: The cytotoxic effect of four extracts obtained from the wild plant and two from a culture of Ag-eratina pichinchensis calluses on cell lines: prostate carcinoma, cervical cancer, hepatocellular car-cinoma, human hepatoma, lung cancer and cellular keratinocytes was evaluated; the extracts were obtained with ethyl acetate and methanol, leaves and stems were used from the wild plant. The results of the cytotoxic evaluation showed that only the ethyl acetate extract obtained from the callus culture showed an effect on the cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) with an IC50 of 94.79 ± 2.0 µg/mL. The purification of this extract allowed obtaining a benzofuran type compound as the main product, which was identified as 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran. The cytotoxic evaluation of this compound showed an important effect against the HeLa cell line with an IC50 of 23.86 ± 2. .5µg/mL. These results contribute to the development of alternatives for the production of com-pounds for the treatment of cancer.

The use of natural health products (NHP) is constantly increasing worldwide. Among the most NHP consumed are the resins of Commiphora myrrha (C. myrrha) tree. Consumption of C. myrrha may result in herb-drug interactions that can lead to serious health consequences. This study aims to determine the herb-drug interactions based on the induction of drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P-450 (CYP) 2C9 by a non-toxic boiled aqueous extract of C. myrrha and to unveil the potential involvement of xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptors such as Pregnane X Receptor (PXR), a well-known CYP 2C9 transcription factor. Tested at low concentrations (0.01-10 g/mL) devoid of anti-proliferative effects, boiled C. myrrha resin aqueous extract upregulated CYP 2C9 gene and protein expressions in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a mean expression level exceeding 3.0-fold change in Hep G2 cells, compared with the basal level expressed in untreated cells. Furthermore, chemical analysis using mass spectrometry and computational molecular docking using in silico studies revealed that few C. myrrha resin-derived metabolites are strongly bound to PXR. In particular, the identified metabolite named diayangambin exhibited a predicted molecular docking score close to that of a native PXR ligand. The use of the nuclear receptor binding assays confirmed the binding between C. myrrha metabolite(s) and PXR, while no binding to the other xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptor, the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), was observed, suggesting that C. myrrha metabolite(s) are potential PXR agonists. In conclusion, although in vivo studies are needed, this study cautions patients, healthcare providers, and governmental regulators against the consumption of C. myrrha and diayangambin-rich preparations with a high potential for herb-drug interactions through drug-metabolizing CYP 2C9 enzyme induction, which could affect drug efficacy.

We conducted a comparative study on the development of two synthetic methods. The solvent-free synthesis is a green chemistry method developed in a bid to ameliorate environmental adverse effects of the conventional solvent-based synthesis. The synthesis of novel dichloro and polymethoxy p-nitrophenylhydrazones through solvent free technique gave moderate to high yields which were however lower than those of the solvent-based method. The established solvent-free approach has several benefits, including universality and simplicity of the approach, catalyst-free conditions, non-use of an organic solvent, quick reaction time, fast and efficient workup, and un-solvated pure products in moderate to high yields.

The insertion of the Amazon into the global commodities market requires ensuring the rational use of resources to meet market and political-social demands, such as the UN 2030 Agenda. Therefore, responsible production practices, given the current demand for sustainable use of land and its re-sources, are essential. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify opportunities and challenges linked to the implementation and consolidation of sustainable production systems in the Amazon through a systematic literature review. To this end, articles were prospected in four databases (Science Direct, SpringerLink, Scopus and Wiley) covering the period from 2004 to 2024. A total of 5,385 articles were evaluated, and after the selection stages, only 39 were included. A low distri-bution of studies among states in the Brazilian Amazon was observed, with a peak in studies star-ting in 2015. The studies developed mostly addressed agroforestry systems and forest management. Although there are sustainable production systems and practices, research and public policies need to be promoted to help the different actors involved in agricultural production in the Amazon, generating income and quality of life.

The aim of our research was to evaluate and analyze serum 25(OH) vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency serves as a risk factor for an increased incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children. Serum PTH levels were used as an indicator of vitamin D sufficiency, as normal PTH levels require an optimal concentration of 25(OH) vitamin D. The study included 129 children, divided into five subgroups: children with acute bronchopneumonia (n=42), acute laryngotracheitis (n=7), acute bronchiolitis (n=32), acute bronchitis (n=18), and a control group (n=30). No statistically significant differences in 25(OH)D levels were observed between the overall population of children with ARI and the control group (p=0.073). However, significant differences in 25(OH)D levels were identified between the control group and children with bronchopneumonia, acute bronchitis, and laryngotracheitis (p<0.01, p<0.05). Vitamin D insufficiency was found in 28.3% of children with ARIs and 10% in the healthy group. Sufficient levels were present in 60% of healthy children and 48.5% of those with ARIs. Deficiency was observed in 4% of ARI patients and 3.3% of the control group. Regarding PTH levels, statistical significance was found between the control group and the acute bronchiolitis group, due to the high percentage of children with hypervitaminosis in this subgroup. These results highlight the crucial role of vitamin D in the onset and progression of acute respiratory tract infections in children, emphasizing its impact on their overall respiratory health.

Background: RO and ChRCC are kidney tumours with overlapping characteristics, making differentiation between them challenging. Objectives: The objective of this research is to create a radiogenomics map by correlating radiomic features to molecular phenotypes in ChRCC and RO, using resection as the gold standard. Methods: Fourteen patients (6 RO and 8 ChRCC) were included in the study. A total of 1,875 radiomic features were extracted from CT scans, alongside 632 cytobands containing 16,303 genes from the genomic data. Results: Feature selection algorithms applied to the radiomic features resulted in 13 key features. From the genomic data, 24 cytobands highly correlated with histology were selected and cross-correlated with the radiomic features. The analysis identified four radiomic features that were strongly associated with seven genomic features. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the potential of integrating radiomic and genomic data to enhance the differential diagnosis of RO and ChRCC, paving the way for more precise and non-invasive diagnostic tools in clinical practice.

This paper presents an approach to assess and improve the cybersecurity infras- tructure of developing countries. We have highlighted and addressed the critical gaps through a hybrid approach encompassing SWOT analysis, benchmarking using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and, Root Cause Analysis (RCA). This approach has provided a strong basis for evaluating cybersecurity performance by combining qualitative insights with quantitative metrics. As a case study, we have compared an underdeveloped country’s (Pakistan) cybersecurity pos- ture to five highly developed countries (Lithuania, Estonia, Singapore, Spain,and Norway). Our analysis has identified cybersecurity shortcomings and pro- vided actionable recommendations within a flexible framework, applicable for all developing countries to identify and address vulnerabilities, and align their cybersecurity infrastructure with international standards.

The increasing energy consumption and industrial activities that release carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere have become one of the most serious environmental issues of today. This article discusses the current status in Azerbaijan regarding the development of effective approaches to reduce carbon emissions and ensure sustainable development, and it proposes relevant strategies for managing the carbon footprint. By exploring the interrelationship between the economy and the environment, it aims to contribute to the formation of more effective policies for managing CO2 emissions in Azerbaijan. According to the results of the econometric model established within the research for the period of 1990-2023, as the Azerbaijan economy grows, per capita CO2 emissions tend to increase, which can be linked to rising industrial activity, energy consumption, and other factors driving economic growth. The presence of a positive long-term relationship between population growth and per capita CO2 emissions can be attributed to higher overall energy consumption, increased demand for goods and services, and rising transportation needs. The strong correlation between economic growth and CO2 emissions suggests that it may be too early to assert the validity of the Kuznets curve for Azerbaijan economy as a developing country.

Fluctuations in kynurenic acid (KYNA) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the brain reflect its neurological status. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of transiently elevated KYNA concentration in the cerebroventricular circulation on the expression of BDNF and its high-affinity tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) in specific structures of the sheep brain. Intracerebroventricularly cannulated anestrous sheep were subjected to a series of four 30-min infusions of KYNA: 4×5 μg/60 μL/30 min (KYNA20, n=6) and 4×25 μg/60 μL/30 min (KYNA100, n=6) or a control infusion (n=6), at 30-min intervals. Sections of the hippocampal CA3 field, amygdala (AMG), prefrontal cortex (PCx), and the hypothalamic medial-basal (MBH) and preoptic (POA) areas were dissected from the brain immediately after the experiment. The highest concentration of BDNF protein was found in the CA3 field (P&lt;0.01), which was 8-fold higher than in the AMG and 12-fold higher than that in the PCx (MBH and POA were not analyzed). The most pronounced BDNF mRNA expression was observed in the MBH followed by the PCx, POA, AMG and CA3, while the highest abundance of TrkB mRNA was recorded in the AMG followed by the MBH, PCx, CA3 and POA. KYNA increased (P&lt;0.05-P&lt;0.01) BDNF protein levels and the expression of its gene in the brain structures examined, with the effect varying by dose and brain region. KYNA, particularly at the KYNA100 dose, also increased (P&lt;0.01) TrkB gene expression, except for the AMG, where the lower KYNA20 dose was more effective (P&lt;0.01). These findings suggest a positive relationships between KYNA levels in the cerebroventricular circulation and BDNF-TrkB expression in specific brain regions in a sheep model. This indicates that a transient increase in CSF KYNA concentration can potentially restore BDNF production, whose deficiency underlies numerous neurological disorders.

Pre-transport management activities can cause stress, injuries, and mortality in poultry. This study aimed to gather information about the current pre-transport practices (selection of unfit chickens, catching preparations, catching, and crating) for spent hens and broilers by questioning Flemish poultry farmers. The results showed that catching preparations such as an extra selection of chickens unfit for transport was performed by a minority of the poultry farmers, and that layer farmers were less in line with the EU-legislation for water and feed withdrawal than broiler farmers. All birds were caught inverted except for one broiler farmer who used mechanical catching (not yet common in Flanders). Additionally, mechanical catching may involve extra costs, increased biosecurity risks, and specific recommendations for the stable (height and width). The broiler farmers preferred mechanical catching for broiler catchers' well-being, while upright catching was considered better for animal welfare than catching more than three chickens by one/two legs, mechanically, or by wings. Awareness of the need to perform an extra selection by the poultry farmers before catching is required. Preparations like closing areas under the aviary system and removing litter (layers) can further streamline the process and reduce animal suffering.

This stability analysis method is simply represented and understood on a Bode plot of two impedances without complex equations. The external impedance of the charging system is properly quantified and designed based on the stability criteria by analyzing.

Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) is a small Mediterranean tree capable of vigorous regrowth after disturbances like fire. Traditionally used for biomass fuel, its bark and branches hold potential for higher-value products through ecovalorisation into liquid mixtures that could replace petro-leum-based materials. This study aimed to explore the chemical composition of various compo-nents of Arbutus unedo and to produce a liquefied material from its internal (IB) and external bark (EB). Chemical compositions of internal and external bark were determined using TAPPI standards including ash, extractive content, lignin, and cellulose. Metal cations were analyzed by ICP. Liquefaction of bark was optimized in a PARR reactor, evaluating factors such as particle size, temperature, and time and the best polyols were monitored by FTIR-ATR. Polyurethane foams were made with internal and external bark liquefied materials by polymerization with isocyanate, a catalyst and water as blowing agent. Results showed that EB has a higher extractive and lignin content, while IB contains more cellu-lose. Liquefaction yields were higher for IB (74%) than EB (68%), with IB yielding polyols that produced stronger and more resilient foams. Mechanical properties of the foams were influenced by the NCO/OH ratio and catalyst levels. Overall, the internal bark demonstrated superior performance for foam production, highlighting its potential as an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-derived materials.

Introduction: Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones that play a role in weight homeostasis. Leptin, which is produced primarily by adipocytes and is dependent on body fat mass, suppresses appetite and increases energy expenditure. Conversely, ghrelin is the “hunger hormone”, it stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage. Bariatric surgery significantly alters the levels and activity of these hormones, contributing to weight loss and metabolic improvements. Clarifying the interplay between bariatric surgery, weight loss, physical exercise, leptin, and ghrelin is essential for developing comprehensive strategies for optimizing long-term outcomes for candidates for bariatric surgery, especially sarcopenic patients. Methods: This was a randomized controlled study with two groups (n=22). The patients in both groups have obesity and sarcopenia. A Roux-en-Ygastric bypass (RYGB) procedure was performed in all patients. The intervention group participated in a structured exercise program three times per week beginning one month after surgery and lasting 16 weeks. Patient assessment was performed before surgery (baseline) and after completion of the exercise program. The control group received the usual standard of care and was assessed similarly. Results: After surgery, weight, BMI and lean mass decreased significantly in both groups from baseline to the second assessment. Leptin was not significantly different from baseline to the second assessment in the physical exercise group but was significantly lower in the control group (p=0.05). Ghrelin increased over time in both groups, but the differences were not significant. When we associated leptin (the dependent variable) with weight (the independent variable), we found that lower weight was associated with lower leptin levels. A similar relationship was also observed between leptin and sarcopenia parameters (muscle strength and mass), as well as with bone health parameters (bone mineral density and t-score). Higher ghrelin levels were significantly associated with higher t-scores and z-score (p<0.05). Conclusion: Exercise has been shown to have a significant effect on leptin and ghrelin levels after bariatric surgery. By incorporating regular physical activity into their lifestyle, bariatric patients can optimize their weight loss outcomes and improve their overall health. After the physical exercise protocol, patients in the intervention group revealed more established leptin levels, which may indicate a protected pattern concerning decreased leptin levels. An unfavorable profile was evidenced, according to which greater weight loss, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis were associated with lower leptin levels.

