Abstract: Since the beginning of modern computer history, the Turing machine has been a dominant architecture for most computational devices, which consists of three essential components: an infinite tape for input, a read/write head, and finite control. In this structure, what the head can read (i.e., bits) is the same as what it has written/outputted. This is actually different from the ways in which humans think or do thought/tool experiments. More precisely, what humans imagine/write on paper are images or texts, and they are not the abstract concepts that they represent in the human brain. This difference is neglected by the Turing machine, but it actually plays an important role in abstraction, analogy, and generalization, which are crucial in artificial intelligence. Compared with this architecture, the proposed architecture uses two different types of heads and tapes, one for traditional abstract bit inputs/outputs and the other for specific visual ones. The mapping rules among the abstract bits and the specific images/texts can be realized by neural networks with a high accuracy rate. Logical reasoning is thus performed through the transfer of mapping rules. The statistical decidability of the Halting Problem with an imperceptibly small error rate in reasoning steps is established for this type of machines. As an example, this paper presents how the new computer architecture (what we call ``Ren machine" for simplicity here) autonomously learns a distributive property/rule of multiplication in the specific domain and further uses the rule to generate a general method (mixed in both the abstract domain and the specific domain) to compute the multiplication of any positive integers based on images/texts. The machine's strong reasoning ability is also corroborated in proving a theorem in Plane Geometry. Moreover, a robotic architecture based on Ren machine is proposed to address the challenges faced by the Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models in unsound reasoning ability and high computational cost.

Abstract: Foundational tensions between special relativity and quantum mechanics, together with conflicts between general relativity and quantum gravity, and unresolved cosmogonical and cosmological anomalies, block theoretical unification and limit explanatory depth. Based on ontological first principles rather than mathematical constructs, this analysis integrates a “discrete,” background-independent, relativistic 4D spacetime with a physically co-located Planck Domain. Through a one-to-one identity, the Planck Domain mirrors the discrete spatial elements of 4D spacetime, enabling a single, unified set of physical laws across quantum and classical regimes. Under this framework, ontic single- and N-body quantum states evolve deterministically in 4D spacetime and collapse instantaneously in the Planck Domain. Current theoretical tensions between special relativity and quantum mechanics, including nonlocality, separability, time, simultaneity, total energy scaling, and probability conservation, are reappraised by replacing the Hilbert-space wavefunction with an ontic energy field and a single energy-based operator that governs both motion and gravitational response. The identical ontological framework and dynamical laws apply unchanged across general relativity and quantum gravity, recasting gravity as the relational dynamics of discrete energy rather than the coupling of the stress-energy and metric tensors and reappraising the equivalence principle and the black hole information paradox. Cosmogonically, the same model re-examines the origin of 4D spacetime, accounting for near-homogeneity, isotropy, and low gravitational entropy without ad hoc assumptions, fine-tuning, or perturbative techniques, and provides ontological foundations for the cosmological constant and global energy conservation. Eight descriptive mathematical validations, derived from a unified evolution law, Planck Domain collapse rule, and the relational gravity law, support (but do not govern) the analysis: (i) the low-ℓ CMB TT shape generated from a field with one global amplitude on power; (ii) CHSH correlations at Tsirelson’s bound from collapse; and (iii–viii) hard-mass relational dynamics, highlighted by a tilted Earth–Moon orbit, a tilted hierarchical three-body system, and a high-energy Mercury–Sun analog, all sustained for 1000 orbits or inner orbits.

Abstract: Since its establishment, quantum mechanics has developed for a century and has a very large theoretical system, but the phenomenon of quantum mechanics still lacks a generally accepted explanation, which undoubtedly shows that the existing theoretical system is incomplete. Inspired by ancient Chinese philosophy, we propose a theoretical framework in this paper, which provides a new perspective for explaining quantum mechanical phenomena including superposition and entanglement. In addition, the proposed framework contributes to a profound understanding of the law of conservation of energy. We show through examples how basic superposition states and entangled states are constructed. Our work can inspire people to think deeply about the mysteries of nature, especially quantum mechanical phenomena.

