Steel is one of the essential materials in the world's civilization. It is essential to produce many products such as pipelines, mechanical elements in machines, vehicles, profiles, and beam sections for buildings in many industries. Until the '50s of the 20th century, steel products required a complex process known as ingot casting; for years, steelmakers focused on developing and simplifying this process. The result was the con-tinuous casting process (CCP); it is the most productive method to produce steel. The CCP allows producing significant volumes of steel sections without interruption and is more productive than the formal ingot casting process. The CCP begins by transferring the liquid steel from the steel-ladle to a tundish. This tundish or vessel distributes the liquid steel, by flowing through its volume, to one or more strands having wa-ter-cooled copper molds. The mold is the primary cooling system, PCS, solidifying a steel shell to withstand a liquid core and its friction forces with the mold wall. Further down the mold, the rolls drive the steel section in the SCS. Here the steel section is cooled, solidifying the remaining liquid core, by sprays placed in every cooling segment all around the billet and along the curved section of the machine. Finally, the steel strand goes towards a horizontal-straight free-spray zone, losing heat by radiation mechanism, where the billet cools down further to total solidification. A moving torch cutting-scissor splits the billet to the desired length at the end of this heat-radiant zone.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a crop of nutritional and economic importance worldwide, cultivated in more than 100 tropical and subtropical countries including Ecuador, traditionally cultivated in its three continental regions: the Amazon, the Coast and in the valleys of the Sierra. The purpose of this study was to characterize 195 accessions from INIAP's Ecuadorian cassava collection through 1) morphological characterization with qualitative and quantitative descriptors; and 2) ecogeographic characterization to know the climatic, geophysical and edaphic conditions in which cassava grows and which environments are frequent or marginal for its cultivation. For the morphological characterization, 27 morphological descriptors were used (18 qualitative and nine quantitative), and for the ecogeographic characterization, 55 variables (41 climatic, two geophysical and 12 edaphic). As a result, four morphological groups and three ecogeographic groups were identified. In the research, morphological variability was evidenced, mainly in descriptors related to the leaf, stems and inflorescences. In addition, it was possible to identify accessions that can adapt to extreme conditions of drought and poor soils, which could be used for improvement.

With the extension of the post-catch circulation time, a series of changes had taken place in the soft tissue of the live clams, resulting in the decline of its quality. This study investigated the quality changes of clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) in cold chain and was mainly focused on the rehydration process, which included gradient heating rehydration (GR) and sudden heating rehydration (SR). It was found that the GR had a better effect on the quality of clams than the SR. The GR stage clams showed a higher survival rate, glycogen content and adenylate energy charge (A.E.C) value than the SR stage clams. Conversely, the GR stage clams showed lower lactic acid content and K-value than the SR stage clams. The results indicated that the gradient heating rehydration was beneficial to the quality of clams. The transportation and rehydration strategies benefited both producers and shellfish merchants to save total cost.

Air pollution is responsible for any adverse effects on human beings. Thermal discomfort, on the other hand, is able to overload the human body and eventually provoke health implications due to the heat imbalance. Methods: The aim of the present work is to study the behavior of two bio-climatic indexes and statistical characteristics of the air quality index for Sofia city - the capital of Bulgaria for the period 2008 - 2014. The study is based on WRF-CMAQ model system simula-tions with a spatial resolution of 1 kilometer. The air quality is estimated by the air quality index, taking into account the influence of different pollutants and the thermal conditions by two indi-ces, respectively, for hot and cold weather. Results: It was found that half of the heat and cold index categories are present in the simulations. Their distribution has some spatial features. All air quality categories are present in the domain, with dominance only of the O3 and PM10. Conclu-sions: It was found that Sofia is not so hot and air polluted place, but in some situations, people have to have some concerns when intend to be outdoors for a prolonged time.

Background: Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a genetically determined cardiomyopathy, that occurs following a disruption of endomyocardial morphogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and genetic profile of children with LVNC. Methods: From February 2008 to July 2020, a total of 32 children (median 11.5 years) with LVNC were prospectively enrolled and followed up for the median of 4.02 years. Diagnosis was made based on characteristic features of LVNC in echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). Patients’ clinical symptoms, family history, ECG, Holter ECG and genetic tests were also evaluated. Results: The most common presenting symptom was heart failure (31% of children). ECG abnormalities were noted in 56% of patients. The most prominent features were ventricular arrhythmias, sinus bradycardia and paroxysmal third-degree atrioventricular block. Most of the patients (94%) met the criteria for LVNC and CMR confirmed this diagnosis in 82% of cases. The molecular etiology was found in 53% of children. Conclusion: Although heart failure and arrhythmias were very frequent in our study group, thromboembolic events and genetic syndromes were rare. For accurate and reliable assessment of children with LVNC, it is necessary to get to know their family history and detailed clinical profile.

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between grit and parenting style of mother among Indian rural adolescents. Parental Authority Questionnaire [1] and Short Grit Scale [2] was used to meet objectives of the paper. A sample of 60 adolescents was chosen from private institution located at Bathinda (Punjab) by using convenience sampling technique. Results of correlation analysis revealed that significant (negative) relationship exists between mother’s authoritarian parenting style (only) and grit. This is true for both genders and for adolescents who comes from joint families. Educational implication of the study signifies that the suitable informative and counseling sessions should be organised for the parents to make them conscious of the appropriate parenting style for the development of gritty adolescents.

This paper mainly focuses on the construction of a household welfare index to examine the welfare impact of international remittances in rural Bangladesh. This paper, in achieving this objective, uses primary data and several methods. This paper constructs a household welfare index newly to measure the level of household welfare. Besides, a linear regression and Chi-square test is used to examine the welfare and poverty impact of international remittances, respectively. Remittance receiving households enjoy the higher level of welfare more than non-recipient households in the study area. Household welfare is augmented by 0.116 if the household is under the shade of international remittances. A significant impact of international remittances on the reduction of household poverty is also found in this study. Therefore, this paper suggests policymakers for utilizing international remittances as a significant tool to enhance household welfare and to reduce household poverty.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for health, social, and economic domains, but what has received far less focus is the effect on people’s relationship to vital ecological supports, including access to greenspace. We assessed patterns of greenspace use in relation to individual and environmental factors and their relationship with experiencing psychological symptoms under the pandemic. We conducted an online survey recruiting participants from social media for adults in Korea for September–December 2020. The survey collected data on demographics, patterns of using greenspace during the pandemic, and major depression (MD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) were applied to identify probable cases of MD and GAD. A logistic regression model assessed the association decreased visits to greenspace after the outbreak compared to 2019 and probable MD and GAD. Among the 322 survey participants, prevalence of probable MD and GAD were 19.3% and 14.9%, respectively. High rates of probable MD (23.3%) and GAD (19.4%) were found among persons currently having job-related and financial issues. Of the total participants, 64.9% reported decreased visits to greenspace after the COVID-19 outbreak. Persons with decreased visits to greenspace had 2.06 higher odds (95% CI: 0.91, 4.67) of probable MD at the time of the survey than persons whose visits to greenspace increased or did not change. Findings suggest that barriers to greenspace use could deprive people of mental health benefits and affect mental health during pandemic; an alternative explanation is that those experiencing poor mental health may be less likely to visit greenspaces during pandemic. This implies the need of adequate interventions on greenspace uses under an outbreak especially focusing on how low-income populations may be more adversely affected by a pandemic and its policy responses.

The development of compartmentalized neuron culture systems has been invaluable in the study of neuroinvasive viruses, including the alpha herpesviruses Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and Pseudorabies Virus (PRV). This chapter provides updated protocols for assembling and culturing rodent embryonic superior cervical ganglion (SCG) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in Campenot trichamber cultures. In addition, we provide several illustrative examples of the types of experiments that are enabled by Campenot cultures: 1. Using fluorescence microscopy to investigate axonal outgrowth/extension through the chambers, and alpha herpesvirus infection, intracellular trafficking, and cell-cell spread via axons. 2. Using correlative fluorescence microscopy and cryo electron tomography to investigate the ultrastructure of virus particles trafficking in axons.

There is increased concern that the quality, generalizability, and reproducibility of biomedical research can be influenced by the sex of animals used. We studied the differences between male and female mice in response to invasive pulmonary mucormycosis including susceptibility to infection, host immune reaction, and responses to antifungal therapy. We used diabetic ketoacidotic (DKA) or neutropenic mice infected with either Rhizopus delemar or Mucor circinelloides. The only difference detected was that when DKA mice were infected with M. circinelloides, female mice were more resistant to infection than male mice (median survival time of 5 vs. 2 days for female and male mice, respectively). However, a 100% lethality was detected among infected animals of both sexes. Treatment with either liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) or posaconazole (POSA) protected mice from infection and eliminated the difference seen between infected but untreated female and male mice. Treatment with L-AMB consistently outperformed POSA in prolonging survival and reducing tissue fungal burden of DKA and neutropenic mice infected with R. delemar or M. circinelloides, in both mouse sexes. Although little difference was detected in cytokine levels among both sexes, mucormycosis infection in the DKA mouse model induced more inflammatory cytokines/chemokines involved in neutrophil (CXCL1) and macrophage (CXCL2) recruitment vs. uninfected mice. As expected, this inflammatory response was reduced in the neutropenic mouse model. Our studies show that there are few differences between female and male DKA or neutropenic mice infected with mucormycosis with no effect on the outcome of treatment or host immune response.

The purpose of this study was to arrange a green roof on a sheet metal house to achieve winter heat preservation and summer thermal insulation using different plants and soil media, and to maintain the advantage of cost-saving and quick installation of sheet metal houses. In terms of the research method, the roof insulation, heat preservation and plant growth index were tested. Plants were grown in 10 container-type green roofs on the sheet metal house roof, and the physical environment of the building was monitored for one year. Five containers of commercially-available culture soil and five containers of sustainable composite were used as the media for growing five kinds of plants, respectively. The control group only had a sheet metal house roof. There were 11 experimental modules for testing whether the green roofs had thermal insulation, heat preservation and plant growth effects on a general sheet metal house. The results showed that, regarding the thermal insulation benefit assessment, the Sedum acre cv. robustum of green roof Groups B to D caused the temperature to be 38.29°C lower than the surface of the simple sheet metal house roof in August, showing a temperature difference of 54%.

(1) Background: The diphtheria toxoid antigen is a major component in pediatric and booster combination vaccines and is known to raise a protective humoral immune response upon vaccination. Although antibodies are considered critical for diphtheria protection, little is known about the antigenic determinants that maintain humoral immunity. (2) Methods: One hundred twelve 15-mer peptides covering the entire sequence of DTx protein were prepared by Spot-synthesis. Membrane-bound peptides immunoreactivity with sera from mice immunized with triple DTP vaccine allowed mapping of continuous B-cell epitopes, topological studies, MAPs synthesis, and ELISA development. (3) Results: Twenty epitopes were identified, being 2 in the signal peptide, 5 in the CD, 7 in the HBFT domain, and 5 in the RBD. Two 17-mer (CB/Tx-2/12 and CB/DTx-4-13) derived bi-epitope peptides linked by a Gly-Gly spacer were chemically synthesized. The peptides were used as antigens to coat ELISA plates and assayed with human (huVS) and mice vaccined sera (miVS) for in vitro diagnosis of diphtheria. The assay proved to be highly sensitive (99.96%) and specific (100%) either for huVS and miVS and when compared with a commercial ELISA test, demonstrate high performance. (4) Conclusions: Our work displayed the complete picture of the linear B cell IgG response epitope of the DTx responsible for the protective effect and demonstrated the specificity and eligibility to enter phase IIB studies of some epitopes to develop new and fast diagnostic assays.

