Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is the first step in calculating crop irrigation demand, and numerous methods have been proposed to estimate this parameter. FAO-56 Penman-Monteith (PM) is the only standard method for defining and calculating ET0. However, it requires radiation, air temperature, atmospheric humidity, and wind speed data, limiting its application in regions where these data are unavailable; therefore, new alternatives are required. This study compared the accuracy of ET0 calculated with the Blaney-Criddle (BC) and Hargreaves-Samani (HS) methods versus PM using information from an automated weather station (AWS) and the NASA-POWER platform (NP) for different periods of time. The information collected corresponding at Module XII of the Lagunera Region Irrigation District 017, a semi-arid region in the North of Mexico. The HS method underestimated by 5.5 % the reference evapotranspiration (ET0) compared to the PM method during the period from March to August, and yielded the best fit in the different evaluation periods: daily, average, and 5-day cumulative; the latter showed the best values of inferential parameters. The information about maximum and minimum temperatures from the NP platform was suitable for estimating ET0 using the HS equation. This data source is a timely alternative, particularly in semi-arid regions where no data from weather stations are available.

We study the problem of matching interior and exterior solutions of Einstein’s equations along a particular hypersuface. We present the main aspects of the C3 matching approach that involves third-order derivatives of the corresponding metric tensors in contrast to the standard matching procedures known in general relativity, which impose conditions on the second-order derivatives only. The C3 alternative approach does not depend on coordinates and allows us to determine the matching surface by using the invariant properties of the eigenvalues of the curvature tensor.

The agronomic characteristics of Cenchrus purpureus were assessed through a randomized block experimental design with seven accessions (Taiwan grass, King grass, Elephant grass, Merkeron, CT-115, Purpule grass and Maralfalfa) as treatments and four replications research was carried out at the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Tantoyuca, in 2019 and 2020, under rainfed conditions. Sowing density was established at 36 tillers in 25 m2. Green and dry matter yield, daily rates of dry matter accumulation in leaves, leaf/stem ratio, height, leaf area index and cutting frequency were assessed. Rainfall amount, temperature, relative humidity and global radiation levels were recorded to assess their effect on the evaluated variables. One-way ANOVA and multivariate analysis techniques, such as multiple linear regression (MLR), Clustering, and Principal component analysis (PCA) with the Statistica V7 software, were used. The leaf area index was greatest (p < 0.05) on the dry season. Green and dry matter yield were greatest in Maralfalfa (p < 0.05). Variation in the results is attributed to weather phenomena; nonetheless, Elephant grass and Maralfalfa showed the highest yields. Quality parameters must be evaluated to identify those grasses with the best attributes.

We prove that the Legendre coefficients associated with a function f(x) can be represented as the Fourier coefficients of a suitable Abel-type transform of the function itself. Thus, the computation of N Legendre coefficients can be performed efficiently in O(NlogN) operations by means of a single Fast Fourier Transform of the Abel-type transform of f(x). We also show how the symmetries associated with the Abel-type transform can be exploited to further reduce the computational complexity. The dual problem of calculating the sum of Legendre expansions is also considered. We prove that a Legendre series can be written as the Abel transform of a suitable Fourier series. This fact allows us to state an efficient algorithm for the evaluation of Legendre expansions. Finally, numerical tests are presented to exemplify and confirm the theoretical results.

Jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are an important agricultural product worldwide. Despite its high demand in recent years, there are few studies on its production under adverse conditions caused by environmental phenomena. Crops in protected environments such as aeroponics offer greater control of these phenomena and enable efficient use of resources. However, it is necessary to validate the cultivation technique for which new technologies are being used. One of these is the analysis of images captured in the visible and near and far infrared spectrum which involves using non-invasive techniques in order to characterize the growth of a plant and diagnose if it presents any type of stress. This study presents the characterization of vegetative growth and fruiting of jalapeño pepper plants in an aeroponic system, where the root, leaf development parameters and fruits were measured in four jalapeño pepper crops through images of plants captured in the visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR) and far infrared (IR) spectrums. Four crops of thirty jalapeño pepper plants were sown to obtain a total of one hundred and twenty plants which were characterized in the different phases of growth and fruiting. Each of the four jalapeño pepper crops were monitored for sixty days in an aeroponic system in a greenhouse. The first crop was intended to carry out tests to establish the appropriate fertigation times, the next three crops were grown under favorable conditions. Algorithms were developed in Matlab to obtain, over ten image capture sessions, the morphometric and thermal parameters of the roots (perimeter, area, length and average temperature), plants (perimeter, area, height and average temperature), and fruiting. (yield and number of fruits). The statistical analysis was carried out using the ANOVA and Tukey tests considering a value of p ≤ 0.05. The results obtained indicate that there is no significant difference between the characterizations of the four crops. This statement is also supported by the visual analysis of the growth curves parameters of the four crops. In addition, the temperature inside the aeroponic system was contrasted with the ambient temperature and it was verified that the temperature to which the roots are exposed was in the range of 10°C – 20°C. The thermal analysis determined that a plant that presents water stress and is also exposed to high temperatures has an average leaf temperature of 3.7 to 5 °C above the optimal condition for the plant, while a plant with stress at normal temperatures was 1.3 °C higher than the plant without stress.

Twice-exceptional learners face a unique set of challenges arising from the intersection of extraordinary talent and disability. Neurobiology research has the capacity to complement pedagogical research and provide support for twice-exceptional learners. Very few studies have attempted to specifically address the neurobiological underpinnings of twice-exceptionality. However, neurobiologists have built a broad base of knowledge in nervous system function spanning from the level of neural circuits to the molecular basis of behavior. It is known that distinct neural circuits mediate different neural functions, which suggests that 2e learning may result from enhancement in one circuit and disruption in another. Neural circuits are known to adapt and change in response to experience, a cellular process known as neuroplasticity. Plasticity is controlled by a bidirectional connection between the synapse, where neural signals are received, and the nucleus, where regulated gene expression can return to alter synaptic function. Complex molecular mechanisms compose this connection in distinct neural circuits, and genetic alterations in these mechanisms are associated with both memory enhancements and psychiatric disorder. Understanding the consequences of these changes at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels will provide critical insights into the neurobiological bases of twice-exceptional learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic made it harder to communicate accurate information about vaccines because of the spread of misinformation. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) tried to reas-sure the public by communicating about the development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines. They surveyed patients/consumers, healthcare professional organizations, and individual stake-holders to see if their core information materials were informative and well understood. They also asked about the public's preferred communication channels. The surveys showed that indi-vidual patients/consumers generally prefer to get information about COVID-19 vaccines from the internet or mass media. Organizations and individual healthcare professionals prefer to get in-formation from national and international health authorities' sources. This supports EMA's ap-proach of using media, stakeholder engagement, and web-based formats to communicate about COVID-19 vaccines. Both at the EU and local levels, participants had a good understanding of the key messages from regulators and found the materials useful and relevant. However, some im-provements were recommended to the visuals, texts, and dissemination formats. These recom-mendations were generally consistent in both contexts. User-testing of proactive communication materials aimed at prebunking misinformation during a public health crisis helps to ensure that users understand the development and safety safeguards of novel vaccine technologies. This in-formation can then be used as a basis for evidence-based communication activities by regulators and public health bodies in an emergency context.

The interest in obtaining new composite materials with diverse properties has created a growing interest in natural fi-bers as reinforcement in polymers, which has generated an impact in sectors such as automotive and construction, dis-placing synthetic fibers. Properties such as low density, low cost, and rene.wable make these fibers an attractive alterna-tive to reduce environmental impact. Their application in polymers, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and epoxy resins, has allowed the modification of polymeric composite materials' mechanical and physical properties (NFRP). This review focuses on investigating the status of natural fiber-reinforced polymers. It analyzes their worldwide demand, chemical characteristics, physical and mechanical properties, and various applications in different sectors and indus-tries. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of NFRPs are highlighted, highlighting their potential for new ap-plications.

Due to related uncertainties brought by changes in energy consumption and the integration of rooftop photovoltaic systems, the accuracy and availability of load profiling data are difficult to achieve. However, project managers and planners use a precise load profile as a crucial tool when determining whether the feeder must be updated or de-loaded. The paper aims to create a non-intrusive monitoring system that predicts the synthetic load profiles behavior of energy consumption using a Light Gradient Boosted and Support Vector Machine (SVM) machine learning technique. The most effective ML algorithm is chosen, and it has the potential to be assessed and verified using validation curves, residuals model generation, and prediction error metrics based on the following key statistical indicators: Mean Absolute Error, Mean Square Error, Root Mean Square Error, R-Square, Root Mean Squared Logarithmic Error, and Mean Absolute Percentage Error. The most effective ML has the potential to be assessed and verified using validation curves, residual model generation, and prediction error metrics based on the following key statistical indicators. The result shows that the estimation of the Irms avg -based on LightGBM is more accurate than the SVM because of its quick, economical, and difficult to overfit, particularly with high-dimensional data, speed, and efficiency of the MAE (3.0698), MSE (15.2757), RMSE (3.9020), RMSLE (0.1433), and MAPE (0.0049) respectively. Additionally, the machine learning model shows that, when compared to the SVM, the LightGBM model had the highest accurate prediction, with R-Square values of 89.8%, 90.3%, and 88.5% for Irms_A_avg, Irms_B_avg, and Irms_C_avg, respectively for Brakfontein Substation supply region, and best represents a diverse customer base.

Economics has long sought to bridge the principles of microeconomics into the realm of macroeconomics. This paper presents a formal attempt to do so by using a maximum entropy based approach derived from statistical mechanics coupled with subjective game theory and elements from political philosophy. This approach is then applied to income distributions and to the Cobb-Douglas production function, to create a framework for future applications, and to illustrate where past work had made implicit assumptions regarding the system. The paper then explores the consequences of the approach, illustrating self-contradictions in the political philosophy of distributive justice, formally deriving an equation of state for the transactions on the Bitcoin network, and deriving from this the ideal gas law and polytropic process for an economy proving that expansionary monetary policy is not stimulative.

The latest life-origin literature is reviewed, along with grouping and classification of the most enduring models of abiogenesis. New trends are identified in origin-of-life thought. Astrobiology continues to deal mostly with inorganic and very elementary organic reactions in extreme environments. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics has received a great deal of attention. Attempts have been made to relate Bejan’s Constructal Law to life and abiogenesis. RNA World preclusions only seem to have grown, while ribozyme/peptide models have expanded. The biosemiotic movement and code biology is gaining influence in refining a more complete description of life. Prof James Tour at Rice University in a fourteen-lecture series lists a number of synthetic biochemical hurtles remaining that still need to be overcome. But the need for some sort of informational recipe, instruction, steering and control now seems to be the most prominent area of focus and concern. Even a protometabolism needed active selection and controls rather than mere constraints or law. The latest literature still does not elucidate how protometabolism was orchestrated in an inanimate, pre-evolutionary environment.

In the present work, we evaluate the prediction capability of six Pedotransfer functions (PTFs), reported in the literature, for the saturated hydraulic conductivity estimations (Ks). We used a database with 900 measured samples obtained from the Irrigation District 023, in San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico. Additionally, six new PTFs were construct for Ks from clay percentage, bulk density and saturation water content data. The results show, for the evaluated models, that one model present an overestimation for Ks>0.5 cm h-1 values, three models have a underestimation for Ks>1.0 cm h-1 and two models have a good correlation (R2>0.98) but are necessary more than three parameters. Nevertheless, the last two models requires from three to four parameters in order to get the optimization. By other hand, the models proposed in this work have a similar correlation with a less number of parameters: the fit is seen to be much better than using the existing ones, achieving a correlation of R2 = 0.9822 with only one variable and a R2 = 0.9901 when we use two.

Spatio-temporal Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) changes have been affecting geo-environmental and climate change globally. This study aims to analyze LULC changes in Bahir Dar city and its surrounds. Landsat 5 TM (1987), Landsat 7 ETM+ (2002) and Landsat 8 OLI (2017) and SPOT images, and aerial photographs, master plan map and Google Earth Landsat images were used to analyze changes. In Bahir Dar city and its surrounds, LULC has been changing in space and time. During 1987-2017, more than 50% of the study area was covered with cropland. Settlement areas have increased from 3.3% in 1987 to 9.13% in 2017. However, wetland vegetation, shrubland, grassland, forest, and waterbodies have degraded. These changes are mainly attributed to population growth and its effect on the environment. Land-use and land-cover is a serious problem and it causes land and environmental degradation, climate change and loss of the biological environment.

