Although congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SHL) in the bilateral cochleae mainly results from genetic abnormalities, chronic SHL progressing in later life is often influenced by systemic immune disturbances, including autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and immunosenescence. We have investigated the relationship between the inner ear and systemic immunity and reviewed the possibilities to prevent SHL, including autoimmune SHL and age-related SHL. We also demonstrated two lymphocyte populations, interleukin 1 receptor type II (IL-1R2)-positive T cells (T1R2) and naturally occurring regulatory T cells (nTregs) in CD4⁺ T cells, which increase with aging, suppress host immune function and promote organ degeneration. Alterations in systemic immunity by fewer microbial antigen challenges in the living environment, elimination of immune suppressive lymphocytes, or immune rejuvenation with a reconstituted thymus may contribute not only to renew the cochlear function in SHL, but also to extend the healthy life of functional organs in a vigorous and youthful body, one of humanity’s greatest dreams.

In this paper, we study the entire or meromorphic solutions for differential-difference equations in f(z) , its shifts, its derivatives and derivatives of its shifts. and study some Hayman's results for differential-difference polynomials.

Single-particle tracking with quantum dots (QDs) constitutes a powerful tool to track the nanoscopic dynamics of individual cell membrane components unveiling their membrane diffusion characteristics. Here we tested the possibility of extracting from the nano-resolved (16 ms and 30 nm) population dynamics of several quantum dots, time-binned at the second time-scale, the rapid structural changes of the cell membrane surface. We used for this proof-of-concept study bright, small and stable biofunctional QD nanoconstructs recognizing the neuronal cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor and a commercial point-localization microscope to reconstruct in 3D the dynamics of the plasma membrane surface of cultured cells with a spatial resolution of tens of nanometers. CB1 receptor was chosen because it’s a highly expressed and fast diffusing membrane protein. Therefore, rapid QD diffusion on the axonal plasma membrane of cultured hippocampal neurons allowed highly precise reconstruction of the membrane surface in less than one minute. QD nanoconstructs diffused into the membrane of synaptic clefts allowing the entire topological reconstruction of the presynaptic component. In addition, we demonstrated successful reconstruction of the remarkably high dynamics of membrane surface topology at the second time-scale both in HEK-293 cell filopodia and axons. Our results show that this novel technique, which we named nanoPaint, is a powerful precision tool for the study of the structural plasticity of cell membrane surfaces.

In this work, the parameters of plasma (electron temperature (T_e), electron density n_e, plasma frequency (f_p) , Debye length (λ_D) and Debye number (N_D)) have been studied by using the spectrometer that collect the spectrum of Laser produce Cadmium telluride plasma at different energies. The results of electron temperature for CdTe range 0.93-1.18 eV also the electron density 5 × 10¹⁰ – 3.8 × 10¹¹ cm^-3 have been measured under vacuum reaching 2.5 × 10^-2 mbar .Optical properties of CdTe were determined through the optical transmission method using ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer within the range 190 – 1100 nm.

Pristimerin (PM) is a naturally occurring quinonemethide triterpenoid compound that isolated from the Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae families. Its anticancer effects have attracted a great deal of attention, but the mechanisms of action remain obscure. In this study, we screened for the active compounds of Pristimerin using a drug-likeness approach. Potential protein targets of Pristimerin were predicted by PharmMapper and Coremine database. Candidate protein targets were then uploaded to GeneMANIA and GO pathway analysis. Finally, compound-target, target-pathway, and compound-target-pathway networks were constructed using Cytoscape 3.3. The results showed that Pristimerin had good drug ability and identified 13 putative protein targets. Network analysis revealed that these targets are associated with cancer, inflammation and other physiological processes. In summary, Pristimerin is predicted to target a variety of proteins and pathways to form a network that exerts systemic pharmacological effects.

We consider an alternative formula for time delay in gravitational lensing. Imposing a smoothness condition on the gravitationally deformed paths followed by the photons from the source to the observer, we show that our formula displays the same degrees of freedom of the standard one. In addition to this, it is shown that the standard expression for time delay is recovered when small angles are involved. These two features strongly support the claim that the formula for time delay studied in this paper is the generalization to arbitrary angles of the standard one, which is valid at small angles. This could therefore result in a useful tool in view of softening the known discrepancy between the various estimates of the Hubble constant. As an aside, two interesting consequences of our proposal for time delay are discussed: the existence of a constraint on the gravitational potential generated by the lens and a formula for the mass of the lens in the case of central potential.

In this article we review the advances that have been made on the understanding of the high-pressure structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of wolframite-type oxides since the first works in the early 1990s. Mainly tungstates, which are the best known wolframites, but also tantalates and niobates, with an isomorphic ambient-pressure wolframite structure, have been included in this review. Apart from estimating the bulk moduli of all known wolframites; the cation-oxygen bond distances and their change with pressure have been correlated with their compressibility. The composition variations of all wolframites have been employed to understand their different structural phase transitions to post-wolframite structures as a response to high pressure. The number of Raman modes and band gap energy changes have been also analyzed in the basis of these compositional differences. The reviewed results are relevant for both fundamental science and for the development of wolframites as scintillating detectors. The possible next research venues of wolframites have also been evaluated.

Stara Planina is known for numerous occurrences and deposits of uranium and associated radionuclides. It is also famous for its geodiversity. The geologic framework is highly complex. The mountain is situated between the latitudes of 43° and 44° N and the longitudes from 22°16′ to 23°00′ E. Uranium exploration and radioactivity testing on Stara Planina began back in 1948. Uranium has also been mined in the zone of Kalna, within the Janja granite intrusive. The naturally-radioactive geologic units of Stara Planina are presented in detail in the paper.

In the paper, the authors nd a new closed expression for the Fibonacci polynomials and, consequently, for the Fibonacci numbers, in terms of a tridiagonal determinant.

A new copper(I) complex, [Cu2(L)2dppm](PF6)2 (1) [L = 3-(2-Pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine and dppm: Bis(diphenylphosphino)methane] was prepared and characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 31P-NMR spectroscopy, elemental and thermogravimetric analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Complex 1 is a dinuclear compound, showing that L and dppm act as tridentate and bidentate chelating ligands, respectively. The two Cu(I) atoms exhibit a distorted tetrahedral coordination sphere embedded in N3P environments. The supramolecular interactions in the solid-state structure are characterized by C−H···N, C−H···F, C-H···π and π···π intermolecular interactions that were analyzed by inspection of the Hirshfeld surface and fingerprint plots. Additionally, the complex was studied experimentally in solution by UV–Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry; also, theoretical studies with Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) were performed. Moreover, the optical and electrochemical properties have been studied, focusing on the band gap. Compound 1 has been used as a co-sensitizer in a dye-sensitized solar cell, showing good activity.

Accurate knowledge of the rain amount is an crucial driver in several hydro-meteorological applications. This is especially true in complex orography territories, which are typically impervious, thus leaving ungauged most of the mountain areas. Thanks to their spatial and temporal coverage, weather radars can potentially overcome such an issue. However, weather radar, if not accurately processed, can suffer from several limitations (e.g., beam blocking, altitude of the observation, path attenuation, indirectness of the measurement) that can hamper the reliability of the rain estimates performed. In this study, a comparison between rain gauge and weather radar retrievals is performed in the target area of the Abruzzo region in Italy, which is characterized by a heterogeneous orography ranging from the sea side to Apennine ridge. Consequently, the Abruzzo region has an inhomogeneous distribution of the rain gauges, with station density decreasing with the altitude reaching up to approximately 1500 m a.s.l. Notwithstanding, pluviometric inflow spatial distribution shows a sub-regional dependency as a function of four climatic and altimetric factors: coastal, hilly, mountain, and inner plain areas (i.e., Marsica). Such areas are used in this analysis to characterize the radar retrieval vs. rain gauge amounts in each of those zones. Compared to previous studies on the topic, the analysis presented an attention to the importance of an accurate selection of the climatic and altimetric sub-regional areas where undertake the radar vs. rain gauge comparison. This aspect is not only of great importance to correct biases in radar retrievals in a more selective way, but it also paves the way for more accurate hydro-meteorological applications (e.g., hydrological model initialization, quantify the aquifers recharge etc.) which, in general, require the accurate knowledge of rain amounts upstream of a basin. To fill the gap caused by the uneven rain gauge distribution, Ordinary Kriging has been applied on a regional scale to obtain 2D maps of rainfall data, which are cumulated on a monthly and yearly base. Weather radar data from the Italian mosaic are considered as well, in terms of rain rate retrievals and cumulations performed on the same time frame used for rain gauges. The period considered for the analysis is two continuous years: 2017 and 2018. The output of the elaborations are raster maps for both radar and interpolated rain gauges, where every pixel contains a rainfall quantity. Although the results show a general underestimation in the weather radar data especially in mountain and Marsica areas, even though within the 95% confidence interval of the OK estimation. Our analysis highlights that the average bias between radar and rain gauges, in terms of precipitation amounts, is a function of altitude and is almost constant in each of the selected areas. This achievement suggests that after a proper selection of homogeneous target areas, the radar retrievals can be corrected using the denser network of rain gauges typically distributed at lower altitudes and extend such correction at higher altitudes without loss of generality.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia (50-70%), is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and significant neuropathological changes, including β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. This review synthesizes current understanding of the complex interplays that contribute to the pathogenesis of AD, while exploring the mechanisms underlying the formation of β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, with a focus on the amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic pathways, Tau protein hyperphosphorylation, and the resultant neurotoxicity. Furthermore, the study delves into mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as critical contributors to neuronal degeneration, highlighting the mitochondrial cascade hypothesis and its implications in both early (EOAD) and late-onset AD (LOAD). The study emphasizes the irreversible nature of the disease’s progression, detailing the pathological transformations from the preclinical to the severe stage, where lesions disseminate throughout the entire cortex.

On average, one in ten patients die because of a diagnostic error and medical errors are the third largest cause of death in the word. While LLMs have been proposed to help doctors with diagnoses, no research results have been published on comparing the diagnostic ability of many popular LLMs on an openly accessible real-patient cohort. In thus study, we compare LLMs from Google, OpenAI, Meta, Mistral, Cohere and Anthropic using our previously published evaluation methodology and explore improving their accuracy with RAG.

