In the subcratonic lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath Leningrad pipe (West Ukukit field), Yakutia garnet thermobarometry allows us to identify seven horizons (paleo subduction slab). Microprobe data for Cr-bearing amphiboles >500 grains from mantle xenoliths and concentrates reveal a broad range of compositions changing from Cr- pargasitic hornblendes to pargasites, edinites, kataforites, К-richterites with increasing pressure determined with new amphibole ther-mobarometer constructed by the first author The low pressure (LP) Cr-hornblendes and pargasites compiles the high-temperature branch (90-60 mw/m2) from 3.5 GPa to Moho traced by basaltic cumulates. In the middle part of SCLM edinites mark 35 to 40 mw/m2 geotherms. At high pres-sures kataforites also vary in thermal conditions. Richterites near the lithosphere base trace both low –and high temperature convective branches. The amphiboles reveal divisions into 9 chemical groups. The melts coexistion with amphiboles have concave patters typical for subduction related melts. LP varieties reveal Eu inflection U, Rb, Ba, Sr peaks and deep troughs in HFSE (except Zr), Pb. The pargasites show high U peaks and relativle less HFSE depressions. Encreasing in pressure for edinites, kataforites and richterise are accompanied byrise in U and Zr peak gentling of depressions in Th, Sr, Nb and Hf and less in Nb,Ta, Hf and peak in Zr and also decrease in LREE and REE. Clinopyroxenes and garnets show variable trace element patterns and divisions in groups with the plume and subduction signatures. The contrasting behaviour of Ta and Nb is regulated by the rutile partition coefficients likely for primary eclogites. Subduction and Na and K (siliceous) types of fluids percolated through the mantle with abundant eclogites possibly was accompanied by amphibolization at the different levels through all the mantle column. The plume melts produced hybridism with the mantle metasomatic assembleges which created more smooth trace element patterns in reacted minerals, clinopyroxene. The new version of monomineral amphibole thermobarometry is suggested

The aim of this study was to adapt a treadmill-developed method for determination of inner-cycle parameters in cross-country roller ski skating for a field application. The method is based on detecting initial and final ground-contact of poles and skis during cyclic movements. Eleven athletes skied four laps of 2.5 km at low and high endurance-intensity, using two types of skis with different rolling coefficients. Participants were equipped with inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to their wrists and skis, while insoles with pressure sensors and poles with force measurements were used as reference systems. The method based on IMUs was able to detect more than 97% of the temporal events compared to the reference system. The inner-cycle temporal parameters had a precision ranging from 49 to 59 ms, corresponding to 3.9% to 13.7% of the corresponding inner-cycle duration. Overall, this study showed good reliability of using IMUs on athlete’s wrists and skis to determine temporal events, inner-cycle parameters and the performed sub-techniques in cross-country roller ski skating in field-conditions.

The collector and brushless electronic commutation machines based on the working principle of the direct current machines have been widely used in industrial applications through the help of the developments in power electronics, microelectronics, permanent magnets, microprocessors&control, digital signal processing technologies, etc. Internal permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs) are used in increasing numbers due to their advantages such as high torque/current and torque/inertia, robust construction, high efficiency, reliability, etc. The problems brought by position sensors, especially in terms of application, performance, mass production, and cost, have made sensorless control a necessity in drive systems and applications.This paper presents a backstepping control method for speed sensorless IPMSM based on an extended Kalman filter (EKF). First, a comprehensive nonlinear dynamical model of the IPMSM in the direct and quadrature ( ) rotor frame is derived and its state-space representation is obtained. Then, the rotor speed and current tracking backstepping controllers are designed to achieve precise tracking and anti-disturbance performance. The designed controllers are embedded into the field-oriented control (FOC) scheme. The asymptotic stability condition for the backstepping controller is guaranteed through the Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, An EKF is designed for estimating the immeasurable mechanical parameters of IPMSM and tracking the system states in a finite time with high steady-state precision. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is proved by conducting simulations having various dynamic operating conditions such as sudden torque load change, command speed change, and parameter variation.

Using the principle of equivalence, it has recently been shown that the electrostatic field lines of a charge, stationary in the gravitational field, bend exactly like the trajectories of photons emitted isotropically from a source at the charge location and that the fraction of electric flux crossing a surface `below' or `above' the charge is exactly similar to the fraction of photon trajectories intersecting these surfaces, with more flux in the downward direction than upward. As one goes much deeper in the gravitational field, all electric field lines increasingly point in the vertically downward direction as is also the case for a stream of photons. Since photon trajectories as well as electric field lines, at any location in the gravitational field, are affected by the local space-time curvature an inference can be drawn that this parallel between the photon trajectories and the electric field lines is a general result. We could then apply these results in the external gravitational field of a black hole, where the trajectories of photons in the gravitational field are already well-known and the behaviour of electric field lines of a stationary charge could be inferred therefrom. Accordingly, we show that the electric field through an external spherical surface surrounding the black hole steadily reduces as the charge location approaches the event horizon (Schwarzschild radius), and like photons from a source inside the Schwarzschild radius cannot escape outside, the electric field lines of a charge within the black hole too remain trapped inside the event horizon. From this one arrives at a conclusion that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, the electric charge contained inside a static black hole cannot be detected or inferred by an external observer. A black hole, said to have no hair with the only external identifying characteristics being mass, electric charge, and angular momentum, is therefore all the more `hairless', as even its charge cannot be ascertained. The derivation of the Reissner-Nordström metric, supposedly describing the gravitational field of a static charged black hole, presumes an external stress-energy tensor of the electrostatic field, as per Gauss law, even for the charges contained within the black hole. However, the absence of electric flux external to a static charged black hole implies that such a charged black hole is not described correctly by the Reissner-Nordström metric and the consequential peculiarities of the space-time geometry, leading in specific cases to the idea of a naked intrinsic singularity and a need for the ``cosmic censorship'' hypothesis, also do not arise here.

Time evolution operators of a strongly ionizing medium are calculated by a time-dependent unitary transformation (TDUT) method. The TDUT method has been employed in quantum mechanical system composed of discrete states. This method is especially helpful for solving molecular rotational dynamics in quasi-adiabatic regimes because the strict unitary nature of the propagation operator allows us to set the temporal step size large; a tight limitation on the temporal step size ($\delta t <<1$) can be circumvented by the strict unitary nature. On the other hand, in a strongly ionizing system where the Hamiltonian is not Hermitian, the same approach cannot be directly applied because it is demanding to define a set of field-dressed eigenstates. In this study, the TDUT method was applied to the ionizing regime using the Kramers-Henneberger frame, in which the strong-field-dressed discrete eigenstates are given by the field-free discrete eigenstates in a moving frame. Although the present work verifies the method for a one-dimensional atom as a prototype, the method can be applied to three-dimensional atoms, and molecules exposed to strong laser fields.

In this paper, the effect of multi-rotational speeds super-gravity field on the grain refinement and tensile properties of as-cast H13 steel were investigated systematically. The experimental results revealed that the as-cast grains of H13 steel can be significantly refined in multi-rotational speeds supergravity field. In conventional supergravity field, with the decrease of rotational radius, the secondary dendrite average spacing (SDAS) and the austenite grain average size (AGAS) increase, and the maximum values of SDAS and AGAS are 90 µm and 55 µm, respectively. while in multi-speeds supergravity fields, at the range of increasing rotational speeds, SDAS and AGAS decrease as the rotational radius decreases. In three-rotational speeds supergravity field, the maximum values of SDAS and AGAS are 80 µm and 50 µm. In five-rotational speeds supergravity field, the maximum values of SDAS and AGAS are reduced to 58 µm and 34 µm. Accordingly, both the tensile strength and the plasticity are enhanced with the increasing the number of rotational speeds in supergravity field, especially for the inner position of supergravity sample. The ultimate tensile strengths at outer, middle, and inner positions of H13 steel solidified in conventional supergravity field are 1445 MPa, 1378 MPa, and 1023 MPa, corresponding elongations of 2%, 1.5%, and 0.5%, while in the five-rotational speeds supergravity field, they are 1408 MPa, 1443 MPa, and 1453 MPa, corresponding elongations of 1.8%, 3.9%, and 2.2%. The mechanism for the grain refinement is that multi-speeds super-gravity can reduce the critical nucleation work of austenite, and the tangential force produced by changing the rotational speeds breaks dendrites at the solidification front, refining solidification structure.

A relationship between the functional Schr\"odinger representation and the precanonical quantization of a nonlinear scalar field theory is extended to arbitrary curved space-times. The canonical functional derivative Schr\"odinger equation is derived from the manifestly covariant precanonical Schr\"odinger equation in a singular limiting case when the ultraviolet parameter $\varkappa$ introduced by precanonical quantization is identified with the invariant delta-function at equal spatial points. In the same limiting case, the Schr\"odinger wave functional is expressed as the trace of the multidimensional product integral of Clifford-algebra-valued precanonical wave functions restricted to a certain field configuration. Thus the standard QFT in curved space-time in functional Schr\"odinger representation emerges from the precanonical formulation of quantum fields as a singular limiting case.

We report on the development of chemical vapour deposition (CVD) based graphene field effect transistor (GFET) immunosensors for the sensitive detection of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a glycoprotein risk biomarker of certain cancers. The GFET sensors were fabricated on Si/SiO₂ substrate using photolithography with evaporated chromium and sputtered gold contacts. GFET channels were functionalized with a linker molecule to immobile anti-hCG antibody on the surface of graphene. Binding reaction of the antibody with varying concentration levels of hCG antigen demonstrated the limit of detection of the GFET sensors to be below 1 pg/mL using four-probe electrical measurements. We also show annealing can significantly improve the carrier transport properties of GFETs and shift the Dirac point (Fermi level) with reduced p-doping in back-gated measurements. The developed GFET biosensors are generic and could find applications in a broad range of medical diagnostics in addition to cancer, such as neurodegenerative (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lewy body) and cardiovascular disorders.

Herein, we applied DNA Barcoding for the genetic characterization of Sideritis syriaca subsp. syriaca (Lamiaceae; threatened local Cretan endemic plant), using seven molecular markers of cpDNA. Five fertilization schemes were evaluated comparatively in a pilot cultivation in Crete. Chemical fertilizers (ChF), integrated nutrient management fertilizers (INM) and two biostimulants were utilized (foliar and soil application). Plant growth, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and colour were assessed, and leaf content of chlorophyll, key antioxidants (carotenoids, flavonoids, phenols), and minerals were evaluat-ed. Fertilization regime did not affect leaf colour but induced distinct differences in leaf shape altering quality characteristics. INM-foliar and ChF-soil application promoted yield, without affecting tissue water content or biomass partitioning to inflorescences. ChF-foliar application was the most stimulato-ry treatment for enhanced antioxidant compound content, while INM-biostimulant was the least effec-tive one. In conclusion, adverse fertilization options appear as optimal when considering yield or anti-oxidant compound content. New DNA sequence datasets for the plastid regions of petB/petD, rpoC1, psbK-psbI and atpF/atpH have been deposited in the GenBank for S. syriaca subsp. syriaca while the mo-lecular markers rbcL, trnL/trnF, psbA/trnH were compared to those of another 15 Sideritis species re-trieved from the GenBank, constructing a phylogenetic tree to show their genetic relatedness.

At the beginning of our observations, Humanity believed that it was the center of the universe, that the Earth was the center of the universe and that the sun was spinning around the Earth. Claude Ptolémée (100-168) made a mistake by modeling the movements in the geocentric reference. The model of sun and planet movements was an illusion, and all humanity was wrong. Nicolas Copernic (1473-1543) showed the illusion and simplified the system by moving from the geocentric reference to the heliocentric reference. In the present paper, I would like to discuss about making mistakes with quantum theory because it is not complete. I have completed quantum theory. I postulate that we are living in a virtual classical world that we consider real. The decoherence problem and wave function collapse do not exist at all; because we are the illusion, we are living in illusions, in mirages. It is impossible to observe the quantum world as it is, in our virtual classical reference, and we see the quantum world with a false view of quantum reality. We are in the real universal quantum reference whose existence I postulate, but we do not see it. I moved to this real universal quantum reference with my thinking, because I am psychotic (schizophrenia) and saw that we are illusions. Schrödinger’s cat paradox is an illusion, as life and death are illusions. We must be very humble with quantum theory, and we should not put ourselves in the center of the quantum world again, particularly with our lives and deaths. I have completed quantum theory with seven postulates that led to a cosmological model based on bipolarity, schizophrenia and epilepsy. This theory explains the recent observations of the James Webb spatial telescope well. I make predictions with the theory that could be confirmed with the James Webb spatial telescope. If confirmed, the theory will become irrefutable. We would be collectively able to reach the quantum world by changing our minds and visions of life. I also explain how to overcome human suffering. This would be our Big Bang and our transformation into Zarathoustra, the Nietzschean surhuman.

This study provides a thorough examination of the introduction of 5G technology in Bangladesh's agriculture sector, providing insights into the problems and potential implications related to its adoption. Focusing on the contextual landscape of Bangladesh, the study evaluates the effectiveness, efficiency, scalability, and ease of implementation of 5G technology concerning key challenges faced by the agricultural sector. Drawing comparisons with global perspectives, including countries such as China, Taiwan, Colombia, Netherlands, and India, the analysis provides a nuanced understanding of the diverse technological landscapes. The examination encompasses the evolution from 4G to 5G, emphasizing the commitment of major telecommunications providers in Bangladesh to advance technological capabilities. The challenges in rural adoption, limited technology literacy among farmers, and high smartphone costs are discussed, highlighting potential barriers to seamless integration. To address the creation of a more comprehensive technological infrastructure, the study also explores the efforts and regulatory support provided by the government and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). Furthermore, the comparative analysis sheds light on the unique characteristics and advancements in other countries, contributing to a holistic understanding of 5G's role in transforming global agricultural practices. By exploring the anticipated socio-economic factors influencing the pace and success of 5G adoption in the agricultural sector, this paper emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts, infrastructure development, and addressing accessibility challenges to achieve widespread agricultural technology integration.

