A mass mortality event of Asian seabass Lates calcarifer juveniles occurred in Zhuhai, the main Asian seabass cultured area in mainland China. The fish samples were pooled for pathogen identification and both high viral loads of ISKNV and NNV were detected by real-time microfluidic quantitative PCR. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence showed that strong ISKNV signals were examined in spleen and liver, while strong NNV signals were detected in brain and eye. The multi-tissue homogenates were inoculated into MFF-1 cell and SSN-1 cell, respectively. After several viral passages, both ISKNV and NNV were purely isolated from each other, and designated as ASB-ISKNV-23 and ASB-NNV-23, respectively. The whole genome sequences of ASB-ISKNV-23 and ASB-NNV-23 were determined and annotated. The result showed that ASB-ISKNV-23 and ASB-NNV-23 are composed of 112,236 bp and 4,538 bp, respectively. Phylogeny analysis showed that ASB-ISKNV-23 belongs to ISKNV-II sub-genotype and ASB-NNV-23 belongs to RGNNV genotype. Collectedly, coinfection of ISKNV-II and RGNNV were firstly documented in mass mortality of Asian seabass in mainland China. Importantly, both ISKNV-II and RGNNV were purely isolated using two different permissive cell lines. Our study provides useful information for better understanding the complex pathogenesis regarding the coinfection with ISKNV and NNV in farmed fish.

Off-grid electrification planning increasingly recognizes the importance of productive use of electricity (PUE) to promote community value creation and (financial) project sustainability. To ensure a sustainable and efficient integration in the community and energy system, PUE assets must carefully be evaluated to match both the community needs and the residential electricity demand patterns. We propose a novel methodology interlinking qualitative interviews, statistical analysis, and energy system modelling to optimize decision-making for PUE integration in off-grid energy systems in rural Madagascar by aligning relevant PUE effectively with anticipated residential electricity demand patterns based on socio-economic determinants of the community. We find that a possible contribution of the PUE to reducing the electricity costs depends signifi-cantly on three factors: 1. the residential electricity consumption patterns that are influenced by the socio-economic composition of the community, 2. the degree of flexibility of i) PUE assets and ii) operational preferences of the PUE user, and 3. the capacity of community members to finance and operate PUE assets. Our study demonstrates that significant cost reductions for PUE-integrated off-grid energy systems can be achieved by applying our proposed methodology. When matching PUE and residential consumption patterns, the integration of PUE assets in residential community energy system can reduce the financial risk of operators, provided the PUE enterprise operates reliably and sustainably. We highlight that the consideration of local value chains and co-creation approaches are essential to ensure the energy system is addressing the community’s needs, creates value for the community, enhances the project´s financial sustainability, and is achieving the overall objectives of decentralized energy system planning.

Natural Gas (NG) processing is a prominent industrial separation process. Among the available techniques, the innovative membrane process shows potential for efficient removal of impurities, including carbon dioxide (CO₂). This study focuses on utilizing breakthroughs in membrane separation to drive sustainable CO₂ extraction from natural gas. Through comprehensive research and analysis, we explore the effectiveness and feasibility of membrane-based systems in removing CO₂ impurities from NG, thus promoting greener and more sustainable industrial practices. Our findings underscore the transformative nature of membrane separation technology, presenting new possibilities for a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable approach to CO₂ extraction from natural gas.Natural Gas (NG) processing utilizes various techniques for impurity removal, with the membrane process emerging as a promising option for efficient carbon dioxide (CO₂) extraction. This research proposes the integration of a simple mathematical model into ASPEN HYSYS to design a membrane system for CO₂/CH₄ separation. The study also investigates parameter sensitivities by altering operating conditions, such as feed composition and pressure, as well as membrane properties, including selectivity. By analyzing these variables, we aim to optimize the performance and efficiency of the membrane system, facilitating the sustainable extraction of CO₂ from NG. The findings contribute to advancing the design and operation of membrane-based processes for CO₂ separation, paving the way for greener and more sustainable industrial practices. In addition, this study explores various configurations for optimizing the design of the membrane system, including single-stage with and without recycling as well as double-stage configurations. The investigation demonstrates that methane recovery can be enhanced through the recycling of the permeate stream and by implementing a double stage membrane system. These findings highlight the potential for improving the efficiency and performance of the membrane system, enabling higher methane recovery rates. By considering different configurations, this research contributes to the development of more effective and sustainable CO₂ extraction processes from natural gas.

