Packaged water consumption has grown rapidly in urban areas of many low and middle income countries, but particularly in Ghana. However, the sources of water used by this growing packaged water industry and its implications for water resource management and transport-related environmental impacts have not been described. This study aimed to assess the spatial distribution of regulated packaged water production in Ghana, both in relation to demand and for natural mineral water, to hydrogeological characteristics. 764 addresses for premises licenced to produce packaged water from 2009-2015 were mapped and compared to regional sachet water consumption and beverage import/export data examined. We find evidence to suggest packaged water is transported shorter distances in Ghana than in developed countries. For natural mineral waters, producers should be able to address the most widespread water quality hazards (including high salinity, iron and nitrates) in aquifers used for production through reverse osmosis treatment. The study suggests there is scope to integrate beverage product and groundwater regulatory databases to support groundwater management.

Residual sugars (RS) in wine are the sugars that remain in a wine after fermentation is complete. In some wine styles, such as semi-dry wines, the accurate measurement of the RS concentration is critical for both qualitative and legislative reasons. Brix, measured by a simple refractometer, can give a good estimation of the RS concentration in the must, but during fermentation, the presence of alcohol leads to inaccurate sugar measurements. In order to measure the RS accurately, other more precise techniques are used, most of which are expensive or require professional skills. Therefore, novel approaches for rapid, easy, and practical measurements for estimating the sugar content were suggested over the years. However, most of these methods do not supply an actual measurement of RS but rather give brix values, and those that measure RS involve special equipment, which is less relevant for small wineries. This study suggests a novel model for predicting and controlling the wine's residual sugar. The data the model uses is the initial brix of the must before fermentation and its density during fermentation. The model was created by measuring actual residual sugars during the fermentation of natural and synthetic musts, with various degrees of initial brix levels, while simultaneously measuring their densities and correlating the two measurements. Linear regression between the residual sugar of the wine and its density was obtained for all treatments and repetitions (i.e., different values of must initial brix) with R² values above 0.97. Using the model, one can calculate (before commencing the fermentation) the density values at which the fermentation will reach a particular desired residual sugar value for a specific initial brix level; the model is applicable for the fermentation conditions used in this work, i.e., brix levels of 18-27˚Bx, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (fx-33 and fx-10) in common conditions of fermentation regarding temperature and aeration.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of eugenol against the genomic DNA of Candida albicans. A quantitative experimental study was conducted with the C. albicans INCQS 40006 strain. Eugenol was tested in concentrations of 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The test substance remained in contact with the fungus for 24 hours in a BHI medium in a microbio-logical greenhouse, then the DNA extraction was performed and part of the sample obtained was washed with TE to remove the Eugenol. The fungus was placed in BHI again and placed for 24 hours in a microbiological greenhouse. At the end, the samples with 100% eugenol went through seeds in Sabouraud Dextrose for confirmatory tests. Thus, from the electrophoresis, which admits evaluating the quality of the extracted material, preserving its characteristics and integrity, it was observed in the eugenol concentration test (test 1), in which the eugenol was in direct contact with the pathogen, that in concentrations of equal to or greater than 75% of the test substance the pathogen had no proliferative power. In which the fungus's ability to recover is evaluated (test 2), eugenol was removed from the sample, noting that in 100% of the test substance the fungus did not have the ability to recover, resulting in definitive cell death.

This study is describing airborne geophysical survey, carried out in Northeastern Russia (Archangelsk region) in order to aimed at geological mapping of Grib kimberlite pipe, which is known to have strong presence of remanent magnetization. Airborne data were inverted using two techniques, the magnetization vector inversion (MVI) and a QDIK inversion, a proprietary algorithm developed at the Irkutsk State University (ISTU), which allows extracting four parameters from airborne magnetic data (magnetic susceptibility, inclination, declination and Koeniksberger ratio). The inversion results were further analyzed and verified against the known geology of the Grib kimberlite. The study allowed to better map geology of Grib kimberlite using only uninvasive (remote sensing) technology

In China, the majority of mountainous regions are characterized by complex topography and a delicate, sensitive geological environment. Coupled with a generally underdeveloped infrastruc-ture and numerous unreasonable human engineering activities, these regions are often highly susceptible to geological disasters. Geological hazards can cause significant damage to human lives and property, impeding the development of mountainous areas. Consequently, researching the assessment of geological hazard vulnerability is crucial for disaster prevention, emergency management, and economic development in these regions. This study focuses on Xuanwei City and selects eight factors for evaluation, including elevation, gradient, slope aspect, normalized vegetation index, stratigraphic lithology, distance from faults, distance from rivers, and distance from roads. These factors are chosen based on a comprehensive analysis of the spatial and tem-poral distribution of geological hazards and disaster incubation conditions. Two paired models, the deterministic coefficient model + logistic regression model (CF+LR) and the information quan-tity model + logistic regression model (I+LR), were employed to quantitatively assess the study ar-ea. The accuracy of these models was evaluated using ROC curves and AUC values. The results indicate that: (1) The AUC values for the CF+LR and I+LR coupled models are 0.799 and 0.772, respectively, demonstrating that both models can objectively and reliably assess the vulnerability to geological hazards in the study area; (2) Based on the CF+LR model calculations, the geological hazard susceptibility of Xuanwei City can be categorized into four zones: extremely high suscepti-bility (6.09%), high susceptibility (31.08%), medium susceptibility (32.26%), and low susceptibility (30.57%); (3) The CF+LR model more accurately represents the evaluation results and offers a strong reference value.

HIV-1 transcribes only one kind of transcript – the full length genomic RNA. To make the mRNA transcripts for the accessory proteins Tat and Rev, the genomic RNA must completely splice. The mRNA transcripts for Vif, Vpr, and Env must splice but not completely. Genomic RNA (which also functions as mRNA for the Gag and Gag/Pro/Pol precursor polyproteins) must not splice at all. HIV-1 can tolerate a surprising range in the relative abundance of individual transcript types, and a surprising amount of aberrant and even odd splicing; however, it must not over-splice, which results in the loss of full length genomic RNA and has a dramatic fitness cost. Cells typically do not tolerate unspliced/incompletely spliced transcripts, so HIV-1 has to circumvent this cell policing mechanism to allow some splicing while suppressing most. Splicing is controlled by RNA secondary structure, cis-acting regulatory sequences which bind splicing factors, and the viral protein Rev. There is still much work to be done to clarify the combinatorial effects of these splicing regulators. These control mechanisms represent attractive targets to induce over-splicing as an antiviral strategy. Finally, splicing has been implicated in latency, but to date there is little supporting evidence for such a mechanism. In this review we apply what is known of cellular splicing to understand splicing in HIV-1, and also present data from our newer and more sensitive deep sequencing assays quantifying the different HIV-1 transcript types.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens GL18 has been proven to have good resistance ability and can promote the growth of Avena sativa cultivar ‘Qingyan 1’. Herein, Illumina high-throughput transcriptome sequencing technology was used to analyze the differential expression of genes between the interaction group (LB) and the control group (LCK) when ‘Qingyan 1’ roots interacted with GL18 bacterial suspension or sterile water for 12 h under 4 °C low-temperature stress. The gene function annotation information was obtained using Gene Ontology (GO) functional classification and enrichment analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and annotation of differentially expressed genes was used to explore the related signal transduction pathway of ‘Qingyan 1’ response to cold stress induced by Bacillus GL18. The results showed that after ‘Qingyan 1’ seedlings interacted with GL18 bacterial suspension or sterile water for 12 h, comparing the LB with the LCK or CK (the control group at 26 °C), there were 12,061 and 25,489 differentially expressed genes, respectively. Their functions were mainly related to metabolic process, cellular process, catalytic activity, binding, and cellular parts, and they were significantly enriched in plant tissue growth and development, cell wall, organelle membrane synthesis, thiamine and its compounds, biosynthesis, polyamine decomposition, and other metabolic processes. Signal transduction was detected through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and corresponding genes, such as AUXI, PP2C, SNRK2, ABF, BRI1, and PIF4, were expressed. The expression of genes directly involved in plant growth was upregulated in the presence of GL18, as shown by real-time quantitative PCR analysis. It was speculated that the normal growth and development of ‘Qingyan 1’ under low-temperature stress promoted by GL18 is a result of the integration of multiple pathways in terms of regulating endogenous hormone metabolism, secondary metabolite synthesis, and photosynthesis.

Daniel Yergin’s “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations” is a remarkable and groundbreaking work that addresses the ever-changing global energy landscape and its profound geopolitical implications. In this modest book review, we aim to offer a fresh perspective by re-examining the core issues from the standpoint of political geography. The aim of this article is twofold: to enrich the existing literature on political geography and to provide valuable insights to students of geography to broaden their knowledge in this field.

Over 3.0 billion people of the 7.75 billion globally suffer from malnutrition due to deficiencies in micronutrients, particularly iron, zinc, and vitamins (such as vitamin A, B complex, E, and folate, etc.). In response, there is growing consumer interest in foods that provide traditional nutrients and contain additional compounds beneficial to health and well-being. Wheat is the most important cereal crop in terms of both production and consumption, contributing about 30% of total cereal consumption worldwide. It provides a significant source of carbohydrates and gluten protein (around 12-14% protein), which supply substantial energy. Wheat grain is also rich in various nutrients, such as macro-elements like phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg); microelements like iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and vitamins B complex: thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9), additionally soluble fiber and other trace minerals which are higher than in other major cereals. The inner bran coats, phosphates, and other mineral salts in wheat contribute to its beneficial effects on bowel movements. Despite its nutritional benefits, the quality of wheat's nutrients is a topic of ongoing discussion. Exploring ways to enhance the nutritional quality of wheat could provide valuable insights for scientists working to improve global nutrition status.

Reservoirs created by damming rivers significantly modify the environment and problems may arise: the storage of nutrients and organic matter in reservoirs often leads to decreased water quality due to eutrophication. Reservoirs built on lowland rivers are exposed to significant nutrient loads, often leading to eutrophication. In this article, the Sulejów Reservoir, in Central Poland, was the subject of the research, which focused on the use of Sentinel-2 remote sensing data to detect phytoplankton blooms, and on understanding the pattern of wind-driven surface currents using the CCHE2D model (a depth-averaged hydrodynamic model). The calculation of the total phosphorus load has shown that the reservoir mainly acts as nutrient storage. Still, during the low flow and intensive phytoplankton bloom, it can be a source of nutrients. The distribution of phytoplankton bloom on the Sulejów Reservoir was documented using eight Sentinel-2 satellite images from the vegetation season of 2020 and the Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCl). Coupling remote sensing data and numerical modelling helps to interpret the hydrodynamic model results and understand nutrients and sediment dynamics within the reservoir. Hydrodynamic modelling combined with remote sensing data can be a valuable tool for selecting appropriate locations for water quality measurements at monitoring stations.

Astronauts at are risk of losing 1.0 – 1.5% of their bone mass for every month they spend in space despite their adherence to high impact exercise training programs designed to preserve the musculoskeletal system. This article reviews the basics of bone formation and resorption and details how exposure to microgravity or simulated microgravity affects the structure and function of osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, and their mesenchymal and hematologic stem cell precursors. It details the critical roles that insulin-like growth facor-1 and its receptor IGFR1 play in maintaining bone homeostasis and how exposure of bone cells to microgravity affects the function of these growth factors. Lastly, it discusses the potential of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, syncytin-A, and sclerostin inhibitors and recombinant IGF-1 as a bone-saving treatment for astronauts in space and during their colonization of the Moon.

In this study, data analysis methods from ecology were applied to litter surveys to evaluate patterns among urban litter items found in two types of streets in England (High Streets and Central Business Districts). Results indicate that sites characterised as a High Street (predominantly leisure activities such as shopping and dining) contained lower densities, less variety, yet featured items with higher potential for environmental contamination than sites categorised as Central Business District (identified by high numbers of professional workers and transport links). Although litter were significantly different between sites, the litter community structure was not. Our results suggest that litter typologies and associated activities can lead to specific knowledge of key influential items in a site and inform future evidence based and sustainable mitigation systems.

Air pollution knows no boundaries, which means for a city or a region to attain clean air standards, must not only look at the emission sources within its own administrative boundary, but also at sources in the immediate vicinity and those originating from long-range transport. And there is a limit to how much area can be explored to evaluate, govern, and manage as designated airsheds for cities and larger regions. This paper discusses the need from an official airshed framework for India’s air quality management, urban airsheds designated for India’s 131 non-attainment cities under the national clean air programme, and proposes climatically and geographically appropriate regional airsheds to support long-term planning. Between 28 states, eight union territories, 36 meteorological sub-regional divisions, and six regional meteorological departments, establishing the proposed 15 regional airsheds for integrated and collaborative air quality management across India is a unique opportunity.

The goal of our study was to examine the effect of regional characteristics of living environment on individual a priori and a posteriori dietary patterns of the Russian population. For the analysis, we used cross-sectional data from the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Regions of the Russian Federation study of 2013-2014. The sample included 18,054 men and women 25-64 years of age from 12 regions. Based on the frequency of consumption of basic foods, four a posteriori empirical dietary patterns (EDPs), along with an a priori cardioprotective dietary pattern (CPDP) were identified. To describe the regional living environment, 5 regional indices were used. The adherence to the meat-based EDP was directly associated with deterioration of social living conditions and the more northerly location of the region of residence. The probability of CPDP increased with deterioration of social living conditions, an aggravation of demographic crisis, higher industrial development of the region, as well as with a decline in the economic development of the region, income and economic inequality of the population. We detected some gender-dependent differences in associations. The revealed patterns reflect the national dietary preferences of Russians, and regional indices characterize the effect of living environment.

The detection of seismic events at regional and teleseismic distances is critical to Nuclear Treaty Monitoring. Traditionally, detecting regional and teleseismic events has required the use of an expensive multi-instrument seismic array; however in this work, we present DeepPick, a novel seismic detection algorithm capable of array-like performance from a single trace. We achieve this directly, by training our single-trace detector against labeled events from an array catalog, and by utilizing a deep temporal convolutional neural network. The training data consists of all arrivals in the International Seismological Centre Catalog for seven seismic arrays over a five year window from 1 Jan 2010 to 1 Jan 2015, yielding a total training set of 608,362 detections. The test set consists of the same seven arrays over a one year window from 1 Jan 2015 to 1 Jan 2016. We report our results by training the algorithm on six of the arrays and testing it on the seventh, so as to demonstrate the transportability and generalization of the technique to new stations. Detection performance against this test set is outstanding. Fixing a type-I error rate of 1%, the algorithm achieves an overall recall rate of 73% on the 141,095 array beam picks in the test set, yielding 102,394 correct detections. This is more than 4 times the 23,259 detections found in the analyst-reviewed single-trace catalogs over the same period, and represents an 8dB improvement in detector sensitivity over current methods. These results demonstrate the potential of our algorithm to significantly enhance the effectiveness of the global treaty monitoring network.

