Previous studies detail that the different blood groups are associate to incidence of oxidative stress-related diseases such as certain carcinomas. Bioactive compounds represent an alternative to prevent this oxidative-stress. The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of blood groups on the erythroprotective potential of Fucoxanthin, β-Carotene, gallic acid, quercetin, and ascorbic acid as therapeutic agents against oxidative-stress. The impact of ABO blood groups on the erythroprotective potential was evaluate by the elucidated antioxidant capacity, blood biocompatibility, blood susceptibility and erythroprotective potential (membrane stabilization, in vitro photostability and antihemolytic activity). All antioxidant tested exhibited a highest potent antioxidant capacity and presented the ability to inhibit ROO•-induced oxidative-stress without compromising the cell membrane, providing an erythroprotective effect dependent on the blood group. Effect that increased in the presence of antigen A. This result could be key to the prevention of carcinomas associated with antigen A, such as breast and skin cancer. These results revealed a probable relationship between the different erythrocyte antigens with the erythroprotective potential, highlighting the importance of bio-targeted drugs for groups mostly susceptible to certain chronic-degenerative pathologies. These compounds could be applied as additive, nutraceutical or encapsulated to improve its bioaccessibility.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is the main severe complication of the ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. The aim of the current study was to identify the interventions for prevention of and reduction in the incidence and severity of OHSS in patients who undergo IVF not included in systematic reviews with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), assess and grade their efficacy and evidence base. The best available evidence for each specific intervention was identify, analyzed in terms of safety/efficacy ratio and of risk of bias, and graded using Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) hierarchy of evidence. A total of 15 interventions to prevent OHSS were included in the final analysis. In IVF population not at high risk for OHSS, follitropin delta for ovarian stimulation may reduce the incidence of early OHSS and/or preventive interventions for early OHSS. In high-risk patients, inositol pretreatment, ovulation triggering with low doses of urinary hCG, and the luteal phase administration of GnRH antagonist may reduce the OHSS risk. In conclusion, even if not supported by systematic reviews with homogeneity of the RCTs, several treatments/strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of OHSS have shown to be promising.

Novel pH responsive semi-interpenetrating polymer hydrogels based on tamarind gum-co-poly(acrylamidoglycolic acid) (TMGA) polymers have been synthesized using simple free radical polymerization in the presence of bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate as a crosslinker and potassium persulfate as a initiator. In addition, these hydrogels have been used as templates for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (13.4±3.6 nm in diameter, TMGA-Ag) by using leaf extract of Teminalia bellirica as reducing agent. Swelling kinetics and equilibrium swelling behavior of the TMGA hydrogels have been investigated in various pH environment the maxium % equilibrium swelling behavior observed i.e., 2882±1.2. The synthesized hydrogels and silver nanocomposites have been characterized by the UV, FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. TMGA and TMGA-Ag hydrogels have been investigated to study the characteristics of drug delivery and antimicrobial study. Doxorubicin hydrochloride, a chemotherapeutic agent successfully encapsulated with maximum encapulstaion efficiency i.e., 69.20±1.2 and performed in vitro release studies in pH physiological and gastric environment at 37 ℃. The drug release behavior is examined with kinetic models such as zero order, first order, Higuchi, Hixson Crowell, Korsmeyer-Peppas. These release data was the best fitted with the Korsemeyer-Peppas transport mechanism with n=0.91. Treatment effect on HCT116 Cell, human colon cancer cells were assessed with cell viability and cell cycle analysis. Antimicrobial activity of TMGA-Ag hydrogels is studied against to Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia. Finally, the results demonstrate that TMGA and TMGA-Ag are promising candidates for anti-cancer drug delivery and inactivation of pathogenic bacteria, respectively.

Background and objectives: Induction chemotherapy (ICT) before definitive chemoradiation (CRT) gives high response rates in LA-SCCHN. However, pre-ICT gross tumour volume (GTV) for radiotherapy (RT) planning is still recommended. As ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT has an advantage of biological tumour information comparing to standard imaging methods, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT-based post-ICT GTV delineation for RT planning in LA-SCCHN and to assess the prognostic value of PET parameters: maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max), metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Methods: 47 LA-SCCHN patients were treated with 3 cycles of ICT (docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil) followed by CRT (70 Gy in 35 fractions with weekly cisplatin). Pre- and post-ICT PET/CT examinations were acquired. Planning CT was co-registered with post-ICT PET/CT and RT target volumes were contoured according to post-ICT PET. Post-ICT percentage decrease of SUV_max, MTV and TLG in primary tumour and metastatic regional lymphnodes (LN) was counted. Loco-regional failure patterns, 3-year progression free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: 3-year PFS and OS rates for study population were 67% and 61% respectively. 31.9% of patients progressed loco-regionally. All progresses were localised in high-to-intermediate dose (60–70 Gy) RT volumes and none in low dose (50 Gy) volumes. Decrease of SUV_max ≥74% (p = 0.03), MTV ≥ 68% (p = 0.04), TLG ≥ 76% (p = 0.02) in primary tumour, and LN TLG decrease ≥74% (p = 0.03) were associated with PFS. Decrease of primary tumour SUV_max ≥ 74% (p = 0.04), MTV ≥ 69% (p = 0.04), TLG ≥ 74% (p = 0.02) and LN TLG ≥ 73% (p = 0.02) were prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions: According to our results, 18F-FDG PET/CT-based post-ICT GTV delineation is feasible strategy without negative impact on loco-regional control and survival. Percentage decrease of metabolic PET parameters SUV_max, MTV and TLG has a prognostic value in LA-SCCHN.

It is required to manage sustainable Short-Rotation Coppices (SRCs) as an important role on carbon sink and bioenergy output, because most of SRCs were established in reclaimed land in South Korea. However, during the last three years, growth pattern of the SRCs was remarkably changed with soil condition. This study aimed to identify the sustainability of SRCs on carbon storage, biomass and fuel pellet production, monitoring the neighboring vegetation of SRCs by land-use exchange, physiological change of poplar on seasonal trend, and to evaluate whether poplar is suitable for making wood pellets. The calculated biomass yield per area of poplar grown was 103.07 Mg per total area (55.6 ha), and volumes of carbon dioxide absorption was estimated to be 330 Mg CO2. Wood pellet quality based on the criteria scored third grade, indicating that poplar is suitable for manufacturing fuel pellets. Moreover, monitoring of the flora distribution in SRCs revealed changes in species composition. As halophyte was increased during drought, soil organic matter, net growth and total chlorophyll of poplar were significantly decreased. These findings indicated that photosynthesis and growth pattern of SRCs may be negatively affected by microclimate and will provide valuable information for effective management of SRCs.

Background/Aim: microRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of both physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms in diabetes and gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility. Our previous studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of miR-10a-5p mimic and miR-10b-5p mimic (miR-10a/b mimics) in rescuing diabetes and GI dysmotility in murine models of diabetes. In this study, we elucidated the safety profile of a long-term treatment with miR-10a/b mimics in diabetic mice. Methods: Male C57BL6 mice were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet (HFHSD) to induce diabetes and treated by five subcutaneous injections of miR-10a/b mimics for a 5-month period. We examined the long-term effect of the miRNA mimics on diabetes and GI dysmotility, including an assessment of cancer risk as well as liver and colon inflammation using cancer and inflammatory biomarkers. Results: HFHSD-induced diabetic mice subcutaneously injected with miR-10a/b mimics monthly for 5 months exhibited a marked reduction in fasting blood glucose levels with restoration of insulin and significant weight loss, improved glucose and insulin intolerance, and restored GI transit time. In addition, the miR-10a/b mimic treated diabetic mice showed no indication of risk for cancer development and inflammation induction in the liver, colon, and blood for the 5 months post injections. Conclusion: This longitudinal study demonstrates that miR-10a/b mimics, when subcutaneously administered in diabetic mice, effectively alleviate diabetes and GI dysmotility for 5 months with no discernible risk for cancer or inflammation in the liver and colon. The sustained efficacy and favorable safety profiles position miR-10a/b mimics as promising candidates in miRNA-based therapeutics for diabetes and GI dysmotility.

We have found a region in the northwestern Japan Sea near the Subpolar Front where mesoscale eddies regularly form and circulate. The anticyclonic eddy with a strong dynamic feature, vertically extended to the bottom (~3500 m), multilayer core structure and extreme values of temperature and salinity was sampled there in the cruise in May 2004. The altimetry-based eddy tracking showed that it had a life span of nine months with the size reaching 120 km. CTD observational data were used to explore the eddy’s features and vertical structure. The eddy had a multilayer core with different thermohaline characteristics which could be originated by eddy interaction with the surrounding waters during its life. The evolution of the eddy has been studied and analyzed with the help of altimetry-based Lagrangian indicators of water motion. Performing the particle-tracking numerical experiments, we computed the Lagrangian maps that contain information on the origin of water inside the eddy core and its ‘age’ on every day of the eddy’s life. Inspecting daily-computed Lagrangian maps, we documented the essential events in the evolution of the eddy including its formation, splitting, merger, entrainment and detrainment of water, erosion and eventual decay. All these observations have been verified with the infrared satellite images. The new Lagrangian technique has been applied to calculate day by day the content of water of various origin (coastal, subtropical and subarctic) entrained into the eddy core. It has been found that the surface core has been filled mainly with subtropical water originated in the southern flank of the Subpolar Front. The episodes with cardinal changes of ratio of different water types have been recorded and verified with the infrared satellite images and maps of the origin of water inside the eddy core.

Background: Although Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, many practitioners are still unaware of various aspects of management of TB including drug resistant TB. To be able to make an impact on the disease burden we need to understand the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of practitioners, both in government and private sector, towards TB case management. Methodology: A random cross-sectional survey of 99 respondents to assess the KAP towards TB case management using a digital semi-structured questionnaire which was pre-tested and administered to allopathic practitioners from across States in North and Central India. Results: 77% responders were government doctors and 23% were private practitioners. Chest physicians accounted for 61% of the responders. 26% of government and 78% of private doctors relied on sources which are difficult to validate for their knowledge on drug resistant TB management. There were large variations seen in knowledge on modes of transmission, standard precautions, extent of drug resistant TB, diagnostics as well as treatment regimen for drug resistant TB. Conclusion: The knowledge of both sector doctors especially amongst private practitioners with respect to the awareness of extent, diagnosis, and treatment and infection control measures for drug resistant TB is suboptimal which translates to poor diagnostic, therapeutic and infection control choices amongst private practitioners. If India has to achieve the targets for TB Elimination by 2025, serious work needs to be done to upgrade the knowledge of the private sector doctors on drug resistant tuberculosis. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI needs to have regular educational programs for the private practitioners coupled with awareness campaigns and frequent surveys to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices being followed in the private sector for TB management including drug resistant TB.

Lifestyle physical activity (PA) and nutrition are known to be effective interventions in preventing and managing obesity related comorbidities is adult populations, but less so in children and adolescents. We examined the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in children from minority ethnic populations in western high-income countries. Our systematic review included 53 studies involving 26045 children from minority ethnic populations within western countries, who followed lifestyle intervention programs lasting between 8 weeks and 5 years with an aim to prevent and/or manage childhood obesity and associated comorbidities, including adiposity and cardiometabolic risks. Studies were heterogenous in terms of lifestyle intervention components (nutrition, PA, behavioural counselling) and settings (community vs. schools and after schools). Our meta-analysis included 31 eligible studies and showed no significant effects of lifestyle interventions when they focused on body weight and body mass index (BMI) outcomes [pooled BMI mean change = -0.09 (95% CI -0.19, 0.01), p=0.09]. This was irrespective of the intervention program duration (< 6 months vs. ≥ 6 months), type (PA vs nutrition/combined intervention) and weight status (overweight or obese vs no normal weight), all showed no significant effects in the sensitivity analysis. Nonetheless, 19 of the 53 studies reported reduction in BMI, BMI z scores and body fat percentage. However, majority of lifestyle interventions adopting a quasi-design with a combined primary and secondary obesity measures (11 out of 15 studies), were effective in reducing obesity comorbidities of cardiometabolic risks including metabolic syndrome, insulin sensitivity, and blood pressure in children with overweight and obesity. Preventing childhood obesity and associated comorbidities in children from high-risk ethnic minority groups is best achieved using a combined PA and nutrition intervention approach, which jointly target preventing obesity and cardiometabolic disease primary and secondary outcomes, especially measures of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Coincident changes in abundance and behavior pose a challenge for interpreting abundance data from monitoring programs. In the San Francisco Estuary, long-term monitoring documented the declines of many species including the anadromous Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys). We identified seasonal patterns in reginal presence of Longfin Smelt through its life cycle using monitoring data and generalized additive modelling. We then investigated the year-to-year variability in the seasonal patterns of presence using functional data analysis (FDA). FDA separated the variability due to population size from variability due to differences in timing of presence. We found that Longfin Smelt have consistent seasonal distribution patterns and that two trawl types were needed to accurately describe those patterns. After accounting for variability due to year-class strength, shifts in the timing of presence were evident in three regions. The most variable period for the upstream regions Suisun Bay and West Delta was for age-0 fish in summer and for the downstream region Central Bay was for age-0 fish in late fall. This manifested as a delay in the typical fall re-occupation of upstream regions that comprise the study area for another monitoring study (Fall Midwater Trawl). Thus, a portion of the recent reductions in Fall Midwater Trawl abundance of Longfin Smelt resulted from changes in behavior rather than a decline in abundance. The presence of multiple monitoring surveys allowed analysis of distribution from one data set to aid interpretation of patterns in abundance from another monitoring survey. This study highlights how identifying portions of the life cycle with the most and least variability in distribution can help inform the types of management strategies that will be most effective. It also illustrates an analytical method that can be used to address the problem of confounded effects of abundance and behavior on patterns in monitoring data.

The modification the gut microbiota in metabolic syndrome and associated chronic diseases is among leading tasks of microbiome research and needs for clinical use of probiotics. Evidence lack for the implications for microbiome modification to improve metabolic health in particular when applied impersonalized. Probiotics have tremendous potential in personalized nutrition and medicine to develop healthy diets. The aim was to to conduct comprehensive overview of recent updates of role of microbiota on human health and development of metabolic syndrome and efficacy of microbiota modulation considering specific properties of probiotic strain and particular aspects of metabolic syndrome and patient`s phenotype to fill the gap between probiotic product and individual to facilitate development of individualized / personalized probiotic and prebiotic treatments. We discuss the relevance of using host phenotype-associated biomarkers, those based on imaging and molecular and patrient`s history, reliable and accessible to facilitate person-specific appication of probiotics and prebiotic substances. Microbiome phenotypes can be parameters of predictive medicine to recognize patient`s predispositions and evaluate treatment responses; the number of phenotype markers can be effectively involved to monitor microbiome modulation. The studied strain-dependent properties of probiotic strains are potentially relevant for individualized treatment for gut and distant sites microbiome modulation. The evidence regarding probiotic strains properties can be taken to account via pathophysiology-based approach for most effective individualized treatment via gut, oral and vaginal and other sites microbiome modulation according to phenotype of the patient providing individualized and personalized medical approaches. Preventive potential of probiotics is strong and well-documented. Recommendations for individualized clinical use of probiotics, and for probiotic studies design have been suggested.