Among the theoretical problems with the prevailing theory of cosmology, Lambda Cold Dark Matter (λCDM), the most serious appears to be the twofold problem with the cosmological constant lambda: Dark Energy and Hubble Tension. Despite a two-decade search for systematic errors in astrometry the problems have not been resolved. This paper posits a potential source of error that may have affected astrometry related to the current and past measurements of lambda.

Differential beamforming has attracted much research since it can utilize the array with small aperture size to form frequency-invariant beampatterns and achieve high directional gains. It has recently been applied to the linear loudspeaker array to produce a broadside frequency-invariant radiation pattern. However, designing steerable frequency-invariant beampatterns for the linear loudspeaker array has yet to be explored. This paper proposes a method to design the steerable differential beamformer with the linear loudspeaker array. We first determine the target differential beampatterns according to the desired direction, the main lobe width, and the beampattern order. Then, we transform the target beampattern into the modal domain for representation. The Jacobi-Anger expansion is subsequently used to design the beamformer so that the resulting beam pattern matches the target differential beam pattern. Furthermore, based on the criterion of minimizing the mean square error between the synthesized beam pattern and the ideal one, a multi-constraint optimization problem is formulated to calculate the optimal desired weighting vector. Simulations and experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve steerable frequency-invariant beamforming over 300 Hz – 4 kHz.

N-(diisopropylphosphanyl)benzamide, PhC(O)NHPiPr2, has been synthesized in good yield following two alternative procedures that employ benzamide as the starting material. The first one is a two-step preparation, in which N-(trimetilsilyl)benzamide is reacted with PiPr2Cl, to give the title compound in good yield, whereas the second one is a straightforward synthesis which converts benzamide into N-(diisopropylphosphanyl)benzamide by reaction with PiPr2Cl in the presence of N,N-dimethylpyridin-4-amine (DMAP) and triethylamine. NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses have been performed to characterize the new compound and elucidate its molecular structure in the solid state. N-(diisopropylphosphanyl)benzamide adds to the limited family of amido-substituted phosphines, RC(O)NHPR’2, which can be classified as bidentate hybrid P,O-ligands, both in their neutral and anionic forms, the latter achievable by deprotonation of the NH group.

Unwanted proteins and metabolic waste in cerebral spinal fluid are cleared from the brain by meningeal and nasal lymphatics, and perineural sheath of cranial nerves; however, the distribution and clearance of CSF along the subarachnoid space of the entire spinal cord is not fully understood. It was hypothesized that the anatomical resolution of Cryo-Fluorescence Tomography (CFT) could provide the visual evidence of clearance across the spinal cord at each level of the vertebral column. To that end, isoflurane anesthetized mice were infused into the lateral cerebroventricle with 5.0 µl of quantum dots [QdotR 605 ITKTM amino (PEG)] over two mins. Mice were allowed to recover (ca 2-3 min) and remained awake and ambulatory for 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes after which they were euthanized, and the entire intact body frozen at -800. The entire mouse was sectioned and imaged to produce an isotropic voxel resolution of 35 µm. Both white light and fluorescent images were captured after each slice to produce high resolution three-dimensional volumes for each mouse. CFT highlighted the circulation of tracer throughout the ventricular system and central canal of the spinal cord and the entire subarachnoid space of the CNS. Signal could be visualized in the nasal cavity, deep cervical lymph nodes, thoracic lymph nodes and more superficial submandibular lymph nodes as early as 15 min post infusion. Fluorescent signal could be visualized along the dorsal root ganglia and down the proximal extension of the spinal nerves of the thoracic and lumbar segments at 30 min. There was significant accumulation of tracer in the lumbar and sacral lymph nodes between 15- 60 min. The dense fluorescent signal in the thoracic vertebrae noted at 5- and 15-mins post infusion was significantly reduced by 30 min. Indeed, all signal in the spinal cord was ostensibly absent by 120 min except for trace amounts in the coccyx. The brain still had some residual signal at 120 min. These data show that Qdots with a hydrodynamic diameter of 16-20 nm rapidly clear from the brain of awake mice. These data also clearly demonstrate the rapid distribution and efflux of trace along a major length of the vertebral column and the potential contribution of the spinal cord in the clearance of brain waste.

Degenerative spinal cord (SC) compression is a frequent pathological condition with increasing prevalence throughout aging. Initial non-myelopathic cervical SC compression (NMDC) might progress over time into potentially irreversible degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). While quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques demonstrated the ability to depict intrinsic tissue properties, longitudinal in-vivo biomarkers to identify NMDC patients who will eventually develop DCM are still missing. Thus, we aim to review the ability of qMRI techniques (such as diffusion MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), magnetization transfer (MT) imaging, magnetic resonance spec-troscopy (1H-MRS)) to serve as prognostic markers in NMDC. While DTI in NMDC patients con-sistently detected lower fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity at compressed levels caused by demyelination and axonal injury, MT and 1H-MRS along with advanced and tract-specific diffusion MRI recently revealed microstructural alterations also rostrally pointing to Wallerian degeneration. Recent studies also disclosed significant relationship between micro-structural damage and functional deficits, assessed by qMRI and electrophysiology, respectively. Thus, tract-specific qMRI in combination with electrophysiology critically extend our under-standing of the underlying pathophysiology of degenerative SC compression and may provide predictive markers of DCM development for accurate patient management. However, the prog-nostic value must be validated in longitudinal studies.

Background: COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system, although its manifestations are multisystemic. Increasingly, complications presented after the acute phase are still being rec-ognized and are associated with impaired functional status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The objective was assess the functional status and HRQoL of patients with post-COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving individuals affected by COVID-19 who had persistent symptoms for one month after the acute phase of the disease. HRQoL was verified through the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36) and, functional status was assessed using the six-minute walk test (6MWT), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Med-ical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale and, the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale (PCFS). Results: Were included 123 patients, 73 (59.35%) were male, with a mean age of 49.17±13.48 years and a body mass index of 31.02±6.56 stratified into three groups, not recov-ered group (NRG=23), ward recovered group (WHG=60), and intensive care unit group (ICUG=40). The main symptoms were muscle weakness (74.17%) and dyspnea (68.33%). In rela-tion to the distance covered in the 6MWT, the GNR group walked 12.83% below the predicted values, GNR 20.21% and the UGCI 28.82%, respectively. The MRC dyspnea scale had a mean value of less than 3 and the FSS scale had a mean value over 4, indicating considerable fatigue. In the PCFS scale, a significant difference was observed (p>0.0005); while in the SF-36, all HRQoL domains were compromised. Conclusion: Post-COVID-19 patients involved in this study showed a significant decline in functional status and an impairment of HRQoL.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has evolved significantly with advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computer Vision (CV), paving the way for more intelligent and adaptive user interfaces. This paper explores the design and implementation of user interfaces that leverage AI and CV to create more intuitive, responsive, and personalized experiences. By integrating techniques such as facial recognition, gesture control, and eye tracking, interfaces can adapt in real-time to users’ actions and intentions, thus enhancing accessibility, efficiency, and engagement across various applications, from healthcare to gaming. The study reviews current advancements and challenges in using AI and CV for HCI, including data privacy, model interpretability, and computational efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate the potential of these technologies to improve interaction quality and user satisfaction. This work aims to contribute to the growing field of intelligent HCI design, offering insights into practical implementations and future research directions in AI-driven interface development.

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that combines methods, materials, and biological molecules to fabricate newly formed tissues to replace or restore functional organs. Biomaterials-based scaffolds play a vital role in developing new tissue by interacting with human cells. Tissue Engineering scaffolds with ideal characteristics, namely, nontoxicity, biodegradability, and appropriate mechanical and surface properties, are vital for tissue regeneration applications. Although commonly utilized biomaterials can provide physical and chemical properties needed for tissue regeneration, inadequate biomimetic properties, as well as insufficient interactions of cells-scaffolds interaction, still need to be improved for the application of tissue engineering in vivo. Consequently, developing innovative biomaterials-based stimulus-responsive 3D scaffolds that can enhance the mediators of cell adhesion and cellular functioning and that can form functional tissues by providing structural integrity within an appropriate time is much needed. It is possible to achieve some essential features using a single material, so combining two or more materials may fulfill the requirements. In order to achieve a proper scaffold design, a suitable fabrication technique and combination of biomaterials with controlled micro or nanostructures are needed to achieve the proper biological responses. This review highlights the natural polymers, smart materials, and recent advanced techniques currently used to create emerging scaffolds for tissue regeneration applications.

Solid propellants have significant applications in aerospace, and improving their combustion performance has become a hot research topic in recent years. Carbon black (CB) has been widely used in the field of catalytic pyrolysis due to its low cost, controllable morphology, and ease of modification. Herein, we first investigates the structure-activity relationship between the physicochemical properties of nine types of CB with a particle size range of 1-15 μm and a mass fraction of 5%, including oil absorption value, compression oil absorption value, and oxygen content, and the catalytic pyrolysis of ammonium perchlorate (AP), concluding that the function relationship between oil absorption value and high-temperature peak is Y1=1032.67-9.618x+0.038x2, the function relationship between compression oil absorption value and high-temperature peak is Y2=145.537+62.365ln(x), and the function relationship between oxygen content and high-temperature peak is Y3=e(6.085-0.02/x). Based on these, we further uses coal tar, which is abundant in sources, as the raw material to prepare five types of coal-based CB marked as CB1-CB5 at pyrolysis temperatures of 1000~1800 ℃. The relative error between the actual peak value and the predicted value of the CB/AP composite particles is less than 5%, proving that the peak temperature model of CB/AP composite particles can guide actual production. This study contributes to promoting CB application in improving the catalytic pyrolysis performance of ammonium perchlorate and enhancing the high added value utilization of coal-derived products.

Generative adversarial networks consisting of two parts, generator and discriminator, have obtained acceptable results in classification, prediction and generation of new samples in the discussion of 4G, 5G and 6G. In this article, the aim is to review a comprehensive study in relation to these networks. At the beginning of this research, different topics such as network training, network error checking and types of GAN's are investigated. In the following, the applications of GAN will be discussed separately.

The gut, often referred to as the "second brain," has significant contributions in the maintaining of the good bacteria contribute enormous role such as digestion, produce essential vitamins, support the immune system, and protect against harmful bacteria. The beneficial flora including Akkermansia muciniphila, Adlercreutzia equolifasciens, Barnesiella, Christensenella minuta, and Oxalobacter formigenes, along with their derived bioactive metabolites emerged as a key player in maintaining host metabolic and immune health. Dietary choices such as blending of prebiotic, fermented, symbiotic, anti-inflammatory foods, and secondary metabolites from a wide variety of plants and fruits promotes the diversity, composition, and stability of beneficial intestinal microbes. The colourful plant foods rich in phytochemicals bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, anthocyanins, and capsaicin offer a wide array of unique properties such as analgesics, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobials effect and promoting the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria and their bioactive metabolites confer numerous health-promoting effects. Here, we present knowledge about most beneficial gut bacteria and their derived metabolites in terms of their sources and health benefits. Finally, we discuss best foods that skew towards promoting healthy intestinal microbes.

This article presents a method for detecting P, QRS, T, and U waves in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals through advanced signal processing techniques, including a Butterworth bandpass filter and peak finding algo- rithms. The results are evaluated against the voltage ranges recommended in the literature, underscoring the importance of accurate wave detection for the diagnosis of various cardiac conditions.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) methods are increasingly beign abopted in the industry as an alternative for mass production. In particular, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology is leading the way in this field. However, the adhesion of layers in products produced using FDM technology is an important issue. These products are particularly vulnerable to forces acting parallel to the layers and specially to impact strength. This study aims to optimize the impact strength against loads acting parallel to the layers (ZX orientation) of PA6, one of the most widely used materials in the industry. This orientation is critical in term of mechanical properties, and the mechanical characteristics are significantly lower compared to other orientation. In this study, filaments containing pure PA6 with 15% short carbon fiber and 30% glass fiber were utilized. Additionally, printing temperature, layer thickness and heat treatment duration were used as independent variables. An L9 orthogonal array was employed in this study, and each experiment was repeated three times to conduct impact strength tests. Characterization, Taguchi optimization, a factor analyses were performed, followed by fracture surface characterization by SEM. As a result, the highest impact strength was achieved with pure PA6 at 8.9 kJ/m2, followed by PA6 GF30 at 8.1 kJ/m2 and the lowest impact strength was obtained with PA6 CF15 at 6.258 kJ/m2. When compared to the literature and manufacturer datasheets, it was concluded that the impact strength values have significantly increased, and the chosen experimental factors and their levels, particularly nozzle temperature, were effective.