Major cardiovascular events (MACE) are a cause of major mortality worldwide. The narrowing and blockage of coronary arteries with atherosclerotic plaques is diagnosed and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). During this procedure, coronary angiography (CAG) remains the most widely used guidance modality for the evaluation the affected blood vessel diameter in order to decide if intervention with stent colocation is suitable, where small blood vessels (< 2.75 mm) are majorly left untreated; however, small vessel coronary artery disease (SvCAD) is a significant risk factor for recurrence of MACE, and there are some limitations to the use of CAG that could be improved with the use of newer techniques such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), although at higher costs, which might explain their underuse. To address this discrepancy and identify specific cases for its use, we conducted a retrospective study in patients who underwent PCI for MACE with at least one small blood vessel affected. The affected small blood vessels’ diameter was obtained with both CAG and IVUS, additionally we underwent a multivariate analysis to identify risk factors associated with a change in diameter. We included information from 48 patients with mean + SD age of 69.1 + 11.9 years and 34% were masculine gender. We found a significant positive low correlation in diameter measurements of small blood vessels (r=0.1242 p=0.014). Mean diameter with CAG and IVUS was 2.1 mm (95% CI 1.9-2.2), and 2.8 (2.8-3.0) the estimated difference was of 0.8 mm (95 % CI 0.7-0.9). In total 37 (77%) of patients had a reclassification of their blood vessels from a small to medium (2.75-3.00 mm) in 21 cases, or even large (<3.00 mm) in 15 cases, after IVUS; this was important for the decision of intervention and stent collocation. The only variable associated with reclassification of blood vessels after adjusted in a multivariate analysis was DT2 (p=0 0.035). Our findings corroborate that blood vessels might appear smaller with CAG, especially in the diabetes population, therefore at least in these cases the use of IVUS is recommended over CAG.

This paper offers a novel geometric and visual approach to the renowned Four Color Map Theorem and K5 non-planarity problem while unveiling their profound connection to the "kissing number" problem in 2D. We represent planar graphs through circles and tangents, simplifying complex structures and shedding light on these classic problems. Our proofs by contradiction, rooted in the kissing number concept, reveal that both the Four Color Map Theorem and K5 non-planarity are fundamentally linked, as they pivot around the concept of coloring. This study bridges the realms of geometry and graph theory, providing fresh insights and emphasizing the significance of the kissing number problem in various fields.

Various cultivars of citrus fruits have unique construction, such as thick outer skin. These constructions generate gas diffusion resistance between atmosphere and fruit, which can limit a gas exchange of O2 and CO2. However, it has not been sufficiently investigated. In this study on 7 cultivars of citrus fruit, it was aimed firstly to investigate a gas diffusion resistance utilizing ethane efflux method and secondly to investigate internal gas concentration of O2 and CO2. As a result, a cultivar of citrus fruit with slimer outer skin thickness had lower resistance. For the internal gas, a high CO2 concentration in comparison with the atmosphere was observed even in the fruits with the minimum resistance, which no considerable difference among all cultivars was observed in regardless of gas diffusion resistance value. However, when the fruits stored at 25 °C for 2 weeks, it was tended to increase CO2 gas concentration and decrease O2 gas concentration with increase in the resistance value. Therefore, when respiration of citrus fruits is activated at ambient temperature, self-control system of internal gas concentration can be driven to suppress their respiration, which was induced by gas diffusion resistance generated from their construction.

Background. Transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), and CD98hc are candidates for targeted therapy at the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Our objective was to challenge the expression of TfR1, GLUT1, and CD98hc in brain capillaries by the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) valproic acid (VPA). Methods. Primary mouse brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) and brain capillaries isolated from mice injected intraperitoneally with VPA were examined using RT-qPCR and ELISA. Targeting to the BBB was performed by injecting monoclonal anti-TfR1 (Ri7217)-conjugated gold nanoparticles measured using ICP-MS. Results. In BCECs co-cultured with glial cells, Tfrc mRNA expression was significantly higher after 6 h VPA returning to baseline after 24 h. In vivo Glut1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in males, but not females', receiving VPA, whereas Cd98hc mRNA expression was unaffected by VPA. TfR1 increased significantly in vivo after VPA, whereas GLUT1 and CD98hc were unchanged. Uptake of anti-TfR1-conjugated nanoparticles was unaltered by VPA in spite upregulated TfR expression. Conclusions. VPA upregulates TfR1 in brain endothelium in vivo and in vitro. VPA does not increase GLUT1 and CD98hc proteins. The increase in TfR1 does not result in higher anti-TfR1 antibody targetability, suggesting targeting sufficiently occurs with available transferrin receptors without further contribution from accessory VPA-induced TfR1.

This study is dedicated to the economic valuation of human capital in the regions where the Indigenous peoples of Kamchatka reside. The entire Kamchatksky Krai is considered an Indigenous people's ancestral territory. However, in this study, only municipalities whose population is more than one-third Indigenous were chosen for the assessment. This includes six municipal districts and one urban district (Aleytsky, Bystrinsky, Karaginsky, Olyutorsky, Penzhinsky, Tigilsky municipal districts and Palana urban district). The study employs statistical analysis and integrated, situational approaches: the investment approach was deemed the most appropriate tool for the economic assessment of human capital in Indigenous territories. The document analysis was based on a content analysis of open-access government documents and included legal acts, resolutions, orders, and other documents issued by federal, regional, and local authorities and pertaining to the economic activities of Kamchatka Indigenous peoples. Based on proposed calculation algorithm the assessed combined monetized value of human capital for the Kamchatka territories with large Indigenous populations at 38.8 billion rubles (approximately 520 million U.S. dollars) in 2021. It was observed that the growth of human capital in the Indigenous areas of Kamchatka between the years 2017 and 2021. The mean regional value of human capital per capita increased by more than twofold over this period. The accurate and precise assessment of human capital in the Kamchatka Indigenous homelands is provides baseline information necessary for the decision-making about economic development and sustainable development policies, and the approach proposed in this paper can be utilized by the Indigenous communities worldwide.

Populational aging is marked by chronic non-communicable diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). IL-10 and IL-1β are pleiotropic cytokines with multiple biological effects linked to metabolic disorders. This cross-sectional study assessed 193 participants' IL-10 and IL-1β serum levels regarding their role in developing MetS, clinical characteristics, and their IL1B rs1143627 and IL10 rs1800890 variants' genotype frequencies in a population over 60. IL-10 levels correlated weakly with HDL levels and fat mass and inversely with triglycerides, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and estimated average blood glucose levels. IL-10 levels were also indirectly influenced by the patient's T2DM duration, lean mass amount, and bone mineral content. Participants with altered HDL, elevated serum glucose, raised HbA1c levels, or those over 80 had reduced serum IL-10 levels compared to those with normal levels or other age groups, respectively. Women also had higher serum IL-10 levels than men. Dissimilarity, IL-1β levels correlated directly only with the number of total leukocytes and segmented neutrophils, showing only significant variations with self-reported alcohol consumption. Our study also found that those with the IL10 AA genotype (lower IL-10 levels) had a significantly higher risk of developing MetS. These findings may help direct future research and more targeted therapeutic approaches in older adults.

HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a chronic progressive neurological disorder and shares many radiological and clinical features with other more prevalent myelopathies. Here, we quantified spinal cord and brain volumes in adults with HAM/TSP in comparison with healthy volunteers (HVs) and participants diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Clinical disability and MRI were assessed in 24 HVs, 43 HAM/TSP, and 46 MS participants. Spinal cord cross-sectional area (SCCSA) and brain tissue volumes were measured and compared. HAM/TSP participants had significantly lower SCCSA at C2-3 (54.0±8 mm2), C4-5 (57.8±8 mm2), and T4-9 (22.7±4 mm2) and significantly elevated brain white matter hyperintensity (WMH) fraction (0.004±0.008) was compared to HVs (C2-3: 69.4±8 mm2, C4-5: 75.1±9 mm2, T4-9: 34.1±4 mm2; all p < 0.0001; and WMH: 0.0004±0.0007; p < 0.001). In HAM/TSP, SCCSA at all levels but not WMH showed the significant correlation with clinical disability scores. Brain white matter hyperintensities in HAM/TSP, therefore, may not be related to clinical disability. SCCSA and WMH in our limited MS cohort were higher than the HAM/TSP cohort (67.6±8 mm2, 72.7±9 mm2, 33.4±5 mm2; p < 0.0001). Principal component analysis suggested that SCCSA and WMH may be used to differentiated HAM/TSP from MS. Understanding these differences may help establish early diagnostic criteria for HAM/TSP patients.

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent and serious brain disorders, affecting 70 million people worldwide. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) though relieve symptoms and prevent the occurrence of future seizures in epileptic patients have limited effect on epileptogenesis. Addressing the multifaceted nature of epileptogenesis and its association with Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation requires a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms for development of targeted therapeutic strategies beyond conventional antiseizure treatments. Several types of NLRP3 inhibitors have been developed and their effect has been validated both in vitro and in vivo models of epileptogenesis. In this review, we discuss the advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms of NLRP3 activation as well as progress made and challenges facing in the development of NLRP3 inhibitors for the treatment of epilepsy.

Neuronal cells are believed to rely on autophagy to maintain cellular homeostasis. Nevertheless, autophagy may be a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases because of the role it plays in neuronal cell death. Despite Beclin 1 association with autophagy and apoptosis, the molecular mechanisms that underlie Tau-induced vesicular pathology and Tau protein aggregates in humans remain poorly understood. Here, we set out to examine the role of three genes-ATG14L, Beclin 1 and VPS34- in autophagy nucleation failure-associated Tau disorders in fruit fly models. We found that either reduced ATG14L levels improve neuronal outcomes, or transgenic expression of ATG6/Beclin 1 greatly reduced age-dependent neurodegeneration and Tau pathology; whereas, the loss of Beclin 1 exacerbated these effects. Prior to p-Tau accumulation, the neuronal Beclin 1 network is critical for reducing p-Tau accumulation, indicating that the loss of Beclin 1 causes Tau pathology and neurodegeneration. As neurodegeneration progressed, glial cells showed an upregulation of vesicular Beclin 1 immunoreactivities. The reduced VPS34 also resulted in p-Tau accumulation, suggesting that neurons require both Beclin 1 and VPS34 to reduce p-Tau accumulation. Our results provide mechanistic insight into the molecular pathways that cause age-dependent Tau pathology and neurodegeneration due to an excess of autophagy nucleation processes and autophagy activity, and we derive novel inferences on the therapeutic possibilities of rebalanced Beclin 1 network by reducing autophagic specific nucleation component of ATG14L.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune disease, with its prevalence rapidly increasing. Both genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to the development of HT. Recently, viral infection has been suggested to act as a trigger of HT by eliciting the host immune response and subsequent autoreactivity. We analyzed features of HT through bioinformatics analysis so as to identify markers of HT development. We accessed public microarray data of HT patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and obtained differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under HT. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed for functional clustering of our protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Utilizing ranked gene lists, we performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) using the clusterprofiler R package. By comparing the expression signatures of the huge perturbation database with the queried rank-ordered gene list, connectivity map (CMap) analysis was performed to screen potential therapeutic targets and agents. The gene expression profile of the HT group was in line with general characteristics of HT. Biological processes related to the immune response and viral infection pathways were obtained for the upregulated DEGs. GSEA results revealed activation of autoimmune disease-related pathways and several viral infection pathways. Autoimmune disease and viral infection pathways were highly interconnected by common genes, while the HLA genes which are shared by both were significantly upregulated. CMap analysis suggested that perturbagens, including SRRM1, NLK, and CCDC92, have the potential to reverse the HT expression profile. Several lines of evidence suggested that viral infection and the host immune response are activated during HT. Viral infection is suspected to act as a key trigger of HT by causing autoimmunity. SRRM1, an alternative splicing factor, which responds to viral activity, might serve as potential marker of HT.

The Konya Closed Basin (Quaternary, Central Turkey) is a graben basin which expands toward the east-west and it is controlled by faults on three sides: The Konya fault zone in the west, the Divanlar fault zone in the east and the Karaömerler fault zone in the north. Calcretes developed in relation to fault systems in the Konya region are concentrated in areas where faults cut Quaternary aged terrestrial deposits. In this study, it is aimed to elucidate the deposition conditions, geochemistry and age (with ESR method) of the calcareous deposits associated with faults in the Konya Closed Basin. Calcretes in the region existing as coatings, dust, nodules and layers are in the form of dolocrete and clayey calcrete. Dolocretes were deposited in the Quaternary terrestrial sediments on the ophiolitic rocks and geochemical data point to an ultramafic source. Bacterial community, clay, quartz minerals and calcite cement are observed in the calcretes formed in areas with limestone basement. According to the results of ICP-MS analysis of samples taken from Konya calcretes, the %MgO contents are between 0.99 and 7.7; CaO%: between 34.71 and 50.71; %SiO2 between 3.22 and 20.59. %MgO in dolocretes are between 11.65 and 21.01; %CaO between 8.44 and 29.57; %SiO2 values between 4.48 and 9.17 The δ13C and δ18O isotope values of calcretes range from -3.87 to -7.62 and from -3.62 to -7.45 respectfully. Average δ13C values indicate that calcrete formation took place under pedogenic condition or in shallow groundwater. The calcretes deposited in 3 locations around the city of Konya (on the Konya fault zone) were dated by using the Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) method and ages between 217.47 and 389.85 ky were obtained. The calcrete samples taken from the fault planes (dip-slip normal fault bordering the Upper Cretaceous Ophiolitic Mélange and the Quaternary Karahüyük Formation) gave a relative age for faulting as being 292.86 ky. This first dating study conducted in the Konya Fault Zone has provided important clues to elucidate the formation history of Konya Closed Basin (KCB) and the paleo-seismological past of Konya.

