SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike RBD epitopes in complex with spike (S) -protein D614G mutations now predominate globally and increase infectivity by assembling more functional S proteins into the virion. On average, homeopathic medicine contains less than one molecule per dose on average. Single variable SphericalHarmonicY, LaguerreL, WhittakerM, SphericalBesselJ, LegendreP, LegendreQ, LaguerreL, ChebyshevT, and Hypergeometric1F1 Functions pFqarise in connection with the power series solution of the Schrodinger equation or in the summation of perturbation expansions in quantum mechanics. A quantum interpretation of the homeopathic method is presented here through a novel algebraic topology approach to supersymmetry and symmetry breaking in quantum fields and quantum gravity theory with the aim of developing a wide range of physical-based drug design applications in a Small Molecule Quantized Water Memory Network suggesting that the Hidden Black Hole Paradox of Information Loss might be solved under suitable conditions.

Based on the previous work done by Fujii et al., NdBaInO4 compounds present modest oxide-ion conductivities. Therefore, it has been an attractive system of significant interest. In this paper, the Ca element has been attempted to partially substitute for Nd and the total electrical conductivity has been successfully improved due to the generation of oxygen vacancies. The synthesis, crystal structure, density, surface topography and electrical properties of NdBaInO4 and Ca-doped NdBaInO4 have been studied respectively. NdBaInO4, 10% and 20% molar fraction of Ca doped NdBaInO4 were synthesized through solid state reaction and they were calcined at 1000 °C for 14 hours and sintered at 1440 °C,1430 °C and 1420 °C respectively. The crystal structure of them has been obtained from Le Bail refinement of the XRD pattern, giving the result of the monoclinic structure which belongs to P21/c space group. The size of particles processed with different ball milling time and surface topography have been detected by the scanning electron microscope. The total electrical conductivities of Nd1-xCaxBaInO4-x/2 (x = 0, 0.1 and 0.2) were measured in the dry atmosphere by AC impedance spectroscopy and Nd0.9Ca0.1BaInO3.95 exhibited the highest total electrical conductivity and the lowest activation energy. What is more, the total conductivity of Nd0.9Ca0.1BaInO3.95 in the wet atmosphere at moderate temperature is relatively higher than that in the dry atmosphere while this phenomenon was not found in NdBaInO4. Therefore, the excess conductivity suggests that potential proton conduction may exist in wet atmospheres. In addition, Ca-doped NdBaInO4 were chosen for the oxygen isotope exchange which aims to obtain the diffusion coefficient and surface exchange coefficient, and Nd0.9Ca0.1BaInO3.95 shows the highest diffusion coefficient and D* decreases with the increase of the molar fraction of the Ca element.

MicroRNAs, short non-protein coding RNAs, are overexpressed in GCTs. Circulating levels of germ cell tumor (GCT)- associated miRNAs, such as miR-371a-3p, can be utilized as efficient and cost-effective alternatives in diagnosing and managing patients presenting with GCTs. This quality of miRNAs has demonstrated favorable performance characteristics as a reliable blood-based biomarker with high diagnostic accuracy compared to current serum tumor markers (STMs) including α-fetoprotein (AFP), beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The conventional STMs exhibit limited specificity and sensitivity. Potential clinical implications of miRNAs include impact on de-escalating or intensifying treatment, detecting recurrence at earlier stages, and lessening the necessity of cross-sectional imaging or invasive tissue biopsy for non-teratomatous GCTs. Here we also highlight the outstanding issues that must be addressed prior to clinical implementation. Standards for measuring circulating miRNAs and determining ideal cutoff values are essential for integration into current clinical guidelines.

The rapid retreat of coastal cliffs poses a profound risk to property, transport infrastructure and public safety both in Ireland and globally. This study combines historical data (maps and orthophotos, 1842 to 2000) with contemporary UAV surveys (2019 to 2023) to quantify cliff top and cliff face retreat along a 250 m wide coastal drumlin at Silverstrand in Galway Bay, Ireland. Retreat rates for the cliff top and cliff face were calculated using 2D mapping and 3D modelling, respectively. Critically, the choice of method appears to have a major impact on apparent rates of cliff top retreat, with output from the 2D mapping approach (0.14 +/- 0.02 m yr-1) being double that of the 3D modelling approach (0.08 +/- 0.02 m year-1). The aperiodic development of a talus cone, which offers temporary protection to the cliff from storm waves, also influences the estimation of cliff retreat. The repeat cycles of talus slope formation and removal in this high wave energy climate suggest that the drumlin transitions between a periodically transport-limited system and supply limited system over short- and long-time periods, respectively, on the continuum of cliff types. These results warrant further research to identify and quantify the rates, patterns, drivers (marine and subaerial processes), and timing of cliff retreat rates in response to climate change.

Smoking is a pervasive global health concern associated with a myriad of diseases, but its impact on cellular aging, particularly in relation to telomeres, is increasingly recognized. Telomeres, protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, play a crucial role in maintaining genomic integrity. This review critically examines the existing evidence on the association between smoking and telomere atrophy, exploring the molecular mechanisms involved and the implications for accelerated aging and heightened disease risk. The comprehensive analysis encompasses both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, elucidating potential gender and age disparities. Insights into the molecular pathways linking smoking to telomere shortening are discussed, along with the broader implications for public health. The review concludes by outlining potential interventions and suggesting future research directions in this critical area.

Severe malaria is a major public health concern in Angola, particularly among adults, with limited data on clinical outcomes and manifestations. The study therefore assessed the clinical manifestations and outcome of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria in adult patients admitted to Hospital Central Dr. António Agostinho Neto of Lubango, Angola. The study retrospectively reviewed the individual records of patients over 14 years old, admitted for severe malaria during the first trimester of 2021 and 2022. World Health Organization (WHO) criteria were used to define severity. A total of 640 patients were recorded into the study, 167 in 2021 and 473 in 2022, distributed across the departments; Intensive Care Unit (ICU; n=81), Medicine (MED; n=458) and Infectiology (INF; n=101). The median age was 26 years and 59.4% were males. The most common manifestation of severe malaria was renal impairment (37.4%). The overall mortality rate was 7% and decreased considerably from 10.2% in 2021 to 5.9% in 2022. The increase in malaria cases during 2022 with increased in prevalence of life-threatening signs like renal impairment, jaundice and impaired conscience, underscores the urgent need for enhanced malaria control and surveillance strategies to mitigate morbidity and mortality, highlighting the potential for antimalarial drug resistance.

It has been well established that hypertension is considered as a predominant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Despite the link between hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, hypertension may directly affect the cardiac function leading in heart failure, mostly with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). There are echocardiographic findings indicating hypertensive heart disease (HHD) defined as altered cardiac morphology (left ventricular concentric hypertrophy, left atrium dilatation) and function (systolic or diastolic dysfunction) in patients with persistent hypertension irrespective of cardiac pathologies to which it contributes, such as coronary artery disease and kidney function impairment. In addition to classical echocardiographic parameters, novel indices, like speckle tracking of the left ventricle and left atrium, 3D volume evaluation, myocardial work in echocardiography may provide more accurate and reproducible diagnostic and prognostic data in patients with hypertension. However, their use is still underappreciated. An early detection and prompt therapy of HHD will greatly improve the prognosis. Hence, in the present review, we shed light on the role of echocardiography in the contemporary diagnostic and prognostic approach of HHD.

The prediction of tertiary RNA structures is significant to the field of medicine (e.g. mRNA vaccines, genome editing), and the exploration of viral transcripts. Though many RNA folding software exist, few studies have condensed their locus of attention solely to viral pseudoknotted RNA. These regulatory pseudoknots play a role in genome replication, gene expression, and protein synthesis. This study explores five RNA folding engines that compute either the minimum free energy (MFE) or the maximum expected accuracy (MEA). These folding engines were tested against 26 experimentally derived short pseudoknotted sequences (20-150nt) using metrics that are commonly applied to software prediction accuracy (e.g. F1 scoring, PPV). This paper reports higher accuracy RNA prediction engines (pKiss) when compared to previous iterations of the software, and when compared to older folding engines. They show that MEA folding software does not always outperform MFE folding software in prediction accuracy when assessed with metrics such as percent error, sensitivity, PPV, and F1 scoring when applied to viral pseudoknotted RNA. Moreover, the results suggest that thermodynamic model parameters will not ensure accuracy if auxiliary parameters such as Mg2+ binding, dangling end options, and H-type penalties are not applied. The observations reported in this paper highlight the quality between different ab initio prediction methods while enforcing the idea that a better understanding of intracellular thermodynamics is necessary for a more efficacious screening of RNAs.

This study employs Principal Component Analysis to examine cranial measurements obtained from both extant and fossil specimens spanning 38 species and comprising over 300 individuals within the subfamily Cervinae. Our findings elucidate craniometric distinctions among cervids characterized by varying body sizes and certain evolutionary adaptations. While our results generally corroborate previous assertions regarding the limited craniometric variability among plesiometacarpal deer, they also unveil specific cranial adaptations within certain genera and species. The Principal Component Analysis of craniometric data revealed that giant and large-sized deer display significantly broader ecomorphological diversity in cranial shape compared to small-sized deer. Secondly, small-sized deer exhibit greater uniformity in their cranial shape, appearing densely clustered on the factorial map. Thus, we conclude that body size imposes ecological constraints, limiting the available niches due to eco-physiological factors. The study demonstrates that endemic insular deer do not evolve consistent craniometric features attributable to insular isolation, while the cranial proportions of medium-to-small sized deer delineate a ubiquitous morphological archetype characteristic of numerous cervid taxa spanning diverse phylogenetic lineages and sharing comparable body sizes. This group of "Dama-like" deer, characterized by similar body size, metabolic rates, ecological needs, and cranial morphometry, is referred to here as the fundamental eco-physiological type, typical of warm regions within the Palearctic and Oriental biogeographic realms..

Curcumin, a polyphenol with a rich history spanning two centuries, has emerged as a promising therapeutic agent targeting multiple signaling pathways and exhibiting cellular-level activities that contribute to its diverse health benefits. Extensive preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated its ability to enhance the therapeutic potential of various bioactive compounds. While its reported therapeutic advantages are manifold, predominantly attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, its efficacy is hindered by poor bioavailability stemming from inadequate absorption, rapid metabolism, and elimination. To address this challenge, nano-delivery systems have emerged as a promising approach, offering enhanced solubility, biocompatibility, and therapeutic effects for curcumin. We have analyzed the knowledge on curcumin nano-encapsulation and its synergistic effects with other compounds, extracted from electronic databases. We discuss the pharmacokinetic profile of curcumin, current advancements in nano-encapsulation techniques, and the combined effects of curcumin with other agents across various disorders. By unifying existing knowledge, this analysis intends to provide insights into the potential of nano-encapsulation technologies to overcome constraints associated with curcumin treatments, emphasizing the importance of combinatorial approaches in improving therapeutic efficacy. Finally, this compilation of study data aims to inform and inspire future research into encapsulating drugs with poor pharmacokinetic characteristics and investigating innovative drug combinations to improve bioavailability and therapeutic outcomes.

Azobenzene photoswitches are fundamental components in contemporary approaches aimed at light-driven control of intelligent materials. Significant endeavors are directed towards enhancing the light-triggered reactivity of azobenzenes for such applications and obtaining water-soluble molecules able to act as crosslinkers in a hydrogel. Here, we report the rational design and the synthesis of azobenzene/alginate photoresponsive hydrogels endowed with fast reversible sol-gel transition. We started with the synthesis of three cationic azobenzenes (AZO A, B, and C) and then incorporated them in sodium alginate (SA) to obtain photoresponsive supramolecular hydrogels (SMHGs). The photoresponsive properties of the azobenzenes were investigated by UV-Vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Upon irradiation with 365 nm UV light, the azobenzenes demonstrated efficient trans-to-cis isomerization, with complete isomerization occurring within seconds. The return to the trans form took several hours, with AZO C exhibiting the fastest return, possibly due to higher trans isomer stability. In the photoresponsive SMHGs, the minimum gelation concentration (MGC) of azobenzenes was determined for different compositions, indicating that small amounts of azobenzenes could induce gel formation, particularly in 5 wt% SA. Upon exposure to 365 nm UV light, the SMHGs exhibited reversible gel-sol transitions, underscoring their photoresponsive nature. This research offers valuable insights into the synthesis and photoresponsive properties of cationic, water-soluble azobenzenes, as well as their potential application in the development of photoresponsive hydrogels.

Laboratory experiments and investigations into natural phenomena in this research series have unveiled the presence of a gravitational repulsion force that permeates our environment on both microscopic and macroscopic scales, contingent upon the thermal energy present. This paper presents a study exploring novel properties of gravitational forces among gas molecules, employing principles of thermodynamics. A model has been devised based on the interactions between pairs of gas molecules. While traditional models treat gravitational interaction as a singular force, our experimental approach validates it as the composite of two distinct forces: gravitational repulsion and attraction. By utilizing established experimental data on gas thermodynamics, our model demonstrates robust performance both analytically and experimentally. It verifies the coexistence of gravitational repulsion and attraction forces among gas molecules, showcases their Inverse-Cube relationship with distance, and elucidates the direct proportionality of the repulsion force to absolute temperature. This bridges a crucial gap between energy and fundamental forces. The order of magnitudes of gravitational repulsion and attraction forces are found to be considerably large, contrasting with the low values predicted by classical theory, which results from their amalgamation. Recognizing these forces as substantial in magnitude promises unprecedented outcomes and advancements.

