The study aimed to determine the effect of heat stress (HS) on reproductive parameters [calving to first service (CTFS) and first service conception rate (FSCR)] and general physiological responses [rectal temperature (RT) and respiratory rate (RR)] in tropical Holstein Friesian dairy cows raised in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Cows were divided into a moderate HS (n = 22) and a mild HS (n = 22) group. Cycling cows were detected and injected with PGF2α at the beginning of the experimental period. Reproductive and physiological parameters were recorded. The average temperature humidity indices experienced by the cows were 80.67 ± 0.79 and 77.81 ± 1.09 for the moderate and mild HS groups, respectively. Cows showed significantly lower RT and RR in the mild (38.47 ± 0.21°C and 41.04 ± 4.55 bpm, respectively) than in the moderate HS group (38.87 ± 0.15°C and 51.17 ± 10.52 bpm). Under mild HS, cows showed a better response to injection of PGF2α than those under moderate HS. The percentage of cows that ovulated after being induced by PGF2α and showed estrus signs was higher in the mild than the moderate HS groups (54.55% versus 18.18%). Furthermore, the FSCR of cows under mild HS tended to be higher than in the moderate HS group (54.55 % and 42.11%, respectively), while the average CTFS interval was significantly shorter under mild than moderate HS (69.47 ± 18.18 and 84.60 ± 27.68, respectively). These results indicate that HS impairs reproductive performance in cross-bred Holstein cows, especially in moderate HS conditions.

This study aimed to investigate the appearance and frequencies of the booroola polymorphism of the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1b (BMPR1B) gene (FecB) and the embrapa polymorphism of the growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) gene (FecGE) in sheep in Thailand. A total of 454 cross-bred sheep blood samples were collected from four provinces in Thailand during August 2022 to July 2023. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to identify the FecB and FecGE genotype. The history of ewe birth types was collected from the owners to analyze the association between Fecundity (Fec) genotypes and the history of birth types. The genotypic frequencies of FecB for homozygous genotype (B/B), heterozygous genotype (+/B) and wild-type (+/+) were 0.22%, 1.54%, and 98.24%, respectively. Meanwhile, the genotypic frequencies of FecGE for homozygous genotype (E/E), heterozygous genotype (+/E), and wildtype (+/+) were 0.00%, 2.42%, and 97.58%, respectively. Furthermore, three ewes exhibited both FecB and FecGE genotypes. Fisher’s exact test revealed that the possessor of FecB genotype was associated with multiple births (p<0.01). Both FecB and FecGE mutations were identified in crossbred sheep in Thailand. Sheep containing FecB allele is a better candidate to be selected to improve the prolificacy of crossbred sheep in Thailand.

In this study, the on-going research into the improvement of micro-gas turbine propulsion system performance and the suitability for application as propulsion systems for small tactical UAVs (<600 kg) is investigated. The study is focused around the concept of converting existing micro turbojet engines to turbofan with the use of a continuously variable gearbox, thus maintaining a single spool configuration and relative design simplicity. This is an effort to reduce the initial engine development cost, whilst improving propulsive performance. The BMT 120 KS micro turbojet engine is selected for performance evaluation of the conversion process using gas turbine performance software, GasTurb13. The preliminary design of a matched low-pressure compressor (LPC) for the proposed engine is then performed using meanline calculation methods. According to the analysis carried out, an improvement in the converted micro gas turbine engine performance in terms of thrust and specific fuel consumption is achieved. Furthermore, with the introduction of a CVT gearbox, fan speed operation may be adjusted independently of the core, allowing increased thrust generation or better fuel consumption. Therefore, enabling a wider gamut of operating conditions and enhances the performance and scope of tactical UAV.

The Dph1•Dph2 heterodimer from yeast is a radical SAM (RS) enzyme that generates the 3-amino-3-carboxy-propyl (ACP) precursor for diphthamide, a clinically relevant modification on eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). ACP formation requires SAM cleavage and atypical Cys-bound Fe-S clusters in each Dph1 and Dph2 subunit. Intriguingly, the first Cys residue in each motif locates next to another, ill-defined cysteine that we show in-here is conserved across eukaryotes. As judged from structural modeling, the orientation of these tandem cysteine motifs (TCM) suggests a candidate Fe-S cluster ligand role. Hence, we generated by site-directed DPH1 and DPH2 mutagenesis, Dph1•Dph2 variants with cysteines from each TCM replaced individually or in combination by serines. Assays diagnostic for diphthamide formation in vivo reveal that while single substitutions in the TCM of Dph2 cause mild defects, double mutations almost entirely inactivate the RS enzyme. Based on enhanced Dph1 and Dph2 subunit instability in response to cycloheximide chases, the variants with Cys substitutions in their cofactor motifs are particularly prone to protein degradation. In sum, we identify a fourth functionally cooperative Cys residue within the Fe-S motif of Dph2 and show that the Cys-based cofactor binding motifs in Dph1 and Dph2 are critical for the structural integrity of the dimeric RS enzyme in vivo.