We report neutralization titer data against contemporary SARS-CoV-2 sublineages from an ongoing, open-label, phase 2/3 trial of a single 30-μg dose of monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 vaccine. Healthy participants had previously received ≥3 doses of a US-authorized mRNA vaccine, with the most recent being a bivalent Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted vaccine administered ≥150 days before study vaccination. In this analysis, Omicron XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1 serum neutralizing titers were assessed at baseline and 1 month after vaccination in a subset of ≥18-year-olds (N = 40) with evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immunogenicity was also evaluated in a demographically matched group of participants who received bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2 in another study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05472038). The XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 vaccine elicited higher XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1 neutralizing titers than those elicited by bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2. Overall geometric mean fold rises in neutralizing titers from baseline to 1 month after vaccination were higher among participants who received XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 than those who received bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2 for XBB.1.5 (7.6 vs 5.6), slightly higher for JN.1 (3.9 vs 3.5), and similar for BA.2.86 (4.8 vs 4.9). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05997290.

Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1D) onset and development is closely linked with imbalance of gut microbiome, while supplementation with probiotics may result in positive alterations in gut microbiome composition. In the present study, the effect of a dietary intervention including free or immobilized cells of the presumptive probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici ORE5 on Corinthian currants, a food with beneficial impact in the condition of diabetes, was investigated. Male Wistar rats were studied which were divided into 4 groups: healthy animals, which received the free (H_FP) or the immobilized cells (H_IPC), and diabetic animals, which received the free (D_FP) or the immobilized cells (D_IPC), for 4 weeks (109 cfu/day, in all groups). At the end of the dietary intervention, D_IPC group exerted lower concentration of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1b compared to D_FP. Consumption of immobilized on Corinthian currants P. acidilactici ORE5 cells by diabetic animals led to increased loads of fecal lactobacilli and lower levels of Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and E. coli, while Actinobacteria phylum, Akkermansia, and Bifidobacterium genera abundances were increased, and fecal lactic acid was elevated. Overall, the results of the present research demonstrated that functional ingredients can ameliorate gut dysbiosis present in T1D and could be used to design dietary patterns aiming at T1D management. However, well-designed clinical trials are necessary, in order to confirm the beneficial effects in humans.

Background: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals state that by 2030, the Global maternal mortality rate (MMR) should be lower than 70 per 100,000 live births. MMR is still one of Africa's leading causes of death among women. This research aims to study regional trends in maternal mortality in Africa. Methods: We extracted data for Maternal mortality rates per 100,000 births from the UNICE data bank from 2000 to 2017, being 2017 the last date available. Joinpoint regression was used to study the trends and estimate the annual percent change (APC). Results: Maternal mortality has decreased in Africa over the study period by an average APC of -3.0% (95% CI -2.9;-3,2%). All regions showed significant downward trends, with the sharpest decreases in the South. Only the North African region is close to the United Nations' sustainable development goals for Maternal mortality. The remaining sub-Saharan African regions are still far from achieving the goals. Conclusions: maternal mortality has decreased in Africa, especially in the South Africa region. The only region closed to the United Nations target is North Africa. The remaining sub-Saharan African regions are still far from achieving the goals. These results could be used for the development of Regional Policies.

The underground injection and geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a promising approach for reducing the levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere. To mitigate the leakage of CO₂ resulting from natural fracture networks in rock masses, the sequestration process is commonly accompanied by the injection of reactive Portland cement representing a coupled hydro-chemo-mechanical process. In this work, a numerical approach based on the unified pipe network method (UPM) is presented that considers the coupled permeation and diffusion processes with chemical precipitation. Most input parameters are derived from the published literature. The proposed approach is validated through a comparison with analytical solutions, which are applied to simulate the CO₂ sequestration process in a fractured rock mass. The results indicate that the long-term sequestration effect, which is highly influenced by the fracture distribution, can be captured effectively by the model. Consequently, the presented approach can assist engineers in properly designing the arrangement of boreholes and determining the concentration of the grouting material.

Background: Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs), including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), are characterized by chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Identifying reliable biomarkers is crucial for enhancing diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and evaluating therapeutic responses. This study explores the potential of serum Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) as a biomarker for these conditions and concurrently examines its relationship with free light chain (FLC) expression levels in the same patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on serum samples from 120 patients (60 RA, 60 SLE), alongside 50 healthy donors (HD). Serum levels of κ and λ FLCs were determined by turbidimetric assay, while SDC-1 levels were measured using ELISA. Statistical analyses, including the Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test, multivariable linear regression and Spearman’s correlation, were employed to compare biomarker levels across groups and to explore correlations among them. Results: Significantly increased levels of SDC-1, κ-FLC, and λ-FLC were observed in patients diagnosed with RA and SLE compared to HD (p < 0.001), while no significant differences in the κ/λ ratio were noted among the groups (p = 0.4). A statistically significant difference in subject age was also identified. However, multivariate regression analysis indicated that RA and SLE statuses are significantly associated with the levels of these markers, with minimal confounding by age. A significant correlation was observed separately in all groups between the FLC markers. Conversely, no correlation was detected between SDC-1 and FLCs, nor between these markers and age. Conclusion: Elevated serum levels of FLCs and SDC-1 in RA and SLE patients compared to healthy controls underscore their potential as biomarkers for SARDs. The findings also suggest sustained plasma cells activation, supporting the SDC-1 role in the pathogenesis of these conditions.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 is a neurodegenerative disease caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG repeats in the disease gene ATXN3, leading to prolonged polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts in the respective protein ataxin-3. The polyQ-expanded protein forms polyQ-containing aggregates in several brain regions which leads to neuronal cell loss. Autophagy is thought to play a significant role in clearing these polyQ-containing protein aggregates. Therefore, the autophagy mechanism was investigated in SCA3 with focus on the autophagic protein p62/sequestosome-1. Human and mouse RNA sequencing data were analyzed to determine RNA expression level of autophagic genes. Additionally, autophagy was studied in the SCA3 304Q knock-in mouse model and through several cell culture experiments using HEK-293T cells transfected with ATXN3 of differ-ent polyQ lengths. For cell culture experiments, autophagy was induced with rapamycin treat-ment, proteasomal degradation was blocked with MG132 and degradation of autophagic pro-teins was investigated using cycloheximide treatment. Here, we report an increased autophagy impairment with SCA3 disease progression seen in HEK-293T cells transfected with ATXN3 plasmid with expanded polyQ tracts, higher aged 304Q-knock-in mice, or human post-mortem brain material. Furthermore, co-localized aggregation of the autophagic protein p62 and the dis-ease protein ATXN3 was observed in the course of SCA3 disease. Therefore, we suggest a signifi-cant role for p62 in aggregate formation seen in the neurodegenerative disease SCA3.

The study aimed to explore the correlation among Angiopoietin-1, (Ang-1) and Angiopoietin-2, (Ang-2) concentrations and the Angiopoietin-2/Angiopoietin-1 ratio, (Ang-2/Ang-1) with clinical outcomes, potentially serving as disease severity and survival biomarkers. A study at AHEPA University Hospital involved 90 COVID-19 adult patients, with 30 hospitalized in intensive care and 30 in ward units and 30 asymptomatic non-hospitalized individuals as controls. Estimated endothelial dysfunction markers related to angiogenesis were measured, and statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 29. There was a statistically significant difference only between outpatient and hospitalized patients (non-ICU -ICU groups) for the Ang-1 and Ang-2 indexes. The Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio has differed significantly among all individual patient groups. A ROC analysis was conducted to find an optimal threshold for distinguishing (outpatients – non-ICU) and (non-ICU –ICU) groups. It was based on Youden's Index and was 0.1122 and 0.3825, respectively. The Ang-1, Ang-2 levels, and Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio were analysed as indicators for severity in COVID-19 patients. The Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio demonstrated more excellent prognostic and diagnostic utility than individual biomarker levels. Monitoring the Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio can identify COVID-19 patients at risk and assist clinicians in tailoring treatment strategies for improved outcomes.

The study put forward a data fusion approach for urban remote sensing that combines SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and optical satellite data. By integrating datasets from different sensors and spatial-temporal scales, the technique aims to extract more accurate information. The fusion approach utilizes two methods: feature-based fusion, where relevant features are extracted and fused, and simple layer stacking (SLS), where the original datasets are directly stacked as multiple layers. This study extracted features using SAR textures (using Sentinel-1) and modified indices (using Landsat-8), and then classified these features using an XGBoost algorithm implemented in Python and Google Earth Engine. Researchers examined five cities, each representing a distinct climatic zone and urban dynamic: Cape Town, Guangzhou, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Osaka. An accuracy assessment was conducted using random validation points, achieving an overall accuracy of 89.5% using the proposed MSFI method. A comparison was also performed with three well-known global products. The proposed approach, outperformed all three global products achived 89% accuracy while ESA (84%), ESRI (81%) and Dynamic World (82%). Additionally, Land surface temperature analysis was accomplished to investigate the relationship between extracted UIS and Land Surface Temperature (LST) across selected cities to show the practical use of proposed MSFI method. Los Angeles, a warm temperate city, showed the highest LST among all five cities. The datasets, along with the GEE and Python codes, are available at https://github.com/mnasarahmad/sls.

The relationship between nations is largely seen as a peripheral issue in the recent history of political philosophy and in the majority of discussions of political philosophy issues today. The idea of a universal natural state were countries are seen as essentially self-sufficient, functional units, and have been proposed to represent the relative lack of moral standards guiding relationships between nations. At one extreme of the tradition, international thought has substituted raison d'état being the highest norm for any universal laws governing relations between states, a view embodied by Machiavelli, Rodin, and others and Hobbes , The lack of supranational political powers has led to the conclusion that, even in cases where the possibility of international moral relationships has been acknowledged, such as in post-Grotian publications on international law, these ties are significantly weaker than in-tranational social bonds. The justification and aversion to war—the primary mode of social in-teraction in the natural condition of the world—is the only issue in the field of global relations to have received substantial theoretical study. Even though this disregard was justified in the past, a number of recent events force us to re-consider the "recalcitrance of international affairs to being theorized about."2. The growing gap between both prosperous and impoverished nations; the emergence of centers of economic in-fluence beyond the reach of effective state regulation; the emergence of severe food and energy shortages brought on, at least in part, by national governments' pursuit of disorganized and uncontrolled growth policies; the growing sensitivity of domestic Countries to the outside eco-nomic, political, and cultural events are some of these developments , requests from third-world nations for greater equal access to international politics and economy. To put it in terms more familiar to conversations about this topic, the rise of "low politics" in negotiation and "welfare questions" within global forums corresponds with the growing influence of transnational con-nections and international agreements on human well-being. Not because "high politics"—that is, the threat and prevention of war—has lost significance; rather, it is just one issue among many for which international cooperation is now required in order to find answers.

Utilizing groundwater offers a promising solution to alleviate water stress in Ethiopia, providing a dependable and sustainable water source, particularly in regions with limited or unreliable surface water availability. However, effective decision-making regarding well drilling and placement is essential to maximize groundwater resource potential, enhancing agricultural productivity, reducing hunger, and bolstering food security in Ethiopia. This study concentrates on the development of two-stage stochastic mixed integer programming (SMIP) models to optimize well placement for sustainable agricultural irrigation, considering uncertain demand scenarios. Additionally, a deterministic mixed integer programming model is formulated for comparison with the two-stage SMIP. Experiments are conducted to explore various demand scenario distributions, revealing that the optimized total cost for the two-stage SMIP generally exceeds that of a deterministic setting, aligning with the two-stage SMIP's focus on long-term benefits. Moreover, slight differences are observed in well layouts under different assumption scenarios. The study also examines the impact of selected parameters, such as fixed construction costs, per-meter drilling costs, and demand scenarios. The out-of-sample performance shows that the stochastic model is more flexible and resilient, with 11% and 4% lower costs than deterministic cases 1 and 3, respectively. This flexibility provides a more robust long-term strategy for well placement and resource allocation in groundwater management.

Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) can be considered as a time-efficient, joint-friendly and highly customizable training technology that attracts a wide range of users. The present evidence map aimed to provide an overview of different non-athletic cohorts addressed by WB-EMS research. Based on a comprehensive systematic search according to PRISMA, eighty-six eligible longitudinal trials were identified that correspond with our eligibility criteria. In summary, WB-EMS research sufficiently covers all adult age categories in males and females. Most cohorts addressed (58%) were predominately or exclusively overweight/obese and in about 60% of them, diseases or conditions were inclusion criteria for the trials. Cohorts specifically addressed by WB-EMS trials suffer from cancer/neoplasm (n=7), obesity (n=6), diabetes mellitus (n=5), the metabolic syndrome (n=2), nervous system diseases (n=2), chronic heart failure (n=4), stroke (n=1), peripheral arterial diseases (n=2), knee arthrosis (n=1), sarcopenia (n=3), chronic unspecific low back pain (n=4), and osteopenia (n=3). Chronic kidney disease was an eligibility criterion in five WB-EMS trials. Finally, three studies included only critically ill patients, two further studies considered frailty as an inclusion criterion. Of importance, no adverse effects of the WB-EMS intervention were reported. In summary, evidence gaps of WB-EMS research were particular evident for cohorts with diseases of the nervous and cerebrovascular system.

Despite several decades of research, the physics underlying translation – protein synthesis at the ribosome – remains poorly studied. For instance, the mechanism coordinating various events occurring in distant parts of the ribosome is unknown. Very recently, we have suggested that this allosteric mechanism could be based on the transport of electric charges (electron holes) along RNA molecules and localization of these charges in the functionally important areas; this assumption was justified using tRNA as an example. In this study, we turn to the ribosome and show computationally that holes can also efficiently migrate within the whole ribosomal small subunit (SSU). The potential sites of charge localization in SSU are revealed, and it is shown that most of them are located in the functionally important areas of the ribosome – intersubunit bridges, Fe4S4 cluster and the pivot linking the SSU head to the body. As a result, we suppose that hole localization within the SSU can affect intersubunit rotation (ratcheting) and SSU head swiveling, in agreement with the scenario of electronic coordination of ribosome operation. We anticipate that our findings will improve the understanding of the translation process and advance the molecular biology and medicine.