Objective To investigate the functional and biological significance of telomere-related active genes in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) using single-cell sequencing and cell communication analysis. Methods First, we identified and annotated different cell types in CCA samples using single-cell sequencing data. Pseudotime analysis revealed the transcriptional status and differentiation process of CCA cells. We then explored interactions between CCA cells and their regulatory pathways through cell communication analysis. 47 key genes related to telomere activity were identified, and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed. Additionally, we constructed a prognostic model and verified the model's predictive efficacy. Finally, we identified genes associated with drug sensitivity in CCA patients and identified pathways associated with CCA prognosis through tumor TMB analysis. Results We identified 452 active telomere-associated cells. Then, we assessed telomere associated gene activity, obtaining 47 differentially expressed telomere genes by intersecting with CCA differentially expressed genes. Major up-regulated signaling pathways, including MIF-(CD74+CXCR4) and HLA-A-CD8A, were identified through pseudotime analysis. Three telomere-associated prognostic genes were identified using LASSO analysis, and prognostic-related models were built. In addition, PBRM1 mutation load was found to be highest in the high-risk group, making it a potential diagnostic target. Finally, drug sensitivity analysis revealed higher sensitivity to certain therapeutic drugs in the high-risk group, providing guidance for tailored CCA treatment. Conclusion The MIF-(CD74+CXCR4) and HLA-A-CD8A signaling pathways appear to be major pathways for CCA cell proliferation. Prognostic models based on telomere-associated genes show promise for application, indicating the biological and clinical significance of telomere activity genes in CCA.

The motivation for investigating the issues presented in this article stemmed from a need to understand better the relationship in long-established physics formulas and extract the information they provided using conventional methods. Based on the definition of magnetic flux quantization, which is based on a combination of fundamental physical constants, the Planck constant, and the particle’s elementary charge, this work explores the results that arise when this equation is combined with the equation of the Bohr-level electrostatic force acting on the electron, which leads to a new mathematical relationship between the combined expressions. The new relationship yields novel theoretical findings related to the known universal constants. Following this insight, the formalism developed in this paper indicates that the mass of the electron and other subatomic particles is associated with the magnitude of the square of the magnetic flux quantum, which makes up the particle. This conclusion is not as strange as it may seem, as the square of the magnetic flux quantum appears in the context of magnetic energy in a current loop and, according to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, energy is equivalent to mass. Another aspect described at the end of this paper demonstrates the connection between the square of the magnetic flux quantum through the Bohr radius and the significance of the wave function in the atom. The theoretical results are in full accordance with experimental results published by NIST CODATA 2018 that I’ve used, which validates the existence of the relationship.

Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) have massive genomes and particle sizes compared to other known viruses. NCLDVs, including poxviruses, encode ATPases of the FtsK/HerA superfamily to facilitate genome encapsidation. However, their biochemical and structural characteristics are yet to be discerned. In this study, we demonstrate that the viral ATPases are significantly shorter than their bacterial homologs, representing the minimal ATPase core of the FtsK/HerA superfamily. We analyzed the sequence and structural features of the vaccinia virus A32 protein and determined their roles in the stability of the A32 protein and its ATPase activity. We sought to purify A32 by various techniques and noted that recombinant A32 expressed in E. coli is highly insoluble and unstable in solution, possibly because of the disordered C-terminus. N-terminal fusion with the thioredoxin solubility tag could alleviate this issue to some extent, but subsequent tag cleavage results in increased susceptibility to precipitation and degradation. We also predicted a conserved coiled-coil motif (CCM) towards the C-terminus of VV A32. ATPase activity of A32 is known to increase in the presence of DNA. Our comparative analysis of wildtype A32 versus CCM mutants suggests that this DNA dependence of A32’s ATPase activity is likely regulated by the CCM. Since CCM is also known to facilitate protein oligomerization, these findings provide new opportunities for further detailed characterization of A32.

The effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the photosynthetic performance of subtropical coniferous species have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we treated two coniferous species, Pinus massoniana (PM) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (CL), with SAR and then analyzed photosynthetic activities via the simultaneous measurement of prompt fluorescence(PF), delayed fluorescence(DF), and modulated reflection at 820 nm(MR820). Following the low-pH SAR treatment, the I–P phase of the OJIP curves of PM and CL decreased significantly and then the K-band and L-band were detectable. The delayed fluorescence for both PM and CL decreased as the pH of the SAR solution decreased, with a more significant decrease in the I1 peak than in the I2 peak. According to the MR820 curve, the exposure to SAR stress inhibited the rapid decrease and slow increase in the MR820 transients of PM and CL. The gradients of the decreasing and increasing phases were lower for CL than for PM at pH 2.5. In addition, SAR decreased the light energy captured per unit area (ABS/CSm) and the quantum yield of electron transfer per unit area (ETO/CSm), but it increased the accumulation of QA−, thereby decreasing primary photochemical efficiency (TRO/CSm, φPO). These changes in photosystem II (PSII) resulted in a decrease in the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) and the performance index (PIABS). Moreover, PSII was protected from thylakoid membrane photodamages through the increase in heat dissipation per unit area (DIO/CSm) in response to SAR. The increase in δRO as the pH of the SAR solution decreased was observed for PM, but not for CL. Considered together, the study findings suggest that SAR treatments can decrease chlorophyll contents and damage the OEC in PM and CL, which obstructs the transfer of electrons on the donor and acceptor sides of PSII. However, PM is better able to withstand SAR stress than CL, likely because of the activation of a protective mechanism (reflected by the change in δRO). Therefore, in coniferous forest areas severely affected by acid rain, CL may need to be protected more than PM.

The dessert banana is a popular fruit worldwide, but its ripening process is greatly accelerated by high temperatures, which eventually leads to an unpleasant taste and the appearance of spots on the skin of the fruit. To slow down the ripening of bananas, expensive strategies are used, which are usually not practical for conventional farmers in less developed countries. In this study, we try to find a less costly alternative. Therefore, the effects of coatings of lemon peel extract (2.5 %, 5 %, and 10 %), calcium chloride (4 %), and glycerol (2 %) on the shelf life and postharvest quality of banana fruit (Cavendish) stored at 20 ± 3 °C and 50 – 70 % relative humidity were investigated. Treatment with a mixture of 2.5 % lemon peel extract and 2 % glycerol resulted in an extension of the shelf life of the dessert banana by up to 6 days and no detectable fungal infestation. The mixture is an effective alternative to extend the shelf life and reduce quality losses in bananas.

Wild rocket plants were cultivated in a plastic greenhouse into two independent sectors, one for soil-bound (SbS) cultivation and another equipped for soilless (ScS) cultivation systems. In both SbS and ScS, the crop was subjected to treatments consisting in a high-compared to a low-input fertilization program (HF and LF treatment, respectively). Water use efficiency (WUE) and partial factor productivity (PFP) for nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg for ScS, and N for SbS) were measured. Rocket leaves, separated for cultivation system and fertilization program, collected at different cuts during the growing cycle, were cold stored at 10 °C until 16 d. At each sampling day (at harvest and during the storage), sensory parameters, respiration rate, dry matter, colour, electrolyte leakage, antioxidant activity, total phenols, total chlorophyll and ammonia content were evaluated. In ScS, the PFP for all nutrients supplied as fertilizers showed a significant increase with the LF treatment, with values higher than 30 % for N, K and Ca. As for the postharvest performance, rocket leaves cultivated in ScS showed better qualitative traits than those cultivated in SbS, as suggested by the lower values of ammonia content and electrolyte leakage recorded at the end of storage in samples grown in ScS. Moreover, in ScS, data showed a lower membrane damage in LF than HF rocket leaves. Finally, regarding total chlorophyll content, even if no effect of treatments was recorded in SbS, rocket cultivated in ScS, showed a better retention of this parameter applying LF than HF treatment. In addition to this, a PLS model (R2 = 0.7) able to predict the cultivation system, using as variables total chlorophyll content no-destructively measured, was implemented.

The ridge-furrow plastic mulching (RFPM) system and nitrogen application have been effective strategies for improving crop productivity in the Loess Plateau of China. However, it is not clear how the ridge-furrow ratio and nitrogen fertilizer type (NT) affect the utilization of water, nitrogen, heat and radiation resources for increased rain-fed wheat production. Two nitrogen fertilizer types [Traditional urea (TU) and controlled-release urea (CRU)] and four planting patterns [conventional flat planting (F) and the RFPM system of 20 cm ridge with 40 cm furrow (R2F4), 40 cm ridge with 40 cm furrow (R4F4), and 60 cm ridge with 40 cm furrow (R6F4)] were tested from September, 2018 to June, 2021 during winter wheat growing season. The results showed that the RFPM system can increase the soil thermal time (TTsoil) by 41.0–152.1°C d compared to F. The thermal effect of the RFPM system shortens the vegetative growth period and extends the reproductive growth period by 2–7 days, promoting the increase of the leaf area index (LAI) and final dry matter (DM) accumulation. These significantly increased the grain yield (GY) in the RFPM system by 51.6–115.2% and enhanced the thermal time use efficiency (TUE) by 48–99.5%, water productivity (WP) by 37.4–76.3%, radiation use efficiency (RUE) by 16.3–34.4%, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) by 51.6–115.2% compared to F. Although a high ridge-furrow ratio combined with CRU increased GY and resources use efficiency, it also exacerbated the soil water depletion, especially in the 40–140 cm soil layer. Overall, applying CRU in combination with the RFPM system of 40 cm ridge with 40 cm furrow maximized resources use efficiency and increased wheat production in the Loess Plateau of China.

High-temperature cooking process like frying, baking, smoking, or drying can induce chemical transformations in conventional food ingredients, causing deteriorative modifications. These reactions, including hydrolytic, oxidative, and thermal changes, are a common occurrence and can result in alterations to the food's chemical composition. In this study, a combination of sucrose and histidine (Su-Hi) was transformed through a process of charring or pyrolysis. The GC-MS profiling study showed that when sucrose and histidine (Su-Hi) are exposed to high temperatures (≈240°C), they produce carbonyl and aromatic compounds including beta-D-Glucopyranose, 1,6-anhydro (10.11 %), 2-Butanone, 4,4-dimethoxy- (12.89 %), 2(1H)-Quinolinone-hydrazine (5.73%), Benzenamine (6.35%), 2,5-Pyrrolidinedione, 1-[(3,4-dimethylbenzoyl)oxy]- (5.82%), Benzene-(1-ethyl-1-propenyl) (5.62%), and 4-Pyridinamine-2,6-dimethyl (5.52%). The compounds mentioned have the ability to permeate the cell membrane and contribute to the development of cell death by necrosis in human immune cells. The evidence available suggests that a specific set of pyrolytic compounds may pose a risk to immune cells. This investigation reveals the complex relationship between high-temperature cooking-induced transformations, compound permeation inside the cells, and downstream cellular responses, emphasizing the significance of considering the broader health implications of food chemical contaminants.

Obesity and physical activity have opposing effects on cardiorespiratory fitness. This study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity measured by various anthropometric indicators and physical activity level on oxygen uptake and fat oxidation during moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in adults. Forty-eight individuals were recruited. Various anthropometric indicators (i.e., body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)) were measured. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (a short version). Total oxygen uptake (VO2tot) and fat oxidation were recorded during 30-minute aerobic exercise at moderate intensity. There were no differences in oxygen uptake and fat oxidation between obese and non-obese groups. Based on obesity and physical activity, VO2tot was significantly different among groups classified by WHR. Inactive obesity had significantly lower VO2tot 28.1% compared to active obesity and 29.2 % compared to active non-obesity. The inactive obesity had a 3.8%, 27.4%, and 4.3% lower fat oxidation than the active non-obesity, as classified by WC, WHR, and WHtR, respectively. However, the differences were not statistically significant. We conclude that active obesity, as measured by WHR, exhibited higher oxygen uptake compared to inactive obesity. Moreover, inactive obesity showed poorer oxygen uptake than active non-obesity.

Basketball playing entails the repetitive performance of short intense actions using lower limb explosive power. As such, it is important to measure this capability in basketball players, especially among young players, and to optimize training programs and game plans. After presenting an in-depth understanding of the specific physiological requirements when playing basketball, as well as the type of movements required, The aim of this review is to better understand the importance of the physiological energy systems in basketball, to examine the contribution of each energy system and, accordingly, to heighten awareness of the importance and dominance of the alactic anaerobic physiological system in basketball, for actions requiring high level explosive power. This review of the literature depicts the horizontal and vertical physical movements and physiological requirements entailed in playing basketball, and presents eight standardized anaerobic alactic measurement tools relevant to the game. As some of these tests suit a number of ball games, the findings of this review article are important for making order of the elements unique to basketball as well as additional parameters to consider when testing basketball players. By reliably and validly testing the anaerobic alactic capabilities of basketball players, test results can be used for training purposes and for improving game outcomes. Despite the fact that much of the information in this review is familiar to coaches, highlighting the specific needs of basketball may help them to choose the most suitable tools, and may also shed light on new directions for developing basketball-specific assessment tests.