Background: The Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score was developed to identify stroke-related patent foramen ovale (PFO) in patients with cryptogenic stroke. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the 2016 to 2020 National Inpatient Sample to determine the performance of modified RoPE score for PFO presence in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Results: A total of 3,338,805 hospital admissions for AIS were analysed and 3.0% had PFO. Patients with PFO were younger compared to those without PFO (median 63 years vs. 71 years, p&lt;0.001) and fewer were female (46.1% vs. 49.7%, p&lt;0.001). The patients with PFO had greater mean modified RoPE score (4.0 vs. 3.3, p&lt;0.001). The area under the curve for the RoPE score in predicting PFO was 0.625 (95%CI 0.620-0.629). The best diagnostic power of the RoPE score was achieved with a cut point of ≥4 where the sensitivity was 55% and the specificity was 64.2%. A cut point of ≥5 increased specificity (83.1%) at the expense of sensitivity (35.8%). The strongest predictor of PFO was deep vein thrombosis (OR 3.97, 95%CI 3.76-4.20). Conclusions: The modified RoPE score had modest predictive value in identifying patients with PFO among patients admitted with AIS.

To make wind power more competitive, it is necessary to reduce turbine downtime and reduce costs associated with wind turbine Operation and Maintenance (O&amp;M). Incorporating machine learning in developing condition-based predictive maintenance methodologies for wind turbines can enhance their efficiency and reliability. This paper presents a monitoring method that utilizes Base Density for the Support Vector Machine (BDSVM) and the evolutionary Fourier spectra of vibrations. This method allows smart monitoring of the function evolution of the turbine. A complex optimal function (FO) for 5-degree order has been developed that will be the boundary function of the BDSVM to timely determine the magnitude, frequency, and place of the failure occurring in wind turbine drive.

Heterometallic rare-earth clusters have garnered much attention because of their interest-ing solid-state structures and versatile applications in catalysis and material and polymer chemistry over the last four decades. Particular interest is rare earth–transition metal co-ordination compounds that behave as single-molecule magnets (SMMs) because of their potential use in information storage, spintronic devices, and magnetic refrigeration sys-tems. Another implementation involves using lanthanide clusters in luminescent-based sensing for environmental protection and security screening or in photocatalytic energy conversion reactions. Heterometallic rare earth complexes offer the promise of catalytic performance of many organic reactions due to their high oxygenophilicity, Lewis acidity, high coordination numbers, and ability to change the coordination environment quickly. Therefore, they are commonly applied as catalysts in asymmetric synthesis, oxidation re-actions, and CO2 conversions or as initiators in ring-opening polymerization and copoly-merization of cyclic monomers. They are also attractive single-source molecular precur-sors for functional inorganic materials. This review focused on the unique features and properties of the heterometallic rare earth complexes, which are closely correlated with their molecular structure. Our summary is a valuable resource, providing researchers with an insightful exploration of the heterometallic rare-earth complexes that demonstrated multimetallic synergy and cooperativity effects in various 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.

In this paper, we studied the problem of early detection of natural phenomena associated with the formation of severe floods and the possibility of constant monitoring of their occurrence. The test object for the study was severe floods on the Crimean Peninsula, which occurred due to heavy rainfall in the summer of 2021. Based on the selected satellite and other data related to this period, an analysis carried out and key atmospheric objects identified, according to the proposed algorithm for their identification and grouping. Based on the results of the work, a positive conclusion made on the issue of their use to identify the likelihood of natural disasters that could lead to floods. In addition, the authors proposed to develop a portal for collecting and processing a large amount of satellite data related to flood prevention and monitoring the development of such processes, and stressed the need to create it.