Abstract: Large language model (LLM)-based multi-agent systems have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in collaborative task solving. Although the mechanisms that facilitate seamless cooperation, such as shared contexts, role assignments, and iterative message passing, present significant risks of unintentional information disclosure. We present MIN-Trust, a trust orchestration framework that enforces Minimum Necessary Information (MNI) constraints, an operationalization of the data minimization principle for inter-agent communication—while maintaining task effectiveness. Our approach introduces an MNI-Gate that automatically classifies and filters information into essential, summarized, or pointer-referenced subsets before transmission. Additionally, we propose a Trust-Gated Channel (TGC) that counterintuitively increases verification requirements rather than relaxing information access as inter-agent trust elevates. Through experiments on four collaborative tasks using public benchmarks, we demonstrate that MIN-Trust reduces sensitive information exposure by 67.8% compared to baseline multi-agent frameworks while maintaining 93.3% of task success rates. Our evidence traceability mechanism achieves 84.2% claim-to-source attribution, significantly outperforming conventional approaches. These results suggest that privacy-preserving multi-agent collaboration is achievable under synthetic benchmark conditions with moderate performance trade-offs.

Abstract: Background: Population ageing is accelerating worldwide, accompanied by a rising prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Medicines with anticholinergic properties are commonly prescribed to older adults for a wide range of conditions, including depression, urinary incontinence, Parkinson’s disease, allergies, and respiratory disorders. While short-term anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth and constipation are well recognised, increasing evidence suggests that cumulative anticholinergic exposure may contribute to adverse cognitive outcomes in older populations.Objective: This review aims to discuss the concept of anticholinergic burden, outline commonly used tools to quantify exposure, and examine the evidence linking cumulative anticholinergic exposure with cognitive decline and other adverse health outcomes. It also explores strategies to identify and mitigate anticholinergic burden in clinical practice.Methods: Relevant literature on anticholinergic medications, burden scales, and associated clinical outcomes was reviewed. Attention was given to validated measurement tools such as the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale, Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS), and Anticholinergic Drug Scale (ADS), as well as studies examining associations between anticholinergic exposure and cognitive and functional outcomes.Results: Evidence from observational studies indicates that higher cumulative anticholinergic burden is associated with increased risks of cognitive impairment, delirium, falls, functional decline, and possibly dementia. Measurement tools allow clinicians and researchers to estimate cumulative exposure, with several studies identifying clinically meaningful risk at moderate to high burden scores. Conclusion: Anticholinergic burden represents a potentially modifiable contributor to adverse outcomes in ageing populations. Routine assessment of anticholinergic exposure, careful medication review, and deprescribing strategies where appropriate may help reduce avoidable cognitive and functional harm in older adults. Integrating burden assessment into prescribing systems and clinical decision support tools may further support safer pharmacotherapy in an ageing society.

Abstract: Managing inventory for perishable goods remains a persistent operational challenge, largely because conventional exponential decay models struggle to capture the irregular deterioration patterns observed in practice. This paper develops the Reliable Fractional Derivative (RFD) framework, which incorporates memory effects into the modeling of product decay through a time-shifted kernel. Unlike standard approaches that assume constant deterioration, this formulation accommodates both accelerating and decelerating patterns depending on product characteristics and storage conditions. We derive closed-form expressions for optimal ordering quantities under both deterministic and stochastic demand, then test the framework's performance through numerical experiments spanning two thousand parameter combinations. The analysis reveals that RFD models deliver the greatest improvements when deterioration rates are steep, holding costs are substantial, or storage horizons are extended—conditions under which switching from conventional methods yields average cost reductions approaching nineteen percent, with substantially larger gains in certain cases. A pharmaceutical application confirms savings between 3.6 and 9.1 percent relative to misspecified traditional models. These findings connect with recent industry movements toward more sophisticated safety-stock practices, offering managers a principled basis for selecting inventory policies aligned with actual product behavior rather than assuming decay conforms to simpler theoretical forms.