For Sir Ronald Fisher, it is important to consistently obtain significant p-values to support an experimental hypothesis. So, replicating experiments to obtain independent p-values is a legitimate and desirable research practice. Several simple statistics have been proposed to meta-analyze p-values, all assuming that they are genuine, i.e. observations from independent standard Uniform random variables. But, as publication bias favors the studies that report "significant" p-values, when a p&gt;0.05 is obtained for the outcome of an experiment, some researchers will "fall into temptation" and decide to replicate the experiment in the hope of getting a smaller second p-value, ideally a significant one. Consequently, if the smallest of two p-values is reported, this is a Beta(1,2) distributed "fake" p-value, not a uniformly distributed genuine p-value. This is an unacceptable scientific research practice, and moreover the detection of fake p-values is unpractical. Even when it is possible, the analytic results to accommodate their existence in combined tests are cumbersome. For an informed decision, inclusive when the presence of fake p-values in a sample of p-values to be meta-analyzed is probable, tables with simulated critical values for the usual combined testing are supplied. This will also allow comparisons to be made between several combined tests.

The global malaria community has picked up the theme of malaria elimination in greater than 90 % of the world’s population in the next decade. The recent reports of P. vivax in all sub-Saharan Africa, including Duffy negative individuals, threaten the efforts to achieve elimination. This is not only in view of strategies that are tailored only to P. falciparum elimination, but also due to currently revealed biological characteristics of P. vivax concerning the relapse patterns of hypnozoites and conservation of a large biomass at cryptic sites in the bone marrow and spleen. A typical scenario has been observed in Botswana from the period between 2008 to 2018, which palpably projects how P. vivax could endanger efforts at malaria elimination where the two parasites co-exist. The need for the global malaria community, NMPs, funding agencies and relevant stakeholders to engage in a forum to discuss and recommend clear pathways for sub-Saharan Africa regarding malaria elimination including P. vivax, is warranted.

Academic and corporate research has been focusing on analyzing stock performances, financial markets, and investment strategies for decades. According to Lynch and Rothchild (1989), certain investments can be described as plays. In this work, the authors use the term for investments in value stocks, spin-offs, and turnarounds to analyze the long-term stock performance and risk-adjusted excess returns of up to five years for those stocks. Additionally, stocks with a supe-rior return performance are identified within an investment play based on low P/E and P/B mul-tiples. The study finds that value stocks, spin-offs, and turnarounds outperform the S&P 500 on average on a one-, three- and five-year investment horizon. The analysis of the three investment plays confirms earlier studies that investment plays constitute a profitable investment opportunity. Moreover, the research exemplifies that private investors could achieve an excess return (alpha) through a passive buy-and-hold investment strategy. Overall, the analysis provides a deeper in-sight into the long-term performance of value stocks, spin-offs, and turnarounds.

Cervical mesonephric ductal adenocarcinoma (MA) is a HPV-independent adenocarcinoma that originates from remnants of the wolffian duct in the male reproductive system during fetal development and occurs in middle-aged women. MA is a rare disease that accounts for less than 1% of all cervical adenocarcinomas. We report a case of MA in which abdominal radical hysterectomy(ARH) was performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The patient was a 66-year-old woman with abnormal genital bleeding. A colposcopy examination revealed macroscopic invasive cancer. A pelvic MRI scan revealed a 53 × 26 mm tumor in the cervix, and the histological diagnosis of the cervix was endometrioid carcinoma, with the diagnosis being cervical adenocarcinoma cT1b3N0M0. One course of NAC with paclitaxel-carboplatin (PC) was administered to shrink the tumor and stop the bleeding, and ARH was performed. Postoperative histopathological diagnosis was MA. The surgical margins of the resected specimen were negative, and NAC had been effective, so the patient underwent five courses of PC therapy after surgery. There has been no recurrence 12 months after surgery. There is no established standard treatment, but there are reports that PC therapy is effective. It is necessary to search for effective treatments by following up and accumulating further cases.

This study aims to explore the applicability of an innovative cervical tactile ultrasound approach for predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Eligible participants were women with low-risk singleton pregnancies in their second trimester, enrolled in this prospective observational study. A Cervix Monitor (CM) device was designed with a vaginal probe comprising four tactile sensors and a single ultrasound transducer operating at 5 MHz. The probe enabled the application of controllable pressure to the external cervical surface, facilitating the acquisition of stress-strain data from both anterior and posterior cervical sectors. These data were used to calculate cervical elasticity, as a stress-to-strain ratio. CM examination data were analyzed for 127 women at 24 - 28 gestational weeks. PTB was observed in 6.3% (8 out of 127) of the cases. The preterm group exhibited a lower average cervical stress-to-strain ratio (elasticity) of 0.70±0.26 kPa/mm compared to the term group's 1.63±0.65 kPa/mm, with a significant p-value of 1.1×10-4. Diagnostic accuracy for predicting spontaneous preterm birth based solely on cervical elasticity data was found to be 95.0% (95% CI, 88.5–100.0). These findings suggest that measuring cervical elasticity with the designed tactile ultrasound probe could potentially predict spontaneous preterm birth in a cost-effective manner.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine cervical multifidus muscle morphology and its impact on postural balance in patients with post-stroke. Methods: This is a pilot study. A convenience sample of 24 volunteers of 67 ±8.5 years (12 with hemiparesis due to post-stroke, 12 healthy) was recruited for this study. The outcomes measured were the thickness of the multifidus muscle using ultrasonography, Modified Functional Reach Test (MFRT), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Berg Balance scale (BBS). Results: No significant differences in the ultrasound values between stroke patients' paretic and non-paretic sides were found. Similarly, there were no significant differences between the non-paretic side of stroke patients and the non-paretic side of the control group, (all, p>0.05). Additionally, no significant correlations between the ultrasonographic variables of the multifidus muscles and the main outcome measures were identified. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study did not find significant differences in cervical multifidus muscle morphology between healthy individuals and post-stroke patients in relation to postural balance.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for most cervical cancer cases globally, with women living with HIV at higher risk of persistent HPV infection and HPV-associated disease. The HPV vaccine is a promising solution to reducing cervical cancer rates, but its uptake among women living with HIV in Nigeria is unknown. Methods: A facility-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,371 women living with HIV to assess their knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccine, as well as their willingness to pay for the vaccine at the HIV treatment clinic, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos. Willingness to pay for the HPV vaccine was also assessed. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to identify factors associated with willingness to pay for the HPV vaccine. Results: The study found that 79.1% of participants had not heard of the vaccine, and only 29.0% knew of its efficacy in preventing cervical cancer. Moreover, 68.3% of participants were unwilling to pay for the vaccine, and the average amount they were willing to pay was low. Knowledge of HPV, the HPV vaccine, cervical cancer, and income were factors associated with willingness to pay for the vaccine. Health workers were the primary source of information. Conclusion: The study found that 79.1% of participants had not heard of the vaccine, and only 29.0% knew of its efficacy in preventing cervical cancer. Moreover, 68.3% of participants were unwilling to pay for the vaccine, and the average amount they were willing to pay was low. Knowledge of HPV, the HPV vaccine, cervical cancer, and income were factors associated with willingness to pay for the vaccine. Health workers were the primary source of information.

Abstract Purpose Since their introduction, intrauterine devices (IUDs) have been associated with various complications. Avery rare complication is the perforation of the cervix by the strings of the IUD. Purpose of the current study is to present a novel case of cervical perforation by the strings of a copper IUD and to perform a systematic review of the literature. Materials and Methods The patient a 43-year-old attended the gynecology clinic in order to remove her copper IUD. Speculum examination revealed that both the strings of the IUD perforated the anterior lip of the cervix. Management options were offered, the patient opted for a hysteroscopic removal. We searched the electronic databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library,Google Scholar,EBSCO for similar cases. Results Electronic search yielded 1821 articles; 8 were selected for inclusion. Mean age of the women was 35,37±7,781, range (26-47) years. One woman (12.5%) was nulligravida;3 women were multigravida (37,5%). Seven women (87,5%) were asymptomatic. Three IUDs (37,5%) were LNG-IUS; 5 IUDs (62,5%) contained copper. Conclusions Cervical perforation by the strings of IUD is an extremely rare clinical entity. It is asymptomatic in general and in most cases the strings of the IUD may be returned back to the endocervical canal after surgical maneuvers.

A quantum hybrid (QH) intelligent approach that blends the adaptive search capability of the quantum-behaved particle swarm optimisation (QPSO) method with the intuitionistic rationality of traditional fuzzy k-nearest neighbours (Fuzzy k-NN) algorithm (known simply as the Q-Fuzzy approach) is proposed for efficient feature selection and classification of cells in cervical smeared (CS) images. From an initial multitude of seventeen (17) features describing the geometry, colour, and texture of the CS images, the QPSO stage of our proposed technique is used to select the best subset features (i.e. global best particles) that represent a pruned down collection of seven (7) features. Using a dataset of almost 1000 images, performance evaluation of our proposed Q-Fuzzy approach assesses the impact of our feature selection on classification accuracy by way of three experimental scenarios that are compared alongside two other approaches: The All-features (i.e. classification without prior feature selection) and another hybrid technique combining the standard PSO algorithm with the Fuzzy k-NN technique (P-Fuzzy approach). In the first and second scenarios, we further divided the assessment criteria in terms of classification accuracy based on the choice of best features and those in terms of the different categories of the cervical cells. In the third scenario, we introduced new QH hybrid techniques, i.e. QPSO combined with other supervised learning methods, and compared the classification accuracy alongside our proposed Q-Fuzzy approach. Furthermore, we employed statistical approaches to establish qualitative agreement with regards to the feature selection in scenarios 1 and 3. The synergy between the QPSO and Fuzzy k-NN in the proposed Q-Fuzzy approach marginally improves classification accuracy as manifest in the reduction in number cell features, which is crucial for effective cervical cancer detection and diagnosis.

This study presents the experimental and analytical evaluations on an innovative connection class under cyclic loading. The connection was an H- or I-shaped section as a short stub column (SSC) between the end-plate and the column. The stub section was bolted to the column flange on the one side and bolted to the beam along with the welded end-plate on the other side. Stiffeners were installed on the webs and flanges of the beam and stub to ensure the necessary stiffness of the connection. The variables included thickness of stub flange/web and height of stub web. The cyclic loading was applied on a sample of the proposed connection according to AISC ANSI/AISC 341-16 loading protocol. Experimental observations displayed that the proposed connection, one can either employ hot rolling sections or create the connection as a plate girder, in which case the flange thickness and stub web, as well as the distance between two flanges and their height, was obtained according to the demand and performance of the structure. The optimum cross-section of the stub was then obtained. Also, the analytical model was calibrated using the finite element method (FEM), and its performance was confirmed. The effective parameters of the proposed connection were determined by modeling in the FEM software, and the design method was presented.

Objective: In recent years, the field of Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) research has seen a significant accumulation of scientific findings, but comprehensive bibliometric analyses remain lacking. This study aims to fill that gap by performing a thorough bibliometric analysis of ET research, identifying key contributors and collaboration networks, and mapping the development trends to provide insights for future research directions. Methods: A bibliometric analysis of ET-related publications from 2001 to 2024 was conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R packages. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, with a focus on publication volume, citation analysis, co-authorship networks, co-citation relationships, and citation bursts. Results: A total of 4,297 studies published in 778 journals were included in the analysis. ET research has seen rapid growth, with researcher clusters in the United States and Europe driving progress through extensive regional and international collaborations. Leading researchers, such as Ayalew Tefferi from the Mayo Clinic and Alessandro M. Vannucchi from the University of Florence, have made significant advances in ET classification, molecular mechanisms, targeted therapies, and disease management. The discovery of driver mutations, such as JAK2, has revolutionized the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to ET. Research focus has shifted from clinical morphological diagnosis to molecular diagnostics, with the field now entering the era of targeted therapies. However, the inherent heterogeneity of ET continues to present challenges for the widespread implementation of personalized precision treatment. Conclusion: Bibliometric analysis demonstrates significant advances in ET research, particularly in molecular pathology and targeted therapies. However, the heterogeneity of ET remains a major obstacle to personalized treatment. Future research should focus on further elucidating the pathogenesis of ET and improving stratified management approaches to achieve individualized precision therapy.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element in food production, but it is often largely unavailable for plants as it persists in soils in immobilized forms. Farmers have been using P fertilizers extensively to overcome this unavailability, leading to the exhaustion of non-renewable deposits of phosphorite, rising fertilizers prices and causing several environmental impacts such as eutrophication. Its large-scale utilization is also inefficient since most of the added P becomes quickly unavailable for the plants. Therefore, farming solutions that improve P uptake, P use efficiency of plants and P mobilization in soils are highly important. In this narrative review, we summarized and explored the link between the Silicon (Si) and P cycles in soils. Silicon is quasi-essential for plants, and it has been established that its presence in soil and uptake by plants has several benefits, especially in toxic and nutrient-deficient conditions. Here, we established that Si in soils can affect crop production in P-deficient conditions through: 1) the pH effect – Si improves organic matter decomposition and decreases Al3+ availability; the Si uptake effect – the deposited Si in the plant improves its photosynthetic performance, improves the root ability to uptake P, improves organic matter decomposition and increases P/Mn ration in plant, improving P use; and 3) the Si soil effect – Si stimulates phosphorite rocks weathering and competes with P for the binding places at the surface of Ak and Fe hydroxides, releasing P into soil solution. This positive effect of Si on P mobilization in soils and consequent use by crops should be further disseminated to farmers and other relevant stakeholders.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis can be a challenge due to the large spectrum of pathogenic variants in the CFTR gene and the effects of complex alleles. Next-generation sequencing has improved our understanding of the contribution of these complex alleles to the wide spectrum of CF clinical symptoms and to the response to medications. Herein, we studied nine CF patients from six unrelated families carrying the complex allele p.[Ile148Thr;Ile1023_Val1024del] with a frequency of 0.18%. All the patients were from Central Mexico. This complex allele was found in trans with Class I and II pathogenic variants (PVs) such as [c.1521_1523del, p.(Phe508del), and c.3231_3232del, p.(Phe1078Profs*77)]. A targeted search of a dataset of 2,217 exomes from healthy individuals revealed that eight individuals (0.18%) carried the p.(Ile148Thr) variant, but only one (0.022%), who was also born in Central Mexico, was a carrier of the complex allele. These findings led us to hypothesize a founder effect for the p.[Ile148Thr;Ile1023_Val1024del] complex allele in Mexican patients with CF, probably through migration from the French-Canadian population in Mexico. Finally, protein modeling revealed that this complex allele disrupts the secondary structure of the CFTR protein and might alter the ion flow.