Due to various industrial developments and artificial inputs, there are emerging environmental contaminats(ECs) of serious concern in a wide range of environmental media. With recent advancements in scientific knowledge and industrial technology, the definition of emerging environmental contaminats has expanded. Among them, emerging contaminants are typically present in trace amounts and pose serious ecological risks and potential hazards to human health, animals and plants, with cumulative effects on organisms. However, Traditional treatment techniques have proven ineffective in eliminating and preventing subsequent environmental problems from new pollutants such as microplastics, antibiotics and fluorocarbons. Consequently, extensive research has been conducted to address these issues. Effective removal methods prioritize not only removal efficiency, but also environmental friendliness and regenerative capacity. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the sources, forms of presence, environmental and human health hazards, and removal technologies of ECs, and to provide various examples of different sources.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by the deficiency of insulin production and is one of the concerning health problems worldwide, especially in developing countries. Considering the systemic toxicity associated with current antidiabetic medications and their limited efficacy, there is an urgent need to discover new plant-based natural antidiabetics. Since time immemorial, medicinal plants have played an important role in the management of health disorders. In recent years, herbal medicine has experienced exponential growth in popularity worldwide, owing to its natural origin and fewer side effects, appealing to both developing and developed nations. Ecuador has a rich cultural history in ethnobotany that plays a crucial role in their people's lives. Several Ecuadorian medicinal plants have hypoglycemic or an-ti-hyperglycemic properties that are rich with bioactive phytochemicals. These medicinal plants were extensively used in traditional medicine preparation in Ecuador for many decades to treat diabetes because of their cost-effectiveness, available traditional knowledge, and low toxicity. Many Ecuadorian medicinal plants are reported to have antidiabetic properties that reduce blood sugar levels, and oxidative stress, regulate intestinal function, improve insulin resistance, inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase, lower gluconeogenic enzymes, stimulate glucose uptake mechanisms, and play an important role in glucose and lipid metabolism, yet there is a substantial lack of integrated approach between the existing ethnomedicinal practice and pharmacological research. Therefore, this review aims to discuss and explore the traditional medicinal plants used in Ecuador for treating DM and their bioactive phytochemicals, which are mainly responsible for their anti-diabetic properties.

Exposure to vaccine lipid nanoparticles, mRNA, adenoviral DNA, and or Spike protein from one of the approved Covid-19 vaccines, or through secondary exposure, as through blood transfusion, is a potential source of harm. Blood reactions are an acknowledged side-effect of Covid-19 vaccination, not limited to hemolysis, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, chronic cold agglutinin disease, immune thrombocytopenia, haemophagocytosis, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and many other blood related conditions. The observation of adverse events has motivated investigation into the cardiovascular mechanisms of harm by Covid-19 vaccines, and the biodistribution of vaccine contents. Biodistribution may not be limited to the body of the vaccine recipient, as a growing body of evidence demonstrates the possibility of secondary exposure to vaccine particles. These can be via bodily fluids and include the following routes of exposure: blood transfusion, organ transplantation, breastfeeding, and possibly other means. As covid-19 vaccines are associated with an increased risk of stroke, the persistence of vaccine artifacts in the blood presents a possible threat to a recipient of a blood donation from a vaccinated donor who suffered from vaccine induced thrombosis or thrombocytopenia. (VITT) We assess the feasibility and significance of these risks through an overview of the case report literature of blood disorders in vaccinated individuals, pharmacovigilance reports from the US Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) and a meta-analysis of the available literature on organ transplants from vaccinated organ donors. Our analysis establishes biological mechanistic plausibility, a coherent safety signal in pharmacovigilance databases for secondary vaccine contents exposure (for the cases of blood transfusion and breastfeeding) and also an elevated level of adverse events in organ transplants from VITT-deceased donors, echoing increases in organ transplantation related complications seen in national statistics for some countries. Secondary exposure to vaccine artifacts is a potential explanation for some of the cases put forth, and requires a deeper investigation.

Prior work has suggested that discrimination and immigration-related stress may impede mental health care seeking and utilization among Latinx populations. These effects may be more nuanced as both discrimination and immigration-related stress may increase symptomology, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Both symptoms may in turn prompt attempts to seek care. The current study examined the direct effects of discrimination and immigration-related stress on care access, as well as potentially indirect effects with PTSD and depression symptoms as mediators. Interviews and online surveys were completed with 234 Latinx residents of the Midwest assessing everyday discrimination, discrimination in healthcare, PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, current mental health utilization, and previous unsuccessful attempts to seek care. Direct effects of discrimination and immigration-related stress were largely unrelated to care access variables. Discrimination in healthcare settings predicted both unsuccessful attempts to seek care and current use, but this effect was positive. The indirect effect was largely supported, but only for PTSD symptoms and not depression. Results indicate further investigation is necessary to understand the direct effects of discrimination on care access. Further, discrimination and immigration-related stress may indirectly prompt attempts to seek mental health care.

The application of bacterial metagenomic analysis as biomarker for cancer detection is emerging. Our aim was to discover gut microbiota signatures with potential utility in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A prospective study was performed on a total of 77 fecal samples from CRC and NSCLC patients and Controls. DNA from stool was analyzed for bacterial genomic sequencing using the Ion Torrent™ technology. Bioinformatic analysis was performed with QIIME2 pipeline. We applied logistic regression for adjusting differences attributable to sex, age and body mass index and compared diagnostic accuracy of our gut signatures with other previously published. The feces of patients affected by different tumor types, such as CRC and NSCLC, showed a differential intestinal microbiota profile. After adjusting for confounders, Parvimonas (OR = 53.3), Gemella (OR = 6.01), Eisenbergiella (OR = 5.35), Peptostreptococcus (OR = 9.42), Lactobacillus (OR = 6.72), Salmonella (OR = 5.44) and Fusobacterium (OR = 78.9) remained significantly associated with the risk of CRC. Two genera from the Ruminoccocaeae family, DTU089 (OR = 20.1) and an uncharacterized genus (OR = 160.1) were associated with the risk of NSCLC. Our two panels had better diagnostic capacity for CRC (AUC = 0.840) and NSLC (AUC = 0.747) compared to the application to our population of two other published panels. Thus, we propose a gut bacteria panel for each cancer type and show its potential application in cancer diagnosis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by swelling in at least one joint. Owing to an overactive immune response, extra-articular manifestations are observed in certain cases, with interstitial lung disease (ILD) being the most common. Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the interstitial space, which causes fibrosis and the scarring of lung tissue. Controlling inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis in RA-ILD is important because they are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Pirfenidone and nintedanib are specific drugs against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and have shown efficacy against RA-ILD in several clinical trials. Immunosuppressants and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with antifibrotic effects have also been used to treat RA-ILD. Immunosuppressants moderate the overexpression of cytokines and immune cells to reduce pulmonary damage and slow the progression of fibrosis. DMARDs with mild antifibrotic effects target specific fibrotic pathways to regulate fibrogenic cellular activity, extracellular matrix homeostasis, and oxidative stress levels. Therefore, specific medications are required to effectively treat RA-ILD. In this review, the commonly used RA-ILD treatments are discussed based on their molecular mechanisms and clinical trial results. In addition, a computational approach is proposed to develop specific drugs for RA-ILD.

The pathophysiology of many mood disorders is closely related with abnormal stress response associated with the dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and cortisol overproduction. The hippocampus, key structure of the limbic system responsible for both cognitive and emotional spheres, is selectively vulnerable to excess of glucocorticoids (GCs) inducing neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The antiGC therapy of psychiatric diseases, in particular depressive disorders, may be a useful additional treatment. Among other approaches, targeting glucocorticoid receptors, abounded in the hippocampus, is regarded as highly promising. However, though the preclinical data provide firm evidence to the concept of antiGC therapy for stress-related diseases, clinical studies still are at the proof-of-concept stage. Noteworthy, chronic GC excess is associated not only with mood diseases, but also with cognitive decline, metabolic disorders, diabetes. Potentially, antiGC (HPA axis modifying) therapy may alleviate affective symptoms, cognitive disturbances, GC and insulin resistance and adverse side effects of conventional drugs through beneficial effects on hippocampal dysfunction and neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and neurogenesis. Since stress/GC-associated neuroinflammation-mediated pathology of the limbic system and, specifically, the hippocampus, is a general feature typical for many brain diseases, the concept of antiGC therapy may be extended, tested and validated in a wider spectrum of cerebral pathologies.

In an era driven by technology and connectivity, where the sphere of learning goes beyond conventional classrooms, e-Service-Learning (e-SL) merges the possibilities of technology with the principles of experiential education in a powerful blend [1]. Service-learning (SL) is an educational proposal that has been cited by UNESCO [2] as an innovative educational tool through which to address the complex challenges of our society. The Sustainable Development Goals [3] provide a framework around which to structure the SL projects and thus develop the skills needed to act on the full range of goals. Embedding digital means open a debate on the intricate relationship between technology, education, and societal impact [4]. By analyzing two focus groups involving faculty, students and community partners, this contribution aims to explore the potential of combining SL and digital empowerment (DE). The focus group participants discussed the opportunities for innovation, the expected impact on them and the society at large, their needs and the pre-conditions needed to make SL and DE successful, and limitations. The results are presented according to the six principles of sustainability education in the university environment, highlighting the transformative potential of combining these principles within SL and DE.

The contamination of aquatic environments by pharmaceutical products consistently takes the attention of researchers due to the compounds' toxicity even at low concentrations. In response, we have developed an ecologically sustainable biosurfactant derived from a microorganism and incorporated into the bacterial cellulose. This bioproduct, along with the bacterial cellulose itself, was employed as a sorbent for pharmaceuticals (hormones and paracetamol) present in water. Bacterial cellulose membranes were generated through the cultivation of Gluconacetobacter xylinus ATCC 53582. The biosurfactant was produced by pre-inoculating Bacillus subtilis in a synthetic medium, followed by immersing the bacterial cellulose membranes in the biosurfactant solution, for incorporation. Tests were conducted using water experimentally contaminated with parace-tamol and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), evaluating the biosurfactant's effect on bacterial cellulose sorption. Paracetamol levels were analyzed using spectrophotometry, and EE2 levels were as-sessed using high-performance liquid chromatography. In summary, bacterial cellulose exhibited superior adsorption for EE2 compared to paracetamol. The incorporation of biosurfactant onto bacterial cellulose reduced hormone adsorption but enhanced paracetamol sorption. Our findings indicated that adsorption is more effective with bacterial cellulose in its original and freeze-dried forms, without the incorporation of biosurfactant. Notably, we achieved more promising results in remediating the hormone EE2 compared to the paracetamol.

This mini-review examines the complex relationship between the gut microbiota and human health, with a special focus on its role in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). It explores how dietary patterns can affect the composition of the gut microbiota, thus contributing to the development of various diseases. The gut microbiota is crucial in the production of metabolites such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which play a significant role in the development of both IBD and CVD. High levels of TMAO and other metabolites, such as phenylacetylglutamine, have been linked to an increased risk of CVD. The review highlights the potential of dietary interventions and therapies designed to modulate the gut microbiota in reducing these risks. Following a Mediterranean diet may offer cardiovascular protection, emphasizing the need for further research into the molecular mechanisms of diet-related changes in the microbiota.

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide and participates in physiological activities such as or-gan formation, energy metabolism, and stress resistance of insects. In the present study, phylo-genetic analysis divided 21 Bmtret1 orthologs into three clades. These genes are equally distrib-uted on the nine chromosomes. Cis-elements in the promoter regions of Bmtret1s indicated the possible function of Bmtret1s in response to hormones and environmental stimulus. The qPCR analysis showed the significantly different expression levels of Bmtret1s in different tissues and organs, indicating possible functional divergence. In addition, most Bmtret1s showed disturbed expression levels in response to BmNPV stresses. Our results provide a foundation for further functional dissection of Tret1s in Bombyx mori and implicate them as potential regulators for an-tiviral responses.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a representative malignant brain tumor characterized by a dismal prognosis, with survival rates of less than 2 years and high recurrence rates. Despite surgical resection and several alternative treatments, GBM remains a refractory disease due to its aggressive invasiveness and resistance to anticancer therapy. In this report, we explore the role of fibronectin type III domain containing 3B (FNDC3B) and its potential as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in GBM. GBM exhibited a significantly higher cancer-to-normal ratio compared to other organs, and patients with high FNDC3B expression had a poor prognosis (p < 0.01). In vitro studies revealed that silencing FNDC3B significantly reduced the expression of Survivin, an apoptosis inhibitor, and also reduced cell migration, invasion, extracellular matrix adhesion ability, and stem cell properties in GBM cells. Furthermore, we identified that FNDC3B regulates PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling in GBM cells using MetaCore integrated pathway bioinformatics analysis and a proteome profiler phospho-kinase array with sequential western blot analysis. Collectively, our findings suggest FNDC3B as a potential biomarker for predicting GBM patient survival and for the development of treatment strategies for GBM.

The escalating concerns over climate change have propelled industries worldwide to seek innovative strategies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Within the energy sector, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology emerges as a promising solution to curtail emissions and foster sustainable development aims for net zero approach. The research delves into the role of government support in expediting CCS adoption for the maximum potential of 9.79 MtCO2 storage from six major refinery plants. The refineries mentioned above are anticipated to necessitate an initial capital investment of approximately 18,307 million THB. This research focuses on potential business model proposals appropriate for a country's context, specifically applying CCS technology to Thai oil refining sector. To achieve the realization of CCS within the context of this study, a combination of three essential measures will be required: tax incentives, carbon credits, and grants. This process will commence with the implementation of tax incentives, followed by an increase in the carbon price within the country. Finally, the establishment of a dedicated fund, funded through deductions from oil excise tax revenue, will play a pivotal role in facilitating the necessary financial support for the emergence of CCS.