The Food and Drug Administration’s 2011 Process Validation Guidance and International Council for Harmonization Quality Guidelines recommend continued process verification (CPV) as a mandatory requirement for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and other regulated industries. As a part of product life cycle management, after process characterization in stage 1 and process qualification and validation in stage-2, CPV is performed as stage-3 validation during commercial manufacturing. CPV ensures that the process continues to remain within a validated state. CPV requires the collection and analysis of data related to critical quality attributes, critical material attributes, and critical process parameters on a minimum basis. Data is then used to elucidate process control regarding the capability to meet predefined specifications and stability via statistical process control tools. In statistical process control, control charts and Nelson rules are commonly used throughout the industry to monitor and trend data to ensure that a process remains in control. In the control chart, the mean value is taken as the center line, and 3σ limits are placed on either side of the center line. In CPV, manufactured lots are summarized, trended, and discussed at a cross-functional level at pre-defined intervals (either weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly) based on the batch run rate. A cross-functional team assesses details regarding 1) violation frequency, 2) statistical strength of the signal, 3) violation magnitude and its impact on process or quality, and 4) any potential root causes for out-of-expectation or out-of-trend signals. The cross-functional team must analyze whether any signal identified by the control chart is reliable and must determine whether corrective action should be taken and justify the decision in the CPV meeting minutes based on statistical strength and reliability of the signal. However, basic control charts are susceptible to false alarms and nuisance alarms. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the assumptions behind control charts and the inherent false alarm rates for different Nelson rules. In this article, the authors have detailed the assumptions behind the usage of control charts, the rate of false alarms for different Nelson rules, the impact of skewness and kurtosis of a data distribution on the false alarm rate, and methods for optimizing control chart design by reducing false alarm rates and nuisance signals.

This article describes the synthesis of hydroxyapatite (HAp) flakes through a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. These flakes are intended for use as substrates for depositing titanium dioxide (TiO2) films using chemical vapor deposition with metal–organic precursors (MOCVD). The results reveal the formation of crystalline hydroxyapatite characterized by a uniform mor-phology. Additionally, we demonstrated the successful deposition of TiO2 coatings on the hy-droxyapatite flakes, resulting in a distinctive faceted prism morphology. Our findings affirm the effective synthesis of the HAp/TiO2 composite material. To further explore the material’s practical applications, we recommend assessing the photocatalytic activity of these composite membranes in future research.

Psoriasis is a multi-factorial immune-mediated disease that affects approximately 2% of the UK population and 2.5% worldwide. The condition can impact multiple organs, including the skin and joints. In moderate to severe cases, systemic and topical medications may not provide adequate relief, and as a result, biologic treatments are often administered as a monotherapy or in combination with other treatments. While biologic treatments are more effective than systemic and topical medications in treating psoriasis, patients require close supervision and monitoring while receiving this type of treatment. Liposomes are highly versatile and can be employed for therapy and research applications. They enhance drug retention at the site of administration, thereby reducing systemic side effects. Our study was the first to investigate the genotoxicity of secukinumab, an ideal biologic treatment for psoriasis (a human IgG1k antibody, anti-IL17A), in bulk and liposome nanoparticles on the lymphocytes of psoriasis patients compared to healthy individuals. We evaluated and com-pared the genotoxicity of secukinumab in bulk and liposomal form using the Comet and micronucleus assays. Both assays demonstrated that secukinumab in both forms did not ex-hibit genotoxicity and reduced DNA damage following treatment of the lymphocytes from healthy individuals and psoriatic patients with secukinumab bulk and liposomes format. Both concentrations of secukinumab used (2.1 and 2.8 µg/mL) effectively decreased H2O2-induced DNA damage in both groups to nearly the level of the negative control. Secukinumab bulk and liposome form significantly decreased H2O2-induced damage and efficiently attenuated its adverse effects both in the Comet (p<0.0001) and micronucleus assays (p<0.01). Overall, secukinumab in both forms exhibited protective and an-ti-genotoxic effects by demonstrating its potential to reduce DNA damage caused by oxida-tive stress and by not inducing any further damage in the lymphocytes of either healthy in-dividuals or patients.

An electrothermal analysis for barium titanate based ceramics is presented combining the Heywang–Jonker model for the electric resistivity with a heat dissipation mechanism based on natural convection and radiation in a one dimensional model on the device level with voltage as the control parameter. Both PTC and NTC effects are accounted for through the double Schottky barriers at the grain boundaries of the material. The problem formulated in this way admits uniform and non–uniform multiple steady state solutions that do not depend on the external circuit. The numerical bifurcation analysis reveals that the PTC effect gives rise to several multiplicites above the Curie point, whereas the NTC effect is responsible for the thermal runaway (temperature blowup). The thermal runaway phenomenon as a potential thermal shock could be among the possible reasons for the observed thermomechanical failures (delamination fracture). The theoretical results for the NTC regime and the thermal runaway are in agreement with experimental flash sintering results obtained for 3% and 8% yttria stabilized zirconia.

The highly crystalline ZnAl Layered Double Hydroxides (ZnAl-NO3- LDHs) are utilized for the potential transformation into Mixed Metal oxides (MMO) through thermal decomposition and used further for the photodegradation of phenol to assess the influence of calcination on ZnAl LDHs with enhanced photoactivity. The structure, composition, and morphological evolution of ZnAl-LDHs to ZnO-based MMO nanocomposites, which are composed of ZnO and ZnAl2O4, after calcination at different temperatures (400-600 ºC), are all thoroughly examined in this work. The final ZnO and ZnAl2O4 base nanocomposites showed enhanced photocatalytic activity. The findings demonstrated that calcining ZnAl-LDHs from 400 to 600 °C increased the specific surface area and also enhanced the interlayer spacing of d003 while the transformation of LDHs into ZnO/ZnAl2O4 nanocomposite through calcining the ZnAl-LDH precursor at 600 °C showed significant photocatalytic properties, leading to complete mineralization of phenol under UV irradiation.

In combustor systems, thermoacoustic instabilities may occur and must be avoided for reliable op-eration. An acoustic network model can be used to predict the eigenfrequencies of the instabilities and the growth rate by incorporating the combustion dynamics with a Flame Transfer Function (FTF). The FTF defines the interconnection between burner aerodynamics and the rate of combus-tion. In the current study, the method to measure the FTF in a pressurized combustor is explored. A siren unit, mounted in the fuel line, induced a fuel flow excitation of variable amplitude and high maximum frequency. This was done here for pressurized conditions at 1.5 bar and 3 bar and at thermal power of 125 kW and 250 kW. In addition to the experimental investigation, a 1-D acoustic network model approach is used. In the model, thermo viscous damping effects and reflection coefficients are incorporated. The model results compare well with experimental data, indicating the proposed method to determine the FTF is reliable. In the approach, a combination of a FTF with a band stop approach and a network modeling approach was applied. The method provides a good match between experimentally observed behavior and analytical approach and can be used for instability analysis.

1) Background: When women receive a diagnosis of a gynecologic malignancy, they can have questions about their diagnosis or treatment that can result in voice queries to virtual assistants. Recent advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the landscape of medical information accessibility. The Google virtual assistant (VA) outperformed Siri, Alexa, and Cortana in voice queries presented prior to the explosive implementation of AI in early 2023. The efforts presented here focus on determining if advances in AI in the last 12 months improved the accuracy of Google VA responses related to gynecologic oncology. (2) Methods: Previous questions were utilized to form a common basis for queries prior to 2023 and responses in 2024. Correct answers were obtained from the UpToDate medical resource. Responses related to gynecologic oncology were obtained using Google VA, as well as the generative AI chatbots Google Bard/Gemini and Microsoft Bing-Copilot. (3) Results: The AI narrative responses varied in length and positioning of answers within the response. Google Bard/Gemini achieved an 87.5% accuracy rate, while Microsoft Bing-Copilot reached 83.3%. In contrast, the Google VA’s accuracy in audible responses improved from 18% prior to 2023 to 63% in 2024. (4) Conclusion: While the accuracy of the Google VA has improved in the last year, it underperformed Google Bard/Gemini and Microsoft Bing-Copilot so that there is considerable room for further improved accuracy.

Salidroside, a valuable phenylethanoid glycoside, is obtained from plants belonging to the Rhodiola genus, known for its diverse biological properties. At present, salidroside is still far from large-scale industrial production due to the lower titer and higher process cost. In this study, we constructed a biosynthetic pathway from L-tyrosine to salidroside in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To increase sali-droside production, we for the first time constructed an in vivo UDP-glucose regeneration system that sucrose synthase GmSUS worked in conjunction with UDP-glucose transferase RrUGT33 to improve the UDP-glucose availability with inexpensive sucrose as the consumed substrate. Finally, the molar conversion rate of L-tyrosine could reach 95%. To further reduce the cost, co-culture with E. coli that synthesized L-tyrosine de novo resulted in an 81% reduction in the final substrate cost per 1 kg of salidroside compared to the initial cost. The final titer of salidroside obtained 3.8 g/L and was the highest titer achieved at the Shake-Flask-Level in the existing reports. And this marked the first successful synthesis of salidroside in an in situ enhanced UDP-glucose system using sucrose. This accomplishment laid a robust groundwork for further investigations into the synthesis of other notable glycosides and natural compounds.

Globally, road traffic collisions cause over a million deaths annually, with pedestrians accounting for nearly one-quarter (23%) of these fatalities. This casualty proportion highlights the critical importance of adhering to traffic regulations. This study analyzes the factors influencing driver yielding behavior at midblock crosswalk improvements, comparing (1) a typical zebra crossing (C1) and (2) an intelligent signalized crosswalk (C2). The study used video-based observational data to investigate driver behaviors and factors influencing driver behaviors. The study applied multinomial logistic regression to formulate yielding behavior models. The results indicate that the number of traffic lanes, width of the traffic lanes, width and length of the crosswalk, vulnerable group, the number of pedestrian crossings, pedestrian crossing time, the number of vehicles approaching a crosswalk, speed of vehicle, headway, the post-encroachment time (PET) between vehicles and pedestrian, and roadside parking are the significant factors influence yielding behavior. These findings provide a better understanding of the factors influencing driver yielding behavior and propose measures to set proper physical improvements (e.g., curb extensions, raised pedestrian platforms, and pedestrian fencing), enforcement (e.g., parking restriction, speed violation detection), public awareness campaigns, and education initiatives.

In this paper, we present an experimental procedure to enhance the dimensional accuracy of fabrication via Stereolithography (SLA) of features at the micro-scale. Using a custom benchmark part, deviations in feature dimensions (micro-pores diameters and depths) were detected and measured by confocal microscopy. Samples characterization and experimental observations allowed the identification of inaccuracy sources, mainly due to the laser beam scanning strategy and to the incomplete removal of uncured liquid resin in post-processing (i.e., IPA washing). As a technology baseline, the measured dimensional errors on pores diameters were up to -46%. A compensation method of the nominal laser spot diameter (85m) was defined and implemented resulting in relevant improvements in dimensional accuracy of 9.8% and 11.3% on full-open pores diameter and depth, respectively. Further investigation was performed on a customized test part to adjust the calibration procedure. The measurements revealed that the estimate of the laser beam spot size is 968m. Measurements on micro-pores having different sizes revealed that a constant compensation parameter (i.e., C=85, 96, 120m) is not fully effective at the micro-scale, where average errors still remain at -24%, -18.8%, and -16% for compensations equals to 85, 96 and 120m, respectively. A further experimental campaign allowed the identification of an effective nonlinear compensation law where the compensation parameter depends on the micro-feature size C= f (D). Results show a sharp improvement in dimensional accuracy on micro-pore fabrication, with errors consistently below +8.2%. The proposed compensation method can be extended for the fabrication of any micro-features without restrictions on the specific technology implementation. Concerning the inaccuracy introduced by the laser path, experimentation with a customized part allowed the optimization of the part orientation to reduce the errors and their differences along the X and Y machine axes.

Abstract: Due to sever land degradation throughout Ethiopia, the government has been implementing massive soil and water conservation works at the watershed scale since 2010 to conserve soil and water resources. However, most of the rivers in Ethiopia carry huge amount of sediment in rainy season and streams dried up in the dry period. Planned research was conducted on two paired micro-catchments Mt.Yewel with the main objective of evaluating the impact of soil and water conservation measures on base flow modification. Stream flow and rainfall data were collected from 22/11/2020 to 8/11/2022 on both micro-catchments at their outlets and center respectively. Base flow separation was done using Sp. Hydro base flow separation tool and SPSS Ver.21 statistical software was employed for data analysis. Flow duration curve (FDC) for both watersheds were developed. The FDC indicated that the base flow from treated micro-catchment ishigher and sustained in the dry season while it is low and un-sustained in untreated micro-catchment. From statistical analysis, there is a significant difference in base flow enhancement between the treated and untreated micro-catchment (P<0.001). Hence, catchment treatment contributed to improve groundwater recharge and sustain base flow in the dry season by reduce surface runoff during rainy season.

The structural, elastic, and electronic properties of orthorhombic Cd2SiO4 and Hg2GeO4 were examined under varying pressure conditions using first-principles calculations based on densi-ty-functional theory employing the projector augmented wave method. The obtained cell pa-rameters at 0 GPa were found to align well with existing experimental data. We delved into the pressure-dependence of normalized lattice parameters and elastic constants. In Cd2SiO4, all lat-tice constants decreased as pressure increased, whereas in Hg2GeO4, parameters a and b de-creased while parameter c increased under pressure. Employing the Hill average method, we calculated the elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratio up to 10 GPa, noting an increase with pressure. Evaluation of ductility/brittleness under pressure indicated both compounds remained ductile throughout. We also estimated elastic anisotropy and Debye temperature under varying pres-sures. Cd2SiO4 and Hg2GeO4 were identified as indirect band gap insulators, with estimated band gaps of 3.34 eV and 2.09 eV, respectively. Interestingly, Cd2SiO4 exhibited a significant increase in band gap with increasing pressure, whereas the band gap of Hg2GeO4 decreased under pres-sure, revealing distinct structural and electronic responses despite their similar structures.

