 as humic acid, OM%, Ash%, C%, N%, P%, K%, Ca%, Mg%. Indicators lower are as pH and SiO. Reed biochar can adsorption the pig urine as ammonium, nitrate, nitrogen, phosphorus and it also adsorption inorganic as nitrogen and phosphorus. This discovery it is possible to propose the use of data for environment treatment and application of biochar fertilizer for agriculture in region.

The present work reports the effective method for removal of inorganic and organic pollutants using membranes based on different carbonaceous materials. The membranes were prepared based on cellulose acetate (18 wt. %), polyvinylpyrrolidone as a pore generating agent (2 wt. %) and activated carbon (1 wt.%). Activated carbons were developed from residues after extraction of mushroom Inonotus obliguus using microwave radiation. It has been shown that addition of activated carbon the physical (porosity, equilibrium water content and permeability) and chemical (content of the surface oxygen group) properties of the membranes. The addition of carbon material has a positive effect on the removal of copper ions from their aqueous solutions by the cellulose-carbon composites obtained. Moreover, the membranes were proved to be more effective in removal of copper ions than iron ones and phenol. The membranes were found to show higher effectiveness in copper removal from a solution of the initial concentration 800 mg/L. The most efficient in copper ions removal was the membrane containing urea-enriched activated carbon.

This article addresses the emergence of a niche for sustainable agricultural production in the province of García Rovira, Colombia. It examines the intervention of the Colombian planning regime, which implements agendas for sustainable territorial development. However, these agendas are not adequately aligned with provincial realities, resulting in a productive decline. From a multi-level perspective, a niche of production linked to the landscape is identified, highlighting sustainable practices and innovation. The study seeks to understand how planning influences the emergence of such niches and what factors boost their transition to sustainability. Through a mixed methodology, growing sectors are highlighted, and the profiles of the producers involved are outlined. The main conclusion is that the planned intervention is inefficient, as the niche of sustainable production emerges without its clear influence. Therefore, it is proposed to re-evaluate planning using alternative analysis frameworks to detect emerging productive dynamics, serving as a basis for future plans.

Teaching, learning, research, and development are all supported in a favorable atmosphere at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). The wetland systems made up of freshwater that are extremely biodiverse makeup about 10% of the total land area. Flooding, deforestation, excessive sedimentation, blockages to streams, abuse, overuse, and invasion of wetlands are some of the recent environmental challenges that the university faced. Urban heat island impacts, contaminants in the air, wetland degradation, social issues including stress, and a detachment from nature are all major concerns. With the green corridor behind the faculties of law and management science serving as a model supported by sustainability as a true foundation for UNILAG's campus landscapes, this article investigates the sustainable restoration of wetlands within the boundaries of the university. The use of qualitative techniques was employed, utilizing the Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis. Additionally, a geospatial mapping of the wetlands and tributaries that connect the Lagos Lagoon was conducted to evaluate the intrinsic ecological goods and services through a series of analytical steps, beginning with an analysis of the land area, current biodiversity, hydrology, and its potential through landscape mapping and analysis. The biophysical setup, landscape features, climatic data analysis, the ecological goods and services derived from the wetlands, and the records of flooding and rainfall are all included in the geospatial evaluation and analysis. The educational institution's site planning for the remediation of its wetlands takes into account the actual evolution of the area's drainage network. Throughout the wetlands, low carbon emissions are generated by off-road bike lanes, trails for walking, and raised hardwood platforms. Combining native plant species and park furniture, the academic landscape atmosphere will be improved in each of the wetlands and aesthetic values. the country's "University of First Choice" and its biophysically restored wetlands will help illuminate the landscape while the green corridors have an innate ability to attract human affinity within the academic community. All of these elements are implemented following an environmentally friendly landscape planning, management, design model, and enforcement process.

Purpose: To simplify the application of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for examination of subsurface morphology in the oral cavity and reduce barriers towards adoption of OCT as a biopsy guidance device. The aim of this work was to develop automated software tools for simplified analysis of the large volume of data collected during OCT. Methods: Imaging and corresponding histopathology were acquired in-clinic using a wide-field endoscopic OCT system. An annotated dataset (n = 294 images) from 60 patients (34 male, 26 female) was assembled to train four unique neural networks. A deep learning pipeline was built using convolutional and modified u-net models to detect the imaging field of view (network 1), detect artifacts (network 2), identify the tissue surface (network 3), and identify the presence and location of the basement membrane (network 4). Results: The area under the curve of the image and artifact detection networks was 1.00 and 0.94 respectively. The Dice similarity score for the surface and basement membrane segmentation networks was 0.98 and 0.83 respectively. Conclusion: Deep Learning (DL) techniques can identify the location and variations in the epithelial surface and basement membrane in OCT images of the oral mucosa. Segmentation results can be synthesized into accessible en face maps to allow easier visualization of changes.

Scheduling and optimization have a central place in the research area of computing because it is increasingly important to achieve fully automated production processes to adjust manufacturing systems to the requirements of Industry 4.0. In this paper, we demonstrate how an automated wet-etch scheduling problem for a semiconductor industry can be solved by constraint answer set programming (CASP) and, its solver called clingcon. The considered scheduling problem includes a robot for lot transfers between the baths. CASP is a hybrid approach in automated reasoning that combines different research areas such as answer set programming, Constraint Processing and Satisfiability Modulo Theories. For a long time, exact methods such as constraint programming have displayed difficulties in solving real large-scale problem instances. Currently, the performance of state-of-the-art constrains solvers is comparatively better than a decade ago, and some complex combinatorial problems can be optimally solved. These theoretical and technical achievements open new horizons for declarative programming applications such as logistics. A successful solution to this problem is achieved and we found that in most cases tested, CASP is faster and obtains in most cases similar makespan values than solutions based on mixed integer linear programming and constraint paradigms.

Earthquake-triggered landslides are one of the most significant hazards worldwide. These landslides, involving small or large volumes, can develop in debris flow or avalanche with high mobility and long-runout distance. The motion processes of this kind of landslide also quite complicated. This study reproduced the motion processes of two landslides using the LS-RAPID program. The Aso Bridge landslide occurred on April 16, 2016, with rapid and long-runout distance characteristics. The Kataragai landslide occurred on April 9, 2018, travelling with flow-like behavior. Through field investigations and laboratory experiments, features and mechanical parameters of these two landslides were obtained. In the LS-RAPID program, the pre-failure models and motion processes of these two landslides were established and reproduced. Results indicated that sliding speed and travelling morphology at different intervals were considered as two indicators to describe their motion process. However, while sliding speed of these two landslides have significant differences with sliding speeds of actual landslides, the final morphologies after failure were consistent with those observed in the field investigation.

Melatonin is an important hormone with a methoxy-indole structure. It is secreted regularly by the pineal gland of mammals. It takes part in many chemical, biological, and physiological activities of the body. Melatonin, acts as a basic hormone, and is responsible for circadian rhythm regulation and sleep control. It has been shown to occur in the highest concentration in organisms during the night times. In living organisms, many activities that have physiological, biological, hormonal, and psychological characteristics follows a certain rhythm. Body temperature, hormone levels, sleep-wakefulness, and some other cognitive functions in humans also change with the circadian rhythm. Its synthesis and release begin with darkness and end with light. This review aims to explore the functions of melatonin such as its stimulating effects on antioxidant enzymes, reducing lipid peroxidation, and protecting brain tissue from oxidative damage. It also has properties that stop the proliferation of cancer cells and prevent tumor growth. Melatonin, which was previously known only as an animal hormone, has been found to also exist in plants. Research has shown that melatonin is present in almost all plant species analyzed to date and that it performs functions similar to those in animals. In plants, it plays a vital role in dealing with various abiotic and biotic stresses. Melatonin acts as an important antioxidant in post-harvest technology and extends the post-harvest life of fruits and vegetables. It also takes part in the regulation of stress-specific genes and the activation of pathogenesis-related proteins and antioxidant enzymes. The most prominent roles of melatonin in plants include regulating circadian rhythm, growth, and development, and increasing tolerance to a wide range of environmental stress factors. The review reveals the effects of melatonin as an extremely important secondary metabolite, on human, animal, and plant metabolism. The use of PRISMA guidelines was used for reporting, search, selection, and synthesis. Information up to 2024 was searched from search engines for the occurrence, nature and function of melatonin. Key words such as structural function, hormonal function, secretion and metabolism were used in the search of publications.

