Bromodomain (BRD)-containing proteins are involved in many biological processes, most notably epigenetic regulation of transcription, and BRD protein dysfunction has been linked to many diseases, including tumorigenesis. However, the role of BRD proteins in the pathogenesis of uterine fibroids (UFs) is entirely unknown. The present study aimed to determine the expression pattern of BRD9 protein in UFs and matching myometrium and further assess the impact of BRD9 inhibitors on UF phenotype and epigenetic/epitranscriptomic changes. Our studies demonstrated that the levels of BRD9 were significantly upregulated in UFs compared to matched myometrium, suggesting that the aberrant BRD protein expression may contribute to the pathogenesis of UFs. We then evaluated the potential roles of BRD9 using its specific inhibitor I-BRD9. Targeted inhibition of BRD9 suppressed the UF tumorigenesis with increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, decreased cell proliferation, and extracellular matrix deposition in UF cells. The latter is the key hallmark of UFs. Unbiased transcriptomic profiling coupled with downstream bioinformatics analysis further and extensively demonstrated that targeted inhibition of BRD9 impacted the cell cycle- and ECM-related biological pathways, reprogrammed the UF cell epigenome and epitranscriptome, and altered miRNA-mediated gene regulation in UFs. Taken together, our data support the critical role of BRD9 in UF cells and the strong interconnection between BRD9 and other pathways controlling the UF progression. Targeted inhibition of BRD proteins might provide a non-hormonal treatment option for this most common benign tumor in women of reproductive age.

Burn injuries have profound implications for aesthetics, functionality, and patient survival. Umbilical cord lining mesenchymal stem cells (SCL-MSCs) have emerged as a potential therapeutic approach for burn wounds due to their easy isolation, favorable differentiation capabilities, and low immunogenicity. This study aimed to evaluate the growth characteristics of SCL-MSCs and their effectiveness in treating burn wounds. Mechanical isolation was employed to extract mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord lining membrane. The isolated cells underwent characterization, including analysis of HLA-E, G, and DR expression, and assessment of immunogenicity against rabbit antigens using ELISA. A rabbit model was utilized to administer burn treatment. SCL-MSCs exhibited typical morphology of mesenchymal stem cells and demonstrated robust proliferation. These cells expressed CD90, HLA-E, and HLA-G markers while lacking HLA-DR expression. Intact cells and supercrushed cell fluid displayed minimal and unstable immunogenicity. SCL-MSCs exhibited remarkable differentiation potential toward fibroblast lineages, with differentiated fibroblasts showing elevated collagen production and efficient sheet formation. In the experimental rabbit model, burn wounds covered with SCL-MSC tegaderm material plates exhibited superior healing compared to controls. The stem cell material plate area demonstrated reduced inflammatory cell counts (P < 0.01) and increased fibroblast count, neovascularization, and mitotic index (P < 0.01). These findings highlight the potential of SCL-MSCs as a valuable resource for burn wound research and treatment.

Immune surveillance by natural killer (NK) cells and their recruitment to sites of inflammation renders them susceptible to viral infection, potentially modulating their effector function. Here, we analyzed innate RNA receptor signaling in NK cells downstream of direct Influenza A virus (IAV) infection and its impact on NK cell effector function. Infection of NK cells with IAV resulted in the activation of TBK1, NF-κB and subsequent type-I IFN secretion. CRISPR- generated knockouts in primary human NK cells revealed that this effect depended on the antiviral cytosolic RNA receptor RIG-I. Transfection of NK cells with synthetic 3p-dsRNA, a strong RIG-I agonist that mimics viral RNA, resulted in a similar phenotype and rendered NK cells resistant to subsequent IAV infection. Strikingly, both IAV infection and 3p-dsRNA transfection enhanced degranulation and cytokine production by NK cells when exposed to target cells. Thus, RIG-I activation in NK cells both supports their cell intrinsic viral defense and enhances their cytotoxic effector function against target cells.

The Na+/K+ ATPase is a protein involved in the active transport of ions across the cellular membrane. Ouabain is a cardiotonic glycoside that, by inhibiting the Na+/K+ pump, interferes with cell processes mediated directly by the pump, but also indirectly influences other cellular processes, such as cellular cycle and proliferation, growth, cell differentiation, angiogenesis, migration, adhesion and invasion. We used the SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) in vitro for determining the changes induced by Ouabain in concentration of 10-5 M, 10-6 M, 10-8 M, 10-9 M on these cellular types, employing specific methods: SEM for morphological evaluation; immunocytochemistry, flowcytometry to assess immunophenotypical markers expression, cell cycle and Annexin V/PI assay for cellular proliferation and viability testing; flowchamber assay to evaluate functional adhesion behavior; RT-PCR for Na+/K+ ATPase subunits molecular expression. Being indicative of the pro-apoptotic and inhibitory effect of Ouabain on tumor invasion and metastasis, the results support the addition of Ouabain to the oncological therapeutic arsenal, trailing the “repurposing drugs” approach.

Mass cells (MCs) are tissue cells that are derived from bone marrow stem cells that contribute to allergic reactions, inflammatory diseases, innate and adaptive immunity, autoimmunity, and mental disorders. MCs located near the meninges communicate with microglia through the production of mediators such as histamine and tryptase, but also through the secretion of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF, which can create pathological effects in the brain. Preformed chemical mediators of inflammation and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are rapidly released from the granules of MCs, the only immune cells capable of storing the cytokine TNF, although it can also be produced later through mRNA. The role of MCs in nervous system diseases has been extensively studied and reported in scientific literature and is of great clinical interest. However, many of the published articles concern studies on animals (mainly rats or mice) and not on humans. MCs are known to interact with neuropeptides that mediate endothelial cell activation, resulting in central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory disorders. In the brain, MCs interact with neurons causing neuronal excitation with the production of neuropeptides and the release of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines. This article explores the current understanding of MC activation by neuropeptides and the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting a therapeutic effect of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-37 and IL-38.

Nanoparticle-mediated radiation therapy (NPRT) is an emerging modality for radiosensitization of highly resistant cancers such as brain cancers. This is due to the ability of specific nanoparticles (NPs) to increase physical dose deposition and subsequent direct damage to cells and DNA within their local vicinity, through enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species, ROS. Here, we report the successful use of PEGylated (biocompatible) core-shell quantum dots (QDs) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) to simultaneously enhance and assess ROS generation while radiosensitizing highly radioresistant brain cancer cell lines: T98G and U87 Glioblastoma cells. Relative peak fluorescence intensity ratio calculations and average intensity comparisons show highly significant (***p<0.001) enhancement of ROS generation, for 5 Gy and 20 Gy irradiation, applied using a Faxitron Cell Irradiator. By quantifying post-radiotherapy cell attachment, proliferation, migration, cell survival and cell death using electric cell-substrate impedance sensing and clonogenic assays, we demonstrate potentially improved in vitro radiotherapeutic outcomes for brain cancer cells radiosensitized using PEGylated CdSe/ZnS QDs and CQDs.

Cells respond to a myriad of stressors by senescing, acquiring stable growth arrest, morphologic and metabolic changes, and a senescence-associated-secretory-phenotype (SASP). The heterogeneity of senescent cells (SnCs) and their SASP is vast, yet poorly characterized. SnCs have diverse roles in health and disease and are therapeutically targetable, making characterization of SnCs and harmonization of their nomenclature a priority. The Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet), a NIH Common Fund initiative, will leverage emerging single cell and spatial-omics to identify and map SnCs in numerous organs across the lifespan of humans and mice. A common coordinate framework will integrate the data, using validated, standardized methods, creating public 4-dimensional SnC atlases. Key SenNet deliverables include development of innovative tools/technologies to detect SnCs, biomarker discovery, common annotations to describe SnCs and extensive public data sets. The goal is to comprehensively understand and map SnCs for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes to improve human health.

Previously, we reported that MTH1 inhibitors TH588 and TH1579 selectively induce oxidative damage and kill Ras expressing or transforming cancer cells, as compared to non-transforming immortalized or primary cells. While this explains the impressive anti-cancer properties of the compounds, the molecular mechanism remains elusive. Oncogenes induce replication stress, re-sulting in under replicated DNA and replication continuing into mitosis, where TH588 and TH1579 treatment cause toxicity and incorporation of oxidative damage. Hence, we hypothesized that oncogene-induced replication stress explains the cancer selectivity. To test this, we overex-pressed c-Myc in human epithelial kidney cells (HA1EB), resulting in increased proliferation, polyploidy and replication stress. TH588 and TH1579 selectively kill c-Myc overexpressing clones, enforcing the cancer cell selective killing of these compounds. Moreover, the toxicity of TH588 and TH1579 in c-Myc overexpressing cells is rescued by transcription, proteasome or CDK1 inhibitors, but interestingly not by nucleoside supplementation. This suggest that cancer selectivity is unrelated oncogene-induced replication stress. We conclude that the molecular toxi-cological mechanisms how TH588 and TH1579 kill c-Myc overexpressing cells have several com-ponents and involves MTH1-independent proteosomal degradation of c-Myc itself, c-Myc driven transcription and CDK activation, and is likely unrelated to oncogene-induced replication stress.

The accumulation of foam cells in arterial intima and the accompanied chronic inflammation are considered major causes of neoatherosclerosis and restenosis. However, both the underlying mechanism and effective treatment for the disease are yet to be uncovered. In this study, we combined transcriptome profiling of restenosis artery tissue and bioinformatic analysis to reveal that NLRP3 inflammasome is markedly upregulated in restenosis and that several restenosis re-lated DEGs are also targets of mulberry extract, a natural dietary supplement used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve liver vitality. Further pathway enrichment analysis identified MAPK signaling pathway to be involved in the inflammatory response of foam cells. Consistently, immunofluorescence microscopy shows co-localization of NLRP3 with CD68+ macrophages. We then evaluated the efficacy of mulberry extract in inhibiting both the formation of foam cells and their inflammatory response. We demonstrated that mulberry extract suppresses the formation of ox-LDL induced foam cells, possibly by upregulating the cholesterol efflux genes ABCA1 and ABCG1 to inhibit intracellular lipid accumulation. In addition, mulberry extract dampens NLRP3 inflammasome activation by stressing the MAPK signaling pathway. Collectively, our mecha-nistic and functional studies unveil the therapeutic value of mulberry extract in neoatherosclerosis and restenosis treatment by regulating lipid metabolism and inflammatory response of foam cells.

High-content fluorescence microscopy combines the efficiency of high-throughput techniques with the ability to extract quantitative information from biological systems. The planarian community has developed sensitive and robust assays for whole animals, yet cell based assays, despite their practical aspects, have not been explored to the same extent. Here we describe a modular collection of detailed protocols adapted for fixed planarian cells that enable multiplexed measurements of biomarkers in microwell plates. Methods include the detection of RNA transcripts by RNA fluorescent in situ hybridization combined with tyramide signal amplification using hapten-labeled riboprobes. In addition, immunocytochemical protocols for quantifying proliferating cells by the detection of phosphorylated histone H3 as well as 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation into the nuclear genome are described. The assays are compatible with planarians of virtually any size, as the tissue is disaggregated into a single cell suspension before fixation and staining. By sharing many reagents with established planarian whole mount staining protocols, preparation of samples for high-content microscopy adoption requires little additional investment. Recommendations for successful experimental workflows and common sources of errors are discussed.

The cellular cytoskeleton provides the cell with a mechanical rigidity which allows mechanical interaction between cells and the extracellular environment. The actin structure plays a key role in mechanical events like motility, or establishment of cell polarity. From the earliest stages of development, as represented by ex vivo expansion of naïve embryonic stem cells (ESCs), the critical mechanical role of the actin structure is becoming recognized as a vital cue for correct segregation and lineage control of cells and as a regulatory structure that controls several transcription factors. Naïve ESCs have a characteristic morphology and the ultrastructure that underlies this condition remains to be further investigated. Here, we investigate the 3D actin cytoskeleton of naïve mouse ESCs using super resolution optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). We investigate the morphological, cytoskeletal and mechanical changes in cells cultured in 2i or Serum/LIF media reflecting a homogenous preimplantation cell state and a state that is closer to embarking on differentiation. STORM imaging showed that the peripheral actin structure undergoes a dramatic change between the two media conditions. We also detected micro-rheological differences in the cell periphery between the cells cultured in these two media correlating well with the observed nano-architecture of the ESCs in the two different culture conditions. These results pave the way for linking physical properties and cytoskeletal architecture to cell morphology during early development.

