Lumpy skin disease (LSD) vaccination and epidemiological distribution remain unknown in some parts of Ethiopia including the Sidama regional state. With this, an assessment of LSD vaccine-related problems and serological study was performed in selected districts of Sidama regional state representing three agroecological zones from September 2021 to June 2022. A cross-sectional study of qualitative and quantitative studies was used. The result showed a few portion of respondents know about LSD (29.2%), and vaccinate their cattle (23.3%). 20.8% of the respondents stated LSD occurrence in their vaccinated cattle while focus group discussion with the professionals stated the possible reasons related to electric power disruption that impacted LSD vaccine cold-chain. The other study was on sero-epedimiology of LSD which showed an overall animal and herd level sero-prevalence of 40.8% and 81%, respectively. Higher and lower sero-prevalence was observed in lowland (48%) and highland (28%) areas, respectively. Furthermore, risk factor analysis showed the existence of a significant association between management systems, breed, and body condition score (BCS) of cattle. In conclusion, both qualitative and quantitative study results showed the need for intervention in terms of community-based awareness creation about LSD clinical signs, vaccination advantages, and options for electric power supply together with the frequently updated information on LSD prevalence.

The biological conservation measures factor (B) in the Chinese Soil loss Equation (CSLE) model is one of the main components in evaluating soil erosion, and the accurate calculation of B factor at the regional scale is fundamental in predicting regional soil erosion and the dynamic changes. In this study, we developed an optimal computational procedure for estimating and mapping the B factor in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing environment using multiple data sources through data suitability assessment and image fusion. Taking the Yanhe River Basin in the Loess Plateau of China as an example, we evaluated the availability of daily precipitation data (CHIRPS, ERA5, and PERSIANN-CDR data) against the data at national meteorological stations. We estimated the B factor from Sentinel-2 data and proposed a new method, namely trend migration method, to patch the missing values in Sentinel-2 data using three other remote sensing data (MOD09GA, Landsat-7, Landsat-8). We then calculated and mapped the B-factor in Yanhe River Basin based on rainfall erosivity, vegetation coverage, and land use types. The results show that the ERA5 precipitation dataset outperforms the CHIRPS and PERSIANN-CDR data in estimating rainfall erosivity and rainfall, and it can be utilized as an alternative data source for meteorological stations in soil erosion modeling. Compared to the harmonic analysis of time series (HANTS), the trend migration method proposed in this study is more suitable for patching the missing parts of Sentinel-2 data. The restored high-resolution Sentinel-2 data fit nicely with the 10-m resolution land use data, enhancing the B factor calculation accuracy from the region to the spot level. The B factor computation procedure developed in this study is applicable to various river basin and regional scales for regional soil erosion monitoring.

Abstract: The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) and Hippo signaling pathways are evolutionarily conserved pathways that play a critical role in cardiac fibroblasts during embryonic development, tissue repair, and fibrosis. TGFβ and Hippo signaling is also important for cardiac cushion remodeling and septation during embryonic development. Loss of TGFβ2 in mice causes cardiac cushion remodeling defects resulting in congenital heart disease. In this study, we used in vitro molecular and pharmacologic approaches in the cushion mesenchymal cell line (tsA58-AVM) and investigated if Hippo pathway acts as a mediator of TGFβ2 signaling. Immunofluorescence staining showed that TGFβ2 induced nuclear translocation of activated SMAD3 in the cushion mesenchymal cells. In addition, the results indicated increased nuclear localization of Yes associated protein 1 (YAP1) following a similar treatment of TGFβ2. In collagen lattice formation assays, TGFβ2 treatment of cushion cells resulted in an enhanced collagen contraction compared to the untreated cushion cells. Interestingly, verteporfin, a YAP1 inhibitor, significantly blocked the ability of cushion cells to contract collagen gel in absence or presence of by exogenously added TGFβ2. To confirm the molecular mechanisms of verteporfin induced inhibition of TGFβ2-dependent extra-cellular matrix (ECM) reorganization we performed gene expression analysis of key mesenchymal genes involved in ECM remodeling in heart development and disease. Our results confirmed that verteporfin significantly decreased the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (Acta2), collagen 1a1 (Col1a1), Ccn1 (i.e., Cyr61), and Ccn2 (i.e., Ctgf). Western blot analysis indicated that verteporfin treatment significantly blocked TGFβ2-induced activation of SMAD2/3 in cushion mesenchymal cells. Collectively, these results indicate that TGFβ2 regulation of cushion mesenchymal cell be-havior and ECM remodeling is mediated by YAP1. Thus, TGFβ2 and Hippo pathway integration represents an important step in understanding the etiology of congenital heart disease.

Severe COVID-19 is frequently associated with thromboembolic complications. Increased platelet activation and platelet-leukocyte aggregate formation can amplify thrombotic responses by inducing tissue factor (TF) expression on leukocytes. Here, we characterized TF-positive extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cellular origin in 12 patients suffering from severe COVID-19 (time course, 134 samples overall) and 25 healthy controls. EVs exposing phosphatidylserine (PS) were characterized by flow cytometry. Their cellular origin was determined by staining with anti-CD41, anti-CD45, anti-CD235a, and anti-CD105 as platelet, leukocyte, red blood cell, and endothelial markers. We further investigated the association of EVs with TF, platelet factor 4 (PF4), C-reactive protein (CRP) and high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB-1). COVID-19 patients showed higher levels of PS-exposing EVs compared to controls. The majority of these EVs originated from platelets. A higher amount of EVs in patient samples were associated with CRP, HMGB-1, PF4, and TF, as compared to EVs from healthy donors. In COVID-19 samples, 16.5% of all CD41+ EVs displayed the leukocyte marker CD45, and 55.5% of all EV aggregates (CD41+CD45+) co-expressed TF, which reflects the interaction of platelets and leukocytes in COVID-19 on an EV level.

The study sought to determine the impact of the Big Five personality characteristics on aggressiveness among school children aged 12 to 16 in the Jenin governorate. The study employing the Big five-factor scale of Macri and Costa and the scale of aggressive behaviour in three areas [aggressive behaviour against oneself, aggressive behaviour against others, and aggressive behaviour against property]. The sample size in this study was 314 students. The quantitative study tool [the questionnaire] revealed the following correlation between the five major personality factors and aggression: neuroticism [+], openness [-], conscientiousness [-], extraversion [-], agreeableness [-]. The most prevalent main personality variables were conscientiousness and neuroticism. The degree of aggressiveness in the Jenin governorate was relatively low on the overall scale.

Isoamyl (E)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylate (1) was obtained 95% yield by 2-methyl-6-nitrobenzoic anhydride (MNBA)/4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP)-catalyzed reaction at room temperature for 190 minutes in dichloromethane. The structure of isoamyl (E)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylate (1) was established by NMR, FTIR, and the high resolution of mass spectroscopies. In vitro sun protection factor evaluation exhibited value of 37.10 ± 0.03 which indicates that isoamyl (E)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylate (1) as a sunscreen agent with high protection.

A new biosensor based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging detection technique for quantitative determination of Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 has been developed. The FGF-23 is mainly produced in the bone tissues as a phosphaturic hormone that upon secretion creates a trimeric complex with FGF receptor 1 and αKlotho. FGF-23 acts on the kidneys: it stimulates phosphate excretion and suppresses formation of active vitamin D. It has been proven that FGF-23 plays a role in bones’ carcinogenesis and its metastasis. The newly developed method based on the SPRi biosensor has been validated – the precision and accuracy as well as selectivity were acceptable and gave less than ±10% of recovery. The linear response of the biosensor ranges 1– 75 pg/ml. The limit of detection was 0.033 pg/ml and limit of quantification was 0.107 pg/ml. The biosensor was used to determine FGF-23 concentration in the plasma of healthy individuals as well as in the plasma of the patients with the clear cell carcinoma of the kidneys. The obtained results were compared with the results of the ELISA measurements. The determined Pearson correlation coefficients were close to 1 what showed that the newly developed biosensor can be used as the competitive method to the ELISA.

Solar energy is a rapidly growing sector, and solar farms are playing an increasingly important role in meeting the world's energy needs. However, as the size and complexity of these farms increase, so do the challenges associated with managing them efficiently. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the fundamental parameters that underpin solar energy systems. Focusing on the latest research, we examine the challenges and opportunities intrinsic to the implementation of solar energy systems, paying particular attention to the various parameters that contribute to their performance. These parameters encompass a range of factors such as thermal performance, atmospheric boundary layer, solar energy meteorology, heat islands, cloud influences, agrivoltaic systems, shading factors, and surface energy budget. The review underscores the importance of considering a diverse array of parameters when developing solar energy systems to optimize their efficiency and effectiveness. Ultimately, by unraveling these challenges and opportunities, we can work towards creating more sustainable and reliable renewable energy sources and reducing our dependence on non-renewable alternatives.

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family is the second-largest transcription factor in plants. Members of this family are involved in the process of growth and development, secondary metabolic biosynthesis, signal transduction, and plant resistance. Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum is a critical woody plant with higher ornamental and economic values, which used as ornamental architecture and traditional Chinese herbal medicine plant. However, the bHLH transcription factor in the L. chinense var. rubrum (Loropetalum chinense var. Rubrum) have yet to be systematically demonstrated, and their role in anthocyanin biosynthesis remains secret. Here, we identified 165 potential LcbHLHs genes by two methods, and they were unequally distributed on chromosomes 1 to 12 of the L. chinense genome. Based on a phylogenetic comparison with proteins from Arabidopsis, these bHLH proteins were categorized into 21 subfamilies. Most LcbHLHs in a given subfamily had similar gene structures and conserved motifs. The gene ontology annotation and cis-elements predicted that the LcbHLHs had many molecular functions and were involved in plant growth processes, including flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthetic processes, etc. Transcriptomic analysis revealed different expression patterns among different tissues and cultivars in L. chinense. Many LcbHLHs were expressed in leaves, and only a few genes were highly expressed in flowers. Six LcbHLH genes differentially expressed between species and periods in color variation, which may play a key role in anthocyanin synthesis. These further functional predictions of LcbHLHs were established by quantitative real-time PCR analysis and protein-protein interaction network. This study identified the six potential bHLH genes related to anthocyanin in L. chinense and created a solid framework for future research on the function and evolution of bHLHs.

Strong evidence indicates that insulin resistance contributes to the development of Alzheimer´s disease by promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and blood vessel damage. Conversely, neuroinflammation induces insulin resistance by targeting insulin signaling molecules: the insulin receptor substrates 1 and 2 (IRS1/2). In addition, neuroinflammation is strongly linked to reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. BDNF is a key factor for neuronal survival, and its expression is compromised in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we show that, in a triple-transgenic (3xTg) mice model of Alzheimer’s disease, the BDNF and IRS2 but not the IRS1 mRNA expression levels were reduced in the hippocampus, together with higher levels of TNFα, compared with wild-type mice. Subgroups of control and 3xTg mice received short and long treatments of Abscisic Acid (ABA), a phytohormone with anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing capabilities. We found that the short ABA treatment can increase the IRS1 and IRS2 mRNA expression both in wild-type and 3xTg mice, concomitant with reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα in 3xTg mice. However, earlier, and thus longer treatments are required to rescue the BDNF mRNA levels. Our data strongly confirm that ABA administration is a potential treatment to prevent Alzheimer´s disease, via lowering neuroinflammation, potentially rescuing insulin signaling molecules and BDNF mRNA expression.

