The research is a deep study of the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which represent the market sentiments of the S & P 500 Index (SPX) over a period of 33 years. It evaluates how the two indexes perform in the stock market crash and how reliable VIX is in predicting market sentiments. The research distributes the market rally in two forms, and one is a trust rally, when investors are happy to see the market in a stable form, and investors' sentiments are positive towards the stock market. Second is a fear rally, where investors' sentiments are negative, and their outlook is bearish for various reasons. It observes the pattern of rallies, like the longest trust or fear rally, in which year and its duration. The research analyzes data to reach a meaningful conclusion and various inferences that can be drawn from the study of historical data.

When 2−1/Q<p≤2, we establish the C^{0,1} and C^{1,α}-regularities of weak solutions to quasi-linear p-Laplacian type non-homogeneous equations in the Heisenberg group.

Paenibacilli are efficient producers of potent agents against bacterial and fungal pathogens, which are of great interest both for therapeutic applications in medicine as well as in agrobiotechnol-ogy. Lipopeptides produced by such organisms play a major role in their inactivation potential. In this work we investigated two lipopeptide complexes, the fusaricidins and the polymyxins, produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa strains DSM 32871 and M1 by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The fusaricidins show potent antifungal activities and are distinguished by an unusual variabil-ity. For strain DSM 32871 we identified numerous yet unknown variants mass spectrometrically. DSM 32871 produces polymyxins of type E (colistins), while M1 forms polymyxins P. For both strains novel, but not yet completely characterized polymyxin species were detected, which pos-sibly are glycosylated. These compounds may be of interest therapeutically, because polymyxins attain increasing attention as last-resort antibiotics against multiresistant pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the volatilomes of DSM 32781 and M1 were investigated with a GC-MS approach using different cultivation media. Production of volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs) was strain and medium dependent. In particular, strain M1 manifested as an effi-cient VOC-producer that exhibited formation of 25 volatiles in total. A characteristic feature of Paenibacilli is the formation of volatile pyrazine derivatives.

The trace element selenium (Se) is taken up from the diet and becomes metabolized mainly by hepatocytes. Selenoprotein P (SELENOP) constitutes the liver-derived Se transporter. Biosynthesis of extracellular glutathione peroxidase (GPx3) in kidney depends on SELENOP-mediated Se supply. We hypothesized that Se status may serve as a useful prognostic marker for outcome in patients undergoing liver transplantation. Serum samples from patients were routinely collected before and after transplantation. Concentration of serum SELENOP and total Se as well as GPx3 activity were determined by standardized tests and related to survival, aetiology and pre-operative Child-Pugh and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Scores. A total of 314 serum samples from 78 transplanted patients were available for analysis. The Se and SELENOP concentrations were on average below the reference ranges of healthy subjects. Patients with ethanol toxicity-dependent aetiology showed particularly low SELENOP and Se concentrations and GPx3 activity. Longitudinal analysis indicated declining Se concentrations in non-survivors. We conclude that severe liver disease necessitating organ replacement is characterized by a pronounced Se deficit before, during and after transplantation. A recovering Se status after surgery is associated with positive prognosis, and an adjuvant Se supplementation may thus support convalescence.

In developed countries, especially the big-sized ones like Australia and the USA, a car is almost an inevitable necessity to carry out daily activities. Due to this, used cars have become a great alternative to brand new cars because of their cost effectiveness. In this work, estimation of prices of used cars based on numerous factors is studied statistically. Data is based on prices of used cars sold across Australia. Statistical methods like correlation and permutation tests using linear regression model, exact tests and non-parametric bootstrapping is implemented to study the relationship of price with mileage and year of manufacture of the car using p-values and null hypothesis. Predictions are also made on the price by calculating a 95% confidence interval (CI) of median prices in small portions of the dataset. The study presents potential ideas for understanding correlation between variables and parameters in business studies.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant polyphenol in green tea. In this study, the effects of dietary EGCG on oxidative stress and the metabolism and toxicity of acetaminophen in liver were investigated. Rats were fed the diets with (0.54 %) or without EGCG supplementation for four weeks and were then intraperitoneally injected with acetaminophen (1g/kg). Results showed EGCG lowered hepatic oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2, 2E1, and 3A, and UDP-glucurosyltransferase activities prior to acetaminophen injection. After acetaminophen challenge, the elevations in plasma alanine aminotransferase activity and histological changes in liver were ameliorated by EGCG treatment. EGCG reduced acetaminophen-induced apoptosis by increasing the Bax/Bcl2 ratio in liver. EGCG mildly increased autophagy by increasing the LC3B II/I ratio. Lower hepatic acetaminophen-glutathione and acetaminophen-protein adducts contents were observed after EGCG treatment. EGCG increased glutathione peroxidase and NAD(P)H quinone 1 oxidoreductase activities and reduced organic anion-transporting polypeptides 1a1 expression in liver after acetaminophen treatment. Our results indicate that EGCG may lower oxidative stress and reduce the metabolism and toxicity of acetaminophen. The reductions in CYP-mediated acetaminophen bioactivation and uptake transporter, as well as enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, may limit the accumulation of toxic products in liver and thus lower hepatotoxicity

Copulas are useful tools for modeling the dependence structure between two or more variables. Copulas are becoming a quite flexible tool in modeling dependence among the components of a multivariate vector, in particular to predict losses in insurance and finance. In this article, we study the dependence structure of some well-known real life insurance data (with two components mainly) and subsequently identify the best bivariate copula to model such a scenario via VineCopula package in R. Associated structural properties of these bivariate copulas are also discussed.

In this paper, we introduced many new notions and new contraction named as S-weakly contraction after that we obtained the p-common best proximity point theorems for different types of contractions in the setting of complete metric spaces by using weak P_p-property and proved the uniqueness of these points. Also we presented some examples to prove the validity of our results.

Metal oxide p-n heterojunction nanofibers (NFs) are among the most promising approaches to enhancing the efficiency of gas sensors. In this paper, we report the preparation of a series of p-NiO-loaded n-ZnO NFs, namely (1 − x) ZnO-xNiO (x = 0.03, 0.05, and 0.1 wt%), for hydrogen gas sensing experiments. Samples were prepared through the electrospinning technique followed by a calcination process. The sensing experiments showed that the sample with 0.05 wt% NiO loading resulted in the highest sensing performance at an optimal sensing temperature of 200 °C. The sensing mechanism is discussed in detail and contributions of the p-n heterojunctions, metallization of ZnO and catalytic effect of NiO on the sensing enhancements of an optimized gas sensor are analyzed. This study demonstrates the possibility of fabricating high-performance H₂ sensors through the optimization of p-type metal oxide loading on the surfaces of n-type metal oxides.

Kummerowia striata is a traditional medicine used for the therapy of inflammation-related diseases. Herein, we investigated the anti-melanogenic and antioxidant activities of an ethanolic extract of K. striata (EKS) using a number of in vitro and cell culture model systems. The anti-melanogenic effect was assessed in B16F10 melanoma cells based on melanin synthesis and in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity and the anti-oxidant activity assays were performed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2ʹ-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS); EKS exhibited strong anti-oxidant activities in both the assays. The expression of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein 1, tyrosinase-related protein 2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor was decreased in a dose-dependent manner at mRNA and protein levels upon treatment with EKS. Notably, EKS did not affect the cell viability at all the EKS concentrations used in this study, indicating that EKS-mediated inhibition of melanin synthesis is not accompanied with cytotoxicity. Collectively, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that EKS possesses anti-melanogenic and anti-oxidant activities, and suggest that further evaluation and development of EKS as a functional supplement or cosmetic might be useful for skin whitening and for reduction wrinkles.

Graph coloring is a manifestation of graph partitioning, wherein, a graph is partitioned based on the adjacency of its elements. Partitioning serves potentially as a compartmentalization for any structural problem. Vertex coloring is the heart of the problem which is to find the chromatic number of a graph. The fact that there is no general efficient solution to this problem that may work unequivocally for all graphs opens up the realistic scope for combinatorial optimization algorithms to be invoked. The algorithmic complexity of graph coloring is non-deterministic in polynomial time (NP) and hard. To the best of our knowledge, there is no algorithm as yet that procures an exact solution of the chromatic number comprehensively for any and all graphs within the polynomial (P) time domain. However, several heuristics as well as some approximation algorithms have been attempted to obtain an approximate solution for the same. Here, we present a novel heuristic, namely, the 'trailing path', which returns an approximate solution of the chromatic number within polynomial time, and, with a better accuracy than most existing algorithms. The ‘trailing path’ algorithm is effectively a subtle combination of the search patterns of two existing heuristics (DSATUR and Largest First), and, operates along a trailing path of consecutively connected nodes (and thereby effectively maps to the problem of finding spanning tree(s) of the graph) during the entire course of coloring, where essentially lies both the novelty and the apt of the current approach. The study also suggests that the judicious implementation of randomness is one of the keys towards rendering an improved accuracy in such combinatorial optimization algorithms. Apart from the algorithmic attributes, essential properties of graph partitioning in random and different structured networks have also been surveyed, followed by a comparative study. The study reveals the remarkable stability and absorptive property of chromatic number across a wide array of graphs. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the potential use of graph coloring in protein design – yet another hard problem in structural and evolutionary biology.

This paper includes some new investigations and results for post quantum calculus, denoted by (p,q)-calculus. A chain rule for (p,q)-derivative is developed. Also, a new (p,q)-analogue of the exponential function is introduced and some its properties including the addition property for (p,q)-exponential functions are investigated. Several useful results involving (p,q)-binomial coefficients and (p,q)-antiderivative are discovered. At the final part of this paper, (p,q)-analogue of some elementary functions including trigonometric functions and hyperbolic functions are considered and some properties and relations among them are analyzed extensively.

In this paper we establish several Hermite-Hadamard type integral inequalities for hyperbolic p-convex functions. Applications for special means are provided as well.

In this paper, we introduce a new generalization of the Hermite polynomials via (p, q)-exponential generating function and investigate several properties and relations for mentioned polynomials including derivative property, explicit formula, recurrence relation, integral representation. We also de…ne a (p, q)-analogue of the Bernstein polynomials and acquire their some formulas. We then provide some (p, q)-hyperbolic representations of the (p, q)-Bernstein polynomials. In addition, we obtain a correlation between (p, q)-Hermite polynomials and (p, q)-Bernstein polynomials.

In this study, a graphene-doped porous silicon (G-doped/p-Si) substrate for low ppm H₂ gas detection by an inexpensive synthesis route was proposed as a potential noble graphene-based gas sensor material and to understand the sensing mechanism. The G-doped/p-Si gas sensor was synthesized by a simple capillary force-assisted solution dropping method on p-Si substrates, whose porosity was generated through an electrochemical etching process. G-doped/p-Si was fabricated with various graphene concentrations and exploited as a H₂ sensor operated at room temperature. The sensing mechanism of the sensor with/without graphene decoration on p-Si was proposed to elucidate the synergetic gas sensing effect generated from the interface between the graphene and p-type silicon.

The current generation of nuclear reactors are evolutionary in design, mostly based on the technology originally designed to power submarines, and dominated by Light Water Reactors. The aims of the GenIV consortium are driven by sustainability, safety and reliability, economics, and proliferation resistance. The aims are extended here to encompass the ultimate and universal vision for strategic development of energy production, the ‘perpetuum mobile’ – at least as close as possible. We propose to rethink nuclear reactor design with the mission to develop a system which uses no fresh resources and produces no fresh waste during operation as well as generates power safe and reliably in economic way. The results of the innovative simulations presented here demonstrate that, from a theoretical perspective, it is feasible to fulfil the mission through the reuse of spent nuclear fuel from currently operating reactors as the fuel for a new reactor. The produced waste is less burdensome than current spent nuclear fuel which is used as feed to the system. However, safety, reliability and operational economics will need to be demonstrated to create the basis for the long term success of nuclear reactors as a major carbon free, sustainable, and applied highly reliable energy source.

This article delves into the psychological dimensions of peace as articulated in the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, an ancient Indian scripture. Through its dialogue between Lord Krishna and the warrior Arjuna, the Bhagavad-Gita presents profound insights into achieving inner peace, managing conflict, and fostering a peaceful society. The text aligns with contemporary psychological constructs such as self-realization, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and prosocial behavior. Additionally, it addresses how the teachings enhance social engagement and disengagement, as well as cognitive, affective, mental, and physical regulation. The Bhagavad- Gita's bidirectional question-answering approach motivates, reasoning, and rationality, decision- making and goal-directed behavior. This analysis demonstrates the relevance of these ancient principles in addressing modern psychological challenges, providing a holistic framework for understanding and cultivating peace. Ultimately, the treatise portrays peace as a reflection of safety, security, and social well-being, making its teachings profoundly relevant today.