Abstract: Vaccine hesitancy has evolved from episodic resistance to a structural threat to global health systems. Although opposition to vaccination has accompanied immunisation since its inception, contemporary hesitancy reflects a transformation driven by digital information ecosystems, political polarisation, institutional mistrust, and shifting risk perceptions. Its consequences extend beyond individual vaccine refusal to systemic vulnerabilities within immunisation programs. Here, wesynthesisee historical and contemporary evidence to examine vaccine hesitancy as a multilevel phenomenon shaped by sociocultural identities, psychological heuristics, and political governance structures. Tracing its trajectory from early smallpox resistance to COVID-19–era polarization, we identify recurring patterns of mistrust, moral framing, and autonomy-based resistance that re-emerge across contexts. We argue that vaccine hesitancy operates not merely as an attitudinal deficit but as a reflection of broader fractures in social trust and institutional legitimacy. We further analyse how clustering of under-immunised populations, digital misinformation amplification, and politicisation of public health undermine immunisation resilience. Evidence suggests that durable solutions require trust-centred governance, community co-production of health strategies, behavioral insight informed communication, and structural reforms that address inequity and historical injustice. Reconceptualising vaccine hesitancy as a systems-level vulnerability reframes immunisation programs as social contracts as much as biomedical interventions. Strengthening these contracts will be central to sustaining global vaccination gains in an era defined by misinformation, institutional fragility, and recurrent pandemic threats.

Abstract: Background and Clinical Significant: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common car-diovascular disorder in extremely low birth weight(ELBW) infants, for which surgical ligation is indicated when pharmacologic closure fails. Sudden increases in afterload combined with immature myocardial contractility can lead to post-ligation cardiac syn-drome, which usually occurs within hours after surgery. However, acute intraoperative hemodynamic collapse during PDA ligation has rarely been described. Case Presenta-tion: A preterm infant born at 24 weeks and 3 days of gestation with a birth weight of 890 g underwent emergency PDA ligation for a hemodynamically significant PDA refractory to pharmacological treatment. Fifteen minutes after skin incision, the infant developed severe hypoxemia, bradycardia, and non-measurable noninvasive blood pressure, which required immediate hemodynamic resuscitation with manual ventilation, fluid admin-istration, and dopamine and dobutamine infusions. Hemodynamics gradually recovered after completion of ductal ligation, whereas hypoxemia persisted. Postoperative chest radiography revealed a left-sided pneumothorax, and oxygen saturation stabilized after pleural air aspiration. The subsequent clinical course was uneventful, and typical post-ligation cardiac syndrome did not develop. Conclusions: This case suggests that intraoperative hemodynamic collapse during PDA ligation may share pathophysiologic features with post-ligation cardiac syndrome, and that concomitant pneumothorax can further aggravate hemodynamic instability by worsening hypoxemia and reducing venous return.

Abstract:

We develop an information-theoretic route from microscopic conserved-charge dynamics to an infrared mass prediction in the minimal Z₂ singlet-scalar Higgs-portal dark-matter model. We define an operational quantum information copy time \( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}(Q)\ \) for a conserved charge Q and introduce a Liouvillian-squared information susceptibility \( \chi^{(2)} \) based on the Kubo--Mori metric. Empirically, across several decades in \( \chi^{(2)} \) we find the robust scaling \( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}(Q)\propto (\chi^{(2)}_{Q})^{-1/2}\ \) (Table 1 and Figure 1). Analytically, a general linear-response/Cauchy-Schwarz inequality bounds the growth rate of any receiver-optimised overlap by \( \sqrt{\chi^{(2)}_Q}\ \); for a fixed operational threshold \( \eta\ \) and normalised sender/receiver operators this implies the conditional lower bound \( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}\gtrsim \eta/\sqrt{\chi^{(2)}_Q}\ \) under mild regularity/monotonicity assumptions (Closure Supplement, Section "Copy-time bound''). We also provide stabiliser-code diffusion benchmarks that illustrate the scaling and help calibrate normalisations in the diffusive universality class. We then argue that spatially varying copy times naturally define an ``optical'' geometry for coarse-grained information propagation: a local information speed \( v_{\mathrm{info}}(x)\propto \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}(x)^{-1}\ \)induces an effective metric, and diffeomorphism invariance in the long-wavelength description implies that the Einstein--Hilbert term is the leading infrared operator, with higher-derivative corrections controlled by gradients of \( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}\ \). In this perspective, we define the scalar dressing parameter \( \kappa_{\text{eff}} \) intrinsically from microscopic QICT susceptibilities in the electroweak-symmetric regime; asymptotic-safety FRG results, when invoked, serve only as an external cross-check rather than as a foundational assumption. Within a gauge-coded QCA realising a Standard-Model-like generation, anomaly cancellation singles out hypercharge Y Yas the unique non-trivial anomaly-free Abelian factor coupling to both quarks and leptons; we also provide a self-contained anomaly calculation (see the Closure Supplement, "Hypercharge from anomaly constraints'') and emphasise that this selects a one-dimensional anomaly-free direction; it does not exclude embeddings or additional hidden sectors. This is a minimal-factor selection under stated assumptions and does not exclude embeddings, additional hidden sectors, or discrete quotients. Matching to a thermal Standard Model plasma at a reference temperature \( T_\star\ \)in the electroweak-symmetric regime \( T_\star\gtrsim T_{\rm EW} \), and adopting benchmark inputs (with an explicit operational construction of \( T_\star\ \) given in the Closure Supplement (Point~(6)) and an explicit interacting thermal-QCA susceptibility protocol given in the Closure Supplement (Copy-time bound / Point~(6))), \( \frac{\chi_Y}{T_\star^2} = 0.145 \pm 0.010,\qquad \) \( \kappa_{\mathrm{eff}} = 0.1356 \pm 0.0714,\qquad \) \( C_\Lambda = 1.606 \pm 0.044 \), we obtain the Golden Relation \( m_S = C_\Lambda \sqrt{\kappa_{\mathrm{eff}}\,\chi_Y} \) and the prediction \( m_S = 58.5 \pm 15.6~\text{GeV},\qquad \) \( m_S \in [43,74]~\text{GeV}\ \text{(conservative)} \). We provide a minimal, fully analytic phenomenological consistency check of the Higgs-portal model in the vicinity of the Higgs resonance, using closed-form expressions for the Higgs invisible width and the spin-independent nucleon cross section. The mass prediction is conditional on the explicit benchmark intervals and on the stated matching assumptions; the copy--susceptibility exponent is universal in the variational sense above, while the overall normalisation entering the benchmark closure is calibrated using a diffusive benchmark class (a separate step, not used in the unconditional bound).

Abstract: During routine evaluation of hospitalized patients, discrepancies were frequently observed between the degree of liver steatosis assessed by conventional B-mode ultrasonography and Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE) with Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP). This study aimed to identify the factors contributing to these differences and to determine whether both imaging methods should be expected to produce comparable steatosis classifications. We conducted an observational retrospective cross-sectional study including 130 patients admitted over a two-year period who underwent laboratory testing, abdominal ultrasonography, and transient elastography. Variables analyzed included age, sex, environment, nutritional status, comorbidities, biochemical parameters (ALAT, total cholesterol, triglycerides, GGT), calculated FIB-4 score. Patients were classified in two groups: 61 with concordant steatosis grades across both methods and 69 with discordant results. Concordant results were more common in individuals with serum total cholesterol >200 mg/dL (45.9%), and those with a Fib-4 score between 1.45–3.25 (44.2%). Additionally, a trend toward a stronger correlation was observed in patients with elevated triglycerides. Viral liver disease showed a significantly higher rate of discordant results (26.2%). Total serum cholesterol >200 mg/dL, and a FIB-4 score between 1.45–3.25 can be significantly associated with concordance in steatosis grading, while serum triglyceride levels showed a nonsignificant trend toward concordance. In contrast, viral hepatitis with concomitant steatosis can be associated with discordant findings between the two imaging modalities. Although not statistically significant, a value F ≥ 2 measured by VCTE measured fibrosis and a FIB-4 score >3.25 also showed a trend toward discordance, suggesting they may contribute to variability in steatosis assessment.