The Metropolitan Economic Freedom Index (MEFI) ranks cities based on their support of free market enterprise. In its current state, MEFI purports to measure three constructs (government spending, taxation, and labor market freedom) with three equally weighted variables for each one, assuming perfect substitutability of variables. This study investigates the statistical consistency of MEFI through Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Multiple models investigate current variable selection by providing a potentially better indicator of labor market freedom, aggregation assumptions by removing the requirements for fixed and equal weights, and statistical consistency by evaluating the fit between the data and models. Results indicate that the current MEFI model is not statistically consistent with the data, that weighting of variables should not be equal, that variable selection should be investigated, and that constructs should be re-imagined. The models investigated provide an initial starting point for redefining MEFI.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most cultivated forage legume around the world. Under a variety of growing conditions, forage yield in alfalfa is stymied by biotic and abiotic stresses including heat, salt, drought, and disease. Given the sessile nature of plants, they use strategies such as differential gene expression to respond to environmental cues. Transcription factors control the expression of genes that contribute to or enable tolerance and survival during periods of stress. Basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors have been demonstrated to play a critical role in regulating plant growth and development as well as mediate the responses to abiotic stress in several species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Lotus japonicus, and Medicago truncatula. However, there is little information about bZIP transcription factors in cultivated alfalfa. In the present study, 237 bZIP genes were identified in alfalfa from publicly available sequencing data. Multiple sequence alignments showed the presence of intact bZIP motifs in the identified sequences. Based on previous phylogenetic analyses in Arabidopsis thaliana, alfalfa bZIPs were similarly divided and fell into 10 groups. The physicochemical properties, motif analysis, and phylogenetic study of the alfalfa bZIPs revealed high specificity within groups. The differential expression of alfalfa bZIPs in a suite of tissues indicates that particular bZIP genes are specifically expressed at different developmental stages in alfalfa. Similarly, expression analysis in response to ABA, cold, drought, and salt stresses, indicates that a subset of bZIP genes are also differentially expressed and likely play a role in abiotic stress signaling and/or tolerance. These expression patterns were further verified by qRT-PCR. However, further functional characterization of bZIP transcription factors in alfalfa will help illuminate the role they play in stress tolerance mechanisms in legumes and facilitate the molecular breeding of stress tolerance in alfalfa.

The present paper investigates the 'soft' determinants of social environmental sustainability of the country. A three-dimensional research approach, covering the education system and educational culture; socio-economic integration; and the legal system and the importance of public administration and citizenship, was utilized. A cross-sectional survey of 1,021 respondents and a structural equation modelling were selected as main research tools. Lithuania served as an empirical basis for the research. It was revealed that the most important factors in shaping the modernisation of the country through the lens of social environmental sustainability are the participation of citizens in social communities and social activities. Factors that need improvement are public participation and tolerance for the disabled.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a selectively permeable boundary that separates the circulating blood from the extracellular fluid of the brain and is an essential component for brain homeostasis. In glioblastoma (GBM), the BBB of peritumoral vessels is often disrupted. Pericytes, being important to maintain the BBB integrity, can be functionally modified by GBM cells by inducing proliferation and cell motility via the TGF-β-mediated induction of central epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) factors., We demonstrate that pericytes strengthen the integrity of the BBB in primary endothelial cell/pericyte co-cultures as in vitro BBB model, using TEER measurement of the barrier integrity. In contrast, this effect was abrogated by TGF-β or conditioned medium from TGF-β secreting GBM cells, finally leading to the disruption of a so far intact and tight BBB. TGF-β dramatically changed the metabolic behavior of pericytes, such as shutting down the TCA cycle, driving energy generation from oxidative phosphorylation towards glycolysis, and by shifting the cells towards the activation of pathways that are necessary to produce molecules used for proliferation and cell division. Furthermore, combined metabolomics and RNASeq analyses indicated that the observed functional changes of TGF-β-treated pericytes are closely connected with their behavior.

Today, buildings are increasingly designed with transparent materials, with glass paneling being especially popular as an installation material for its architectural allure. However, its major drawback is admitting impractical amounts of sunlight to interior spaces. Office buildings with excessive sunlight in indoor areas result in worker inefficiency. This article studied kinetic façades as means to providing suitable sunlight for interior spaces integrated with a triple identity of DNA structure, photosynthetic behavior, and the twist used, which was divided into generation and evaluation. The generating phase first used an evolutionary engine to produce potential strip patterns. The kinetic façade was subsequently evaluated by Climate Studio software to validate daylight admission in an indoor space with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) version 4.1 criteria. To analyze the kinetic façade system, the building envelope was divided into four types: glass panels, static façades, kinetic façade (version 1, rotating movement), and kinetic façades (version 2, twisting movement). In addition, for kinetic façades, degrees of simulation for versions 1 and 2 were 20, 50, 80, and 100 degrees, in order to ascertain potential for both façades to the same degree. Comparing all façades receiving the daylight factor (DF) into the space from more or less sunlight resulted in the decreasing order of potential as follows: entirely glass façade, kinetic façade version 2, kinetic façade version 1, and static façade. By receiving daylight factor (DF), the façade filtered appropriate amounts of daylight into the working space moderately and beneficially. Daylight simulation results indicated that the newly designed kinetic façade (version 2) had more potential than other building envelope types in terms of filtering beneficial daylight in indoor areas. This article also experimented with the kinetic façade prototype in an actual situation to test conditional environmental potential. The kinetic façade (version 2) was explored in the building envelope with varied adaptability in order to provide sunlight and for private-to-public, public-to-private, or semi-public working areas.

The twisted Wang transform distribution family, defined as the composition of parameter shifted inverse CDF function with an original CDF function, is found to be most suitable for matching low shape factor distributions, characterizing hard to fit or to simulate reinsurance portfolio losses for some perils from our previous study. Among them, the best form for matching a hard-to-fit empirical loss distribution for a specific peril, is the Exponential Fractional Extra Power 0 Distribution in (0,1) with CDF:.The simplest yet still a good form of this family is the Transformed Hyperbolic Tangent Distribution with CDF:,which has analytical formulas for the moments. The twisted Wang transform distribution family is compared and confirmed to be superior to all other well-known distribution families through extensive numerical optimization practice, distribution forms guesses, and computer-aided exploration experiments.

For embankment slope stability, soil cohesivity is one of the most important shear strength parameters. The effect of cohesiveness on the slope stability of a homogeneous embankment dam under rapid drawdown loading conditions was examined in this study. With the use of numerical modeling in GeoStudio, different situations were explored based on cohesiveness (0 kN/m², 5 kN/m², 10 kN/m^2, and 15 kN/m²) under a 1 m per day drawdown rate. The factor of safety value obtained from the long-term steady-state condition under 15 kN/m² cohesion was equivalent to a 116.8% increase from the one obtained under 0 kN/m² cohesion. The factor of safety values obtained after subjecting the embankment to different soil cohesion levels yielded a p-value of 1.91 x 10^-41, according to the Analysis of Variance. The calculated p-value (alpha value) is less than 0.05, suggesting that the differences between the examined cohesiveness values based on the list of the factor of safety values are statistically significant. The findings derived in this study show that it is significant to capture the effect of material characteristics during the design phase of an embankment dam.

Genetic switches can be utilized for many purposes in synthetic biology including the assembly of complex genetic circuits to achieve sophisticated cellular systems and the construction of biosensors for real-time monitoring of intracellular metabolite concentrations. Although genetic switches have mainly been developed in prokaryotes to date, eukaryotic genetic switches are increasingly being reported as both rational and irrational engineering technologies mature. In this review, we describe genetic switches in yeast based on synthetic transcription factors and/or synthetic promoters. We also discuss directed evolution technologies for the rapid and robust construction of yeast genetic switches.

Abstract: Escherichia coli are remarkably versatile microorganisms and important members of the normal intestinal microbiota of humans and animals. This harmless commensal organism can acquire a mixture of comprehensive mobile genetic elements that contain genes encoding viru-lence factors, becoming an emerging human pathogen capable of causing a broad spectrum of intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. Nine definite enteric E. coli pathotypes have been well characterized, causing diseases ranging from various gastrointestinal disorders to urinary tract infections. These pathotypes employ many virulence factors and effectors subverting the func-tions of host cells to mediate its virulence and pathogenesis. This review summarizes new de-velopments in our understanding of diverse virulence factors associated encoding genes used by different pathotypes of enteric pathogenic E. coli to cause intestinal and extraintestinal diseases in humans.

We utilize how Weber in 1961 initiated the process of quantization of early universe fields to the problem of what may be emitted at the mouth of a wormhole. While the wormhole models are well developed, there is as of yet no consensus as to how, say GW or other signals from a wormhole mouth could be quantized, or made to be in adherence to a procedure Weber cribbed from Feynman, in 1961. In addition, we utilize an approximation for the Hubble parameter parameterized from Temperature using Sarkar’s H ~ Temperature relations, as given in the text . Finally after doing this we go to the Energy as E also ~ Temperature, and from there use E (energy) as ~ signal frequency. This gives us an idea of how to estimate frequency generated at the mouth of a wormhole.

Preprints are regularly cited in peer reviewed journal articles, books and conference paper. Are preprint citations somehow less important than citations to peer reviewed research papers? This study investigates citation patterns between 2017 and 2020 for preprints published in three preprint servers, one specializing in biology (bioRxiv), one in chemistry (ChemRxiv), and another hosting preprints in all disciplines (Research Square). As evaluation of scholarship continues to largely rely on citation-based metrics, this analysis and its outcomes will be useful to inform new research-based education in today’s scholarly communication.

This studies the plasmonic properties of the bimetallic quantum dot Ag@Au core-shell nanostructures embedded in the non-absorbent host medium. Local field enhancement factor and coefficient of absorption of Ag-core and Au-shell are primarily studied based on quasi-static approximation of classical electrodynamics for 6-10 nm composite radius. In this quantum dot geometry, two set of plasmonic resonances in visible spectral region are observed: the first resonance associated with inner interface of gold (Ag@Au) and the second resonance associated with outer interface of gold (Au@medium). The two plasmonic resonances are close each other and enhanced when the size of composite decreased for a fixed core size while shifted to in opposite direction and the amplitude of peak decreased when the core size is increased for a fixed composite size. For the optimized size of core/composite or shell thickness and other parameters to the desired values, such type of composites are recommended for various applications like; photocatalysis, biomedical, nano-optoelectronics.

We reduplicate the Book “Dark Energy” by M. Li, X-D. Li, and Y. Wang, given zero-point energy calculation with an unexpected “length’ added to the ‘width’ of a graviton wave just prior to specifying the creation of ‘gravitons’, while using Karen Freeze’s criteria as to the breakup of primordial black holes to give radiation era contributions to GW generation. The GW generation will be when there is sufficient early universe density so as to break apart Relic Black holes of the order of Planck mass (10^15 grams) which isabout when the mass of relic black holes is created, 10^-27 or so seconds after expansion starts. Need to state a key result will be in the initial potential V calculated, in terms of other input variables

Black poplar (Populus nigra L.) was thermally modified in nitrogen atmosphere. Treatment in nitrogen atmosphere can improve the dimensional stability of black poplar. The effects of the modification process on poplar wood were evaluated for temperatures: 160 °C, 190 °C, and 220 °C applied for 2 h; and 160 °C and 190 °C for 6 h. The percentual impact of temperature and time of modification on the properties of modified wood was analysed. The study permitted to identify correlations between the chemical composition and selected physical properties of thermally modified poplar wood. The dimensional stability of poplar wood improves after thermal modification in nitrogen. The higher the temperature of modification, the lower the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of black poplar. At the temperature of 220 °C, EMC was two times lower than the EMC of non-modified black poplar. It is also possible to reduce the dimensional changes of wood two-fold (at the modification temperature of 220 °C), both in radial and tangential directions, independently of the acclimatisation conditions (from 34% to 98% RH). Similar correlations have been found for wood that has been soaked in water. Higher modification temperatures and longer processing times contributed to a lower swelling anisotropy (SA).

We reduplicate the Book “Dark Energy” by M. Li, X-D. Li, and Y. Wang, zero-point energy calculation with an unexpected “length’ added to the ‘width’ of a graviton wavefunction just prior to the entrance of ‘gravitons’ to a small region of space-time prior to a nonsingular start to the universe. We compare this to a solution worked out using Klauder Enhanced quantization, for the same given problem. The solution of the first Cosmological Constant problem relies upon the geometry of the multiverse generalization of CCC cosmology which is explained in this paper. The second solution, used involves Klauder enhanced quantization. We look at energy given by our methods and compare and contrast it with the negative energy of the Rosen model for a mini sub universe and estimate GW frequencies

Landslides are a frequent and recurrent problem in hilly regions of India and predicting them is always a challenging task. In this paper, an attempt was made to deal with this problem using advanced physical and numerical modeling methods. Detailed understanding of the initial slope failures is very interesting, and challenging at the same time, in the design and development of wireless sensor network based on early warning of landslide monitoring. A small scale physical model was developed to assess the instability through a sensor network with variable rain fall intensity. This was achieved by increasing the simulated rain water flow intensity in different time spans (dry condition, at t=0 to t= 30 min, 0.5 mm/min at t=30 to t= 60 min, 0.75 mm/min at t=60 to t=91 min and 1 mm/min at t=91 to t= 120 min). The water level and movement in the slope was recorded by rainfall sensor, vibration sensor, soil moisture sensor and a digital camera. The following changes were observed during the slope failure: a) movement of small particles at top of the slope; b) initial failure of medium size soil particle; c) scouring of soil mass; d) whole slope collapse. The obtained results clearly indicated the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed system in providing a factor of safety for the progressive slope.

