Balanced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) rates coupling with rational fertilization methodology could promote crop N accumulation, N use efficiency and yield production, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions. To test these characteristics, a two-year (2018 and 2019) pot experiment was therefore performed by growing summer maize in a rain-proof glass greenhouse, under 9 combined N (112, 150 and 187 kg ha-1, urea) and P (45, 60, 75 kg ha-1, calcium superphosphate) rates and three contrasting fertilizer placements. The fertilizers were placed by broadcast on soil surface (Broadcast), side band on 4 cm strip soil surface within 7 cm from sowing line (Side band) and deep band on 4 cm strip below 7 cm soil depth within 7 cm from sowing line (Deep band). Results from three maize growth stages (eight-leaf, 45 days after sowing, DAS; tasseling, 60 DAS; and harvest, 115 DAS) showed that leaf, stem, root N accumulation and total soil N were significantly increased under Deep band than under both Side band and Broadcast at N150P60, N187P60, N150P75 and N187P75, but not at N112P45, N150P45, N187P45, N112P60 and N112P75. Significantly greater leaf, stem, and root N accumulations were also displayed at N150 and N187 than at N112 for the same P60 or P75 under Deep band at 60 DAS and 115 DAS, while were for leaf and stem N accumulations at P75 and P60 than at P45 for the same N150 under Deep band at 45 DAS, 60 DAS and 115 DAS. Significantly greater agronomy N use efficiency, partial factor productivity and N use efficiency exhibited under Deep band than under Side band and Broadcast at N150P75 and N187P75, but at N150P60 and N187P60 for NUE only. In addition, leaf, stem, seed, root N concentrations positively correlated with their own N accumulations or soil N concentration at tasseling and harvest stages. Our results demonstrate that a synchronized N150P60, N187P60, N150P75 or N187P75 fertilization rate with Deep band placement can improve soil N availability and root N uptake, and hereby greater aboveground N accumulation, N use efficiency and yield production of maize particularly practical for small-holder farmers globally.

One of the interactions that has been studied in recent decades under the ecohydrological approach is infiltration, which is difficult to determine because the existing methods for estimation depends on certain variables that are difficult to establish or identify, and in other cases, the implementation of instrumentation is expensive. Given this, saturated hydraulic conductivity has been the descriptive variable of the infiltration process by recent authors, being understood as the conduction of water that occurs through the soil and its composition through the vegetation cover. The present design generated an easily accessible portable instrumentation model for the monitoring and collection of infiltration data in situ for basins and ecosystems with different land uses, in an automated manner with the objective of determining the vegetation patterns necessary to sustain the infiltration function. The INDI-INECOL tension infiltrometer [1] was chosen as the reference instrument. It evaluates the saturated hydraulic conductivity based on a column of water that descends through the system and it is exchanged in the soil by the air between the pores. To automate data collection, a measurement system has been proposed through a SCADA system, which is defined as a control, action, decision, storage and data recording system. This system collects field data from a sensor VL053L0X connected to a master station, in our case an Arduino board UNO, connected through the serial port and by a graphical user interface programmed on Python, to display, storage and enrichment of the sensor data and finally to be exported in files suitable for Microsoft Excel.

The study focuses on the crucial aspect of lossless compression for FAST pulsar search data. The deep generative model PixelCNN, stacking multiple masked convolutional layers, achieves neural network autoregressive modeling, making it one of the most excellent image density estimators. However, the local nature of convolutional networks causes PixelCNN to concentrate only on nearby information, neglecting important information at greater distances. Although deepening the network can broaden the receptive field, excessive depth can compromise model stability, leading to issues like gradient degradation. To address these challenges, the study combines causal attention modules with residual connections, proposing the Causal Residual Attention Module to enhance the PixelCNN model. This innovation not only resolves convergence problems arising from network deepening but also widens the receptive field. It effectively utilizes global features, particularly capturing vertically correlated features prominently present in subgraphs of candidates. This significantly enhances its capability to model pulsar data.In the experiments, the model is trained and validated using the HTRU1 dataset. The study compares the average negative log-likelihood score with baseline models like GMM, STM, and PixelCNN. The results demonstrate the superior performance of the our model over other models. Finally, the study introduces the practical compression encoding process by combining the proposed model with arithmetic coding.

The structural identification (SI) problem of control objects has not been solved. The formalization and interpretation complexity of the structure concept is the main problem. In identification systems, the form of the model (its structure) choice is intuitive and bases on the experience and knowledge of the researcher in most cases. The task of parametric identification is often interpreted as SI. It introduces certain confusion in understanding of the task and decision-making. This is two different areas of research. The structural identification problem is multifaceted and includes many subtasks, and their solution gives the final result. Some tasks have been solved. The purpose of this work is to review existing approaches and methods to the structural identification problem of control objects from a system perspective. It is necessary to give the SI problem statement at the multiple-informational level to reflect the difficulties of formalizing SI. New directions to analyse that were not SI areas until now.

Hemodialysis (HD) patients experience significant psychological stress related HD. Coping strategies are utilized to help these patients cope with this stress. Prevalence of different types of coping strategies in relation with differential levels of HD-related stress scores and by demographics were assessed. HD patients aged 18 years and above who were seeking regular treatment in a specific HD-unit of a hospital in the upper Midwest, were surveyed between March 2020 and July 2020. Descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and regression analyses were performed. Females could be expected to have emotional coping scores 8 units greater than males, as B = 8.017 for sex in the model, p =.000. Females could be expected to have coping scores 6.4 points higher than males when adjusted for stress levels, as: B = 6.351, p =.001 for sex in the model. For each 1point increase in Stress Score, the Coping Score could be expected to: increase 6.8 points when adjusted for Sex, where B = 6.751 and p =.000. Increased prevalence of emotional pre-occupation was only observed among female patients which increased with the increase in stress. Psychological interventions in female HD patients should be strongly considered in addressing emotional pre-occupation coping.

The emergence of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) has enriched the functional pool inherent in canonical amino acids (cAAs). ncAAs are important building blocks in the production of various pharmaceuticals. The biosynthesis of ncAAs has emerged as an alternative to traditional chemical synthesis because of its environmental friendliness and high efficiency. The breakthrough genetic code expansion (GCE) technique developed in recent years has allowed for the incorporation of ncAAs into target proteins, giving them special functions and biological activities. Biosynthesis of ncAAs and their incorporation into target proteins within a single microbe has become an enticing application of such molecules. Based on that, in this study we first review the biosynthesis methods for ncAAs and analyze the difficulties in biosynthesis. We then summarize the GCE methods and analyze their advantages and disadvantages. Further, we review the application progress of ncAAs and anticipate the challenges and future development directions of ncAAs.

The performance and lifespan of cutting tools are significantly influenced by their surface quality. The present report highlights recent advances in enhancing the surface characteristics of tungsten carbide and high-speed steel cutting tools using a novel micro-machining technique for polishing and edge-honing. Notably, the main aim is to reduce the surface roughness while maintaining the hardness of the materials at an optimal level. By conducting a thorough analysis, of surfaces obtained with different techniques. It was that micro-machining method effectively decreased the surface roughness of the cutting tools, most effectively of the techniques investigated. Significantly, the surface roughness is reduced from an initial measurement of 400 nm to an impressive value of 60 nm. No significant change in hardness was observed, which guarantees the maintenance of the mechanical properties of the cutting tools. This analysis enhances the comprehension of surface enhancement methodologies for cutting tools through the presentation of these findings. The observed decrease in surface roughness, along with the consistent hardness, exhibits potential for improving tool performance. These enhancements possess the capacity to optimise manufacturing processes, increase tool reliability, and minimise waste generation.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a complex autoimmune disease whose hallmark is a deregulation of cellular and humoral immunity leading to an increased destruction and a reduced production of platelets. The heterogeneity of presentation and clinical course hampers personalized approaches for diagnosis and management. In 2021, the Spanish ITP Group (GEPTI) of the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH) updated a consensus document which had been launched in 2011. The updated guidelines have been the reference for diagnosis and management of primary ITP in Spain ever since. Nevertheless, the emergence of new tools and strategies makes it advisable to review them again. For this reason, we have properly updated the main recommendations. Our aim is to provide a practical tool to enable the integral management of all the aspects concerning primary ITP management.

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has garnered attention to access sustainable energy generation with a pollutant-free combustion product in the form of H2 gas. Despite the utility of this pathway in the context of growing climate concerns, stable HER electrocatalysts which avoid the use of rare-earth platinum while retaining high catalytic performance and efficiency remains a challenge. In this work, we present the application of a binuclear nickel (II/III) Schiff base complex [Ni]2[L]2 2 for HER electrocatalysis. The design of the electrocatalyst provides optimal HER activity as the presence of electronegative heteroatoms in proximity to the metal centers augments proton affinity. As a result, the catalyst displays excellent HER activity with 100% faradaic efficiency (FE) at an onset potential of 0.4 V vs. reverse hydrogen electrode (RHE), sustained catalytic activity during prolonged electrolysis for greater than 17 hours, and provided a turn over number (TON) of 0.0006 s-1.

Cytokines are mediators of inflammation that could lead to fibrosis. The aim was to monitor cytokine levels in saliva and serum after locally fractionated radiotherapy of the head and neck in mice and investigate associations with salivary gland fibrosis and hyposalivation. C57BL/6 mice were randomized to sham or X-ray irradiation of 66 Gy in 10 fractions over 5 days. Blood and saliva were collected on day -7, 5, 35, 80 and 105 with following cytokine analysis. The harvested submandibular salivary gland was assessed for presence of fibrosis. Decision tree regression analysis was used to investigate whether cytokine levels could predict late endpoints in terms of hyposalivation or fibrosis. Significant formation of fibrosis in gland tissue and reduced saliva production was found after irradiation. The pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, TNF, TIMP1, G-CSF, KC and MIP-1α showed increased levels in saliva in irradiated mice and strong correlation with late endpoints. The decision tree analysis largely separated controls from irradiated animals with IL-1α being the strongest predictor. Pro-inflammatory cytokines in saliva, but not in serum, were associated with late endpoints. This indicates that cytokine expression in saliva is a good biomarker for local salivary gland damage with IL-1α as the strongest single predictor.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). HTLV-1 carriers have a life-long asymptomatic balance between infected cells and host antiviral immunity, but 5–10% of carriers lose this balance and develop ATL. Coinfection with Strongyloides also promotes ATL development, suggesting that the immunological status of infected individuals is a determinant of viral pathogenicity. As CD4+ T cells play a central role in host immunity, deregulation of their function and differentiation by HTLV-1 promotes the immune evasion of infected T cells. During ATL development, the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations in key host immunity-related genes further disturbs immunological conditions. Various therapeutic approaches have been developed to treat these abnormalities. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is currently the only treatment with the potential to cure ATL; however, the patient's immune state may also contribute to its outcome. Additionally, the activity of the anti-CC chemokine receptor 4 antibody, mogamulizumab, also depends on immune functions, such as antibody-dependent cytotoxicity. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the immunological pathogenesis of HTLV-1 infection in ATL and integrate clinical findings to determine the factors to be considered for developing treatment strategies for ATL.

Various methods including electrochemical purification, chemical precipitation, solvent extraction, and ion-exchange resins, have maturely been used for removal of copper from nickel anolyte. Interestingly, these approaches of copper removal from nickel anolyte by precipitation are well used as the primary industrial method in nickel production again. However, these methods suffer from several severe drawbacks in industrial practices. One is that a small amount of nickel precipitates with copper in slags，resulting in slag treatment difficulties. Second, this process requires an extremely high activity of the sulfide-based copper removal agents which results in high production costs; the short storage period of the copper removal agent is another drawback of this method. These have been the key challenges in the smelting process of nickel. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the nickel removal methods used for nickel anolyte purification, electrochemical purification, chemical precipitation, solvent extraction, and ionexchange resins. The advantages and feasibilities of each technique in industrial applications are also explored and analyzed. Finally, we demonstrate that ion-exchange resin-based extraction method can pave a new path for metallurgical research on nickel.