Techniques have been developed to determine whether a horse is in resting or running mode by measuring at least one of the following: the horse's body temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and exercise level. However, the existing technology has not reached a level where a trainer can accurately assess a horse's running conditions, such as speed, acceleration, stride, limb rotation, ground impact, and frontal balance, during the training of racehorses. In addition, data is needed to quickly detect abnormalities during training and provide a basis for changing the intensity of training or deciding to give a rest to the horse. Devices that detect abnormalities in equine gait with high sensitivity will contribute to animal welfare and increase the athletic longevity of horses. This paper reports the development results of a new IoT device that acquires, processes, and analyzes information such as heart rate, position, speed, acceleration, pitch, stride, and ground contact during a training of racehorses. The purpose of this development is to provide an information on a novel processing system, device, method, and program that can analyze training condition of racehorses from multiple angles.

Quantum cryptography is the field of cryptography that explores the quantum properties of matter. Its aim is to develop primitives beyond the reach of classical cryptography or to improve on existing classical implementations. Although much of the work in this field has been dedicated to quantum key distribution (QKD), some important steps were made towards the study and development of quantum oblivious transfer (QOT). It is possible to draw a comparison between the application structure of both QKD and QOT primitives. Just as QKD protocols allow quantum-safe communication, QOT protocols allow quantum-safe computation. However, the conditions under which QOT is actually quantum-safe have been subject to a great amount of scrutiny and study. In this review article, we survey the work developed around the concept of oblivious transfer in the area of theoretical quantum cryptography, with an emphasis on some proposed protocols and their security requirements. We review the impossibility results that daunt this primitive and discuss several quantum security models under which it is possible to prove QOT security.

Previous research suggests that the economic crisis can affect mental health. The purpose of this study was to analyse the association of risk of poor mental health with various socioeconomic, demographic, health, quality of life and social support variables; and to evaluate the contribution of socioeconomic variables most affected by the beginning of the economic crisis (employment situation and income) on the changes in the prevalence of the risk of poor mental health between 2005 and 2010. A study of prevalence evolution in adult population residents of the Valencian Community in the Spanish Mediterranean was conducted. We studied 5781 subjects in 2005 and 3479 in 2010. Logistic regression models have been adjusted to analyse the association between variables. A standardization procedure was carried out to evaluate which part of the changes in overall prevalence could be attributed to variations in the population structure by age, sex, employment status and income between the years under study. The prevalence of GHQ + increased from 2005 to 2010, in both men and women. Several variables were closely associated with the risk of poor mental health (sex, age, country of birth, number of non-mental chronic diseases, social support, disability, cohabitation in couple, employment status, and income). The changes produced as a result of the onset of the economic crisis in income and unemployment (increase in low income and in unemployment rates) contributed to the increase of poor mental health risk. This could confirm the sensitivity of mental health to the economic deterioration caused by the crisis.

The unfolded band structure and optical properties of Cu-doped KCl crystals were computed by first principles within the framework of density functional theory, implemented in the ABINIT electronic structure package utilizing pseudopotential approximation and a plane-wave basis set. From a theoretical point of view, Cu substitution into pristine KCl crystals requires calculation by the supercell (SC) method. This procedure shrinks the Brillouin zone, resulting in a folded band structure that is difficult to interpret. To solve this problem and gain insight into the effect of copper ions (Cu+) on electronic properties, the band structure of SC KCl:Cu was unfolded to make a direct comparison with the band structure of the primitive cell (PC) of pristine KCl. To understand the effect of Cu substitution on optical absorption, we calculated the imaginary part of the dielectric function of KCl:Cu through a sum-over-states formalism and broke it down into different band contributions by partially making an iterated cumulative sum (ICS) of selected valence and conduction bands. Consequently, we identified those interband transitions that give rise to the absorption peaks due to the Cu+ ion. These transitions involve valence and conduction bands formed by the Cu-3d and Cu-4s electronic states

Two monophyletic Daphnia species (Daphnia magna and D. similis) were exposed to a sub-lethal concentration of Pb (50 µg/L) for nine generations under two food regimes (usual and restricted) and analysed for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, hatching delay and lifespan, and Net Reproductive Rate (R0) at subcellular, individual and population levels, respectively. At the sixth generation, Pb acclimated neonates were moved to a clean media for three more generations to check for recovery. D. magna showed no Pb effect on Net Reproductive Rate (R0). However, Pb stimulated reproduction, reduced lifespan and decreased AChE activity. Hatching delay and lifespan did not improve during the recovery process, indicating genetic adaptation. Food restriction reduced R0, lifespan, delayed hatching, and increased AChE activity; opposite outcomes were shown for D. similis. Full recovery shown by R0 suggests a physiological acclimation of D. similis. Under food restriction, the animals exhibited a reduction of R0 and lifespan, delayed hatching and increased AChE activity; however, with no Pb effect. The recovery process under food restriction showed that D. similis might not cope with Pb exposure, indicating failed recovery. Such outcomes indicate that a model species' sensitivity may not represent another's sensitivity.

Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) is the integration of computation and physical process that makes a complete system such as the physical components, networked systems, embedded computers and software and linking together of devices and sensors for information sharing. Cyber Physical Systems are Smart Systems that comprises of the merging and integration of Industry Control Systems, Critical Infrastructures, Internet of Things (IoT) and Embedded Systems. Major industries such as the Chemical and Industrial Plants, Aviation Systems, National Grid, the Stock Exchange, Military Systems, and others depends heavily on these Cyber Physical Systems for financial and economic growth. The benefits of CPS nationally and globally are in the areas of Manufacturing, Energy, Transport, Healthcare and Communication. Cyber Physical Systems incorporates Physical systems, Digital systems and Human elements on network infrastructures to provide interactive systems. However, these three key components the Physical systems, Digital systems and Human elements may have inherent threats and vulnerabilities on them that may run the risk of being compromise, exploited, attacked or hacked. Cybercriminals in their quest to bring down these systems and may cause disruption of services either for fame, revenge, political motive, economic war, cyber terrorism and cyber war. The study seeks to review the risks that are associated with these three key components Physical systems, Digital systems and Human elements. The study considered four main risk mitigation goals for this purpose, and these are Business Value, Organizational Requirements, Threat Agent and Impact based on the review results. We used Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to determine the relative importance of these goals that contributes to developing cybercrime and rich in CPS. For the results, the prioritized goals are then used to assess the risks using a semi-quantitative approach to determine the net threat level.

In recent years, numerous research studies have shown the excellent characteristics of silk fibroin nanoparticles as a vehicle for drugs delivery and it is foreseeable that their production could reach industrial scale in the coming years. For this reason, it is essential to know all the parameters that affect the formation of nanoparticles in order to standardize the process. Several studies have stated that the process used for sericin removal (degumming) from silk cocoons has a strong impact in the silk fibroin integrity and their mechanical properties after processing it into biomaterials. In this work, silk cocoons were degummed following four standard methods: autoclaving, short alkaline (Na2CO3) boiling, long alkaline (Na2CO3) boiling and ultrasounds. The resultant silk fibroin fibers were dissolved in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and used for nanoparticle synthesis by rapid desolvation in polar organic solvents. The relative efficiencies of the degumming processes and the integrity of the resulting fibroin fibers obtained were analyzed by weight loss, optical microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and SDS-PAGE. Particle sizes and morphology were analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering and Field Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy. The results showed that the different treatments had a remarkable impact on the integrity of the silk fibroin chains, as confirmed by gel electrophoresis which can be correlated with particle mean size and size distribution changes. The study confirm that all the parameters of the process must be controlled in order to reach an optimum reproducibility of the nanoparticle production.

Fractional differential systems have received much attention in recent decades likely due to its powerful ability in modeling memory processes, which are mostly observed in real world. Fractional models have been widely investigated and applied in many fields such as physics, biochemistry, electrical engineering, continuum and statistical mechanics. It is shown by many researchers that fractional derivatives can provide more accurate models than integer order derivatives do. Obviously, bang-bang property is of a significant importance in optimal control theory. In this paper a Bang-Bang property and time-optimal control problem for time-Fractional Differential System (FDS) is under consideration. First we formulate our problem and we prove the existence theorem. We state and prove the bang-bang theorem. Finally we give the optimality conditions that characterized the optimal control. Some illustrate applications are given to clarify our results.

The progressive impairment analysis in gait from neurological diseases patients such as Hereditary Ataxias (HA) has been carried out using gait data collected with movement sensors. This research is focused on finding the minimum amount required of gait features to recognize efficiently and less intrusive way, HA patients based on data collected with iPhone movement sensors placed on the ankles from 14 HA patients and 14 healthy people. A twofold proposal is made , first a local minimum prominent peak criterion to find out the starting point of each stride, to get 10-stride window about which 56 spatial-temporal features are derived; second a search strategy based on Hill Climbing algorithm to reduce the number of gait features and sensors. The main results were the findings that with two gait patterns a 96% of classification accuracy was achieved by using K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) algorithms, but in addition, MLP only right ankle sensor patterns were required which also allows to reduce the intrusion.

Sperm morphology can predict the reproductive male fertilizing potential. This study aimed to determine the morphological and morphometric spermatozoa characteristics from guinea pigs subjected to different photoperiodic stimulation. Thirty F1 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to three photoperiodic treatments: FT1 (photoperiod with 10L/14D LED light), FT2 (photoperiod with 10L/14D sunlight), and FT0 (room without direct light source). At 107 ± 9.8 days of age, sperm concentration and motility were higher in FT0 and FT1 (p<0.05); furthermore, there were no differences in nucleus length and ellipticity between FT0 and FT1, but FT1 was higher in perimeter and nuclear area, while FT0 was higher in roughness, regularity, midpiece length and tail (p<0.01). Expanding acrosome (Type 2) was more frequent in FT2, but there was variation in head measurements between all morphological categories. Pregnancy rate, calving age and mating age were higher in FT0, meanwhile FT1 initiated successful matings earlier (p<0.01). FT0 had a higher fertility rate, and FT1 age of mating and first calving were earlier than FT0 but no pregnancies were reported for FT2. The photoperiodic stimulation can increase the morphometric dimensions of guinea pig spermatozoa, favoring the reproductive characteristics, but sunlight could reduce their size due to heat stress.

Institutional barriers can hinder effective access and utilisation of Newcastle disease vaccines among smallholder chicken farmers. Many studies have focused on formal institutional barriers with minimal focus on informal institutions - unwritten rules and regulations that govern access and utilisation of Newcastle vaccines. However, informal institutions are more profound and encultured in individuals’ daily activities. This study sought to investigate informal institutional barriers to access and utilisation of Newcastle disease vaccines among women smallholder chicken farmers in Makueni, Kenya. The cross-sectional qualitative study employed in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions as data collection methods. Study informants were conveniently and purposively sampled. Informal institutional barriers to access and utilisation included: fear of Newcastle disease vaccine as a new technology, use of herbal remedies, mistrust of community vaccinators, gender division of labour, ownership of household resources and beliefs that indigenous chickens do not need vaccines. The study concludes that women chicken farmers are constrained by unwritten rules, norms, regulations and gender roles that hinder their access to and utilisation of the Newcastle disease vaccines. The need to examine informal institutions to identify and eradicate barriers to access and utilisation of Newcastle disease vaccines by farmers is recommended.

A study of the water quality of the Adolfo López Mateos Reservoir (ALMD) was developed through different indicators from a spatial and seasonal perspective. Variables related to the general characteristics of water quality, trophic level and ecological risk were assessed through the water Quality Index (WQI_NSF-BROWN), Trophic State Index (TSI_CARLSON) and the Ecological Risk Index (RI_HAKANSON). Using data from physical, chemical and biological parameters obtained from four sampling points in the ALMD, the water quality was assessed in each model used. The results indicated that the reservoir presents a water quality classified as “medium” (WQI_NSF-BROWN = 70), where significant variations in the concentrations of some parameters are observed. The reservoir showed a general trophic state classified as “Mesotrophic” (TSI_{GENERAL-AVERAGE} = 43.04). The ecological risk analysis achieved the best classification of the methodology, discarding contamination by heavy metals in surface waters. Through this type of applied methodologies will help as decision making tools in the dam, as well as for application in other dams in the region.