Zika virus (ZIKV), without a vaccine or no effective treatment approved as yet, have globally spread since the past century. The infection caused by ZIKV in humans has changed progressively from mild to subclinical in the last years, causing epidemics with greater infectivity, tropism towards new tissues, and other related symptoms as a product of various emergent ZIKV-host cell interactions. However, it is still unknown why or how the RNA genome structure impacts those interactions in differential evolutionary origin strains. Moreover, genomic comparison of ZIKV strains from the sequence-based phylogenetic analysis is well known, but differences from RNA structure comparisons are less known. Thus, in order to understand the RNA genome variability of lineages of various geographic distributions better, 412 complete genomes in a phylogenomic scanning were used for studying the conservation of structured RNAs. We found specific genomic regions, which highlight their patterns of conserved RNA structures at the level of inter-geographical comparisons. We have proposed these structures as candidates for further experimental validation to establish their potential role in vital functions of the viral cycle of ZIKV and their possible associations with the singularities of different outbreaks that occurred in specific geographic regions.

Concrete, as one of the essential construction materials is responsible for a vast amount of emissions. Using recycled materials and gray water can considerably contribute to the sustainability aspect of concrete production. Thus, finding a proper replacement for fresh water, in the production of concrete, is significant. The usage of industrial wastewater, instead of water in the concrete can is considered in this paper. In this study, 450 concrete samples are produced with different amounts of wastewater. The mechanical parameters such as slump, compressive strength, water absorption, tensile strength, electrical resistivity, rapid freezing, half-cell potential, and appearance are investigated. The results showed that the usage of industrial wastewater does not significantly change the main characteristics of concrete. Although, increasing the concentration of the wastewater can decrease durability and strength features nonlinearly.

Background: The passage through university, as a complex experience, can heighten personal susceptibility to eating disorders. The objective of this research is to determine how gender, age, year of course, and center or faculty can influence the risk of an eating disorder among university students. Method: A transversal and descriptive study with a probabilistic sample of 516 Spanish students from 26 university degrees is performed, by administering the Inventory Eating Disorder-Reference criterion (EDI-3-RF) to the students. Results: It was found that the female students enrolled in second-year grades presented a greater obsession with thinness and body dissatisfaction, that the male students did more physical exercise to control their weight, and that those under 20 years and the students from both the Health and Law Faculties presented greater bulimic behavior. Conclusions: It is necessary to implement preventive measures adapted to the university students.

(1) Aim of the study was to investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of the airflow created by two commercially available non-contact tonometers, the CorvisST and the Ocular Re-sponse Analyser. (2) The airflow pressure was measured using a MEMS pressure sensor to inves-tigate the spatial and temporal distribution. The airflow from the CorvisST and Ocular Response Analyser were mapped to a 600µm and a 1mm resolution grid, respectively. (3) Central airflow pressure of the CorvisST (96.4 ± 1.4)mmHg was higher than the Ocular Response Analyser (91.7 ± 0.7)mmHg. The duration of the air-puffs also differed, with the CorvisST showing a shorter du-ration (21.483 ± 0.2881)ms than the ORA (23.061 ± 0.1872)ms. The rising edge of the CorvisST airflow pressure profile demonstrated a lower gradient (+8.94mmHg/ms) compared to the Oc-ular Response Analyser (+11.00mmHg/ms). Both had similar decay response edges; CorvisST -11.18mmHg/ms, Ocular Response Analyser -11.65mmHg/ms. (4) The study presents a valid method to investigate physical dimensions of the airflow pressure of non-contact tonometers. Novel findings relating to the magnitude, duration and spatial characteristics of the respective airflow pressures are reported. It is anticipated that this information will better inform clinical studies and theoretical models relating to ocular biomechanics.

The increasingly used approach of combining different simulation software in testing of automated driving systems (ADS) increases the need for potential and convenient software designs. Recently developed co-simulation platforms (CSP) provide the possibility to cover the high demand on testing kilometers for ADS by combining vehicle simulation software (VSS) with traffic flow simulation software (TFSS) environments. The emphasis on the demand of testing kilometers is not enough to choose a suitable CSP. The complexity level of the used vehicle, object, sensors and environment models is essential for valid and representative simulation results. Choosing a suitable CSP raises the question of how the test procedures should be defined and constructed and what the relevant test scenarios are. Parameters of the ADS, the environments, objects, sensors in VSS as well as traffic parameters in TFSS can be used to define and generate test scenarios. In order to generate a large number of scenarios in a systematic and automated way, suitable and appropriate software designs are required. In this paper we present a software design for CSP based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern and implementation of a complex CSP for virtual testing of ADS. Based on this design, an implementation of a CSP is presented using the VSS from IPG Automotive called CarMaker and the TFSS from PTV Group called Vissim. The results have shown that the presented CSP design and the implementation of the co-simulation can be used to generate relevant scenarios for testing of ADS.

Environmental decentralization (ED), or the allocation of environmental protection affairs and responsibilities among various administrative authorities, affects the effectiveness of environmental regulation in promoting green total factor productivity (GTFP). Based on panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2001 to 2015, this paper employs dynamic panel models to test the effects of environmental regulations (environmental protection investment, ENV; pollutant discharge fees, PDF) on GTFP, with or without being influenced by ED. Without the impact of ED, GTFP is significantly inhibited by ENV while significantly promoted by PDF. Considering the impact of ED, with the strengthening of ED, the negative effects of ENV on GTFP is significant; contrarily, the positive effects of PDF on GTFP is significant; improving provincial ED adds negative effects of ENV, while reduces the positive effects of PDF; increasing prefectural ED reduces negative effects of ENV; expanding county-level ED adds the positive effects of PDF. Therefore, to boost GTFP growth, prefectural environmental protection authorities should have more autonomy in ENV, while the county-level should have more autonomy in PDF.

In this study, our goal was to research land-use change by combining spatio–temporal land use/land cover monitoring (LULC (1989–2019) and urban growth modeling (1999–2039) in Benslimane, Morocco, to determine the effect of urban growth on different groups based on cellular automata (CA) and geospatial methods. A further goal was to test the reliability of the AC algorithm for urban expansion modeling. To do this, four years of satellite data were used at the same time as population density, downtown distance, slope, and ground road distance. The LULC satellite reported a rise of 3.8 km2 (318% variation) during 1989–2019. Spatial transformation analysis reveals a good classification similarity ranging from 89% to 91% with the main component analysis (PCA) technique. The statistical accuracy between the satellite scale and the replicated built region of 2019 gave 97.23 %t of the confusion matrix overall accuracy, and the region under the receiver operational characteristics (ROC) curve to 0.94, suggesting the model's high accuracy. Although the constructed area remains low relative to the total area of the municipality's territory, the LULC project shows that the urban area will extend to 5,044 km2 in 2019, principally in the western and southwestern sections. In 2019–2039, urban development is expected to lead to a transformation of the other class (loss of 1,364 km2), followed by vegetation cover (loss of 0.345 km2). In spatial modeling and statistical calculations, the GDAL and NumPy Python 3.8 libraries were successful.

The physicochemical parameters, mineral composition, and nutraceutical properties of commercial “mekmeko” teas powder were analyzed in the present study. The pH of samples was slightly acidic (3.74 to 4.15), titratable acidity was low (0.094 to 0.155%) and sensory attributes (over all acceptability) were wide variable (5.9 - 6.69). The optimized selected commercial “mekmeko” tea obtained pH(4.05), titrable acidity(0.069%) ,acceptable sensory results (6.69), acceptable highest content of zinc (0.069 mg•L−1), magnesium (2.12 mg•L−1), potassium (62.34 mg•L−1),iron (0.28 mg•L−1) and calcium (17.19 mg•L−1). The nutrceticual property of optimized commercial “mekmeko” tea obtained acceptable highest content in total phenols (211.38 mg•L−1), total flavonoids (62.98 mg•L−1), total catechins (409.67 mg•L−1), and total anthocyanins (581.97 mg•L−1). Optimized “Mekmeko” teas showed the highest antioxidant capacity levels in DPPH (718.41 μmolTE•L−1), ABTS (607.62μmolTE•L−1), and FRAP (953.81μmolTE•L−1) assays. The results obtained in the present work give information to consumers for choosing flavored-colored ready-to-drink “mekmeko” tea based on the physicochemical, nutritional and nutraceutical properties.

The paper presents an assessment of the growth dynamics of the modal fir plantations in the Lower Angara region. At present, a vast area of fir forests in the Lower Angara region is characterised by a significant decrease in sustainability due to periodic forest fires, insect pests outbreaks and diseases, which lead to their natural degradation and death. However, the intensity of coniferous stand growth in certain forest site characteristics persists in the long term. Therefore, creating regression models of forest growth and development involving the identification of site conditions is very important both from a practical point of view and for environmental monitoring. The materials of the mass inventory of 3491 stands served as the initial data for studying the processes of fir plantations natural growth. The Hoerl Model function is suitable for the best approximation of stand growth since it is characterised by high levelling factor (from 0.970 to 0.987) and a small standard error (not exceeding 7%). As a result of the research, there have been constructed sketches of the growth rate tables for the modal Siberian fir stands of the third bonitet class of the forb and mossy groups of forest types.

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is an important factor of stress tolerance in microbial cells. In yeast, the major enzyme of polyP biosynthesis is Vtc4, a subunit of the vacuole transporter chaperone (VTC) complex. In this study, we demonstrated that Vtc4 knockout in Saccharomyces cerevisiae not only decreased polyP content but also caused shifts in the composition of the intracellular polyP pool and changed the stress tolerance profile. In the mutant S. cerevisiae, the level of short-chain acid-soluble polyPs was decreased nearly 10-fold, whereas that of longer acid-insoluble polyPs was decreased only 2-fold, suggesting the existence of other enzymes compensating the production of long-chain polyPs. The Δvtc4 mutant showed inhibition of Mg2+-dependent phosphate uptake and decreased resistance to alkaline stress but increased tolerance to oxidation and heavy metal ions, especially Mn2+. Quantitative PCR revealed the upregulation of the DDR2 gene implicated in multiple stress responses and downregulation of PHO84 encoding a phosphate and Mn2+ transporter, which could account for the effects on phosphate uptake and Mn2+-related stress response in the Δvtc4 mutant. Our study indicates that short-chain polyPs, plays an important role in the regulation of stress response in yeast.

In this paper, the effects of different food-grade enzymes on the antigenicity of casein (CN), β- lactoglobulin (β-LG) and ɑ-lactalbumin (ɑ-LA) in natural cow milk were studied. The degree of hydrolysis (DH), SDS-PAGE and molecular mas (MW) distribution of cow milk (CM) hydrolysates was assessed. Additionally, the residual antigenicity of CM hydrolysates was evaluated by using ELISA and western blotting with anti-CN, anti-β-LG and anti-ɑ-LA rabbit polyclonal antibody. The results showed that Alcalase and Protamex hydrolysis could efficiently reduce the antigenicity of CN, β-LG, ɑ-LA, showed a higher DH and the loss of density of CM proteins, as indicated by SDS-PAGE. The increasing of the low MW (<3 kDa) in CM hydrolysates was also presented. It was also found that Protamex, Alcalase could be more efficiently hydrolyzed major allergenic of CM than other enzymes for the development of hypoallergenic cow milk. Our research will lay a theoretical foundation for the study of hypoallergenic cow milk.