Background: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) can lead to ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The most common congenital cause of LQTS is mutations in the channel subunits generating the cardiac potassium current IKs. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have been proposed as a powerful system to model human cardiac diseases due to the similar electrical properties of the zebrafish heart and the human heart. Methods: We used high resolution all-optical electrophysiology on ex-vivo zebrafish hearts to assess the effects of IKs analogues on the cardiac action potential. Findings: We found that chromanol 293B (an IKs inhibitor) prolonged the action potential duration (APD) in the presence of E4031 (an IKr inhibitor applied to drug-induced LQT2) and to a lesser extent in the absence of E4031. Moreover, we show that PUFA analogues slightly shorten the APD of the zebrafish heart. However, PUFA analogues failed to reverse the APD prolongation in drug-induced LQT2. However, a more potent IKs activator, ML-277, partially reversed the APD prolongation in drug-induced LQT2 zebrafish hearts. Interpretation: Our results suggest that IKs plays a limited role in ventricular repolarizations in the zebrafish heart under resting conditions but plays a more important role when IKr is compromised, as if IKs in zebrafish serves as a repolarization reserve as in human hearts. This study shows that potent IKs activators can restore the action potential duration in drug-induced LQT2 in zebrafish heart.

The 2019 COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in many fatalities worldwide. Despite various types of supportive care, mortality rates for patients with comorbidities remain high. To explore alternative treatment options, interferons (IFNs) have emerged as promising therapeutic drugs for SARS-CoV-2. This review aims to investigate the potential of IFNs as a drug with details on their mechanisms of action, and available data on their use with ongoing clinical trials, results, potential limitations, and challenges. Recently published research articles, which were systematically searched through online databases, have been selected and found that IFNs have colossal potential in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection by modulating the host's immune response and inhibiting viral replication and decreasing the severity of disease and hospitalization (p = 0.03, ±0.05) and (p = 0.04, ±0.05) respectively. However, due to less available data, more controlled and randomized trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of IFN therapy. The optimal dosing and duration of IFN therapy also remain to be determined. Although further research is needed the wait for ongoing clinical trial results under investigation is also important for a better understanding of IFN therapy.

The large areas being targeted for tropical forest restoration as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will have major consequences for the flow of water through landscapes. Whilst the prevailing mantra that ‘more forest implies less streamflow’ remains true in terms of annual water yields, we demonstrate that opportunities for increased tree cover to improve seasonal flow regimes of streams, particularly baseflows, are important. We discuss several potential positive feedbacks of forest restoration on hydrological processes at various scales, including ‘trade-offs’ between changes in vegetation water use and infiltration after foresting degraded land; the recovery of the capacity of vegetation to capture ‘occult’ precipitation in specific coastal and montane settings; and enhanced moisture recycling and transport at various scales. Modelled changes in baseflow after foresting all degraded land climatically capable of carrying forest in the tropics suggested a positive effect in 10% of the land. For an additional 8%, the effect was predicted to be about neutral (<2 mm/y). We conclude that a more positive narrative regarding the relationship between tropical forestation and water availability is justified. It is time for greater involvement of hydrologists and atmospheric scientists in the development and assessment of forest landscape restoration efforts.

To realize the energy recovery of wheat straw, the pyrolysis behavior of wheat straw was studied at three heating rates (10, 20, and 30 K/min) based on thermogravimetric analysis (TG–DTG). Kinetics and thermodynamics were analyzed using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) model-free methods, and reaction mechanism was determined using Coats–Redfern (CR) model-fitting method. The results show that there are three weightlessness stages in the pyrolysis process, of which the second stage was the main weightlessness stage and two distinct peaks of weightlessness were observed in this stage. With increasing heating rate, the main pyrolytic weightlessness peaks of DTG curve shifts to higher temperature. The pyrolysis activation energy calculated by FWO and KAS methods are 165.17–440.02 kJ/mol and 163.72–452.07 kJ/mol, and the pre-exponential factor vary in the range of 2.58×1012–7.45×1036 s-1 and 1.91×1012–8.66×1037 s-1, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters indicates that wheat straw has the favorable conditions for product formation and containes potential energy to be utilized for bioenergy production, its pyrolysis reaction was non-spontaneous and the energy output is stable. CR method analysis shows that the A1/3 random nucleation model is the most suitable mechanism to characterize the pyrolysis process, and random nucleation may be in charge of the main pyrolysis stage. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the thermochemical conversion and utilization of wheat straw.

Lipopolysaccharides are a type of polysaccharide mainly present in the bacterial outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent studies have revealed that lipopolysaccharides contribute to the immune response of the host by functioning as a cancer antigen. We retrospectively recruited 198 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgery. The presence of lipopolysaccharides was determined using immunohistochemical staining, with the intensity score indicating positivity. The relationship between lipopolysaccharides and CD8, PD-L1, TGFBI (a representative downstream gene of TGF-β signaling), E-cadherin, and claudin-4 (epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers) was also investigated. Thereafter, we identified 20 patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving nivolumab and investigated the relationship between lipopolysaccharides and nivolumab sensitivity. After staining for lipopolysaccharides in the nucleus of cancer cells, 150 negative (75.8%) and 48 positive cases (24.2%) were found. The lipopolysaccharide-positive group showed increased cancer stromal TGFBI expression (p &lt; 0.0001) and PD-L1 expression in cancer cells (p = 0.0029). Lipopolysaccharide positivity was significantly correlated with decreased E-cadherin expression (p = 0.0055) and claudin-4 expression (p = 0.029); however, no significant correlation was found between lipopolysaccharide expression and overall survival rate (p = 0.71). Among cases receiving nivolumab, the lipopolysaccharide-negative and -positive groups had a disease control rate of 66.7% and 11.8%, respectively (p = 0.049). Lipopolysaccharide positivity was associated with TGF-β signaling and epithelial–mesenchymal transition and was considered to promote therapeutic resistance to nivolumab.

Trypanosomatids are mainly responsible for leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, and Chagas disease, which are the most challenging among the neglected tropical diseases due to the problem of drug resistance. Although problems of target deconvolution and polypharmacology are encountered, a target-based approach is a rational method for screening drug candidates targeting a biomolecule that causes diseases. The present study aims to summarize the latest information re-garding potential inhibitors of squalene synthase and farnesyl phosphate synthase with anti-Trypanosomatidae activity. The information was obtained by referencing textbooks and major scientific databases from their inception until April 2023. Based on in vitro experiments, more than seventy compounds were reported to inhibit squalene synthase and farnesyl diphosphate synthase. Among these compounds, more than 30 were found to be active in vitro against Trypanosomatidae, inferring that these compounds can be prospected as scaffolds for the development of new drugs against trypanosomatid-related infections. Over-all, natural and synthetic products can inhibit enzymes that are crucial for the survival and virulence of trypanosomatids. Moreover, in vitro experiments have confirmed the activity of more than half of these inhibitors using cell-based as-says. Nevertheless, additional studies on the cytotoxicity, pharmacokinetics, and lead optimization of potent anti-Trypanosomatid compounds should be investi-gated.

Cancer is a multifactorial disease that continues to increase. Lignans are known to be important anticancer agents. However, due to the structural diversity of lignans, it is difficult to associate anticancer activity with a particular subclass. Therefore, the present study sought to evaluate the association of lignan subclasses with antitumor activity, considering the genetic profile of the variants of the selected targets. For this, predictive models were built against the targets tyrosine-protein kinase ABL (ABL), epider-mal growth factor receptor erbB1 (EGFR), histone deacetylase (HDAC), Serine/threonine-protein kinase mTOR (mTOR) and Poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase-1 (PARP1). Then, mapped single nucleotide polymorphisms and designed target mutations, and performed molecular docking with the lignans with the best predicted biological activity. The results showed more anticancer activity in the dibenzocyclooctadiene, furofuran and aryltetralin subclasses. The lignans with the best predictive values of biological activity showed varying binding energy results in the presence of certain genetic variants.

LOXL2, a copper-dependent amine oxidase, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Increased LOXL2 expression in HCC has been linked with aggressive phenotype and represents a poor prognostic factor. Here, we focus on mechanisms by which LOXL2 orchestrates multiple oncogenic functions in HCC development. We are reviewing current knowledge about the roles of LOXL2 in the modulation of the HCC tumor microenvironment, formation of premetastatic niches, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Also, we are highlighting the complex interplay between LOXL2 and hypoxia, angiogenesis, and vasculogenic mimicry in HCC. At the end of the review, we summarize current LOXL2 inhibitors and discuss their potential in HCC precision treatment.

A total of thirty-two aerobic spore former strains were isolated from intestinal samples of healthy children and analyzed for their hemolytic and antibiotic-resistance activities. Four strains selected as non-hemolytic and sensitive to all antibiotics recommended as relevant by regulatory agencies were short-listed and evaluated for their in silico and in vitro probiotic potentials. The four selected strains were assigned to the Bacillus velenzensis (MV4 and MV11), B. subtilis (MV24) and Priestia megaterium (formerly Bacillus megaterium) (MV30) species. A genomic analysis indicated that MV4, MV11 and MV24 contained a homolog of the gene coding for the fibrinolytic enzyme nattokinase while only MV30 encoded for a glutamic acid decarboxylase essential to synthesize the neurotransmitter GABA. All four strains showed a strong antioxidant activity, formed biofilm and produced/secreted quorum sensing peptides able to induce a cytoprotective stress response in a model of human intestinal (HT29) cells. Altogether, genomic and physiological data indicate that the analyzed strains do not pose safety concerns and have in vitro probiotic potentials.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has emerged as a major health care concern in modern society, primarily due to lifestyle changes and dietary habits. Obesity-induced insulin resistance is considered as the major pathogenic factor in T2DM. In this study, we have investigated the effect of vindoline, an indole alkaloid of Catharanthus roseus on insulin resistance, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in high glucose induced insulin resistant L6-myoblast cells, and dexamethasone (IR inducer)/1L-β (inflammation inducer) induced dysfunctional 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Results showed that dexamethasone induced dysfunctional 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with different concentrations of vindoline significantly enhanced basal glucose consumption, accompanied by increased expression of GLUT-4, IRS-1 and adiponectin. Vindoline treatment significantly suppressed the ROS production and upregulated pro-inflammatory mediators in IL-1β induced dysfunctional adipocytes. Similarly, vindoline treated insulin resistant L6 myoblasts exhibited significantly enhanced glycogen content accompanied with upregulation of IRS-1 and GLUT-4. Thus, in vitro studies of vindoline in insulin resistant skeleton muscle and dysfunctional adipocytes confirmed that vindoline treatment significantly mitigate insulin resistance in myotubes and improves functional status of adipocytes. These results demonstrated that vindoline has the potential to be used as a therapeutic agent to ameliorate obesity-induced T2DM associated insulin resistance profile in adipocytes and skeletal muscles.

Cardiac damage has been attributed to SARS-Cov-2-related pathology contributing to increased risk of vascular events. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a parameter of functional neurocardiac integrity with low HRV constituting an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. Whether structural cardiac damage translates into neurocardiac dysfunction in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 remains poorly understood. Hypothesized mechanisms of possible neurocardiac dysfunction in COVID-19 comprise direct systemic neuroinvasion of autonomic control centers, ascending virus propagation along cranial nerves and cardiac autonomic neuropathy. While the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and the cytokine cascade in general has been studied extensively, the interplay between the inflammatory response caused by SARS-CoV-2 and autonomic cardiovascular regulation remains largely unclear. We reviewed the current literature on the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of autonomic neurocardiac function assessment via analysis of HRV in patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, we discuss potential therapeutic targets of modulating neurocardiac function in this high-risk population.

Dysregulation of the arsenal of cells, growth factors, cytokines, proteases, and proteins involved in wound healing (WH), could delay the healing process. Plants and plant-derived molecules (PDMs) have been used as medicines for skin wounds. This study aimed to select and evaluate the pro-healing capacity of PMDs. Thirty-three PDMs and 10 therapeutic targets (TTs) were chosen for molecular docking and PDMs: aristolochic acid (AA), α-copaene, selinenes, β-caryophyllene (BC), and BCoxide, and TTs: metalloproteinase (MMP) 3, MMP13, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF α) for molecular dynamics. The bests inhibitor was AA, but because of its toxicity, BC and BCoxide were chosen for evaluation in HaCat cells and BALB/c mice excisional model. Both compounds were not toxic, and higher percentages of lesion area closure (LAC) were induced by BC treatment (p<0.05). All mice healed; however, an initial delay of LAC was induced by 0.05, 0.1% BCoxide, 0.1% BC, and allantoin. At the end of treatment, lower numbers of mast cells, level of cellular infiltrates (except 1% BCoxide and 0.05, 0.5%BC), epidermal thickness tendency (except 0.1, 0.5% BCoxide), and higher values of SC-thickness, and collagen fibers only by 0.5% BC treatment compared with untreated control (p<0.05) were observed. Our results show that BC is a promising multitarget candidate for wound healing treatment and optimization campaigns.

Physical activity is well-established as an important protective factor against degenerative conditions and a promoter of tissue growth and renewal. The discovery of FNDC5 as the precursor of irisin in 2012 sparked significant interest in its potential as a diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutic agent for various diseases. Clinical studies have examined the correlation between plasma irisin levels and pathological conditions using a range of assays, but the lack of reliable measurements for endogenous irisin has led to uncertainty about its prognostic/diagnostic potential as an exercise surrogate. Animal and tissue-engineering models have shown the protective effects of irisin treatment in reversing functional impairment and potentially permanent damage, but dosage ambiguities remain unresolved. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the clinical and basic studies of irisin in the context of degenerative conditions and explores its potential as a therapeutic approach in the physiological processes involved in tissue repair/regeneration.