In mitosis, faithful chromosome segregation is orchestrated by the dynamic interactions between the spindle microtubules (MTs) emanating from the opposite poles and the kinetochores of chromosomes. However, the precise mechanism that coordinates the coupling of kinetochore components to dynamic MTs has been a long-standing question. Microtubule (MT) associated proteins (MAPs) regulate MT nucleation, dynamics, MT-mediated transport and MT cross-linking in cells. Especially during mitosis, MAPs play an essential role not only in determining the spindle length, position and orientation but also in facilitating robust kinetochore-microtubule (kMT) attachments by linking the kinetochores to spindle MTs efficiently. MT-stability imparted by the MAPs is critical to ensure accurate chromosome segregation. This review primarily focuses on the specific function of non-motor kinetochore MAPs, their recruitment to kinetochores and their MT-binding properties. We also attempt to synthesize and strengthen our understanding of how these MAPs work in coordination with the kinetochore-bound Ndc80 complex (the key component of the MT-binding interface in metaphase and anaphase) to establish stable kMT attachments and control accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis.

As an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) voluntary reviewer of the natural World Heritage sites nominations focusing on criteria (vii) superlative natural phenomena and (viii) geological history I had the opportunity of evaluating 13 nominations from 12 countries from 2009 - 2022 from the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka to the Vatnajokull National Park Iceland. An early appreciation of the natural history and landscapes were developed as a geologist studying, working and visiting various areas in the USA and Canada. Further experience, as an academic in Sri Lanka and Australia, where I also had the opportunity of various assignments and meetings that afforded field trips and study tours to many World Heritage sites in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. In this paper, I highlight the following sites that were subject to IUCN World Heritage evaluations and their potential for geo-education: Central Highlands Sri Lanka, China Danxia, Ningaloo Australia, Trang An Vietnam, Lut Desert Iran, Barberton South Africa, Trondek Klondike Canada, Vatnajokull Iceland, Classic Karst Slovenia, Sof Omar Ethiopia, Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago, Vietnam and Evaporitic Karst Caves of Northern Apennines, Italy. From these experiences it is apparent that this relevant topic, the conservation of nature, should be an important part of the geoscience’s study curriculum along with other social and environmental subjects.

Remote sensing technology provides a new way to explore the earth for geoscience applications. In the context of continuous deepening of geological research and the vigorous development of geospatial information science, 3D geological modeling technology has become a research hotspot in the intersection of earth science and information science. The traditional 3D geological modeling technology refers to underground 3D modeling using geological data. This modeling method can only display the underground scene in 3D visualization, but cannot display the surface in detail. In this study, remote sensing technology is adopted to improve the traditional 3D geological modeling method, so that geological modeling can be integrated with remote sensing image, and a new 3D geological modeling method based on remote sensing technology is developed. This method can perform integrated 3D visualization of underground and aboveground scenes, which provides a new way for disaster prevention and reduction, geological prospecting and tectonic interpretation. The new 3D geological modeling method is mainly applied in the geological field, and has made new progress in multi-source heterogeneous geological data fusion, large-scale high-precision modeling, geological grid subdivision, attribute modeling technology, remote sensing image fusion and other aspects. Taking the Ya'an area as an example, this paper makes use of the new generation of 3D geological modeling technology to carry out 3D geological modeling and visual display. The 3D visualization in Ya'an area verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the new 3D geological modeling method based on remote sensing technology in the current data environment.

Flood frequency analysis at large scales, essential for the development of flood risk maps, is hindered by the uncertainty in outputs of process-based hydrological models and the scarcity of gauge flow data. We develop a Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM) based on the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution for regional flood frequency analysis at high resolution across North America. Our model leverages annual maximum flow data from ≈20000 gauged stations and a dataset of 130 static catchment-specific covariates to predict extreme flows at all catchments over the continent as well as their associated statistical uncertainty. Additionally, a modification is made to the data layer of the BHM to include daily gauge discharge data when available, which improves the precision of the discharge level estimates. We validated the model using a hold-out approach and found that its predictive power is very good for the GEV distribution location and scale parameters and improveable for the shape parameter, which is notoriously hard to estimate. The resulting discharge return levels yield satisfying agreement when compared with available design peak discharge from various government sources. Assessment of the covariates’ contributions to the model also informs on the most relevant underlying factors influencing flood-inducing peak flows. The key covariates in our model are temperature-related bioindicators, the catchment drainage area and geographical location.

This study explores the geopolitical dynamics of water conflicts in Central Asia, focusing on Uzbekistan and its neighboring countries. Using a mixed methods approach within the framework of political geography, the research analyzes interactions among regional countries and the implications of population growth, agricultural industrialization, and economic competition, which heavily rely on shared irrigation systems and watersheds. It establishes research objectives, evaluates the water crisis, addresses challenges in water management, and examines contentious issues like hydropower, resource hegemony, and ethnic conflict. Also, the study uncovers historical and contemporary factors influencing water conflicts, regional power dynamics, and the complexities of water governance. The findings highlight the potential for conflict, regional instability, and disruptions to peace resulting from population growth and economic competition within shared watersheds. The study concludes with recommendations to enhance regional cooperation, sustainable water management, and peacebuilding, drawing on soft power theory and advocating for collaborative approaches. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders involved in water management and regional cooperation amid evolving geopolitical challenges, contributing to informed decision-making, and promoting strategies for sustainable development in the region.

In France, the regional airport’s demand for services is facing challenges due to the continuous expansion of the high-speed train, high-speed line, and highway networks. This study focuses on the viability of regional airports in France through technical efficiency using data envelopment, principle component analysis, Malmquist productivity index, and regression analysis using bootstrapping. To face the current competitive environment, the regional airports in France adopted strategies, such as the construction of low-cost carrier (LCC) dedicated terminals (LCCTs) with lower expenses to attract more LCCs, increasing non-aeronautical revenue, and hosting regional hubs of LCCs. This is the first study that analyzes all of the French regional airports. The findings indicate that the existence of LCCTs positively affects technical efficiency on the airport’s performance, and share of LCCs at a regional airport leads to neither the efficiency nor the profit level.

Early and accurate mapping of winter canola planting areas provides critical support for sustainable cropland management. Although some methods have been proposed to map the winter canola at the flowering or later stage, mapping winter canola planting areas at the early stage is still challenging, due to the insufficient understanding of the multi-source remote sensing features sensitive for winter canola mapping. This study proposed an early-stage winter canola area mapping method by using the combination of optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. We analyzed the spectral features, backscatter coefficients, and textural features of winter canola based on Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 images. Random forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification models were built to map winter canola based on early-stage images and field samples in 2017 and then apply the best model to corresponding satellite data in 2018-2022. Results showed that: (1) The red edge and near-infrared-related spectral features were most important for the mapping of early-stage winter canola, followed by VV, DVI and GOSAVI, which also showed greater differences than the other features; (2) Based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data, winter canola could be earliest mapped around 130 days prior to ripening (i.e., early overwinter stage) with the F-score over 0.85 and the OA over 81%; (3) Adding Sentinel-1 could improve the OA by about 2%-4% and the F-score by about 1% -2% in winter canola mapping. (4) The F-score of winter canola mapping based on the classifier transfer approach in 2018-2022 varied between 0.75 and 0.97, and the OA ranged from 79% to 86%. This study demonstrates the potential of early-stage winter canola mapping using the combination of Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 images, which could provide valuable and timely information for stakeholders and decision makers.

Tailings generated by mining account for the largest proportion of global waste from industrial activities. Copper is relatively uncommon world-wide, with low concentrations in sediments and waters, yet is very elevated around mining sites. On the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, USA, jutting out into Lake Superior, 140 mines extracted native copper from the Portage Lake Volcanic Series, part of an intercontinental rift system. Between 1901-1932, two mills at Gay (Mohawk, Wolverine) sluiced 22.7 million metric tonnes (MMT) of copper-rich tailings (stamp sands) into Grand (Big) Traverse Bay. Here we examine: 1) 3D coastal elevation and reef bathymetry, 2) particle dispersal, 3) copper concentrations and leaching, plus 4) shoreline toxicity. About 10 MMT of tailings created a migrating coastal beach that stretches 7 km from the Gay pile to the Traverse River Seawall. Another 10 MMT are moving underwater on the coastal shelf, threatening Buffalo Reef, an important lake trout and whitefish breeding ground. Aerial photos, ALS (plane) LiDAR, and relatively inexpensive UAS (drone) surveys characterize shoreline structure and aid initial remediation. Because sands (natural beach quartz, stamp sand basalt) are silicates of similar density, particle dispersal is similar and challenging. However, stamp sand beaches contrast greatly with natural sand beaches in both physical profile and chemistry. Dispersing particles retain copper, and release toxic concentrations. Leaching is elevated by exposure to high DOC and low pH waters. Field experiments, shoreline seining, and benthic sampling confirm serious impacts on aquatic biota, supporting tailings removal.

This study investigates the historical variability in annual average precipitation in the northwest region of Mexico, aiming to evaluate the cumulative impact of precipitation on soil degradation and associated risks posed by rainfall. Despite being known as "The Agricultural Heart of Mexico," the region's soil has experienced significant damage to its granulometric structure due to unpredictable rainfall patterns attributed to climate change. Sixteen historical series of average annual rainfall were analyzed as stationary stochastic processes for spectral analysis. The results revealed exponential decay curves in each radial spectrum, indicating a linear relationship between frequency and amplitude. These curves identified initial impulses correlated with moments of severity for structural damages caused by rainfall-induced degradation. The degradation process, exacerbated by water stress, accelerates, as evidenced by maps illustrating approximately 75% soil damage. In the context of climate change and the uncertainty surrounding soil responses to extreme meteorological events, understanding this phenomenon becomes crucial. Recognizing the dynamic nature of soil responses to environmental stressors is essential for effective soil management. Emphasizing the need to employ numerical processes tailored to new environmental considerations related to observed soil damages is crucial for sustainable soil management practices in any region.

The development of potent antiviral agents is of utmost importance to combat the global burden of viral infections. Traditional antiviral drug development involves targeting specific viral proteins, which may lead to the emergence of resistant strains. To explore alternative strategies, we investigated the antiviral potential of antimicrobial peptidomimetic compounds. In this study, we evaluated the antiviral potential of short anthranilamide-based peptidomimetic compounds 1-17 against two viruses: Murine Hepatitis Virus 1 (MHV-1-single stranded RNA virus) which is a surrogate of human coronaviruses and Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1-double stranded DNA virus). The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of these compounds were determined in vitro to assess their potency as antiviral agents. Compounds 11 and 14 displayed the most potent inhibitory effect with IC50 values of 2.38μM, and 6.3μM against MHV-1 while compounds 9 and 14 showed IC50 values of 14.8μM and 13μM, against HSV-1. Multiple antiviral assessments and microscopic images obtained through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) collectively demonstrated that these compounds exert a direct influence on the viral envelope. Based on this outcome, it can be concluded that peptidomimetic compounds could offer a new approach for the development of potent antiviral agents.

The goal of this study is to create regression models estimating the daily Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration (PMR) using latitude–temperature data for the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. Daily series of minimum–maximum temperature (1979–2017) were obtained from seven weather stations in Sinaloa. The reference evapotranspiration was calculated by the methods of Penman–Monteith using empirical equations (PMC), Hargreaves (HAC), and PMR. Prior to calculating PMC, the incident solar radiation (SR) was calculated. From the Acaponeta station (2005–2008, 2011–2013 and 2015–2017), all complete observed variables were obtained: mean temperature, incident solar radiation (SRg), average relative humidity and average wind speed at a height of 10 m. The data from the eight weather stations were provided by the National Meteorological Service and the National Water Commission. The daily observed Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration (PMO) was calculated. For validation, three simple linear regressions (SLR) were applied: SR vs SRg, PMC vs PMO and PMR vs PMO. hypothesis tests were applied to each SLR: Pearson correlation (Pr) vs critical Pearson correlation (Pcr). All rP were significantly different from zero (&gt; |0.576|): SRg vs SR (Pr = 0.951), PMC vs PMO (Pr = 0.592), and PMR vs PMO (Pr = 0.625). This study provides new models that can motivate and support the design and implementation of intelligent irrigation in the state considered “the breadbasket of Mexico.”

A relevant aspect in the epidemiology of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (TL) is the Leishmania parasites carrying a viral endosymbiont Leishmania RNA Virus 1 (LRV1), a dsRNA virus. Leishmania parasites carrying LRV1 are prone to causing more severe TL symptoms, increasing the likelihood of unfavorable clinical outcomes. LRV1 has been observed in cultured strains of five L. (Viannia) species, and host specificity was suggested when studying LRV1 from L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis strains. The coevolution hypothesis of LRV1 and Leishmania was based on phylogenetic analyses, implying an association between LRV1 genotypes, Leishmania species, and their geographic origins. This study aimed to investigate LRV1 specificity to Leishmania (Viannia) species hosts by analyzing LRV1 from L. (Viannia) species. To this end, LRV1 was screened in L. (Viannia) species other than L. braziliensis or L. guyanensis, and it was detected in 11 out of 15 L. naiffi and in 2 out of 4 L. shawi. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial LRV1 genomic sequencing supported the hypothesis of host specificity, as LRV1 clustered according to their respective Leishmania species hosts. These findings underscore the importance of investigating Leishmania and LRV1 coevolution and its impact on Leishmania (Viannia) species dispersion and pathogenesis in the American Continent.

Due to its time effective, joint friendly and highly customizable character whole-body-electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) is regarded as a feasible solution for a large variety of training issues particularly in the area of non-athletic application. To identify gaps in research and summarize prevalent evidence we conducted an evidence map on outcomes addressed by WB-EMS trials in middle-aged to older, non-athletic adults. Based on a comprehensive systematic search in five databases and two study registers according to PRISMA, 54 projects published in 80 articles were included. More than 90% of the studies reported outcomes related to the physical fitness or function domain. Body composition parameters were addressed by two thirds of the projects. Health-related outcomes addressed by WB-EMS included cancer/neoplasm (n=7), endocrine regulation (n=8), glucose metabolism (15), nervous system diseases (n=2), cardiovascular system diseases (n=22), non-specific chronic low back pain (n=4), osteopenia (n=5) and diseases of the renal system (n=12). Outcomes related to inflammation were addressed 18 times. Of importance, no studies reported clinically relevant adverse effects related to the WB-EMS intervention. In summary, while considerable evidence on outcomes related to fitness/function and body composition is prevalent, evidence gaps of WB-EMS research were particular evident for diseases of the nervous and cerebrovascular system.