A probe of a patient, seeking help in an emergency ward of a French hospital in late December 2019 because of Influenza like symptoms, was retrospectively tested positive to COVID-19. Despite the early appearance of the virus in Europe, the prevalence and virulence appeared to be low for several weeks, before the spread and severity of symptoms increased exponentially, yet with marked spatial and temporal differences. Here, we compare the possible linkages between peaks of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and the sudden, explosive increase of hospitalizations and mortality rates in the Swiss Canton of Ticino, and the Greater Paris and London regions. We also discuss the influence of Saharan dust intrusions on the COVID-19 outbreak observed in early 2020 on the Canary Islands. We find that high PM2.5 concentrations – possibly favored by air temperature inversions or Saharan dust intrusions – are not only modulating but even more so boosting severe outbreaks of COVID-19. We conclude that the overburdening of the health services and hospitals as well as the high over-mortality observed in various regions of Europe in spring 2020 can be linked to peaks of PM2.5 and likely particular weather situations that have favored the spread and enhanced the virulence of the virus. In the future, we recommend to monitor not only the prevalence of the virus, but also to consider the occurrence of weather situations that can lead to sudden, very explosive COVID-19 outbreaks.

The aim of this study was to assess the best timing to perform arthrocentesis in the management of temporomandibular disorders with regards to conservative treatment. A systematic search based on PRISMA guidelines, including a computer search with specific keywords, reference list search, and manual search was done. Relevant articles were selected after 3 search rounds for final review based on 6 predefined inclusion criteria, followed by a round of critical appraisal. Eleven publications, including 5 randomized controlled trials and 6 prospective clinical studies informed this review. The studies were divided into 3 groups based on the timing of arthrocentesis: 1). Arthrocentesis as the initial treatment, 2). Early arthrocentesis, and 3). Late arthrocentesis. Meta-analyses compared the efficacy of improvement in mouth opening and pain reduction in the 3 groups. The results were statistically significant and favoured early arthrocentesis, followed by late arthrocentesis in terms of both improvements in mouth opening and pain reduction. All 3 groups showed improvement in mouth opening and pain reduction. We conclude that early arthrocentesis may be able to produce the best clinical results, while arthrocentesis before attempting conservative treatment may produce less favourable outcomes.

Knowledge about the formation energies of compounds is essential to derive phase diagrams of multi-component phases with respect to elemental reservoirs. The determination of formation energies using common (semi-)local exchange-correlation approximations of density functional theory (DFT) exhibits well-known systematic errors if applied to oxide compounds containing transition metal elements. In this work, we generalize, reevaluate and discuss a set of approaches proposed and widely applied in the literature to correct for errors arising from the over-binding of the O2 molecule and from correlation effects of electrons in localized transition-metal orbitals. The DFT+U method is exemplarily applied to iron oxide compounds, and a procedure is presented to obtain U values, which lead to formation energies and electronic band gaps comparable to experimental values. Using such corrected formation energies, we derive the phase diagrams for LaFeO3, Li5FeO4 and NaFeO2, which are promising materials for energy conversion and storage devices. A scheme is presented to transform the variables of the phase diagrams from the chemical potentials of elemental phases to those of precursor compounds of a solid-state reaction, which represents the experimental synthesis process more appropriately. The discussed workflow of methods can directly be applied to other transition metal oxides.

This paper is focused on the analysis of methods used to assess effectiveness and efficiency of the occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) in a company. It reviews current Russian and international occupational safety and health standards. The paper details the method outlined in International Standard GOST 12.0.230.3-2016 “Occupational safety standards system. Management systems for occupational safety. Evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency” based on the data collected during the external audit of OSHMS function efficiency in a Russian mining company. Effectiveness and efficiency indicators were determined, and a generalized desirability coefficient was calculated. Weaknesses of the method proposed in GOST 12.0.230.3-2016 were identified and mathematical and linguistic solutions were proposed to improve it. Harrington function was used to determine a numerical and linguistic score. The performed calculation demonstrated that the company needed strategic management decisions to improve the current situation. Practical approaches were offered to enhance the company's systems-based occupational safety and health performance..

Objectives: To investigate the value of early lactate dynamic monitoring index in predicting prognosis of patients with sepsis and septic shock. Methods: We performed our test on 50 patients. Out of 50 patients, 28 are male, and 22 are female. Prospectively studied pediatric patients with septic shock were performed. Vital signs, Lactate clearance, were obtained at presentation 6 h, 12 h, 24 h over the first 48 h of hospitalization. The therapy received, outcome parameters of mortality and duration of hospitalization were recorded. Results: The statistical data and comparative analysis showed that an average of 16.88 days after admission, 5 patients have died, 17 patients are poorly prognosis leaves the hospital, and the remaining 28 are recovered and discharged. The primary outcome variable of mean 16 days hospitalization mortality rate was 10%. Poor prognosis 34% and fully recovery 56 % were observed. In this retrospective cohort study, a lactate level of more than 2.5mmol/L was the best threshold to predict 28-day mortality among severe sepsis and septic shock patients. In our research, we found mean LC 6 h 3.08mmol/L, and after 48 h mean it is 1.79mmol/L. Significant LC 6 h found, which is 8.08mmol/L in the death group patient where 48 h mmol/L shows significant high. Poor prognosis also presents a clinical increase of lactate level high in the LC 6 h analysis, which is 3.32mmol/L. Recovered patients showed a significant improvement after administering treatment depending on the patient organ involvement and good decrease of lactate reports achieved, which is 1.20mmol/L, where admission reports show it was 1.91mmol/L in LC 6 h. Mean Heart rate 94/51mmhg, pulse 119, temperature 39℃, respiratory rate 32.26, and urine output 456 ml recorded during our study. Death patient shows a remarkable detonation of those reports but has a significant clinical report with the recovered patients. Conclusion: The early lactate dynamic monitoring index has a high value in predicting sepsis and septic shock patients' prognosis, thus worth popularizing.

Inclusions in steels and alloys are known as factors that could lower deformation, mechanical, corrosion and other properties. Study of inclusions in nickel based alloys is important since these materials could suffer from corrosion degradation in harsh operational conditions, where inclusions could lead to a pitting initiation. For estimation of a harmful effect of different inclusions on corrosion resistance of Ni-based alloys, inclusion characteristics (such as composition, morphology, size, number and location) on film filter and dissolution of metal matrix around different inclusions on surfaces of metal samples after electrolytic extraction (EE) were investigated in two samples of industrial Ni-based alloys (alloy 718 and EP718). It was found that both Ni-based alloys have various inclusions: carbides (large size NbTi-C and small multicomponent carbides), nitrides TiNb-N and sulfides (TiNb-S in EP718 alloy). The higher harmful effect on corrosion resistance of metal was detected around sulfides and small carbides containing Mo, W, Cr. Dissolution effect was also observed around large carbides and nitrides, especially around inclusions having size more than 10 µm. Moreover, the dissolution of metal matrix around inclusions and clusters located on the grain boundaries is 2.1-2.7 times larger compared to that for those inclusions inside of grains of the given alloy samples.

Abstract: A large number of collecting expeditions were launched in regions of ‘centers of diversity’ and hundreds of thousands of sample have been collected and stored in gene banks as ‘genetic resources’. So far, only a small number of the samples have been evaluated for their biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Now, their time to become useful has come. A new global phenomenon has arisen – climate change. The crop genetic resources and their wild progenitors that have survived countless years of changing environment during the last 11,000 years could harbor genes that may be useful under the new growing conditions and environmental factors thrown up by climate change and global warming. With the deployment of modern bio-engineering techniques selected genes or gene fragments can be transferred from genetic resources to modern varieties of crop plants to make them well-prepared to mitigate the effects of global warming and climate change. The latter is the most serious issue facing plant breeders today. New pests and diseases could affect crop production. These review paper discusses various impacts and issues as a result of this phenomenon and suggest ways to safeguard our most important crops through better management of crop plant genetic resources in the near future.

Budget deficits, economic crisis and competing demands for lean state resources are clear reasons why governments, especially in sub-Saharan Africa are now inclined towards the public-private partnership model of infrastructure finance. This paper comparatively examines the regulation of public-private partnership in Nigeria and South Africa. The aim is to highlight areas where both countries can learn from their experiences. The paper finds that beyond the problem of overlapping laws, weak institutional mechanisms and the need to check the arbitrariness of public officials as some of the problems that need to be addressed to build strong public-private partnership regimes in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper recommends among others, holistic strategies for strengthening the framework and practice in both countries and the need to make the public-private partnership process less cumbersome.

Consumption of milk contaminated with antibiotic residues above the maximum residue limit (MRL) causes direct toxicity to humans and the development of superbugs that leads to the failure of antibiotic therapy and threatens human life. Besides, long-duration exposure might alter the nature of gut microflora results in the enhancement of many diseases. Therefore, we examined 300 raw and processed packet milk samples using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method against five veterinary antibiotics and assessed the risk for consumers in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Risk analysis was calculated by using hazard quotient on the basis of 165 ml per capita milk consumption. We found a total of 7% prevalence of antibiotic residues in raw milk samples which were higher (8%) in individual samples than the pooled samples (4%). However, we did not find any processed packet milk samples as positive. The mean concentration of oxytetracycline residue was detected 61.29 µg/l and amoxicillin was 124 µg/l in individual milk samples. Risk analysis showed the hazard quotient values of 0.0056 for oxytetracycline and 0.0017 for amoxicillin residue which was confirmed that, no significant health risk associated with the consumption of milk produced and marketed in the study area. Our study might fill the gap of knowledge to measure the safety status of milk regarding public health issues.

The time series of daily new cases of Covid-19 infection in different zones of Italy, several European countries and New York City were analyzed in order to characterize the large fluctuations contained in them. The comparison shows that the time series share a similar evolution, although with delays of one or two weeks, with Italy that precedes the other countries. Correlation analysis indicates a strict resemblance between the time series of the first differences, which emphasize accelerations and slowdowns of the epidemic (e.g., correlation coefficient r=0.70 for Italian vs. worldwide data). According to Fourier analysis the signals have a dominant oscillatory component at a period of seven days, with minima located near the weekends. Some of the possible causes of this time modulation are discussed. In particular, it is hypothesized a delayed or missed recognition of a significant fraction of the new cases during the weekend, with possible consequences for the evolution of the epidemic.

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are the major cell type in the epi- or sub-retinal membranes in the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), which is a blinding fibrotic eye disease and still short of effective medicine. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate if Chalocomoracin (CMR), a novel purified compound from fungus-infected mulberry leaves, is able to inhibit vitreous-induced signaling events and cellular responses intrinsic to PVR. Our studies have revealed that the CMR IC50 for ARPE-19 cells is 35.5 μM at 72 hours, and that 5 μM CMR inhibits vitreous-induced Akt activation and p53 suppression; in addition we have discovered that this chemical effectively blocks vitreous-stimulated proliferation, migration and contraction of ARPE-19 cells, suggesting that CMR is a promising PVR prophylactic.

The Planning and implementation of construction projects are difficult processes and are burdened with many risk elements. The budget spread over time, which is developed on the basis of the schedule, presents the expected distribution of costs throughout the duration of the works, which during the implementation of the project is subject to constant changes resulting from time, cost and organizational factors. Managing construction contracts requires managers to be able to analyze on an ongoing basis the variances of production costs - from the values calculated in the offer cost estimate and assumed in the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled. The article attempts to analyze the emerging time and cost deviations using proprietary T/S and T/C monitoring, based on simple indicators of the EVM method. An example of construction of a multi-family housing development was used to study the variances of planned and incurred costs.