Vitamin E facilitates testicular development and semen quality in farm animal. And most research tends to investigate antioxidant roles of Vitamin E in reproductive health; some research also find potential non-antioxidant roles of Vitamin E. To further uncover the mechanism by which Vitamin E modulates reproductive health, the paper reviews specific function of Vitamin E and candidate genes involved in male reproductive performance promoted by Vitamin E. The review found that cell proliferation (PDPN, BMP, Myc, AMPKa, GSK3β, PPARγ, CDK4, CDK6, Ki67, PCNA, Cyclin A2, Cyclin B1, Cyclin B3, BLM, REL, KLHL25)-, cell apoptosis (BCL-2, Caspase 9, Bax)-, spermatogenesis (CatSper1, CatSper2, NDRG1, CYP26B1, FSCN3, FLNA, SPCS3, YBX3, RARS)-, hormone receptor (PGR, FSHR, AR)-related genes are the underlying key points. And two miRNAs, miR-107 and miR-493-3p, which mediate cell cycle process, are also identified in response to Vitamin E treatment. The paper paves the way for a comprehensive understanding about effect of Vitamin E on testis development and semen quality in domestic animals.

Background. TRPA1-related drugs alter sensation, particularly in conditions of inflammation. To further characterize the role of these drugs in bladder sensation, the TRPA1 agonist cinnamaldehyde (CMA) and oral true cinnamon spice were examined in preclinical models of bladder pain. Methods. Female, adult rats with and without acute zymosan-induced cystitis, were anesthetized and visceromotor (VMR) and cystometric responses to urinary bladder distension (UBD) determined following either the intravesical administration of CMA/vehicle solutions or the oral administration of true cinnamon/vehicle. ELISA measures of bladder TRPA1 content were also determined. Results. Acute cystitis resulted in increases in bladder TRPA1 content and produced an increased vigor of the VMRs to UBD and a lowering of micturition volume thresholds for activation of a micturition response. Intravesical CMA produced a robust inhibition of VMRs to UBD in rats with cystitis, but not in those without. Micturition volume thresholds were lowered by CMA in rats without cystitis, but had no additional effect in rats with cystitis. Oral cinnamon also produced a robust inhibition of VMRs to UBD in rats with cystitis and a mild augmentation of VMRs to UBD in rats without cystitis. Conclusions. A potentially analgesic effect of the spice, true cinnamon, in the treatment of the pain of acute cystitis was suggested by these preclinical studies. Human studies are indicated.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase is a cell surface receptor whose overexpression has been associated with different types of cancers including brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme). The ability of the extract of Scutellaria baicalensis to inhibit the proliferation of malignant glioma cells have been reported. Thus, in this study we report the identification of 307 bioactive constituents responsible for the anti-glioblastoma multiforme effect from S. baicalensis using in silico studies such as molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, pharmacophore modelling, induced-fit docking, gene enrichment analysis, molecular dynamic simulations and ADMET predictions. A total of 307 chemical constituents of S. baicalensis were screened and the top 10 scoring compounds indicated different binding affinities ranging from -9.010 to -6.427 kcal/mol towards the EGFR tyrosine kinase; Ganhuangenin, 5,7,2',5'-tetrahydroxyflavone, (2R)-2-(2,6-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-5,7-diol, and tenaxin I possess higher binding affinities (-9.010 to -8.649 kcal/mol) compared to the standard ligand, erlotinib having -8.539 kcal/mol. The compounds interacted with amino acids of clinical importance such as MET 769, GLU 738, THR 766 via H-bond. The structural features involved in the interaction with the target were mostly two aromatic rings, H-bond donors and acceptors and some hydrophobic interactions which varies between the ligands. Better docking scores in the induced-fit docking further validates the inhibitory potential of the compounds against the flexible protein. All the top-scoring ligands from S. baicalensis had zero Lipinski violation and also obeyed other drug-likeness rules by Ghose, Veber, Egan, and Muegge with the exception of breviscapine. Interestingly, all the compounds are not likely to be hepatotoxic, mutagenic, or cytogenic, making them potentially safe as anti-cancer agents.

Invasive weeds cause significant crop yield and economic losses in agriculture. The highest in-direct impact may be attributed to the role of invasive weeds as virus reservoirs especially within the commercial growing areas. The new tobamovirus tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), recently identified in the Middle-East, overcomes the Tm-22 resistance allele in the cultivated tomato varieties grown in greenhouses. In this study, we determined the role of invasive weed species as potential hosts for ToBRFV and pepino mosaic virus (PepMV). Out of all tested weed species, the invasive species So-lanum elaeagnifolium and S. rostratum, mechanically inoculated with ToBRFV, were positive for To-BRFV in both enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RT-PCR tests. S. rostratum was also positive for PepMV. No conspicuous phenotype was observed on ToBRFV infected S. elaeagnifolium plants suggesting a hostplant associated defense response. S. rostratum plants inoculated with either ToBRFV alone or a mixture of ToBRFV and PepMV-IL, contained high ToBRFV levels. In addition, when inoculated with ToBRFV or PepMV-IL disease symptom manifestations were observed in S. rostratum plants and the symptoms were exacerbated upon mixed infections with both viruses. The distribution and abundance of both Solanaceae species increase the risks of virus transmission between species.

Africa’s water needs are often supported by eutrophic waterbodies dominated by cyanobacteria posing health threats to riparian populations from cyanotoxins, and Lake Victoria is no exception. In two embayments of the lake (Murchison Bay and Napoleon Gulf), cyanobacterial surveys were conducted to characterize the dynamics of cyanotoxins in lake water and water treatment plants. Forty-six cyanobacterial taxa were recorded and out of these 14 were considered potentially toxigenic (i.e., from the genera Dolichospermum, Microcystis, Oscillatoria, Pseudanabaena and Raphidiopsis). A higher concentration (ranging from 5-10 µg MC-LR equiv. L-1) of microcystins (MCs) was detected in Murchison Bay compared to Napoleon Gulf, with a declining gradient from the inshore (max. 15 µg MC-LR equiv. L-1) to the open lake. In Murchison Bay, an increase either in Microcystis sp. biovolume and MC was observed over the last two decades. Despite high cell densities of toxigenic Microcystis and high MC concentrations, the water treatment plant in Murchison Bay efficiently removed the cyanobacterial biomass, intracellular and dissolved MC to below the lifetime guideline value for exposure via drinking water (&lt; 1.0 µg MC-LR equiv. L-1). Thus, the potential health threats stem from the consumption of untreated water and recreational activities, along the shores of the lake embayments. MC concentrations were predicted from Microcystis cell numbers regulated by environmental factors such as solar radiation, wind speed in the N-S direction and turbidity. Thus, an early warning through microscopical counting of Microcystis cell numbers is proposed to better manage health risks from toxigenic cyanobacteria in Lake Victoria.

Newton's second law, sometimes called the fundamental principle of dynamics, although considered as an irreducible axiom of mechanics based on and validated by experience, might paradoxically depend on the energetic content of our cosmos, through the existence of a dynamical form of aether appearing, in the ancient theory of Fatio de Duillier and Lesage, as an explanation of gravitational forces. In such a framework, Newton's theory is an approximation valid for small velocities as it was the case in special relativity theory.

Increasing agricultural productivity is indispensable to meet future food demand. Crop im-provement programs rely heavily on genetic diversity. The success of weeds in the ecosystem can be attributed to genetic diversity and plasticity. Weedy rice, a major weed of rice, has diverse morphology and phenology, implying wide genetic diversity. Study was conducted to genotype weedy rice accessions (n =54) previously phenotyped for herbicide tolerance and allelopathic potential using 30 SSR markers. Cultivated rice (CL163, REX) and allelopathic rice (RONDO, PI312777, PI338047) were also included in the study. Nei’s genetic diversity among weedy rice (0.45) was found to be higher than cultivated rice (0.24) but less than allelopathic rice (0.56). The genetic relationship and population structure based on herbicide tolerance and allelopathic po-tential were evaluated. Herbicide-tolerant and susceptible accessions formed distinct clusters in the dendrogram, indicating their genetic variation, whereas no distinction was observed between allelopathic and non-allelopathic weedy rice accessions. Weedy rice accession B2, which was previously reported to have high allelopathy and herbicide tolerance, was genetically distinct from other weedy rice. Results from the study will help leverage weedy rice for rice improvement programs as both rice and weedy rice are closely related, thus having a low breeding barrier.

Gastric cancer, also known as stomach cancer, is a cancer which develops from the lining of the stomach. Accumulated evidences and epidemiological studies have been indicated that natural products play an important role in gastric cancer prevention and treatment, although its mechanism of action did not elucidate yet. Particularly, experimental studies have been showed that natural products displayed a protective effect against gastric cancer via numerous molecular mechanisms such as suppression of cell metastasis, anti-angiogenesis, inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and modulation of autophagy. Although chemotherapy remains the standard treatment for advanced gastric cancer along with surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy, but its adverse side effects including neutropenia, stomatitis, mucositis, diarrhea, nausea, and emesis are well documented. Additionally, intake of naturally occurring phytochemicals could increase the efficacy of gastric chemotherapy and chemotherapeutics resistance. However, natural product structural stability and powerful bioactivity are important to develop novel treatments for gastric cancer that may minimize such adverse effects. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize the potential therapeutic effects of natural products on prevention and treatment of gastric cancer with intensive molecular mechanisms of action, bioavailability, and safety efficacy.

Background: Aquaponics are food production systems advocated for food security and health. Their sustainability from a nutritional and plant health perspective is, however, a significant challenge. Recirculated aquaculture systems (RAS) form a major part of aquaponic systems, but knowledge about their potential to benefit plant growth and plant health is limited. The current study tested if the diversity and function of microbial communities in two commercial RAS were specific to the fish species used (Tilapia or Clarias) and sampling site (fish tanks and wastewaters), and whether they confer benefits to plants and have invitro antagonistic potential towards plant pathogens. Results: Microbial diversity and composition was found to be dependent on fish species and sample site. The Tilapia RAS hosted higher bacterial diversity than the Clarias RAS; but the latter hosted higher fungal diversity. Both Tilapia and Clarias RAS hosted bacterial and fungal communities that promoted plant growth, inhibited plant pathogens and encouraged biodegradation. The production of extracellular enzymes, related to nutrient availability and pathogen control, by bacterial strains isolated from the Tilapia and Clarias systems, makes them a promising tool in aquaponics and in their system design. Conclusions: This study explored the microbial potential of the commercial RAS with either Tilapia or Clarias as a tool to benefit the aquaponic system with respect to plant growth promotion and control of plant diseases.

Plant proteins being considered to become the most important protein source of the future, they must be able to replace the animal-derived proteins currently in use as technofunctional food ingredients. This poses challenges because plant proteins are oftentimes storage proteins with a high molecular weight and low water solubility. One promising approach to overcome these limitations is the glycation of plant proteins. The covalent bonding between the proteins and different carbohydrates created via the initial stage of the Maillard reaction can improve the technofunctional characteristics of these proteins without the involvement of potentially toxic chemicals. However, compared to studies with animal-derived proteins, glycation studies on plant proteins are currently still underrepresented in literature. This review provides an overview of the existing studies on the glycation of the major groups of plant proteins with different carbohydrates using different preparation methods. Emphasis is put on the reaction conditions used for glycation as well as the modifications to physicochemical properties and technofunctionality. Different applications of these glycated plant proteins in emulsions, foams, films, and encapsulation systems are introduced. Another focus lies on the reaction chemistry of the Maillard reaction and ways to harness it for controlled glycation and to limit the formation of undesired advanced glycation products. Finally, challenges related to the controlled glycation of plant proteins to improve their properties are discussed.

Tumorigenesis is a complex biological phenomenon that includes extensive genetic and phenotypic heterogeneities and complicated regulatory mechanisms. In the recent few years, our studies demonstrate that tumor-initiating cells are similar to neural stem/progenitor cells in regulatory networks, tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. In the review, I will make further discussion on these observations and propose a rule of cell biology by integrating these findings with evidence from developmental biology, tumor biology and evolution, which suggests that neural stemness underlies two coupled cell properties, tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. Tumorigenicity and phenotypic heterogeneity in tumor is a result of acquirement of neural stemness in cells. The neural stemness property of tumor-initiating cells can hopefully integrate different concepts/hypotheses underlying tumorigenesis. Neural stem cells/neural progenitors and tumor-initiating cells share regulatory networks; both exhibit neural stemness, tumorigenicity and differentiation potential; both are dependent on expression or activation of ancestral genes (the atavistic effect); both rely primarily on aerobic glycolytic metabolism; both can differentiate into various cells or tissues that are derived from three germ layers, resembling severely disorganized or more severely degenerated process of embryonic development; both are enriched in long genes with more splice variants that provide more plastic scaffolds for cell differentiation, etc. The property of neural stemness might be a key point to understand tumorigenesis and pluripotent differentiation potential, and possibly explain certain pathological observations in tumors that have been inexplicable. Therefore, behind the complexity of tumorigenesis might be a general rule of cell biology, i.e., neural stemness represents the ground state of cell tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential.