In this paper, various Ni-P composite coatings containing toner, MoS2, and nano-SiO2 particles were deposited on steel substrates by the electroless method. Then, the electrochemical properties of these coatings after a heat treatment process were compared. The microstructural evaluations were also done by using the optical and electron microscopy methods. Both Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques were utilized to survey the electrochemical behavior of such coatings. The surface morphology of all coatings contained cauliflower-like nodules. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed the crystalline phases of Ni and Ni3P for all coatings after the heat-treatment step. Obtained results showed that all composite coatings exhibited lower corrosion rates with respect to Ni-P coatings. Such a reduction was about 21.6-92.2%. This behavior was attributed to the presence of reinforcement as barriers for corrosive ion diffusion through the coating plus the changes in detected phases and thickness. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test results also demonstrated that the increase in the polarization resistance for composites coatings was about 18.4-85.3% after 1 h immersion in a 0.6M NaCl solution; however, when the immersion time increased to 24 h, such increased resistance changed to 18.1 to 73.1%. Totally, despite the lower deposition rate, the presence of MoS2 and nano-SiO2 particles were more effective than toner particles to raise the corrosion rate of the Ni-P coating.

In this paper, we investigate p-adic q-integral (q-Volkenborn integral) on Z_p of p-adic gamma function via their Mahler expansions. We also derived two q-Volkenborn integrals of p-adic gamma function in terms of q-Daehee polynomials and numbers and q-Daehee polynomials and numbers of the second kind. Moreover, we discover q-Volkenborn integral of the derivative of p-adic gamma function. We acquire the relationship between the p-adic gamma function and Stirling numbers of the first kind. We finally develop a novel and interesting representation for the p-adic Euler constant by means of the q-Daehee polynomials and numbers.

It is known that the class of p-normed spaces (0 < p ≤ 1) is an important generalization of usual normed spaces with rich topological and geometrical structure, but the most of tools and general principles in nature with nonlinearity have not been developed yet, thus the main goal of this paper is to develop tools for nonlinear analysis under the framework of p-vector spaces. In particular, we first develop the general fixed point theorems which provide solutions to answer Schauder conjecture since 1930’s in the affirmative for p-vector spaces when p = 1 (which is just general topological vector spaces); then the one best approximation result for upper semi-continuous mappings is given, which is used as a powerful tool to establish fixed points for non-self set-valued mappings with either inward or outward set conditions; and finally we establish comprehensive existence results of solutions for Birkhoff-Kellogg Problems, and the general principle of nonlinear alternative by including Leray-Schauder alternative and related results. The results given in this paper not only include the corresponding results in the existing literature as special cases, but also expected to be useful tools for the study of nonlinear problems arising from theory to practice.

Background: Cervical cancer prevention in regions with limited access to screening and HPV vaccination necessitates innovative approaches. This study explored the potential of a test-and-treat strategy using mRNA HPV tests to impact cervical cancer prevention in a high-prevalence HIV population. Methods: A cervical screening study was conducted at three South African hospitals involving 710 under-screened, non-pregnant women (25 to 65 years) without known cervical diseases. Cytology, HPV testing, colposcopy, and biopsies were performed concurrently. Histopathologists determined final histological diagnoses based on biopsy and LLETZ histology. mRNA-HPV-genotyping for 3 (16, 18, 45) to 8 (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, 58) high-risk types was performed on leftover liquid-based cytology material. The preventive potential of the test-and-treat approach was estimated based on published data, reporting the causative HPV types in cervical cancer tissue from South African women. Treatment was provided as needed. Results: HPV positivity rate more than doubled from 3-type (15.2%; 95% CI: 12.6-17.8) to 8-type mRNA (31.5%; 95% CI: 28.8-34.9) combinations, significantly higher among HIV-positive women. CIN3+ prevalence among HIV-positive women (26.4%) was double that of HIV-negative women (12.9%) (p&lt;0.01). The 6-type combination showed the best balance of sensitivity, specificity and treatment group size, and effectiveness to prevent cervical cancer. A 4-type combination (16, 18, 35, 45) could potentially prevent 77.6% (95% CI: 71.2-84.0) of cervical cancer burden by treating 20% and detecting 41.1% of CIN3 cases in the study group. Similarly, a 6-type combination (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45), treating 25% and including 62% of CIN3 cases, might prevent 85% of cervical cancer cases (95% CI: 79.6-90.6) among HIV-positive and negative women. Conclusion: Employing mRNA HPV tests within a test-and-treat approach holds huge promise for targeted cervical cancer prevention in under-screened populations. Testing for mRNA of the 6 highest-risk HPV types in this population and treating them all is projected to effectively prevent progression from CIN3 to invasive cervical cancer while reducing overtreatment in resource-constrained settings.

The main aim of this paper is to set some correlations between Boole polynomials and p-adic gamma function in conjunction with p-adic Euler contant. We develop diverse formulas for p-adic gamma function by means of their Mahler expansion and fermionic p-adic integral on ℤ_{p}. Also, we acquire two fermionic p-adic integrals of p-adic gamma function in terms of Boole numbers and polynomials. We then provide fermionic p-adic integral of the derivative of p-adic gamma function and a representation for the p-adic Euler constant by means of the Boole polynomials. Furthermore, we investigate an explicit representation for the aforesaid constant covering Stirling numbers of the first kind.

BACKGROUND: Distal junctional kyphosis (DJK) remains a primary concern for surgeons performing cervical deformity (CD) surgery. Many times post-operative complications from CD surgeries render patients with worse recovery profiles than their peers. It is important to understand DJK recovery profiles following CD surgery patients. PURPOSE: To identify if DJK patients successfully recover from treatment/reoperation STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Retrospective review of prospectively collected database PATIENT SAMPLE: 113 CD patients OUTCOME MEASURES: CD, HRQL, DJK, Recovery kinetics METHODS: CD patients with available BL and 2Y follow-up data. DJK angle (DJKA) was defined as >10° change in kyphosis between LIV and LIV-2, and a >10° index angle. Patients were stratified into two groups: 1) those who developed DJK by 3M and 2) those that did not develop DJK. Patients who developed DJK beyond 3M were excluded from the study. Means comparison tests analyzed differences in demographic, surgical, radiographic, and health related quality of life (HRQL) scores. Normalized HRQL scores at 3M and follow-up intervals (6M, 1Y, 2Y) were generated. Regression analysis assessed patient reported outcomes adjusting for baseline and surgical characteristics. RESULTS: 113 patients were included (17 DJK, 96 no DJK). Age (60.3 vs 62.2), gender (F: 71.0% vs 61.0%), BMI (27.0 vs 28.3), CCI (0.77 vs 0.98), OpTime (484.0 vs 556.5min), EBL (1028.3 vs 843.9mL), and presenting neurologic symptoms (70.6% vs 76.0%) were similar between groups (P > .05). DJK patients were more sagittally-malaligned preop (cervical sagittal vertical axis {cSVA}: 59.0 vs 43.9); had more osteotomies (76.5% vs 49.0%), and underwent more combined approaches (64.7% vs 26.0%), all p < .05. Posterior approaches, decompressions, and levels fused were similar between groups (p > .05). Following surgery, rate of complications and neurologic symptoms were similar between groups, except DJK patients experienced more dysphagia (17.7% vs 4.2%; p=0.034). DJK patients remained more malaligned in cSVA through 2-yr follow-up (p < .05). DJK patients exhibited worse reported outcomes from 3M to 1Y (p < .05), but these differences subsided when following patients through to 2Y: worse NDI (65.3 vs 35.3) and EQ5D (0.68 vs 0.79) scores at 1Y (both P

Abstract: Background: The main aim of the study was to assess the intensity and frequency of cervical spine pain in young people with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: The pilot study was conducted from June to July 2023. Inclusion criteria were: age (18-30 years), cervical spine pain (for at least 1 month) and consent to participate in the study. The study was conducted based on a physiotherapeutic examination and an original questionnaire. The pain level was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Among 95 people with cervical spine pain, 51 people (53.7%) constituted the control group (without a history of temporomandibular disorders), while 44 (46.3%) people constituted the study group. Results: The mean age of people participating in the study was 22.2±2.2 years in the study group and 22.5±3.1 years in the control group. The largest group were people aged 21-25 (n=51 people, 53.7%). Patients from the study group more often experienced pain in the stomatognathic system during palpation (both in the muscle, joint and musculoskeletal groups) and had reduced mobility of the temporomandibular joints in every movement (p<0.001). People from the study group were characterized by also less mobility of the cervical spine (p<0.05), apart from extension movement (p>0.05). There was a significant relationship between temporomandibular disorders and cervical spine pain (p<0.05, chi2=10.118, df=1, rc=0.31). The level of back pain was significantly higher in people from the study group (p<0.001, chi2=45.765, df=4, rc=0.57). Conclusions: Our research has shown that the causes of cervical spine pain at a young age may be temporomandibular disorders, which are generally not recognized and properly treated.

Human papillomavirus testing is increasingly central to screening programs for cervical cancer. Although HPV testing has excellent clinical sensitivity it suffers from modest clinical specificity. Cytology has taken an important role as a triage test, while more recently HPV16/18 genotyping has provided modest incremental benefits. Despite such progress issues remain to be addressed, some of which are how to: 1) improve access to the best methods, 2) decrease costs so more women can be screened, 3) simplify management algorithms, 4) Recognize the evolving diagnostic landscape created by widespread HPV vaccination. Part of the solution lies in improving the positive predictive value of the initial screen and reflex triage. An aspirational goal should be that most women attending colposcopy have true precancer; DNA methylation testing has a role to play here. Cervical cancers and CIN2/3 generally have high levels of methylation in target human and HPV genes. In contrast normal and healthy women with no intraepithelial lesions or malignancy usually have low methylation. Furthermore, there is an interesting and useful secular gradient of increasing cervical DNA methylation as women progress toward precancer and cancer. Recent results from clinical studies using commercially available routine qPCR-based DNA methylation tests have been encouraging, demonstrating the potential for higher sensitivity and specificity than current triage methods.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of fascial manipulation (FM) of the deep cervical fascia (DCF) and sequential yoga poses (SYP) on pain and function in individuals with mechanical neck pain (MNP). Method: Following the predefined criteria, ninety-nine individuals with MNP were recruited, randomised and assigned to either the intervention group (IG) (n=51) or the control group (CG) (n=48). Individuals in the IG received FM (4 sessions in 4 weeks) along with the home-based SYP (4 weeks). The CG participants received the usual care (cervical mobilization and thoracic manipulation (4 sessions in 4 weeks) along with unsupervised therapeutic exercises (4 weeks). The participants underwent baseline and weekly follow-up measurements of pain using a numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) and elbow extension range of motion (EEROM) during upper limb neurodynamic test 1 (ULNT1). The baseline and the 4th session follow-up measurements of the Patient-specific Functional Scale (PSFS) and Fear-avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FABQ) were also taken. Results: A repeated-measures ANOVA was performed. The mean differences between the IG and CG on NPRS 3rd and 4th sessions are -1.009 (p&lt; 0.05) and -1.701 (p&lt; 0.001), respectively; on EEROM in the 4th session is 20.120 (p&lt; 0.001); on FABQ during the follow-up is -5.036 (p&lt;0.001), showing a statistically significant difference, whereas on PSFS during follow-up is 0.263 (p=0.566), suggesting no significant differences in PSFS. Conclusion: FM and SYP can aid in reducing pain and fear avoidance behavior as well as improving the function and extensibility of the upper quarter region.