Water covers a greater part of the earth's surface. Even though we know very little about the underwater world as most parts of it remain unexplored. Oceans including other water bodies hold huge natural resources and also the aquatic lives. These are mostly unexplored and very few of those are known due to unsuited and hazardous environments for the human to explore. This vast underwater world can be monitored remotely from a distant location with much ease and less risk. To monitor water-bodies remotely in real-time, sensor networking has been playing a great role. It is needed to deploy a wireless sensor network over the volume which we want to surveil. For vast water bodies like oceans, rivers and large lakes, data is collected from the different heights of the water level which is sent to the surface sink. Unlike terrestrial communication, radio waves and other conventional mediums can't serve the purpose of underwater communication as they pose high attenuation and very reduced transmission range. Rather an acoustic medium can transmit data more efficiently and reliably in comparison to other mediums. To transmit data reliably from the bottom of the sea to the sinks at the surface, multi-hop communication is needed which must involve a certain scheme. For seabed to surface sink communication, leading researchers have proposed different routing protocols. The goal of these routing protocols is to make underwater communication more reliable, energy-efficient and delay efficient thus to improve the performance of the overall communication. This paper surveys the advancement and applications of the routing protocols which eventually helps in finding the most efficient routing protocol for the Underwater Wireless Sensor Network (UWSN).

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

Over abundance of magnetic monopoles predicted by the Grand Unification Theories is inconsistence with current astronomical observation. The inflationary hypotheses with a vacuum energy deriving the exponential expansion can explain the two long-standing problems, flatness and horizon of the universe; and somehow suppress the abundance of monopoles. However, the dynamical scalar field has considerable uncertainties, which even leads to inflationary models separating from particle physics. This paper makes a small change, the early universe undergoes free expansion rather than an adiabatic one widely adopted, In such a case, the annihilation of abundant magnetic monopoles is just required in driving the inflation, so that the three long-term problems are automatically solved. On the other hand, the relic mass of failed annihilation of monopoles is responsible for the dark matter at present epoch. And ongoing annihilation on stars and compact objects corresponds to the dark energy. As monopole relics may exist in the form of monopole anti-monopole pairs, a new strategy of direct search is proposed.

In order to obtain makhwean (MK) fruit essential oil of constant aromatic profile during raw material sourcing, evaluation of relationship between genotype, phenotype and chemical profiles are necessary. Three specimens of the MK (MK1-3) distributed in Northern Thailand were genetically and morphologically compared with other Zanthoxylum spices known locally as mamaad (MM) and makwoung (MKO), respectively. MM was taxonomical confirmed as Z. armatum based on plant structure and leaf characteristic (Odd-pinnately compound leaf). MKO and MK were identified as Z. rhetsa and Z. myriacanthum using number of petals and anthers. Genetic sequencing by Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequence and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA moreover, divided these Zanthoxylum spps. into three groups accordingly to their species viz., MM, MKO and MK. Essential oil of the dried fruits from these samples was extracted and analysed for physical and chemical profiles. Cluster analysis (PCA-biplot) of volatile compositions was able to separate 1) MK1 and MK3 with limonene as leading component, 2) MK2 and MKO related with sabinene and β-philandrene, 3) MM with linalool. By using odour attribute representatives, the essential oil of MKO and MK1-3 were closely related possessing fruity, woody and citrus aromas, while the MM was sweet/ floral. In summary for MK raw material sourcing, plant genotyping played the most important role to odour characteristics than growing locations, thus plant species confirmation should be first considered.

The speed with which text can be read is determined in part by the spatial regularity and similarity of vertical letter strokes as assessed by the height of the first peak in the horizontal autocorrelation of the text. The height of this peak was determined for two passages in 20 fonts. The peak was unaffected by the size of the text or its content but was influenced by the font design. Sans serif fonts usually had a lower peak than serif fonts because the presence of serifs resulted in a more even spacing of letter strokes. There were small effects of justification and font- dependent effects of font expansion and compression. The visual comfort of images can be estimated from the extent to which the Fourier amplitude spectrum conforms to 1/f. Students were asked to adjust iBooks to obtain their preferred settings of font and layout. The preference was predicted by the extent to which the Fourier amplitude spectrum approximated 1/f, which in turn was jointly affected by the design of the font, its weight and the ratio of x-height to line separation. The above algorithms can be usefully applied to any orthography to estimate likely speed and comfort of reading.

This paper aims in studying the effect of vermicompost on soil and growth of the plant Sesamum indicum L. by measuring the its various growth and yield components. For this purpose, a mixture of textile mill sludge, cow dung and saw dust have been mixed in different ratios to produce vermicompost by using the earthworm Perionyx excavates and was compared with inorganic (NPK) and organic fertilizer (FYM). The results of soil quality revealed that the porosity, water holding capacity (WHC), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and occurrence of macronutrients were significantly increased and the particle density were decreased in treatment with 100% vermicompost (VC) followed by soil treated with 50% VC + 50% NPK, on contrary, reduction in porosity, WHC, CEC were noted in NPK treated plots. The effect of vermicompost on plant growth components (root, shoot, leaf area index, branch, DMP) and yield components (pod number, weight, length, seed weight, number of seed, seed yield) were significantly higher in the plots treated with 50% VC + 50% NPK followed by 100% vermicompost than the plots treated only with FYM and NPK. The significant growth upon using vermicompost was accounted by its nutrients composition over other fertilizers.

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

It is of merit to study the appropriate amount of fiber to add to free-range chickens feed to improve the microbial diversity and gut health in times of plant fiber deprivation. OptiCell is a useful source of fiber as a type of eubiotic lignocellulose, and its positive effects on the growth performance and laying performance of chickens has already been proven. However, few researchers have researched the effects of adding OptiCell on the gut microbiota of chickens. In this research we added three different levels of OptiCell (0%, 2% and 4%) to the feed of caged and free-range Bian chickens from September to November, aiming to observe the effects of adding OptiCell and different feeding modes on the gut microbial diversity and gut health of chickens, and aiming to determine an appropriate amount of OptiCell. The results showed that adding OptiCell could increase the thickness of the cecum mucus layer and the abundance of Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium in caged chickens, and 4% OptiCell was optimum. In addition, adding OptiCell increased the microbial diversity and the abundance of the butyrate-producing bacteria Faecalibacterium and Roseburia of fee-range chickens. The α-diversity and the length of the small intestine with 2% OptiCell in free-range chickens were better than with 2% OptiCell in caged chickens. In addition, compared with caged chickens, the free-range chickens had longer small intestine and lower GLP-1. Taken together, an appropriate amount of OptiCell benefitted the microbial diversity and health of chickens; it was necessary to add dietary fiber to the feed of free-range chickens when plant fibers was lacking, and 2% OptiCell was found to be optimum.

Because Newton's gravity and Einstein's general theory of relativity are macroscopic gravitational theories, therefore, this paper attempts to establish a set of quantum gravity theory of the microscopic expression of Newton's and Einstein's theory of gravity to make up for the shortcomings of the existing macro-gravity theory at the micro level, and further develop the macroscopic gravity theory into the microscopic field. Based on the cognition of the field theory model, from the general assumption, space-time is further regarded as an ideal fluid, from the perspective of the distribution of ideal fluid density, this paper derives the Newton's universal gravitational equation and Einstein's general relativity equation. On the micro level, the gravitational field is further interpreted as a gradient field of space-time density; the Newtonian potential is further interpreted as the density of an object at the micro level; gravity is further interpreted as the potential pressure(space-time pressure) exhibited by the gradient of the density of the object at the micro level; flection space-time is further interpreted as the embodiment of the gradient distribution of the ideal fluid (space-time) density at the micro level. Based on a modified gravitational model, it explains the dynamics of the stars' rotation and revolution.

Three-dimensional structure of six closely related hydrogenases from purple bacteria has been modeled by combining template-based and ab initio modeling approach. The results lead to conclusion that there should be 4Fe3S-cluster in the structure of these enzymes. Thus, these hydrogenases could drive attention for exploring their oxygen tolerance and practical applicability in hydrogen fuel cells. Analysis of 4Fe3S-cluster's microenvironment showed intragroup heterogeneity. Possible function of the C-terminal part of the small subunit in membrane binding has been discussed. Comparison of the built models with existing hydrogenases of the same subgroup (membrane-bound oxygen-tolerant hydrogenases) has been carried out. Analysis of intramolecular interactions in the large subunits showed statistically reliable differences in number of hydrophobic interactions and number of ionic interactions. Molecular tunnels were mapped in the models and compared with structures from PDB. Protein-protein docking showed that these enzymes could exchange electrons in oligomeric state, which is important for oxygen-tolerant hydrogenases. Molecular docking with model electrode compounds showed mostly the same results as with hydrogenases from E.coli, H. marinus, R. eutropha, S. enterica; some interesting results were shown in case of HupSL from Rba. sphaeroides and Rvx. gelatinosus.

The radiosensitivity of biological systems is strongly affected by the system oxygenation. On the nanoscopic scale and molecular level, this effect is considered to be strongly related to the indirect damage of radiation. Even though particle track radiolysis has been the object of several studies, still little is known about the nanoscopic impact of target oxygenation on the radical yields. We present here an extension of the chemical module of the Monte Carlo particle track structure code TRAX, taking into account the presence of dissolved molecular oxygen in the target material. The impact of the target oxygenation level on the chemical track evolution and the yields of all the relevant chemical species is studied in water under different irradiation conditions: different linear energy transfer (LET) values, different oxygenation levels, and different particle types. Especially for low LET radiation, a large production of two highly toxic species (HO₂^• and O₂^•− ), which are not produced in anoxic conditions, is predicted and quantified in oxygenated solutions. The remarkable correlation between the HO₂^• and O₂^•− production yield and the oxygen enhancement ratio observed in biological systems suggests a direct or indirect involvement of HO₂^• and O₂^•− in the oxygen sensitization effect. The results are in agreement with available experimental data and previous computational approaches. An analysis of the oxygen depletion rate in different radiation conditions is also reported.

Magnetic iron oxide particles are used for in vitro diagnostics for nearly 40 years. Due to their unique physical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties, as well as biocompatibility and low toxicity in the human body, iron oxide nanoparticles have been used in many biomedical applications, such as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, carriers for controlled drug delivery and immunoassays, but also in magnetic hyperthermia. Our aim is to investigate the effect of pressure and temperature on the structural, thermal and magnetic properties of iron oxide nanomaterials prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized at temperatures of 100-200°C and pressures of 20-1000 bar. It has been found that pressure influences the type of iron oxide crystalline phase. Thus, for lower pressure values (< 100 bar), iron oxide is predominantly formed as hematite, while at pressures > 100 bar, the major crystalline phase is goethite. The complex thermal analysis revealed the polymorphic changes of iron oxides at different temperatures. The existence of specific magnetite and hematite phases in all thermally treated samples are evidenced through the specific Verwey and Morin transitions highlighted by ZFC-FC (Zero Field Cooled-Field Cooled) measurements, whereas their relative content is precisely provided by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

In this paper we review dynamics and roughness of bonds in proteins on example of albumin, that is important from the physiological point of view. We have performed computer simulations of albumin chain. Statistics were collected by performing many simulations realizations for each experimental setting. We concentrate on hydrogen bonds, cation-π and π- π interactions and NP contacts. Histograms of hydrogen bonds length are positively skewed in contrary to histograms of interactions and HP contacts that are negatively skewed. Scaling exponents of power spectra of energies of bonds / interactions /contacts are in range -0.2 to -0.5 and significantly differ between various hydrogen bonds or interactions. Varying scaling of such spectra can be used to classify between distinct bonds or contacts. Concerning particular amino-acids, largest amount of HBO H20 bonds are between Glutamate (GLU) amino-acids and water particle, while large amount of HBO bonds are formed with Lysine (LYS). For HP contacts the mayor role plays Phenylalanine (PHE) and Leucine (LEU) amino-acids. From decay curves HBO H2O bonds decays in fastest rate, while HBO bonds and HP contacts at slowest rate. We present as well decay curves of bonds formed by particular amino-acids, that gives interesting results.