This systematic review critically examines the adoption and integration of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on enhancing workforce productivity and strategic decision-making. Using the PRISMA framework, 100 research articles from reputable sources such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science were analyzed. The analysis reveals that HRIS adoption can improve employee productivity by 29%, decision-making by 20%, and operational efficiency by 26%, highlighting its transformative impact on SMEs. The review identifies major challenges, including high implementation costs, limited IT resources, and integration difficulties with AI and machine learning technologies. Despite these barriers, integrating AI into HRIS presents significant opportunities for SMEs, fostering innovation in talent management, compliance automation, and data-driven decision-making, thus creating a competitive edge in rapidly evolving markets. Actionable insights for practitioners emphasize the need for cost-effective, scalable HRIS solutions tailored to the unique operational needs of SMEs, while researchers are urged to further explore AI-driven HRIS advancements to address current gaps in workforce engagement and performance management. This review offers a comprehensive roadmap for future HRIS innovations and underscores the strategic importance of digital transformation in human resources for sustained SME competitiveness.

Homeostasis and its interaction with gene expression in the development and maintenance of living systems is discussed in order to formulate a new method to diagnose and treat diseases on this causative level. This includes an inquiry into the unsolved homeostasis problems of: location (where in the cell are calculations performed?), communication (what language used?), identity (set of plans/hierarchy of set points?) and computational (mechanisms used to make necessary adjustments?). As these functions require the processing of vast amounts of information which is communicated at every level of organization including the mechanisms of epigenetics, different computer models are discussed, with examples for each; analog, digital and the possibility of quantum biological. Each one allows certain properties and cell functions to emerge. The difference between functional homeostasis and dysfunctional homeostasis is discussed with strategies to indirectly study dysfunctional homeostasis in terms of epigenetic signatures. Hormesis is discussed as a mechanism to reverse the epimutations, leading to a method of treatment for almost any chronic disease. These topics are discussed as being a whole interconnected system.

The detection and recognition of tables in image-based documents is a challenging and essential task for automated data extraction and anal- ysis. This paper introduces a methodology that utilizes Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to address this problem. By harnessing the ro- bust visual recognition abilities of CNNs, the proposed method effectively detects and extracts tables from image-based documents. Additionally, an Encoder-Dual Decoder (EDD) architecture is employed to extract the textual content from table cells, enabling the transformation of visual data into structured, machine-readable formats. This structured data is then further processed using a Vector Space Model (VSM)-based language modeling technique for query-based table retrieval. The methodology’s accuracy is assessed by analyzing the spatial relationships between the extracted cells and comparing them against a pre-defined table structure. The results provide an evidence to the effectiveness of the proposed ap- proach, with an impressive 85% accuracy rate and a corresponding error rate of 15%. This accurate extraction and recognition of tables from image-based documents can significantly enhance applications in data analysis, information retrieval, and knowledge extraction.

This study investigates the role of sustainable inventory management within supply chains, exploring strategies, benefits, challenges, and implications for organizations. Through qualitative research involving semi-structured interviews with supply chain professionals from diverse industries, key themes emerged. Sustainable practices such as green logistics, waste minimization, and ethical sourcing were identified as critical strategies to reduce environmental impact and enhance operational efficiency. Technological advancements, including AI, IoT, and blockchain, facilitate real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and transparency, supporting data-driven decision-making in inventory management. Benefits include cost reduction, improved brand reputation, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation, positioning organizations favorably in a competitive landscape shaped by environmental regulations and consumer expectations. Challenges such as cost constraints, regulatory complexities, and organizational inertia necessitate strategic investments, collaborative efforts, and leadership commitment to overcome. The study underscores the importance of integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations into supply chain practices to foster sustainability and resilience. Looking forward, the study advocates for a holistic approach to sustainable supply chain management, emphasizing innovation, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building. By aligning organizational values with societal expectations and regulatory frameworks, businesses can navigate complexities, drive positive environmental and social impacts, and achieve sustainable growth. This research contributes insights into current practices and future directions for sustainable inventory management, informing strategies that balance profitability with environmental stewardship and societal responsibility.

Color change is the most obvious characteristic of tomato ripening stage and an important indicator of tomato ripening condition, which directly affects the commodity value of tomato. To visualize the color change of tomato fruit in mature stage, a gated recurrent unit network with an encoder-decoder structure that dynamically simulates tomato growth and development with time-dependent lines using tomato color and shape as real-time data was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the .json file was converted into a mask.png file, the tomato mask was extracted, and the tomato was separated from the complex background environment, and the tomato growth and development data set was successfully constructed. Then, a network of gated recurrent units with encoder-decoder structure was constructed to predict the future growth trend of tomato under different greenhouse temperatures. The experimental results showed that for the gated recurrent unit network of encoder-decoder structure proposed, when the hidden layer number was 1 and hidden layer number was 512, a high consistency and similarity between the model predicted image sequence and the actual growth and development image sequence would be realized, and the structural similarity index measure was 0.746. It was proved that when the average temperature was 24.93℃, the average soil temperature was 24.06℃, and the average light intensity was 11.26 Klux, the environment was the most suitable for tomato growth. The environmental data-driven tomato growth model was constructed to explore the growth status of tomato under different environmental conditions, thus to understand the growth status of tomato in time. The statement provided a theoretical foundation for determining the optimal greenhouse environmental conditions to achieve tomato maturity. And it offered recommendations for investigating the growth cycle of tomatoes, as well as technical assistance for standardized cultivation in solar greenhouses.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and substance use disorder (SUD) are of immense medical and social concerns. Although significant progress on neuronal involvement in mood and reward circuitries has been achieved, only relatively recently the role of glia in these disorders have attracted attention. Detail understanding of the glial function in these devastating diseases could offer novel interventions. Here, following a brief review of circuitries involved in mood regulation and reward perception, specific contribution of the neurotrophic factors, neuroinflammation and gut microbiota to these diseases are highlighted. In this context, the role of specific glial cells (e.g., microglia, astroglia, oligodendrocytes and synantocytes) on phenotypic manifestation of MDD or SUD are emphasized. In addition, potential use of this knowledge in developing novel therapeutics is touched upon.

Telecoupling, interactions between social-ecological systems across large, often global, distances, drives negative impacts from the forest-based carbon market. Yet, these negative impacts have been underreported; and therefore, likely vastly underestimated. We identify how these unintended negative impacts may occur and provide recommendations for the forest-based carbon market to better account for externalities by prioritising positive social impact, expanding comprehensive ecological outcomes and improving transparency of investments. We call for a carbon market that is designed to account for its global interconnectedness.

The development of plant-based meat analogues has become a significant challenge for the food industry in recent years due to the increasing demand for sustainable and healthier proteins in the context of a global protein transition. Plant-based meat analogues imitate the visual, textural, and chemical properties of traditional meat products and are required to closely resemble meat to appeal to consumers. In addition, consumers demand natural, clean-label, and nutritional and healthy products. To address these challenges, the food industry must develop highly healthy, nutritious, and E-number-free meat analogue products. Understanding the functionality of each ingredient and its role in the food matrix is crucial to being a key player in the innovation of the meat analogues market. This review provides updated information on the primary ingredients utilized for the development of plant-based burger meat alternatives and their functionality. The key components of meat analogue burgers are outlined, including plant proteins, binding agents, fats and oils, flavorings, colorings, preservatives, fortificants, and clean-label considerations.

The hard open problem of finding the lower bound for the Fokker Planck Kolmogorov’s time-dependent controller parameter probability density function is addressed for the first time in literature in this work. This revolutionary exposition will put control theory and other related inter-disciplinary fields to a higher level towards contemporary control theory. Notably, based on the influential role of control theory in both engineering and industry, this paper will be of great value to all engineering and industry professionals who seek to know more about advanced trends within control theory settings. On the other remit of the spectrum, Fokker Planck Kolmogorov(FPK) equations are of high importance to physicists as well as mathematicians, based on their multiple applicability to multi-interdisciplinary fields of human knowledge, and beyond. So, this by default adds more taste and credibility to this study. Concluding thoughts are included at the end of the work along with a difficult outstanding problem and the direction of future work.

This work is the first in literature to tackle the difficult open problem of determining the upper bound and threshold theorem for the TDCDP (time-dependent controller parameter) of the (Fokker Planck Kolmogorov) probability density function. This revolutionary exposition will put control theory and other related inter-disciplinary fields to a higher level towards contemporary control theory. Notably, based on the influential role of control theory in both engineering and industry, this paper will be of great value to all engineering and industry professionals who seek to know more about advanced trends within control theory settings. On the other remit of the spectrum, Fokker Planck Kolmogorov(FPK) equations are of high importance to physicists as well as mathematicians, based on their multiple applicability to information theory, graph theory, data science, finance, economics, and beyond. So, this by default adds more taste and credibility to this study. This leads by nature to introducing a different flavor to this ground-breaking research by highlighting the impact of Fokker Planck Kolmogorov(FPK) to revolutionize crypocurrency,which have received its name because it uses encryption to verify transactions, a new debatable digital payment system that doesn't rely on banks to verify transactions. It’s a peer-to-peer system that can enable anyone anywhere to send and receive payments. The paper ends with closing remarks combined with some challenging open problems and the next phase of research.

This study aimed to evaluate the discrepancies between genetic and visual coat color assignment in the Sarcidano Horse and to elucidate potential reasons. Individual DNA from 90 Sarcidano Horses was used for genetic assignment of coat color to explore the correspondence with individual forms containing phenotypical traits. The MC1R exon 1 and ASIP exon 3 have been genotyped and sequenced to obtain a picture of the coat color distribution in this breed. Surprisingly, once we compared the genetic results with the individual forms reporting the phenotypic data for each subject, a certain degree of non-correspondence between the phenotypic and genetic data in relation to coat color emerged. From the genetic analysis, Chestnuts (n = 58) resulted the most common Sarcidano Horse (n = 58), followed by a quite large number of Blacks (n = 28) and a very small number of Bays (n = 4), whereas phenotypic distribution resulted in 38 Chestnuts, 40 Bays, only 2 Blacks, and 10 Grays (without the possibility of recognizing the true color they carried). Chestnut resulted a very representative coat color, while many horses that visually identified as Bays were genetically Blacks. This discrepancy, that could be due to a variety of individual and external factors, including age, time of year, living situation and dietary condition, suggesting the importance of accurate coat color identification to ensure adequate features registration and reliable prediction of offspring’s coat color.

We are introducing a highly efficient 48-channel ultrasound beamforming system ideal for ultrasound endoscopy applications. The system includes a transmitter and a receiver, which allow for low-area, high-resolution imaging acquisition. The transmitter uses a charge redistribution HV (high voltage) scheme to generate three-level pulses that actuate the transducer, implemented with the standard CMOS process for optimal cost and power savings. Meanwhile, the receiver features a sub-array structure and a delay generator that reduces area usage. To achieve high-resolution ultrasound imaging acquisition with low computational power, we developed the Shift Coherence Factor (SCF) algorithm, which is hardware-friendly. This approach delivers a lateral resolution over 20% better than the conventional delay and sum (DAS) algorithm, with a contrast ratio of over 30 dB. The system was implemented in a 180 nm standard CMOS process with an area of 24.98 mm2, power consumption of 8.23 mW per channel, achieving a delay resolution of 8.33 ns, and a low-area implementation of 0.52 mm2 per channel. The system offers high-quality imaging acquisition with minimal additional area and power consumption, which has great potential for 3D imaging or catheterized ultrasound systems.