The school food environment is a suitable place to promote healthy habits, as it is a space for learning and constant social interaction, where children spend at least a third of their day, and have one to two meals. This study aimed to analyze the sale of food in the canteens of private schools in a capital in the Northeast of Brazil and verify the influence of it on students’ eating behavior. A cross-sectional, quantitative, multicenter study was carried out, taking place simultaneously in twenty capitals in Brazil. A checklist with 87 questions was applied to those responsible for the canteens in a representative sample of schools in each city. Frequencies and associations were performed using Pearson's Chi-Square test. The analysis of the foods sold, was based on the NOVA food classification from the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population, regarding the degree and extent of processing. Latent Class Analysis was carried out to group the canteens into similar response patterns, modeled with covariates, and the association was calculated with the Kruskal-Wallis and Duun tests or Fisher's Exact test. The results showed that students were very frequently offered ultra-processed, sugar-rich foods with low nutritional value; 88.7% of such foods had been chosen by managers as part of the menu because they are “students’ food preferences”. There is an average of 2.3 fresh foods in canteens compared to 7.5 varieties of ultra-processed foods. There must be stricter control over what is sold, to minimize student’s exposure to unhealthy foods.

Amylose content (AC) stands as a pivotal determinant of rice grain quality, primarily governed by the Waxy gene (Wx), with its allelic diversity significantly influencing AC variation. In the current culinary landscape, soft rice varieties, known for their low AC and superior palatability, are particularly sought after by consumers. Notably, many soft japonica rice varieties cultivated in southern China, including the Nangeng series, are characterized by the presence of the Wxmp allele, derived from the ancestral Wxmq allele. While both alleles are associated with reduced AC, there remains a paucity of detailed understanding regarding the interplay between specific functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these alleles and the overarching rice grain quality. Employing site-directed mutagenesis, we engineered three distinct transgenic rice lines, each harboring either the Wxmp, Wxmq, or Wxb-5c alleles, against the background of the glutinous rice cultivar Nip(wx). This suite of transgenic rice showcased a gradation ingrain transparency inversely correlated to AC, delineating a sequence from Wxmq, signifying the lowest, through Wxmp, to Wxb-5c, indicating the highest. Consequently, this gradation in AC precipitated variations in other rice grain physicochemical attributes, such as the taste value of cooked rice, gel consistency (GC), and starch pasting properties. Furthermore, analyses of gene expression and enzyme activity revealed that the functional SNPs, Ex4-53G/A and Ex5-53T/C, lead to a decline in the GBSSI enzyme activity without affecting expression levels. These findings underscore the potential of harnessing these SNPs in breeding programs aimed at developing soft rice varieties endowed with enhanced culinary qualities.

Air quality is a topic of growing relevance on the global agenda. Two key indicators of air quali-ty, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), represent significant hazards to human health and the environment putting the sustainability of natural resources at risk. Therefore, it is imperative to regularly monitor and reduce atmospheric pollutant concentrations to mitigate their harmful consequences. This study presents an analysis of NO2 total and CO emissions in Argentina, utilizing remote sensing data. The research aims to determine the spatiotemporal distribution of NO2 and CO emissions in Argentina from 2019 to 2021. Subsequently, it seeks to establish the influence of land uses and land cover on the emission of NO2 and CO through dif-ferent climatic, anthropic, and natural indicators. The study was carried out in Argentina during the period 2019-2021, where random points were placed for the different land covers with a total of 800 points surveyed. The year with the highest CO concentration (mol/m-2) was 2020. The values were highest for tree covers and herbaceous wetland coverage in the northern part of the country. For total NO2, the highest concentrations were reached during the years 2020 and 2021. Regarding its distribution, throughout the evaluated period, the highest concentrations of total NO2 were found in the built-up and cropland coverages, with the capital of the country and the northern region of the Buenos Aires province being the most affected areas. In addition, the concentration of CO was influenced by climatic variables (atmospheric pressure, wind speed, maximum environment temperature, Palmer index), natural (height, humidity, NDVI), and ur-ban variables (distances to mining extraction, airports, power plants, urban index) for the differ-ent uses and land covers. Finally, the concentrations of total NO2 were influenced by climatic variables (Palmer index and wind speed), natural (height and NDVI), and urban variables (dis-tance to airports, power plants, industries, service stations, and open dumpsites) for the differ-ent uses and land cover. This study contributes to sustainable environmental management, ena-bling the formulation of effective strategies for mitigating emissions and promoting the long-term health and well-being of communities.

(1) Background: The aim of the research was to present and emphasize the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing Achilles tendon (AT) ruptures by presenting case reports. (2) Materials and Methods: The sample of respondents included 7 patients (4 males and 3 females, 2 athletes and 5 non-athletes), aged 25 to 58 years, with AT injuries, who were examined and treated at the Institute for Treatment and Rehabilitation "Niška Banja", Niš, Serbia. Ankle examinations with MRI were conducted using the Esaote O-scan 0.3 T machine. The examinations were performed without the application of a paramagnetic contrast agent and without the use of anesthesia. Results: The MRI method's sensitivity and overall diagnostic accuracy were excellent, with 100% true positives. In our study, the method accurately detected the presence, location, and severity of AT injuries in all cases. MRI is an important and reliable method for detecting AT injuries, classifying them, monitoring the course of recovery, and assessing the effects of therapy. Conclusions: An unrecognized or delayed diagnosis of an AT injury can lead to chronic changes. Timely diagnosis (clinical examination, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging) and appropriate treatment (conservative or operative) enable patients to return to normal activities, including sports. Unfortunately, the use of MRI is limited by restricted access and the cost of the examination.

In the intricate dance between viruses and host cells, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) serve as crucial orchestrators of gene expression and cellular processes. We will delve into the riveting realm of viral hijacking, where viruses deftly exploit host RBPs to manipulate cellular machinery for their replication and pathogenesis. Through a masterstroke of molecular subterfuge, viruses co-opt RBPs involved in various facets of RNA metabolism - from transcription to degradation - to promote viral gene expression and evade host immune defenses. This manipulation leads to global alterations in cellular RNA metabolism, impacting essential host genes vital for immune responses and homeostasis.Unveiling this clandestine alliance between viruses and RBPs is not just a scientific pursuit, but a critical imperative for devising innovative antiviral strategies to disrupt these interactions. By unraveling the intricate interplay between viral proteins and host RBPs throughout the viral life cycle - from entry to assembly - researchers aim to identify vulnerabilities that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention. Strategies such as disrupting viral protein-RBP interactions hold promise for inhibiting viral replication and curbing pathogenesis, offering a beacon of hope in the battle against viral infections.Our manuscript elucidates the indispensable roles played by RBPs in viral replication, translation, and pathogenesis, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms driving viral success. Delving deeper, it explores how viruses intricately entwine with host RBPs, manipulating cellular signaling pathways to create a hospitable environment for viral spread. By dissecting these manipulative tactics, researchers uncover new targets for antiviral therapy, envisioning a future where tailored interventions disrupt viral-host RBP interactions with precision and efficacy.As the narrative unfolds, the therapeutic implications of targeting RBPs or their interactions with viral proteins emerge as a promising frontier in the fight against viral infections. From small molecule inhibitors to RNA-based therapeutics, innovative approaches are on the horizon, offering new avenues for combatting viral diseases. We set the stage for future research, beckoning researchers to delve deeper into the molecular intricacies of viral hijacking of RBPs and charting a course towards novel therapeutic interventions that promise to reshape the landscape of antiviral therapy.\Ultimately, it beckons the scientific community to embark on a voyage of discovery, unraveling the secrets of viral hijacking of RBPs and paving the way for transformative advances in antiviral therapeutics. The stage is set for a new chapter in the battle against viral infections, where knowledge becomes the sword and innovation the shield against the pernicious machinations of viral pathogens.