This study addresses the challenge of objectively quantifying the value of specific views, known to provide psychological and physical benefits, from city center apartments. Unlike subjective evaluations, objective measurement is hindered by limited research and methodology. The research focuses on quantifying visibility by projecting rays from measurement points and determining whether they intersect with unobstructed views, such as the sky and natural elements. Two metrics are proposed to evaluate visibility: the number of view rays and the ratio of view rays to windows. The study analyzed 17 types of residential units in 12 complexes in northern Seoul, South Korea, with the aim of isolating the effect of views on housing prices from other factors. Correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between view and housing prices. The results indicated that valuations based on average visibility are more favorable than those based on maximum visibility. The amount of visibility showed a stronger correlation with apartment prices than the number of floors, suggesting the need to measure views across the entire space. The study's methodology can be applied to analyze views in different buildings and urban areas.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia associated with impaired carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism, with concomitant absence of insulin secretion or reduced sensitivity to its metabolic effects. Patients with diabetes mellitus have 30% more risk of developing heart failure and cardiovascular disease with respect to healthy people. Heart and cardiovascular problems are the first cause of death worldwide and the main complications which lead to high healthcare costs. Such complications can be delayed or avoided by taking prescribed medications in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle (i.e. diet and physical activity). The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association recommend that diabetic people reduce total sedentary time by incorporating physical activity in their weekly routine. This narrative literature review has the aim to summarize and present the main guidelines, pre-exercise cardiovascular screening recommendations, and considerations for patients with diabetes and comorbidities who are planning to participate in regular exercise regimens.

Some traditional robots are based on offline programming reciprocal motion, and with the continuous upgrading of vision technology, more and more tasks are replaced by machine vision. For the current problem of insufficient accuracy of robot target localization based on binocular vision, and an improved random sampling consistency algorithm is proposed to complete parallel robot target localization and grasping under the guidance For the current problem of insufficient accuracy of robot target localization based on binocular vision, an improved random sampling consistency algorithm is proposed to complete parallel robot target localization and grasping under the guidance of multi Firstly, the RANSAC algorithm is improved based on the SURF algorithm; then the parallax gradient method is applied to iterate the matched point pairs several times to further optimize the data; then the 3D reconstruction is completed by the program technique; finally the obtained data is finally the obtained data is input into the robot arm and the camera internal and external parameters are obtained by the calibration method so that the robot can accurately locate and The experiments show that the improved algorithm has advantages in recognition accuracy and grasping success rate under multi- The experiments show that the improved algorithm has advantages in recognition accuracy and grasping success rate under multi-vision system.

Historically, the lack of comprehensive and real-time data is the main challenge in city sustainability assessments. However, with the increase in the availability of crowdsourced data over the last decade, a rich and real-time data source provides detailed images of urban systems. This has opened up new opportunities for practitioners, including geographers, social researchers, and data scientists, to gather and utilize social media data as a core source for studying cities and assessing their sustainability. This paper proposes an assessment model for the sustainability of cities based on crowdsourced data and the principles of General System Theory. The model aims to utilize crowdsourced data for the analysis and decision-making processes to enhance the sustainability and resilience of smart future cities.

Intergenerational integration has given rise to a novel aging paradigm known as all-age communities, which is garnering international attention. In China, the aging population and the implementation of the three-child policy have resulted in increased demand for retirement and childcare services among residents in older neighborhoods. Consequently, there is a pressing need to retrofit these older neighborhoods to accommodate all-age living arrangements given the high demand they generate. Therefore, this study undertakes research interviews with residents and constructs an exploratory theoretical model rooted in established theory. To assess the significance of our model, we employ Smart PLS 3.0 based on 297 empirical data points. Our findings indicate that anxiety has a significant negative effect on payment behavior; objective perception, willingness to pay, and government assistance exert significant positive effects on payment behavior. By comprehensively analyzing the mechanisms underlying residents’ payment behavior, this study provides valuable insights to the government for promoting the aging process within communities and formulating effective transformation policies.

Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) has become an important prognostic and predictive biomarker for patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer who may benefit from poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) and platinum-based therapies. HRD testing provides relevant information to personalize patients’ treatment options, and it has been progressively incorporated in diagnostic laboratories. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of in-house HRD testing deployable in a diagnostic clinical setting, comparing results from two commercially available next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based tumor tests (SOPHiA DDMTM HRD Solution and AmoyDx HRD Focus Panel) with the reference assay from Myriad MyChoice CDx. A total of 85 ovarian cancer samples were subjected to HRD testing. An overall strong correlation was observed across the three assays evaluated, regardless of the different underlying methods employed to assess genomic instability, with the highest pairwise correlation between Myriad and SOPHiA (R=0.87, p-value=3.39x10-19). The comparison of the assigned HRD status to the reference Myriad’s test revealed a positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 90.9% and 96.3% for SOPHiA’s test, while AmoyDx’s test achieved 75% PPV and 100% NPV. This is the largest HRD testing evaluation using different methodologies and provides a clear picture of the robustness of NGS-based tests currently offered in the market. Our data show that the implementation of in-house HRD testing in diagnostic laboratories is technically feasible and it can be reliably performed with commercial assays. Also, the turnaround time is compatible with clinical needs, being an ideal alternative to offer to a broader number of patients, while still maintaining high-quality standards at more accessible price tiers.

The 30-day postoperative outcome after elective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) was evaluated and the possible predictors were identified. Demographics, medical history, laboratory values, length of hospitalization (LOH), intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 30-day complications, classified as major [major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), acute kidney injury (AKI) and death of any cause] and minor [post-implantation syndrome (PIS), postoperative delirium (POD), urinary tract infection (UTI) and technical graft failure] were documented, respectively. We included 322 patients (median LOH 4 days). One-hundred and twenty one (37.5%) complications, mostly minor (n=103, 31.9%), were recorded. Eleven patients (3.4%) evolved MACE, 5 (1.6%) AKI and 2 patients (0.6%) died in ICU. Seventy-seven patients (23.9%) suffered from PIS, eleven from POD, 11 from UTI and 4 from technical graft failure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that aneurysm diameter (p=0.01) and past smoking (p=0.003) were predictors for postoperative complications. PAD was an independent predictor of MACE (p=0.003), preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) value of AKI (p=0.003) and past smoking of PIS (p=0.008), respectively. Our study showed that 30-day morbidity after EVAR exceeded 35%. However, the majority of complications were classified as minor and the associated mortality was low. Aneurysm diameter and past smoking were independent predictors for postoperative outcome.

In an ever-evolving landscape of higher education institution, the College of Arts and Sciences at St. Michael's College, Iligan City, Philippines, embarked on a strategic journey to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the post-pandemic era. This study, conducted in August 2022, delves into the multifaceted dimensions of their strategic planning processes. Through qualitative methods that use intensive in-depth reviews of literature, informal interviews, observation, and thematic analysis, this research unveils a narrative of adaptation, innovation, and internationalization. It explores how the institution resiliently adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraged technological advancements to enhance educational delivery, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration at the nexus of arts and sciences, and embraced internationalization through partnerships and cultural exchange. Anchored in a robust theoretical framework, this study resonates with broader trends in higher education, echoing the global call for agile, student-centric, and forward-thinking institutions. As this institution's journey unfolds, its experiences and lessons resonate with academic leaders, administrators, faculty, students, and stakeholders, inviting reflection and dialogue on the future of higher education.

We have particularly investigated the correlation law of the effect of different carbon black fillings on the hyper-elastic mechanical behavior of natural rubber by conducting uniaxial tensile tests over a wide range of deformations with different volume fractions of carbon black fillings (0%, 4.7%, 8.9%, 12.8%, 16.4%, 19.7%, 22.7%, 25.2%). The results show that the stress-strain curve for carbon black filled rubber increases with the amount of filling, meaning that the rubber gradually becomes "harder". We explore the correlation between the carbon black filling volume and the parameters of the Yeoh constitutive model by examining the Yeoh constitutive model to characterize the hyper-elastic mechanical behavior of rubber with different carbon black fillings. A quantitative relationship between the material parameters and the carbon black filling volume in the Yeoh constitutive model is presented. A method for calculating the material parameters of the Yeoh constitutive model is developed and it predicts the correlation between the hyper-elastic properties of rubber and the volume fraction of carbon black filling.

The fractional derivatives are a generalization the derivatives of integer order and find applications in studying memory processes in various scientific fields. Numerical methods are used to solve and analyze fractional models of real world problems. In this paper, we consider an approximation of the Caputo fractional derivative and its asymptotic formula, whose generating function is the polylogarithmic function. In the paper, we prove the convergence of the approximation and derive an estimate for the error and order. We consider an application of the approximation for the construction of finite difference schemes for numerical solution of the two-term ordinary fractional differential equation and the time-fractional Black-Scholes equation for option pricing. The properties of the approximation are used to prove the convergence of the methods used for numerical solution of the fractional differential equations. The theoretical results for the error and order of the methods are illustrated by the results of numerical experiments.

Using a humanistic and qualitative approach, the present study aims to (1) bring light on 1 the impact of clown doctors’ artistic work in pediatric oncology and, as a consequence, (2) contribute 2 to the refinement and improvement of the clown doctors’ intervention quality, in the context of 3 pediatric oncology, bringing hypotheses of reflection hardly met with quantitative approaches. We 4 are interested in the subjective experience of the artists, and the perceived subjective experience of 5 the child as reported by the clown doctors. The present analysis was developed from the clown 6 doctors’ final reports, their narrative, after visiting the pediatric oncology ward in a Portuguese public 7 hospital, for a continuous period of six months. The visits were performed by a clown doctor dyad, 8 and the audience was a young adolescent girl, with cancer, and her constant mother.9

Probiotics have been widely used in gastroenteritis due to acute and chronic illnesses. However, evidence supporting the effectiveness of probiotics in different health conditions are inconclusive and conflicting. The aim of the study was to review existing literature on the effects of probiotics in gastroenteritis among adults. Only original articles on clinical trials that demonstrated the effects of probiotics in adults with gastroenteritis were used for this analysis. Multiple databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, MEDLINE and Scopus databases were searched for the data. The study followed standard procedures for data extraction using PRISMA flow chart. A quality appraisal of the selected studies was conducted using CADIMA. Finally, a meta-analysis was conducted. Thirty-five articles met the selection criteria; of them, probiotics were found effective in the treatment and/or prevention of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease in 17 (49%), and the treatment of pouchitis in 4 (11.4%), antibiotic-induced diarrhea in 3 (8.6%), Helicobacter pylori infection in 2 (5.7%) and diverticulitis in 1 (2.9%), while the remaining 7 (20%) were ineffective and 1 study results were inconclusive. Meta-analysis, on the contrary, didn’t demonstrate any significant protective effects of probiotics. Having a τ² value of zero and I² of 6%, the studies were homogeneous and had minimum variances. Further studies are suggested to evaluate the beneficial effects of probiotics in IBDs and other chronic bowel diseases.

Conservation agriculture and conservation tillage have drawn the attention not only of scientists but of politicians and societies worldwide. This paper aims to present a method for selecting re-search studies on conservation agriculture, conservation tillage, and the role of straw residues on soil health and soil stability against climatic hazards. VOSviewer version 1.6.18 free software tool was used in this study to achieve the bibliometric and mapping approach for studies on the effects of climate change in terms of conservation, tillage, soil health, and straw and microbe or straw and climate interaction or other paradigms. Scopus database (accessed July 7, 2023) indexed a total of 752.2018 bibliographic items classified into 15 paradigms e.g., Carbon (AND Straw) or Microbes (AND Straw). From the examination of the selected papers, it was concluded that straw residue has an impact on soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties and the environment in general.

In this paper, we study semiconic idempotent commutative residuated lattices. After giving some properties of such residuated lattices, we obtain a structure theorem for semiconic idempotent com- mutative residuated lattices. As an application, we make use of the structure theorem to prove that the variety of strongly semiconic idempotent commutative residuated lattices has the amalgamation property.

Molnupiravir, a prodrug known for its broad antiviral activity, demonstrated efficacy in animal models of Covid-19, prompting clinical trials where initial results indicated a significant effect against the disease. However, subsequent clinical studies did not confirm these findings, leading to the rejection of molnupiravir for permanent market authorization in many countries. This report critically assessed 19 studies published in 17 reports that investigated the efficacy of molnupiravir in animal models of Covid-19 with the purpose of determining how well the design of these models informed human studies. We found that the administered doses of molnupiravir in most studies involving animal Covid-19 models were disproportionately higher than the dose rec-ommended for human use. Specifically, when adjusted for body surface area, half of the doses of molnupiravir used in the animal studies were more than twice as high as the human dose. Addi-tionally, the drug was frequently given prophylactically or shortly after SARS-CoV-2 inoculation in these models, in contrast to clinical trials where such timing is not consistently achieved. Furthermore, the recommended five-day treatment duration for humans was exceeded in several animal studies. Collectively, we suggest that these design elements in the reported animal studies contributed to a bias favoring molnupiravir, and thus inflated expectations for its efficacy against Covid-19. Addressing these elements may offer avenues to enhance the clinical efficacy of mol-nupiravir for treatment of Covid-19 that include dose increment, early treatment, and admin-istration by inhalation along with use of molnupiravir in antiviral combination therapy.