Mineral profile of beef interests human health, but also animal performance and meat quality. This study analyzes the relationships of 20 minerals in beef (ICP-OES) with 3 animal performance and 13 meat quality traits analyzed on 182 samples of Longissimus thoracis. Animals’ breed and sex showed limited effects. The major sources of variation (farm/date of slaughter, individual animal within group and side/sample within animal) differed greatly from trait to trait. Mineral contents were correlated to animal performance and meat quality being significant 52 out of the 320 correlations at the farm/date level, and 101 out of the 320 at the individual animal level. Five latent factors explained 69% of mineral co-variation. The most important, “Mineral quantity” factor correlated with age at slaughter and with the meat color traits. Two latent factors (“Na+Fe+Cu” and “Fe+Mn”) correlated with performance and meat color traits. Two other (“K-B-Pb” and “Zn”) correlated with meat chemical composition and the latter also with carcass weight and daily gain, and meat color traits. Meat cooking losses correlated with “K-B-Pb”. Latent factor analysis appears be a useful means of disentangling the very complex relationships that the minerals in meat have with animal performance and meat quality traits.

This study aimed to assess the psychological effects of being processed by the justice system, either as a plaintiff or as a defendant. The sample consisted of 360 subjects, 32.8% defendants and 52.2% plaintiffs, residents in the Autonomous Community of Galicia (NW Spain). A lot of psychological test were administered. The results indicated significant differences between plaintiffs and defendants. The former were more pessimistic about the future, used poor strategies for protecting health, and had less empathy. In contrast, defendants had a more negative outlook on life, and in general more psychosomatic symptomology. Thus, both defendants and plaintiffs suffered health problems. Moreover, the group with the longest exposure to litigation had the worst deteriorated health. In conclusion, defendants were more pessimistic about the future, used poor strategies for protecting their own health, and showed less empathy. Likewise, plaintiffs had a more negative outlook on life, and on the whole presented more psychosomatic symptomology. Thus, both defendants and plaintiffs presented health problems. Moreover, the comparison between litigants and non-litigants showed health was more deteriorated in the former, but only in a few specific variables.

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

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

The study explores antibacterial, antiinflammatory and cytoprotective capacity of Pelargonium sidoides DC root extract (PSRE) and proanthocyanidin fraction from PSRE (PACN) under conditions characteristic for periodontal disease. Following previous finding that PACN exerts stronger suppression of Porphyromonas gingivalis compared to the effect on commensal Streptococcus salivarius, the current work continues antibacterial investigation on Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Escherichia coli. PSRE and PACN are also studied for their ability to prevent gingival fibroblast cell death in the presence of bacteria or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), to block LPS- or LPS+IFNγ-induced release of inflammatory mediators, gene expression and surface antigen presentation. Both PSRE and PACN were more efficient in suppressing Staphylococcus and Aggregatibacter compared to Escherichia, prevented A. actinomycetemcomitans- and LPS induced death of fibroblasts, decreased LPS-induced release of interleukin 8 and prostaglandin E2 from fibroblasts and IL-6 from leukocytes, blocked expression of IL-1β, iNOS, and surface presentation of CD80 and CD86 in LPS+IFNγ-treated macrophages, and IL-1β and COX-2 expression in LPS-treated leukocytes. None of the investigated substances affected either the level of secretion or expression of TNFα. In conclusion, PSRE, and especially PACN, possess strong antibacterial, antiinflammatory and gingival tissue protecting properties under periodontitis mimicking conditions and are suggestable candidates for treatment of the disease.

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

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

It is shown that gravity and quantum physics can be unified upon the basis of a quark description in terms of a gravitational Dirac particle. It requires the awareness of a second elementary dipole moment (isospin) next to the angular moment (spin) of Dirac particles and the awareness of an (unbroken) omnipresent energetic cosmological background field. The unification has been made explicit by an expression that relates the two major gravitational constants of nature (the gravitational constant and Milgrom’s acceleration constant) with the two major nuclear constants of nature (the weak interaction boson and the Higgs boson).

Researchers from around the world are looking for better and cheaper ozone production. One of the methods increasing the efficiency of ozone production is the use to a rotating electrode presented in this paper. Experiments were carried out which shows that the most important parameters are the materials used on the electrodes and the condition of its surface. The metallographic investigations of the electrodes after continuous monthly work was made, which show how the raids layers are formed. As a result of working in a highly oxidizing environment, the electrode is oxidized in the process of chemical corrosion. It is obvious that the layer of corrosion products created during the work of the plasma reactor isolates the surface of the electrode, which reduces the intensity of the electric field, causing a decrease in the amount of plasma generated, which is a direct cause of lowering the concentration of ozone during this process. The dynamics of plasma generation process and the type of electrode material working in changing process conditions are the decisive factors influencing the concentration of ozone produced. The influence of the medium, which is the electrode material, depends mainly on its resistance to corrosion in the environment of dynamically changing conditions, e.g. electrode rotation, oxygen flow through the rotating electric field and the long monthly working time of the plasma reactor.

Using a combination of pan proteomic platform associated with systemic biology analyses, we demonstrate that neonatal microglial cells derived from cortex and spinal cord expressed different phenotypes upon the physiological or pathological conditions. They also highlight great variability in protein production on both cellular and exosome levels. Bioinformatics data indicate for the cortical microglia anti-inflammatory and neurogenesis/tumorigenesis characteristics, while for the spinal cord microglia involvement in the inflammatory response. We confirmed these results by performing functional testing including neurite outgrowth assays in DRGs cell line, and glioma proliferation analysis in 3D spheroid cultures. Results from these in vitro assays indicate that the microglia located at different CNS areas reveal differential biological functions. While both microglia sources enhanced growth of DRGs axons, only the spinal microglia significantly attenuated glioma proliferation. Overall these findings are pointing to the fact that the origin of neonatal microglia affects the physio-pathological function, which may address the prevalence of the glioma in the brain in comparison with the spinal cord in adult.

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

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

In this work we aim to experimentally study the nucleation and growth of CaCO3 phases precipitated from supersaturated aqueous solutions in the presence of varying concentrations of sulphate oxyanion. The experiments were conducted under pH conditions close to neutral (7.6) and considering a wide range of initial (SO42-)/(CO32-) ratios (0 to ~ 68) in the aqueous solution. We paid special attention to the evolution of the precipitates during ageing within a time framework of 14 days. The mineralogy, morphology and composition of the precipitates were studied by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and EDX microanalysis. The concentration of sulphate ions in the reacted aqueous solution was study by ICPs. The experimental results show that the mineral composition of the precipitate recovered in each run varied with the (SO42-)/(CO32-) ratio in the parental solution, which influences the mineral evolution of the precipitates during ageing. We observe that high concentrations of sulphate in the aqueous solution stabilize the vaterite precipitates and inhibit calcite formation. Furthermore, aragonite never precipitates directly form the solution and it is only formed via a dissolution-precipitation process in solutions with high (SO42-)/(CO32-) ratio after long reaction times. Finally, gypsum only precipitates after long ageing in those aqueous solutions with the highest concentration of sulphate. The reaction pathways during ageing, the morphology of the calcite crystals and the composition of vaterite and calcite are discussed considering both, kinetic and thermodynamic factors. These results show a considerably more complex behavior of the system than that observed in experiments conducted under higher pHs and supersaturation levels and lower (SO42-)/(CO32-) ratios in the aqueous phase.

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

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

According to the characteristics of the sustainable development of subway traffic, the establishment process of an evaluation index system is determined, and the evaluation method and basis are defined. The evaluation index system is established from the aspects of subway traffic sustainability, economic sustainability and urban coordination sustainability. The comprehensive evaluation method of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model is used to calculate the weights of comprehensive evaluation indexes at each level. Finally, the sustainable development model of Shijiazhuang subway traffic is evaluated. The results show that the proposed evaluation system and model reflect the degree of sustainable development of subway traffic and can be used for reference in the evaluation of regional subway traffic sustainable development.

In this paper, some mixed type bounds on the spectral radius $\rho(A\circ B)$ for the Hadamard product of two nonnegative matrices ($A$ and $B$) and the minimum eigenvalue $\tau(C\star D)$ of the Fan product of two $M$-matrices ($C$ and $D$) are researched. These bounds complement some corresponding results on the simple type bounds. In addition, a new lower bound on the minimum eigenvalue of the Fan product of several $M$-matrices is also presented: $$ \tau(A_{1}\star A_{2}\cdots\star A_{m})\geq \min_{1\leq i\leq n}\{\prod^{m}_{k=1}A_{k}(i,i)-\prod^{m}_{k=1}[A_{k}(i,i)^{P_{k}}-\tau(A_{k}^{(P_{k})})]^\frac{1}{P_{k}}\}, $$ where $A_{1},\ldots, A_{k}$ are $n\times n$ $M$-matrices and $P_{1},\ldots, P_{k}>0$ satisfy $\sum^{m}_{k=1}\frac{1}{P_{k}}\geq 1$. Some special cases of the above result and numerical examples show that this new bound improves some existing results.

Fire behavior of natural rubber latex foam under different thickness conditions(d=1,2and 5cm)were explored though a little of experiments by using the self-built small scale experimental platform. It can be shown that the flame spread law of thermally thin and thermally thickness are different. Natural rubber latex foam with thickness of 2cm show higher fire risk, which value of flame spread rate, maximum flame height, maximum mass loss rate and maximum temperature is 0.00293m/s, 851.875mm, 1.83g/s, 948K,repectively.That may because the thickness of residue formed of thermally thick materials is larger than the thin one, obstructing the contact of the natural rubber latex foam with fresh air .In addition, a special phenomenon is noticed that during the second stage, the bottom unburned zone located in the four edges(thermally thin material) and middle player(thermally thick material).

Background and objectives: Diabetes mellitus is a disease of insulin deficiency or its inability of usage by the target tissues leading to impairment of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolisms. Resveratrol, having robust anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, has a high potential to treat or prevent the pathogenesis of diseases. This study was conducted to reveal the relationship between diabetes-induced oxidative stress and tissue inflammation with changes in main enzymatic antioxidants (cat, sod, gpx, and gst) and the components of the insulin signaling pathway (insulin Rβ, irs-1, pi3k, akt, mtor) in kidney tissues. Additionally, the effects of resveratrol on these parameters were evaluated. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups; (1) control/vehicle; (2) control/20 mg/kg resveratrol; (3) diabetic/vehicle; (4) diabetic/20 mg/kg resveratrol. Gene and protein expressions of antioxidant enzymes and insulin signaling elements were evaluated in renal tissues. Results: Downregulation of antioxidant enzymes’ gene expression in the kidney tissues of diabetic rats was demonstrated and this situation was devoted partially to the reduced gene expression of nfκb. Moreover, the components of renal insulin signaling elements were upregulated at both gene and protein expression levels in diabetic rats, and resveratrol treatment decreased this sensitization towards the control state. Conclusion: Resveratrol partially improved diabetes-induced renal oxidative stress and inflammation due to healing action on renal antioxidant enzymes and insulin signaling pathway components.