In the case that ship operators may not be aware of the potential risks of environmental factors in situation of high causation probability during the initial stage of the geometric probability analysis process, it is likely that higher-grade collision accident measures will not be taken. However, if any risks is told to the ship operators, more effective and intentional measures can be taken in time. Moreover, if the causation probability corresponding to environmental factors is no less than the risk early warning critical value calculated based on historical collision accident data, there would be a high-risk level that a collision may occur. A new method is put forward based on quantitative analysis of environmental factors and previous collision statistics to provide early warning of any accident risk, and a risk early-warning critical value (REWCV) can be obtained based on this simple but highly operational and practical method. A case study of Three Gorges Reservoir in China indicates that the range of environmental factors where the probability of collision accident grows rapidly is consistent with environmental limits defined by Chinese maritime standards. In addition, the relationship between the risk early-warning critical value and the number of previous collision accident is also clarified.

Non-linear loads in circuits cause the appearance of harmonic disturbances both in voltage and current. In order to minimize the effects of these disturbances and, therefore, to control over the flow of electricity between the source and the load, they are often used passive or active filters. Nevertheless, determining the type of filter and the characteristics of their elements is not a trivial task. In fact, the development of algorithms for calculating the parameters of filters is still an open question. This paper analyzes the use of genetic algorithms to maximize the power factor compensation in non-sinusoidal circuits using passive filters, while concepts of geometric algebra theory are used to represent the flow of power in the circuits. According to the results obtained in different case studies, it can be concluded that the genetic algorithm obtain high quality solutions that could be generalized to similar problems of any dimension.

Optimum selectivity of enhanced oil recovery techniques would play a substantial role in the economic prosperity of petroleum industries which might be virtually eliminated unnecessary expenditures. In this paper, the simultaneous utilization of foaming agent, surfactant polymer (SP), and supercritical carbon dioxide were taken into the investigation under the miscible condition to evaluate the efficiency of each scenario on the cumulative recovery factor, water cut and pressure drop. According to the results of this experimental evaluation, SP-foam flooding had witnessed the highest blockage which is caused to have the maximum recovery factor due to the mobilization of more oil volume in the low permeable pores and cracks. Furthermore, the utilization of surfactant with supercritical carbon dioxide had experienced the least recovery factor regarding the insufficient foam generation which is led to less mobilization of oil phase in the pore throats.

The rapid growth rate of the elderly population is a serious current issue in most countries, affecting them economically through needed medical treatment and healthcare planning. The priority concern is how to reduce the number of elderly people requiring long-term healthcare and raise the number who are able to live independently. This study executed a behavior assessment of elderly person’s self-reported use of electric scooters and analyzed their degree of acceptance of these assisted living tools, partly through a related factor analysis of our survey instrument. We used this questionnaire survey as our research method, applying SPSS22 software for factor analysis that revealed five survey facets.

Data generation using high throughput technologies has led to the accumulation of diverse types of molecular data.These data have different types (discrete,real,string etc.) and occur in various formats and sizes. Datasets including gene expression, miRNA expression, protein-DNA binding data (ChIP-Seq/ChIP-ChIP), mutation data(copy number variation, single nucleotide polymorphisms), GO annotations, protein-protein interaction and disease-gene association data are some of the commonly used genomic datasets to study biological processes. Each of them provides a unique, complementary and partly independent view of the genome and hence embed essential information about their regulatory mechanisms. In order to understand the functions of genes, proteins and analyze mechanisms arising out of their interactions, information provided by each of these datasets individually may not be sufficient. Therefore integrating these multi-omic data and inferring regulatory interactions from the integrated dataset provides a system level biological insights in predicting gene functions and their phenotypic outcomes. To study genome functionality through interaction networks, different methods have been proposed for collective mining of information from an integrated dataset. We survey here data integration approaches using state-of-the-art techniques such as network integration, Bayesian networks, regularized regression (LASSO) and multiple kernel learning methods.

The combination of increased pressures for high-volume, high-impact publications in English language with the high rejection rates of submitted manuscripts for publications presents an often unsurpassable obstacle for (early career) researchers. At the same, the register requirements of peer-reviewed journals -that can contribute to whether a paper is accepted for publication- has received little attention. This paper redresses this gap, by investigating the linguistic choices in 60 published manuscripts in four journals, with impact factor (IF) above 2; all 4 journals, publish original research papers in the field of chemical engineering science and specifically focus on wastewater treatment. Our survey shows that chemical engineering research publications tend to comply to a set of unwritten requirements: multidisciplinarity, brevity, co-authorship, focus on the description of practical results (rather than methods), and awareness of non-specialised audiences. It is found that less discipline-specific vocabulary was used in higher IF journals and this is interpreted within the current context of manuscript publication and consumption. Also, a complex relationship between the advertised scope of each journal and the actual published papers exists, indicating that guide for authors and aims and objective published by the journal's editorial office should be critically evaluated.

We report on the fabrication and electrical characteristics of zinc-oxide (ZnO) based metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) type Schottky barrier diodes (SBHs). ZnO thin layer on the p-type silicon substrate was fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The structure and surface properties of the thin film were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS). The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of Al/ALD-grown ZnO/p-Si diodes were measured under dark at room temperature. The electrical parameters such as ideality factor (n), series resistance (R_s) and barrier height (ϕ_b) of the diodes were analyzed using standard thermionic emission (TE) theory, Norde and Cheung method. The barrier height value obtained from I-V and Cheung method was found to be 0.73 eV and 0.76 eV, respectively. The interface state density (Dit) of the diodes was determined from the I-V characteristics. The nonideal behavior of measured parameters suggested the presence of interface states. The obtained results showed that the prepared diode can be used for NIR Schottky photodetector applications.

Using DCC-GARCH and EGARCH model, this paper finds that since 1990, the relationship between crude oil prices and the US dollar index is time-varying, demonstrating a process of “very weak correlation—negative correlation—enhanced negative correlation—weakening negative correlation”, but the existing research does not provide enough reasonable explanation. Therefore, this paper proposed a “key mediating factors” hypothesis which points out that whether there is a common “key mediating factor” is important source of the time-varying relationship between two assets. We argue that market trend and financial market sentiment undertook the role of “key mediating factor” during the period of “2002 to the financial crisis” and “financial crisis to 2013”, while other periods lack the “key mediating factors”.

The air side thermal hydraulic performance of multi-louvered aluminium fin heat exchangers is investigated. A detailed study was performed to analyse the thermal performance of air over a wide range of Reynolds number i.e. from 30 to 250. Air-side heat transfer coefficient and air pressure drop were calculated and validated over the mentioned band of Reynolds numbers. Critical Reynolds number was determined numerically and the variation in flow physics along with the thermal and hydraulic performance of microchannel heat exchanger associated with R_cri has been reported. Moreover, a parametric study of the multi-louvered aluminium fin heat exchangers was also performed for 36 heat exchanger configurations with the louver angles (19-31°), fin pitches (1.0, 1.2, 1.4 mm) and flow depths (16, 20, 24 mm); and the geometric configuration exhibiting the highest thermal performance was reported. The air-side heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop results for different geometrical configurations were presented in terms of Colburn j factor and Fanning friction factor f, as a function of Reynolds number based on louver pitch.

Iron powders having average particle sizes of ~40µm are mechanically mixed thoroughly with aluminum powders ranging from 1 to 10 in wt.% with an average particle size of ~10µm. Two different powder metallurgical techniques cold and hot pressing are used to study the effect of the additive element powder on the mechanical properties, wear properties and the microstructure of the iron based alloys. The hot pressing technique was performed at a temperature up to 500°C at 445.6 MPa. The cold pressing technique was performed at 909 MPa in room temperature. By increasing the Al content to 10 wt. % in the base Fe-based matrix, the hardness was decreased from 780 to 690 MPa and the radial strength was decreased from 380 to 202 MPa with reductions of 11.5% and 40%, respectively. Improvement of the wear resistance with the increase addition of the Al powder to the Fe matrix up to 5 times was achieved compared to the alloy without Al addition for different wear parameters namely; wear time and sliding speed.

According to some authors, the serum selenium level is strongly associated with the severity of liver diseases including liver cirrhosis. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the concentration of selenium and pro-inflammatory and profibrotic cytokines – interleukin-6 (IL-6) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The parameters studied were determined in serum of 99 alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients divided based on the severity of disease according to the Child-Turcotte-Pugh criteria. In patients with liver cirrhosis, the serum selenium concentration was statistically lower whereas serum IL-6 and GDF-15 concentrations were higher than those in the control group. Moreover, the concentration of selenium negatively correlated with the levels of GDF-15 and IL-6. The above results may indicate a role of selenium deficiency in the pathogenesis and progression of alcoholic liver disease.

The features of a class of cubic curves with a shape factor are analyzed by means of the theory of envelope and topological mapping. The effects of the shape factor on the cubic curves are made clear. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the curve to have one or two inflection points, a loop or a cusp, or to be locally or globally convex. Those conditions are completely characterized by the relative position of the edge vectors of the control polygon and the shape factor. The results are summarized in a shape diagram, which is useful when the cubic parametric curves are used for geometric modeling. Furthermore we discussed the influences of the shape factor on the shape diagram and the ability for adjusting the shape of the curve.

This article focuses on the current state-of-the-art in the area of cellular and molecular biotechnology for over-production of clinically relevant therapeutic growth factors and how the technology can be used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Transfected and irradiated protein packaging cell lines may be used as “cellular factories” for large-scale production of therapeutic proteins and pro-anabolic growth factors, particularly in the context of cartilage matrix regeneration. We discuss the potential for new innovations in regenerative medicine for degenerative diseases of synovial joints using mammalian protein production platforms, specifically protein packaging cell lines, for over-producing growth factors for cartilage tissue regeneration and give recent examples. Mammalian protein production platforms that incorporate protein packaging cell lines are superior to bacterial expression systems and are likely to have a significant impact on the development of new biological therapies for treating focal cartilage defects and more generally for the treatment of degenerative joint diseases such as OA.

The revolutionary idea of complementary intelligence involves a unique strategy in which artificial intelligence (AI) works with human cognitive abilities embodied by natural intelligence (NI), creating a harmonious partnership instead of engaging in a competitive relationship. This innovative concept can potentially revolutionize how we approach scientific research and discovery. This cutting-edge process capitalizes on pooling the vast information from various distinct and autonomous sources to generate forecasts that frequently outshine human perspectives by significant margins, leading to groundbreaking advancements in scientific development based on hybrid intelligence. Multilayer networks extend traditional network theory to adjacent layers linked through copula nodes. Artificial intelligence, with its retrieval capacity to collect and interpret big data, sharply increases the number of nodes and their linking interpretation. This process, amplified by multilayer networks, dramatically improves the scalability of the networked ecosystem. Multilayer networks can represent NI and AI in complementary hyperplanes, connecting them with copula nodes and edge properties. Thus, it is possible to measure the interaction of NI and AI, assessing their scalable value co-creation properties. This study examines the interaction of NI and AI with an innovative and multidisciplinary approach. A theoretical framework of these related concepts precedes practical insights for possible applications in future research.

Volunteering has many social, emotional and health benefits and could be an option for people with younger/early onset dementia to engage in stage/age-appropriate, personally meaningful activity within their local community. Audio data of people with young onset dementia discussing their volunteering experiences were taken from the Dementia Diaries and co-analysed. This study explored how people with dementia volunteer in the UK, the benefits and barriers, and how we can improve access to volunteering opportunities. The findings suggest that stigma is the overarching concept (or net) which influences people’s experiences of volunteering with dementia. Within the stigma net, three themes were developed that employed a lifespan approach to challenging said stigma: 1) Valuing the past, 2) Valuing the present and 3) Valuing the future, each with additional subthemes. This research contributes to the limited pool of literature that highlights the clear benefits of volunteering for people with young onset dementia, while also considering how dementia stigma can create practical and institutional barriers to accessing volunteering. Guidance is provided for how to deliver meaningful and accessible volunteering opportunities.