Phosphorus deficiency highly interferes with plant growth and development. Plants respond to the persistent P deficiency by coordinating the expression of genes involved in the alleviation of the stress. Promoters of phosphate transporter genes are of great choice for the development of genetically modified plants with enhanced phosphate uptake abilities, which improve crop yields in phosphate-deficient soils. In our previous study, the sugarcane phosphate transporter PHT1;2 gene, showed a significantly high expression under salinity stress. In this study, the Erianthus arundinaceus EaPHT1;2 gene was isolated and characterized using various in-silico tools. The deduced 542 amino acid residues have 10 transmembrane domains, with a molecular weight and isoelectric point of 58.9 kDa and 9.80, respectively. They displayed 71–96% similarity with Arabidopsis thaliana, Zea mays, and Saccharum hybrid. To elucidate the function of the 5’ regulatory region, the 1.1kb promoter was isolated and validated in tobacco transgenics under Pi stress. The EaPHT1;2 promoter activity was detected using the β-glucuronidase (GUS) assay. While the EaPHT1;2 promoter showed 3 to 4.2-fold higher expression than the most widely used CaMV35S promoter. The 5’ deletion analysis with and without 5’UTR regions, revealed that a small size 374 bp fragment with the highest promoter activity among 5′ truncated fragments, which was 2.7 and 4.2 times higher than the well-used CaMV35S promoter under normal and Pi-deprivation conditions, respectively. The strong and short promoter of EaPHT1;2 with 374 bp showed significant expression in low Pi-stress conditions and it could be a valuable source for the development of stress-tolerant transgenic crops

Optimizing input parameters not only improves production efficiency and processing quality but also plays a crucial role in the development of green manufacturing engineering practices. The aim of the present study is to conduct a comparative evaluation at cutting performance and machinability process during the turning of AISI 4340 steel under different cooling conditions. The study analyses cutting operations during turning using dry, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), and nano-MQL. As control parameters in the experiments, three different cooling types, cutting speed (100, 150, 200 m/min), and feed rate (0.1, 0.15, 0.20 mm/rev) levels were applied. The experiment results present that the optimal output values are found as Vb=0.15 mm, Ra=0.81µm, 88.1 dB for sound intensity, and I=4.18 A for current. Moreover, variance analysis (ANOVA) was performed to determine the effects of input parameters on response values. Under dry, MQL, and nano-MQL processing conditions, parameters affecting tool wear, surface roughness, current by the motor shaft, and sound level were examined in detail, along with the chip morphology. The responses obtained were optimized according to the Taguchi S/N method. As a result of optimization, it was concluded that the optimum values for cutting conditions (A3B1C1) were nano-MQL cooling and V=100 m/min, f=0.1 mm/rev cutting. Last but not least, it was observed that there was a 13% improvement in tool wear, 7% in current, 9% in surface roughness, and 8% in sound intensity compared to the standard conditions. In conclusion, it was determined that nano-MQL and the lowest level of cutting and feed rate values provided the optimum results.

Background and aims: Only one cohort study exists on the incidence of the risk of malnutrition (RM) in older adults, though numerous cross-sectional –and that cohort research– have reported several risk factors associated with the prevalence and incidence of this condition. However, alterations of body composition and impaired physical performance as exposition variables of RM have not been explored. This study assessed the incidence of RM and determined its association with excess fat mass, low total lean tissue, gait speed, and handgrip strength as exposition variables for RM in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This is a secondary analysis in older adults (≥60 years old) derived from the study “Frailty, dynapenia, and sarcopenia in Mexican adults (FraDySMex)” a prospective cohort project conducted from 2014 to 2019 in Mexico City. At baseline, volunteers underwent body composition analysis and physical performance tests. Several covariates were identified through comprehensive geriatric assessment. At baseline and follow-up, RM was assessed using the long form of the mini nutritional assessment (MNA-LF) scale. Associations between the exposition variables and RM were assessed by multiple logistic regression. Results: The cohort included 241 subjects. Average age was 75.6±7.8 years; 83.4% were women. The mean follow-up period was 4.1 years, during which 28.6% of subjects developed RM. This condition was less likely to occur in subjects with excess fat mass index, even after adjusting for several covariates. RM was also more likely to occur in subjects with low total lean tissue index, according to both an unadjusted model and after adjusting for the corresponding variables. Regarding the association between RM and gait speed, RM was also more likely to occur in subjects with low gait speed according to both the unadjusted and adjusted models. Similar results were found for RM in relation to low handgrip strength; however, after adjusting for the associated covariates, models 1 and 2 no longer reached the level of significance. Conclusion: The risk of malnutrition diagnosed by MNA-LF was significantly less likely to occur among subjects with excess fat mass, but possibility was significantly higher in those with low total lean tissue and low gait speed after 4.1 years of follow-up in community-dwelling older adults. These results highlight that excess fat mass, low total lean tissue, and low gait speed are first than risk of malnutrition and not vice versa.

Brain plasticity is induced by learning during wakefulness and is consolidated during sleep. But the molecular mechanisms involved are poorly understood and their relation to experience-dependent changes in brain activity remains to be clarified. Localized mRNA translation is im-portant for the structural changes at synapses supporting brain plasticity consolidation. Sleep has been shown activate the translation mTOR pathway, via phosphorylation of 4E-BPs, during brain plasticity, but whether this activation is specific to synapses is not known. We investigated this question using acute exposure of rats to an enriched environment (EE). We measured brain activity with EEGs and 4E-BPs phosphorylation at cortical and cerebellar synapses with Western Blot. Sleep significantly increased the conversion of 4E-BPs to its hyperphosphorylated form at synapses, especially after EE exposure. EE exposure increased oscillations in the alpha band dur-ing active exploration and in the theta to beta (4-30Hz) range, as well as spindle density, during NREM sleep. Theta activity during exploration and NREM spindle frequency predicted changes in 4E-BPs hyperphosphorylation at synapses. Our results provide a link between EEG and mo-lecular markers of plasticity across wake and sleep.

While human activities and climate change are threatening available natural ecosystems, targeted studies on the biological cycle, propagation, and cultivation of threatened species are crucial both for their conservation and sustainable exploitation. This study was designed to bridge extant research gaps regarding the vulnerable local endemic Campanula pelviformis, a wild edible green traditionally consumed in Crete (Greece) with agro-alimentary and medicinal interest as well as ornamental value. New knowledge was obtained on the abiotic environmental conditions prevailing in its wild habitats (natural distribution mapped in Geographical Information Systems and linked with open-source databases). We collected seeds from wild-growing populations (three lowland, two semi-mountainous), we tested their germination at four different temperatures (10, 15, 20 and 25oC) and under different light conditions (light/dark and darkness), and we performed fertilization trails [integrated nutrient management (INF), chemical fertilization (ChF), control] examining morphological and physiological characteristics, above- and below-ground macro- and micronutrients contents, as well as their phenol content and antioxidant capacity. There were population and temperature effects on seed germination and their interaction was statistically significant. Campanula pelviformis germinated better at 10 and 15 oC (&gt;85% for all populations) with no preference on light conditions (98.75% and 95% in light and dark conditions). The INF application increased root dry mass, chlorophyll content index and chlorophyll fluorescence compared to other treatments and was beneficial for macro- and micronutrients concentrations in above-ground parts compared to previously studied wild-growing material, while below-ground parts were positively impacted by both fertilization types. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity were both increased by ChF fertilization. The data furnished herein led to the re-evaluation and upgrade of the feasibility and the readiness timescale for its sustainable exploitation in different economic sectors.

The concept of "Eco-authoritarianism", although appeared in the 1970s, through the writings of Robert Heilbroner, William Ophuls etc., but Eco-authoritarianism as a theory has emerged very recently [1]. In this era of global environmental degradation and rampant defacement of green space in the rapidly expanding cities of developing countries especially in India, historical sites of green belts, or eco-space developed by royal dynasties or colonial rulers are still preserved by eco-authoritarianism and cultural praxis. A lot of such heritage sites and built-up eco-spaces have faded out over time but at the same time, huge numbers are still present due to the imposition of restrictions by the state or national government or statutory organizations. Built up eco-space under Burdwan Raj Dynasty during the 18th and 19th centuries is still preserved almost in its original form due to the eco-authoritarianism outlook of the present stakeholder (The University authority mainly and the Forest Department). People of this urban unit not only feel proud of such built up eco-space; they also give credit to the university authority for maintaining the legacy of the Raj Dynasty. This investigation attempts to capture not only the role of authoritarian legacy for the preservation and conservation of eco-space in the urban context but also clarify the benefits of this eco-space regarding the cultural ecosystem services and outlook of urbanites towards nature. To portray this, both the qualitative and quantitative methods have been applied to glean the whole perspective.

The aim of this study was to develop sago starch-based bionanocomposite films containing TiO2 nanoparticles and Penganum harmala extract (PE) to increase the shelf life of chicken fillets. First, sago starch films containing different levels of TiO2 nanoparticles (1, 3 and 5%) and PE (5, 10 and 15%) were prepared, and the thickness, barrier properties, and antibacterial activity of the films. Then, the produced films were used for the chicken fillets packaging and the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of samples were examined during 12-day storage at 4°C. The results showed that the addition of the combination of nanoparticles and extract and increasing their levels in the films increased the antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The results also demonstrated that during the storage period, the pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and the number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, psychrophilic bacteria, coliforms, molds and yeasts in fillets increased (p&lt;0.05). However, coating the fillets with bionanocomposites can significantly reduce the rate of change in chemical properties and microbial growth of the samples. This sample increased the shelf life of the fillets by at least 8 days compared to the control sample.

Background: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an emerging radiotherapy. There are ongoing efforts to develop a Canadian accelerator-based BNCT center. However, it remains unclear how Canadian radiation oncologists (RO), medical physicists (MP), and their trainees perceive BNCT and its impact on radiation oncology as a discipline. Methods: A survey was created to explore knowledge of BNCT, its clinical role, and support for Canadian research. It was distributed through the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) and Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP). Results: We received 118 valid responses from all 10 provinces, from 70 RO (59.3%) and 48 MP (40.7%), including 9 residents. Most knew of BNCT and its indications (60.2%). Although many were unaware of reasons behind early failures (44.1%), common reasons were lack of clinical trials and inaccessibility of neutron sources (42.4%) and reactor unsuitability (34.7%). Additionally, 90.6% showed definite (66.9%) or possible (23.7%) support for Canadian BNCT research, while 89% indicated definite (56.8%) or possible (32.2%) willingness for BNCT referrals. Conclusions: Most RO and MP supported Canadian BNCT research and would refer patients. However, limited awareness and lack of experiences remain a challenge. Educational sessions are needed to realize this innovative cancer treatment in Canada.

Ozonated sunflower oil (OSO) is well known functional oil with its antioxidant, antimi-crobial, anti-allergic, and skin-moisturizing properties. However, studies on the effects of OSO on high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced metabolic disorders have been scarce. In the current study, we aimed to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of OSO on lipid me-tabolism in adult hypercholesterolemic zebrafish and its embryo. Microinjection of OSO (final 2%, 10 nL) into zebrafish embryos under presence of carboxymethyllysine (CML, 500 ng) protected acute embryo death upto 61% survival, while sunflower oil (final 2%) showed much less protection around 42% survival. The microinjection of OSO was more effective than SO to inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis in the CML induced embryo toxicity. Intraperitoneal injection of OSO under presence of CML protected acute death from CML-induced neurotoxicity with improved hepatic inflamma-tion, less detection of ROS and interleukin (IL)-6, and lowering blood total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG), while SO-injected group did not protect the CML-toxicity. Long-term supplementation of OSO (final 20%, wt/wt) with HCD for 6 months resulted higher sur-vivability than HCD alone group or HCD+SO group (final 20%, wt/wt) with significant lowering of plasma TC and TG levels. The HCD+OSO group showed the least hepatic in-flammation, fatty liver change, ROS, and IL-6 production. In conclusion, short-term treat-ment of OSO by injection exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity against acute neuro-toxicity of CML in zebrafish and its embryo. Long-term supplementation of OSO in diet also revealed the highest survivability and blood lipid-lowering effect through potent an-ti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

Rural women in developing nations are especially vulnerable to higher health risks due to environmental pollution exposure and are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes. Using data from the 2013 China General Social Survey CGSS2013, this study empirically examined the relationship among environmental knowledge (EK), pollution, health investment, and health status of women residing in rural regions in China. We employed a nationally representative sample of 1,930 female individuals for our analysis. Our results showed that the level of EK for women in rural China significantly impacted their self-reported physical and mental health. In order to account for potential endogeneity due to mutual causality, this study employed television usage and network usage as two instrument variables (IVs) of EK. We performed an IV-probit method to correct the estimated errors due to endogeneity. Additionally, to assess the reliability and robustness of our results, we re-estimated our model by replacing health status with the variable Body Mass Index (BMI). The results were consistent, providing evidence of robustness. Additionally, we examined the relationship between health investment (holding and purchasing a public health insurance policy, engaging in frequent physical activity, and acquiring commercial insurance) and health status. Our results indicate that the level of EK had no significant impact on participating in the new rural cooperative medical system. However, the preference of purchasing commercial insurance was positively impacted by EK, though it does not have a direct impact on the health condition. Conversely, an increase in EK and pollution is associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in physical exercise, which could, in turn, improve overall mental health.

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational large language model (LLM) was launched in November 2022 namely, “ChatGPT”. Despite the wide array of potential applications of LLMs in healthcare education, research and practice, several valid concerns were raised. The current systematic review aimed to investigate the possible utility of ChatGPT and to highlight its limitations in healthcare education, research and practice. Using the PRIMSA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted to retrieve English records in PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar under the term “ChatGPT”. Eligibility criteria included the published research or preprints of any type that discussed ChatGPT in the context of healthcare education, research and practice. A total of 280 records were identified, and following full screening, a total of 60 records were eligible for inclusion. Benefits/applications of ChatGPT were cited in 51/60 (85.0%) records with the most common being the utility in scientific writing followed by benefits in healthcare research (efficient analysis of massive datasets, code generation and rapid concise literature reviews besides utility in drug discovery and development). Benefits in healthcare practice included cost saving, documentation, personalized medicine and improved health literacy. Concerns/possible risks of ChatGPT use were expressed in 58/60 (96.7%) records with the most common being the ethical issues including the risk of bias, plagiarism, copyright issues, transparency issues, legal issues, lack of originality, incorrect responses, limited knowledge, and inaccurate citations. Despite the promising applications of ChatGPT which can result in paradigm shifts in healthcare education, research and practice, the embrace of this application should be done with extreme caution. Specific applications of ChatGPT in health education include the promising utility in personalized learning tools and shift towards more focus on critical thinking and problem-based learning. In healthcare practice, ChatGPT can be valuable for streamlining the workflow and refining personalized medicine. Saving time for the focus on experimental design and enhancing research equity and versatility are the benefits in scientific research. Regarding authorship in scientific articles, as it currently stands, ChatGPT does not qualify to be listed as an author unless the ICJME/COPE guidelines are revised and amended. An initiative involving all stakeholders involved in healthcare education, research and practice is urgently needed to set a code of ethics and conduct on the responsible practices involving ChatGPT among other LLMs.