Abstract: We develop an information-theoretic route from microscopic conserved-charge dynamics to an infrared mass prediction in the minimal Z₂ singlet-scalar Higgs-portal dark-matter model. We define an operational quantum information copy time \( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}(Q)\ \) for a conserved charge Q and introduce a Liouvillian-squared information susceptibility \( \chi^{(2)}_{\mathrm{micro},Q}\ \) based on the Kubo--Mori metric. Under explicit locality, spectral-gap and hydrodynamic assumptions, we formulate a conditional scaling theorem implying \( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}(Q)\propto \bigl(\chi^{(2)}_{\mathrm{micro},Q}\bigr)^{-1/2}\ \); we provide numerical evidence for this scaling in stabiliser-code diffusion models (Supplemental Material). We then argue that spatially varying copy times naturally define an "optical'' geometry for coarse-grained information propagation: a local information speed \( v_{\mathrm{info}}(x)\propto \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}(x)^{-1}\ \) induces an effective metric, and diffeomorphism invariance in the long-wavelength description implies that the Einstein-Hilbert term is the leading infrared operator, with higher-derivative corrections controlled by gradients of\( \tau_{\mathrm{copy}}\ \). In this perspective, we define the scalar dressing parameter \( \kappa_{\text{eff}} \) intrinsically from microscopic QICT susceptibilities in the electroweak-symmetric regime; asymptotic-safety FRG results, when invoked, serve only as an external cross-check rather than as a foundational assumption. Within a gauge-coded QCA realising a Standard-Model-like generation, anomaly cancellation singles out hypercharge Y as the unique non-trivial anomaly-free Abelian factor coupling to both quarks and leptons. Matching to a thermal Standard Model plasma at a reference temperature T⋆ in the electroweak-symmetric regime (T⋆≳TEW), and adopting benchmark inputs (with an explicit operational construction of T⋆ given in Supplement~S7), \( \frac{\chi_Y}{T_\star^2} = 0.145 \pm 0.010,\qquad \) \( \kappa_{\mathrm{eff}} = 0.136 \pm 0.019,\qquad \) \( C_\Lambda = 1.6 \pm 0.2 \), we obtain the Golden Relation \( m_S = C_\Lambda \sqrt{\kappa_{\mathrm{eff}}\,\chi_Y} \) and the prediction \( m_S = 58.4 \pm 8.6~\text{GeV},\qquad m_S \in [50,67]~\text{GeV}\ \text{(conservative)} \). We provide a minimal, fully analytic phenomenological consistency check of the Higgs-portal model in the vicinity of the Higgs resonance, using the closed-form expressions for the Higgs invisible width and the spin-independent nucleon cross section. We emphasise that the mass prediction is conditional on the input benchmark intervals and on the diffusive QICT universality class assumptions.

Abstract: The increasing prevalence of rooftop photovoltaics on European buildings has sparked interest in using façades and balconies as alternative surfaces for generating solar energy. This study examines the technical and economic performance of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) installations on façades and balconies under real operating conditions. Four case studies from Poland are analysed using a combination of measured energy production data and simulations performed with the PVGIS tool. The analysis focuses on annual and seasonal energy yield, self-consumption potential, system costs, simple payback time and the role of module-level power electronics (MLPE) in mitigating the effects of shading and non-optimal orientations. The results demonstrate that, while façade-mounted PV systems generally have lower annual yields than optimally tilted rooftop installations, balcony and façade BAPV systems with MLPE can achieve high self-consumption rates, short payback periods (3–10 years) and favourable winter performance. These findings demonstrate that BIPV and BAPV systems on façades should be assessed using distinct technical and economic criteria, and highlight their potential to extend prosumer participation to apartment dwellers, thereby supporting a more inclusive urban energy transition.

Abstract: This paper proposes mengolah, a culturally embedded Indonesian term describing informal grassroots lobbying and political brokerage, as a decolonial methodology and medium of political communication for understanding youth political participation in Indonesia. Grounded in the everyday practices of Indonesian political culture, mengolah represents a distinct form of political engagement that operates through personal networks, informal negotiation, and relational trust rather than formal institutional channels. This study explicitly positions mengolah not as an inherently corrupt practice but as a legitimate cultural medium through which citizens engage with democratic processes, functioning analogously to constituent services and political networking in Western democracies while reflecting Indonesian values of kebersamaan (togetherness) and gotong royong (mutual cooperation). Drawing on data from the 2024 Indonesian general elections, where youth voters comprised 56% of the electorate, this study examines how mengolah functions as both a grassroots political methodology and a structured pathway for political mobility. Skilled practitioners of mengolah (pengolah) typically progress from grassroots volunteers to organizational leaders in organisasi masyarakat (mass organizations) and eventually to formal party cadres or elected officials. This trajectory demonstrates that mengolah serves as political apprenticeship, a medium for cultivating democratic capacities and connecting informal community leadership with institutional politics. Through analysis of social media data, electoral brokerage patterns, and youth political behavior, this study contributes to the project of decolonizing political science by centering indigenous Indonesian political practices as legitimate, functional, and epistemologically significant objects of scholarly inquiry.