A comprehensive investigation was undertaken at Vytautas Magnus University Experimental Station, located at 54°52’50” N latitude and 23°49’41” E longitude on soil (Epieutric Endocalcaric Planosol – PLe-gln-w) since 1999, to understand the impacts of different agrotechnical measures on soil health and crop yield. Two primary factors were assessed. Factor A incorporated practices of straw removal versus straw chopping and spreading, while Factor B evaluated a spectrum of tillage techniques: conventional deep ploughing, shallow ploughing, ploughless tillage, single seedbed discing, and two no-tillage practices, one of which involved cover crops. Findings from this long-term study highlight the significant potential of specific farming systems in enhancing soil organic carbon. It has a positive effect on the release of CO2 emissions from the soil, thus promoting soil resilience and increasing plant productivity. These insights are paramount in devising sustainable agricultural strategies to counter the challenges of climate change on agroecosystems. This research showcases the profound effects of combining residue management and tillage practices, setting a novel standard for sustainable soil management of climatic uncertainties.

Eco-agricultural technology is crucial to alleviating agricultural resource scarcity and environ-mental pressures. However, financial constraint affects its successful promotion. Digital finance has a significant impact on farmers, but existing research lacks an exploration of the impact of digital finance on farmers' adoption of eco-agricultural technology. This study focuses on Rice–Crayfish Co-cultivation Technology as an example. It utilizes survey data from 1,063 households in China. An Endogenous Switching Probit model is employed to solve self-selection bias. The results reveal several key findings. First, the average treatment effect on the treated is 51.5%. This indicates that if farmers who use digital finance were to stop using it, the probability of adopting rice–crayfish co-cultivation technology would decrease by 51.5%. Therefore, digital finance is beneficial for farmers in adopting this technology. Second, heterogeneity analysis reveals that digital finance has a greater promoting effect on older farmers, those with lower education levels, and higher proportions of agricultural income. This suggests a greater reliance on digital financial services among vulnerable groups. Third, digital finance promotes farmers' adoption of rice–crayfish co-cultivation technology by alleviating financial constraints, expanding information channels, and increasing social capital accumulation. Overall, the findings offer valuable insights for for-mulating supportive policies.

Marine lipids are recognized for their health promoting features, mainly for being the primary sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and therefore critical for human nutrition in an age when the global supply for these nutrients is experiencing an unprecedent pressure due to an ever-increasing demand. The seafood industry originates a considerable yield of co-products worldwide that, while already explored for other purposes, remain mostly undervalued as sustainable sources of healthy lipids, often being explored for low value oil production. These co-products are especially appealing as lipid sources since, besides the well-known nutritional upside of marine animal fat, particularly rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), they have also interesting bioactive properties, which may garner them further interest, not only as food, but also for other high-end applications. Besides the added value that these co-products may represent as valuable lipid sources, there is also the obvious ecological upside of reducing seafood industry waste. In this sense, repurposing these bioresources will contribute to a more sustainable use of marine animal food, reducing the strain on already heavily depleted seafood stocks. Therefore, untapping the potential of marine animal co-products as valuable lipid sources aligns with both health and environmental goals by guaranteeing additional sources of healthy lipids and promoting more eco-conscious practices.

Functional dependence of the axial zero-field splitting parameter D with respect to a properly chosen geometrical parameter (Dstr) in metal complexes is termed the Magnetostructural D-Correlation. In mononuclear hexacoordinate Ni(II) complexes with the ground electronic term 3B1g (3A2g in the regular octahedron) it proceeds along two intercepting straight lines allowing to predict the sign and magnitude of the D-parameter by knowing the X-ray structure alone; Dstr is constructed from the metal-ligand bond lengths. In hexacoordinate Co(II) complexes it is applicable only in the segment of the compressed bipyramid where the ground electronic term 4B1g is orbitally non-degenerate so that the spin Hamiltonian formalism holds true. The D vs Dstr correlation is strongly non-linear and it is represented by a set of decreasing exponentials. In tetracoordinate Co(II) complexes, on the contrary, the angular distortion from the regular tetrahedron is crucial so that the appropriate structural parameter Dstr is constructed of bond angles. All of these empirical correlations originate in the electronic structure of metal complexes that can be modelled by the generalized crystal-field theory. As the barrier to spin reversal in the single-molecule magnets is proportional to the D-value, for a rational tuning and/or prediction of the single-molecule magnetic behavior knowledge/prediction of the D-parameter is beneficial. In this review, we present the statistical processing of an extensive set of structural and magnetic data of Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes, which were published over the past 15 years. Magnetostructural D-correlations defined for this data set are reviewed in detail.

The effective treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), also known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), has transformed a highly lethal disease into a chronic and manageable condition. However, better methods need to be developed for eliminating the virus from reservoirs, enhancing patient access and adherence to therapy, and improving treatment in the long term to reduce adverse effects. From the perspective of drug discovery, one promising strategy is the development of anti-HIV prodrugs. This approach aims to enhance the efficacy and safety of treatment, promoting the development of more appropriate and convenient systems for patients. In this review, we discussed the use of the prodrug approach for HIV antiviral agents and emphasized nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. We comprehensively described various strategies that are used to enhance factors such as water solubility, bioavailability, pharmacokinetic parameters, permeability across biological membranes, chemical stability, drug delivery to specific sites/organs, and tolerability. These strategies might help researchers conduct better studies in this field. We also reported successful examples from the primary therapeutic classes while discussing the advantages and limitations. In this review, we highlighted the key trends in the application of the prodrug approach for treating HIV/AIDS..

A comparative study of the physicochemical properties of natural bentonite clays of Pogodayevо (Republic of Kazakhstan, mod.1) and Dash-Salakhli (Republic of Azerbaijan, mod.2) deposits and modification of the bentonite clay with polyhydroxocations of iron (III) and aluminium (III). It-wasestablished that the modification of natural bentonitesusing polyhydroxocations of iron (III) and aluminium(III) by the method of "co-precipitation" leads to a change in their chemical composition, structural and sorption properties. The results showed that hydroxy-aluminum cations ([Al3O4(OH)24(H2O)12]7+) and poly-hydroxyl-Fe or polyoxo-Fe were intercalated into clay layers, which led to an increase in the values of d001 and specific surface areas compared to those of the original bentonite, from 37 to 120 for the Pogodaevo bentonite and from 51 to 172 respectively for bentonite from the Dash-Salakhli deposit. It is shown that modified sorbents based on natural bentonite are finely porous objects with a predominance of pores of 1.5−6.0 nm in size. As a result, there is a significant increase in the specific surface area of sorbents. Modification of bentonite with polyhydroxocations of iron (III) and aluminium (III) by the "co-precipitation" method also leads to an increase in the sorption capacity of the sorbents obtained with respect to nickel (II) cations. Modified bentonites were used for the adsorption of Ni (II) ions from the model solution. Ni (II) was absorbed in a neutral pH solution. The study of equilibrium adsorption showed that the data are in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Ni (II) monolayer obtained from the Langmuir equation was 25.0 mg/g (mod. 1_Al_5-c), 18.2 mg/g (mod. 2_Al_5-c) for Al-bentonite and 16.7 mg/g (mod. 1_Fe_5-c), 10.1 (mod. 2_Fe_5-c) for Fe-bentonite. The kinetics of adsorption is considered. The high content of Al-OH anion exchange centresin them determines the higher sorption activity of Al-modified bentonites.

Scrub typhus (ST) is one of the most neglected tropical diseases, a leading cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness in areas of the ‘tsutsugamushi triangle’, diagnosed frequently in South Asian countries. The bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi is the causative agent of the disease, which enters to human body through the bite of trombiculid mite (Chigger) of the genus Leptotrombidium deliense.The diagnosis of the disease becomes challenging as its early symptoms mimic other febrile illnesses like dengue, influenza, and corona viruses. Lack of rapid, reliable, and cost-effective diagnostic methods further complicates the identification process. Northeast India, a mountainous region with a predominantly rural tribal population, has witnessed a resurgence of scrub typhus cases in recent years. Various ecological factors, including rodent population, habitat characteristics, and climatic conditions, influence its prevalence. Entomological investigations have confirmed the abundance of vector mites, highlighting the importance of understanding their distribution and the probability of transmission of scrub typhus in the region. Proper diagnosis, awareness campaigns, and behavioral interventions are essential for controlling scrub typhus outbreaks and reducing its impact on public health in Northeast India. Further research and community-based studies are necessary to accurately assess the disease burden and implement effective prevention strategies.

This research elucidates the dynamic expression of expansin genes during the wheat grain (Triticum aestivum L.) development process using comprehensive meta-analysis and experimental validation. We leveraged RNA-seq data from multiple public databases, applying stringent criteria for selection, and identified 60,852 differentially expressed genes across developmental stages. From this pool, 28,558 DEGs were found to exhibit significant temporal regulation in at least two different datasets, and were enriched for processes integral to grain development such as carbohydrate metabolism and cell wall organization. Notably, 30% of the 241 known expansin genes showed differential expression during grain growth. Hierarchical clustering and expression level analysis revealed temporal regulation and distinct contributions of expansin subfamilies during the early stages of grain development. Further analysis using co-expression networks underscored the significance of expansin genes, revealing their substantial co-expression with genes involved in cell wall modification. Finally, qPCR validation and grain morphological analysis under field conditions indicated a significant negative correlation between expression of select expansin genes and grain size and weight. This study illuminates the potential role of expansin genes in wheat grain development and provides new avenues for targeted genetic improvements in wheat.

The ultrasonic vibration assisted pressing process can improve the fluidity, the uneven distribution of density and particle size of WC-Co powder. However, the microscopic mechanism of ultrasonic vibration on the powder remains unclear. In this paper, WC and Co particles are simulated by three-dimensional spherical models of two particle sizes with the aide of the secondary development of Python. At the same time, the forming process of powder at mesoscale is simulated in the virtue of the finite element analysis software ABAQUS. The influence of vibration amplitude on the fluidity, the filling density and the stress distribution of WC-Co powder is investigated when the ultrasonic vibration is applied to the conventional pressing process. From simulation results, the ultrasonic vibration amplitude has great influences on the density of the compact. With the increase of the ultrasonic amplitude, the compact density also increases gradually. At the initial stage of the compaction, the particles move violently under the action of ultrasonic vibration, the fluidity is obviously enhanced, the arch bridge effect between particles is destroyed, the fine particles quickly fill the pores between the large particles, which increase the density, and the residual stress in the billet decreases after the compaction. From the experimental results, the size distribution of the billet is more uniform, the elastic aftereffect is reduced, the dimensional instability is improved, and the density curves obtained by experiment and simulation are within a reasonable error range.

The objective of the current investigation is to identify the first or first draining node or sentinel lymph node (SLN) from the primary tumor mass in a regional lymphocenter. Four different indirect lymphography (IL) methods were employed in 96 canine patients with different types of cancer between 2018 and 2021. The IL technique involved intradermal, submucosal, and peritumoral injections of 2ml contrast agent in the four-quadrant principle which were divided into equal aliquots. Lymphatic mapping with lipiodol (iodized oil) was 100% in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, anal sac apocrine gland adenocarcinoma, mast cell tumor, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, mammary carcinoma, and with methylene blue dye, 100% detection was achieved in testicular tumor and mammary carcinoma. Instead of a very short washout time of 2 minutes, Iohexol showed an excellent detection in indirect CT lymphography for histiocytic sarcoma and in indirect radiographic lymphography for lymphosarcoma. The significance of contrast and blue dyes in detecting the lymphatic spread of canine cancers is clearly emphasized in the current investigation. The nature of cancerous tissue was again analyzed through image and machine learning approach in this work. Supervised machine learning technique is applied in this work for automatic classification of cancerous and non-cancerous regions. Various statistical and texture-based features are extracted from X-Ray images and support vector machine with linear, polynomial, multilayer perceptron (MLP), and RBF kernel functions are applied for classification. Highest 95.53%, 94.64%, 93.05% sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, respectively, is achieved using RBF kernel function.

Surface defect detection is one of the most widely used research areas in the field of image processing and machine vision. Detection of surface defects is used in visual inspection systems and medical image analysis. In this manuscript, an innovative method for detecting surface defects based on energy changes in co-occurrence matrices is presented in several directions. The method presented in this manuscript includes two stages of learning and testing. In the learning phase, to extract texture features, the gray level co-occurrence matrix operator is applied on the healthy image of the desired level. Then the energy value of the output matrix is ​​calculated. In the following, changes in the amount of energy are considered as statistical characteristics that are a good representative of the image of a healthy surface. Finally, with its help, a suitable threshold for the health of the images is obtained. Then, in the test phase, with the help of the calculated quorum, the defective windows that have suffered from non-normality are distinguished from the healthy surface sections. In the results section, the efficiency of the mentioned method has been measured on medical images and stone and ceramic images, and its detection accuracy has been compared with some previous effective methods. The advantages of the presented method include high accuracy, low calculations and compatibility with all types of levels due to the use of the learning stage. The proposed approach can be used in medical applications to diagnose abnormalities such as diseases. All extracted features are statistical, so its detection speed is higher than deep neural networks.