Pneumonia cases of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China, were reported to the WHO on 31st of December 2019. Later the pathogen was reported to be a novel coronavirus designated Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 is a novel pathogenic beta coronavirus that infects humans causing severe respiratory illness. However, multifarious factors can contribute to the susceptibility to COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality such as age, gender and underlying comorbidities. Importantly, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cells is mediated via ACE2 receptor. However, ACE2 receptor binding affinity to SARS-CoV-2 is 4 folds higher than that to SARS-CoV. Identification of different aspects such as binding affinity, differential antigenic profiles of spike glycoproteins, and ACE2 polymorphisms might influence the investigation of potential therapeutic strategies targeting SARS-CoV-2/ACE2 binding interface. Here we aim to elaborate on SARS-CoV-2 S1/ACE2 ligand that facilitates viral internalization as well as to highlight the differences between SARS-CoVs binding affinity to ACE2. We also discuss the possible immunogenic sequences of spike glycoprotein and the effect of ACE2 polymorphism on viral binding/infectivity and host susceptibility to disease. Furthermore, targeting of ACE2 will be discussed to understand its role in therapeutics.

Purpose: Recently introduced molecules namely long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with various diseases, including breast cancer, and they may have the potential to act as biomarkers. Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is a frequently observed type of breast cancer that diagnosis through immunohistochemical methods. However, no reliable non-invasive markers such as circulating markers have been introduced for it, so far. Materials and methods: The relative quantitation (RQ) of two lncRNAs, RP11-445H22.4 and TINCR, was measured in tumoral tissues and paired adjacent non-tumoral tissues (PANTs) as well as in plasma samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Furthermore, promoter methylation of the two lncRNAs genes was assessed using methylation-specific PCR (MSP). In order to compare the diagnostic values, plasma levels of CA 15-3 were measured as a conventional circulating biomarker using ELISA. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to illustrate the sensitivity and specificity of the potential biomarkers. Results: The RP11-445H22.4 and TINCR genes were upregulated in tumor tissues compared to PANTs (RQ_{RP11-445H22.4} = 2.7, RQ_TINCR = 4.4). Furthermore, the presence of RP11-445H22.4 and TINCR in the plasma of patients was significantly more than healthy controls (RQ_{c.RP11-445H22.4} = 4.12, RQ_c.TINCR = 4.16, P<0.001). The promoters of RP11-445H22.4 and TINCR genes were hypomethylated in the tumoral tissues with a negative correlation with their gene expression. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be speculated that the expression levels of these two lncRNAs as well as their promoter methylation can be considered as a therapeutic target and potential biomarker for breast carcinoma.

Age-related sarcopenia meaningfully increases the risks of functional limitations and mortality in the elderly. Although circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) are associated with aging-related cellular senescence and inflammation, the relationships between c-miRNAs and sarcopenia in the elderly remain unclear. This study investigates whether circulating myo-miRNAs and inflammation-related miRNAs are associated with sarcopenia in the elderly. This study recruited 77 eligible subjects (41 males and 36 females) from 597 community-dwelling older adults, and then divided into normal (n=24), dynapenic (loss of muscular function without mass, n=35), and sarcopenic groups (loss of muscular function with mass, n=18). Moreover, myo-miRNAs (c-miRNA-133a and c-miRNA-486), inflammation-related miRNAs (c-miRNA-21 and c-miRNA-146a), and inflammatory-related cytokine levels in plasma were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA, respectively. The results demonstrated that sarcopenic group exhibited lesser skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength, and gait speed, as well as, lower c-miR-486 and c-miR-146a levels, compared to those of normal and dynapenic groups. Moreover, c-miR-486 level was positively related to SMI (r=0.334, P=0.003), whereas c-miR-146a level was positively associated with SMI (r=0.240, P=0.035) and handgrip strength (r=0.253, P=0.027). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis for predicting sarcopenia, the area under the curve in c-miR-486 was 0.708 (95% confidence interval: 0.561-0.855, P=0.008) and c-miR-146a was 0.676 (95% CI: 0.551-0.801, P=0.024). However, no significant relationships were observed between SMI/ handgrip strength/gait speed and plasma myeloperoxidase/interleukin-1?/interleukin-6 levels. In conclusion, myo-miRNA (c-miR-486) and inflammation-related miRNA (c-miR-146a) are superior to inflammatory peroxide/cytokines in plasma for serving as critical biomarkers of age-related sarcopenia.

Monitoring glycosylation changes within cells upon response to stimuli remains challenging because of the complexity of this large family of post-translational modifications (PTMs). We have developed an original tool enabling labeling and visualization of the cell cycle key-regulator b-catenin in its O-GlcNAcylated form based on intramolecular Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology in cells. We opted for a bioorthogonal chemical reporter strategy based on the dual-labeling of b-catenin with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) for protein sequence combined with a chemically-clicked imaging probe for PTM resulting in a fast and easy to monitor qualitative FRET assay. We validated this technology by imaging the O-GlcNAcylation status of b-catenin in HeLa cells. Moreover, the changes in O-GlcNAcylation of b-catenin were varied by perturbing global cellular O-GlcNAc levels with inhibitors of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Finally, we provided a flowchart demonstrating how this technology is transposable to any kind of glycosylation.

Quinine and its less toxic derivatives have served humanity for decades as potent antimalarial drugs. Emergence of drug resistance has narrowed the usage of these drugs in malaria prevention and treatment. Fortunately, these drugs have roles in the treatment of other diseases as well including rheumatic disorders and viral infections. Quinine derivatives have proven antiviral effects, especially against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Zika virus (ZiKV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Ebola virus and dengue virus (DENV). The prophylactic and therapeutic role of Chloroquine/hydroxychroquine has become a topic of interest after the recent outbreak of novel Corona virus-19 (nCoV-19). This virus is also named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and WHO has officially named this disease as Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This lethal virus has affected almost 186 countries of the world till to date just in a period of four months of its outbreak. No approved antiviral drug is existed for the treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, this review is focused on potential prophylactic and therapeutic role of chloroquine/hydroxychlroquine for COVID-19.

Increasing evidence points to host Th17 inflammatory responses as contributing to the severe lung pathology and mortality of lower respiratory tract infections from coronaviruses. This includes host inflammatory and cytokine responses to COVID-19 caused by the SARS-2 coronavirus (SARS CoV2). From studies conducted in laboratory animals, there are additional concerns about immune enhancement and the role of potential host immunopathology resulting from experimental human COVID-19 vaccines. Here we summarize evidence suggesting there may be partial overlap between the underlying immunopathologic processes linked to both coronavirus infection and vaccination, and a role for Th17 in immune enhancement and eosinophilic pulmonary immunopathology. Such findings help explain the link between viral-vectored coronavirus vaccines and immune enhancement and its reduction through alum adjuvants. Additional research may also clarify links between COVID-19 pulmonary immunopathology and heart disease.

SARS-CoV2 (corona virus) has spread globally at an unprecedented rate; so far, increasing SARS-CoV2-infected individuals have been identified. Although the situation in China is improving and is currently under control, the outbreak in other countries and its pandemic management is only beginning to develop. Based on 154 SARS-CoV2 genome sequence analyses, we used receptor–ligand docking to identify one potential point mutation (V354F) on the spike structure which enhances spike binding to ACE2 receptors underlying potential super infection. Importantly, the V354F site on spike S1 had been identified in 5/10 infected French patients living in Paris, who sharing 100% identical SARS-CoV2 genomes. With Covid-19 cases increasing rapidly in France that could lead to a new explosion, we suggest that the French government should identify all potential super spreaders and treat them accordingly. In summary, our study provides on of the measures to avoid the potential second worldwide explosion of SARS-CoV2.

There is a long trail of research studies testing the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of chloroquine and its derivatives in treating and preventing infection by various coronavirus species. More recent findings have highlighted the possibility of treating patients infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. This review describes the mechanism of coronavirus infection, the mechanism of action of chloroquine, and summarizes the available literature highlighting the efficacy of chloroquine as an anti-coronavirus agent. These findings should encourage the wider scientific community to conduct thorough research on the possible efficacy of chloroquine and its derivatives in treating and preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In China, there is an increasing need for greater genetic diversity in maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm and hybrids appropriate for mechanical harvesting. In order to test and distinguish American maize inbred lines with exceptional combining ability, four Chinese maize inbred lines (Chang7-2, Zheng 58, four-144 and four-287) were used to judge the combining ability and heterosis of 16 USA inbred lines by a NCII genetic mating method. The results showed that among the American inbred lines, 6M502A, LH208, NL001, LH212Ht, PHW51, FBLA and LH181 expressed good GCA for yield characteristics; while RS710, PHP76, FBLA, and PHJ89 showed excellent GCA for machine harvesting characteristics. Five hybrids (NL001 × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, FBLA × four-144, LH181 × four-287, PHK93 × four-287) had better SCA values for yield characteristics, at 1.69, 1.07, 1.48, 1.84 and 1.05, respectively; while NL001 × Chang 7-2, 6M502A × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, LH181 × four-287, PHW51 × Chang7-2 had better TCA values for yield characteristics, at 3.03, 2.80, 2.41, 2.19 and 1.91, respectively; NL001 × Chang7-2, 6M502A × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, LH181 × four-287, PHW51 × Chang7-2 showed excellent Control Heterosis values, with 21.48%, 19.64%, 15.93%, 14.05% and 11.60% increases, respectively, compared to the check and potential for future utilization in Inner Mongolian corn production.

The three heat-induced coffee contaminants acrylamide, furfuryl alcohol (FA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were analyzed in a collective of commercial samples as well as in Coffea arabica seeds roasted under controlled conditions from very light Scandinavian style to very dark Neapolitan style profiles. Regarding acrylamide, average contents in commercial samples were lower than in a previous study in 2002 (196 compared to 303 µg/kg). The roasting experiment confirmed the inverse relationship between roasting degree and acrylamide content, i.e. the lighter the coffee the higher the acrylamide content. However, FA and HMF were inversely related to acrylamide and found in higher contents in darker roasts. Therefore, mitigation measures must consider all contaminants and not be focused isolatedly on acrylamide, specifically since FA and HMF are contained in much higher contents with lower margins of exposure compared to acrylamide.

This work describes the preparation of mesoporous silica by the green reaction of rice husk ash (RHA) with glycerol, followed by the modification and the potential use as a drug carrier. The reaction was carried out at 215 °C for 2 h. The solution was further hydrolyzed with deionized water and aged for various times (24, 48, 120, 360, 528 and 672 h) before calcinations at 500 oC for 24 h. Further treatment of prepared mesoporous silica was performed using trimethylmethoxysilane (TMMS) to obtain hydrophobic Mesoporous silica. For all synthesized silica, silica contents were as high as 95%wt, whereas organic residues were less than 3%wt. RHA-glycerol showed the highest specific surface area with smallest pore diameter (205.70 m2/g, 7.46 nm) when aged for 48 h. The optimal hydrolysis-ageing period of 120 h resulted in 500.7 m2/g BET surface area, 0.655 cm3/g pore volume and 5.23 nm pore diameter. The surface modification of RHA-glycerol was succeeded through the reaction with TMMS as confirmed by FTIR. Ibuprofen was selected as a model drug for the adsorption experiments. The adsorption under supercritical CO2 was carried out at isothermal temperature of 40 ˚C and 100 bar, % ibuprofen loading of TMMS modified mesoporous silica (TMMS-g-MS) was 6 times less than mesoporous silica aged for 24 h (MS-24h) due to the hydrophobic nature of modified mesoporous silica, not surface and pore characteristics. The release kinetics of ibuprofen-loaded mesoporous silicas were also investigated in vitro. The release rate of ibuprofen-loaded MS-24h was much faster than that of ibuprofen-loaded TMMS-g-MS, but comparable to the crystalline ibuprofen. The slower release rate was attributed to the diffusion control and the stability of hydrophobic nature of modified silica. This would allow the design for the controlled release drug delivery system.

Between a vineyard and the foliage wall of an adjacent forest, 25 traps containing different Drosophila attractants were applied on three occasions in autumn after the grape harvest. The attractant liquid was Pinot Blanc grape juice to which pure Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast had been added to initiate fermentation. The five test variants differed in only one characteristic, namely the fermentation time, which was changed in two-day steps. Nine species of the genus Drosophila were captured, but only two were abundant enough to allow statistical analysis of variant differences in capture frequencies. Both species, D. suzukii and D. simulans, can affect the quality of the berries and ultimately the wine even before the harvest and are therefore considered pests. The studies showed that fermenting grape juice is significantly more attractive to both species than unfermented grape juice and that the attractiveness of the attractant liquid is maximised for D. simulans males with a fermentation time of seven to eight days.Parallel to this experiment, an analysis of the aroma spectrum of the fermenting grape juice was carried out with a temporal resolution of one day for the first twenty days. This made it possible to identify the aroma substances that had the highest concentrations in the time frame in which the attractant was particularly attractive and whose attractant effect should therefore be investigated further.

Inspired by the work of S. D. Odintsov and V. K. Oikonomou, Phys. Rev. D 92, 024016 (2015) [1], the present study reports a reconstruction scheme for f (R) gravity with the scale factor a(t) µ (t _* - t) _c²²describing the pre-bounce ekpyrotic contraction, where t is the big crunch time. The reconstructed f (R) is used to derive expressions for density and pressure contributions and the equation of state parameter resulting from this reconstruction is found to behave like "quintom". It has also been observed that the reconstructed f (R) has satisfied a sufficient condition for a realistic model. In the subsequent phase the reconstructed f (R) is applied to the model of chameleon scalar field and the scalar field f and the potential V(f) are tested for quasi-exponential ex pansion. It has been observed that although the reconstructed f (R) satisfies one of the sufficient conditions for realistic model, the quasi-exponential expansion is not available due to this reconstruction. Finally, the consequences pre-bounce ekpyrotic inflation i n f (R) gravity are compared to the background solution for f (R) matter bounce.