Maxwell's energy-momentum tensor cannot be used as is in Einstein's equation for general relativity in the presence of sources. In this case, its four-divergence is non-zero, whereas the tensors in the equation must have this characteristic. However, the sun emits streams of ionized particles, gases are present within galaxies, material transfers in the form of ionized plasma can occur in binary star systems, and so on. These charges cannot be neglected in the study of space-time in these regions. Here, we present a modified version of this tensor that eliminates this flaw, provided that the potentials satisfy the Lorenz gauge. The distribution of sources will also be analyzed in light of fluid mechanics, allowing us to account for its influence in terms of generated pressure.

Periodontal disease, a multifactorial inflammatory condition affecting the supporting structures of the teeth, has been increasingly recognized for its association with various systemic diseases. Understanding the molecular comorbidities of periodontal disease is crucial for elucidating shared pathogenic mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we conducted comprehensive literature and biological database mining utilizing tools such as DisGeNET2R, Romin, and Rentrez R libraries to identify diseases sharing associated genes, proteins, or molecular pathways with periodontitis. Our analysis revealed significant molecular overlaps between periodontal disease and several systemic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Shared molecular mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases and periodontitis encompassed dysregulation of inflammatory mediators, immune response pathways, oxidative stress pathways, and alterations in the extracellular matrix. Furthermore, network analysis unveiled key hub genes and proteins that play pivotal roles in the crosstalk between periodontal disease and its comorbidities, offering potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Insights gained from this integrative approach shed light on the intricate interplay between periodontal health and systemic well-being, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing personalized treatment strategies for patients with periodontal disease and associated comorbidities.

A previous related paper dealing with the density relaxation of polystyrene (PS) has shown that the equilibrium relaxation time (eq) has a purely exponential temperature dependence (ETD) below ≈ 100ºC. Such an ETD is now also confirmed based upon available dielectric-spectra data for PS. By combining the ETD behavior of eq (or aT) at low temperatures with a VFTH behavior at higher temperatures (based mainly on available recoverable-shear-compliance data), a composite correlation for eq (or aT) is developed which is continuous with continuous slope at a crossover temperature which is found to be 99.22ºC, where eq = 92.15 sec. This composite representation is shown to describe (without any adjustable parameters) available independent data for the segmental-relaxation time over a finite range both above and below Tcrossover (i.e. the glass-transition temperature).

The field of microbial pathogenesis seeks to identify the agents and mechanisms responsible for disease causation. Since Robert Koch introduced postulates that were used to guide the characterization of microbial pathogens, technological advances have substantially increased the capacity to rapidly identify a causative infectious agent. Research efforts currently focus on causation at the molecular level with a search for virulence factors (VFs) that contribute to different stages of the infectious process. We note that the quest to identify and characterize VFs sometimes lacks scientific rigor, and this suggests a need to examine the epistemology of VF characterization. We took this premise as an opportunity to explore the epistemology of VF characterization. In this perspective, we discuss how the characterization of various gene products that evolved to facilitate bacterial survival in the broader environment have potentially been prematurely mischaracterized as VFs that contribute to pathogenesis in the context of human biology. Examples of the reasoning that can affect misinterpretation, or at least premature assignment of mechanistic causation, are provided. Our aim is to refine categorization of VFs by emphasizing a broader biological view of their origin.

Build a special identical equation, use its calculation characters to prove and search for solution of any odd converging to 1 equation through (*3+1)/2^k operation, change the operation to (*3+2^m-1)/2^k, and get a solution for this equation, give a specific example to verify. Thus prove the Collatz Conjecture is true. Furthermore, analysis the sequences produced by iteration calculation during the procedure of searching for solution, build a weight function model, prove it decrease progressively to 0, build a complement weight function model, prove it increase to its convergence state. Build a (*3+2^m-1)/2^k odd tree, prove if odd in (*3+2^m-1)/2^k long huge odd sequence can not converge, the sequence must outstep the boundary of the tree after infinite steps of (*3+2^m-1)/2^k operation.

Background: This study addresses the burgeoning impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT on the integrity of online examinations and seeks to demonstrate latent and advanced LLM reasoning capabilities. The research devises an iterative self-reflective strategy for invoking critical thinking and higher-order reasoning in LLMs based on multimodal exam questions using visuals and text. Methods: The proposed strategy was demonstrated and evaluated on real exam questions by subject experts and the performance of ChatGPT (GPT-4) with vision was estimated on an additional dataset of 600 text descriptions of multimodal exam questions, focusing on its response to complex, visual, and textual prompts. Results: The results indicate that latent multi-hop reasoning capabilities can be invoked using the proposed self-reflective strategy, which can effectively steer ChatGPT towards correct answers by integrating critical thinking from each modality into the final response. Meanwhile, ChatGPT demonstrated considerable proficiency in being able to answer multimodal exam questions across 12 subjects. Conclusions: This work challenges findings from recent studies which claim that existing LLMs are unable to reason on complex multimodal tasks, and therefore this study underscores the need for enhanced online exam security measures like proctoring software, that can mitigate the potential misuse of AI technologies in educational settings.

We show how the Poincar\'e--Riemann--Hilbert boundary-value problem enables us to construct effective estimates of the potential in the Schr\"odinger equation. The apparatus of the three-dimensional inverse problem of quantum scattering theory is developed for this. It is shown that the unitary scattering operator can be studied as a solution of the Poincar\'e--Riemann--Hilbert boundary-value problem. This allows us to go on to study the potential in the Schr\"odinger equation

histology, the processing and staining of cells, tissues and organs to highlight contrast, visualize and analyze their microstructure under microscopy, encompasses a vast array of techniques used to confirm, refine, or refute the macroscopic findings in forensic investigations, for example in the case of autopsies. This review presents several applications of histological protocols, staining methods and techniques to case studies, with the aim of illustrating the established, current and potential applications of histological investigations to forensic sciences. The list of disciplines include anthropology, cytology, dendrochronology, diatomology, entomology, fiber analysis, palynology,human and veterinary pathology, taphonomy and thanatology.

This article illustrates a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted role of hydrocarbons in the field of material science, bridging the gap between theoretical understanding and practical applications, also providing acumens into future perceptions. Hydrocarbons, which consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms, play a critical role in numerous sectors due to their extensive presence in both natural and synthetic environments. The study categorizes hydrocarbons into diverse categories such as alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic hydrocarbons, each owning unique features that influence their physical properties and applications. This inclusive review comprehends the fundamental aspects of hydrocarbons, their indispensable compounds and elements, and their substantial contributions to material science, including their utilization in coatings, composites, and polymers. Besides, the article investigates into case studies that demonstrate the theoretical advancements and practical applications of hydrocarbons, as well as their latent in addressing future energy and environmental encounters. By investigative the role of hydrocarbons in the expansion of innovative materials and their implications for sustainability and technological progress, the article accentuates the significance of hydrocarbons in evolving the field of material science and technology.

Throughout this paper the impact of anxiety on adolescent athlete’s is highlighted through analyzing neurological and psychological aspects involved in sports performance. The neuroanatomy and neuropsychology of the human brain plays a major role in developing athlete’s that has only begun to be analyzed within recent years. Especially in young athletes, there are numerous factors that affect performance on the field that originate from the environment and training the adolescent athlete is involved in. Sports performance is viewed as a major physical factor such as training and lifting weights, however the psychological aspect of sports performance often goes unnoticed. Athletes can begin to develop mental fatigue and anxiety which inevitably can decrease their ability to perform. The athlete’s internal suffering begins to go unnoticed, as the only tangible factor is watching their performance decrease. This causes the athlete to push themselves further in training resulting in greater mental fatigue. This paper emphasizes the numerous factors neurologically that play a role in athletic performance which should be focused on in adolescent athletes as they navigate the challenges and competition that are apparent within athletics. It is critical to understand the processes and hormonal changes the body undergoes with training and playing a sport, this information can change the way adolescent sports are approached and advanced.

The ferrocell is an optical viewing device that interacts with a magnetic field and one or more light sources to produce a real-time visual light display. Although this device has been extensively studied by several researchers, a proper computer simulation replicating this optical effect has not yet been presented. Using numerical methods and the law of reflection, a computer simulation was developed that shows that the light patterns as seen in the ferrocell are primarily caused by light reflections off the ferrofluid nano-particles that self organize into needle-like filaments and align along magnetic flux lines in the presence of a magnetic field.

The continuous flowing spacetime forms a spacetime group G, one of its fundamental groups is the Poincare group PO(1,3), and the matter and interaction fields are representations of its intrinsic spacetime group. As a kind of quantized space-time unit, space-time group elements generate both space-time manifolds and matter. Matter and fields are aggregates of the quantum space-time within them and determine their type: the Lorentz group SO(1,3) represents a rotating spacetime corresponding to visible matter and the translation group P^1,3 represents a translational spacetime corresponding to dark matter and dark energy. The aggregation mode of space-time degrees of freedom in matter reveals that charge conjugation symmetry is the inverse symmetry of internal time of charged particles, and the external parity breaking of neutrinos is also due to their internal spatial aggregation mode.

Twining stems are an important form of plant stems. Twining stems can exhibit two different chiralities: right-handed and left-handed, with right-handed twining stems being much more common than left-handed ones. The determination of chirality in twining stems has always been a fascinating topic. Many people believe that the direction of twining stems in a given species is fixed, but this is not the case. Some species have twining stems that exhibit both chirality types, i.e. the chirality is variable. Moreover, such species or genera are not rare and can be commonly encountered in everyday life. Here, we report the presence of variable-chirality twining stems (VCTS) in several species or genera within the Asteraceae, Campanulaceae, Rubiaceae, Lamiaceae, Polygonaceae, Santalaceae, and Ranunculaceae families, including common plants such as Mikania micrantha and Pleuropterus multiflorus. VCTS is an objectively existing phenomenon, but often overlooked. Understanding and accepting this concept will greatly assist future research in this field.

A herbarium is a library of preserved dried samples of vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, algae and/or lichens and is maintained for educational and scientific purposes, and provides detailed information on taxonomy, systematic, biodiversity, ecological and evolutionary research studies. Globally, there are more than 3,000 active public herbaria that preserve around 400 million exsiccates. In Brazil there are 216 active herbaria, of which 162 are indexed in the Index Herbariorum and in the Central region there are 21 herbaria. In this context, the Herbarium of the University of Brasília (international code UB) was founded in 1963 together with the Department of Botany of UnB and is located at the Institute of Biological Sciences of the Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília and it is fifth largest herbarium in Brazil and presents approximately 277 thousand samples. In this study, we present here the bryophytes collection at the UB Herbarium. The collection of bryophytes of UB herbarium has 30,902 samples of all continents and 79 countries and most come from Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, United States of America and Argentina.