Mutations within the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome have been associated with rapid progres-sion to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, there is limited information regarding the prevalence and impact of these mutations in most of sub-Saharan Africa, including Botswana. We aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV mutations known to be associated with progression to HCC using a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of 48 previously generated HBV sequences from adults with concomitant HBV/HIV initiating HIV antiretroviral therapy in Botswana. The sequences were aligned with reference sequences, and HCC-associated mutations were manually identified using BioEdit. Sixteen (33.3 %) of 48 participant samples had 20 HCC-associated mu-tations. Seven HCC mutations were present in the core region, 4 in the preCore region, 7 in the X region, and one mutation in the surface region, as well as deletions within the preSurface 1 region. Seven of the 16 participants (43.8%) had multiple HCC-associated mutations. There were also previously uncharacterized mutations at positions with known HCC-associated mutations. HCC-associated mutations were common in this cohort; hence, some participants may require close clinical monitoring as they might be more prone to rapid disease progression. Other functionally uncharacterized polymorphisms were also detected and require characterization in future studies.

A digital text abstract presents the essential information of an article, and we can find the trend and value of the research by analyzing it rigorously and digging up knowledge. Therefore, this study focuses on the abstracts of index journals in China and Taiwan from July 2010 to June 2020 (a total of 3,283 abstracts). Through the concepts of text mining and natural language processing (NLP), it constructs processes such as text retrieval, text segmentation and word cloud analysis, TF-IDF weight analysis, co-word analysis, network analysis, and trend analysis, and analyses a large amount of text data. The results show that the scope of research in China covers the fields of social sports and sports science, and research in Taiwan covers both natural and social sciences. The network diagram highlights the richness of sports-related research fields in the two regions, but research on sports philosophy is relatively rare. It is suggested that all disci-plines/departments should re-allocate the same resources, so as to show a balanced development trend and help expand a new chapter in the sports academic field.

A polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) composed of 50 wt% poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) as its base polymer, 40 wt% Aliquat® 336 as its extractant and 10 wt% dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as plasticizer provided efficient extraction of vanadium(V) from its sulfate solutions adjusted to pH 2.5. It was suggested that V(V) was extracted as VO2SO4− via an anion exchange mechanism. Quantitative back-extraction was achieved in a sulfuric acid solution (6 mol L-1) containing 1 v/v% of hydrogen peroxide. It was assumed that the back-extraction process involved the oxidation of VO2+ to VO(O2)+ by hydrogen peroxide. The newly developed PIM with the optimized composition mentioned above exhibited excellent selectivity for V(V) in the presence of metallic species present in digests of spent alumina hydrodesulfurization catalysts (i.e., Al(III), Co(II), Cu(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), and Ni(II)). The co-extraction of Mo(VI) with V(V) was eliminated by its selective extraction at pH 1.1. The optimized PIM was characterized by contact angle measurements, atomic-force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)/derivatives thermogravimetric analysis (DTGA), and the stress-strain measurements.

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SLC10A1 gene, coding for a functional receptor of hepatitis B virus (HBV), sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP), may influence the susceptibility, the outcome, and disease course of HBV infection in some populations. Aim: to determine the prevalence of SNPs of NTCP gene, rs2296651 and rs943277, and their relationship with chronic HBV infection in a group of Egyptian patients. Methods: 137 patients with HBV and 65 healthy controls were enrolled, and the patients were divided into two groups; group I chronic HBV infection (68 patients with normal ALT and minimal or no liver necroinflammation or fibrosis) and group II chronic hepatitis B (69 patients with elevated ALT and moderate or severe liver necroinflammation). They were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination, laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasound, and liver stiffness measurement using both Echosens® Fibroscan and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI). Real time PCR TaqMan 5’ allelic discrimination assay was applied to detect the SNPs in NTCP gene, rs2296651 and rs943277. Results: On studying the rs2296651 variant, all controls and patients had genotype GG without any significant association with HBV infection or disease progression. However, the rs943277 variant in all controls and 98% of patients had genotype GA, except for two chronic HBV infection patients who had genotype AA, but no significant difference between patients and controls was found. The non-invasive methods for liver fibrosis assessment ARFI, AST/platelet's ratio (APRI), and fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) could predict the stages of fibrosis in agreement with Fibroscan with AUCOR 0.8, 0.79, and 0.76, respectively. Conclusion: These findings may suggest that there is no relation between these SNPs of the NTCP gene and susceptibility or chronicity of HBV infection in the Egyptian population. We also suggest that the use of the non-invasive methods for liver fibrosis assessment, ARFI, FIB-4, and APRI may decrease the need for liver biopsies in prediction of significant hepatic fibrosis in chronic HBV patients.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer accounting for around 15% of identified breast cancer cases. TNBC, by lacking estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), is unresponsive to current targeted therapies. Existing treatment relies on chemotherapeutic treatment but, despite an initial response to chemotherapy, the inception of resistance and relapse is unfortunately common. Dasatinib is an approved second-generation inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases and literature data strongly support its use in the management of TNBC. However, dasatinib binds to plasma proteins and undergoes extensive metabolism through oxidation and conjugation. To protect dasatinib from fast pharmacokinetic degradation and to prolong its activity, it was encapsulated on poly(styrene-co-maleic acid) (SMA) micelles. The obtained SMA-dasatinib nanoparticles (NPs) were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, in vitro antiproliferative activity in different TNBC cell lines, and in vivo anticancer activity in a syngeneic model of breast cancer. Obtained results showed that SMA-dasatinib is more potent against 4T1 TNBC tumor growth in vivo compared to free drug. This enhanced effect was ascribed to the encapsulation of the drug protecting it from a rapid metabolism. Our finding highlights the often-overlooked value of nanoformulations in protecting its cargo from degradation. Overall, results may provide an alternative therapeutic strategy for TNBC management.

Based on electromagnetic heat transfer and metal phase transformation co-simulations, we modeled an AISI 1045 specimen under high-frequency heat treatment. Hardening zone predictions were confirmed through cooling and metal phase transformation simulations after obtaining the results from electromagnetic heat transfer simulations. The cooling process was modeled by applying the cooling coefficient of the cooling water in the same way as the actual heat-treatment process. To obtain the current flowing through the coil during high-frequency induction heating, the voltage was measured and applied using the resistance–inductance–capacitance circuit calculation method. Experimental and simulated results of the heating temperature and curing depth of an AISI 1045 specimen with a carbon content of 0.45% were compared; the comparison indicated good agreement between the two. Using the simulation results, we established a method for obtaining the current flowing through the induction coil for predicting the extent and depth of the hardening zone during high-frequency induction heat treatment.

In December 2019, pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Early in 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new name for the 2019-nCoV-caused epidemic disease: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared COVID-19 to be the sixth international public health emergency. Cellular co-infection is a critical determinant of both viral fitness and infection outcome and plays a crucial role in shaping the host immune response to infections. In this study, sixty-eight public next-generation sequencing libraries from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients were retrieved from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive database using SRA-Toolkit. Using an alignment-free method based on K-mer mapping and extension, SARS-CoV-2 was identified in all except three patients. Influenza A H7N9 (3/68), Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (1/68), rhabdovirus isolate (3/68), Human metapneumovirus (1/68), coronaviruses NL63 (1/68), Parvovirus (1/68), Simian virus 40 (1/68), and hepatitis virus (1/68) genome sequences were detected in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

Angiogenesis is a term that describes the formation of new blood and lymphatic vessels from a pre-existing vasculature. This allows tumour cells to acquire sustenance in the form of nutrients and oxygen and the ability to evacuate metabolic waste. As one of the hallmarks of cancer, angiogenesis has been studied extensively in animal and human models to enable better understanding of cancer biology and the development of new anti-cancer treatments. Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in the process of tumour genesis, because solid tumour need a blood supply if they are to grow beyond a few millimeters in size. On the other hand, there is growing evidence that some solid tumour exploit existing normal blood supply and do not require a new vessel formation to grow and to undergo metastasis. This review of the literature will present the current understanding of this intricate process and the latest advances in the use of angiogenesis-targeting therapies in the fight against cancer.

Enhancing the effectiveness of search and rescue operation at sea is always a duty of utmost importance of the coastal states. The search area for distressed objects can be determined by using Monte Carlo simulation, combined with the Median-Filter. Once the search area has been identified, the success of search and rescue operations depends on the sweeping ability of search and rescue vessel at the probability area of the distress object with the minimum time. This is the important element to the success of the search and rescue operation as it minimizes the risk and cost for Search and rescue team. In this article, the authors study and propose the use of Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm (BFOA) to calculate the optimal search and co-ordination route for many search and rescue vessels in Vietnam sea. The simulation results show that it is quite consistent with reality and BFOA can be effectively applied to determine a quick search.

The dye effluent is usually difficult to be degraded by conventional wastewater treatment in leather industry. In order to develop efficient and cost-effective treatment methods, we evaluate the effect of white-rot fungus immobilization for dye decolorisation in this paper. The Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM-F-1767 was used for immobilization. This research found that the white-rot fungus immobilization had an obviously decolorisation effect in dye wastewater treatment, and plant carriers such as sorghum stalk and corn cob were helpful to the growth of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in white-rot fungus immobilization. Due to the stability and recyclability, the white-rot fungus co-immobilization was considered as the most suitable treatment for decolorisation of dye effluent which enjoyed the advantages of both adsorption immobilization and entrapment immobilization. Furthermore, the dye decolorisation evaluation was carried out to find the most suitable carrier for co-immobilization, and it found that sorghum stalk - calcium-alginate gel spherical particle (SS-CGPB) has better decolorisation effect than corn cobs - calcium-alginate gel spherical particle (CC-CGPB), and the dye decolorisation rate was 86.77%. After 5 cycles, the dye decolorisation rate was 85.87% which indicated the SS-CGPB preserved functional integrity successfully. By further analyzing the biodegradation process with white-rot fungus immobilization, the intermediate products were observed and the degradation pathway of acid golden yellow dye molecular was proposed. The results showed that the C-N single bonds attached to the central benzene in the dye molecule were attacked and destroyed in white-rot fungus co-immobilization treatment, thus the structure of dye molecule could be successfully degraded into small molecules which would be more easily treated by conventional treatment methods. Therefore, the white rot fungus co-immobilization might be appropriate for pre-treatment as an important biotechnology for the advanced treatment of dye effluent.

Irish beef farms have experienced poor viability longitudinally, with officially acknowledged ‘crisis’ levels in 2013. In response, beef Producer Organisation (PO) legislation was introduced. Through the lens of international evidence in the literature about how POs function, this paper presents an analysis of Irish stakeholders’ views in the context of a public consultation process. While stakeholders indicate the need for individual POs to collaborate, little emphasis is placed on other factors necessary for success: collaboration with other chain actors; and market differentiation of products. Stakeholders identified primary threats as poor engagement on the part of both farmers and processors/purchasers.

Crotoxin (CTX), the predominant toxin in Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom (CdtV), has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Despite its inhibitory action on neutrophil migration and phagocytosis, CTX does not directly affect the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the neutrophils. In contrast, it enhances the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates by macrophages. Given the importance of macrophage-neutrophil interactions in innate antimicrobial defense, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CTX on neutrophil ROS production and killing activity, either through CTX-treated macrophage co-culture or conditioned medium of CTX-treated macrophages. The results showed an important modulatory action of CTX on the neutrophil function as well as neutrophil-macrophage interactions, as demonstrated by the increased production of hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid, nitric oxide and TNF-α, along with the increased fungicidal activity of neutrophils.

Urban areas face daunting economic challenges that have increased in scope in recent years. At the same time, cities provide for opportunities for growth and value creation. The interplay of these challenges and opportunities represents the area of intervention for policymakers and researchers. However, the traditional approach to urban policy, deriving from the managerial and economic policy theories, shows difficulties mainly related to the capacity to counterbalance the interests and expectations of a multitude of stakeholders participating to the value co-creation process and to bring all different components to synergically contribute to the sustainability of the system. The Author proposes an innovative approach to urban public policy, by adopting the theoretical corpus of the Viable Systems Approach ("VSA"). Urban planning will be particularly analysed, as systemic components of urban areas, with the aim to investigate the decision-making processes for an integrated, efficient, effective and sustainable management of the territory as a multidimensional, multisectoral and multi-stakeholder entity. By recovering different settings, the VSA intends the co-creation of value as the capacity of the viable systems to increase its surviving chances in its own context. The value derives, first of all, from the strategic decisions aimed at finding both dyadic and context consonance. Through its strategic decisions, the Governing Body of the territory develops a specific system as the overall synthesis of all possible systems organised within a specific area, identifying pattern of development agreed by the several stakeholders of the territory. In the dynamics of value co-creation in systemic multi-subjective organizations, where the level of complexity is particularly significant, the research for consonance among different stakeholders is particular important in order to achieve the most value for the territory. In this respect, the VSA may constitute a valid tool, helping to find the necessary capacities to imagine evolutionary paths towards new competencies.