Date palm trees generate large amounts of various types of waste, including leaf sheath fibers which can be used as a low-cost, precursor for production of biochar including activated carbon (AC) that can be employed for adsorption of contaminants. In the current study, activated carbon was made from leaf sheath fibers of date palm (LSDPFAC) by use of chemical activation with K2CO3, combined with microwave irradiation, characterized and evaluated for its adsorptive capacity of lead ions (Pb2+). The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, Langmuir surface area, total pore volume and average pore diameter of LSDPFAC were 560.20 m2/g, 744.31 m2/g, 0.29 cm3/g and 2.47 nm respectively. When the initial concentrations of Pb2+ were increased from 1 to 10 mg/L, Pb2+ adsorption increased from 0.97 to 8.76 mg/g, dry mass (dm) while the percent of Pb2+ removed decreased from 96.70 to 87.60%. The greatest removal of Pb2+ occurred at pH 13 with adsorption capacity of 9.15 mg/g, dm. Results of isotherm and kinetic studies demonstrated that adsorption of Pb2+ onto LSDPFAC was best described by the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order (PSO) models. Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity, Qm was 14.10 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters of H°, S°, G° and Ea were 6.39 kJ/mol, 0.12 kJ/mol.K, -31.28 kJ/mol and 15.90 kJ/mol, respectively, which demonstrated that adsorption of Pb2+ by LSDPFAC was endothermic, spontaneous and governed by physisorption.

Skin cancer is a disease that reflects most malignant neoplasms worldwide, whose rate of involvement has increased significantly in recent decades. Treatments that offer efficient results with attenuation of adverse reactions and greater patient compliance have been the subject of many systematic investigations. This review aims to qualitatively present published works that showed new strategies to increase the penetration power of natural substances through the skin in the topical treatment against skin cancer. In this sense, nanoengineering mechanisms, the iontophoresis technique, and photodynamic therapy using natural products (NP) contribute to new knowledge about substance carrier strategies in topical treatments against skin cancer.

Climate changes caused by anthropogenic actions can directly and indirectly affect living beings, including parasites and their hosts. Changes such as water temperature, pH, distribution of nutrients in the aquatic environment are some examples that can interfere with the fish community, whether in open water or in production systems. In this review, we will show how climate change can affect the adaptation of hosts and parasites in the aquatic environment and how these parasites can be used for environmental monitoring.

According to ISO/TR 23383, smart textiles reversibly interact with their environment and respond or adapt to changes in the environment. The present review and bibliometric analysis was performed on 5,810 documents (1989–2022) from the Scopus database, using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny for science mapping. The results show that the field of smart textiles is highly interdisciplinary and dynamic, with an average growth rate of 22% and exponential growth in the last 10 years. Beeby, S.P., and Torah, R.N. have published the highest number of papers, while Wang, Z.L. has the highest number of citations. The leading journals are Sensors, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, and Textile Research Journal, while Advanced Materials has the highest number of citations. China is the country with the most publications and the most extensive cooperative relationships with other countries. Research on smart textiles is largely concerned with new materials and technologies, particularly in relation to electronic textiles. Recent research focuses on energy generation (triboelectric nanogenerators, thermoelectrics, Joule heating), conductive materials (MXenes, liquid metal, silver nanoparticles), sensors (strain sensors, self-powered sensors, gait analysis), specialty products (artificial muscles, soft robotics, EMI shielding), and advanced properties of smart textiles (self-powered, self-cleaning, washable, sustainable smart textiles).

This study aimed to investigate the influence of cranio-cervical position on the electromyographical activity of the core muscles during the prone plank exercise. Twenty healthy participants were enrolled in this study. Muscle activation was registered using surface electromyography (sEMG) in the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), internal oblique (IO) and lumbar portion of erector spinae (LES). Three prone plank conditions were randomly evaluated, varying the position of the cranio-cervical segment during the prone plank performance (NEUTRAL, FLEXION and EXTENSION). sEMG signals of each individual muscle, Total Intensity (TI) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were analysed with statistical significance set at P<0.05. FLEXION revealed significantly higher TI values compared to NEUTRAL and EXTENSION (p = 0.000; effect size (ES) > 0.90). The RA presented larger activation in FLEXION compared to the other variations (p < 0.05; ES >0.70). FLEXION elicited a greater response compared to NEUTRAL for both sides of EO when compared to EXTENSION, and also for both sides of IO compared to the other conditions. Both FLEXION and EXTENSION reported higher RPE values compared to NEUTRAL. Cranio-cervical segment position influenced the electromyographical activation of core musculature, showing highest values when performing prone plank in a cranio-cervical flexion.

Conjugative transposons in Gram-negative bacteria have a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance-conferring genes between bacteria. This study aims to genomically characterize plasmids and conjugative transposons carrying integrons in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Genetic composition of conjugative transposons and phenotypic assessment of 50 multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from Tertiary-care Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman was investigated. Horizontal transferability was investigated by filter- mating conjugation experiments. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to determine the sequence type (ST), acquired resistome and plasmidome of integron-carrying strains. Class 1 integron was detected in 96% of isolates and among integron-positive isolates, 18 stains contained variable regions. Horizontal transferability by conjugation confirmed the successful transfer of integrons between cells and WGS confirmed their presence in conjugative plasmids. Dihydrofolate reductase (dfrA14) was the most prevalent (34.8%) gene cassettes in class 1 integrons. MLST analysis detected predominantly ST-231 and ST-395. BlaOXA-232 and blaCTX-M-15 were the most frequently detected carbapenems and beta-lactamases in sequenced isolates. This study highlighted the high transmissibility of MDR-conferring conjugative plasmids in clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae. Therefore, the wise use of antibiotics and the adherence to effective infection control measures are necessary to limit further dissemination of multidrug-resistant organisms.

The functional capacity of the cervical spine plays a central role in healthy living. This study evaluated and created a comprehensive strength, range of motion (ROM), and musculoskeletal pain profile of the cervical spine in young adults. 60 physically active individuals (30 males/30 females; 19-24 year-old) participated in the study. Cervical ROM (forward flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation), maximal isometric strength (forward flexion, extension, lateral flexion), and musculoskeletal pains were assessed using an electronic goniometer, a handheld dynamometer, and the Nordic questionnaire, respectively. Data analysis revealed that: a) fe-males had higher ROM values, during extension and lateral flexion, than males (p<0.05), b) males had higher absolute strength values than females in all movement directions, higher rela-tive strength values/body mass (at forward flexion) and flexion/extension ratio values (p<0.05), c) ROM and strength values were not significantly different between right-left sides (p>0.05), d) a great proportion (43.3%) of the participants had cervical pains (no sex-related differences) and e) cervical strength showed significant small negative correlation with pains (p<0.05; r=-0.225 to -0.345). The reference values created may be used by health and fitness professionals to exten-sively evaluate the cervical spine and to design specific exercise programs for injury prevention and rehabilitation.

As abiotic stress, drought limits plant growth and minimizes productivity. The increased request for valuable essential oil extracted from geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L.) is mainly associated with plant growth, which is adversely affected by drought. Melatonin (MT) has been used to enhance plant growth under abiotic stress, however, its impact to overcome drought stress of aromatic plants including geranium is poorly investigated. In the current investigation, MT application at 100 µM was applied under 100 % (well-watered) or 50 % (drought stress) of FC to verify this role. Drought stress markedly reduced growth parameters, herb yield, and total chlorophyll; however, MT alleviated these effects. In contrast, drought enhanced the essential oil percentage in geranium leaves. Despite the reduction in oil yield caused by drought, MT application mitigated this reduction and improved both oil yield and oil components. Besides, MT treatment enhanced the accumulation of total phenols, glutathione, and proline and improved the activity of ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase with possible alleviation of drought-induced oxidative damage. Therefore, it reduced both H2O2 and malondialdehyde accumulation, and finally maintained membrane integrity. Overall, this is the first report that reveals that MT application can improve geranium resistance to drought by enhancing the antioxidant potential and protecting the cell membrane from oxidative damage.

Edward syndrome, clinically known as trisomy 18 syndrome, is an autosomal chromosomal disorder characterized by an extra copy of chromosome 18. It belongs to the category of autosomal trisomy syndromes and is the second most common, with trisomy 21 being the only more frequent occurrence. In the context of this research, we present a case study focusing on a 3-month-old female infant admitted to the emergency department due to a complex array of symptoms. The primary clinical manifestations included a persistent cough, cold, and fever lasting for eight consecutive days. Comprehensive clinical evaluations, encompassing radiological and hematological investigations, confirmed the diagnosis of bronchiolitis along with viral bronchopneumonia. Chest X-rays revealed bilateral patchy opacities and diffuse haziness, primarily concentrated in the right hemithorax. Beyond respiratory issues, the infant displayed a range of distinctive physical attributes, including low-set ears, micrognathia, cranial anomalies, flattened nasal bridge, widely spaced nipples, overlapping fingers, abdominal distention, rocker-bottom feet, and recurring limb deformities known as recurvatum. Attempts to correct the limb deformity with a hip spica cast over an extended month-long period proved unsuccessful. Chronic villus sampling (CVS) ultimately confirmed the presence of Edward Syndrome (Trisomy 18), linked to the extra chromosome 18, leading to diverse physiological and developmental abnormalities. This case underscores the critical importance of timely and precise diagnosis, highlighting the challenges involved in addressing complex medical conditions marked by multifaceted clinical phenotypes.

Bloodstream infection is a major health problem worldwide, with extremely high mortality. Detecting infection in the early stage is challenging due to the extremely low concentration of bacteria in the blood. Digital PCR provides unparalleled sensitivity and can achieve absolute quantification, but it is time-consuming. Moreover, the presence of unavoidable background signals in negative controls poses a significant challenge for single-molecule detection. Here, we propose a novel strategy called “Ultrafast flexible thin tube-based droplet digital PCR (utPCR)” that can shorten the digital PCR process from 2 hours to only 5 minutes, with primer annealing/extension time reduced from minutes to only 5 seconds. Importantly, the ultrafast PCR eliminates the nonspecific amplification and thus enables single-molecular detection. The utPCR enabled sensitive detection and digital quantification of E. coli O157 in the high background of 106-fold excess of E. coli K12 cells. Moreover, this method also displayed the potential to detect rare pathogens in blood samples, and the limit of detection (LOD) could be as low as 10 CFU per mL of blood without false positive results. Considering ultrafast (<5 min) and highly sensitive (single-molecule detection), the utPCR holds excellent prospects in the next generation of molecular diagnosis.

Global climate change, dominated by climate warming, is seriously affecting the balance of global ecosystems, but the risk of species extinction is particularly high in low-altitude mountain areas. To clarify the response of the endemic and critically endangered species Ilex nanchuanensis to climate change, this study used the MaxEnt model to simulate and predict the potential habitat of I. nanchuanensis during the Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, the current period, and two future periods (the 2050s and 2070s). The results showed that the hottest monthly minimum temperature is the most important climatic factor affecting the geographical distribution of I. nanchuanensis. Furthermore, I. nanchuanensis will be at risk of population shrinkage and extinction in the future, with the center of mass moving further northwest as concentrations of greenhouse gases increase, especially in the 2070s, when its geographical distribution shrinks the most under the RCP6 scenario. Global warming is causing habitat degradation for many species and will continue to migrate to higher altitudes and latitudes in the future, seriously affecting the global ecosystem balance. Therefore, to actively respond to the impacts of climate change, protected areas should be established around the geographical distribution centers of species, and core, buffer, and experimental areas should be scientifically and rationally delineated for the conservation and cultivation of germplasm resources.