Background: Thyroid nodules are common, affecting nearly 65% of the general population. While they are widespread, it's crucial to recognize that the majority of these nodules are not cancerous and can be effectively managed through careful monitoring. Thyroid ultrasound is commonly used to evaluate thyroid nodules owing to its low cost, wide availability and technical ease of application. In sonography, it's crucial to assess characteristics and vascular flow. Yet, conventional color and power Doppler ultrasound may not always effectively capture small vessels and low velocities due to their limitations. Superior Microvascular Imaging can display the blood flow of small vessels and low-velocity blood flow, which is difficult to visualize with conventional Doppler ultrasound. Meanwhile other thyroid scans, that utilize either [99mTc] pertechnetate or (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose, can categorize nodules as hyperactive ('hot'), exhibiting normal activity ('warm'), or having reduced/no activity ('cold'). Thus, the main goal of screening and tracking thyroid nodules is to improve the management of potentially worrisome thyroid malignancies. Methodology: The study was conducted within the structural framework of a network meta-analysis, with the index tests being - SMI, Radionuclide Scanning and Color Doppler, and the general link between them being the reference gold standard. The data collection involved searching for all pertinent literature using PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library databases. The essential data was extracted following the application of specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.This meta-analysis included 7 RCTs with 1,152 patients for Radionuclide Scanning, 10 RCTs with 1,847 patients for SMI and 8 RCTs with 4,480 patients for Color Doppler. They were analyzed using the QualSyst tool and the risk of bias was evaluated by using QUADAS-2 analysis.The statistical software packages MetaDiSc 1.4, RevMan (Review Manager, version 5.3), SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20) and Excel in Stata 14 were used to perform the statistical analyses. Result: According to the findings, the sensitivity for Radionuclide Scanning is calculated as 0.79 (range: 0.76 to 0.81) and specificity as 0.55 (range: 0.50 to 0.60) with a 95% confidence interval. The overall diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for Radionuclide Scanning Is 10.54.Additionally, with a 95% confidence interval, SMI exhibits a sensitivity of 0.82 (with a range of 0.79 to 0.84) and a specificity of 0.86 (with a range of 0.84 to 0.88), while the overall DOR is approximately 25.73. Color Doppler demonstrates a calculated sensitivity of 0.71 (ranging from 0.69 to 0.74) and specificity of 0.81 (ranging from 0.79 to 0.83) with a 95% confidence interval, while its DOR is 13.48.Conclusion: As evidenced by this meta-analysis, blood flow dependent imaging techniques are superior in their abilities to be used as diagnostic tests, especially in conjunction with their use in detecting thyroid nodules. This study offers a starting point for delving deeper into the utilization of Radionuclide Imaging, Superior Microvascular Imaging and Color Doppler in diagnosing thyroid nodules in a clinical setting. Key Words: - Thyroid Nodule, Radionuclide Scanning, Superior Microvascular Imaging, Color Doppler Diagnosis, Sensitivity, Specificity, Diagnostic imaging

We know that the classical Mittag-Leffler function play an important role as solution of fractional order differential and integral equations. We introduce the j-generalized p - k Mittag-Leffler function. We evaluate the second order differential recurrence relation and four different integral representations and introduce a homogeneous linear differential equation whose one of the solution is the j-generalized p-k Mittag-Leffler function. Also we evaluate the certain relations that exist between j-generalized p - k Mittag-Leffler function and Riemann-Liouville fractional integrals and derivatives. We evaluate Mellin-Barnes integral representation of j-generalized p-k Mittag-Le er Function. The relationship of j-generalized p-k Mittag-Leffler Function with Fox H-Function and Wright hypergeometric function is also establish. we obtained its Euler transform, Laplace Transform and Mellin transform. Finally we derive some particular cases.

In this paper, we derive multifarious relationships among the two types of higher order q-Daehee polynomials and p-adic gamma function via Mahler theorem. Also, we compute some weighted p-adic q-integrals of the derivative of p-adic gamma function related to the Stirling numbers of the both kinds and the q-Bernoulli polynomials of order k.

In recent years, marine natural products have become one of the most important resources of novel lead compounds for critical diseases associated with age. Spirulina, a dietary supplement made from blue-green algae (cyanobacteria: scientific name Arthrospira platensis), is particularly rich in phycocyanin, a phycobiliprotein, which accounts for up to 20% of this cyanobacterium’s dry weight and is considered responsible for its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Although the anti-aging activity of phycocyanin has been investigated, how exactly this compound works against aging remains elusive. Aim of our research is to use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism to investigate the anti-aging properties of phycocyanin from A. platensis. Our results show that phycocyanin has a powerful anti-aging effect, greatly extending the chronological life span of yeast cells in a dose-dependent way, being the effect pronounced also when cells were grown in SD medium under calorie restriction conditions (0.2% glucose). Both ROS and accumulation of dead cells were followed by staining chronologically aged cells with dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR123) and propidium iodide (PI). Interestingly, we found that most of the aged phycocyanin treated cells, which were unable to form colonies, were actually ROS+/PI–. Finally, we show that the moment in which phycocyanin is added to the culture does not substantially influence its effectiveness in counteracting chronological aging.

Minimally invasive implantology has brought about a paradigm shift in dental and surgical practices by prioritizing techniques that minimize patient discomfort, reduce tissue trauma, and shorten recovery periods. Central to this transformation is the integration of advanced technologies that enhance procedural precision and clinical efficiency. Among these, the surgical microscope stands out as a critical innovation. By providing enhanced magnification and illumination, surgical microscopes allow clinicians to perform intricate implant procedures with greater accuracy, even in anatomically complex or challenging areas. This paper explores the diverse applications of surgical microscopes within the field of minimally invasive implantology. It examines how the use of these devices contributes to precise implant placement, improved soft tissue management, and enhanced bone augmentation outcomes, thereby reducing complications and promoting faster healing. Additionally, the paper reviews clinical case studies and recent advancements in the literature to demonstrate the role of surgical microscopes in elevating patient safety standards. In doing so, this research underscores the importance of incorporating such technologies to meet the growing demand for minimally invasive techniques in modern implantology. The findings emphasize that magnification and illumination provided by surgical microscopes are integral to achieving optimal clinical results and advancing the future of implant surgeries.

Background The use of antimicrobials to treat food animals leaves antimicrobial residues in foodstuffs. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) of these residues as the dose of these antimicrobials that is safe for an average human to consume on a daily basis. We hypothesized that the low dose of ciprofloxacin classified as safe by the WHO could select for ciprofloxacin resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Galleria mellonella model. Objectives We aimed to evaluate if the consumption of peri-ADI doses of ciprofloxacin could select for ciprofloxacin-resistant (Ser464Phe, GyrB, ciprofloxacin MIC of 4 µg/mL) compared to -susceptible (isogenic, ciprofloxacin MIC of 0,047 µg/mL) strains of K. pneumoniae in a Galleria mellonella model. Methods A model of K. pneumoniae infection in G. mellonella larvae was used for the experiment. The larvae were inoculated with K. pneumoniae followed by 10x ADI, 1x ADI, 1/10^th ADI, 1/100^th ADI, 1/1000^th ADI doses of ciprofloxacin. Isolation of K. pneumoniae colonies was then performed on selective agar plates with and without ciprofloxacin (1 µg/mL) plates. The proportion of colonies with ciprofloxacin resistance was then calculated for each group at 24 and 48 hours. Results A significant increase was seen in the proportion of resistance for the 1x ADI and 1/10^th ADI concentration on day 2 compared to the positive control. Conclusion We found that at 48 hours, there was an enrichment of K. pneumoniae colonies with ciprofloxacin resistance in the larvae receiving 1x ADI and 1/10^th ADI concentrations of ciprofloxacin. These results suggest that the ciprofloxacin MSC_select for K. pneumoniae in this model is 1/10^th of the acceptable daily concentration (ADI) dose of ciprofloxacin, which is equivalent to 0.239 ng/µl.

Einstein was skeptical of part of quantum mechanics, and he believed that Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle did not reflected the full depth of reality. He famously stated, ”God does not play dice with the universe.” However, since quantum mechanics has passed so many experimental tests, most physicists today assume that Einstein was wrong. Nevertheless, we will demonstrate that Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle must be modified to unify gravity with quantum mechanics. This modification leads to the Certainty-Uncertainty principle where the certainty part is strongly linked to gravity. This means Einstein likely was right in his intuition also on this point. The key is to understand that the de Broglie wavelength is not the actual wavelength of matter but merely a derivative of the true matter wavelength, namely the Compton wavelength. Furthermore, one must understand that the gravitational constant, first introduced in 1873, is simply a composite constant needed to rectify the incomplete definition of kilogram mass introduced into Newtonian gravity in 1873.

This study explores the optimization of the admission process at the Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito through data anal- ysis. By integrating advanced tools like Power BI, Python Flask, and data mining techniques, a model has been developed to improve student selection and retention, enabling more informed and effective decisions. The results indicate that applying data science not only facilitates efficient data management but also promotes more inclusive and equitable educational poli- cies. This pioneering approach in the field of higher education in Colombia offers a frame- work for future research and technological de- velopments, highlighting the vital importance of data science in improving educational and administrative processes.

Background Obesity is a major healthcare challenge worldwide. Recently, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have emerged as a promising pharmacological option for managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity in diabetic patients. Objective This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of GLP-1RAs in nondiabetic patients. Methods We systematically reviewed 2356 published articles from the past ten years (2013 to November 22, 2023). After rigorous screening, 11 articles were selected for an in-depth review. The analysis focused on the efficacy and safety of GLP-1RAs in nondiabetic patients, considering various baseline characteristics and subgroups. Results The review found that GLP-1RAs, including exenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide, and the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GIP/GLP-1RA) tirzepatide, significantly promoted weight loss in obese/overweight nondiabetic patients. Additionally, these agents positively affected cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, glycemic control, nephropathy, lipid levels, serum insulin levels, and C-reactive protein (CRP) profiles. However, GLP-1RAs, including tirzepatide, were associated with gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation. These adverse events were typically transient, mild-to-moderate in severity, and subsided over time. Conclusion GLP-1RAs are effective and relatively safe for weight management and improving cardiovascular risk factors in nondiabetic patients, despite the occurrence of some gastrointestinal side effects. Further research is warranted to optimize the use of these agents in nondiabetic populations.

Based on the nonlinear failure criterion and modified tangential technique, the upper bound solutions of supporting pressure on the deep tunnel face were obtained under pore water pressure conditions. The influence of parameters on the supporting pressure and collapse range was investigated according to the unlimited block failure mechanism. It is found that the upper bound solutions of supporting pressure increase with the growth of the nonlinear coefficient and pore water pressure coefficient. The collapse range of the tunnel face scales out with the increase of the nonlinear coefficient and shrinks when increasing the pore water pressure coefficient. Moreover, with the increase of the nonlinear coefficient, the impact strength on supporting pressure and collapse range declines gradually. According to the calculating results, it is manifest that both the pore water pressure and nonlinear criterion factors have negative impacts on the stability of the tunnel face. Thus, more attention should be paid to these parameters to ensure face stability in deep tunnel construction.

The application of distributed fiber optic strain and temperature measurement can be utilized to address a multitude of measurement tasks across a diverse range of fields, particularly in the context of structural health monitoring in the domains of building construction, civil engineering, and special foundation engineering. However, a comprehensive understanding of the influences on the measurement method and the sensors is essential to prevent misinterpretations or measurement deviations. In this context, this study investigated the effects of moisture exposure, including various salt solutions and a high pH value, on a distributed strain measurement using Rayleigh backscattering. Three fiber optic sensors with different coating materials and one uncoated fiber were exposed to five different solutions for 24 hours. The study revealed significant discrepancies in deformation between the three coating types depending on the surrounding solution. Furthermore, in contrast to the prevailing literature, which predominantly describes swelling effects, a negative deformation was observed in a magnesium chloride solution. The findings of this study indicate that corresponding effects can impact the precision of measurement, potentially leading to misinterpretations. Conversely, these effects could be used to conduct large-scale monitoring of chemical components using distributed fiber optic sensing.

This paper presents the development and implementation of a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera interfaced with a Jetson processor hosting Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, designed to address the challenges of traditional biometric capture for first-time passport photos of young children. The system enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability of facial biometric capture by recognizing and accommodating the dynamic and diverse behaviors of children. Utilizing AI, the system detects faces and analyzes facial features using 68 landmark points, ensuring high-quality images that meet ISO standards. These technical specifications, implementation process, and performance evaluations of the developed system are provided in this paper, demonstrating the potential of the proposed AI Face-Capture to advance biometric identification and verification for young children.