Last Chance Tourism (LCT) is an increasingly popular phenomenon whereby tourists seek encounters with vanishing landscapes, cultures, and endangered species. However, there are concerns that it is not sufficiently ecologically informed, has a large carbon footprint, and may put further pressure on vulnerable ecosystems and communities. The Arctic has emerged as a major global frontier for LCT, and at the same time is at the forefront of disruptive and accelerating climate change. Here a review of important LCT literature is combined with a review of key insights from the concept of Ecological Grief, which calls for explicitly mourning the losses of formerly ecologically rich landscapes, species diversity, and traditional knowledge. While there is currently insufficient engagement with grief and mourning in LCT, Ecological Grief can provide a new research focus as well as a pathway to share empathy, concern, and sorrow between scientists, communities, and visitors—thereby offering an alternative way to critically reflect upon our connections with the vanishing cryosphere in the Anthropocene.

: To improve the efficiency of rhizobial inoculation operations and address the current situation of rhizobial inoculation being labor-intensive, a spraying and control system for variable rate application (VRA) of liquid rhizobia was developed. The system can accurately regulate the spraying rate of liquid rhizobia according to the desired rate of rhizobia by incremental Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) closed-loop control algorithm, making it particularly suitable for precise spraying with small amounts. In the laboratory experiment of precise flow control, variation coefficient of spraying nozzle from 0.10 MP to 0.20 MP pressure were no more than 1.2%. A clear linear relationship was observed between the spraying rate and pressure. The maximum response time was 1.93 seconds, while the average response time was 1.62 seconds when controlling the spraying system for small amounts. Field trial was conducted in Heilongjiang Agricultural Xianghe Farm of China. Average seeds number and 100-seed weight of soybean plant with rhizobia inoculation treatment were better than control group, and average yield of spraying liquid rhizobia agent with full base fertilizer increased by 232.5 kg/hm2, representing a significant 7.4% improvement over the control group. The results of these trails clearly showed the positive effect of the spraying and control system for liquid rhizobial inoculation, which has superior to existing inoculation manners, and provides an important technical support for the widespread adoption of rhizobia technology.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of using L-PRF in patients undergoing impacted lower third molar surgery with either primary or secondary closure techniques. Methods: This prospective, randomised, double-blind, split-mouth clinical trial was conducted in patients with bilateral lower impacted third molars of similar position. Primary closure was performed in group 1 and secondary closure in group 2. Group 1 closure technique was applied to one side of the patients and group 2 closure technique was applied to the other side at different times. Nine pa-tients were excluded from the study due to alveolitis and failure to attend regular control visits out of the 45 patients evaluated. Results: Of the 36 patients included in the study, 23 were female and 13 were male and the mean age was 22.42±3.36 years. The secondary closure group had lower VAS scores at hour 6 (p

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macro nutrient for crop growth; therefore, N deficit can greatly limit crop growth and production. In the North China Plain (NCP), winter wheat is one of the main food crops, and its yield has increased from approximately 4000 kg ha-1 to 6000 kg ha-1 in the last two decades. Determining the proper N application rates at different growth stages and in all seasons is very important for the sustainable and high production of wheat in the NCP. A field experiment with five N application rates (250, 200, 150, 100, and 40 kgN·ha-1, designated as N250, N200, N150, N100, and N40, respectively) was conducted during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 winter wheat seasons to investigate the effects of the N application rate on water- and fertiliz-er-utilization efficiency, and on the crop growth and yield of winter wheat under sprinkler fer-tigation conditions. The results showed that, in the N application range of 40-200 kg ha-1, crop yield and water- and fertilizer-use efficiencies increased as the N application rate increased; however, further increases in the N application rate did not have additional benefits. The N up-take after regreening of winter wheat linearly increased with crop growth. Considering the wheat yield and N-use efficiency, the optimal N application range was 200 kg ha-1, and the best top-dressing strategy was equal amounts of N applied at the regreening, jointing, and grain-filling stages. The results of this study will be useful for optimizing field N management to achieve high wheat yield production in the NCP and in regions with similar climatic and soil environment conditions.

Cysteine and its derivatives, including H2S, can influence bacterial virulence and sensitivity to antibiotics. In minimal sulfate media, H2S is generated under stress to prevent excess cysteine and, together with incorporation into glutathione and export into the medium, is a mechanism of cysteine homeostasis. Here, we studied the features of cysteine homeostasis in LB medium, where the main source of sulfur is cystine, whose import can create excess cysteine inside cells. We used mutants in the mechanisms of cysteine homeostasis and a set of microbiological and biochemical methods, including real-time monitoring of sulfide and oxygen, determination of cysteine and glutathione, and expression of the Fur, OxyR, and SOS regulons genes. During normal growth, the parental strain generated H2S when switching respiration to another substrate. The mutations affected the onset time, intensity and duration of H2S production, cysteine and glutathione levels, bacterial growth and respiration rates, and induction of defense systems. Exposure to chloramphenicol and high doses of ciprofloxacin increased cysteine content and GSH synthesis. A high inverse relationship between log CFU/ml and bacterial growth rate before ciprofloxacin addition was revealed. The study points to the important role of maintaining cysteine homeostasis during normal growth and antibiotic exposure in LB medium.

This study explores the stability of electrodeposited copper catalysts utilized in electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) across various amine media. The focus is on understanding the influence of different amine types, corrosion ramifications, and the efficacy of pulse ECR methodologies. Employing a suite of electrochemical techniques including potentiodynamic polarization, linear resistance polarization, cyclic voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry, the investigation reveals useful insights. The findings show that among the tested amines, CO2-rich monoethanolamine (MEA) exhibits the highest corrosion rate. However, in most cases the rates remain within tolerable limits for ECR operations. Primary amines, notably monoethanolamine (MEA), show enhanced compatibility with ECR processes, attributable to their resistance against carbonate salt precipitation and sustained stability in potential over extended durations. Conversely, tertiary amines such as methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) present challenges due to the formation of carbonate salts during ECR, impeding their effective utilization. The study highlights the effectiveness of pulse ECR strategies in stabilizing ECR. A noticeable shift in cathodic potential and reduced deposit formation on the catalyst surface through periodic oxidation underscores the efficacy of such strategies. These findings offer insights for optimizing ECR in amine media, thereby providing promising pathways for advancements in CO2 emission reduction technologies.

The prevalence of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in South Africa is increasing annually, with the burden projected to escalate by 2030. Devastatingly, factors such as lifestyle changes, urbani- sation, and an aging population significantly contribute to a rising burden of Cardiovascular disease (CVDs), diabetes, and cancer which directly impact the mortality and morbidity rates seen in South Africa. Recognising this, the South African government has seen the need for emphasis on developing policies and interventions tar- geting physical inactivity to prevent and manage NCD, particularly cost-free and easy to administer training protocols. However, phys- ical inactivity remains a significant issue, leading to various health concerns in rural communities, including injuries and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Despite effort to promote physical ac- tivity, the prevalence of NCDs continues to rise, necessitating target- ed interventions to ensure equitable healthcare among South African citizens. On the Contrast, preservation and promotion of traditional games is vital as they offer indigenous populations accessible and culturally relevant means to maintain health and wellness. In this regard, it is important to recognize the importance of preserving and promoting traditional games as they potentially serve as a method for indigenous people to maintain their health and wellness in a way that is accessible and culturally relevant to them. These games have gained popularity in South Africa, with initiatives underway to show- case them globally fostering cultural exchange. Further, revitalizing and conserving these games can cultivate a culture of health and wellbeing in South Africa.