Inflammation associated endothelial dysfunction represents a pivotal contributor to atherosclerosis. Increasingly evidence has demonstrated that interleukin 1 receptor (IL1-R) / toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling participated in the development of atherosclerosis. Previous studies indicated the therapeutic potential of anti-inflammatory therapy in anti-atherosclerosis. The present study examined the effect of IL-1R-associated kinase 1 and 4 inhibitors (IRAK1/4i) in regulating endothelial dysfunction. IRAK1/4i showed little endothelial toxicity at concentrations from 1 to 10 μM. Inhibition of IRAK1/4 alleviated endothelial activation induced by LPS in vitro evidenced by attenuated monocyte adhesion to the endothelium. Mechanistically, blockade of IRAK1/4 ameliorated the transcriptional activity of NF-κB. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that dual inhibition of IRAK1 and IRAK4 attenuates endothelial dysfunction, suggesting pharmaceutical inhibition of IRAK1/4 might be a potential strategy to combat endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of 99mTc-sestamibi in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. To this end, Te in vivo values of 99mTc-sestamibi uptake have been associated to the in-situ expression of both Ki67 and caspase-3. For in vitro investiga-tions BT-474 cells were incubated with three different concentration of 99mTc-sestamibi: 10µg/ml –1µg/ml – 0,1µg/ml. Expression of caspase-3 and Ki67, as well as the ultrastructure of cancer cells, were evaluated at T0 and after 24, 48, 72 and 120 hours after 99mTc-sestamibi incubation. Ex vivo data strengthened the known association between the sestamibi uptake and the Ki67 expression. Linear regression analysis showed a significant association between the sestamibi uptake and the number of apoptotic cells evaluated as caspase-3 positive breast cancer cells. As concern the in vitro data, a significant decrease of the proliferation index was observed in breast cancer cells incubated with high concentration of 99mTc-sestamibi (10µg/ml). Amazingly, a significant increase in caspase-3 positive cells in cultures incubated with 10µg/ml 99mTc-sestamibi was observed. This study suggested the possible role of sestamibi in the regulation of pathophysiological process involved in breast cancer.

Separation and interpretation of rebellious Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) originating from the primary tumor or cancer tissue plays a significant role in diagnostics, cancer progression analyses, suitable medicine exploration, and treatment proficiency examination. Cancer metastasis occurs when CTCs spread throughout the body and invade healthy tissues, leading to new tumors in that area. Although a dramatic rate of deaths begins from spreading CTCs around the body, valuable measures have been made to control their development. However, the first step is separating these harmful cells from the bloodstream and investigating their features. Having examined the characteristics of CTCs as cancer’s main strength, researchers can introduce complementary treatments that can affect cancerous cells without damaging the healthy cells. Therefore, according to their unique characteristics, numerous techniques have been established for continuous and fast separation and sorting of CTCs. Nevertheless, few separators enjoy the efficient performance and appropriate accuracy and can be produced in mass numbers due to the available fabrication equipment. Microfabrication advancements enable separators to combine the advantages of active and passive methods in a small-scale platform for probing individual cells and separation purposes. Reduction in reagents, sample volume, analysis time, and less harmfulness to patients are some of the motivations that encourage researchers to employ microfluidic instruments for CTCs separation from other blood cells over the last two decades. However, microfabrication limitations mean effective separators, and the diagnostic option they provide, are not readily available. Addressing these limitations requires optimizing the design and fabrication of separators such that they are reduced in their size and fabrication cost, while also maintaining high-throughput separating capability. The emergence of the Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC) and then Lab-On-a-CD (LOCD) technologies, having more inherent benefits than conventional microfluidic devices, has created new opportunities and become increasingly widespread in recent years. Evidence suggests that employing single methodologies or integrating approaches without sufficient understanding of potential outcomes is unlikely to result in successful diagnostic results. This paper contributes an extensive review of several separation systems, including fundamental theories and experimental details, and describes detailed operating principles and device performance.

Sickle cell disease is characterized by stiff, “sickled” red blood cells that have difficulty moving through the bloodstream and do not efficiently carry oxygen. It is an inherited disease with severely limited treatment options, and is caused by a point mutation. Its prevalence in black and brown communities makes the already limited treatment options even less accessible. Base editing and prime editing are two relatively recent discoveries in the field of genome editing and were developed after the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR Cas9 system. While not fully tested, they hold a lot of promise in providing alternative treatment options for sickle cell disease. Both editing systems are able to install individual point mutations in the beta globin gene, which is where the sickle cell mutation occurs, and can thus cure sickle cell disease (in theory). In this paper we outline the mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas9 systems and base and prime editing, and provide insight into how to apply them to treat SCD. Further investigation should be done on specific editing systems and designs to use to ensure optimal treatment of SCD.

The consequences of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), including ongoing hematopoietic stress and hemolysis, vascular damage and chronic therapies , such as blood transfusions and Hydroxyurea on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) have not been characterized. We have quantified the frequencies of nine HSPC populations by flow cytometry in the peripheral blood of pediatric and adult patients stratified by treatment and controls. We observed broad differences between SCD patients and healthy controls. SCD is associated with 10 to 20-fold increase in CD34dim cells, and two to five-fold more CD34bright cells, a depletion in Megakaryocyte-Erythroid Progenitors and an increase in hematopoietic stem cells, when compared to controls. SCD is also associated with abnormal expression of CD235a and by very high levels of expression of the CD49f antigen. These findings were present to varying degrees in all patients, whether or not they were naïve or on chronic therapy. HU treatment tended to normalizes many of these parameters. Chronic stress erythropoiesis, inflammation caused by SCD and hydroxyurea therapy have long been suspected of causing premature aging of the hematopoietic system, and potentially increasing the risk of hematological malignancies. An important finding of this study was that the observed concentration of CD34bright cells and of all the HSPCs decreased logarithmically with time of treatment with HU. This correlation was independent of age and specific to HU treatment. Although the number of circulating HSPCs is influenced by many parameters, our findings suggest that HU treatment may decrease premature aging and hematologic malignancy risk compared to the other therapeutic modalities in SCD.

Current paper reviews applications of luminescence bioassays for monitoring low-intensity factors, namely, radioactivity of different types (alpha, beta and gamma), and bioactive compounds (humic substances and fullerenols). Luminescence intensity is taken as a physiological parameter of luminous organisms. High rates of luminescence response can provide (1) a proper number of experiments under comparable conditions and, therefore, proper statistical processing, with this being highly important for ‘noisy’ low-dose exposures; (2) non-genetic, i.e. biochemical and physicochemical mechanisms of cellular response, in accordance to “exposome” concept. Bioassays based on luminous marine bacteria, their enzymes, and fluorescence coelenteramide-containing proteins were used to compare results of low-intensity exposures at cellular, biochemical and physicochemical levels, respectively. Results of the cellular exposures were discussed in terms of hormesis concept. Bioluminescence time dependence under low-dose radiation exposures corresponded to hormesis or threshold models; no bioluminescence monotonic dependency on intensity of exposure (dose rate, radioactivity, concentration) was found. Bioluminescence activation and absence of its dependency on intensity of exposure can be accepted as features of cellular adaptive response. Changes of biological luminescence were analyzed and discussed for bioassays of lower organization level – enzymes and florescent protein.

As part of our ongoing silybin project, this study aims to introduce a basic nitrogen-containing group to 7-OH of 3,5,20-O-trimethyl-2,3-dehydrosilybin or 3-OH of 5,7,20-O-trimethyl-2,3-dehydrosilybin via an appropriate linker for in vitro evaluation as potential anti-prostate cancer agents. The synthetic approaches to 7-O-substituted-3,5,20-O-trimethyl- 2,3-dehydrosilybins through a five-step procedure and to 3-O-substituted-5,7,20-O-trimethyl-2,3- dehydrosilybins via a four-step transformation have been developed. Thirty-two nitrogen-containing derivatives of silybin have been achieved through these synthetic methods for the evaluation of their antiproliferative activities towards both androgen-sensitive (LNCaP) and androgen-insensitive prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3 and DU145) using WST-1 cell proliferation assay. These derivatives exhibited greater in vitro antiproliferative potency than silybin. Among them, 11, 29, 31, 37, and 40 were identified as five optimal derivatives with IC50 values in the range of 1.40–3.06 µM, a 17- to 52-fold improvement in potency as compared with silybin. All these five optimal derivatives can arrest the PC-3 cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase and promote PC-3 cell apoptosis. Derivatives 11, 37, and 40 are more effective than 29 and 31 in activating PC-3 cell apoptosis.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels act as sensors of pain, temperature, and other external stimuli. We have recently shown that DPV576, an aqueous mixture of nanodiamond (ND) and nanoplatinum (NP), can modulate the activity of TRPV on human primary keratinocytes, suggesting their potential as a possible pain modulator [1]. CD4+ T lymphocytes also express TRPV channels, and we sought with special interest to examine the effect of DPV576 in modulating the functions of TRPV channel expression and secretion of cytokines on human CD4+ T lymphocytes. Human primary CD4+ T cells were activated with anti CD3/CD28 with and without DPV576 at 1:25 and 1:100 dilutions for 24 hours in vitro. TRPV Receptor expression (TRPV1 and TRPV4) on CD4+ T cells was examined by flow cytometry. The capacity of DPV576 to modulate the activity of TRPV1 agonist capsaicin in CD4+ T cells was also determined. Activation of CD4+ T cells was determined by production of cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-10 using specific ELISA kits. DPV576 treatment of CD4+ T cells that were activated with anti CD3/CD28, resulted in increased expression of TRPV1 channel but had no effect on TRPV4. This was accompanied by increased secretion of IFN-g and reduced expression of TRPV1 in capsaicin activated CD4+ T cells. In addition, DPV576 inhibited the capsaicin, induced the production of both IFN-g and TNF-α, and enhanced the secretion of IL-10. We conclude that short term exposure to DPV576 inhibits the activity of TRPV1 channels in CD4+ T lymphocytes, which may suggest its possible beneficial use for pain management.

In this review, we show the unique potential of spleen as an optimal site for islet transplantation and a source of mesenchymal stem cells. Islet transplantation is a cellular replacement therapy to treat severe diabetes mellitus, but its clinical outcome is unsatisfactory at present. One factor in clinical success of this therapy is selection of the most appropriate transplantation site. The spleen has been studied for a long time as a candidate site for islet transplantation. Its advantages include physiological insulin drainage and regulation of immunity. Recently it has also been shown that the spleen contributes to the regeneration of transplanted islets. The efficacy of transplantation is not as high as that obtained with intraportal transplantation, which is the current representative method of clinical islet transplantation. Safer and more effective methods of islet transplantation need to be established before the spleen can be effectively used in the clinic. Spleen also has an interesting aspect as a mesenchymal stem cell reservoir. The splenic mesenchymal stem cells contribute to tissue repair in damaged tissue, and thus, the infusion can be a promising therapy for autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes mellitus and Sjogren’s syndrome.

Accumulating evidence suggests that metformin, used as an antidiabetic drug, possesses anticancer properties. Metformin reduced the incidence and growth of experimental tumors in vivo. In a randomized clinical trial among nondiabetic patients, metformin treatment significantly decreased the number of aberrant crypt foci compared to the untreated group with a follow-up of 1 month. In our study, HT29 cells were treated with graded concentrations of metformin, 10 mM/25 mM/50 mM, for 24/48 hours. We performed immunofluorescence experiments by means of confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis to evaluate a panel of factors involved in apoptotic/autophagic processes and oxidative stress response. Moreover, HT29 cells treated with metformin were analyzed by flow cytometry assay to detect the cell apoptosis rate. The results demonstrate that metformin exerts growth inhibitory effects on cultured HT29 cells by increasing both apoptosis and autophagy; moreover, it affects the survival of cultured cells inhibiting the transcriptional activation of nuclear factor E2–related factor 2 (NRF-2) and nuclear factor–kappa B (NF-κB). The effects of metformin on HT29 cells were dose- and time-dependent. These results are very intriguing, since metformin is emerging as a multifaceted drug: it has a good safety profile and is associated with low cost, and it might be a promising candidate for the prevention or treatment of colorectal cancer.

As technology continues to play a central role in shaping global industries, the performance of technology firms on the NASDAQ has significant implications for broader economic trends. Investors, facing an increasingly complex landscape, require detailed insights to make informed decisions and navigate market volatility. Moreover, amid the ongoing digital transformation, understanding the operational dynamics of technology companies is critical for policymakers and regulatory bodies to create frameworks that foster innovation while ensuring market stability. In the current context, characterized by rapid technological advancements, market uncertainties, and evolving consumer demands, the need for a comprehensive study on the operational efficiency of NASDAQ-listed technology companies is more pertinent than ever. Objective of our study is to identify relationships and patterns among selected financial metrics to assess the operational efficiency of NASDAQ-listed technology companies between 2011 to 2023. Financial metrics used in the study include following variables namely revenues, cost of goods sold, operating expenses, research, and development expenses, selling and general administrative expenses, and operating income. Johansen's cointegration methodology is employed to unveil long-term relationships and equilibrium adjustments among the considered variables. Results of our study underscore the paramount importance of efficiently managing the cost of goods sold (COGS) for achieving superior operating performance among these leading technology firms. The findings point to a nuanced interplay among these operational metrics, highlighting the interconnectedness and sustained relationships among them. This suggests that the top technology companies exhibit a sophisticated understanding of the dynamics between these variables, allowing them to navigate the complexities of the industry with strategic finesse.