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

Background and purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common chronic disease usually associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and premature death and millions of people are at increased risk for CKD. As this disease is extremely complex, multidisciplinary care (MDC) is needed to provide complete and continuous care. Usually, the nephrology units need coopera-tion from several other Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) such as cardiologists, nutritionists, ob-stetricians, and so forth. All modalities of treatments, peritoneal dialysis (PD) and Hemodialysis (HD) require HCPs and patients to develop a variety of skills to effectively deliver and manage dialysis tasks in the center or at home. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in-terventions can offer tools that provide HCPs and patients with tools that facilitate the manage-ment of kidney patients in centers or at home. ICT interventions can allow to automate registra-tions, videoconferencing, minimize the geographic burden and resource cost savings. ICT can be the best way to promote cost saving on health spending and ensure the sustainability of the health system and, the environment as well. In the Iberian Peninsula, kidney patients consume about 3% of the total cost of healthcare. The cost of kidney transplants and dialysis is around 1.8 billion euros annually, and 75 % of this amount goes to dialysis treatment. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate and analyze the opinion of Healthcare Professionals (HCP) in Nephrology units about the Intervention of ICT in nephrology care and the Clinical benefits results from the use of ICT in Nephrology Services and dialysis Units in Portugal and Spain. Thus we collected the opinion of Health care professionals concerning the role of ICT intervention in nephrology. Understanding HCPs' feelings and attitudes is essential to understand if such technologies are correctly adjusted to the workflow and really bring huge benefits for the clinical practice of nephrology and also what features need improvement and what should be implemented in the future. ICT intervention has been implemented to promote better healthcare in nephrology units and improve patient outcomes. In the Survey, we intended to evaluate nephrology HCPs' opinions concerning the ICT interventions, in nephrology, represented by several tools that al-low the HCPs to implement solutions such as Remote Patient Monitoring(RPM); Remote Moni-toring of Treatment (RMT); Tele homecare; Telehealth (Tele-nephrology); Home Dialysis; mHealth; mobile App; Web Portal, Telemedicine, and so forth. Key Points: In many countries particularly in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) the incidence of CKD is substantially high. The “treatments” for kidney disease have not improved substantially over the past 50 years, leaving too many kidney patients with a poor quality of life and reduced life expectancy. This situation is associated with staggering aggregate annual costs amounting to €140 billion per year in Europe, more than the annual healthcare costs of cancer or diabetes [1]. The increased daily use of information and communication technologies may lead to the need for healthcare professionals to incorporate technology use competencies into practice.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasing the interdependence of transportation policies and the electricity market. EMMEV (Electricity Market Model with Electric Vehicles) is an experimental agent-based model that analyses how carbon reduction policy in transportation may increase number of Electric Vehicles and how does that would influence on the electricity price. Agents are ESCOs (Energy Service Providers) which can distribute fuels and their objective is to maximize their profit. In this paper, EMMEV is used to analyze the impacts of the LCFS (Low Carbon Fuel Standard), a performance-based policy instrument, on electricity prices and EV sales. The agents in EMMEV/regulated parties in LCFS should meet a certain CI (Carbon Intensity) target for their distributed fuel. In case, they cannot meet the target, they should buy credit to compensate for their shortfall and if they exceed, they can sell their excess. The results, considering the assumptions and limitations of the model, show that the banking strategy of the agents contributing in the LCFS might have negative impact on penetration of EVs, unless there is a regular Credit Clearance to trade credits. It is also shown that the electricity price as result of implementing the LCFS and increasing number of EVs has increased between 2–3 percent depending on banking strategy.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) and amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) are pre-hispanic foods widely consumed in Mexico. However, there are no standard products developed with these ingredients as functional cookies. This study evaluated the impact of partial replacement (50%) of whole-wheat flour (WWF) with three formulations of P. ostreatus, nopal and amaranth flours (POF, NF and AF, respectively) in the nutritional/antioxidant properties of fortified cookies. The proportion of flours´ ingredients (WWF:AF:NF:POF) were 100% WWF (traditional cookies), 50:35:10:5 (formulation 1), 50:30:15:5 (formulation 2) and 50:40:5:5 (formulation 3). Proximal composition, phenolic/flavonoid contents, and ABTS+ scavenging activity were determined in flours and cookies. POF, NF and AF possess a high nutritional value comprising polyphenols/flavonoids and a significant antioxidant potential. Total protein, ashes and flavonoids were higher in fortified cookies than controls. Cookies prepared with Formulation 2 -highest nopal level- contained 5.29% of dietary fiber and 5-times higher polyphenol content than control cookies. The ABTS+ scavenging ability was similar in the three enriched cookies (87.73-89.58%) but higher than traditional cookies (75.60%). Applicability of POF/NF/AF for replacing up to 50% of WWF in production of functional cookies was demonstrated. The research promotes renewable local bioresouces for a sustainable agri-food chain, especially edible mushrooms.

The umbrella concept for the current efforts to digitize construction is known as Construction 4.0. One of its key concepts is cyber-physical systems. The construction industry is not only creating increasingly valuable digital assets (in addition to physical ones) but also the buildings and built infrastructures are increasingly monitored and controlled using digital technology. Both make construction a vulnerable target of cyber-attacks. While the damage to digital assets, such as designs and cost calculations, may result in economic damage, attacks on digitally-controlled physical assets may damage the well-being of occupants and, in worst-case scenarios, even damage (or death) to the users. The problem is amplified by the emerging cyber-physical nature of the systems, where the human checks may be left out. We propose that construction learns from the work done in the context of critical infrastructures (CI). First, a lot of CI is construction-related, and the process of designing and building it must be secured accordingly. Second, while most assets may not be critical in the CI sense, they are critical to the operations of a business and the lives of citizens. In the end, we recommend some steps so that well-established processes of critical infrastructure protection trickle down to make Construction 4.0 and the built environment more cyber-secure. With that in mind, we describe the possible inclusion of Construction 4.0 considerations into existing critical infrastructure protection (CIP) frameworks with minimum frictions. We also propose some suggestions regarding possible future courses of action to improve the increasingly vulnerable cyber-security environment of the built environment across all life cycle phases - design, construction, operation, maintenance, and end of life.

CVDs are a leading cause of death globally. In CVDs, the heart is unable to deliver enough blood to other body regions. Since effective and accurate diagnosis of CVDs is essential for CVD prevention and treatment, machine learning (ML) techniques can be effectively and reliably used to discern patients suffering from a CVD from those who do not suffer from any heart condition. Namely, machine learning algorithms (MLAs) play a key role in the diagnosis of CVDs through predictive models that allow us to identify the main risks factors influencing CVD development. In this study, we analyze the performance of ten MLAs on two datasets for CVD prediction and two for CVD diagnosis. Algorithm performance is analyzed on top-two and top-four dataset attributes/features with respect to five performance metrics –accuracy, precision, recall, f1-score, and roc-auc – using the train-test split technique and k-fold cross-validation. Our study identifies the top two and four attributes from each CVD diagnosis/prediction dataset. As our main findings, the ten MLAs exhibited appropriate diagnosis and predictive performance; hence, they can be successfully implemented for improving current CVD diagnosis efforts and help patients around the world, especially in regions where medical staff is lacking.

The success of Toxoplasma gondii (intracellular parasite) host cell invasion relies on the apical complex, a specialized microtubule cytoskeleton structure associated with secretory organelles. The genome encodes three isoforms of both α- and β-tubulin which are altered by specific post-translational modifications (PTMs), changing the biochemical/biophysical proprieties of microtubules, and modulating their interaction with associated proteins. Tubulin PTMs are a powerful and evolutionarily conserved mechanism to generate tubulin diversity, forming a biochemical ‘tubulin code’ that can be ‘read’ by microtubule-interacting factors. The T. gondii tubulin PTMs are: α-tubulin acetylation, α-tubulin detyrosination, Δ5α-tubulin, Δ2α-tubulin, α- and β-tubulin polyglutamylation, and α- and α-tubulin methylation. Tubulin glutamylation is a key candidate to assist microtubule remodeling in Toxoplasma, being involved in the regulation of microtubule stability, dynamics, interaction with motor proteins, and severing enzymes. The correct balance of tubulin glutamylation is achieved by the coordinated action of polyglutamylases and deglutamylating enzymes. In this work we will review and discuss the current knowledge on T. gondii tubulin glutamylation. By in silico identification of mammalian protein orthologs we explored and updated the identification of putative proteins related to glutamylation, contributing to a better understanding of the role of tubulin glutamylation in T. gondii.

Solar energy (SE) is essential for decarbonization of our economy and for energetic transition. Solar energy can be a sustainable economic activity as long as a balance is struck between the benefits it brings to climate change mitigation and the damage it can cause to biodiversity and ecosystems. Here we study this balance in an area with high biodiversity under pressure for installation of numerous photovoltaic plants (PPs). Our results show that developers give priority to the cheapest land close to connection points, while other values (e.g., environmental, landscape) are secondary. The regulatory process carried out by the Administration does not ensure the preservation of natural values, as several PPs with a high impact on important conservation areas have been approved. Experts' allegations provide quality information to the Administration to evaluate and demand changes to the projects presented. Such demands show that companies are willing to relocate plants to land occupied by olive groves. In this way, greater efficiency is achieved in land occupation, as well as shorter evacuation lines, water savings and less environmental impact. Prior strategic territorial planning could have avoided the impact of PPs already built, made the deployment of new PPs compatible with biodiversity conservation, and contributed to improving the management of key resources, such as subway aquifers. The proposed regulatory changes to the environmental assessment procedure (exclusion of renewables and public participation from the procedure) are detrimental, as they will make SE unable to meet the requirements of the Taxonomy Regulation.

The lipid composition of biomembranes influence the properties of the lipid bilayer as well as that of the proteins. In this study, the lipidome and the lipid/protein ratio of membranes from High FiveTM insect cells overexpressing mouse P-glycoprotein was characterized. This provides a better understanding of the lipid environment in which P-glycoprotein is embedded, and thus of its functional and structural properties. The relative abundance of the distinct phospholipid classes and their acyl chain composition was characterized. A mass ratio of 0.57 +/- 0.11 phospholipids to protein was obtained. Phosphatidylethanolamines are the most abundant phospholipids, followed by phosphatidylcholines. Membranes are also enriched in negatively charged lipids (phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylinositols and phosphatidylglycerols), and contain small amounts of sphingomyelins, ceramides and monoglycosilatedceramides. The most abundant acyl chains are monounsaturated, with significant amounts of saturated chains. The characterization of the phospholipids by HPLC-MS allowed identification of the combination of acyl chains, with palmitoyl-oleoyl being the most representative for all major phospholipid classes except for phosphatidylserines, which are mostly saturated. A mixture of POPE:POPC:POPS in the ratio 45:35:20 is proposed for the preparation of simple representative model membranes. The adequacy of the model membranes was further evaluated by characterizing their surface potential and fluidity.

Molecular dynamics simulation is currently the theoretical technique eligible to simulate a wide range of systems from soft condensed matter to biological systems. However, of the excellent results that the technique has arrogated, this approach remains computationally expensive, but with the emergence of the new supercomputing technologies bases on graphics processing units graphical processing units-based systems GPUs, the perspective has changed. The GPUs allow performing large and complex simulations at a significantly reduced time. In this work, we present recent innovations in the acceleration of molecular dynamics in GPUs to simulate non-Hamiltonian systems. In particular, we show the performance of measure-preserving geometric integrator in the canonical ensemble, that is, at constant temperature. We provide a validation and performance evaluation of the code by calculating the thermodynamic properties of a Lennard-Jones fluid. Our results are in excellent agreement with reported data reported from literature, which were calculated with CPUs. The scope and limitations for performing simulations of high-throughput MD under rigorous statistical thermodynamics in the canonical ensemble are discussed and analyzed.

The Peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) is an asymptomatic, non-neoplastic and proliferative lesion of unknown etiology. Some possible pre-disposing factors such as hormonal changes dur-ing pregnancy, have been suggested. However, the association between PGCG and pregnancy is controversial. There are few reported clinical cases of pregnancy-associated PGCG in the litera-ture, and they occurred only in the lower jaw. The present report is on a 35-year-old female pa-tient at 36 weeks of gestation who presented with a PGCG in the central and lateral incisors of the upper jaw. The management consisted of surgical excision, along with curettage of the affected bony walls. The diagnosis was based on clinical results and imaging examinations, and it was histopathologically confirmed. The patient underwent postoperative follow-up evaluations at 3, 6 and 12 months, and there were no signs of recurrence.

Amaranth has the potential to support Malawi's food and nutrition security, income generation and livelihoods, and climate change resilience efforts. Due to the high genetic variability of Ama-ranth, there is a need to develop stable and high-yielding genotypes for sustainable production. To determine the degree of genetic stability in different environments, five Amaranth accessions were subjected to stability analysis. The experiment was carried out at three sites (Bunda, Bembeke, and Chipoka) for two seasons in 2020-2021 in the central region of Malawi. It was laid out in Ran-domized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates. Eberhart and Russell linear regres-sion model was used for stability analysis and Pearson correlation was used to test the relationship between variables. Environmental variance + (genotype x environment) was significant for four of the parameters studied, namely grain yield, plant height, leaf length, and leaf width, indicating the presence of a remarkable interaction between genotypes and environment. The results of a pooled analysis of variance showed significant differences at a 5% significance level among the Amaranth accessions, indicating inherent genetic variability. Using the linear regression model of Eberhart and Russell, accessions PE-LO-BH -01 and LL-BH -04 were identified as the highest yielding stable genotypes for leaf and grain yield, respectively. In addition, Bembeke site was the most favourable environment for all the accessions. Thus, to enhance the production of amaranth in Malawi, LL-BH-04 and PE-LO-BH-01 were put forward for release as varieties for grain and leaf respectively. These results will also guide and support for future breeding programs.