Fungi belong to the species with the highest biodiversity and high potential for use in biotechnology and industry. Therefore, their long-term quality conservation is very important and it is necessary to continuously develop new methods and improve existing methods. Currently, cryopreservation appears to be the best available technique for the preservation of fungi. This study summarises the latest trends and advances in fungal cryopreservation over the last 7 years, i.e. findings from scientific publications from 2017 to 2023 dealing with cryopreservation of both basidiomycetes and non-basidiomycete fungi. The work analyzed the studied organisms and the cryopreservation method used, focused on the use of new procedures and modifications of existing methods; summarized the conditions for successful cryopreservation, such as cryopreservation time and temperature, as well as the substrate and cryoprotectant used.

This study employs traditional OLS (ordinary least squares) regression analysis to investigate the influence of various external factors on Bitcoin price fluctuations from January 2014 to March 2023 using a multidimensional approach. We use factors from the traditional financial market, such as economic policy uncertainty (EPU), oil prices, the NASDAQ index, and gold prices, to identify factors contributing to Bitcoin volatility. Considering the unique situation in the Bitcoin market, that is, 24-hour trading and the short duration of its existence, we incorporate the broadest possible data range to achieve alignment between Bitcoin data and other datasets. The findings of the statistical analysis indicate that EPU and the NASDAQ index promote positive fluctuations in Bitcoin volatility, whereas gold prices act as a dampener. However, we find no empirical support for the influence of energy prices on Bitcoin volatility. These results suggest that Bitcoin should not be underestimated; all stakeholders should treat the issue of Bitcoin volatility seriously, including governments, who should actively regulate the Bitcoin market, and investors, who should recognize the dangers of this volatility, making rational decisions based on individual circumstances and employing flexible trading strategies.

ackground: The swift assimilation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across multiple industries is altering the worldwide economic terrain. Unprecedented opportunities and difficulties are brought about by this revolutionary technology, which has an impact on innovation, trade, labor markets, and security. Objective: The goal of this study is to thoroughly investigate the economic effects of AI by exploring how it may affect labor markets, innovation, trade internationally, and security. The goal is to offer insights that support strategic decision-making and policy formation by examining current trends, opportunities, and difficulties. Results: The research highlights the dual character of artificial intelligence's influence, highlighting both its potential to spur economic expansion and its drawbacks, including the loss of jobs, a lack of standards, and security issues. The study highlights how crucial cooperation is to overcoming these obstacles and realizing AI's full potential. Conclusion: The balancing opportunities and risks becomes critical as AI continues to change the economic landscape. The report promotes proactive steps including ethical AI design guidelines, ongoing worker retraining, and flexible regulatory strategies. As we shape an AI future that puts inclusion, creativity, and responsible governance first, collaboration emerges as a key theme.

In large-scale parallel computing and communication systems, an interconnect network structure is usually modeled as a graph, in which vertices and edges correspond to processors and communication links, respectively. In a graph, the vertices and edges are likely to fail, so we must think about the fault tolerance of a graph. Connectivity is an important parameter in the study of faulty tolerance for a graph. In this paper, we study a special class of connectivity: $m$-component connectivity, this is a natural generalization of the classical connectivity of graphs defined in terms of the minimum vertex-cut. Let $F$ is a vertex set of $G$ $(i.e, F\subseteq V(G))$, if the following conditions are satisfied, we say $F$ is a $m$-component cut: $(1)$ $G-F$ is disconnected; $(2)$ the number of components in $G-F$ is greater than or equal to $m$. In another word, the $m$-component connectivity $c\kappa_{m}(G)$ is defined as $min\{|F|~|~F\subseteq V(G)$ and $F$ is a $m$-component cut$\}$. Determining $m$-component connectivity is still unsolved in most interconnection networks even for small $m'$s. Leaf-sort graph is a special Cayley graph, it has many special properties that are different from other Cayley graphs. So we need to pay attention to some of it's special properties when we study it. In this paper, we can get the values: $c\kappa_{3}(CF_{n})=3n-6$ $(n$ is odd$)$ and $c\kappa_{3}(CF_{n})=3n-7$ $(n$ is even$)$ for $n\geq3$; $c\kappa_{4}(CF_{n})=\frac{9n-21}{2}$ $(n$ is odd$)$ and $c\kappa_{4}(CF_{n})=\frac{9n-24}{2}$ $(n$ is even$)$ for $n\geq4$; $c\kappa_{5}(CF_{n})=6n-16$ $(n$ is odd$)$ and $c\kappa_{5}(CF_{n})=6n-18$ $(n$ is even$)$ for $n\geq5$.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease that mainly affects young adults. The high prevalence of the disease and its impact on patients' quality of life led to priority being given to the etiopathogenesis of the disease to identify possible modifiable factors and consequent effective intervention strategies. Recent hypotheses suggest that the etiopathogenesis of MS is multifactorial and includes factors related to the immune system, neuroinflammation and neuro-degeneration. In this scenario, sleep has a close - although indirect - relationship with MS, through its relationship with each of those factors. In particular, the role of cytokines in immune system impairment and neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in neurodegeneration all are associated with sleep in different forms. Furthermore, melatonin in relation with vitamin D has a potential therapeutic effect in MS sleep-related problems. Given the growing interest of research in the mechanisms underlying MS and therapies able to alleviate MS-related symptoms at all stages of the disease, a more in-depth study of the role of sleep disturbances and the factors intrinsically related to sleep and MS could be useful both to investigate the etiopathogenetic factors of MS and to develop potential non-invasive intervention strategies for MS treatment.

The North American Monsoon (NAM) in southern Arizona continues to be a topic of interest to ecologists, climatologists, and citizens as well as the triggers and characteristics of plant growth and reproduction in relation to the onset of the monsoon. In researching the onset of the North American Monsoon (NAM) in south-central Arizona relative to the phenology of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) and other Sonoran Desert species we identified interesting and previously unreported features in the NAM rainfall data. We present preliminary descriptive analyses of (1) monsoon onset as measured by the first day after June 1 with precipitation ≥10 mm (1990-2022), (2) first day of year warming of Sea Surface temperatures (SST) in the Gulf of California to ≥29º C measured across five open-sea blocks (mean 9452 km2), and (3) El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) anomaly with a threshold of +/- 0.5º C for the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) in the Niño 3.4 region (5ºN-5ºS, 120º-170ºW). Three patterns emerge from our analyses: (1) The day of the year of monsoon onset occurs approximately 12 days earlier in the year from 1990-2022 in south-central Arizona. (2) There appears to be a signal in the rainfall onset data very roughly approximating cycles of ENSO Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) anomalies in Niño region 3.4. (3) Gulf of California sea surface temperature (SST) and monsoon onset data support an expected link between the timing of SST warming and monsoon rainfall onset.

In this paper the observational result of the alignment of galaxies in different scales is discussed. Especially, the dependence between orientation of galaxies in structures and their size has been analyzed. Both the research methods relevant to the study of this problem and the effects hindering the proper interpretation of the obtained results are discussed. It has been shown that the current state of research indicates that galaxies, their pairs, and compact groups have a non vanishing alignment. In the structures of mass corresponding to groups of galaxies, this feature has not been found, while such phenomenon is observed for more massive structures. These results have been discussed in the light of simulation results and theoretical models of galaxy formation and structure.

The usage of biotechnological molecules and processes is an indispensable part of the resource technology research. The development of novel biomolecules therefore needs to be adapted to the existing applicational conditions and biological processes are to be examined. Novel biosorbents may not only contribute to future applications but can be of further used, e.g. to better understand the interaction of known metal- and metalloid-interacting biological molecules and materials. This review highlights biotechnological approaches published so far for bioremediation as well as metal recovery with a special spotlight on cobalt, nickel and arsenic.

To verify the concept of the metasurfaced reverberation chamber (MRC) which was proposed. This paper reports on measurements in the reverberation chamber (RC) performance by using a 1-bit random coding metasurfaced stirrer. The measurement results are validated and compared with that from two mechanical stirrers (horizontal stirrer and vertical stirrer). Figures of merit such as quality factor (Q factor), number of samples, standard deviation, angle autocorrelation, average K-factor, total scattering cross section (TSCS) and the enhanced back scattering coefficient (eb) are presented. Results indicate the feasibility of the MRC technique in the operation frequency of the RC. And it is possible to enlarge the test volume of the RC by using the 1-bit random coding metasurface stirrer.

Human Action Recognition is widely used in multiple fields to recognize activities and extract spatial and temporal information. This paper focuses on analyzing various methods as well as provides extensive knowledge of the foundational concepts of the HAR. A dataset is also very crucial for any research study so we discussed the popular dataset and its features in this paper.

Histones display a wide variety of post-translational modifications, including acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation. These epigenetic modifications can influence chromatin structure and function without altering the DNA sequence. Histones can also undergo post-translational O-GlcNAcylation, a rather understudied modification that plays critical roles in almost all biological processes and is added and removed by O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase and O-GlcNAcase, respectively. This review provides a current overview of our knowledge of how O-GlcNAcylation impacts the histone code both directly and by regulating other chromatin modifying enzymes. This highlights the pivotal emerging role of O-GlcNAcylation as an essential epigenetic marker.

This work presents a new discussion about the vibrational properties of the carbonate ion displayed in several different environments, not only the microparameters introduced by cation substitution and different crystal lattices but also the crystal aggregation, showing how their active Raman modes are affected by these changes by using data obtained with four different laser excitation sources. New Raman spectra excited at 1064 nm are reported for calcite, aragonite, and dolomite groups, also including magnesite, witherite, rhodochrosite, siderite, malachite and azurite. These new data contribute to the discussion and understanding of these materials and their spectra, bringing new observations based on the Raman modes, focusing on the internal symmetrical and asymmetrical stretching and bending modes of the carbonate ion, highlighting the differences observed in the relative intensity and width of the bands. The results indicate some evidence of the influence of the crystal habit and/or the growth of the mineral itself in the Raman spectrum. In addition, the data show the influence of the cation substitution upon the Raman band width and that small cations contribute to less rigid crystalline structures and, consequently, larger Raman bandwidths.

