Previous studies suggested that trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is effective in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in children and adolescents. However, the effects of app-assisted TF-CBT-based interventions in psychiatric clinics compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU) are under-explored. The purpose of this study was to reveal the added value of the app-assisted TF-CBT-based intervention as an add-on to TAU. The digitalized measures of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS), The Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale (A-DES), Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), PTSD Checklist (PCL-5), and Children's Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory (CPTCI) were applied at baseline and post-treatment. The app-assisted TF-CBT-based group participants started with higher levels of negative alterations in cognition and mood compared to TAU participants but at post-treatment, no significant differences were observed between the app-assisted TF-CBT and TAU groups. Within the app-assisted TF-CBT group, post-treatment scores were significantly lower in post-traumatic stress symptoms, intrusion symptoms, alterations in arousal and reactivity, overall post-traumatic cognitions, and belief in being "a fragile person in a scary world”. Within the TAU group, post-treatment scores were notably lower just in dissociation and intrusion symptoms. The study suggests that app-assisted TF-CBT-based intervention can be effective in addressing specific trauma-related symptoms. The findings imply the necessity for screening for traumatic experiences, incorporating trauma-informed care, implementation of TF-CBT into treatment protocols, utilization of app-assisted interventions, tailoring interventions to individual needs, and comprehensive assessment and monitoring of treatment progress.

In this paper we will provide a new equation that explains why there are three generations or families of leptons and quarks, respectively. We will also explain why all those particles have the known mass ratios amongst their three respective generations and flavors. We will also tackle the problem of Yukawa couplings being arbitrary parameters in the Standard Model Higgs mechanism, which is a long standing problem do to their formulaic dependence on the Higgs Vacuum Expectation Value (VEV). We will attempt to solve this problem and provide a strong argument through an equation for Yukawa couplings of all leptons and quarks via a new methodology that depends on the running of the fine-structure constant on the Q scale, quantum numbers and the Weinberg angle (also on the Q scale). We will also make predictions for all three left-chiral neutrino mass eigenstates and we will provide upper limits for the three right-chiral neutrino mass eigenstates

Natural products from medicinal plants, either as pure compounds or as standardized extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for new drug leads because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity. The objects of the study are medicinal plant raw materials Saussurea sordida Kar&Kir and Saussurea alpina DC. collected from South Kazakhstan during the flowering period in the spring-summer months of 2021. The present study was aimed to investigate the toxic effects acute administration of ethanol extracts from plants S. sordida and S. alpina in male Wistar rats. The ethanol extract by subjected to Phytochemical Screening, Fourier transform infrared spec-troscopy (FTIR) analysis. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of phenolic compounds. FT-IR spectroscopic analysis revealed various characteristic band values with various functional groups in the formulation extract such as amines, alcohol, phenol, alkane, alkene, and conjugated acid groups. FT-IR analysis of peak values with various functional compounds such as alcohols, phenols, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, amides, amino acids, anhydrides, esters, ketones, unsaturated aliphatic, aromatics, unsaturated heterocycles, amines, nitro compound, alkanes, al-kenes and sugars. Histological examination of organ samples after studying the chronic toxicity of ex-tracts of two plant species (S. sordida . and S. alpina) revealed no pathological changes. The acute toxicity study revealed no lethal effects and behavioral signs of toxicity at the tested doses indicating that LD50 is greater than 2000 mg/kg. These results show low toxicity of on short-term use and liver toxicity on long-term use. This study helps to predict the formula and structure of active molecules which can be used as medicinal drugs. This result also enhances the traditional usage of S. sordida and S. alpina , which possesses a number of bioactive compounds.

Iron is a critical yet limited nutrient for microbial growth. To scavenge iron, most microbes produce siderophores—diverse small molecules with high iron affinities. Different siderophores are specifically recognized and uptaken by corresponding recognizers, enabling targeted interventions and intriguing cheater-producer dynamics. We propose constructing a comprehensive iron interaction network, or "iron-net," across the microbial world. Such a network offers the potential for precise manipulation of the microbiota, with conceivable applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry, as well as advancing microbial ecology and evolution theories. Previously, our successful construction of an iron-net in the Pseudomonas genus demonstrated the feasibility of co-evolution-inspired digital siderophore typing. Enhanced by machine learning techniques and expanding sequencing data, forging such an iron-net calls for multidisciplinary collaborations, and holds significant promise in addressing critical challenges in microbial communities.

The present study focuses on the investigation of fatigue, social support and quality of life that characterizes social workers. Furthermore, the study aims to highlight the effect of demographic and occupational characteristics on the above factors. A total of 400 social workers with an average age of 39.05 years took part in the research. Most were women, single, residents of cities of more than 100,000, and health care workers. Participants were asked to answer online questionnaires (FAS for fatigue, MSPSS for social support and GHQ-28 for quality of life). From the analysis of the data, it was found that the level of fatigue of the social workers is at low levels. At the same time, the level of occurrence of negative symptoms is also low, with physical symptoms appearing more often than the rest. Participants receive a high level of support from their environment, and more so from the "significant other" in their life. Finally, it was found that the fatigue, social support and quality of life of social workers is affected by the age of the social workers, the total years of service, gender, marital status, place of residence, employer and position of responsibility.

The production of photovoltaic modules is increasing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, this results in a significant amount of waste at the end of their lifespan. Therefore, recycling these solar panels is important for environmental and economic reasons. However, collecting and separating Crystalline silicon, Cadmium Telluride, and Copper indium gallium selenide panels can be challenging, especially in underdeveloped countries. The innovation of this work is to develop a process to recycle all solar panel waste. The dissolution of all metals is studied through the leaching process as the main step of the flowchart. In the first step of leaching, silver can be recovered 98% by 0.5 nitric acid. Then, the second and third step involves the use of glycine for base metals dissolution, followed by the leaching of valuable metals with hydrochloric acid. The effect of parameters such as initial pH, acid concentration, solid/liquid ratio, and Hydrogen peroxide concentration are studied. The results show that Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn, Cd, In, Ga, and Se can be recovered until about 100% under optimal conditions. The optimal conditions for the dissolution of Cu, Zn, and Cd were the glycine concentration of 0.5 M, Temperature of 25 ˚C, the solid/liquid ratio of 10 gr/l, and 1% of Hydrogen peroxide. The optimized glycine concentration for the leaching of lead and tin was 1.5M. Indium and gallium were recovered to 100% by the use of 5M Hydrochloric acid, S/L=10gr/l, and T=45 ˚C. Separation of selenium and tellurium occurred by 0.5 M HCl at a temperature of 60 ˚C. Additionally, for the first time, a general outlook for the recycling of various end-of-life solar panels is suggested.

The concentration of total suspended particles (TSP) and nanoparticles (PM0.1) over Hat Yai city, Songkhla province, southern Thailand was measured in 2019. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were evaluated by carbon aerosol analyzer (IMPROVE-TOR) method. Thirteen trace elements including Al, Ba, K, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Ti, Pb, and Zn were evaluated by ICP-OES. Annual average TSP and PM0.1 mass concentrations were determined to be 58.3 ± 7.8 and 10.4 ± 1.2 µg/m3, respectively. The highest levels of PM occurred in the wet season with the corresponding values for the dry seasons being lower. The annual average OC/EC ratio ranged from 3.8 - 4.2 (TSP) and 2.5 - 2.7 (PM0.1). The char to soot ratios were constantly less than 1.0 for both TSP and PM0.1, indicating that land transportation is the main emission source. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that road transportation, industry, and biomass burning are the key sources of these particles. However, PM arising from Indonesian peatland fires causes an increase in the carbon and trace element concentrations in southern Thailand. The findings make useful information for air quality management and strategies for controlling this problem, based on a source apportionment analysis.

Between 11 to 15 February 2019, a dust storm originating from Central Australia with persistent westerly and south westerly winds caused high particles concentration at many sites in the state of New South Wales (NSW), both inland and along the coast. The dust continued on to New Zealand and to Antarctica in the south east. This study uses observed data from air quality monitoring stations in NSW and New Zealand, MODIS 3km AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) product from Terra/Aqua and lidar aerosol profile from CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellite data, and the Weather Research Forecast WRF-Chem model based on GOCART-AFWA (Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport – Air Force and Weather Agency) dust scheme and GOCART aerosol and gas-phase MOZART (Model for Ozone And Related chemical Tracers) chemistry model to study the long-range transport of aerosols for the period 11 to 15 February 2019 across eastern Australia and onto New Zealand and Antarctica. Wild fires also happened in northern NSW at the same time and their emissions are taken into account in WRF-Chem model by using Fire Inventory from NCAR (FINN) as emission input. Modelling results by the WRF-Chem model show that for the Canterbury region of South Island of New Zealand, peak concentration of PM10 (and PM2.5) as measured on 14 February 2019 at 05:00 UTC at the monitoring stations of Geraldine, Ashburton, Timaru and Woolston (Christchurch), which are more than 100km from each other and at Rangiora, Kaiapoi about 2 hours later, correspond to the prediction of high PM10 due to intrusion of dust to ground level from transported dust layer above. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) observation data from MODIS Terra/Aqua and CALIOP lidar measurements on board CALIPSO satellite also indicate that high altitude of dust, originated from this dust storm event in Australia, was located above Antarctica. This study suggests that at present dust storms in Australia can transport dust from sources in Central Australia to the Tasman sea, New Zealand and Antarctica. This process has been going on for at least the last 170k years as indicated by dust found in ice cores from Antarctica and sediment records in the Tasman Sea.

This review explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entire winemaking process, from viticulture to bottling, with a particular focus on enhancing food safety and traceability. It discusses AI’s applications in optimizing grape cultivation, fermentation, bottling, and quality control, while emphasizing its critical role in managing microbiological risks such as mycotoxins. The review aims to show how AI technologies not only refine operational efficiencies but also raise safety standards and ensure traceability from vineyard to consumer. Challenges in AI implementation and future directions for integrating more advanced AI solutions into the winemaking industry will also be discussed, providing a comprehensive overview of AI's potential to revolutionize traditional practices.

Recent increases in the demand for automotive lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have led to higher needs for critical materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. Consequently, recovering materials from spent batteries has gained importance. This study aimed to (1) develop a mechanical pre-treatment method for separating and concentrating materials from spent NCM622 cells, and (2) evaluate the economic, environmental, and scarcity potentials of these fractions. The pre-treatment involved grinding and granulometric separation, producing six particle-size fractions. Analysis showed that the finest fraction (n < 0.5 mm) had 85% of lithium, 77.4% of cobalt, 75.1% of manganese, and 68.5% of nickel. This fraction represented 40.4% of the processed mass and had the highest economic value (USD 3,669/ton NCM cell). This fraction was also prioritized for recycling due to its superior environmental and scarcity considerations.

In the framework of fully vertical GaN-on-Silicon device technology development, we report on the optimization of non-alloyed ohmic contacts on the N-polar n+ doped GaN face backside layer. This evaluation is made possible by using patterned TLMs (Transmission Line Model) through direct laser writing lithography after locally removing the substrate and buffer layers in order to access the n+ doped backside layer. As deposited non-alloyed metal stack on top of N-polar orientation GaN layer after buffer layers removal results in poor ohmic contact quality. To significantly reduce the related contact resistances, an HCl treatment is applied prior to metallization under various time and temperature conditions. A 3-minutes HCl treatment at 70°C is found to be the optimum condition to achieve thermally stable high ohmic contact quality. To further understand the impact of the wet treatment, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) analysis were performed. XPS revealed a decrease in Ga-O concentration after applying the treatment, reflecting the higher oxidation susceptibility of the N-polar face compared to the Ga-polar face, which was used as a reference. SEM images of the treated samples show the formation of pyramids on the N-face after HCl treatment, suggesting specific wet etching planes of the GaN crystal from the N-face. The size of the pyramids is time-dependent; thus, increasing the treatment duration results in larger pyramids, explaining the degradation of ohmic contact quality after prolonged high temperature HCl treatment.

Background: This is a propensity matched, single centre study of limited versus extended resections for Type A acute aortic dissections (AAAD). Methods: Retrospective data for 440 patients with acute Type A aortic dissection repairs (Limited Resection, LR-215, Extended Resection, ER-225). 109 pairs were propensity matched to LR versus ER. Multivariate analysis was performed for inpatient death, long term survival and composite of inpatient death/TIA/stroke. Kaplan Meier survival curves were compared at 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 years using the log-rank test. Results: Mean age was 66.9±13 years and mean follow up was 5.3±4.7 years. 48.9% had LR. In-hospital mortality was 10% (LR;6% vs ER;13.8%, p<0.01). ER, NYHA class, salvage surgery and additional procedures were predictors of increased mortality in unmatched data. Propensity matched data showed no difference in TIA/stroke rates, LOS, in-patient mortality or composite outcomes. LR had better survival (LR; 77.1% vs ER; 51.4%, p<0.001). ER (OR; 1.97, 95%CI; 1.27, 3.08, p=0.003) was a significant predictor of worse long term survival. At 15 years, aortic re-operation was 17% and freedom from re-operation and death was 42%. Conclusions: Type A aortic dissection repair has high mortality and morbidity although results have improved over two decades. ER was predictor of worse perioperative results and long term survival.