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

The present studies deliver the computational investigations of a 10 MW turbine with a diameter of 205.8 m developed within the framework of the AVATAR (Advanced Aerodynamic Tools for Large Rotors) project. The simulations were carried out using two methods with different fidelity levels, namely the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and blade element and momentum (BEM) approaches. For this purpose, a new BEM code namely B-GO was developed employing several correction terms and three different polar and spatial interpolation options. Several flow conditions were considered in the simulations, ranging from the design condition to the off-design condition where massive flow separation takes place, challenging the validity of the BEM approach. An excellent agreement is obtained between the BEM computations and the 3D CFD results for all blade regions, even when massive flow separation occurs on the blade inboard area. The results demonstrate that the selection of the polar data can influence the accuracy of the BEM results significantly, where the 3D polar datasets extracted from the CFD simulations are considered the best. The BEM prediction depends on the interpolation order and the blade segment discretization.

The limitations of investment casting of cobalt-based alloys are claimed to be less problematic with significant improvements in metal additive manufacturing by selective laser melting (SLM). Despite these advantages, the metallic devices are likely to display mechanical anisotropy in relation to build orientations, which could consequently affect their performance ‘in vivo’. In addition, there are inconclusive evidence concerning the requisite composition and post-processing steps (e.g. heat-treatment to relieve stress) that must be completed prior to the devices being used. In the current paper, we evaluate the microstructure of ternary cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (Co-Cr-Mo) and cobalt-chromium-tungsten (Co-Cr-W) alloys built with Direct Metal Printing and LaserCUSING SLM systems respectively at 0°, 30°, 60° and 90° inclinations (Φ) in as-built (AB) and heat-treated (HT) conditions. The study also examines the tensile properties (Young's modulus, E; yield strength, R_P0.2; elongation at failure, A_t and ultimate tensile strength, R_m), relative density (RD), and micro-hardness (HV5) and macro-hardness (HV20) as relevant physico-mechanical properties of the alloys. Data obtained indicate improved tensile properties and HV values after short and cost-effective heat-treatment cycle of Co-Cr-Mo alloy; however, the process did not homogenize the microstructure of the alloy. Annealing heat-treatment of Co-Cr-W led to significant isotropic characteristics with increased E and A_t (except for Φ = 90º) in contrast to decreased R_P0.2, R_m and HV values, compared to the AB form. Similarly, the interlaced weld-bead structures in AB Co-Cr-W were removed during heat-treatment, which led to a complete recrystallization in the microstructure. Both alloys exhibited defect-free microstructures with RD exceeding 99.5%.

In this paper, we analyze data from the 2012 Encuesta de Integración Social y Salud (Social Integration and Health Survey) of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spanish National Institute of Statistics) to obtain profiles created by combining disability, poverty and social exclusion. We hypothesize that the probability that people will experience social exclusion increases if they have a disability, chronic illness or limitation in conducting everyday activities, and that this probability is greater for women than for men. To conduct our analysis, we constructed a social exclusion model based on a series of social determinants that acts as a dependent variable. In this context, social exclusion is understood to go beyond the concept of financial poverty. We performed bivariate analyses, in which we calculated the Odds Ratios (OR) for certain variables considered to be predictors of social exclusion. We also performed a means comparison test and an ANOVA test to observe differences between individuals with recognized disability and those without. Finally, we conducted logistic regression analysis to determine which vulnerability profiles are most likely to experience a situation of social exclusion. We also discuss the limitations of our study, and suggest areas in, which the relationships between health, social exclusion and disability can be further investigated.

As the necessity for safety and aesthetic of nightscape have arisen, the importance of nightscapes (i.e., nighttime landscape) planning has garnered the attention of mainstream consciousness. Therefore, this study is to suggest the guideline for nightscape planning using electroencephalography (EEG) technology and survey for recognizing the characteristics of a nightscape. Furthermore, we verified the EEG method as a tool for landscape evaluation. This study analyzed the change of relative alpha power and relative beta power and self-reporting of participants in order to investigate the correlation between EEG and fear according to twelve nightscape settings. Our findings indicated the corresponding measures of fear vary accordance with whether there was people or not, and the environmental settings (Built Nightscape Images; BNI vs Natural Nightscape Images; NNI). Based on our physiological EEG experiment, we provided a new analytic view of the nightscape. The approach we utilized enables a deeper understanding of emotional perception and fear among human subjects by identifying the physical environment which impacts how they experience nightscapes.

Here is shown method for the hydraulic solution of a looped gas-pipeline networks. Calculation of presented network is done according to principles of Hardy Cross method. The optimization was carried out by iteration of the pipes diameters, node consumptions are known and flow velocities through pipes have to stand below certain values. Accent is on determination of appropriate friction factor, and on selection of representative equation for natural gas flow under presented conditions in the network. Inappropriate usage of friction factor, equally as inappropriate usage of gas flow equation can lead to inaccurate final results. Here is shown new facts in comparison to previous calculation of gas distribution network in Kragujevac, Serbia which is done in 1994. After the implementation, measurements in situ have performed, and real measured values deviate from calculated. Causes for these errors are investigated, and improved and more accurate procedure is shown.

A potassium bromide KBr material, which has been widely used as the key element in the Fourier spectrometers and as the output window of the IR-lasers, has been studied with good advantage via applying the carbon nanotubes in order to modify the potassium bromide surface. The laser oriented deposition method has been used to place the carbon nanotubes at the matrix material surface in the vertical position at the different electric field varied from 100 to 600 V×cm-1. The main idea of the improvement of the spectral properties of the potassium bromide structure is connected with the fact that the refractive index of the carbon nanotubes is substantially less than the refractive index of the studied material, and the small diameter of the carbon nanotubes allows one to embed these nano-objects in the voids of the lattice of the model matrix systems. Moreover, the mechanical characteristics and wetting features of the potassium bromide structures have been investigated under the condition mentioned above. Analytical and quantum-chemical simulations have supported the experimental results.

The consumption of alcohol and drugs of abuse among pregnant women has experienced a significant increase in the last decades. Optimal maternal nutritional status is of great importance for proper fetal development, yet is often altered with alcohol or drugs consumption. There is a lack of information on the effects of alcohol and drugs on maternal nutritional status, so the focus of this review was to provide an overview on nutrional status of mother and fetus in abusers pregnant women. Alcohol and drugs consumption can adversely affect the quality and quantity of proper nutrient supply and energy intake, resulting in malnutrition especially of micronutrients (vitamins, omega-3, folic acid, zinc, choline, iron, copper, selenium). When maternal nutritional status is compromised by alcohol and drugs essential nutrients are not available for the fetus, this can result in suboptimal outcomes like Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). It is critical to determine a means to resolve and reduce the physical and neurological malformations that develop in the fetus as a result of prenatal alcohol and drugs exposure combined with poor maternal nutrition. Prenatal nutrition interventions are required that may prevent or alleviate the development of such abnormalities.

We investigated the structural evolution of the two-phase blends of polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at various blend compositions by simultaneous biaxial stretching using optical microscopy and SEM observation. The spherical PMMA domains and PC matrix in 30/70 PC/PMMA were enlarged uniformly at all in-plane direction, while the anisotropic-shaped co-continuous structure in 50/50 PC/PMMA was deformed to crosshatched one by in-plane bimodal orientation. In 70/30 PC/PMMA, the phase inversion was found to occur by simultaneous biaxial stretching; i.e., the spherical PMMA domains were changed to crosshatched matrix by in-plane bimodal orientation due to coalescence of the PMMA domains during the stretching. Owing to the phase inversion, the surface hardness estimated by pencil hardness test became harder from 2B to 2H with increasing the strain from 1.0 to 2.0.

The pharmacokinetics of salicylic acid (SA) in sheep was evaluated following intravenous (IV) and oral administration of sodium salicylate (sodium salt of salicylic acid) at different doses. Six healthy sheep were administered sodium salicylate (SS) IV at doses of 10, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight and another six sheep were drenched with 100 and 200 mg/kg of SS orally. Both studies were randomised crossover trials. A one-week washout period between each treatment was allowed in both studies. Blood samples were collected at 0, 15, 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours after IV and oral SS administrations. Plasma SA concentrations were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method. Pharmacokinetic variables were calculated in a non-compartmental model. The elimination half-life (T_{1/2 el}) of SA after IV administration of 200 mg/kg SS was 1.16 ± 0.32 hours. Mean bioavailability of SA was 64%, and mean T_{1/2 el} was 1.90 ± 0.35 hours, after 200 mg/kg of oral SS. The minimum plasma SA concentration (16.8 µg/mL) required to produce analgesia in humans was achieved after IV administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg SS in sheep for about 0.17 hour in this study. Experiments on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamics modelling are required to determine the actual effective plasma concentration range of SA in sheep.

Both fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver are the end results of most kinds of chronic liver damage and present a common but difficult clinical challenge throughout the world. The inhibition of the fibrogenic, proliferative, and migratory effects of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) has become an experimental therapy for preventing and even reversing hepatic fibrosis. Furthermore, a complete understanding of the function of non-coding RNA-mediated epigenetic mechanisms in HSC activation may improve our perception of liver fibrosis pathogenesis. This review focuses on an evolving view of molecular mechanisms in which HSC activation by miR-29a signaling may moderate their profibrogenic phenotype, thus supporting the use of miR-29a agonists as a potential therapy for treating liver fibrosis in the future.

In the lightning rods categorized as ESE an intermittent voltage impulse is applied to the lightning rod to modulate the electric field at its tip in an attempt to speed up the initiation of a connecting leader from the lightning rod when it is under the influence of a down coming stepped leader. In this paper it is shown that due to the stepping nature of the down coming stepped leader, there is a natural modulation of the electric field at the tip of any lightning rod exposed to the lightning stepped leaders and this modulation is much more intense than any artificial modulation that is possible under practical conditions. Based on the results it is claimed that artificial modulation of the electric field at the tip of lightning rods by applying voltage pulses to it is an unnecessary endeavor because the nature itself has endowed the tip of the lightning rod with a modulating electric field. Thus, as far as the effectiveness of artificial modulation of the tip electric field is concerned, there could be no difference in the lightning attachment efficiency between ESE and Franklin lightning rods.

Rhotekin is an effector protein for small GTPase Rho. This protein consists of a Rho binding domain (RBD), a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, proline-rich regions and a C-terminal PDZ-binding motif. We and other groups have identified various binding partners for Rhotekin and proposed their possible physiological roles. However, functions of Rhotekin per se are largely unknown and information about its physiological roles are fragmentary. In this review, we summarize known features of Rhotekin in neuronal tissues and cancer cells. We also describe characteristics of binding partners for Rhotekin and predicted roles of their interaction.