Besides living as a free-ranging primate in the horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the hamadryas baboon has an important place in zoos and can be found in biomedical research centers worldwide. To be valuable as a non-human primate laboratory model for man, its anatomy should be portrayed in detail allowing for the correct interpretation and translation of obtained research results. Reviewing the literature on the use of the baboon in biomedical research revealed that very limited anatomical works on this species are available. Anatomical atlases are incomplete, use archaic nomenclature and fail to provide high definition color photographs. Therefore, the skeletons of two male hamadryas baboons were prepared by manually removing as much soft tissues as possible followed by maceration in warm water to which enzyme-containing washing powder was added. The bones were bleached with hydrogen peroxide and degreased by means of methylene chloride. Photographs of the various bones were taken, and the anatomical structures were identified using the latest version of the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria. As such, the present article shows 31 annotated multipanel figures. The skeleton of the hamadryas baboon generally parallels the human skeleton, but some remarkable differences have been noticed. If these are taken into consideration when evaluating the results of experiments using the hamadryas baboon, justified conclusions can be drawn.

The first Network Arch Bridge (NAB) was opened to traffic 60 years ago and since then the idea spread around the world. It is a type of a tied arch bridge that combines the benefits of tied arch bridges and trusses in a single system, thus it has a very good stiffness even in the case of extremely slender structures. In a Network Arch the hangers are inclined and some of them intersect each other at least twice. The core of a NAB is the hanger arrangement that minimizes the bending moment in the arch to very small values, leading thus to compression in the arch. This paper reviews the Network Arch idea devised by prof. Tveit and extended by researchers and engineers worldwide. A comprehensive review of the literature about the Network Arch is provided and the situation of NABs around the world from the standpoint of location, span, structural system used for the cross-section, bridge type (road, railway, combined or pedestrian) and opening year is discussed.

The Earth’s synthetic gravitational and density models can be used to validate numerical procedures applied for a global (or large-scale regional) gravimetric forward and inverse modelling. Since the Earth’s lithospheric structure is better constrained by tomographic surveys than a deep mantle, most of existing 3-D density models describe only a lithospheric density structure, while 1-D density models are typically used to describe a deep mantle density structure below the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. The accuracy of currently available lithospheric density models is examined in this study. The error analysis is established to assess the accuracy of modelling the sub-lithospheric mantle geoid, while focusing on the largest errors (according to our estimates) that are attributed to lithospheric thickness and lithospheric mantle density uncertainties. Since a forward modelling of the sub-lithospheric mantle geoid comprises also numerical procedures of adding and subtracting gravitational contributions of similar density structures, the error propagation is derived for actual rather than random errors (that are described by the Gauss’ error propagation law). Possible systematic errors then either lessen or sum up after applying particular corrections to a geoidal geometry that are attributed to individual lithospheric density structures (such as sediments) or density interfaces (such as a Moho density contrast). The analysis indicates that errors in modelling of the sub-lithospheric mantle geoid attributed to lithospheric thickness and lithospheric mantle density uncertainties could reach several hundreds of meters, particularly at locations with the largest lithospheric thickness under cratonic formations. This numerical finding is important for a calibration and further development of synthetic density models of which mass equals the Earth’s total mass (excluding the atmosphere). Consequently, the (long-to-medium wavelength) gravitational field generated by a synthetic density model should closely agree with the Earth’s gravitational field.

In this paper, a short survey of the existed results concerning the Jacobian Conjecture is first given. Then the 3-fold linear type polynomial map will be analyzed in detail. The expansion of the Jacobian condition is deduced to obtain its equivalent algebraic equations, and the Jacobian condition will be analyzed to derive two coordinate transformations that can maintain the invariance of the Jacobian condition. Finally, it is proved by mathematical induction method that one general chain expression presented in this paper is just the inverse polynomial map of 3-fold linear type polynomial map, i.e. LJC(n,[3]) holds such that the Jacobian Conjecture holds.

The discovery of microRNAs and their role in disease today represents a substantial breakthrough that has inspired and propagating research on microRNAs as targets for diagnosis and therapy. Cardiovascular disease is an area where the limitations of early diagnosis and conventional pharmacotherapy are evident and deserve attention. Thus microRNA-based drugs have substantial potential for development. Research and its application can progress considerably as witnessed in preclinical and clinical trials. The use of miRNAs remains experimental at the time of writing but has a promising role in the diagnosis and prognosis of a variety of acute coronary syndrome presentations. Its use, alone or in combination with currently available biomarkers, could be adopted soon, especially if diagnostic ambiguity exists. In this review, we explore the current state of knowledge about microRNAs as potential targets for diagnosis and therapy in the cardiovascular system. We report recent improvements in the acknowledgment and characterization of microRNAs focusing on clinical translation. The new dares and outlooks toward clinical application are discussed.

In the last 20 years, TADs have become one of the topics in orthodontic science, as it becomes one of the effective anchorages in moving teeth in a 3D movement to treat malocclusion and dental-alveolar orthopedic. Problems with the collusion of the roots of the teeth and trauma have hindered the use of these TADs; one of the solutions to keep TADs safe is a step-by-step innovation of procedure to make this anchorage concept using TAD safe. Making surgical guides for single-standing TADs is essential, and in practice, it is virtually possible with the advance of today's CAD/CAM and 3D printers. The content subject in the paper contains two parts: the consideration of why a surgical guide is necessary for the implantation of TADs and the making of the Surgical guide itself.

The Feni Island group is located at the southeastern end of the NW trending Ta-bar-Lihir-Tanga-Feni (TLTF) island chain, northeastern Papua New Guinea. This island chain is renowned for hosting alkaline magmas, geothermal activity, copper-gold mineralization and mining. The purpose of this paper is to present the geological observations of Feni Island within the context of the regional tectonic setting and evolution of the TLTF. The TLTF arc is a younger arc situated within the Greater Melanesian Arc, specifically within the New Ireland Basin bounded by New Ireland to the west and the extinct Kilinailau Trench in the east. The formation of the TLTF is attributed to post-subduction extensional tectonics relating to the opening of the Manus Basin and the magma is sourced from subduction-modified upper mantle. Normal, ex-tensional faulting is observed throughout the TLTF.

In this article, we investigate the applicability of quantum machine learning for classification tasks using two quantum classifiers from the Qiskit Python environment: the Variational Quantum Classifier (VQC) and the Quantum Kernel Estimator (QKE). We evaluate the performance of these classifiers on six widely known and publicly available benchmark datasets and analyze how their performance varies with the number of samples on two artificially generated test classification datasets. As quantum machine learning is based on unitary transformations, this paper explores data structures and application fields that could be particularly suitable for quantum advantages. Hereby, we developed a data set based on concepts from quantum mechanics using the exponential map of a Lie algebra. This dataset will be made publicly available and contributes a novel contribution to the empirical evaluation of quantum supremacy. We further compared the performance of VQC and QKE on six widely applicable datasets to contextualize our results.\\ Our results demonstrate that the VQC and QKE perform better than basic machine learning algorithms such as advanced linear regression models (Ridge and Lasso). They do not match the accuracy and runtime performance of sophisticated modern boosting classifiers like XGBoost, LightGBM, or CatBoost. Therefore, we conclude that while quantum machine learning algorithms have the potential to surpass classical machine learning methods in the future, especially when physical quantum infrastructure becomes widely available, they currently lag behind classical approaches. Our investigations also show that classical machine learning approaches have superior performance classifying datasets based on group structures, compared to quantum approaches that particularly use unitary processes.\\ Furthermore, our findings highlight the significant impact of different quantum simulators, feature maps, and quantum circuits on the performance of the employed quantum estimators. This observation emphasizes the need for researchers to provide detailed explanations of their hyperparameter choices for quantum machine learning algorithms, as this aspect is currently overlooked in many studies within the field.\\ To facilitate further research in this area and ensure the transparency of our study, we have made the complete code available in a linked GitHub repository.

Treatment of neurological disease is hampered by the lack of validated specific and sensitive biomarkers, resulting in delayed diagnosis and nonspecific disease modifying therapies. For example, in ALS the lack of a sensitive and specific biomarker impedes the ability to administer a treatment prior to or at the onset of motor neuron dysfunction. Although viral or other infectious etiologies have been proposed as a contributing factor to neurodegeneration, it can be argued that these are casual and not causal associations. In the case of ALS, evidence for direct causality would require in vivo validation of specific nucleotide sequences of microbial origin which are known to be neuroinvasive with tropism for motor neurons, such as polio and non-polio. Several viral enteropathogens recapitulate the pathological events in sporadic ALS, including the ability to cleave TDP-43 resulting in accumulation of misfolded proteins in the cytoplasm. This review provides supporting evidence that motor neuron disease is causally related to specific enteroviruses and argues that prospective validation is imperative for effective prevention and treatment.

The gravitational constant is equivalent to natural units in its six unit dimensions. Evaluating the classical formulas in each unit dimension shows how inputs of mass and radius are transformed into the correct unit dimensions and magnitude of gravitational potential. Mass and radial distance are equivalent proportions of the Planck scale as the potentials they produce. Gravitational potentials of velocity, acceleration, energy, and force are proportional to a radial density limit of one Planck mass per Planck length of radial distance.

Background: For the treatment of bone defects, biodegradable compressive biomaterials are needed as a substitute, which degrade at the same rate as the bone regenerates. In this study, the compressive strength of CPC ceramics (with a layer thickness of more than 12 layers) should be compared with sintered ceramics. Methods: Round scaffolds with 20, 25, 30 and 45 layers were 3D printed the 3D Bioplotter, solidified in a water-saturated atmosphere for 3 days and then tested for compressive strength together with a sintered ceramic using a Zwick universal testing machine. Results: The 3D printed scaffolds are more compressive at 41.56 ± 7.12 MPa than the sintered ceramic at 24.16 ± 4.44. Conclusions: The round geometry sintered ceramics approach or exceed the upper limit of the compressive strength of cancellous bone in the direction of compacta (depending on the author).

With the recent advances in science and technology, more processing capability and data have become available, allowing a more straightforward implementation of data analysis techniques. Fortunately, the available online data storage capacity follows this trend, and vast amounts of data can be stored online freely or at accessible costs. As happens with every evolution (or revolution) in any science field, organizing and sharing this data is essential to contribute to new studies or validate the obtained results quickly. To facilitate this, we must guarantee interoperability between the existing datasets and the developed software, whether commercial or open source. This article explores this issue, analyzing the current initiatives to establish data standards and comparing some of the existing dataset online storage platforms. Through a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, it is possible to understand better the strategy that should be taken to improve the efficiency in this field, which directly depends on the data characteristics.

This paper presents a new approach to a different proof of "Fermat's Last Theorem.” For the proof of the theorem, it is proposed to use a more straightforward geometrical approach. A special family of curves, the Elba curves, is introduced to facilitate the proof. This approach makes the proof easier to comprehend by mathematicians and those interested in the subject.