Different bacterial species have dramatically different generation times, from 20-30 minutes in Escherichia coli to about two weeks in Mycobacterium leprae. The translation machinery in a cell needs to synthesize all proteins for a new cell in each generation. The three subprocesses of translation, i.e., initiation, elongation, and termination, are expected to be under stronger selection pressure to optimize in short-generation bacteria (SGB) such as Vibrio natriegens than in the long-generation Mycobacterium leprae. The initiation efficiency depends on the start codon decoded by the initiation tRNA, the optimal Shine-Dalgarno (SD) decoded by the anti-SD (aSD) sequence on small subunit rRNA, and the secondary structure that may embed the initiation signals and prevent them from being decoded. The elongation efficiency depends on the tRNA pool and codon usage. The termination efficiency in bacteria depends mainly on the nature of the stop codon and the nucleotide immediately downstream of the stop codon. By contrasting SGB with long-generation bacteria (LGB), we predict that 1) SGB to have more ribosome RNA operons to produce ribosomes, and more tRNA genes for carrying amino acid to ribosomes, 2) SGB to have a higher percentage of genes using AUG as start codon and UAA as stop codon than LGB, 3) SGB to exhibit better codon and anticodon adaptation than LGB, and 4) SGB to have weaker secondary structure near translation initiation signals than LGB. These differences between SGB and LGB should be more pronounced in highly expressed genes than lowly expressed genes. We present empirical evidence in support of these predictions.

The jet-slit milk homogenizer is one of the most energy-efficient among all types of homogenizers in the dairy industry. The principle of its operation is based on the creation of a maximum speed difference between the fat globules of cream and the flow of skimmed milk. Reducing the specific energy consumption and finding the optimal parameters of the homogenizer were based on the results of both theoretical and experimental studies. The optimization criteria (decreasing specific energy consumption while maintaining high homogenization quality) were chosen to achieve a dispersion of 0.8 μm with minimal energy consumption. The parameters of the width of the ring gap, the fat content and the speed of the cream have been optimized. It is possible to reduce the specific energy intensity of the process to values of 0.88–0.92 kWh/t when using cream with a fat content of 33–43%, which should be fed through an annular gap with a width of 0.6–0.8 mm. Optimum values of the cream feed speed had been found, which should be equal to 7–11 m/s. The research results are of high practical value for the further development of the energy-efficient industrial model of a jet-slit homogenizer.

Diversification in agroecosystems can increase the sustainability of agricultural production and reduce input dependence in agroecological transitions. This study evaluated the effects of intercropping and the introduction of flowering (aromatic) plant strips on the ratio of land use efficiency and crop damage for broccoli and lettuce association. Two experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in experimental plots in southwestern Colombia. Crop association alone did not impact crop yield; the production was higher in the lettuce monoculture. However, in the presence of flowering plant strips, the land use equivalent ratio (LER) is >1 in the two years of study, with a high yield for broccoli. Regarding the damage by the silverback moth Plutella xilostella L on broccoli, no differences were found between crops established with or without flower strips. Similarly, flower strips did not affect the incidence of lettuce rot caused by Sclerotinia spp. In summary, our results support the idea that farmers can introduce flower strips into their horticultural fields to improve the eco-productive efficiency of their farms and reduce dependence on external polluting inputs. However, further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these results.

The article is devoted to the study of ultrasonic agglomeration of PM2.5 in uniform and non-uniform ultrasonic fields. The possibility of increasing the efficiency of ultrasonic agglomeration by initiating acoustic streams in a resonant non-uniform ultrasonic field is shown. A non-uniform ultrasonic field with zones of high and low sound pressure levels formed using a bending-oscillating disk transmitter made it possible to initiate acoustic vortex-type streaming that promote the movement of particles into the nodal areas of a standing wave and between them. The efficiency of ultrasonic treatment was determined indirectly by the degree of inertial trapping of agglomerates. It has been established that the impact of an non-uniform ultrasonic field in comparison with the impact of a uniform ultrasonic field makes it possible to increase the efficiency of inertial capture of agglomerates PM2.5 from 89% to 95%, PM1.5 from 85% to 92%, PM0.5 from 76% to 85%. The results obtained made it possible to propose a design for an agglomeration chamber, which allows for a multiple increase in the productivity of ultrasonic processing of a gas-dispersed flow.

Cloud computing is a strong and efficient technology facing some efficiency challenges attributable to its decentralized nature. The emergence of fog computing has subdivided the expansive cloud into numerous smaller units known as "cloudlets." Fog computing is one of the most recent advancements in today’s cloud computing landscape. Each cloudlet is a novel and diminutive architectural element extending the contemporary cloud computing infrastructure. The term "cloudlets" has been integrated with fog computing due to its augmenting impact on the attributes of cloud computing. F fog computing is a significant foundation and an indispensable cloud component. Consequently, this technology holds the potential to address efficiency concerns effectively. As a result, this paper focuses on enhancing the efficiency of the cloud computing environment by fine-tuning the efficiency parameters derived from fog computing. These parameters encompass response time, latency, and network utilization. The proposed solution involves developing a simulation system to minimize task redundancy and increase performance levels in the healthcare environment. The outcomes manifest a substantial improvement in the performance of the suggested system, with a clear increase depending on the three key parameters (response time, network utilization, and latency). Therefore, these findings are encouraging and carry significant implications, promoting the application of the proposed system in the real healthcare environment.

Climate change, the scarcity of fossil fuels, technical advances in clean energy, and the volatility of crude oil prices are just a few of the factors that have prompted the world to recognize clean energy as a viable alternative to dirty energy. As part of the Paris Climate Accord of 2015, many countries agreed to change their economies to be more sensitive to climate change. Due to this Accord, which increased interest from investors and decision-makers, investments in clean energy companies have benefited [1,2]. Clean energy stocks, which are a part of the larger world of tradable reserves, might experience pricing inefficiencies. In this paper, we investigate the multifractal scaling behavior and efficiency of green finance markets, as well as traditional markets like gold, crude oil, and natural gas between January 1, 2018, and March 9, 2023, which covers periods of low volatility and financial instability (2020 and 2022 events). To test the serial dependency (autocorrelation) and the efficient market hypothesis, in its weak form, we employed the Lo and Mackinlay test and the DFA method. The empirical findings demonstrated that both periods exhibit severe multifractal and significant asymmetry, indicating that the price indices under study are not at all efficient.

We investigate the performance of a novel flat photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) module under high-vacuum through a 1D numerical model based on steady-state energy balance, with the aims of optimizing the simultaneous production of thermal and electrical energy. In the proposed design, the photovoltaic (PV) cell is positioned directly above the selective solar absorber (SSA), in a multilayer or fully integrated PV-SSA structure, which allows full exploitation of spectral solar radiation. In fact, in this configuration the losses related to non-absorption of low-energy photons and thermalization, typical of a classical single-junction PV cell, are reduced. The present study is conducted as the emittance and energy bandgap of the PV layer varied, thus admitting a wide variety of materials into the analysis. The dependence of the temperature coefficient, β(%/K), on the energy bandgap of the PV cell is also included. In the last part of the work, we discuss the performance of the proposed evacuated PV-T equipped with a SSA layer and thin film solar cells, namely those made of CdTe, CdS and GaAs. Overall, the paper highlights the great advantage of using high vacuum insulation, which suppresses conductive losses, and the versatility of the proposed system, which could be adapted to the user's needs simply by choosing the appropriate material for the photovoltaic layer.

The concept of DC power distribution has gained interest within the research community in the past years; especially due to rapid prevalence of solar PVs as a tool for distributed generation in DC microgrids. Various efficiency analyses have been presented for the DC distribution paradigm, in comparison to the AC counterpart, considering a variety of scenarios. However, even after a number of such comparative efficiency studies, there seems to be a disparity in the results of research efforts - wherein a definite verdict is still unavailable: 'Is DC distribution a more efficient choice as compared to the conventional AC system?' A final verdict is absent primarily due to conflicting results. In this regard, system modeling and the assumptions made in different studies play a significant role in affecting the results of the study. The current paper is an attempt to critically observe the modeling and assumptions used in the efficiency studies related to the DC distribution system. Several research efforts will be analyzed for their approach towards the system upon which they have performed efficiency studies. Subsequently, the paper aims to propose a model that may alleviate the shortcomings in earlier research efforts and be able to give a definite verdict regarding the comparative efficiency of DC and AC networks for residential power distribution.

The prevalence of algorithms and computational tools in the modern-day has intersected with nearly every field. Generative design, specifically those using genetic algorithms, is an increasingly effective, yet cost efficient way to generate architectural designs in modern engineering. Thus, we adopt a genetic algorithm model in pursuit of maximizing the durability of a structure when it is stressed while minimizing the material cost. After the model is formulated, the algorithm is able to approximate with high accuracy the load a small-scale structure is able to bear, as well as iterate upon its designs to maximize a fitness function.

Solar energy is a renewable resources of energy which is broadly utilized and have the least pollution impact between the available alternatives of fossil fuels. In this investigation, machine leaening approaches of neural networks (NN), neuro-fuzzy and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) are used to build the models for prediction of the thermal performance of a photovoltaic-thermal solar collector (PV/T) by estimating its efficiency as an output of the model while inlet temperature, flow rate, heat, solar radiation, and heat of sun are input of the designed model. Experimental measurements was prepared by designing a solar collector system and 100 data extracted. Different analyses are also performed to examine the credibility of the introduced approaches revealing great performance. The suggested LSSVM model represented the best performance regarding the mean squared error (MSE) of 0.003 and correlation coefficient (R²) value of 0.99, respectively.

Bauxite residue (BR) is a well promising resource for critical metals and especially scandium (Sc), a rare and expensive metal with increasing applications in advanced technology. Particularly, Greek BR’s composition indicates a sound possibility for a commercially viable recovery of Sc under the conditions of an optimized leaching process and the subsequent use of advanced separation techniques. Leaching with mineral acids emerges as the dominant selection with comparison to other techniques. This study investigates an optimized leaching condition set on Sc recovery, using sulfuric acid as the most suitable among different acids tested, in the context of process economics and environmental constraints. Several variables were studied individually or combined in order to achieve high Sc concentration in the leachate as well as to ensure selectivity, especially in respect to iron. The most significant parameters proved to be the solid to liquid ratio (S/L), the final pH value as well as the use of recycling of leachate on fresh BR batches. The proposed process, using sulfuric acid at low acid molarities under ambient conditions was integrated rapidly leading to high and selective Sc recovery. A flow diagram of the developed leaching process in industrial scale was proposed based on continuous operation.

The grain size of CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) graphene was controlled by changing the precursor gas flow rates, operation temperature, and chamber pressure. Graphene of average grain sizes of 4.1 µm, 2.2 µm, and 0.5 µm were synthesized in high quality and full coverage. The possibility to tailor the thermoelectric conversion characteristics of graphene has been exhibited by examining the grain size effect on the three elementary thermal and electrical properties of σ, S, and k. Electrical conductivity (σ) and Seebeck coefficients (S) were measured in a vacuum for supported graphene on SiO₂/Si FET (Field Effect Transistor) substrates so that the charge carrier density could be changed by applying a gate voltage (V_G). Mobility (µ) values of 529~1042, 459~745, and 314~490 cm²/V·s for the three grain sizes of 4.1 µm, 2.2 µm, and 0.5 µm, respectively, were obtained from the slopes of the measured σ vs. V_G graphs. The power factor (PF), the electrical portion of the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT), decreased by about one half as the grain size was decreased, while the thermal conductivity (k) decreased by one quarter for the same grain decrease. Finally, the resulting ZT increased more than two times when the grain size was reduced from 4.1 µm to 0.5 µm.

This article proposes a new photovoltaic (PV) solar tracker design based on the advantage that installation latitude offers according to efficiency in function of orientation (EFO) of PVs. First, is described a methodology to let incorporate a low-precision, low-cost and high-availability solar tracking mechanism and control system. The design methodology considers the installation location (latitude and azimuth) as a starting point for establishing an adequate angular range of EFO, simultaneity the aspects of available technology and the knowledge accords to developer. Finally, the design technique is experimentally validated by the implementation of a solar tracker at latitude of 28° longitude of 109° and evaluates the efficiency on a specific day. According to result the feasibility of this type of solar tracker for latitudes close to or greater than 30° is highlighted, given that this tracking system costs 30% less than traditional commercial systems as slew drive with its incorporation of lower-resolution azimuth tracking mechanisms. It also increases collection efficiency by 26%, just as continuous or time-based dual-axis solar trackers do, without the more complex controls and mechanisms of these designs.