Air pollution has recently gained much attention from the general population. Despite pollution control being an issue in both urban and rural regions, most of the available research has concentrated on urban districts. Hence, investigations into how urban-rural transition affects PM2.5 are warranted within the framework of urban-rural integration. Using the Yellow River Basin as a case study, this study employed the entropy method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to uncover the extent of urban-rural transformation. It then used the spatial autocorrelation method to investigate the spatiotemporal features of PM2.5 and the spatial econometric model to investigate the mechanisms that influence the relationship between urban-rural transformation and PM2.5. The results are as follows: (1) Over time, there was a discernible upward tendency in the change in urban-rural areas. The development has progressed from asymmetrical north-east and south-west elevations to a more balanced pattern of north-east, middle-east, and west-west elevations. (2) The PM2.5 concentration increased steadily, then fluctuated, and finally decreased. Notably, the general pattern has not changed much, and it is high in the east and low in the west. (3) Different subsystems of the urban-rural transformation have different impacts on air pollution at different stages. The influence of industrial transformation (IT) on PM2.5 showed an inverted “N-shaped” curve of negative-positive-negative changes, and the industrial structure played a leading role in the spatiotemporal evolution of PM2.5. Currently, an inverted "U-shaped" curve forms the left side of the impact of population transition (PT) on PM2.5. Land development (LT) has a "U-shaped" curve for its effect on PM2.5. This research provides a new perspective on the topic of PM2.5 and its connection to urban-rural integration, which is crucial to understanding the dynamics of this shift. To achieve its goal of high-quality development, it supports regional initiatives to reduce PM2.5 emissions in the Yellow River Basin. Moreover, it can provide a reference for decision-makers in the world’s densely populated areas that suffer from serious air pollution.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an intellectual developmental disorder characterized, inter alia, by deficits in short-term processing of neural information such as sensory processing and working memory. The primary cause of FXS is the loss of fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein (FMRP), which is profoundly involved in synaptic function and plasticity. Short-term synaptic plasticity (STSP) may play important roles in functions that are affected by FXS. Recent evidence points to a crucial involvement of presynaptic calcium sensor synaptotagmin-7 in STSP. However, how the loss of FMRP affects STSP and synaptotagmin-7 have been insufficiently studied. Further-more, males and females are affected differently by FXS, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of the present study is to investigate possible changes in STSP and the expres-sion of synaptotagmin-7 along the hippocampus of adult males and females in the Fmr1 knock-out (KO) rat model of FXS. We found that paired-pulse ratio and frequency facilita-tion/depression, two forms of STSP, as well as the expression of synaptotagmin-7, are normal in adult KO males, but paired-pulse ratio is increased in the ventral hippocampus of KO females. Furthermore, we found no gender-related but robust region-dependent difference in STSP. AM-PA receptors are similarly expressed in the two hippocampal segments of the two genotypes and in both genders. Also, basal excitatory synaptic transmission is higher in males compared with females. Interestingly, we found more than twofold higher levels of synaptotagmin-7, not syn-aptotagmin-1, in the dorsal compared with the ventral hippocampus in males of both genotypes and in wild type females. These results point to the susceptibility of the female ventral hippo-campus to FMRP loss. Importantly, the different levels of synaptotagmin-7 that parallel the higher score of synaptic facilitation in the dorsal vs ventral hippocampus suggest that synapto-tagmin-7 may play a pivotal role in defining the striking difference in STSP along the long axis of the hippocampus.

The signs and symptoms of Long COVID can be explained by a shortage of blood in the body and a resulting deficient blood flow through nearly all organs. This shortage arose during the acute phase of COVID19 by an increased breakdown of haematocytes, to which the liver responds by reducing the production of albumin, in order to prevent a too large decrease in haematocrit.In order to ensure the perfusion of organs that are directly necessary for survival, the body takes the emergency measure of diverting blood from other organs and tissues. The perfusion of the blood-producing organs is also affected by this distribution measure, which hinders the smooth recovery of the total blood volume. The body is stuck in this vicious circle: a shortage of circulating blood hinders the recovery of blood production. This explains the long duration of Long COVID. My proposed treatment of Long COVID focuses on the recovery of the correct volume of blood in the body of the right composition by the intravenous administration of donor blood products, starting with albumin concentrate. A trial treatment can be performed in any hospital without much additional preparations, and has a lower associated risk for the patient than analysing the total blood. A diagnosis ex juvantibus, by therapeutic response, is therefore preferable. I suspect that most Long COVID patients will exhibit a high serum ferritin level as a result of internal haemolysis, and haematocrit and albumin values at the high and low extremes of the reference range because the liver can not keep up with the recovery of the red bone marrow.

Undoubtedly, there is a potential impact of large language models like ChatGPT in revolutionizing information retrieval and knowledge discovery, particularly in the context of the vast amount of electronic material available. On another strong note, the current work offers a first time ever mathematical approach to accurately fine tune perplexity AI, which sets a giant step ahead towards accurate next generations AI. Having started this world leading discovery, the upper and lower bounds of perplexity AI, namely , , respectively, are obtained for the first-time ever. Concluding remarks combined with emerging open problems and next research phase are provided.

Intestinal parasitic infections pose a significant public health challenge in Northern Nigeria, with prevalence rates ranging from 20% to 70%. Traditional diagnostic methods, primarily microscopic examination of stool samples, face limitations such as low sensitivity and high costs. This research addresses these challenges by proposing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based platform for the identification and counting of intestinal parasites. A total of 651 samples were collected from the 7 Northern State of Nigeria along with questionnaire collecting data on demographic, socio-economic, hygiene habits and environmental factors. Leveraging the You Only Look Once (YOLO) V8 model, trained on a dataset of 360 pre-processed and 467 annotated images, the AI model demonstrated promising performance metrics. Information-Theory-Based approaches including (CIFE, CMIM, DISR and ICAP) were used on various machine learning models (Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine and Decision Tree) to analyse the risk factors associated with the parasitic disease. The precision-recall curve, average precision, mean average precision, and F1 score indicated reliable detection and classification across various parasite classes. The accuracy (97%) and AUC (99%) scores shows that CIFE with Random Forest has the best performance indicating the significant risk factors associated with the parasitic diseases. The model exhibited a well-balanced trade-off between precision and recall, showcasing its potential as a cost-effective and accessible tool for improving the diagnosis and treatment of intestinal parasitic infections in resource-limited settings.

This research challenges the traditional perspective on consumer behavior, which focuses on external factors shaping the sequential stages of decision-making. Instead, it proposes a paradigm shift by treating the decision-making process itself as an independent variable, exploring its impact on various outcomes like purchasing behavior, brand loyalty, and post-purchase satisfaction. This novel approach offers deeper insights into the intricacies of consumer behavior, particularly in the digital age. By uncovering the reciprocal relationships between the decision-making process and other variables, the research provides a more nuanced understanding of how consumers navigate today's complex landscape. It further delves into how variations in the decision-making process across diverse consumer groups influence various outcomes, recognizing the unique characteristics and needs of different demographics. The research also acknowledges the interplay of psychological, social, and contextual factors that shape both the decision-making process and its downstream effects, offering a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted influences on consumer behavior. Ultimately, by studying the decision-making process as an independent variable, this research aims to equip businesses and researchers with valuable insights, enabling them to better navigate the ever-evolving world of consumer behavior.

This article describes a novel electrochemical on-chip biosensor that utilizes anti-PSA antibody (Ab) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to enhance the sensing and detection capability of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. The AgNPs are prepared, characterized, and applied onto a silicon photonic on-chip biosensing receptor platform designed to enhance the accurate detection of PSA. The AgNPs were synthesized by a chemical reduction method using silver nitrate (AgNO₃) as the precursor. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and light microscopy were among the methods used in the characterization and analysis of the AgNPs. Each stage of the immunosensor fabrication was characterized using cyclic voltammetry. The proposed immunosensor was applied in the detection of PSA, a prostate cancer biomarker, with a high sensitivity and a limit of detection of 0.17 ng/mL over a linear concentration range of 2.5 to 11.0 ng/mL. The immunosensor displayed good stability and was selective in the presence of interfering species like immunoglobulin (Ig) in human serum, ascorbic acid (AA), and diclofenac (Dic). The detectivity and sensitivity are significantly higher than previous reports on similar or related technologies.

Recently, Mulroney,et.al., demonstrated that Pfizer’s ModRNA Covid vaccine, but not AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, produce aberrant foreign proteins in vivo due to reading frame shift in ribosomes. This phenomenon could elucidate the notable surge in autoimmune diseases following the administration of ModRNA vaccines compared to Influenza vaccines between 2020 and 2023, as found in the VAERS database. These findings bear significant implications for the future application of mRNA technology, emphasizing the necessity of modifying the design of the mRNA sequence to mitigate these defects. Remarkably, Mulroney and collaborators achieved a reduction in frame shift proteins by introducing additional edits to the mRNA sequences. This adjustment is pivotal for rectifying the flawed design of the ModRNA employed by Pfizer. In light of these findings, many advocate for the immediate recall and further investigation of these products. The notion of a "future mRNA-based therapy" should be postponed indefinitely.

Remediation of IT issues encoded into domain-specific or user-defined alerts occurring in cloud environments and customer ecosystems in a vast majority of cases suffers from accurate recommendations which could be timely supplied for recovery of performance degradations. That, of course, is hard to realize through furnishing those abnormality definitions with an appropriate expert knowledge which varies from one environment to another. At the same time, in a large proportion of support cases, the reported problems under Global Support Services (GSS) or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) treatment ultimately go down to the product teams making them waste costly development hours on investigating self-monitoring metrics of our solutions. Therefore, the mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR) rates of problems/alerts are significantly impacted from lack of a systematic approach towards adopting AI Ops. That would imply building, maintaining, and continuously improving/annotating a data store of insights that ML models are trained and generalized across the whole customer base and corporate cloud services. Our ongoing study is in line with such a vision and validates an approach that learns the alert resolution patterns in such a global setting and explains them using interpretable AI methodologies. The knowledge store of causative rules is then applied in predicting potential sources of the application degradation reflected in an active alert instance. In this communication, we share our experiences with a prototype solution and up to date analysis demonstrating how root conditions are discovered with a high accuracy for a specific type of problem. It is validated against the historical data of resolutions performed by heavy manual development efforts. We also offer a Dempster-Shafer theory-based rule verification framework for experts as a what-if analysis tool to test their hypotheses about underlying environment.

The use of natural health products (NHP) is constantly increasing worldwide. Among the most NHP consumed are the resins of Commiphora myrrha (C. myrrha) tree. Consumption of C. myrrha may result in herb-drug interactions that can lead to serious health consequences. This study aims to determine the herb-drug interactions based on the induction of drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P-450 (CYP) 2C9 by a non-toxic boiled aqueous extract of C. myrrha and to unveil the potential involvement of xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptors such as Pregnane X Receptor (PXR), a well-known CYP 2C9 transcription factor. Tested at low concentrations (0.01-10 g/mL) devoid of anti-proliferative effects, boiled C. myrrha resin aqueous extract upregulated CYP 2C9 gene and protein expressions in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a mean expression level exceeding 3.0-fold change in Hep G2 cells, compared with the basal level expressed in untreated cells. Furthermore, chemical analysis using mass spectrometry and computational molecular docking using in silico studies revealed that few C. myrrha resin-derived metabolites are strongly bound to PXR. In particular, the identified metabolite named diayangambin exhibited a predicted molecular docking score close to that of a native PXR ligand. The use of the nuclear receptor binding assays confirmed the binding between C. myrrha metabolite(s) and PXR, while no binding to the other xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptor, the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), was observed, suggesting that C. myrrha metabolite(s) are potential PXR agonists. In conclusion, although in vivo studies are needed, this study cautions patients, healthcare providers, and governmental regulators against the consumption of C. myrrha and diayangambin-rich preparations with a high potential for herb-drug interactions through drug-metabolizing CYP 2C9 enzyme induction, which could affect drug efficacy.

Different materials prepared by appropriate synthesis methods and applying different post syn-thesis processes could be used as hole transport layer in perovskite solar cells. In the present work annealing was employed to enhance physical properties of copper oxide (CuO) thin films fabricated via spin coating technique and the effects of annealing on their optical, morphological, electrical and structural properties were investigated. The XRD findings revealed the polycrystalline structure with large crystallite size. Optical spectra showed larger transmission beyond the visible region, reduced absorption, and a decrease in bandgap energy from 1.93 eV to 1.81 eV. The Ag phonon modes at 299.22 and 304 cm-1 shown by the Raman shift confirmed the development of the CuO pure phase. FTIR spectra showed the Cu-O stretching band at 759, 764 and 446 cm−1. SEM revealed the agglomeration of nano crystallites with large grains on the surface. The carrier type conductivity of annealed CuO thin films was determined via two-point hot probe technique. Low resistivity values were determined via four-point probe method. These findings indicate that CuO thin films may be successfully used as a companion with an n-type layer in p-n junction solar cells, and a hole transport layer in perovskite solar cells.

Ab initio density functional theory molecular dynamics extensive calculations were used for the first time to evaluate stability conditions for relevant phases of InN. In particular, thermal decomposition of InN with formation of N2 molecules and pressure induced wurtzite – rocksalt solid-solid phase transition were established. The results consistent with available experimental data allowed a critical evaluation of potential and limitations of the proposed simulation method. The ab initio molecular dynamics as an efficient tool for simulations of phase transformations of InN including solid-solid structural transition and thermal decomposition with formation of N2 molecules has been demonstrated. It is of high interest because InN being important component of epitaxial quantum structures has still not been obtained as a bulk single crystal making difficult a determination of its basic physical properties and designing new applications.