The Universe at last scattering is locally treated as an unbound gas. The internal kinetic energy of the gas effectively constitutes a scalar energy field. The gas’s adiabatic expansion is entropic, giving repulsive entropic pressure. Gas kinetic energy is converted into entropic energy gain (63%) and isoentropic work against gravity (37%) at a constant 63:37 ratio. A three-term expression of the gas’s Hubble parameter is derived and found to be exclusively dependent on its mass density. At last scattering, this model gives a Hubble constant that is 125% of the value found from the ΛCDM model. After partition of Universal mass into the cosmic web of galaxies and the intergalactic medium (IGM), expansion came mostly from the IGM, presently comprising about 84% of total Universal mass and 90% of its volume. The onset of star formation within the cosmic web increased the IGM’s kinetic energy through the action of starlight, giving free electrons as an additional repository. Many of these free electrons are suprathermal. Suprathermal energy from both electrons and protons comprises about half of the IGM’s total kinetic energy and is expressed in the ΛCDM model as “dark energy” Λ. Entropic pressure derives from thermodynamic laws not found within general relativity.

We investigate the determinants of U.S. bilateral imports of olive oil and their dynamics from shocks in foreign supplies and changes in U.S. olive oil demand, using an augmented gravity framework that leads to an equilibrium of bilateral trade flows from olive oil exporters to the U.S. market. The empirical specification is applied at the disaggregated HS-6 level in a panel dataset, and three estimation techniques (truncated OLS, PPML, Heckman), for which the latter two account for zero trade flows, the extensive margin of trade and the potential censored distribution of exports with zero trade flows. We run Reset and HPC tests to qualify our results. On the supply side, exporters’ capacity to exports, multilateral trade resistance, and immigrants’ networks into the US are strong determinants of the bilateral trade flows for both aggregate olive oil exports and for virgin olive oil exports, On the consumer side, U.S. GDP, the import unit value, and immigrant network effects are robust determinants of bilateral flows as well for aggregate and virgin olive oil trade flows. Migrants’ stock, exporters’ GDP and population, and total exports revenues increase the probability of an exporter entering the U.S. market. We could not find robust evidence of consumer behavior being influenced by popular press measures of the emergence of Mediterranean diet and olive oil, or measures of cultural globalization of U.S. consumers.

Expansion of the universal space was never directly observed. It is an unproven assumption. Measurement of the gravitational redshift proves only gravitational redshift and nothing more. Gravitational redshift is proven by the Mössbauer experiment. Claiming that gravitational redshift proves universal space expansion is false because there is no causality between gravitational redshift and hypothetical expansion. Even if universal space would expand, gravitational redshift could not be taken as proof of expansion. The Doppler effect was never observed in an expanding space and claiming that cosmological redshift is partially caused by the Doppler effect caused by the expanding of space is an unproved assumption. The discovery of CMB proves only that the entire universal space radiates CMB. CMB is not proof of the existence of the recombination period.

We propose a phenomenological theory of spin behavior in a magnetic field, which explains from the point of view of classical physics the two-valued result of the Stern-Gerlach experiment. The behavior of the spin and intrinsic magnetic moment of an electron wave of an atom in an external magnetic field is considered. We show that in a weak magnetic field, the intrinsic magnetic moment of an electron wave is always oriented parallel to the magnetic field strength vector, while in a strong magnetic field, depending on the initial orientation of the intrinsic magnetic moment, two orientations are realized: either parallel or antiparallel to the magnetic field strength vector. Within the framework of classical electrodynamics, the calculation of the motion of an atomic beam in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is carried out, which reproduces the results of the Stern-Gerlach experiment.

Zinc (Zn) is a trace element crucial for oxidative stress, apoptosis, the immune response, and more globally for various processes involved in cellular homeostasis. In some cancers, Zn homeostasis is dysregulated. In this review, the role of Zn in cancer and all the components associated to Zn, the use of Zn and Zn -related proteins as biomarkers and Zn-based strategies for the treatment of tumors will be described. ZIP and ZnT are proteins related to Zn metabolism in normal conditions. In cancer, the level of expression of Zn related proteins is abnormal. These Zn proteins may act as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers, and may be helpful for detecting early-stage cancers or monitoring the course of the disease. Additionally, Zn and its pathways may also be targeted to treat cancers. Indeed, the use of metals for binding Zn cations allows to regulate the biodistribution of Zn within cells, and will control several downstream signaling pathways. Zinc may also be directly used as a therapeutic substance to improve the prognosis of cancer patients, especially with the supplementation of zinc or the use of Zn oxide nanoparticles.

The fractional Hilbert transform, a generalization of the Hilbert transform, has been extensively studied in the literature because of its extensive use in optics, engineering, and signal processing. In the present work, we aimed to expand the fractional Hilbert transform to a space of generalized functions known as Boehmians. We introduce a new fractional convolution operator for the fractional Hilbert transform to prove a convolution theorem similar to the classical Hilbert transform and also to extend the fractional Hilbert transform to Boehmians. We also construct a suitable Boehmian space on which the fractional Hilbert transform exists. Further, we investigate convergence of the fractional Hilbert transform for the class of Boehmians and discuss the continuity of the extended fractional Hilbert transform.

We present a method to study the interannual variability of the annual cycle. The method consists of first determining the amplitude and phase of segments of 12 monthly means at all spatial points, resulting in one complex number per grid point and per year. The complex fields, once per year, are then subject to a complex EOF (CEOF) analysis. We consider as an example the barotropic stream function in the South China Sea as simulated with an ocean general circulation model across 6 decades of years, driven my realistic (NCEP) weather forcing. We find 3 to 4 to “significant” CEOFs, which account for about 53 to 62% of variance. These CEOFs go with large-scale patterns. Their time coefficients are mostly stationary, but point to some inhomogeneities related to instationarities in the forcing. In particular, the simulation since 1950-1958 deviates from the remainder of the simulation. The first CEOF describes variations in the center of the South China Sea. Its principal component describes a systematic, albeit noisy shift by almost 180o from 1960 to about the year 2000. When overlaid the long-term mean annual mean, the overall change consists of an amplification of the annual cycle in the 1960s and 1990s, whereas In the 1970s, the amplitude was reduced. Phase shifts in the anomaly (given by the CEOFs) have a small effect, because of the dominance of the mean annual cycle. These variations are not related to ENSO variability but may origin in variations of the Southeast monsoon. The second EOF represents strong changes, both in terms of intensity and phase, in the Luzon strait.

The article affords the question of lifelong learning in Europe using data from the European Innovation Scoreboard-EIS in the period 2010-2019 for 36 countries. The econometric analysis is realized using WLS, Dynamic Panel, Pooled OLS, Panel Data with Fixed Effects and Random Effects. The results show that lifelong learning is, among other variables, positively associated to “Human Resources” and “Government procurement of advanced technology products” and is negatively associated, among others, to “Average annual GDP growth” and “Innovation Index”. A clusterization is realized using the k-Means algorithm with a confrontation between the Elbow Method and the Silhouette Coefficient. Subsequently, a Network Analysis was applied with the distance of Manhattan. The results show the presence of 4 complex and 2 simplified network structures. Finally, a comparison was made among eight machine learning algorithms for the prediction of the value of lifelong learning. The results show that the linear regression is the best predictor algorithm and that the level of lifelong learning is expected to growth on average by 1.12%.

The generation and maintenance of membrane potential is a fundamental part of Membrane Pump Theory. One of the key points of this hypothesis is based on a natural or facilitated molecular diffusion through several types of ion channels and pumps like the Na/K ATPase. Following the principles of chemistry, electrostatics and geometry, it becomes clear that ion channels cannot function in this way. The ions channels cannot by their location have both a filter function and be ion concentrators, and the Na/K pump by its position in the membrane and by the proposed assumptions is not able to perform its regulatory function. The current model must absolutely be revised according to the current state of our knowledge and allow an advance in the understanding of the phenomena opening new research perspectives.

Microfluidic devices or microdevices refer to systems with a characteristic length in the micrometer range. Systems in this size allow handling small quantities of reagents and samples, with reduced residence time, better control of chemical species concentration, high heat and mass transfers, and high surface/volume ratio. These characteristics led to the application of these microdevices in several areas, such as biological systems, energy, liquid-liquid extraction, food, agricultural sectors, pharmaceuticals, flow chemistry, microreactors, and biodiesel synthesis. Microreactors are devices that have interconnected microchannels, in which small amounts of reagents are manipulated and react for a certain period of time. The traditional characteristics of microreactors are less quantities of reagents and samples, high surface area in relation to volume (10000 m² m^-3), reduction of resistance to heat and mass transfer, reduced reaction times, and narrower residence time distributions. In recent years, several studies have been carried out on biodiesel production in microreactors that explore the influence of operating conditions, mixing and reaction yield, numbering, and especially the microdevices design. Despite all the advantages of microreactors, the literature shows that there are only a few applications on an industrial scale. Two main reasons that hinder the adoption of this technology are the scale-up to a large enough volume to deliver the necessary production capacity and the costs related to industrial manufacturing microreactors. It is often stated that large-scale production of microreactors can be easily achieved by numbering-up. However, researches show that an incredibly high number of microdevices would be needed, which results in a technical unfeasibility and a strong impact on the construction costs of the industrial system. The present review aims to show whether microreactors can replace conventional biodiesel production processes and how this replacement technology could be carried out. The current chapter was divided into the following sections: Introduction, Synthesis and Purification of Biodiesel in Microreactors, Fundamentals of CFD, and Fundamentals of Scale-up. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are exposed.

Infrastructure monitoring, inspection, repair, and replacement in space is crucial for continued usage and safety, yet it is expensive, time-consuming, and technical very challenging. New robotics technologies and artificial intelligence algorithms are potentially novel approaches that may alleviate such demanding operations using existing or novel sensing technologies. Space structures must necessarily be very light weight due to high costs of placing robots in space. Several methods are proposed and compared to control highly flexible space robotics, where a key challenge is the presence of flexible resonant modes at frequencies so low as to reside inside typical feedback controller bandwidths. Such conditions imply the very action of sending control signals to the ultra-light weight robotics will cause structural resonance. Implementations of incrementally increasing order are offered, achieving over ninety percent performance improvement in trajectory tracking errors, while improvement using unshaped methods merely achieve twenty-four percent improvement in direct comparison (where the only modification is the proposed control methodology). Based on superior performance, single-sinusoidal trajectory shaping is recommended with a corollary benefit of preparing future research into applying deterministic artificial intelligence whose current instantiation relies on single-sinusoidal, autonomous trajectory generation.