The oil and gas industry in Nigeria, a vital contributor to the nation's economy, has long been associated with significant environmental challenges. Pollution, habitat destruction, and greenhouse gas emissions have raised global concerns about sustainability and corporate responsibility. This empirical study explores the relationship between environmental accounting practices and the financial performance of listed oil and gas companies in Nigeria. We investigated eight oil and gas companies that are publicly traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange Market (NGX) as of January 17, 2022, from 2011 to 2022. The study employs Driscoll-Kraay standard errors and reveals that environmental accounting had significant effects on returns on assets, earnings per share, and liquidity ratio. The study revealed that the implementation of environmental accounting practices had diverse effects on the performance of oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The findings encourage policymakers and stakeholders in the sector to utilise the insights and design more effective regulations and incentives that promote environmental corporate responsibility. Also, valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges associated with adopting environmental accounting practices, and influencing the decision-making processes of corporate stakeholders were provided to ensure sustainability in terms of improved financial performance of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

The research paper investigates the synthesis of metal matrix composites (MMCs) through the amalgamation of aluminum and silicon carbide particles, employing a two-step mixing methodology called the stir casting method. Metal matrix composites are materials that enhance the capabilities of a metallic matrix by incorporating another material. This leads to better characteristics such as tensile and shear moduli, fatigue and fracture properties, thermal expansion coefficient, and more. Aluminum-matrix composites are a class of materials that possess distinct characteristics that may be modified by altering factors such as the type of reinforcing material, the amount of reinforcement, and the fabrication technique employed to produce the composite. The concept aims to combine the desirable properties of metals and ceramics by incorporating durable refractory particles into a malleable metal structure. The fabrication process employs the stir casting technique, where reinforcing phases are mechanically stirred into a molten matrix to create cast composites with reinforcement volume percentages of up to 30%. The study utilizes Response Surface Methodology to enhance the mechanical properties of the composites through the optimization of manufacturing parameters, including stirring temperature, time, and speed. The study entails analyzing the correlation between different casting conditions and the resulting changes in hardness and tensile strength.

In order to deal with imprecision, ambiguity, and uncertainty in data analysis, Pawlak introduced rough set theory in 1982. This paper aims to expand the scope of basic set theory developed by presenting the notions of δP-upper and δP-lower approximations, that are based on the notion of δP-open sets, we additionally examine a few of their fundamental characteristics.

This study delves into the critical domain of public procurement, specifically focusing on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations within the context of South Korea. The aim of this research is to empirically scrutinize the factors influencing the impact index of SPP, with a particular emphasis on services related to labor standards. The investigation spans three years, from January 1, 2019, to July 31, 2021, encompassing state agency orders and post-implementation legal changes. Leveraging the comprehensive Korea On-line E-Procurement Sys-tem(KONEPS) platform, we meticulously collected data, ultimately culminating in 21,573 services meeting our criteria, from which 250 cases underwent an in-depth analysis. The study sheds light on the influence of social responsibility evaluation cri-teria on overall procurement scores, while also uncovering the moderating effects of various factors. The outcomes of this study offer valuable insights into the impact index of social responsibility evaluation criteria within South Korea's public procurement landscape. Factors including procurement year, classification, service period, and estimated price were identified as significant influencers. Moreover, the number and location of evalu-ation criteria items, inclusion of sincerity elements, and the evaluating agency were deemed pivotal determinants of the influence index. These findings hold profound implications for policymakers, procurement practitioners, and researchers and provide a roadmap for optimizing the utilization of social responsibility evaluation criteria to advance responsible and sustainable procurement practices. Future research avenues include conducting further study of additional moderat-ing variables, expanding datasets to encompass a broader spectrum of procurement contexts, and evaluating the long-term repercussions of social responsibility evaluation on procurement outcomes. These endeavors promise to further refine and advance public procurement practices in South Korea and beyond.

The informational synthesis of neural structures, processes, parameters and characteristics that allow a unified description and modeling as neural machines of natural and artificial neural systems is presented. The general informational parameters as the global quantitative measure of the neural systems computing potential as absolute and relative neural power were proposed. Neural information organizing and processing follows the way in which nature manages neural information by developing functions, functionalities and circuits related to different internal or peripheral components and also to the whole system through a non-deterministic memorization, fragmentation and aggregation of afferent and efferent information, deep neural information processing representing multiple alternations of fragmentation and aggregation stages. The relevant neural characteristics were integrated into a neural machine type model that incorporates unitary also peripheral or interface components as the central ones. The proposed approach allows overcoming the technical constraints in artificial computational implementations of neural information processes and also provides a more relevant description of natural ones.

Recently perovskite solar cells have been paying attention of researchers. This comes from their high efficiency and stability. In this work, the change of some Optical and Electrical Properties of BaxFe(1-x)TiO4 thin films due to the change of the nanocrystal spacing and size were studied. A simple theoretical model based on the string theory was utilized to explain some of these empirical relations. The empirical results obtained indicated that an increase in the efficiency of the nano solar cell requires the energy gap to be narrow. Decreasing the nanocrystal size and spacing caused the energy gap to become narrower. The energy gap decreases also upon increasing the absorption coefficient and decreasing the transmission. This also requires increasing the conductivity and the magnetic permeability. The increase of the nanocrystal spacing decreases the absorption coefficient, electrical conductivity, and magnetic permeability, while it causes the transmission to increase. All these changes are explained using a simple string model beside Newton's laws. The capability of the string theory to explain this Nano quantum behavior comes from the fact that the string theory, like quantum theory, recognizes both the particle and the wave nature of the Nano system.

Abstract: Kiwifruit, a perennial horticultural crop known for its nutritional value, faces significant challenges due to biotic and abiotic stresses, affecting its yield and quality. Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like proteins (LRR-RLPs), a major group of receptor-like proteins in plants, have diverse functions in plant physiology, including growth, development, signal transduction, and stress responses. Despite their importance, the specific roles of kiwifruit LRR-RLPs in response to biotic and abiotic stresses remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of kiwifruit LRR-RLPs under various stress conditions, including pathogen stress, heat stress, waterlogging stress, and copper stress. Through genome and transcriptome analyses, we identified a total of 101, 164, and 105 LRR-RLPs in Actinidia Chinensis 'Hongyang', Actinidia eriantha 'Huate', and Actinidia chinensis 'Red5' kiwifruit, respectively, classified into 9 subgroups based on phylogenetic relationships. Synteny analysis revealed that the expansion of kiwifruit LRR-RLPs was primarily attributed to segmental duplication events. Using RNA-seq data from pathogen-infected kiwifruits, we identified specific LRR-RLP genes potentially involved in different stages of pathogen infection. Additionally, we observed the potential involvement of kiwifruit LRR-RLPs in abiotic stress responses, with upstream transcription factors possibly regulating their expression. Furthermore, protein interaction network analysis unveiled the participation of kiwifruit LRR-RLP genes in the regulatory network of abiotic stress responses. These findings highlight the crucial roles of LRR-RLPs in mediating both biotic and abiotic stress responses in kiwifruit, offering valuable insights for the breeding of stress-resistant kiwifruit varieties.

The well-being and sociability of individuals have always been part of modernity. The development of new technologies that meet these aspirations is receiving increasing attention. Thus, strengthening the desired objectives of these tools and minimizing their undesirable side effects is the subject of a growing commitment. The present contribution aims, in this context, to evaluate and analyze the desired and undesirable effects of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with living tissues in general. This involves routines reinforcing expected functions as well as those controlling and protecting against undesirable effects. First, the interactions of electromagnetic fields with tissues are analyzed, involving their thermal biological effects of desired and undesired exposures. The roles of blood and sap fluids in bio-affected tissues are then analyzed. Secondly, the governing electromagnetic, bio-heat equations, and their coupled solution are studied. Third, the thermal behavior of tissues and the exposure adverse effects are examined. Next, monitoring and defending of the effects of exposures are discussed. This contribution illustrates and discusses mathematical modeling routines based on a generalized interaction of electromagnetic fields with living tissues.