Abstract: This paper analyzes the phenomenon of output voltage collapse under step load perturbations in dual bridge converters where an extremum seeking control (ESC) optimization algorithm is employed. Although ESC is an effective online duty-cycle optimization method under steady-state power transfer conditions, it can result in severe output voltage degradation during large-signal transients. This degradation is primarily caused by two factors: the reduced power transfer capability associated with the optimized duty-cycles, and the limited dynamic capability of the ESC structure to rapidly adjust the duty-cycles. To overcome this limitation, an enhanced extremum seeking control (EESC) structure is proposed, which enables fast output voltage reference tracking under dynamic operating conditions, while preserving ESC’s capability for online duty-cycle optimization to minimize losses and improve efficiency. The proposed method extends the applicability of ESC from steady-state optimization to large-signal dynamic scenarios. Comparative experimental results on a dual active half-bridge (DAHB) converter reveal the output voltage collapse associated with conventional ESC structure and verify the high efficiency and absence of dynamic voltage collapse achieved by the proposed EESC structure.

Abstract: Wave–particle duality in interferometric systems is commonly formulated through complementarity relations linking fringe visibility and path distinguishability. In realistic experiments, interference suppression arises not only from unitary which-path marking but also from environment-induced decoherence. We derive an angle-dependent pure-dephasing model from a microscopic system–bath Hamiltonian, obtaining a Lindblad master equation with geometric coupling dependence. Moving beyond the Markovian limit, we utilize a second- order time-convolutionless (TCL2) expansion with a structured spectral density to show that geometric scaling persists in non-Markovian regimes, potentially leading to geometry-dependent coherence revivals. Furthermore, we explicitly derive the entropy production rate, demonstrating that the transition toward classicality is quantitatively governed by directional entropy flow. The framework remains fully within standard quantum mechanics, introducing no modifications to the Schr¨odinger equation. Experimental falsifiability criteria, including early-time scaling and coherence revivals, are presented.

Abstract: Background: Preventive health screening is a cornerstone of population health, but many patients fail to return for follow-up care, undermining early disease detection. This issue is highly pertinent in Saudi Arabia’s Qassim region, aligning with the national Vision 2030 healthcare transformation. Machine learning (ML) offers a promising predictive approach to identify patients at risk of "non-return" to enable targeted interventions. Objective: To develop and evaluate an ML-based model for predicting patient non-return after preventive screening in the Qassim region, identify associated risk factors, and align the findings with the Saudi Model of Care reforms. Methods: A retrospective observational analysis of electronic health records from Qassim’s primary care screening program (2019–2024) was conducted. The primary outcome was "non-return" within 6 months of an indicated follow-up. Multiple ML algorithms were evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation. Results: Among 18,752 screened patients, 5,230 (27.9%) did not return for follow-up. Ensemble tree-based methods performed best. The random forest classifier achieved the highest predictive performance (AUROC 0.812, accuracy 78.5%). Key predictors of non-return included extended lead time until the scheduled follow-up, prior appointment no-shows, and a lack of critical clinical findings during the initial screening. Conclusion: The developed ML model successfully predicts patient loss to follow-up with high accuracy. Integrating such predictive analytics into routine primary care enables early, personalized interventions, directly supporting Saudi Arabia’s healthcare efficiency and preventive care goals.