Allergic diseases represent a global health and economic burden of increasing significance. The lack of disease-modifying therapies besides specific allergen immunotherapy (AIT) which is not available for all types of allergies, necessitates the study of novel therapeutic approaches. Exosomes are small endosome-derived vesicles delivering cargo between cells and thus allowing inter-cellular communication. Since immune cells make use of exosomes to boost, deviate, or suppress immune responses, exosomes are intriguing candidates for immunotherapy. Here, we review the role of exosomes in allergic sensitization and inflammation and we discuss the mechanisms by which exosomes could be used in immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of allergic diseases. We propose the following approaches: a) Mast cell derived exosomes expressing IgE receptor FcεRI could absorb IgE and down-regulate systemic IgE levels. b) Tolerogenic exosomes could suppress allergic immune responses via induction of regulatory T cells. c) Exosomes could promote TH1-like responses towards an allergen. d) Exosomes could modulate IgE-facilitated antigen presentation.

The decoding of genomes of a larger number of animal species have provided further insights into the genomic Hox gene organization and with this indicated the evolutionary changes during the radiation of several clades. The expansion of gene expression studies during development and life history stages of more species, complete the picture of the relationship between cluster organisation and temporal and spatial correlation of the Hox activity. Now these results open the opportunity to look deeper into the regulatory pathways that form these patterns and identify what exact changes caused the evolution of the application of this iconical gene set for the evolution of new larval forms and new structures. Here we review recent progress of Hox gene related research in the large clade Spiralia, that comprises Annelida, Mollusca, Lophophorata, Platyhelminthes, Nemertea and others. Albeit their relationship to each other is not resolved yet, there are emerging patterns that indicate that Hox genes are mainly used for patterning late, adult body parts and that Hox genes are often not expressed on the larval stages. Hox genes seem also often recruited for the formation of morphological novelties. Together with the emerging genomic information Hox genes show a much more dynamic evolutionary history than previously assumed.

In the present paper, the so-called Einstein’s causality is scrutinized and proven to be an illusion, a sort of mathematical fallacy. Causality as a well-established universal principle was and is absolutely valid for subluminal, luminal and superluminal signals under any natural and/or artificial circumstances. It is also shown that conceptually special relativity theory (SRT) is inapplicable to superluminality of physical phenomena since SRThas the light speed in vacuum as an upper limiting speed in its own proper domain of applications, and also because SRT is crucially based on the concept of inertial reference frames (IRFs) which are related to each other by Lorentz transformations, that is why the relative velocity of any two IRFs must be smaller than light speed.

The paper explains the dynamics of monetary aggregates in Russia with the help of country's trade balance, the creation of deposits by commercial banks and cross-border flows of rubles and (foreign) currency. The volumes of deposits and flows, in turn, depend on changes in the currency/ruble exchange rate and favorable external economic conditions. The model was estimated by the Kalman filter, the adequacy was confirmed by stimulation. Monthly money supply forecasts have an accuracy of ~ 1%. It was found that the volume of additional deposits created per month is ~ 300 billion RUB (this leads to real inflation of 9.5% per annum), money flows that are not related to payments for goods: rubles inflow from abroad ~ 100 billion RUB, currency goes abroad ~ 15 billion USD. With the growth / fall of the dollar exchange rate by 1 RUB per month, during the same month, the creation of additional ruble deposits and the arrival of rubles from outside decreases / increases by 0.114 billion USD. The increase of the Currency Reserve Assets of Russia is accompanied by going abroad ~ 5% of the increase.

Given that 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) plays a crucial role in malignant biological behaviors of a wide-range of cancers, we further review the influence of PDK1 in breast cancer (BC). First, we describe the power of PDK1 in cellular behaviors and extensively demonstrate the interacting networks of PDK1 via PI3K-dependent/ PI3K-independent pathway. Then we enlighten the roles of PDK1 in carcinogenesis, growth and survival, metastasis, and chemoresistance in BC cells. More important, we sort the current preclinical or clinical trials of PDK1 targeted therapy in BC and find that even though at present no selective PDK1 inhibitor is available for BC therapy, but the combination trials of PDK1 targeted therapy and other agents have demonstrated some benefit. Thus, there is increasing anticipations that PDK1 targeted therapy will have its space in future therapeutic concepts of BC, and we hope to feature PDK1 in BC to the clinic and bring the new promising to patients for targeted therapies.

The majority of adults in the world (around 83%) carry antibodies reactive with HCMV and are thought to retain inactive or latent infections lifelong. The virus is transmitted via saliva so infection events are likely to be common. Indeed it is hard to imagine a life without exposure to HCMV. From 45 seronegative individuals (13 renal transplant recipients, 32 healthy adults), we present seven cases who had detectable HCMV DNA in their blood and/or saliva, or a CMV-encoded homologue of IL-10 (vIL-10) in their plasma. One case displayed NK cells characteristic of CMV infection, and HCMV DNA became undetectable. In other cases, the infection may persist with seroconversion blocked by vIL-10. Future research should seek mechanisms that can prevent an individual from seroconverting despite a persistent HCMV infection, as HCMV vaccines may not work well in such people.

The remarkable success of taxonomic discovery, powered by culturomics, genomics and metagenomics, creates a pressing need for new bacterial names, while holding a mirror up to the slow pace of change in bacterial nomenclature. Here, I take a fresh look at bacterial nomenclature, exploring how we might create a system fit for the age of genomics, playing to the strengths of current practice, while minimising difficulties. Adoption of linguistic pragmatism, obeying the rules while treating recommendations as merely optional will make it easier to create names derived from descriptions, from people or places or even arbitrarily. Simpler protologues and a relaxed approach to recommendations will also remove much of the need for expert linguistic quality control. Automated computer-based approaches will allow names to be created en masse before they are needed, while also relieving microbiologists of the need for competence in Latin. The result will be a system that is accessible, inclusive and digital, while also fully capable of naming the unnamed millions of bacteria.

For the better part of a century researchers across disciplines have sought to explain the crystallography of the elemental transition metals: hexagonal close packed, body centered cubic, and face centered cubic in a form similar to that used to rationalize the structure of organic molecules and inorganic complexes. Pauling himself tried with limited success to address the origins of transition metal stability. These early investigators were handicapped, however, by incomplete knowledge regarding the structure of metallic charge density. Here we exploit modern approaches to charge analysis to first comprehensively describe transition metal charge density. Then, we use topological partitioning and quantum mechanically rigorous treatments of kinetic energy to account for the structure of the density as arising from the interactions between metallic tetrahedra. We argue that the crystallography of the early transition metals results from charge transfer from the so called “octahedral” to “tetrahedral holes” while the face centered cubic structure of the late transition metals is a consequence of antibonding interactions that increase octahedral hole kinetic energy.

This paper combines a literature survey and data analysis. The literature on the Subtropical Front (STF) in the Southern Ocean is reviewed with a two-pronged emphasis on the double-front structure of the STF, hence the existence of a subtropical frontal zone (STFZ), and the circumpolar continuity of the STFZ. The data analysis is based on the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) sections. The STFZ is detected along each section independently from other sections, while moving circum-polarly downstream (eastward). The literature survey and data analysis confirm the circumpolar continuity of the STFZ extending from the Brazil Current across the South Atlantic, South Indian, and South Pacific up to Chile, being bound by the North and South STF. The circumpolar continuity of the STFZ is partly interrupted by South Africa and Tasmania, where the North STF ceases, while the South STF continues eastward. The South Atlantic STFZ is the southern boundary of the well-defined Subtropical Mode Water (STMW) thermostad, which cools eastward from 15°C to 11°C between the Brazil Current and Greenwich Meridian. In the southeast Pacific, the STFZ is the southern boundary of the 17-to-19°C thermostad (South Pacific Eastern STMW). The STFZ’s vertical extent is at maximum in the South Atlantic (>1000 m), decreasing eastward to 300 m in the southeast Pacific off Chile. A special attention is given to the South Pacific and the STFZ’s role in the ecology of Chilean jack mackerel Trachurus murphyi that spawn at the STFZ and migrate along the STFZ from Chile up to New Zealand.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a class of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) family that identify pathogen-associated molecular patterns derived from microbes and activate immune cell response. Following TLRs ligation, different adaptor and transcription molecules such as myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) are recruited that initiate inflammatory signaling pathways. The human Toll-like receptor 10 (hTLR10) is a novel member of the PRRs family with a regulatory function of immune responses because of unique cytoplasmic domains which lead to induction of both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies have reported the association of TLR10 polymorphisms with many inflammatory diseases and human cancer. Engagement of TLR10 on the surface of the epithelium and macrophages leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, while other studies have proven an anti-inflammatory role of TLR10. Accordingly, TLR10 suppresses proinflammatory cytokine production via negative regulation of MyD88 and the Akt (protein kinase B) and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathways. This review aimed to provide answers for these conflicting findings (Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties of TLR10) to further identify distinct biological functions of TLR10.

In this work, the transport equations of ionic species in concrete are studied. First, the equations at the porescale are considered, which are then averaged over a representative elementary volume. The so obtained transport equations at the macroscopic scale are thoroughly examined and each term is interpreted. Furthermore, it is shown that the tortuosity-connectivity does not slow the average speed of the ionic species down. The transport equations in the representative elementary volume are then compared with the equations obtained in an equivalent pore. Lastly, comparing Darcy’s law and the Hagen-Poiseuille equation in a cylindrical equivalent pore, the tortuosity-connectivity parameter is obtained for four dierent concretes. The proposed model provides very good results when compared with the experimentally obtained chloride profiles for two additional concretes.

In recent years, pathoconnectomics emerged as an interesting framework for the investigation and better comprehension of disorders affecting the brain. Research in this field has used so far structural, functional, metabolic and genetic data, but limited attention was addressed to the possible role of vascularization. In the present work the following aspects making it a valuable candidate to pathoconnectomics investigation are discussed: i) The vascular system is by its nature a network, endowed with directionality information on the basis of circulation; ii) The current imaging techniques allow in vivo detection of the vascular system to a good level of detail; iii) The information extracted from this kind of data could interact in a meaningful way with the functional profile of the brain, being the BOLD effect in turn based on blood flow; iv) Further evidence could be found in support of the trophic failure hypothesis; v) Data about vascularization could allow to bring in the pathoconnectomics framework cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. We suggest, therefore, that the evaluation of vascular connectivity (which we propose to name “vesselomics”) could enhance the pathoconnectomics paradigm, and provide new elements towards the understanding of brain pathology.