The present work investigates primarily the morphology evolution of the body-centered-cubic (BCC)/B2 phases in AlxNiCoFeCr high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with increasing Al content, which has been neglected so far. There exist two types of microscopic morphologies of BCC and B2 phases in this HEA series: one is the weave-like morphology induced by the spinodal decomposition, and the other is the microstructure of a spherical disordered BCC precipitation on the ordered B2 matrix that appears in HEAs with a much higher Al content. The shape of coherent precipitates is found to be closely related to the lattice misfit between BCC and B2 phases, which is sensitive to Al. The mechanical properties, including the compressive yielding strength and microhardness of the AlxNiCoFeCr HEAs, are also discussed in light of the concept of the valence electron concentration (VEC).

This study is a retrospective analysis aimed to understand the incidence and risk factors of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) following long instrumented spinal fusion from L1 to the sacrum in patients with mild to moderate sagittal imbalance. It recruited consecutive patient undergone instrumented fusion from L1 to the sacrum for degenerative lumbar disease between June 2006 and November 2019 in a single institution. The patients’ preoperative clinical data, muscle status at T12-L1 on magnetic resonance images, and sagittal spinopelvic parameters were analyzed. Univariate analysis was used to compare clinical and radiographic data between PJK and non-PJK patients. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the independent risk factors for PJK. A total of 56 patients were included in the study. The mean age at surgery was 67.3 years and mean follow-up period was 37.3 months. Seven were male and 34 were female. PJK developed in 23 (41.1%) out of 56; of these patients, 20 (87.0%) developed PJK within postoperative 1 year. On univariate analysis between PJK and non-PJK patients, PJK group showed more frequent osteoporosis, lower body mass index, smaller cross-sectional area (CSA) and more fat infiltration (FI) in erector spinae muscle at T12-L1, larger preoperative TLK and PT with statistical significance (p<0.05). On logistic regression analysis, severe (>50%) FI in erector spinae muscle (OR=43.60, CI 4.10-463.06, R2N =0.730, p=0.002) and osteoporosis (OR=20.49, CI 1.58-264.99, R2N =0.730, p=0.021) were statistically significant. Preexisting severe (>50%) fat infiltration in erector spinae muscle and osteoporosis were significant independent risk factors associated with PJK following instrumented fusion from L1 to the sacrum, but age was not a risk factor.

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

This study presents a comparative analysis of length deformation in Classical and Relativistic Mechanics, specifically investigating 10-gram objects accelerating to 1% of the speed of light. By employing Hooke's Law in Classical Mechanics and the Relativistic Lorentz Factor, the research explores the implications of acceleration dynamics and the limitations inherent in Relativistic Mechanics. The results reveal significant differences in predicted length changes between the two frameworks, emphasizing the necessity of considering relativistic effects beyond velocity alone. This study underscores the critical importance of addressing the incomplete treatment of acceleration dynamics in Relativistic Mechanics to achieve a more accurate depiction of length deformation in high-speed scenarios.

Polymerase I (Pol I) is at the epicenter of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis. Pol I is a target for treatment of cancer. Given the many cellular commonalities between cancer and neurodegeneration (i.e., different faces of the same coin) it seems rational to consider targeting of Pol I or, more generally, rRNA synthesis for treatment of disorders associated with the death of terminally differentiated neurons. Principally, ribosomes synthesize proteins and, accordingly, Pol I can be considered the starting point for protein synthesis. Given that cellular accumulation of abnormal proteins such as α-synuclein and tau is an essential feature of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson disease and fronto-temporal dementia, reduction of protein production is now considered as a viable target for treatment of these and closely related neurodegenerative disorders. Abnormalities in polymerase I activity and rRNA production may also be associated with nuclear and nucleolar stress, DNA damage, and childhood onset neuronal death as is the case for the UBTF E210K neuroregression syndrome. Moreover, restraining the activity of Pol I may be a viable strategy to slow aging. Before starting down the road of Pol I inhibition for treating non-cancerous disorders of the nervous system, many questions must be answered. First, how much Pol I inhibition can neurons tolerate and for how long? Should inhibition of Pol I be continuous or pulsed? Will cells compensate for Pol I inhibition by upregulating the number of active rDNAs? At present, we have no effective and safe disease modulatory treatments for Alzheimer disease, α-synucleinopathies, or tauopathies, and novel therapeutic targets and approaches must be explored.

Arboviruses are infections caused by arboviruses that may be either symptomatic or asymptomatic, according to individuals' resistance and immune response, which dietary patterns can influence. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the possible association between the occurrence of clinical manifestations of arboviruses and the dietary pattern of the population studied. The study was conducted in a rural population in the metropolitan area of Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The sampling consisted of 95 individuals during a febrile outbreak. Two investigations were conducted: clinical-epidemiological-dietary and laboratory investigation based on blood samples taken for arbovirus analysis. Out of the 95 individuals studied, more than half (57.89%) showed clinical manifestations. Following the laboratory serology (HI and IgM ELISA) analyses, viral isolation in C6/36 cells, and viral genome detection (RT-qPCR), the final diagnosis of the cases was 47.37% Oropouche Fever, 2.11% Oropouche Fever and Chikungunya Fever, and 1.05% Mayaro Fever. Regarding dietary pattern, as for the comparison analyses, statistical significance was observed between dietary pattern and classification regarding the presence of symptoms (p<0.05); after the correspondence analysis, symptomatic cases were more associated with a bad dietary pattern, while asymptomatic cases were more associated with a good dietary pattern.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable disease. There are no defined valid biomarkers for evaluating therapeutic outcomes of this disease. Numerous approaches have been made to meet this impact. Stem cells, one of these approaches, that might give various hopeful results that can be interpreted as a treatment for ALS This study aims to evaluate Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) therapy as a promising novel treatment modality by estimating some parameters, such as immunological and biochemical factors. Methods: This study course involved 15 confirmed patients with ALS and was designed as an open-label, one-arm retrospective study to evaluate potential diagnostic biomarkers of repeated infusions of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) administered at a dose of 1×106cells/kg BW with 1-month interval, in equal amounts in both intravenous (IV) and intrathecal (IT) simultaneously, by various biochemical and immunological parameters were evaluated during the three-month follow-up period. Results: Our study indicated that in the case of Immunological biomarkers ,Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels in the Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed a significant decrease at month three after transplantation compared to levels at month zero, and the P-value was (P&lt;0.01). No statistically significant changes were observed for other immunological and biochemical parameters and P-value (P&gt;0.05). Conclusions: These results can indicate the benefit of stem cell transfusion in patients with ALS and suggest some diagnostic biomarkers. Several studies are required to approve these results.

The level of development of the innovation factor plays a crucial role in supporting the high-quality development of China's economy. To advance the development of regional innovation factor allocation efficiency along the Belt and Road. This article introduces the super-efficiency SBM-DEA-Malmquist model for the static and dynamic analysis of innovation factor allocation efficiency in 17 provinces along the Belt and Road from 2012 to 2021. The Moran index model analyzes the spatial correlation. The results show that: (1) The overall innovation factor allocation efficiency along the Belt and Road is not high, and there are obvious differences among different regions. The eastern region is the highest compared to other regions. (2) According to the efficiency decomposition results, pure technical efficiency is the main reason for the low innovation factor allocation efficiency. (3) Through the Malmquist index and decomposition index, it is found that pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency are key factors in improving technical efficiency. (4) The analysis of spatial correlation reveals a strong spatial agglomeration feature among the provinces along the Belt and Road. The innovation factor allocation efficiency is mainly manifested in the L-L type. Finally, according to the analysis results, suggestions and policies are put forward to improve the innovation factor allocation efficiency in the regions along the Belt and Road.

A power factor correction (PFC) rectifier is compulsory for any electronic circuitry connected to the electrical grid. The majority of PFCs that are utilized are based on a step-up converter that supplies high DC voltage at its output terminal. Electric vehicle battery voltage varies from a few hundred to almost a thousand volts. Thus, an additional conversion step is obligatory when designing an all-brand universal charger. This paper presents a new type of front-end versatile step up / down three voltage level PFC. The rectifier can operate in continuous conduction mode or discontinuous conduction mode. First, the rectifier’s principle of operation is described, and then an innovative rectifier is analyzed for continuous and discontinuous conduction modes. Finally, the proposed theory is experimentally validated in a multiplier-less dual loop mode at discontinuous conduction modes. It was shown that although there is no multiplier use in the control circuitry, the power factor is near unity. It was revealed that the rectifier could swing the output voltage from 50 V to 900 V while the input voltage was 230 Vrms. The innovative topology suits any standard PFC rectifier, three-level voltage supplement, and dual-stage low-voltage power supply.

Helicobacter pylori is a gastric oncopathogen that infects over half of the world’s human population. It is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic, helix-shaped bacterium that is equipped with flagella, which provide high motility. Colonization of the stomach is asymptomatic in up to 90% of people but is a recognized risk factor for developing various gastric disorders such as gastric ulcers, gastric cancer and gastritis. Invasion of the human stomach occurs via numerous virulence factors such as CagA and VacA. Similarly, outer membrane proteins (OMPs) play an important role in H. pylori pathogenicity as a means to adapt to the epithelial environment and thereby facilitate infection. While some OMPs are porins, others are adhesins. The epithelial cell receptors SabA, BabA, AlpA, OipA, HopQ and HopZ have been extensively researched to evaluate their epidemiology, structure, role and genes. Moreover, numerous studies have been performed to seek to understand the complex relationship between these factors and gastric diseases. Associations exist between different H. pylori virulence factors, the co-expression of which appears to boost pathogenicity of the bacterium. Improved knowledge of OMPs is a major step towards combatting this global disease. Here, we provide a current overview of different H. pylori OMPs and discuss their pathogenicity, epidemiology and correlation with various gastric diseases.

Plantation-based farmer cooperatives play an important role in promoting agricultural modernization and increasing farmer income, and the management of business risks of such cooperatives not only influences the development of the cooperatives themselves, but also concerns the interests of farmers. Based on the survey data of 226 sample cooperatives from Guizhou province, this article uses factor analysis to measure business risks of plantation-based farmer cooperatives and carries out empirical tests on influence factors of business risks through structural equation model. According to the research results, the ordering of business risks of plantation-based farmer cooperative based on their significance is as follows: market risk > policy risk > natural risk > technical risk > management risk. Influence factors including policy environment, economic environment, social service environment, technical environment, resource endowment of the cooperative and manager characteristics have significant positive influence on the cooperative, with economic environment and manager characteristics generating relatively stronger influence and social service environment generating relatively weaker influence. Through this research, several policy implications on driving high-quality development of plantation-based farmer cooperative are made, including specifying supportive policies of plantation-based farmer cooperative, improving economic environment of agricultural market, upgrading agricultural infrastructure, depending reform of land transfer system, and enhancing internal management of the cooperative.