Background: Coexisting monozygotic twin molar pregnancies with a living second fetus are known in the literature, with various outcomes and treatment options. Methods: Clinical praesentation of two separate throphoblastic diseases that became directly conditioned. Results: A 33-year-old nuliparous woman, after autolog insemination one blastocysts with extremely high MoM free BHCG, and in the 17th week of pregnancy, bled profusely where ultrasound found a dilated cervix filled with a mass similar to molar tissue with intact second gestational sac. The gynecologists decided on a laparotomy, so they performed a corporeal hysterotomy at the 19th week of pregnancy. A year later, the patient became pregnant spontaneously with an orderly course of pregnancy until the 30th week. Due to the acute abdomen, an emergency caesarean section is indicated, and after the laparotomy, 1000 mL of fresh blood and clots are found with a 5 cm zone of cicatricial percretism. A freshly dead male newborn 1530 g/ 44 cm, without the effect of the resuscitation procedure. With regard to cicatricial percretism, the gynecologist on duty decides on a supracervical hysterectomy.; Conclusions: The treatment approach to molar pregnancy that influenced the outcome of the second pregnancy and the overall poor reproductive outcome is discussed.

(1) Background: This study aimed to evaluate the role of cervical pessary for preventing preterm birth in singleton pregnant women with a cervical length (CL) ≤25 mm and a uterocervical angle (UCA) ≥95o and ≥105o. (2) Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 225 singleton pregnant women with a gestational age of 16+o-23+6 weeks and transvaginal ultrasound CL measurements ≤25 mm, whose pregnancy was man-aged at the Haiphong Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vietnam, from September 2020 to September 2022. Participants were allocated into two groups: prophylactic treatment with progesterone (123 pregnant women) and combined with a cervical pessary (102 pregnant women). The UCAs measured via transvaginal ultrasound by a single sonographer were divided into groups with UCA measurements ≥95o and ≥105o. The gestational age at birth was classified into full-term and preterm <37 weeks and <34 weeks. A binary regression model assessed the association between CL, UCA, and pre-term birth outcomes. The difference was statistically significant, with p<0.05. (3) Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of preterm birth <37 weeks and <34 weeks between the two groups (16.3% vs. 11.8% and 6.5% vs. 4.9%, p>0.05). The probability of preterm birth <37 weeks in the group of pregnant women with a UCA ≥95o treated via cervical pessary plus progesterone decreased by 60.6%, OR (95% CI) of 0.394 (0.165-0.941), p<0.05. In the group of pregnant women with a UCA ≥105o, there was a significant association in the group of progesterone treatment combined with a cervical pessary, with the lower rate of PTB <37 weeks and <34 weeks, with OR (95% CI) of 0.028 (0.005-0.146), p<0.001, and 0.141 (0.030-0.664), p<0.05, respectively. (4) Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that cervical pessary is beneficial to the prevention of preterm birth in singleton pregnant women with an obtuse uterocervical angle. Further randomized studies among pregnant women with obtuse uterocervical angles will be needed to clarify the role of a cervical pessary in preventing preterm birth.

(1) Background: High-grade cervical dysplasia is primarily caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Conservative surgery is the preferred treatment approach for this condition. The most commonly employed technique is the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), which involves removing the affected portion of the cervix. Excisional treatments are often curative, and complications are typically rare and minor; (2) Methods: The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is the standard method used for conservative surgery in high-grade cervical dysplasia. It entails the excision of the specific area of the cervix where the abnormal cells are present. The procedure employs a wire loop carrying an electrical current to remove the affected tissue; (3) Results: Excisional treatments, such as LEEP, have shown to be effective in treating high-grade cervical dysplasia. They have a high success rate in eliminating abnormal cells and reducing the risk of cervical cancer. Complications associated with LEEP are infrequent and usually minor. Short-term complications may include bleeding, which can be managed easily. Long-term complications may involve cervical canal stenosis, which can impact fertility; (4) Conclusions: Conservative surgery, particularly the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), is the preferred and effective treatment for high-grade cervical dysplasia caused by HPV infection. It offers a high cure rate with rare and minor complications. While short-term bleeding is a common occurrence, it is manageable. Long-term complications such as cervical canal stenosis may impact fertility. However, an extremely rare and possibly unique complication described in this case is the development of a vaginorectal fistula. This complication is likely due to indirect thermal injury resulting from compromised tissue. Further research is needed to better understand and prevent such complications.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection plays a key role in the development of cervical cancer that ranks as the third most common gynecological cancer in China. We attempt to investigate the age and genotype-specific prevalence of HPV DNA in western Chinese females. Methods: A total of 301,880 woman were recruited from 4 different regions of western China. Routine cervical samples were collected and HPV screening was performed using 21 HPV Genotyping test (Hybribio). The overall prevalence, age-specific prevalence, and genotype distribution were analyzed. Results: The overall prevalence of HPV was 18.01%. The high-risk HPV infection rate was 79.14%, the low-risk HPV infection rate was 12.56%, and the mixed HPV infection rate was 8.30%. The most common 4 HR HPV subtypes were HPV-52, 16, 58 and 53, which accounted for 20.49 %, 19.93 %, 14.54 % and 10.01 %. In LR HPV genotype, HPV-6 ranked the highest (28.17 %), followed by HPV-81 (9.09 %), HPV-11 (3.78 %). HPV genotype subgroup analysis also showed that single-type infections had the highest prevalence rate (77.26%) among HPV positive individuals. Among muti-infection genotype, double infection was most common with frequencies of 76.04%. Conclusion: This large report shows that the overall prevalence of HPV was high in China, whose distribution exhibits different patterns across different particular age and regions. Viral genotypes HPV53, 6 were are frequently detected in this population, which is worth of significant clinical attention.

Inflammation has been reported as a facilitator in cervical oncogenesis, but the correlation between inflammation and cytology abnormality including Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between them with ThinPrep cytological test (TCT) as a screening tool for cervical cancer and CIN, which can identify abnormal morphology of cervical mucosa epithelium and inflammation degrees. A retrospective analysis of clinical data from 48101 women undergoing TCT in the affiliated hospitals of Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU) revealed that among the 8.87% (4102 cases) total positive rate of ASC, LSIL and HSIL, 67.7% (2777/4102) of TCT positive samples had inflammatory infection. The rate of severe inflammation was significantly higher in cytological abnormality group than the control group (15.1% vs. 2%, P=0.000). Our results showed that severe inflammation significantly increased incidence of cytological abnormality by 12.59 times and elevated the risk of HSIL by 756.47 times. In conclusion, severe inflammation increased the risk of cytological abnormality, and should be viewed as an important risk of HISL. These results of our study remind clinicians to be more watchful for women with severe cervical inflammation in TCT reports for earlier prevention of the HSIL.

Background: Few studies have investigated the longitudinal association between cervical spondylosis (CS) and migraine by using a nationwide population-based database. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2000 to 2011 identifying 27,930 cases of cervical spondylosis and 111,720 control subjects (those without cervical spondylosis) from a single database. The subjects were frequency-matched on the basis of sex, age, and diagnosis date. The non- cervical spondylosis cohort was four times the size of the cervical spondylosis cohort. To quantify the effects of cervical spondylosis on the risk of migraine, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: After a 10-year follow-up controlling for potential confounding factors, overall migraine incidence was higher in the cervical spondylosis cohort than in the non- cervical spondylosis cohort (5.16 and 2.09 per 1,000 people per year, respectively; crude hazard ratio = 2.48, 95% confidence interval = 2.28–2.69) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.03 (95% confidence interval = 1.86–2.22) after accounting for sex, age, comorbidities, and medication. Individuals with myelopathy in the cervical spondylosis cohort had a 2.19 times (95% confidence interval = 1.80–2.66) higher incidence of migraine compared than did those in the non- cervical spondylosis cohort. Conclusion: Individuals with cervical spondylosis exhibited a higher risk of migraine than those without cervical spondylosis. The migraine incidence rate was even higher among individuals with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Background/Objectives: Stroke patients generally have balance and gait dysfunction due to decreased range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength of the ankle joint. A therapist can apply a floss band to enhance ROM, pain control, jumping performance, strength, myofascial release, and recovery from fatigue. This study compared the immediate effects of floss band application on ankle ROM, balance, and gait ability in stroke patients.; Methods: This study randomized 40 chronic stroke patients to either the floss (n = 20) or sham (n = 20) band group. Outcome measures were ankle ROM, weight bearing lunge test (WBLT) performance, standing balance, and gait ability. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and immediately after applying the floss or placebo band.; Results: There were significant improvements in dorsiflexion (DF), WBLT, static balance, and foot strike in those who used the floss band compared to the sham group (all p &lt; 0.05).; Conclusions: The floss band improved ankle DF, balance, and gait, indicating that it is a feasible therapeutic method for improving ankle DF, balance, and gait in chronic stroke patients.

Background. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex condition marked by increased pain sensitivity and central sensitization. Studies often explore the link between FM and depressive-anxiety disorders, but few focus on dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder (PDD), which can be more disabling than major depression (MD). Objective. To identify clinical scales and subscales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) that effectively describe and differentiate the psychological profile of PDD, with or without comorbid MD, in FM patients with PDD previously dimensionally classified by the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI-III). Method. An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted with 66 women (mean age 49.18, SD=8.09) from Hospital del Mar. The PAI, the MCMI-III, and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) were used to assess the sample. Results. The PAI showed strong discriminative ability in detecting PDD, characterized by high scores in cognitive and emotional depression, and low scores in identity alteration, dominance, and grandeur. High scores in cognitive, emotional, and physiological depression, identity alteration, cognitive anxiety, and suicidal ideation, along with low scores in dominance and grandeur, were needed to detect MD with PDD. Discriminant analysis could differentiate 69.6-73.9% of the PDD group and 84.6% of the PDD+MD group. Group comparisons showed that 72.2% of patients with an affective disorder by PAI were correctly classified in the MCMI-III affective disorder group, and 70% without affective disorder were correctly classified. Conclusions. The PAI effectively identifies PDD in FM patients and detects concurrent MD episodes, aiding in better prognostic and therapeutic guidance.

In the domain of software engineering, the accurate and effective classification of requirements is of paramount importance. Proper classifications of these requirements enable developers to create robust and error-free software solution. Traditional methods of user requirements classification face the issue of the reliance on manual processes, which are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to human error. The limitations of traditional methods underscore the need for more automated, scalable, and robust approaches to user requirements classification in order to meet the demands of modern software development practices. To improve the classification process, we employed a Deep Learning (DL) methodology termed the Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) model to conduct feature extraction, after which we merged these feature vectors into ML classifiers. Our research methodology is structured around a five-step process. Initially, the textual input is tokenized and converted to lowercase. Subsequently, we eliminate all punctuation. The pre-processed text is then subjected to a Bi-LSTM (Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory) model for feature vector extraction. After that, this feature vector is fed into different classifiers such as Medium KNN, Cubic KNN, Linear SVM, Quadratic SVM, and Cubic SVM and obtained an accuracy of around 99.60% to 99.80% on a publicly available dataset of requirements.

Galactic rotation curve was formulated before the Sgr A* had been confirmed. The action of the Sgr A* on the rotation curve has not been considered. Now, it was observed that the fastest stars in the Milky Way is in the distance less than 0.5pc from the Sgr A*. It is contradicted with the current galactic rotation curve in which the orbital velocity near the center of the galaxy is the smallest. And, because of the advance of technology, it was observed that the circular velocity curve of the Milky Way from 5 to 30 kpc is with a significantly faster decline (Keplerian decline) compared to the inner parts. It is contradicted with the current curve in which the out parts could be larger or no decline. And, it was observed that the fast galaxy bar continue challenge the standard cosmology. For the reasons, we present an improved galactic rotation curve.

As a branch of regional innovation theories, social filter theory fundamentally reveals the reasons for the geography of innovation in different countries and regions. However, compared with some other regional innovation theories, social filter theory has been as silent as a sleeping beauty and hasn’t been fully developed. For enriching and developing social filter theory, this article systematically traces the source and comments on four aspects: the concept of social filter, the construction and measurement of indicators of social filter, the mechanism and empirical re-search of social filter affecting regional innovation and innovation transformation. Until recently regional innovation theories primarily focused on the superficial description of the phenomenon of innovation, but lack of attention to the local social filter condition of innovation generation and innovation transformation, which are the pre-condition of constructing mature innovation system. Therefore, additional efforts are still required to fill the current knowledge gap from the recom-mended directions in the article.

This study examines the significant impact of Houthi insurgent activities on maritime traffic within the strategic Red Sea and Suez Canal routes, essential conduits for global trade. It explores the correlation between regional instability, exemplified by Houthi actions from November 19, 2023, to February 5, 2024, and changes in maritime traffic patterns and operational efficiency. This study seeks to answer a critical question in transport geography: How does regional instability, exemplified by Houthi insurgent activities, affect maritime traffic patterns and the operational efficiency of the Red Sea and Suez Canal? Using descriptive statistics, qualitative analysis, and geospatial methods, the research highlights recent trends in maritime traffic and incidents, revealing spatial and geopolitical challenges in this crucial trade route.Findings indicate a notable decline in maritime activity in the Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal due to security concerns from Houthi attacks, prompting a significant shift to alternative routes, particularly around the Cape of Good Hope. This shift underscores the broader implications of regional instability on global trade and the importance of maintaining uninterrupted maritime flow. The study also emphasizes the economic ramifications, such as increased operational costs and freight rates due to longer transit times and enhanced security measures.The research concludes with a call for improved maritime security protocols and international cooperation to protect these strategic maritime pathways. It contributes to the discourse on transport geography by quantifying the direct impacts of regional conflicts on maritime logistics and proposing strategies for future resilience, highlighting the interconnected nature of global trade and security and the need for collective action against evolving geopolitical challenges.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, a major pest in maize production, was assessed for its temporal and spatial distribution in maize fields during both the off and rainy seasons of 2021 and 2022. In this study, 30 and 50 maize plants were randomly sampled using a "W" pattern during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Larval density, infestation rates, and damage severity were monitored over time. Taylor's power law and the mean crowding aggregation index were applied to evaluate the dispersion patterns of the larvae. The results indicate a higher infestation rate and larval density in agroecological zone AZE 8 (fisheries zone of South Benin) compared to AZE 6 (ferralitic soils zone) during the off-season. In the rainy season, while the percentage of damaged plants was higher in AZE 8, no significant differences in larval density between the two zones were observed. The dispersion analysis revealed moderate aggregation (aggregation index = 1.25) with a basic colony of 2.08 larvae, reflecting the aggregation oviposition behavior of FAW. This study provides valuable monitoring data on the FAW's distribution, offering insights for further research on population dynamics and developing predictive models for integrated pest management strategies.