With rapid advances in gene editing and gene therapy technologies, the development of genetic, cell, or protein-based cures to disease are no longer the realm of science fiction but that of today’s practice. The impact of these technologies are rapidly bringing them to the veterinary market as both enhanced therapeutics and towards modeling their outcomes for translational application. Simply put, gene editing enables scientists to modify an organism’s DNA a priori through the use of site-specific DNA targeting tools like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9). Gene therapy is a broader definition that encompasses the addition of exogenous genetic materials into specific cells to correct a genetic defect. More precisely, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines gene therapy as “a technique that modifies a person’s genes to treat or cure disease” by either (i) replacing a disease-causing gene with a healthy copy of the gene; (ii) inactivating a disease-causing gene that was not functioning properly; or (iii) introducing a new or modified gene into the body to help treat a disease. In some instances, this can be accomplished through direct transfer of DNA or RNA into target cells of interest or more broadly through gene editing. While gene therapy is possible through the simple addition of genetic information into cells of interest, gene editing allows the genome to be reprogrammed intentionally through the deletion of diseased alleles, reconstitution of wild type sequence, or targeted integration of exogenous DNA to impart new function. Cells can be removed from the body, altered, and reinfused, or edited in vivo. Indeed, manufacturing and production efficiencies in gene editing and gene therapy in the 21^st century has brought the therapeutic potential of in vitro and in vivo reprogrammed cells, to the front lines of therapeutic intervention (Brooks et al., 2016). For example, CAR-T cell therapy is revolutionizing hematologic cancer care in humans and is being translated to canines by us and others, and gene therapy trials are ongoing for mitral valve disease in dogs.

Water stress is one of the main factors affecting the development of agricultural crops. An inno-vative alternative to improve tolerance to water stress is the application of biostimulants. In the present study, the efficacy and physiological and biochemical responses of different biostimulants were evaluated in beans under moderate and severe stress. The treatments consisted of three types of irrigation: FC100, without water stress, FC75, irrigation reduced by 25% (moderate water stress) and FC50, irrigation reduced by 50% (severe water stress). In the treatments with water deficit, foliar biostimulants were applied: zinc oxide nanoparticles plus chitosan, Codasil®, Osmoplant®, Stimplex® and salicylic acid. Foliar application of ZnO + chitosan nanoparticles benefited biomass accumulation and yield under moderate water stress (FC75) and Codasil® and Osmoplant® under severe water stress (FC50). Proline, free sugars and gas exchange were higher under the application of ZnO + chitosan nanoparticles under moderate water stress and under Codasil® and Osmoplant® under severe water stress. Depending on the severity of water stress, ZnO + chitosan nanoparticles, Codasil® and Osmoplant® are viable products to increase tolerance in green bean cv. Strike plants.

Current environmental conditions have prompted agri-food systems to explore new strategies for improving the production of crops in a sustainable manner. The use of omeprazole (OMP) and melatonin (MEL) have been proposed as innovative strategy for crop improvement when applied as biostimulants. However, although their role in the growth of several species has been studied, the results in photosynthetic efficiency parameters are still scarce. Therefore, the objec-tive of the present study was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of OMP and MEL on bi-omass, yield, SPAD values, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), photochemical quenching (qP), Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), quantum yield of photosystem II (PhiPSII) and elec-tron transport rate (ETR) in bean plants. Treatments were applied separately at doses of 1, 10, and 100 µM, plus a control without application. The results obtained indicate that OMP and MEL were able to increase biomass, yield, SPAD values, as well as photochemical quenching, fluores-cence, and PhiPSII coefficients. Finally, it is concluded that foliar application of OMP and MEL at a dose of 1 and 10 µM can increase photosynthetic efficiency and decrease photoinhibition, which is reflected in higher biomass accumulation and yield in green bean plants cv. Strike.

Low efficiency and excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers is a frequent problem in agriculture that impacts the environment. Omeprazole (OMP) has been reported to promote N uptake and assimilation in tomato, basil, and corn. However, information about the effect of omeprazole on N assimilation, recovery and N use efficiency parameters for bean plants is limited. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the effect of foliar application of OMP at 0, 1, 10 and 100 µM on nitrogen assimilation, growth, yield, nitrogen use efficiency parameters and recovery percentage in green bean plants. Green bean plants cv. Strike grown in pots were used. Biomass, yield, nitrate reductase activity, photosynthetic pigments concentration, soluble amino acids and protein concentration, total nitrogen concentration, nitrogen use efficiency parameters and nitrogen recovery were analyzed. The results obtained indicate that the application of OMP at 1 µM increased yield, biomass and promoted N assimilation through higher NR enzyme activity, higher amino acid concentration, higher N use efficiency coefficient and allowed a more efficient nitrogen recovery percentage.

Plant diseases cause losses of approximately 16% globally. Thus, management measures must be implemented to mitigate losses and guarantee food production. In addition to traditional management measures, resistance induction and biological control have gained ground in agriculture due to their enormous potential. Endophytic fungi colonize plant tissues internally and have the potential to act as biological control agents, as elicitors in the process of resistance induction and in attenuating abiotic stresses. In this review, we list the action of this group of microorganisms as potential agents which can act in controlling plant diseases and describe several examples in which endophytes were able to reduce the damage caused by pathogens and adverse conditions. This is due to their arsenal of molecules generated during the interaction by which they form a kind of biological shield in the plant. Studies on these microorganisms have grown due to the existing diversity and the multiple benefits they can offer. Finally, considering that endophytic fungi can be an important tool in managing diseases due to the large amount of biologically active substances produced, bioprospecting this class of microorganisms is tending to increase and generate valuable products.

Chestnut is an interesting productive alternative for farmers in Southern Chile. However, cli-matic variability with the occurrence of late spring and early summer frost have cause damages on young trees. Glycine‒betaine (GB) spraying on shoots of sensitive chestnut induce an increase in tolerance during subsequent chilling stress. Experiment was performed on three years-old trees (cultivar Cittá di Castello) conducted in a leader training system and sprayed with com-mercial GB (120 g hL‒1). In summer trees treated with GB showed a better recovery after the frost (‒2.34°C) occurrence for 3.5 h compared to the control. Whereas trees obtained a 28% greater growth of central axis than untreated control (January). The trunk diameter measured in January showed the highest value under GB (27.2mm) compared with the control (25.7 mm). The GB ap-plication increased by 50 and 47% highest fresh and dry weight respectively in leaves. Under GB trees reached a 28% higher net photosynthesis (AN) compared to the AN in control (11.93 µmol CO2 m‒2 s‒1). Moreover, achieved higher stomatal conductance and transpiration rate was 44 and 31% with GB compared to control trees respectively. Antioxidant performance was differentially affected by GB activating non-enzymatic mechanisms and caused a reduced lipid peroxidation. Glycine‒Betaine has become as an interesting agronomic tool that aimed to increase tolerance to environmental stresses such as low temperatures that cause damage to herbaceous shoots and leaves in young chestnut trees.

Cacao is an understory plant cultivated under full-sun monocultures to multi-strata agroforestry systems, where cocoa trees are planted together with fruit, timber, firewood, and leguminous trees, or grown within thinned native forests. Under agroforestry systems of cultivation, cacao is subjected to excess shade due to high density of shade trees, and overgrown or unmanaged pruning of shade trees. Cacao is tolerant to shade, and the maximum photosynthetic rate occurs around irradiance of 400 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ but excess shade reduces the irradiance further which is detrimental to photosynthesis and growth functions. Intra-specific variation is known to exist in cacao for the required saturation irradiance. A greenhouse study was implemented with 58 cacao genotypes selected from four geographically diverse groups: (i) wild cacao from river basins of the Peruvian Amazon, (PWC), (ii) Peruvian farmers’ collection (PFC), (iii) Brazilian cacao collection (BCC) and (iv) national and international cacao collections (NIC). All the cacao genotypes were subjected to 50% and 80% shade where photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was 1000 and 400 μmol m^-2 ּs^-1 respectively. Intra-specific variations were observed for growth, physiological and nutritional traits, and tolerance to shade. Cacao genotypes tolerant to shade were: UNG-77 and UGU-130 from PWC; ICT-2173, ICT-2142, ICT-2172, ICT-1506, ICT-1087, and ICT-2171 from the PFC; PH-21, CA-14, PH-990 and PH-144 from BCC; and ICS-1, ICS-39, UF-613 and POUND-12 from NIC. Genotypes that tolerate excess shade might be useful plant types to maintain productivity and sustainability in agroforestry systems of cacao management.

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that are implicated in several physiological processes such as cell development, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, immune response and angiogenesis. In the last couple of decades, several studies on miRNA profiling in OSCC have tried to associate miRNAs with clinical characteristics such as relapse, metastasis, and survival, however, the results have been found to vary considerably, sometimes even being contradictory. The main objective of our study was to analyse and verify miRNA expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma in a Spanish population. Second, we attempted to associate the identified deregulated miRNAs with molecular pathways. 8 Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma patients and 8 healthy control samples were analysed by a microarray Affymetrix® miRNA 4.1 array plate and validated with 8 more cases using RT-qPCR. Deregulated miRNAs were studied using Diana Tools miRPath 3.0 to associate miRNA targets with molecular pathways. Microarray analysis identified 80 deregulated miRNAs (35 over-expressed and 45 under-expressed). Only miR-497-5p and miR-4417 maintained its deregulated expression after validation with qPCR. Among the molecular pathways in which deregulated miRNAs could be implicated, the most statistically significant pathway was ‘proteoglycans in cancer’. No relationship was found between miR-497-5p or miR-4417 expression and clinical or pathological parameters except of nodular affectation (high miR-4417 expression in patients with nodular affectation, p = 0.035) and radiotherapy (diminished miR-497-5p expression in patients who needed radiotherapy, p = 0.05). We have verified the altered expression of miR-497-5p and miR-4417 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma samples and related the deregulated miRNAs with the ‘proteoglycans in cancer’ pathway.

In January and February 2001, El Salvador was hit by two strong earthquakes that triggered thousands of landslides, causing 1,259 fatalities and extensive damage. The analysis of aerial and SPOT-4 satellite images taken a few days after the events allowed us to map 6,491 coesismic landslides, which occurred in 14 study areas extending for about 400 km2. Four different Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) models were produced by using different covariate sets and landslide inventories, the latter containing the slope failures triggered by an extreme rainfall event of November 2009 and those induced by the earthquakes of 2001. Moreover, two validation scenarios were employed, including the 25% and 95% of the mapped landslides, respectively. The results of our experiment revealed that: (i) MARS algorithm provides reliable predictions of coesismic landslides; (ii) models calibrated with rainfall-induced landslides predict with acceptable accuracy landslides caused by deep earthquakes and distributed over vast areas; (iii) the best accuracy is achieved by models trained with both preparatory and trigger variables; (iv) a small portion of the landslides produced by an earthquake can be used to calibrate MARS predictive models that help to identify slopes where yet unreported landslides may have occurred.

Climate simulations in West Africa have been attributed with large uncertainties. Global climate projections are not consistent with changes in observations at the regional or local level of the Niger basin, making management of hydrological projects in the basin uncertain. This study evaluates the potential of using the quantile mapping bias correction to improve the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) outputs for use in hydrology impact studies. Rainfall and temperature projections from 8 CMIP5 Global Climate Models (GCM) were bias corrected using the quantile mapping approach. Impacts of climate change was evaluated with bias corrected rainfall, temperature and potential evapotranspiration (PET). The IHACRES hydrological model was adapted to the Niger basin and used to simulate impacts of climate change on discharge under present and future conditions. Bias correction significantly improved the accuracy of rainfall and temperature simulations compared to observations. Nash coefficient (NSE) for monthly rainfall comparisons of 8 GCMs to the observed was improved by bias correction from 0.69 to 0.84. The standard deviations among the 8 GCM rainfall data were significantly reduced from 0.13 to 0.03. Increasing rainfall, temperature, PET and river discharge were projected for all GCMs used in this study under the RCP8.5 scenario. These results will help improving projections and contribute to the development of sustainable climate change adaptation strategies.