This study explores the integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Virtual Tours in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, focusing on Facility Management (FM) and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS). The research addresses the need for different levels of detail in BIMs across various building phases and the potential of Virtual Tours as a complement to BIMs in IoT-based FM. The study’s methodology includes a literature review, a pilot-demonstrator case study, installation of monitoring and IoT control devices, execution of BIMs and Virtual Tour models, and development of links between system elements. The case study is based on the Controlled Environments for Living Lab Studies (CELLS), a unique facility designed for flexible monitoring and remote-control processes. The findings of this research could provide valuable insights into the potential of Virtual Tours to complement and connect to BIMs within a life cycle perspective, enhancing the usability of digital twins for nontrained users and contributing to the evolution of the AEC industry.

Lake ice thickness (LIT) is a sensitive indicator of climate change identified as a thematic variable of Lakes as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Here, we present a novel and efficient analytically based retracking approach for estimating LIT from high-resolution Ku-band (13.6 GHz) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) altimetry data. The retracker method is based on the analytical modeling of the SAR radar echoes over ice-covered lakes that show a characteristic double-peak feature attributed to the reflection of the Ku-band radar waves at the snow-ice and ice-water interfaces. The method is applied to Sentinel-6 Unfocused SAR (UFSAR) and Fully Focused SAR (FFSAR) data, with their corresponding tailored waveform model, referred to as the SAR_LITand FFSAR_LITretracker, respectively. LIT retrievals from Sentinel-6 SAR data at different posting rates are evaluated against those obtained from thermodynamic lake ice model simulations and Low Resolution Mode (LRM) Sentinel-6 and Jason-3 data over two ice seasons during the tandem phase of the two satellites, allowing precise assessment of the continuity between LRM and SAR LIT retrievals. Consistency checks of the Sentinel-6 SAR LIT estimates are also performed using optical/radar images that provide information on the snow/ice conditions on the same dates. The analysis is performed on Great Slave Lake and Baker Lake (Canada) that differ in terms of lake size, bathymetry, snow/ice properties, and seasonal evolution of LIT. The accuracy of the LIT estimates with the SAR LIT retrackers is on the order of 5 cm once the ice is well established on the lakes, meeting the GCOS requirements of LIT measurement uncertainty, which is a factor of 2 to 3 times better than that of LIT obtained with LRM data, bringing a further improvement compared to previous analyses and methods. The SAR LIT retrackers presented are promising tools for monitoring the inter-annual variability and trends in LIT from current and future SAR altimetry missions.

The quality of waste activated sludge produced in urban wastewater treatment systems varies according to the efficiency of the operation of treatment units along the content of microflora and organic carbon. However, these represent a biogas-energy alternative through anaerobic co-digestion, contributing to reducing the environmental impacts caused by their inadequate disposal. Biogas production by the Two-stage production method in batch digesters was evaluated by two qualities of waste activated sludge (SLB50 y SLB90) and with a mixture of two co-substrates: cattle manure (CEV50 y CEV90) and residual edible oil with mixing, pH and temperature control. Bacteria in good quality sludge (SLB90) showed a faster adaptation of 2 days than those in low quality (SLB50) with 25 days lag phase. The highest CH4 production was for SLB90 (303.99cm3 d-1) compared to SLB50 (4.33 cm3 d-1); while cow manure sludge mixture (CEV90) contributed to increasing production of CH4 (42 422.8 cm3 d-1) compared to CEV50 (12 881.45 cm3 CH4 d-1), while in residual edible oil mixture they were 767.32 cm3 d-1 and 211.42 cm3 d-1 for CAV90 y CAV50, respectively. The addition of sludge co-substrates improves the nutrient balance, C/N rate and micro flora diversity; consequently methane production improves too; this methodology could be integrated into concepts of Circular economy.

Currently, petroleum-derived plastics are widely used. However, one of its main disadvantages is its low degradation time, which is not beneficial to the environment. Therefore, natural polymers are an alternative to overcome this obstacle. Among the natural polymers, starch can be highlighted. Thus, the objectives of our investigation were to obtain sisal nanofibers using low concentrations of acid solutions to produce and characterize corn starch nanocomposites reinforced with these nanofibers. The films were produced by a casting technique using commercial corn starch and glycerol as plasticizing agents; the nanofibers were obtained using acid hydrolysis. The films were subjected to tensile tests to evaluate their resulting mechanical behaviors. The results of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed the possibility of obtaining cellulose nanofibers using a sulfuric acid concentration lower than that previously reported in the literature. The nanocomposites reinforced with plant nanofibers showed lower tensile stress and elongation characteristics than the matrices without nanofibers.

This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects, protection of gut barrier integrity, and stimulation of phagocytosis in peripheral cells of a nutritional supplement based on a synergistic combination of yeast-based ingredients with a unique 1,3/1,6-glucan complex and a consortium of postbiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae rich in selenium and zinc. The anti-inflammatory effect in Caco-2 cells in the presence and absence of a pro-inflammatory challenge (tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]/interferon gamma [IFN-ɣ]) showed statistically significant reductions of IFN-ɣ induced protein-10 (IP-10), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels vs. controls (p &lt; 0.001). Disruption of the gut integrity in the presence or absence of Escherichia coli (ETEC H10407) showed transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) values higher in the ABB C1® group after 6 hours of testing. Spontaneous build-up of the gut epithelium monolayer over 22 days was also greater in the ABB C1® condition vs. a negative control. ABB C1® showed a significantly higher capacity to stimulate phagocytosis as compared with controls of algae β-1,3-glucan and yeast β-1,3/1,6 glucan (p &lt; 0.001). This study supports the mechanism of action by which ABB C1® may improve the immune response and be useful to prevent infection and allergy in clinical practice.

New ideas on the framework of Neutrosophic SuperHyperGraph for different styles of Neutrosophic SuperHyper-Wheel and Neutrosophic SuperHyper-Star are introduced. More instances and more clarifications alongside sufficient references are featured with a specific type of independency of SuperHyperVertices.

Through a brief analysis of the basic principle of relativity, it is found that there is a contradiction in principle between general relativity and special relativity in solving the specific problem of the clock moving around the earth, and one of them must be wrong. Through comparative analysis of five physical phenomena and experiments, it is proved that there are serious problems in the space concept of relativity theory and classical physic. At the same time, the different concept of absolute airspace is further expounded and demonstrated, and the related space-time physical phenomena and experiments are perfectly explained by this concept. According to this idea, a new time transformation relation is deduced and its correctness is demonstrated. It is proved that the principle of special relativity and special relativity are wrong, and a series of physical laws and physical explanations generated by special relativity may also be wrong, and a series of amendments or new interpretations need to be made.

Numerous studies have shown the multiple benefits of plant biodiversity and the crucial role of resident’s awareness in conservation and land management. Plant biodiversity is investigated in an analytical monitoring report conducted jointly with local population engaged in livestock activities and the young residents who are shifting toward hospitality and tourism. The study area, covering over 800 km2 in Sardinia, is half forested and has landscape interest. During the research, genotypes of Quercus ilex L. with sweet acorns and richer in polyphenols were discovered, the oldest ecosystem services in those rural communities. Collaborative monitoring focused attention on the benefits of plants in different habitats: 53% of these have been known to livestock farmers as food for local breeds of goats and pigs; 15% are officinal and 13% endemic. They have also been used in human nutrition within the Mediterranean diet, and they have landscape and garden interest. The study analyzes numerical data from a critical and educational perspective. These data serve as indicators of ecosystem health for the purpose of sustainable management policies, and attest to collaborative monitoring as a tool for analyzing human activities and the necessary balance between profit and biodiversity conservation, given the current challenging climate change conditions.

Consumers are attracted by the increasing number of available SVOD platforms, but subscribing to all of them would be too expensive. To reduce costs, consumers could combine the use of proprietary subscriptions, non-proprietary subscriptions, and illegal streaming sites. In turn, platforms could enforce access control, a decision that could produce the desired reduction in non-proprietary subscriptions but also an undesired reduction in proprietary subscriptions. The effects of this decision and the determinants of SVOD content demand remain largely unexplored. We propose a baseline model where the SVOD content demand is driven by variety seeking, household financial situation, ethical evaluation, and social norms, as well as a change model where the subscription variation is driven by users’ trait reactance and perceived fairness of the decision. We conducted a survey on the current ways of SVOD content consumption and the responses to a hypothetical access control enforcement, with four randomized versions of the authentication mode. Results confirmed many of the proposed determinants and showed a noteworthy reduction in proprietary subscriptions due to the control enforcement but no effect due to the authentication modes. All these findings may help improve future models on SVOD content consumption and better address the difficult challenge of converting unauthorized users into authorized ones.

Abstract: Female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD) is a series of conditions caused by the displacement or dysfunction of the patient's pelvic organs due to defects, injuries, and deterioration of the pelvic floor supportive structures, with stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse being the most common. The mechanism of pelvic floor dysfunction is complex and not yet fully understood, and is often related to one or more functional abnormalities of muscles, connective tissues, fascia, nerves and blood vessels. Specialized clinicians are often unable to cover the comprehensive medical professional information of various specialties such as gynecology and obstetrics, urology, anus and intestines, imaging, etc., and the systematic and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of the disease will be limited. The application of artificial intelligence concepts in the medical field not only improves the diagnostic efficiency of physicians, but also provides reference and basis for the development of comprehensive treatment programs. This article follows and draws on the diagnosis and treatment process of pelvic floor dysfunction recommended in various guidelines, incorporates physical therapy techniques into the conventional non-surgical treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction, provides guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction, and briefly introduces the clinical application and value of pelvic floor intelligent diagnosis and treatment in pelvic floor dysfunction.

Data regarding the pandemic's impact on tilapia culture remain limited, but it is known that there was a significant decline in production and marketing since 2020. The post-pandemic challenges confronting tilapia farming necessitate prompt solutions, encompassing the management of bacterial infections and the adoption of more advanced technologies by small-scale producers in developing nations. Probiotics, acknowledged as a viable alternative, are presently extensively employed in tilapia aquaculture. Multiple studies have suggested that the application of diverse probiotics in tilapia culture has yielded favorable outcomes. Nonetheless, only a limited number of studies have employed statistical methods to evaluate such findings. To address this gap, a regression analysis was carried out to investigate the existence of a linear relationship between the probiotic dosage added to the feed and two key dependent variables: the specific growth rate (SGR) and the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Additionally, a hierarchical regression analysis was undertaken to ascertain the extent to which the variance observed in these responses could be explained by the variable "probiotic dosage in feed," after accounting for covariates such as initial weight, test duration, water temperature, and number of replicate tanks. Finally, two Pearson correlation matrices were constructed since different studies were included for the SGR and FCR analyses.

In the paper, we measure the digital financial inclusion index of 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020 based on three dimensions: coverage breadth, depth of use and digitalization degree. By means of weighted Dagum Gini coefficient and quantile standardization, we explored the degree of imbalance and insufficiency of the development of digital inclusive finance in China and four major regions and its structural causes. Using Kernel density estimation method and Markov chain analysis method, we further investigates the evolution trend of imbalance and insufficiency. The study finds that (1) the Digital Inclusive Financial Index in China and the four major regions rise significantly, with the COVID-19 epidemic reducing its growth rate. Of these, the eastern region has the highest development level. (2) The imbalance level of digital inclusive finance development obviously has reduced. The level of imbalance is highest within the eastern region, and the development gap between the eastern and western regions is the widest. The imbalance of overall development is mainly due to the regional imbalance. The imbalance of coverage breadth and depth of use is the main structural cause of unbalanced development in the four major regions. There is a trend of bipolarization or multipolarization in China and the other three major regions, with the exception of the central region. (3) The western region is the least developed. The development shortcoming of digital inclusive finance in China and the four major regions is the breadth of coverage. There are "Club Convergence" and "Matthew Effect" in the eastern, central and western regions.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a wheat disease caused by fungi of the genus Fusarium. The aim of the study was to find relationships between the weather conditions in the experimental years and the locations and the amount of F. culmorum DNA and trichothecene genotypes, as well as the proportions between them. A three-year field experiment (2017, 2018 and 2019) was established at two locations (Poznań, Radzików). F. culmorum DNA was detected in all grain samples in an average amount of 20124 pg per 1 g of wheat DNA. The average amount of DNA from the 3ADON genotype was 4879 pg/μg and the amount of DNA from the NIV genotype was 3330 pg/μg. In the three experimental years, a large variability was observed in the coefficients of correlation between DNA concentrations and the FHB index, FDK, ergosterol, and the corresponding toxins. There were significant correlations between disease incidence, fungal biomass (quantified as the total amount of fungal DNA or DNA trichothecene genotypes) and toxins (DON, 3AcDON and NIV) concentrations. The 3ADON trichothecene genotype dominates over the NIV genotype (ratio 1.5); however, this varied greatly depending on environmental conditions.