Extant research pays little attention to migrant workers’ skill accumulation/upgrading from the perspective of the labor supply. This paper takes China as an example to explore the factors influencing skill accumulation of rural-urban migrant workers (RUMWs), with a purpose to discover how to sustain or reshape regional competitive advantage through improving RUMWs’ skill accumulation. Structured questionnaire surveys were adopted for data collection in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province and Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province located in the Yangtze River Delta in the east of China. 900 questionnaires were issued and 491 effective questionnaires were recovered totally. This paper takes a perspective of global production networks, and gets a broad viewpoint containing intra-firm coordination, inter-firm partnership and extra-firm bargaining with non-firm actors, beyond what the extant literature on laborers’ human capital focuses on. The finding indicates that firms’ skill-oriented preference, which concerns about employees’ skills and innovation ability and stimulates them to learn initiatively, have a significant influence on RUMWs’ skill accumulation. In terms of collective efficiency based on co-competitive relationship between local firms, the more intensive interactions are, the more opportunities of skill accumulation RUMWs get. The accessibility of local institutions and favorable policies benefit RUMWs’ skill accumulation. Besides, the place itself, as a synthesized space of labor-management relations inside a firm and inter-organization relations, exerts an influence on and cause the regional differences in RUMWs’ skill accumulation.

Mediterranean diet, featuring sourdough bread, shows promise in managing metabolic syndrome. This study explored the effects of two sourdough breads with differing fermentation times but similar nutritional profiles on inflammation, satiety, and gut microbiota composition in adults with metabolic syndrome. The double-blind clinical trial randomized participants to consume over two-months Elias Boulanger® long fermentation (48h) sourdough bread (EBLong) or Elias Boulanger® short fermentation (2h) sourdough bread (EBShort). We assessed clinical parameters, inflammatory- and satiety-related biomarkers; and richness and abundance of gut microbiota at baseline and follow-up. 31 individuals (mean age: 67, 55.7% female) participated. EBShort was associated with reduced soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM) levels, and irrespective of the adjudicated intervention, all participants had a decrease in sICAM and diastolic pressure relative to baseline (p&lt;0.017). At follow-up, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were lower in EBShort (-744 pg/mL; 95%CI: -282 to -1210 pg/mL) compared to EBLong. High-quality sourdough bread may offer mild benefits in blood pressure and inflammation for those with metabolic syndrome, however, only EBLong was associated to reduced Enterobacteriaceae abundance. Further research is needed to understand potential benefits and mechanisms of sourdough bread in managing metabolic syndrome and improving cardiovascular health.

Chaotic theory is commonly being researched for application in image encryption scheme (IES). In this paper, a novel two-dimensional cross hyperchaotic Sine-modulation-Logistic map (2D-CHSLM) based on the famous Sine and Logistic maps. The hyperchaotic behaviors of 2D-CHSLM is testified with the help of their bifurcation diagrams, trajectory plots, Lyapunov exponents, sample entropy, C0 complexity, permutation entropy and 0-1 test. A new bit-level IES with traditional encryption structure is proposed utilizing 2D-CHSLM. The 2D-CHSLM-IES performs a 2D-CHSLM-based bit-level confusion using zig-zag transform and a 2D-CHSLM-based cross coupled diffusion operations for generating a highly secure cipher-image. Then the simulations and security analyses are further carried out with the help of key space, key sensitivity, histogram, correlation, information entropy, differential attack, noise and data loss attacks, prove that the security of the proposed 2D-CHSLM-IES

Image encryption is increasingly becoming an important area of research in information security and network communications, as digital images are widely used in various applications and are vulnerable to various types of attacks. In this research work, a color image cryptosystem that is based on a 3-layer permutation-substitution network (PSN) is proposed. For every layer, an encryption key and an S-box are generated and utilized. Those are based on a four-dimensional (4D) dynamical Chen system of a fractional-order, the Mersenne Twister, OpenSLL, Rule 30 Cellular Automata and Intel’s MKL. The sequential application of Shannon’s ideas of diffusion and confusion for 3 times guarantees a total distortion of any input plain image, resulting in a totally encrypted one. Apart from the excellent and comparable performance to counterpart algorithms from the literature, showcasing resistance to visual, statistical, entropy, differential, known plaintext and brute-force attacks, the proposed image cryptosystem provides an exceptionally superior performance in 2 aspects: a vast key space of 2^1658 and an average encryption rate of 3.34 Mbps. Furthermore, the proposed image cryptosystem is shown to successfully pass all the tests of the NIST SP 800 suite.

The diagnosis of Cardio-Vascular diseases (CVD) is highly dependent on analysis of ECG signals. ECG analysis can be helpful in estimating the underlying cause and condition of heart in cardiac abnormality. The effectiveness of ECG signal analysis in detection of CVDs is widely accepted by professional healthcare service provider. Many algorithms have been proposed but almost all of them have some kind of limitations, and these limitations largely influence the effectiveness of ECG analysis. The performed research work is dedicated for design of unique self-organizing maps (SOMs) based neural network for classification of arrhythmia according to a particular ECG signal, the generation of SOMs is based on the certain unique signatures of ECG signals and have potential to classify different cardiac conditions. For extraction of unique features from ECG signals, we have proposed to use Fast Discrete Stockwell Transform (FDST). Since the proposed technique is a result of combining two different techniques hence called as hybrid technology. The purpose of using FDST is to identify unique signatures of ECG signals in a more improved manner than existing one, the term improved is used because it has several advantages over existing techniques such as wavelet and Fourier Transform based methods. Results obtained from the implementation of the technique are capable in visualizing the ECG sinus rhythm and arrhythmia conditions in form of unique SOM for each associated arrhythmia condition. This unique SOM based classification makes them ideal for being used as a diagnostic tool. This ability of arrhythmia classification using FDST and SOMs makes the technique unique and useful providing valuable information about patient condition. Using proposed technology a portable diagnosis tool for monitoring of patient at their site may be facilitated later, that will improve the quality of life of the patient by diagnosing cardiac condition.

In the majority of children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD), normal GH secretion may occur before the attainment of final height. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of persistent and transient GHD and the effectiveness of recombined human GH (rhGH) therapy in children with isolated idiopathic GHD, with respect to the moment of therapy withdrawal and according to different diagnostic criteria of GHD. Analysis included 260 patients (173 boys, 87 girls) with isolated idiopathic GHD who completed rhGH therapy and have reassessed GH and IGF-1 secretion. The incidence of transient GHD with respect to different pre- and post-treatment criteria was compared together with assessment of GH therapy effectiveness. Incidence of transient GHD, even with respect to pediatric criteria was very high. Normal GH secretion occurred before the attainment of near-final height. Application of more restricted criteria decreased the number of children diagnosed with GHD but not the incidence of transient GHD among them. Poor response to GH therapy was observed mainly in patients with normal IGF-1 before treatment, suggesting that diagnosis of GHD may be false positive. Further efforts should be made to avoid overdiagnosis GHD and overtreatment of the patients.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease of autoimmune etiology that is highly prevalent in childhood. In the last decade, the possibility of using the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine for the treatment of this disease has been studied thanks to its immunomodulatory action . Objectives: The objective of this work is to carry out a systematic review of the available scientific evidence on the relationship between the tuberculosis vaccine and the treatment of diabetes in childhood. Secondarily, the aim is to study the incidence of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in a cohort of children from the Basque Country according to whether or not they have received the vaccine. Methods: An exhaustive bibliographic search has been carried out on the evidence available to date. For the epidemiological study in Euskadi, a comparison of accumulated incidences between vaccinated and unvaccinated population groups was made. Results: According to the literature analyzed, There is more and more evidence about the possible use of the tuberculosis vaccine in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. The results of our study were not conclusive, but we believe that it is necessary to continue with long-term studies to eliminate biases. Conclusions: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine could be used for the treatment of autoimmune, allergic, infectious or oncological processes, although more studies are still necessary in this regard.

Excessive oxidative stress and exercise-induced fatigue reduce physical performance and can lead to dysfunction in antioxidant systems within muscular and hepatic tissues. Integrating natural substances with exercise may mitigate fatigue via anti-oxidant effects. This study aims to compare and evaluate the effects of exercise and supplementation with Sundarbans honey vs energy drinks on the strength, anxiety physiological profiles, and hepatic antioxidant capacity in mice undergoing extraneous exercise and fatigue. Forty-eight four-week-old Swiss albino mice were randomly assigned to one of eight groups: (1) Control, (2) Speed™ (Sp), (3) Royal Tiger™ (RT), (4) Sundarbans Honey (SH), (5) Exercise (Ex), (6) Exercise + Sundarbans Honey (Ex+SH), (7) Exercise + Speed™ (Ex+Sp), and (8) Exercise + Royal Tiger™ (Ex+RT). Supplements were administered via oral gavage: Sp (2.5 ml/kg BW), RT (2.5 ml/kg BW), and SH (1 g/kg BW), four times a week for 60 days. Mice in the Ex, Ex+SH, Ex+Sp, and Ex+RT groups underwent daily swimming and running. The strength, fatigue, anxiety levels, lipid profiles, and antioxidant biomarkers were evaluated post-treatment. The SH, Ex, and Ex+SH groups exhibited significantly enhanced physical performance (p<0.05). Plasma lipid profiles, including LDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and fatigue-related biomarkers (ALP, AST, ALT, LDH, CK, LA, BUN, and glucose) were markedly increased in the Sp and RT groups but decreased in the SH, Ex, and Ex+SH groups compared to control (p<0.05). Exercise-induced fatigue elevated the Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant defense system in liver tissue. IL-6 levels were reduced in the SH, Ex, and Ex+SH groups (p<0.05). These findings indicate that regular exercise combined with SH supplementation increases strength and improves lipid profiles, reducing exercise-induced oxidative stress and fatigue via modulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in liver tissue. These results highlight SH supplementation’s potential as a complementary strategy to enhance exercise outcomes and mitigate exercise-induced stress.

When profit-driven renewal is difficult to implement, many historic districts are “frozen protected” in China. In the social context of “building cities for the people” in recent years, the public value-oriented renewal of urban historic areas plays an important role in the transformation of cities. This study investigates the strategies of historic district regeneration in China by integrating spatial form, urban governance, and public value. We propose a novel framework to analyze the regeneration of historic districts, using Taiyuan Bell Tower Street as a case study. The framework distinguishes between two dimensions: spatial and economic-social. In the spatial dimension, we focus on the transformation of spatial form to regenerate public value, emphasizing the attribute of "publicness" as central to urban regeneration efforts. This involves a tiered approach of excavating and upgrading historic districts at macro, meso, and micro levels. In the economic-social dimension, we explore urban governance to strengthen public value, involving government, market, and societal actors in a collaborative renewal process. The analysis highlights that a public value-oriented approach to heritage regeneration offers greater sustainability and could serve as a model for other cities seeking similar outcomes.

A single geological carbon dioxide (CO2) storage within salinity aquifer as a paramount stratagem in the context of forthcoming CO2 sequestration initiatives. Within the expansive tapestry of terrestrial salinity aquifers in China, replete with nuances in mineral composition and structural diversity, a paradigm distinct from the marine sedimentary basins of North America, a labyrinthine stratigraphic environment of elevated complexity unfolds. Consequently, conspicuous lacunae and insufficiencies manifest within the existing knowledge reservoir pertaining to CO2-water-rock (mineral) reaction mechanisms. Notably, a conspicuous dearth of insights prevails concerning the dissolution kinetics inherent to individual minerals embroiled in these reactions. The present investigation undertakes a scrupulous exploration into the dissolution and erosive processes manifest within four emblematic terrestrial minerals in conjunction with CO2. Furthermore, the study meticulously scrutinizes the evolution of ionic composition and pH within the formation water throughout the trajectory of the geochemical reactions. To accomplish this, a simulation apparatus is configured to emulate conditions germane to temperature, pressure, and mineralization characteristics characteristic of a prototypical salinity aquifer reminiscent of the Daqing oilfield in China. The findings that emerge from this scrutiny reveal that the erosive action of CO2 fluid begets varying degrees of dissolution within the four minerals under investigation. Moreover, our meticulous inquiry lays bare that, in the terminal phases of the reaction process, feldspar precipitates secondary minerals, characterized primarily by dawsonite, in response to the aquatic milieu typifying the profound salinity stratum of terrestrial sedimentation. This milieu is notably enriched with Na+ ions and NaHCO3. This phenomenon suggests that feldspar, under these specific conditions, assumes the mantle of a mineral amenable to carbon sequestration, thus enriching the reservoir for CO2 mineralization within the salinity stratum of terrestrial sedimentation.

We improved a magnetic scanning microscope for measuring the magnetic properties of minerals in thin sections of geological samples at submillimeter scales. The microscope is comprised of a 200 µm diameter Hall sensor that is 142 µm from the sample; an electromagnet capable of applying to the sample up to 500 mT dc magnetic fields over a 40 mm diameter region; a second Hall sensor arranged in a gradiometric configuration to cancel the background signal applied by the electromagnet and reduce overall noise in the system; a custom-designed electronics to bias the sensors and provide adjustment for background signal cancelation; and a scanning XY stage with micrometer resolution. Our system achieves a spatial resolution of 220 µm with noise at 6.0 Hz of »300 nT_rms/(Hz)^1/2 in an unshielded environment. The magnetic moment sensitivity is 1.3 × 10⁻¹¹ Am².^1/2 We successfully measured the representative magnetization of a geological sample using an alternative model that takes into account the sample geometry and identified different micrometric characteristics in the sample slice.

Computation of Common Middle Point seismic sections and their subsequent time migration and diffraction imaging provides very important knowledge about the internal structure of 3D heterogeneous geological media and are key elements for successive geological interpretation. Full-scale numerical simulation, that computes all single shot seismograms, provides a full understanding of how the features of the image reflect the properties of the subsurface prototype. Unfortunately, this kind of simulations of 3D seismic surveys for realistic geological media needs huge computer resources, especially for simulation of seismic waves’ propagation through multiscale media like cavernous fractured reservoirs. In order to significantly reduce the query of computer resources we propose to model these 3D seismic cubes directly rather than the shot-by-shot simulation with subsequent CMP stacking. To do that we modify the well known "exploding reflectors principle" for 3D heterogeneous multiscale media by use of the finite-difference technique on the base of grids locally refined in time and space. To be able to simulate realistic models and acquisition we develop scalable parallel software, which needs reasonable computational costs. Numerical results for simulation of Common Middle Points sections and their time migration are presented and discussed.