The prevalence and incidence of obesity and the comorbidities linked to it are increasing in the world population. Current therapies for obesity and associated pathologies have proven to cause a broad number of adverse effects and often, they are overpriced or not affordable for all patients. Among the alternatives currently available, natural bioactive compounds stand out. These are frequently contained in pharmaceutical presentations, nutraceutical products, supplements, or functional foods. The clinical evidence for these molecules is increasingly solid, among which epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ellagic acid, resveratrol, berberine, anthocyanins, probiotics, carotenoids, curcumin, silymarin, hydroxy citric acid, and α-lipoic acid stand out. The molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of these molecules have been shown to interact with the endocrine, nervous, and gastroenteric systems, as well as regulate the expression of multiple genes and, therefore, proteins involved in starvation-satiety processes, activation of brown adipose tissue, increased lipolysis, decreased lipogenesis, and inflammation, beneficial changes in metabolism and improved insulin sensitivity. This review provides a comprehensive view of nature-based therapeutic options to address the increasing prevalence of obesity. It offers a valuable perspective for future research and subsequent clinical practice, addressing everything from the molecular, genetic, and physiological bases to the clinical study of the bioactive compound.

A basic pattern in the body plan architecture of many animals, plants and some molecular and cellular systems is five-part units. This pattern has been understood as a result of genetic blueprints in development and as a widely conserved evolutionary character. Despite some efforts, a definitive explanation of the abundance of pentagonal symmetry at so many levels of complexity is still missing. Based on both, a computational platform and a statistical spatial organization argument, we show that five-fold morphology is substantially different from other abundant symmetries like three-fold, four-fold and six-fold symmetries in terms of spatial interacting elements. We develop a measuring system to determine levels of spatial organization in 2D polygons (homogeneous or heterogeneous partition of defined areas) based in principles of regularity in a morphospace. We found that spatial organization of five-fold symmetry is statistically higher than all other symmetries studied here (three to ten-fold symmetries) in terms of spatial homogeneity. The significance of our findings is based on the statistical constancy of geometrical constraints derived from spatial organization of shapes, beyond the material or complexity level of the many different systems where pentagonal symmetry occurs.

In this paper, we proposed the numerical method called the variational iteration orthogonal collocation method (VIOCM), for the approximate solution of the deadly Corona virus model using Mamadu-Njoseh polynomials as basis functions. The proposed method is an elegant mixture of the variational iteration method (VIM) and the orthogonal collocation method (OCM). It was observed that the proposed method converges rapidly to the exact solution even as N increases. This suggests that the use of orthogonal polynomials as trial functions for the SEIR model is indeed an effective approximant as it produces the analytic solution at just few iterations. Resulting numerical evidences were compared with the standard variational iteration method as available in literature. All computational frameworks were executed with MAPLE software.

Background: This study explores the impact of a gluten-free diet (GFD) on regional gastrointestinal (GI) transit times in individuals with celiac disease (CD) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NGCS). While a GFD is established for managing CD and wheat allergy, its effects on NGCS remain controversial due to inconclusive evidence. Methods: Utilizing a wireless motility and pH capsule (WMC) to assess regional and whole gut transit, newly diagnosed CD (n=12) and NGCS (n=12) patients underwent baseline evaluations, including measurements of gastric, small bowel, and colonic transit times. Results: At baseline conditions, individuals diagnosed with CD exhibited prolonged colonic and intestinal transit times when compared to those with NGCS (p&lt;0.05). Following a 4-week GFD, CD patients experienced significant reductions in both intestinal and colonic transit times, along with enhanced small intestine contractility. NGCS individuals showed improvements in intestinal transit time and contractility with a GFD, although the colon exhibited no discernible effect. The GFD did not significantly impact intragastric, intestinal, or colonic pH. Conclusions: This study, employing WMC for the first time, provides novel insights into the positive effects of a GFD on intestinal and colonic transit, as well as contractility, in CD patients, and to a lesser extent, in those with NGCS.

Advanced ceramics are recognized as key enabling materials possessing combinations of properties not achievable in other material classes. They are characterized by very high thermal, chemical and mechanical resistance and also usually have a lower density than metals. These properties predestine ceramics for many different applications, especially space applications.In the aerospace sector aerospike nozzles promise performance and application advantages compared to classic bell nozzles but are also inherently more complex to manufacture due to their shape. AM methods drastically simplify or even enable the fabrication of those complex structures while minimising the number of individual parts. The applicability of ceramic AM (“CerAMfacturing”) on rocket engines and especially nozzles is consequently investigated in the frame of the “MACARONIS” project, a cooperation of the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at Technische Universität Dresden and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) in Dresden. The goal is to develop novel large size aerospike thrust nozzles including areas of highest resolution and fineness. Finding a suitable AM process that enables the realisation of both aspects is extremely challenging. One possibility could be the hybridization of shaping methods, in that case CerAM VPP (ceramic additive manufacturing via vat photopolymerization) and CerAM FFF (ceramic additive manufacturing via fused filament fabrication) in combination with sinter joining. This contribution focuses on the high resolution CerAM VPP process, in particular the development, characterization and testing of a new photoreactive Al₂O₃ suspension validated by AM of novel aerospike nozzles.

Traumatic nerve injuries are common lesions that affect several hundred thousand humans, as well as dogs and cats. The assessment of nerve regeneration trough animal models may provide information for translational research and future therapeutic options that can be applied mutually in veterinary and human medicine, in a one health perspective. This review offers a hands-on vision about the non-invasive and conservative approaches on peripheral nerve injury, focusing the role of neurorehabilitation in nerve repair and regeneration. The peripheral nerve injury may lead to hypersensitivity, allodynia and hyperalgesia, with the possibility of joint contractures, decreasing functionality and impairing the quality of life. The question remains regarding how to improve nerve repair with surgical possibilities, but also considering electrical stimulation modalities by modulating sensory feedback, upregulation BDNF, GFNF, TrKB and adenosine monophosphate, maintaining muscle mass and modulating fatigue. This could be improved by the positive synergetic effect of exercises and physical activity with locomotor training, and other physical modalities, such as low-level laser therapy and ultrasounds. In addition, the use of cell-based therapies is an innovative treatment tool in this field. These strategies may help avoiding situations of permanent monoplegic limbs that could lead to amputation.

Patient derived model systems are important tools for studying novel anti-cancer therapies. Patient derived xenografts (PDXs) have gained favor over the last 10 years as newer mouse strains have improved the success rate of establishing PDXs from patient biopsies. PDXs can be engrafted from head and neck cancer (HNC) samples across a wide range of cancer stages, retain the genetic features of their human source, and can be treated with both chemotherapy and radiation, allowing for clinically relevant studies. Not only do PDXs allow for study of patient tissues in an in vivo model, they can also provide a renewable source of cancer cells for organoid cultures. Herein, we review the uses of HNC patient derived models for radiation research including approaches to establishing both orthotopic and heterotopic PDXs, approaches and potential pitfalls to delivering chemotherapy and radiation to these animal models, biological advantages and limitations, and alternatives to animal studies that still use patient-derived tissues.

In our study we investigated the additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramic-based Functionally Graded Materials (FGM) by the direct AM technology Thermoplastic 3D-Printing (T3DP). Zirconia components with a varying microstructure were additively manufactured by using thermoplastic suspensions with different contents of pore forming agents (PFA) and were co-sintered defect-free. Different materials were investigated concerning their suitability as PFA for the T3DP process. Different zirconia-based suspensions were prepared and used for AM of single- and multi-material test components. All samples were sintered defect-free and in the end we could realize a brick wall-like component consisting of dense (<1% porosity) and porous (approx. 5% porosity) zirconia areas to combine different properties in one component. The T3DP opens the door to AM of further ceramic-based 4D-components like multi-color or multi-material, especially multi-functional components.

Colorectal cancer is a common disease, both in Chile and worldwide. The most widely used chemotherapy schemes are based on 5-fluorouracil (5FU) as the foundational drug. Genetic polymorphisms have emerged as potential predictive biomarkers of response to chemotherapy, but conclusive evidence is lacking. Additionally, the interplay between hereditary variations and acquired mutations in the EGFR pathway remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of genetic variants associated with 5FU-based chemotherapy on therapeutic effectiveness, considering their interaction with the EGFR pathway mutations. In a retrospective cohort of 63 patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer, a multivariate analysis revealed that liver metastases, DPYD, ABCB1 and MTHFR polymorphisms are independent indicators of a poor prognostic, irrespective of EGFR pathway mutations. BRAF V600E wild-type status and high-risk drug-metabolism polymorphisms correlated with a poor prognosis in this Chilean cohort. Additionally, findings from the genomics of drug sensitivity (GDSC) project demonstrated that cell lines with wild-type BRAF have higher IC50 values for 5-FU compared to BRAF-mutated cell lines. In conclusion, the genetic polymorphisms DPYD rs1801265, ABCB1 rs1045642 and MTHFR rs180113 may serve as useful biomarkers for predicting a poor prognosis in patients undergoing 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy, regardless of EGFR pathway mutations.

Organic soil amendments, such as composts, mitigate the environmental burdens associated with wasting organic resources. Although compost application to soil enhances an agroecosystem's capacity to store carbon and produce food, studies investigating the agronomical efficacy and their ability to ameliorate drought stress when used as a soil amendment are minimal. In this study, we produced and used a nutrient rich co-compost through the composting of sludge, a nitrogen-rich organic material with carbon rich municipal solid wastes (MSW) to evaluate the agronomic efficacy of the MSW derived co-compost and their ability to ameliorate drought stress. Application of co-compost significantly enhanced growth and yield of lettuce and maize, by a magnitude comparable to chemical fertilizers. Furthermore, under drought stress, lettuce plants grown under co-compost soil amendment grew much better with less wilting, more biomass and yield, and improved root growth. Also, co-compost application enhanced relative root mass ratio (RRMR) under drought stress, indicative that co-compost amendment increased the allocation of biomass to the roots, which is an important morphological attribute for drought adaptability. K content in both leaves and roots of plants amended with co-compost was also higher under drought stress, which may have played a role in osmotic adjustment, consequently, the plants exhibited higher leaf relative water content (RWC). Other nutrient elements that were significantly enhanced by co-compost application included Mg, Ca, Fe and Cu. These results provide evidence that MSW co-composting could optimize organic resource recycling for climate change mitigation and agricultural productivity while minimizing nutrient losses from agroecosystems.

Climate change and exposure to environmental pollutants play a key role in the onset and aggravation of allergic diseases. As different climate-dependent patterns of molecular immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivity have been regionally described, we sought to investigate the evolving allergen exposome in distinctive allergic phenotypes, and subtropical weather conditions through a Precision Allergy Molecular Diagnosis (PAMD@) model. Concurrent sensitization to several house dust mites (HDM) and storage mite molecules were broadly dominant in the investigated cohort, followed by the major cat allergen Fel d 1, and regardless of the basal allergic disease. Although a complex repertoire of allergens was recognized, a steadily increasing number of IgE binding molecules was associated with the complexity of the underlying atopic disease. Besides the highly prevalent IgE responses to HMD major allergens, Der p 21, Der p 5, and Der p 7 also showed as serodominant molecules, especially in those subjects bothered with asthma and atopic dermatitis. The accurate characterization of the external exposome at the molecular level and their putative role as clinically relevant allergens is essential to elucidate the phenotypic diversity of atopic disease in terms of personalized diagnosis and therapy.

Based on a measuring system to determine the statistical heterogeneity of individual polygons we propose a method to use polygonal shape patterns as a source of data in order to determine the Shannon entropy of biological organizations. In this research, the term entropy is a particular amount of data related with levels of spatial heterogeneity in a series of different geometrical meshes and sets of random polygons. We propose that this notion of entropy is important to measure levels of information in units of bits, measuring quantities of heterogeneity in geometrical systems. In fact, one important result is that binarization of heterogeneity frequencies yields a supported metric to determine geometrical information from complex configurations. Thirty-five geometric aggregates are tested; biological and non-biological, in order to obtain experimental results of their spatial heterogeneity which is verified with the Shannon entropy parameter defining low particular levels of geometrical information in biological samples. Geometrical aggregates (meshes) include a spectrum of organizations ranging from cell meshes to ecological patterns. Experimental results show that a particular range (0.08 and 0.27) of information is intrinsically associated with low rates of heterogeneity. We conclude it as an intrinsic feature of geometrical organizations in multi-scaling biological systems.