The phenomenon of pathogens co-infection detected in the half fed on humans I. persulcatus tick in the south of the Far East was studied. Researchs were carried out on PEK, Vero, Vero-E6 cell lines, outbred mice, chicken embryos, using ELISA, PCR, IMFA, plaque formation, and electron microscopy. The tick contained an antigen and a genetic marker of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The patient had post-vaccination antibodies in a titer of 1:200, as a result of which, obviously, an antibody-dependent elimination of TBEV occurred. The tick-borne co-isolate also contained an unknown pathogen (Kiparisovo-144 virus), which, in our opinion, was a trigger for the activation of chronic infection in suckling white mice. In the laboratory coisolate, ectromelia virus was present, as evidenced by paw edema during intradermal infection of mice, characteristic rashes on the chorion-allantoic envilope of chicken embryos, and typical plaques on Vero-E6. The Kiparisovo-144 virus was not pathogenic for white mice and chicken embryos, but successfully multiplied in the PEK, Vero, and Vero-E6 lines. Viral co-infection was confirmed by electron microscopy. Passaging on mice contributed to an increase in the virulence of the co-isolate, whose titer increased by 10,000 times by the 5th passage, which poses a serious epidemiological danger.

Abstract: This paper outlines the methodology and results for a two species finite volume scalar computational drug transport model developed for simulating the mass transport of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) ) from a half-embedded single strut implanted in a coronary arterial vessel wall. The mathematical drug transport model incorporates the convection-diffusion equation in scalar form (dimensionless) with a two species (free-drug and bound-drug) mass transport setup including reversible equilibrium reaction source terms for the free and bound-drug states to account for the pharmaco-kinetic reactions in the arterial wall. The relative reaction rates of the added source terms control the interconversion of drug between the free and bound-drug states. The model is solved by a 2-D finite-volume method for discretizing and solving the free and bound drug transport equations with anisotropic vascular drug diffusivities. This model is an improvement over our previously developed model using the finite-difference method. A dimensionless characteristic scaling pre-analysis was conducted a priori to evaluate the significance of implementing the reaction source terms in the transport equations. This paper reports the findings of an investigation of the interstitial flow profile into the arterial wall and the free and bound drug diffusion profiles with a parametric study of varying polymer drug concentration (low and high), tortuosity, porosity, and Peclet and DamKöhler numbers over the course of 400 hours (16.67 days). The results also reveal how a single species drug delivery model that neglects both a reversible binding reaction source term and the porosity and tortuosity of the arterial wall cannot accurately predict the distribution of both the free and bound drug.

Loyalty is one of the greatest intangible assets that any organization can possess and improving client loyalty is a primary marketing goal that can have a significant financial impact on any business. This quantitative study examined the mediating role of communication on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty (attitudinal and behavioral) in veterinary clinics, along with the moderating roles of trust, commitment, perceived value, and relational characteristics. Responses collected from 351 pet-owners through social media were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that attitudinal loyalty (AL) has a strong positive relationship with communication at multiple points in a veterinary clinic whereas the relationship with behavioral loyalty was not as clear. Additional findings suggest that AL, which is influenced by trust in the veterinarian, communication from staff members and commitment, has a strong positive relationship with behavioral intentions, increases the number of products and services that a pet-owner consumes at his or her primary veterinary clinic, and attenuates the role of cost in receiving veterinary care. These findings can help veterinary clinic owners and managers in developing and implementing relationship strategies that improve pet-owner loyalty. The article that follows is a synopsis of the author’s dissertation.

The cell stress response is an essential system present in every cell for responding and adapting to extracellular environmental stimulations. A major program for stress response is the heat shock factor (HSF)–heat shock protein (HSP) system that maintains proteostasis in cells and promotes cancer progression. However, less is known about how the cell stress response is regulated by alternative transcription factors. Here, we show that the SCAN domain-containing transcription factors (SCAN-TFs) are involved in repressing the stress response in cancer. SCAND1 and SCAND2 are SCAN-TFs that can hetero-oligomerize with SCAN-zinc finger transcription factors, such as MZF1(ZSCAN6), for accessing DNA and transcriptionally co-repressing target genes. We found that heat stress induced the expression of both SCAND1 and MZF1(ZSCAN6) bound to HSP90 gene promoter regions in prostate cancer cells. SCAND1 and MZF1 blocked the heat shock responsiveness of HSP90 in prostate cancer cells. Gene expression of SCAND2, SCAND1 and MZF1 was negatively correlated with HSP90 expression in patients-derived prostate adenocarcinoma. MZF1 and SCAND2 were more highly expressed in paired normal tissues than in tumor tissues in several cancer types. High expression of SCAND2, SCAND1 and MZF1 correlated with enhanced prognoses of pancreatic cancer and head and neck cancers. Additionally, high expression of SCAND2 was correlated with better prognoses of lung adenocarcinoma and sarcoma. In contrast, high expression of HSP90AA1 correlated with poorer prognoses in several cancer types. These data suggest that the stress-inducible SCAN-TFs can function as a feedback system, suppressing excessive stress response and inhibiting cancers.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine act as inhibitory neurotransmitters. Three types of inhibitory neurons and terminals, GABAergic, GABA/glycine co-releasing, and glycinergic, are orchestrated in the spinal cord neural circuits and play key roles in the regulation of pain, locomotive movement, and respiratory rhythms. Herein, we first describe GABAergic and glycinergic transmission and inhibitory networks, which consist of three types of terminals, in the mature mouse spinal cord. Second, we describe the developmental formation of GABAergic and glycinergic networks, with specific focus on the differentiation of neurons, formation of synapses, maturation of removal systems, and changes in their action. GABAergic and glycinergic neurons are derived from the same domains of the ventricular zone. Initially, GABAergic neurons are differentiated and their axons form synapses. Some of these neurons remain GABAergic in lamina I and II. Many of GABAergic neurons convert to co-releasing state. The co-releasing neurons and terminals remain in the dorsal horn, whereas many of co-releasing ones ultimately become glycinergic in the ventral horn. During the development of terminals and the transformation from radial glia to astrocytes, GABA and glycine receptor subunit compositions markedly change, removal systems mature, and GABAergic and glycinergic action shifts from excitatory to inhibitory.