Meals on Wheels (MoWs) provide access to daily meals and social contact to adults with care and support needs.MoWs could be essential for the increasing rates of an ageing population and adults living with complex needs in England, yet many do not know that the service exists. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of MoWs service users, and people who refer them to MoWs (‘referrers’), with accessing and setting up the service in England, and what information would be valued when considering accessing MoWs services.Semi-structured interviews were conducted in May-July 2022 with seven service users and 21 referrers, recruited from four MoWs providers across England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants indicated various pathways into the service, but referrers (family members) were more likely to be the ones enquiring about, and setting up, MoWs for service users. Once an enquiry about MoWs had been made, the service was perceived as straightforward to set up.However, existing preconceptions and stereotypes about the service (e.g. bringing to mind ‘school meals’, aimed solely at older adults) were perceived to act as barriers to accessing MoWs.Information that participants deemed important to have available when deciding on whether to access MoWs related to the meals (e.g. nutritional value, variety, need for any preparation, catering for individual needs), the specific services provided (e.g. wellbeing checks, daily social contact), the reliability and flexibility of delivery, and the cost of services. These findings could inform MoWs providers’ public awareness strategies about MoWs, in order to facilitate referrals to the service for adults with care and support needs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the emulsification properties of garlic water-soluble compounds (GWSC) after heat treatment (10 min at 95 °C) or pH adjustments (2.5, 3.5 and 7.8). After the various treatments, the extracts were used as such or filtrated (0.45 µm) and 10% soybean oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using low (0.48%) or high (6.55% wt/wt) extract concentrations. Whereas at low GWSC concentration, both heating or acidifying resulted in the formation of bigger oil droplet sizes (i.e. from d32=0.36 µm using unmodified extract, to d32=7–22 µm µm at pH 2.5 with or without extract filtration), the effects were opposite at the highest GWSC concentration. In the latter, heat treatment clearly reduced the droplet size as observed from the micrographs as well as the degree of creaming, though the occurrence of depletion and/or bridging flocculation was still strong. The acidification of the extract at this high GWSC concentration, significantly reduced the droplet size as observed from the micrographs but a strong flocculation was observed. Removal of protein aggregates, and possibly also saponin micelles from the extract, resulted in an obvious increase in emulsion droplet size. This research brings valuable insights on the study and utilisation of novel natural food emulsifiers from plant sources.

Defining the best conditions for the initial development of native species is one of the significant challenges to forest production. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate andiroba's physiological behavior and growth (Carapa guianensis Aubl.) seedlings at different shading levels. In a nursery seedling, C. guianensis seedlings grew on 0, 30, 50, and 70% shading, obtained with polyethylene screens. We measured at six plants per treatment. For the physiological data we measurement four times the total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a/b ratio, maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), maximum potential photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi), and carbon use efficiency (CUE), besides the growth parameters. While for growth rates parameters we developed six evaluation for as leaf area ratio (LAF), relative growth rates (RGR), and net assimilation rate (NAR). Chlorophyll content and Fv/Fm were inversely proportional to the light intensity. The other physiological and growth parameters showed better behavior in shaded environments, emphasizing the 50% treatment, with no significant difference between the 30% shading treatment. Therefore, the C. guianensis seedlings present growth plasticity under different shading levels, and we recommended producing seedlings at 50 or 30% shading.

A form of dementia distinct from healthy cognitive aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex multi-stage disease that currently afflicts over 50 million people worldwide. Unfortunately, previous therapeutic strategies developed from murine models emulating different aspects of AD pathogenesis have failed. Consequently, researchers are now developing models that express several aspects of pathogenesis that better reflect the clinical situation in humans. As such, this review seeks to provide insight regarding current applications of mammalian models in AD research by addressing recent developments and characterizations of prominent transgenic models and their contributions to pathogenesis as well as discuss the advantages, limitations, and application of emerging models (hAβ-KI) that better capture genetic heterogeneity and mixed pathologies observed in the clinical situation.

This article is the first part of a scientific project under the general title "Geometrized Vacuum Physics". This study is based on two main postulates: 1) independence of the propagation velocity of electromagnetic waves in vacuum from their frequency; 2) the constancy of the averaged zero vacuum balance, associated with the assertion that only mutually opposite formations are born from vacuum, so that on average they completely compensate for each other's manifestations. In this part of the "Geometrized Vacuum Physics" the foundations of the Algebra of Stignatures are laid, which is the mathematical and logical foundation of the entire project. In the next articles of this project it will be shown that the Algebra of Stignatures can be used for the development of "zero" (vacuum) technologies, algebraic genetics, vacuum cosmology, the vacuum standard model of "elementary particles", vacuum gravity and levitation, vacuum energy, ethics and aesthetics and many other branches of knowledge. At the end of this article, one of the many possible applications of the Algebra of Stignatures is given, in particular, the basics of the stignature-spectral analysis are outlined, with the help of which the possibilities of communication channels can be significantly expanded.

In recent years the yield of fruits and vegetables have been decreasing in Colombia, threatening national food security. Analysis of crop production data may lead to identifying cropping systems that have shown better adaptability to changes in climatic and non-climatic factors associated with agricultural production. The open database AGRONET keeps data of the agricultural activities conducted in Colombia, allowing to find the information organized by crops, regions and years; each row of the database registers farm information in Colombia. Aiming to identify resilient crops systems, agricultural data of fruits and vegetables were analyzed. First, trends in crop production were studied by year and locations, detecting the regions and crops with highest yields in the period from 2006 until 2020. Then, mixed linear regression and principal components analysis were applied to elucidate the relation between non-climatic factors and crop yield. In Colombia, vegetable production was more efficient than fruits, observing yields of 10.23 and 13.33 t ha^-1, respectively. On the other hand, the Colombian central region showed high yields for vegetables, while for fruits this was exhibited in northern and eastern locations. In the present study, yield variation responded to changes in the location of crop systems, while years had no effect on vegetable production. Furthermore, the price of the agricultural product and the cost of fertilizers were associated with the yield of the analyzed crops systems. In Colombia, carrot, cabbage, tomato papaya and pineapple are resilient crops whose yield increases especially by the regions where they are cultivated.

Despite air pollution being a leading cause of health issues in developing nations, public awareness and understanding of local air quality remains notably low. The present study assesses the perception, attitude, and environmental knowledge of local air pollution among adult urban residents (n=870) in a city with leading air pollution rates among cities of emerging economies: Astana, Kazakhstan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to investigate the causal relationship between perceived air quality, environmental literacy, and willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental protection. Findings indicate over 40% of residents neither consider the city being highly polluted nor recognize the association between air quality and adverse health outcomes, correlated with a generally low level of environmental literacy. The age, education, and health status of the participants significantly affected (p&lt;.001) their level of environmental knowledge and awareness. The SEM analysis indicates that knowledge is the major determinant in improving public awareness and perception of local air pollution (path value=0.626). Moreover, a close association between WTP and environmental attitude was also evident (path value=0.533). The findings of the present study may provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals, environmental researchers, and governmental institutions for implementing more effective public interventions to protect local air quality.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require collaboration among academia, indus-try, citizens, public administration and politics. Analysis and monitoring of the SDGs is a deci-sive step in evaluating possible corrective actions. In this regard, this paper assesses the perfor-mance of Italian regions in 2021 compared to the values recorded in 2020. An online survey among academics aims to support Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) choices, which aims to calculate a sustainability score for Italian regions. The results, based on 27 targets, show that the northern regions show better performance, with the province of Trento topping the list. This is followed by Valle d'Aosta and the province of Bolzano, confirming the trio that emerged in the previous year. A very interesting fact is the growth of the central regions, which overall tend to reach a value close to that of the northern regions. In particular, Toscana, Marche and Lazio stand out for a good performance. It is also confirmed that the southern regions occupy the last places in the ranking with the only excep-tion being Abruzzo. The implications of this paper move toward a pragmatic approach that goes beyond the ideological in order to arrive at solutions and projects that are viewed with sharing by stake-holders. There is a need to foster collaboration between different territorial realities in order to achieve a social community in which young people have a role in which they can grow and share their ideas. Made in Italy is a target on which to enhance the SDGs to help make the Medi-terranean area a crossroads of the future global economy.

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

Soil moisture plays a crucial role in various hydrological processes and energy partitioning of the global surface. The Soil Moisture Active Passive-Sentinel (SMAP-Sentinel) remote sensing technology has demonstrated a great potential in monitoring soil moisture at a scale greater than 1 km. This capability can be applied to improve weather forecast accuracy, enhance water management for agriculture, and climate-related disasters. Despite the techniques increasing used worldwide, its accuracy still requires field validation in specific regions like Thailand. In this paper, we report on extensive in-situ monitoring of soil moisture (from surface up to 1 m depth) at 10 stations across Thailand spanning the years 2021 to 2023. The aim was to validate SMAP surface soil moisture (SSM) Level 2 product over a period of two years. Using one month averaging approach, the study revealed linear relationships between the two measurement types, with the coefficient of determination (R-squared) varying from 0.13 to 0.58. Notably, areas with more uniform land use and topography such as croplands tended to have a better coefficient of determination. We also conducted detailed soil core characterization, including soil-water retention curves, permeability, porosity, and other physics properties. These soil properties were then used for estimating the correlation constants between SMAP and in-situ soil moistures using multiple linear regression. The results demonstrated R-squared values between 0.933 and 0.847. An upscaling approach of SMAP was proposed which showed a promising results when using 3-month average of all measurements in cropland together. The finding also suggest that the SMAP-Sentinel remote sensing technology exhibits significant potential for accurate soil moisture monitoring in diverse applications. Further validation efforts and research, particularly in terms of root zone depths and area-based assessments, especially in the agricultural sector, can greatly improve the technology’s effectiveness and usefulness in the region.

This study proposes a redesign of asymmetric single-chamber microbial fuel cells (a-SCMFC) with the goal of optimizing energy production. The new approach is based on the introduction of an Intermediate Microfluidic Septum (IMS) as a relatively simple and inexpensive method to opti-mize both electrolyte flow and species transfer inside the devices. SCMFCs with the novel IMS, operated with sodium acetate as the carbon source, demonstrate to enhance the energy recovery (Erec) factor, defined as the ratio between the energy yield and the inner volume of electrolyte. In standard operative conditions, cells with IMS exhibit Erec value of (37±1) J/m3, with respect to (3.0±0.3) J/m3 of control cells. Furthermore, changing sodium acetate concentration the Erec values change accordingly. By monitoring the activity of a-SCMFCs for over one-year, beneficial impact of the IMS on both the initial inoculation phase and the long-term stability of electrical perfor-mance were observed. These improvements suggest the effectiveness of IMS to allow the de-velopment of efficient biofilms, likely due to the reduction in oxygen diffusion towards the anode. Electrochemical characterizations confirm that the presence of the IMS impacts the diffusion processes inside the electrolytic chamber, supporting the hypothesis of a beneficial effect on oxygen diffusion.

In order to solve the problem of many constraints and complex navigation environment in the path planning of unmanned surface vehicle(USV), an improved Sparrow search algorithm com-bining Cubic chaotic map and Gaussian random walk strategy was proposed to plan it. Firstly, in the population initialization stage, Cubic chaotic map was used to replace the random generation method of the traditional sparrow search algorithm to optimize the uneven initial distribution of the population and improve the global search ability of the population. Secondly, in the late it-eration of the algorithm, the standard deviation of fitness is introduced to determine whether the population is trapped in the local optimum. If true, the Gaussian random walk strategy is used to perturb the optimal individual and assist the algorithm to escape the local optimum. Thirdly, the chosen water environment is modeled, and the navigation information of the original inland electronic navigation chart(ENC) is preprocessed, gridized, and the obstacle swelling is processed. Finally, the path planning experiments of USV are carried out in inland ENC grid environment. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional sparrow search algorithm, the average fitness value of the path planned by improved sparrow search algorithm is reduced by 14.8%, and the variance is reduced by 49.9%. The path planned by the algorithm is of good quality and high stability, and combined with ENC, it can provide a reliable path for USV.

The time-dependent behavior and long-term stability of deep-buried tunnels in soft rocks have received lots of considerations in tunnel engineering and allied sciences. To better explore and deepen the engineering application of rock creep, extensive research studies are still needed, although fruitful outcomes have already obtained in many related investigations. In this article, the Weilai Tunnel in China’s Guangxi province is studied taking its host rocks as the main research object. In fact, aiming at forecasting the time-varying deformation of this tunnel, a novel elasto-visco-plastic creep constitutive model with two variants is proposed, by exploiting the typical complex load-unload process of rock excavation. The model is well validated and good agreements are found with the relevant experimental data. Moreover, the time-dependent de-formation rules are properly established for the surrounding rocks, by designing two new closed-form solutions based on the proposed creep model and the Hoek-Brown criterion. The convergence deformations calculated from the closed-form solutions conform well to the on-site monitoring data. In only 27 days after excavation, the creep deformation of the Weilai tunnel overtakes 400 mm, which is enormous. To guarantee the long-term stability of this tunnel, a ro-bust support scheme and its long-term monitoring with appropriate remote sensors are strongly suggested.