Predominantly antibody deficiencies (PAD) represent the most common type of primary immu-nodeficiencies in humans, characterized by a wide variation in disease onset, clinical manifesta-tions, complications and outcome. Considering that the prevalence of PAD in Greece is unknown and there is limited knowledge on clinical and laboratory characteristics of affected patients, we conducted a nationwide study, including 153 patients (male/female: 66/87; median age: 43.0 years; range: 7.0-77.0) diagnosed and/or followed-up between April 2007 to September 2023. Furthermore, we classified our cohort into five Groups according to their medical history, im-munoglobulin levels, and CTLA4-mutational status: 123 had common variable immunodeficien-cy (CVID), 12 with CVID-like disease (with a history of a previous B-cell depletion immunother-apy for autoimmune or malignant disease), seven with combined IgA and IgG subclass deficien-cies, five with immune dysregulation syndrome and CTLA4 defects, and six with unclassified hypogammaglobulinemia. We demonstrated a remarkable delay of PAD diagnosis, several years after the onset of related symptoms (median: 9.0 years, range: 0-43.0). Family history of PAD was only 11.8%, with the majority of patients considered sporadic cases. Most patients were diag-nosed in the context of a diagnostic work-up for recurrent infections, or recurrent/resistant auto-immune cytopenias. Interestingly, ten patients (5.6%) had no history of infection, diagnosed due to either recurrent/resistant autoimmunity, or during a work-up of their medical/family history. Remarkable findings included an increased prevalence of lymphoproliferation (60.1%) and atopy (24.2%), while 39 patients (25.5%) developed bronchiectasis and 16 (10.5%) granulomatous dis-ease. Patients with CTLA4 defects displayed a variable clinical phenotype at diagnosis, with four patients diagnosed during a work-up of re-current infections, while one also displayed a massive splenomegaly. Cancer was a common complication in our cohort (25 patients, 16.3%), with B-cell malignancies representing the most common neoplasms (56.7%). Our findings indicate the necessity of awareness about PAD and their complications, aiming for early diagnosis and appropriate management of affected patients

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer mortality worldwide, and innovative drugs for the treatment of colorectal cancer are continually being revealed. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a common clinical chemotherapeutic drug. Acquired resistance to 5-FU is a clinical challenge in colorectal cancer. Parecoxib is a selective COX-2-specific inhibitor, which has been demonstrated to inhibit metastasis in colorectal cancers in our previous study. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic antimetastatic activities of parecoxib to 5-FU in human colorectal cancer cells and determine the underlying mechanism. parecoxib and 5-FU synergistically suppressed metastasis in colorectal cancer cells. Treatment with the parecoxib /5-FU combination induced an increase in E-cadherin and decrease in β-catenin. The parecoxib/5-FU combination could inhibit MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression and MMP-9 activity, and the NF-κB pathway might be suppressed as well. Mechanistic analysis denoted that the parecoxib/5-FU combination hindered the essential molecules of the PI3K/Akt route to obstruct metastatic colorectal cancer. Furthermore, the parecoxib/5-FU combination could inhibit reactive oxygen species. Our work showed the antimetastatic capacity of the parecoxib/5-FU combination for colorectal cancers via targeting the PI3K/Akt /NF-κB pathway.

Plate fin-tube heat exchangers are widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems and other industry fields. Various errors made in the manufacturing process can result in the formation of an air gap between the tube and fin. Several numerical simulations were carried out for a symmetric section of plate fin-tube heat exchanger to study the influence of air gap on heat transfer under periodic flow conditions. Different locations and sizes of an air gap spanning 1/2 circumference of the tube were considered for the range of airflow velocities. Velocity and temperature fields for cases with air gap were compared with ideal thermal contact cases. Blocking of heat flow by the gap leads to the reduction of heat transfer rate. Fin discontinuity in the front of the tube causes the smallest reduction of the heat transfer rate in comparison to the ideal tube-fin contact, especially for thin slits. The rear gap position is the worst in the smallest gap range. Therefore, reversing the flow direction can lead to up to a 15% heat transfer increase, if mainly the rear gaps are present. The introduction of a thin slit in the front of the tube leads to convective heat transfer enhancement, which should be further investigated.

Binary switches, which are the primitive units of all digital computing and information processing hardware, are usually benchmarked on the basis of their ‘energy-delay product’ which is the product of the energy dissipated in completing the switching action and the time it takes to complete that action. The lower the energy-delay product, the better the switch (supposedly). This approach ignores the fact that lower energy dissipation and faster switching usually come at the cost of poorer reliability (i. e. higher switching error rate) and hence the energy-delay product alone cannot be a good metric for benchmarking switches. Here, we show the trade-off between energy dissipation, energy-delay product and error-probability, for both an electronic switch (a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) and a magnetic switch (a magnetic tunnel junction switched with spin transfer torque). As expected, reducing energy dissipation and/or energy-delay-product generally results in increased switching error probability and reduced reliability.

Responses to water stress were measured for sugar maple (Acer saccharum subsp. saccharum Marshall) sources from Oklahoma (Caddo sugar maple), Missouri, Tennessee, Ontario and a black maple (Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum F. Michx.) source from Iowa. Seedling sources were selected for differences in temperature and precipitation of their geographic origins. Seedlings were preconditioned through moist (watered daily) or dry (watered every 4-7 days) cycles and then exposed to prolonged water stress. Dry preconditioned sugar maple seedlings from Oklahoma, Missouri, and Tennessee, sources from warmer and/or drier climates with greater relative evapotranspiration potentials, declined less rapidly in net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency (WUE) as water stress increased than dry preconditioned seedlings from Ontario and Iowa having origins in cooler, moister climates. Under imposed water stress the Ontario and Iowa sourced seedlings increased their root to shoot ratios and decreased their specific leaf area, mechanisms for drought avoidance. However, no corresponding changes in these values occurred for Oklahoma, Missouri, and Tennessee sources. Results from this study suggest greater tolerance of water stress in the Oklahoma, Missouri and Tennessee ecotypes from the western and southern range of sugar maple resulted primarily with WUE rather than other water stress coping mechanisms.

Water borne pathogens present a threat to human health and their disinfection from water poses a challenge, prompting search for newer methods and newer materials. Disinfection of Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and Gram-positive coccal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus in aqueous matrix was achieved within 60 and 90 minutes respectively at 35⁰C using solar-photocatalysis mediated by sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The efficiency of the process increased with increase in temperature and at 55⁰C the disinfection could be achieved in 45 and 60 min respectively for the two bacteria. A new ultrasound assisted chemical precipitation technique was used for the synthesis of Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The characteristics of the synthesized material were established using physical techniques. The material remained stable even at 400o C. Disinfection efficiency of the Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed in case of real world water samples from pond, river, municipal tap and was found to be better than that of pure ZnO and TiO2 (Degussa P25). When the nanoparticle based catalyst was recycled and reused for subsequent disinfection experiments, its efficiency did not change remarkably even after three cycles. The sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles have a good potential for application in solar photocatalytic disinfection of water borne pathogens.

A well known technique to enhance the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of repetitive signals is to average them. The coherent parts of the signal add up constructively while the incoherent parts are averaged out. The prerequisite is that the signals are acquired under conditions of high repeatability, i.e.\ the signals must be sufficiently similar. In the present technical note we describe an efficient method for maintaining signal similarity by ensuring spatial and temporal proximity of laser waveform signals obtained by a sensor operated from an airborne platform. The method makes use of a few auxiliary parameters such as laser pulse repetition rate, mirror rotation rate, platform altitude, and flight speed. The method can be extended to be operated in real time.

Context: The compartmental description, well-known from the description of infection diseases and epidemics, is applied to describe the temporal evolution of the baryonic matter in interstellar gas and stars. The introduction of gaseous and stellar fractions of the total baryonic matter as the basic dynamical variables is advantageous because it allows to apply the description to a variety of astrophysical systems. Aims: The competition of spontaneous star formation, stellar feedback and stellar evolution is theoretically investigated to understand the baryonic matter cycle including luminous baryonic matter in main-sequence stars and weakly luminous matter in white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes (referred to as locked-in matter). Of particular interest is the understanding of the cosmic star formation history and the present-day gas fraction with compartmental models. Methods: For stationary rates of spontaneous star formation, continuous stellar feedback and stellar evolution exact analytical solutions of the time evolution of the fractions of gaseous, luminous stellar and locked-in stellar matter are derived. The accuracy of the analytical solutions is proven by the favorite comparison with the exact numerical solutions of the dynamical equations. Results: The observed cosmological star formation rate and the integrated stellar density as a function of redshift are reasonably well explained by the compartmental model without triggered star formation by the competition of spontaneous star formation and stellar evolution whereas the influence of stellar feedback is less important. The action of stellar evolution provides a significant redshift dependent reduction factor when calculating the integrated stellar density from the star formation rate. Without stellar evolution the observations cannot be reproduced very well. Then the fits to the observation allow us conclusions on the relative importance of spontaneous star formation, stellar evolution and feedback in the early universe after the recombination era until today. The gas, luminous star and locked-in stellar matter fractions indicate that the vast majority of the baryons in the present-day universe resides in the form of locked-in stellar matter in white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes.

A comprehensive multi-jet physics program is anticipated for experiments at future colliders. Key physics processes necessitate detectors that can distinguish signals from W and Z bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson. Typical examples include channels with W^{+}W^{-} or Z^{o}Z^{o} pairs and processes involving New Physics, in those cases where neutral particles must be disentangled from charged ones due to the presence of W or Z bosons in their final states. Such a physics program demands calorimetric energy resolution at or beyond the limits of traditional calorimetric techniques. Multiple-readout calorimetry, which aims to reduce fluctuations in energy measurements of hadronic showers, is a promising approach. The first part of this article reviews dual and triple readout calorimetry within a mathematical framework describing the underlying compensating mechanism. The second part proposes a potential implementation using an integrally active and total absorption detector. This model serves as the basis for several Monte Carlo studies, illustrating how the response of a multiple-readout calorimeter depends on construction parameters. Among the layouts considered, one configuration operating in triple-readout mode shows the potential to achieve an energy resolution approaching 20\%/\sqrt{E}.

The shear stress generated by wall turbulence is the main cause of wall friction resistance in turbulent flow through pipes. This paper investigates the impact of inserting rest periods (regions of constant Reynolds number) within the pulsating operating cycle of velocity on the fully turbulent flow at large time-averaged Reynolds numbers, using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method. The study aims to explore the effect of increasing rest periods within pulsations on drag resistance. The dimensionless shear stress and drag reduction rates during different time periods of rest were analyzed. Numerical simulation results indicate that the pulsating velocity operation mode does not necessarily lead to drag reduction; it may even result in increased resistance. Inserting rest periods within the pulsation cycle can achieve drag reduction effects, with the maximum drag reduction rate reaching 21.8\%. Comparisons with experimental data and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) from the literature validate the feasibility of using the LES method for pipe pulsating operation modes.

People have always hoped to be able to fill an entire plane with ``single unit cells'' without periodicity. This wish was realized after the mathematician discovered a 13-sided ``single unit cell'' named `einstein'. These non-periodic tessellations generally exhibit anisotropic properties, making them superior in terms of mechanical performance compared to periodic structures. From the perspective of information entropy, the reason behind the improved mechanical properties of these structures is the higher entropy associated with non-periodic configurations. To quantify the disorder of non-periodic structures, we propose an entropy expression for the `einstein' metamaterial. To demonstrate the mechanical properties of these high-entropy structures, we fabricate specimens using 3D printing and conducte mechanical experiments. For comparative analysis, we also use ABAQUS to perform finite element analysis of the problem. The research results reveal that the mechanical properties of high-entropy structures created by the non-periodic stacking of cells are significantly improved compared to those of low-entropy structures created by periodic stacking. The conclusions drawn from the study of individual issues are generalizable and may be of assistance in future material and structural design.

RNA sequencing techniques, like bulk RNA-seq and Single Cell (sc) RNA-seq, are critical tools for the biologist looking to analyze the genetic activity/transcriptome of a tissue or cell during an experimental procedure. Platforms like Illumina's next-generation sequencing (NGS) are used to produce the raw data for this experimental procedure. This raw FASTQ data must then be prepared via a complex series of data manipulations by bioinformaticians. This process currently takes place on an unwieldy textual user interface like a terminal/command line that requires the user to install and import multiple program packages, preventing the untrained biologist from initiating data analysis. Open-source platforms like Galaxy have produced a more user-friendly pipeline, yet the visual interface remains cluttered and highly technical, remaining uninviting for the natural scientist. To address this, SeqMate is a user-friendly tool that allows for one-click analytics by utilizing the power of a large language model (LLM) to automate both data preparation and analysis (differential expression, trajectory analysis, etc). Furthermore, by utilizing the power of generative AI, SeqMate is also capable of analyzing such findings and producing written reports of upregulated/downregulated/user-prompted genes with sources cited from known repositories like PubMed, PDB, and Uniprot.

Dams fragment stream habitat and fishways around dams typically serve few species that are strong swimmers or jumpers. We test a prototype wetted ramp designed to allow upstream passage of small-bodied fishes while blocking upstream movement of invasive sea lamprey in the Laurentian Great Lakes. We tested short, smooth ramps with 5-10 mm water depth in various combinations of ramp angle, water flow and swim channel width with the aim to selectively block adult migrating sea lamprey while passing sub-adult white suckers (Catostomus commersonii) and creek chubs (Semotilus atromaculatus). Sea lamprey easily passed a 0.75 ramp at 5 angle, but very few individuals passed a similar ramp at 10 angle and none passed a longer ramp at the 5 angle. Limiting the amplitude of tailbeats in a narrow channel did not hamper lamprey or the other species. Greater water flow, and thereby greater immersion depth on the ramp fostered passage for all species. Smaller-bodied individual of creek chubs and white suckers performed best on the ramp. We show that wetted ramps could be incorporated into fishways at low-head dams to aid passage of smaller-bodied fishes while also blocking the spawning migration of adult sea lamprey.