Malaria remains an important and challenging infectious disease, and novel antimalarials are required. Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), the main breakdown product of benzyl glucosinolate, is present in all parts of Tropaeolum majus L. (T. majus) and has antibacterial and antiparasitic activities. To our knowledge, there is no information on the effects of BITC against malaria. The present study evaluates the antimalarial activity of BITC and T. majus seeds, leaves, and stems aqueous extracts. We used flow cytometry to calculate the growth inhibition (GI) percentage of the extracts and BITC against unsynchronized cultures of chloroquine-susceptible Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) 3D7-GFP strain. Extracts and/or compounds with at least 70% GI were validated by IC50 estimation against P. falciparum 3D7-GFP and Dd2 (chloroquine-resistant strain) unsynchronized cultures by flow cytometry, and the resistance index (RI) was determined. T. majus aqueous extracts showed some antimalarial activity higher in seeds than in leaves or stems. BITC’s GI was comparable to chloroquine’s. BITC’s IC50 was similar in both strains, thus a cross-resistance absence with aminoquinolines was found (RI < 1). BITC presented features that could open new avenues for malaria drug discovery.

In Spain, the National Health System, of a public nature, provides care to Spaniards and other residents in Spain. It is a system adapted to the State of Autonomies, decentralized. Each Auton-omous Community has legislative capacity in its organization and management. We studied the agreement of private hospitals by the public system in La Rioja, an Autonomous Community of Spain located in the North of the Iberian Peninsula. Documentary sources from the General archives of La Rioja, the Institute of Riojan Studies, municipal funds (Logroño, Haro, Calahorra), and in-formation from catalogs and censuses of hospitals from the Ministry of Health, National Institute of Statistics, and Institute of Statistics of La Rioja have been reviewed. The hospital model of La Rioja is characterized by a predominance of public beds over private ones, although there is a growing trend in the number of private beds from 2013 onwards, due to the incorporation of two conva-lescent socio-health hospitals. A characteristic element of La Rioja has been the promotion of pub-lic-private collaboration, conceived as a strategic alliance. Regarding agreements, in La Rioja there has been a specialization in the socio-health space, whose formulas have been the management service contract and the concession of work. The development of the Health System in La Rioja, 1986-2019, has been determined by the presence of a mixed public-private hospital system and a progressively lower dependence on specialized hospitals from other Autonomous Communities.

Suicide is a public health problem influenced by a variety of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Recognizing the warning signs at each stage is crucial for prevention and helping those at risk. In this context, body awareness, especially interoceptive body awareness, emerges as a potentially relevant and underexplored factor. In this study, binary logistic regression and linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between interoceptive body awareness and suicidal orientation in Colombian university students. In addition, the bootstrap technique was used to resample and estimate the distribution of the data. The results support the idea that greater interoceptive awareness may protect against suicidal orientation by improving emotional regulation. An inverse relationship was found between interoceptive awareness and suicidal ideation. These findings are consistent with previous literature on the importance of body awareness for emotional well-being. Further longitudinal research is needed to explore this relationship in depth.

Sub-micro dislocation cellular structures formed during rapid solidification break the strength-ductility trade-off in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)-processed 316L stainless steel through high-density dislocations and segregated elements or precipitates at the cellular boundaries. The high-density dislocation entangled at the cellular boundary accommodates solidification strains among the cellular structures and cooling stresses through elastoplastic deformation. Columnar grains with cellular structures typically form along the direction of thermal flux. However, the ultra-low misorientations between the adjacent cellular structures and their interactions with the cellular boundary formation remain unclear. In this study, we revealed the ultra-low misorientations between the cellular structures in LPBF-processed 316L stainless steel using conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The conventional EBSD and TKD analysis results could provide the misorientation angles smaller than 2° while the resolution mainly depends on the specimen quality and scanning step size, and so on. TEM technique with higher spatial resolution provides accurate information between adjacent dislocation cells with misorientation angles smaller than 1°. This study presents that TEM method is the better and more precise analysis method of the misorientation measurement of the cellular structures and provides insights into measuring the small misorientation angles between adjacent dislocation cells and nanograins in nanostructured-metals and alloys with ultrafine-grained microstructures.

This study outlines the development of an innovative method utilizing UHPLC-PDA for the simultaneous identification of polyphenols and bitter acids (alpha-acids, beta-acids, and iso-alpha-acids) in beer samples. The resulting chemical profiles were leveraged to distinguish the characteristics of four bergamot-flavored beers, each representing distinct styles (IPA, Lager, Blanche, and ALE), produced on a pilot-scale plant. In a streamlined 29-minute analysis, twenty-nine polyphenols and fourteen bitter acids were successfully identified under optimized separation conditions. Rigorous validation, encompassing parameters such as Limit of Detection (LOD), Limit of Quantification (LOQ), R-squared (R2), repeatability, and reproducibility, was conducted for polyphenol quantification using constructed calibration curves with seven levels. Exploring polyphenolic components as potential discriminators among different beer styles, a total of thirty-two polyphenolic compounds were identified and quantified, including characteristic bergamot peel polyphenols like neoeriocitrin, naringin, and neohesperidin. The determination of bitter units and total phenols further aided in style differentiation. Multivariate analysis provided additional insights into variations among specific beer styles, revealing discrepancies in the presence or relative concentrations of specific compounds linked to brewing ingredients and processes. This research enhances to trace the fingerprinting of the chemistry governing beer quality through a straightforward and cost-effective analytical approach, readily applicable in common laboratories.

Background: During the stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, parents play a crucial role in the care of their infants. Recent studies reported a decrease in parental participation due to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic that determined restricted access policies in hospitals. The aim of this study is to describe the barriers to a good parents’ participation during the stay in the neonatal intensive care unit in the COVID-19 era. Methods: A quantitative observational study was carried out. Results: 270 parents participated in this study. Mothers’ participation in care seems to be higher as compared to fathers (p = 0.017). Parents who lived the birth of their first child reported a better level of participation in care when compared to those who lived the birth of their second born (p = 0.005). Parents of extremely preterm neonates reported a lower interaction with their infant if compared to parents of term newborns (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Some more disadvantaged categories have reported lower scores: cultural and linguistic minorities, parents of multiple children and fathers. COVID-19 pandemic made several Family Centred Care activities not possible with a higher impact on those who benefited the most of these facilities. This study was prospectively registered by the IRB-CRRM of the University “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara on the 23/01/2024 with registration number CRRM;2023_12_07_01.

The progress in markerless technologies is bringing clinicians tools to rapidly evaluate tests such as Timed Up and Go (TUG) without compromising the time of the assessment, yet it raises questions about the potential trade-off in accuracy compared to traditional marker-based systems, suggesting that the precision of these evaluations is not yet conclusively established. The OpenCap system is an easy tool to process 3D kinematics with two iPhone cameras placed in front of the subject. Previous research has primarily focused on walking and movement towards the cameras with the subject facing the cameras (WF) and thus has been unable to disentangle the differences in the movement directions. We have compared the OpenCap system with a standard marker-based system for both walking directions. In OpenCap, we found significantly worse results capturing walking facing away from the cameras (RW). Compared to the marker-based system, our findings indicate troubles measuring kinematic parameters but provide good accuracy in measuring spatial-temporal parameters. These insights pave the way for refining markerless assessment technologies, potentially enhancing their utility in clinical settings.

The positional cloning of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the neutrophil cytosolic factor 1 (Ncf1) gene, advocating that a low oxidative burst drives autoimmune disease, demands an understanding of the underlying molecular causes. A cellular target could be T cells, which have been shown to be regulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the pathways by which ROS mediate T cell signaling remain unclear. The adaptor molecule linker for activation of T cells (LAT) is essential for coupling T cell receptor-mediated antigen recognition to downstream responses, and it contains several cysteine residues that have previously been suggested to be involved in redox regulation. To address the possibility that ROS regulate T cell-dependent inflammation through LAT, we established a mouse strain with cysteine-to-serine mutations at positions 120 and 172 (LATSS). We found that redox regulation of LAT through C120 and C172 mediate its localization and phosphorylation. LATSS mice had reduced numbers of double-positive thymocytes and naïve peripheral T cells. Importantly, redox insensitivity of LAT enhanced T cell-dependent autoimmune inflammation in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This effect was reversed on an NCF1-mutated (NCF1m1j), ROS-deficient, background. Overall, our data shows that LAT is redox-regulated, acts to repress T cell activation, and is targeted by ROS induced by NCF1 in antigen-presenting cells (APCs).

Most works related to the identification of mathematical nonlinear systems make one suppose that such approaches can always be directly applied to any nonlinear system. This misconception produces a great deal of discouragement when the obtained results are not the expected ones. Thus, the current work hypothesizes that the most information one has about the mathematical structure of the model, the most precise the identification result should be. Therefore, a variant of the Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics (SINDY) approach is presented to obtain the full mathematical nonlinear model of a high-order system with coupled dynamics, namely, a commercial quadcopter. Furthermore, due to its high sensitivity to inputs, a control system is devised using the identified model to stabilize the quadcopter. This illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed identification method.

The emergence of electric vehicles has brought new issues such as the problem of rolling element bearings (REBs) operating at high speeds. Losses due to these components in mechanical transmissions are a key issue and must therefore be taken into account right from the design stage of these systems. Among these losses, the one induced by the motion of rolling elements , known as drag loss, becomes predominant in high-speed REBs. Although an experimental approach is still possible, it is difficult to isolate this loss in order to study it properly. A numerical approach based on CFD is therefore a possible way forward, even if other issues arise. The aim of this article is to study the ability of such an approach to correctly estimate the drag coefficient associated with the motion of rolling elements. The influence of the numerical domain extension, the mesh refinement, the simplification of the ring shape and the presence of the cage, on the values of the drag coefficient is presented. While it seems possible to compromise on the calculation domain and mesh size, it appears that the other parameters must be taken into account as much as possible to obtain realistic results.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are the focus of new treatment alternatives due to their frequent development of resistance to antibiotics and formation of biofilms. Recently, emphasis has been placed on combinations of antibiotics with drugs used for different indications. In this study the combined effects of metformin with imipenem, ceftazidime, cefepime, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin has been investigated. 50 P. aeruginosa isolates isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis come to Gaziantep University Microbiology Laboratory were included in the study. The susceptibilities of the isolates to antibiotics were investigated by the liquid microdilution method and the combined effect of metformin and antibiotics by the chequerboard synergy test. In our study, as a result of the chequerboard synergy test; synergy between ceftazidime and metformin 6%, partial synergistic 22% isolates; while no synergistic effect was detected between cefepime and metformin in any isolate, partially synergy 46%; synergy between imipenem and metformin 4%, partial synergy 10%; synergy between ciprofloxacin and metformin 6%, partial synergy 6%, antagonist effect 2%; synergy was detected between levofloxacin and metformin 2% and a partial synergy was detected 12%. This study shows that metformin could be a potential antibiotic in its current form or in different chemical forms to be produced synthetically.

It is known that breastfeeding difficulties are often seen in the first weeks of the postpartum period and that various factors are effective in the mother's early cessation of breastfeeding. Mothers' self-efficacy and perception of insufficient milk are among these factors. This study aimed to examine the effect of hot application applied to the breast with the help of Thera Pearl in the postpartum period on milk perception and postpartum breastfeeding self-efficacy. This is a randomized controlled study. The study was completed with a total of 64 puerperal mothers, 31 of whom were control and 33 were experimental. Personal Information Form, Breastfeeding Observation Form, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale and Insufficient Milk Perception Scale were used to collect data. As a result, self-efficacy and milk perception are important factors affecting breastfeeding. In this study, we found that Thera pearl application increased breastfeeding self-efficacy, but did not affect milk perception.

This systematic review provides a comprehensive neuropsychological analysis of psychotic spectrum disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. It explores cognitive impairments in memory, attention, and executive function, and the relation between brain abnormalities and these deficits. The paper emphasizes the use of neuropsychological tests in diagnosis and early psychosis management, while also discussing interventions, the impact of dementia on psychosis, and the neurobiological patterns associated with these conditions. Additionally, it underlines the importance of childhood trauma in the development of psychosis and examines the effects of substance abuse and brain injury. Neuropsychological evaluations and targeted therapies are highlighted as crucial for the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of psychotic disorders. The research further includes evidence of neurocognitive dysfunction in individuals with a high risk of psychosis and emphasizes the advanced brain aging in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The necessity of comprehensive clinical evaluations and targeted therapies for cognitive impairments is underscored throughout the research. The potential effects of dementia on individuals with psychosis, neurobiological patterns, the role of childhood trauma, the impact of psychosis in dementia patients, and proposed treatments are also explored in depth. Overall, the paper underscores the integral role neuropsychological knowledge plays in understanding, diagnosing, managing, and treating psychotic spectrum disorders.