This work introduces an approach to investigate the existence of zeros for holomorphic complex functions, defined on open and simply connected subdomains of C, in a systematic and direct way. This is achieved by means of the theory of dynamical systems (Poincar\'e index) and the perception that a zero of a specific complex function is an equilibtium for the associated dynamical system. The logical basis of proof is to find the mathematical expression for the Poincaré index of the vector field associated to the function under study, assuming the existence of a zero, and investigating the consequences. Depending on the value of the index, an inconsistency may occur, establishing a contradiction.

Polymorphism of vitamin D3 receptor (VDR), has been associated with low bone mineral density and other immune and metabolic disorders; however, its impact on mortality of female dialysis patients is not well studied. This study aimed to identify bone mass-related factors, VDR gene polymorphism, and their interaction with morbid conditions that could influence all-cause mortality. In 246 female dialysis patients, age 43±11 years on continuous ambulatory dialysis peritoneal; 48%, haemodialysis; 23% and automated peritoneal dialysis; 29%. Tscore, Ca, PO4, albumin, hs-CRP, osteoprotegerin, fetuin, osteocalcin, iPTH, PINP and β-CTx were measured. PCR products were digested with Bsml to analyze VDR polymorphisms. Patients n=229; were followed for a median of 17 (15-31) months; 42 patients died. Bsml polymorphism, bb=64% and BB+Bb=36%. Hs-CRP was the risk of death in multivariate Cox Analysis. Patients with bb and inflammation had a higher risk of death (HR 2.48, 95% CI 1.08-5.68) persisted after adjustment for age, diabetes and iPTH (HR 2.33; 95% CI, 1.01-8.33) and after further adjustment for vintage, albumin, osteoprotegerin and vitamin D therapy (HR 3.49; 95% CI, 1.20-10.9). We may conclude that the presences of the bb genotype of VDR and inflammation have additive effects on all cause-mortality in females in CAPD, APD, and HD patients.

Using the local bijectivity of Keller maps, we give a proof of two-dimensional Jacobian conjecture.

Demonstrating biosimilarity entails comprehensive analytical evaluations, clinical pharmacolo-gy profiling, and efficacy testing for at least one medical indication in patients. These require-ments are stipulated by the U.S. Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA). The costliest element—efficacy testing—can be waived if other compliance benchmarks are satisfied, including comparing functional pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarkers, even when they do not di-rectly correlate with clinical outcomes. Most biological drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), lack identifiable PD biomarkers. The FDA has employed various 'omics' technologies to identify potential PD biomarkers, including proteomics, glycomics, transcriptomics, genomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics. Although these efforts provide a robust scientific basis for estab-lishing biosimilarity, they are neither practical nor necessarily superior to existing functional biomarkers, such as receptor binding and mode-of-action outcomes. As we report for the first time, these functional biomarkers can effectively serve as PD indicators for all FDA-licensed bio-logical drugs. We recommend that the FDA consider officially listing these functional biomarkers to expedite and reduce the cost of biosimilar development, thereby increasing the accessibility of biological drugs. PD surrogates, like the receptor binding and pharmacokinetic profiles, are more robust and offer a rational solution to finding PD markers to compare for establishing biosimi-larity.

This overview of extant Siphonaptera lists 19 families with major hosts and general distribution, estimated numbers of genera, species, and subspecies, with a brief taxonomic and phylogenetic review. With around 10 new species described annually, global flea fauna has an estimated extant 249 genera, 2215 species, and 714 subspecies, mostly mammal parasites but 5% of species are on birds. Host specificity varies from euryxenous (i.e. infesting two or more host orders)(e.g. cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis felis) to monoxenous (e.g. rabbit fleas, Spilopsyllus cuniculi) . The largest family is the paraphyletic Hystrichopsyllidae, making up a third of all flea species. The largest monophyletic family, Ceratophyllidae (rodent and bird fleas), comprise another 20%, and has dispersed to every continent including Antarctica. Fleas descend from scorpionflies (Mecoptera), possibly snow scorpionflies (Boreidae) or Nannochoristidae, and even giant fossils found from the Mesozoic could be Siphonaptera. Flea diversification shows evidence of taxon cycles: "Relict" families such as helmet fleas (Stephanocircidae) have a disjunct distribution reflecting the breakup of Gondwanaland, 70 million years ago. "Niche specialists" include nest fleas (Anomiopsyllus), bat fleas (Ischnopsyllidae), and burrowing fleas, the chigoes (Tungidae). By contrast, Ceratophyllidae fleas could be considered "great speciators". Cat fleas and several other synanthropic flea species are invasive "supertramps". Although those species are intensively studied, many flea species and their hosts require urgent surveys and conservation.

When training deep neural networks tasks, the most popular choices are cross-entropy loss. On the other hand, in general speaking, a decent loss function can take on shapes that are considerably more flexible and ought to be adapted for different activities and datasets. In most of the classification tasks, generally if the true class is not correctly recognized by the network (top1), that class is placed among the five classes with the highest probability (top5). This shows that the network does not necessarily recognize the correct class with a low probability, but a class similar to it (such as 3 vs. 8 in mnist) assigns a higher probability and this causes a mistake in that task. Accordingly, we proposed a loss function deals with the error of class that the neural network incorrectly recognized as correct, in addition to the correct class error. We call our proposed loss as False Positive Loss (FPL), with the intention of viewing and designing loss functions not only through the utilization of true class but also through the utilization of the value of false positive classes. One of the core properties of our proposed loss is full adaptability, which makes False Positive Loss be fully capable of getting reformulated by using other widely used loss functions formulas based on the task or the need of the users. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that our suggested loss function outperforms other well-known losses on a variety of tasks and datasets. As can be observed, the performance of our False Positive Loss is superior to that of the cross-entropy loss when it comes to tasks involving 2D picture classification. We have compared our loss with cross entropy as the most common classification loss function on some models (such as ResNet-18, ResNet-50 and Efficientnet-V2) through classification known as a basic computer vision task. with both random or pre-trained initial weights. As a result, in some cases the models with our loss outperform the same tasks with cross entropy from the viewpoint of some metric (i.e. accuracy and FP). For example, the resnet-50 on cifar-10 dataset with random initialization indicated a top1 accuracy of 94.93 with cross entropy and 95.25 with our loss, while for top5 accuracy the results are 99.86 and 99.87, respectively.

Background: It is known that Preeclampsia affects the lactogenesis. However, data on effects of this pathology on the human milk neurobiomarkers composition are not available. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of this gestational pathology on Activin A levels, a neurobi-omarker known to play an important role in the development and protection of the central nerv-ous system. Methods: The women recruited were divided in two different study groups: preeclamptic or normotensive women. All the human milk samples were collected using the same procedure. Activin A was quantified using an ELISA test. To investigate the effect of Preeclampsia on the Activin A concentration in the 3 lactation phases, mixed linear model with unistructural covariance structure, mother as random effect, and fixed effects were performed. Results: Activin A was detected in all samples. There were no significant differences between Preeclamptic and Normotensive women. The only significant effect is related to the lactation phase: it is significant the difference between colostrum and mature milk (p<0.01). In conclusion these results allow us to affirm that breast milk beneficial properties are maintained even if preeclampsia occurs.

Algologists and neurologists play a significant role in management of headache. The study aimed to compare the headache management approaches of algologist and neurologists and evaluate the impact of telehealth education on their practices. A questionnaire was developed and sent to algologists and neurologists through social media and email. Demographic information, diagnostic and treatment approaches to a headache case, and the impact of telehealth education were evaluated 82 algologists and 97 neurologists completed the survey. There was no significant difference between diagnosis. However, the examination methods differed, with the neurologists relying on history and the algologists suggesting further investigations. Both groups agreed on the application of prophylaxis treatment, with botulinum toxin administration and classical prophylactic agents being accepted in both groups. The newest preventive treatment method was used more frequently in the Neurologists. Participants reported that online meetings had a positive impact on their daily practices, with 48% stating that they were reflected in their practice. Those who attended online meetings marked more up- to-date treatment options such as CGRP antagonists and Botulinum toxin. The study showed that algologists and neurologists had similar approaches to headache management, with differences in examination methods and the use of newer preventive treatment methods. Telehealth education had a positive impact on the participants, improving their knowledge of up-to-date treatment options.

Here we will model the curvature and contraction of space-time using as a basis the equation of state of an ideal gas and the Hawking´s equation for the temperature of a black hole. We will use this mathematical model to hypothesize that the Boltzmann´s constant depends on the state of matter, that is, there is a known Boltzmann´s constant for flat space-time and an effective Boltzmann´s constant for curved space-time. This model will allow us to quantify the structure of space-time and will serve as a basis to determine the origin of gravity and the origin of elementary particles. Using the Shannon-Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy relation, we will demonstrate that information is not lost and depends on the state of matter, the information is encoded and depends on the effective Boltzmann´s constant.

Throughout the world, salinity is a major environmental issue that limits agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. In addition, climate change is the most important reason for the salinization of agricultural soils in the world, so it is now essential to find solutions to increase salinity tolerance in plants. This study investigated the potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation to enhance the growth and yield performances of flax under different salinity levels by conducting a pot experiment. The experiment was laid out in a two-factor completely randomized design including AMF inoculation (AMF+: with and AMF-: without inoculation) and irrigation water salinity (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl). According to the results, it is evident that salt stress caused negative physiological effects, including limited growth, reduced photosynthesis, and decreased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content in shoots and roots of flax plants. Moreover, mycorrhizal association improved the salt tolerance of the plants by increasing chlorophyll content, enhancing N and P shoot and root contents, and consequently yield parameters, such as seed, and stem fiber yield, particularly at moderate salt concentrations (50 and 100 mM NaCl). As a result of using AMF, flax plants grown under salt stress exhibited tolerance, suggesting that AMF could be applied in saline environments to maintain ecological stability.

Given the broad and intense use of plastic, society is being increasingly affected by its degradation and by-products, particularly by microplastics (MPs) -fragments smaller than 5 mm in size-, and nanoplastics (NPs) -with sizes less than 1 µm. MPs and NPs may enter the body primarily through inhalation, consumption, and skin contact. Once ingested, MPs can penetrate tissues, deviating to other parts of the body, and hence potentially affecting important cellular pathways such as nonconforming chemokine receptors that control the communication between the fetus and the mother. Consequently, the potential health harm induced by MP internalization is a major issue, evidenced by multiple studies demonstrating harmful consequences in diverse animal models and human cells. Here, an overview of the various modes of exposure to MPs and NPs is presented, including inhalation, placental transfer, ingestion, breastmilk consumption, and skin absorption, as well as placental and fetal toxicity due to plastic particles based on animal and in vitro studies. Though MPs in our environment are becoming more recognized, their developmental toxicity is still scarcely known. Besides negatively affecting pregnancy, MPs and NPs have been shown to potentially harm the developing fetus, given their ability to cross the placental barrier. Still, considerable gaps remain in our understanding of the dispersion and toxicity of these particles in the environment, as well as the precise types of NPs and MPs bearing the greatest dangers. As a result, we advocate for larger-scale epidemiological investigations, the development of novel approaches for measuring NP and MP exposures, and the necessity of understanding the toxicity of various kinds of NPs to guide future research efforts.

In the framework of mean field approximation, we consider a spin system consisting of two interacting sub-ensembles: spins interactions with in each sub-ensemble are ferromagnetic, while the inter-ensemble interactions are antiferromagnetic. We define the effective number of the nearest neighbors, and show that if the two sub-ensembles have the same effective number of the nearest neighbors, the classical form of critical exponents (, , , ) gives way to the non-classical form (, , , ), and the scaling function changes simultaneously. We demonstrate that this system allows for two second-order phase transitions and two first-order phase transitions. We observe that an external magnetic field does not destroy the phase transitions, but only shifts their critical points, allowing for control of the system’s parameters. We discuss the regime when the magnetization as a function of the magnetic field develops a low-magnetization plateau, and show that the height of this plateau abruptly rises to the value of one when the magnetic field reaches a critical value. Our analytical results are supported by a Monte Carlo simulation of a three-dimensional layered model.