The impact of legume production on smallholder farmers' socio-economic welfare in Ma-lawi is a crucial question, given the country's aspirations for rural development and eco-nomic growth. This study investigates the effect of legume production on household wel-fare, using two waves of nationally representative data from the Integrated Household Survey and integrating geospatial techniques. A random effects model was employed to estimate the determinants of legume adoption, and the impact of legume cultivation on household welfare was assessed using income and asset holding as indicators. The results show that legume adoption significantly increases household income per capita and household asset holding by 71%. Disaggregated results reveal that adoption benefits all households, but particularly those with larger landholdings. The study concludes that accelerating legume adoption is a promising strategy for rural development in Malawi, aligning with the country's goals of achieving inclusive wealth and self-reliance in the coming decades.

The use of alternative fuels and electric vehicles is an opportunity to reducing exhaust emissions. We observe that the regulations on exhaust emissions from mobile sources are becoming gradually stricter on the all the world. As is widely known, using alternative fuels instead of conventional fuels helps lower vehicle emissions. The most popular alternative fuels are hydrogen, propane, biobutanol, methanol, dimethyl ether, etc. It is very important that more than a dozen alternative fuels are under development. The article contains a comparison of the operating costs of electric cars and cars with an internal combustion engine. This work shows also the characteristic of new alternative fuels and their impacts on exhaust emissions.

Probiotics are becoming more and more popular in the growing of fin and shellfish because these species are consumed worldwide and because different techniques are employed to maximize the productivity and efficiency of fin and shellfish. Probiotic Bacillus is one of the many types of probiotics that are used, but it stands out due to its superior qualities. For instance, because of its ability to sporulate, it can survive in harsh environments, produce antimicrobial substances, and is safe to feed to fish. The different species of Bacillus used in the farming of fin and shell fish were discussed in this review, along with the benefits of using Bacillus spp. as a good substitute in sustainable aquaculture to improve feed utilization, immune system response, stress adaptation, resistance to infectious diseases, tissue preservation integrity, and water quality. Additionally, we discussed the possible risks to safety that Bacillus poses when raising these significant species. For the purpose of future research and development regarding Bacillus application in aquaculture, a summary of the findings of recent studies about the advantages of applying Bacillus to enhance fin and shellfish aquatic animal culture has been provided.

The study employed simulation-based measurement approaches to evaluate and compare the performance of conventional networks to IRS-enhanced systems in terms of upstream spectral efficiency. The study discovered that applying IRS greatly improves coverage, or transmitting potency, for 6G services.

The landscape of business intelligence (BI) is marked by rapid growth, extensive research, and practical implementations, reflecting its sustained relevance in modern business strategies. This paper delves into the dynamics of BI, particularly focusing on the interplay between maturity and agility. While BI maturity emphasizes optimization and predefined goals, BI agility prioritizes adaptability and response to change. The paper highlights the contradictions between these concepts, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach in BI strategy formulation.The role of organizational culture in fostering BI agility is explored through literature review and interviews with BI professionals. Key insights include the necessity of an open culture for effective BI utilization, clear strategic vision, decision delegation, information sharing, business-IT cooperation, and a learning-oriented mindset. These cultural factors contribute significantly to BI effectiveness and the ability to navigate dynamic business landscapes. The paper proposes pillars of agile maturity supported by an open organizational culture, including efficient communication, information integration, creative problem-solving, and close collaboration between business and IT. These pillars underscore the importance of a flexible and open mindset in navigating BI challenges and ensuring sustained value. Empirical validation and further research are suggested to deepen our understanding of the impact of organizational culture on BI agility and effectiveness.

The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of China is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angio-sperms, but there is only one record of flower bud hitherto. A previous fossil record of flower bud just showed the appearance and lacked any internal details. Such a lacuna in knowledge of flower buds hin-ders our understanding of the evolution of flowers. Our new specimen was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (the Barremian-Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) near Dawangzhangzi, Lingyuan, Liao-ning, China. The specimen was observed and photographed using a Sony ILCE-7 digital camera and a Nikon SMZ1500 stereomicroscope, and details were observed using a TESCAN MAIA3 SEM. Our ob-servations document a fossil flower bud, Archaebuda cretaca sp. nov, from the Lower Cretaceous of China. The occurrence of two species of Archaebuda in the Yixian Formation not only confirms the ex-istence of the expected gynoecium (and possible androecium) in a flower bud, but also underscores the occurrence of typical flowers in the Early Cretaceous.

The medium-voltage DC (MVDC) technology has gained increasing interests in recent years. Power electronics devices dominate those grids. Accurate simulation of such a grid, with detailed models of switching semiconductors, can quickly became very time-consuming, according to the number of connected devices to be simulated. A simulation approach based on interactions on a continuous time model can be very interesting, especially for developing a system level control model of such a modern MVDC distribution grid. Aim of this paper is to present all the steps required for obtaining a continuous time modelling of a +/- 10 kV MVDC grid case study, including Solid State Transformer (SST) and Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) based Active Front End (AFE). Additional aim of this paper is to supply an educational content about the use of the continuous time simulation approach, thanks to a detailed description of the various devices modelled into the presented MVDC grid. The results of a certain number of simulation scenarios are eventually presented.

Deadlock is a real problem that can cause expensive, time-dependent hang-ups or failures in distributed computing systems. Some studies have been conducted with deadlock detection and resolution in generalized request computing models, most of these studies are based on the diffusing computation scheme, where forward and backward propagated probe and reply messages respectively are diffused between dependent processes. The replies carry the dependency information between processes for the initiator. Using this dependency information initiator can detect and resolve the deadlock cycle. It has been proven in the literature that a deadlock cycle length distribution is skewed with a large majority of cycles (90%) having length two. Based on this fact an improved algorithm is proposed for handling deadlock detection in distributed computing systems under the distributed request model where each process has several requests at a time. The improved algorithm depends mainly on message propagation and timeout policy. Probe and reply messages are propagated between the initiator and its successors only to detect deadlock cycles between them. Global timeout policy is used to detect potential deadlock cycles with large length distribution. The proposed algorithm can handle concurrent executions. Simulation experiments are performed to see the effectiveness of the improved algorithm. It is found that the improved algorithm compares favorably with other existing algorithms and it shows better results for several performance metrics especially in reducing deadlock latency and execution time.

This paper draws upon the theory of turbulence in physics to explore the similarities and differences between volatility in financial markets and turbulent phenomena at a statistical physics level. By analogizing the dynamics of financial markets with fluid turbulence, we have developed an innovative analytical framework aimed at deepening the understanding of the complexity inherent in financial markets. Our research methodology includes a comparative analysis of simulated time series data for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and fully developed turbulent velocity time series. We focus on the similarities in key statistical physical properties, including probability distributions, correlation structures, and power spectral densities. Furthermore, we have established a model of capital flow in financial markets and proposed corresponding solutions. Through computational simulations and data analysis, we find that while financial market volatility shares some statistical characteristics with turbulent phenomena, significant differences exist in the shapes of probability distributions and the temporal scales of correlations. This suggests that although financial markets exhibit patterns akin to turbulence, the behavior of this complex, multi-variable driven system does not completely correspond to natural turbulence, highlighting the limitations of directly applying turbulence theory to financial market analysis. Our study offers a new perspective for the theories of financial markets and the field of econophysics, providing fresh insights into the complexity of financial markets and contributing to the prevention and management of financial risk.

For many engineering applications it is sufficient to use the concept of simple materials. However, higher gradients of the kinematic variables are taken into account to model materials with internal length scales as well as to describe localization effects using gradient theories in finite plasticity or fluid mechanics. In many approaches length scale parameter have been introduced that are related to a specific micro structure. An alternative approach is possible, if a thermodynamically consistent framework is used for material modelling as shown in the present contribution. However, even if sophisticated and thermodynamically consistent material models can be established there are still not yet standard experiments to determine higher order material constants. In order to contribute to this ongoing discussion system identification based on the method of self-adaptive filtering is proposed in this paper. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach it has been applied to second-order gradient materials considering longitudinal vibrations. Based on thermodynamically consistent models that have been solved numerically it has been possible to prove that system identification based on self-adaptive filtering can be used effectively for both narrow-band and broadband signals in the field of second-order gradient materials. It has also been found that the differences identified for simple materials and gradient materials allow for condition monitoring and detection of gradient effects in the material behavior.

Gelephu, located in the Himalayan region, has experienced one of the strongest development activities due to the suitable topography and geographic location, which has led to rapid urbanization. The main objective of the study is to perform land use land cover (LULC) mapping for Gelephu for 2016 and 2023 by a Random Forest (RF) classifier, using the Semi-automatic Classification Plugin (SCP) in QGIS and identify LULC changes. Furthermore, the study assessed the vegetation change dynamics within the study area by analysing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for 2016 and 2023. Additionally, the study characterized the resulting LULC change for Gelephu Thromde, a sub-administrative municipal entity, as a result of the notable intensity of the infrastructure development activities. The current study used a framework to collect Sentiniel-2 satellite data, which was then used for pre- and post-processing to create LULC and NDVI maps. The classification model achieved high accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of up to 0.89. The corresponding LULC and NDVI statistics were analysed to determine the current status of the LULC and vegetation indices, respectively. The LULC change analysis reveals urban growth of 5.65% and 15.05% for Gelephu and Gelephu Thromde, respectively. The NDVI assessment shows significant deterioration in vegetation health with a 75.11% loss of healthy vegetation in Gelephu between 2016 and 2023. This research provides the first version of LULC and NDVI maps of Gelephu. The analysis results indicate possible future implications on sustainable development management in Gelephu Bhutan.

While the majority of previous studies assessing pain-related variables in psychopaths used electric shocks, little is known about the effectiveness of alternative pain-inducing methods to increase emotional responses such as fear and anxiety. A small sample of healthy undergraduate men (N = 15) was recruited to assess the effectiveness of a heat stimulus to induce pain in an immediate versus delayed punishment paradigm. Although pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and threat of pain did not increase throughout the experiment, participants experienced a significant increase of fear of pain and pain intensity, indicating that the heat stimulus was effective in inducing pain. Furthermore, subjects were slower in initiating the pain stimulus during the first five trials, but no time difference was found during the 15 remaining trials. No correlation was found between psychopathic traits and pain-related variables, with the exception of inconsistent results within the Fearless Dominance factor. Findings are discussed in terms of improvement for a larger scale study involving psychopathic individuals.

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is a disease caused by inhalation of Coccidioides spp. This neglected tropical disease of the Americas has substantial public health impact despite its geographic restriction to desert areas of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. The incidence of this infection in California and Arizona has been increasing over the past fifteen years. The burden of disease in outside the U.S. remains poorly understood. Several large cities are within the endemic region in the U.S. Coccidioidomycosis accounts for 25,000 hospital admissions per year in California. While most cases of coccidioidomycosis resolve spontaneously, up to 40% are severe enough to require anti-fungal treatment, and a significant number disseminate beyond the lungs. Disseminated infection, especially involving the meninges, is fatal without appropriate treatment. Infection with Coccidioides spp. is protective against a second infection, so vaccination seems biologically plausible. This review of efforts to develop a vaccine against coccidioidomycosis focuses on vaccine approaches and the difficulties in identifying protein antigen/adjuvant combinations that protect in experimental mouse models. Although the quest for a vaccine has not yet resulted in a clinically useful product, scientific efforts of vaccine development pave the way for future success.

Multivariate statistical approaches (MSA), such as principal components analysis and multidimensional scaling, seek to uncover meaningful patterns within datasets by considering multiple response variables in a concerted fashion. Although these techniques are readily used by ecologists to visualize and explain differences between study sites, they could theoretically be employed to differentiate organisms within an experimental framework while simultaneously identifying response variables that drive documented experimental differences. Therefore, MSA were used herein to attempt to understand the response of the common, Indo-Pacific reef coral Seriatopora hystrix to temperature changes using data from laboratory-based temperature challenge studies performed in Southern Taiwan. Gene expression and physiological data partitioned experimental specimens by time of sampling, treatment temperature, and site of origin upon employing MSA, signifying that S. hystrix and its dinoflagellate endosymbionts display physiological and molecular signatures that are characteristic of sampling time, site of colony origin, and/or temperature regime. These findings promote the utility of MSA for documenting biologically meaningful shifts in the physiological and/or sub-cellular response of marine invertebrates exposed to environmental change.

The thermal degradation behaviour of 10:90 and 90:10 blends of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and petroleum coke has been investigated using mechanical alloying (milling) at 300 rpm and for periods up to 1-10 hours. Milled specimens were characterised using SEM and x-ray diffraction; their thermal degradation behaviour was investigated using thermo-gravimetric analyser (TGA) for temperatures up to 1200°C. Whereas PET specimens showed a tendency towards flattening out and increased surface area during collisions in ball mills, petroleum coke particles tended to break down into smaller particles. 10:90 and 90:10 blends of PET and coke showed significant microstructural evolution with increasing speeds and time including fracture, strain hardening and re-welding. X-ray diffraction results showed clear evidence for increasing amorphous component in petroleum coke without much influence on PET crystallinity. Thermo-gravimetric results showed a significant increase in the overall degradation and much higher weight losses associated with mechanical alloying. This study has shown that mechanical alloying could be used to modify the degradation behaviour of coke/plastic blends and corresponding yield during pyrolysis with implications for plastic waste management.