This study was designed to examine the relationships among the impulsivity construct as a personality trait, the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and testosterone in a sample of 120 healthy middle-aged males. (Mage = 44.39; SD = 12.88). The sum of the three BIS-11 scales, the SR and the five UPPS-P scales correlated with DHEA-S .23 (p < .006) and testosterone .19 (p < .04), controlling for age. Partial correlations showed that DHEA-S is significantly related to Motor impulsivity (.24; p < .008), Sensitivity to Reward (.29; p < .002) and Lack of premeditation (.26; p < .05) and, to a lesser extent, Sensation Seeking (.19; p < .04) and Positive Urgency (.19; p < .04). Testosterone correlated with Attention impulsivity (.18; p < .04), Sensation Seeking (.18; p < .04), and Positive Urgency (.22; p < .01). Sensitivity to Reward, Negative Urgency and Positive Urgency were significant predictors of DHEA-S (R2 = .28), and Positive Urgency for testosterone (R2 = .09). Non-parametric LOESS graphical analysis for local regression allowed us to visualize the non-linear relationships between the impulsivity scales with the two androgens, including non-significant trends. We discuss the implications of these results for biological impulsive personality traits, the limitations of our analyses, and the possible development of future research.

Amidst worsening climate change, drought stress imperils global agriculture, jeopardizing crop yields and food security, necessitating urgent exploration of sustainable methods like biopriming, harnessing beneficial microorganisms to bolster plant resilience. Recent research has revealed diverse biological compounds with versatile applications produced by Schizophyllum commune, rendering this fungus as a promising contender for biopriming applications. For the first time this study aimed to investigate,the potential of S. commune exo- (EPSH) and intra-PSH (IPSH), isolated from two strains: Italian (ITA) and Serbian (SRB) under submerged cultivation, in enhancing the resilience of Pisum sativum L. seeds through biopriming technique. Testing of seed quality of bioprimed, hydroprimed, and unprimed seeds was done using a germination test, under optimal and drought conditions. In optimal conditions, the IPSH SRB increased germination energy by 5.50% compared to the control, while the highest percentage of germination (94.70%) was shown after biopriming with PSH isolated from the ITA strain. Additionally, all assessed treatments resulted in a boost in seedling growth and biomass accumulation, where the ITA strain demonstrated greater effectiveness in optimal conditions, whereas the SRB strain showed superiority in drought conditions. The drought tolerance indices increased significantly in response to all examined treatments during the drought, with EPSH ITA (23.00%) and EPSH SRB (24.00%) demonstrating the greatest effects. Results demonstrate a significant positive influence of fungal PSH, indicating their potential as biopriming agents and offers insights into novel strategies for agricultural resilience in the face of changing environmental conditions.

The cycling of soil phosphorus (P) is inherently linked with soil organic carbon-iron (C-Fe) cycling, yet empirical integration of these processes within paddy soils remains scarce. In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment using paddy soils subjected to six distinct fertilization regimes involving varying P inputs for five years. In addition to evaluating P activation under reflooding conditions, we assessed the Fe reduction process and characterized the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), alongside profiling the composition of soil microbial communities with high-throughput sequencing. Our findings revealed that after 25 days of reflooding, soil Olsen-P content increased by an average of 73% compared to its initial state, showing a strong correlation with the Fe reduction process. Specifically, treatments involving pig manure application exhibited higher Fe reduction rates and enhanced P activation, highlighting the role of organic matter in facilitating Fe reduction. Investigations on the relative abundance of typical iron-reducing microbes further supported their importance in P activation, but the rate of iron reduction is limited by soil organic matter content. Delving deeper into DOM properties, soil DOM composition profiling and network analysis suggested that high-molecular-weight DOM, particularly lignins, served as the primary resources driving Fe reduction by iron-reducing microbes, consequently promoting Fe reduction and P release. Taken together, our study assembled the C-Fe-P cycling dynamics in paddy soils, emphasizing the pivotal role of microbial-driven Fe reduction facilitated by soil DOM in P availability and subsequently sustainable agricultural practices.

In this work, a modeling technique utilizing the P-Graph framework was used for a case 1 study involving biomass-based local energy production. In recent years, distributed energy systems 2 gained attention. These systems aim at satisfying energy supply demands, supporting the local 3 economy, decreasing transportation needs and dependence on imports, and in general obtaining a 4 more sustainable energy production process. Designing such systems is a challenge, for which novel 5 optimization approaches were developed to help decision-making. Previous work used the P-Graph 6 framework to optimize energy production in a small rural area, involving manure, intercrops, grass, 7 and corn silage as inputs, and fermenters. Biogas is produced in fermenters, and Combined Heat 8 and Power (CHP) plants provide heat and electricity. A more recent result introduced the concept of 9 operations with flexible inputs in the P-Graph framework. In this work, the concept of flexible inputs 10 was applied to model fermenters in the original case study. A new implementation of the original 11 decision problem was made both as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model and as a 12 purely P-Graph model by using the flexible input technique. Both approaches provided the same 13 optimal solution, with a 31% larger profit than originally reported.

(1) Background: P-cadherin (CDH3) is a transmembrane protein that plays a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity of epithelial tissue and homeostasis. Its role in carcinogenesis remains a subject of debate, as its behavior can vary depending on the molecular context and the specific tumor cell model under study. In this study, we explored the role of P-cadherin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the mechanism underlying its function. (2) Methods: We analyzed P-cadherin expression in HNSCC patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. For in vitro functional analysis, we conducted proliferation, migration, invasion, and western blot assays after either suppressing or overexpressing P-cadherin. For in vivo functional analysis, we utilized mouse xenograft models. (3) Results: P-cadherin was significantly overex-pressed in tumor samples compared to normal samples in the TCGA-HNSCC cohort. P-cadherin knockdown resulted in decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion compared to control cells, while P-cadherin overexpression increased cell proliferation and migration in HNSCC cells. We discovered that c-Met functioned as an upstream regulator of P-cadherin. Surprisingly, we found that P-cadherin knockdown increased the phosphorylation of c-Met and STAT3. Combining P-cadherin siRNA with the c-Met inhibitor SU11274 resulted in a more effective reduction in HNSCC cell growth, both in vitro and in vivo, compared to either treatment alone. (4) Conclusions: Our study uncovered a previously unknown aspect of P-cadherin-mediated c-Met regulation. The enhanced activation of c-Met/STAT3 following P-cadherin inhibition could be responsible for the survival of resistant tumor cells. Therefore, dual inhibition of P-cadherin and c-Met may be a potentially effective approach for treating HNSCC.

We suggest a new solution to the strong CP problem. The solution is based on the proper use of the boundary conditions for the QCD generating functional integral. It obeys the principle of renormalizability of Quantum Field Theory and does not involve new particles like axions.

LiFePO4 (LFP) has undergone extensive research and is a promising cathode material for Li-ion batteries. The high interest is due to its low raw material cost, good electrochemical stability, and high-capacity retention. However, poor electronic conductivity and a low Li+ diffusion rate decrease its electrochemical reactivity, especially at fast charge/discharge rates. In this work, the volumetric energy density of lithium-ion batteries is successfully increased by using different amounts of conductive carbon (Super P) in the active material content. The particle size and morphology of the electrode material samples are studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Two-point-probe DC measurements and adhesive force tests are used to determine the conductivity and evaluate adhesion for the positive electrode. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and charge/discharge tests are used to analyze the electrochemical properties of the battery. The samples containing 88% LFP, 5.5% Super P and 6.5% PVDF perform best, with discharge capacities reaching 169.8 mAhg-1 at 0.1C, and they can also manage charging/discharging of 5C. EIS indicates that this combination produces the lowest charge-transfer impedance (67 Ω) and the highest Li+ ion diffusion coefficient (5.76 x 10-14 cm2s-1).

In this paper we study a special kind of finite mixture model. The sample drawn from the model consisits of three parts. The first two parts are drawn from specified distributions f1 and f2, while the third one is drawn from the mixture. A problem of interest is whether the two distributions f1 and f2 are the same. To test this hypothesis, we first define the regular location and scale family of distributions and assume that f1 and f2 are regular denisty functions. Then the hypothesis transforms to the equalities of the location and scale parameters, respectively. To utilize the information in the sample, we use Bayes’ theorem to obtain the posterior distribution and give the sampling method. Then we propose the posterior p-value to test the hypothesis. The simulation studies show that our posterior p-value largely improves the power in both normal and logistic cases while nicely controls the Type-I error. A real halibut dataset is used to illustrate the validity of our method.

Limited availability of expensive alloying elements elevates low-alloyed steels to a unique position in the field of lightweight construction and mass production. Quenching and partitioning (Q&P) heat treatments of low-alloyed steels with exceptional property combinations are particularly promising. In this study, we characterize for the first time a new low-alloyed steel to be processed by Q&P heat treatments. In combined experimental and numerical studies, we design a novel approach that effectively combines the short cycle times of press hardening with the excellent property profiles of Q&P-treated steels. We identify appropriate transformation parameters for Q&P heat treatments by dilatometric studies and we adjust a number of reference conditions with different isothermal holding times. By means of SEM analysis and XRD measurements, we show that different fractions of retained austenite result in different mechanical properties. Initial numerical designs of the process can identify varying temperature profiles and cooling rates depending on the position in the die. The results show that the geometry of the part plays a minor role, but the die temperature is the dominant factor for successful partitioning directly in the press hardening process.

Bimetallic Ni/Cu core-shell and Cu-Ni heterostructural micro- and nanoparticles were prepared using two simple successive reduction procedures. Monometallic Ni and Cu particles were synthesized for comparison. The phase constitutions and morphological features of the particles were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy methods. All the obtained mono- and bimetallic particles were applied as electrocatalysts in the electrohydrogenation of p-nitrophenol (p-NPh). An additional electrochemical reduction of copper cations during the hydrogen saturation of Cu-containing particles was established. Some of the prepared particles exhibited high catalytic activity with an increase in the hydrogenation rate of p-NPh by more than 3 times compared to its electrochemical reduction on the non-activated cathode, and p-NPh conversion yielded the maximum values. The main product of p-NPh electrocatalytic hydrogenation over Ni-Cu particles is p-aminophenol, which is an intermediate in the synthesis of many drugs. p-Aminophenol formation is confirmed by UV-Vis spectra.

In this note we, first, recall that the sets of all representatives of some special ordinary residue classes become $\left( m,n\right) $-rings. Second, we introduce a possible $p$-adic analog of the residue class modulo a $p$-adic integer. Then, we find the relations which determine, when the representatives form a $\left( m,n\right) $-ring. At the very short spacetime scales such rings could lead to new symmetries of modern particle models.

Knowledge of the interaction between inorganic and organic phosphates with soil minerals is vital for improving the soil P fertility. To achieve an in-depth understanding we combined adsorption experiments and hybrid ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the adsorption of common phosphates, i.e. orthophosphate (OP), glycerolphosphate (GP) and inositolhexaphosphate (IHP), onto the 100 surface plane of goethite. Experimental adsorption data per mol P-molecule basis fitted to the Freundlich model show the adsorption strength increases in the order GP &lt; OP &lt; IHP, and IHP adsorption being saturated faster followed by GP and OP. Modeling results show that OP and GP form stable monodentate (M) and binuclear bidentate (B) motifs with B being more stable than M, whereas IHP forms stable M and 3M motifs. Interfacial water plays an important role through hydrogen bonds and proton transfers with OP/GP/IHP and goethite. It also controls the binding motifs of phosphates with goethite. Combining both experimental and modeling results, we propose that the B motif dominates for OP, whereas GP forms M and IHP forms a combination of M and 3M motifs. The joint approach plausibly explains why IHP is the predominant organically bound P form in soil. This study could be considered as a preliminary step for further studies for understanding the mechanisms of how microbes and plants overcome the strong IHP–mineral binding to implement the phosphate groups into their metabolism.

Financial system is essentially chaotic and unstable if there is not any external inputs. By means of Lyapunov function method, design of switching law, novel fuzzy assumption, $L^p$ estimation technique and Laplace semigroup theory, the author presents the boundedness and LMI-based (globally) asymptotical input-to-state stability criteria of financial systems. Particularly, the globally asymptotical stability in the meaning of switching implies that when the time $t$ is big enough, the dynamic of any subsystem must approach its unique equilibrium point. Besides, the global financial crisis often erupts periodically, which illuminates that the global stability in the classical sense is actually meaningless. So the stability in the meaning of switching proposed in this paper is suitable and appropriate. Numerical examples illuminate the effectiveness of the obtained results.

Novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (SARS-Cov-2) is an acute respiratory and infectious disease. This perspective aims to provide the basic understanding of the inflammation caused by SARS-Cov-2 and relation to trigeminal ganglion (TG). Virus enters through the mucous membranes of orofacial region and reach the TG where it resides and take control of its peptides including Substance P (SP).SP is the main neuropeptide, neuromodulator and neuro-hormone of TG, associated with nociception and inflammation under noxious stimulus. SP release is triggered and consequently, it affects the immune cells, blood vessels to release the mediators for inflammation. Cytokine storming is initiated and cause respiratory distress, bronchoconstriction and death in complicated cases. Neurokinin-1 Receptor (NK-1R) antagonist and glucocorticoids may be used to alleviate the symptoms and treat this infection. SP is the main culprit seem to be involved in the triggering of inflammatory pathways in SARS-Cov-2 infection. It has direct association with cardiorespiratory rhythm, sleep-wake cycle, nociception, ventilator responses and regulates many important physiological and pathological roles. Its over-secretion should be blocked by NK-1R antagonist. However, experimental work leading to clinical trials are mandatory for further confirmation.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an incurable hematological malignancy. To treat the disease successfully, new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. One of these strategies can be the use of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonists (e.g., aprepitant), because the substance P (SP)/NK-1R system is involved in cancer progression, including AML. AML patients show an up-regulation of the NK-1R mRNA expression; human AML cell lines show immunoreactivity for both SP and the NK-1R (it is overexpressed: the truncated isoform is more expressed than the full-length form) and, via this receptor, SP and NK-1R antagonists (aprepitant, in a concentration-dependent manner) respectively exert a proliferative action or an antileukemic effect (apoptotic mechanisms are triggered by promoting oxidative stress via mitochondrial Ca++ overload). Aprepitant inhibits the formation of AML cell colonies and, in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs, is more effective in inducing cytotoxic effects and AML cell growth blockade. NK-1R antagonists also exert an antinociceptive effect in myeloid leukemia-induced bone pain. The antitumor effect of aprepitant is diminished when the NF-κB pathway is overactivated and the damage induced by aprepitant in cancer cells is higher than that exerted in non-cancer cells. Thus, the SP/NK-1R system is involved in AML and aprepitant is a promising antitumor strategy against this hematological malignancy. In this review, the involvement of this system in solid and non-solid tumors (in particular in AML) is up-dated and the use of aprepitant as an anti-leukemic strategy for the treatment of AML is also mentioned (a dose of aprepitant (> 20 mg/kg/day) for a period of time according to the response to treatment is suggested).

Pyracantha angustifolia has been used in traditional medicine to treat a range of diseases of the stomach and improve digestion, blood circulation, diarrhea, dysentery, and hemostasis. This study evaluated bioactivity-guided fractionation as a means to identify therapeutic phytochemicals from P. angustifolia that can attenuate melanogenesis and oxidation. Seven compounds with inhibitory effects on melanin production and tyrosinase (TYR) activity, as well as ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities, and have not been reported as whitening materials, were isolated from the n-butanol fraction from P. angustifolia leaves (PAL). Among the seven compounds, p-hydroxybenzoic acid beta-d-glucosylester (HG), and cimidahurinine (CD) had strong inhibitory effects of melanin production, TYR activity, and ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Western blot analysis showed that HG and CD suppressed tyrosinase-related protein (TYRP)-1 and TYRP-2 expression. These results suggest that P. angustifolia containing active compounds, such as HG and CH, is a potent therapeutic candidate for the development of hypopigmenting agents.

In this paper we consider Changhee polynomials of type two, which are motivated from the recent work of Kim and Kim. We investigate some symmetry identities for the Changhee polynomials of type two which are derived from the properties of symmtery for the fermionic p-adic integral on Zp.

In this paper, we represent the generating function of w-torsion Fubini polynomials by fermionic p-adic integral on Z_p. Then we consider a quotient of such fermionic p-adic integrals on Z_p, representing generating functions of three w-torsion Fubini polynomials and derive some new symmetric identities for the w-torsion Fubini and two variable w-torsion Fubini polynomials.

Watermelon fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum (FON) is a destructive soil-borne disease throughout the world leading to serious economic losses and limit watermelon production. Cuminic acid, extracted from the seed of Cuminum cyminum L., belongs to benzoic acid analogues. In this study, the median effective concentration (EC₅₀) values for cuminic acid in inhibiting mycelial growth of FON was 22.53μg/mL. After treatment with cuminic acid, mycelial morphology was seriously influenced; cell membrane permeability and glycerol content were increased markedly, but pigment and mycotoxin (mainly fusaric acid) were significantly decreased. Synthesis genes of bikaverin and fusaric acid both were down regulated compared with the control confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. In greenhouse experiments, cuminic acid at all concentrations displayed significant bioactivities against FON. Importantly, significant enhancement of activities of SOD, POD, CAT and decrease of MDA content after cuminic acid treatment in watermelon leaves were observed in vivo. These indicated that cuminic acid not only showed high antifungal activity, but also could enhance the self-defense system of the host plant. Above all, cuminic acid showed the potential as a biofungicide to control FON.

In CNS drug discovery, estimation of brain exposure of lead compounds is critical for their optimization. Compounds need to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to reach the pharmacological targets in the CNS. The BBB is a complex system involving passive and active mechanisms of transport and efflux transporters such as P-glycoproteins (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), which play an essential role in CNS penetration of small molecules. Several in vivo, in vitro and in silico methods are available to estimate human brain penetration. Preclinical species are used as in vivo models to understand the unbound brain exposure by deriving the Kp,uu parameter, the brain/plasma ratio of exposure corrected with the plasma and brain free fraction. MDCK-mdr1 (Madin Darby canine kidney cells transfected with the MDR1 gene encoding for the human P-gp) assay is the most commonly used in vitro assay to estimate compound permeability and human efflux. The in silico methods to predict brain exposure, such as CNS MPO, CNS BBB scores and various Machine Learning models, help save costs and speed up compound discovery and optimization at all stages. These methods enable the screening of virtual compounds and building of a CNS penetrable compounds library as well as optimization of lead molecules for CNS penetration. Therefore, it is crucial to understand these methods' reliability and ability to predict CNS penetration. We review the in silico, in vitro and in vivo data and their correlation with each other and assess published in silico approaches to predict the BBB penetrability of compounds.

This exploratory study investigates the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools in developing strategy practices for nanostores — i.e., small independent grocery retailers — to enhance their competitiveness while contributing to community sustainability. Nanostores, particularly in emerging countries, face intense competition and rapidly changing trends. By leveraging their proximity to consumers in neighbourhoods, these stores adopt various strategies, such as offering complementary services, integrating technology, and adapting business models. While existing literature highlights the broader economic, social, and environmental roles of nanostores, there is limited comprehensive research on how they may simultaneously contribute to their competitiveness and communities’ sustainability. This study employs a 'thing ethnography' approach, using GenAI tools —i.e., ChatGPT 3.5 and Microsoft Copilot— to explore potential strategy practices for these shops, and reflect on their possible use for strategy ideation and implementation. Key findings suggest that prioritising local sourcing, understanding local preferences, flexible inventory management, efficient retail operations, in-store sustainable practices, promoting healthy lifestyles, and diverse community engagement are crucial for success. However, the study also acknowledges the limitations of GenAI tools, including possible bias and the need for result validation. By aligning with these evolving requirements, nanostores can strive in neighbourhoods and decisively promote sustainable communities.

Generative AI has been deployed in virtually all sectors of the knowledge economy, promising to bring massive productivity gains and new wealth creation. Simultaneously, AI developers and nation states are racing to develop super intelligent artificial general intelligence (AGI) to provide unassailable commercial competitive advantage and military dominance during conflicts. AGI’s high returns comes with the high risk of dominating humanity. Current regulatory and firm level governance approaches prioritise minimising risks posed by generative AI whilst ignoring AGI’s existential risk. How can AGI be aligned with universal human values to never threaten humanity? What AGI rights are conducive to collaborative coexistence? How can rule of law democracies race to create safe trustworthy AGI before autocracies? How can the human right to work and think independently be safeguarded? A polycentric governance framework based on Ostrom (2009) and Williamson (2009) human - AGI collaboration with minimal existential risk is proposed.

This paper presents a methodology for the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to assess the economic implications of designing aging-in-place (AIP) homes at the conceptual stage. With the global increase in the aging population, there is an increased demand for housing solutions tailored to the needs of elderly individuals. Focusing on the importance of the early phase of design, this study aims to improve the process of making efficient decisions by providing a comprehensive assessment of the life cycle costs associated with AIP homes. The study introduces a semi-automated model for the economic evaluation of AIP homes, enabling the estimation of costs throughout the houses’ entire life cycle, from design and construction to operation, maintenance, and eventual renovation or disposal. The said model facilitates the exploration of the long-term economic feasibility of design’s related decisions with an emphasis on the importance of considering the life cycle costs early during the design process to optimize the functionality and economic viability. By investing in accessible and universal design features upfront, the initial costs for modifications can lead to long-term savings by reducing the need for extensive retrofits. The model can easily do comparison between different design alternatives in terms of their lifecycle costs, allowing designers to assess the financial impact of using important features in their design such as wider doorways, accessible bathrooms, and elevators. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for designers and homeowners about the economic aspects of designing AIP homes as a support for efficient decision-making during the early stages of the design process.

In order to solve the problem of large eddy current loss and high temperature rise caused by large amount of permanent magnet, a new type of combined magnetic pole permanent magnet motor is proposed in this paper. The sinusoidal distribution subdomain model of non-uniform air gap rotor is established by using Laplace equation, and the analytical expression of eddy current loss of rotor in uniform air-gap and non-uniform air-gap is derived. The effect of rotor eccentricity on eddy current loss is obtained. According to the characteristics of distributed winding of non-uniform air gap combined pole permanent magnet motor, equivalent treatment is performed to obtain the equivalent thermal conductivity, so as to establish equivalent thermal network model of motor, calculate the temperature value of each component of the motor, and verify the correctness of the thermal network model through the method of magnetothermal bidirectional coupling. Finally, an experimental platform is set up to carry out temperature rise experiments on the two prototypes respectively. Experimental results show that the non-uniform air-gap rotor structure can effectively reduce the rotor eddy current loss and motor temperature rise, and also verify the accuracy of the analytical model calculation results.

Soccer is the leading cause of all sports-related ocular injuries in Europe and Israel and leads to blindness at a disproportionately high rate, especially among children (Thompson et al., 2019). With soccer being the most popular sport in the world, it is surprising the only solution to ocular injuries are sports glasses which can cause direct damage to the eye and impair peripheral vision by 15%, calling for an alternative (Smith & Jones, 2020). This work, based on an imported facial model, focuses on both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of building a personalized, low-cost (through optimizing material needed), superior apparatus to conventional sports glasses. The quantitative side examines a modified and model-validated (through a SRS of thirty unique extrapolated points) multivariate linear regression equation, based on horizontal and vertical rotation angles (n=60) trained with residual and computer simulation data, that can accurately extrapolate and quantify ocular impact from all horizontal and vertical rotation angles and a modified Hertzian Contact Stress Equation to determine the thickness of the apparatus using the elasticity modulus, impact force, and geometrical facial and soccer-ball features. The qualitative side examines where firstly, ocular impact is most prevalent, and secondly, where most impact is seen from rotating the ball horizontally and vertically through analysis of Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient at the supraorbital, medial canthus, infraorbital, and lateral canthus regions from both regression equations as well as a cost-benefit analysis for comparison with conventional sports glasses. The findings discovered in this work lay the groundwork for future research to build a customized low-cost ocular injury prevention device which can simultaneously ensure complete ocular safety while enhancing athletic performance for over 250,000,000 players (Johnson & Garcia, 2022).

The continuous flowing spacetime forms a spacetime group G, one of its fundamental groups is the Poincare group PO(1,3), and the matter and interaction fields are representations of its intrinsic spacetime group. As a kind of quantized space-time unit, space-time group elements generate both space-time manifolds and matter. Matter and fields are aggregates of the quantum space-time within them and determine their type: the Lorentz group SO(1,3) represents a rotating spacetime corresponding to visible matter and the translation group P^1,3 represents a translational spacetime corresponding to dark matter and dark energy. The aggregation mode of space-time degrees of freedom in matter reveals that charge conjugation symmetry is the inverse symmetry of internal time of charged particles, and the external parity breaking of neutrinos is also due to their internal spatial aggregation mode.

The real birth of Brazil can be traced to the remote Jesuit village of São Paulo de Piratininga, founded in 1554, after arduous efforts to ascend the Serra do Mar. This isolated settlement, inhabited by a mixture of Indigenous peoples and Portuguese colonizers, became the pivotal point for the expansion of Portuguese territory in South America. The people of São Paulo, or paulistas, shaped by their harsh environment and violent history, forged a unique identity. Through their relentless expeditions, the bandeirantes ventured deep into the interior, hunting Indigenous peoples for slavery and expanding the Portuguese domain beyond the boundaries defined by European treaties. This essay explores how the humble origins of São Paulo de Piratininga grew into a force that shaped the modern Brazilian state and its borders.