The trials were performed on 20 multiparous cows of Holstein breed (39.7 ± 0.75 kg of milk) at the end of the first phase of lactation this different milk fat (4.1-2.8%). The aim of the research was to study the characteristics of nutrition, metabolism and biosynthesis of milk components in highly productive dairy cows with normal and low milk fat levels and the timing of their productive use. Study the characteristics of fermentation of scar formation substrates and their use in energy metabolism and biosynthesis of the milk components. Found that low fat milk is not associated with a lack of formation of acetate in the rumen (6.1 vs. 6.6 mmol/dl in the contents of the rumen, р>0.05) and the non change in the hormonal profile, but depends on the reduction of fatty acids synthesis de novo in mammary gland, regulated by conjugated higher fatty acids. The result is a reduction in the need of cows in the exchange energy (reduction of heat transfer by 6.2 MJ), a shorter service period (109.5 vs.139 days) and the prolongation of their productive use (the number of lactations correlated back with the level of fat in milk (r=-0.68, p<0.05, n=1300).

Beta cells couple stimulation by glucose with insulin secretion and impairments in this coupling play a central role in diabetes mellitus. To clarify the effect of cAMP and the role of Epac2A in intracellular calcium signals and intercellular coupling, we performed functional multicellular calcium imaging in beta cells in mouse pancreas tissue slices after stimulation with glucose and forskolin in wild-type and Epac2A knock-out mice. Increased cAMP evoked calcium signals in otherwise sub-stimulatory glucose and beta cells from Epac2A knock-out mice displayed a faster activation. During the plateau phase, beta cells from Epac2A knock-out mice displayed a slightly higher active time in response to glucose compared with wild-type littermates, and increased cAMP increased the active time via a large increase in oscillation frequency and small decrease in oscillation duration in both Epac2A knock-out and wild-type mice. Functional network properties during stimulation with glucose did not differ in Epac2A knock-out mice, but the presence of Epac2A was crucial for the protective effect of increased cAMP in preventing a decline in beta cell functional connectivity with time. Finally, increased cAMP prolonged beta cell activity during deactivation in an Epac2A-independent manner.

The use of biodiesel fuels in compression ignition engines leads to decrease CO, PM, HC and smoke opacity. However, NOx emissions increase importantly. Various methods to reduce NOx are used namely the EGR, the water injection method and the steam injection method. In this study, the steam injection method has been used instead of the other methods because of its benefits. This study examines the effects of steam injection on combustion products of diesel and biodiesel fuels by considering chemical equilibrium in order to determine the equilibrium combustion products involving 10 combustion products. A developed simulation code determing the equilibrium mole fractions and thermodynamic properties of combustion products is used for diesel and biodiesel fuels. It can be used for any fuel consisting of carbon, hydrogen or any oxygenated fuel. The results show that the mole fraction of CO2 and CO decrease with the steam injection ratios. NO mole fractions decrease with steam injection for lean mixtures but they increase slightly in the case of rich mixtures. The specific heat of combustion products increase with the steam injection ratios. Thus, the engine performance can be improved using the method. The model has been validated by comparing model results with the ones of NASA CEA software and GASEQ software using the methane as fuel. The relative errors of equilibrium mole fractions and thermodynamic properties of combustion products are less than 0.98 %.

The Canal of Aragon and Catalonia (CAC) is 134 km long and irrigates 105,000 ha (131 irrigation user communities) and it is own by the River Ebro’s Water Agency. The aqueducts are located between km 67 and 71 of the canal and were designed by the Civil Engineer Félix de los Ríos Martín in 1907. The cross-section of both aqueducts, Coll de Foix and Capedevila, was extended within the framework of the project by Fernando Hué Herrero in 1962 in order to reach design flows of 26.1 m3/s and 25.7 m3/s, respectively. The structural performance of the aqueducts has been satisfactory, nevertheless the hydraulic capacity has reduced over the years. As a result, the irrigation user communities have expressed the need to extend the cross-section of the aqueducts to meet the irrigation demands. Given the age of the structure and the different design considerations at the time, it is paramount to verify the structural reliability of the aqueducts in the new load configuration. Therefore, the objective of the paper is to present the structural safety analysis conducted and describe the new extended cross-section for both aqueducts (maintaining the original structural typology).

This study addresses the influence of working conditions on Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQOL) among Spanish healthcare professionals. The research seeks to elucidate the mediating roles of job engagement and burnout, and the moderating effects of resilience and self-efficacy, in this relationship. Methods: The study included 374 healthcare workers from Spain, encompassing physicians, nurses, and nursing assistants. It employed a methodological approach using validated instruments to assess psychosocial risks, work-life quality, job engagement, burnout, and resilience. Data were gathered through self-reported questionnaires. Results: Key findings indicate a negative association between working conditions and WRQOL. Job engagement and burnout significantly mediated this relationship, accounting for 19% to 33% of the variance in WRQOL. Notably, lack of support emerged as a strong negative factor for work-related quality of life. Additionally, resilience moderated the relationship between lack of support and burnout. Conclusions: The study concludes that improving working conditions could increase WRQOL. Interventions aimed at enhancing engagement and addressing burnout may be effective. The moderating role of resilience suggests that strategies to enhance resilience could also be beneficial. These findings hold significant implications for policy formulation and human resources planning in healthcare, emphasizing the need for enhanced workplace support and the development of resilience among health workers.

In our discipline, some numbers, facts and methods are established and unquestionable. Still, a credible source is hard to find. Likewise, some state-of-the-art papers do not have the right focus, or they do not point at current research trends and future mission statements. Lastly, reliable resources for claims and statements that are arguable are not always found in the typical journals of our field. The paper at hand solves this issue for our field. Through critical review of a vast amount of journal papers, monographs, handbooks, conference proceedings and theses as well as manuals, textbooks and tutorials, numbers, facts, methods, claims statements, state-of-the-art, research and application trends are reflected and substantiated.

Objective: To analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of monotherapy and dual therapy in patients with early ischemic stroke. Methods: The study was conducted from August 2020 to August 2021, and 80 patients with early ischemic stroke who received treatment at our hospital during this period were selected as the study population. They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 40 patients in each group. The control group received conventional monotherapy, while the observation group received conventional dual therapy. The efficacy and safety indicators of the two groups were compared.Results: The treatment efficacy, functional recovery, blood indicators, and inflammation markers in the observation group were all superior to those in the control group (all, P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the drug safety profile between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion: The dual antiplatelet therapy is more ideal than monotherapy for treating patients with early ischemic stroke. It can further promote the recovery of neurological and cognitive function, improve hematological and inflammatory response indicators in patients, and the safety of this regimen is comparable to monotherapy.

The broad bean plant contains L-DOPA, a compound that is essential for patients with Parkin-son’s disease. However, little has been reported on other broad bean compounds that have bene-ficial effects on health. The objective was to evaluate plants of four Mexican broad bean varieties to determine the content and yield of total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), and L-DOPA, as well as to analyze the flavonoid profile and antioxidant (AA) and anti-inflammatory (AANTI) activity in vitro. Broad bean seeds were sown in the field and plants were harvested 20 days after emergence. The analyses were performed with visible UV spectrophotometry and HPLC. The variety José María produced the highest yield of TPC (9.30 g m-2), TF (8.08 g m-2) and L-DOPA (5.64 g m-2) per unit of area. The highest yields per plant were obtained with the Rojita variety: TPC (0.25 g plant-1), TF (0.21 g plant-1) and L-DOPA (0.17 g plant-1). This variety also had the highest antioxidant (CI50= 87.68 µg mL-¹) and anti-inflammatory (CI50= 74.40 mg mL-1) activi-ty, which was attributed to the L-DOPA compounds and to rutin and isoorientins, respectively. The flavonoid profile revealed the presence of rutin and isoorientins, which had not been previ-ously detected in the broad bean plant.

The goal of this study was to analyze the instability during stepping of young and older adults at fast and spontaneous speed. To this aim, the anteroposterior and the mediolateral distances between the body center of mass (COM) and the minimum moment axis (MMA) were computed. A total of 15 young adults (25y.o. [19-29]) and 15 older adults 68.7y.o. [63-77] volunteered for this study. For the computation of the distances, a complete biomechanical protocol combining two force platforms and a 3D motion capture analysis system was setup. The subjects were equipped with 47 reflective markers and were modeled as a frictionless multibody with 19 segments, 18 joints and 42 degrees of freedom and were asked to perform a stepping at both speeds. The stepping was divided in 5 phases with successive swing and double stance phases. The greater instability was observed during the swing phases. The distances indicate a significant higher instability at fast speed for both groups (p &lt; 0.001) for all the phases. The anteroposterior distance also increases significantly for older adults highlighting greater instability while no differences were observed for the mediolateral distance all along the 5 phases suggesting higher risks of backward of forward falls during stepping.

Hyperaccumulator plant species growing on metal-rich soils can accumulate high quantity of metals and metalloids in aerial tissues and several proteomic studies on the molecular mechanisms at the basis of metals resistance and hyperaccumulation have been published. Hyperaccumulator are also at the basis of phytoremediation strategy to remove more efficiently metals from polluted soils or water. Arabidopsis halleri and Noccea caerulescens are both hyperaccumulators of metals and nano-metals. In this study it was assessed the change in some proteins in A. halleri and N. caer-ulescens after the growth in soil with cadmium and zinc, provided as sulphate salts (CdSO4 and ZnSO4) or sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs and ZnS QDs). The protein extracts obtained from plants after 30 days of growth were analyzed by 2D-gel electrophoresis (2D SDS-PAGE) and identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. A bioinformatics analysis was carried out on quantitative protein differences between control and treated plants. In total, 43 proteins resulted significatively modulated in A. halleri, while 61 resulted modulated in N. caerulescens. Though these two plants are hyperaccumulator of both metals and nano-metals, at protein levels the mechanisms involved do not proceed in the same way but at the end bring to a similar physiological result.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental disorders worldwide, and often respond incompletely to existing treatments. Selenium, a micronutrient that is a component of several biologically active selenoproteins, is also involved in several aspects of brain functioning, and may exert antidepressant and anxiolytic effects through multiple pathways. The current paper is a scoping review of translational, observational and interventional evidence on the potential role of selenium and its compounds in the management of anxiety and related disorders. Evidence from animal models suggests that this approach may be promising. Though evidence from observational studies in humans is inconsistent and affected by several confounding factors, the available evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that selenium supplementation may be beneficial in the management of certain anxiety-related conditions, such as anxiety in medically ill patients, prevention of anxiety following exposure to traumatic stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the existing evidence base, including unanswered questions that could serve as the focus of further research, and outlines the potential benefits and risks associated with the use of selenium in anxiety disorders.

In this paper we will show that standard physics to a large degree consists of derivatives of a deeper reality. This means standard physics is both overly complex and also incomplete. Modern physics has typically started from working with first understanding the surface of the world, that is typically the macroscopic world, and then forming theories about the atomic and subatomic world. And we did not have much of a choice, as the subatomic world is very hard to observe directly, if not impossible to observe directly at the deepest level. Despite the enormous success of modern physics, it is therefore no big surprise that we at some point have possibly taken a step in the wrong direction. We will claim that one such step came when one thought that the de Broglie wavelength represented a real matter wavelength. We will claim that the Compton wavelength is the real matter wavelength. Based on such a view we will see that many equations in modern physics are only derivatives of much simpler relations. Second, we will claim that in today’s physics one uses two different mass definitions, one mass definition that is complete or at least more complete, embedded in gravity equations without being aware of it, as it is concealed in GM, and the standard, but incomplete, kg mass definition in non-gravitational physics. First, when this is understood, and one uses the more complete mass definition that is embedded in gravity physics, not only in gravity physics, but in all of physics, then one has a chance to unify gravity and quantum mechanics. Our new theory shows that most physical phenomena when observed over a very short timescale are probabilistic for masses smaller than a Planck mass and dominated by determinism at or above Planck mass size. Our findings have many implications. For example, we show that the Heisenberg uncertainty principle is rooted in a foundation not valid for rest-mass particles, so the Heisenberg uncertainty principle can say nothing about rest-masses. When re-formulated based on a foundation compatible with a new momentum that is also compatible with rest-masses, we obtain a re-defined Heisenberg principle that seems to become a certainty principle in the special case of a Planck mass particle. Furthermore, we show that the Planck mass particle is linked to gravity and that we can easily detect the Planck scale from gravity observations. The Planck mass particle is unique as it only lasts the Planck time, and in that very short time period it can only be observed directly from itself, and it therefore closely linked to absolute rest.