In this work, a GaN-on-Si quasi-vertical Schottky diode was demonstrated on a locally grown n-GaN drift layer. The diode achieves a high current density of 2.5 kA/cm², a specific on-resistance RON,sp of 1.9 mΩ.cm² despite the crowding effect in quasi-vertical device and on/off current ratio (Ion/Ioff) of 1010. Temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics have been measured in the range of 300-433 K to investigate the mechanisms of leakage conduction in the device. At near zero bias, thermionic emission (TE) was found to dominate. At voltage range from -1 to -10 V, electrons gain enough energy to excite into trap states, leading to the dominance of Frenkel-Poole emission (FPE). For a higher voltage range (-10V to -40V), the increased electric field promotes electron hopping along the threading dislocations in the “bulk” GaN layers, and thus, Variable Range Hopping becomes the main mechanism for the whole temperature range. This work provides an in-depth insight into the leakage conduction mechanisms on vertical GaN-on-Si Schottky barrier Diodes (SBDs) grown by localized epitaxy.

Silicon has a theoretical specific capacity of 4200 mAh g−1, which is considered to have significant potential for anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the volume change that occurs in silicon during charging and discharging affects the development of commercial applications. In this work, a yolk-shell structured Si@void@C anode material has been developed to address this problem. The silicon nanoparticle yolk material is obtained by recycling kerf-loss (KL) Si waste from the photovoltaic industry, the carbon shell is prepared via a hydrothermal process with glucose, and the sacrificial interlayer is Al2O3. The synthesized material is used to fabricate anodes that show a high reversible capacity of 836 mAh g−1 at the current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles, with a Coulomb efficiency of 71.4%. This work demonstrates a relatively low-cost approach to turn KL Si waste into value-added materials for LIBs.

In this paper, the authors employ Mountain Pass Lemma, the method of weak solution regularization and Lyapunov function method to derive the unique existence of globally exponential stable positive stationary solution of a single-species model with diffusion and delayed feedback. The obtained stability criterion illuminates that under some suitable conditions, a certain internal competition is conducive to the overall stability of the population, and a certain amount of family planning is conducive to the overall stability of the population. A numerical example and three tables show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Amorphous solid dispersions are considered a promising formulation strategy for the oral delivery of poorly soluble drugs. The limiting factor for the applicability of this approach is the physical (in)stability of the amorphous phase in solid samples. Minimizing the risk of reduced shelf life for a new drug by establishing a suitable excipient/polymer-type from first principles would be desirable to accelerate formulation development. Here we perform Molecular Dynamics simulations to determine properties of blends of eight different polymer-small molecule drug combinations for which stability data is available from a consistent set of literature data. We calculate thermodynamic factors (mixing energies) as well as mobilities (diffusion rates and roto-vibrational fluctuations). We find that either of the two factors, mobility and energetics, can determine the relative stability of the amorphous form for a given drug. Which factor is rate limiting depends on physico-chemical properties of the drug and the excipients/polymers. The methods outlined here can be readily employed for an in-silico pre-screening of different excipients for a given drug to establish a qualitative ranking of the expected relative stabilities, thereby accelerating and streamlining formulation development.

Licochalcone H (LCH), a regioisomer of licochalcone C derived from the root of Glycyrrhiza inflata. CRC treatment has always been challenged by the development of resistance. We investigated the antiproliferative activity of LCH in oxaliplatin (Ox)-sensitive and -resistant CRC cells. LCH significantly inhibited cell viability and colony growth in both Ox-sensitive and Ox-resistant CRC cells. We found that LCH decreased epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and AKT kinase activities and related activating signaling proteins including phospho (p)-EGFR and pAKT. A computational docking model indicated that LCH may interact with EGFR, AKT1, and AKT2 at the ATP-binding sites. LCH induced ROS generation, as verified by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) treatment, and increased the expression of the ER stress markers. LCH treatment of CRC cells induced depolarization of MMP and increased. Multi-caspase activity was induced by LCH treatment and confirmed by Z-VAD-FMK treatment. LCH increased the number of subG1 cells and arrested the cell cycle at the G1 phase. LCH inhibits the growth of Ox-sensitive and Ox-resistant CRC cells by targeting EGFR and AKT, and inducing ROS generation and ER stress-mediated apoptosis. Therefore, LCH could be a potential therapeutic agent for improving not only Ox-sensitive but also Ox-resistant CRC treatment.

Accordingly, a lot of dry direct seeding rice would be dense planted, that the initial seedling quantity could approach or even exceed the targeted effective panicle number. While limit information is available to evaluate the effects of involved novel nitrogen application methods, that total nitrogen once applied at a determined leaf age stage, on the yield formation traits of such dense planted dry direct seeding rice. The two-year experiments with total 180 kg ha-1 nitrogen once applied time treatments at sixth (L6), seventh (L7), eighth (L8), ninth (L9) and tenth (L10) leaf age stages were carried out. Results showed that the above-ground dry matter weight at maturity and grain yield of L8 was 2.1% ~ 11.8% and 4.0% ~ 9.9% higher than those of other treatments. Compared to other treatments, the higher above-ground dry matter weight after heading stage, bigger mean leaf area index with higher leaf area index at heading stage, increased leaf area duration, crop growth rate and net assimilation rate from jointing to heading period were important traits of higher grain yield formation of L8. In addition, the L8 had relative higher grain-leaf ratio traits than other treatments. Overall, a total 180 kg ha-1 nitrogen with mixed urea and compound fertilizer once applied at eighth leaf age stage would be suggest a useful high yield cultivation method for dense planted dry direct seeding rice in rice-wheat rotation system.

With the aim of developing an innovative water treatment approach for developing countries in the Global South, we have applied the method of treating a cavitating water stream with a plasma discharge under real conditions. To this end, we have optimised the approach after investigating the effects that occur in the treated medium during such a treatment. Based on the obtained light absorption curves of treated model solutions of titanium oxysulphate and potassium bichromate, it was found that inside the reactor the main role in the destruction of chemical contaminants is played by hydroxide ions, while outside the reactor the main chemical interaction takes place with hydrogen peroxide. The plasma treatment unit was tested in the biological wastewater treatment plants of a health resort on the territory of the Russian Federation (Almetyevsk, Republic of Tatarstan). Water samples taken directly from the tertiary decantation tank were used as real wastewater samples instead of adding chemical reagents for disinfection. It was found that with different modes of operation of the plasma treatment plant, the concentration levels of coliform bacteria, coliphages and Escherichia coli decrease significantly and fall below the limit of permissible concentrations for wastewater discharge. At the same time, the possible effect of the plasma on persistent inorganic compounds was investigated. It was shown that the plasma discharge in the flow of the incoming liquid can almost completely destroy compounds that are difficult to remove, such as hydrogen sulphide and chlorides. In the course of the study, the optimum frequency of the electrical pulses of 68 kHz was selected, which ensures the lowest consumption of electrical energy while maintaining the required efficiency.

Consumer perception of beef is heavily influenced by overall meat quality, a critical factor in the cattle industry. Genomics has the potential to improve important beef quality traits and identify genetic markers and causal variants associated with these traits by genomic selection (GS), and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) approaches. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics provide insights into underlying genetic mechanisms by identifying differentially expressed genes, proteins, and metabolic pathways linked to quality traits, complementing GWAS data. Leveraging these functional genomics techniques can optimize beef cattle breeding for enhanced quality traits to meet high-quality beef demand. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state applications of the omics technologies in uncovering functional variants underlying beef quality complexities. By highlighting the latest findings from GWAS, GS, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics studies, this work seeks to serve as a valuable resource fostering a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between genetics, gene expression, protein dynamics, and metabolic pathways in shaping beef quality.

Histone changes that are adjustable and transmitted without altering the DNA sequence are part of epigenetic control. In many disorders, most famously malignancy, abnormal genetic information is seen as a result of mismanagement of typical epigenetic mechanisms. A paradigm change in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been brought about by recent discoveries about the processes of epigenetic modifications, chromatin remodeling, and noncoding RNAs implicated in the changed expression patterns of tumor cells. There is a significant increase in the search for drugs that could alter the epigenetic environment altered by tumor cells and benefit from their therapeutic potential. Phytochemicals with a high concentration of naturally produced phenol molecules known as flavonoids can regulate genomic processes. Understanding the precise epigenetic alterations brought on by flavonoid-mediated mechanisms is necessary to develop combination therapy techniques and genomic therapies for cancer. This article aims to thoroughly examine the epigenetic modifications of flavonoids, including their anticancer properties.

Background: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that significantly affects the daily life of those who suffer from it, requiring complex and personalized management with active participation of the patient in the management of their disease. Objective: to describe the design and development process of a mobile application, using the Design Thinking method, for the follow-up of patients with atopic dermatitis. Methods: User-centered design and prototype creation method, differentiating the phases of the empathize, define, idea, prototype, and test. A purposive snowball sampling was used to recruit patients with atopic dermatitis, family members, and health professionals. Three two-hour workshops were held, attended by 25 people. Results: the parameters to be monitored will include objective data (physical, behavioral, treatments, environmental, integration of daily routines) and subjective data (user experience). On the other hand, it will figure out behavior patterns, set up rewards, foster a feeling of community, and use notifications and a chatbot. Conclusion: The active integration of all stakeholders at each stage of the design and development of the digital solution has improved its relevance and acceptance, resulting in a tool that is expected to significantly improve the management of atopic dermatitis.

Patients who survived critical COVID-19 frequently reported post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) such as psychosomatic and neurocognitive health problems. The goal of this study was to identify clinical risk factors and other predictors for such long-term consequences in severely ill COVID-19 patients. Adult COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) survivors from August 2020 to May 2021 were enrolled. A broad range of clinical, laboratory and chest computed tomography (CT) data was collected during ICU stay. The association between ICU predictors and psychosomatic, respiratory and neurocognitive assessments 12 months after ICU discharge was analyzed using univariate regression analysis. In 17 patients (mean age 58.9 ± 11.4 years), laboratory markers (CRP, lymphocytes, hemoglobin), ICU severity (SOFA, SAPS II, need for mechanical ventilation), complications (ARDS), and lung CT data (ground-glass opacity) were promising predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms, fatigue, and sleep problems. Recovery of psychosomatic health such as fatigue, depression and anxiety correlated with lower levels of inflammation and high hemoglobin levels. ARDS, mechanical ventilation and worse SOFA and SAPS II scores were further risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our study identified novel associations such as pulmonary ground-glass opacity being positively associated with depression, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia levels.

The trigeminal nerve is responsible for innervating the periorbita. Ultrasound-guided trigeminal block is employed in humans for trigeminal neuralgia or periorbital surgery. There are no studies evaluating this block in dogs. This study aims to evaluate and compare two approaches (coronoid and temporal) of the trigeminal nerve block. We hypothesized superior staining with the coronoid approach. Thirteen dog heads were used. After a preliminary anatomical study, two ultrasound-guided injections per head (right and left, coronoid and temporal approach, randomly assigned), with an injectate volume of 0.15 mL cm-1 of cranial length were performed (iodate contrast and tissue dye mixture). The ultrasound probe was placed over the temporal region, visualizing the pterygopalatine fossa. For the temporal approach, the needle was advanced from the medial aspect of the temporal region in a dorsoventral direction. For the coronoid approach, it was advanced ventral to the zygomatic arch in a lateromedial direction. CT scans and dissections were conducted to assess and compare the position of the needle, spread of injectate, and nerve staining. No significant differences were found. Both approaches demonstrated effective interfascial distribution of injectate, with some minimal intracranial spread. Although the coronoid approach did not yield superior staining as hypothesized, it presents a viable alternative to the temporal approach. Studies in live animals are warranted to evaluate clinical efficacy and safety.

Quinoa is a resilient crop known for its adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. This study examined the agronomic performance and ecological adaptability of quinoa across four distinct altitudes in the northwestern regions of China. Six quinoa genotypes were assessed for agronomic traits, phenology and yield performances, and nutritional quality characteristics in Yining city, Nilka County, Tekes County and Zhaosu County under varied environmental conditions. Our findings demonstrate significant variations in all measured traits including agronomic and nutritional quality traits across the various altitudes and genotypes. In Yining City, a warmer and lower altitude area, genotypes exhibit superior traits for fodder production, including increased branches, longer panicles, robust stems, and high seed protein content. Genotypes Jinli 1 and Beijing 2 achieve yields exceeding 3 tons per hectare (T/ha), highlighting the region’s productivity. Nilka and Tekes counties boasted the shortest quinoa crop cycles, with Jinli 1 yielding 4.05 T/ha seeds in Tekes County, exhibiting high protein and fat content alongside low saponins, making it prime location for yield production. Zhaosu County, with its cooler climate and fertile chernozem soil, elicited high 1000 seed weight and more robust protein response than Nilka and Tekes counties, illustrating the impact of soil fertility on nutritional composition. Correlation analyses further elucidated that the plants characterized by shorter flowering times, crop cycles, compact inflorescence, and taller heights exhibited superior seed yields. Our study contributes significant insights into the ecological adaptability and nutritional dynamics of quinoa, with implications for sustainable crop production and food security in diverse agroecosystems.