The attitude dynamics and orbit dynamics of large rigid space structures are coupled with each other under gravity gradient, which may affect the stability of the large rigid space structures. In this paper, the gravity gradient stability of a large rigid space structure is studied under both small and large disturbances. Based on the rigid body dynamics and orbit dynamics, an accurate dynamic model without any linearization of the large rigid space structure is established via the natural coordinate formulation (NCF), which is able to describe the large overall motions of the structures. By using the generalized-α algorithm, the gravity gradient stability of the large rigid space structure is simulated and analyzed via various examples, including the influence of large disturbance angles, the positions at the stabilization and unstabilization regions. Finally, the relationship between spinning stability and gravity gradient stability is also investigated via a large spinning space structure.

In this paper, we first discuss the research status and application progress of the finite element method and the smoothed particle method. By analyzing the advantages of the smoothed particle method and the finite element method, a new coupling algorithm, namely FEM-SPH algorithm, is proposed. By the method of comparison, it shows that finite element method and SPH method in the simulation of large deformation problems each have advantages and disadvantages, the finite element method smoothed particle coupling algorithm is effective to achieve the performance of high computational efficiency and can naturally simulate large deformation problems across. In the process of calculation, the large deformation unit can be freely into an algorithm to facilitate the calculation accuracy and efficiency of three methods of numerical simulation. Through the study found, FEM-SPH algorithm not only overcome the defect of smooth particle tensile instability, but also overcomes the problem of low efficiency of finite element computation. To further test the FEM-SPH algorithm has advantages in the practical engineering, we have carried out the actual test to the example of the super high speed collision, concluded that, since the target of most of the computational domain is always finite element, smoothed particle focused only in contact with the projectile and target of local area, particle number is not much, the whole calculation process just ten minutes, computational efficiency has been greatly improved, at the same time in the simulation of large deformation, the advantage is very obvious .This provides a criterion for the actual project, depending on the specific material deformation mode and choose a more appropriate conversion algorithm.

This paper proposes a solution for the development of microclimate monitoring for Low Voltage / High Voltage switchgear using the PRTG Internet of Things (IoT) platform. This IoT-based real time monitoring system can enable predictive maintenance to reduce the risk of electrical station malfunctions due to unfavorable environmental conditions. The combination of humidity and dust can lead to unplanned electrical discharges along the isolators inside a low or medium voltage electric table. If no predictive measures are taken, the situation may deteriorate and lead to significant damage inside and outside the switchgear cell. Thus, the mentioned situation can lead to unprogrammed maintenance interventions that can conduct to the change of the entire affected switchgear cell. Using a low-cost and efficient system, the climate conditions inside and outside the switchgear is monitored and transmitted remotely to a monitoring center. From the results obtained using a 365-day time interval, we can conclude that the proposed system is integrated successfully in the switchgear maintaining process, having as result the reducing of maintenance costs.

The increasing availability of longitudinal data (repeated numerical observations of same units at different times) requires the development of flexible techniques to automatically detect common errors in such data. Besides obvious and easily identifiable cases, such as missing or out-of-range data, large longitudinal dataset often present problems not easily traceable by the techniques used for generic datasets. In particular, elusive and baffling problems are i) inversion of one or more values from one unit to another; ii) anomalous jumps in the series of values, iii) errors in the timing of the values due to a recalculation operated by the data providers to compensate previous errors. This work proposes a statistical-mathematical approach based on a system of indicators that is able to capture the complexity of the described problems by working at the formal level, regardless of the specific meaning of the data. The proposed approach identifies suspect erroneous data and is applicable in a variety of contexts. We implement this approach in a relevant database of European Higher Education institutions (ETER) by analyzing Total academic staff, that is one of the most important variables, used in empirical analysis as proxy of size and also considered by policy makers at European level.

Sixteen crossbred rabbits (New Zealand white x Thai native breed) were randomly divided into two groups of eight to determine the effects of daily oral administration of crude extracts from the butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) from weaning (at 35 days) to slaughter (at 90 days). Effects on phagocytic activity of blood polymorphoneuclear leukocytes, serum biochemistry, meat quality, muscular lipid peroxidation, apparent digestibility, and gut histology were studied. The results revealed that the phagocytic function of circulating leukocytes (75 and 90 days) and alveolar macrophages (90 days) did not differ between the two groups. At slaughter, treated rabbits had lower blood urea nitrogen concentrations and higher liver weight than control rabbits (p &lt; 0.05). After chilling at 4°C for 24 hours, lower meat pH and alteration of meat color (a brighter, less yellow, Hue angle and color saturation) were observed in the treated group (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, lipid peroxidation (measured at 3, 5 and 7 storage days) in the meat of treated rabbits was lower than in controls (p &lt; 0.05). Apparent digestibility (analyzed at 46 days for four days) revealed improved organic matter and ether extracts in the treated group (p &lt; 0.05), whereas gut histology was unaffected. In conclusion, butterfly pea extract supplementation did not affect phagocytic function but led to a modification in meat color, delayed lipid peroxidation, and improved digestibility.