Influenza A (IAV) is a major human respiratory pathogen, causing illness, hospitalizations, and mortality annually worldwide. IAV is also a zoonotic pathogen with a multitude of hosts, allowing for interspecies transmission, reassortment events, and the emergence of novel pandemics, as was seen in 2009 with the emergence of a swine origin H1N1 (pdmH1N1) virus into humans, causing the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. While the 2009 pandemic was considered to have high morbidity and low mortality, studies have linked the pdmH1N1 virus and its gene segments to increased disease in humans and animal models. Genetic components of the pdmH1N1 virus currently circulate in the swine population, reassorting with endemic swine viruses that co-circulate and occasionally spillover into humans. This is evidenced by the regular detection of variant swine IAVs in humans associated with state fairs and other intersections of humans and swine. Defining genetic changes that support species adaptation, virulence, and cross-species transmission, as well as mutations that enhance or attenuate these features will improve our understanding of influenza biology, aid in surveillance and virus risk assessment, and guide the establishment of counter measures for emerging viruses. Here, we review current understanding of determinants of specific IAV phenotypes, focusing on the fitness, transmission, and virulence determinants that have been identified in swine IAVs and/or in relation to the 2009 pdmH1N1 virus.

This study presents a novel polyurethane-activated carbon composite (PACC) as an effective and sustainable adsorbent for treating lead-ion-contaminated waters. The PACC was characterized using SEM-EDX, FTIR, BET, XRD, and TGA to evaluate its physicochemical and thermal properties. Furthermore, the PACC was employed in an experimental column adsorption setup to investigate its adsorption performance and to develop a dynamic method suitable for industrial implementation. Parameters such as bed height (50, 100, 150 mm), flow rate (4, 6, 8 mL min-1), pH (2, 4, 6), and initial metal ion concentrations (10, 50, 100 mg L-1) were examined. The experimental data exhibited strong agreement with the Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models (R2 ≥ 0.96), indicating efficient adsorption mechanisms. Remarkably, the depleted adsorbent has the potential for facile regeneration without substantial loss in capacity. The PACC demonstrated excellent adsorption performance for lead ions in aqueous solutions in a fixed-bed column system. Thus, the novel PACC material holds potential for scalable application in industrial settings to address water pollution challenges, especially in regions with uncontrolled effluent discharge.

The aim of this systematic review was to describe clinical and genetic features of syndromes showing oligodontia as a sign. The review was performed according to the PRISMA 2020 checklist guidelines, and the search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, Web of science, Livivo and EMBASE and supplemented by a gray literature search on Google Scholar and ProQuest, applying key terms relevant to the research questions. The systematic review identified 49 types of syndromes in 91 studies, and the most common was hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which was reported in 24 patients in 22 studies. Other commonest syndromes that reported oligodontia included Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, Witkop’s syndrome, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, blepharocheilodontic syndrome and oculo-facio-cardio-dental syndrome. The X-linked mode of inheritance was the most reported (n=14 studies), followed by the autosomal dominant (n=11 studies). The review describes the main syndromes that may have oligodontia as a clinical sign and reinforce the need of oro-dental-facial examining for adequate diagnosis and treatment of the affected patients. Molecular analysis in order to better understand the occurrence of oligodontia is imperative.

Although the frequency of myocarditis in the general population is very difficult to accurately determine due to the large number of asymptomatic cases, the incidence of this disease is increasing significantly due to better defined criteria for diagnosis and the development of modern diagnostic method. The multitude of different etiological factors, the diversity of the clinical picture and the variability of the diagnostic findings make this disease often demanding both for the selection of the diagnostic modality and for the proper therapeutic approach. The previously known most common viral etiology of this disease is today overshadowed by new findings based on immune-mediated processes, associated diseases that in their natural course can lead to myocardial involvement, but also the iatrogenic cause of myocarditis due to use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of cancer patients. Suspecting that a patient with polymorphic and non-specific clinical signs and symptoms, changes in ECG and echocardiography has myocarditis is the starting point in the diagnostic algorithm. Cardio magnetic resonance imaging is non-invasive diagnostic gold standard for diagnosis and clinical follow-up of thses patients. Endomyocardial biopsy as an invasive method is the diagnostic choice in life-threatening patients with suspicion of fulminant myocarditis where the diagnosis has not yet established or there is no adequate response to the applied therapeutic regimen. The treatment of myocarditis is increasingly demanding and includes conservative methods of treating heart failure, immunomodulatory and immunospressive therapy, methods of mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. The goal of developing new diagnostic and therapeutic methods is to reduce mortality from this complex disease, which is still high.

Background: Since 2000, vaccine coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has surpassed multiple milestones. Its contribution to global health, especially in low-middle-income countries is one of the achievements in global governance of modern medicine, averting 2-3 million child deaths every year. However, in Nigeria, vaccine-preventable-diseases still account for one in eight child deaths before their fifth-year birthday and remains one of the ten countries where 4.3 million children under five are without complete immunization. The reasons for declining childhood vaccine demand are unclear. Therefore, the goal of this contribution is to shed light on the reasons to set a foundation for future interventions. Methods: Four focus group discussions were conducted. The primary targets were mothers of children 0 – 12 months old in Nigeria. A simplified quota sampling approach was used to select mothers in four geographical clusters of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. At least six mothers from each cluster were randomly included, giving a total of 24 participants. An interview guide developed from the 5C psychological antecedence model was used (assessing confidence, complacency, calculation, constraints, collective responsibility); two additional variables were included that had proved meaningful in previous work (religion and masculinity). The data were analyzed using meta-aggregation approach such as framework synthesis, which summarized data in a stepwise fashion. Results: The sample was generally relatively positive towards vaccination. Still, mothers reported low trust in vaccine safety and the healthcare system (confidence). Yet, they had great interest in seeking additional information during antenatal visits (calculation), difficulties in prioritizing vaccination over other equally competing priorities (constraints) and were aware that vaccination translates into overall community health and wellbeing (collective responsibility). They had a bias towards God as ultimate giver of good health (religion) and reported that their husbands played a dominant role in vaccination decision-making (masculinity). Mothers perceived their children vulnerable to disease outbreaks, which motivated them to get them vaccinated (complacency). Conclusion: The 5C model and the added determinants provided a useful qualitative tool for understanding mothers’ vaccination decision-making in low resources settings.

Fractional differential systems have received much attention in recent decades likely due to its powerful ability in modeling memory processes, which are mostly observed in real world. Fractional models have been widely investigated and applied in many fields such as physics, biochemistry, electrical engineering, continuum and statistical mechanics. It is shown by many researchers that fractional derivatives can provide more accurate models than integer order derivatives do. Obviously, bang-bang property is of a significant importance in optimal control theory. In this paper a Bang-Bang property and time-optimal control problem for time-Fractional Differential System (FDS) is under consideration. First we formulate our problem and we prove the existence theorem. We state and prove the bang-bang theorem. Finally we give the optimality conditions that characterized the optimal control. Some illustrate applications are given to clarify our results.

In the development of a digital twin (DT) for hydropower turbines, dynamic modeling of the system (e.g., penstock, turbine, speed control) is crucial, along with all the necessary data interface, virtualization, and dashboard designs. Since the DT must mimic the actual dynamics of the hydropower turbine accurately, adaptive learning is required to train these dynamic models online so that the models in the DT can effectively follow the representation of the actual hydropower turbine dynamics accurately and reliably. This study presents an adaptive learning method for obtaining the hydropower turbine models for DT development of hydropower systems using recursive least squares algorithm. To simplify the formulation, the hydropower turbine under consideration was assumed to operate near a fixed operating point, where the system dynamics can be well represented by a set of linear differential equations with constant parameters. In this context, the well-known six-coefficient model for the Francis turbine was formulated as the starting point to obtain input and output models for the turbine. Then, an adaptive learning mechanism was developed to learn model parameters using the real-time data from a hydropower turbine testing system. This led to a semi-physical modeling in which the first principles and data-driven modeling are integrated to produce dynamic models for the DT development. Applications to a pilot system at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) were made, and the models learned adaptively using the data collected from the university’s pilot system. Desired modeling and validation results were obtained.

We compare the well known Rayleigh-Ritz variational method (RRVM) with a recently proposed approach based on supersymmetric quantum mechanics and the Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization method (SSQMGS). We apply both procedures to a particular class of double-well harmonic oscillators that had been conveniently chosen for the application of the latter approach. The RRVM eigenvalues converge smoothly from above providing much more accurate results with less computational effort. Present results show that the unproved SSQMGS upper bounds do not hold.

Cyclodextrin (CD) is made up of 7 glucose molecules linked in a ring, creating a cone shape. Its interior can house hydrophobic molecules while the exterior is hydrophilic enough to interact with water molecules. Until now, this feature has been used for the development of active and intelligent packaging applied to food, interacting with the product or its environment to improve one or more aspects of its quality or safety. As well, it is used to provide information on monitoring the time in which food is optimal for consumption, an aspect considered very important for the consumer and for the merchant. A known problem with some of these types of packaging is that the bioactive compounds that are housed in the CD can interact with food and can modify its taste, smell, color and/or texture. Therefore, this review will focus on discerning which packaging is most appropriate for each situation.

Abstract: The glucocorticoid receptor (GR), including both alternative spliced isoforms (GRa and GRb), has been implicated in the development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and iatrogenic glucocorticoid-induced glaucoma (GIG). POAG is the most common form of glaucoma, which is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the world. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are commonly used therapeutically for ocular and numerous other diseases/conditions. One serious side effect of prolonged GC therapy is the development of iatrogenic secondary ocular hypertension (OHT) and OAG (i.e. GC-induced glaucoma (GIG)) that clinically and pathologically mimics POAG. GC-induced OHT is caused by pathogenic damage to the trabecular meshwork (TM), a tissue involved in regulating aqueous humor outflow and intraocular pressure. TM cells derived from POAG eyes (GTM cells) have lower expression of GRb, a dominant negative regulator of GC activity, compared to TM cells from age-matched control eyes. Therefore, GTM cells have a greater pathogenic response to GCs. Almost all POAG patients develop GC-OHT when treated with GCs, in contrast to a GC responder rate of 40% in the normal population. Increased expression of GRb can block GC-induced pathogenic changes in TM cells and reverse GC-OHT in mice. Endogenous expression of GRb in the TM may relate to differences in the development of GC-OHT among the normal population. A number of studies have suggested increased levels of endogenous cortisol in POAG patients as well as differences in cortisol metabolism, suggesting that GCs may be involved in the development of POAG. Additional studies are warranted to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in POAG and GIG in order to develop new disease modifying therapies to better treat these two sight threatening forms of glaucoma.

Crocin, a glycoside carotenoid showing several health benefits, is mainly obtained from saffron (Crocus sativus L.), whose quality and content of phytochemicals can be strongly affected by environmental conditions. Therefore, in this work, the crocin content and the in vitro antioxidant activity of saffron extracts obtained from three different varieties (Greek, Sicilian, and Iranian saffron) were assessed. Crocin content in saffron extracts was quantified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity of saffron extracts was evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging test. The Maillard reaction was used to assess the anti-glycation activity. Although the Sicilian and Iranian saffron extracts contained higher amounts of crocin compared to the Greek one, ORAC values and % NO inhibition were higher for the Greek variety that showed a total phenolic content about two-fold greater than that of the other two extracts. Sicilian and Greek saffron had similar anti-glycation activities, while the Iranian saffron was less effective. These results suggest that the antioxidant activity of saffron extracts could be ascribed to their naturally occurring complex mixture of phytochemicals, deserving further investigations as supplement to prevent pathological conditions induced by radical species.

The laser sintering process and modification of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) YSZ coatings on YSZ air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were investigated. Ni-based superalloy was plasma sprayed using yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to perform thermal barrier coating with 400 μm thickness. The electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique was used for depositing nanopowder of YSZ on the surface of YSZ TBCs. In this study, a technology of direct sintering the green EPD layer by laser beam was carried out. The best conditions of deposition YSZ overlay coating using DC current were obtained with applied voltage 40 V, deposition time 5 min, and suspension concentration 10 g/l. Iodine was added to the solutions as the stabilizing agent. To overcome the disadvantages of high sintering temperatures, laser sintering was taken as a new approach. Microstructures for all specimens were studied using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) with EDS analysis. Surface roughness was investigated using AFM analysis and central line average (CLA). The results indicated that the morphology after the direct laser sintering of the EPD layer has a fine and controllable grain size, high hardness, and low roughness. Which is better than the direct laser on plasma-sprayed coatings.