(1) Background: Microalgae cultures are greatly facilitated if growers can easily and economically ascertain the quantitative and qualitative status of the culture continuously with satisfactory ac-curacy. (2) Methods: The locally isolated microalgae Dunaliella sp. and Anabaena sp. were cultured in small volumes with 2 intensities of white light (2000 and 8000 lux) and with green, blue and red light and the increase of their biomass and pigments was studied. Pigment analyses, continuous recordings of absorption spectra and calibration curves were performed. (3) Results: The intensity of 8000 lux white light yielded the highest increase in biomass, chlorophylls and carotenoids in Dunaliella sp. while 2000 lux and green light caused the greatest increase in biomass and phy-cocyanin in Anabaena sp. From the examination of the absorption spectra, the evolution of the pigment content can be estimated and both pigments and biomass are correlated very satisfactorily with the wavelength of 750 nm. (4) Conclusions: The use of absorption spectra as an easy, fast and economical method can be a useful tool for a good approximation of the state of the microalgae culture. This is clearly shown when the spectra of the culture under different lighting colors are compared which have a catalytic effect on the level of the pigments leading to the increase in carotenoids and phycocyanin of the green light.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis of warm-blooded animals, affecting also humans, caused by Toxo-plasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite with a complex biological cycle. Toxoplasmosis is considered a re-emerging zoonosis and an important public health threat, also for the absence, up to now, of efficient vaccines and preventive measures. Sources of transmission to humans are environmental or food-borne, mainly through the consumption of raw and undercooked meat, predominantly of Sus scrofa, considered highly susceptible to T. gondii. Mainly in the last dec-ades, an effective strategy to counter animal infectious diseases was based on the discovery of resistance immuno-genetic markers, possibly to be used for association studies between geno-typic and phenotypic traits and consequently in Marker Assisted Selection. Until now, this gen-otyping approach has never been adopted for T. gondii infection, so this study aimed, for the first time, to fill this gap. In particular, pigs, reared in different farms of Central Italy, were serologically characterized by an ELISA assay performed on diaphragm meat juice. Out of 179 tested animals, 98 resulted seropositive (54.74%), 57 seronegative (31.84%) and 24 doubtful (10.6%), underlining a possible re-emerging diffusion of this protozoan in the investigated areas. Atten-tion was firstly focused on IL-18 gene, encoding for a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a key role starting from the upstream steps of the immunity pathway towards T. gondii. A RT-PCR assay followed by Sanger sequencing of IL-18 cDNA was de novo developed. For this interleukin, at this stage, genetic analysis has not highlighted significant polymorphic variations compared to the reference sequence, except for a seropositive animal. However, the outcomes of this pre-liminary innovative study will be investigated in depth analyzing other relevant genetic re-gions and other target genes.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the ways of visualization of hidden violence through a map of the city of violence called La Manada City, in its transformation from defensive to artistic strategies. For this analysis, firstly we propose the contextualization of the artwork and its authorship, and later, the research about the artistic and visual resources of the 257 items that make up the map and its guide street, in a sort of rustic hypertext of the emotions linked to the violence in the territory. The main findings of this study demonstrate the strength of the strategy used as a survival method in cases of bullying. As a conclusion, in spite of the therapeutic effects, this work cannot be understood as Art Therapy, but as combat art: it provides an understanding of the emotional city, of the disadvantaged groups that inhabit it, from the most local (as a transcript of the city of Seville) to global and universal effects on community life.

Historical analysis of Australian bushfire data spanning 170 years addresses whether the strength of recent fire events has been exacerbated by human-induced climate change. The question of “cause” looks at the characteristics of a wider range of natural hazards. Fire characteristics are compared with earthquake hazard characteristics: (1) energy – termed “magnitude”; (2) severity – termed “intensity”; and (3) resultant damage to people and structures – termed “impact”.Published global, Northern and Southern hemisphere temperature data are shown to vary consistently in phase over 170 years, but vary in amplitude with statistical significance. CO₂ levels north and south of the Equator have tracked quite consistently. Thus, Southern Hemisphere bushfire magnitude and intensity is compared with the Southern Hemisphere climate record, rather than a global data set.28 major bushfires and associated droughts since 1850 show neither apparent drought extent, nor area burned, nor bushfire intensity, correlates with changes in Southern Hemisphere climate. Average rainfall from 1900 shows a wetter, rather than drier trend. Cyclone energy shows no significant trend with climate. Planet-wide “greening”, through CO₂ fertilisation, is an insignificant contributor to bushfire magnitude. Combustion theory shows recorded “global warming” could have had no significant influence on bushfire magnitude or intensity. Any increase in Australian bushfire impact, as judged by lives lost, similarly, shows no correlation with bushfire magnitude, nor indeed, any observed Southern Hemisphere global warming.Thus, bushfire magnitude seems much more likely driven by fuel load and any anomalous bushfire intensity is likely driven by anomalous ground level fuel load. The evidence suggests that any CO₂ emissions reduction will have no impact on future bushfire “severity.

The interplay between wildfires and drought stress has significantly limited forest recovery in the Mediterranean ecosystem of central Chile. Since 2010, the region has faced a prolonged 'Mega Drought,' which intensified into a 'Hyper Drought' in 2019, with record-low precipitation and high temperatures, further constraining forest recovery amidst increasing wildfire frequency. This study evaluates short-term vegetation recovery across drought gradients in three sclerophyllous evergreen forests, analyzing Landsat time series (1987–2022) for 42 wildfires. Using the LandTrendr algorithm, we assessed post-fire forest recovery based on NDVI changes between pre-fire values and subsequent years. The results revealed significant differences in recovery across drought gradients and fire severity interactions. After five years, the xeric forest dominated by Quillaja saponaria and Lithrea caustica showed 89% recovery during the Mega Drought and 34% during the Hyper Drought. In contrast, the mesic forest dominated by Cryptocarya alba and Peumus boldus exhibited 28% recovery during the Mega Drought and 43% during the Hyper Drought. Degraded thorny shrublands showed the lowest recovery, averaging 23% under Hyper Drought and medium fire severity. These findings underscore the critical role of prolonged, severe drought in shaping forest recovery dynamics and highlight the need to understand these patterns to improve future forest resilience under increasingly arid conditions.

This work addresses the challenge of EEG visual multiclass classification into 40 classes for Brain-Computer interface applications, by using deep learning architectures. The visual multiclass classification approach offers BCI applications a significant advantage, since it allows the supervision of more than one BCI interaction, considering that each class label supervises a BCI task. However, because of the nonlinearity and nonstationarity of EEG signals, performing multiclassifiers based on EEG features remains a significant challenge for BCI systems. In the present work, mutual information-based discriminant channel selection and Minimum-Norm Estimate algorithms are implemented to select discriminant channels and enhance EEG data. Hence, deep EEGNet and Convolutional-recurrent neural networks are implemented separately to classify EEG data of image visualization into 40 labels. By using the k-fold cross-validation approach, average classification accuracies of 94.8% and 89.8% were obtained by implementing the aforementioned network architectures, respectively. Satisfactory results obtained with this method offer a new implementation opportunity for multi-task BCI applications by utilizing a reduced number of channels (&lt;50%), compared to those presented in the related literature where the whole set of channels is used.

It was aimed evaluate the nutritive value of three foods (Cecropia sp., Pterodon sp., and Inga sp.), for sloths (Bradypus variegatus), based on in vitro gas production. After a 14-day adaptation period to these foods, approximately 500g of gastric contents were collected from three female sloths, processed, and incubated with food samples to evaluate digestibility and in vitro degradation kinetics. The neutral detergent fiber (NDFcp) was greater (P&lt;0,05) in the leaves of Cecropia sp. The non-fibrous carbohydrate contents were greater in Pterodon sp. The greatest cellulose content was found in the leaves of C. pachystachya, as well as lowest value for hemicellulose. There were differences in the in vitro digestibility of crude protein (P&lt;0.05), higher for Inga sp. In terms of kinetic parameters, Pterodon sp. demonstrated higher production of total gases (Vt) and digestion rates of fibrous carbohydrates (kdNFC) (P&lt;0.05), possibly related to the lower NDF content and higher values of soluble carbohydrates, which favored fermentative processes. The leaves of Pterodon sp. and Inga sp. demonstrated potential for feeding B. variegatus. Feeding B. variegatus with Cecropia sp., due to the NDF content, can cause negative effects on dry matter consumption.

One of the important features of polymethine (cyanine) dyes is isomerization around one of C–C bonds of the polymethine chain. In this review, spectral properties of the isomers, photoisomerization and thermal back isomerization of carbocyanine dyes, mostly meso-substituted carbocyanine dyes, are considered. meso-Alkyl-substituted thiacarbocyanine dyes are present in polar solvents mainly as cis isomers and, hence, exhibit no photoisomerization, whereas in nonpolar solvents, in which the dyes are in the trans form, photoisomerization takes place. In contrast, the meso-substituted dyes 3,3′-dimethyl-9-phenylthiacarbocyanine and 3,3′-diethyl-9-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)thiacarbocyanine occur as trans isomers and exhibit photoisomerization in both polar and nonpolar solvents. The behavior of these dyes may be explained by the fact that the phenyl ring of the substituent in their molecules can be twisted at some angle, removing the substituent from the plane of the molecule and reducing its steric effect on the conformation of the trans isomer. In some cases, photoisomerization of cis isomers of meso-substituted carbocyanine dyes is also observed (for some meso-alkyl-substituted dyes complexed with DNA and chondroitin-4-sulfate; for 3,3′-diethyl-9-methoxythiacarbocyanine in moderate polarity solvents). The cycle photoisomerization–thermal back isomerization of cyanine dyes can be used in various systems of information storage and deserves further investigation using modern research methods.

Nitrogen is essential for plant growth, yield and crop quality, and its deficiency limits food production worldwide. In addition, excessive fertilization and inefficient use of N can increase production costs and cause environmental problems. A possible solution to this problem is the application of biofertilizers, which improve N assimilation and enhance biomass and yield. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of the application of the combination of green and red algal (Ulva lactuca, Solieria spp.), Rhizobium sp., Trichoderma asperel-lum and the combination of the above three biofertilizers on N assimilation. A completely ran-domized design was carried out with 10 plants per treatment and five treatments: T1=control; T2=algal extracts; T3=Rhizobium sp.; T4=T. asperellum; T5=T2+T3+T4. Analyses showed that the Rhi-zobium sp. treatment resulted in higher nitrate reductase enzyme activity quantified in maize leaves, which possibly favored more efficient phosphosynthetic activity, reflecting higher bio-mass accumulation and increased yield. The use of Rhizobium sp. showed increases in biomass (13.4%), yield (11.82%), SPAD values (12%), total chlorophyll (18.4%), carotenoids (13.6%), num-ber of leaves (11.4%) and plant height (11.27%) compared to the control. This results in nitrogen assimilation promises to be a key mechanism for sustainable agricultural practices in the future.

Cotton fiber, a crucial and sustainable resource for global textile production, undergoes a complex five-stage developmental process, encompassing initiation, elongation, transition, secondary cell wall biosynthesis, and maturation. These elongated single-cell fibers originate from the outer ovule epidermis. The development of cotton fibers involves intricate changes in gene expression and physiological processes, resulting in a nearly pure cellulose product vital for the global cotton industry. Decoding genes associated with fiber development enhances our understanding of cotton fiber mechanisms and facilitates the cultivation of varieties with enhanced quality. In recent decades, advanced omics approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, have played a pivotal role in identifying genes and gene products linked to cotton fiber development, including the MYB transcription factor family which coordinates cotton fiber development. Molecular studies have revealed transcription factors like MYB, WRKY, Homeodomain Leucine Zipper (HD-ZIP) and basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) influencing fiber initiation and elongation. The intricate interplay of phytohormones like auxin, gibberellic acid (GA), brassinosteroid (BR), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene, abscisic acid (ABA), and cytokinin is explored, providing a comprehensive perspective on shaping cotton fibers. Numerous candidate genes and cellular processes affecting various aspects of fiber development hold promise for genetic engineering or marker-assisted breeding to improve fiber quality. This review presents a comprehensive overview of key achievements in cotton molecular biology, with a specific emphasis on recent advancements in understanding transcription factors and phytohormones involved in cotton fiber initiation and elongation.

The advancement of sequencing technology and molecular breeding methods have provided technical support and assurance for accurate breeding. Genomic Selection (GS) utilizes genomic information to improve livestock breeding and, it is more accurate and more efficient than traditional selection methods. GS has been widely applied in domestic animals breeding, especially in cattle. However, there is still limited study on the application and research of GS in sheep and goat. In this paper, we outlined the principle, analysis methods, the influential factors of GS, and elaborated on the research progress, challenges, and prospects of applying GS in sheep and goat breeding. Through the review of these aspects this paper is expected to provide valuable references for the implementation of GS in the field of sheep and goat breeding.

The relationship between living things and their respective environments highly dependent on body temperature regulation. The human capacity to effectively thermoregulate evolved at a time when the environmental temperature was likely around 25°C during the Eocene epoch, some ~ 50-60 million years ago. This effectively meant that homeothermy settled on a core temperature balance point of ~ 37°C. When Homo split from chimpanzee around 5 million years ago the Earth was entering a cooling period where the balance point temperature was always well above that of the environment and body heat balance could be maintained. Following this cooling period, the Earth’s rewarming by 7 °C took over approximately 5,000 years, whereas the current estimates indicate 0.7 °C over the past 100 years; ten times the rate of ice-age-recovery warming, or 20 times faster compared with the last 2 million years. As such, if the predicted continued rise in global temperature continues, and surface temperature reaches values where heat load cannot be dumped as the body temperature balance point is at or near the environmental temperature, areas of the Earth would become inhospitable. This effectively means that we will need to deal with both physiological and behavioral limitations since our ability to adapt will be limited by a thermoregulatory strategy that evolved over millions of years for a different kind of environment, not one that is predicted to change rapidly over the next century. This paper outlines the basis on which Homo settled on a thermoregulatory balance point and what limitations this presents for us in the future.