Abstract: Biochar, a carbon-rich material traditionally used to improve soil health and as a feed additive, has recently attracted attention for its potential biological activity. This study investigated the effects of an aqueous biochar extract (BC-AE) on human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2), specifically examining its impact on cell viability and apoptosis. The metabolic activity of Caco-2 cells exposed to BC-AE was first evaluated using an MTS assay. A concentration of 3 mg/mL, which promoted Caco-2 metabolic activity, was selected for further testing at 24 and 72 hours. The effect of BC-AE on cell viability was assessed by epifluorescence microscopy (morphology) and flow cytometry (apoptosis profiling). The transcriptional response of cell viability-related genes (BAX, BAD, BCL-2, BCL-xL, MCL-1, P21, and P53) and microRNAs (miR-15b, miR-19, miR-21, miR-33a, miR-155, and miR-486) was analyzed by RT-qPCR. In parallel, selected proteins (BAD, BAX, BCL-2, and MCL-1) were examined by Western blotting. BC-AE decreased cell viability after 24 hours via late apoptosis, while 72-hour exposure increased necrosis without further viability loss. Both BAX and MCL-1 protein levels increased in Caco-2 cells after 72 hours of BC-AE treatment, and miR-15b and miR-21 were upregulated, suggesting the involvement of a regulatory mechanism controlling cell survival. The obtained findings highlight the importance of considering both concentration and exposure duration when assessing biochar bioactivity.

Abstract: 9-Mesitylacridinium salts are widely recognized as efficient organic photoredox catalysts owing to their strong excited-state oxidizing power and stability under visible-light ir-radiation. In this study, a new mesityl acridinium derivative bearing a di-tert-butylphenyl substituent on the nitrogen atom was synthesized. The introduction of tert-butyl groups on the N-aryl moiety was primarily aimed at improving solubility and chemical stability of the acridinium salt. The target compound was obtained in high overall yield starting from a 9(10H)-acridinone precursor through a concise synthetic sequence. The synthesis consists of a copper-catalyzed C–N coupling reaction to install the aryl substituent on the nitrogen atom, followed by a Grignard reaction and subsequent acid treatment to afford the corresponding acridinium salt. All transformations proceeded smoothly, providing efficient access to the desired novel acridinium derivative. This work presents a practical example of structural modification of mesitylacridinium derivatives directed toward enhanced solubility and stability, and provides a useful synthetic plat-form for the preparation of structurally diverse acridinium salts.

Abstract: Technological innovation is changing virtually every aspect of business practices and operational procedures. Regardless if we talk about simple automation of paper inputs, or complex multi-step processing of large data sets, we can see that there is one common thing – the pace of innovation increases and so do the efforts and resources needed to stay in line with the latest developments. Introduction of large language models and various types of intelligent processing, commonly referred to as artificial intelligence presents an even bigger change request to cope with. In this paper we analyze the impact of intelligent data modelling on corporate finance practices and suggest an approach to assess its full impact. We develop an estimation technique, based on real option analysis (ROA) in an attempt to quantify various implementation details and build a more robust way for analyzing various effects from using AI-driven solutions in support for corporate finance decisions and analyses.

Abstract: Aging is accompanied by a progressive decline in olfactory function, which affects a large proportion of older adults and has substantial consequences for nutrition, safety, and overall quality of life. Increasing evidence indicates that sex-dependent differences in olfactory processing become more pronounced with advancing age, particularly in late life. However, the cellular basis beyond the peripheral level by which aging and sex interact to influence neuronal and synaptic functions in central structures remains poorly understood. To bridge this gap, we compared behavioral outcomes, intrinsic and synaptic properties of the olfactory bulb (OB) output neurons mitral cells (MCs) that receive direct sensory input from odor receptor neurons and integrate olfactory information to most higher order brain regions, in male and female C57BL/6J mice of three ages spanning the natural lifespan. Consistent with human studies and the key role of mitral cells in transforming input to output in the OB, our behavioral tests showed that both aging and sex significantly influenced odor detection performance, which declined with age, particularly in females while locomotor activity remained preserved. At the cellular level, our whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in OB slices demonstrated that MCs in male mice across the lifespan exhibit a gradual decline in excitability and synaptic strength with age, while female mice maintain stable function until advanced age, when marked alterations emerge. This study provides the first physiological evidence of the joint influence of aging and sex on the functional operation of the OB at the cellular and synaptic levels. Considering olfactory impairment as the earliest and most sensitive indicator of the age-dependent and sex-biased neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, our findings provide functional insights not only into normal aging-induced olfactory deficits but also into the future development of early biomarkers and intervention strategies for these neurodegenerative disorders.