Reactions of quinones with compounds containing an amino group can produce a wide variety of addition or substitution products that depend on reactivity of both quinone and amino derivative. 6,7-Dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-diones undergo selective nucleophilic substitution reaction with different benzohydrazides and α-hydroxy-p-quinone imine derivatives stabilized by strong intramolecular hydrogen bond were isolated. Synthesized compounds represent a combination of several structural motifs: benzimidazole core fused with α-hydroxy-p-quinone imine which contains a benzamido fragment. The protonation/deprotonation processes were investigated in a solution using UV-Vis spectroscopy and 1H NMR titration experiment. X-ray crystallography analysis revealed a set of weak non-covalent interactions such as intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking. Additionally, the redox behavior of 6,7-dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-dione and its p-imino derivative was investigated in acidic and neutral environment using cyclic voltammetry measurements. Cathode material based on 6,7-dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-dione could act as potential effective active electrode in aqueous electrolyte batteries, however further optimization is required.

Urban rivers and waterfronts play a vital role in the ecological, social, and economic fabric of cities, providing not only aesthetic value but also serving as important ecosystems that contribute to the overall well-being of urban environments. However, many urban rivers, including the Beirut River in Lebanon, face challenges such as pollution, neglect, and the loss of recreational and ecological value due to urbanization and industrialization. According to the Lebanese MOE (Ministry of Environment), almost 70% of Lebanese rivers are polluted due to untreated waste management systems and which leads to undrinkable water and possible flooding disasters if not treated. This study addresses the problem of abandoned and degraded spaces along the Beirut River riverside through the application of urban acupuncture, a strategic approach that targets specific points in the urban environment to stimulate positive change and regeneration. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of implementing small-scale ‘sensitive urban points’ known as urban acupuncture as the method for regenerating the Beirut River riverside, with the hypothesis that targeted interventions through Blue Urban Acupuncture or Aqua-puncture- can lead to significant improvements in the ecological, social, and economic aspects of the area that re-connect the people of Beirut with its river. The methodology involves a multidisciplinary approach that integrates urban design, and community engagement, and analysing similar examples of different approaches through creating a comparative table. Data collection includes environmental assessments of water quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem health, as well as social surveys to understand community needs and perceptions. By applying urban acupuncture principles to the Beirut River riverside, this study seeks to demonstrate how strategic interventions can lead to the regeneration of abandoned spaces, improve the overall quality of the urban environment, and create sustainable and inclusive riverside landscapes that benefit both the environment and the community.

Traumatic Brain Injury represents a significant public health concern due to its role in traumatic death and disability, often caused by head impacts or rapid accelerations. Despite advancements in Finite Element Head Models, existing models primarily represent adult males, neglecting anatomical and physiological differences between genders and age groups. Additionally, the mechanistic roles of specific intracranial tissues, such as the dura mater, have conventionally been overlooked. To better understand the mechanical behavior of the brain and its injured regions in the context of TBI, including the dura mater, this study proposes the development of a Female Finite Element Head Model. This model, representative of a middle-aged female subject, was developed using medical image-derived geometry and finite element modeling techniques. The validation results demonstrate a similarity between the numerical displacement curves and those obtained experimentally. In the model with dura mater, the numerical results show analogous behavior to the experimental results, despite minimal variations in the amplitude of the curves. These advancements highlight the significance of including the dura mater in biomechanical brain modeling. Incorporating the dura mater in Finite Element Head Models produces more realistic results than models without it. This emphasizes the importance of enhancing biomechanical models to better represent anatomical complexity.

The dust originating from the extinct lake of the Aral Sea poses a considerable threat to the sur-rounding communities and ecosystems. The accurate location of these wind erosion areas is an essential prerequisite for controlling sand and dust activity. However, few relevant indicators re-ported in the current study can accurately describe and measure wind erosion intensity. A novel wind erosion intensity (WEI) of a resolution unit was defined in this paper based on the deformation due to the wind erosion in this resolution unit. We also derived the relationship between WEI and soil InSAR temporal decorrelation (ITD). The ITD is usually caused by the surface change over time, which is very suitable for describing wind erosion. However, within one resolution unit, the ITD signal usually includes soil and vegetation contributions, and few studies are referred to this. Therefore, we proposed an ITD decomposition model (ITDDM) to decompose the ITD signal of a resolution unit. The least-squares method (LSM) based on singular value decomposition (SVD) is used to estimate the ITD of soil (SITD) within a resolution unit. We verified the results qualitatively by the landscape photos, which can reflect the actual conditions of the soil. At last, the WEI of the Aral Sea from June 23, 2020, to July 05, 2020, was mapped. The results confirmed that (1) Based on the ITDDM model, the SITD can be accurately estimated by the LSM method, (2) the Aral Sea is experiencing severe wind erosion, and (3) The middle, northeast, and southeast bare areas of the South Aral Sea are where salt dust storms may occur.

Anthropogenic activities such as the damming of rivers have resulted in the formation of depositional systems for sediments that are naturally transported along river channels all over the world. The steady accumulation of sediments has profound effects on how reservoirs function. As the reservoir ages, the impact of sedimentation becomes more pronounced. In an alluvial channel, the dynamics of sediment movement, scour, and deposition are exceedingly complicated. The quantitative and qualitative management of river engineering heavily relies on sediment motion. One of the key concerns affecting reservoir storage capacity is reservoir sedimentation. Understanding the form and behavior of the river or reservoir is necessary for a scientific approach to sedimentation. An overview of reservoir sedimentation processes, and models of reservoir and shallow water bodies is provided in this article. More research in the developing fields is advised for continuing studies on reservoir sedimentation due to climate change effects

This study examines the capacity of a Site-Specific Fodder Management Decision Support System (SSFM-DSS) model to assist in successful cultivation of sericea lespedeza [SL; Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.-Cours.) G. Don.], with a specific focus on small-scale agricultural systems in the southeastern United States (U.S.). The study emphasizes incorporating advanced geospatial technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), to improve fodder production. The research showcases the versatility of SL under varying environmental conditions, underscoring its significance in promoting sustainable livestock production. The methodology integrates empirical field data, geospatial analysis, and predictive modeling to formulate an SSFM strategy customized to address the distinct difficulties climate change presents, such as sudden and severe drought conditions. The study introduces an automated geospatial model for assessing the appropriateness of SL production throughout Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. The model uses many environmental criteria, including soil properties, climate fluctuations, and terrain. Furthermore, the research was instrumental in development of a WebGIS Dashboard, which offers farmers a decision assistance system to enhance the sustainable production of SL. The results highlight the significant impact that a SSFM-DSS can have on promoting sustainable agricultural practices, providing a solution to address the issues of food security and environmental concerns in agriculture.

IMPORTANCE: On December 10, 2021, the FDA published a Determination Letter, along with a Statistical Review and Evaluation Report, and concluded that under the non-informative prior, the local Bayesian optimal interval design (BOIN) design, in its revised form, can be designated fit-for-purpose for identifying the maximum tolerated dose of a new drug, assuming that dose-toxicity relationship is monotonically increasing. Although setting the BOIN design parameter p.tox = 1.4 * target.DLT.rate is recommended in almost all BOIN methodology articles and is the default value in the R package BOIN, it's unclear if the choice of p.tox should only depend on the target DLT rate and if certain range of p.tox could produce the same BOIN boundary table. DESIGN: In this simulation study, following parameters were varied one at a time, using R package BOIN, to explore their effects on the equivalence intervals of p.saf and p.tox: 1) target DLT rate, 2) n.earlystop, 3) cutoff.eli, 4) cohortsize, and 5) ncohort. And a simple 3+3 design was used as an example to explore equivalent sets of BOIN design parameters that can generate the same boundary table. RESULTS: When the early stopping parameter n.earlystop is relatively small or the cohortsize value is not optimized via simulation, it might be better to use p.tox < 1.4 * target.DLT.rate, or try out different cohort sizes, or increase n.earlystop, whichever is both feasible and provides better operating characteristics. This is because if the cohortsize was not optimized via simulation, even when n.earlystop = 12 and cohortsize > 3, the BOIN escalation/de-escalation rules generated using p.tox = 1.4 * target.DLT.rate could be exactly the same as those calculated using p.tox > 3 * target.DLT.rate, which might not be acceptable for some pediatric trials targeting 10% DLT rate. The traditional 3+3 design stops the dose finding process when 3 patients have been treated at the current dose level, 0 DLT has been observed, and the next higher dose has already been eliminated. If additional 3 patients were required to be treated at the current dose in the situation described above, the decision rules of this commonly used 3+3 design could be generated using BOIN design with target DLT rates ranging from 18% to 29%, p.saf ranging from 8% to 26%, and different p.tox values ranging from 39% to 99%. These BOIN parameters also need to satisfy a set of conditions. Meaning: This study demonstrates the importance of interpreting BOIN design parameter p.tox as an interval of toxicity rates that are considered too toxic, rather than one prespecified value that corresponds to the lowest toxicity probability that is deemed overly toxic. When designing a dose-finding trial using BOIN, it is important to perform simulation studies to identify equivalent sets of BOIN design parameters that can generate the same boundary table so that we can better compare the safety properties of different boundary tables.

By this contribution we would like to briefly highlight the problems in conceiving the “Hydrogen Bond” (HB) as a real short-range, directional, electrostatic, attractive interaction and to reframe its nature through the non-approximated view of condensed matter offered by a Quantum Electro-Dynamic (QED) perspective. We focus our attention on water, as the paramount case to show the effectiveness of this 40-years’ old theoretical background, which depicts water as a two-fluid system (where one of the two phases is coherent). The HB emerge to be the result of the electromagnetic field gradient in the coherent phase of water, whose vacuum level is lower than the non-coherent (gas-like) fraction. Thus, the HB can be properly looked at, i.e. no more as a “dipolar force” among molecules, but as the phenomenological effect of their collective thermodynamic tendency to occupy a lower ground-state, compatibly with temperature and pressure. This perspective allows to account for many “anomalous” behaviours of water and to understand why the calculated energy associated to HB should change when considering two molecules (water-dimer), or the liquid state, or the several kinds of ice. The emergence of a condensed, liquid, phase at room temperature is indeed the consequence of the boson condensation as described in the framework of spontaneous symmetry breakings (SSB). The switch from a still semi-classical Quantum Mechanical (QM) in the 1st quantization to a Quantum Field Theory (QFT) view embedded in the 2nd quantization is advocated for a more realistic and authentic description of water, condensed matter and living systems.

The ongoing challenge to ensure a sustainable and affordable energy supply forces industrial companies to implement appropriate measures. These measures typically lead to an increased system complexity, which has to be addressed during operation. Whereas existing approaches from the field of supervisory and optimal control appear to be capable of mastering this issue, these are still not adopted in industry. Therefore, this work presents a procedure model for the systematic development of application-oriented operating strategies for industrial energy supply systems. The procedure model combines research approaches from the fields of sequencing control and approximate MPC to extract rule-based operating strategies. By splitting the procedure model into five phases, expert knowledge can be integrated in a target-oriented manner. Subsequently to the description, the procedure model is exemplary applied to the example of an industrial heating supply system. Throughout an optimization study, the developed operating strategy is compared to a MPC strategy as well as a baseline strategy. Whereas the conventional MPC approach is the upper bound with regard to optimality, the developed operating strategy is able to generate comparable results. Compared to the baseline strategy, a relative reduction in operating expenses of 5.4 % to 37.0 % are achieved in this specific use case.

We report the relative humidity (R.H.) sensing response of a resistive sensor, employing sensing layers based on a ternary nanohybrid comprising holey carbon nanohorns (CNHox), potassium chloride (KCl), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at mass ratios 7/1/2, 6.5/1.5/2, and 6/2/2 (w/w/w/w). The sensing structure comprises a silicon substrate, a SiO2 layer, and interdigitated transducer (IDT) electrodes. The sensing film is deposited on the sensing structure via the drop-casting method. The sensing layers' morphology and composition are investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) and RAMAN spectroscopy. The ternary hybrid-based thin film resistance increases when the sensors are exposed to R.H., ranging from 0% to 100%. The manufactured devices show a room temperature response comparable to a commercial capacitive R.H. sensor and are characterized by excellent linearity, rapid response time, and good sensitivity. The presented sensors exhibit superior performance in terms of sensitivity compared to other similarly manufactured and tested sensors that employ a CNHox-based sensing layer. We explain the sensing role of each constituent of the ternary hybrid nanocomposites based on their chemical and physical properties, electronic properties, and affinity for water molecules. Different alternative sensing mechanisms are considered and discussed, such as the decreasing number of holes in the holey CNHox at the interaction with water molecules, proton conduction, and PVP swelling.

Count data analysis presents unique challenges due to its discrete nature, often exhibiting excessive zeros and overdispersion. To address these complexities, count models, such as Poisson regression and Negative Binomial regression, have been developed, enabling modeling and prediction of count-based phenomena. Additionally, it’s important to notice that zero inflation, a phenomenon commonly observed in count data, requires specialized techniques for robust analysis. This article provides an overview of count data and count models, explores zero inflation, introduces Likelihood Ratio Tests, and explains how the Vuong Test can be used as a model selection criteria. Furthermore, we created a Vuong Test implementation from scratch using the Python programming language. This implementation enhances the accessibility and applicability of the Vuong Test in real-world scenarios, providing a valuable contribution to the academic community, since Python didn’t have an implementation of this statistical test.

Preventing the rebound of black and odorous water bodies is critical for improving the ecological environment of water bodies. This study investigated the effect and mechanism of in-situ improvement of sediment microenvironment by nitrate in tailwater of wastewater treatment plants combined with aerobic denitrifying bacteria under low-DO regulation (TailN+CFM+LDO). On the 60th day of remediation, the dissolved oxygen and oxidation-reduction potential in the overlying water increased to 5.6 mg/L and 300 mV, respectively, the acid volatile sulfide in the sediment decreased by 70.4%, and the organic matter in the sediment was reduced by 62.7%, in which the HFOM was degraded from 105 g/kg to 56 g/kg, and the potential risk of water reverting to black and odorous conditions significantly decreased. Amplicon sequencing analysis revealed that the relative abundance of electroactive bacteria Thiobacillus and Pseudomonas with denitrification capacity was found to be significantly higher in the TailN+CFM+LDO group than in the other remediation groups. Functional prediction of 16S sequencing results indicated that both the quantity and activity of critical microbial enzymes involved in nitrification and denitrification processes could enhance in the TailN+CFM+LDO group. These results improved our understanding of the improvement of the sediment microenvironment and could thus facilitate its application.