As one of the world's most populous countries, Indonesia is struggling with the composition of its people, the majority of whom are unemployed productive-age individuals with low education levels. Another issue is the high poverty rate, which is followed by issues of gender inequality. The government cannot solve these social issues on its own. There is a need for community support to solve these problems through sustainable social entrepreneurship activities. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Outcome Expectation, this study will determine the factors that influence the interest of individuals known as the Z and Millennial generation, aged 18 to 34 years old, in becoming social entrepreneurs. This study applied a quantitative approach with a judgmental sampling technique to a sample of Generation Z and Millennials who have ever participated in social activities but have not yet started their own business. The study gathered 210 respondents, who were then analyzed using the PLS-SEM method with multiple group analysis generation-based comparison. According to the findings, the Millennial Generation's Attitude Toward Behavior, Subjective Norms, and Outcome Expectation all had a positive impact on Social Entrepreneurial Intention. Meanwhile, Subjective Norms had no effect on Social Entrepreneurial Intention in the Z Generation. Only attitude toward behavior, perceived behavioral control, and outcome expectation have a positive effect on the development of social entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, the findings of this study confirm that subjective norms influence attitude toward behavior and Perceived Behavioral Control in both Generation Z and millennials.

Delineating chilling and forcing periods is one of the challenging topics in understanding how temperatures drive the timing of budburst and bloom in fruit tree species. Here, we investigated this question on olive trees, using flowering data collected over six years on 331 cultivars in the worldwide collection of Marrakech, Morocco. Using a Partial Least Squares approach on a long-term phenology (29 years) of ‘Picholine Marocaine’ cultivar, we showed that the relevance of delineating the chilling and forcing periods depends more on the variability of inter-annual temperatures than on the long-term datasets. In fact, chilling and forcing periods are similar between those delineated by using datasets of 29 years and those of only 6 years (2014–2019). We demonstrated that the variability of inter-annual temperatures is the main factor explaining this pattern. We then used the datasets of six years to assess the chill and heat requirements of 285 cultivars. We classified Mediterranean olive cultivars into four groups according to their chill requirements. Our results, using the Kriging interpolation method, indicated that flowering dates of most of these cultivars (92%) were governed by both chilling and forcing temperatures. Our investigations provided first insights to select adapted cultivars to global warming.

The objective is to describe infant feeding practices and the nutritional status of infants under six months among Syrian refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian refugee mothers with children under five years (July-October 2018), mothers with infants under six months were included in the analysis (n=114). Additionally, eleven focus groups discussions were conducted to explore supportive factors and barriers associated with early breastfeeding practices. The prevalence of pre-lacteal feeding was high (62.5%), whereas early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) was low (31%), and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) very low (24.6%). About one-fifth of the infants were suffering from anemia (20.5%) and 9.6% were wasted. Supporting factors of adequate infant feeding practices comprised knowledge on maternal nutrition and EBF, in addition to receiving support from healthcare professionals and family members. Identified barriers included preterm delivery, pre-lacteal feeding, an at-risk waist circumference and moderate to severe depression among mothers, bottle feeding, early introduction of food, maternal health reasons, breastmilk substitutes’ distribution, and misinformation offered by mothers-in-law. To address sub-optimal feeding practices documented among Syrian refugees in our study, existing infant and young child feeding policies and programs need to be strengthened and revised to tackle the identified gaps.

(1) Background: tuberculosis (TB) is considered one of the leading causes of death by a single in-fectious agent worldwide. This study aimed to identify hotspots of people diagnosed with tu-berculosis and abusive use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in communities through a geo-spatial intelligence application; (2) Methods: ecological study with a spatio-temporal approach. We considered tuberculosis cases diagnosed and registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System, which presented information on alcoholism, smoking, and other drugs. Spatial Variations in Temporal Trends (SVTT) and scan statistics were applied for the identification of Hotspots; (3) Results: of 29.499 cases of tuberculosis were identified. And when we applied the STTT for al-coholism, three Hotspots were detected, one of which was protective (RR: 0.08 – CI95%: 0.02 – 0.32) and two at risk (RR:1.42 – CI95%: 1.11 – 1.73; RR: 1.39 - CI95%: 1.28 – 1.50). Regarding smoking, two risk clusters were identified (RR: 1.15 - CI95%: 1.01 – 1.30; RR: 1.68 - CI95%: 1.54 – 1.83). For other drugs, a risk cluster was found (RR: 1.13 - CI95%: 0.99 – 1.29) and two protections (RR: 0.70 - CI95%: 0.63 – 0.77; RR: 0.76 – CI95%: 0.65 – 0.89); (4) Conclusions: it was evidenced in the communities a problem of TB and drug addiction. Use disorder perhaps in a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to continue their treatment, putting the community at risk for TB.

The Brazilian livestock is predominantly extensive, with approximately 90% of the production being sustained on pasture, which occupies around 20% of the territory. In the current climate change scenario and where cropland is becoming a limited resource, there is a growing need for a more efficient land use and occupation. It is estimated that more than half of the Brazilian pastures have some level of degradation; however there is still no mapping of the quality of pastures on a national scale. In this study, we mapped and evaluated the spatio-temporal dynamics of pasture quality in Brazil, between 2010 and 2018, considering three classes of degradation: Absent (D0), Intermediate (D1), and Severe (D2). There was no variation in the total area occupied by pastures in the evaluated period, in spite of the accentuated spatial dynamics, with a retraction in the center-south and expansion to the north, over areas of ​​native vegetation. The percentage of non-degraded pastures increased ~12%, due to the recovery of degraded areas and the emergence of new pasture areas as a result of the prevailing spatial dynamics. However, about 44 Mha of the pasture area is currently severely degraded. The dynamics in pasture quality were not homogeneous in property size classes. We observed that in the approximately 2.68 million properties with livestock activity, the proportion with quality gains was twice as low in small properties compared to large ones, and the proportion with losses was three times greater, showing an increase in inequality between properties with more and less resources (large and small, respectively). The areas occupied by pastures in Brazil present an unique opportunity to increase livestock production and make available areas for agriculture, without the need for new deforestation in the coming decades.

The objective of the present study was to apply an intervention program based on emotional ed-ucation and self-knowledge, in students of the degree in Education to verify changes in wisdom. For this, the 3S-WS questionnaire was administered before and after 8 weeks of intervention, an-alyzing aspects related to affective, cognitive and reflective wisdom. The sample consisted of 100 students (40 men and 60 women, aged between 20 and 29 years). After the intervention program, students improved reflective wisdom without difference between sexes. On the other hand, men had higher values in all variables than women. In conclusion, the program to improve personal development and self-awareness could be useful to improve wisdom (especially reflective wis-dom) in 3rd and 4th year students of the degree in Education, specializing in Physical Education. At the same time, it is intended that these students understand the foundations of the intervention so that in the future it can be replicated in their classrooms and contribute to the sustainable de-velopment of the 2030 Agenda.

Analysis of the correlation between indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Barren Index and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index) and land surface temperature is used to natural resources and environmental studies. This research aimed to analysis of Land Surface Temperature due to dynamics of Different Indices (NDVI, NDBaI and MNDWI) Using Remote Sensing Data in three selected districts (Gida Kiremu, Limu and Amuru), western Ethiopia. From thermal and multispectral bands of landsat imageries (Landsat TM of 1990, landsat ETM+ of 2003 and landsat OLI/TIRS of 2020) Land surface temperature and NDVI, NDBaI and MNDWI were calculated. Correlation analysis was used to indicate relationships between LST with NDVI, NDBaI and MNDWI. The study found that Land Surface Temperature was increased by 5⁰C from 1990 to 2020. Vegetation areas (NDVI) and Water bodies (MNDWI) have strong negative relationship with Land Surface Temperature (R²= 0.99, 0.95) whereas Barren land (NDBaI) has positive relationship with Land Surface Temperature (R²= 0.96). Finally, we recommend the decision makers and environmental analyst to emphasis the importance of vegetation cover and water body to minimize the potential impacts of land surface temperature.

Horn manure (Preparation 500) is a product used in the practice of biodynamic agriculture. It is obtained by an underground fermentation of cow faecal material incubated in cow horns for several months. The product is used as spray treatment meant to increase soil fertility. In the present report we analyzed the successional changes in bacterial and fungal communities throughout the process of horn manure maturation by high throughput sequencing of ribosomal 16S (bacterial) and ITS (fungal) gene markers. Marked shifts in the microbial community were seen involving a general decrease from a Firmicutes-dominated material to a product transiently enriched in Proteobacteria and later in Actinobacteria, mostly within the Nocardioidaceae family. In the fungal community evolution, the most abundant taxon in the starting faecal material resulted a member of the Onygenales order, known to specifically degrade keratin. Its abundance in the intestine is explained by the fact that keratin, which is also the structural component of hairs and horns, is found in all epithelial layers, including gut mucosae. This occurrence suggests a link of enzymatic/catabolic nature between manure and horn.

In this paper we give the new formulas for calculating the self-inductance for the circular coils of the rectangular cross sections with the radial and the azimuthal current densities. These formulas are given by the single integration of the elementary functions which are integrable on the interval of the integration. From these new expressions we can obtain the special cases for the self-inductance of the thin disk pancake and the thin wall solenoid that confirm the validity of this approach. For the asymptotic cases, the new formula for the self-inductance of the thin wall solenoid is obtained for the first time in the literature. In this paper we do not use special functions such as the elliptical integrals of the first, second and third kind, Struve, and Bessel functions because that is very tedious work. The results of this work are compared with already different known methods and all results are in the excellent agreement. This is way we consider this approach as the novelty because of its simplicity in the self -inductance calculation of the previously mentioned configurations.

Physics theory has yet to settle on specific descriptions for new elementary particles, for dark matter, and for dark energy forces. Our work extrapolates from the known elementary particles. The work suggests well-specified candidate descriptions for new elementary particles, dark matter, and dark energy forces. This part of the work does not depend on theories of motion. This work embraces symmetries that correlate with motion-centric conservation laws. The candidate descriptions seem to explain data that prior physics theory seems not to explain. Some of that data pertains to elementary particles. Our theory suggests relationships between masses of elementary particles. Our theory suggests a relationship between the strengths of electromagnetism and gravity. Some of that data pertains to astrophysics. Our theory seems to explain ratios of dark matter effects to ordinary matter effects. Our theory seems to explain aspects of galaxy formation. Some of that data pertains to cosmology. Our theory suggests bases for inflation and for changes in the rate of expansion of the universe. Generally, our work proposes extensions to theory in three fields. The fields are elementary particles, astrophysics, and cosmology. Our work suggests new elementary particles and seems to explain otherwise unexplained data.

The goal of this study is both to determine the opinion that professors and students at the University of (details removed for peer review) have of active methodologies and to describe the perception and opinion of the modes of organization, methodological focuses, and evaluation systems that define the teaching-learning process. On surveying the professors and the students in their classes, we found significant differences in 32 of the 92 variables in common. The content of these results shows that professors and students are believe they are making progress toward a learning-centered model, that implementation of active methodologies implies new functions in their teaching practice.

With proper processing and utilization, biofortified cassava may contribute to the nutritional status of the consumers, thus, the need for this study. High-quality cassava flour from white- (TME 419) and biofortified (TMS 01/1368) cassava varieties were produced at a commercial processing factory, after which the flour is composite with wheat flour to produce bread. The nutritional composition, physical properties and sensory quality of the composite bread were analyzed using standard methods. Results showed that composite bread from 20% biofortified cassava flour (20-YCF) had a higher value of total β-carotene (0.74 μg/g), moisture (37.83%) and ash (2.29%) contents. The fat (3.72%) and protein (12.83%) contents were higher in 20% white cassava flour (20-WCF) composite bread. The 20-YCF composite bread had the highest loaf volume (3286.2 cm3), elasticity (6.32), chewiness (40.51 N) and gumminess (6.41), 20-WCF composite bread had higher specific volume (3.59 cm3/g) and hardness (176.50 N). The 100% wheat bread had higher cohesiveness (0.10) and loaf weight (932.35 g). A significant negative correlation (r = - 0.98, p≤0.05) exist between bread hardness and protein content. The composite bread compared favourably with the 100% wheat bread in terms of weight and aroma, but, the 100% wheat bread was more acceptable.

Canine mammary tumors (CMT) are the most common cancer in noncastrated female dogs. Interestingly, triple-negative tumors are the most common molecular subtype in female dogs. In this study, we proposed to evaluate the expression of VEGFR-2, PDGFR and microvascular density (MVD) in a group of metastatic and nonmetastatic triple-negative CMT and compare the expression based on clinical parameters. Twenty-six female dogs with triple-negative mammary tumors were divided into three groups: nonmetastatic tumors (NMT) (N=11), tumors with lymph node metastasis (LNM) (N=10) and tumors with lung metastasis (LM) (N=5). We observed increased VEGFR-2 expression in LNM compared with NMT and a positive correlation between tumor grade and VEGFR-2 expression. A positive correlation was noted between VEGFR-2 and PDGFR expression. Regarding microvascular density (MVD), we identified a higher number of vessels in primary tumors with lymph node metastasis and lung metastasis compared with tumors with no metastasis. The primary tumors with lung metastasis exhibited an increased MVD compared with carcinoma with lymph node metastasis. Overall, our results suggest a deregulation of VEGFR-2 and PDGFR and high MVD in metastatic tumors, indicating a role for angiogenesis in tumor progression.

Black yeasts are a highly specified group of fungi, which are characterized by a high resistance against stress factors. There are several factors enabling the cells to survive harsh environmental conditions. One aspect is the pigmentation, besides the melanin black yeasts often display a highly diverse carotenoid spectrum. Determination and characterization of carotenoids depend on an efficient extraction and separation, therefore especially for black yeast, characterized by thick cell walls specific protocols are needed to ensure analyses regarding stress responses in these fungi. Here we present both, a method to extract and analyze carotenoids and the unusual carotenoid composition of the black yeast Knufia petriola A95. Mechanical treatment combined with an acetonitrile extraction gave us very good extraction rates with a high reproducibility. The presented extraction and elution protocol allows the separation of the main carotenoids (7) in K. petricola A95 and should be suitable for the detection of additional carotenoids in other species. K. petricola A95 displays an unusual carotenoid composition, with mainly didehydrolycopene, torulene and lycopene. The pigment composition varied in dependency to oxidative stress but remained relatively constant if the cells were cultivated under low temperature. Black yeasts are a promising source for carotenoid production and other substances. To unravel the potential of these fungi new methods and studies are needed. The established protocol allows the determination carotenoid composition in black yeasts. Oxidative stress results in an adaptation in pigment composition in K. petricola A95. Future experiments have to be carried out to determine if didehydrolycopene functions as a protective agent itself or if it serves as a precursor for antioxidative pigments like torulene and torularhodin, which could be produced after induction under stress conditions.