Catalase can decompose hydrogen peroxide in plants under controlled and stressed condi-tions. In a stressed environment, the increase in hydrogen peroxide production makes catalase activity a major defense system for plant growth. The current study was conducted to evaluate the catalase activity of pre-isolated and identified bacterial strains Bacillus aryabhattai (AN30), Bacillus megaterium (AN24), Bacillus megaterium (AN31) and Bacillus megaterium (AN35) and their potential for rice seedlings growth promotion. These strains were characterized for quantita-tive catalase, urease, siderophores, and exopolysaccharides production using LB media. Sub-sequently, the effectiveness of these strains was checked by quantifying the catalase activity in the rhizosphere of rice seedlings. Furthermore, the catalase activity was quantified in the roots and shoots of rice seedlings. Plant growth parameters were also studied in a growth room trial. The strain AN24 showed the maximum catalase activity (1.36 mol cm-1), urease ac-tivity (1.35 mol cm 1), exopolysaccharides (4.20 µg mL-1), and siderophores (2.32%) production in LB media. All tested strains showed significantly higher catalase activity in soil compared to control. Among sole application, strain AN24 showed better results; however, consortium application of strains AN24+AN30+AN35+AN31 showed the maximum increase in catalase ac-tivity in the rhizosphere of rice seedlings. Moreover, consortium application of AN24+AN30+AN31+AN35 resulted in the highest increase in catalase activity, dry biomass of shoots and roots, shoot and root length of rice seedlings. The results showed that a consortium of these Bacillus strains with catalase activity has greater potential to enhance an antioxidant defense system and growth promotion of rice seedlings. However, further experimentation under natural conditions is required before using these strains as potential bioinoculants for improving the rice growth and yield.

Considering the aging society and budget constraints, a strategy for reforming public transportation welfare policies is essential for sustainability. Among the various transportation welfare policies, fare discount policies are provided to specific age groups, and most countries offer benefits to several public transportation. South Korea provides a fare-free policy limited to subways, and the need for policy modification is emerging due to sustainability problems caused by an aging society. Hence, the scope of the policy should be expanded to all travel modes, but the discount rate should be reduced, or the target group should be reduced in consideration of the budget. This study proposes a travel mode to focus on by city through the preference of the elderly. The latent class model is employed to classfy stated preference data collected from the survey. The estimation results show a significant preference heterogeneity depending on the level of subway supply by region, and a policy focused on subways would be more reasonable in cities with sufficient subway infrastructure. Hence, regarding sustainability, it may be more appropriate to focus on specific means than to provide the same discount policy for all public transport.

Climate and land use changes are major factors affecting runoff in regional basins. Understanding variation by considering interactions among hydrological components is an important process for water resource management. This study aimed to assess the variation of future runoff in the Upper Chi Basin, Northeastern Thailand. QSWAT hydrological model was integrated to 3 CMIP6 GCMs including ACCESS-CM2, MIROC6, and MPI-ESM1-2-LR under SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios during 2023 – 2100. Land Change Modeler (LCM) was also used for future land use simulation. The results revealed that future average of long-term precipitation and temperature tended to increase while forest land tended to decrease and be replaced by sugarcane plantations. The accuracy assessment of baseline year runoff calculation by QSWAT during 1997 – 2022 showed acceptable result as can be seen from R2, NSE, RSR, and PBIAS indices. This result could lead to temporal and spatial simulation of future runoff. Likewise, runoff of 2 SSPs scenarios tended to increase consecutively, especially in SSP585 scenario. In addition, in case of long-term spatial changes in the subbasins scale, over 90% of the area, from upstream to outlet point, tended to get higher due to 2 major factors including future increased precipitation and changes in cultivation, which would be influential to groundwater and interflow components respectively. Methodology and result of this study can be useful to stakeholders in understanding changes in hydrological system so that they can apply it to develop a strategy for water resource management and handling factors affecting different dimensions properly and sustainably.

Traditional diagnosis of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in the heart has involved the use of transcranial doppler (TCD). However, TCD is essentially a blind test that cannot directly visualize the location of blood vessels. Since TCD relies on qualitative assessments by examiners, there is room for errors, such as misalignment of the ultrasound's angle of incidence with the actual blood vessels. This limitation affects the reproducibility and consistency of the examination. In this study, we presented an alternative approach for assessing right-to-left shunt (RLS) associated with PFO using contrast transcranial color-coded doppler (C-TCCD) with bubble contrast. The patient under consideration had been diagnosed with an ischemic stroke through imaging, but the subsequent cardiac work-up failed to determine the cause. Employing C-TCCD for RLS screening revealed a confirmed RLS of Spencer’s three grades. Subsequently, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was conducted to evaluate PFO risk factors, confirming an 8 mm PFO size, a 21 mm tunnel length, a hypermobile interatrial septum, and persistent RLS. The calculated high-risk PFO score was 4 points, categorizing it as a very high-risk PFO. This case underscores the importance of C-TCCD screening in detecting RLS associated with PFO, especially in cryptogenic stroke patients when identifying the underlying cause of ischemic stroke becomes challenging.

The inner walls of drinking water distribution system (DWDS) are expected to be clean to ensure a safe quality of drinking water. In reality, complex physical, chemical and biological processes take place when water comes into contact with the pipe surface. This paper describes the impact of leaching different compounds from the water supply pipes into the drinking water and subsequent risks. Among these compounds there are heavy metals. It is necessary to prevent these metals to get into the DWDS. Those compounds are susceptible to impact the quality of the water delivered to population either by leaching dangerous chemicals into the water or by enhancing the development of microorganism growth on the pipe surface. The corrosion process of different pipes materials, scale formation mechanisms and the impact of bacteria formed in corrosion layers are discussed. Water treatment processes and the pipe materials also affect the water composition. Pipes materials act differently in the flowing and stagnation conditions. Also, they age differently (e.g metal based pipes are subjected to corrosion while polymer based pipes have a decreased mechanical resistance) and are susceptible to enhance bacterial film formation. This review helps to clarify what are the possible sources of compounds responsible for drinking water quality degradation. Also, it gives guidance on the measures that are needed to maintain a stable and safe drinking water quality.

In this article, we first assessment of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) antibodies in vaccinated pregnant ewes of Kazakh breed fine-fleeced immunized with the PPR vaccine and the duration of maternal immunity in their lambs. Ewes in the last trimester of pregnancy of gestation were immunized with a vaccine from the Nigeria 75/1 strain of the PPR virus (PPRV) produced by the Research Institute of Biological Safety Problems (RIBSP), Kazakhstan. Serum samples from lambs born from vaccinated and unvaccinated ewes were collected a week after birth and at intervals of 7 days for 18 weeks after birth. Serum samples collected from lambs were tested for PPR antibodies using competitive ELISA and Virus neutralization test (VNT). Maternal antibodies (MAs) in lambs born from vaccinated ewes were detected up to 18 weeks with a tendency to decrease starting at week 14 and by the end of the experiment receded below the protective level (&lt;1:8). In the blood serum of a 14-week-old lamb with MAs (1:8), post vaccination with a field dose (103 TCID50) of the vaccine against PPR, the titers of protective antibodies to the PPRV increased to 1:16 on 14 day post vaccination and lamb protected from infection upon field PPRV. A lamb of the same age with MAs in the 1:8 titer was 100% protected from infection with the field PPRV. Therefore, it is recommended that lambs of the Kazakh fine-wool breed be immunized from the age of 14 weeks or older to avoid a period of susceptibility.

This work aims to introduce a novel concept: the Riesz-Dunkl fractional derivatives, within the context of Dunkl type operators. A particularly noteworthy revelation is that when a specific parameter $\kappa$ equals zero, the Riesz-Dunkl fractional derivative smoothly reduces to both the well-known Riesz fractional derivative and the fractional second-order derivative. Furthermore, we introduce a new concept: the fractional Sobolev space. This space is defined and characterized using the versatile framework of the Dunkl transform.

With an increasing concern for global warming, there have been many attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. About 30 % of total energy has been consumed by buildings and much attention has been paid to reducing building energy consumption. While there are many ways of reducing building energy consumption, accurate energy consumption prediction becomes more significant. As mechanical systems are the most energy-consuming components in the building, the present study developed the energy consumption prediction model for a direct-fired absorption chiller by using the ANN technique for the short term. The ANN model was optimized and validated with the actual data collected through a BAS. For the optimization, the numbers of input variables and neurons, and the data size of training were applied. By changing these parameters, the predictive performance was analyzed. In sum, the outcome of the present study can used to predict the energy consumption of the chiller as well as improve the efficiency of the energy management. The outcome of the present study can be used to develop a more accurate prediction model with a few datasets in that it can improve the efficiency of building energy management.

BACKGROUND: Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumour that develops from the immature cells of the retina. It is the most frequent type of paediatric intraocular cancer and is curable. Clinical and histological findings after enucleation of the affected eye dictate not only the patient's secondary care but also their prognosis. We assessed the clinical and histopathologic predictors of survival among children with retinoblastoma from two tertiary health facilities in Uganda. METHODS: This retrospective research utilized archived formalin fixed & paraffin embedded blocks of eye specimens enucleated between 2014 to 2016 at Mbarara University, pathology department and Ruharo Eye Centre. The specimens were then processed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. The confirmation of retinoblastoma was made to include histologic stage and features of the tumor. Biographic data of the patients and the clinical features such as leukocoria, proptosis, phthisis, staphyloma, buphthalmos were retrieved from the records.RESULTS: Males (55.1%) dominated the study population (N=78). The median age was 31 months. The commonest clinical sign was leukocoria (69.2%) and the most abundant histopathological stage was stage 1 (41%). Optic nerve invasion 39.5%, choroidal invasion 29.5%, scleral invasion 7.7% and orbital extension 16.7% were seen. Flexner-Wintersteiner rosettes were seen in 24.6%. Necrosis was a prominent feature (71.2%). The two-year survival was estimated to be 62%. Leukocoria (RR 1.1), female gender (RR 1.4), intralaminar optic nerve invasion (RR 7.6) and a lack of orbital extension (RR- 7) were significant predictors of survival.CONCLUSION: Leukocoria and proptosis are noticeable clinical signs of retinoblastoma. Most patients present while in stage one although stage four presentation is also common. Leukocoria, optic nerve invasion, orbital extension, and gender are significant factors predictive of survival in patients with retinoblastoma.

Biliary tract cancer, encompassing intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, as well as gallbladder carcinoma, stands as a prevalent malignancy characterized by escalating incidence rates and unfavorable prognoses. The onset of cholangiocarcinoma involves a multitude of risk factors and could potentially be influenced by microbial exposure. The human microbiome, encompassing the entirety of human microbial genetic information, assumes a pivotal role in regulating key aspects such as host digestion, absorption, immune responses, and metabolism. The widespread application of next-generation sequencing technology has notably propelled investigations into the intricate relationship between the microbiome and diseases. An accumulating body of evidence strongly suggests a profound interconnection between biliary tract cancer and the human microbiome. This article critically appraises the existing evidence pertaining to the microbiome milieu within patients afflicted by biliary tract cancer. Furthermore, it delves into potential mechanisms through which dysregulation of the human microbiome could contribute to the advancement of biliary tract cancer. Additionally, the article expounds on its role in the context of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for biliary tract cancer.

To handle the huge amount of data generated by IoT devices, Big Data processing tools make it easier. This paper discusses the Big Data concept and its main V’s characteristics. It further describes IoT-enabling technologies; nominally cloud computing such as SaaS and PaaS. The centralization and infrastructure of Big Data systems, and how Cloud Computing gives a platform access to the data from anywhere. The paper explores IoT with big data architectural solutions for various use cases across the healthcare and transportation sectors.

Aortic dissection is a clinicopathological entity caused by rupture of the intima leading to a high mortality if not treated. Over time, diagnostic and investigative methods, antihypertensive therapy, and early referrals have resulted in improving outcomes according to registry data. Some data has also emerged from recent studies suggesting a link between Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and aortic dissection. Furthermore, the use of microRNAs have also become increasingly widespread in the literature. These have been noted to play a role in aortic dissections with elevated levels noted in studies as early as 2017. This review aims to provide a broad and holistic overview of the role of miRNAs, while studying the role of HCMV infection in the context of aortic dissections. The role of long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs and microRNAs are explored to identify changes in expression during aortic dissections. The use of such biomarkers may one day be translated into clinical practice to allow early detection and prognostication of outcomes and drive preventative and therapeutic options in the future.