In Benin, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causing bacterial blight (BLB) was first described in 2013 on wild rice Oryza longistaminata. No studies have been conducted on Beninese Xoo strains and resistant rice varieties. The aim of this study is to check whether Xoo has already spread to cultivated varieties and to screen some rice accessions for the main resistance genes detection. To achieve this aim, rice leaves showing typical BLB symptoms were collected from various rice fields in Benin and analyzed by PCR to identify Xoo-specific sequences. In addition, seventy-five rice accessions were examined to identify Xoo resistance genes. The results showed that Xanthomonas oryzae (Xo) had been identified in Banikouara and Malanville. In addition, Sphingomonas sp was detected in several rice fields. A Xo-Sphingomonas Sp co-infection was also noted. 47 of 75 rice accessions examined (62.66%) carried Xoo resistance genes with 3 (4%) and 40 (53.33%) of xa5 and Xa21 respectively. None of the accessions had neither Xa7 nor Xa13 resistance genes. Three accessions had both xa5 and Xa21 genes. In addition, the rice isogenic lines IRBB60 and IRBB21used as positive controls, were found to be susceptible. These results indicate that Xo has evolved from a wild rice to cultivated varieties in northern Benin. Consequently, a varietal improvement program must be implemented with varieties having resistance genes to prevent a BLB pandemic in Benin.

The continuous tightening of legislation regulating the agricultural usage of sewage sludge in the province of Catalonia (Spain) leads us to propose its gasification to produce hydrogen-rich syngas. A thermodynamic equilibrium model was developed using Aspen Plus® to simulate the air and steam gasification of sewage sludge from a wastewater treatment plant in Catalonia. The syngas generated is analyzed in terms of composition and lower heating value (LHV), as a function of equivalence ratio (ER), gasification temperature, steam-to-biomass ratio (SBR), and moisture content (MC). Results show that air-blown gasification finds the highest LHV of 7.48 MJ/m3 at 1200ºC, ER of 0.2, and MC of 5%. Using steam as the gasifying agent, an LHV of 10.30 MJ/m3 is obtained at SBR of 0.2, MC of 5%, and 1200ºC. A maximum of 69.7% hydrogen molar fraction is obtained at 600ºC, MC of 25%, and SBR of 1.2. This study suggests using steam as a gasifying agent instead of air since it provides a higher LHV of the syngas as well as a hydrogen-richer syngas for the implementation of gasification as an alternative method to sewage sludge treatment in the region of Catalonia. Since the economic aspect should also be considered in this regard, our sensitivity analysis provided important data demonstrating that it is possible to reduce the gasification temperature without significantly decreasing the LHV.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.

Glycosidic linkage analysis was conducted on the unfractionated polysaccharides in the alcohol-insoluble residues (AIRs) prepared from six red seaweeds (Gracilariopsis sp., Prionitis sp., Mastocarpus papillatus, Callophyllis sp., Mazzaella splendens, and Palmaria palmata) using GC-MS/FID analysis of partially methylated alditol acetates (PMAAs). The cell walls of P. palmata primarily contained mixed-linkage xylans and small amounts of sulfated galactans and cellulose. In contrast, the unfractionated polysaccharides of the other five species were rich in galactans displaying diverse 3,6-anhydro-galactose and galactose linkages with varied sulfation patterns. Different levels of cellulose were also observed. This glycosidic linkage method offers advantages for cellulose analysis over traditional monosaccharide analysis that is known for underrepresenting glucose in crystalline cellulose. Relative linkage compositions calculated from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements showed that anhydro sugar linkages generated more response in the latter detection method. This improved linkage workflow presents a useful tool for studying polysaccharide structural variations across red seaweed species. Furthermore, for the first time, relative linkage compositions from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements, along with normalized FID and total ion current (TIC) chromatograms without peak assignments, were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the technique's potential to differentiate various red seaweed species.

Background: Educating college students about the importance of good sleep habits could lead to the adoption of healthier sleep routines, including sufficient sleep duration and sleep quality. The current pre-post study examines the impact of completing a sleep education program called “Sleep 101” on (1) sleep hygiene practices, (2) sleep quality, and (3) weekday and weekend sleep behaviors among college students. “Sleep 101” is an interactive online course developed to educate college students about the importance of sleep by addressing basic sleep physiology, the impact of sleep on mood, academic and physical performance, the interactions between sleep and various substances, and common sleep disorders. Methods: 338 college students were recruited from a midsized public university in the US and invited to participate in “Sleep 101”, of which 25 participants completed the baseline and post-intervention questionnaire. The Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) was utilized to evaluate sleep hygiene practices, while standard questions were employed to assess weekday and weekend sleep behaviors and overall sleep quality. Results: Those who completed the study demonstrated a significant increase in weekday sleep duration and were less likely to engage in negative prior bedtime activities. In addition, 40% of those who completed baseline and post-intervention assessments noticed improvements in their sleep quality. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a brief online program is beneficial in improving sleep behaviors among college and could be a scalable approach to addressing current sleep issues and preventing future sleep problems in college students.

The profile of secondary metabolites occurring in apple cuticular layer is not only characteristic for particular apple cultivar, but also dynamically reflects various external factors in growing environment. In this study, the possibility to authenticate apple samples based on analysis of their cuticular layer extracts was investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was employed for obtaining metabolomic fingerprints. In total, 274 authentic apple samples, four cultivars harvested within the seasons 2020 to 2022 in the Czech Republic and Poland were analysed. The generated complex data processed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods enabled to build classification models for discrimination of apple cultivars as well as their geographical origin. The models showed very good performance in differentiation of Czech and Polish samples for three of four cultivars: ‘Gala’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’, moreover, the validity of the models was verified over harvest seasons. The diagnostic markers, besides metabolites of triterpene biosynthetic pathway, mainly represented wax esters. ‘Jonagold’, which is known to be susceptible to mutations, was the only cultivar for which the unambiguous classification of geographical origin was not possible.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potentially colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across 9 provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colonies were collected, from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1,242 bp segment of the the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings in this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.

COX II containing a dual core CuA active site is one of the three core subunits of mitochondrial Cco, which plays a significant role in the physiological process. In this report, the full-length cDNA of COXⅡ gene was cloned from Sitophilus zeamais, which had an ORF of 684 bp encoding 227 amino acids residues. The predicted COXⅡ protein had a molecular mass of 26.2 kDa with pI value of 6.37, and multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Sitophilus zeamais COXⅡ had high sequence identity 78.51% with the COXⅡ of other insect species, especially similarity to sitophilus oryzae. This gene was subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a, and induced by IPTG in E.coli Transetta (DE3) expression system. Finally the COXⅡ with 6-His tag was purified using affinity chromatography with Ni²⁺-NTA agarose. WB showed the recombinant COXⅡ was about 44 kD, and the concentration of fusion protein was 50μg/mL. UV-spectrophotometer and infrared spectrometer analysis showed that recombinant COXⅡ could catalyze the oxidation of substrate Cytc, and influenced by AITC. It was found that AITC could form a hydrophobic region with COXⅡ protein via molecular docking, besides, a sulfur atom of AITC structure could form a length of 2.9 Å hydrogen bond with Leu-31. These results will provide valuable information for elucidating the role of COXⅡ in Sitophilus zeamais responses to AITC, meanwhile, it will helpful to carry out a point mutation in AITC binding sites for the future research.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

This paper is focused on typical rural settlements in the Stara Planina Mountain area in Serbia. They are distinguished by their authenticity, identity and character, and they have still not been destroyed by inappropriate development as is the case in some other mountain areas in Serbia, where the effects of urbanization, globalization and homogenization are obvious. Consequently, there is a need to prevent these effects in mountain areas where there is a threat of disbalance between development and the inherited natural and cultural values. The paper starts from several important concepts that relate contemporary approaches to cultural heritage preservation, place morphology and planning future development. The concept definitions from recent documents from related fields are used. These concepts are then applied to the area of Stara Planina Mountain and its rural settlements. The necessity for an integrative approach to planning this area with significant natural and anthropogenic potential is pointed out, including its integration into international programs of sustainable development.

The research reported on this paper was aimed at improving the overall efficiency of a PDO certified artisanal cheese production process. Being a PDO certified foodstuff by the EU, it is considered to have properties and qualities determined by the geographical environment in which is made, with its production taking place in a specific and determined geographical location, in this case the Serra da Estrela region. In that sense, the authors conducted a mapping according to a systemic perspective of the processes involved in the context of manufacturing and distribution of certified Serra da Estrela cheese. Numerous methods were used throughout the process, such as a systemic design analysis, and techniques derived from ethnographic methods, which led to the collection of data in the field and consequently provided the immersion of the researcher in genuine work situations. Critical points were identified and emphasized in the systemic map with the purpose of encouraging initiatives to address and overcome the gaps and inefficiencies detected. The systemic design analysis triggered the development of design work. Observations following an ethnographic approach identified ergonomic risks in cheese making during the process of cutting excess chips, fostering the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders at the wrist. A tool that fits best to the task at hand was developed. A prototype of the new tool enabled collecting feedback from use in the work context, in order to inform product development. The domains of agricultural production and microbiology, considering the specific microorganisms developed trough the ripening process of the cheese, turned out to be aspects of high importance for the issue under focus, contributing to a broader understanding of the ripening process and its risks, simultaneously improving the efficiency and success of cheese production. If it were not for the systemic analysis, which served as a link between the boundaries of distinct domains such as the risk of microorganism contamination, ergonomics, energy efficiency, legislation and regulation policies, transportation challenges and economic viability, approached throughout the research. Simultaneously creating bridges between them, the various problems might not have been detected in the first place, as they are usually addressed in specialized disciplines, predetermined by the restrictions of each specific area of knowledge. As a consequence of the development of this research, which was based on an analysis that sought to establish possible connections between various disciplines and tried to constantly maintain a holistic perspective, making new connections and observing the issues from a new angle, apart from the already established methodologies. All this allowed to lay out the seeds for the development of a plan to tackle the critical points identified by the systemic analysis reported in this paper.

Promoting green development has become an important way to optimize the ecological and economic structure and promote sustainable development. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is an important economic corridor in China, and it remains to be examined whether the implementation of environmental regulations has enhanced the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of cities. This paper calculates the green total factor productivity of 107 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt by using the super-efficient SBM model and the GML index with Chinese city panel data from 2007-2019 and measures the intensity of environmental regulations through textual analysis. The bidirectional fixed-effects model constructed in this paper suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and GTFP, which is confirmed by a series of robustness tests. Green technology innovation and advanced industrial structure play a mechanism role in this. In regions with lower levels of green technology and industrial structure, the inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and green total factor productivity is more significant. In addition, the phenomenon of GTFP rising and then falling because of environmental regulation is more obvious in cities in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and outside the urban agglomerations. Therefore, when formulating environmental regulation policies, it is necessary to balance the relationship between economic development and environmental protection and harmonize the environment and economic development of the entire Yangtze River Basin.

The wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh are home to some of the most prolific and valuable ecosystems on the planet, offering a wide range of benefits to both the local and wider communities. A limited number of research on this topic have been carried out in various wetlands in coastal hilsa, but none have been located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. Thus, the goal of this study was to better understand the most commercially relevant species (anadromous hilsa) in northeastern Bangladesh as well as to assess the wetland ecosystem services more thoroughly with the contribution of their fish genetic resources. In addition to laboratory studies, fieldwork was done in the fishing settlements along the Surma River, Hakaluki Haor, and Tanguar Haor. The study classified 77 fish species into 21 subcategories of ecosystem services, of which 56% were not threatened, 17% were vulnerable, and 10% were highly endangered. The species Hilsa was found to be the most economically significant, accounting for 1% of the GDP overall. The study determined if the hilsa stock of the examined wetlands maintains a single or several subpopulations in comparison to other parts of the country when they migrate from saline water to northeastern Bangladesh (freshwater). But when compared to other groups, the FST score was between 0.000 to 0.017, indicating that the populations are identical and that there is genetic material sharing between them. Additionally, these statistics imply that the Sylhet haor and adjacent river systems contain a single stock of Hilsa fish. Nevertheless, a number of stresses and risks, including overexploitation, illicit and destructive fishing, siltation, and natural disasters like flash floods, have been linked to changes in the supply of hilsa and other ecosystem services. This study also emphasizes the necessity of policy attention and research to address the concerns.

In this paper, we introduce a specialized, fully automated experimental arrangement designed for assessing the effectiveness of augmented and virtual reality technologies in healthcare setting and explore its design principles focusing on depth sensor characterization. The main goal of this project is to establish a robust benchtop platform for the quantitative evaluation of extended reality technologies in a controlled environment, emphasizing the practical assessment of augmented reality head-mounted devices. We outline a design concept and considerations for an experimental configuration aimed at creating a realistic testing environment. This apparatus comprises an observation platform mounted on a three-degree-of-freedom motorized system and a test phantom stage. Focusing on real-case scenarios, we utilized a range of sensors, including readily available range-sensing cameras and commercial augmented reality headsets, such as the Intel RealSense L515 LiDAR camera, mounted on the motion control system. The setup enabled automated data collection and facilitates controlled assessments and validation of various facets of augmented reality technologies, including object, hand, and head tracking, as well as static and dynamic image registration. This paper describes the system architecture, the process of automated data collection, and presents several evaluation studies conducted with this setup, providing insights into the quality and temporal noise associated with static or moving objects or observers in augmented reality applications.