Viral diseases represent a major public health concern and an ever-present risk for developing into a future pandemic. Antiviral antibody therapeutics, either alone or in combination with other therapies, have emerged as valuable preventative and treatment options, including during a global emergency. Here we will discuss polyclonal and monoclonal antiviral antibody therapies, focusing on the unique biochemical and physiological properties that make them well suited as therapeutic agents. We will describe the methods of antibody characterization and potency assessment throughout development, highlighting similarities and differences between polyclonal and monoclonal products as appropriate. In addition, we will consider the benefits and challenges of antiviral antibodies when used in combination with other antibodies or other types of antiviral therapeutics. Lastly, we will discuss novel approaches to the characterization and development of antiviral antibodies and identify areas that would benefit from additional research.

Biological events—including outbreaks and pandemics, biological weapons use, or accidental laboratory release—have the potential to be extremely disruptive. The ability to accurately investigate, identify origins of, and attribute these events is critical for deterring deliberate events and implementing interventions to prevent future natural or accidental events. However, historical examples of biological event attribution and origins investigations illustrate significant gaps in processes, from technical capabilities to communications, and have lacked conclusive consensus among decision makers, the public, and scientists. This study aimed to assess attitudes and expectations of a broad range of stakeholders regarding investigations and evidence generated for biological attribution. We interviewed 41 experts in disciplines related to attribution and investigations and analyzed interview content using a mixed-methods approach. Interviews generated a list of factors to consider when planning or conducting investigations, presented here. Opinions concerning the conduct and reporting of biological samples analyses and perceptions of feasibility of attribution varied among interviewees representing different fields of study. Participant opinions varied less in regard to requirements, protocols, and guidelines thought to be important to maintain confidence and trust in an investigation and evidence. Findings from this study can inform planning for future events.

Within the past decade, the aerospace engineering industry has evolved outside the constraints of using single, large, custom satellites. Due to increased reliability and robustness of commercial off the shelf (COTS) printed circuit board (PCB) components, missions instead have transitioned towards deploying swarms of smaller satellites. This approach significantly decreases the mission cost by reducing custom engineering and deployment expenses. Nanosatellites are able to be quickly developed with a more modular design at lowered risk. The Alpha mission at Cornell Space Systems Studio is fabricated in this manner. However, for the purpose of this mission, only one satellite was initially developed. This manuscript will discuss a systems engineering approach to the development of this satellite. As a disclaimer, this manuscript is written from a systems perspective. Therefore it will follow many subsystems from a wide range of functionalities. The research in this manuscript was kept broad with the hope to contribute to the mission as a system, through a range of development phases including validation and verification of existing methods. The two systems that will be primarily focused on are the Attitude Control System (ACS) of the carrier nanosatellite (cubesat), and the RF communications on the ex-creted picosatellites (chipsat). Milestones achieved in chipsat RF include chipsat to chipsat communication, chipsat to SDR ground station communication, packet creation, error correction, appending a preamble, and filtering the signal. Achievements on the ACS side included controller traceability/verification and validation, software rigidity tests, hardware endurance testing, Kane damper and IMU tuning. These developments matured the technological readiness level (TRL) of our systems in preparation for satellite deployment.

Melanins are phenolic biopolymers synthesised by most of the living organism mainly for photoprotection or surviving in harsh conditions. Melanin is localised in different areas or complexed with different other biomolecules when observed from animals to microbes. This makes the melanin extraction procedure different in animal, plant and microbial tissues. Basically, the alkali-acid extraction is used in most protocols of which slight variations are there depending on the tissue used. This review will try to compile melanin extraction procedures from different cells and tissues ranging from animals to bacteria.

With the increasingly stringent airworthiness standards, the noise generated during the rotorcraft flight is gradually attracting people’s attention. It widely operated helicopters at low altitudes because of their maneuverability. The way to reduce the noise caused by the complex airflow of the helicopter rotor system has progressively become a hot topic for researchers. Using a hybrid acoustic analysis method, this paper investigates the improvement of the noise and thrust of the helicopter’s tail rotor through the tail rotor structural parameters. For the basic model, the turbulence simulation is performed using an incompressible detached eddy simulation (DES) method, and the Lighthill acoustic analog equation is calculated using the finite element method (FEM). We verified the accuracy of the method through wind tunnel tests. We chose a series of structural parameters for sound simulation and fluid simulation calculations. The results indicate that the modified tail rotor noise reduced by 16.5 dBA and the total thrust increased by 19.9% from the prototype model. This work can enhance the duct tail rotor design to improve aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance.

This study focuses on traffic condition analysis, especially in under developing country India and makes more visible of traffic flow by using traffic flow theory in order to understand real traffic condition. India is one of rapid economic growing countries and large market with second largest population 1.3 billion in 2018. On the other hand, there are social issues such as environment air pollution and global warming by traffic CO2 emission of transportation. This kind of condition is not only in India, but in other South East Asia and Africa in future. From recent more than one-month traffic observation in a typical major city Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, which has about 8 million population and industrialized city. In terms of traffic data collection, 14 CCTV cameras are used in the city. Based on multiple traffic cameras monitoring, author found the unique traffic flow characteristics and compares traffic flow theory. In this study, it is described what is key parameters to show real traffic congestion condition and how these congestion occurs.

Today, we are all threatened by an unprecedented pandemic: COVID-19. How different is it from other coronaviruses? Will it be attenuated or become more virulent? Which animals may be its original host? In this study, we analyzed 377 publicly available complete genome sequences for the COVID-19 virus, the previously known flu-causing coronaviruses (HCov-229E, HCov-OC43, HCov-NL63 and HCov-HKU1) and the lethal, pathogenic P3/P4 viruses, SARS, MERS, Victoria, Lassa, Yamagata, Ebola, and Dengue. We found strong similarities between the current circulating COVID-19 and SARS and MERS, as well as COVID-19 in rhinolophines and pangolins. On the contrary, COVID-19 shares little similarity with the flu-causing coronaviruses and the other P3/P4 viruses. Strikingly, we observed divergence of COVID-19 strains isolated from human hosts has steadily increased from December 2019 to March 2020, suggesting COVID-19 is actively evolving in human hosts. From all existing human COVID-19 genome sequences, we calculated the first common model that represents the shared sequences of the human COVID-19 strains, which provides important information for vaccine and antibody development. Geographic and time-course analysis of the evolutionary trees of the human COVID-19 reveals possibly heterogeneous evolutional paths among strains from 21 countries. This finding has important implications to the management of COVID-19 and the development of vaccines.

With reference to Planck scale, Mach’s relation, increasing support for large scale cosmic anisotropy and preferred directions and by introducing two new parameters Gamma and Beta, right from the beginning of Planck scale, we make an attempt to estimate ordinary matter density ratio, dark matter density ratio, mass, radius, temperature, age and expansion velocity (from and about the baby universe in all directions). We would like suggest that, from the beginning of Planck scale, 1) Dark matter can be considered as a kind of cosmic foam responsible for formation of galaxies. 2) Cosmic angular velocity is directly proportional to squared cosmic temperature. 3) Ratio of critical temperature to actual temperature plays a heuristic role in understanding ordinary and dark matter density ratios. 4) Cosmic expansion velocity increases with decreasing total matter density ratio. 5) There is no need to consider dark energy for understanding cosmic acceleration.

I review previous attempts, including recent ones, to introduce technical aspects of digital information and computation into the discussion of ethics. I survey some limitations and advantages of these attempts to produce guiding principles at different scales. In particular, I briefly introduce and discuss questions, approaches, challenges, and limitations based on, or related to, simulation, information theory, integrated information, computer simulation, intractability, algorithmic complexity, and measures of computational organisation and sophistication. I discuss and propose a set of features that ethical frameworks must possess in order to be considered well-grounded, both in theoretical and methodological terms. I will show that while global ethical frameworks that are uncomputable are desirable because they provide non-teleological direction and open-ended meaning, constrained versions should be able to provide guidelines at more local and immediate time scales. In connection to the ethics of artificial intelligence, one point that must be underscored about computational approaches is that (General) AI should only embrace an ethical framework that we humans are willing to adopt. I think that such a framework is possible, taking the form of a general and universal (in the sense of computation) framework built from first computational principles.

The tetracyclic pyrido[4,3-b]carbazole olivacine and four of its oxygenated derivatives have been synthesized by a late-stage palladium-catalyzed Heck-type cyclization of the pyrrole ring as key step. In a test for inhibition of the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 9-methoxyolivacine showed the most significant inhibiting activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis with an MIC₉₀ value of 1.5 μM.

In the paper, the authors present unified generalizations for the Bell numbers and polynomials, establish explicit formulas and inversion formulas for these generalizations in terms of the Stirling numbers of the first and second kinds with the help of the Faà di Bruno formula, properties of the Bell polynomials of the second kind, and the inversion theorem connected with the Stirling numbers of the first and second kinds, construct determinantal and product inequalities for these generalizations with aid of properties of the completely monotonic functions, and derive the logarithmic convexity for the sequence of these generalizations.

Solar and wind resources available for power generation are subject to variability due to meteorological factors. Here, we use a new global climate reanalysis product, Version 2 of the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2), to quantify interannual variability of monthly-mean solar and wind resource from 1980 to 2016 at a resolution of about 0.5 degrees. We find an average coefficient of variation (CV) of 11% for monthly-mean solar radiation and 8% for windspeed. Mean CVs were about 25% greater over ocean than over land, and, for land areas, were greatest at high latitude. The correlation between solar and wind anomalies was near zero in the global mean, but markedly positive or negative in some regions. Both wind and solar variability were correlated with values of climate modes such as the Southern Oscillation Index and Arctic Oscillation, with correlations in the Northern Hemisphere generally stronger during winter. We conclude that reanalysis solar and wind fields could be helpful in assessing variability in power generation due to interannual fluctuations in the wind and solar resource. Skillful prediction of these fluctuations seems to be possible, particularly for certain regions and seasons, given persistence or predictability of climate modes with which these fluctuations are associated.

Cacalol (C), a sesquiterpene isolated from Psacalium decompositum, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Its cytotoxic, antiproliferative, and pro-apoptotic effects have been previously shown in an in vitro breast cancer model. A derivative, Cacalol Acetate (CA), shows potential in regulating these processes, which had not been previously reported. This study focused on an in vitro cervical cancer model, assessing CA's anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, cytostatic, and anti-migratory activities using the HeLa cell line. The natural anticancer agent I3C was used as a control for comparison. CA demonstrated significant antitumor activities, including inhibiting cell growth, inducing apoptosis, arresting cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle, and inhibiting cell migration. These effects were notably greater compared to I3C. I3C, while following a similar trend, did not induce Cas-3 expression, suggesting a different apoptotic pathway. Neither CA nor I3C increased p62 and LC3B levels, indicating they do not stimulate autophagy marker expression. Both compounds inhibited HeLa cell migrate on and induced cell cycle arrest. Despite both holding promise as anticancer agents for cervical cancer, CA's lower cytotoxicity and stronger regulation of tumor phenotypes make it a more promising agent compared to I3C.

The paper discusses the design and modeling of a simple and illustrative hardware kit for teaching the basics of quantum cryptography to engineering students. The novel solution differs from those already on the market in that it is focused on familiarising trainees with the physical principles of quantum key distribution, as well as with the basics of mathematical formalism in quantum mechanics. This is achieved by using a minimally sufficient set of optical elements with a simple mathematical description in the Jones formalism. This composition of the kit is targeted mostly at engineering students and does not require advanced training in physics as a prerequisite. The configurable architecture of the hardware educational kit contributes to the deeper involvement of students. By independently changing the modular configuration of the system, students can conduct experiments that were not directly provided by the developers. For instance, students can assess the impact of choosing the basic settings of phase retarders on the course of a man-in-the-middle attack. The proposed amount of mathematical and informational support, as well as ready-made formal models, is sufficient to reasonably put forward hypotheses for experimental verification and interpret the obtained empirical data. At this moment, the hardware kit is being replicated, distributed and successfully applied at universities and companies in the communications industry. The accumulated experience of educational use testifies to the high efficiency of the kit as a tool for basic QKD training for people without prior knowledge of quantum mechanics. A discrete event model simulating the operation of the hardware kit is implemented in the non-commercial modeling software CPN Tools and is openly distributed.

Many industrial processes, several natural processes involving non-living matter, and all the processes occurring within living organisms take place in solution. This means that the molecules playing active roles in the processes are present within another medium, called solvent. The solute molecules are surrounded by solvent molecules and interact with them. Understanding the nature and strength of these interactions, and the way in which they modify the properties of the solute molecules, is important for a better understanding of the chemical processes occurring in solution, including possible roles of the solvent in those processes. Computational studies can provide a wealth of information on solute-solvent interactions and their effects. Two major models have been developed to this purpose: a model viewing the solvent as a polarizable continuum surrounding the solute molecule, and a model considering a certain number of explicit solvent molecules around a solute molecule. Each of them has its advantages and challenges, and one selects the model that is more suitable for the type of information desired for the specific system under consideration. These studies are important in many areas of chemistry research, from the investigation of the processes occurring within a living organism to drug design and to the design of environmentally benign solvents meant to replace less benign ones in the chemical industry, as envisaged by the green chemistry principles. The paper presents a quick overview of the modelling approaches and an overview of concrete studies, with reference to selected crucial investigation themes.