While the desire to uncover the neural correlates of consciousness has taken numerous directions, self-face recognition has been a constant in attempts to isolate aspects of self-awareness. The neuroimaging revolution of the 1990’s bought about systematic attempts to isolate the underlying neural basis self-face recognition. These studies, including some of the first fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) studies, revealed a right hemisphere bias for self-face recognition in a diverse set of regions including the insula, the Dorsal Frontal Lobe, the Temporal Parietal Junction and Medial Temporal Cortex. Confirmation of these data (which are correlational) was provided by TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and patients in which direct inhibition or ablation of right hemisphere regions leads to a disruption or absence of self-face recognition. These data are consistent with a number of theories including a right hemisphere dominance for self-awareness and/or a right hemisphere specialization for identifying significant social relationships including to oneself.

A new picture of the Josephson effect is devised. The radio-frequency (RF) signal, observed in a Josephson junction, is shown to stem from bound electrons, tunneling periodically through the insulating film. This holds also for the microwave mediated tunneling. The Josephson effect is found to be conditioned by the same prerequisite worked out previously for persistent currents, thermal equilibrium and occurence of superconductivity. The observed negative resistance behaviour is shown to originate from the interplay between the normal and superconducting currents.

In this paper, we revisit the hydrodynamics supporting the design and development of the RiverCat class of catamaran ferries operating in Sydney Harbor since 1991. More advanced software is used here. This software accounts for the hydrodynamics of the transom demisterns which experience partial or full ventilation, depending on the vessel speed. This ventilation gives rise to the hydrostatic drag, which adds to the total drag of the vessel. The presence of the transom also creates a hollow in the water. This hollow causes an effective hydrodynamic lengthening of the vessel, which leads to a reduction in the wave resistance. Hence a detailed analysis is required in order to optimize the size of the transom. It is demonstrated that the drag of the vessel and the wave generation can be predicted with good accuracy. Finally, the software is also used to optimize the vessel further by means of affine transformations of the hull geometry.

Not only are humans responsible for the anthropogenic causes of currently observed climate change, but we are also responsible for our responses to climate change. How we choose to respond provides important insights into our ability to collectively act in the face of threats with the unique characteristics of climate change. This communication attempts to provide an overview of some the difficulties in forging new policy directions along our coastlines in an era of climate change. It is meant as a referential framing for the research presented in this special issue. As this communication is being written, the world is gripped by a global pandemic caused by a variant of the coronavirus. There are important corollaries between the underlying characteristics of the coronavirus and the causes and effects of climate change. Seeing how the global citizenry is responding to the current epidemic provides some insight into the difficulties in fostering collective action towards climate change. As with the pandemic, the issue is not really one of understanding the problem, but rather the varying human responses to the problem. We can expect the same difficulties as we continue to confront the ever-growing problem of climate change.

The environmental safety of a car is currently one of the most important indicators of the vehicle competitiveness and quality in the consumer market. Currently, the assessment of the ecological properties of vehicles can be made based on various criteria. In the case of combustion-powered cars, the most attention is usually paid to the values characterizing their use, and in the environmental assessment, first of all to pollutant emissions and operational fuel consumption. The proposed article considers the possibility of using the life cycle assessment to analyze the ecological properties of a passenger car during its operation. A simplified LCA method of the vehicle was presented, which in strictly defined cases can be used for the analysis of environmental impacts and the assessment of the energy analysis related to its operation. For this purpose, a vehicle life cycle model was developed. Data on the operation of 33 passenger cars of different manufacturers with similar operational characteristics, coming from different production periods, were analyzed in detail. The obtained results were found to be highly sensitive to the assumptions made in the article.

The world has now entered into a replacement era of genomics due to the continued advancements within the next generation high throughput sequencing technologies, which incorporates sequencing by synthesis-fluorescent in place sequencing (FISSEQ), pyrosequencing, sequencing by ligation using polony amplification, supported oligonucleotide detection (SOLiD), sequencing by hybridization alongside sequencing by ligation, and nanopore technology. Great impacts of those methods are often seen for solving the genome related problems of plant and Animalia which will open the door of a replacement era of genomics. This might ultimately overcome the Sanger sequencing that ruled for 30 years. NGS is predicted to advance and make the drug discovery process more rapid.

Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) proteins are a diverse and evolutionarily conserved family of cytidine deaminases that provide a variety of functions from tissue-specific gene expression and immunoglobulin diversity to control of viruses and retrotransposons. APOBEC family expansion has been documented among mammalian species, suggesting a powerful selection for their activity. Enzymes with a duplicated zinc-binding domain often have catalytically active and inactive domains, yet both have antiviral function. Although APOBEC antiviral function was discovered through hypermutation of HIV-1 genomes lacking an active Vif protein, much evidence indicates that APOBECs also inhibit virus replication through mechanisms other than mutagenesis. Multiple steps of the viral replication cycle may be affected, although nucleic acid replication is a primary target. Packaging of APOBECs into virions was first noted with HIV-1, yet is not a prerequisite for viral inhibition. APOBEC antagonism may occur in viral producer and recipient cells. Signatures of APOBEC activity include G-to-A and C-to-T mutations in a particular sequence context. The importance of APOBEC activity for viral inhibition is reflected in the identification of numerous viral factors, including Vif, which are dedicated to antagonism of these deaminases. Such viral antagonists often are only partially successful, leading to selection for viral variants.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the degree of openness of scientific articles on bioeconomy. Based on a WoS corpus of 2,489 articles published between 2015 and 2019, we calculated bibliometric indicators, explored the openness of each paper and assessed the share of journals, countries and research areas of these articles. The results show a sharp increase and diversification of articles in the field of bioeconomy, with a beginning long tail distribution. 45.6% of the articles are freely available, and the share of OA papers is steadily increasing, from 31% in 2015 to 52% in 2019. Gold is the most important variant of OA. Open access is low in the applied research areas of chemical, agricultural and environmental engineering but higher in the domains of energy and fuels, forestry, and green and sustainable science and technology. The UK and the Netherlands have the highest rates of OA papers, followed by Spain and Germany. The funding rate of OA papers is higher than of non-OA papers. This is the first bibliometric study on open access to articles on bioeconomy. The results can be useful for the further development of OA editorial and funding criteria in the field of bioeconomy.

In the last years, we have witnessed a remarkable progress of algorithms solving Boolean satisfiability (SAT). The success of these algorithms has been especially relevant in a large number of industrial or real-world applications, for which these SAT solvers are nowadays an essential core part of their solving processes. Interestingly enough, these applications include a very diverse and heterogeneous range of domains, such as hardware verification, planning, and cryptography, among others. Unfortunately, the reasons of the good performance of these solvers on this variety of industrial benchmarks are not completely understood yet. Since SAT solvers’ efficiency is fundamental in various domains, obtaining a better understanding of these algorithms and the reasons of their good performance is crucial. In order to shed light on this question, SAT solvers are often viewed as complex systems with many interconnected components (e.g., conflict analysis and learning mechanism, database management, search restarts) interacting in many unpredictable ways. There is the common belief that the resulting emergent behavior of these complex systems takes advantage of a certain underlying structure of the SAT formula, which is shared by the majority of these industrial problems regardless the domain they come from. Recently, there have been some attempts of characterizing this structure under the lens of complex networks, with the purpose of better understanding the success of the solvers, and potentially improving them. In this paper, we analyze the structure of industrial SAT instances under the lens of self-similarity, and study how the execution of SAT solvers affect that structure. Many real-world graphs exhibit self-similar structure (with small fractal dimension), which means that after rescaling (replacing groups of nodes by a single node), the same kind of structure can be observed. In our analysis, in which we represent SAT instances as graphs, we observe that many industrial SAT formulas exhibit the same kind of structure. Moreover, we analyze how this structure evolves by effects of learning new clauses during the search. In particular, we observe that learned clauses usually contain variables that are close in the graph representation of the formula. This is, the learning mechanism tends to work locally. On the contrary, this learning mechanism on random SAT formulas –which do not exhibit any structure at all– is unable to generate these local clauses. This difference contributes to explain the success of modern SAT solvers on industrial problems.

All departments in a business work separately, but for the same purpose.In this article, a system that allows not only the mechanical design department but also the manufacturing, storage, process planning, quality control, electrical design, purchasing departments, etc. to have access to the required information has been developed. Initially, current manufacturng result informations is collected from the project attandees. Secondly, a workflow is designed dependent on the current data flow. All the project stakeholders are introduced to join and use product data management system. In the absence of this kind of system, loss of time, scraps and loss of engineering time would be investigated. This allowed the company owners to be sure that no faulty revision of design will be produced after the system started. On the other hand automation of bill of materials generation provided the purchasing department correct and up to date information about outsourced parts. Allowing different engineering disciplines to work together provided more suitable environment. Gradually this conditions allowed all the departments work faster and market the new product much faster than before the system. Tracing the workflows for management purposes would be handled by the system. A ‘Validation of Design’ process is modelled for the company.

A premise of statistical learning research is that learners attend to and learn the frequencies of repeating or co-occurring elements in the input. When the input is a series of words, participants readily learn the frequencies of phoneme sequences, that is, to learn phonotactic frequencies. Inherent to the concepts of both frequency and phonotactics is order, or the temporal structure of the input. Order is similarly inherent to statistical learning, yet the effect of order on statistical learning is not well understood. In the present study, adult participants learned the relative frequencies of eight item-medial consonant sequences, for example, the /mk/ in /nʌmkət/. Across five ordering conditions, both familiarization and test stimuli were independently ordered and randomized, thus allowing for a relatively broad search for order effects in an established statistical learning paradigm. Participants learned the target frequencies equivalently across the five ordering conditions, indicating no modulating effect of order. Nevertheless, participants also approached the task by applying idiosyncratic, structured orders to their responses. The result is an unexpected but robust effect of order. Both the results and the design of the study also allow for increased integration of statistical learning with memory and other aspects of cognition.

The Standard Genetic Code (SGC) exists in every organism known on Earth. SGC evolution via early unique codon assignment, then later wobble, yields coding resembling the near-universal code. Below, later wobble also creates an optimal route to accurate codon assignment. This assignment time matches a previous mean time for ordered codes, exhibiting ≥ 90% of SGC order. Accurate evolution is also accessible, sufficiently frequent to appear in populations of 10³ to 10⁴ codes. SGC-like coding capacity, code order and assignments therefore arise together, in one attainable evolutionary intermediate. Examples, which plausibly resemble coding at evolutionary domain separation, are characterized.