To conduct high-precision and high-resolution numerical simulation of complex flow structures in turbomachinery, a high-order finite volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme for the large eddy simulation (LES) is improved and embedded into the three-dimensional viscous unsteady CFD solver NUAA-Turbo. Firstly, the spectral characteristics and unsteady convergence of the improved WENO scheme are studied. Compared with the classical WENO scheme, the improved WENO scheme has better dissipation and dispersion characteristics and faster convergence speed. Then, the coefficient CW of the Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE) model is calibrated by decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence (DHIT) test case. Finally, the scheme is applied to conduct high-precision LES calculations of turbulent boundary layer flow, supersonic compression corner flow, and low-pressure turbine cascade separation flow. The numerical simulation results show that this WENO scheme has excellent shock wave capture ability and turbulence resolution and can capture more flow field details with less mesh size, greatly reducing the computational cost and laying a foundation for large-scale engineering application of LES.

To secure logic circuits against the illegal copying the insertion of the so-called key bit inputs using XOR/XNOR gates has been proposed in . The inserted gates modify (lock) the behavior of the original circuit and only the correct choice of the secret key bits guarantees the equivalent behaviour of the locked circuit to the original circuit. To break this kind of security, i.e. to find the secret key bits, there was a SAT solver based attack proposed in . The aim of this work is to experimentally verify this attack on several locked circuits with various number of primary inputs and outputs and with various number of gates. Except for the random placement of the key gates we evaluate also the positioning with chaining elimination. The obtained and presented results show that we were able to unlock 10 of 11 circuits within few minutes on a common PC.

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to utilize in tribological environments, but to date the works are hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperature. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo-40Ni-13Si (at.%). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of ternary Mo-Ni-Si alloy melt, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the ductility improvement of intermetallic alloy. Tribological properties of the designed alloy, including wear resistance, friction coefficient and metallic tribological compatibility, were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggested that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent property for room-temperature wear applications, which is attributed to the unique microstructural features and thereby good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported by observing the worn surface, subsurface and wear debris of alloy, which to be found is soft abrasive wear.

With the integrated development of the Internet, wireless sensor technology, cloud computing, and mobile Internet, there has been a lot of attention given to research about and applications of the Internet of Things. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of the important information technologies in the Internet of Things; it integrates multi-technology to detect and gather information in a network environment by mutual cooperation, using a variety of methods to process and analyze data, implement awareness, and perform tests. This paper mainly researches the localization algorithm of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network. Firstly, a multi-granularity region partition is proposed to divide the location region. In the range-based method, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength indicator, RSSI) is used to estimate distance. The optimal RSSI value is computed by the Gaussian fitting method. Furthermore, a Voronoi diagram is characterized by the use of dividing region. Rach anchor node is regarded as the center of each region; the whole position region is divided into several regions and the sub-region of neighboring nodes is combined into triangles while the unknown node is locked in the ultimate area. Secondly, the multi-granularity regional division and Lagrange multiplier method are used to calculate the final coordinates. Because nodes are influenced by many factors in the practical application, two kinds of positioning methods are designed: the unknown node is in the positioning unit or not. When the unknown node is on the side of the positioning unit, we use the method of vector similarity. Moreover, we use the centroid algorithm to calculate the ultimate coordinates of unknown node. When the unknown node is not on the side of the positioning unit, we establish a Lagrange equation containing the constraint condition to calculate the first coordinates. Furthermore, we use the Taylor expansion formula to correct the coordinates of the unknown node. In addition, this localization method has been validated by establishing the real environment.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of brain activity. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology formed by the EEG signal has become one of the hotspots at present. How to extract the feature signal of EEG is the most basic research of BCI technology. In this paper, A new method of recognizing fatigue, conscious, concentrated state of human brain is proposed by the combination of discrete wavelet transform and the neural network based on EEG signal. First of all, the law signal is preprocessed by the wavelet denoising method because the law EEG signal contains a large number of high frequency noise, which is decomposed into multi-layer high frequency signal and low frequency signal. thus, δ wave, θ wave, α wave, β wave are obtained by the wavelet transform. And then, frequency band energy of the different wave is regards as the feature signal of EEG. In the experiment, the feature signal is classified by radial basic function (RBF) and annealed chaotic competitive learning network (ACCLN). RBF and ACCLN networks are trained with 500 sets of sample data and are tested by 100 sets of samples in different mental states. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of RBF network under three conditions are 88.75%, 88.25%, 88.5%, respectively, and the correct rate of ACCLN network is 97%, 98%, 98%, respectively.

Early discharge after childbirth has led to a rise in neonatal readmission, becoming a major concern in recent decades. Our research aimed to identify the risk factors and incidence of neonatal readmission, as well as explore preventive measures. Our study at the Clinical Hospital of Pediatrics in Ploiești, Romania included 108 neonates admitted during the neonatal period. This accounted for 2.06% of all admissions (5226). The most prevalent cases were malnutrition (25%), fever (20.3%) and bronchiolitis (17.5%). Diarrhea and infectious gastroenteritis were also observed (14.8%), along with acute rhinoconjunctivitis (9.2%) and late onset sepsis (3.7%). No deaths were recorded. The most significant characteristics identified were number of children (p&lt;0.001) and age at maternity discharge (p&lt;0.001). By following the prevention rules, malnutrition, feeding errors, and infections can be avoided. This includes practicing proper hand hygiene for both mothers and medical staff, as well as educating and demonstrating to mothers the benefits of breastfeeding. In addition, all newborns discharged from the maternity ward should benefit from follow-up at 7-10 days of life. Our results confirm the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team and endorse promoting breastfeeding. Implementing quality control measures and regularly evaluating the surveillance program will help improve its effectiveness.

Wearable technology has been proposed as a potential tool to change the way of human life, such as the smart bracelet and the Google Glass. In the wearable technology, the inertial sensor has great significance in tracking the object movements. The paper focused on detecting the movements of user’s finger based on the inertial sensor to give the control signals. Firstly, the attitude matrix, which represented the transformation relation of carrier coordinate system and the navigation coordinate system, was obtained. Secondly, the attitude matrix was expressed based on the quaternions. Thirdly, the finger gesture was processed by the attitude matrix to get the attitude angle. Finally, the robot was controlled by attitude angle to make the moving action. The experimental results showed the detection of the finger movement is effective.

Two interesting compounds such as quaternary ammonium lignin(QAL) and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) were synthesized as ionic liquids(QP-ILs) for the extraction of metal ions. The extraction behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) from chloride solution was compared between QP-ILs and P507. The results showed that the extraction rates of Co(II) and Ni(II) in the two solutions varied with the extraction conditions, but QP-ILs has stronger extractability for cobalt than P507, while Ni is on the contrary. Under the same conditions, the Co/Ni separation performance(βCo/Ni) in QP-ILs is superior to that in p507. At pH4.0, 55℃, concentration of 20%, extraction time of 10 minutes, the βCo/Ni of QP-ILs reached to 2703, while that of P507 was only 164. In conclusion, QP-ILs was more efficient than P507 for separating Co from mixed solutions.

Brain aging causes a wide variety of changes at molecular and cellular levels, leading to the decline of cognitive functions and increased vulnerability to neurodegenerative disorders. The research aimed at understanding the aging of the brain has made much progress in recent decades. Technological innovations such as single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), proteomic analyses, and spatial transcriptomic analyses have facilitated the research on the dynamic changes occurring within neurons, glia, and other cells along with their impacts on intercellular communication during aging. In this review, we introduce recent trends of how neurons and glia change during aging and discuss the impact of the brain microenvironment such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

In this paper, we study the semilinear pseudo-parabolic equations $\displaystyle u_{t} - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u_{t} = \left|u\right|^{p-1}u$ on a manifold with conical singularity, where $\triangle _{\mathbb{B}}$ is Fuchsian type Laplace operator investigated with totally characteristic degeneracy on the boundary $x_{1} = 0$. Firstly, we discuss the invariant sets and the vacuum isolating behavior of solutions with the help of a family of potential wells. Then, we derive a threshold result of existence and nonexistence of global weak solution: for the low initial energy $J(u_{0})<d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) >0$ or $\displaystyle\Vert \nabla_{\mathbb{B}}u_{0}\Vert_{L_{2}^{\frac{n}{2}}(\mathbb{B})} = 0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$; for the critical initial energy $J(u_{0}) = d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) \geq0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$. The decay estimate of the energy functional for the global solution and the estimates of the lifespan of local solution are also given.

Multimodal remote sensing data classification can enhance the model’s ability to distinguish land features through multimodal data fusion. In this context, how to help models understand the relationship between multimodal data and target tasks is the focus of researchers. Inspired by human feedback learning mechanisms, causal reasoning mechanisms, and knowledge induction mechanisms, this paper integrates causal learning, reinforcement learning, and meta learning into a unified remote sensing data classification framework and proposed the causal meta-reinforcement learning (CMRL). First, based on feedback learning mechanisms, we have overcome the limitations of traditional implicit optimization of fusion features and customized a reinforcement learning environment for multimodal remote sensing data classification tasks. Through feedback interactive learning between agents and the environment, we help them understand the complex relationships between multimodal data and labels, thereby achieving full mining of multimodal complementary information. Second, based on the causal inference mechanism we designed causal distribution prediction action, classification reward, and causal intervention reward, capturing pure causal factors in multimodal data and cutting off false statistical associations between non-causal factors and class labels. Finally, based on the knowledge induction mechanism, we designed a bi-layer optimization mechanism based on meta-learning. By constructing a meta training task and meta validation task simulation model in the generalization scenario of unseen data, we helped the model induce cross-task shared knowledge, thereby improving its generalization ability for unseen multimodal data. The experimental results on multiple sets of multimodal datasets show that the proposed method achieved state-of-the-art performance in multimodal remote sensing data classification tasks.

Moso bamboo is famous for fast growing and biomass accumulation, as well as high annual output for timber and bamboo shoots. These high outputs require high nutrient inputs to maintain and improve stand productivity. Soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are important micronutrients for plant growth and productivity. Due to high variability of soils, analysing spatial patterns of soil N, P and K stocks is necessary for scientific nutrient management in Moso bamboo forests. In this study, soils were sampled from 138 locations across Yong’an City and ordinary kriging was applied for spatial interpolation of soil N, P and K stocks. Soil N stock showed a strong spatial dependence while soil N and P stocks presented a moderate spatial dependence, indicating soil N was mainly controlled by intrinsic factors while soil N and P stocks were controlled by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Different spatial patterns were observed for soil N, P and K stocks across the whole study area, indicating that fertilizations with different ratios of N:P:K should be applied for different sites to maintain and improve stand productivity. The total soil N, P and K stocks within 0-60 cm were 0.624, 0.020 and 0.583 Tg, respectively.

With the increasing concern of environment, the energy-efficiency scheduling of manufacturing industry is becoming urgent and popular. In turning processes, both spindle speed and processing time can affect the final energy consumption and thus the spindle speed and scheduling scheme need to be optimized simultaneously. Since the turning workshop can be regarded as the flexible flow shop, this paper formulates a mixed integer linear programming model for energy-efficient scheduling of flexible flow shop. Accordingly, a new decoding method is developed by considering of the optimization of spindle speed and scheduling scheme simultaneously, and an estimation of distribution algorithm adopting the new decoding method is proposed to solve large-size problems. The parameters of this algorithm are determined by statistical technique with a simplified practical case. In order to validate the proposed method, a case from practical factories is studied, in which the makespan can be shortened by 25.22%, and the consumed energy can be saved by 5.48%. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mathematical model and algorithm.