Incretin effect helps in regulating glucose homeostasis and maintaining glycaemic control within the human body. This effect is achieved by the two naturally occurring incretin hormones: glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Such hormones released by specialized entero-endocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract cause insulin augmentation after food consumption. However, incretin effects are impaired in type 2 diabetic, primarily attributed to the deterioration of GLP-1 function along with decreased GLP-1 receptor expression. Targeting this hormone has, therefore, become an important therapeutic approach to treat this diabetic condition. Native GLP-1’s brief half-life and rapid proteolytic degradation have generated significant enthusiasm in uncovering the long-acting GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists to manage type 2 diabetes. These synthetic peptides mimic the natural GLP-1 to activate GLP-1R and effectively exert various physiological benefits in terms of weight management, blood pressure, lipid profile, obesity and major adverse cardiovascular event. This review paper provides insights into the structure, function and expression of GLP-1 and its receptor. It also summarizes existing literature regarding different types of GLP-1 receptor agonists, their effects on blood pressure and how they exert their actions. While animal models have contributed significantly to this area of study, the scarcity of human studies is noted, indicating a need for more investigation in this domain. Expanding research in humans will help in comprehending the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on blood pressure regulation and their underlying mechanisms.

Several studies suggests that ghrelin (GHRL) has neurobiological effects that extend beyond control of food intake. Our previous results confirmed that GHRL modulates the secretory activity of the pineal gland (PG) through nocturnal melatonin (MEL) secretion in sheep, the seasonally reproductive animals. Here we investigated the effects of GHRL (10 ng/ml) on the expression of enzymes limiting synthesis of MEL, including tryptophan 5-hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), serotonin N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) and its phosphorylated form p31T-AA-NAT in sheep PG explants (n = 72) during the 4-hour incubation in a gas-liquid interface, at a short (SD) and long (LD) photoperiods. After each hour of incubation selected explants were frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C for subsequent analysis (real-time PCR, western-blotting, ELISA). Results show that GHRL regulates nightly MEL secretion in a TPH1-independent manner. The factor modulating GHRL activity was photoperiod. During SD photoperiod GHRL significantly reduced the expression of p31T-AA-NAT, AA-NAT and inhibited MEL secretion from PG explants. Whereas, during LD photoperiod no effect of GHRL on MEL secretion and expression of examined enzymes was noted. Studies indicate that GHRL directly affects PG under in vitro conditions and causes MEL secretion in animals which exhibit seasonality in reproductive and metabolic processes.

: The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial morbidity and mortality rates. Consequently, there is a pressing need for clinical research focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. To comprehensively study the course of COVID-19 in the Philippine population, it is essential to have a comprehensive dataset that includes relevant treatment and diagnostic information. While individual patient reports related to the disease are available at various institutions in the Philippines, there is a need for a more extensive and representative database to facilitate robust analysis. The purpose of this review is to elucidate various challenges and opportunities as well as propose solutions for the development and implementation of a prospective COVID-19 patient registry within a regional context in the Philippines. The primary clinical objective of establishing this registry was to enhance the accuracy of disease diagnosis. In this review, we present a comprehensive explanation of the systematic rationale, design, and execution of a COVID-19 patient registry in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Based on this review, several factors exist that hinder the implementation of a COVID-19 patient registry in the regional setting in the Philippines including lack of funding, facilities, infrastructure, manpower, expertise, and unwillingness of some hospitals to pursue research. We also discussed herewith the proposed program implementation for the establishment of such registry in a regional setting in the Philippines.

This paper examines the relationship between GDP per capita and waste generated in European Union countries, highlighting the importance of this relationship for understanding the environmental consequences of economic growth and formulating waste management policies. The analysis findings demonstrate that, in most cases, higher GDP is associated with higher amounts of waste, although there are exceptions to this trend. A smaller number of countries are also found where no such relationship exists. These are primarily high-income countries in the lower part of the EKC or countries in transition. Cluster analysis reveals regional differences in the relationship between GDP and waste that the economic factors and the level of development in the regions concerned can explain. Bulgaria is among the European countries with the lowest economic growth associated with a large amount of waste. The analysis, therefore, focuses on Bulgaria. The impact of GDP per capita, Human Development Index and Population Density on municipal waste in Bulgaria is studied. The aim is to identify significant relationships and dependencies between these factors and the amount of waste. Based on the results of multiple regression analysis and the findings from municipal waste management data in Bulgaria, specific actions are proposed for municipal waste management in the country. Recommendations are made for developing sustainable waste management policies and sharing best practices between regions.

In this study, the effects of music therapy on anxiety for patients undergoing regional anaesthesia in an operating room was succinctly investigated. This investigation was largely based on the adapted Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), of patients undergoing regional anaesthesia in an operating room. A randomized control trial was performed on 90 patients due for surgery. The selected patients for regional anaesthesia were allocated to either the music therapy group who listened to music using headphones for the entire surgery or the no-treatment control group. Based on the findings, it has been conclusively demonstrated that music can decrease the patient's anxiety level. According to the socio-demographic evaluation, elderly patients have the highest stress hormones levels when compared to young patients. Although elderly patients are more likely to choose religious songs to help them relax, cortisol analysis revealed an increase in cortisol levels among the elderly compared with younger patients. As a result, music is especially important to be delivered to elderly patients. Nonetheless, there is no restriction against administering music to elderly patients because evidence from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) has shown that music helps to shift their attention away from pain and complications and makes them feel tranquil. Similarly, the HADS and modified Spielberger STAI (STAI-S) analyses demonstrate a substantial outcome for both groups, with respondents responding positively. The study found that listening to music during regional anaesthesia might help people feel less worried.

Due to the high solar irradiance or energy price, certain regions in the U.S. may reach 100% PV penetration and experience degradation of frequency response greater than the interconnection as a whole. Therefore, in this section, the 100% PV penetration region in each interconnection is simulated to study the local high PV penetration effects. The study was performed by quantifying RoCoF, frequency nadir, and settling frequency at different regional PV penetration levels. The impact of high regional PV penetration on the compliance of grid code on frequency response is also studied.

Ionospheric delay has been a critical issue that limits the accuracy of GNSS precise positioning and navigation for single-frequency users, especially in mid- and low-latitude regions where irregularity of ionosphere is often significant. Kriging spatial interpolation techniques have been recently introduced to model the spatial correlation and variability of ionosphere, which intrinsically assume that the ionosphere field is stochastically stationary but does not take the random observational errors into account. In this paper, by treating the spatial statistical information on ionosphere as prior knowledge and based on TEC semivariogram analysis, we use Kriging techniques to spatially interpolate TEC values. By assuming that the stochastic models of both the ionospheric signals and measurement errors are only known up to some unknown factors, we propose a new Kriging spatial interpolation method with unknown variance components for both the signals of ionosphere and TEC measurements. Variance component estimation has been integrated with Kriging to reconstruct regional ionospherical delay. The method has been applied to data from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) and compared with the ordinary Kriging and polynomial interpolations with spherical cap harmonic functions, polynomial functions and low-degree spherical harmonic functions. The results have shown that the interpolation accuracy of the new proposed method is better than the ordinary Kriging and polynomial interpolation by about 1.2 TECU and 0.7 TECU, respectively. The root mean squared error of the proposed new Kriging with variance components is within 1.5 TECU and is smaller than those from other methods under comparison by about 1 TECU. When compared with ionospheric grid points, the mean squared error of the proposed method is within 6 TECU and smaller than Kriging, indicating that the proposed method can produce more accurate ionospheric delays and better estimation accuracy.

The ribonuclease H (RNase H) active site of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) is the only viral enzyme not targeted by approved antiretroviral drugs. Using a fluorescence-based in vitro assay, we screened 65,239 compounds at a final concentration of 10 µM to identify inhibitors of RT RNase H activity. We identified 41 compounds that exhibited 50% inhibitory concentration (i.e., IC50) values &lt; 1.0 µM. Two of these compounds, 2-(4-methyl-3-(piperidin-1-ylsulfonyl)phenyl)benzo[d]isothiazol-3(2H)-one (1) and ethyl 2-(2-(3-oxobenzo[d]isothiazol-2(3H)-yl)thiazol-4-yl)acetate (2), which both share the same benzisothiazolone pharmacophore, demonstrate robust antiviral activity (50% effective concentrations of 1.68 ± 0.94 µM and 2.68 ± 0.54, respectively) in the absence of cellular toxicity. A limited structure-activity relationship analysis identified two additional benzisothiazolone analogs, 2-methylbenzo[d]isothiazol-3(2H)-one (3) and N,N-diethyl-3-(3-oxobenzo[d]isothiazol-2(3H)-yl)benzenesulfonamide (4), which also resulted in inhibition of RT RNase H activity and virus replication. Compounds 1, 2 and 4, but not 3, inhibited the DNA polymerase activity of RT (IC50 values ~ 1 to 6 µM). In conclusion, benzisothiazolone derivatives represent a new class of multifunctional RT inhibitors that warrants further assessment for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Exposure to cadmium sulfate (CdSO4) can lead to neurotoxicity. Nevertheless, the precise molec-ular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear, and effective treatment strategies are scarce. This study explored the protective effects of ellagic acid (EA), a natural polyphenolic compound, against CdSO4 exposure-induced neurotoxicity in HT22 cells. Additionally, the inves-tigation sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Our findings demonstrated that exposure of HT22 cells to CdSO4 resulted in apoptosis, which was effectively reversed by EA supplementation. EA supplementation also decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial ROS productions, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and restored the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Additionally, EA supplementation at 5–20 μM significantly counteracted Cd-induced mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP losses and reduced the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase-3 protein expression. Furthermore, EA supplementation upregulated Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression while downregulating the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 proteins. Pharmacological inhibition of JNK partially inhibited CdSO4-induced Nrf2/HO-1 activation and exacerbated its cytotoxicity. In conclusion, our results indicate that EA supplementation provides protection against CdSO4-induced cell apoptosis in HT22 cells by inhibiting oxidative stress and activating the Nrf2 pathway. Activation of the JNK pathway plays a protective role in CdSO4-induced cell apoptosis in HT22 cells.

At present, indoor localization is one of the core technologies of location-based services (LBS), and there exist numerous scenario-oriented application solutions. Visual features, as the main semantic information to help people understand the environment and thus occupy the dominant part, many techniques about indoor scene recognition are widely adopted. However, the engineering application problem of cell phone indoor scene recognition and localization has not been well solved due to insufficient semantic constraint information of building map and the immaturity of building map location anchors (MLA) matching positioning technology. To address the above problems, this paper proposes a cell phone indoor scene recognition and localization method with building map semantic constraints. Firstly, we build a library of geocoded entities for building map location anchors (MLA), which can provide users with "immersive" real-world building maps on the one hand and semantic anchor point constraints for cell phone positioning on the other. Secondly, using the improved YOLOv5s deep learning model carried on the mobile terminal, we recognize the universal map location anchors (MLA) elements in building scenes by cell phone camera video in real-time. Lastly, the spatial location of the scene elements obtained from the cell phone video recognition is matched with the building MLA to achieve real-time positioning and navigation. The experimental results show that the model recognition accuracy of this method is above 97.2%, and the maximum localization error is within the range of 0.775 m, and minimized to 0.5 m after applying the BIMPN road network walking node constraint, which can effectively achieve high positioning accuracy in the building scenes with rich MLA element information. In addition, the building map location anchors (MLA) has universal characteristics, and the positioning algorithm based on scene element recognition is compatible with the extension of indoor map data types, so this method has good prospects for engineering applications.

An extension of the models used to generate fractal traffic flows is presented by means of the formulation of a model that considers the use of one-dimensional chaotic maps. Based on the disaggregation of the temporal series generated by the model, a valid explanation of behavior of the values of Hurst exponent is proposed and the feasibility of their control from the parameters of the proposed model is shown.

Canopy characteristics are crucial for accurately and safely determining the pesticide quantity and volume of water used for spray applications in vineyards. The inevitably high degree of intra-plot variability makes it difficult to develop a global solution for the optimal volume application rate. Here, the design procedure of, and the results obtained from, a variable rate application (VRA) sprayer are presented. Prescription maps were generated after detailed canopy characterization, using a multispectral camera embedded on an unmanned aerial vehicle, throughout the entire growing season in Torrelavit (Barcelona) in four vineyard plots of Chardonnay (2.35 ha), Merlot (2.97 ha), and Cabernet Sauvignonn (4.67 ha). The maps were obtained by merging multispectral images with information provided by DOSAVIÑA®, a decision support system, to determine the optimal volume rate. They were then uploaded to the VRA prototype, obtaining actual variable application maps after the application processes were complete. The prototype had an adequate spray distribution quality and exhibited similar results in terms of biological efficacy on powdery mildew compared to conventional (and constant) application volumes. The VRA results demonstrated an accurate and reasonable pesticide distribution, with potential for reduced disease damage even in cases with reduced amounts of plant protection products and water.

Due to low culturing costs and high seed protein contents, legumes represent the main global source of food protein. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the major economically important legume crops, impacting both animal feed and human nutrition. Therefore, the quality of pea seeds needs to be ensured in the context of sustainable crop production and nutritional efficiency. Obviously, changes in seed protein patterns might directly affect both of these aspects. Thus, here we address the pea seed proteome in more detail and provide, to the best of our knowledge, the most comprehensive annotation of the functions and intracellular localization of pea seed proteins. Accordingly, 1938 and 1989 non-redundant proteins were identified in yellow and green pea seeds, in total. Only 35 and 44 proteins, respectively, could be additionally identified after protamine sulfate precipitation (PSP) potentially indicating the high efficiency of our experimental workflow. In total 981 protein groups could be assigned to 34 functional classes, which were to a large extent differentially represented in yellow and green seeds. Closer analysis of these differences by processing of the data in KEGG and String databases revealed their possible relation to a higher metabolic status and reduced longevity of green seeds.