Abstract Background: Small Cajal body-specific RNAs (scaRNAs) are a specific subset of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) that have recently been emerged as pivotal contributors in diverse physiological and pathological processes. However, their defined roles in carcinogenesis remain largely elusive. This study aims to explore the potential function and mechanism of SCARNA12 in bladder cancer (BLCA) and to provide a theoretical basis for further investigations into the biological functionalities of scaRNAs. Materials and Methods: TCGA, GEO and GTEx data sets were used to analyze the expression of SCARNA12 and its clinicopathological significance in BLCA. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and in situ hybridization were applied to validate the expression of SCARNA12 in both BLCA cell lines and tissues. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) combined with bioinformatics analyses were conducted to reveal the changes of gene expression patterns and functional pathways in BLCA patients with different expression of SCARNA12 and T24 cell lines upon SCARNA12 knockdown. Single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF) was then used to evaluate the tumor-related cell cluster affected by SCARNA12. Moreover, SCARNA12 was stably knocked down in T24 and UMUC3 cell lines by lentivirus-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 approach. The biological effects of SCARNA12 on the proliferation, clonogenic, migration, invasion, cell apoptosis, cell cycle and tumor growth were assessed by in vitro MTT, colony formation, wound healing, transwell, flow cytometry assays and in vivo nude mice xenograft models, respectively. Finally, chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP) experiment were further conducted to delineate the potential mechanisms of SCARNA12 in BLCA. Results: The expression of SCARNA12 was significantly up-regulated in both BLCA tissues and cell lines. RNA-seq data elucidated that SCARAN12 may play a potential role in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix (ECM) related signaling pathways. CyTOF results further showed that an ECM-related cell cluster with vimentin+, CD13+, CD44+, CD47+ was enriched in BLCA patients with high SCARNA12 expression. Additionally, SCARNA12 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion abilities in T24 and UMUC3 cell lines. SCARNA12 knockdown prompted cell arrest in the G0/G1 and G2/M phase, and promoted the apoptosis in T24 and UMUC3 cell lines. Furthermore, SCARNA12 knockdown could suppress the in vivo tumor growth in nude mice. ChIRP experiment further suggested that SCARNA12 may combine transcription factors H2AFZ to modulate transcription program and then affect BLCA progression. Conclusion: Our study is the first to propose aberrant alteration of SCARNA12 and elucidate its potential oncogenic roles in BLCA via the modulation of ECM signaling. The interaction of SCARNA12 with the transcriptional factor H2AFZ emerges as a key contributor to the carcinogenesis and progression of BLCA. These findings suggest SCARNA12 may serve as a diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for the treatment of BLCA.

Phosphate (Pi) starvation is a critical factor limiting crop growth, development, and productivity. Rice (Oryza sativa) R2R3-MYB transcription factors function in the transcriptional regulation of plant responses to various abiotic stresses and micronutrient deprivation, but little is known about their roles in Pi starvation signaling and Pi homeostasis. Here we identified the R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene OsMYB58, which shares high sequence similarity with AtMYB58. OsMYB58 expression was induced more strongly by Pi starvation than by other micronutrient deficiencies. Overexpressing OsMYB58 in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice inhibited plant growth and development under Pi-deficiency conditions. In addition, overexpression of OsMYB58 in plants exposed to Pi deficiency strongly affected root development, including seminal root, lateral root, and root hair formation. Overexpressing OsMYB58 strongly decreased the expression of the rice microRNAs, OsmiR399a and OsmiR399j. By contrast, overexpressing OsMYB58 strongly increased the expression of rice PHOSPHATE 2 (OsPHO2), whose expression is repressed by miR399 during Pi starvation signaling. OsMYB58 functions as a transcriptional repressor of the expression of its target genes, as determined by a transcriptional activity assay. These results demonstrate that OsMYB58 negatively regulates OsmiR399-dependent Pi starvation signaling by enhancing OsmiR399s expression.

One of the fastest growing customer service delivery platforms is online banking. However, the increasing number of attacks on online banking platforms is driving the banks to constantly review their security. This study developed an enhanced Multi-factor authentication scheme with a track and trace capability to reduce these threats. Five modalities of authentication were incorporated in the proposed scheme: The traditional username, password, personal identification number (PIN) and one-time PIN (OTP), augmented with fingerprints or facial scans, registered smart devices, and a time locked user's location. One of the scheme's most impressive accomplishments is its capacity to seamlessly detect undesired activities and send alerts in the form of secretly obtained photographs and location triangulation.

There is currently no set of instruments or procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of cross-sectoral collaboration in the current CFC program. This study aimed to develop a tool for evaluating the cross-sectoral contributions to the CFC program. A paper-based questionnaire was developed by the research team after a preliminary qualitative procedure, and it was subsequently employed to collect data. This process resulted in 17 indicators (41 items) of cross-sectoral collaboration in the development of the CFC in Makassar. These indicators were categorized into five dimensions: governance, administration, autonomy, mutuality, and norms. There were 32 items remaining after several items that were determined not to correspond with the model were eliminated prior to the CFA analysis. According to the CFA results, the five-domain model corresponded to the data with standardized loading factor (SLF)<0.5, indicating that the convergent validity of SLF was acceptable. In addition, these results suggested that the items employed in the tool were really significant in reflecting these five domains. The developed and validated tool was expected to be beneficial in evaluating cross-sectoral collaboration in the CFC program developed in Makassar City. The findings of this study would serve as a benchmark indicator, enabling the assessment process to gauge the significance with which a city is developing with cross-sectoral restriction measures.

The interplay between thrombosis and inflammation, known as thromboinflammation, is a significant pathway driving cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, as well as COVID-19. Key modulators of this process have emerged as innate immune cells. Strategically positioned to promote thromboinflammation are neutrophils, the most predominant white blood cells in humans. Neutrophils can trigger an organized cell death pathway by releasing decondensed chromatin structures known as neutrophil extracellular traps. These structures are decorated with histones, cytoplasmic, and granular proteins, and have cytotoxic, immunogenic, and prothrombotic effects, which can accelerate disease progression. The activities of PAD4, which catalyses the citrullination of histones, and the neutrophil inflammasome are required for distinct steps leading to extracellular DNA release (NETosis). PAD4 activity has important implications for understanding the processes that drive thromboinflammation by linking the immunological function of neutrophils with the procoagulant and proinflammatory activities of monocytes and platelets. We will discuss how vascular blockages in thromboinflammation occur due to the interaction between neutrophil extracellular traps and ultra-large VWF (von Willebrand Factor). PAD4 activity has important implications for understanding the processes that drive thromboinflammation by linking the immunological function of neutrophils with the procoagulant and proinflammatory activities of monocytes and platelets. It will also review the mechanisms whereby vaso-occlusive events in thrombo-inflammation depend on the interaction of neutrophil extracellular traps with von Willebrand factor and suggest the importance of PAD4 in neutrophil inflammasome assembly and neutrophil extracellular traps in thrombo-inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and CVD.

This article postulates that, in principle, it is possible (1) to develop linkages between the extractive sector and other economic sectors; (2) for such linkages to contribute to economic diversification; and (3) for economic diversification to potentially drive positive economic transformation. We argue that achieving this three-stepped pathway is impossible without also achieving some level of political and social transformation. Empirically, many resource-rich countries have failed to develop linkages. Or, if they have, the linkages built remain limited to the development of supply chains serving the extractive sector, contributing little to economic diversification. In this article, we refer to limited linkages and dependence on exporting unprocessed minerals as the centripetal force of the extractive sector. This implies that capital investments and economic activities are concentrated around the extractive sector. We propose an alternative theoretical model that strives to foster the centrifugal force of the extractive sector – a term we use to capture the three-stepped pathway. This model is underpinned by multiple factors and their interactions, which are within the purview of the complex state and market relationship (posing as a challenge) and the role of minerals in the global transformation towards a clean energy system (posing as an opportunity).

Unmanned construction machinery vehicles mostly carry work in bridges, tunnels, and outdoor open spaces. Obtaining accurate pose estimation of the entire vehicle and establishing a map of the surrounding environment is of great significance for path planning and control in the later stage. Traditional simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) schemes, which mostly use a single sensor, but there are problems with localization drift and mapping failure in scenarios where there are few geometric features and the environment is prone to degradation. Currently, the multi-sensor fusion strategy has been proven to be an effective solution and widely used in the field of unmanned vehicle localization and mapping. This paper proposes a SLAM framework that tightly couples a LiDAR, IMU and camera to achieve accurate and reliable pose estimation. The framework is based on LiDAR-inertial system(LIS) and factor graph optimization theory. Texture information provided by vision is integrated into the LiDAR-inertial odometry to generate a new visual-inertial subsystem(VIS).The two subsystems, VIS and LIS, can assist each other and work jointly. Through real vehicle tests, the system can perform incremental, real-time state estimation, reconstruct dense 3D point cloud maps,and effectively solve the problems of localization drift and mapping failure in the lack of geometric features or challenging construction environments. Meanwhile, the system has a safety redundancy mechanism. When any subsystem fails, the system can also operate normally, to ensure the reliability and robustness of vehicle positioning.

The size of seeds is particularly important for agricultural development, as it is a key trait that determines yield. It is controlled by the coordinated development of the integument, endosperm, and embryo. Large seeds are one of the important ways to improve the ultimate “sink strength” of crops, providing more nutrients for early plant growth and showing certain tolerance to abiotic stresses. There are several pathways for regulating plant seed size, including the HAIKU (IKU) pathway, ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, G (Guanosine triphosphate) protein regulatory pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, transcriptional regulators pathway, phytohormone regulatory pathways including auxin, brassinosteroid (BR), gibberellin (GA), jasmonic acid (JA), cytokinin (CK), Abscisic acid (ABA), and MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulatory pathway. This article summarized the seed size regulatory network and prospected ways to improve yield. We expect to provide valuable reference to researcher in the related field.

Environmental psychology plays an important role in the overall development of human mental health. Student activism and health concerns also arose about the human health costs associated with a healthy built environment. This research focuses on recent design "trends", active design, and their relationship to environmental psychology and campus health. This study investigates how an active design approach can improve the environmental psychology of universities to achieve a healthy campus for students to be healthy. The total student participants are 428, 176 male (41.2%) and 251 female (58.8%), from ten university campuses. The methodology is a questionnaire survey including an active design approach based on physical activity categories with SPSS analyses. The results of this study revealed that only 19.7% of students were active on campus, 74.6% active off campus, and 5.7% active on and off campus. Students are more interested in social activity than in mental and physical activity. In addition, the ob-stacles to students' physical inactivity are lack of time, opportunities on campus and the psychological feeling of anxiety, depression and tension due to social activity and work performance in universities. In conclusion, a model is designed to demonstrate the relationship between environmental psychology and active design variables

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a important biomarker with significant clinical importance. It plays a key role in angiogenesis, would healing, tumor growth, lung development, and in retinal diseases. Hence, detecting and quantifying VEGF is crucial in clinical diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases. In this work, a simple but highly cost-effective platform is developed for VEGF protein detection by using commercially available interdigitated sensors that are modified through surface chemistry tagged with DNA aptamer grafting. The dielectric characteristics between the fingers of sensor is modulated by the negatively charged aptamer-VEGF capture and the impedance is estimated using impedance analyzer. Impedance spectra tests was compared between pristine unmodified, functionalized monolayer surfaces and aptamer-grafted surfaces in order to evaluate the efficacy of VEGF detection. In our results, the sensitivity experiments as conducted had shown the ability of the interdigitated sensor to detect VEGF at a low concentration of 5 pM. The specificity of the functionalized sensor in detecting VEGF is further studied by comparing the impedance to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and the results confirm the specificity of the sensor. Finally, an alternative illustration of impedance spectra is also proposed to improve the data visualization, and such presentation may be potential for intelligent VEGF detection.

Three-dimensional matrices are a new strategy used to tackle type I diabetes; a chronic metabolic disease characterized by the destruction of beta pancreatic cells. Type I collagen is an abundant extracellular matrix (ECM), component that has been used to support cell growth. However, pure collagen possesses some difficulties including low stiffness and strength, and high susceptibility to cell-mediated contraction. Therefore, we developed a collagen hydrogel with a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) interpenetrating network (IPN), functionalized with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to mimic the pancreatic environment for the sustenance of beta-pancreatic cells. We analyzed the physicochemical characteristic of the hydrogels and found that they were successfully synthesized. The mechanical behavior of the hydrogels improved with the addition of VEGF, and the swelling degree and the degradation were stable over time. In addition, it was found that 5 ng/mL VEGF-functionalized collagen/PEGDA IPN hydrogels sustained and enhanced viability, proliferation, respiratory capacity and functionality of beta pancreatic cells. Hence, this is a potential candidate for future preclinical evaluation, which may be favorable for diabetes treatment.

Fires are the leading cause of death, serious injury and property damage. In the past, schools, temples and government offices had more frequent fires than they should. Statistics showed that the number of fires between 2017 to 2022 amounted 13,593 cases which mostly occurred in the school, temple and government offices (40.0% of all buildings). Moreover, it causes more damage among disabled especially the blinds who has a limited vision. Therefore, this cross-sectional purpose of this study was to assess fire risk including management model in school for the blind. The fire checklists, brainstorming and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were applied to estimate the fire risk in school for the blind building. The findings revealed an inherent fire hazard factors with a risk score equal to 3.2830 and evacuation factors with a risk score equal to 3.3178 were acceptable risk except the fire control factors with a risk score equal to 1.4320 was unacceptable risk may cause an impact on life, health, property and public communities. Eventually, efforts should be made to supervise those risk factors by designing suitable activities to reduce undesirable conditions in school for the blind.