Due to its devastating consequences, late life depression is an important public health problem. The aim of the study was the analysis of variables which may potentially influence risk of depression (GDS-SF). Furthermore, the aim was to study possible mediating effect of given variables on the relationship between the total protein concentration and risk of depression in older-adults with chronic diseases, and physical function impairment. The research sample included a total of 132 older adults with chronic conditions and physical function impairments, remaining under a long-term care in residential environment. Negative linear correlation was observed between patients’ physical functionality, total protein concentration, concentration of HDL cholesterol, arm circumference, and the risk of depression. Considerably stronger relationship was observed between total protein concentration, and GDS-SF, in elderly suffering from sensory dysfunction (b = −6.42, 95% CI = −11.27; −1.58). The effect of the mediation between depression risk is correlated to total protein concentration in blood serum, and the mediators are probably low function impairment and low levels of 25 (OH)D vitamin. Cohort control research is suggested to confirm the hypothesis.

Lambertianic acid (LA) is a biologically active compound from the leaves of Pinus koraiensis. In the present study, apoptotic mechanisms of LA plus TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) were elucidated in non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLCs). Cytotoxicity assay, flow cytometry, immunoprecipitation and Western blotting were performed. Here, combined treatment of LA and TRAIL increased cytotoxicity, sub-G1 population and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase3/8/9 in A549 and H1299 cells compared to LA or TRAIL alone. Furthermore, combined treatment of LA and TRAIL significantly decreased anti-apoptotic proteins such as B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Fas-like inhibitor protein (FLIP) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and enhanced the activation of pro-apoptotic proteins Bid compared to LA or TRAIL alone. In addition, combined treatment of LA and TRAIL upregulated the expression of Death receptor 4 (DR4) and downregulated phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (p-NF-B), inhibitory protein of kB family (p-IB) and FLIP in A549 and H1299 cells along with disrupted binding of XIAP with caspase3 or NF-B. Overall, these findings suggest that lambertianic acid enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis via inhibition of XIAP/NF-B in TRAIL resistant NSCLCs.

This study inscribes itself in the global discussion about the issue of environmental awareness, beliefs and behaviors. Here we focus on the role that cultural differences and scientific media dieting play in explaining heterogeneities in students' awareness and expectations about the two environmental issues of deforestation and species (plant and animal) extinction in the Middle East and North America. To this end, we use the cross-sectional survey data of the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, along with seemingly unrelated Bi-variate ordered Probit modeling techniques. The results show that compared to their North American Counterparts, students' in the Middle East are 14.2% less aware of, and 14.5% less optimistic about the issue of deforestation, while 38.9% less aware of, and 59.0% less optimistic about the issue of species extinction. In addition, we found that science club attendance and broad science reading in books are the two most effective communication media for raising students awareness about the two environmental issues. In fact, every one level increase in students' awareness is found to raise their optimism by 20.4% for the issue of deforestation, and 15.0% for the issue of plant and animal extinction. Therefore raising young people environmental awareness and optimism through proper communication strategies, could be invaluable for achieving an economic development in line with our need to preserve the natural environment and ecosystem services for generations to come.

Maternal gut and breast milk (BM) are key in vertically transmission bacteria to infants, shaping their gut microbiota in early life. Although the establishment of early gut microbiota is known, the role of the combined influence of maternal factors and newborn characteristics are not explored. In this study we aimed to assess the influence of maternal BMI and total body fat, age, delivery mode, and newborn sex on the diversity and composition of the BM and gut microbiota (GM) in mother- newborn dyads. In this cross-sectional study, of the 986 pregnant women candidates, 53 participated, and finally, 40 mother-newborn dyads exclusively breastfeeding at 20-28 days post-partum were included. Metataxonomic profiling of DNA extracted from BM and fecal samples was conducted using 16S rRNA sequencing. Globally, the findings offer valuable insights that excessive adiposity, age and C-section delivery influence on a lower abundance of specific taxa in the BM, maternal gut, and gut newborns. Also, the simultaneous analysis of maternal factors and newborn characteristics shows that maternal age and newborn sex explain an important variation in the microbiota composition. These results add to understanding of the intricate interplay between maternal factors and the microbial communities that influence early-life gut and BM microbiota.

Osteoporosis is considered a serious public health problem, particularly affecting the postmenopausal period. In 2018, in the Republic of Kazakhstan the total and primary incidence was 10 and 3.7 cases per 100,000 adults, respectively. The objective is to study osteoporosis prevalence and indicate main factors affecting low bone mineral density by screening adult population of Abay region, Kazakhstan. The target group were 641 respondents aged between 18 and 65 years old, Kazakh population living in Abay region since birth. All participants filled out questionnaire and had a bone mineral density measurement by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) between July 15, 2023 and February 29, 2024. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between low bone mineral density and key demographic characteristics, aforementioned lifestyle factors and nutrition habits. We identified the prevalence of low bone density and osteoporosis at the level of 34.1% with the highest prevalence in the older population group (50+ years) - 48.3%. Regression analysis revealed a number of indicators associated with the likelihood of bone sparing. However, only 4 of these showed significance in the final multivariate model (R2=22.4%). These included age (AOR 1.05), body mass index (AOR 0.92), fracture history (AOR 1.64), consumption of nuts and dried fruits were associated with lower prevalence of osteoporosis (AOR 0.48). Our study was the first in Kazakhstan that investigates the association of key demographic, behavior and anamnestic factors with low mineral density.

The generation of platform chemicals and hydrochar is of great interest because they reduce dependence on fossil resources and contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing carbon emissions. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of biomass particle size and biomass water ratio in a hydrothermal conversion system for the generation of value-added products obtained from sugarcane bagasse. Biomass characterization was performed using proximal, elemental, and structural analysis; hydrothermal carbonization was carried out at 220 to 260 °C for one hour; and conversion was monitored using pH, conductivity, and IR spectroscopy. Platform chemicals were quantified by HPLC-IR. Hydrochars were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results show that with a biomass:water ratio of 1:50 and a particle size of 212 μm at 220 °C, a yield of 31.07 % of platform chemicals was obtained on a dry basis. Likewise, the hydrochar with the highest carbon content and a higher porosity appearance was obtained with a biomass-to-water ratio of 1:50 and a particle size of 600 μm at 260 °C.

Soil, geochemical, microbiological and archaeological studies were conducted at eight settlements dating from the Paleolithic to Late Medieval and New Times near the Southern Trans-Urals mountains, Russia. The forest-steppe landscapes, rivers and abundance of mineral resources have attracted people to region since ancient times. Properties of cultural layer (CLs): close to neutral pH, well structured, absence of salinity, enrichment with exchangeable calcium and anthropogenic phosphorus (0.2–0.4%). The majority of CLs start from 3–25 cm and last up to 40–60 cm and contain 6–10% organic carbon (Corg), in a layer of 0–20 cm because modern processes are developing here, at Ishkulovo site (around 14th century) Corg decreases to 1.3%, because CL is below 80 cm and in the absence of fresh organic material it is mineralized. The content of microbial biomass of the 0–10 cm layer is 520–680 μg С/g of soil, microbes cause the emission of 0.2–1.0 μg C–CO2/g soil per h. The proximity of the studied sites to deposits of copper, chromium, zinc, manganese and Magnitogorsk Metallurgical and Uchaly processing plants creates geochemical anomalies of soils. Pollutants are also released into the CLs from bronze products, ore, ceramic fragments and raw materials from their manufacture. It leads to the concentration of pollutants of the 1st (arsenic, lead, zinc) and 2nd (cobalt, copper, nickel, chromium) hazard classes in the studied CLs, often in quantities higher than the clarke and less often – more than the allowable content for human health.

Liposome vesicle is an ideal carrier for carbon nanotube (CNT) to serve as the water channel that allows the fast transport of water molecules, and thus enhancing the membrane permeability. However, low quantity of the inserted CNT in the liposome vesicle is an important factor that limited further improvement of the membrane flux. In present study, positively charged lipids (2,3-dioleoyloxy-propyl)-trimethylammonium-chloride (DOTAP) was introduced to the 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamineon (DOPE) liposome vesicles to tailor the vesicle charge, so as to evaluate the effect of positively charged DOTAP on the insertion of CNT into liposomes and separation performance of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. The results showed that addition of DOTAP induced more quantity of CNT inserted into the liposome vesicles, since the shrinkage rate (k) and permeability (Pf) of liposome vesicles present obvious increase with increased content of DOTAP in the liposome vesicles. Besides, it contributed to 252.3% higher water flux for TFN membranes containing DOPE/DOTAP2:1-CNT liposomes (the mass ratio between DOPE and DOTAP was 2:1) than TFC membranes. More important, it presented 106.7% higher water flux for TFN membranes containing DOPE/DOTAP4:1-CNT liposomes (the mass ratio between DOPE and DOTAP was 4:1), which was originated from the more water channels that the CNT provided in the liposome vesicles. In all, positively charged DOTAP effectively tailored the vesicle charge, which provided a better carrier for the insertion of more quantity of CNT, and contributed to higher permeability of TFN membranes.

Sums of M consecutive squared integers (a+i)^2 equaling squared integers (for a<=1, 0<= i<= M-1) yield remarkable regular linear features when plotting values of M in function of a. These features correspond to groupings of pairs of a values for successive same values of M around straight lines of equation mu*M = 2a and are characterized in this paper for rational values of mu.

The amalgamation of mineral and targeted bacterial preparations represents a new generation of agricultural technology. Inoculation with combined preparations of microorganisms is more effective than inoculation with a single microorganism in stimulating plant growth by providing a more balanced diet for various crops. In this work, the effect of inoculation of 20 consortium variants on the yield indicators of three crops (wheat, buckwheat, corn) and the soil microbiome in the open field was investigated. The soil microbiome was defined by 16S rRNA sequences through NGS. Species richness of the soil microbial community (alpha diversity) was similar for all studied samples. Beta-diversity analysis revealed that the microbial diversity of three soil samples (C.bw, F.bw and Soil.bw) differed significantly from all others. At the phylum level, the number of Acidobacteriota and Firmicutes in these samples was increased. For the combination “Consortium C (Rothia endophytic GMG9 and Azotobacter chroococcum GMG39) - buckwheat”, a systemic positive improvement in all growth and yield indicators was observed. The soil of the site where buckwheat grew, inoculated by Consortium C, contained significantly more available phosphorus than all other soil samples. Such results can be explained both by the direct action of a consortium of phosphate-immobilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria and to acidification of the medium due to an increase in phylum Acidobacteriota bacteria in the soil.

Due to its insensitivity to corrosion, textile CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) reinforcement enables the construction of thin-walled concrete structures such as shells, vaults and girder webs with minimal concrete cover. In contrast to tensile and flexural behaviour, strutting and compressive membrane action of cracked thin-walled carbon reinforced concrete (CRC) elements and the interaction of compressive stresses with transverse tensile loading have not yet been investigated. While for steel reinforced concrete components, extensive biaxial testing has shown a significant reduction of concrete compressive strength as a function of the lateral tensile stress (compression softening), the effect of biaxial loading on CRC structures has not been quantified yet. However, a different behaviour is expected due to different bond properties of steel and CFRP in concrete, smaller crack spacings and the tendency of the CFRP reinforced concrete for in-plane splitting. This paper presents an extensive experimental campaign for investigation of the influence of transverse tension and cracking on the compressive strength of CRC with refined measurement techniques. Based on a literature review on compressive softening behaviour and conventional test setups for steel reinforced concrete, a novel test setup was developed. The phenomenology of compression softening in CRC as well as the main factors influencing compressive membrane behaviour are highlighted. Based on the experimental findings a constitutive law for compression softening behaviour of CRC is proposed.

Dravet syndrome (DS), also known as severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy, is a rare and drug-resistant form of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, which is both debilitating and challenging to manage, typically arising during the first year of life, with seizures often triggered by fever, infections, or vaccinations. It is characterized by frequent and prolonged seizures, developmental delays, and various other neurological and behavioral impairments. Most cases result from pathogenic mutations in the sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 1 (SCN1A) gene, which encodes a critical voltage-gated sodium channel subunit involved in neuronal excitability. Precision medicine offers significant potential for improving DS diagnosis and treatment. Early genetic testing enables timely and accurate diagnosis. Advances in our understanding of DS's underlying genetic mechanisms and neurobiology have enabled the development of targeted therapies, such as gene therapy, offering more effective and less invasive treatment options for patients with DS. Targeted and gene therapies provide hope for more effective and personalized treatments. However, research into novel approaches remains in its early stages, and their clinical application remains to be seen. This review addresses the current understanding of clinical DS features, genetic involvement in DS development, and outcomes of novel DS therapies.

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a species is widely distributed in Córdoba, despite this, there are few studies that have been carried out to understand its genetic diversity. For this reason, the objective of this research was to evaluate the genetic diversity and variability of guava (Psidium guajava L) using microsatellite markers in Montería, Córdoba-Colombia. Forty-five accessions were evaluated. For DNA extraction, the CTAB 2x extraction protocol was used with modifications. The extracted DNA was amplified by the PCR technique using seven microsatellite markers. A total of 46 alleles were found with an average of 6.5 alleles per locus. A total of 28 private alleles were identified in the populations, possibly fixed by different evolutionary forces. The evaluated population presented an average expected heterozygosity of 0.572 and the observed heterozygosity was lower (0.058). The fixation index presented a total average of 0.906, indicating that in Montería there is an excess of homozygotes. The PIC values allowed us to determine that the markers mPgCIR9, mPgCIR11, mPgCIR13, mPgCIR16, mPgCIR19 and mPgCIR22 are highly informative, while mPgCIR23 is moderately informative. The guava population in Montería presented a low genetic diversity within the subpopulations, which could be related to inbreeding events such as self-pollination..

A scientific investigation into visual preferences of rural recreation path landscapes is crucial for enhancing visual qualities and visitors' experience. Taking Baofeng, a representative traditional village in Yunlong, as an example, this study analyzed the visual preference of three typical linear recreational paths with different landscape attributes. We used eye-tracking technology to collect eye movement data and conducted a subjective semantic differential evaluation. Our findings manifest a general inclination amongst individuals to favor closer views and paths with clear trajectories and rich elevation changes while walking, despite preference differences on different types of paths. Regarding group diversity, more inclusive design should be made to meet the sensory needs of different groups. Moreover, despite the limited level of correlation between subjective and objective evaluation methods, combining these two approaches remains indispensable. This synthesis advances prior quantitative landscape evaluation with a specific focus on rural path landscapes and upholds the integrity of results by combining objectivity with subjectivity. It also provides relevant design suggestions for further rural renewal and path planning of Baofeng village.