Global teacher shortage is a serious concern with grave implications for the future of education. This calls for novel ways of addressing teacher roles. The economic benefits of tireless labour inspires the need for teachers who are unlimited by natural human demands, highlighting consideration for the affordances of robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) as currently obtainable in other areas of human life. This however demands designing robotic personalities that can take on independent teacher roles despite strong opinions that robots will not be able to fully replace humans in the classroom of the future. In this paper, we argue for a future classroom with independent robot teachers, highlighting the minimum capabilities required of such personalities in terms of personality, instructional delivery, social interaction and affect. We describe our project on the design of a robot teacher based on these. Possible directions for future system development and studies are highlighted.

This paper gives an overview of the large-scale tectonic styles encountered in orogens worldwide. Thin-skinned and thick-skinned tectonics represent two end member styles recognized in mountain ranges. Both styles are encountered in former passive margins of continental plates. Thick-skinned style including the entire crust and possibly the lithospheric mantle are associated with intracontinental contraction. Delamination of subducting continental crust and horizontal protrusion of upper plate crust into the opening gap occurs in the terminal stage of continent-continent collision. Continental crust thinned prior to contraction is likely to develop relatively thin thrust sheets of crystalline basement. A true thin-skinned type requires a detachment layer of sufficient thickness. Thickness of the décollement layer as well as the mechanical contrast between décollement layer and detached cover control the style of folding and thrusting within the detached cover units. In subduction-related orogens, thin- and thick-skinned deformation may occur several hundreds of kilometers from the plate contact zone. Basin inversion resulting from horizontal contraction may lead to the formation of basement uplifts by the combined reactivation of pre-existing normal faults and initiation of new reverse faults. In most orogens thick-skinned and thin-skinned structures both occur and evolve with a pattern where nappe stacking propagates outward and downward

Human-Computer Interaction, including technology-aided instruction, is beginning to focus on virtual reality (VR) technology due to its ability to support immersive learning, teaching through simulation, and gamification of learning. These systems can deliver high-level multisensory learning experiences that are important in the teaching of many subjects, especially those involving abstract concepts or requiring spatial skills, such as organic chemistry. Haptic experiences with VR, however, remain a challenge. In addition, development have focused on general entertainment/gaming; VR systems in chemistry implement simulations of the chemistry laboratory and other advanced systems whereas those that support safe, game-like, immersive and multisensory learning of organic chemistry with haptics at pre-university education levels are scarce. We developed the VR Multisensory Classroom (VRMC) as an immersive learning environment within a VR head-mounted display, where learners employ hand movements to build hydrocarbon molecules and experience haptic feedback through gloves with built-in sensors and hand-tracking with the Leap Motion system. We report here the evaluation of the first prototype by learners from diverse backgrounds who reported on the ability of the VRMC to support high engagement, motivation, interest and organic chemistry learning as well as diverse learning styles. The VRMC is a novel VR classroom that supports immersive learning in molecular organic chemistry with haptics for multisensory learning.

Underwater visual detection technology plays a pivotal role in fields such as marine exploration. With the increasing demand for underwater monitoring, the quest for efficient and reliable methods for underwater target recognition has become particularly significant. To address this requirement, this study developed an innovative underwater object detection architecture based on YOLOv8, named YOLOv8-MU, aimed at significantly enhancing detection accuracy.By integrating the LarK module proposed in UniRepLKNet to optimize the backbone network, YOLOv8-MU aims to achieve a larger receptive field without increasing the model’s depth. Further, this research introduces C2fSTR, an innovative method that combines Swin Transformer with the C2f module. Additionally, we have incorporated the SPPFCSPC_EMA module, which combines Cross-Stage Partial Fast Spatial Pyramid Pooling (SPPFCSPC) with attention mechanisms, significantly improving the detection accuracy and robustness of various biological targets. Moreover, by introducing a fusion block based on DAMO-YOLO into the neck of the model, we further enhanced the model’s capability in multi-scale feature extraction. Finally, the adoption of the MPDIoU loss function, designed around vertex distance, effectively tackles the challenges of localization accuracy and boundary clarity in underwater organism detection. Experimental results on the URPC2019 dataset demonstrate that the YOLOv8-MU model achieved an [email protected] of 78.4%, marking improvements of 5.6%, 1.1%, and 4.0% over YOLOv5s, YOLOv7, and YOLOv8n respectively, indicating the leading performance (SOTA) of this method. On the other hand, further evaluation on the URPC2020 dataset confirmed the generalization capability of the YOLOv8-MU architecture, with its [email protected] reaching 80.4%, surpassing various models including YOLOv5x and YOLOv8n, showcasing the wide applicability of our proposed improved model architecture.