Ionic channels are present in eucaryotic plasmatic and intracellular membranes. They coordinate and control several functions. One of the most diverse ionic channels family are the potassium (K) channels. Within this family are the ATP-dependent potassium channels (KATP), which belong to the potassium rectifier channel family. These channels were initially described in heart muscle, yet they are also present in different types of tissues such as pancreatic, skeletal muscle, brain, and vascular and non-vascular smooth muscle. In ß-pancreatic cells, KATP are primarily responsible for maintaining membrane potential and for the depolarization mediated insulin release. KATP density/activity seems to be determinant in physiological the outcome, in pancreatic cells decrease of this density/activity may be related to Insulin resistance (IR). In extra pancreatic tissues KATP relation with IR is beginning to be explored. It is possible that in skeletal muscle, the KATP are involved in insulin dependent glucose recapture and that KATP activation leads to IR. In adipose tissue, KATP containing Kir6.2, could be related to increase in free fatty acids and insulin resistance, therefore, pathological processes leading to a prolonged adipocyte KATP inhibition might promote obesity related to insulin resistance. In central nervous system KATP activation can regulate peripheric glycemia and lead to brain IR which could be a much earlier manifestation of peripheral alterations that lead to the development of pathologies such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this review we aim to discuss the KATP channel characteristics, its relationship to known clinical disorders and the mechanisms and potential relations with peripheral and central insulin resistance.

In our study, we assessed the effects of verbenone, the most widely studied bark beetle aggregation inhibitor, on saproxylic beetles of a Mediterranean pine forest in Tuscany. Verbenone pouches were devised in the laboratory and then applied to Ips sexdentatus pheromone traps so that catches could be compared to those of traps with just the bait. The trial was carried out in spring-summer 2023, collecting insect catches every two weeks. A total of 9440 beetles were collected, belonging to 32 different families and 57 species. About 80% of captures were bark beetles, mainly Orthotomicus erosus. Beetle predators accounted for about 17% of the captures, with a total of 12 species. Some of these predator species had never been studied yet in relation to verbenone effects, like other saproxylic beetles recorded in this study. A significant reduction of captures was recorded for some beetles (e.g. I. sexdentatus and O. erosus), for other species no differences emerged, and in some cases captures increased significantly when verbenone was present in the traps (i.e.. Hylurgus ligniperda, Corticeus pini, Aulonium ruficorne). The diversity of caught saproxylic beetles increased significantly in verbenone traps, highlighting possible implications of the use of verbenone when managing bark beetle outbreaks.

Lactic acid production from lactose by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum AC 11S was studied. The influence of initial substrate concentration was investigated, and optimal pH and temperature were determined. An unstructured mathematical model was developed comprising equations for bacterial growth, substrate consumption, and product formation. The model was solved with different terms for specific growth rates considering substrate and/or product inhibition. The best bacterial growth and lactic acid production were achieved at pH = 6.5 and 30 oC. Production of lactic acid was mainly growth-associated and at substrate concentration over 15 g/L a considerable product inhibition was observed. The parameters of different models were determined and compared. While the modified Gompertz equation gave the best fit for biomass growth, a variant of the logistic equation including a term for product inhibition described in the best way the entire set of equations comprising bacterial growth, substrate consumption, and product formation at different initial substrate concentrations.

Directed energy deposition (DED) parameters were determined for near-β alloy Ti-55511 by employing statistical design of experiments (DOE) methods. Parameters resulting in fully dense freeform deposits were identified using two sequential DOEs. Single laser tracks were printed with several laser power, traverse rate, and powder feed rate settings in an initial DOE to identify promising build parameters. Capture efficiency and effective deposition rate were used to characterize and rank the single track deposits. The best parameters were then used to print solid cube with various X-Y and Z-overlaps (different hatch spacing, HS, and layer thickness, ZS) in a second DOE. Suitable deposition parameters were selected based on cube density and microstructure and were used to fabricate larger tensile samples for mechanical testing. Multiple parameter sets were found to provide dense Ti-55511 deposits with acceptable mechanical properties and parametric models showed statistical significance.

The application of deep learning algorithms to predict the molecular profiles of various cancers from digital images of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides has been reported in recent years, mainly in gastric and colon cancers. In this study, we investigated the potential use of H&E-stained endometrial cancer slide images to predict the associated mismatch repair (MMR) status. H&E-stained slide images were collected from 127 cases of the primary lesion of endometrial cancer. After digitization using a Nanozoomer virtual slide scanner (Hamamatsu Photonics), we segmented the scanned images into 5,397 tiles of 512 × 512 pixels. The MMR proteins (PMS2, MSH6) were immunohistochemically stained, classified into MMR proficient/deficient, and annotated for each case and tile. We trained several neural networks, including convolutional and attention-based networks, using tiles annotated with the MMR status. Among the tested networks, ResNet50 exhibited the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.91 for predicting the MMR status. The constructed prediction algorithm may be applicable to other molecular profiles and useful for pre-screening before implementing other, more costly genetic profiling tests.

Peritoneal fluid is an ovarian exudate from the growing follicle or corpus luteum. Therefore, the free concentrations of estrogens and progesterone are always much higher than in plasma, especially after ovulation. The peritoneum is not vascularised, and peritoneal implants and the superficial portion of deep endometriosis are likely influenced mainly by peritoneal fluid. Follicular phase progesterone concentrations are as high as during the luteal phase in plasma. This explains that most peritoneal implants are rarely proliferative and out of phase with the endometrium. From some 5 mm of depth onwards, endometriosis is rather influenced by plasma hormone concentra-tions, and the deeper parts can be proliferative as the endometrium. Because of these progesterone concentrations, progesterone resistance has to be postulated, permitting endometriosis lesions to initiate and develop. This opens the discussion of whether endometriosis is similar to the basal endometrium. These peritoneal fluid concentrations are important to understand the natural history and medical therapy of endometriosis. Most medical therapies decrease ovarian function and affect peritoneal fluid steroid hormone concentrations. It is suggested that the efficacy of medical therapy for endometriosis-associated pain is a consequence of the decreased estrogen concentrations in the peritoneal cavity and that the local effect of progestins may not be determinant for pain relief. If this is true, a history of endometriosis should not be considered a contraindication for hormone re-placement therapy.

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels share similar structures but have opposite gating polarity. Kv channels have a strong coupling ( &gt;109) between the voltage sensor (S4) and the activation gate: when S4s are activated the gate is open to &gt;80%, but when S4s are deactivated, the gate is open &lt; 10-9 of the time. Using noise analysis, we show that the coupling between S4 and the gate is &lt; 200 in HCN channels. In addition, using voltage clamp fluorometry, locking the gate open in a Kv channel drastically altered the energetics of S4 movement. In contrast, locking the gate open or decreasing the coupling between S4 and the gate in HCN channels had only minor effects on the energetics of S4 movement, consistent with a weak coupling between S4 and the gate. We propose that this loose coupling is a prerequisite for the reversed voltage gating in HCN channels.

A comprehensive Energy Audit of a Maintenance facility was performed to assess its energy performance and identify scope for improvement. The facility’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI) for 2022 was 404 kWh/m2 — more than double the Benchmark EUI for Maintenance facilities (151 kWh/m2) recommended by EnergyStar. Furthermore, the Load Factor for 2022 was 0.22, which is lower than the recommended minimum of 0.75 for an efficient building. The audit encompassed an in-depth evaluation of the building's structural and operational characteristics, comprising HVAC systems, lighting, building envelope, and energy-intensive machinery. An energy model of the building was developed to emulate the baseline building energy performance for 2022. Following the energy model's development and validation, an analysis was conducted to identify energy-intensive areas and opportunities for optimization. Energy Efficiency Measures were then formulated, focusing on improving energy efficiency while focusing on energy consumption reduction and GHG emission reduction. Results demonstrated the potential of Energy Audits and Modeling to enable significant reductions in energy consumption and promote sustainable building practices. Among the Energy Efficiency Measures considered, re-sizing and decarbonizing HVAC equipment contributed the most to energy savings, with a 100% decrease in natural gas and 37% decrease in electricity use annually.

The article proposes a mathematical model for creating playlists based on the emotional utility of the consumer, aiming to maintain high user interest in music streaming platforms (Lugos Abarca, 2024). The proposed method follows these steps: first, it calculates the MEEPE of Songs on the digital platform; subsequently, it quantitatively defines the Consumer's MEEPI before exposure to music; then, it operates the MEEPE of the Songs with the consumer's initial MEEPI using the known resolution process (Lugos Abarca, 2023); finally, it employs an emotional utility function to determine possible levels of emotional satisfaction and establish the playback order. This results in the creation of an efficient theoretical model. It is recommended to expand the computational study of the model in future research by using a broader set of songs and considering various initial MEEPI of the consumer. The article's originality lies in its ability to predict, quantitatively and theoretically, the level of satisfaction a music consumer could experience when listening to a playlist.

Axial resolution is one of the most important characteristics of a microscope. In all microscopes, a high axial resolution is desired in order to discriminate information efficiently along the longitudinal direction. However, when studying thick samples that do not contain laterally overlapping information, a low axial resolution is desirable as information from multiple planes can be recorded simultaneously from a single camera shot instead of plane-by-plane mechanical refocusing. In this study, we increased the focal depth of an infrared microscope non-invasively by introducing a binary axicon fabricated on barium fluoride substrate close to the sample. Preliminary results of imaging thick and sparse silk fibers showed an improved focal depth with a slight decrease in lateral resolution and increase in background noise.

This study presents the interaction with human host metabolism of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7b protein (43 aa), using a Protein-Protein-Interaction Networks analysis. After pruning, we selected from BioGRID the 51 most significant proteins among 2,753 proven interactions and 1,708 interactors, specific to ORF7b. We used these proteins as functional seeds and we got a significant network of 551 nodes via STRING. We performed topological analysis and calculated topological distributions by Cytoscape. Seven high ranked proteins as hub and seven as bottleneck following a hub-and-spoke network-architectural-model were found. Through this interaction model, we identified significant GO-processes (5,057 terms in 15 categories) induced in human metabolism by ORF7b. High statistical significance processes of dysregulated molecular cell mechanisms by the action of ORF7b were discovered. We detected disease-related human proteins and their involvement in metabolic roles, how they relate in a distorted way to signaling and/or functional systems, in particular intra- and inter-cellular signaling systems and the molecular mechanisms that supervise to programmed cell death, with mechanisms similar to that of cancer metastasis diffusion. A cluster analysis showed 10 compact and significant functional clusters, where two of them overlap in a Giant-Connected-Components core of 206 total nodes. These two clusters contain most of the high-rank nodes. ORF7b mainly acts through these two clusters, inducing most of the metabolic dysregulation. We conducted a co-regulation, transcriptional analysis by hub and bottleneck proteins. This analysis allowed us to define the transcription factors and miRNAs that control the high-ranking proteins and the dysregulated processes, within the limits of the poor knowledge that these sectors still impose.

Neurotoxicity is a major obstacle to the effectiveness of cisplatin (CDDP) in cancer chemotherapy. In this process, oxidative stress and inflammation are considered to be the major mechanisms involved. The aim was to study the influence of protein quantity on some oxidative parameters in brain and lung of rats treated with cisplatin and N-Acetylcysteine (NAC). Four groups of Wistar rats (6 each one) were fed with a protein diet at 7% for 15 days. Thereafter, the groups were given either a unique dose of cisplatin® 5mg/kg or Acetylcysteine® 5mg/kg as follows: group 1 (control), NaCl 0.9% vehicle; group 2, Cisplatin; group 3, NAC; and group 4, NAC + Cisplatin. The animals were sacrificed, a sample of blood were used to measure blood triglycerides and glucose. The brain and lung were used to assay lipids peroxidation (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), serotonin metabolite (5-HIAA), catalase and the activity of Ca+2, Mg+2 ATPase, using validated methods. TBARS, H2O2 and GSH decreased significantly in cortex and cerebellum/medulla oblongata of groups treated with CDDP and NAC. Total ATPase showed a significant increase in the lung and cerebellum/medulla oblongata, while 5-HIAA depicted the same tendency in cortex of the same group of animals. 5-HIAA and ATPase increase during NAC and Cisplatin administration resulted in brain protection. This effect could even be more powerful when membrane fluidity is increased; thus, proving the efficacy of combined NAC and CDDP drug therapy, which appears to be a promising strategy for future chemotherapy in malnourished patients.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a procedure that uses light to modulate cellular functions and bio-logical processes. Over the past decades, PBM has gained considerable attention for its potential in various medical applications due to its non-invasive nature and minimal side effects. This narrative review article examines the existing literature on PBM, encompassing research studies, clinical trials, and technological developments. This review highlights the mechanisms of action underlying PBM, including the interaction with cellular chromophores and the activation of in-tracellular signaling pathways. The evidence from clinical trials and experimental studies to evaluate the efficacy of PBM in clinical practice is summarized with a special emphasis on der-matology. Furthermore, advancements in PBM technology, such as novel light sources and treat-ment protocols, are discussed in the context of optimizing therapeutic outcomes and improving patient care. This narrative review underscores the promising role of PBM as a non-invasive therapeutic approach with broad clinical applicability. Despite the need for further research to develop standard protocols, PBM holds great potential for addressing a wide range of medical conditions and enhancing patient outcomes in modern healthcare practice.