Tungsten and its alloys are considered as a key component in high temperature environment. Self-passivating W-Si-xY alloys with different Y contents made from the powders milled for different times were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). Their microstructures and oxidation resistance were investigated. It is found that the oxidation resistance of the alloys with low Y contents (0Y and 2Y) made from 20 h-milled powders is worse than that of the alloys made from 4 h-milled powders. It is because the protective WO3/SiO2 composite layer is discontinuous. While the alloys with high Y contents (4Y and 6Y) made from 4 h and 20 h-milled powders show good oxidation resistance. Even, the thickness of the oxide layer of the alloys with 4Y and 6Y made from 20 h-milled powders after oxidation at 1000 ℃ for 2 h is 84.0 μm and 70.7 μm, less than that made from 4 h-milled powders. This is due to the size and distribution of W5Si3, Y2Si2O7 aggregates and W-Y-O melt. The synergistic effects of Y contents and milling time on the microstructures and oxidation resistance of the alloys are revealed.

Bixa orellana dye was extracted from the seed by method of Soxhlet extraction using ethanol and a percentage yield of 4.3 was obtained. Recrystallisation of the dye was performed using chloroform and ethanol. TLC was used to separate the dye into Bixin and Norbixin with R_f values of 0.56 and 0.42 respectively. The extracted dye was pH sensitive, insoluble in water but soluble in some organic solvents like ethanol and acetic acid . Characterisation by UV-spectroscopy showed maximum absorption for Bixin and Norbixin at 457nm and 453nm respectively. FTIR spectrum of Bixin and Norbixin showed bands confirming similar functional groups for both Bixin and Norbixin except for –CO- stretching and methylene vibration which was absent in Norbixin.

This research focuses on exploring the bioactive and antibacterial properties of extracts from the flowers and bark of four Magnolia species (Magnolia champaca, Magnolia denudata, Magnolia grandiflora, and Magnolia officinalis) for possible cosmetic applications. We used ethanol to extract compounds from these plants and conducted various tests including spectrophotometry, HPLC, GC-MS, and microbiological analyses. The extracts, particularly rich in polyphenols (55.18 mg GAE/g), displayed significant antioxidant capabilities, with IC 50 values ranging between 9.99 mg/mL and 23.23 mg/mL. We quantified different compounds: phenolic acids (6.259 to 27.883 mg/g dry weight), aglycone flavonoids (61.224 to 135.788 mg/g dw), glycosidic flavonoids (17.265 to 57.961 mg/g dw), and lignans (150.071 to 374.902 mg/g dw). We identified 76 volatile compounds, predominantly oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, which contribute to the antibacterial effectiveness of the extracts. These extracts showed greater antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria. The diverse chemical compounds and their demonstrated activities suggest these extracts could be valuable in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, or food industries.

Nudibranchs are marine gastropod mollusks that have been extensively studied for their poten-tial to yield new bioactive compounds. This review aims to share data about the chemical and biological activity of extracts and isolated compounds from nudibranchs. The systematic review followed the PRISMA (a systematic review protocol) and covers the studies from the literature published from January 1950 to September 2023, and various scientific databases, including Elsevier, web of science, ACS publications, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Online Library, MDPI, Springer and the Marine Pharmacology website. The results presented are based on the complete set of studies that met our inclusion criteria. Among the selected studies, chemical characteriza-tion was the focus in 79.6% of cases, while biological activity assessment accounted for 20.4%. Ten different types of biological activity assays were performed, with the most frequently studied activities being cytotoxicity (43.6%), antimycobacterial (43.6%), and ichthyotoxic (9.8%) effects. Most positive results obtained from these assays were related to antimycobacterial, cytotoxicity, and ichthyotoxic activities. Eight different types of metabolites were identified, with terpenes be-ing the most prevalent (78.5% of articles), followed by alkaloids (8.1%) and aromatic polyketides (4.7%). Gathering the existing evidence can aid in identifying research gaps and planning future investigations. Our findings indicate that certain nudibranch families, such as Cadlinidae, have received limited attention in terms of studies conducted, yet show promising results in terms of biological activities.

The limited availability of water resources worldwide presents obstacles, to the progress of ag-riculture. This situation calls for the implementation of water saving technologies to address these challenges effectively. The quest for technologies that conserve water in agriculture, par-ticularly within the context of cotton production, is related to the study of the impact of drought on the growth, leaf surface area, accumulation of dry matter, boll number, and productivity. The benefits of local drip irrigation have been established. Various models and strategies for opti-mizing and improving the efficiency of how we use water for irrigation purposes. In a market driven economy the effective utilization of water assetsis closely linked to the improvement of managing mineral nutrients. To enhance both the quantity and quality of production, nitrogen is the key factor element that plays a role in the process. The formation of highly efficient cotton crops by adapting the growing technology to the specific soil-climatic conditions of the area, in-cluding controlling nitrogen fertilizing and irrigation, is the primary method to achieve con-sistent harvests. The results of irrigation with water deficit and feeding plants with different fer-tilizer rates are presented. This matter is presently significant, in achieving dependable crop harvests supporting the economic growth of farms and safeguarding the well being of agricul-tural environments.

Standardized protocols were specifically designed and developed for clinical information collection and obtaining trio genomic information from infants affected with congenital anomalies (CA) and their parents, as well as securing human biological resources. Two large areas of these protocols include clinical and genomic information collection on CA which were difficult to diagnose using pre-existing screening methods. The following are three essential items for the clinical information collection protocol: establishment of a consent system for collecting and utilizing research resources, establishment of criteria for target patient selection, and collection of clinical and epidemiological information. A total of 138 cases consisting of 45 families of infants with CA and their parent trios have provided human-derived resources and genomic information. Whole genome sequencing data have been generated for all participants, and standardized protocols for resource collection and manufacturing have been developed. Phenotype information according to the Human Phenotype Ontology term and major test findings were recorded. It is important to keep updating and recording clinical symptoms and genetic diagnosis that are newly added or changed over time. The unique significance of this study is to develop a protocol that enables long-term tracking by adding growth and development tests that reflect important characteristics of newborns. By using these clinical and genetic information collection protocols for CA, it will be possible to establish an essential platform for early genetic diagnosis and diagnostic research, and further present new genetic diagnostic guidelines in the near future.

Anthracnose and root rot are major foliar and root diseases of strawberry, respectively that cause most yield and quality losses. Anthracnose is caused by multiple species belonging to Colletotrichum spp complex. This disease alone can causeup to 70% yield loss in North America. Colletotrichum spp. cause several disease symptoms on strawberries, including root, fruit, and crown rot, lesions on petioles and runners, and irregular black spots on the leaf. In many cases, a lower level of infection on foliage remains non-symptomatic (quiescent), posing a challenge to growers as these plants can be a significant source of inoculum for the fruiting field. Reliable detection methods for quiescent infection should play an important role in preventing infected plants' entry into the production system or guiding growers to take appropriate preventative measures to control the disease. The selection of highly effective fungicides and including them in a schedule to prevent the development of fungicide resistance in fungal populations will remain an area of continued research. Disease management methods should entail sensitive molecular testing of suspected fungal isolates for resistance, rotation of products, and monitoring of quiescent infections in transplant materials. Testing and the inclusion of non-chemical methods such as biologicals and biorational treatments especially for soilborne pathogens will also be necessary to make disease management economically feasible and sustainable.

Mint is considered to have a greater number of phenolic acids, flavonoids, antioxidants and other bioactive components, and is widely used as food, medicine, spices, and flavoring agents. Thus, chemical composition is an important parameter for assessing the quality of mint. In this study, two mint cultivars were sampled, purple mint and green mint. The purple mint had much higher anthocyanin and total flavone content compared with green mint. Transcriptome and metabolome technique were employed to elucidate the regulation network of mint pigment and flavone. A total of 167,901 unigenes were obtained by high-throughput RNA-Seq and 34,608 genes were differentially expressed. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in lignin metabolic process and flavonoid biosynthetic process. A total of 143 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were enriched in isoflavonoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways. The co-analysis results of DEGs and DEMs showed that the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathway (ko00944) contained the most DEMs, followed by flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (ko00941) and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway (ko00942). Furthermore, the most important nine genes and metabolites were screened using O2PLS model. The results will provide a theoretical basis for revealing pigment and flavone biosynthesis network of mint.

The exponential growth in the consumption of electronics, in combination with the reduction in their useful life, leads to a significant increase in the volume of electronic material discarded. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are modules composed of ceramic, polymer and metallic materials of high economic value and with a great potential for damage to biotic and anthropic environments when inadequately discarded. The aims of this work was to study the main environmental impacts and the efficiency of mechanical operations in the electronic waste recycling process in optimizing the concentration of metallic copper. For this, the samples obtained were characterized according to their morphology and chemical composition, and subjected to physical and mechanical treatments: dismantling, grinding, separation by granulometry, density and magnetic property. The environment impacts were estimated by the Life Cycle Assessment of the pre-treatment processes, associated with copper extraction operations in WPCBs. According to the results obtained, it is possible to infer that the NM +1mm Concentrated product presents in its metallic composition around 78% of copper, which contributes to the efficiency of the hydrometallurgical extraction processes. It is noteworthy that the Concentrated class represents about 14% of copper (wt) taking into account the amount of 3.789 kg of PCB waste input material. The potential for reinsertion of the dust in the material recovery process is highlighted, given that the chemical composition of this particulate has a significant presence of metals. In general, it was found that due to the higher concentration (wt %) of the sample being allocated in the range of - 0.15mm + 0.05mm, the elements Fe (18.30%), Si (10.73%), Ca (9.21%) and Cu (8.89%) stand out regarding the participation of the elemental composition of this fraction and also regarding the general composition of the sample. Furthermore, the generation of dust during the fragmentation process, can be associated with occupational respiratory diseases when not managed. About the Life Cycle Assessment, in seven of the nine categories evaluated, crushing and screening activities accounted for more than 90% of the recorded impact values. In general, it is estimated that in the pre-treatment phase be generated 15.4 kg CO2 eq.

This study evaluated eight herbal and fruit teas to produce kombucha beverages. Besides, the effect of initial sucrose concentration (10, 40, and 70% w/v) on kombucha fermentation from tea extracts was investigated. Kinetic characterization and modeling of kombucha fermentation were also performed. Results showed that kombucha beverages' characteristics and chemical content changed according to tea type and initial sucrose concentration. It was determined that as initial sucrose concentration increased, the consumed substrate concentration increased. The highest total biomass values were determined when green tea and pomegranate tea were supplemented with 70 g/L sucrose. The highest total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were achieved with green tea samples. The total acidity and phenolic substance concentration increased as fermentation progressed in general. The kinetic parameters including maximum consumption rate, sugar utilization, yield, biomass yield, maximum biomass, total acidity, phenolic production rate, and the phenolic result were computed depending on changing substrate concentration. Concerning kinetic modeling, proposed models (Logistic and Luedeking-Piret models) estimated satisfactorily experimental substrate consumption and total acidity values. Besides, total acidity was associated with the substrate consumption.

Large aluminum alloy ring forgings are the core components of heavy-duty rocket fuel storage tanks, and the large residual stress inside the rings leads to poor shape accuracy of large thin-walled parts. The initial stress of the 2219 aluminum alloy ring blank was tested using the drilling method, and the creep constitutive coefficient of the 2219 aluminum alloy was determined through stress relaxation tests. The numerical simulation processes of thermal stress relief (TSR), vibration stress relief (VSR), and thermal-vibration stress relief (TVSR) were compared and established. Through the correlation analysis between the actual measurement results of residual stress and the simulation results, it can be seen that the strong correlation in three directions at each measurement point accounts for over 37.5%, and the moderate correlation accounts for over 62.5%. This indicates that the numerical simulation model of 2219 aluminum alloy ring containing initial residual stress can accurately reflect the size and distribution of residual stress inside the actual ring. The simulation results show that the derived constitutive model can describe the stress relaxation process of TVSR by combining a single thermal time effect stress relaxation constitutive theory with a VSR plastic deformation material model. The simulation models established above were used to calculate the residual stress homogenization ability of three types of aging. The results showed that VSR, TSR, and TVSR can homogenize and reduce the residual stress field inside the ring, improve the distribution of residual stress inside the ring, and have a better overall homogenization ability of TVSR. The VSR control has a certain effect on reducing and homogenizing residual stress, but compared with TSR and TVSR, the reduction and homogenization ability of residual stress control is limited. The homogenization control effect TVSR>TSR>VSR, and the maximum equivalent stress homogenization rates of VSR, TSR, and TVSR are 52.8%, 80.6%, and 82.2%, respectively. Then, numerical simulation technology is used to study how the initial residual stress in the blank will cause the deformation of the ring during the thin-walled machining process. The roundness error theory of the minimum containment area method is applied to evaluate the deformation degree during the thin-walled numerical machining process, and the TVSR method is used for stress regulation. The deformation law of the thin-walled machining of the ring under different aging parameters is studied.