It has been reported that prostaglandin I2, such as epoprostenol, develops Grave's disease. A 34-year-old woman was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and started receiving continuous intravenous epoprostenol. Three years after starting epoprostenol, she started complaining of neck swelling and was diagnosed with Grave’s disease. Thyroid function was controlled by thiamazole and levothyroxine. Nevertheless, her thyroid gland enlargement worsened as epoprostenol dose was titrated. After 23 years of treatment with epoprostenol, she suddenly experienced respiratory failure with a giant goiter leading to airway stenosis and passed away. The autopsy confirmed a giant goiter associated with hyperthyroidism and airway stenosis. We experienced a case of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension with a giant goiter and airway stenosis after long-term intravenous epoprostenol therapy.

CO2, CH4 and CO are the most critical atmospheric gases in terms of their impact on the radiative system, air quality and health. This work provides information on the direction of source areas and potential sources of emissions and shows many aspects of these gases by a statistical analysis using bivariate polar diagrams and local weather conditions (e.g., temperature, wind speed and wind direction) recorded at the Lamto station (LTO, 6°31N and 5°02W) in Côte d’Ivoire over the 2014-2018 period. The results show that the main regions contributing to the high concentrations of CH4 (> 1925 ppb) and CO2 (> 420 ppm) in the GSS, GSP, PSS and PSP seasons are the North and Northwest sectors of Lamto. In these directions, CH4 and CO2 concentrations are associated with wind speeds less than 6 m.s-1, due to the influences of local sources as emissions resulting from the degradation of organic matter submerged during the impoundment of the Taabo dam, and/nor human activities linked to the practice of intensive agriculture. In addition, the high concentrations of CO (> 350 ppb) are observed in GSS in the North, North-West, North-East and East sectors for wind speeds less than or equal to 9 m.s-1, due to the influences of both local and distant sources. The correlation coefficients between CH4 and CO, and between CH4 and CO2 are positive and significant in all sectors. However, those calculated between CO2 and CO have showed both low and high values in all seasons.

This study focuses on the aerodynamic optimization of the re-entry capsule (REC) Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) module, evaluating its performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Three different models, namely Baseline, 2-Duct, and 4-Duct, are investigated under a wide range of flow speeds, from supersonic (Ma=1.6) to hypersonic (Ma=6) regimes. Thermofluids aspects, drag coefficient, surface heat flux, and the effectiveness of the modified geometry are assessed using aerodynamic and temperature-based models. The results show that the introduction of ducts in the 2-Duct and 4-Duct models leads to an average decrease in the drag coefficient of approximately 2.1% and 2.9%, respectively, compared to the baseline model, across all Mach numbers. The maximum reduction in drag coefficient is 3.55%, observed at Ma=1.4 using the 4-Duct capsule. However, it is found that the addition of extra ducts to the model increases the maximum heat transfer rate. Specifically, the heat flux is increased by up to 69% for the 4-Duct model at Ma=6, compared to the baseline model. On average, the heat flux is increased by approximately 28.6% for all conditions. The findings indicate that the introduction of ducts in the REC model improves its aerothermodynamic performance by reducing drag but also increases the heat transfer rate on the surface.

According to a recent estimate by UN Habitat, approximately 3 billion individuals will require suitable housing by the year 2030. This staggering demand translates to the need for around 96,000 affordable housing units to be constructed each day. However, the conventional construction methods that rely on cement-based concrete and masonry are outdated, lacking innovation, efficiency, and sustainability. In light of these challenges, cold-formed steel emerges as an appealing alternative to traditional construction materials like masonry and concrete. It offers numerous advantages, including easy fabrication, lightweight properties, energy efficiency, the ability to reuse the material at the end of its service life, and a higher level of recyclability. Cold-formed steel buildings are also recognized for their superior insulation and lower energy consumption during operation. Cold-formed steel (CFS) members are created by rolling structurally sound steel sheets into the required shapes using a forming machine, without the need for heat as in the case of hot-rolled steel. While the thickness of these members can range from 0.01 mm to 7 mm, commercial construction of load-bearing walls, roof trusses, and floor joists typically utilizes steel thicknesses of 0.7 mm to 1.2 mm. This paper tries to illustrate the materials and methods employed in the construction of cold-formed steel modular buildings in Sri Lanka[1]. It delves into the material and durability characteristics of cold-formed steel, the design philosophy behind these structures, the development of the building envelope, and the energy efficiency features of the building elements. The findings of this study demonstrate that cold-formed steel buildings can be a highly sought-after alternative for residential construction, offering faster construction timelines, cost-effectiveness, and energy-efficient practices.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic systemic disease with a complex etiology, characterized by insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction in various cell tissues. To explore this relationship, we conducted a secondary analysis of complete mtDNA sequences from 1,261 T2D patients and 1,105 control individuals. Our findings revealed significant associations between certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and T2D. Notably, the variants m.1438A>G (controls: 32 [27.6%], T2D: 84 [72.4%]; OR: 2.46; 95%CI: 1.64-3.78; p<0.001), m.14766C>T (controls: 498 [36.9%], T2D: 853 [63.1%]; OR: 2.57, 95%CI: 2.18-3.04, p<0.001), and m.16519T>C (controls: 363 [43.4%], T2D: 474 [56.6%]; OR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.05-1.47, p=0.012) were significantly associated with diabetes probability. The variant m.16189T>C Previously reported in multiple studies in different populations, it was not found to be associated with T2D in our analysis (controls: 148 [13.39] T2D: 171 [13.56%]; OR: 1.03; 95%CI: 0.815-1.31,; p=0.83). These results provide evidence suggesting a link between some mtDNA polymorphisms and T2D, probably related to association rules and topological patterns and three-dimensional confirmation associated to regions where the changes are, rather than to point mutations in the sequence.

The development of artificial intelligence systems assumes that a machine can independently generate an algorithm of actions or a control system to solve the tasks. To do this, the machine must have a formal description of the problem and possess computational methods for solving it. The article deals with the problem of optimal control, which is the main task in the development of control systems, insofar as all systems being developed must be optimal from the point of view of a certain criterion. However, there are certain difficulties in implementing the resulting optimal control modes. The paper considers an extended formulation of the optimal control problem, which implies the creation of such systems that would have the necessary properties for its practical implementation. To solve it, an adaptive synthesized optimal control approach based on the use of numerical methods of machine learning is proposed. The method moves the control object, optimally changing the position of the stable equilibrium point in the presence of some initial position uncertainty. As a result, from all possible synthesized controls, he chooses one that is less sensitive to changes in the initial states. As an example, the optimal control problem of quadcopter with complex phase constraints is considered. To solve this problem? according to the proposed approach, the control synthesis problem is firstly solved to obtain a stable equilibrium point in the state space by a machine learning method of symbolic regression. After that optimal positions of the stable equilibrium point are searched according to source functional from the optimal control problem by particle swarm optimization algorithm. It is shown that such approach allows generating the control system automatically by computer basing on the formal statement of the problem and then directly implementing it onboard as far as they have already had a stabilization system inserted.

The cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) is an exotic tropical fruit of great national and international importance due to its nutritional, and organoleptic properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate different postharvest treatments: Coating, Vacuum Impregnation, and Immersion, on the conservation of some quality characteristics of cape gooseberry fruit. Moreover, different conditions of the selected treatment were studied. The weight loss was assessed with gravimetric analysis for fresh and treated fruits. Firmness was determined by instrumental texture. The sensory analysis was conducted using a multidimensional profile approach. Of the treatments evaluated, the lowest weight loss was recorded with the use of coating and immersion. However, the immersion process resulted in the product with the highest overall quality according to the sensory analysis and presented the most appropriate texture according to the firmness values. Finally, in the evaluation of immersion, a significant influence of the CaCl2 immersion time (p<0.05) on the firmness values of the product was found, resulting in longer times leading to less firm products. Considering 10% as a commercial standard limit for weight loss, the fruit treated under immersion and coating processes can be stored for at least 12 days. The immersion process is highlighted because it improved the sensory characteristics with respect to the control (without treatment). Thus, it process gives added value to the fruit and is presented as a promising alternative for the postharvest treatment of cape gooseberries.

Our concern was to obtain a biocomposite material with improved properties of the constituent materials (poly(lactic- co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and zinc–boron (Zn–B) complex) in accordance with the novelties in the field of delivery systems for therapeutic agents which lately redefine the importance of biopolymer nanocomposites with PLGA (biodegradable composites). The advantages of such a biomaterial target the health system, being easy to obtain, through a cost-effective method. The water/oil/water double emulsion method also allows the adjustment of the synthesis parameters, to maximize the degree of Zn–B complex encapsulation. The morphological aspects of the samples (size, shape, porosity) were established by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Particle size distribution (by volume and by number) was determined by direct light scattering (DLS). For all the synthesized materials, the observed morphology was typical for PLGA, spherical one. The particle size distribution showed that depending on the synthesis conditions, the particles can be obtained with diameters between 10–450 nm range and the value of the zeta potential (ZP) shows that the particles have electronegative surface charge, which offers a favorable perspective on the phenomena of aggregation, flocculation, dispersion. It was observed, applying the design of experiments (DoE), that the size of the particles increased with increasing amounts of PLGA and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the formulation, while ZP increased with higher PLGA and smaller PVA. The encapsulation efficiency was determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS).

Purpose of the study: to reveal how the transfusion and the refraining from it affects the neuro-vascular unit in the congenital heart defects correction with cardiopulmonary bypass. Materials and methods: in vitro research, we formed a model of a neurovascular unit, which contains neu-rons, astrocytes and endothelial cells. This cellular model was cultivated in hypoxia conditions with the oxygen saturation levels of 1, 2, 3, 4%. In addition, this unit was cultivated with the pa-tient's serum adding in two different groups - with minimal and maximal levels of system in-flammatory response that we estimated by IL-6 level. Results: We found that during incubation in hypoxic conditions, the level of transendothelial resistance changed in groups with oxygen levels of 1% and 2% only after 4 hours. When we cultivated neurovascular unit cells with patients' sera, we found a minimal level of transendothelial resistance at 4 hours that increased after 24 hours. Permeability analysis showed that its level significantly decreased in the 1% and 2% oxygen group at 60- and 90-minutes relative to the control group. Conclusion: the system inflammatory response has more expressed but less long effect on the neurovascular unit model than hypoxia.

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.

We address weighted composition operators ψCφ from α-Bloch spaces to Bers-type spaces of bounded holomorphic functions on Y, where Y is a generalized Hua domain of the first kind, and obtain some necessary and sufficient conditions for the boundedness and compactness of those operators.

Striated muscle thick filaments are composed of myosin II and several non- myosin proteins which define the filament length and modify its function. Myosin II has a globular N-terminal motor domain comprising its catalytic and actin-binding activities and a long α-helical, coiled-coil tail that forms the dense filament backbone. Myosin alone polymerizes into filaments of irregular length, but striated muscle thick filaments have defined lengths that with the thin filament define the sarcomere structure. The motor domain structure and function are well understood but the myosin filament backbone is not. Here we report a structure of the flight muscle thick filaments from Drosophila melanogaster at 4.7 Å resolution which eliminates previous ambiguities in the non-myosin densities. The full proximal S2 region is resolved as are the connecting densities between the Ig domains of stretchin-klp. The proteins, flightin and myofilin are resolved in sufficient detail to build an atomic model based on an AlphaFold prediction. Our results suggest how flightin and myofilin cooperate to define the structure of the thick filament and explains a key myosin mutation that affects flightin incorporation. Drosophila is a genetic model organism for which our results can define strategies for functional testing.

This research aims to develop an inexpensive ocean observation instrument with a project name is NOBEL (Nusantara Oceanography Backdoor Experiment Laboratory)-BOX. The device can be installed on all types of vessels and placed in a specific area to map the water conditions, providing accurate data for managing a marine area specifically to water quality. The principle of NOBEL-BOX is to attach sensors in a container connected to a microcontroller and then measure directly. The method employed includes experimental design, laboratory and field tests, and data evaluation to produce the necessary system and instruments. The design process involves the construction of the instrument and the fabrication of the device. This process includes creating three-dimensional sketches/drawings, designing microcontrollers and data transmission systems, and power capacity. The sensors attached to this device are surface water temperature, air temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and TDS. The testing phase includes data validation, testing of the device in the laboratory, and field testing. The laboratory and field tests showed that the device worked and provided data that can be used to analyze the seawater condition spatially and over time.