Research on the lead halide-based perovskite solar cells have obtained considerable interest in photovoltaic industry owing to their higher efficiency, easy manufacturing, light-weight and low cost. However, these lead halide-based solar cells are not suitable to manufacture commercially because of the toxicity of lead-based materials. In this context, a lead-free perovskite, cesium-bismuth iodide (Cs₃Bi₂I₉) is considered as a potential alternative to the lead halide-based cell due to their non-toxicity and stability, but this perovskite cannot be matched with random hole transport layer (HTL) and electron transport layer (ETL) materials compared to lead halide-based perovskite because of their crystal structure and band gap. Therefore, in this study, performance comparison of different ideal HTL and ETL materials for Cs₃Bi₂I₉ perovskite layer were studied using SCAPS-1D device simulation on the basis of open circuit voltage, short circuit current, power conversion efficiency (PCE) and fill factor (FF) as well as several novel PSC configuration model were designed that can direct for further experimental research for PSC device commercialization. Results from this investigation reveals that the maximum efficiency of 20.96% is obtained for the configuration ITO/WS₂/Cs₃Bi₂I_9­/NiO/Au with optimized parameters such as thickness 400 nm, band gap 2.1eV, absorber layer defect density 10¹² cm^-3, donor density of ETL 10¹⁸ cm^-3 and the acceptor density of HTL 10²⁰ cm^-3.

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a benign condition caused by plaque formation on the tunica albuginea of the penis. It is associated with penile pain, curvature, and shortening, and contributes to erectile dysfunction, which worsens patient quality of life. In recent years, understanding of the detailed mechanisms and risk factors involved in development of PD has been increasing. In this review, the pathological mechanisms and several closely related signaling pathways, including TGF-β, WNT/β-catenin, Hedgehog, YAP/TAZ, MAPK, ROCK, and PI3K/AKT, are described. Findings regarding cross-talk among these pathways are then discussed to elucidate the complicated cascade behind tunica albuginea fibrosis. Finally, various risk factors including genetic involved in the development of PD are presented and their association with the disease summarized. The purpose of this review is to provide better understanding regarding involvement of risk factors in the molecular mechanisms associated with PD pathogenesis, as well as provide insight into disease prevention and novel therapeutic interventions.

The core of eLoran ground-based timing navigation system is the accurate measurement of groundwave propagation delay. However, meteorological changes will disturb the conductive characteristic factors along the groundwave propagation path, especially for complex terrestrial propagation environment, and may even lead to microsecond-level propagation delay fluctuation, seriously affecting the timing accuracy of the system. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a propagation delay prediction model based on Back-Propagation neural network (BPNN) for complex meteorological environment, which realizes the function of directly mapping propaga-tion delay fluctuation through meteorological factors. Firstly, the theoretical influence of meteoro-logical factors on each component of propagation delay is analyzed based on calculation parame-ters. Then, through the correlation analysis of the measured data, the complex relationship be-tween the seven main meteorological factors and the propagation delay, as well as their regional differences are demonstrated. Finally, a BPNN prediction model considering regional changes of multiple meteorological factors is proposed, and the validity of the model is verified by long-term collected data. Experimental results show that the proposed model can effectively predict the propagation delay fluctuation in the next few days, and its overall performance is significantly improved compared with the existing linear model and simple neural network model. eLoran; meteorological factor; propagation delay prediction model; Back-Propagation neural network;

Self-healing ceramic composites are promising smart materials for high-temperature applications. To better understand their behaviors under service conditions, numerous studies have been performed both experimentally and numerically, and kinetics parameters such as activation energy and frequency factor are reported to be indispensable for investigating healing phenomena. Here, we propose a method for determining the kinetic parameters of self-healing ceramic composites based on the oxidation kinetics model of strength recovery. These parameters are determined by an optimization method using experimental strength recovery data under various healing temperatures and times and microstructural features on the fractured surfaces. Alumina and mullite matrix-based self-healing ceramic composites, such as Al2O3/SiC, Al2O3/TiC, Al2O3/Ti2AlC (MAX phase), and mullite/SiC, were selected as target materials. The theoretical strength recovery behaviors of the cracked specimens obtained from the determined kinetic parameters were compared with the experimental results. The determined parameters are within the previously reported range, and the predicted strength recovery behaviors are reasonably agreed with the experimental values. The proposed method can also be applied to other self-healing ceramics with matrices reinforced with different healing agents to evaluate oxidation rate, crack healing rate, and theoretical strength recovery behaviors for designing self-healing materials used in high temperature applications. Furthermore, the healing ability of composites can be fairly discussed regardless of the type of strength recovery test.

In the process of image feature extraction, noise in the image will greatly affect the accuracy of edge detection. In this paper, the image is filtered to remove noise before edge detection by using the algorithm of wavelet transformation. Different wavelet functions are used to decompose image. Based on the experimental results, the best denoising wavelet function is selected. Canny algorithm is used to detect the edge of the denoised image, and the result of edge detection is evaluated according to the Pratt quality factor. It is proved that wavelet transform can improve the edge detection results.

The density functional theory was used to explore the structural, electronic, dynamical, and thermoelectric properties of a VIrSi Half-Heulser (HH) alloy. The minimum lattice constant of 5.69 ( ̊A) was obtained for VIrSi alloy. Besides, the band structure and the projected density of states for this HH alloy were calculated, and the gap between the valence and conduction bands was noted to be 0.2 eV. Also, the quasi-harmonic approximation was used to predict the dynamical stability of the VIrSi HH alloy. At 300 K, the Seebeck Coefficient of 370 and -270 μV.K−1., respectively, was achieved for the p and n-type doping. From the power factor result, the highest peak of 18 X 1011W/cm.K2 is obtained in the n-type doping. The Figure of Merit (ZT) result revealed that VIrSi alloy possesses a high ZT at room temperature, which would make VIrSi alloy applicable for thermoelectric performance.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors (anti-TNFs) represent a cornerstone of the treatment of various immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and are among the most commercially successful therapeutic agents. Knowledge of TNF binding partners is critical for identification of the factors able to affect clinical efficacy of the anti-TNFs. Here we report that among eighteen representatives of the multifunctional S100 protein family only S100A11, S100A12 and S100A13 interact with the soluble form of TNF (sTNF) in vitro. The lowest equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) for the complexes with monomeric sTNF determined using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy range from 2 nM to 28 nM. The apparent Kd values for the complexes of multimeric sTNF with S100A11/A12 estimated from fluorimetric titrations are 0.1-0.3 µM. S100A12/A13 suppress the cytotoxic activity of sTNF against Huh-7 cells, as evidenced by the MTT assay. Structural modeling indicates that the sTNF-S100 interactions may interfere with the sTNF recognition by the therapeutic anti-TNFs. Bioinformatic analysis reveals dysregulation of TNF and S100A11/A12/A13 in numerous disorders. Overall, we have shown a novel potential regulatory role of the extracellular forms of specific S100 proteins that may affect efficacy of anti-TNF treatment in various diseases.

Multi-level shaking table tests were performed on 1:3 reduced scale two-story RC IMRF frames conforming to ACI-318-19. The exterior joints lacked shear reinforcement to assess the viability of the ACI model recommended for determining the design shear strength of the beam-column joint panel. The Northridge-1994 earthquake accelerogram was input to the frame for multi-level shaking table testing. Plastic hinges developed in beams under base input motion with a maximum acceleration equal to 0.40g. The exterior joints incurred extensive damage under base input motion with a maximum acceleration equal to 0.70g. The frame achieved displacement ductility and overstrength factors equal to 2.40 and 2.50 respectively. This gives a response modification factor equal to 6. The satisfactory performance of the frame is attributed to the high efficiency of the beam-column joint, which was confined by spandrel beams on two faces, and the high strength of the concrete. The inherent minimal confinement is sufficient to ensure good seismic behavior. The analysis confirmed overstrength equal to 1.58 for joint shear strength in comparison to the design strength determined using the ACI model. The data might serve as a reference for calibrating and validating numerical modeling techniques for performance evaluation, which are crucial in the context of performance-based engineering.

Salmonellosis is a bacterial zoonosis with array of health conditions. Non-typhoidal salmonellosis (NTS) have a discrete adaptation to certain animals; in poultry, pullorum and fowl typhoid are its primary disease manifestations. The diseases are prevalent in the Nigerian poultry and have been well studied in Nigeria, but less so in the north central Nigeria (NCN). Using field sampling, laboratory methods and semi structured questionnaire in 1000 poultry farms from NCN, we explore the incidence and risk factors for the persistence of NTS infection in poultry. Approximately 41.6% of the farms have experienced NTS but only 6.3% have current infection with NTS. Farm experience of NTS moderately predicted awareness of salmonellosis. Increasing stock in smallholder farms, self-mixing of concentrate on the farm, usage of stream water, pen odour, non-adherence and partial adherence of farms to recommended poultry vaccination against pullorum and fowl typhoid, and lack of and non-adherence to biosecurity were identified risk factors that increased the odds of NTS infection in poultry. Antibiotic use practice may have reduced the isolation rate of NTS, yet NTS continues to challenge poultry farms in Nigeria. Identified risk practices must be mitigated intentionally and biosecurity and hygiene must improve to reduce the burden of NTS.

Separation and detection of cells and particles in a suspension are essential for various applications, including biomedical investigations and clinical diagnostics. Microfluidics realizes the miniaturization of analytical devices by controlling the motion of a small volume of fluids in microchannels and microchambers. Accordingly, microfluidic devices have been widely used in particle/ cell manipulation processes. Different microfluidic methods for particle separation include dielectrophoretic, magnetic, optical, acoustic, hydrodynamic, and chemical techniques. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a method for manipulating polarizable particles’ trajectories in non-uniform electric fields using unique dielectric characteristics. It provides several advantages for dealing with neutral bioparticles owing to its sensitivity, selectivity, and noninvasive nature. This review provides a detailed study on the signal-based DEP methods that use the applied signal parameters, including frequency, amplitude, phase, and shape for cell/particle separation and manipulation. Rather than employing complex channels or time-consuming fabrication procedures, these methods realize sorting and detecting the cells/particles by modifying the signal parameters while using a simple device. In addition, these methods can significantly impact clinical diagnostics by making low-cost and rapid separation possible.

Open-cell metallic foams used as catalyst supports exhibit excellent transport properties. In this work, a unique application of metallic foam, as pelletized catalyst in a packed bed reactor, is examined. By using a wall-segment Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) setup, parametric analyses are carried out to investigate the influence of foam morphologies (cell size ϕ=0.45-3 mm and porosity ε=0.55-0.95) and intrinsic conductivity on flow and heat transport characteristics in a slender packed bed (N=Ddp=6.78) made of cylindrical metallic foam pellets. The transport processes have been modeled using an extended version of conventional particle-resolved CFD, i.e., flow and energy in inter-particle spaces are fully resolved, whereas porous-media model is used for the effective transport processes inside highly-porous foam pellets. Simulation inputs include the processing parameters relevant to Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), analyzed for low (Rep~100) and high (Rep~5000) flow regimes. The effect of foam morphologies on packed beds has shown that the desired requirements contradict each other, i.e., increase in cell size and porosity favor the reduction in pressure drop, however lowering the heat transfer efficiency. A design study is also conducted to find the optimum foam morphology of a cylindrical foam pellet at higher Rep~5000, which yields ϕ = 0.45, ε = 0.8. Suitable correlations to predict the friction factor and the overall heat transfer coefficient in a foam packed bed have been presented, which considers the effect of different foam morphologies over a range of particle Reynolds number, 100≤Rep≤5000.

This article introduces new method using ANN to control SVC in order to correct the source power factor of low voltage network. Two ANN approaches are investigated to design accurate and fast power factor correction (PFC) controller. First approach uses simple ANN (SANNA). Second approach uses cascaded ANN (CANNA). ANN regression, performance and the calculated error for both approaches are investigated to select between the two approaches. CANNA is selected as a better solution and it used to build the ANN PFFC controller using database, generated by MATLAB-Simulink, for standard three low voltage levels (240V, 220V and 110V). Nine test cases are carried out to validate the performance of proposed ANN PFC controller with a network has variable loads and low power factor (0.6 approximately). In order to extend the use of the controller to other voltage levels not included in the training process of the cascaded ANN, only the SVC is resized. Another nine cases are carried out with the same loads using the same ANN controller, as it is, to test its performance with the extended voltage level range (415V, 230V and 120V). The results show accurate and fast response in all test cases.