Objective: To explore the acceptability and feasibility of conducting comprehensive, community-based, hy-brid (in-person and virtual) mental health screening and feedback with diverse youth in the community. Methods: The Screening and Support for Youth intervention provides comprehensive assessment and thera-peutic feedback in community settings including symptoms, diagnoses, functional impairment, suicide, and clinical risk. Symptom severity, seven diagnoses and suicidality were assessed with the Kiddie Computer-ized Adaptive Test. Functional impairment was evaluated by youth self-report on the Weiss Functional Im-pairment Rating Scale. Measures were scored according to nationally developed norms and an algorithm was developed to aggregate symptoms and functioning to determine clinical risk. The results were discussed with participants in a motivational interview to promote insight and engagement in an online intervention. Results: Methodological innovations included using a QR code for recruitment, integrated in-person and virtual participation, and expansion from in-person recruitment within the schools to virtual engagement with youth throughout the community. The final sample included disproportionately more Black or African American and Hispanic youth as compared to school and community statistics, suggesting that hybrid re-search may facilitate recruitment of diverse populations. Qualitative interviews indicated that the screening and feedback raised youth awareness of their wellbeing and/or distress, its impact on their functioning, and engagement with options for improving wellbeing. Conclusion: Hybrid research, developed as a necessity during the pandemic, proved advantageous to the feasibility and acceptability of community-based recruit-ment of at risk, minoritized youth.

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

This work reports the role of structure and composition on the determination of the performances of p-type SnOx TFTs deposited by rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature, followed by a post-annealed step up to 200 °C at different oxygen partial pressures (Opp), between 0% and 20%, but where the p-type conduction was only observed between 2.8–3.8%. The role of structure and composition were evaluated by XRD and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies. The study allows to identify the best phases/compositions and thicknesses (around 12 nm) to be used that lead to the production of TFTs with a bottom gate configuration, on glasses coated with conductive Indium Tin Oxide, followed by Aluminium Titanium Oxide dielectric layer with saturation mobility of 4.6 cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹ and on-off ratio above 7 × 10⁴, operating at the enhancement mode with a saturation voltage of −10 V.

Cervical cancer is a worldwide public health problem with a high rate of illness and mortality among women. In this study, we proposed a novel framework based on Faster RCNN-FPN ar-chitecture for the detection of abnormal cervical cells in cytology images from cancer screening test. We extended the Faster RCNN-FPN model by infusing deformable convolution layers into the feature pyramid network (FPN) to improve scalability. Furthermore, we introduced a global contextual aware module alongside the Region Proposal Network (RPN) to enhance the spatial correlation between the background and the foreground. Extensive experimentations with the proposed deformable and global context aware (DGCA) RCNN were carried out using the cer-vical image dataset of “Digital Human Body" Vision Challenge from the Alibaba Cloud TianChi Company. Performance evaluation based on the mean average precision (mAP) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve has demonstrated considerable advantages of the proposed framework. Particularly, when combined with tagging of the negative image samples using tra-ditional computer-vision techniques, 6-9% increase in mAP has been achieved. The proposed DGCA-RCNN model has potential to become a clinically useful AI tool for automated detection of cervical cancer cells in whole slide images of Pap smear.

In this paper, we investigate several relations for p-adic gamma function by means of their Mahler expansion and fermionic p-adic q-integral on ℤ_{p}. We also derive two fermionic p-adic q-integrals of p-adic gamma function in terms of q-Boole polynomials and numbers. Moreover, we discover fermionic p-adic q-integral of the derivative of p-adic gamma function. We acquire a representation for the p-adic Euler constant by means of the q-Boole polynomials. We finally develop a novel, explicit and interesting representation for the p-adic Euler constant including Stirling numbers of the first kind.

In this paper, we investigate p-adic q-integral (q-Volkenborn integral) on ℤ_{p} of p-adic gamma function via their Mahler expansions. We also derived two q-Volkenborn integrals of p-adic gamma function in terms of q-Daehee polynomials and numbers and q-Daehee polynomials and numbers of the second kind. Moreover, we discover q-Volkenborn integral of the derivative of p-adic gamma function. We acquire the relationship between the p-adic gamma function and Stirling numbers of the first kind. We finally develop a novel and interesting representation for the p-adic Euler constant by means of the q-Daehee polynomials and numbers.

It is increasingly common for experiments in biology and medicine to involve large numbers of hypothesis tests. A natural graphical method for visualizing these tests is to construct a histogram from the p-values of these tests. In this article, we examine the shapes, both normal and abnormal, that these histograms can take on, as well as present simple inferential procedures that help to interpret the shapes in terms of diagnosing potential problems with the experiment. We examine potential causes of these problems in detail, and discuss potential remedies. Throughout, examples of abnormal-looking p-value histograms are provided and based on case studies involving real biological experiments.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with cellular changes of the cervix leading to cancer, which highlights the importance of vaccination in preventing HPV infections and subsequent cellular changes. Women undergoing treatment (LEEP) for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) remain at risk for recurrence. This study assesses the effect of post-conization HPV vaccination on the viral status of women six months post-conization, aiming to evaluate the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing recurrence of CIN2+. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among women in Troms and Finnmark who underwent conization in 2022. Using the SymPathy database and the national vaccination register (SYSVAK), we analyzed the vaccination status and HPV test results of women born before 1991, who had not received the HPV vaccine prior to conization. Out of 419 women undergoing conization, 243 met the inclusion criteria. A significant association was found between post-conization HPV vaccination and a negative HPV test at six months follow-up (ARR = 12.1%, P = 0.039). Post-conization HPV vaccination significantly reduced the risk of a positive HPV test at the first follow-up, suggesting its potential in preventing recurrence of high-grade cellular changes. The retrospective design and the insufficient control of confounding variables underscore the necessity for further studies to confirm these findings.

Background. One of the most important prognostic factors in periampullary and pancreatic cancers is perineural infiltration, whose preoperative detection could be decisive in selecting which patients should not undergo upfront surgery. We evaluated CA 19.9 and the Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as preoperative predictors of perineural invasion (PNI). Methods: Retrospective analysis including patients with periampullary and pancreatic cancers who underwent curative resection from January 2013 to August 2023 in our institution. A univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were performed to analyze the association between the CA 19.9 and NLR with the existence of PNI. Results: A total of 136 patients were included in the study. PNI was observed in 95 (69.9%) patients. The selected cut-off points were NLR: 2.2 and CA 19.9: 37 U/mL. In univariate analysis, NLR (p=0.001) and CA 19.9 (p=0.006) were statistically significantly associated with PNI. In multivariate analysis, baseline NLR levels (p=0.012; OR: 1.95; 95%CI: 1.16-3.29) as well as CA 19.9 levels (p=0.026; OR: 1.67; 95%CI: 1.06-2.64) remained independent prognostic factors for PNI. The area under de ROC curves was 0.67 for CA 19.9 (p=0.004) and 0.72 for NLR (p<0.001). A sensitivity of 65.9% with a positive predictive value of 81.7% were obtained for CA 19.9, and a sensitivity of 62.1% with a positive predictive value of 84.3% were achieved for NLR. Conclusion: Preoperative CA 19.9 and NLR levels seem to be good predictors of PNI. In patients with normal levels of CA 19.9, preoperative NLR above of 2.2 should be an indication for neoadjuvant therapy.

.Citizen or community science (CS) projects in the marine environment rarely consider carbon footprint and sustainability. In this case study, we assessed the effectiveness of ten CS methods used by tourists in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) and Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP). We also assessed baseline coral reef knowledge of the tourists, observations of marine species and the communication of our results to the public. Specifically, the tourists utilised up to ten methods: iNaturalist, CoralWatch, Great Barrier Reef Census, Eye on the Reef (EoR), environ-mental DNA (eDNA) testing kits, photogrammetry, social surveys, and Red Map, as well as ma-rine debris and marine vegetation collections. A total of 10,421 data points were collected across 14 days, including 5,390 records (52 % of the total) uploaded to iNaturalist, comprising 640 plant animal species. Public awareness of the CS expedition reached over 700,000 people based on estimates from advertising, media, social media, family and friends, and conference presenta-tions. We estimated the total carbon footprint for the expedition as 268.7 tonnes of CO2 or 4.47 tonnes of CO2 per person, equivalent to $112 AUD needed to offset this input. Based on these re-sults, our recommendations to leverage CS methods include governmental review strategies, temporal replication to allow the measurement of changes through time, integrating sustainabil-ity into CS ecotourism platforms, and encouraging broad participation.

Pastırma is an ethnic meat product defined as dry-curing, drying, pressing the whole muscles of cattle and buffalo, and coating them with a special paste containing fenugreek seed flour, garlic, milled red capia pepper, and water. In this narrative literature review, historical aspects of pastırma, its definition and classification, detailed production steps, composition and yield, chemical and microbiological properties, pastırma fraud and customer concerns are mentioned. In the shape of the narrative review, relevant studies were identified by searching Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, Trdizin, and Google Scholar Search included English- or Turkish-based articles, online reports, books, and electronic books. The keywords "pastırma, pastirma, çemen, cemen, cemening, cemen paste, Fenugreek" were used. The results of this review indicate that future studies on pastırma may focus on related cultural aspects, elimination of unpleasant odour from fenugreek, histological and chemical effects of pressing meat parts, kinetics of drying, osmotic dehydration, and developing new starter combinations.

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family, is the second-largest superfamily in plants after MYB, which plays a significant role in the physiological processes of plant growth, tissue development, and environmental variation. However, the systematized study of the bHLH transcription factor family has not yet been conducted in A. catechu. Herein, we conducted genome genome-wide investigation of AcbHLH genes located on 16 chromosomes of A. catechu. A phylogenic tree was constructed to adjudge their homology of genes, and 24 subgroups were identified. Finally, we analyzed the dynamic changes of gene-expression levels of nine AcbHLH genes in response to drought and salt in leaves and roots. The expression patterns of 9 AcbHLH genes show differences in leaves and roots. Under stress conditions induced by salt and drought, AcbHLH22, AcbHLH62 and AcbHLH45 are significantly upregulated in both leaves and roots. In conclusion, this study will substantially contribute to the foundation for exploring the role of the bHLH superfamily in A.catechu in dealing with abiotic stresses.