(1)Background：To date, no studies have epidemiologically examined whether the concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and its ionic components is related to the prevalence of skin symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify this association in patients with allergic diseases. (2)Methods: From February 1 to May 31, 2020, we evaluated the daily prevalence of skin symptoms in outpatients with allergic diseases being treated at Fukuoka Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan, and measured the concentration of PM2.5 and its ionic components. （3）Results: Univariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between skin symptoms and the concentration of PM2.5 and the ionic components SO42-, NH4+, K+, and Mg2+, and multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between the daily prevalence of skin symptoms and the concentration of the ionic components SO42- or Mg2+. (4)Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the concentration of some PM2.5 ionic components may affect skin symptoms in patients with allergic diseases.

Drought monitoring and early detection have improved greatly in recent decades through the development and refinement of numerous indices and indicators. However, a lack of guidance, based on user experience, exists as to which drought monitoring tools are most appropriate in a given location. This review paper summarizes the results of targeted user engagement and the published literature to improve the understanding of drought across North America, and to enhance the utility of drought monitoring tools. Workshops and surveys were used to assess and make general conclusions about the perceived performance of drought indicators, indices and impacts information used for monitoring drought in the five main Köppen climate types (Tropical, Temperate, Continental, Polar Tundra, Dry) found across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In Tropical, humid Temperate, and southerly Continental climates, droughts are perceived to be more short-term (less than 6 months) in duration rather than long-term (more than 6 months). In Polar Tundra climates, Dry climates, Temperate climates with dry warm seasons, and northerly Continental climates, droughts are perceived to be more long-term than short-term. In general, agricultural and hydrological droughts were considered to be the most important drought types. Drought impacts related to agriculture, water supply, ecosystem, and human health were rated to be of greatest importance. Users identified the most effective indices and indicators for monitoring drought across North America to be the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) (or another measure of precipitation anomaly), followed by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (or another satellite-observed vegetation index), temperature anomalies, crop status, soil moisture, streamflow, reservoir storage, water use (demand), and reported drought impacts. Users also noted the importance of indices that measure evapotranspiration, evaporative demand, and snow water content. Drought indices and indicators were generally thought to perform equally well across seasons in Tropical and the colder Continental climates, but their performance was perceived to vary seasonally in Dry, Temperate, Polar Tundra, and the warmer Continental climates, with improved performance during warm and wet times of the year. The drought indices and indicators, in general, were not perceived to perform equally well across geographies. This review paper provides guidance on when (time of year) and where (climate zone) the more popular drought indices and indicators should be used. The paper concludes by noting the importance of understanding how drought, its impacts, and indicators are changing over time as the climate warms, and by recommending ways to strengthen the use of indices and indicators in drought decision-making.

Separase is a key cysteine protease to separate sister chromatids through digestion of cohesion ring that inhibits chromosome segregation as trigger of metaphase–anaphase transition in eukaryotes and highly regulated its activity by binding with securin and cyclinB-CDK1 complex. Those bindings prevent proteolytic activity of separase until the onset of anaphase. Chromosome missegregation and aneuploidy are frequently observed in malignancies. However, there are some difficulties for biochemical examinations due to instability of separase in vitro and a few spatiotemporal resolution approaches monitoring live separase activity throughout mitotic processes. Here we have developed FRET-based molecular sensors including GFP variants with separase cleavable sequences as donor and covalently attached fluorescent dye as acceptor molecules applicable to conventional live cell imaging and flow cytometric analysis because of efficient live cell uptake. We investigated performance of equivalent molecular sensors localized or not localized inside nucleus under cell cycle control using flow cytometry. Synchronized cell cycle progression rendered significant separase activity detections in both molecular sensors. We obtained consistent outcomes with localized molecular sensor introduction and cell cycle control by fluorescent microscopic observations. We thus established live cell separase activity monitoring systems specifically or statistically that could lead to elucidate separase properties in detail.

The assessment of soil contamination in the vicinity of integrated siderurgical plants is of outmost importance for agroecosystems and human health, and sensitive techniques should be employed for accurate assessment of chemical elements (metals, potential toxic elements, rare earths, radioelements) in soil and further evaluation of potential ecological and safety risk. In this paper a total of 45 major, minor and trace elements (Al, As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, Hg, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nd, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, Tm, U, V, W, Y, Yb, Zn and Zr) were quantified in soils located around a large siderurgical works (Galati, SE Romania) using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in combination with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The statistical analysis results and vertical distribution patterns for three depths (0-5 cm, 5-20 cm, 20-30 cm) indicate inputs of toxic elements in the sites close to the ironmaking and steelmaking facilities and industrial wastes dumping site. For selected elements, a comparison with historical, legislated and world reported concentration values in soil was performed and depth migration, contamination and toxic risk indices were assessed. The distribution of major, rock forming elements was closer to the Upper Continental Crust (UCC), and to the Dobrogea loess, finding confirmed by the ternary diagram of the incompatible trace elements Sc, La and Th, as well as by the La to Th rate. At the same time, the La/Th vs. Sc and Th/Sc vs. Zr/Sc bi-plots suggested a felsic origin and a weak recycling of soils mineral components.

This paper uses the spatial analysis software GeoDa as a tool, takes GRP (Gross regional product) of Sichuan Province in 2012 and 2018 as the dependent variable, and takes the city (autonomous prefecture) factor-driven, investment-driven and innovation-driven indicators as the dependent variable to explore the impact of innovation activities on regional economic development and the spatial distribution characteristics of regional economy. Through the comparison of the global correlation and local correlation, this paper explores the crux of the regional economic polarization and unbalanced development, and puts forward some measures to solve the existing economic development problems, such as cultivating and improving the regional industrial dependence, accelerating the regional transportation accessibility and convenience, and constructing the regional collaborative innovation system, So as to achieve the strategic goal of the construction of innovative Province in Sichuan Province.

Despite increased protection globally, climate change and other anthropogenic factors have caused a significant decline in seagrass cover. Identifying the specific causes of this decline is paramount if they are to be addressed. Therefore, we identified the causes of long-term change in seagrass/submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) percentage cover and extent in the Bluefields Bay Special Fish Conservation Area (BBSFCA), a marine protected area on Jamaica’s southern coast. We used two random forest regression (RFr) models that included 2013 hydroacoustic survey SAV percentage cover data (dependent variable), and auxiliary data, reflectance data from level 2 processed 2013 Landsat 7 and 8 images and image band texture statistics maps (mean and variance) as predictors to generate 24 SAV percentage cover maps for the period 1984 – 2021 (37 years) using data from Landsat 4-5, 7 and 8 images., from which benthic features maps (SAV present, absent and coral reef) were created. Rainfall and map data were used to determine if SAV extent/area (km2) and average percentage cover and annual rainfall changed significantly over time and to evaluate the influence of rainfall. Rainfall impact on the overall spatial patterns of SAV loss, gain, and percentage cover change was assessed using a pixel-based regression. Finally, the most important spatial pattern predictors (two rainfall proxies (distance and direction from river mouth), benthic topography, depth, and hurricane exposure (a measure of hurricane disturbance)) of SAV loss, gain, and percentage cover change during 23 successive 1-to-4-year periods were identified using spatial Bayesian INLA generalized linear mixed models. SAV area/extent was largely stable with &gt; 70% mean percentage cover for multiple years. However, Hurricane Ivan (in 2004) caused a significant decline in SAV area/extent (by 1.62 km2, or a 13%) during 2002 – 2006 and a second hurricane (Dean) in 2007 delayed recovery until 2015. Additionally, rainfall declined significantly by &gt;1000 mm since 1901, and mean monthly rainfall positively influenced SAV percentage cover change. The pixel-based regression highlighted areas where mean monthly rainfall had a positive overall effect on SAV cover percentage change (across the entire bay) and gain (closer to the mouth of a river). The most frequently selected important spatial pattern predictors were the two rainfall proxies (areas closer to the river mouth were more likely to experience SAV loss and gain) and depth, with shallow areas generally having a higher probability of SAV loss and gain. Three hurricanes had significant but different impacts depending on their distance from the southern coastline. Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall in 1988, resulted in higher SAV percentage cover loss in 1987 - 1988. Benthic locations with a northwestern/northern facing aspect (the predominant direction of Ivan’s leading edge wind bands) experienced higher SAV losses during 2002 – 2006. Although some locations impacted by Ivan and not by Dean recovered during 2006 – 2008, exposure to Ivan explained percentage cover loss during 2006 – 2008 and average exposure to (the cumulative impact of) Ivan and Dean (both with tracks close to the southern coastline) explained SAV loss during 2013 – 2015. Therefore, despite historic lows in annual rainfall, overall, higher rainfall was beneficial, multiple hurricanes impacted the site, and despite two hurricanes in three years SAV recovered within a decade. Hurricanes and a further reduction in rainfall may pose a serious threat to SAV persistence in the future.

The COLOSS research association has been assessing honey bee colony losses, associated risk factors and management, focusing on Western countries but with a progressive international expansion. Here, we report the first survey on the loss rates of colonies in 2022/23 in Ethiopia using COLOSS monitoring survey tools. A face-to-face interview questionnaire survey was conducted on 64 beekeepers selected from Oromia and Tigray regions. This covered 1,713 honey bee colonies distributed in 68 apiaries. The percentages of colonies lost were significantly different between Oromia (24.1%) and Tigray (66.4%) regions. Colony losses were attributed as unsolvable queen problems (8% in Oromia; 10% in Tigray), natural disaster (32%; 82%), and empty hives or dead colonies (60%; 8%). The loss rate was significantly affected by queen replacement (p

The rehabilitation of abandoned mining sites is an increasingly pressing issue in the context of sustainable development. Recent research has emphasized the need for a holistic approach to the abandoned mining sites and their environmental rehabilitation. Based on field analysis, environmental assessments, satellite imagery processing and geographic information operations, this paper pushes forward the existing knowledge by doing a comprehensive assessment of abandoned mining sites in the Romanian Carpathians and by proposing innovative and sustainable rehabilitation solutions. Our findings highlight that abandoned mining sites and their surrounding territories in the Romanian mountains have significant ecological imbalances and complex socio-economic issues. The findings also suggest that by adopting innovative, integrated, and sustainability-oriented approaches, territories affected by mining can be transformed into valuable and sustainable spaces to meet human needs. We conclude by presenting the importance of innovation in ecological reconstruction and spatial-functional reintegration of mining sites in mountain areas as a useful tool in making fair decisions, both in the context of implementing appropriate development policies as well as for resilience and environmental sustainability of mining-affected mountain areas.

.Maize cultivation in Thailand faces challenges owing to climate change and soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. This highlights the importance of comparing maize soil with paddy soil in terms of the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient availability, as they influence SOC content. Soil samples from Chiang Mai province, primarily Fluvisol, were collected for the cultivation of paddy rice and maize, analysed for carbon fractions and chemical properties, and categorised into layers. Comparative analysis revealed that maize soils had lower levels of labile carbon components and organic carbon than paddy soils (P

Observations of the X-ray binary system Her X-1 by the AstroSat Soft X-ray Telescope 1 (SXT) were carried out in 2020 through 2023 with the goals of measuring X-ray spectrum changes with the 35-day disk rotation phase and measuring eclipses at different 35-day phases. The four multi-day long observations were scheduled during: turn-on to Main High (MH) and MH rise; MH state; Short High (SH) state; and Low State (LS). 35-day phase was determined using monitoring observations with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). Nine eclipses were observed at a range of 35-day phases, with at least one eclipse during each observation. Data with dips were separated from data without dips. The variation of X-ray spectral parameters vs. 35-day phase shows the following: eclipse parameters are nearly constant, showing that the scattering corona does not change with 35-day phase; dips show an increase in covering fraction but not column density compared to non-dip data; the 1 keV line normalization indicates an origin in a small region near the continuum emission region, likely the magnetospheric accretion flow from the inner disk onto the neutron star; and the change in blackbody normalization (area) shows that the emission region is much larger than the 1 keV emission region, and consistent with the inner edge of the accretion disk.

Shales are well known for their strong anisotrophic properties. The classical Athy’s model on the exponential porosity reduction with the depth commonly uses based on localities only. Shale compaction curve affects the results of the basin modeling as it is important input data, thus the standard compaction curve of shales needs to be established. This study provided a new data and complies available data of Thailand shales to propose the new empirical relationship among porosity, burial depth, and geological age. The numerical data of the geological time were estimated by the application from the relationship of velocity and depth in each geological ages. The variation of the Thailand shale data due to the different geological ages was found in this study. Finally, the standard curve of shale compaction proposed by Puttiwongrak et al. [9] was examined and confirmed by this research findings.

The goal of the study is to assess the potential correlation between maternal Sars-cov-2 infection , detected three months before the second trimester anomaly scan, and fetal iperecogenicity in order to determine whether or not this could be considered a predictive factor for maternal-fetal complications . The study included 48 pregnant women who did not have any clear maternal or fetal problems. These individuals had an anomaly scan in the second trimester, as well as amniocentesis and fetal cariotyping, and then RT-PCR testing on their placental tissue after birth to rule out transplacental transmission. There have been no reports of fetal abnormalities via amniocentesis or fetal cariotyping. The patients experienced a high rate of spontaneous births (83%). Fetal development problems (2%) and premature delivery (4%) were uncommon, although placental swabs revealed a possibility of viral transmission across the placenta itself. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first observational study to show that detecting isolated intestinal hyperechogenicity during an abnormality scan in fetuses of women infected with Sars-Cov-2 in the previous three months does not appear to be a predictor of poor maternal-fetal outcomes, but may be linked to transplacental virus transmission.