Wrist shape varies greatly across primates and previous studies indicate that the numerous morphological differences among them are related to a complex mixture of phylogeny and function. However, little is known about whether the variation in these various anatomical differences is linked and to what extent the wrist bones vary independently. Here, we used 3D geometric morphometrics on a sample of extant hominids (Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and Gorilla beringei), to find the model that best describes the covariation patterns among four of the eight carpals (i.e., capitate, lunate, scaphoid, and trapezium). For this purpose, 15 modular hypotheses were tested using the Covariation Coefficient. Results indicate that there is a covariation structure common to all hominids, which corresponds to stronger covariation within each carpal as compared to the covariation between carpals. However, the results also indicate that that there is a degree of codependence in the variation of some carpals, which is unique in humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, respectively. In humans there is evidence of associated shape changes between the lunate and capitate, and between the scaphoid and trapezium. This covariation between lunate and capitate is also apparent in gorillas, while chimpanzees display the greatest disassociation among carpals, showing low covariation values in all pairwise comparisons. Our analyses indicate that carpals have an important level of variational independence which might suggest a high degree of independent evolvability in the wrists of hominids, and that although weak, the structure of associated changes of these four carpals varies across genera. To our knowledge this is the first report on the patterns of modularity between these four wrist bones in the Homininae and future studies might attempt to investigate whether the anatomical shape associations among carpals are functionally related to locomotion and manipulation.

We describe a novel machine that uses the greater-than-100% efficiency of air/ground-source heat pumps to recursively generate electricity via steam-powered generators, taking thermal energy from the ambient environment to convert into electrical power. The invention of a machines that generate clean power at low costs will be fundamental to the future of electricity. We estimate efficiency and calculate minimum efficiencies for unknown parts to consider the applicability of this machine to the real world.

The Avian retina is far less known than that of mammals such as mouse and macaque, and detailed study is overdue. The chicken (Gallus gallus) has potential as a model, in part because research can build on developmental studies of the eye and nervous system. One can expect differences between bird and mammal retinas simply because whereas most mammals have three types of visual photoreceptor birds normally have six. Spectral pathways and colour vision are of particular interest, because filtering by oil droplets narrows cone spectral sensitivities and birds are probably tetrachromatic. The number of receptor inputs is reflected in the retinal circuitry. The chicken probably has four types of horizontal cell, there are at least 11 types of bipolar cell, often with bi- or tri-stratified axon terminals, and there is a high density of ganglion cells, which make complex connections in the inner plexiform layer. In addition, there is likely to be retinal specialisation, for example chicken photoreceptors and ganglion cells have separate peaks of cell density in the central and dorsal retina, which probably serve different types of behaviour.

Ebolavirus has a membrane envelope decorated by trimers of a glycoprotein (GP), which is responsible for host cell attachment and membrane fusion. Therefore, GP is a primary target for antiviral drugs development. Here, this article reports the first, to my knowledge, set of structural analysis of all Ebolavirus GP structures as of March 10, 2020, and also a brief update of the structurally identified electrostatic features of the Ebolavirus GP structures in both apo (unliganded) state and also in bound states with a series of small compounds, including a variety of approved drugs. With this comprehensive set of structural analysis, this article puts forward a hypothesis of two Achilles' heels of Ebolavirus GP structure, where the formation of two interfacial salt bridges, instead of destabilizing the prefusion conformation of Ebolavirus GP, constitutes a positive contribution towards the structural rigidification of the prefusion conformation of the Ebolavirus GP structure, thereby acting against GP-mediated Ebolavirus cell entry and/or preventing fusion between the viral and endosome membranes.

Using classical clinical observations, we first outline an elementary conceptual model for the Mind Representation System, then move to a more elaborate mathematical model that refers to discrete cofibration with enriched fibers.

Liver related diseases are the 3rd leading causes (9.3%) of mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Japan. T2DM is closely associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe form of NAFLD, can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic failure. There are no established pharmacotherapies for NASH patients with T2DM. Though vitamin E is established as a 1st line agent in NASH without T2DM, its efficacy was recently denied in NASH with T2DM. The effects of pioglitazone on NASH histology with T2DM have extensively been established, but several concerns exist such as body weight gain, fluid retention, cancer incidence, and bone fracture. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are expected to ameliorate NASH　(LEAN study, LEAD trial, and E-LIFT study). Among a variety of SGLT2 inhibitors, dapagliflozin have already entered phase 3 trials (DEAN study). A key clinical question is what kinds of anti-diabetic drugs are the most appropriate for the treatment of NASH to prevent progression of hepatic fibrosis resulting in HCC/liver-related mortality without increasing risk at cardiovascular or renal events. The combination therapies such as glucagon receptor agonist/GLP-1 or gastrointestinal peptide /GLP-1 will be under development. This review focuses on antidiabetic agents and future perspectives on the view of the treatment of NAFLD with T2DM.

Growing popularity of buildings with integrated sub-systems, requires a review of methods to optimize the preheat of ventilation air. An integrated system permits using geothermal heat storage parallel to the direct outdoor air intake with additional treatment in the mechanical room as a part of building automatic control system. Earth Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX) has many advantages but also has many unanswered questions. Some of the drawbacks are: a possible entry of radon gas, high humidity in the shoulder seasons as well as the need for two different air intake sources with a choice that depends on the actual weather conditions. While in winter, the EAHX may be used continuously to ensure thermal comfort, in other seasons, its operation must be automatically controlled. To generate the missing information about the EAHX technology we have examined two nearly identical EAHX systems, one placed in ground next to the building and the other under the basement slab. In another project, we have reinforced the ground storage action by heat exchanger placed on the return pipes of the hydronic heating system. Effectively, the information provided in this paper, shows advantages of merging both these approaches while the EAHX could be placed under the house or near the basement foundation that is using an exterior basement insulation.

The main aim of this paper is to investigate multifarious properties and relations for the gamma distribution. The approach to reach this purpose will be introducing a special polynomial including gamma distribution. Several formulas covering addition formula, derivative property, integral representation and explicit formula are derived by means of the series manipulation method. Furthermore, two correlations including Bernoulli and Euler polynomials for gamma distribution polynomials are provided by utilizing of their generating functions.

Recently the polyvalent bacteriophage FP01, isolated from wastewater in Valparaiso, Chile, was described to have lytic activity across species against Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovars. Due to it polyvalent nature the bacteriophage FP01 could have potential application in food and agri-industry. Also, fundamental aspects of polyvalent bacteriophage biology are not well known. In this study we sequenced and describe the complete genome of the polyvalent phage FP01 (MH745368) using the nanopore technology. The bacteriophage FP01 genome has a 44,900 bp, double-stranded DNA with an average G+C content of 49.41% and 90 coding sequences (CDSs). We found that the phage FP01 critically depends on host factors for replication and transcription. Also, it has a critical lysogenic repressor pseudogene. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the phage FP01 is closely related to phages lambda and P22. These results suggest that the phage FP01 could be a lytic variant of a lysogenic phage or acquired genes from lysogenic phages during host infection.

Quantum loops are processes that constitute quantum objects. In the causal model of quantum loops and quantum objects presented here, the nonlinear processes involve the elementary units of spacetime and the associated elementary units of quantum fields. As such, quantum loop processes are the sources of gravitational fields (i.e., spacetime curvature) and of the quantum objects wave function. The model may be viewed as a derivative of loop quantum gravity, spin networks and causal dynamical triangulation, although significant deviations to these theories exist. The causal model of quantum loops is based on a causal model of spacetime dynamics where space(-time) consists of interconnected space points, each of which is connected to a small number of neighboring space points. The curvature of spacetime is expressed by the density of these space points and by the arrangement of the connections between them. The quantum loop emerges in a nonlinear collective behavioral process from a collection of space points that carry energy and quantum field attributes.

A recent finding, based on empirical data of 153 rotationally supported galaxies, with very different morphologies, masses, sizes, and gas fractions, revealed that the baryonic and the dark matter in galaxies are strongly coupled, such that, if the first is known, the second follows and vice versa. Here, we propose a completely theoretical analysis of the dynamics of rotationally supported galaxies, which results in the same conclusion. We find that the relationship between baryonic and dark matter densities at any radius r is governed by the law, ρ(r)_M + ρ(r)_DM = ρ_0, where ρ(r)_M, and ρ(r)_DM are, respectively, the densities of matter and dark matter at radius r, and ρ_0 is the density at the galaxy’s center. Strikingly, we also found that the radius r_s, at which the rotation velocity is equal to half of its maximal value, constitutes a vivid signature of the galaxy, in the sense that it reveals rich information about the galaxy’s dynamics, including the distribution of its matter and dark matter and their total amounts in the galaxy.

This paper seeks to investigate the questions of: How does the constancy of the speed of light come about? Why does time dilation and length contraction occur? Are they physical effects with a mechanism? Does mass have a role is in these effects? Is Relativity an emergent phenomenon? The enquiry is along a different tact than the standard Lorentzian invariance canon but in the realm of readily known experimental facts or analogies and theory in the domain of wave propagation and solid state physics. These analogies, to almost prosaic physics, have a small following and are called Ether Theories, which modern physics has implicitly reinstated by General Relativity and Quantum Field Theories. In the category of Ether Theories based on analogies to solid state physics, this presentation is unique in not being Lorentz invariant; it is based on earlier papers by the author enquiring into the speed of coincidence counting of the Bell Inequality and a communication protocol. It is believed that Lorentz invariance emerges from the Ether and all Relativistic Mechanics can be built from the bottom up. The conclusion is that space-time is not really curved but the effects are all ascribable to mass gain.

Sam Granick opened his seminal 1957 paper titled Speculations on the Origins and Evolution of Photosynthesis with the assertion that there is a constant urge in human beings to seek beginnings (I concur). This urge has led to an incessant stream of speculative ideas and debates on the evolution of photosynthesis that started in the first half of the twentieth century and shows no signs of abating. Some of these speculative ideas have become common place, are taken as fact, but find little support. Here I review and scrutinise three widely accepted ideas that underpin the current study of the evolution of photosynthesis: firstly, that the photochemical reaction centres used in anoxygenic photosynthesis are more primitive than those in oxygenic photosynthesis; secondly, that the probability of acquiring photosynthesis via horizontal gene transfer is greater than the loss of photosynthesis; and thirdly, and most importantly, that the origin of anoxygenic photosynthesis predates the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis. I shall attempt to demonstrate that these three ideas are often grounded on incorrect assumptions built on more assumptions with no experimental nor observational support. I hope that this brief review will not only serve as cautionary tale, but also that it will open new avenues of research aimed at disentangling the complex evolution of photosynthesis and its impact on the early history of life and the planet.