This article summarizes the results of a research conducted to create an intelligent platform supporting small farmers growing vegetables. In Bulgaria, many farmers use relatively small areas for their production. Considering this situation, the platform is designed for regional use, trying to make maximum use of the specific climatic features of the monitored microdistrict. Consequently, special attention is paid to the possibilities of adapting the platform to the specific environment in which the observed plants grow. Thus, the platform is implemented as an agent-oriented system providing needed flexibility. The core of the platform is a personal assistant, which is responsible for tracking the vegetation cycle of the monitored crop and, upon detection of anomalies, preparing warnings to the farmer. The general architecture of the platform is also presented. In a distributed knowledge base, agriculture-specific knowledge are stored. Furthermore, a standardized interface for receiving data from the sensor networks located in the production areas is briefly described. Currently, the platform is being tested for monitoring four varieties of tomatoes grown on the territory of the national research center for potato breeding. Special attention is paid to the measurements carried out. Conclusions have been drawn that will help improve the platform.

The Eastern Kunlun Fault Zone (EKFZ) is located in a seismic blank area. This study investigates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of varied-temperature springs in the EKFZ to understand the relationship between fractures, fluids and earthquakes. It aids in establishing their induction mechanisms and assists in monitoring the earthquake precursors of the EKFZ. In this study, the main elements, trace elements, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and strontium isotopes of 23 varied-temperature springs in the EKFZ were analyzed. The results reveal the source of groundwater recharge, hydrochemical types, mineral saturation, and for a select few springs indicative of geothermal activity, collected geothermal reservoir temperatures. The study also explores the relationship between earthquakes and springs, identifying sensitive chemical indicators. Based on continuous monitoring at Maqu Station, we found that before the occurrence of the Maerkang Ms 6.0 earthquake, the concentration of Cl− rose by 2.9 times, and 46 days before the Gande earthquake (Ms = 4.7), the concentrations of Na+ and SO42− significantly increased. Finally, a conceptual model of the hydrogeochemistry of springs is presented to describe the groundwater circulation in the study area. This research is of great significance for the analysis of fluid geochemistry in this area and for assessing the seismic hazards of the EKFZ.

Under the same seismic load, different local topography will have different effects, which is an important research field in seismic engineering. Hills are connected with valleys is a very typical terrain. Taking this terrain as an example, its response to the most destructive SH waves in the earthquake is studied. By simplifying and dividing the model, the wave functions satisfying the wave equation and boundary conditions in each region are constructed by using the complex function and moving coordinate method. The equations satisfying the boundary continuity conditions are established. With the help of calculation software, the numerical results are obtained. The influence of different parameters on ground motion is discussed.

Inadequately managed agricultural waste significantly impacts the environment, health, and economy. This form of pollution arises from the underutilization, poor awareness, and insufficient treatment of agricultural waste. Fruit and vegetable wastes are valuable sources of bioactive compounds. This study aims to revalorize discarded waste from red habanero chili peppers (Capsicum chinense) by extracting bioactive compounds through different extraction processes: maceration (ME), maceration assisted by ultrasound (US), Soxhlet extraction (SE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and supercritical fluid extraction with a co-solvent (SFEC). Extraction processes have significant effects on extraction efficiency and phytochemical profile (capsaicinoids and carotenoids recovery). The results indicate that the highest efficiency process is obtained with SFEC, also a high phytochemicals recovery (14.9 mg of total capsaicinoids and total carotenoids 292.09 µg per gram of sample). Concerning to phytochemical profile in the extract, the maceration process gets the highest concentration of compound followed by US and SFEC. These data reveal that the use of SFE and SFEC extraction is recommended for extraction of phytochemicals with biologically activity from red habanero chili pepper waste for diverse industries application.

Abstract: Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune/autoinflammatory disease affecting large vessels in patients over 50 years old. The disease presents as an acute inflammatory response with two phenotypes, cranial-GCA and Large Vessel Vasculitis (LV)-GCA, involving the thoracic aor-ta and its branches. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomogra-phy (18F-FDG PET-CT) is among the imaging techniques contributing to diagnosis of patients with systemic disease. However, its association with soluble inflammatory markers is still elu-sive. This proof-of-concept study aims to identify novel soluble serum biomarkers in PET/CT pos-itive patients with LV-GCA and associate them with active (0 months) and inactive disease (6 months following treatment), in sequential samples. The Most-Disease-Segment Target-to-Background Ratio (TBRMDS) was calculated for 9 LV-GCA patients, while 12 cranial-GCA and 7 Polymyalgia Rheumatica patients with negative initial PET/CT served as disease controls. Serum macrophage-related cytokines were evaluated by Cytometric Bead Array (CBA). Finally, previously published NMR-metabolomics data acquired at the same blood sampling were associated with PET/CT findings. TBRMDS was significantly increased in active versus inactive disease (3.45 vs. 2.55, p=0.008). The analysis identified 6 serum metabolites, as more sensitive to change from the active to inactive state. Among them, choline levels were exclusively altered in the LV-GCA group, but not the disease controls. Cytokine levels were not associated with PET/CT activity. Combining with CRP, ESR, and TBRMDS a composite index was generated to depict well the differences between active and inactive systemic LV-GCA (25.45 vs 11.45, p=0.0039). These preliminary results could pave the way for more extensive studies integrating serum metabolomic parameters with PET/CT imaging data to extract sensitive composite disease indexes useful for the everyday clinical practice.

Renewable energy sources are increasingly crucial for meeting global energy demands in an eco-friendly manner, particularly as the world shifts away from fossil fuels and faces higher volatility of the market prices. Portugal, a country with limited fossil fuel reserves and high energy dependency, has heavily invested in renewables in recent years. However, renewables like sunlight, wind, and water are inherently unsteady due to climate influences, resulting in energy production fluctuations. To mitigate this issue, energy storage systems are being deployed to stabilize renewable energy supply during production lulls. This project aims to assess an energy storage system and define technical specification in order to maximize profitability at the Finerge-owned Alto Douro wind farm. To achieve this, we've conducted an energy demand analysis, followed by simulations to assess system performance in relation to energy use and profit, while varying parameters such as power and efficiency. We've also compared commercial proposals from different battery manufacturers utilizing various technologies. Our findings suggest that high-power, quick charge-discharge lithium-ion batteries are the most suitable solution, given their efficiency and modularity. These attributes are vital for achieving current and future profitability.

In this paper, the stability control of the inverted pendulum on a cart with a disturbance forces has been done using observer based and full state feedback H2 controllers. The Lagrangian equation has been used to model the system equation of motions and linearized the system to the unstable upward position. Comparison of the system stability has been simulated by comparing the proposed controllers using Matlab/Scripts and a promising results has been analyzed successfully.

The management of wounds is a significant issue that impacts individuals, healthcare systems, and society at large. This study evaluates Rigemed D (RD), a novel compound extracted from Bovine Colostrum with a unique combination of 20 different growth factors and exosomes, known for its exceptional properties in promoting cell proliferation and regeneration. This study aims to determine the effects of different doses of RD on cell survival (using CCK8) and to assess its antioxidant effect using the Comet assay in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on two human cell types, fibroblasts and immortalised keratinocytes (HaCat cell line). The study results revealed that RD, at doses of 1, 1.5, and 2 % v/v, significantly improved cell viability four, six, and 12 times, respectively, compared to the control group (p < 0.00001). Furthermore, the Comet assay showed a two-fold reduction in DNA damage in RD-treated cells at 2% v/v without and with H2O2 (p < 0.001). The effect of RD on cell proliferation and migration was evaluated using a scratch assay on fibroblasts and HaCat cells. The findings demonstrated a four-fold increase in cell proliferation and migration at 1 and 24 hours (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry confirmed this claim (p < 0.001). Also, angiogenesis induction of RD was assessed on human vein umbilical endothelial cells (HUVEC), showing that RD significantly enhanced the proliferation of endothelial HUVEC cells (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, RD is a promising vitalising compound with exceptional capabilities in promoting cell proliferation, migration, and regeneration. It also shows a significant antioxidant effect and has the potential to support all phases of wound healing involving cell proliferation, re-epithelialisation, angiogenesis, and tissue maturation. Hence, the present formulation presents a promising foundation for developing a 3D bio-printed membrane, potentially expediting the wound healing process.

This study investigated riverbank protection strategies along the dynamic Jamuna River in Bangladesh, a braided river prone to erosion and sedimentation. It reviews past countermeasures and emphasizes the effectiveness of groyne-type structures in redirecting flow and preventing erosion. Notably, the left bank exhibited greater stability than the right bank, emphasizing the need for effective groyne installations. A systematic methodology utilizing numerical modeling using International River Interface Cooperation (iRIC Nays2DH) ensured accuracy in assessing morphological impacts. This study presents novel countermeasures incorporating groyne installations in Zone 1 (from Singrabari to Meghai) and Zone 2 (from Pachthakuri to Subhagacga), accompanied by simulations for various flood conditions. Zone 2, identified as highly erosion-vulnerable, showed the greatest susceptibility. Simulations (Cases_0 1, 2, and 3) revealed groynes in Zone 1 alone ineffective, while Zone 2 installations successfully diverted oblique flow, reducing erosion risk. Although Case_3's combined approach was effective, it was uneconomical for Zone 1. Case_2, focusing on Zone 2 groynes, emerged as the optimal solution, redirecting flow and shaping sandbars to mitigate Jamuna River's riverbank erosion. It provides a practical and economical solution. Further research is recommended for groyne length and spacing variations. This study enhances Jamuna River protection, emphasizing groyne-type structures' importance and promoting a holistic understanding of morphological dynamics for future river management and effective countermeasures.

We present an investigation on the fracture of a mold, comparing it with a normal part using specific techniques, such as EDX, SEM, and AES. The EDX analysis revealed that the composition of the normal part was consistent with that of low carbon steel, mainly comprising Fe and C. In contrast, the fractured part exhibited cracks due to nonconforming nonmetallic inclusions and reticular carbides, with fractures resulting from microporosity agglomeration and cleavage fracture. The SEM and AES analyses further presented the causes of mold fracture, highlighting the mechanism by which dimples on the specimen edge contributed to the fracture. The EDX analysis confirmed that the mold experienced thermal brittleness during use. To enhance mold durability and extend its lifespan, a double-pulse electrodeposition method was employed to create a NiCo alloy coating as a replacement for the Cr layer on the metal surface. The coating exhibited a smooth and scratch-free surface. The prepared NiCo special coating significantly increased the mold yield strength by approximately 313.8%, facilitated a 13% increase in plastic deformation, and reduced fracture strain by 25%, effectively preventing mold fracture and 3improving its service life.

This study focuses on the impact of weak partial discharges (PDs) on defect recognition accuracy in epoxy resin through phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) analysis. Two measurement conditions are compared until PRPD pattern saturation: one-minute and one-hour durations. The PD data specifically target three void types located at different positions within the epoxy material. The aim is to evaluate how the presence of weak PDs at the PD extinction voltage (PDEV) influences defect recognition accuracy. This research sheds light on the potential implications of neglecting the significance of weak PD signals in defect detection. A convolutional neural network (CNN) model is trained using PRPD data recorded at the PD inception voltage (PDIV) and tested using the new PRPD data from both conditions recorded from a lower PDIV to a PDEV. The trained CNN model achieves a defect recognition accuracy of 100% for a one-hour duration, highlighting the importance of not neglecting weak PD signals. This emphasizes the significance of extended measurement duration and pattern saturation in capturing and analyzing weak PD signals for improved defect recognition. This study contributes to the advancement of practical applications by understanding the behavior of the epoxy material and enhancing defect detection techniques.

Water resources are under pressure because of human activities. Its management faces the challenge of enhancing long-term water security while minimizing undesirable economic, social, and environmental impacts along with its production chain. Since water and wastewater treatment plants are designed to maintain and conserve freshwater provisioning services, it is paramount to understand how it operates before proposing options for sustainability. At this point, the diagnosis phase claims for methods scientifically-based, systemic, and more objective to provide information for decision-makers towards strategic management of water resources. This work applies the five-sector sustainability model (5SenSu) to assess Brazil's twenty major water and wastewater treatment companies (WWTC) to quantify their sustainability levels that allow ranking procedures and the establishment of benchmarks for improvements. Under comparative basis, results identified the top-three sustainable companies, CORSAN, CASAN, and SANEPAR, which should be considered examples of best practices. Specifically, the following best-ranked companies in each sector within 5SenSu should be used as benchmark patterns for more oriented best practices: SANEAGO, sector 1; AGESISA, sector 2; CORSAN, sector 3; CASAL, sector 4; MA, sector 5. This work contributes to the advancement in modeling sustainability assessment of human-managed systems (applied in WWTCs in this present study) from a systemic and epistemologically rooted approach, avoiding shortcomings and misleading discussions on the sustainability issue. Quantifying sustainability of WWTCS from 5SenSu allows the identification of those sectors/indicators that requires immediate cleaner production practices by decision-makers to improve overall sustainability, besides identifying those companies more aligned with the requirements of UN SDGs.