Background: Gut-Brain-Axis provides bidirectional communicational route; imbalance of which can have pathophysiological consequences. It is a frontier in autism research, affects 85% of autistic children (NIH report). Their microbiome has few overall microbes and smaller number of health promising microbes than their neurotypical peers. We hypothesize autism gut might play a role in manifestation of autism behaviours and on treatment, can revert back to normal behaviour considerably. The aim is to better understand to what degree gut microbiota of autism subjects differs from controls and identify bacterial species present exclusively in autism. Materials and Methods: 16s-rRNA-sequence of autism-subjects were retrieved from the American Gut Project Archive. Taxonomic assignment was inferred by similarity based methods using Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME). Species abundance was characterized and co-occurrence network was built to infer species interaction using measures of diversity. Statistical parameters were considered to validate the findings. Result: A total of 206 (1.8%) of American Gut Project datasets onstituted of autistic samples. Various bacteria such as Akkermansia sp., and Prevotella sp., were harboured in higher abundance in autistic children with statistical significance than in controls. Conclusion: These findings indicate connecting-link between gut-microbiome-brain-axis and autistic behaviour which can result in improved management

Genus Clematis is one of the largest within Ranunculaceae. Here we report the chloroplast genome of two Clematis species, C. brachyura and C. trichotoma endemic to Korea. The chloroplast genome lengths of C. brachyura and C. trichotoma are 159,532 bp and 159,170 bp, respectively. Gene contents in the complete chloroplast genomes of these two Clematis species are identical to that of most Ranunculaceae and other angiosperms. However, our data results demonstrated that genus Clematis has inversion and rearrangement events concerning gene rps4 gene, rps16 to trnH region, and trnL to ndhC region, and IR regions expansion. Comparison of IR regions among Ranunculaceae species revealed that Clematis species contained six protein coding genes (infA, rps8, rpl14, rpl16, rps3, and rpl22) usually found in the long single copy (LSC) region of other species. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that genus Clematis is closely related to genus Ranunculus. Differences in repeat structure, substitution rates, and IR expansion in genera Clematis and Ranunculus, explained their relationship. Clematis species showed slightly higher tandem repeats content than Ranunculus species. The six protein-coding genes showed lower synonymous substitution rates in the IR of Clematis species than in the LSC of Ranunculus species. Overall, the chloroplast genomes and results presented here provide important information on the evolution of Ranunculaceae.

Humans are exposed to the environmental pollutants 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2, 4-DCP) and 2, 5-dichlorophenol (2, 5-DCP) through air, use of water and consuming products. In this study, we evaluated the urinary concentrations of these compounds in Korean people from the age of 18 to 69 years by making use of the data from the Korean National Human Biomonitoring Survey that was completed in 2009. Of 1,865 representative Koreans, 63.4% and 97.9% were found to have concentrations of 2, 4-DCP and 2, 5-DCP > 0.05 μg/L (limit of detection) in their urine. The geometric mean urinary concentrations were 0.14 μg/L (confidence interval of 95% = 0.13–0.16) and 0.44 μg/L (confidence interval = 0.41–0.48), respectively. It was fond that the adjusted proportional changes in 2, 4-DCP concentrations were significantly associated with body mass index, whereas those of 2, 5-DCP concentrations were influenced by place of residence. From these findings, it is evident that most adults in Korea have levels of 2, 4-DCP and 2, 5-DCP that are detectable in their urine and burden of these compounds on their bodies varies depending on numerous demographic factors.

Fruits of chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz] are widely consumed in Mesoamerica, but little is known about the nutraceutical potential. This study aimed to determine the chemical compositions, antioxidant activities from the juice fruits from two commercial varieties of chayote cultivated in Mexico, as well as a proposal for the elaboration of chayote juices with stevia leaves and pineapple juice. The physicochemical properties of juice from virens levis (VL) and nigrum spinosum (NS) varieties were determined using standard methods. The juice of the two varieties differ significantly regarding the concentrations of total soluble solids, total sugars, but not vitamin C. The total concentration of phenolics in NS extracts was slightly higher than in VL (1005 and 856 mg 100 g⁻¹ dry-weight, respectively) but the total flavonoid contents were similar (27 and 26 mg 100 g⁻¹ dry-weight, respectively). Cucurbitacin D was predominant in both varieties. The radical scavenging capacities of VL and NS extracts varied slightly (IC50 = 0.45 to 0.65 mg mL⁻¹), while the antioxidant activities were similar (~80%). The NS variety is particularly promising regarding nutraceutical application. The chayote juice combined with stevia and pineapple maintain the original nutraceutical characteristics from the fruit, but enhanced the organoleptic characteristics like density and sugar/acidity balance.

For planetary gear has the characteristics of small volume, light weight and large transmission ratio, it is widely used in high speed and high power mechanical system. Poor working conditions result in frequent failures of planetary gear. A method is proposed for diagnosing faults in planetary gear based on permutation entropy of Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) in this paper. The original signal is decomposed into 6 intrinsic mode functions (IMF) and residual components by CEEMDAN. Since the IMF contains the main characteristic information of planetary gear faults, time complexity of IMFs are reflected by permutation entropies to quantify the fault features. The permutation entropies of each IMF component are defined as the input of ANFIS, and its parameters and membership functions are adaptively adjusted according to training samples. Finally, the fuzzy inference rules are determined, and the optimal ANFIS is obtained. The overall recognition rate of the test sample used for ANFIS is 90.75%, and the recognition rate of gear with one missing tooth is relatively high. The recognition rates of different fault gears based on the method can also achieve better results. Therefore, the proposed method can be applied to planetary gear fault diagnosis effectively.

In order to understand the effect of Pb-CuI co-doping on the thermoelectric performance of Bi₂Te₃, n-type Bi₂Te₃ co-doped with x at% CuI and 1/2x at% Pb (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.10) were prepared via high temperature solid state reaction and consolidated using spark plasma sintering. Electron and thermal transport properties, i.e., electrical conductivity, carrier concentration, Hall mobility, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity, of CuI-Pb co-doped Bi₂Te₃ were measured in the temperature range from 300 K to 523 K and compared to corresponding x% of CuI-doped Bi₂Te₃ and undoped Bi₂Te₃. The addition of a small amount of Pb significantly decreased the carrier concentration, which could be attributed to the holes from Pb atoms, thus the CuI-Pb co-doped samples show a lower electrical conductivity and a higher Seebeck coefficient compared to CuI-doped samples with similar x values. The incorporation of Pb into CuI-doped Bi₂Te₃ rarely changed the power factor because of the trade-off relationship between the electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient. The total thermal conductivity(κ_tot) of co-doped samples (κ_tot ~1.4 W/m∙K at 300 K) is slightly lower than that of 1% CuI-doped Bi₂Te₃ (κ_tot~1.5 W/m∙K at 300 K) and undoped Bi₂Te₃ (κ_tot ~1.6 W/m∙K at 300 K) due to the alloy scattering. The 1% CuI-Pb co-doped Bi₂Te₃ sample shows the highest ZT value of 0.96 at 370 K. All data on electrical and thermal transport properties suggest that the thermoelectric properties of Bi₂Te₃ and its operating temperature can be controlled by co-doping.

The alteration of the delicate balance that regulates the secretion and distribution of the tear film determines the dry eye (DE) syndrome, because the tear film represents the interface between the eye and the environment. Despite having a multifactorial origin, the main risk factors for the emergence of the ocular disease are female gender and advanced age. Likewise, morphological changes in several glands and in chemical composition of their secretions such as proteins, mucins, lipidics, aqueous tears, and salinity, are highly relevant factors to maintain a condition of good health of the ocular anterior segment. Another key factor of recurrence and onset of the disease is the presence of local and/or systemic infiammation that reflex on the ocular surface. However, it is one of the most commonly encountered disease in clinical practice and many other causes related to daily life and to lengthen the average life will contribute to the beginning. This review will consider how and what disorders of the ocular surface are responsible for a widespread pathology so. In the end, the most appropriate and new therapies will be briefly exposed according to the specific pathology.

The concept of smart morphing blades, which can control themselves to reduce or eliminate the need for active control systems, is a highly attractive solution in blade technology. In this paper an innovative passive control system based on Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) is proposed. On the basis of previous thermal and shape characterization of a single morphing blade for a heavy-duty automotive cooling axial fan, this study deals with the numerical analysis of the aerodynamic loads acting on the fan. By coupling CFD and FEM approaches it is possible to analyze the actual blade shape resulting from both the aerodynamic and centrifugal loads. The numerical results indicate that the polymeric blade structure ensures proper resistance and enables shape variation due to the action of the SMA strips.

This research focuses on the effect of trampling on vegetation in high-mountain ecosystems through the electromagnetic spectrum’s interaction with plant pigments, cell structure, water content and other substances that have a direct impact on leaf properties. The most heavily visited part of the High Tatras in Poland was divided into polygons and, after selecting the dominant species within alpine swards, a detailed analysis of trampled and reference patterns was performed. An ASD FieldSpec 3 was used to acquire high-resolution spectral properties of plants, their fluorescence and the leaf chlorophyll content with the ts-ta temperature index and fraction of accumulated radiation in the range of photosynthesis (fAPAR) used as reference data. The results show that, along tourist trails, vegetation adapts to trampling with the impact depending on the species. A lower chlorophyll value was confirmed by a decrease in fluorescence, and the state of cellular structures was degraded in trampled compared to reference species, with a lower leaf reflectance. Also, at the extreme, trampling can eliminate certain species such as Luzula alpino-pilosa.

Biochar is a carbon-rich material that recently received attention due to its increasing agronomical potential. The agricultural utilization of biochar relates to its potential to act in the soil as a soil conditioner, nevertheless, the complex information on the direct dependence of biochar physical properties (texture, particle size) and corresponding leaching and availability of organic molecules (e.g. the polycyclic and heterocyclic organic compounds) and inorganic mineral salts (based on micro– and macroelements) are still not consistent. These aspects were addressed in our study. A multi-elemental analysis (ICP-OES) was used to access the information on the aqueous-extractable and total contents of inorganic macro- and macroelements in used commercial biochar samples (purchased from Sonnenerde GmbH, Novoterrra Sonnenerde GmbH, Biouhel.cz, s.r.o.). Potassium (K) was identified as the major macroelement, responsible for alkaline pH and the conductivity of biochar extract. Our results indicate an indirect relation between the size fraction of biochar and the content of extractable K, sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca) and a direct relation with the contents of phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg). As the total determined amounts of inorganic elements were significantly higher compared to aqueous-extractable amounts, we believe it could indicate the potential for repeated release to the surrounding soil. These findings were also confirmed by the analysis of biochar samples obtained after the cultivation (duration of 2 years) in selected representative soil samples from the Czech Republic (Cambisol, Fluvisol, Regosol, Chernozem). Moreover, gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS) was further used to reveal the concentrations of available polycyclic aromatic and heterocyclic compounds in biochar samples. The detected concentration of these types of organic compounds were far below the certified limits. We believe our in-depth analysis could provide the necessary insight into the description of biochar mineral content, its connection to biochar texture, corresponding physicochemical properties and potential availability to leach nutrients to the soil. These findings could help in further assessment of the potential applications of biochar in modern agriculture as a soil conditioner.

Abstract: Background: Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality, yet postpartum deaths remain a significant issue. Emphasis on quality postnatal care (qPNC) is crucial, as increased coverage alone has not sufficiently reduced maternal morbidity and mortality. Methods: This study included data from the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey of 32,106 mothers who delivered within three years prior to the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to report coverage and components of postnatal care stratified by covariates. Log-linear regression models were used to assess the determinants of quality postnatal care among facility and home births. Results: From 2010 to 2016, postnatal care coverage within 48 hours of delivery by a qualified provider rose from 23% to 47%. 94% of facility births received timely PNC, contrasted with only 6% for home births. Despite the increased coverage, quality of care remained as low as 1% for home births and 13% for facility births. Key factors affecting qPNC utilization included socio-demographic factors, pregnancy complications, delivery method, financial readiness, and mobile ownership. Conclusion: Importantly, deliveries assisted by skilled birth attendants correlated with higher quality postnatal care. The study reveals a significant gap between the coverage and quality of postnatal care in rural Bangladesh, especially for home births. It underscores the need for targeted interventions to enhance qPNC.