In order to study the crystallinity of different density polyethylenes, the experimental study on the transformation of the conductance mechanism under high electric field was carried out. The X-ray Diffraction(XRD), Different Scanning Calorimeter(DSC), Direct Current(DC) breakdown of Low-density polyethylene(LDPE), Linear low density polyethylene(LLDPE), Medium density polyethylene(MDPE) and High-density polyethylene(HDPE) and the electric field of 5-200kV/mm were tested. Conductivity characteristics experiments, in addition, using the mathematical formula of a variety of conductance mechanisms, the electric field-current density curves of the four kinds of polyethylene were fitted to analyze the conductance transition of the above four kinds of polyethylene in non-ohmic regions under different high field strengths. mechanism. The experimental results show that as the density of polyethylene increases, the crystallinity increases continuously, and the continuous increase of crystallinity causes the electric conduction flow under the same field strength to decrease significantly. The field strength corresponding to the two turning points in the conductance characteristic curve increases simultaneously. Large, the breakdown field strength increases; through analysis, it is found that in the high field, as the electric field increases, the conductance mechanism develops from the ohmic conductance of the low field strength region to the bulk effect of the high field strength region (Poole-Frenkel). Then the electrode effect to the high field strength (Schottky), and the threshold field strength of this conductance mechanism transition increases with the increase of crystallinity.

This study aims to assess food security status of rural, peri-urban and urban households and role of socio-economic factors in ensuring food security. A survey was conducted to collect primary (quantitative) data from 630 respondents using proportionate sampling technique from Punjab, Pakistan. Cronbach’s Alpha reveals stability (>0.75) of data scale items. Using Dietary Intake Assessment (DIA), findings reveal urban households as highly food-secure whereas rural household as most vulnerable to food security at 2450kcal/day per person. Study indicates food price increase as the leading factor in preventing food security among households. Contrary, study identifies risk factors associated to food quality under the abundant availability and access as the new dimension to household food insecurity. Further, results of binary logit model show that socio-economic factors such as monthly income, total number of earners, education of household head and access to market are positively related with food security status whereas, social isolation, volatility in food prices and risk factors in food quality are negatively related with household food security. Therefore, study proposes educational orientation and entrepreneurial development as sustainable solution to ensure food security among masses. Besides, further country level researches are advised to deep delve the mounting menace of food security.

The atmospheric lightning is one of the natural disasters which need to be considered in the sustainable development. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has installed 46 lightning detection sensors (LDS) across the country. These sensors work in radio frequencies having their detection range up to 1000 km with more than 98% detection efficiency within 300 km range. The network is put in a way that sensors have about 50% sensor-to-sensor overlap in their detection ranges to enable high geolocation accuracy and maintain redundancy. The NRSC-LDS network (LDSN) estimates the current associated with each cloud to ground (CG) lightning flash which can be utilized for the risk assessment. The current estimates from one network to the other need to be inter-calibrated and harmonized. Present study compares the LDSN current estimates with Lightning Location Network (LLN) estimates and results are discussed with their impact on the estimation of vulnerable zones. A case study of lightning-induced fire event is presented to showcase the importance of the currents associated with lightning for future planning.

Nowadays, digitalization and automation in both industrial and research activities is a driving force for innovations. In recent years, Machine Learning (ML) techniques - the subset of Artificial Intelligence - have been widely applied as a key tool to automize and digitalize numerous in-dustrial processes. ML models can predict specific features, like materials' lifetime in a heating device, based on recently trained algorithms with applied input data. The results of ML algorithms are easy to interpret and can significantly decrease the time of research and decision-making, thus, substituting the trial-error approach. This work presents the state of the art in the application of Machine Learning in the investigation of MgO-C refractories for the steel industry. Also, the work presents an overview of the most commonly used ML algorithms in refractory engineering. So far published results confirm the high performance of ML, e.g., for prediction of oxidation behaviour, optimum graphite content and wear rate of MgO-C refractories, or for clustering materials based on various fused and sintered MgO sources into groups with similar corrosion resistance, thus, permitting to reduce expensive fused raw materials content. Most of the presented works were positively validated via experiment.

Antibiotic-loaded bone cements are widely used in orthopedic surgery. However, they present issues such as a short antibiotic release time and the antibiotic resistance. These challenges necessitate the development of novel antibacterial bone cements. Non-leaching bone cement containing antibacterial motifs represents a promising advancement in this direction. Antibacterial motifs are incorporated into the cement either covalently or non-covalently, and while they will not be released, they will still exhibit surface antibacterial activity. This review comprehensively examines the structure and antimicrobial activity of prevalent non-leaching antimicrobial bone cements. Additionally, it delves into the characteristics of current methods employed for detecting surface antimicrobial activity. Finally, the future research direction of non-leaching antibacterial bone cement is discussed, with a specific focus on innovative antibacterial motifs, the mechanisms underlying non-leaching antibacterial properties, and the potential synergies achievable by combining non-leaching antibacterial bone cement with traditional antibiotics.

The plastic deformation behavior of 3Y-TZP with weak electric current in oxygen-lean atmosphere was investigated. An electrochemical reduction reaction, induced by the electric current, can significantly promote the plastic deformation of 3Y-TZP at furnace temperature of 1200 °C and a strain rate of 6.67 × 10−4 s−1. Especially, a remarkable variation of the electrical property and grain growth were observed in 3Y-TZP during the deformation. The stress exponent ranging within 2~3 indicated that the deformation was dominated by grain boundary sliding. The applied electric current decreased the apparent activation energy Q of the deformation from 465 kJ mol-1 to 315 kJ mol-1, resulting in a transition of the diffusion mechanism from the lattice diffusion to the grain boundary diffusion. These phenomena were mainly attributed to the enhancement of the cation diffusion caused by the electrochemical reduction reaction, which induced by the electric current in oxygen-lean atmosphere.

Accurate rainfall measurement is vital when investigating spatial and temporal precipitation variability at different scales. However, there are many regions around the world, such as North Darfur State in Sudan, where ground-based observations are few. Satellite-based precipitation products can fill such regions' spatial and temporal rainfall data gaps. Six satellite rainfall prod-ucts, namely the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA), African Rainfall Climatology Version 2 (ARC2.0), Climate Hazards Group In-frared Precipitation with Station Data (CHIRPS2.0), the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurements (GPM) Final Run v 6 (GPM IMERG6), Precipitation Estima-tion from Remote Sensing Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CDR), and the Tropical Applications of Meteorology using SATellite and ground-based observations (TAMSAT) v3.1 were evaluated to assess their accuracy in estimating rainfall amounts variability trends in the study area. The global-based satellite rainfall products were assessed at monthly and annual time scales by applying a point-to-pixel comparison with ground-based rain gauge data for the period 2000–2019. Based on the overall statistical results at monthly and temporal yearly scales, five satellite precipitation products (TMPA, CHIRPS, GPM IMERG6, PERSIANN-CDR, and TAMSATv3.1) overestimated rainfall amounts by values ranging from 1.49% to 82.69%. In contrast, the ARC2 product underestimated rainfall amounts by values ranging from-16.9% to-20.25%. The TAMSATv3.1, CHIRPS, and TMPA performed relatively better, showing stronger correlations and higher values of Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency. This study showed that the TAMSATv3.1 and CHIRPS products could reasonably estimate rainfall amounts in the North Darfur State.

Liposomes have been used for several decades for the encapsulation of drugs and bioactives in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. On the other hand, the use of these phospholipid vesicles in food applications is more recent and has been increasing significantly in the last ten years. Although in different stages of technological maturity - in the case of cosmetics, many products are on the market - processes to obtain liposomes suitable for the encapsulation and delivery of bioactives are highly expensive, especially aiming at scaling-up. Among the bioactives proposed for cosmetics and food applications, vitamins are the most frequently used. Despite the differences between the administration routes (oral for food and mainly dermal for cosmetics), some challenges are very similar (e.g., stability, bioactive load, average size, increase of drug bioaccessibility and bioavailability). In the present work, a systematic review of the technological advancements in the nanoencapsulation of vitamins using liposomes and related processes was performed; challenges and future perspectives were also discussed in order to underline the advantages of these drug loaded biocompatible nanocarriers for cosmetics and food applications.

The current manuscript presents a review on existing kiln burner technologies for the cement production process, in the context of the current climate of energy transition and environmental remediation. Environmental legislation has become ever stricter in response to global climate change, and cement plants need to adapt to this new reality in order to remain competitive in the market and ensure their longevity. The cement production process is a well-established technology with more than a century of existence. There are several plants in operation whose process is outdated by modern standards, particularly considering the current industry decarbonization needs. The cement process requires tremendous amounts of energy, mainly recovered from the combustion of solid, liquid or gaseous fuels, which yields massive emissions of greenhouse gases. Thus, an important onus is placed upon the minimization of pollutant emission in the combustion system, as well as a substitution of fossil fuels with more sustainable alternatives. One of the sus-tainable alternative fuels comes in the form of refuse derived fuels (RDF). These high caloric frac-tions of municipal solid waste present a double advantage by reducing the amount of fossil fuels used and reducing the landfilling fraction of waste. However, their use in rotary kiln burners comes with important limitations for burner operation, namely that a high degree of control over primary air supply is needed to ensure complete combustion with minimal pollutant emission.

An 18.8–33.9-GHz, 2.26-mW current-reuse (CR) injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) for radar sensor applications is presented in this paper. A fourth-order resonator is designed using a transformer with a distributed inductor for wideband operating of the ILFD. The CR core is employed to reduce the power consumption compared to conventional cross-coupled pair ILFDs. The targeted input center frequency is 24 GHz for radar application. The self-oscillated frequency of the proposed CR-ILFD is 14.08 GHz. The input frequency locking range is from 18.8 to 33.8 GHz (57%) at an injection power of 0 dBm without a capacitor bank or varactors. The proposed CR-ILFD consumes 2.26 mW of power from a 1-V supply voltage. The entire die size is 0.75 mm ´ 0.45 mm. This CR-ILFD is implemented in a 65-nm CMOS technology.

After the appearance of first cases of ‘pneumonia of unknown origin’ in the Wuhan city, China, during late 2019, the disease progressed fast. Its cause was identified as a novel coronavirus, named provisionally 2019-nCoV. Subsequently, an official name was given as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) study group. The World Health Organization (WHO) named the Coronavirus disease-2019 as COVID-19. The epidemics of COVID-2019 have been recorded over 113 countries/territories/areas apart from China and filched more than 4292 humans, affecting severely around 1,18,326 cases in a short span. The status of COVID-2019 emergency revised by the WHO within 42 days from Public Health International Emergency (January 30, 2020) to a pandemic (March 11, 2020). Nonetheless, the case fatality rate (CFR) of the current epidemic is on the rise (between 2-4%), relatively is lower than the previous SARS-CoV (2002/2003) and MERS-CoV (2012) outbreaks. Even though investigations are on its way, the researchers across the globe have assumptions of animal-origin of current SARS-CoV-2. A recent case report provides evidence of mild COVID-2019 infection in a pet dog that acquired COVID-2019 infection from his owner in Hong Kong. The news on travellers associated spread across the globe have also put many countries on alert with the cancellation of tourist visa to all affected countries and postponement of events where international visits were required. A few diagnostic approaches, including quantitative and differential real-time polymerase chain reaction assays, have been recommended for the screening of the individuals at risk. In the absence of any selective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, re-purposed drugs are advocated in many studies. This article discourse the current worldwide situation of COVID-2019 with information on virus, epidemiology, host, the role of animals, effective diagnosis, therapeutics, preventive and control approaches making people aware on the disease outcomes.

Lung transplantation offers patients with end stage lung disease an opportunity for a better quality of life, but with limited organ availability it is paramount that selected patients have the best opportunity for successful outcomes. Nutrition plays a central role in post-surgical outcomes and historically, body mass index (BMI) has been used as the de facto method of assessing a lung transplant candidate’s nutritional status. Here we review the historical origins of BMI in lung transplantation, summarize the current BMI literature, and review studies of alternative/complementary body composition assessment tools, including lean psoas area, creatinine-height index, leptin, and dual x-ray absorptometry. These body composition measures quantify lean body mass versus fat mass and may provide a more comprehensive analysis of a patient’s nutritional state than BMI alone.

Indigenous Australians have been particularly affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus due to their genetic susceptibility and a range of environmental risk factors. Recent genetic studies link predisposition to some diseases, including diabetes, to archaic humans, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, suggesting persistence of ancient alleles in the genomes of modern humans. In this review we discuss the evolutionary role of the negative genetic selection associated with an adopted Western lifestyle as well as DNA variants influencing predisposition to obesity and diabetes in the Australian Indigenous population. We review the contribution of the ancient gene/pathways to the modern human phenotypes including the Neanderthal haplotype-tagging SNPs in NTRK2 gene, which may continue to play a role in obesity in Indigenous Australians.

This paper analyzes the measurement error, caused by the position of the current-carrying conductor, of circular array of magnetic sensors for current measurement. The circular array of magnetic sensors is an effective approach for AC or DC non-contact measurement, as its low cost, large linear range, wide bandwidth, light weight and low noise. Especially it has claimed that such structure has the excellent reduction ability for the errors caused by the position of the current-carrying conductor, crosstalk current interference, shape of the conduction cross section and the earth magnetic field. However, the positions of the current-carrying conductor, including un-center and un-perpendicularity, has not analyzed in detail until now. In this paper, the theoretical analysis has been proposed based on vector inner and exterior product. In the presented mathematical model of relative error, the un-center offset distance, the un-perpendicular angle, the radius of the circle and the number of the magnetic sensor are expressed in one equation. The comparison of the relative error caused by the position of the current-carrying conductor between four and eight sensors is conducted. The Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors are used in the experimental prototype to verify the mathematical model. The analysis results can be the reference to design the detail of circular array of magnetic sensors for current measurement in practical situation.