Grain production and storage are major components in food security. In the ancient times, food security was achieved through gathering of fruits, grains, herbs, tubers, and roots from the forests by individual households. Advancements in human civilization led to domestication of crops and a need to save food for not only a household, but the nation. This extended need for food security led to establishment of national reservoirs for major produces and this practice varies greatly in different states. Each of the applied food production, handling and storage approaches has got its benefits and challenges. In sub-Saharan Africa, several countries have a public funded budget to subsidize production costs, to buy grains from farmers and to store the produce for a specific period and/or until the next harvests. During the times of famine, the stored grains are later given free to the citizens. If there is no famine, the grain is sold to retailers and/or processors (e.g., millers) who later sell it to the consumers. This approach works well if the produce (mainly grain) is stored under conditions that do not favor growth of molds, as some of these could contaminate the grain with toxic and carcinogenic metabolites called mycotoxins. Conditions that alleviate contamination of grains are required during production, handling and storage. Most of the grain is produced by smallholder farmers under sub-optimal conditions, which make vulnerable to colonization and contamination by toxigenic fungi. Further, the grain is stored in silos at large masses, where it is hard to monitor the conditions at different points of these facilities, and hence it becomes vulnerable to additional contamination. Production and storage of grain under conditions that favor mycotoxins poses major food health and safety risks to humans and livestock who consume the grain. This concept paper focuses on how establishment of local grain production and banking system (LGPBS) could enhance food security and safety in East Africa. The concept of LGPBS provides an extension of advisory and finance support within warehouse receipting system to enhance grain production under optimal conditions. The major practices at the LGPBS, and how each could contribute to food security and safety are discussed. While the concept paper gives more strength on maize production and safety, similar practices could be applied to enhance safety of other grains in the same LGPBS.

Uterine tube extracellular matrix is a key component that regulates tubal tissue physiology, and it has a region-specific structural distribution, which are directly associated to their functions. Considering this, application of biological matrices in culture systems is an interesting strategy to develop biomimetic tubal microenvironments and enhance their complexity. However, there are no established protocols to produce tubal biological matrices that consider the organ morphophysiology for such applications. Therefore, this study aimed to establish region-specific protocols to obtain decellularized scaffolds derived from porcine infundibulum, ampulla, and isthmus to provide suitable sources of biomaterials for tissue-engineering approaches. Porcine uterine tubes were decellularized in solutions of 0.1% SDS and 0.5% Triton X-100. Decellularization efficiency was evaluated by DAPI staining and DNA quantification. We analyzed ECM composition and structure by optical and scanning electronic microscopy, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. DNA and DAPI assays validated the decellularization, presenting significative reduction of cellular content. Structural and spectroscopy analyses revealed that produced scaffolds remained well structured and with ECM composition preserved. YS and HEK293 cells were used to attest cytocompatibility, allowing cell survival and successful interaction with the scaffolds. These results suggest that such matrices are applicable for future biotechnological approaches in the reproductive field.

The development of solar energy on a regional scale necessitates a thorough understanding of available resources. Cuba, facing prolonged economic, environmental, and energy crises, urgently needs to enhance its sustainability through solar energy. While solar resource mapping is widespread, Cuba lacks extensive field measurements, often relying on models that may not be ideally suited for large regions like Matanzas province. Spanning over 12,000 km² with nearly 150 km between its northern and southern extremes, Matanzas presents challenges for high-resolution solar mapping. This study introduces a methodology that integrates various methods and databases to achieve maximum resolution in the resulting solar map. The approach is designed for large areas where conventional high-resolution models fall short. By optimizing calculation times and parameterizing the entire surface latitudinally, a high-resolution solar resource map for Matanzas has been developed. This map significantly enhances the understanding of solar resources in Cuba and proposes new methodologies for analyzing solar potential in similarly large regions.

Green hydrogen is a fuel that in the coming years will play a very important role in the energy transition process in developed countries, especially those seeking to reach a level of zero emis-sions, for which reason its demand is expected to increase significantly. This article analyzes the fundamentals to produce hydrogen, with a focus on the oxidation reaction of a thermochemical solar cycle for the dissociation of water vapor. Solar thermochemical cycles have been extensively investigated, but it is still in the development stage by groups of researchers who have focused on finding the right materials and conditions to improve the efficiency of the process, especially at high temperatures. The theoretical foundations are analyzed, compiled from exhaustive scientific investigations related to the oxidation of iron in water vapor, the relationship with the activation energy of the corrosive process, thermodynamic aspects and the kinetic model according to a heterogeneous reaction. In addition, some high temperature oxidation mechanisms, pH effects, reactors and materials (fluidized beds) used are presented. The scientific review indicates that the production of hydrogen through a thermochemical cycle is more efficient than electrochemical processes (electrolysis), if the limitations of the reduction stage of the cycle are overcome.

Solar radiation impacts diverse aspects of city life, such as harvesting energy with PV panels, passive heating of buildings in winter, cooling loads of air-conditioning systems in summer, and urban microclimate. Urban digital twins and 3D city models can support solar studies in the process of urban planning and provide valuable insights for data-driven decision support. This study examines the calculation of solar incident radiation at the city scale in Sofia using remote sensing data for the large shading context in a mountainous region and 3D vector building data. The building footprints and the terrain are preprocessed using GIS. The solar calculation uses a raytracing algorithm in 3D CAD at the city scale. To evaluate the performance, two cases were considered at the city and district scale, respectively. The total face count of meshes for the simulations constituted approximately 2 000 000 faces. 64379 roofs for the whole city and 4796 buildings for one district were selected. All calculations were performed in one batch and visualized in a 3D web platform. Using a 3D CAD environment establishes a seamless process of updating 3D models and simulations while preprocessing in GIS ensures working with large-scale datasets. The proposed method showed moderate computation time for both cases and could be extended to include reflected radiation and dense photogrammetric meshes in the future.

Advanced oxidation processes, including photocatalysis, have been proven effective at organic dye degradation. Tailored porous materials with regulated pore size, shape and morphology offer a sustainable solution to the water pollution problem, by acting as support materials to grafted photocatalytic nanoparticles (NPs). This research investigates the influence of pore and particle sizes of photocatalytic MICROSCAFS®, on the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution (10 mg/L). Photocatalytic MICROSCAFS® are made of binder-less supported P25 TiO2 NPs within MICROSCAFS®, which are silica-titania microspheres with controlled size and intercon-nected macroporosity, synthesized by an adapted sol-gel method that involves a polymeriza-tion-induced phase separation process. Photocatalytic experiments were done both in batch and flow reactors, these latter ones targeting real-life conditions. Photocatalytic degradation of 87% in 2 hours (batch) and 29% in 5 hours (flow), was achieved, using a calibrated solar light simulator (1 sun) and a photocatalyst/pollutant mass ratio of 23. This study introduces a novel flow kinetic model which provides the modeling and simulation of the photocatalytic MICROSCAFS® per-formance. A scavenger study was performed enabling in-depth mechanistic understanding. Fi-nally, the transformation products resulting from the MO photocatalytic degradation were elu-cidated by high-resolution mass spectrometry experiments and subjected to in-silico toxicity as-sessment.

Solar energetic particles (SEPs) are bursts of high-energy particles that originate from the Sun and can last for hours or even days. The aim of this study is to understand how the characteristics of energetic particles was affected by the characteristic parameters of corotating interaction regions (CIRs). In particular, the particle intensity distribution with time and space in different CIRs are studied. The propagation and acceleration of particles are described by the focused transport equation (FTE). We used a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model to simulate the background field including CIRs. By changing the inner boundary conditions, we constructed CIRs with different solar wind speeds, angles between the polar axis and rotation axis, and the azimuthal widths of the fast streams. Impulsive particles are injected at the inner boundary. We then study the SEPs in different backgrounds. The results show that the CIR widths are related to the solar wind speed, tilt angles, and the azimuthal widths of the fast stream. The acceleration of particles in the reverse and forward compression regions is mainly influenced by the solar wind speed difference and the slow solar wind speed, respectively. Particles with lower energy (sub-MeV) are more sensitive to the parameters of CIRs. Different CIR parameters also greatly affect the spatio-temporal distribution of particle intensities in different ways. These results indicate that, it is crucial to consider the conditions of large-scale structure in interplanetary space when studying or predicting energetic particles. Additionally, our findings provide empirical guidance for forecasting the characteristics of SEPs.

The Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO)-MAGnetometer (KMAG) consists of three triaxial fluxgate sensors (MAG1, MAG2, and MAG3) to measure the magnetic field around the Moon. The three sensors are mounted in the order of MAG3, MAG2, and MAG1 inside a 1.2 m long boom away from the satellite body. Before it arrived on the Moon, we compared the magnetic field measurements taken by DSCOVR and KPLO in the solar wind to verify the measurement performance of the KMAG instrument. We found that there were artificial disturbances in the KMAG measurement data, such as step-like and spike-like disturbances, which were produced by the spacecraft body. To remove spacecraft-generated disturbances, we applied a multi-sensor method, employing the gradiometer technique and principal component analysis and using KMAG magnetic field data and confirmed the successful elimination of spacecraft-generated disturbances. This indicates that the multi-sensor method is able to clean the magnetic field data measured onboard the KPLO.

The solar cell industry is a part of the green energy sector, and effectively combining the patents of various manufacturers within the supply chain to collectively create sustainable patent market value is of paramount importance. This study aimed to establish a business strategy framework for Project-based licensing through the analysis of solar cell patents and the integration of supply chain manufacturers' patents, with the goal of collectively creating market value for patents sustainably. The research methodology included literature analysis and focus group discussions. Initially, the study analyzed solar cell industry patents from the past decade using the WIPS Global Patent database to identify projects with the highest patent count. Subsequently, through the use of focus group discussions, the feasibility of a patent pool strategy within the supply chain was explored. Finally, a strategy framework was proposed for Project-based patent pool licensing, focusing on the top 15 projects with the highest count of 5,579 patents. The results indicated that adopting this strategy framework for supply chain manufacturer patents can result in higher commercial patent value.

This paper focuses on designing and assessing Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage Systems (PHES), connected to the grid and PV system for self-consumption structured at Mutah university in an area of high solar potential. In focusing on PHES and PV literature was made to have data on the field, based on the grid code needed in Jordan. Next, a prospection to find the proper location for the installation was done. Afterward, a load profile was inserted to know the energy demand of the university. Then The productivity of the solar power plant of Mutah University was included. Finally, MATLAB software was used to realize the amount of energy to be stored, this data was used to implement the system which was chosen and sized. PHES layout was created to find the most accurate values for parameters to optimize the system performance, and to investigate the loss analysis. The system attains 9230.89 MWh/year. An annual load yields 4430 MWh/year, which covers the Mutah university demand with an estimated saving of 2039773 JD.

: Electric air conditioning and heating systems capacity is growing rapidly. So does the nameplate capacity of PV power plants. While demand in cooling has a positive correlation with solar irradiationirradiance, the demand in heating has an opposite relation. In this study, different approaches of to design (aggregation; energy storagethermal, battery and implicit systems storage) and control (frequency conversion; variable and adaptive load) and their effects on the efficiency of an off-grid active thermal stabilisation system based on a solar-powered heat pump are analysed. The case considered is permafrost thermal stabilisation system in Norway. It is shown that proper layout and control of the system with an adaptive load can reduce the capital expenses expenditures and the total cost of ownership by 30-40%. Increase in the efficiency capacity factor and cooling stability of the systems with the aggregated and threshold power consumervariable load due to the principle of aggregation is studied. The downside of that is the increase in compressors operation time by 50% with variable load and by 25% per unit with aggregation which means more frequent replacement in terms of motor-hours. But The the feasibility of this approaches considered are applicable for a wide range of solar-powered facilities, but the results are is quite case sensitive and depends on the prices for low-power heat pumps. The prospects of using the excess refrigerant and soil for thermal energy storage instead of traditional electrochemical batteries are considered.

Interface solar steam generation (ISSG) are charming for its applications in desalination and wastewater treatment. Biomass is an attractive substrate for utilizing solar vapor evaporators because of its natural pore structure and water transportability. Polymers like polydopamine (PDA) and polypyrrole (PPy) with broadband spectrum absorption are fascinating in photothermal materials (PTMs). Herein, PDA coated daikon-based (PDA-DK) and PPy coated daikon-based (PPy-DK) PTMs have been exploited for solar steam generation. When polyethylene foam (PEF) was used as an insulating layer to limit heat loss from the PTMs to bulk water, the evaporation rate of PDA-DK and PPy-DK was raised from 0.82 kg m–2 h–1 and 0.96 kg m–2 h–1 to 1.50 kg m–2 h–1 and 1.60 kg m–2 h–1, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding photothermal conversion efficiency was increased to 89.01% and 98.97%, which was increased by nearly 40% under 1-sun irradiation. In addition, PDA-DK and PPy-DK exhibited remarkable stability for the solar steam generation without significant change through 15 cycles. Furthermore, PDA-DK and PPy-DK could effectively desalt seawater and purify dyeing wastewater. All the results indicate that PDA-DK and PPy-DK have great potential in real-world applications for solar steam generation.