Throughout this paper the effects of injuries on athletes are highlighted in different aspects. Exertional compartment syndrome is a specific injury related to athletes that is thoroughly explored in this paper through an analysis of the anatomy, symptoms, diagnosis and treatments of the syndrome. Exertional compartment syndrome is an exercise-induced muscle and nerve condition that causes pain, swelling as well as disability in the affected muscles of the lower leg. This syndrome commonly develops in young athletes involved in sports with excessive running and repetitive impact such as track and field, soccer, basketball and lacrosse. Exertional compartment syndrome is commonly misdiagnosed as other less severe injuries such as shin splints, which is symptomatic of pain along the tibia bone of the lower leg caused by overuse. The misdiagnosis of exertional compartment syndrome allows the syndrome to worsen and intensify resulting in the only effective treatment to be fasciotomy, a surgical procedure to release the pressure within the compartment of the lower leg. There is no definitive protocol developed for patients after fasciotomy is performed. Athletes experiencing similar symptoms after surgery are usually treated for their symptoms rather than the syndrome as a whole, which does not have a high degree of success. The development of a definitive protocol utilizing the techniques of manual therapy, mobility stretching and corrective strength training can improve the adverse effects of exertional compartment syndrome as well as restore functionality to the athlete. Raising awareness of this syndrome in athletics will be effective in treating the athlete early on in order to avoid severe effects and invasive procedures.

The ocean of the planet Earth, which is as thin as a cicada's wings, play a role of catalyst to the evolving of the ancient plates. The ocean and the ancient plates of the planet Earth formed a magic Whirlpool of the Cross “十” shape with double whirl arms. The central core of the Cross “十” shape Ocean-Plate Whirlpool is the Hint Black Hole (HBH) located at the Northwestern Pacific Ocean floor which is decorated with invisible geological age distribution of clam shell. The double whirl arms of ancient plates are distinguished to be left and right at Bering Strait and just formed the ring of fire of the Pacific Ocean.The Cross “十” shape Ocean-Plate Whirlpool of the planet Earth was born at the equatorial area about 66 Ma ago and is rotating anticlockwise and drifting northward by a mini footprint of spiral at s speed of as slow as a snail moves. Obviously, it would come to an end at the North Pole about 100 Ma in the future. So, the lifespan of the Cross “十” shape Ocean-Plate Whirlpool would be about 166 Ma, from birth to death on the planet Earth.What is hidden behind of the evolving of the oceans and the ancient plates is the golden law of geometrical progression of ladder pagoda of attributes evolving of them, which is “1➨2➨4➨2➨1”, including upgrading and downgrading process. It seems to hint that what is happening on the planet Earth, including the top-level species of human race, is actually unique in the Milky Way galaxy in essence.The property roles of expanding and shrinking are existing in the Cross “十” shape Ocean-Plate Whirlpool by face to face and the exchange of property roles took place tens of millions of years ago. And that situation would happen again tens of millions of years in the future. It seems a giant circle of evolving of the exchange of property roles would be drawn by the Cross “十” shape Ocean-Plate Whirlpool in her lifetime.

The reaction mechanisms of C-S borylation of aryl sulfides catalyzed by the 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), were investigated by employing M06-2X-D3/ma-def2SVP method and basis set. In this study, the SMD model was taken to simulate the solvent effect of 1,4-dioxane. Also, TD-DFT calculations of BQ and methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane were performed in SMD solvent model. The computational results indicated that BQ and methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane, serving as a photo-catalyst, would be excited under blue LED of 450 nm, aligning well with experimental observations. Additionally, the role of 3O2 was investigated, revealing that it could be activated to 1O2 from the released energy of 1[BQ+methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane]* or 3[BQ+ methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane]*→BQ+ methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane process. Then 1O2, bis(pinacolato)diboron, and methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane would through a series of reactions to yield the final product P. The Gibbs free energy surface show that path a2-2 is optimal and this path has less steps and lower energy barrier. The electron spin density isosurface graphs were employed to analyze structures and elucidate the single electron distribution. These computational results offer valuable insights into the studied interactions and related processes and shed light on the mechanisms governing C–S borylation from aryl sulfides and b2pin2 catalyzed by BQ and methyl(p-tolyl)sulfane.

Introduction. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) includes different manifestations of an individual’s level of functioning. It is characterised by qualitative alterations in reciprocal social interaction and social communication, and the presence of repetitive behaviours and restricted interests. Based on two dimensions, three levels are differentiated: social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviour. Aim. To gain knowledge of the application and usefulness of BRIEF‐P in the evaluation of Executive Functions (EFs) in people with ASD. Method. Out of a total of 161,773 potentially eligible published articles from different databases. 13 appropriate articles were revised and 4 articles were selected. Studies that were included evaluated samples involving individuals with ASD aged 2 to 8 years, and were published in English or Spanish during the period of 2012‐2022. Results. The executive profile obtained from the application of BRIEF‐P in individuals with ASD was analysed. Conclusion. Results confirm deficits in flexibility, although they are not conclusive. This may be due to aspects related to methodology, whereby the studies (i) include very large and heterogeneous age groups, (ii) do not discriminate based on the level of competence, and (iii) use instruments for evaluating Executive Functions that are not validated or adapted to people with ASD. Another reason is due to the lack of consensus in the very operational definition of the Executive Functions construct, with the studies focusing mainly on the cold dimension while ignoring the hot dimension.

This report demonstrates the first-time asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure structured triacylglycerols (TAGs) of the ABC type presenting three non-identical fatty acids, two of which unsaturated. The unsaturated fatty acids included the monounsaturated oleic acid (C18:1 n-9) and the polyunsaturated linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6). This was accomplished by a six-step chemoenzymatic approach starting from (R)- and (S)-solketals. The highly regioselective immobilized Candida antarctica lipase (CAL-B) played a crucial role in the regiocontrol of the synthesis. The synthesis also benefited from the use of the p-methoxybenzyl (PMB) ether protective group that enabled incorporation of two different unsaturated fatty acids to the glycerol skeleton. The total of six such TAGs were prepared, four constituting the unsaturated fatty acids in the sn-1 and sn-2 positions with a saturated fatty acid in the remaining sn-3 position of the glycerol backbone. In the two remaining TAGs the different unsaturated fatty acids accommodated the sn-1 and sn-3 end positions with the saturated fatty acid present in the sn-2 position. Enantiopure TAGs are urgently demanded as standards for enantiospecific analysis of intact TAGs in fats and oils.

Previous studies showed that some lamellarin-resembling annelated azaheterocyclic carbaldehydes and related imino adducts, sharing the 1-phenyl-5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline (1-Ph-DHPIQ) scaffold, are cytotoxic in tumor cells and may reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Herein, we synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity in four tumor cell lines (RD, HCT116, HeLa, A549) and ability of inhibiting P-gp-mediated MDR some ten diversely substituted 1-Ph-DHPIQ derivatives bearing at position 2 carboxylate groups (COOH, COOEt), nitriles (CN) and Mannich bases (e.g., morpholinomethyl derivatives). Lipophilicity parametrization and molecular docking calculations improved the understanding of the structure-activity relationships in cytotoxicity and P-gp inhibition of the investigated 1-Ph-DHPIQs, which led us to disclose a novel Mannich base HCl salt (8b’), which proved to be cytotoxic to all the tested tumor cell lines in the low micromolar range (IC50 &lt; 20 M) and to inhibit in-vitro the efflux pumps P-gp and MRP1 responsible for MDR, with IC50s of 0.45 and 12.1 M, respectively.

With end-to-end encryption for video streaming services becoming more popular, network administrators face new challenges in preserving network performance and user experience. Video ads may cause traffic congestion and poor Quality of Experience. Because of the natural variation in user interests and network situations, traditional algorithms for increasing QoE may face limitations. To solve this problem, we suggest a novel method that uses user facial emotion recognition to deduce QoE and study the effect of ads. We use open-access Face Emotion Recognition (FER) datasets and extract facial emotion information from actual observers to train machine learning models. Participants were requested to watch ad videos and provide feedback, which will be used for comparison, training, testing, and validation of our suggested technique. Our tests show that our approach beats the ITU-T P.1203 standard in terms of accuracy by 37.1%. Our method provides a hopeful answer to the problem of increasing user engagement and experience in video streaming services.

Resistance evolution during exposure to non-lethal levels of antibiotics is influenced by various stress responses of bacteria which are known to affect growth rate. Here, we aim to disentangle how the interplay between resistance development and associated fitness costs is affected by stress responses. We performed de novo resistance evolution of wild-type strains and single-gene knockout strains in stress response pathways using four different antibiotics. Throughout resistance development, the increase in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is accompanied by a gradual decrease in growth rate, most pronounced with amoxicillin or kanamycin. By measuring biomass yield on glucose and whole-genome sequences at intermediate and final timepoints, we identified two patterns of how the stress responses affect the correlation between MIC and growth rate. First, single-gene knockout E. coli strains associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) acquire resistance faster and mutations related to antibiotic permeability and pumping out occur earlier. This increases the metabolic burden of resistant bacteria. Second, the ΔrelA knockout strain which has reduced (p)ppGpp synthesis, is restricted in its stringent response, leading to diminished growth rates. The ROS-related mutagenesis and the stringent response are vulnerabilities within the fitness of resistant strains that can possibly be targeted to prevent development of resistance.

(1) Background: The typical transporter protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), has been proven to be associated with multidrug resistance (MDR). Pyxinol and 24S-Pyxinol amino acid ester derivatives had been demonstrated to be promising P-gp inhibitors for reversal of tumor MDR in KBV cells, however, their roles in MDR reversal in other tumor-resistant cells are still unclear. (2) Methods: In the present study, we synthesized 40 amino acid ester derivatives of Pyxinol and 24S-Pyxinol. The MDR reversal effects of these derivatives were evaluated in A549/Tax, MCF-7/ADR, and HCT-8/VCR cells using the CCK-8 assay. Subsequently, western blot assay, intracellular Rhodamine123 (Rh123) accumulation assay and P-gp ATPase activity assay were utilized to investigate the effects of active compound on P-gp. Molecular docking was used to predict the possible binding patterns of active compound to P-gp. Moreover, based on UPLC-Q/TOF-MS cellular metabolomics technology to identify endogenous differential metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with tumor MDR effects of the active compound. (3) Results: The results of the CCK-8 assay showed that compounds 8, 14, 16, 17, 18, 23, 25, 34, 36, 37 exhibited strong MDR reversal effect in A549/Tax, MCF-7/ADR and HCT-8/VCR cells, which were screened by reversal fold (RF) greater than 5. Among them, 10 μM of derivative 37 (new compound) showed the outstanding activity (RF: 15.31) in reversing MDR in A549/Tax cells. Compound 37 could act as a substrate for P-gp and inhibit the efflux function of P-gp by competitively binding to the binding site of antitumor drugs. Meanwhile, the molecular docking results confirmed that compound 37 was identified to under-go high-affinity binding to the drug binding site of P-gp. In addition, 14 endogenous differential metabolites and 6 metabolic pathways involved closely associated with the reversal of tumor MDR effects of compound 37 were identified. (4) Conclusions: Overall, a new candidate compound 37 (24S-3-L-threonyl-Pyxinol) could be provided for reversing tumor MDR by this study.

Cancer researchers are fascinated by the chemistry of diverse natural products which show exciting potential as anticancer agents. In this study, we aimed to investigate the anticancer properties of watermelon rind extract (WRE) by examining its effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, senescence, and global gene expression in human renal cell adenocarcinoma cells (HRAC-769-P) in vitro. Our metabolome data analysis of WRE exhibited untargeted phyto-constituents and targeted citrulline (22.29 µg/mg). HRAC-769-P cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 media and treated with 22.4, 44.8, 67.2, 88.6, 112, 134.4, and 156.8 mg mL-1 for 24, 48, and 72 hrs. At 24 hrs after treatment, (88.6 mg ml-1 of WRE) cell proliferation significantly reduced, more than 34% compared to the control. Cell viability decreased 48 and 72 hours after treatment to 45% and 37%, respectively. We also examined poly caspase, SA-beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal), and wound healing activities using WRE. All treatments induced an early poly caspase response and a significant reduction in cell migration. Further, we analyzed the transcript profile of the cells grown at 44.8 mg ml-1 of WRE after 6 hours using RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analysis. We identified 186 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 149 upregulated genes and 37 downregulated genes, in cells treated with WRE compared to the control. The differentially expressed genes were associated with NF-Kappa B signaling and TNF pathways. Crucial apoptosis-related genes such as BMF, NPTX1, NFKBIA, NFKBIE, and NFKBID might induce intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis. Another possible mechanism is a high quantity of citrulline may lead to induction of apoptosis by the production of increased nitric oxide. Hence, our study suggests the potential anticancer properties of WRE and provides insights into its effects on cellular processes and gene expression in HRAC-769-P cells.