The rapid pace of urbanization, coupled with the growing need for environmental sustainability and technological innovation, has brought smart city initiatives to the forefront of global urban development. This paper provides a comparative analysis of smart city policies from leading cities such as Oslo, Zurich, and Canberra, and derives strategic insights for Qatar. By examining the strategies, priorities, outcomes, and challenges associated with implementing smart city initiatives in these cities, the study identifies areas of alignment and divergence with Qatar's own smart city policy framework. The research highlights potential opportunities for cross-learning and suggests how Qatar can leverage lessons from international best practices to enhance its smart city initiatives. Key areas of focus include fostering strategic partnerships, promoting innovation, and ensuring effective governance and data management systems. The findings provide actionable insights to improve the effectiveness of Qatar's smart city projects, aligning them with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Recent studies with ApoE knockout (ApoE-/-) mice deficient for PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) or its receptor PAC1 provide evidence for a possible involve-ment of immune- and vasoregulatoy PACAP signaling at the PAC1 receptor in atherogenesis and plaque associated vascular inflammation. Therefore, we tested the PAC1 receptor agonist Maxadilan and the PAC1 selective antagonist M65 on plaque development and lumen stenosis in the ApoE-/- atherosclerosis model for possible anti-atherogenic effects. Adult male ApoE-/- mice were fed a cholesterol-enriched diet (CED) or standard chow (SC) treat-ed with Maxadilan, M65 or Sham. Effects of treatment on atherosclerotic plaques, lumen stenosis, apoptosis and pro-inflammatory signatures were analyzed in the brachiocephalic trunk (BT). The percentage of Maxadilan treated mice exhibiting plaques under SC and CED was lower than that of Sham or M65 treatment indicating opposite effects of Maxadilan and M65. Maxadilan ap-plication inhibited lumen stenosis under SC and CED compared to Sham. In spite of significantly increased cholesterol levels, lumen stenosis of Maxadilan-treated mice was similar under CED and SC. In contrast, M65 under SC or CED did not reveal a significant influence on lumen steno-sis. Maxadilan significantly reduced the TNF-α+ area in the plaques under CED, but not under SC. In contrast, the IL-1β+ area was reduced after Maxadilan treatment under SC, but remained unchanged under CED compared to Sham. Maxadilan reduced the caspase-3+ area in the media under both SC and CED without affecting lipid content in plaques. Despite persisting hypercholesterolemia, Maxadilan reduces lumen stenosis, apoptosis and TNF-α driven inflammation. Our data suggest that Maxadilan provides atheroprotection by act-ing downstream of cholesterol-induced vascular inflammation. This implicates the potential of PAC1-specific agonist drugs against atherosclerosis even beyond statins and PCSK-9.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a significant health concern, particularly in women, with almost half of them experiencing at least one UTI in their lifetime. This problem is further compounded by the high recurrence rate within 6-12 months. Postmenopausal women are especially vulnerable to recurrent UTI due to the natural decline in estrogen levels, which alters the urogenital epithelium and subsequently affects the urogenital microbiome. Methods: This study included 674 female patients that were admited at "Dr. Carol Davila" Central Military Emergency University Hospital in Bucharest over a period of 3 years. Results: Of the 674 women with urinary tract infection, 435 (79.3%) had more than one positive culture, and 239 (35.4%) experienced at least one recurrent urinary tract infection 6-12 months after the initial diagnosis. The mean age of women with urinary tract infection was 63 (± 15.61 years). Recurrent urinary tract infections were most prevalent in those aged 65-80 years (52%). Escherichia coli was detected in 71% of the positive cultures. Conclusions: The management of recurrent urinary tract infections in women presents a complex challenge that necessitates a multifaceted approach. The emerging understanding of the urobiome and its role in bladder health offers promising avenues for developing targeted interventions. As research in this field advances, it is imperative to integrate these new insights into clinical practice to balance traditional antibiotic treatments with novel strategies that consider the intricate microbial ecosystem of the urinary tract.

Disruptions in power quality have a negative impact on many energy consumers. These include lighting, where interference manifests itself, among others, in the form of light flickering. The article presents phenomena accompanying the operation of modern light sources against the background of exemplary results of studies on the flicker of conventional light sources, such as incandescent or fluorescent lamps. To assess the effects of these phenomena, it is necessary to use measures other than those traditionally used. The results of measurements carried out in accordance with different recommendations take into account both power supply disturbances and the properties of modern light sources.

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common procedure for cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. Severe obesity (BMI ≥40 or BMI ≥35 with comorbidities) is associ-ated with increased perioperative risks. This study examines the impact of severe obesity on out-comes in patients undergoing single-level ACDF. Methods :Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2016-2019) were analyzed, including 85,585 patients who underwent single-level ACDF. Patients were classified as severely obese (n = 4,935) or non-obese (n = 80,650). Outcomes such as length of stay, complications, and in-hospital mortali-ty were compared using SPSS and MATLAB, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Severely obese patients were younger (54 vs. 55.7 years, p < 0.001) and had more comor-bidities like type 2 diabetes (38% vs. 17.8%, p < 0.001) and obstructive sleep apnea (31.1% vs. 9.5%, p < 0.001). They experienced longer hospital stays (1.92 vs. 1.65 days, p < 0.001) but similar in-hospital mortality (0.1%, p = 0.506). Severe obesity was linked to higher odds of complications, the risk of developing dehiscence was 8.2 times higher in severely obese patients. Respiratory failure had an odds ratio of 6.5, while myocardial infarction showed an odds ratio of 5.5. Horner syn-drome was 4.7 times more likely to occur, and pulmonary edema had an odds ratio of 4.5. Dural tear risk was also significantly elevated, with an odds ratio of 4.1.The risk of developing acute kid-ney injury were 2.6 times higher, while the risk of pulmonary embolism was 2.5 times higher. Dysphonia was also more common in severely obese patients, with an odds ratio of 2.2. Conclusion: Severe obesity is associated with higher complication rates and longer hospital stays following ACDF. Tailored perioperative management is essential to mitigate risks and improve outcomes in this high-risk population.

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

HPV51 belongs to group I high-risk HPV (hrHPV) genotypes with a high prevalence of infection in numerous epidemiological studies, although its occurrence varies across geographical regions. To better understand the presence of variants and genetic variation of HPV51, this study aimed to perform a phylogenetic analysis of the E6, E7 and L1 regions to detect the hrHPV variants circulating in women referred to colposcopy in two different Italian regions (Lombardy and Sardinia). Cervical samples were tested using Anyplex™ II HPV HR Detection. HPV51 positive samples were further analysed using previously described PCR protocols to obtain sequences of E6, E7 and L1. A positivity rate for HPV51 of 7.4% (26/351) and 13.6% (11/81) was found in Lombardy and Sardinia, respectively. The majority (34 out of 35) of the analyzed sequences clustered into the A lineage and only one sequence was grouped into B lineage. L1 capsid gene showed the presence of different mutations but none under positive selective pressure. Three nucleotide polymorphisms T6311G, A6312T and G6313A related to the two aminoacidic mutations V264G and G265S were found among all analysed sequences. This study contributes to implement data regarding the molecular epidemiology of HPV but additional analysis on a larger number of sequences is necessary to better understand the role of HPV variants in cervical lesions development.

Most cervical cancer cases are a result of persistent high-risk Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Cervical cancer is prevalent in LMICs especially in SSA where it is second most prevalent cancer. In South Africa, it is the second most common cancer affecting women aged between 15 and 44 years. The host immune response has been shown as an important factor in controlling the progression or regression of high-risk HPV infection of the cervix to cervical cancer. The risk of cervical cancer is known to be influenced by the host's genetic diversity, particularly by immune response-regulating genes such as the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class I and II genes. HLA class I genes present viral peptides to CD8+ T cells which are restricted and pre-programmed for cytotoxic functions. There is very little known about the HLA genes of South African women and how these influence outcome of HPV infections. This review aims to understand the role and influence of HLA class I genes in HPV clearance, persistence, and CD8+ T cell mediated immunity in African women by examining existing literature in this area. Understanding this role can influence and inform therapeutic vaccine design that is population specific.

Background. Cervical esophageal reconstruction is vital for improving the quality of life in cancer surgery patients. Microsurgery is crucial, providing vascularized tissue for defect repair, particularly in secondary cases with a higher risk of failure due to larger defects and damage from previous surgery and radiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of a series of patients who underwent secondary repair of esophageal defects and provide practical information for the management and treatment of such cases based on the authors' experience and the literature review. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of the Plastic Surgery Clinic at the University of Trieste to identify cases of patients who underwent secondary esophageal microsurgical reconstructions following oncological surgery. Patient demographics, etiology of esophageal defects, previous surgical history, and preoperative assessments were collected from medical records. Surgical techniques employed for reconstruction, such as pedicled flaps or free tissue transfers, were documented along with intraoperative details. Postoperative outcomes, including complications, graft viability, and functional outcomes, were evaluated during follow-up. Results. We treated 13 cases of secondary esophageal reconstructions from 2011 to 2022. Most commonly, Antero-Lateral Thigh (ALT) flaps were used in 10 cases, while 2 cases employed Radial Forearm Flap (RFF), and 1 a chimeric parascapular flap. No flap failures occurred during a median 50-month follow-up. One ALT flap patient experienced post-op stricture but maintained swallowing ability. A single tracheoesophageal fistula occurred in a RFF patient with a history of radiotherapy and completion lymph node dissection. Conclusions. Cervical esophageal reconstruction significantly impacts patients' quality of life by restoring oral feeding and phonation. When local flaps fall short, microsurgical reconstruction with intestinal flaps is valuable, but burdened by limitations. For challenging secondary cases, ALT or RFF flaps emerge as safer options due to their robust pedicles, yielding low complication rates and positive functional outcomes.

Dystonia is a neurological disorder that results in atypical uncontrolled motions or postures caused by either continuous or intermittent contractions of the muscles. Subtypes of dystonia vary in their symptoms and severity; they can affect people of all ages and cause significant disability and poor quality of life. Identifying genes responsible for single or mixed dystonia variants has improved our understanding of its pathogenesis. The mechanisms underlying several of the most prevalent genetic dystonias, including idiopathic dystonia, TOR1A, THAP1, and KMT2B mutations, involve anomalies in transcriptional regulation, striatal dopaminergic signaling, synaptic plasticity, and a loss of inhibition at neuronal circuits. Dystonia is mostly diagnosed based on clinical indicators, and the diagnosis and etiology of this illness remain a problem. In this review, we tried to summarize novel updates about genetic causes and treatment of focal dystonia.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is diagnosed in most cervical cancers and is the fourth cause of cancer worldwide. Currently, fourteen HPV types are considered carcinogenic (HPV 16/18/31/33/35/39/45/51/52/56/58/59/66/68) with different oncogenicity. Cervical lesions might be due to HR (high risk)-HPV for what is important to identify new methods to genotype cervical lesions. The main goal was to identify, for the first time, HPV-HR in cervical lesions using Anyplex™ Detection kit in paraffin-embedded tissue. (2) Methods: It was performed a retrospective study in 45 women from Academic Hospital of Cova da Beira (CHUCB). DNA extraction was performed and through Anyplex™ II HPV-HR Detection kit HPV-HR were genotyped. (3) Results: HPV-HR were identified in 38 women; HPV-16 (55,26%), HPV-18/39/56/58/59 (5,26%), HPV-31 (21,05%), HPV-35 (7,89%), HPV-51/6 (2,63%) and HPV-52 (10,53%). (4) Conclusions: Our results reflect that Anyplex™ II HPV-HR Detection kit, designed for HR-HPV genotyping of cervical cancer screening, might be properly used to HR-HPV genotyping in histology. The proposed methodology allows an easy and cheaper technique that should be used as a future cervical risk stratification. It is a strong tool to be implemented in clinical practice in order to detect HR-HPV detection in cervical lesions, contributing to a more accurate diagnosis.

The differentiation between Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is necessary, because both diseases have similar symptoms, such as motor weakness and sensory disturbances. The challenge arises when NMOSD presents with short-segment spinal cord lesions, which can mimic the clinical presentation of CSM. This case report presents an NMOSD misdiagnosed as CSM. A 66-year-old woman presented with neck pain, left arm pain, and motor weakness. She was initially diagnosed with CSM based on MRI findings that revealed the increased signal intensity of the spinal cord at the C3 to 4 levels and underwent surgery. Three years later, she had sudden left upper extremity motor weakness and mild gait disturbance. Physical exam showed left-side weakness and altered reflexes, with longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) findings on cervical MRI. The CSF study revealed a 2+ AQP4-Ab finding. Finally, NMO was diagnosed. Steroid pulsed therapy and immunosuppression therapy led to improved motor function and gait after 20 days. We present a case report of a NMO patient who initially exhibited clinical and radiological features CSM but was later diagnosed with NMO. This case underscores the diagnostic challenge in distinguishing NMO from CSM, especially in elderly patients who commonly experience spinal degeneration leading to cord compression and associated cord signal changes on MRI. The misinterpretation or confusion with transverse myelitis can occur as a result. This case highlights the importance of considering NMO as a potential differential diagnosis in elderly patients with spinal degeneration, emphasizing the significance of precise and timely diagnosis for guiding optimal treatment decisions.

This study aimed to translate and psychometrically validate the Neck Outcome Score (NOOS) in the Polish population according to the recommendations of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) for the Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Health Status Measures. Participants completed the NOOS, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain assessment. The questionnaires were completed by 57 women and 32 men with cervical spine ailments. A retest was performed in all patients after 48 hours. The analysis confirmed the high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.95) of the Polish NOOS. No floor / ceiling effects were observed. The Polish NOOS showed a significant correlation with NDI (0.87; p<0.001) and VAS (0.79; p<0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the test-retest was found to be high (0.97). The Polish version of NOOS can be used for clinical and research purposes as an equivalent to the original English version. This study contributes to the area of patient-reported outcome measures available in the Polish language.

Generating executable code from natural language instructions using Large Language Models (LLMs) poses challenges such as semantic ambiguity and understanding task- specific contexts. To address these issues, we propose a system called DemoCraft, which enhances code generation by leveraging in-context learning and demonstration selection, combined with latent concept learning. Latent concept learning introduces additional concept tokens, which are trainable embeddings that capture task-specific knowledge. We then test our system on two major datasets: MBPP and HumanEval. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system achieves an approximate 2x increase in the pass@k metric compared to baseline models. Furthermore, we introduce two novel evaluation metrics: correctness@k and similarity@k. Our empirical studies indicate that our system attains nearly a 3x improvement in these metrics as well.