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, characterized by lipid accumulation and chronic inflammation within arterial walls. Early detection in young adults is crucial for preventing adverse cardiovascular events. This study investigates the associations between inflammatory indices, lipid biomarkers, and the presence of atherosclerosis in patients aged 18 to 55 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 89 participants divided into two groups: 62 patients with documented atherosclerosis (main group) and 27 healthy controls without significant atherosclerosis. Comprehensive data—including demographic information, medication use, imaging results, laboratory parameters, and calculated inflammatory indices (SIRI, SII, AISI, NLR, PLR, MLR)—were collected. Statistical analyses included correlation assessments, group comparisons using the Mann-Whitney U test, logistic regression modeling, feature importance analysis with Random Forest and Gradient Boosting classifiers, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and K-means clustering. Results: Significant differences were observed between the main and control groups. Patients with atherosclerosis exhibited elevated inflammatory indices (SIRI, NLR, MLR, SII) and lipid profile abnormalities (higher TC and LDL-C, lower HDL-C). Lp(a) and ANGPTL3 levels were significantly higher in the main group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Logistic regression identified SIRI and ANGPTL3 as significant predictors of atherosclerosis, with the model demonstrating high accuracy (77%) and sensitivity (93%). Feature importance analysis confirmed the significance of SIRI and ANGPTL3, alongside traditional lipid biomarkers, in predicting disease presence. ROC analysis showed excellent model performance (AUC > 0.80). Clustering analysis revealed two distinct patient subgroups characterized by predominant inflammatory profiles or lipid metabolism disturbances. Conclusions: Systemic inflammation and lipid abnormalities play significant roles in early atherosclerosis among young adults. Elevated SIRI and ANGPTL3 levels are potent predictors of disease presence. The integration of inflammatory indices and lipid biomarkers into predictive models enhances risk stratification and supports personalized medicine approaches. Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to validate these findings and inform targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

A large diversity of epigenetic factors, such as microRNAs and histones modifications, are known to be capable of regulating gene expression without altering DNA sequence itself. In particular, miR-1 is considered the first essential microRNA in cardiac development. In this study, miR-1 potential role in early cardiac chamber differentiation is analyzed through specific signaling pathways. For this, we performed in chick embryos functional experiments by means of miR-1 microinjections into the posterior cardiac precursors -of both primitive endocardial tubes- committed to sinoatrial region fates. Subsequently, embryos were subjected to whole mount in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR analysis. As a relevant nov-elty, our results revealed that miR-1 increases Tbx5, Gata4 and AMHC1, while this microRNA diminishes Mef2c expression, during early differentiation of cardiac sinoatrial region. Further-more, we observed in this developmental context that miR-1 upregulates CRABPII and RARß, and downregulates CRABPI, which are three crucial factors in retinoic acid signaling pathway. Interestingly, we also noticed that miR-1 directly interacts with HDAC4 and Calmodulin, as well as with Erk2/MAPK1, which are three key factors actively involved in Mef2c regulation. Our study shows, for the first time, a key role of miR-1 as an epigenetic regulator in early differenti-ation of cardiac sinoatrial region through orchestrating opposite actions between retinoic acid and Mef2c, fundamental to properly assign cardiac cells to their respective heart chambers. A better understanding of those molecular mechanisms modulated by miR-1 will definitely help in fields applied to therapy and cardiac regeneration and repair.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the prevalence of chlamydiosis in small ruminants. The study included 133 publications that reported the presence of Chlamydia abortus in 109 and 74 studies in sheep and goats from 45 countries. The prevalence of chlamydiosis was estimated at global, regional, and national levels using meta-analyses of proportions. Meta-regression and cumulative meta-analyses were also performed. Globally, the prevalence of chlamydiosis in sheep and goats was estimated at 20.1% (95% CI: 17.8-22.4) and 14.4% (11.6-17.4), respectively. For sheep, chlamydiosis prevalence was heterogeneous at regional and national levels. South Asia had the highest prevalence (30.6%) and East Asia and Pacific the lowest (14.0%). Nationally, chlamydiosis was more prevalent in Romania, Hungary, and Germany (range 53.3-87.0%) compared to Costa Rica, Australia, and Zimbabwe (4.7-5.2%). Among goats, chlamydiosis prevalence was similar across regions (10.4-19.7%), but varied significantly among countries, 0.0% in Romania and Australia and 91.7% in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In both species, sample size, number of diagnostic techniques, and latitude were significant covariates. Prevalence varied widely in the first decades of publications before stabilizing. Our study found a high prevalence of chlamydiosis in small ruminants, with the pathogen being distributed globally but heterogeneously across countries.

The Harmonious Protected Landscape of Ambohitr'Antsingy Montagne des Français is one of the protected area located in the extreme northern of Madagascar. An assessment of the Herpe-tofauna community were made on the eastern and western slopes regarding the forest degrada-tion level, the availability of the streams and the habitat types in the massif during the years of 2014 and 2020. This survey was done in order to updating the herpetofaunal database and re-cording the distribution ranges of the Herpetofauna community in the PA. Three methods were used, including direct observation, systematic microhabitat searching and pitfall-traps with drift fences at three sampling sites during the day and night with headlamp. Twenty species of am-phibians and 50 species of reptiles were recorded. Four species of Amphibians, and 03 species of Reptiles (snake) are potentially new to science and/or newly recorded at Montagne des Français. One snake (Langaha pseudoalluaudi) last inventoried in 2007 has reappeared during this investiga-tion. Here, we present the mapping of all species recorded. This new database can help the manager site to update the management plan to guarantee the herpetofaunal conservation facing habitat change. That is what we think also for all of the current PA in Madagascar.

Regional organisations (ROs) are important in that they can enable states in their regions to pros-per and develop for improvement. Interest here lies in the European Union (EU) and the Associa-tion of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Their political development involves complex process-es for collective actions involving ingroup member RO states. To explore development, we firstly examine the rise of both the EU and ASEAN. The literature gives some attention to the behaviour-alist political approach to explain developmental differences using social organisation theory, often in terms of the Gemeinschaft-Gesellschaft paradigm of Tönnies. However, here we adopt a social psychology approach that distinguishes between operative structure (which directly determines behaviour), and substructure (housing normative personality deemed to be responsible for behav-ioural imperatives). This enables a relationship to be made between the Tönnies paradigm and the Collectivism-Individualism paradigm of Triandis. The theoretical approach adopted involves a complex adaptive systems model deriving from metacybernetics, and this also delivers Mindset Agency Theory as a qualitative methodology. Consistent with the general view, it is shown that the EU is more or less a coherent rational organisation, while ASEAN is more idealistic delivering pragmatic paradox. In particular, ASEAN is frequently descried as an organisation with contra-dictions, and for this reason its pathologies are explored in some detail

The goal was to model the irrigated (IBY) and rainfed (RBY) bean yields, as a function of essential climatic variables (ECVs), in the center (Culiacán) and south (Rosario) from Sinaloa. In Sinaloa, and for the period 1982–2013 (October–March), the following were calculated: a) temperatures. b) average degree days for the bean, c) cumulative potential evapotranspiration and d) cumulative effective precipitation. For ECVs, from the European Space Agency, e) daily soil moisture. f) IBY and RBY, from the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service. Multiple linear regressions were applied, which modeled IBY–RBY (dependent variables), as a function of ECVs (independent variables). Then, to establish each Pearson correlation (PC) as significantly different from zero, a hypothesis test was applied: PC vs Pearson's critical correlation (CPC). The four models obtained were significantly predictive: IBY–Culiacán (PC = 0.590 > CPC = |0.349|), RBY–Culiacán (PC = 0.734 > CPC = |0.349|), IBY–Rosario (PC = 0.621 > CPC = |0.355|) and RBY–Rosario (PC = 0.532 > CPC = |0.349|). This study is the first in Sinaloa to predict IBY and RBY based on ECVs, contributing to the production of sustainable food.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a disease characterized by local and systemic inflammation independently of the risk factor; during the exacerbations, such inflammation is accentuated and amplified. A practical inflammatory marker and one with an applicable predictive value in the follow-up has been sought. FeNO has shown an excellent performance in that respect within the context of asthma and has also been studied in tobacco-smoke COPD (COPD-TS). In Biomass-smoke COPD (COPD-BS), this, to our knowledge, has not been evaluated. Objective: To measure FeNO levels in patients with COPD-BS and to compare these with those of patients with stable COPD-TS and in healthy controls. Methods: Transversal, observational, descriptive, comparative, and analytical study. A total of 57 patients, including 23 with COPD-BS, 17 with COPD-TS, and 17 healthy control subjects. The measurement of FeNO was carried out on all of these by means of the on-line chemiluminescence technique; the values were expressed in parts per billion (ppb) for their analysis. Results: It was observed that the FeNO values were similar between COPD-BS and COPD-TS and were significantly different between the healthy and stable COPD (both groups). No correlation was found between pulmonary function and symptoms with FeNO in any of the groups. Conclusions: The level of FeNO in stable COPD is found to be increased in a similar manner in COPD-BS and COPD-TS, with a significant difference on comparing it with that of the healthy subjects.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and IDO2, originated from gene duplication before vertebrate diver-gence. While IDO1 has a well-defined role in immune regulation, the biological role of IDO2 remains unclear. Discovered in 2007, IDO2 is located near the IDO1 gene. Because of their high sequence similarity, IDO2 was initially thought to be a tryptophan (Trp)-degrading enzyme like IDO1. Differently from what expected, IDO2 displays extremely low catalytic activity toward Trp. Nevertheless, many studies, often contradictory, tried to demonstrate that IDO2 modulates immune responses by catabolizing Trp into kynurenine, a hypothesis un-convincing and, let’s say, linked to the first life of IDO2. Here, we review its “new life”, the one in which IDO2 has a functional role beyond Trp metabolism. The IDO2’s evolutionary persistence across species, despite be-ing almost inactive as an enzyme, suggests it has some relevant biological importance. IDO2 expression in human normal cells is poor, but significant in various cancers, with two prevalent SNPs. Overall, the com-parison of IDO2 to IDO1 as a Trp-degrading enzyme may have led to misunderstandings about IDO2’s true physiological and pathological roles. New insights suggest that IDO2 might function more as a signaling molecule, particularly in cancer contexts, and further studies could reveal its potential as a target for cancer therapy.

This study examines the performance of the Indian Monsoon Data Assimilation and Analy-sis (IMDAA) in predicting five extremely severe cyclonic storms (ESCS) over the Bay of Bengal. The Advanced Research version of the WRF (ARW) model is utilized for this analysis over the last two decades. The initial and lateral boundary conditions are derived from the IMDAA datasets with a horizontal resolution of 0.12° × 0.12°. Five ESCSs from the past two decades are considered: Sidr 2007, Phailin 2013, Hudhud 2014, Fani 2019, and Amphan 2020. The model is integrated up to 96 hours using double nested domains of 12 km and 4 km. Model performance is evaluated using the 4 km results, compared with available observational datasets, including the best-fit data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, and Doppler Weather Radar (DWR). The results indicate that IMDAA provides accurate forecasts for ESCSs Fani, Hudhud, and Sidr in terms of track, intensity, and mean sea level pressure, aligning well with IMD observational datasets. However, Sidr's track deviates more from the observations. The calculated mean absolute maximum sustained wind speed errors range from 8.4 m/s to 10.6 m/s from day-1 to day-4, while mean track errors range from 114 km to 496 km during the same period. Statistical analysis, including bias, mean error, and standard deviation, underscores the significance of ESCS prediction. The discussion also covers rainfall prediction, maximum reflectivity, and the associated structure of the storms.

Dirofilariosis is an infectious disease caused by species of the Dirofilaria genus. It is manifested by the appearance of a subcutaneous swelling, especially in the eye region. We present the case of a 29-year-old patient that accused facial asymmetry in the right genian region. Following clinical and paraclinical evaluations, the diagnosis of parasitic cyst was established in the context of dirofilariosis with Dirofilaria repens (D. repens). Treatment consisted of surgical excision of the formation associated with prophylactic antibiotic medication. Macroscopic analysis of the excision piece revealed a structure that contains a cystic cavity and a filamentous form with a length of approximately 10 mM and a diameter of 1 mM. This is the first case of dirofilariosis located in the genian region reported in Romania. The overview of this pathology is important to raise awareness among physicians about its presence and its clinical variations.

Fusarium solani KMZW-1, is recognized for its potential as a biocontrol agent against agricultural and forestry pests, particularly due to its compatibility with integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. This study aimed to investigate the complete genome of F. solani KMZW-1 and assess its pathogenicity against Bactrocera dorsalis. Whole genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 47,239,278 bp, comprising 27 contigs, with a GC content of 51.16% and fungus identified as F. solani KMZW-1. The genome completeness was assessed as 97.93% using BUSCO analysis, DFVF sequence identifier was Fusarium 0G092560.1, AntiSMASH analysis identified 29 gene clusters associated with secondary metabolite biosynthesis providing insights into the genetic basis of its pathogenic mechanisms and biocontrol potential. Comparative genomic analysis found 269 unique genes of F. solani KMZW-1 and the collinearity analysis exhibited a high degree of synteny with Fusarium solani-melongenae. The pathogenicity of F. solani KMZW-1 was assessed using concentrations ranging from 1×10^4 to 1×10^11 conidia/mL. Higher concentrations (1×10^10 to 1×10^11 conidia/mL), resulted in significantly increased cumulative mortality rates of B. dorsalis adults compared to the control group. Notably, the pathogenicity was higher in male adults than in females. Probit regression analysis yielded LogLC50 values as 5.662 for fe-male and 4.486 for male B. dorsalis adults. In summary, F. solani KMZW-1 exhibits strong insecti-cidal activity against B. dorsalis and shows potential as a biocontrol agent with IPM strategies. These findings provide robust genomic evidence supporting the use of F. solani KMZW-1 in managing against B. dorsalis populations.

The microbiota–gut–brain axis has garnered increasing attention in recent years for its role in various health conditions, including neuroinflammatory disorders like complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). CRPS is a debilitating condition characterized by chronic neuropathic pain, and its etiology and pathophysiology remain elusive. Emerging research suggests that alterations in the gut microbiota composition and function could play a significant role in CRPS development and progression. Our paper explores the implications of microbiota in CRPS and the potential therapeutic role of boron (B). Studies have demonstrated that individuals with CRPS often exhibit dysbiosis, with imbalances in beneficial and pathogenic gut bacteria. Dysbiosis can lead to increased gut permeability and systemic inflammation, contributing to the chronic pain experienced in CRPS. B, an essential trace element, has shown promise in modulating the gut microbiome positively and exerting anti-inflammatory effects. Recent preclinical and clinical studies suggest that B supplementation may alleviate neuropathic pain and improve CRPS symptoms by restoring microbiota balance and reducing inflammation. Our review highlights the complex interplay between microbiota, inflammation, and neuropathic pain in CRPS and underscores the potential of B as a novel therapeutic approach to target the microbiota–gut–brain axis, offering hope for improved management of this challenging condition.