In the present study, bivalent nanovaccines of S. iniae and F. covae were administered by immersion vaccination at 30 and 40 days after hatching (DAH), and the third vaccination was orally administered by feeding at 50 DAH. Five different groups were designed: group 1 was set as the control group, and groups 2-4 were vaccinated using the same protocols. ELISA revealed that the levels of total IgM and specific IgM to S. iniae, and F. covae were significantly elevated in groups 2-4 at 10, 20, and 30 days after vaccination (DAV). A qRT‒PCR analysis of immune-related genes revealed significantly higher IgT expression in the vaccinated groups compared with the control group, as revealed by 44-100-fold changes in the vaccinated groups compared with the control (p &lt; 0.001) at every tested time point after vaccination. All vaccinated groups expressed IgM, MHCIIα and TCRα at significantly higher levels than the control group at 10 and/or 20 DAV (p &lt; 0.05). In the S. iniae challenge tests, the survival of vaccinated groups 2-4 ranged from 62.15 ± 2.11 to 75.70 ± 3.36%, which significantly differed from that of the control group (44.44 ± 1.92%). Similarly, all vaccinated groups showed higher survival rates of 68.89 ± 3.85 to 77.78 ± 5.09% during F. covae challenge than the control groups (50.00 ± 3.33%) (p &lt; 0.05).

As an emerging model, self-service fitness centers are reshaping the consumer fitness experience globally. Given the crucial role of customer loyalty in the sustainable operation and management of fitness service enterprises, this study constructs a structural model incorporating service quality, service convenience, customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth intentions, and repatronage intentions. The model is designed to elucidate the factors and mechanisms impacting customer loyalty at self-service fitness centers and further investigates how these relationships are affected by service methods, either with staff or without staff. The study employs PLS-SEM to empirically analyze 552 customer questionnaires from four self-service fitness centers in first-tier cities in China. The results reveal positive correlations among the constructs in the structural model, emphasizing the important position of raising service quality standards and reducing the time and effort expended by customers in the management of customer loyalty. Concurrently, service convenience was found to play a significant driving role in customers' perceived service quality. Through the chain-mediating effect of service quality and customer satisfaction, service convenience exerts a considerable positive impact on word-of-mouth intentions and repatronage intentions. Moreover, the study reveals significant differences in these relationships when considering service methods, either with staff or without staff.

Phytoalexins are naturally-occurring molecules with antimicrobial activity deriving from the secondary metabolism of plants, which are synthesized in response to physical agents or stresses, phytopathogenic agents (fungi, bacteria and viruses) as well as numerous chemical compounds and biological control agents. Among these, grapevine phytoalexins, which belong to the chem-ical group of stilbenes, exhibit biocidal activity against a large number and a variety of plant pathogens. An important issue in research on these compounds is to be able to stimulate their synthesis in planta and to determine whether the induction of their production can serve as a basis for protecting that plant against its pathogens. Quite a few chemical compounds, derivatives of phytohormones bio-elicitors as well as biocontrol agents have been used to induce the synthesis of stilbene phytoalexins with the aim of conferring protection to grapevine against its main dis-eases (gray mold, downy mildew, powdery mildew and esca). This article reviews the experi-ments that have been carried out in this direction during the last thirty years and shows that the observed protective effects towards pathogens are generally linked to induction and priming of the grapevine phytoalexin response, confirming the interest of using, in a more general way, stimulation of the production of phytoalexins in plants as a basis for crop protection.

(1) Introduction: Every two hours, a Romanian woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer [1] as the country ranks second in Europe in terms of mortality and incidence rate [2]. This paper aims to identify the main reasons that have led to this situation, focusing on the measures taken by the Romanian Ministry of Health for the prevention of this type of cancer national - programs for cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination. (2) Materials and methods: We performed a study based on available secondary data from the National Statistics Institute, World Health Organization and Bucharest Institute of Oncology in order to assess the burden associated with cervical cancer and placing it in the context of known global and European incidence and mortality rates, thus evaluating the importance of this health issue in Romania. The second component of our study was a cross-sectional study, using a 14 questions questionnaire, applied to the women participating in the National Screening Program for Cervical Cancer, aimed to evaluate the women’s level of knowledge about screening and HPV vaccination and their access cervical cancer specific health-care services. (3) Results: The results of the research shows that a high percentage of women postpone the routine checks due to lack of time and financial resources and indicate that low level of knowledge about the disease and the specific preventive methods determines low participation screening and HPV vaccination programs implemented in Romania contributing to the country’s situation of cervical cancer. (4) Conclusions: The national programs have complicated procedures, are underfunded, and do not motivate enough health care workers. This combined with the lack of information adds up to an extremely low number of women screened and vaccinated. Our conclusion is that the Romanian Ministry of Health must take immediate action by conducting major awareness campaigns, implementing measures to make the programs functional and ensuring coherent funding.

A novel manufacturing process is presented for producing Nano powders and thin films of CuCoO₂ (CCO) material. This process utilizes three cost-effective synthesis methods: hydrothermal, sol-gel, and solid-state reactions. The resulting delafossite CuCoO₂ samples were deposited onto transparent substrates through spray pyrolysis, forming innovative thin films with a Nano crystal powder structure. Prior to the transformation into thin films, CuCoO₂ powder was first produced using a low-cost approach. The precursors for both powders and thin films were deposited onto glass surfaces using a spray pyrolysis process, and their characteristics were examined through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, HR-TEM, UV-visible, and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses was conducted to determine the conductivity in transversal direction of this groundbreaking material for solar cell applications. On the other hand, the sheet resistance of the samples was investigated using the four probe-method to obtain the sheet resistivity and them calculate the in plane conductivity of the samples. We also investigated the aging characteristics of different precursors with varying durations. The functional properties of CuCoO2 samples were explored by studying chelating agent and precursor solution aging periods. Resuming, this study thoroughly discusses the synthesis of delafossite powders and their conversion into thin films, which hold potential as hole transport layers in transparent optoelectronic devices.

The impact of early maternal age on several outcomes (e.g. mental health issues, delinquency, aggression, impulsivity, victimization and interpersonal difficulties) has been studied since the late 1980s. Research has demonstrated links between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma related outcomes such as substance abuse, interpersonal and self-directed violence, and sexual risk-taking, to name a few. The current study analyzed the incidence of ACE exposure and mental health outcomes (e.g. suicidal behaviors or self-harm, psychiatric hospitalizations, and substance use) as related to early maternal age in youth known to have experienced trafficking or sexual abuse. General demographics and incidence of various experiences and clinical presentations (e.g. ACE exposure, age of mother at birth of youth and age at first birth), and history of self-harm, substance use and psychiatric hospitalization were examined in a sample of 225 youth referred for services subsequent to experiences of sex trafficking or exploitation. Relationships between ACE exposure and maternal age related to mental health outcomes was also examined. Trafficked and exploited youth reported rates of ACE exposure and poor mental health outcomes at far greater rates than the general population. Significant findings were related to early maternal age and engaging in self-harm or suicidal behaviors. Previously anticipated mediational analyses were not conducted due to the sample size and lack of correlations. Findings highlight the significant ACE exposure and high needs of exploited, trafficked and abused youth and related mental health outcomes, emphasizing the need for early and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic interventions.

The growth of two pairs of co-cultures (Escherichia coli/Geotrichum candidum, and Staphylococcus aureus/Geotrichum candidum) with a starter culture of lactic acid bacteria was studied in milk at temperatures related to artisanal cheesemaking ripening. For an inoculum of approximately 106 CFU/mL, LAB not only induced an early stationary phase of E. coli (two strains BR and PS2) and S. aureus (strains 2064 and 14733) but affected their death phase. G. candidum was found to be the subject of interactions with LAB within a given temperature range only partially. To develop a tertiary model for the growth curves of the populations, a one-step approach was used, combining two types of primary models (Huang and Gimenez and Dalgaard) with secondary square root models for growth rate and lag time. Furthermore, the reparametrized Gompertz-inspired function with the Bigelow secondary model was used to describe the death phase of the E. coli and S. aureus strains. The prediction ability of the growth of the H-GD tertiary model for co-cultures was cross-validated within the strains and data sets in milk and milk medium with 1 % NaCl.

The chlorophyll content and mineral compositions of plants are highly dependent on the species' physiological responses and environmental stress tolerance. The chlorophyll content is important for determining abiotic stress tolerance in tomatoes and peppers. Several studies found that foliar applications of specific components increased tomato and pepper output by increasing nutrient uptake. After transferring the seedlings to the incubator, three tomatoes (Mobil, Korall, and Tyking F1) and three pepper varieties (Carma, Fokusz, and Bobita F1) were sprayed. The following solutions were applied at a rate of 4 mL to each different plant: sodium bicarbonate (0.52%), 50 mg L-1 salicylic acid, and distilled water. A chlorophyll sensor (SPAD-502) was used to collect 5 measurements from each plant after 2 days and 8 days of spraying. Five plant sap samples were collected from ten plants after 38 days of transplantation. The calcium ion (Ca+2), potassium ion (K+), and nitrate (NO3-) contents (mg L-1) in plant sap were measured using three calibrated electronic sensors of the type (HORIBA instruments LAQUA-TWIN). The factorial analysis of two factors was used in data collection and statistical analysis. The first variable was the variety and the second was the spray treatment, and each record had five observations. The Tukey-Kramer test in Minitab 20 was used to assess differences in means between groups. Minitab 20's regression response optimizer was used to determine the maximum and minimum responses to calcium, potassium, nitrate, and chlorophyll content factors in each plant. Salicylic acid 50 mg L-1 produces the strongest multiple responses, particularly in tomato cultivars (Tyking F1 and Korall). The multiple minimum responses were for the variety (Mobil). Spraying (Mobil) with salicylic acid (50 mg L-1) and sodium bicarbonate (0.52%) produced unsatisfactory results. Salicylic acid 50 mg L-1 elicits also the most powerful multiple responses, particularly in the (Carma) pepper cultivar. The results revealed multiple minimum responses for the variety (Bobita F1). Finally, it is recommended that growers grow tomatoes (Mobil) without any supportive spraying treatment because the vigor of tomato (Mobil) seedlings was significantly higher in suboptimal environmental conditions. Gardeners should consider growing (Carma) pepper with a supportive spraying application of salicylic acid 50 mg L-1.

Abstract Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is considered a metabolic disorder that has been steadily increasing globally and seems to parallel the increasing prevalence of obesity. It consists of a cluster of risk factors, which traditionally includes obesity and hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. These four core risk factors are associated with insulin resistance (IR) and importantly, the MetS is known to increase the risk for developing cerebrocardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The MetS had its early origins in IR and syndrome X. It has undergone numerous name changes with additional risk factors and variables being added over the years; however, it still remains the MetS worldwide for the past three decades. This overview continues to add novel insights to the MetS and suggests that leptin resistance with hyperleptinemia, aberrant mitochondrial stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS), impaired folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism with hyperhomocysteinemia, vascular stiffening, microalbuminuria, and visceral adipose tissues extracellular vesicle exosomes be added to the list of associated variables. Notably, the role of a dysfunctional and activated endothelium and deficient nitric oxide bioavailability along with a dysfunctional and attenuated endothelial glycocalyx, vascular inflammation, systemic metainflammation, and the important role ROS and reactive species interactome are discussed. With new insights and knowledge regarding the MetS, comes the possibility of new findings through further research.