Xanthone derivatives, a class of natural compounds abundantly found in plants such as mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) and certain herbs, have garnered substantial interest due to their diverse pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Recent investigations have unveiled their potential as modulators of enzymatic activity, prompting exploration into their effects on hyaluronidase-mediated HA degradation, and their effects in topical treatment of telangiectasia and rosacea. Telangiectasia and rosacea are common dermatological conditions characterized by chronic skin inflammation, vascular abnormalities, and visible blood vessels, resulting in significant cosmetic concerns and impaired quality of life for affected individuals. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding regarding the interplay between mechanisms of action by which xanthone derivatives exert their therapeutic effects, including the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines, modulation of oxidative stress pathways, and regulation of vascular endothelial growth factors. Furthermore, we will discuss the implications of harnessing xanthone derivatives as therapeutic agents for mitigating vascular dysfunction and its associated pathologies, thereby offering insights into future research directions and therapeutic strategies in the field of vascular biology.

The intense motion of a ship can greatly impacts the comfort of crew members and the safety of the vessel. Therefore, accurately estimating and predicting ship attitudes has become an important issue. This paper introduces the latest development in functional deep learning model called DeepOnet. It takes wave height as input and ship motion as output, using a cause-to-result prediction approach. The modeling data used in this study is sourced from publicly available experimental data from the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research. Firstly, parameters system tuning was conducted for the neural network's hyperparameters to determine the appropriate combination of parameters. Secondly, the DeepOnet model for wave height and multi-degree-of-freedom motion was established, and the influence of increasing time steps on prediction accuracy was examined. Finally, a comparison was made between the DeepOnet model and the classical time series model LSTM. It was found that the DeepOnet model had a 10-fold improvement in accuracy for roll and heave attitudes. Moreover, as the forecast duration increased, the advantage of DeepOnet showed a trend of strengthening. As a functional prediction model, DeepOnet provides a new promising tool for very short-term prediction of ship motion.

The paper delineates the developed vision system of the UR5 cobot and the operating algorithm of the robotic quality control station. The hardware-software architecture of the developed robotic station was shown, consisting of a UR5 cobot equipped with a web camera and a stationary industrial camera with a lighting system. Image processing and analysis algorithms were described, the method of control and communication between the station components was discussed, and two operating scenarios were presented as a single robotic station and a robotic line. Based on the results obtained, the level of measurement noise, accuracy, and repeatability of the developed vision system were estimated.

This research investigates the complex transformation of the Baltic Clean and Dirty Tankers markets from 1998 to 2023. Our study quantifies the market multifractality in two distinct periods, from 1998 to 2010 and 2010 to 2023. We compare multifractal measures of the original, surrogated, and shuffled data, which indicate high multifractality and a complex market structure influenced by temporal organization and inherent volatility. Shuffled data analysis emphasizes the critical role of temporal sequences within market behaviour. Additionally, the study delves into external factors such as regulatory changes, economic disturbances, technological innovation, and environmental concerns contributing to market complexity. A distinct shift in multifractal values between the two periods suggests an evolution from crisis-induced complexities to a market influenced by diversified and modern dynamics. Our findings offer a concise understanding of the multifractal nature of the tanker markets and how global crises can impact the markets, emphasizing the importance of considering systemic risks in freight market analysis.

This study addresses the critical issue of dowel-bearing strength in Bambusa blumeana, a key sus-tainable construction material crucial for climate change mitigation. Given the lack of bamboo connection standards, the research focuses on determining the dowel-bearing strength of Bambusa blumeana, emphasizing factors such as dowel diameter, node placements, and the physical prop-erties of bamboo. A predictive equation is derived, enhancing the practicality of bamboo in struc-tural design. The results underscore a notable correlation between dowel diameter and character-istic strength, with implications for engineering practices. Node placements significantly affect dowel-bearing capacity, while bamboo's physical attributes, including thickness, culm diameter, and moisture content, exhibit modest correlations with strength. The derived equation aims to assist in structural design, mitigating splitting and bearing failures in bamboo structures. This research establishes a foundation for optimizing the use of Bambusa blumeana in sustainable construction, advancing the understanding of its dowel-bearing strength for improved sustainability and resili-ence in the construction industry. Future research suggestions include exploring bamboo-mortar composites, additional node placements, and employing more comprehensive empirical equations and curve-fitting techniques. The study advocates for further investigations with more diverse and larger bamboo samples to bolster robustness. Additionally, delving into bamboo ductility may offer valuable insights.

An original approach has been proposed for designing a nanofibrous (NFs) layer using UV-cured polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a matrix, incorporating mesoporous graphene carbon (MGC) nanopowder both inside and outside the fibres, creating a sandwich-like structure. This architecture is intended to selectively adsorb and detect acetic acid vapours, which are known to cause health issues in exposed workers. The nanocomposite MGC-PVP-NFs layer was fabricated through electrospinning deposition onto interdigitated microelectrodes (IDEs) and stabilised under UV-light irradiation. To enhance the adhesion of MGC onto the surface of the nanocomposite polymeric fibres, the layer was dipped in a suspension of polyethylenimine (PEI) and MGC. The resulting structure demonstrated promising electrical and sensing properties, including rapid responses, high sensitivity, good linearity, reversibility, repeatability, and selectivity towards acetic acid vapours. Initial testing was conducted in a laboratory using a bench electrometer, followed by validation in a portable sensing device based on consumer electronic components (by ARDUINO®). This portable system was designed to provide a compact, cost-effective solution with high sensing capabilities. Under room temperature and ambient air conditions, both laboratory and portable tests exhibited favourable linear responses, with detection limits of 0.16 and 1 ppm, respectively.

.Vitamin A (retinol) and its derivatives (retinoids) assume critical roles in neural development, cellular differentiation, axon elongation, programmed cell apoptosis and various fundamental cellular processes. Retinoids function by binding to specific nuclear receptors, such as retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), activating specific signaling pathways in the cells. Disruption of the retinoic acid signaling pathway can result in neuroinflammation, ox-idative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegenerative processes, and has been asso-ciated with a range of neurodegenerative diseases. The present study explores the potential therapeutic application of our innovative synthetic retinoid, Ellorarxine, also known as DC645 and NVG0645, for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders in vitro. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) tetrazolium assay, lactate dehy-drogenase (LDH) assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), senescence-associated (SA) β-galactosidase (β-gal) staining and immunofluorescence staining were performed. The re-sults showed that no cytotoxicity was detected at the experimental concentrations of Ellorarxine. Ellorarxine significantly reduced cell death, increased mitochondrial viability, reduced the num-ber of senescent cells, modulated cytokine release and regulated cellular autophagy. Furthermore, Ellorarxine also increased Cyp26 and selectively RARβ expression. These results make Ellorarxine a promising drug candidate that should be further investigated in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. .

In this work we looked for a stable and accurate procedure to perform feature selection in datasets with a much higher number of predictors than individuals, as in Genome-Wide Association Studies. Due to the instability in feature selection when many potential predictors are measured, a variable selection procedure is proposed that combines several replications of shrinkage regression models. A weighted formulation is used to define the final predictors. The procedure is applied to investigate Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) predictors associated to Alzheimer’s disease in the Alzheimer’s disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Two data scenarios are investigated: one considering only the set of SNPs and another with the covariates age, sex, educational level and APOE4 genotype. The SNP rs2075650 and the APOE4 genotype are given as risk factors for AD, which is in line with the literature, and other four new SNPs are pointed, opening new hypotheses for in vivo analyses. These experiments demonstrate the potential of the new method for stable feature selection.

Recent advancements in molecular diagnostics have highlighted the potential of circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) as a biomarker in various diseases. This study aims to explore the role of ccfDNA in the early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring of diseases, with a focus on oncology. We conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of current literature, combined with experimental approaches involving advanced genomic sequencing and bioinformatics techniques. Our research systematically characterizes the molecular composition of ccfDNA, including its origins, size distribution, and methylation patterns, across different disease states. Furthermore, we investigate the dynamics of ccfDNA release and clearance in the bloodstream, elucidating mechanisms that could influence its diagnostic accuracy. In the context of cancer, we analyze the correlation between tumor-derived ccfDNA and disease progression, response to therapy, and overall survival. Our findings indicate that ccfDNA holds promise as a non-invasive biomarker for early disease detection, real-time monitoring of treatment efficacy, and potentially, predicting relapse. This study contributes to the growing field of liquid biopsies and opens new avenues for personalized medicine, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols in ccfDNA analysis to maximize its clinical utility. The implications of our findings extend beyond oncology, suggesting potential applications of ccfDNA in other pathological conditions.

This review study, delves into the groundbreaking potential of quantum dots in revolutionizing the field of stem cell tracking for regenerative medicine. Beginning with an introduction that underscores the pivotal role of stem cell tracking in regenerative medicine, this review introduces quantum dots as promising tools for this purpose. It proceeds to explore the fundamental properties of quantum dots, including the quantum confinement effect, size-dependent emission, and exceptional brightness, which render them ideal candidates for stem cell tracking. The historical evolution and recent advancements of quantum dot technology in biomedicine are discussed, emphasizing their growing importance in terms of biocompatibility and safety. Furthermore, various labeling strategies for stem cells using quantum dots are detailed, encompassing surface modification and internalization techniques, with a comparison of their respective advantages and drawbacks. A comprehensive exploration of the wide range of imaging modalities that synergize with quantum dots for stem cell tracking is presented, accompanied by an evaluation of their strengths and limitations. Real-world applications of quantum dot-based stem cell tracking in regenerative medicine, spanning tissue regeneration to disease modeling, are showcased, with illuminating case studies. Current challenges and limitations in quantum dot-based stem cell tracking, including long-term stability and regulatory considerations, are addressed, and innovative directions and emerging trends in quantum dot technology are proposed. Safety considerations and strategies to enhance quantum dot biocompatibility within biological systems are discussed, while ethical and regulatory implications related to their use in stem cell tracking are explored, promoting responsible research and development practices. Finally, the review concludes by summarizing key insights and takeaways, reaffirming the transformative potential of quantum dots in advancing stem cell tracking and the field of regenerative medicine.

Introduction Livestock abortigenic agents, which are microorganisms that lead to premature foetal death and expulsion before completion of the gestation period, are common in Africa and Asia. Abortion events cause economic losses by lowering reproduction (and hence herd/flock sizes) and effects on milk production. Despite the importance of livestock production for food security and livelihoods of millions of the world’s poorest communities, very little is known about the scale, magnitude or causes of livestock abortion in Africa. The aim of this review was to determine the current status of the burden of livestock abortion and surveillance measures adopted for livestock abortigenic pathogens in Africa and Asia, and to explore feasible surveillance technologies. Methodology A systematic literature search was conducted using Preferred Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in four databases for studies published between 1 Jan 1990 and 31 July 2021 that reported epidemiological surveys of livestock abortigenic pathogens in cattle, goats and sheep in Africa and Asia including; Brucella spp., Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Rift valley fever virus, Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydia, Leptospira and Bovine viral Diarrhoea Virus. A meta-analysis was used to estimate the species-specific prevalence of the abortigenic diseases and the region where they were detected. Results In the systematic literature search, 48 full papers were included which in total included 50 species-specific surveillance reports from Africa and 19 from Asia. Adjusted median seroprevalence calculations estimated Brucella at 6.85% (range 1.2-11.6) of 9071 sheep, 3.35% (range 0.90-5.40) of 17,007 goats, 8.95% (range 0.50-63.60) of 171,733 cattle, Neospora at 6.80% (range 6.80 -6.80) of 555 sheep, 10.80 (range 10.80-10.80) of 185 goats, 12.65% (range 3.40- 25.60) of 3775 cattle, Toxoplasma at 27.50% (range 1.40 – 75.90) of 2284 sheep, 32.0% (range 20.00- 64.80) of 1226 goats, 7.50% (range 7.50 - 7.50) of 174 cattle, Coxiella at 9.20 (range 9.20 – 9.20) of 184 sheep, 24.20% (range 24.20-24.20) of 91 goats, 13.80% (range 13.80-13.80) of 217 cattle, Rift valley fever virus at 7.70 (2.40-40.00) of 874 sheep, 20.95 (range 2.50-40.00) of 547 goats, 7.45% (range 3.60-11.30) of 309 cattle, Bovine viral diarrhea virus at 78.90 (range 78.90 – 78.90) of 398 cattle, Leptospira at 70.50 (range 70.50 – 70.50) of 373 cattle and Chlamydia at 6.60 (6.60-6.60) of 803 sheep. We found that most studies, 45 (89%) used serological surveys, 1 (2%) used molecular and 1 (2%) reported to have used Mobile-phone based surveillance approach. Three studies (6.25%) of the 48 included were embedded in the national surveillance programs of the respective countries they were conducted, majority 89% were stand-alone cross-sectional studies. Conclusion In conclusion, livestock abortigenic pathogens are still a burden in many African and Asian countries.

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.