Preventing the rebound of black and odorous water bodies is critical for improving the ecological environment of water bodies. This study investigated the effect and mechanism of in-situ improvement of sediment microenvironment by nitrate in tailwater of wastewater treatment plants combined with aerobic denitrifying bacteria under low-DO regulation (TailN+CFM+LDO). On the 60th day of remediation, the dissolved oxygen and oxidation-reduction potential in the overlying water increased to 5.6 mg/L and 300 mV, respectively, the acid volatile sulfide in the sediment decreased by 70.4%, and the organic matter in the sediment was reduced by 62.7%, in which the HFOM was degraded from 105 g/kg to 56 g/kg, and the potential risk of water reverting to black and odorous conditions significantly decreased. Amplicon sequencing analysis revealed that the relative abundance of electroactive bacteria Thiobacillus and Pseudomonas with denitrification capacity was found to be significantly higher in the TailN+CFM+LDO group than in the other remediation groups. Functional prediction of 16S sequencing results indicated that both the quantity and activity of critical microbial enzymes involved in nitrification and denitrification processes could enhance in the TailN+CFM+LDO group. These results improved our understanding of the improvement of the sediment microenvironment and could thus facilitate its application.

This study provides a comprehensive investigation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Argentinean Capsicum annum L. The research covers important aspects, including genotypic characterization, bacterial stress tolerance, adhesion ability, safety evaluation, and functional and technological properties. The predominant isolates were identified as Lactilactobacillus curvatus and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Rep-PCR analysis grouped the isolates into 11 clonal groups. Lp. plantarum LVP 40 and LV 46; Levilactobacillus brevis LVP 41, Pediococcus pentosaseus LV P43, and Lt. curvatus LVP44, displayed both safety and resilience against adverse conditions such a slow pH, bile, and simulated gastric and intestinal juices. Moreover, the LAB strains exhibited high hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation percentages, NaCl tolerance, and substantial acidifying capacity. LAB supernatants demonstrated promising surfactant and emulsifying properties. Likewise, they differentially inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, showcasing their potential as antipathogenic agents. Noteworthy some strains displayed considerable co-aggregation with these pathogens, and several isolates showed an effective antimutagenic and detoxifying power, further emphasizing their multifaceted capabilities. Five pepper bacterial strains showcased probiotic properties, suggesting their potential for gut health enhancement. In summary, these LAB strains hold promise as vegetable fermentation starters, contributing to food safety and versatile applications in food science.

In volleyball, the jump serve is a fundamental and crucial skill that is one of the most commonly used serving techniques. This study aimed to examine the kinematic differences between straight line (SL) and diagonal line (DL) in volleyball jump serves by focusing on torso and attack arm joint motions. Three-dimensional coordinate data were captured using a motion capture system (200 Hz) in 14 right-handed male professional volleyball players who performed SL and DL jump serves. This result suggests that the pelvis and torso backward rotation angles during the arm-clocking phase were smaller when performing DL serves. During ball contact, the servers exhibited greater forward rotation angles of the pelvis and torso to control the upper body facing the diagonal direction of the target zone. In addition, lowering the forward tilt angle of the trunk helped the servers maintain body balance in the air and increased their wrist flexion angle, preventing the ball from flying out of bounds when performing DL. These findings highlight the importance of controlling pelvic and torso rotations in the transverse plane when adjusting for different serving lines. These insights can guide volleyball athletes and coaches in refining their serving techniques.

The recent remarkable progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has renewed the discussion on the possibility of human-level AI. Despite the difficulty of the problem and the presence of many large gaps and challenges, most people working in the field think that human-level AI is achievable, but they disagree on the date. In this paper, I briefly discuss the possibility of human-level AI from the perspective of two traditions in the Islamic world, namely Kalam and Sufism, and despite their different mode of investigation, they converge to the same conclusion on this topic.

Agriculture is an industry that heavily relies on the environment. The increasing frequency of ex-treme disasters attributable to climate change has adversely affected agricultural land and dis-rupted the stability of the supply of agricultural products. Therefore, we implemented a research program focused on current strategies for adapting to agricultural meteorological disasters. The primary goal was to actively promote disaster prevention information and techniques through information platforms and applications and to provide refined forecasting and an early warning system to enhance preparedness for and recovery from agricultural disasters. This initiative can transform passive mitigation into dynamic action by disseminating crucial information to farmers. We integrated meteorological data and crop characteristics to develop disaster prevention strate-gies for the predisaster, during-disaster, and postdisaster stages to empower farmers to implement autonomous disaster prevention, ensuring their profitability and minimizing the impact of disas-ters. This paper presents an agricultural disaster prevention system involving cross-disciplinary collaboration to establish an early warning system for crop disasters. However, the effectiveness of the early warning system relies on the availability of complete meteorological and crop infor-mation, necessitating high-density agricultural meteorological stations, refined weather forecast services, historical crop damage data, and ongoing research and development on disaster preven-tion technology. In the system, a diversified social media interface is used to provide local farmers with weather forecast information. When impending disasters are identified, the platform acti-vates disaster prevention measures to reduce agricultural losses. This article paper introduces Taiwan’s agricultural disaster prevention system as a complete disaster prevention strategy.

Background: Metastatic tumors to the oro-facial tissues are rare, with an incidence ranging between 1% and 8% of all oral malignant tumors. Generally reported with a peak of incidence in the 5th–7th decades, but possibly occurring at any age, metastases may represent the first sign of an occult cancer or manifest in patient with an already known history of a primary carcinoma, mostly from the lungs, kidney, prostate, and colon-rectum in males, or uterus, breast, lung, and ovary in females. In the oro-facial tissues the sites mostly involved are the oral mucosa, gingiva/jawbones, tongue, and the salivary glands. Methods: A systemic Review of the literature on the oro-facial metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma has been conducted by searching the most used databases, also focusing the attention on the Clear Cell histological variant, representing the most frequent one. Results: Among the 160 analyzed studies, 211 cases of oral metastases of renal cancer were found (148 in males, 70.1%; 63 in females, 29.8%), with an average age of 59.8 years. In almost 40% of cases, metastasis represented the first clinical manifestation of the primary tumor and 122 were histologically diagnosed as ccRCCs (57.8%). The tongue was involved in most of the cases (26% - 55 cases), followed by mandible (18.9% - 40 cases), gingiva (18.4% - 39 cases), maxilla (10.9% - 23 cases), parotid gland (10.4% - 22 cases), buccal mucosa (5.2% - 11 cases), lips (3.3% - 7 cases), hard palate (2.8% - 6 cases), soft palate, masticatory space and submandibular gland (0.9% - 2 cases), lymph nodes, tonsil and oral floor (0.4% - 1 case). Among the 122 ccRCCs (84 were males, 68.8 %; 38 females, 31.1%), with an average age of 60.8 years and representing in 33.6% the first clinical manifestation, the tongue remained the most involved site (25.4% - 31 cases), followed by the gingiva (17.2% - 21 cases), parotid gland (13,1% - 16 cases), mandibular bone (12.2% - 15 cases), maxillary bone (11.4% - 14 cases), buccal mucosa and lips (4.9% - 6 cases), hard palate (4% - 5 cases), submandibular gland and soft palate (1.6% - 2 cases), lymph nodes, tonsil, oral floor and masticatory space (0.8%. 1 case). The clinical presentation in soft tissues was represented by a fast-growing exophytic mass, sometimes accompanied by pain. Instead inn bone appeared as radiolucent lesions, with ill-defined borders and cortical erosion. Conclusions: Our data focus the attention on the incidence of Renal cancer Metastases in the oro-facial tissues. Their early identification surely represents a diagnostic challenge, especially when the clinical work-up is limited to the cervico-facial region. Nevertheless, early diagnosis and recently introduced adjuvant therapies may represent the key for better outcomes. Therefore, general guidelines about clinical and radiological identification of oro-facial potentially malignant lesions should be part of the cultural background of any dentists.