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new methodology for the fault diagnosis of induction machines working in transient regime, when time-frequency analysis tools are used. The proposed method relies on the use of the optimized Slepian window for performing the short time Fourier transform (STFT) of the stator current signal. It is shown that for a given sequence length of finite duration the Slepian window has the maximum concentration of energy, greater than can be reached with a gated Gaussian window, which is usually used as analysis window. In this paper the use and optimization of the Slepian window for fault diagnosis of induction machines is theoretically introduced and experimentally validated through the test of a 3.15 MW induction motor with broken bars during the start-up transient. The theoretical analysis and the experimental results show that the use of the Slepian window can highlight the fault components in the current's spectrogram with a significant reduction of the required computational resources.

Penetration of grid connected inverters (GCI) has arisen in power systems due to increasing integration of renewable sources. However, restrictive grid codes require that renewable sources connected to the grid with power electronic systems must be properly connected and appropriate currents must be injected to support stability of the grid under grid faults. Simultaneous injection of symmetrical positive and negative sequence currents is mandatory to support stabilization of grid at the instant of grid faults. Conventional synchronously rotating frame dq current controllers are insufficient under grid faults due to low bandwidth of PI controllers. This paper proposes a new grid current control strategy for grid connected voltage source inverters under unbalanced grid voltage conditions. A proportional current controller with a first order low pass filter disturbance observer (DOb) is proposed which establishes positive sequence power requirements and independently control negative sequence current components under unbalanced voltage conditions. The method does not need any parameter, since it estimates nonlinear terms with low pass filter DOb. Simulations are implemented in Matlab/Simulink platform demonstrating the effectiveness of proposed method.

Brine-dependent recovery process has seen much global research efforts in the past two decades because of their benefits over other oil recovery methods. The process involves the tweaking of the ionic composition and strength of the injected water to improve oil production. In recent years, several studies ranging from laboratory coreflood experiments by many researchers to field trials by several companies admit to the potential of recovering additional oil in sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. Sandstone and carbonate rocks are composed of completely different minerals, with varying degree of complexity and heterogeneity, but wettability alteration has been widely considered as the consequence rather than the cause of brine-dependent recovery. However, there is no consensus on the cause as several mechanisms have been proposed to relate the wettability changes to the improved recovery. This review paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art development in published research and various efforts of the industry. This review outlines an overview of laboratory and field observations, descriptions of underlying mechanisms and their validity, the complexity of the oil-brine-rock interactions, modelling works, and comparison between sandstone and carbonate rocks. The provided information is intended to provide the reader with up-to-date information, point to relevant studies for those who are new and those implementing either laboratory- or field-scale projects to speed up the process of further investigations in this research area. Overall, the outcome of this review would potentially be of immense benefit to the oil industry.

The Earth's water resources, totaling 1.386 billion cubic kilometers, predominantly consist of saltwater in oceans. Groundwater, plays a pivotal role, with 99% of usable freshwater supporting 1.5–3 billion people as drinking water source and 60–70% for irrigation. Climate change, with temperature increase and altered precipitation patterns, directly impacts groundwater systems, affecting recharge, discharge, and temperature. Hydrological models are crucial for assessing climate change effects on groundwater, aiding in management decisions. Advanced hydrological models, incorporating data assimilation and improved process representation, contribute to understanding complex systems. Recent studies, employ numerical models to assess climate change impacts on groundwater recharge that could help in management of Groundwater. Groundwater vulnerability assessments vary with the spatial and temporal considerations, as well as assumptions in modelling groundwater susceptibility. The review assesses the vulnerability of groundwater to climate change and stresses the importance of accurate assessments for sustainable water resource management. It highlights challenges in assumptions related to soil and aquifer properties, multiple stressors, adaptive capacity, topography, aquifer properties, and groundwater contamination processes and gradual sea level rise scenarios and realistic representations of the region of study. The advancements in hydrological modelling, including the integration of uncertainty quantification and remote sensing data, artificial intelligence, could assist in the efforts to improve models for assessing the impacts of climate change on hydrological.

The three-dimensional structure of Gulf of Mexico’s warm-core rings, detaching from the Loop Current, is investigated using satellite altimetry and a large set of ARGO float profiles. Reconstruction of the Loop Current rings (LCRs) vertical structure from sea surface height observations is made possible by the use of the gravest empirical modes method (GEM). The GEMs are transfer functions that associate a value of temperature and salinity for each variable pair {dynamic height;pressure}, and are computed by estimating an empirical relationship between dynamic height and the vertical thermohaline structure of the ocean. Between 1993 and 2021, 40 LCRs were detected in the altimetry and their three-dimensional thermohaline structure was reconstructed, as well as a number of dynamically relevant variables (geostrophic and cyclogeostrophic velocity, relative vorticity, potential vorticity, available potential energy and kinetic energy density etc.). The structure of a typical LCR was computed by fitting an analytical stream function to the LCRs dynamic height signature and reconstructing its vertical structure with the GEM. The total heat and salt contents and energy of each LCR were computed and their cumulative effect on the Gulf of Mexico’s heat, salt and energy balance is discussed. We show that LCRs have a dramatic impact on these balances and estimate that residual surface heat fluxes of -13 Wm−2 are necessary to compensate their heat input, while the fresh water outflow of the Mississippi river approximately compensates for their salt excess input. An average energy dissipation of O[10−10−10−9] Wkg−1 would be necessary to balance their energy input.

Wheat gluten contains epitopes that trigger celiac disease (CD). A life-long strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment accepted for CD. However, very low-gluten wheat may provide an alternative treatment to CD. Conventional plant breeding methods are not sufficient to produce celiac-safe wheat. RNA interference technology, to some extent, succeeded in the development of safer wheat varieties. However, these varieties had multiple challenges in their implementation. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-associated nuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is a versatile gene-editing tool that has the ability to edit the immunogenic gluten genes. So far, only a few studies have applied CRISPR/Cas9 to modify the wheat genome. In this article, we reviewed published literature that applied CRISPR/Cas9 in wheat genome editing to investigate the current status of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to produce a low-immunogenic wheat variety. We found that in recent years, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been continuously improved to edit the complex hexaploid wheat genome. Although some reduced immunogenic wheat varieties have been reported, CRISPR/Cas9 has still not been fully explored in editing the wheat genome. We conclude that further studies are required to apply the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system efficiently for the development of celiac-safe wheat variety and to establish it as a “tool to celiac safe wheat.”

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an essential condition for soil health and a potential sink for greenhouse gases. SOC dynamics in a long-term field experiment with mineral and organic fertilization on loamy sand Podzol in Vladimir Region, Russia, was traced with the dynamic carbon model RothC since 1968 until the present time. During this period, C stock increased 21% compared with the initial level in the treatment with the application of manure in an average annual rate of 10 t·ha-1. The model was also used to forecast SOC changes until 2090 for two contrasting RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climatic scenarios. Until 2090, the steady growth of SOC stocks is expected in all compared treatments for both climate scenarios. This rate of growth was the highest until 2040, decreased in 2040-2070 and increased again in 2070-2090 for RCP4.5. The highest annual gain was within 21-27‰ under RCP4.5 and 16-21‰ in 2020-2040 in 0-20 cm soil layer. The expected accumulation of C allows increasing current C stock 1.6-1.7 times for RCP4.5 and 2.0-2.2 times for RCP8.5 scenario. Modelling demonstrated potentially more favourable conditions for SOC stability in arable Podzols than in Retisols in Central Russia in the 21st century.

The Apennine sector formed by Sannio and Irpinia is one of the most important seismic districts in Italy, representing a good case of study due to the plenty of recorded earthquakes that have therein occurred from Roman times up to nowadays. We have merged the historical record and the new satellite techniques that allow a precise determination of ground movements, and then derived physical dimensions like strain rate. In this way, we have verified that in Irpinia the hazard of new strong shocks forty years after one of the strongest known seismic events in the district is still high. This aspect must be considered very important from many points of view, particularly for Civil Protection plans, as well as civil engineering and urban planning development.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life improves the growth, health and survival status of newborns. Breastfeeding has been accepted as the most vital intervention for reducing infant mortality and ensuring optimal growth and development of children. Objectives: The general objective was to identify the factors affecting exclusive breastfeeding among working class women in selected wards in Egbedore Local Government in Osun state, Nigeria. Methodology: This was descriptive cross-sectional study. Leslie Kish formula was used for sample size calculation and multistage sampling was used in selecting 316 working class women for the study. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 and level of significance was set at 5%. Results: 58% of the respondents were between the ages of 25-30. 72% demonstrated good understanding of exclusive breastfeeding based on the 6 months WHO recommendation for exclusive breast feeding, 25.9% had a fair knowledge and awareness of exclusive breastfeeding. 63.3% of the working class mother has a good practice of exclusive breast feeding, 19.6% of the women moderately practices exclusive breastfeeding while 17.1% poorly practices exclusive breastfeeding. Less than 3-months maternity leave for mothers, lack of crèche closer to place of work and lack of breastfeeding break were identified as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding practices among the working class women. The findings demonstrated a significant relationship between knowledge and practices of exclusively breastfeeding among working class women (P-value .009). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that working class women had good knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding and this influenced their breastfeeding practices. A good knowledge was associated with favorable attitudes to the practice of exclusive breast feeding. To derive long-term benefits from early childhood nutrition, interventions should focus on health education and community-based sensitization programs on the needs for mothers to engage in exclusive breast needing for global development.

The thermodynamic phase behavior of charged polymers is a crucial property underlying their role in biology and various industrial applications. A complete understanding of the phase behaviors of such polymer solutions remains challenging due to the multi-component nature of the system and the delicate interplay among various factors, including the translational entropy of each component, excluded volume interactions, chain connectivity, electrostatic interactions, and other specific interactions. In this work, the phase behavior of partially charged, ion-containing polymers in polar solvents is studied by further developing a liquid-state (LS) theory with local short-range interactions. This work is based on the LS theory developed for fully-charged polyelectrolyte solutions. Specific interactions between charged groups of the polymer and counterions, between neutral segments of the polymer, and between charged segments of the polymer are incorporated into the LS theory by an extra Helmholtz free energy from the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT). The influence of the sequence structure of the partially charged polymer is modeled by the number of connections between bonded segments. The effects of chain length, charge fraction, counterion valency, and specific short-range interactions are explored. A computational App for salt-free polymer solutions is developed and presented, which allows easy computation of the binodal curve and critical point by specifying values for the relevant model parameters.

Abstract: The increased penetration of renewables in distribution power systems has motivated researchers to take significant interest in local energy transactions. The major goal of Local Energy Markets (LEM) is to promote the participation of small consumers in energy transactions and providing an opportunity for transactive energy systems. Such energy transactions in LEM are considered as a bi-level optimization problem in which all agents at upper and lower levels try to maximize their profits. But typical bi-level problem is very complex as it is inherently nonlinear, discontinued and strongly NP-hard. So, this article proposes the application of hybridized Cross Entropy Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CE-CMAES) to tackle such a complex bi-level problem of LEM. The proposed CE-CMAES secured the 1st rank in Testbed-2 entitled, “Bi-level optimization of end-users’ bidding strategies in local energy markets (LM)” at international competitions on Smart Grid Problems, held at GECCO 2020 and WCCI 2020. CE method is used for global exploration of search space and CMAES is used for local exploitation as its adaptive step-size mechanism prevents its premature convergence. A practical distribution system with renewable energy penetration is considered for simulation. The comparative analysis shows that the overall cost, mean fitness and Ranking Index (R.I) obtained from CE-CMAES are superior to those obtained from the state-of-the-art participated algorithms. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Statistical test also proves that CE-CMAES is statistically different from the tested algorithms.

The main ideas of F-transform came from representing expert rules. It would be therefore re reasonable to expect that the more accurately the membership functions describe human reasoning, the more efficient will be the corresponding F-transform formulas. We know that an adequate description of our reasoning corresponds to complicated membership functions -- however, somewhat surprisingly, most efficient applications of F-transform use the simplest possible triangular membership functions. There exist some explanations for this phenomenon which are based on local behavior of the signal. In this paper, we supplement this local explanation by a global one: namely, we prove that triangular membership functions are the only one that provide the accurate description of appropriate global characteristics of the signal.

In this research, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach that has been used in wind power generation field was applied for the solution of the problems of local strong wind areas in railway fields, and the mechanism of wind generation was discussed. At the same time, the affectivity of the application of computational fluid dynamic approach to railway field was discussed. The problem of local wind that occurs on the railway line in winter was taken up in this research. A computational simulation for the prediction of wind conditions by LES was implemented and it was clarified that the local strong wind area is mainly caused by separated flows originating from the small‐scale terrain positioned at its upstream (at approximately 180.0 m above sea level). Meanwhile, the effects of the size of calculation area and spatial grid resolution on the result of calculation and the effect of atmospheric stability were also discussed. It was clarified that when the air flow characteristic of the separated flow originating from the small‐scale terrain (at altitude of approximately 180.0 m) targeted in this research is reproduced at high accuracy by computational simulation of wind conditions, approximately 10.0 m of spatial resolution of computational grid in horizontal direction is required. As a result of the computational simulation of wind conditions of stably stratified flow (Fr = 1.0), lee waves were excited at the downstream of the terrain over time. As a result, the reverse‐flow region lying behind the terrain that had been observed at a neutral time was inhibited. Consequently, local strong wind area was generated at the downstream of the terrain and the strong wind area passing through the observation mast was observed. By investigating the speed increasing rate of local strong wind area induced at the time of stable stratification, it was found that the wind was approximately 1.2 times stronger than what was generated at a neutral time.