Neutrophil elastase (NE) is taken up by macrophages, retains intracellular protease activity and induces a pro-inflammatory phenotype. However, the mechanism of NE-induced pro-inflammatory polarization of macrophages is not well understood. We hypothesized that intracellular NE degrades histone deacetylases (HDAC) and Sirtuins, disrupting the balance of lysine acetylation and deacetylation, and resulting in nuclear to cytoplasmic translocation of a major alarmin, High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1), a pro-inflammatory response in macrophages. Human blood monocytes were obtained from healthy donors, or from subjects with cystic fibrosis (CF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Monocytes were differentiated into blood monocyte derived macrophages (BMDM) in vitro. Human BMDM were exposed to NE or control vehicle and the abundance of HDACs and Sirtuins was determined by western blotting of total cell lysates or nuclear extracts, or determined by ELISA. HDAC, Sirtuin, and Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activities were measured. NE degraded most HDACs and Sirtuin (Sirt)1, resulting in decreased HDAC and sirtuin activities, with minimal change in HAT activity. We then evaluated whether the NE-induced loss of Sirt activity or loss of HDAC activities would alter the cellular localization of HMGB1. NE-treatment or treatment with Trichostatin A (TSA), a global HDAC inhibitor, both increased HMGB1 translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, consistent with HMGB1 activation. NE significantly degraded Class I and II HDAC family members and Sirt 1 which shifted BMDM to a pro-inflammatory phenotype.

The massive amount of human biological, imaging and clinical data produced by multiple and diverse sources, necessitates integrative modeling approaches able to summarize all this information into answers to specific clinical questions. In this paper, we present a hypermodeling scheme able to combine models of diverse cancer aspects regardless of their underlying method or scale. Describing tissue-scale cancer cell proliferation, biomechanical tumor growth, nutrient transport, genomic-scale aberrant cancer cell metabolism, and cell signaling pathways that regulate the cellular response to therapy, the hypermodel integrates mutation, miRNA expression, imaging, and clinical data. The constituting hypomodels as well as their orchestration and links are described. Two specific cancer types, Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma) and non-small cell lung cancer, are addressed as proof of concept study cases. Personalized simulations over the actual anatomy of a patient have been carried out. The hypermodel has also applied to predict tumor control after radiotherapy and the relationship between tumor proliferative activity and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Our innovative hypermodel holds promise as a digital twin based clinical decision support system and the core of future in silico trial platforms, although additional retrospective adaptation and validation is necessary.

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a progressive, multifactorial, immune-mediated disease characterized by chronic inflammation of any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Pediatric patients present with a more extensive form of the disease, especially in the upper GI tract with various histopathological inflammatory patterns. Our study aims to analyze the endoscopic and histopathological findings in children with diagnosed CD and compare results on the initial and follow-up tests. Our study included 100 children and adolescents with CD, with performed endoscopic and histopathological (HP) procedures. The results of multiple biopsies performed in these 8 years were matched and compared. We found a statistically significant decrease in stool changes, weight loss, and abdominal pain as presenting symptoms, and in the fecal calprotectin levels. On esophagogastroduodenoscopy and ileo-colonoscopy 36.59% and 64.86% patients had specific findings, respectively. Non-caseating granulomas were found on 9% of oesophageal, 18% of gas-tric, and 12% of duodenal biopsies. In the lower GI tract, we have observed a disease progression in the rectum and descending colon between the first and second biopsies. Our study showed that more than a third of patients had specific endoscopic (36.59%) and histopathologic (32%) findings in the upper GI tract, and an additional 23% had HP findings highly suggestive of CD. We demonstrated the importance of regular endoscopic and histopathological assessments of pediatric CD patients.

Aims: The aim was to examine how loneliness was associated with bullying victimization at school and online. Methods: We used data from the Danish arm of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study from 2022. The study population was a nationally representative sample of 11-15-year-olds who completed the internationally standardized HBSC questionnaire at school, n=5382. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to study the associations between bullying victimization and loneliness. Results: The prevalence of reporting loneliness often or very often was 9.0%; 6.3% of the sample experienced habitual bullying victimization at school and 4.8% incurred cyberbullying. There was a strong and graded association between loneliness and bullying victimization at school and cyberbullying. The associations were significant for boys and girls and the association between exposure to bullying at school and loneliness was steeper for boys than girls. The gradients were steeper for physical than cyberbullying. Students exposed to habitual bullying in both contexts had an adjusted OR (95% CI) of 11.21 (6.99-17.98) for loneliness. Conclusion: Exposure to bullying at school and cyberbullying are strongly associated with loneliness. It is important to reduce bullying at school and at the internet, and to promote effective interventions to reduce continuing loneliness.

Due to environmental concerns, natural refrigerants and their use in refrigeration and air conditioning systems are receiving more attention from manufacturers, end users and the scientific community. The study of heat transfer and pressure drop is essential for accurate design and more energy efficient cycles using natural refrigerants. The aim of this work is to provide an overview of the latest outcomes related to heat transfer and pressure drop correlations for ammonia, propane, isobutane and propylene and to investigate the current state of the art in terms of operating conditions. Available data on the existing correlations of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for natural refrigerants have been collected through a systematic search. Whenever possible, validity intervals are given for each correlation and the error is quantified. It is the intention of the authors that this could be a valuable support for researchers and an aid to design, with particular reference to heat pumps. A procedure based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was adopted, and the Scopus database was used to query the relevant literature. A total of 135 publications qualified for inclusion in the survey; 34 articles report experimental investigations for not usual geometric conditions. Of the 101 selected papers related to usual geometric conditions, N = 50 deal only with HTC, N = 16 deal only with pressure drop and the remainder (N = 35) analyse both HTC and pressure drop. Among the 85 HTC papers (N = 53) deal with the evaporating condition, N = 30 with condensation and only N = 2 with the heat transfer correlations under both conditions. Most of the 101 articles concern propane and isobutane. The high temperatures are less widely investigated.

Abstract—Hydraulic switching actuators are high efficiency, fast response, and low cost solutions for hydraulic control systems. One of the challenging problems is throttling losses during valve transitions. Previously the authors proposed a zero-flowrate switching method to reduce throttling energy loss of the switching valve, where a hydraulic resonator is applied to make the flowrates through the lines approaching zero before the valves are switched off. The major challenge of this approach is fast switching valves whose transition times are less than 2 ms. In this paper, an improved zero-flowrate switching method is presented. It utilizes the capacity with independent inlet/outlet ports to regulate flowrates through the lines. Models of capacity applied in a simple line with different pressure signals are developed to explore characteristics of the capacity, based on which a complete actuation system is developed. In the complete model, resistance and inductance are optimized to achieve desired flowrate response. The improved zero-flowrate switching method reduces throttling energy losses by 99.945% compared to a hard switching system. The simulation results demonstrated that the improved zero-flowrate switching method performs as expected in the design condition. A capacity with proper volume is able to regulate flowrates through all the lines to zero, with the help of appropriate resistance and inductance. Compared to previous zero-flowrate switching method, the novel strategy allows slower switching valves applied in hydraulic actuation systems and achieves better efficiency performance. This research paves a new avenue for reducing throttling energy losses and improves system efficiency in hydraulic switching actuators, as well as most of the hydraulic switch-mode circuits.

This comprehensive review traces the transformative journey of genomic mapping, ushering in the era of "Genomic Atlas 2.0," characterized by advanced strategies and cutting-edge technologies. Beginning with a historical overview, it highlights the evolution from early linkage analysis to the current landscape shaped by high-throughput sequencing. Key breakthroughs are emphasized, showcasing the pivotal role of platforms such as Illumina and Oxford Nanopore in accelerating the identification of genetic variations. Long-read sequencing technologies, including PacBio and Oxford Nanopore, are explored as transformative elements overcoming limitations associated with short-read sequencing. The review delves into spatial genomics and chromatin conformation capture techniques, revealing the three-dimensional intricacies of the genome, with a particular focus on the revolutionary impact of Hi-C in understanding chromatin interactions. CRISPR technologies emerge as indispensable tools in Genomic Atlas 2.0, enabling targeted genome editing and the generation of precise genetic models. Functional genomics screens, utilizing RNA interference and CRISPR-based techniques, are discussed for their scalable precision in deciphering genome functions. Navigating challenges, the review addresses complexities in data integration and ethical considerations, offering strategies to ensure the robustness and ethical conduct of genetic mapping. Looking optimistically towards the future, it explores opportunities such as improved sequencing accuracy and novel applications of CRISPR technologies. Envisioning the expansion of genomics into personalized medicine, agriculture, and conservation biology, the review serves as a guiding resource for researchers, scientists, and students navigating the intricate terrain of Genomic Atlas 2.0.

DNA barcoding has emerged as a transformative tool in the realm of biodiversity assessment, facilitating rapid and precise species identification. This review article delves into the evolving landscape of DNA barcoding, with a particular focus on the emergence of mini-barcodes and alternative genes as innovative approaches. Traditional DNA barcoding, anchored in the COI gene, has significantly advanced our understanding of species diversity; however, inherent challenges persist, especially when dealing with degraded samples or taxonomic groups where COI falls short. The introduction of mini-barcodes, characterized by their reduced sequence length, has revolutionized DNA barcoding by expanding its applicability. We explore the utility of mini-barcodes in various scenarios, ranging from DNA extraction from ancient or fragmented specimens to in-field identification using portable sequencing technologies. Case studies and practical insights into their effectiveness are presented, emphasizing their role in overcoming traditional limitations. Alternative genes, a complementary facet of DNA barcoding, offer a novel avenue for enhancing taxonomic resolution and accuracy. This review showcases instances where researchers have harnessed alternative genes to overcome COI's constraints, particularly in diverse taxonomic groups, such as fungi, plants, and microorganisms. The selection of these genes is discussed, along with their potential to uncover hidden biodiversity and improve species delimitation. Examining the broader implications of mini-barcodes and alternative genes, we unveil their pivotal roles in advancing conservation efforts, forensic science, and citizen science initiatives. The adaptable nature of these approaches empowers a diverse range of stakeholders, from scientists conducting critical research to concerned citizens contributing to our collective understanding of the natural world. Looking ahead, we envision an exciting future for DNA barcoding, as these innovations continue to evolve. Integration with cutting-edge sequencing technologies, data analysis methods, and the harnessing of big data hold immense potential. Nonetheless, challenges related to standardization, scalability, and data sharing persist.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a viral infection that affects domestic and wild type birds especially poultry and establishing serious economic costs for poultry industry. Newcastle disease virus’ (NDV) HN membrane receptor is attractive therapeutic candidate, contributes to pathogenicity with various functions such as fusion and prevent viral self-agglutination to permit viral spread. No validated HN inhibitor has been reported yet. However, the purpose of current study was to determine potential compounds via pharmacophore-based screening of natural molecules to inhibit HN receptor of NDV. Physicochemical characteristics and phylogenetic analysis were determined to elucidate structural information and phylogeny of target protein across different species as well as members of gene family. Fill missing residues of HN target protein and evaluated via PROCHECK and VERIFY 3D. We employed shape and feature-based pharmacophore model and screen natural compound’s library through numerous scoring schemes. Top 48 hits with 0.8860 pharmacophore fit score were subjected towards structure-based molecular docking. Top 9 compounds was observed witihin the range of -8.9 to -7.5 kcal/mol binding score. Five best-fitting compounds in complex with HN receptor were subjected to predict biological activity and ADMET analysis. Top two hits were selected for MD simulations to validate binding modes and structural stability. Upon scrutinization, A1 (ZINC05223166) emerges as potential HN inhibitor to treat ND, necessitating further validation via clinical trials.

Hybrid materials are a recent addition in the field of Restorative Dentistry for computer-assisted design/ computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) indirect restorations. The long–term clinical success of modern dental restorative materials follows a multifactorial pattern. Among the characteristics, affecting the longevity of a restoration, mechanical properties and physicο – chemical interactions are of utmost importance. While numerous researchers constantly evaluate the mechanical properties, the biological background of resin–based CAD/CAM biomaterials is scarcely investigated and, therefore, less described in the literature. This review aims to analyze the biofilm formation on the surfaces of novel hybrid, resin–based CAD/CAM materials and evaluate the methodological protocols followed to assess microbial growth. It is demonstrated that the surface structure, the composition and the finishing and polishing procedures on the surface of a dental restorative material influence the initial bacterial adhesion; however most studies focus on in vitro protocols, whereas in vivo and/or in situ research of microbiomics in CAD/CAM restorative materials is lacking, obstructing in that manner the accurate understanding of the bioadhesion phenomenon in the oral cavity.

Saliva, as a diagnostic medium, offers a promising alternative to blood by virtue of its non-invasive collection, which enhances patient compliance, especially in paediatric and geriatric populations. In this study, we assessed the utility of saliva as a non-invasive medium for measuring V. cholerae-specific serum antibodies in naturally infected individuals. We tested paired serum and saliva samples obtained from a total of 63 cholera patients enrolled in a cohort study. Vibriocidal antibodies assay (IgM/IgG) as markers for accurate determination was used to determine cholera specific antibody levels. Using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve, we found that the best cut-off that maximizes (sensitivity + specificity) is 10 titers. At this saliva titer, the sensitivity is 76.9% (95%CI: 60.9%, 87.7%) and specificity is 80.0% (95%CI: 56.6%, 92.5%). Using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, we also found evidence of a positive correlation between Vibrio Cholerae saliva and serum antibodies (rho=0.66, p&lt;0.001). In conclusion, saliva-based diagnostic cholera tests has high diagnostic accuracy, and would be advantageous, cheaper, and quicker for early diagnosis of severe cholera outcomes.