Risk management for technological hazards mainly focuses on the consequences on human lives. Although technological risk analysis evaluates environmental vulnerability, it does not reflect the consequences on environmentally exposed elements, such as rivers, water springs, flora, and fauna. This paper's objective was to propose a conceptual framework and create a multidisciplinary evaluation model for environmental risk analysis in the oil and gas industry. Initially, the problem was approached from a global perspective to justify the necessity of a holistic environmental risk analysis methodology in the oil industry, using environmental risk factors as well as underlying factors, such as environmental fragility and lack of resilience. The holistic assessment was carried out based on probabilistic risk analysis methodologies to obtain a holistic environmental risk index, HERI. This methodology was applied to an oil and gas industry company in Colombia. This allowed greater disaggregation of the results to establish priorities for risk reduction actions and identify the company's weaknesses.

Abstract: Background: Viral hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) pose significant public health challenges globally, particularly in Nigeria, where access to healthcare and treatment affordability are major concerns. This study aims to identify sociodemographic and clinical predictors of health insurance coverage among patients with HBV and HCV in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional facility-based study was conducted at two secondary hospitals in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Par-ticipants included patients diagnosed with HBV, HCV, or both and are > 18 years old. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic and clinical information, health insurance details, and economic impact. Logistic multivariate regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between sociodemographic/clinical variables and health insurance status. Results: Out of 295 participants included in the final analysis, 67.1% had health insur-ance, primarily covering hepatitis screening and vaccination. Being aged 31-45 years (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 5.72, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.4 - 23.28, p = 0.02), having post-secondary education (aOR: 11.73, CI: 4.09 - 33.66, p < 0.001), and being HIV-positive (aOR: 2.86, CI: 1.02 - 8.02, p = 0.046) were significant predictors of health insurance coverage. Being unemployed significantly reduced the likelihood of having health insurance (aOR: 0.04, CI: 0.01 - 0.11, p < 0.001).Conclusions: This study reveals high insurance coverage among patients seeking viral hepatitis services in Nasarawa state, Nigeria and provides critical insights into the sociodemo-graphic predictors of health insurance coverage. It also highlights the need for the expansion health insurance benefit package that covers for viral hepatitis diagnosis and treatment, espe-cially for the younger adults, unemployed and less educated populations. This should be followed with adequate budgeting and policy implementation monitoring efforts, which are crucial for Nigeria's journey towards universal health coverage and elimination of viral hepatitis.

Centimeter-level localization and rotation angle estimation of flatbed trucks are major problems in unmanned forklift automated loading scenes. To solve it, this study proposes a method for high-precision positioning and rotation angle estimation of flatbed trucks based on BeiDou and vision. First, an unmanned forklift equipped with a ToF camera and double antenna mobile receiver for BeiDou positioning collects depth images and localization data near the front and rear endpoints of the flatbed. Then DDRNet-23-slim was used to segment the flatbed from the depth image and extract the straight lines at the edges of the flatbed using the Hough transform and compute the set of intersection points of the lines. A neighborhood feature vector was designed to locate the endpoint of a flatbed from a set of intersection points by feature screening. Finally, the relative coordinates of the endpoints were converted to a customized forklift navigation coordinate system by BeiDou positioning, and rotation angle estimation was performed by the front and rear endpoints. Experiments showed that the endpoint positioning error was less than 3 cm and the rotation angle estimation error was less than 0.1°. The precision of the method meets the demand for automated flatbed truck loading by unmanned forklifts.

With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), maintaining data confidentiality and protecting user privacy have become increasingly challenging. End devices in IoT are often deployed in unattended environments and connected to open networks, which can make them vulnerable to physical tampering and other security attacks. Different authentication key agreement (AKA) schemes have been validated to date, but most schemes do not cover the necessary security features or are incompatible with resource-constrained end devices. Besides, their security proofs have been performed under the real-or-random model, which is not guaranteed to be secure in real applications. To reduce the weaknesses, we present an AKA protocol for end devices and servers. The proposal leverages the ECC-based key exchange mechanism and one-way hash function-based message authentication method to achieve mutual authentication, user anonymity, and forward security. Formal security proof of the proposed scheme is performed under the standard model with the elliptic curve encryption computational assumptions, and an automatic formal verification was performed with ProVerif. Further, the performance comparison verifies that our scheme reduces computation and communication costs while providing improved security features.

Mathematician and philosopher, Charles Howard Hinton, posited a plausible correlation between of higher-dimensional spaces, also referred to as ‘hyperspaces’, and the allegorical concept artic-ulated by the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his work, Republic, known as the 'Cave.' In Plato's allegory, individuals find themselves situated in an underground 'Cave,' constrained by chains on their legs and neck, perceiving shadows and sound reflections from the ‘real’ world cast on the ‘Cave’ wall as their immediate reality. Hinton extended the interpretation of these 'shadows' through the induction method, asserting that, akin to a 3D object casting a 2D shadow, the 'shadow' of a 4D hyper-object would exhibit one dimension less, manifesting as a 3D object. Building upon this conceptual framework, the authors posit a correlation between the perceived acoustic space of the chained individuals within the 'Cave' and the characteristics of a 4D acoustic space, a proposition substantiated mathematically by scientific inquiry. Furthermore, the authors introduce an interactive art application developed as a methodical approach to exploring the hypothetical 4D acoustic space within Plato's 'Cave,' as perceived by the chained individuals and someone liberated from his constraints navigating through the 'Cave.'

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has become paramount for developing cheaper and more reliable maintenance policies. The advantages coming from adopting such process have turned out to be particularly evident when dealing with plated structures. In this context, state-of-the-art methods are based on exciting and acquiring ultrasonic guided waves through a permanently installed sensor network. A baseline is registered when the structure is healthy, and newly acquired signals are compared to it to detect, localize and quantify damage. To this purpose, the performance of traditional methods based on tomographic algorithms has been overcome by machine learning approaches, which allow processing a larger amount of data without losing diagnostic information. However, to date, no diagnostic method can deal with varying environmental and operational conditions. This works aims to develop a framework for mitigating the impact of temperature variations on ultrasonic guided wave-based SHM through generative artificial intelligence. A variational autoencoder and singular value decomposition were combined to learn the influence of temperature on guided waves. After training, the generative part of the algorithm was used to reconstruct signals at new unseen temperatures. Moreover, a refined version of the algorithm called forced variational autoencoder was introduced to further improve the reconstruction capabilities. The accuracy of the proposed framework was demonstrated against real measurements on a composite plate.

The building blocks of a scientific facility based on particle beams comprise magnets and electro-magnetic devices. The design of an overall accelerator usually imposes a demanding accuracy on their exact position and orientation. Their non-geometrical functional features are frequently either not clearly defined – what is the « magnetic axis » of a magnet –, or not explicitly used along their lifecycle. Improving the process to establish and use these functional features would contribute to meeting demanding challenges. The European Spallation Source (ESS) is aiming at providing a powerful proton linear accelerator and a target system to produce pulsed neutrons. The challenging complex design and integration yielded to introducing a tool for all stakeholders along the lifecycle: the "situation features", as defined in ISO GPS (Geometrical Product Specifications) standards. This paper deals with the beyond-mechanics non-geometrical use cases and generalizes the use of the association operation to theoretically exact features. The examples of the functional specification, fiducialization (measure of the real features with respect to external marks) and installation phases of quadrupole magnets is developed. Perspectives of generic use are highlighted.

Climate change is one of the widely acknowledged challenges faced by international communities in the 21^st century. It poses challenges to fundamental elements of our understanding of appropriate goals for socioeconomic policies, such as the connection of prosperity, growth, equity and sustainable development. Human activities-induced climatic changes have been widely perceived as threatening criteria for the long-term resilience of societies and communities throughout the world. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) reported that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation, is changing the climate of Earth. Despite contributing less towards the causes, poor citizens of developing countries bear a lot of its impacts. In particular, women and girls face a major impact and finally, they migrate due to the social gender division and scarcity of food. Studies on gender and climate change-induced migration are scarce. This study provides an overview of the induced impact of climate change on the livelihood, health and migration of women and girls. The aim of this study would significantly advance our understanding of the current inter-linkages between migration, displacement patterns and climate change impacts.