Air pollution has been a major environmental issue worldwide from the last few decades. It is a man-made issue that has a serious harmful impact on the environment and the health of humans. There are different sources of emission, but industrial processes and motor vehicles contribute to a chief part of air pollution. It has acute as well as chronic effects on the health of humans and affects different organs. It is thought the main environmental risk factor in the incidence and progression of several diseases such as lung cancer, asthma, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Long-term exposure to air pollution has different toxicological impacts on humans such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, neuropsychiatric complications, eye irritation and skin diseases. As per the study by the World Health Organization (WHO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals are the major air contaminants. These pollutants are different in their properties, composition and time of disintegration. The aim of this study is to review the different sources, types, impacts, challenges and mitigation of air pollution in detail.

The Estimation of systemic risk in India is still in its infancy stage. There are several methods which are available but none of the methods are fully compatible to forecast the systemic risk since under different circumstances the factors responsible for the risk differs. In this paper the systemic risk estimation in India being carried out based on spread in daily stock market price(Difference between the bid and ask price of a share) of the top 100 firms in India according to market capitalization for the period of July2007 to March 2016. The results were compared with the Financial Stability Report published by Reserve Bank Of India for the period of March 2010 to June 2016.The results clearly indicates that there exits relationship between market illiquidity represented by spread and risks associated with the Financial System. In most of the cases the Z score (deviation from the mean/Standard Deviation) of the spread has become negative which provides the spread which is farther from the mean, also a good indicator of volatility in market and risk to financial system. It is also seen that the Systemic Risk Survey conducted by Reserve Bank of India which started during October 2011 has supported the results.

Cities are complex systems requiring urban design models that balance order and disorder. Collective creativity initiatives engage citizens in these processes, empowering bottom-up approaches that prioritize people and social well-being within urban development. This paper investigates an 'Urban Laboratory' as a case study, examining the potential of collective creativity to address urban complexity. The successful and ongoing project 'El Campo de Cebada' in Madrid, Spain, demonstrates how a community transformed a vacant lot into a vibrant social hub. The phases of this study include case selection, data collection, data analysis, and presentation of the results. This study identifies key enabling factors, including agents, management, social dynamics, infrastructure, and actions. These insights offer a methodological framework for designing future collaborative, resilient, and inclusive urban spaces, addressing the complex needs of communities within our cities.

We introduce the Transformation Flower Approach (TFA), a Theory of Change that attends to multiple value creation and institutional change as a dual design challenge. We highlight how the TFA integrates social scientific theories and models relevant for transformative change (in particular focusing on pathways, leverage points, governance, power, and values) and demonstrate its practical value by an application to the ongoing transformation of the Dutch food system. By providing a holistic, transdisciplinary and practically relevant approach that aims to support new social contract formation, the TFA goes beyond other transformative change approaches. Based on the notion of pathways, it offers a toolbox that aids in working towards desired futures, involving both incumbents and challengers in an effort to harness untapped yet proximal potentials in a forward-looking way. By embracing an innovation approach, it not only promises to circumvent resistance to change, but also serves as a step-by-step approach to identify options for multiple value creation and effective cooperation. We demonstrate the analytical and practical value of the TFA by discussing action perspectives at various levels and scales in the context of the Dutch food system transition, including (1) area-oriented approaches, (2) acceleration agendas for specific transformation pathways, and (3) actor-specific transformation flowers. In developing these, we emphasize the importance of interdependencies between leverage points. Our approach helps to identify opportunities to link transformative options (the what), actors (the who) and levers (the how) in dynamic interaction to embark on transformative pathways.

This paper discusses the computer-aided (CAD) classification between Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), i.e., the most common type of liver cancer, and Liver Abscess, based on ultrasound image texture features and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Among 79 cases of liver diseases, with 44 cases of HCC and 35 cases of liver abscess, this research extracts 96 features of Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and Gray-Level Run-Length Matrix (GLRLM) from the region of interests (ROIs) in ultrasound images. Three feature selection models, i) Sequential Forward Selection, ii) Sequential Backward Selection, and iii) F-score, are adopted to determine the identification of these liver diseases. Finally, the developed system can classify HCC and liver abscess by SVM with the accuracy of 88.875%. The proposed methods can provide diagnostic assistance while distinguishing two kinds of liver diseases by using a CAD system.