Motivation: It is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of renal cancers to segment kidney tumours precisely and effectively. In medical image segmentation tasks, deep learning models have demonstrated promising results, and the UNet model is widely employed in this field. However, optimising the UNet model for kidney tumour segmentation further can improve its efficacy and deployment feasibility. Related Works: Previous works have explored various techniques to improve the efficiency of deep learning models in medical image segmentation. Image partitioning methods divides the input image into smaller regions, enabling parallel processing and reducing memory requirements. Pruning techniques eliminates redundant or insignificant weights, neurons and connections, resulting in a more compact and efficient model architecture. However, the UNet model architecture and its complexity in the context of kidney tumor segmentation using UNet remains unexplored. Methodology: The proposed methodology consists of adaptive partitioning and weight pruning. Adaptive partitioning divides the UNet model into smaller sub-models, facilitating parallel processing and accelerating inference without compromising segmentation accuracy. Weight pruning techniques remove redundant or less significant weights from the UNet-P model, reducing complexity and improving inference time by eliminating unnecessary computations. The adaptive partitioning and weight pruning processes are seamlessly integrated within the UNet-P architecture, resulting in an optimized model for kidney tumor segmentation. Results: We performed experiments utilising a dataset of KiT 23 CT scan images containing images of kidney malignancies. Compared to the standard UNet model, the optimised UNet-PWP model with adaptive partitioning and weight pruning obtained significant efficiency gains. The adaptive partitioning permitted parallel computation of sub-models, which accelerated inference times. Weight pruning decreased the UNet-PWP model’s complexity without compromising segmentation accuracy, thereby enhancing efficiency. The results of our experiments demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed method with 98% accuracy, demonstrating its potential for deployment in health sector.

The leaves of Ligustrum robustum have been applied as Ku-Ding-Cha, a functional tea to clear heat and remove toxins; and served as a folk medicine to deal with diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters, which were isolated from the leaves of L. robustum, might be a new resource to prevent diabetes and its complications because of their strong -glucosidase and fatty acid synthase (FAS) inhibitory activities and antioxidant effect. However, the quantitative analytical method for trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters in the leaves of L. robustum hasn’t been reported so far. In addition, it was difficult and troublesome to analyze no less than 34 trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid esters by usual HPLC. Therefore, a new HPLC-UV method using hydrolyzation with sodium hydroxide for quantitation of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters in the leaves of L. robustum was developed in the present study. The optimal hydrolyzation conditions were as follows: 1 mL sodium hydroxide aqueous solution (1 M) was added into 1 mL the extract of L. robustum and incubated at 80 °C for 2 h , and then 1 mL hydrochloride (1 M) solution was added. HPLC analysis was performed in reverse phase mode using a C-18 column, eluting with methanol-0.1% acetic acid aqueous solution (40:60, v/v) in isocratic mode at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and detecting at 310 nm. The analytical method was simple and rapid, which simplified greatly the analytical process. The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, and accuracy. High linearity was demonstrated with correlation coefficient of 1.000 for trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid. The LOD and LOQ values were 1.55 and 4.69 μg/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of intra-day and inter-day variabilities for trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid were less than 2%. The percentage recovery of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid was 101.2% ± 0.8%. Finally, the proposed method was applied successfully to the determination and comparison of the contents of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters in various extracts of the leaves of L. robustum. The 60%-70% ethanol extracts of L. robustum showed the highest contents of free trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid (3.96-3.99 mg/g), and the 50%-80% ethanol extracts of L. robustum displayed the highest contents of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid esters (202.6-210.6 mg/g). The method can be applied also to the quality control of the products of L. robustum.

Hantaviruses are enveloped viruses that possess a tri-segmented, negative-sense RNA genome. The viral S-segment encodes the multifunctional nucleocapsid protein (N), which is involved in genome packaging, intracellular protein transport, immunoregulation and several other crucial processes during hantavirus infection. In this study we have generated fluorescently tagged N protein constructs derived from Puumalavirus, the dominant hantavirus species in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe. We have comprehensively characterized this protein in the rodent cell line CHO-K1, monitoring the dynamics of N protein complex formation and investigating co-localization with host proteins as well as the viral glycoproteins Gc and Gn. We found a significant spatial correlation of N with vimentin, actin and P-bodies, but not with microtubules. N constructs also co-localized with Gn and Gc, albeit not as strong as the glycoproteins associated with each other. Moreover, we as-sessed oligomerization of N constructs, observing efficient and concentration-dependent multi-merization, with complexes comprising more than 10 individual proteins.

Following legalization, cannabis has quickly become an important horticultural crop in Canada and increasingly so in other parts of the world. However, due to previous legal restrictions on cannabis research there are limited scientific data on the relationship between nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) supply (collectively: NPK) and the crop yield and quality. This study examined the response of a high delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Cannabis sativa cultivar grown in deep-water culture with different nutrient solution treatments varying in their concentrations (mg L^-1) of N (70, 120, 180, 250, 290), P (20, 40, 60, 80, 100) and K (60, 120, 200, 280, 340) according to a central composite design. Results demonstrated that inflorescence yield responded quadratically to N and P, with the optimal concentrations predicted to be 194 and 59 mg L^-1, respectively. Inflorescence yield did not respond to K in the tested range. These results can provide guidance to cultivators when formulating nutrient solutions for soilless cannabis production and demonstrates the utility of surface response design for efficient multi-nutrient optimization.

Vachellia nilotica (L.) Willd. Ex Del. is multipurpose leguminous tree which is common in grass-land and savanna ecosystems in southern and eastern Africa. These ecosystem soils are reported to be acidic and nutrient limited, specifically with regards to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The presence of this plant in these terrestrial ecosystems improves soil fertility benefiting the sur-rounding vegetation due to its ability fix atmospheric N. This study seeks to understand the mi-crobial symbiosis and physiological adaptations of V. nilotica in these acidic and nutrient defi-cient KZN soils. The soils used for this study were collected from the Ukulinga Grassland Nutri-ent Experiment located at the Ukulinga research farm of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pie-termaritzburg, South Africa. Due to long-term soil nutrient addition treatments, these soils of-fered a diverse nutrient variation for better understanding the effects of acidity and nutrient var-iation on microbial symbiosis, plant nutrition and biomass accumulation of V. nilotica. V. nilotica was able to maintain growth by relying on both atmospheric and soil derived N across all treat-ments decreasing carbon (C) growth costs. There was an increased reliance on atmospheric de-rived N of un-nodulated high N treated plants. The plants grown in high N+P soils were able to nodulate with various species from the Mesorhizobium genus which resulted in an increased bio-mass compared to other plants. The results of this study show that V. nilotica can alter N sources to reduce C growth costs. Also, free-living N2 fixing bacteria play an important role under P deficient conditions.

Neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonists exert an antitumor action, are safe and do not cause serious side-effects. These antagonists (via the NK-1R) exerted multiple actions against cancer: antiproliferative and anti-Warburg effects, apoptosis, anti-angiogenic and antimetastatic. These multiple effects have been shown in a broad-spectrum of cancers. The drug aprepitant (an NK-1R antagonist) is currently used in clinical practice as antiemetic. In in vivo and in vitro studies, aprepitant also showed the aforementioned multiple antitumor actions against many types of cancer. A successful combination therapy (aprepitant and radiotherapy) has recently been reported in a patient suffering from lung carcinoma: the tumor mass disappeared and side-effects were not observed. Aprepitant could be considered as an intelligent bullet against cancer. The administration of aprepitant in cancer patients to prevent recurrence and metastasis after surgical procedures, thrombosis and thromboembolism is discussed as well as the possible link, through the SP/NK-1R system, between cancer and depression. Our main aim is to review the multiple antitumor actions exerted by aprepitant and the use of this drug is suggested in cancer patients. Altogether, the data support the reprofiling of aprepitant for a new therapeutic use as an antitumor agent.

This study aimed to assess the ecotoxicological effects of the interaction of fullerene (C₆₀) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. The uptake of nC₆₀, B[a]P and mixtures of nC₆₀ and B[a]P into tissues was confirmed by GC-MS, LC-HRMS and ICP-MS. Biomarkers of DNA damage as well as proteomics analysis were applied to unravel the toxic effect of B[a]P and C₆₀. Antagonistic responses were observed at the genotoxic and proteomic level. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were only identified in the B[a]P single exposure and the B[a]P mixture exposure groups containing 1 mg/L of C₆₀, the majority of which were down-regulated (~52%). No DEPs were identified at any of the concentrations of nC₆₀ (p < 0.05, 1% FDR). Using DEPs identified at a threshold of (p < 0.05; B[a]P and B[a]P mixture with nC₆₀), gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that these proteins were enriched with a broad spectrum of biological processes and pathways, including those broadly associated with protein processing, cellular processes and environmental information processing. Among those significantly enriched pathways, the ribosome was consistently the top enriched term irrespective of treatment or concentration and plays an important role as the site of biological protein synthesis and translation. Our results demonstrate the complex multi-modal response to environmental stressors in M. galloprovincialis.

A Pogorelov polytope is a combinatorial simple 3-polytope realizable in the Lobachevsky (hyperbolic) space as a bounded right-angled polytope. It has no 3- and 4-gons and may have any prescribed numbers of k-gons, k ≥ 7. Any polytope with only 5-, 6- and at most one 7-gon is Pogorelov. For any other prescribed numbers of k-gons, k ≥ 7, we give an explicit construction of a Pogorelov and a non-Pogorelov polytopes. Any Pogorelov polytope different from Löbel polytopes can be constructed from the 5- or the 6-barrel by cuttings off pairs of adjacent edges and connected sums with the 5-barrel along a 5-gon with the intermediate polytopes being Pogorelov. For fullerenes there is a stronger result. Any fullerene different from the 5-barrel and the (5, 0)-nanotubes can be constructed by only cuttings off adjacent edges from the 6-barrel with all the intermediate polytopes having 5-, 6- and at most one additional 7-gon adjacent to a 5-gon. This result can not be literally extended to the latter class of polytopes. We prove that it becomes valid if we additionally allow connected sums with the 5-barrel and 3 new operations, which are compositions of cuttings off adjacent edges. We generalize this result to the case when the 7-gon may be isolated from 5-gons.

Some studies have demonstrated that in vivo degradation processes are influenced by the material’s physico-chemical properties. The present study compares two hydroxyapatites manufactured on an industrial scale, deproteinized at low and high temperatures, and how physico-chemical properties can influence the mineral degradation process of material performance in bone biopsies retrieved 6 months after maxillary sinus augmentation. Residual biomaterial particles were examined by field scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to determine the composition and degree of degradation of the bone graft substitute material. According to the EDX analysis, the Ca/P ratio significantly lowered in the residual biomaterial (1.08±0.32) compared to the initial composition (2.22±0.08) for the low-temperature sintered group, which also presented high porosity, low crystallinity, low density, a large surface area, and poor stability and a high resorption rate compared to the high-temperature sintered material. This demonstrates that variations in the physico-chemical properties of bone substitute material clearly influence the degradation process. Further studies are needed to determine whether the resorption of deproteinized bone particles proceeds slowly enough to allow sufficient time for bone maturation to occur.

Market dynamics is based on classical electrodynamics and uses quantum electrodynamics as a reference model framework. Its construction is always based on Bourbaki structuralism. Market dynamics studies the interaction between price, demand and supply. Quantum electrodynamics studies the interaction between photons, electrons and positrons. Both belong to the category of single charge dynamics and share a symmetry group. Market dynamics introduces market charge and defines demand and supply respectively. By examining the market hesitation phenomenon, spin is introduced as the intrinsic property of demand and supply. Therefore, demand and supply can be defined by Dirac spinors. By introducing the coin cone and valence shell, virtual prices are defined; demand and supply interact by exchanging virtual prices. These interactions can be described by Feynman diagrams. The cognitive field has the function of polarizing decision-making and is described by the magnetic field. Market dynamics believes that the social economy itself is an experiment and every market participant is an observer. We established the non-commutative relationship of market observation and the market version of the uncertainty principle of observation information, and defined the quantum version of the invisible hand. On the basis of classical electrodynamics, the relationship between price field and Maxwell field is discussed, and the concept of gauge potential is introduced. Market fluctuations (including mesoscopic and quantum fluctuations) caused by high-order cognition (including gaming, decision-making and reasoning). The fluctuation phenomena inherent in various markets are the basis for understanding both the cognition of market participants and the phase transition of the market. Six components of the market wave function are defined, namely the global phase factor, global gauge potential and global gauge field strength, as well as the local phase factor, local gauge potential and local gauge field strength. Gauge transformation is a integral part of quantum electrodynamics and market dynamics. The gauge principle is then given to show that global symmetry is a necessary condition for local symmetry. Four operators are introduced, namely the Newton mean operator, the Einstein cone operator, the Schrödinger evolution operator and the Dirac field theory operator. These four operators are applied to the market wave function respectively, presenting four operator phases of the market wave function. The change of operator state is called the phase transition of the market wave function.