Helium is a strategic rare gas resource related to national security and the development of high-tech industries, the high-quality development of helium industry chains has a great significance to improve the security of helium resource. This paper through literature and market research, summarizes the progress of helium resource endowmen, exploration and development, supply and demand pattern, trade market and industrial technology, equipment through literature and market research in the world, analyses the development situation of global helium resources industry chains. This study proposes the development status and challenges of China's helium industry and the corresponding development path of helium industry based on the upstream, midstream, downstream and downstream indicators. Most of the countries in the world have not started helium exploration or remain in low exploration level, but the exploration practice shows that global helium resource potential is considerable; helium exploration and development subjects become diversified in recent years, which may change the global helium supply and demand pattern; The helium reservoir forming theory and exploration and development technology are underdeveloped, and the helium extraction equipment is continuously improved; The global helium production capacity, supply and demand，trade pattern market would be profoundly changing. For a long time, the United States has had an absolute say in the global helium trade system, the contradiction between supply and demand would persist for a long time and significant price fluctuations. China's helium development challenges and opportunities coexist considering the global helium industry chain existing pattern and the new trend of development. There is an urgent need to build an independent and controllable , stable and resilient helium industrial chain, and provide helium resources guarantee for the development of high-tech industries.

Objective: The aim of this review was to identify newly discovered bacteria from individuals with periodontal/peri-implant diseases and organize them in new clusters (GF-MoR complexes) to update Socransky’s complexes (1998). Methods: The focus question was developed based on the PCC (Population, Concept, Context) strategy: “In patients with periodontal and/or peri-implant disease, what bacteria (microorganisms) were detected through laboratory assays?” The search strategy was applied to PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Embase. The search keyterms, combined with Boolean markers, were: (1) bacteria, (2) microbiome, (3) microorganisms, (4) biofilm, (5) niche, (6) native bacteria, (7) gingivitis), (8) periodontitis, (9) peri-implant mucositis, and (10) peri-implantitis. The search was restricted to 1998–2024 and English language. The bacteria groups in the oral cavity obtained/found were retrieved and were included in the GF-MoR complexes which were based on the disease/condition, presenting six groups: (1) Health, (2) Gingivitis, (3) Peri-implant mucositis, (4) Periodontitis, (5) Peri-implantitis, and (6) Necrotizing and Molar-Incisor (M-O) pattern Periodontitis. The percentual found per group refers to the number of times a specific bacterium was found associated with a particular disease. Results: A total of 381 articles were found; 162 articles were eligible for full-text reading (k=0.92); 9 articles were excluded with justification, and 153 were included in this review (k=0.98). Most of the studies reported results for Health condition, Periodontitis, and Peri-implantitis (3 out of 6 GF-MoR clusters), limiting the number of bacteria found in the other groups. Therefore, it is essential to understand that bacterial colonization is a dynamic process, and the bacteria present in one group can also be present in other one or others, such as observed with the bacteria found in all groups (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannarela forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans) (GF-MoR’s red Triangle); the second most observed bacteria were grouped at GF-MoR’s blue Triangle: Porphyromonas spp., Prevotela spp., and Treponema spp., present in 5 of the six groups; and the third most detected bacteria were clustered in the grey Polygon (GF-MoR’s grey Polygon): Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, and Eikenella corrodens. These three geometric shapes had the most relevant bacteria for periodontal and peri-implant diseases. Specifically, per group, GF-MoR’s Health had 58 species; GF-MoR’s Gingivitis presented 16 bacteria; the GF-MoR’s Peri-implant mucositis included 17 bacteria; GF-MoR’s Periodontitis group had 101 different bacteria; GF-MoR’s Peri-implantitis presented 61 bacteria; and the last group was a combination of Necrotizing diseases and Molar-Incisor (M-I) pattern Periodontitis, with seven bacteria. Observing the top seven bacteria of all groups, all were gram-negative; Groups 4 and 5 (Periodontitis and Peri-implantitis) presented the same top seven bacteria. Conclusion: For the first time in the literature, GF-MoR’s complexes are presented, gathering the bacteria according to the condition found and including more bacteria than Socransky’s complexes. On this understanding, this study can drive future research into treatment options for periodontal and peri-implant diseases, guiding future studies and collaborating to prevent and worsen systemic conditions. Moreover, it permits the debate about the evolution of the bacterial clusters correlated to periodontal and peri-implant diseases and conditions.

The proliferation of cloud computing has given rise to challenges in security that established perimeter-based models cannot easily adapt to. The new buzzword Zero Trust, which is based on the principle of "never trust, always verify," has been looked up as one of the promising solutions. Is Zero Trust a certainty or pie in the sky for security in the cloud? This is discussed further in this paper. This philosophical approach leads us through the earlier work and scientific literature available on the subject, presenting Zero Trust's capabilities, advantages when introduced into cloud security architecture, and obstacles about its incorporation. The study finds that Zero Trust holds the potential to enhance cloud security significantly, but it is no silver bullet and demands careful implementation and further studies to understand its intricacies as well as pitfalls.

Insurance companies need to calculate solvency capital requirements in order to ensure that they can meet their future obligations to policyholders and beneficiaries. The solvency capital requirement is a risk management tool essential for, when extreme catastrophic events occur, resulting in a high number of possibly interdependent claims. This paper studies the problem of aggregating the risks coming from several insurance business lines and analyses the effect of reinsurance in the level of risk. Our starting point is to use a Hierarchical Risk Aggregation method, which was initially based on 2-dimensional elliptical copulas. We then propose the use of copulas from the Archimedean family and a mixture of different copulas. Our results show that a mixture of copulas can provide a better fit to the data than an individual copula and consequently avoid over or underestimating of the capital requirement of an insurance company. We also investigate the significance of reinsurance in reducing the insurance company’s business risk and its effect on diversification. The results show that reinsurance does not always reduce the level of risk, but can also reduce the effect of diversification for insurance companies with multiple business lines.

The primary goal of Theory of Everything (ToE) is to unify General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, establishing a theoretical framework that explains all natural phenomena and fundamental laws of the universe. The rapid development of artificial intelligence in the 21st century presents new opportunities for the establishment of TOE. Research has revealed that the observer and the agent, as key concepts in physics and intelligence science respectively, share intrinsic consistency. Using this as a breakthrough point, we first proposed Standard Agent Model, which, from the perspective of information processing, establishes a unified structure for agents. This model posits that any agent possesses five essential capabilities: input, output, storage, creation, and control of these four capabilities.By setting the values of these five essential capabilities in Standard Agent Model to either zero or infinity, we identify two extreme states of agents: Absolute Zero Agent (α Point) and Omniscient and Omnipotent Agent (Ω Point). Based on the evolution of agents towards these two extreme states, we derive two driving forces for agent evolution: α Gravity and Ω Gravity. These elements collectively form General Model of Agent Evolution.Building on the first two models, we further derive Intelligent Universe Evolution Model, proposing that Universe, as an agent, evolves dynamically between α Point and Ω Point under the influence of α Field and Ω Field. These three models together constitute "Theory of Universal Intelligent Evolution," abbreviated as Ω Theory. According to Ω Theory, we demonstrate that the observer in physics and a wide range of research objects can be unified within the framework of Standard Agent Model. Additionally, we argue that the four fundamental forces have the potential to be unified into α Gravity and Ω Gravity.Within the framework of Ω Theory, through theoretical analysis and experimental validation, it has been demonstrated that the differences between classical mechanics, relativity, and quantum mechanics stem from the varying intelligence levels assigned to observers. Furthermore, it has been discovered that the differences in intelligent characteristics between the theoretical Universe proposed by these three major physical theories and Universe in which humanity currently resides are the root cause of the varying precision and limitations of these theories.

As the global economy pays increasing attention to sustainable development and environmental protection, the role of green finance in promoting regional technological innovation is becoming more and more prominent. This study aims to analyse the impact of green finance on regional technological innovation and its mechanism of action, with special attention to the mediating effect of R&D inputs and the moderating role of regional characteristics. By analysing the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2008 to 2021 with fixed and mediated effect models, the results show that green finance significantly promotes regional technological innovation. R&D investment intensity partially mediates this effect, while regional innovation and entrepreneurship capacity plays a significant moderating role in this relationship. Specifically, regional innovation and entrepreneurship capacity reinforces the positive impact of green finance on R&D investment, but the marginal effect of R&D investment is reduced in regions with stronger innovation and entrepreneurship capacity. The findings provide a theoretical basis for formulating relevant policies to promote green finance development and sustainable innovation in regional economies.

Here, we describe the bicomplex (p,q)- Fibonacci numbers and the bicomplex (p,q)- Fibonacci quaternions that are based on these numbers and give some of their equations, including the Binet formula, generating function, Catalan, Cassini, d’Ocagne’s identities, and some summation formulas for both of them. Finally, we create a matrix for bicomplex (p,q)- Fibonacci quaternions, and we obtain a determinant of a special matrix that gives the terms of that quaternion.

In this paper, some convexity properties and some inequalities for the (p,k)-analogue of the Gamma function, Г_p,k(x) are given. In particular, a (p,k)-analogue of the celebrated Bohr-Mollerup theorem is given. Furthermore, a (p,k)-analogue of the Riemann zeta function, ζ_p,k(x) is introduced and some associated inequalities are derived. The established results provide the (p,k)-generalizations of some known results concerning the classical Gamma function.

We introduce the notion of p-adic equiangular lines and derive the first fundamental relation between common angle, dimension of the space and the number of lines. More precisely, we show that if {τj} n j=1 is p-adic γ-equiangular lines in Qd p , then (1) |n| 2 ≤ |d| max{|n|, γ2 }. We call Inequality (1) as the p-adic van Lint-Seidel relative bound. We believe that this complements fundamental van Lint-Seidel [Indag. Math., 1966] relative bound for equiangular lines in the p-adic case. Keywords: Equiangular lines, p-adic Hilbert space.

This article presents a proposed system that enables energy transfer from the dc grid to a single-phase onboard grid, operating at an hi frequency. In addition to the energy transfer function, it additionally enables compensation of reactive power in the ac grid when the converter operates at less than rated power. To operate in compensator mode, it is necessary to decouple the current from the grid into active and reactive components and control them independently. To achieve good dynamics, synchronizers that operate in the dq system are used. In the case of a single-phase grid, it requires such a synchronizer to generate virtual quadrature signals. The used systems based on second-order generalized integrator are good, but to improve dynamics in the work a quadrature generator based on trigonometric calculations was proposed. The developed system was implemented in a proportional resonant current control system. Tests performed in steady state and in dynamic states related to typical grid disturbances showed better dynamic properties than the standard integrator-based system.Keywords: power transfer; compensator; P+R controller

Arc sensors have been used in seam tracking and widely studied since the 80s; commercial arc sensing products for T and V shaped grooves have been developed. However, it is difficult to use these arc sensors in narrow gap welding because arc stability and sensing accuracy are not satisfactory. Pulse gas melting arc welding (P-GMAW) has been successfully applied in narrow gap welding and all position welding processes, so it is worthwhile to research P-GMAW arc sensing technology. In this paper, we derived a linear mathematical P-GMAW model for arc sensing, and the assumptions for the model are verified through experiments and finite element methods. Finally, the linear characteristics of the mathematical model were investigated. In torch height changing experiments, uphill experiments, and groove angle changing experiments the P-GMAW arc signals all satisfied the linear rules. In addition, the faster the welding speed, the higher the arc signal sensitivities; the smaller the groove angle, the greater the arc sensitivities. The arc signal variation rate needs to be modified according to the welding power, groove angles, and swing or rotate speed.

Pardosa pseudoannulata is one of the most common wandering spiders in agricultural fields and a potentially good bioindicator for heavy metal contamination. However, little is known about the mechanism by which spiders respond to heavy metals at the molecular level. In this study, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after cadmium exposure. We obtained 60,489 assembled unigenes, 18,773 of which were annotated in the public databases. Ultimately, 3450 cDNA simple sequence repeats were identified and validated as potential molecular markers in the unigenes. A total of 2939, 2491 and 3759 DEGs were detected among the three libraries of two Cd-treated groups and the control. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolism processes and digestive system function were predominately enriched in response to Cd stress. At the cellular and molecular levels, significantly enriched pathways in lysosomes and phagosomes as well as replication, recombination and repair demonstrated that oxidative damage resulted from Cd exposure. Based on the selected DEGs, certain critical genes involved in defence and detoxification were analysed. These results may elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying spiders' responses to heavy metal stress.

Gold nanoparticles (NPs) are among the most commonly employed metal NPs in biological applications, with their distinctive physicochemical features. Their extraordinary optical properties, stemming from the strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), contribute to the devel-opment of novel approaches in the areas of bioimaging, biosensing, and cancer research, especially for photothermal and photodynamic therapy. The ease of functionalization with various lig-ands provides a novel approach to the precise delivery of these molecules to targeted areas. Gold NPs ability to transfer heat and electricity positions them as valuable materials for advancing thermal management and electronic systems. Moreover, their inherent characteristics, such as in-ertness, give rise to the synthesis of novel antibacterial and antioxidant agents as they provide a biocompatible and low-toxic approach. Chemical and physical synthesis methods are utilized to produce gold NPs. The pursuit of more ecologically sustainable and economically viable large-scale technologies, such as environmentally benign biological processes referred to as green/biological synthesis, has garnered increasing interest among global researchers. Green synthesis methods are favorable among other synthesis techniques as they minimize the necessity for hazardous chemicals in the reduction process due to their simplicity, cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, and biocompatibility. This article discusses the importance of gold NPs, their optical and conductivity properties, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, synthesis methods, contemporary uses, and biosafety, emphasizing the need to understand toxicology principles and green commercialization strategies.