This research investigates the fatigue crack propagation on the lower surface of rocket deflector troughs of offshore rocket launch platforms. Initially, a numerical model of the offshore rocket launch platform is established using ABAQUS based on the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM). Subsequently, two variable parameters—namely, the initial crack length and initial tilt angle—are introduced. This research systematically analyzes the impact of these parameters on fatigue crack propagation patterns in both the maximum stress and maximum deformation regions of the deflector channels under the combined conditions of high temperature and impact. Finally, the research indicates that the propagation length of surface cracks in the deflector trough exhibits a trend of initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease with the increase in the preset inclination angle. Notably, the stable propagation rate of the crack in the region of maximum deformation surpasses that observed in the region of maximum stress. Through meticulous comparative analysis, it is evident that temperature loading significantly fosters the initiation and propagation of cracks, particularly in the upper region of the deflector channel's lower surface.

Generating early warning signals of reduced resilience in ecosystems is crucial for conservation and management endeavors. However, the practical implications of such early warning signal systems are still limited by the lack of data and uncertainties associated with predicting complex systems such as ecosystems. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of developing an early warning system capable of identifying an upcoming critical transition within mangrove forest ecosystems. Using time series analysis of remote sensing images, the resilience of mangrove forests was explored across two distinct study sites. One site (Qeshm Island) has been adversely affected by land-use and land-cover changes, while the other (Gabrik) serves as a reference ecosystem. The study uses data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite to quantify three remotely sensed indices: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), and the Modified Vegetation Water Ratio (MVWR). In addition, Landsat data has been used to explore temporal alterations in land-use and land cover. To identify early warning signals, indicators such as autocorrelation (acf(1)), standard deviation (SD), and skewness (SK) are applied. The findings indicate a signal of reduced resilience by a significant increase in NDVI statistical metrics (acf(1): 0.50, SD: 0.9). Although MNDWI showed significant early warning signals in Qeshm Island (acf(1); 0.86, SD: 0.90), it provided a false alarm in the reference study site. MVWR failed to generate early warning signals of reduced resilience (acf(1); -0.100, SD: -0.07, SK: -0.21). Land-use land-cover change may explain reduced resilience in the forests. This study not only emphasizes the potential of remote sensing in monitoring the state of mangrove forests but also contributes to advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics. The findings of this study can be integrated with ecosystem management tools to enhance the effectiveness of conservation efforts aimed at safeguarding mangroves. This is the first report of the successful application of remote sensing in generating early warning signals of reduced resilience within mangrove forests in the Middle East.

Abstract: Integration of Medical Cyber Physical Systems (MCPS) and Internet-of-Medical Devices (IoMT) with conventional hospital networks have facilitated easy and speedy data collection, vertical and horizontal connectedness and collaborations among healthcare providers. Federated identity management (FIM) provides a solution towards the identity management challenge arising from this integration of millions of MCPSs to get personalized care and frictionless experiences for the patients, doctors, and employees. FIM protocols such as OAuth, Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) are highly susceptible to cyber attacks like theft of barrier token, replay attack, message insertion, and Man-in-Middle attacks. IoMT devices have vulnerabilities in their firmware, operating systems, data encryption, data at store and data transmission. Combined vulnerabilities of FIM framework and IoMT devices creates major cyber risks for the current digital healthcare system. Therefore, a comprehensive and evidenced based cyber risk assessment is an urgent need for a cyber-safe digital health care system that can avoid frequent life threatening situations. This paper proposes a comprehensive and evidenced based cyber risk assessment approach for FIM and IoMT based collaborative digital healthcare systems. The novelty of the proposed approach is that it considers three dimensional vulnerabilities arising from existing IT communication protocols and infrastructure, IoMT and MCPS medical devices, protocols of FIM and their combined impact on hospitals and provides corresponding recommendations of security controls. The proposed approaches combine two industry standards including Cyber Resilience Review (CRR) asset management, NIST SP 800-30 to take advantage of both approaches. We have used a large number of IoMT and MCPS devices from multiple providers for threat modelling and produced evidence based cyber-risks using attack trees and detailed attack sequence diagrams to validate proposed approaches. The corresponding recommendation of security controls will support healthcare professionals and providers significantly for improving both the patient and medical device safety management within the FIM enabled healthcare ecosystem.

An integrated approach to active flow control is proposed by finding both the drooping leading edge and the morphing trailing edge for flow management. This strategy aims to manage flow separation control by utilizing the synergistic effects of both control mechanisms, which we call the Combined Morphing Leading Edge and Trailing Edge (CoMpLETE) technique. This design is inspired by a bionic porpoise nose and the flap movements of the cetacean species. The motion of this mechanism achieves a continuous, wave-like, variable airfoil camber. The dynamic motion of the airfoil's upper and lower surface coordinates in response to unsteady conditions is achieved by combining the thickness-to-chord (t/c) distribution with the time-dependent camber line equation. A parameterization model was constructed to mimic the motion around the morphing airfoil at various deflection amplitudes at stall angle of attack and morphing actuation start times. The mean properties and qualitative trends of the flow phenomena are captured by the transition-SST (Shear Stress Transport) model. The effectiveness of the dynamically morphing airfoil as a flow control approach is evaluated by obtaining the flow field data, such as velocity streamlines, vorticity contours, and aerodynamic forces. Different cases are investigated for the CoMpLETE morphing airfoil, which evaluates the airfoil’s parameters, such as its morphing location, deflection amplitude, and morphing starting time. The morphing airfoil’s performance is analyzed to provide further insights into the dynamic lift and drag force variations at pre-defined deflection frequencies of 0.5 Hz, 1 Hz, and 2 Hz. The findings demonstrate that adjusting the airfoil camber reduces streamwise adverse pressure gradients, thus preventing significant flow separation. Although the trailing edge deflection and its location along the chord influence the generation and separation of the Leading-Edge Vortex (LEV), these results show that the combined effect of the morphing leading edge and trailing edge has the potential to mitigate flow separation. The morphing airfoil successfully contributes to the flow reattachment and significantly increases the maximum lift coefficient (c_(l,max))). This work also broadens its focus to investigate the aerodynamic effects of a dynamically morphing leading and trailing edge, which seamlessly transitions along the side edges. The aerodynamic performance analysis is investigated across varying morphing frequencies, amplitudes, and actuation times.

Microplastic contamination, defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, has become a major global environmental concern. This study synthesizes findings from carefully chosen studies undertaken in a variety of geographical areas and ecosystems, offering light on the multifaceted issues posed by microplastic pollution. These articles show the global prevalence of microplastics in both land and marine ecosystems. Seasonal fluctuations in microplastic abundance highlight the cyclical nature of this pollution, with larger amounts being reported during the summer months. Tourism, industrialization, and urbanization have all been highlighted as significant contributors to microplastic contamination, stressing the impact of man-made influences. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as hotspots for microplastic release into aquatic habitats, emphasizing the need for enhanced treatment procedures. Because microplastics can build up in the food chain, it underlines the possible health problems connected with microplastic pollution for both aquatic creatures and human consumers. Longitudinal studies, geographical variety, in-depth health and ecological impact evaluations, standardization, and effective mitigation methods should be prioritized in future studies. To address this worldwide issue, interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, health professionals, politicians, and industrial stakeholders is required.

This study empirically analyzes how R&D expenditures affect firm value using a regression model for listed firms in Shandong Province, China. The dependent variable is measured by To-bin Q, which measures firm value, and the experimental variable among the independent varia-bles is R&D expenditure. In addition, financial leverage and firm size, which have been found to have a significant impact on firm value in previous studies, were selected as control variables. The study sample consisted of 554 data points analyzed over a nine-year period from 2010 to 2018. Without controlling for variables that affect firm value, the correlation analysis shows that R&D expenditures of listed firms in Shandong Province, China have a significant positive impact on firm value at the 1% level. For a more precise analysis, we ran a multivariate regression analysis controlling for other variables that affect firm value and found that R&D expenditure has a significant positive impact on firm value at the 1% level. These findings suggest that man-agers of listed companies in Shandong Province, China, need to actively engage in R&D activi-ties to increase firm value. Companies in Shandong Province, China, are currently experiencing very strong growth, and this study, which shows that R&D is the key to increasing the value of these companies, can help companies in Shandong formulate their business strategies.