Recently, the evolutionary history of the Caribbean mangroves has been reconsidered using partial palynological databases organized by the time intervals of interest, namely Late Cretaceous to Eocene for the origin, Eocene-Oligocene transition for major turnover and Neogene to Quaternary for diversification. These discussions have been published in a set of sequential papers but the raw information remains unknown. This paper reviews all the information available and provides the first comprehensive and updated compilation of the abovementioned partial databases. This compilation is called CARMA-F (CARibbean MAngroves-Fossil) and includes nearly 90 localities from the present and past Caribbean coasts, ranging from the Late Cretaceous to the Pliocene. Details on the Quaternary localities (CARMA-Q) will be published later. CARMA-F lists and illustrates the fossil pollen from past mangrove taxa and their extant representatives, and includes a map of the studied localities and a conventional spreadsheet with the raw data. The compilation is the most complete available for the study of the origin, evolution and diversification of Caribbean mangroves, and is open to modifications for adapting it to the particular interests of each researcher.

Cheese consumption provides humans with minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins. In Mexico, several cheese varieties are produced, each with its texture, scent, and flavor. The artisanal cheeses made in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas —including, among others, the varieties named crema (cream), doble crema (double cream), oaxaca, panela, fresco, bola, poro, Cotija, and asadero— have a high demand in the domestic and foreign markets. The intensification of anthropic activity in these states causes an increased emission to the environment of contaminants like heavy metals, which could reach human foodstuffs through the food chains. In particular, heavy metal contents in cheeses consumed daily by these states' local population might represent a public health risk. Because of that, our objectives in this work were to determine the concentrations of lead, cadmium, nickel, copper, zinc, and iron in artisanal cheeses produced in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas, and to determine the values of the Hazard Quotient (HQ), Total Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Cancer Risk Total (CRT) for adult and young men and women. The results of our analyses of cheese samples from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas showed that the average concentrations (mg kg-1) of cadmium (0.0023±0.002, 0.0023±0.002 mg kg-1, respectively for each state), lead (0.0047±0.00, 0.0051±0.002), nickel (0.0039±0.0046, 0.0031±0.0039), copper (0.0199±0.021, 0.0202±0.022), zinc (0.1611±0.18, 0.194±0.21), and iron (61.84±4.23, 65.76±6.61 mg kg-1), the first three values lower than the limits established by the FAO/WHO and Codex Alimentarius. The value of THQ that we obtained was less than one, and that of CRT was within the limits established by the US-EPA, which means that the consumption of artisanal cheeses from Tabasco and Chiapas by humans does not imply a risk of disease or cancer.

Material Extrusion is a popular additive manufacturing technology due to its low cost, wide market availability, ability to construct complex parts, safety, and cleanliness. However, optimizing the process parameters to obtain the best possible mechanical properties has not been extensively studied. This paper aims to develop ensemble learning-based models to predict the ultimate tensile strength, Young's modulus, and strain at break of PLA and PLA-CF 3D-printed parts, using printing temperature, printing speed, and layer thickness as process parameters. Additionally, the study investigates the impact of process parameters and material selection on the mechanical properties of the printed parts and uses Genetic Algorithms for multi-objective optimization according to user specifications. The results indicate that process parameters and material selection significantly influence the mechanical properties of the printed parts. The Genetic Algorithm successfully identifies optimal parameter values for the desired mechanical properties. Moreover, this work is the first to model Process-Structure-Properties relationships for an additive manufacturing process and to use a multi-objective optimization approach for multiple mechanical properties, utilizing ensemble learning-based algorithms and Genetic Algorithms.

An analysis of the relationship between plasma cytokines and the effectiveness of treatment with TNFαinhibitors was performed in 81 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Treatment efficacy was assessed by PASI score, and patients were classified into a positive effect (PASI≥75) and no effect group (PASI≤50). A positive effect was reached in 11 (41%) patients for etanercept, 14 (52%) for adalimumab, and 26 (96%) for infliximab. Data analysis did not show  differences in baseline TNFα levels and subsequent treatment effectiveness. The CART algorithm showed that at the baseline level of VEGF ≥ 32 pg/ml and IL17F &lt; 26 pg/ml, there was an 83% probability of a positive effect. Random forest analysis showed the importance of VEGF, ICAM1, sCD40L, IL17F and IL31 baseline levels in the prediction of treatment effectiveness.   Significant differences between the groups before/after the treatment were found only for TNFα: the median values were more than 50 times higher in no effect compared with positive effect group. There were differences before/after therapy in the levels of IL20, ICAM1, IL22, IL23 in the no effect group. The treatment affected the cytokine profile in most cases regardless of the effectiveness of therapy.

Background: There is a significant role for mind in health and disease. Subjective well-being (SWB) is an important indicator of a person’s psychological status beyond the traditional anxiety and depression. Shell and core (S&C) model of SWB is new modular framework has placeholders for various forms of positive feeling that can be adopted as an assessment tool in clinical settings.Method: 416 subjects recruited using social media platforms to complete an anonymous online survey probing into their demographic information, financial status, several well-being attributes, and personality traits. The obtained information was analyzed and the factors that most closely correlated with the sense of overall SWB were included in the model.Results: Overall, 73% of the subjects indicated that they are happy and the overall sense of SWB did not depend on gender or household income. Only those psychological traits with significant correlation with SWB were used to construct the proposed S&C model. The model comprises three main components—the shell of happiness that represents experiential happiness, i.e., positive feelings as a result of one’s experiences with their environment. The core of happiness represents inner happiness. The interface layer, between the shell and core of happiness consists of a set of coping and defense mechanisms that protects the core of happiness denoted as a happiness suit of armor (HSOA).Conclusion: The S&C model is a comprehensive model of SWB that is used as a framework to capture various aspects of happiness under a unifying umbrella. It can thus be used as an assessment tools at both personal and population level. It could also be adopted to identify the personality traits and coping mechanisms that are important for the overall sense of well-being, which could then be targeted as a part of psychological interventions aimed at individuals with different medical conditions.

Data-Flow and Higher-Order Mutation are white-box testing techniques. To our knowledge, no work has been proposed to compare data flow and higher-order mutation. This paper compares all def-uses data-flow and second-order mutation criteria. This compassion investigates the subsumption relation between these two criteria and evaluates the effectiveness of test data developed for each. To compare the two criteria, a set of test data satisfying each criterion is generated, which is used to explore whether one criterion subsumes the other criterion and assess the effectiveness of the test set that was developed for one methodology in terms of the other. The results showed that the mean mutation coverage ratio of the all du-pairs adequate test cover is 80.9%, and the mean data flow coverage ratio of the 2nd-order mutant adequate test cover is 98.7%. Consequently, 2nd-order mutation “ProbSubsumes” the all du-pairs data flow. The failure detection efficiency of the mutation (98%) is significantly better than the failure detection efficiency of data flow (86%). Consequently, 2nd-order mutation testing is “ProbBetter” than all du-pairs data flow testing. In contrast, the size of the test suite of 2nd-order mutation is more significant than the size of the test suite of all du-pairs.

In this work, a series of compounds in the CaO-½Er2O3-CoOz ternary oxide system were synthesized in air at 885℃ using high temperature solid-phase synthesis method. Phase boundary of each solid solution region in the CaO-½Er2O3-CoOz system was determined by X-ray powder diffraction technique. The phase diagram of the CaO-½Er2O3-CoOz system at 885℃ includes three series of ternary oxide solid solutions : (Ca3-xErx)Co4O9-z (0≤x≤0.9), (Ca3-xErx)Co2O6-z (0≤x≤1.25) and (Er1-xCax)CoO3-z (0≤x≤0.33). Four three-phase regions and five solid solution tie-line regions were obtained. The structure of perovskite solid solution (Ca3-xErx)Co2O6-z has been analyzed by Rietveld refinements. With the increase of Er content, the cell parameters of (Ca3-xErx)Co2O6-z exhibit an decreasing trend in a and b directions and an increasing trend in c direction.

Most research findings in Ghana and all over the globe lay much emphasis on the technical knowledge of plastics; especially giving preference to the biodegradable over the synthetic/Single-Use plastics. Questionnaires were administered to about 200 respondents in the Ho Municipality out of which 163 responses were filled and returned. Results showed that of all the variables tested only Legislative Framework has a meaningful impact on the behaviour of Ho indigenes. Awareness level: (Synthetic Plastics and Biodegradable Plastics) as well as Attitudinal Change do not influence people’s behaviour when using plastics. Findings from this study are further discussed and recommendations were proffered to instil eco-friendly behaviour among people.

Testicular granulosa cell tumors (TGCTs) are rare tumors of sex cord stromal origin. TGCTs can be classified into the adult type and the juvenile type. The adult type is extremely rare with only 93 known cases reported in the literature. We, herein, present a report of a case of a 30 year old male patient who presented with a testicular mass, underwent radical inguinal orchiectomy and the pathology examination revealed an adult type granulosa tumor. We additionally review the literature to summarize the scientific knowledge of an entity barely described worldwide.

In Japan, bariatric surgical treatment was started in 1982. The Japanese Society for Treatment of Obesity (JSTO) was established in 2007 and then JSTO started national registry of bariatric surgery cases and multidisciplinary educational program. 44 facilities registered 4055 bariatric surgical cases until 2021. In this study, the purpose is to clarify the indication, the safety and the effectiveness of the sleeve gastrectomy using national registry data base compiled by JSTO. Preoperative BMI was ranged from 27.6 to 90.7kg/m², and the mean value was 42.7. As gender, men/women was 1/1.3. Age was 42.2 as mean.　As preoperative comorbidities, DM ratio was 54.4% of the patients, Hypertension 64.5%, dyslipidemia 65.1%, and sleep apnea syndrome 69.8%. As operation method, laparoscopic method were taken in 99.7% of the cases. The intra operative incidents rate was 0.9 %. Conversion rate to open method was 1.1%. Postoperative morbidity ratio was 5.6% and mortality was 0 %. Reoperations were performed in 1.5 % of the cases. Postoperative hospital stay was 5 days in Median value. Body weight loss was 27.6 kg in the mean value after follow up days of 279±245. As the effect on the preoperative metabolic comorbidities, DM has improved in 82.9 % of the cases, hypertension 67.9 % and Dyslipidemia 66.6%. In conclusion, using JSTO database, we evaluated the indication, postoperative complications and weight loss effect of sleeve gastrectomy in Japan. Regarding the evaluation of the effect on preoperative comorbidities, future follow-up based on more detailed criteria was considered to be necessary.

This comprehensive treatise is written for the special occasion of the author’s 70th birthday. It presents his lifelong endeavors and reflections with original reasoning and re-interpretations of the most critical and misleading issues in thermodynamics; since now, we have the advantage to look at the historical developments more comprehensively and objectively than the pioneers. Starting from Carnot (grand-father of thermodynamics-to-be) to Kelvin and Clausius (fathers of thermodynamics), and other followers, the most relevant issues are critically examined and put in historical and contemporary perspective. From original reasoning of energy forcing and displacement to logical-proofs of the fundamental laws, to ubiquity of thermal motion and heat, and indestructibility of entropy, including new concept of “thermal roughness” and inevitability of dissipative irreversibility, to “dissecting Carnot true reversible-equivalency” and critical concept of “Carnot-Clausius heat-work equivalency (CCHWE)” regarding interchangeability of heat and work, and to demonstrating “no hope” for the “challengers” of the Second Law of thermodynamics, among others, are offered. It is hoped that the novel contributions presented will enhance comprehension and resolve some of the fundamental issues, as well as promote collaboration and future progress.

PG16 is a broadly neutralizing antibody that binds to the gp120 subunit of the HIV-1 Env protein. The major interaction site is formed by the unusually long complementarity determining region (CDR) H3. The CDRH3 residue Tyr100H is known to represent a tyrosine sulfation site; however, this modification is not present in the experimental complex structure of PG16 with full-length HIV-1 Env. To investigate the role of sulfation for this complex, we modeled the sulfation of Tyr100H and compared the dynamics and energetics of the modified and unmodified complex by atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that sulfation does not affect the overall conformation of CDRH3, but still enhances gp120 interactions both at the site of mutation and for the neighboring residues. This stabilization affects not only protein-protein contacts, but also the interactions between PG16 and the gp120 glycan shield. Further, we also investigated whether PG16-CDRH3 is a suitable template for the development of peptide mimetics. For a peptide spanning residues 93-105 of PG16 we obtained an experimental EC50 value of 3nM for the binding of gp120 to the peptide. This affinity can be enhanced by almost one order of magnitude by artificial disulfide bonding between residues 99 and 100F. In contrast, any truncation results in significantly lower affinity, suggesting that the entire peptide segment is involved in gp120 recognition. Their high affinity makes PG16-derived peptides useful building blocks for further optimization to obtain a potent inhibitor that efficiently blocks HIV-1 infection.

Establishment of mixed-forests has gained increasing attention as a way to optimize forest production, to improve ecological benefits and as a safety net for impacts of future climate uncertainties. However, practical knowledge about which species and what proportion of them should be mixed is still lacking. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim of identify suitable species for mixture with Acacia cincinnata. The mixture tested in the present study was A. cincinnata + Eucalyptus robusta (6:4), A. cincinnata + Acacia mangium (3:1) and monospecifc plantation of A. cincinnata established in 2014. After 7 years of growth, we analyzed the effects of species mixture on growth of tree species, understory vegetation and soil physico-chemical properties as well as bacterial community structure and diversity. The results showed that species mixture had no significant effect on growth characteristics, such as diameter and singletree volume of A. cincinnata. However, mixed-species planting increased the total stocking volume compered to monospecific plantation of A. cincinnata. Furthermore, stand mixture significantly increased species diversity, biomass and nutrient stocks in the understory vegetation. The soil of mixed stand of A. cincinnata and A. mangium had the highest C and N contents, whereas the soil of pure A. cincinnata stand had the highest P content. The diversity of soil bacterial community were the highest in the mixed stand of A. cincinnata and E- robusta, followed by pure A. cincinnata stand and A. cincinnata + A. mangium stand. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria was higher in soils of mixed stands. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Firmicutes was high in the soil of A. cincinnata + A. mangium while the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia was high in A. cincinnata + E. robusta stand. As a whole, the study demonstrated that establishing mixed-species plantation enhance the diversity and composition of understory vegetation, soil physico-chemical and soils bacterial community; thereby increasing biodiversity, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration in the biomass and soil. From the viewpoints of forest productivity and ecological benefits, it is advisable to establish a mixed plantation of A. cincinnata and A- mangium in southern China. As a whole, our work revealed that the sustainability of mixed-species plantation relies on the interactions between soil attributes, vegetation, and bacterial community.