The objective is to study the local perceptions on the conservation of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Réserve Naturelle Communautaire de Dindéfélo (RNCD), southeast of Senegal, to design specific actions to improve conservation management. We conducted 338 semi-structured interviews in three main villages of RNCD. Three-fourths of the population were farmers. Of those interviewed, 29% received elementary education. Two of the three villages participated in a project to plant trees as fences. On average, 66% of the respondents were animists. Of the respondents who were afraid to see a chimpanzee, 68% answered because they attack. Seventy-seven percent washed their clothes in the forest river because there was more water than in the village wells. Of the interviewees who threw the old clothes into the forest, 50% did it due to tradition. Ninety-six percent of respondents stated that chimpanzees do not feed from their crops. The main problems of the locals with the Reserve were lack of water and basic resources and not been allow to cut trees in protected areas. There were significant relationships between education (1 relationship), environmental project (4 relationships) and animism (11 relationships) with local perceptions. The 93% of the respondents who had the traditional belief that “if the old clothes were burnt, children would become sick” feel fear of chimpanzees, while those who did not have this animistic belief the 6% are afraid (χ² = 1.57, P < 0.02). These local perceptions allow us to design specific course of action to improve chimpanzee conservation and sustainable coexistence in this complex period of the Anthropocene.

The clinical practice implies a research translation that helps the use of scientific data and thera-peutic evidence for patient benefits. This review critically summarizes the potential impact of cannabinoids in concomitance with other drugs in the following chronic diseases as Epilepsy, Au-tism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Oncology, Multiple Sclerosis, and Chronic Pain. The potential in-teractions can change the predicted clinical outcomes of therapeutic protocols and need to be evaluated. Some of the effects would be additive, synergistic or antagonistic, but can also enroll changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, particularly via cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoen-zymes (e.g CYP2C9 and CYP3A4) and excretion. For instance, the combination of canna-bis-derived compounds and the antifungal drug ketoconazole, a CYP3A4 inhibitor, increases plasma concentration of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD (CBD). Opposable, rifampic-in, a CYP3A4 inducer, stands out for the approximately 20-40% reduction in plasma THC levels and 50% to 60% for CBD. Other CYP3A4 inhibitors and inducers are likely to have a similar effect on plasma concentrations if co-administered. Indeed, pharmacokinetic interactions have been also reported with antiseizure drugs. Moreover, pharmacodynamic interactions between cannabinoids and drugs with sympathomimetic effects (eg tachycardia, hypertension), central nervous system depressants (eg drowsiness, ataxia), and anticholinergics (eg tachycardia and drowsiness) are also expected. Even though pending further studies, there is currently clinical evidence supporting drug interaction with cannabinoids, demanding doctors evaluate the risk of drug combinations with cannabinoids. The tables herein provided were designed to facilitate the identification of bi-orelevant interactions that may compromise therapeutic efficacy and toxicity.

Autoimmune kidney diseases arise from a loss of tolerance to antigens, often with unclear triggers. In this review we explore the role of the gut microbiome and how disease, diet and therapy can alter the gut microbiota consortium. Perturbations in the gut microbiota may induce the translocation of microbiota-derived inflammatory molecules such as liposaccharide (LPS) and other toxins systemically by penetrating the gut epithelial barrier. Once in the blood stream these pro-inflammatory mediators activate immune cells which release pro-inflammatory molecules many of which are antigens in autoimmune diseases. The ratio of gut bacteria Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes is associated with worse outcomes in multiple autoimmune kidney diseases including Lupus nephritis, MPO-ANCA vasculitis and Goodpasture’s syndrome. Therapies which enhance short chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria in the gut have powerful therapeutic potential. Dietary fibre is fermented by gut bacteria which in turn release SCFAs which protect the gut barrier as well as modulate immune responses towards a tolerogenic anti-inflammatory state. Herein, we describe where the current field of research is and the strategies to harness the gut microbiome as potential therapy.

Burkholderia are a group of Gram-negative bacteria that can cause a variety of diseases in at-risk populations. B. pseudomallei and B. mallei, the etiological agents of melioidosis and glanders, respectively, are the two clinically relevant members of the B. pseudomallei complex (Bpc). The development of vaccines against Bpc species has been accelerated in recent years, resulting in numerous promising subunits and glycoconjugate vaccines incorporating a variety of antigens. However, a second group of pathogenic Burkholderia species exists known as the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), a group of opportunistic bacteria which tend to affect individuals with weakened immunity or cystic fibrosis. To date there have been few attempts to develop vaccines to Bcc species. Therefore, the primary goal of this review is to provide a broad overview of the various subunit antigens that have been tested in Bpc species, their protective efficacy, study limitations, and known or suspected mechanisms of protection. Then, we assess the reviewed Bpc antigens for their amino acid sequence conservation to homologous proteins found in Bcc species. We propose that protective Bpc antigens with a high degree of Bpc-to-Bcc sequence conservation could serve as components of a pan-Burkholderia vaccine capable of protecting against both disease-causing groups.

(1) Background: To investigate the effect of phosphohistone H3 (PHH3) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the risk assessment of endometriosis, in two cohorts of women with this pathology, those receiving hormonal treatment, and those without treatment; (2) Methods: In 60 cases of women with endometriosis, the paraffin-embedded endometriosis tissue samples, retrieved after surgery, were immunohistochemically (IHC) analyzed aiming to determine the expression status of PHH3 and VDR; (3) Results: The IHC positive index of PHH3 and VDR of these two groups were compared. PHH3 levels were positively correlated with vitamin D levels, both being increased in patients without treatment. Within the group without treatment, PHH3 and VDR expressions were positively associated; (4) Conclusions: IHC analysis of PHH3 and VDR can be used as an additional tool for risk stratification and prognostic assessment in patients with endometriosis.

Chaphamaparvovirus (ChPV) is an ancient virus that has been detected in a variety of hosts. In this study, based on the phylogenetic analysis and the adaptability of ChPV to multiple hosts, we evaluated the potential of feline (FeChPV) and canine ChPV (CaChPV) for cross-species transmis-sion. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FeChPV and CaChPV were closely related. Notably, two strains of ChPVs isolated from domestic cats and 2 from dogs clustered together with CaChPVs and FeChPVs, respectively, suggesting the stringent boundaries between canine and feline ChPV may be broken. Further analysis revealed that CaChPV and FeChPV were more adapted to dogs than to cats, strongly suggesting the possibility of unidirectional or bidirectional transmission be-tween dogs and cats. Mutation analysis identified several shared mutations in cross-species-transmissible strains that were not located within immune epitopes. Furthermore, the VP struc-tures of FeChPV and CaChPV exhibited a high degree of similarity across both cross-species-transmissible and non-cross-species-transmissible strains. However, definitive experimental evi-dence is lacking, and its capacity for cross-species transmission should be approached with cau-tion and elucidated in further studies.

Ophelia syndrome is characterized by the coincidence of severe neuropsychiatric symptoms, classical Hodgkin lymphoma, and the presence of antibodies to the metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor (mGluR5). Little is known about the pathogenetic link between these symptoms and the role that anti-mGluR5-antibodies play. We investigated lymphoma tissue from patients with Ophelia syndrome and with isolated classical Hodgkin lymphoma by quantitative immunocytochemistry for mGluR5-expression. Further, we studied the L-1236, L-428, L-540, SUP-HD1, KM-H2, and HDLM-2 classical Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines by FACS and Western blot for mGluR5-expression, and by transcriptome analysis. mGluR5 surface expression differed significantly in terms of receptor density, distribution pattern, and percentage of positive cells. Highest expression levels were found in the L-1236 line. RNA-sequencing revealed more than 800 genes that were higher expressed in the L-1236 line in comparison to the other classical Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines. High mGluR5-expression was associated with upregulation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways and of downstream targets (e.g. EGR1) known to be involved in classical Hodgkin lymphoma progression. Finally, mGluR5 expression was increased in the classical Hodgkin lymphoma-tissue of our Ophelia syndrome patient in contrast to five classical Hodgkin lymphoma-patients without autoimmune encephalitis. Given the association of encephalitis and classical Hodgkin lymphoma in Ophelia syndrome, it is possible that mGluR5-expression on classical Hodgkin lymphoma cells not only drives tumor progression but also triggers anti-mGluR5 encephalitis even before classical Hodgkin lymphoma becomes manifest.

Cutting-edge technologies are intensifying into new skylines and this remarkable progress has been successfully influenced by the tiny level engineering of carbon dots technology, their syn-thesis advancement and impressive applications in the field of allied sciences. The advances of science and its conjugation with interdisciplinary fields emerged in carbon dots making, their controlled characterization and applications into faster, cheaper as well as more reliable prod-ucts in various scientific domains. Thus, a new era in nanotechnology has developed into carbon dots technology. The understanding of the generation process, control on making processes and selected applications of carbon dots such as energy storage, environmental monitoring, catalysis, contaminates detections and complex environmental forensics, drug delivery, drug targeting and other biomedical applications etc. are among the most promising applications of carbon dots and thus a thrust area of research today. In this regard, various types of carbon dots nano-materials such as oxides, their composites and conjugations etc. have been flocking significant attention due to their remarkable potential in this thrust area of energy, the environment and technology. Thus, the present paper highlights the role and importance of carbon dots, recent advancements in their synthesis methods, properties and emerging applications.

The interaction of solution of poly (diallyldimethylammonium) chloride, PDADMAc and sodium dodecylsulfate, SDS has been studied using conductometric, densimeter and zeta potential methods. the critical micellization concentration (cmc) was determinated with conductance results and increased with the addition of PDADMAc comparing with solutions containing pure SDS. Further the degree of dissociation,  and thermodynamic parameters viz. free energy of micellization, and entropy of micellization, has been evaluated. there results demonstrated that surfactant/polymer complex is governed by both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The apparent molar volume, Vϕ and adiabatic compressibility, Kϕ;s have been determined for the SDS solution from density and speed sound data. the negative charge of the SDS solutions with polymer shows that these complexes probably do not contain surfactant in the form of micelles.

COVID-19 has emerged as deadly pandemic worldwide with no vaccine or suitable antiviral drugs to prevent or cure the disease. Because of the time-consuming process to develop new vaccines or antiviral agents, there has been a growing interest in repurposing some existing drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2. Vitamin D is known to be protective against acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia and cytokine storm. Recently it has been used as a repurposed drug for the treatment of H5N1 virus-induced lung injury. Circumstantial evidences indicate that people with low level of vitamin D are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Although, vitamin D was suggested to interfere with viral replication, its interaction with any SARS-CoV-2 protein is unexplored yet. Beside this, ivermectin, a well-known anti-parasitic agent, exhibits potent anti-viral activities in vitro against viruses such as HIV-1 and dengue. Very recently, ivermectin has been found to reduce viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. We have analyzed available structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins to identify probable binding partner(s) of vitamin D and ivermectin through knowledge-based docking studies and figured out possible implication of their binding in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our observations suggest that the non-structural protein nsp7 possesses a potential site to house 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (VDY) or the active form of Vitamin D, calcitrol. Binding of vitamin D with nsp7 likely to hamper the formation of nsp7-nsp8 complex which is required to bind with RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), nsp12 for optimal function. On the other hand, potential binding site of ivermectin has been identified in the S2 subunit of trimeric spike(S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. We propose that deeply inserted mode of ivermectin binding at three inter-subunit junctions may restrict large scale conformational changes of S2 helices which is necessary for efficient fusion of viral and host membrane. Our study, therefore, opens up avenues for further investigations to consider vitamin D and ivermectin as potential drugs against SARS-CoV-2.

In a two-year field trial, the effect of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) fertilization was investigated on grain yield, grain quality parameters, formation of acrylamide (AA), and the precursor free asparagine (Asn) in organically and conventionally produced winter wheat cultivars. In both production systems, different types, amounts, and temporal distributions of N were tested. While the effect of S fertilizer types and amounts on free Asn was only tested in the conventional farming system. Within both cropping systems, grain yield and baking quality were significantly influenced by N treatment while the effect on free Asn was only minor. Especially within the organic farming system, increasing N fertilization levels did not increase free Asn significantly. A slight trend of increasing free Asn levels with an intensified N supply was observed, especially in the presence of crude protein contents of 14% or higher. But only N amounts of 180 kg N ha⁻¹ or higher increased the probability of high free Asn contents considerably, while N supply below that amount led to free Asn values similar to the unfertilized controls. The results indicated that good baking quality can be achieved without significantly increasing free Asn levels. In addition, cultivars affected the levels of free Asn significantly. Compared to cv. “Bussard” and “Naturastar”, cv. “Capo” exhibited the lowest AA formation potential at an N supply of 180 kg N ha⁻¹ while simultaneously reaching a crude protein content > 15% (conventional) and > 12% (organic). Thus, it seems that cultivars differ in their ability to store and incorporate free Asn into proteins. Over all trials, a correlation of free Asn and AA was shown by R² = 0.77, while a relation of free Asn and protein was only R² = 0.36. Thus, lowering free Asn by adjusting N treatments should not necessarily affect baking quality. S nutrition within conventional farming did not change free Asn amount or crude protein significantly, probably due to the fact that soil was not sulfate-deficient. In summary, it was evident that free Asn amounts in wheat varied widely both within cultivars and between cropping systems. In order to clearly unravel genotypic differences and their interaction with environmental factors and especially N fertilization, further research is needed.

Digital technologies have changed the way supply chain operations are structured. In this article, we conduct systematic syntheses of literature on the impact of new technologies on supply chains and the related cyber risks. A taxonomic/cladistic approach is used for the evaluations of progress in the area of supply chain integration in the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, with a specific focus on the mitigation of cyber risks. An analytical framework is presented, based on a critical assessment with respect to issues related to new types of cyber risk and the integration of supply chains with new technologies. This paper identifies a dynamic and self-adapting supply chain system supported with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) and real-time intelligence for predictive cyber risk analytics. The system is integrated into a cognition engine that enables predictive cyber risk analytics with real-time intelligence from IoT networks at the edge. This enhances capacities and assist in the creation of a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and threats that arise when edge computing nodes are deployed, and when AI/ML technologies are migrated to the periphery of IoT networks.