The sustainable development goals(SDG) of the UNO would be difficult to achieve without prevention of metabolic diseases and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Western diet and lifestyle, which are major risk factors of NCDs, are known to cause oxidative stress and decrease in production of molecular hydrogen in the intestines which leads to a decline in endogenous antioxidant status in the body, leading to increase in systemic inflammation. Many experts consider molecular hydrogen as a potential nutrient, which may be administered as gas in the body. There are gaps in the knowledge about the role molecular hydrogen plays, in the treatment of metabolic diseases and other NCDs This review aims to discuss the role of hydrogen in the pathogenesis and prevention of NCDs. Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been studied extensively as a therapeutic gas, with an estimated 2000 publications to date, exploring its potential therapeutic use in 170 disease models across every organ in the mammalian body. Hydrogen therapy can be administered through several methods, such as H2 inhalation, dissolving H2 gas in water to make hydrogen-rich water (HRW) for oral consumption or topical application, or hydrogen-rich saline. The exact mechanism of action of molecular hydrogen is not known but it is in itself a potential antioxidant that can also inhibit hydroxyl and nitrosyl radicals in the cells and tissues. Hydrogen is known to cause a marked decline in oxidative stress, and inflammation that are crucial in the pathogenesis of NCDs. Hydrogen therapy has been found protective against NCDs, including, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), neurodegenerative diseases, chronic kidney disease, cancer and chronic lung diseases.

Oil spills may have devastating effects on marine ecosystems, public health, the economy, and coastal communities. Therefore, scientific literature contains various up-to-date, advanced oil spill predictive models, capable to simulate the trajectory and evolution of an oil slick generated by the accidental release from ships, hydrocarbons production, or other activities. To predict in near real time oil spill transport and fate with increased reliability these models are usually coupled operationally to synoptic meteorological, hydrodynamic, and wave models. The present study reviews the available different met-ocean forcings that have been used in oil spill modeling, simulating hypothetical or real oil spill scenarios, worldwide. Nine state-of-the-art oil spill models are critically examined in terms of the met-ocean data used as forcing inputs in the simulation of twenty-four case studies. Results illustrate that most oil spill models are coupled to different resolution, forecasting meteorological and hydrodynamic models, posing, however, limited consideration in the forecasted wave field (expressed as the significant wave height, the wave period and the Stokes drift) that may affect oil transport, especially at the coastal areas. Moreover, the majority of oil spill models lacks any linkage to the background biogeochemical conditions, hence, limited consideration is given in processes like oil biodegradation, photo-oxidation and sedimentation. Future advancements in oil spill modeling should be directed towards the full operational coupling with high-resolution atmospheric, hydrodynamic, wave, and biogeochemical models, improving our understanding in the relative impact of each physical and oil weathering process.

Introduction: Austere environments include the wilderness and many lower-and-middle-income countries, many of these facing unrest and war. The access to advanced diagnostic equipment is often unaffordable even if available and is often liable to breakdown. This short review paper examines the options available to medical professionals to undertake clinical and point of care diagnostic testing in resource constrained environments and also illustrates the development of mobile advanced diagnostic equipment. The aim is to provide an overview of the spectrum and functionality of these devices beyond clinical acumen.

Our understanding of how microbiome signatures are modulated in wild fish populations remains poorly known and has, until now, mostly been inferred from studies in commercial and farmed fish populations. Here, we have studied for the first time changes in the skin and blood microbiomes of the Salmo trutta population of the volcanic Kerguelen archipelago located at the northern limit of the Antarctic Ocean. Kerguelen is a natural framework of population expansion and a likely situation under further climate change in distribution areas. Our results showed that S. trutta of Kerguelen has a microbiome signature distinct from those of salmonids of the Northern Hemisphere. Our study also revealed that the skin and blood microbiomes differ between sedentary and migratory S. trutta. While 18 phyla were shared between both groups of trout, independent of the compartment, six phyla were unique to migratory trout. Further analyses showed that microbiome signatures undergo significant site-specific variations that correlate, in some cases, to the peculiarity of specific ecosystems. Our study also revealed the presence of potential pathogens at particular sites and the impact of abiotic factors on the microbiome, most notably due to the volcanic nature of the environment. This study contributes to a better understanding of the factors that modulate the microbiome signatures of migratory and sedentary fish populations. It will also help better monitor climate change's impacts on the colonization process in the sub-Antarctic region.

Dibenzocycloctynes have emerged as a promising scaffold for bioorthogonal ligation. An important structural aspect that has not been addressed so far is connected with their chirality. Herein, we explore by theoretical and experimental methods this structural aspect that has been so far neglected. First, a computational analysis is conducted and results are used as a guideline for experimental investigation. Next, an array of different experiments (HPLC on chiral columns, chiroptical spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction) for structure elucidation are scrutinized in concert. Finally, this work demonstrates the chirality and the stereodynamic behavior of dibenzocycloctynes and of their triazole adducts with simple azides and uncover their conformational behavior.

Fleets of drones have attracted a lot of attention from the research community in recent years. One of the biggest challenges in deploying such systems is localization. While GNSS localization systems can only be effective in open outdoor environments, new solutions based on radio sensors (e.g., ultra-wideband) are increasingly being used for localization in various situations and environments. However, self-localization without prior knowledge of anchor positions remains an open problem which, for example, makes it impossible to track a moving target. In this article, we provide a comparison of different variants of gradient descent-based algorithms, with a new improved variant, for solving the localization problem using relative distance measurements and multilateration. It is applied to self-localization of anchors and tracking targets using ultra-wideband distance sensors. A realistic simulation of drone tracking and anchors’ localization is performed to demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of the proposed approach.

This research is mainly focused on the evaluation of TiO2/Fe2O3 composite and two industrial types of waste (kaolin (Clay-K) and a blast furnace sludge (BFS)) as adsorbent materials of cyanide and as photocatalysts. First, adsorption tests were performed in the absence of light. During photodegradation experiments, the effect of the type of irradiation (ultraviolet (UV) light), visible light and natural sunlight), irradiation time, the type of photocatalyst, as well as irradiance in case of natural sunlight use, were investigated. Adsorption results indicate that Clay-K and TiO2/Fe2O3 materials adsorb approximately twice as much cyanide compared to the BFS sample, which only adsorbs 33.3% (124.87 mg/g); this is due to its smaller specific surface area (5.69 m2/g) compared to that of the other two materials (Clay-K and TiO2/Fe2O3 (14.93 m2/g and 66.59 m2/g, respectively). The results obtained from the study of photodegradation of cyanide under UV irradiation, indicate that Clay-K and BFS samples photodegrade cyanide by 96.44% and 92.66%, respectively. On the other hand, using UV irradiation plus solar irradiation and visible plus solar irradiation, the best photocatalyst was the TiO2/Fe2O3, with 98.66% photodegradation. The use of natural sunlight (irradiance of 600 to 800 W/m2) of a NaCN solution of 750 mg/L, the BFS material was the most efficient to photodegrade cyanide, obtaining 97% in two hours and 87% in just 30 minutes of irradiation.

Naltrexone (NTX) is a potent opioid antagonist with good blood-brain barrier permeability, targeting different endogenous opioid receptors, particularly the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Therefore, it represents a promising candidate for drug development against drug addiction. However, the details of the molecular interactions of NTX and its derivatives with MOR are not fully understood, hindering ligand-based drug discovery. In the present study, taking advantage of the high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of the murine MOR (mMOR), we constructed a homology model of the human MOR (hMOR). A solvated phospholipid bilayer was built around the hMOR and submitted to microsecond (µs) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain an optimized hMOR model. NTX and its derivatives were docked into the optimized hMOR model and submitted to µs MD simulations in an aqueous membrane system. The MD simulation results were submitted to Molecular Mechanics Generalized-Born surface area (MMGBSA) binding free energy calculations and principal component analysis. Our results revealed that NTX and its derivatives showed differences in protein-ligand interactions; however, they shared contact with residues at TM2, TM3, H6, and TM7. The binding free energy and principal component analysis revealed the structural and energetic effects responsible for the higher potency of NTX compared to its derivatives.

Increasing rates of infection by antibiotic resistant bacteria have led to a resurgence of interest in bacteriophage (phage) therapy. Several phage therapy studies in animals and humans have been completed over the last two decades. We conducted a systematic review of safety and toxicity data associated with phage therapy in both animals and humans reported in English-language publications from 2008 – 2021. Overall, 69 publications met our eligibility criteria including 20 animal studies, 35 clinical case reports or case series, and 14 clinical trials. After summarizing safety and toxicity data from these publications, we discuss potential approaches to optimizing safety and toxicity monitoring with the therapeutic use of phage moving forward. In our systematic review of the literature, we found few, but no serious, adverse events associated with phage therapy. Comprehensive and standardized reporting of potential toxicities associated with phage therapy has generally been lacking in the published literature. Structured safety and tolerability endpoints are necessary when phages are administered as anti-infective therapeutics.

Rare earths are classified as most important and critical material for US economy and defense by Congress and a mandate has been set to increase their in-house production, domestic resource utilization and decrease reliance on foreign resources and reserves. They are widely available in earth crust as ore (bastnaesite (La, Ce)FCO₃, monazite, (Ce, La, Y, Th)PO₄, and xenotime, YPO₄), but their so-called economic reserves are sparsely located geographically. They may be produced by various means such as beneficiation (physical, chemical, mechanical, or electrical), reduction (direct or indirect), electrolysis (of aqueous or molten / fused single or mixed salt systems) at high temperature or hydrometallurgy. Out of these, direct reduction also known as metallothermic reduction (La and Ca reduction) is mostly utilized. Its variant, high temperature electrowinning of fused salts is also practiced widely. These processes are material and application specific. In this study, author will employ thermodynamics (Ellingham diagrams, free energy of formation, reduction potential, Nernst equation, Pourbaix (E_h-pH) diagrams, E-pO^-2 diagrams), kinetics and energetic of a chemical reaction (chemical metallurgy) to reduce rare earth oxide / salt to rare earth metals (REO/RES – REM). It is shown that materials and energy requirement vary greatly depending on type of mineral ore, production facility, and beneficiation / mineral processing method selected. Aim is to reduce dependence on coal deposits. It is anticipated this route will be able to produce rare earths with > 35% yield and > 98% purity which be described in subsequent studies and patents.

Tsunami modeling and simulation has changed in the past few years more than it had in decades, especially so with respect to coastal inundation. Among other things, this change is supported by the approaching era of exa-scale computing, whether via GPU or more likely forms of hybrid computing whose presence is growing across the geosciences. For reasons identified across this review, exa-scale computing efforts will impact the on-shore, highly turbulent r\'egime to higher degree than the 2D shallow water equations used to model tsunami propagation in the open ocean. This short review describes the different approaches to tsunami modeling from generation to impact and underlines the limits of each model based on the flow r\'egime. Moreover, from the perspective of a future comprehensive multi-scale modeling infrastructure to simulate a full tsunami, we underline the current challenges associated with this approach and review the few efforts that are currently underway to achieve this goal. A table of existing tsunami software packages is provided along with an open Github repository to allow developers and model users to update the table with additional models as they are published and help with model discoverability.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with bacteriophage and β-mannanase on health and growth performance in calves. Thirty-six pre-weaning male Holstein calves were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments: no supplementation, 0.1% β-mannanase, 0.1% bacteriophage, and both 0.1% bacteriophage and β-mannanase supplementation in a starter. The experiment lasted from 2 weeks before weaning to 8 weeks after weaning. Twenty-two calves survived to the end of the experiment. No interaction was observed between the two methods of supplementation. A 1-kg increase in initial BW resulted in a 1.41-fold increase in the odds ratio of survival (p < 0.01). The bacteriophage supplementation tended to increase the odds ratio of survival (p = 0.09). The number of Escherichia coli in feces significantly decreased one week after weaning. β-mannanase supplementation increased the concentrates intake (p < 0.01) and tended to increase the final BW (p = 0.08). Analysis of repeated measures indicated β-mannanase supplementation increased weekly body weight gain (p = 0.018). We conclude that bacteriophage supplementation may have a positive effect on calf survival rate, while β-mannanase supplementation may increase the growth rate and intake of a starter in calves.

The current global COVID-19 pandemic is compounding on populations susceptible to tropical illnesses like dengue in different developing countries like Bangladesh. The growing concern is that Bangladesh is a dengue-endemic zone and the peak transmission occurs in the monsoon season (June to October). In the most recent monsoon, a total of 354 dengue cases have been confirmed until 27^th July 2020, data-driven from only 41 hospitals alone. A fifty-three-year-old male patient was found to be co-infected with COVID-19 and dengue fever. Concerns arise as hospitals are increasingly denying to admit the patients. Moreover, reports of the false-positive results in dengue screening tests recorded in different countries further exacerbate the issue. These conditions could postpone the early diagnosis of COVID-19 cases and aggravate the situation. In addition, the overwhelming wave of the dengue cases would be a challenge for the vulnerable health care system of the country which is already under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Failure to establish and implement proper policies might lead to the dengue outbreak with the burdens of the concurrent COVID pandemic, resulting in the collapse of the health and social system, as well as the economic growth of the country.