To investigate the impacts of various sources of omega-3 on feed intake, digestibility, and blood metabolites in horses, this research was conducted. In this survey, 6 medium-sized Turkmen horses, aged 14 to 16 years, were used. The horses had no movement and health problems. This research was carried out in the form of a rotating design and included 3 periods, and each treatment had 2 repetitions in each period. In each experimental period, horses were randomly assigned to each of the 3 experimental treatments. The experimental treatments included C) Omega-3-free supplement (control treatment), R) Persialin flaxseed oil, and P) Persialin fat powder. At the beginning of each period, after the withdrawal period for the previous period, blood and feces samples were taken as the covariate factors, then the experimental treatments were consumed for 14 days, and after the adaptation to 100 grams of supplementing fat powder or flax seed oil, blood, and feces samples were taken at the end of the course. Fat supplements were added to the concentrate 1.5 hours before feeding the midday hay. The palatability was affected by the P treatment and was significantly lower than the R and C groups (P<0.05). But the difference between the two treatments (R and C) was insignificant in any of the periods. The digestibility of acid detergent insoluble fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and organic matter were not affected by any of the experimental treatments. Blood metabolites including glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, and blood urea nitrogen were not influenced by experimental treatments. The serum albumin concentration of horses was affected by the R treatment in the first and third periods, but no significant difference was observed between the treatments in the second period.

The SARS-CoV-2 Hydra with many heads (variants) has been causing the COVID-19 pandemic for 3 years. The appearance of every new head (SARS-CoV-2 variant) causes a new pandemic wave. The last in the series is the XBB.1.5 “Kraken” variant. In the general public (social media) and in the scientific community (scientific journals), during the last several weeks since the variant has appeared, the question was raised of whether the infectivity of the new variant will be greater. This article attempts to provide the answer. Analysis of thermodynamic driving forces of binding and biosynthesis leads to the conclusion that infectivity of the XBB.1.5 variant could be increased to a certain extent. The pathogenicity of the XBB.1.5 variant seems to be unchanged compared to the other Omicron variants.

Inspired by Dirac's large number hypothesis (LNH), Zeldovich proposed a relation between the cosmological constant (CC), the mass of a proton, the Planck constant and Newton's gravitational constant. Zeldovich's formula suggests that the substance which is responsible for CC may interact with elementary particles. Since Newton's gravitational constant and the Planck constant appear in Zeldovich's formula, these interactions may be related to gravitational phenomena and quantum phenomena. Following this clue, we propose a liquid droplet model of electron. Applying the Laplace's equation, Zeldovich's formula of CC is derived. Weinberg proposes a relation between the mass of a pion, the Planck constant, the Hubble constant, Newton's gravitational constant and the velocity of light in vacuum when discussing cosmological models with a varying constant of gravitation. Weinberg pointed out that this relation may not merely be regarded as a meaningless random combinations of these fundamental constants in physics. The Weinberg's relation is derived based on the critical mass density formula in the Friedmann model of the universe and Zeldovich's formula.

Background: Handover is a critical process for ensuring quality and safety in healthcare. Considerable research suggests that poor handover results in significant morbidity, mortality, dissatisfaction, and excess financial costs. Despite this, little formal attention, education, and evaluation has been given to handover. There is also paucity of data on the opinions of practitioners on the safety of handover.Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the perceived risk, degree of patient harm and the systems used to support handover, and to understand how this varied by care setting, type of clinical practice, location, or level of experience. Methods: An open, anonymous and confidential online questionnaire covering: (a) respondent characteristics; (b) peer-to-peer handover; (c) internal referrals; (d) discharges and transfers between organisations; and (e) leading and improving handover was conducted with healthcare practitioners and managers from various settings. Results: We gathered a total of 432 completed responses from 26 countries. The average reported performance of handover was rated as 3.9 out of 5.For each type of handover, 12 - 14% reported errors occurring more than weekly. Of those that knew the outcome of such errors, between 29% and 34% reported that they had witnessed moderate or severe harm. 12% and 17% of respondents believed that handover was high or very high risk (See table 4). These respondents were more likely to have witnessed moderate or severe harm, or to be more senior.A wide combination of handover systems was utilised by respondents. 28% - 32% relied exclusively on EPRs (with or without face-to-face contact). 21% used Office documents such as Word and Excel for peer-to-peer handover, and over 30% used hand-written or manual systems. Conclusions: This study suggests the need to do more — and go further — to improve communication and reduce risk during all types of handovers. Clinical leaders should find ways to train and support handover with effective systems, with less experienced staff being the primary focus. More research is needed to demonstrate the interventions that improve the safety of handover.

With the recent coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) online sales of clothing retail have become a necessity to survive in the market. It is for this reason that the objective of the research was to know the purchase intention of clothing by young consumers through the online channel of small and micro companies (MiPyMe) located in the countries of Mexico, Colombia and Peru. To do this, using a structural equations model, it was intended to analyze the relationships between the variables trust, satisfaction, perceived value, quality of interaction and image in the electronic context as antecedent variables of online purchase intention, in accordance with the theoretical framework. 638 surveys were applied to young consumers in Mexico, Colombia and Peru. Sociodemographic characteristics included gender, age, country, and knowledge of a MiPyMe online clothing store. The results reveal that, of the total of young people surveyed, 62.7% stated that they did not know of any online clothing store of a MiPyMe. The contrasting of the hypotheses indicates that the quality of interaction directly and positively influences perceived value, that the image directly and positively influences the satisfaction and purchase intention of the consumer of the MiPyMe of Colombia, Mexico and Peru. These results may be useful for entrepreneurs in this business sector to rethink their online business strategies, as well as for the governments of these nations to promote this sector with training and specialized technical assistance.

Trueperella pyogenes (T. pyogenes) can cause a variety of infections in animals and lead to economic loss in animal husbandry. TatD DNases are considered to be potential virulence factors in Plasmodium falciparum and Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, the function of TatD DNases in T. pyogenes is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to illustrate the function of TatD DNases of T. pyogenes (TpTatDs) and investigate whether luteolin is able to inhibit DNase function. The findings of our study are anticipated to be crucial to treating infections caused by T. pyogenes. Bioinformatic analysis has been used for the prediction of crucial functional residues of TpTatDs. The function of TpTatDs was investigated in the presence of divalent cations by hydrolyzing DNA with recombinant TatD proteins. Luteolin is a candidate nuclease inhibitor evaluated in our study. The interactions between luteolin and TpTatDs were tested using molecular docking analysis and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays. The inhibitory effect of luteolin on TpTatDs was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Two genes in the genome of T. pyogenes are suspected to encode TatD DNases. According to the length of their nucleotide sequences, they were named tatD960 and tatD825. Both of the TpTatDs, which are magnesium-dependent, were able to hydrolyze linear DNA and plasmids. In this study, we found through molecular docking analysis and SPR assays that luteolin can stably bind with TpTatDs. The gel assay revealed that luteolin can inhibit the DNase activity of TpTatDs. Our results indicated that TatD DNases from T. pyogenes are Mg2+-dependent DNases and exhibit DNA endonuclease activity. Moreover, luteolin reduced their DNA hydrolysis ability by decreasing the binding between TpTatDs and DNA.

Indonesia is an archipelago with diverse ethnicities, races, languages, cultures, beliefs, and customs. As Indonesians, with these differences, they should respect each other, or what is commonly known as tolerance. However, in the 21st century, tolerance between people in Indonesia is starting to fade. This is due to the development of the times accompanied by technology development, which causes globalization to enter quickly. The culture of tolerance typical of Indonesian society is starting to fade due to the influence of globalization. Based on these problems, this study aims to determine what causes the decline intolerance of Indonesian society in the 21st century and answer what solutions can be given to prevent the decline intolerance of Indonesian society in the 21st century. The research method used is descriptive-qualitative through literature review by analyzing data following the topic to be discussed. The data used are from 20 journal articles with a span of 2019-2021. The results of this study are in the form of a decline in intolerance that the Indonesian people own due to technological advances in the form of adverse use of social media. However, with the existence of moral education and the role of teachers and the government to overcome the decline intolerance, it is hoped that the Indonesian people will understand the meaning and importance of tolerance. This study also has limitations, namely only on the causes of the fading of tolerance in Indonesian society.

Mobile health devices are emerging applications that could help deliver point-of-care (POC) diagnosis, particularly in settings with limited laboratory infrastructure, such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The advent of coronavirus has resulted in an increased deployment and use of mHealth-linked POC diagnostics in SSA. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the accuracy of mobile-linked point-of-care diagnostics in SSA. Our systematic review and meta-analysis were guided by the Preferred Reporting Items requirements for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). We exhaustively searched PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and CINAHL with full-text via EBSCOhost databases from mHealth inception to March 2021. The statistical analyses were conducted using OpenMeta-Analyst software. All 11 included studies were considered for the meta-analysis. The included studies focused on malaria infections, Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma mansoni, soil-transmitted helminths, and trichuris trichiura. The pooled summary of sensitivity and specificity estimates were moderate compared to the gold reference standard. The overall pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio of mobile-linked POC diagnostic devices were as follows: 0.499 (95% CI: 0.458-0.541); 0.535 (95% CI: 0.401-0.663); 0.952 (95% CI: 0.60-1.324); 1.381 (95% CI: 0.391-4.879); and 0.944 (95% CI: 0.579-1.538), respectively. Evidence shows that mobile-linked POC diagnostics' diagnostic accuracy is presently moderate in detecting infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Future research is recommended to evaluate mHealth devices' diagnostics with excellent sensitivities and specificities in diagnosing diseases in this setting.

In this article, we are interested in a new generic class of nonlocal fractional impulsive differential inclusions with linear sectorial operator and Lipschitz multivalued function in the setting of finite dimensional Banach spaces. By modifying the definition of PC-mild solutions initiated by Shu, we succeeded to determine new conditions that sufficiently guarantee the existence of the solutions. The results are obtained by combining techniques of fractional calculus and fixed point theorem for contraction maps. We also characterize the topological structure of the set of solutions. Finally, we provide a demonstration to address the applicability of the theoretical results.

Clinker production is being reduced worldwide in response to the need to drastically lower greenhouse gas emissions. The trend began in the nineteen seventies with the advent of mineral additions to replace clinker. Blast furnace slag and fly ash, industrial by-products that were being stockpiled in waste heaps at the time, have not commonly been included in cements. Supply of these additions is no longer guaranteed, however, due to restrained activity in the source industries for the same reasons as in clinker production. The search is consequently on for other additions that may lower pollutant gas emissions without altering cement performance. In this research bentonite, a very common clay, was used as such an addition directly, with no need for pre-calcination, an still novel approach that has gone little explored to date for reinforced concrete with structural applications. The results of the mechanical strength and chemical resistance (to sulfates, carbonation and chlorides) tests conducted are promising. The carbonation findings proved to be of particular interest, for that is the area where cement with mineral additions tend to be least effective. In the bentonite-bearing material analysed here, however, carbonation resistance was found to be low as or lower than observed in plain Portland cement.

The four solvent extractives obtained from aerial parts of Leucophyllum frutescens were evaluated for their Total Antioxidant Activity (TAA) by ammonium molybdate method, scavenging potential by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Trolox-Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assays, metal-reducing potential by Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays, Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) and their biological activities. The study concluded that BULE exhibited total antioxidant activity (226.235±1.222 mg AA.Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D) by molybdate method, CHLE exhibited more scavenging potential (DPPH 209.589±8.500 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D and TEAC 210.166±7.954 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D) and reducing potential (CUPRAC 646.889±16.889 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D & FRAP 472.981±15.625 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D). Phytochemical quantification concluded high TPC by BULE (189.369±1.393 mg GA.Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D) and high TFC by CHLE (232.458±1.589 mg Qu.Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D). Strong inhibition of α-glucosidase and urease enzymes was observed by HELE (IC50 0.3321±0.007 mg.ml-1±SD) and BULE (IC50 4.09±0.357 mg.ml-1±SD) extractives, respectively. The hemolytic effect shown by hexane extract (HELE) was higher with HA50 25.545±0.927 ug.ml-1±SD whereas methanol (MELE), chloroform (CHLE), and butanol (BULE) exhibited hemolytic effects at higher concentration with HA50 400.067±1.364, 321.394±1.332, and 332.957±0.465 µg.ml-1±SD, respectively. GC-MS profiling of HELE of L. frutescens was performed for qualitative analysis. The principal phytochemicals tentatively identified by GC-MS analysis of HELE accounts for fatty acids (60.221%), lignans (17.687%), ketones (3.358%), phenols (2.584%), sesquiterpenes (1.265%), and aldehydes (0.345%).

In this work, pure TiO₂ and binary nanocomposites of Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ and Ag/TiO₂ were synthesized in order to improve photocatalytic performance of these samples for degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2, 4-DCP) as an organic pollutant. A range of analytical techniques including XRD, DRS, SEM/EDX, and elemental mapping were employed to reveal the crystal structure, morphology and property of the nanocomposites. XRD data demonstrated that the prepared samples are purely in TiO₂ anatase phase and cubic spinel Fe₃O₄ exist in the synthesized nanocomposite. We calculated the TiO₂ crystal size from XRD patterns, in the range of 8.35-11.09 nm. The presence of Ag, Fe, O, and Ti atoms in the synthesized nanocomposites was confirmed by SEM/EDX. We obtained 30.43, 32.02 and 42.40 % degradation of 2, 4-DCP (100 ml 2, 4-DCP 40 ppm and 0.01 g catalyst) for pure TiO₂, Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ and Ag/TiO₂, respectively, after 180 min of irradiation under visible light. Similar conditions were employed for 2, 4-DCP degradation under UV irradiation, we obtained 53.05, 51.00 and 71.50 % degradation of 2, 4-DCP pure TiO₂, Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ and Ag/TiO₂, respectively. Thus, the synthesized binary nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure TiO₂ under visible light.

Recently Cold Bitumen Emulsion (CBE) mixture technologies have been developed to lower the pavement construction temperatures to reduce the environmental costs and control the gas emissions. Due to its poor early mechanical strength, active fillers (i.e. cement) have been used to obtain high early stiffness in order to have the potential for timely construction of the next layer. There is, however, a lack of understanding about the impact of active fillers nature on viscoelastic behaviour and fatigue damage resistance of CBE mastics. This study, therefore, aims to identify the influence of active fillers on the rheological properties and the resulted fatigue behaviour of CBE mastic, supported by chemical analysis for the filler-bitumen emulsion. For this aim, bitumen emulsion was mixed separately with seven fillers/blended fillers to prepare the CBE mastics. Various experiments include continuous pH monitoring tests (chemical reactivity of filler-bitumen emulsion), Strain sweep (SS) tests, Temperature-Frequency Sweep (TFS) tests, Time Sweep (TS) tests, and Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) tests were conducted on the CBE binder and the prepared mastics. Results show that the rheological performance and the fatigue damage resistance is not only dependent on the filler inclusions, but it significantly relies on filler type and chemistry. Based on that, the raise in complex shear modulus and the decrease in viscous components were associated with a significant enhancement in fatigue performance for specific filler.