Software project estimating (SPE) is a powerful but necessary step in the production of projects for software. Software project estimating includes several components, estimating software time, software resources, software costs, and software effort estimation (SEE). SEE seeks to estimate the number of "hours-person" and "months-person" of work required for developing or managing a software program. During the initial phase of the development of software, future efforts are impossible to predict. To estimate effort, many deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) models were previously created. For estimate, single-model techniques and ensemble methods were investigated in this research. Ensemble methods involve a combination of multiple separate models. Bagging, boosting, and voting were the ensemble methods looked into for estimation. Datasets considered for estimation were COCOMO81, COCOMONasa I, COCOMONasa II, Albrecht, Maxwell, China, Desharnais, Desharnais_1_1, Kitchenham, Boehm, and Belady. The evaluation criteria used MAE, RAE, RMSE, RRSE, and CC. The result from previous studies is that the total size of the set of data utilized is small in predicting the effort, as the largest size of the set of data used is the China dataset containing only 499 projects. So, in this study, the dataset has been merged to increase the total size of the set of data and increase the accuracy of prediction. The results indicated that the suggested merged dataset increased effort estimation accuracy.

Background: Visual acuity (VA) assessments are crucial in ophthalmology but traditionally rely on in-clinic evaluations. The emergence of telemedicine has spurred interest in creating dependable self-administered VA tests for use beyond standard clinical environments. This study evaluates the practicality and validity of a self-administered Near VA card test against traditional Snellen and Rosenbaum Pocket Vision Screener (RPVS) methods for home monitoring and enhancing clinical workflow. Methods: In a cross-sectional study a near VA card (Hadassah Self-Visual Acuity Screener-HSVA) was developed with written and videotaped instructions for self-use. Patients with a minimal best corrected VA (BCVA) of 1.0 LogMAR in at least one eye were recruited from Ophthalmology and Optometry clinics. Outcomes included mean BCVA difference between the self-administered and those obtained by the examiner, and correlations among BCVA values obtained by Snellen, RPVS, HSVA and previous distance BCVA according to the patient electronic medical records. Results: A total of 275 participants (mean age: 42.5±19.4 years, range: 18-89 years, 47% female) were included. Test-retest reliability analysis for the HSVA demonstrated very good correlation and repeatability (n=38 patients.; Rs=1.0, P

If "quantization is an art" then it can be greatly rened by adopting cyclic time formalism. In past papers we have proven the effectiveness of a formulation of physics based on cyclic relativistic time. Now we can demonstrate in a general way, by using theorems of Geometric Quantization, that the Poisson brackets of intrinsically cyclic time dynamics directly imply the ordinary canonical commutation relations and the other Dirac's rules of canonical Quantum Mechanics. In other words, according to our result, canonical quantization is an implicit way of imposing intrinsically cyclic time dynamics without explicitly saying that time is a cyclic dimension.

In the process of oil and gas development and production, when the flow rate in the wellbore is large, the materials underground will be eroded, causing the operation to be unable to proceed smoothly and reducing the efficiency of oil and gas production. Therefore, optimizing the anti-erosion coating under high-speed flow conditions in wellbore is a very interesting thing. It can greatly improve operational efficiency. In this paper, laser cladding was used to prepare the new coating used in the PDC drill bit. Then, the effects of tungsten carbide and multi-layer graphene on the microstructure and properties of the tungsten carbide coating were studied. The research results indicate that, for new coatings, 60% tungsten carbide and 0.3% graphene are the optimal ratios. After adding WC, the hardness has significantly improved. However, when the WC content further increases more than 30%, the increase in hardness is relatively small. In addition, when the content of graphene is more than 0.3%, the branched structure became thicker, and not only the segregation of Cr, Si and W became very obvious again, but also the segregation of Fe occurred at the Ni enrichment site. The research results contribute to improving oil and gas production and operational efficiency under high-speed fluid flow conditions in the wellbore.

Ensuring precise electric locomotive stopping is pivotal for achieving intelligent and unmanned auxiliary transportation systems. Currently, human drivers' expertise plays a central role in the stopping process, posing challenges for automation and cargo location accuracy, particularly in coal mining. This paper focuses on achieving accurate electric locomotive stopping under diverse conditions by utilizing permanent magnet synchronous motor-driven locomotives. This technique introduces a novel stopping control method that combines a fuzzy Proportional-Integral-Derivative (F-PID) controller and a vector control model for permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM). After this, we design the F-PID using the PMSM technique based on the new fuzzy rules for each sub-system. In the end, extensive simulations and real-world experiments are conducted on an electric locomotive stopping test bed, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. From the simulation results, it confirming that the ability to achieve precise stopping under various working conditions.

Most research on colostrum quality and colostrum management focuses on maternal IgG transfer to the newborn calf. However, in addition to being a source of antibodies, colostrum has other components that influence passive immune transfer, nutrition, gut maturation, and thermoregulation. In this review, the constituents in the bovine colostrum, as well as their variation, are explored and it is discussed the biological role of colostrum on the newborn calf. Protein is the nutrient in higher concentration and fat is the nutrient with the most variation. There is a pronounced amplitude in the total solids content of colostrum, but the average concentration does not vary much between studies (24.7%). Bovine colostrum major components can vary with several factors, such as the region, season, breed, dry period length, and nutritional aspects of the dam. Bioactive components, cells, and microbiome variability are less understood, besides IgG. Regardless, they play crucial distinct roles in the physiological development of the newborn. However, a multi-interactive effect between these components, cells, and microorganisms is more likely to occur. Recently researched components in colostrum like miRNA, nucleo(t)sides, the milk fat globule membrane, oligosaccharides, minor proteins, and the microbiome are examples of promising interest areas of study.

Background: Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) believe that diet is a key factor in the pathogenesis of their disease and in worsening their symptoms; they often follow restrictive diets that can lead to malnutrition, anxiety, and stress. Recent studies have found an association between eating disorders and IBD, particularly anorexia nervosa and ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). None of these studies report the association with orthorexia nervosa, that is the obsession with healthy and natural foods. Aim: to assess the risk of orthorexia nervosa in patients with IBD. Methods: 158 consecutive subjects were recruited, including 113 patients diagnosed with IBD and 45 controls. The Donini standardized questionnaire ORTO-15 was administered to assess the risk of orthorexia; clinical and demographic data were also collected. Results: patients with IBD have a prevalence of orthorexia of 77%, significantly higher than the 47% observed in the control group. In patients with IBD, the risk of orthorexia is associated with lower BMI and history of previous surgery. Conclusion: Many patients with IBD develop orthorexia nervosa that impacts the patient's psychological and social sphere, exposes them to a high risk of nutritional deficiencies, and affects quality of life. Further high quality studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical impact of orthorexia and its correlation with clinical features and frank eating disorders.

Emerging data support associations between depletion of the healthy gut microbiome and aging-related physiological decline and disease. In humans, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used successfully to restore gut microbiome structure and function to treat C. difficile infections, but application to healthy aging has been scarcely investigated. The marmoset is an excellent model for evaluating microbiome-mediated changes with age and interventional treatments due to their relatively shorter lifespan and many social, behavioral, and physiological functions that mimic human aging. This review 1) provides an overview of the rationale for FMT to support healthy aging using the marmoset as a translational geroscience model, 2) summarizes prior use of FMT in marmosets, 3) outlines a protocol for studying FMT in aging marmosets, and 4) describes knowledge gaps and future research needs in this field.

Noninvasive brain stimulation technique can be used for modulation of motor behaviors such as reaction time (RT). The main aim of this study was to investigate whether RT during a sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT) can be affected by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over three different stimulation sites such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), primary motor cortex (M1) or posterior parietal cortex (PPC). We also aimed to assess if stimulation of these cortical sites affect the transfer of learning during SVIPT. A total of 48 right-handed healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the four a-tDCS groups: 1) left M1, 2) left DLPFC, 3) left PPC and 4) sham. A-tDCS was applied concurrent with SVIPT in which the participants were precisely controlled their forces to reach seven different target forces from 10 to 40% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) presenting on a computer screen with right dominant hand. Four test blocks were randomly performed at baseline and 15 min after the intervention including sequence and random blocks with either hand. Our results showed significant differences between a-tDCS groups on ratio RT in the sequence blocks of both the right trained (P = .041) and left untrained hands (P = .023) for target forces of 15% and 30 % of MVC, respectively. In sequence blocks, M1 showed significant elongation in ratio RT for the target force of 15% and 30 % MVC compared to PPC and Sham groups in the right hand. In sequence blocks with left hand, this negative effect were found between M1-DLPFC and M1-Sham groups. In random blocks, no significant differences were found among four groups at each target forces for the left hand while there were significant differences for 15% (P =. 04) and 40% MVC (P =. 035) in the right hand. Our findings suggest that three different stimulation sites (DLPFC, M1 or PPC) were differentially affected by a single session of a-tDCS at some target forces during SVIPT. The effects of a-tDCS on ratio RT were transferred in the left untrained hand for sequence blocks but not random blocks. Further research is needed to understand fundamental aspects of these main areas of the brain on temporal processing in a precision control task such as SVIPT.

Heart failure is a global major healthcare problem with millions of hospitalizations annually and with a very high mortality. There is an increased interest in finding new and reliable biomarkers for the diagnostication, prognostication and therapeutical guidance of patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. There is data to sustain the role of CA 125, a worldwide used marker of ovarian cancer, in patients with heart failure. Several studies have shown links between CA 125 levels and congestion seen in acute heart failure, high mortality and readmission rates at 6 months follow up after discharge from acute heart failure and also a role of CA 125 in the guidance of heart failure therapy. There are also clinical trials that showed that several particularities of CA 125 make it even better than NTpro BNP ( a classical and more utilised marker of heart failure) in several scenarios of acute heart failure.

The study titled "Molecular Choreography of DNA: Insights and Innovations" explores the intricate dance of DNA, shedding light on its structure, function, and regulation. This comprehensive review delves into the historical significance of DNA research, from Watson and Crick's double helix discovery to recent innovations in genomics and molecular biology. The review highlights DNA's roles in replication, repair, gene regulation, and chromatin dynamics, emphasizing the precision and complexity of its molecular choreography. Innovations like CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and advanced sequencing technologies have revolutionized our understanding of DNA, opening new avenues for scientific exploration. This study aims to provide readers with a deeper appreciation of DNA's central role in life's choreographed processes.

Noncoding RNA regions have emerged as pivotal players in the regulation of various cellular processes, and their involvement in HIV/AIDS pathogenesis is an evolving field of research. This review article delves into the intricate interplay between noncoding RNA regions and AIDS, shedding light on the diverse mechanisms by which these RNA molecules influence viral replication, immune responses, and disease progression. The review highlights recent discoveries, potential therapeutic applications, and the challenges ahead, illustrating the promising prospects of noncoding RNA research in the context of HIV/AIDS.

A systematic study has been conducted on barbiturate complexes of all five alkali metals Li–Cs prepared from the metal carbonates or hydroxide in aqueous solution without other potential ligands present, varying the stoichiometric ratio of metal ion to barbituric acid (BAH). Eight polymeric compounds (two each for Na, K, and Rb and one each for Li and Cs) have been characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All contain some combination of barbiturate anion BA− (necessarily in a 1:1 ratio with the metal cation M+), barbituric acid, and water. All organic species and water molecules are coordinated to the metal centres via oxygen atoms as either terminal or bridging ligands. Coordination numbers range from 4 (for the Li complex) to 8 (for the Cs complex). Extensive hydrogen bonding plays a significant role in all the crystal structures, almost all of which include pairs of N–H…O hydrogen bonds linking BA− and/or BAH components into ribbons extending in one dimension. Factors influencing the structure adopted by each compound include cation size and reaction stoichiometry as well as hydrogen bonding.

In this study, we propose the Signal Integration Reconstruction Peak Detection (SIRPD) algorithm for reliable Cardiac Beat Interval (CBI) measurement using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals. This algorithm enhances reliability by identifying a regular waveform in cerebral blood flow associated with heartbeats. The SIRPD algorithm assesses the Signal Quality Index (SQI) per channel, discards signals from unavailable channels, and interpolates oxygenated and total hemoglobin concentration signals, thereby boosting resolution and integrating the signal into a single channel. The integrated and smoothed signal is transformed to identify the most significant periodic waveform, from which the CBI is extracted. Validated with data from 20 healthy subjects who simultaneously recorded fNIRS and ECG signals, our findings confirm the equivalence of the CBI derived from ECG and calculated through the SIRPD algorithm from fNIRS (R^2 = .98, RMSE = .011, ICC = .991). We also extracted heart rate variability (HRV) features, confirming no significant difference in all features between ECG and fNIRS devices. Uniquely, this study regards the fNIRS heart signal not as an artifact source but as a valuable bio signal. The proposed method, which allows for the detection of cardiac beat intervals from cerebral blood flow oscillations, suggests the potential clinical applicability of fNIRS as an auxiliary indicator for various cardiovascular factors.

Climate change poses a significant threat to global food security, necessitating a thorough examination across multiple dimensions. Establishing appropriate food security evaluation indicators that align with the evolving concept of food security is imperative. This study enhances food security evaluation by refining a multi-dimensional framework and analyzing the impact of climate change across various regions from 2002 to 2021. By constructing an Food Security Index system composed of a three-tier indicator system and employing the entropy method for weighting, we assess the impacts of climate change on food security using a climate-economic model. Regression analysis reveals a negative linear relationship between mean temperatures and food security (p&lt;0.01), while precipitation impacts food security non-linearly, particularly exhibiting inverse U-shaped patterns in major grain-producing and grain-consuming areas. Extreme high temperatures consistently reduce food security, whereas extreme precipitation displays a complex, statistically significant inverse U-shaped association. In regions where production and consumption are balanced, mean temperatures have a negative effect on food security, while precipitation exhibits a positive correlation, but excessive precipitation can have adverse effects. These findings highlight the intricate interplay between climate change, regional disparities, and food security in China, emphasizing the need to consider multi-dimensional factors and regional variations in addressing food security challenges. These insights are invaluable for policy-making and planning aimed at enhancing food security in China.