Bulgaria and North Macedonia have a long history of production and use of honey, however, there is an obvious lack of systematic and in-depth research on honey from both countries. Of particular interest is the oak honeydew honey, highly valued by consumers because of its health benefits. Aim of this study was to characterize honeydew and floral honeys from Bulgaria and North Macedonia based on their NMR profiles. 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR spectra were measured of 16 North Macedonian and 22 Bulgarian honey samples. 25 individual substances were identified, including quinovose, which was found for the first time in honey. Chemometric methods (PCA - principal component analysis, PLS-DA - partial least squares discriminant analysis, ANOVA) were used to detect similarities and differences between samples, as well as to determine their botanical and geographical origin. Semiquantitative data on individual sugars and some other constituents were obtained; which allowed reliable classification of honey samples by botanical and geographical origin, based on chemometric approaches. The results enabled to distinguish oak honeydew honey from other honey types, and to determine the country of origin. NMR was a rapid and convenient method, avoiding the need for other more time-consuming analytical techniques.

The rapid growth of the smart Internet of Things (IoT) and massive propagation of wireless technologies revealed the recent opportunities for development in various domains of real life such as smart cities and E-Health applications. A slight defense against different forms of attacks is offered for the current secure and lightweight Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) of IoT resource-constrained devices. Data packets are highly likely to be exposed while transmitting them during data packets routing. The RPL rank and version number attacks, which are two forms of RPL attacks, can have critical consequences for RPL networks. The studies conducted on these attacks have several security defects and performance shortcomings. The research proposes a Secure RPL Routing Protocol (SRPL-RP) for rank and version number attacks. It mainly detects, mitigates and isolates attacks in the RPL networks. The detection is based on a comparison of ranks strategy. The mitigation uses threshold and attacks status tables, and the isolation adds them to a blacklist table and alerts relevant nodes to skip them. SRPL-RP supports diverse types of network topologies and is comprehensively analyzed with multiple studies such as Standard RPL with Attacks, SBIDS and RPL+ Shield. The analysis results showed that the SRPL-RP achieves great improvements with Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) of 98.48%, control message value of 991 packets/second, and average energy consumption of 1231.75 joules. It provides a better accuracy rate with 98.17% under the attacks.

Lung cancer predominates in cancer-related deaths worldwide, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) being a common histological subtype of lung cancer. The aim at this study was to search for biomarkers associated with the progression and prognosis of LUAD. We have integrated the expression profiles of 1174 lung cancer patients from five GEO datasets (GSE18842, GSE19804, GSE30219, GSE40791 and GSE68465) and identified a set of differentially expressed genes. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these genes are closely related to the progression of LUAD, such as cell cycle, mitosis and adhesion. Cytoscape software was used to establish a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network to analyze important modules using Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE), and finally CCNB1, BUB1B and TTK were selected for further study. The study found that compared with non-tumor lung tissue, CCNB1, BUB1B and TTK are highly expressed in LUAD. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that CCNB1, BUB1B and TTK were negatively correlated with the overall survival and disease-free survival of patients. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) demonstrated that for the samples of any hub gene highly expressed, most of the functional gene sets enriched in cell cycle. In summary, CCNB1, BUB1B and TTK can be used as biomarkers of poor prognosis of LUAD. The high expression of CCNB1, BUB1B and TTK can accelerate the progression of LUAD and lead to shorter survival, suggesting that they may be potential targets for treatment in LUAD.

We present a summary of our protocol for employment of small-molecule circadian rhythm modulators. The abilities of compounds to affect oscillations have received significant attention. We outline assessments of circadian changes using indirubin-3’-oxime (IO), 5-iodo-indirubin-3’-oxime (5I-IO), and 5-sulfonic acid-indirubin-3’-oxime (5SA-IO), analyzing effects on Bmal1 and Per2 oscillations and oncogenic features.

The effects of climate change on yield and quality for different climate regions had high uncertainty. Risk assessment is an effective measure to assess the seriousness of the projected impacts for decision-makers. The modified quality model was used to simulate integrated impacts of climate change, environment and management on wheat yield and quality. Then, the Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM2) was used to forecast the daily meteorological data, and Statistical Down Scaling Model was used for downscaling. CERES-Wheat was combined with the forecasted meteorological data to simulate the future wheat yield and grain protein concentration (GPC). The risk of wheat yield and quality in three climatic regions of Shaanxi combined with two climate change scenarios of CanESM2 were assessed. Temperature increased 0.22-3.34 °C and precipitation increased 10-60 mm for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Elevated temperature and precipitation had positive effects on yield in all regions. The yield risk of most regions with climate change decreased 3.8%-25.1%. The GPC risk of all regions with climate change decreased 7.3%-27.2%. Irrigation decreased yield risk greatly in all regions, while had totally different effects for the three climatic regions. Yield risk with irrigation decreased 37.7%-52.1% in different climate. In contrast to previous studies, GPC risk with irrigation increased greatly 25.8%-28.9% in humid region, 3.9%-8.8% in sub-humid region, and decreased 37.7%-52.1% in semi-arid region. Climate change decreased yield risk and GPC risk together. While irrigation decreased yield risk greatly in all regions, had totally different effects for the three climatic regions.

The nuclear receptor superfamily comprises a large group of proteins with functions essential for cell signaling, survival and proliferation. There are multiple distinctions between nuclear superfamily classes defined by hallmark differences in function, ligand binding, tissue specificity, and DNA binding. In this review, we utilize the initial classification system, which defines subfamilies based on structure and functional difference. The defining feature of the nuclear receptor superfamily is that these proteins function as transcription factors. The loss of transcriptional regulation or gain of functioning of these receptors is a hallmark in numerous diseases. For example, in prostate cancer the androgen receptor is a primary target for current prostate cancer therapies. Targeted cancer therapies for nuclear hormone receptors have been more feasible than others to develop due to ligand availability and cell permeability of hormones. To better target these receptors, it is critical to understand their structural and functional regulation. Given that late-stage cancers often develop hormone insensitivity, we will explore the strengths and pitfalls of targeting other transcription factors outside of the nuclear receptor superfamily such as the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT).

Wasted Green tuff powder produced by cutting Towada stone is recycled as environmental cleaning material. The optimum temperature for green tuff powder calcination to reduce the hydroxyl radical produced in hydrogen peroxide decomposition with ultraviolet light (UV) and no light. The green tuff calcined at 800 °C shows the large decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide with no UV light when measured by using ESR. With UV light, the optimum temperature for calcinating the green tuff powder in order to reduce hydroxyl radical is also 800 °C. Next, the powder calcined at 800 °C is used to produce the tile by compression and heating, and then the formaldehyde adsorption rate was measured. The green tuff powder calcined at 800 °C showed a high adsorption rate, similar to that of the activated carbon. The tiles formed at 40 MPa and heated st 1100 °C were the strongest and also adsorbed formaldehyde. The adsorbed formaldehyde on the green tuff tile and powder might have a possibility to decompose by photocatalytic.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was therefore to analyze the predictive capacity of the three variables (impulsivity, sensation-seeking and drug use) in aggressors and victims of violence. (2) Methods: The design is cross-sectional quasi-experimental. A sample of 822 students aged 13 to 18 who had filled in an ad hoc questionnaire, the State Impulsivity Scale and the Sensation-Seeking Scale, was used for this. (3) Results: The results show that aggressors had high levels of gratification, automatism, attentional factor, disinhibition and susceptibility to boredom, and use alcohol and/or tobacco. The variables that could predict involvement as an aggressor in peer conflict are use of alcohol, smoking, high levels of gratification, automatism and attentional factors and a high degree of disinhibition and susceptibility to boredom. The disinhibition is the best predictor of aggressor. (4) Conclusions: Thus having available empirical evidence that facilitates detection of predictive variables for participation in violence is going to favor the design of effective education intervention for reducing risk behavior.

1) Background: Neotropical montane forests represent one of the most diverse ecosystems; however, they are also the most threatened for deforestation. Our main goal is to evaluate the change in Basal Area (BA), Density and Species Composition of montane forests in the southern Ecuador and to determine the influence on some critical ecological and geomorphological factors. 2) Methods: One hundred thirty-two temporary plots of 400 m² each were installed; we identified and measured all trees> 10 cm DBH. We modeled species diversity (Fisher’s alpha) change in relation to climatic, elevational and geomorphological gradients with GLM and Kruskall-Wallis analyses. The change in composition was determined using Cluster Analyses (BIOENV analysis followed by a LINKTREE procedure). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was used to analyze changes across climatic and geomorphological gradients. Finally, we used SIMPER analysis to identify the species that contributed most to the dissimilarity among the different elevations. 3) Results: Formation of floristic groups was influenced by altitude, temperature and Isothermality; physiographic province, great landscape, geological landscape and lithology. Plots located in low hills have higher alpha diversity with respect to the high hills and dissected mountains. 4) Conclusions: The elevation is first hierarchical factor responsible of the division of structural and floristic groups. Plots located on the whitish tuff have a higher alpha value diversity compared with plots in andesitic tuffs. Wettest quarter (> 839 mm) and Isothermality (> 90.5) are the climatic factors that driven de floristic divisions.

Best horticulture management has been practiced to reduce the amount of inorganic fertilizer in connection with net (mosquito net) for higher production of Indian spinach. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture promoted negative effect on the environment and human health in Bangladesh. The experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Farm of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh during the period February to May 2016. Two factor experiments were conducted on nettings: control (N₀), Netting (N₁) and different fertilizers: control (F₀), Vermicompost 10 t/ha (F₁), Vermicompost 15 t/ha (F₂), 2/3^rdof F₂+ 1/3^rdof F₄ (F₃), Inorganic fertilizer (F₄). Combination of mosquito net and combined of organic and inorganic fertilizers (N₁F₃) gave the significantly higher growth and yield of Indian spinach compared to other treatment combination. The maximum vine length (77.71 cm), after 45 days after sowing was found from N₁F₃ which was 72% higher compared to control. The highest yield of Indian spinach was 38.67 t/ha from N₁F₃ which was 80% higher compared to control. The treatment combination of N₁F₃ provided maximum leaf numbers per plant, leaf length.

Inflammatory granulocytes are characterized by oxidative burst, which may promote oxidative stress and lipid modification both in affected tissues and on systemic level. On the other hand, redox signaling involving lipid peroxidation products acting as second messengers of free radicals play important, not yet fully understood, roles in pathophysiology of inflammation and various stress-associated disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the onset of oxidative stress and alterations of enzyme-dependent lipid metabolism resulting from redox imbalance in granulocytes and plasma obtained from patients with psoriasis vulgaris or psoriatic arthritis, in comparison to the healthy subjects. The results obtained revealed enhanced activity of pro-oxidant enzymes NADPH and xanthine oxidases in granulocytes, with a decrease of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in plasma of psoriatic patients. The Nrf2 and its regulators were increased in both forms of psoriasis, while HO-1 levels were increased only in psoriasis vulgaris. Redox imbalance was associated with decreased levels of phospholipids and of free PUFAs, but with enhanced activity of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism (PLA2, PAF-AH COX1/2) and increased lipid peroxidation products 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), isoprostanes and neuroprostanes. Increased endocannabinoids and GPR55 were observed in both forms of the disease, while expression of CB1 was increased only in pateints with psoriatic arthritis, opposite to CB2, which was increased only in psoriasis vulgaris. Protein modifications by ROS and lipid peroxidation product 4-HNE promoted apoptosis of granulocytes by increased caspases in both forms of psoriasis. This study indicates that excessive activation of granulocytes, causing oxidative stress and lipid modifications, is an important pathophysiology of psoriasis. Consequently, lower Nrf2 activity and CB2 expression may promote progression of psoriasis into advanced, arthritic form of the disease.

Anomalous waves and rogue events are closely associated with irregularities and unexpected events occurring at various levels of physics, such as in optics, in oceans and in the atmosphere. Mathematical modeling of rogue waves is a highly actual field of research, which has evolved over the last decades into a specialized part of mathematical physics. The applications of the mathematical models for rogue events is directly relevant to technology development for prediction of rogue ocean waves, and for signal processing in quantum units. In this survey, a comprehensive perspective of the most recent developments in methods for representing rogue waves is given, along with discussion of the devised and forms and solutions. The standard nonlinear Schrödinger equation, the Hirota equation, the MMT equation and further to other models are discussed, and their properties highlighted. This survey shows that the most recent advancement in modeling rogue waves give models which can be used to establish methods for prediction of rogue waves at open seas, which is important for the safety and activity of marine vessels and installations. The study further puts emphasis on the difference between the methods, and how the resulting models form a basis for representing rogue waves in various forms, solitary or with a wave-background. This review has also a pedagogic component directed towards students and interested non-experts, and forms a complete survey of the most conventional and emerging methods published until recently