The TiO₂ nanostructures resulted by pyrolysis of TiCl₄ at low temperature of 80 ^oC are found to be a mixture of amorphous TiO₂ complexes and anatase nanostructure whose ratio depends on the pH of the pyrolysis medium. At low pH level, the resulting TiO₂ nanostructure is predominant anatase and gradually shifts to the amorphous TiO₂ complexes with pH level increasing. By means of heat treatment, the amorphous TiO₂ complexes can be converted back to the anatase nanostructure and then transform to rutile with the elevating temperature. Amongst of the TiO₂ nanostructure recovered from amorphous TiO₂ complexes, the anatase shows to be the most effective photocatalyst in decomposition of methylene blue.

In this study, the elastic properties of composite materials are investigated, considering the effects of separation of fiber-matrix joint boundary and matrix failure. In this method, by assuming periodic microstructure and using a linear approximation of the displacement field by applying continuity and equilibrium conditions, the composite fiber composite relation is determined. The effect of separation is assumed by introducing tangential and normal scalar parameters in the equations by assuming the displacement field jump at the common boundary. In order to express the effect of matrix micro-cracks, the fracture mechanics framework of continuous environments was used and the micro-cracks parallel to the fibers, perpendicular to the fibers and in the thickness direction with scalar parameters were expressed. At the end of the effect of these parameters the results are presented in graphs. The results show that the presence of defective joint at the joint boundary and the matrix micro-components reduce the hardness of the composite and thus it’s bearing load, which is more significant at the defective joint state.

Previous incidental findings of an increase of suicidal risk among subjects with low cholesterol levels have drawn attention to the role of lipids in suicidal behavior. To date, multiple lines of evidence acquired from clinical studies have confirmed an association between low cholesterol levels and suicidal behavior, but the involvement of dimensional traits including impulsivity and aggression in this association remains elusive. In this narrative review, we aimed to address and synthesize the literature regarding the involvement of lipids in the neurobiology of suicidal behavior and its underlying psychological substrates, impulsivity and aggression. An electronic database search was performed using different combinations of relevant keywords. Both preclinical and clinical studies matching the scope of this article were reviewed and filtered through an inspection of the abstracts to recruit the most suitable articles that contributed essential and substantial findings to the literature. Although subject characteristics and study designs vary across studies, current research has demonstrated that impulsivity and aggression might have shared neurobiologic substrates involved in altered serotonergic neurotransmission. Despite the association between low serum lipid levels and suicidal behavior being well documented, the involvement of lipid subtypes in the pathophysiology of impulsive and aggressive traits remains elusive. Further work is warranted to recognize the roles of lipids in neuronal membrane functions and serotonin metabolism, promote a greater appreciation of identifying biomarkers that could be used to determine at-risk individuals, and develop potential interventions to disrupt the pathogenesis of behavioral phenotypes of suicide.

The aims of the study to analyze the influence of knowledge, attitude, education and gender of the head of the family for household preparedness against flood from Bengawan Solo River in Kedungdowo Village, Balen District of Bojonegoro Regency. The method used in this study is survey method. This study is explanatory observational research. Population studied is 85 head of families from Kedungdowo Village, Balen District, Bojonegoro Regency. The sampling method for collecting the data from the families is stratified random sampling. Data analysis methods used in this study are descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression analysis with a 95% confidence level to identify the level of preparedness and the relationship between factors that affect preparedness. The findings shows that knowledge, attitude, education and gender significantly influence household preparedness against Bengawan Solo flood. Attitude is the most dominant variable that influenced household preparedness

The objective of this study is to conduct a mineralogical and chemical characterization of the mortars Roman archaeological site of Volubilis to rebuild spare mortars for restoration. We take samples of mortar, broken tile palate garden, and pavement mosaic Falavius Germanus houses. The analysis by X-ray diffraction reveals the coarse mortar Flavius Germanus is made of quartz and calcite with feldspar and probably, mica and dolomite in small amounts. The binder end is formed calcite and quartz. However, the broken tile mortar is formed by coarse particles, clay base mixed with a binder phase dominated by calcite. These results allowed us to reformulate spare mortars for the restoration of damaged Roman mosaics. The mortars are made up by 63.6% of lime and 36.4% of sand(with 4.19% of large grain, 71, 04% of coarse sand, 24.22%, of fine sand and 0.55% fines parts).The performance of these mortars was tested by mechanical testing.

Car parking is a challenging part of urban transportation and the traffic violations around it cause many problems for citizens. In recent years, due to the fast growth and development of urbanization, temporary and unauthorized stopping of cars along the streets, especially in large cities, has led to an increased traffic, urban disorders, dangers for citizens, and violation of rules. Studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between vehicle parking violations and urban places. GIScience capabilities and tools play an important role in analysing the spatial distribution of these violations. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of vehicle violations in a region of Tehran, Iran that is suffering from a heavy traffic load and heavily polluted air. Although two dissimilar urban segregations exist in the north and south of the study area, our analysis indicates a similar pattern of car parking violations. In both of the areas, about 70% of all curb parks are legal, while the remaining are illegal. Also, spatial analysis reveals a direct relationship between some POIs and the occurrence of car park violations so that the density of legal curb parks is high near some POIs, and less near some others and vice versa. For example, the number of vehicle park violation around the hospitals is more than the average of the study area. However, the number of park violations around the universities is less than the average. Our findings reveal that co-location of certain POIs, for instance a hotel and a supermarket will lead to an increase in the number of park violations. In other words, there is a strong correlation between the type of POIs and curb-parks violations. Our results also show that POIs have an impact radius that leads to violations occurring in that area. For example, the area of the impact of a hospital on the creation of car park violations was estimated at 125 meters. Our presented approach along with the discussed findings along with conclusions can be useful to a large range of stakeholders including urban planner, traffic police departments, local municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and environmentalists to have a better perspective of infrastructure planning.

The article presents formal proof that the Special Theory of Relativity is wrong, that is, the interpretation of the mathematics on which STR is based, proposed by Einstein is incorrect. The article shows that there are infinitely many kinematics in which one-way speed of light is always equal to c. The kinematics of Special Theory of Relativity (STR) is only one of those infinitely many kinematics. It presents that mathematics on which STR kinematics is based can be interpreted differently and this leads to other conclusions on the properties of this kinematics. In this article, the whole class of linear transformations of time and coordinate was derived. Transformations were derived on the assumption that conclusions from Michelson-Morley’s and Kennedy-Thorndikea’s experiments are met for the observer from each inertial frame of reference, i.e. that the mean velocity of light in the vacuum flowing along the way back and forth is constant. It was also assumed that there is at least one inertial frame of reference, in which the velocity of light in a vacuum in each direction has the same value c, and the space is isotropic for observers from this distinguished inertial frame of reference (universal frame of reference). Derived transformations allow for building many different kinematics according to Michelson-Morley’s and Kennedy-Thorndikea’s experiments. The class of transformations derived in the study is a generalization of transformations derived in the paper [10], which consists in enabling non-zero values of parameter e(v). The idea of such a generalization derives from the person, who gave me this extended transformations class for analysis and publication.

Setting A high proportion of notified tuberculosis cases in the Philippines are clinically diagnosed (63%) as opposed to bacteriologically confirmed. Better understanding of this phenomenon is required to improve tuberculosis control. Objectives To determine the percentage of Smear Negative Presumptive Tuberculosis patients that would be diagnosed by GeneXpert; compare clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed as tuberculosis cases; and review the impact that the current single government physician and a reconstituted Tuberculosis Diagnostic committee (Expert Panel) may have on tuberculosis over-diagnosis. Design This is a cross-sectional study of 152 patients 15-85 years old with two negative Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy results, with abnormal chest X-ray who underwent GeneXpert testing and review by an Expert Panel. Results 31% (48/152) of the sample were Xpert positive. 93% (97/104) of GeneXpert negatives were clinically diagnosed by a Single Physician. Typical symptoms and X-ray findings were higher in bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis. When compared to GeneXpert results, the Expert panel’s sensitivity for active tuberculosis was high (97.5%, 39/40) but specificity was low (40.2%, 35/87). Conclusion Using the GeneXpert would increase the level of bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis substantially among presumptive Tuberculosis. An Expert panel will greatly reduce over-diagnosis usually seen when a decision is made by a Single Physician.

Corporate governance is developing rapidly in many countries across the world. In this article, the existing state of corporate governance in Jordan is examined. Jordan does not have a corporate governance code per se. The article reveals that overall Jordan has in place some of the features of corporate governance best practice, but that there remains further progress to be made in areas such as independence of directors, compensation, and correlation between shareholding and entitlement to seats on the board. The article recommends legal reforms in order to enhance corporate governance in Jordan.

Based on the key molecule of humoral adaptive immunity, the antibody, evolution of the system comprises molecular genetic, cell biologic and immunologic mechanisms, and as a network the system is likely governed and can be characterized by physical rules as well. While deep sequencing can provide vast amounts of data related primarily to clonal relationships, functional interpretation of such data is hampered by the inherent limitations of converting sequence to structure to function. In this paper a novel model of structural interaction space, termed radial adjustment of system resolution, or RADARS, is proposed. The model is based on the radial growth of resolution of structural recognition, corresponding to increasing affinity of immune reactivity, and the virtual infinity of directions of growth, corresponding to the ability to respond to almost any molecular structure. Levels of interaction strength appear as shells of the sphere representing the system. B-cell development and immune responses can be readily interpreted in the model and quantitative properties of the antibody network can be inferred from the physical properties of a quasi-spherical system growing multi-radially. The system is described by double-Pareto distribution, sampling the lognormally distributed equilibrium constants at a rate of phi square. Finally, general strategies for merging antibody sequence space into structural space are outlined.

In this study, four kinds of animal bone marrow powders were extracted with n-hexane using the Soxhlet extraction method. Polyunsaturated fatty acids were enriched by urea inclusion and low temperature crystallization method, then were further evaluated antioxidant and antibacterial activities. These results showed that the oil composition of the n-hexane extracts of four kinds of animal bone marrow primarily consisted of palmitic acid (18.57–31.01%), stearic acid (3.6–20.95%), and oleic acid (40.22–58.69%). The ratios of saturated fatty acids (SFA)/unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) were 1/1.417, 1/1.327, 1/2.140, and 1.285/1 for sheep, bovine, horse, and camel bone marrow oil, respectively. The SFA/UFA ratios determined by the urea inclusion method were 1/1.518, 1/1.390, 1/2.037, and 1.216/1, respectively. The SFA/UFA ratios according to the low temperature crystallization method with acetone were 1/1.920, 1/2.141, 1/2.360, and 1/1.157 for sheep, bovine, horse, and camel bone marrow oil, respectively. These enrichment methods effected the concentrations of UFAs from the camel bone marrow oil. Among the methods, the low temperature crystallization method effectively enriched the UFAs. All four bone marrow oils exhibited strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The horse bone marrow oil showed the strongest antioxidant activity. Both antioxidant and antimicrobial activity improved after enrichment of the UFAs. These results lay a theoretical basis for application bone marrow oil resources in food and medicine.

Biofilter application for treatment of stormwater containing de-icing chemicals commonly applied in airports, propylene glycol and potassium formate, was investigated. Lab-scale adsorption tests using filter media made of crushed clay (Filtralite) and granular activated carbon showed that adsorption was unsuitable for removal of propylene glycol and potassium formate. Column filtration experiment testing two different crushed clay size ranges was conducted. The results showed that DOC removal was dependent on a number of factors. This study investigated the impact of filter depth, nutrients addition, and filtration rate. DOC removal suggested that DOC degradation occurred on the top filter layer. It was shown that the most active separation occurred in the first ~20 cm of filter depth. This was confirmed by results from water quality analysis (i.e. DOC removal and ATP measurement) and calculations based on a filtration performance analysis (Iwasaki model) and filter hydraulic evaluation (Lindquist diagram). It was shown that for the highest C:N:P ratio tested (molar ratio of 24:7:1), 50-60% DOC removal was achieved. Addition of nutrients was found important and determining the biofilter performance.

Celtis iguanaea is popularly used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. However, thorough chemical and pharmacological investigations regarding its activity are lacking. In this study, we investigated the effects of the hydroalcoholic extract from C. iguanaea (CI) on markers of cardiovascular diseases and the glucose metabolism in cholesterol-fed rats. Therefore, hypercholesterolemic rats (1% cholesterol) were orally treated with CI (150, 300, or 600 mg/kg) or simvastatin (4 mg/kg) (n = 6) once a day for 30 days along with a hypercholesterolemic diet. A control group (C) was given saline solution. CI showed significant decreases in serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HMG-CoA-reductase, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ when compared to group C (p ˂ 0.05). Hypoglycemic effects were observed along with a decrease of the activity of sucrase (CI 600), maltase (CI 150, CI 300), and an increase in muscle glycogen levels (CI 300). Antioxidant effects were observed in plasma, and the histopathological analysis showed a significant decrease in the liver fat area for CI compared to group C (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that the biological effects of CI could be related to the presence of flavonoids that possibly exert antioxidant, enzymatic inhibitory, and insulin-mimetic effects.

Respiratory infections with RSV account for an important part of hospital admissions for acute respiratory infections. Nirsevimab has been developed to reduce the hospital burden RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infections: Compared with the product previously used, it has a stronger binding capacity to RSV F protein and a high affinity for FcRn (neonatal receptor for the Fc fragment of IgG), which extends its lifespan. Nirsevimab has been shown to be highly effective in reducing hospitalization rates for RSV infections but a large or unknown number of treated subjects have been excluded in clinical and post-marketing studies. However, analysis of these studies cannot exclude that in rare cases, nirsevimab facilitates and worsens RSV infection (or other respiratory infections). This could be attributable to ADE (antibody-dependent-enhancement) which has been observed with RSV F-protein antibodies in inactivated vaccine trials. This risk has been incompletely assessed in preclinical and clinical trials (incomplete exploration of nirsevimab effector functions and pharmacokinetics). ADE by disruption of the immune system (not studied and due to FcRn binding) could explain there is no reduction in all-cause hospital admissions in treated age groups. Given the high price of nirsevimab, the cost-effectiveness of mass immunization campaigns may therefore be debated from an economic as well as a scientific point of view.