External hoof characteristics, balance, and conformation have been extensively studied in horses; however, mules remain understudied in these aspects. This study evaluated the size, shape, and symmetry of untrimmed and unshod forelimb hooves, compared the symmetry between forelimb hooves and stratified external forelimb hoof measurements based on the body condition score of mules raised in the foothill plains of northern Thailand. The forelimb hooves of 38 mules were photographed and 33 parameters, including angular and linear measurements, were analyzed. Despite the absence of shoeing and trimming, these mules exhibited optimal left-right forelimb hoof symmetry, with no significant (p < 0.05) differences in: outer wall length and inner wall length (OWL - IWL); sole length and sole width (SLS - SW); dorsal hoof wall length and heel length (DHWL - HL); and frog length and frog width (FL - FW). However, significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed within each body condition score group for forelimb hoof measurements for DHWL, IWL, heel separation (HS), heel bulb distance (HBD), SW, FW, and FL. These findings provide valuable insights into mule welfare and management, contributing to understanding of the interplay between overall health and hoof conformation in the study area.

The article discusses early diagnosis and intervention for developmental delays in children, emphasizing the role of specialized services and personnel in supporting recovery and development. It presents findings from a pilot project initiated in Bucharest, aiming to assess the incidence of developmental delays in children aged 1-3 years in selected kindergartens, including ASD. The study involved children, parents, and specialists, utilizing systematic behavior observation (SBO) and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that out of 613 evaluated children, 81 received specialized control recommendations, with 4 cases showing potential risk of ASD. Additionally, 8 children were diagnosed with autism. The incidence of autism in children aged 1-3 years was 1 in 51. Although exploratory, these findings suggest a model of good practice for future early diagnosis campaigns nationally. Conclusively, the study underscores the importance of early diagnosis and intervention for developmental delays, advocating for a responsive community and emphasizing the significance of national-level efforts to address these issues effectively.

Caribbean SIDS are among the most vulnerable to climate change which will have a disproportionate impact on local environments and economies. Whilst there is a growing literature on how Caribbean SIDS can adapt to become more resilient a question that has received little attention is with regard to migration as an unplanned response. It is recognised that events such as hurricanes and flooding can lead to internal relocation in the short term but societal responses to droughts through migration have not generally been investigated. This paper seeks to address this by considering the case of the island of Carriacou, part of the state of Grenada. Carriacou with its small population, limited land area and local economy, historically based on agriculture has had a high degree of migration. This is in part a response to limited economic opportunities. Environmental stress manifest through limited water availability, inappropriate land management and social conditions is likely to be exacerbated by climate change and variability. Resultant increases in the frequency and intensity of droughts, in the absence of proactive interventions, are likely to result in non-linear migration, both to Grenada itself and beyond.

Lyme carditis (LC) is a manifestation of the early disseminated stage of Lyme disease and often presents as high-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. High-degree AV block in LC can be treated with antibiotics, usually resolving with highly favourable prognosis, thus preventing the unnecessary implantation of permanent pacemakers. We present a systematic approach to the diagnosis and management of LC that implements the Suspicious Index in Lyme Carditis (SILC) risk stratification score.

With recent focus on deep neural network architectures for development of algorithms for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), we provide a review of studies within the last 3 years (2015-2017) reported in selected top journals and conferences. 29 studies that met our inclusion criteria were reviewed to identify trends in this field and to inform future development. Studies have focused mostly on cancer-related diseases within internal medicine while diseases within gender-/age-focused fields like gynaecology/pediatrics have not received much focus. All reviewed studies employed image datasets, mostly sourced from publicly available databases (55.2%) and few based on data from human subjects (31%) and non-medical datasets (13.8%), while CNN architecture was employed in most (70%) of the studies. Confirmation of the effect of data manipulation on quality of output and adoption of multi-class rather than binary classification also require more focus. Future studies should leverage collaborations with medical experts to aid future with actual clinical testing with reporting based on some generally applicable index to enable comparison. Our next steps on plans for CAD development for osteoarthritis (OA), with plans to consider multi-class classification and comparison across deep learning approaches and unsupervised architectures were also highlighted.