An algorithm is presented for a micro-model of a mining dump truck movement, which allows determining the optimal speed and acceleration of a vehicle, considering the change of the road grade. The structure of the simulation macro-model of an excavator-and-dump truck complex has been developed. The procedure for integrating a micro-model of a dump truck movement into a simulation model is shown. As a result of a series of experiments with a macro-model, the influence of open pit roads grade on the performance and efficiency of excavator-and-dump truck complexes was established. The necessity of considering in simulation excavator-and-dump truck complexes the speed regulation of dump trucks depending on the change in road grade is shown.

In this study, the extraction of rare earth elements (REEs) from chloride solutions containing mixtures of these metals with solutions of the mixtures of P507 and Cyanex 272 (1:1) of various concentrations was experimentally studied. It was shown that the distribution coefficients of all REEs decrease with increasing concentration of these metals in the initial solution, which is associated with the loading of the organic phase. The most significant improvement in the extraction is observed for heavy group of rare earth elements. The extractability of REEs enhances with increasing atomic number of the element, as is typical for the extraction of these metals with acidic organophosphorus extractants. The data obtained show that separation factors of adjacent rare earth elements mainly decrease with increasing concentration of metals in the initial aqueous solution. Increasing the concentration of the extractant mixture does not have a significant effect on the values of the adjacent REE separation factors. Analysis of the experimental results shows that two commercial products can be obtained from a concentrate of the medium-heavy group. In the first cascade, yttrium can be separated, in the second, a concentrate of dysprosium and terbium can be obtained.

This study examines the prospective association of egg consumption with multiple domains of cognitive function in older, community-dwelling men and women followed 16.3 years. Participants were 617 men and 898 women from the Rancho Bernardo Cohort aged 60 and older who were surveyed about egg intake/week in 1972-74, and attended a 1988-91 research visit when cognitive function was assessed with 12 tests. Analyses showed that egg intake ranged from 0-24/week (means: men=4.23.2, women=3.52.7, p<0.0001). In men, covariate-adjusted regressions showed egg intake was associated with better performance on Buschke total (p=0.04), long-term (p=0.02) and short-term (p=0.05) recall. No significant associations were observed in women (p’s>0.05). Analyses in those <60y at in 1972-74 showed egg intake was positively associated with scores on Heaton copying(p<.04) and the Mini-Mental Status Exam(MMSE;p<.02) in men, and category fluency(p<0.05) in women. Egg intake was not significantly associated with odds of poor performance on MMSE, Trails B, or category fluency in either sex. These reassuring findings suggest there are no long-term detrimental effects of egg consumption on multiple cognitive function domains, and for men, there may be beneficial effects for verbal episodic memory. Egg consumption in middle-age may also be related to better cognitive performance later in life.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and being born small for gestational age (SGA) are two distinct conditions with different implications for child development. IUGR is associated with greater perinatal morbidity and mortality and can be identified by additional abnormalities (pathological Doppler sonography, oligohydramnios, lack of growth in the interval, estimated weight <3rd percentile). IUGR may also be present in neonates with birth weights above the 10th percentile. Recognizing fetuses being “at risk” of a higher perinatal mortality and morbidity rate in order to monitor them accordingly and deliver them in good time is still challenging. This review article summarizes approaches to increase the diagnostic accuracy of IUGR and presents current concepts of pathophysiology with a focus on oxidative stress and consecutive inflammatory and metabolic changes. Since prenatal influences affect the risk of later diseases, we also discuss the need for interdisciplinary follow-up strategies during childhood and look at future scientific challenges. It should be emphasized that prenatal and postnatal care of IUGR neonates should be regarded as a continuum.

In this paper we investigate in different scenarios the feasibility of using massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) to boost the throughput and coverage performances with high energy efficiency, considering sub-6 GHz, mmWave and THz bands. With that objective, a centralized radio access network (C-RAN) suitable for beyond fifth generation (B5G) systems is considered, where we integrate the base stations (BSs) with multiple RISs and devices or user equipment. RISs with a large number of quasi-passive reflecting elements constitute a low-cost approach capable of shaping the radio wave propagation and improve wireless connectivity. We consider a scenario where multiple RISs are combined with mMIMO in the uplink in order to provide connectivity to Smart City (thousands of active low power devices) wirelessly, in the 3.6GHz and 28GHz bands. We also address a scenario where RISs are adopted with mMIMO in the downlink so as to offer connectivity to a Stadium with Pitch, (thousands of active user equipment) in the 28GHz band. Finally, we have also studied the connectivity at 100GHz of a Factory where several RIS panels replacing most of the BSs equipped with mMIMO assure improved throughput and coverage. We concluded that RISs are capable of improving the performance in any of these analyzed scenarios at the different frequency bands, justifying that they are a key enabling technology for 6G.

The Power Theory of Exchange and Money (PTEM) refines the economic neoclassical two-equation model of exchange. PTEM replaces the statistical average condition of exchange, which represents the equality of supply and demand for all transactions in the market, with a more specific equation of the equality of the generalized power of the parties in relation to their objects of exchange. The purpose of the article is to show the application of PTEM for the study of various social phenomena. Along with a brief summary of the main statements of this theory, its integration into the existing corpus of theories and ideas in economics and sociology is considered. The conclusions of power theory are then applied to consider the following topics: the objective motivation of exchange by the desire to increase power, the power nature of market equilibrium, the power nature of money, the accumulation of power through profit, the creation of money as a power act, the role of the state in the creation of money, the measure of power as a possible tool for social and political research.

The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is rising in the West, but little is known in Asia. This study elucidated changes in the incidence and HPV-positive portion of OPSCC in Hong Kong. Data from population-based cancer registry were used to analyze the incidence of OPSCC in associate with other head and neck cancers. Archived tumour tissues were tested for HPV. From 1986 to 2020, there was a marked decrease in the incidence of nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers, but a persistent increase in OPSCC from 36 cases in 1986 to 116 cases in 2020. The average positive rate for high-risk HPV was 36.1% (112/310) among OPSCC diagnosed in 2010-2020. The HPV positive rate in recent years was significantly higher than earlier cases (tonsil SCC: 64.7% (55/85) in 2016-2020 vs. 40.4% (19/47) in 2010-2015, P = 0.007). Patients with HPV-positive tonsil cancers were significantly younger than those negative (mean [SD]: 58.9 [9.9] vs. 64.3 [13.3] years, P = 0.006), but no significant difference between genders. A persistent increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer over the last few decades was observed in Hong Kong, which can be explained by the remarkable increase in HPV-positive tonsil cancers.

Onchocerciasis treatment and control relies mainly on the use of ivermectin which has high activity against the microfilarial stage of Onchocerca volvulus but limited activity against the long lived, tissue dwelling adult nematodes. As this neglected tropical disease has now been targeted for elimination there is an urgent need for new drugs to combat these parasites, ideally with macrofilaricidal activity. In this study we have examined the anti-Onchocerca activity of a range of existing FDA approved drugs with a view to repurposing, which can lead to rapid and relatively inexpensive development. From the Pharmakon-1600 library, 106 drugs were selected and tested against O. gutturosa adult male parasites using a concentration of 1.25 x 10-5 M in an in vitro 5-day standard assay to assess motility and viability (using MTT/formazan colorimetry). The findings revealed that 44 drugs produced marginal/moderate activity (50-99% motility and/or MTT reductions) including cefuroxime sodium, methenamine, primaquine phosphate, rivastigmine tartrate, while 23 drugs produced good activity (100% motility reductions and significant MTT reductions), including atovaquone, isradipine, losartan, rifaximin, cefaclor and pyrantel pamoate. Although this study represents only a first step, some of the identified hits indicate there are potential anti-Onchocerca drug candidates worthy of further investigation.