Lignocellulosic biomass, an abundant and renewable resource, serves as a crucial raw material for the production of biofuels, biochemicals, and various value-added products. This paper aims to develop and optimize a mild alkaline treatment of sawdust assisted by ultrasound, along with enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated material. The sonochemical pretreatment with alkali emerged as the optimal approach to enhance the susceptibility of cellulose to subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis, thereby increasing the yield of reducing sugars. A comparative study was performed using various ultrasonic applicators (horn and bath) and conventional assisted alkaline pretreatment. The ultrasonic assisted pretreatment revealed a higher delignification as 68% (horn) and 57% (bath) comparing with conventional pretreatment. Processes were optimized using a statistical analysis based on a 23 factorial design. The ratio between sawdust and alkanine solution (RSL = 0.5–1.5 g/100 mL), US amplitude (A = 20–60%), and working temperature (t = 30–50 °C) were selected as process factors. The optimal operating conditions to maximize the reducing sugar yield (138.15 mg GE /gsubstrate) were found as following: solid/liquid ratio RSL,opt = 1.25 g/100 mL, US amplitude Aopt = 60%, and and pretreatment temperature topt = 50 °C. The overall outcomes clearly confirmed the intensification of delignification by ultrasound assisted alkaline pretreatment

At 12:28 UTC (8:28 PM, local time) on 15 January 2023, a shallow, moderate earthquake with a magnitude (Mw) of 4.7 and a depth of one (1) kilometer shook the northern part of Leyte Island in the central part of the Philippines. The ground shaking was felt at PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS) VI, (very strong) equivalent to Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VI in areas along the strike of the Leyte segment of the Philippine Fault. Even though this earthquake is classified as moderate in size, significant geologic, structural, and socio-economic impacts were documented. Most of the earthquake impacts that include surface rupture, liquefaction, and mass movements are limited near the epicentral area. The earthquake produced an 8-km-long surface rupture, the first documented rupture generated by a magnitude &lt;6 along the Philippine Fault, and is unusual in other surface rupturing earthquakes worldwide. It injured 18 persons and damaged 434 residential buildings and 26 public infrastructures which amounts to about 500 thousand US dollars. Structural damages were caused by surface rupture and/or poor engineering construction practices. Analysis of the seismic waveform and recorded peak ground acceleration (PGA) suggests that the subsurface geology influenced the ground motion amplification in an area near the epicenter. Based on the hypocenter, focal mechanism solution, aftershock distribution, and actual field observation, the causative fault for this event is the northern end of the Philippine Fault – Leyte segment. Moderate in size, this earthquake emphasizes the need and importance of documenting moderate-sized earthquakes as a tool and guide for medium and long-term earthquake risk assessment and resiliency.

Background: The bacterium Capnocytophaga spp. is a part of the oral microbiome of dogs, which has zoonotic potential. This study aimed to assess factors that influence the prevalence of Capnocytophaga cynodegmi and Capnocytophaga canimorsus in Wrocaw’s dog population. Methods: Molecular detection (PCR) involved 105 swabs, examining parameters such as oral cavity condition, underlying health issues, recent antibiotics, age, medications, material collection, and dog chews. Results: The study highlighted significant associations between the presence of Capnocytophaga cynodegmi and oral cavity condition, material collection method, and use of dog’s chews. Conclusions: Correlations obtained in this study between the oral health of Wroclaw's dog population and the presence of Capnocytophaga cynodegmi suggest its significance in the oral microbiome of dogs. Limitations, including the small sample size, highlight the need for more research to comprehensively understand additional factors that affect the prevalence of Capnocytophaga spp. in dogs

A simple design of an ultrathin six-band polarization-insensitive terahertz perfect metamaterial absorber (PMMA) composed of a metal cross-cave-patch resonator (CCPR) placed over a ground plane was proposed and investigated numerically. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the average absorption peaks are up to 95% at six resonance frequencies with high quality-factors (>65). In addition, the absorption properties can be kept stability for both normal incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waves. The physical mechanism behind the observed high level absorption is illustrated by the electric and power loss density distributions. The different absorption mainly originates from the higher order multipolar and multipolar plasmon resonance of the structure, which are sharp different to the most previous studies of the PMMAs. Furthermore, the resonance absorption of the PMMA can be tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit cell.

A simple design of an ultrathin six-band polarization-insensitive terahertz perfect metamaterial absorber (PMMA) composed of a metal cross-cave-patch resonator (CCPR) placed over a ground plane was proposed and investigated numerically. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the average absorption peaks are up to 95% at six resonance frequencies with high quality-factors (>65). In addition, the absorption properties can be kept stability for both normal incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waves. The physical mechanism behind the observed high level absorption is illustrated by the electric and power loss density distributions. The different absorption mainly originates from the higher order multipolar and multipolar plasmon resonance of the structure, which are sharp different to the most previous studies of the PMMAs. Furthermore, the resonance absorption of the PMMA can be tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit cell.

The assortment of low-cost 3D printers for “in-practice” use, e.g., for clear aligner therapies, is ever increasing. To address concerns about the accuracy of orthodontic models produced on such printers when cost efficient modes of 3D printing are employed, this study examined the effect of print model body type and print angulation on accuracy. Six printing-configuration groups were included: 2 model types (solid or hollow shell) combined with 3 print angles (0°, 70°, or 90°) with 10 models/group; all models were printed with 100-µm layer thickness using a digital light processing-based 3-dimensional printer. Eleven selected structures and distances were measured on the printed models with a digital microscope and compared to the same measures on a digitized master model. The clinically-acceptability range was set at ±0.25 mm difference from the master model for single tooth measurements (intra-tooth) and ±0.5 mm for cross-arch measurements (inter-tooth). For individual measurements across all models, 98% fell within clinical acceptability. For mean measurements within each model group, only canine height for the shell-0° model had a mean difference (0.26 mm ± 0.03) outside the clinically acceptable range for intra-tooth measurements. Standard deviations for all intra-tooth measurements were within 0.07 mm. While none of the mean inter-tooth measurements exceeded the acceptability range, the standard deviations were larger (0.04 to 0.30 mm). Accuracy of orthodontic models for clear aligner therapies was not impacted beyond the clinically acceptable range when altering model body type and print angulation to improve efficiency of 3D printing. These findings suggest greater flexibility of the practitioner to alter print settings to address time and cost efficiency in various clinical scenarios and still maintain clinically acceptable model accuracy.

Background: Alfalfa, the most economically important forage legume worldwide, features modest genetic progress due to long selection cycles and large extent of non-additive genetic variance associated with its autotetraploid genome. Methods: To improve the efficiency of genomic selection in alfalfa, we explored the effects of genome parametrization (as autotetraploid and diploid dosage, plus allele ratios) and SNP marker subsetting (all available SNPs; only genic regions; only non-genic regions) on genomic regressions, together with various levels of filtering on reading depth and missing rates. We used Genotyping by Sequencing-generated data and focused on traits of different genetic complexity, i.e., dry biomass yield in moisture-favorable (FE) and drought stress (SE) environments, leaf size, and onset of flowering, assessed on 143 genotyped plants from a genetically-broad European reference population and their phenotyped half-sib progenies. Results: On average, allele ratio improved the predictive ability compared with other genome parametrizations (+7.9% vs. tetraploid dosage, +12.6% vs. diploid dosage), SNP subsetting offered an advantage compared with any tested subsettings (+3.7% vs. genic regions, +7.6% vs. non-genic regions). However, when focusing on specific traits, different combinations of genome parametrization and subsetting reached better performances. We also released Legpipe2, a SNP calling pipeline tailored for reduced representation (GBS, RAD) medium-sized genotyping experiments.

Climate change is challenging the agricultural sector worldwide. The pressure exerted by the altered thermal conditions drives the zonal shift for various cultivations. This study presents the multiyear analysis of the Growing Degree Days (GDD) index over the Northern Mediterranean Basin (NMB), focused on the high-value vine cultivation derived from the E-OBS dataset. To handle this extensive environmental dataset, R-language scripts and packages were applied, along with the capabilities of the GIS software. The investigated time period spans from 1969 to 2018, and the performed analysis indicates a broad shift/expansion in areas of GDD exceeding 2000 heat units. The extracted results specify the viticultural areas where the GDD index surpasses the suitable values for vine cultivation, owing to the increase of the thermal stress risk. In addition to mapping areas with GDD ≥ 2000, spatial calculations of the surface of areas meeting this criterion per country in the study area were made. In the northern parts of the NMB, the rise of the GDD index values indicates the establishment of vine plantations in the future.

In this article, we describe a simple procedure for evaluating the sterility of nutrient media using a shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) biosensor. We used the SH-SAW biosensor platform to monitor the time-dependent phase responses of the material for the media that binds to a monolayer of 3-mercaptopropanyl-N-hydroxy succinimide on the biosensor surface. Increases in the phase shift less than 50% of the starting phase shift recorded 180 minutes after the sterilization indicate a successful sterility test of the media. Our devices were then applied to sterility testing using a viable Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 solution to confirm our hypothesis. Filtered LB Broth was the negative control, and a 24-hour culture of E. coli was the positive control. Before testing, the cell solution was pelleted, the media decanted and then replaced with a 1x phosphate-buffered saline solution (1x PBS). Since we know that the N-hydroxysuccinimide residues will bind to amine groups, only in cases where microbial species are present will the surface binding increase greater than 50%. We confirmed our hypothesis using SH-SAW biosensors and overnight E. coli cultures. The sensitivity for our 250 MHz quartz SH-SAW sensors was calculated based on the response from the E. coli K-12 solution over the linear dynamic range, which appears to be 2x104 – 2x107 CFU per ml and has a sensitivity of S = 1.655x105 o m2 Kg-1. The limit of detection (LOD) for these sensors was calculated to be approximately 2x10-9 grams (g) which is estimated to be approximately 2,000 Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 cells. However, the sensitivity and insertion loss remained approximately unchanged before and after coating the sensor with 3,3'-Dithiobis(succinimidyl) Propionate (DSP).

Regeneration of lost tail is of great importance to lizards. Anolis carolinensis, a green lizard, is capable of regenerating its tail efficiently after autotomy. Hence, it is considered as a model organism in regeneration study. A. carolinensis shed its tail in order to distract the predator’s attention and thus makes a way to escape. Restoring of the amputated tail takes several days and the mechanism is currently clearly understood. Although save its life, tail regeneration is associated with the impairment of several vital functions in Anoles. In addition, various differences have been observed between original and regenerated tail in terms of mechanism and structure. To date, very little work has been conducted on tail autotomy and regeneration at molecular and genetic level. The genes responsible for regeneration in anoles are identified recently. These genes are evolutionarily conserved through all tetrapod vertebrates. They are, however, in a state of ‘switched-off’ in other vertebrates including humans. Consequently, a throughout study of these so called ‘switched-off’ genes may provide a way of restoring lost organs in human, and thus could revolutionize the modern medical science.

The strong competition in the automotive industry has required manufacturers to implement lean production, both with methods and techniques specific to Industry 4.0. At the same time, universities must provide graduates with specific skills for applying these new production methods and techniques. In this context, a Lean Learning Factory was developed in the Pitesti University Center, which allows students to learn, experiment, and research, in an environment similar to that of enterprises, the new Lean Manufacturing methods and techniques, and Industry 4.0. The research presented in this study had as its objective identifying the minimum number of repetitions necessary to train operators who serve two differently organized workstations, one classic, the other including digital techniques, but on which the same assembly operation is performed. Several indicators were considered in the analysis, such as the number of errors, the number of stops, the effective duration of the work cycle, and the percentage ratio between the standard duration of cyclical activities and the effective duration of the work cycle. The evolution of these indicators was mathematically modelled by regression functions, using the least squares method. The obtained results also highlight the usefulness of applying the DOJO method as a Lean manufacturing-specific learning technique and the efficiency of implementing digital techniques in work organization.

Classifying network flow subsequences in an Industrial IoT gateway is an effective method for identifying Industrial IoT faults. This paper proposes a subsequence classification algorithm SSGBUL-IKNN based on unsupervised learning encoding to address the problem of low classification accuracy. Firstly, we built a network module based on unsupervised learning to encode the flow sequence of the Industrial IoT gateway. In the encoding module, a subsequence calibration algorithm controls the increasing error during the coding process. Then, the specific fault type is obtained through an improved KNN classification algorithm based on the indication distance source from the integrated coding sequences converted by multi-dimensional network flow sequences. The test result on three Industrial IoT datasets of a sewage treatment plant shows that the accuracy of SSGBUL-IKNN in this paper exceeds 92%, significantly higher than the algorithm DTW and TSF. It reaches the classification requirements of Industrial IoT fault diagnosis.

In this paper, we study the global existence and exponential decay for a dynamic contact problem between a Timoshenko beam with second sound and two rigid obstacles, of which the heat flux is given by Cattaneo's law instead of the usual Fourier's law. The main difficulties arise from the irregular boundary terms, from the low regularity of the weak solution and from the weaker dissipative effects of heat conduction induced by Cattaneo's law. By considering related penalized problems, proving some a priori estimates and passing to the limit, we prove the global existence of the solutions. By considering the approximate framework, constructing some new functionals and applying the perturbed energy method, we obtain the exponential decay result for the approximate solution, and then prove the exponential decay rate to the original problem by utilizing the weak lower semicontinuity arguments.