We present a hierarchical reinforcement learning (RL) architecture that employs various low-level agents to act in the trading environment, i.e. the market. The highest level agent selects among a group of specialised agents, and then the selected agent decides when to sell or buy a single asset for some period. This period can be variable according to a termination function. We hypothesized that due to different market regimes, more than one single agent is needed when trying to learn from such heterogeneous data, and instead, multiple agents will perform better, with each one specialising in a subset of the data. We use $k-means$ clustering to partition the data and train each agent with a different cluster. Partitioning the input data also helps model-based RL (MBRL), where models can be heterogeneous. We also add two simple decision-making models to the set of low-level agents, diversifying the pool of available agents and thus increasing overall behaviour flexibility. We perform multiple experiments showing the strengths of a hierarchical approach and test various prediction models at both levels. We also use a risk-based reward at the high level, which transforms the overall problem into a risk-return optimization. This type of reward shows a significant reduction in risk while minimally reducing profits. Overall, the hierarchical approach shows significant promise, especially when the pool of low-level agents is highly diverse.

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has achieved significant results in many Machine Learning (ML) benchmarks. In this short survey we provide an overview of DRL applied to trading on financial markets, including a short meta-analysis using Google Scholar, with an emphasis on using hierarchy for dividing the problem space as well as using model-based RL to learn a world model of the trading environment which can be used for prediction. In addition, multiple risk measures are defined and discussed, which not only provide a way of quantifying the performance of various algorithms, but they can also act as (dense) reward-shaping mechanisms for the agent. We discuss in detail the various state representations used for financial markets, which we consider critical for the success and efficiency of such DRL agents. The market in focus for this survey is the cryptocurrency market.

Surface water distribution extracted from remote sensing data has been used in water resource assessment, coastal management, and environmental change studies. Traditional manual methods for extracting water bodies cannot satisfy the requirements for mass processing of remote sensing data; therefore, accurate automated extraction of such water bodies has remained a challenge. The histogram bimodal method (HBM) is a frequently used objective tool for threshold selection in image segmentation. The threshold is determined by seeking twin peaks, and the valley values between them; however, automatically calculating the threshold is difficult because complex surfaces and image noise which lead to not perfect twin peaks (single or multiple peaks). We developed an operational automated water extraction method, the modified histogram bimodal method (MHBM). The MHBM defines the threshold range of water extraction through mass static data; therefore, it does not require the identification of twin histogram peaks. It then seeks the minimum values in the threshold range to achieve automated threshold. We calibrated the MHBM for many lakes in China using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images, for which the relative error (RE) and squared correlation coefficient (R2) for threshold accuracy were found to be 2.1% and 0.96, respectively. The RE and root-mean-square error (RMSE) for the area accuracy of MHBM were 0.59% and 7.4 km2. The results show that the MHBM could easily be applied to mass time-series remote sensing data to calculate water thresholds within water index images and successfully extract the spatial distribution of large water bodies automatically.

Natural language Processing (NLP) has significantly transformed in the last decade, especially in the field of Language Modeling. Large Language Models (LLMs) have achieved SOTA performances on Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and Natural Language Generation (NLG) tasks by learning language representation in self-supervised ways. This paper provides a comprehensive survey to capture the progression of advances in Language Models. In this paper, we examine the different aspects of Language Models, which started with a few million parameters but have reached the size of a trillion in a very short time. We also look at how these LLMs transitioned from task-specific to task-independent to task-and-language-independent architectures. This paper extensively discusses different pre-training objectives, benchmarks, and transfer learning methods used in LLMs. It also examines different fine-tuning and In-Context learning techniques used in downstream tasks. It also explores how LLMs can perform well across many domains and datasets if sufficiently trained on a large and diverse dataset. Next, it discusses how, over time, the availability of cheap computational power and large datasets have improved LLM’s capabilities and raised new challenges. As part of our study, we also inspect LLMs from the lens of scalability to see how their performance is affected by the model’s depth, width, and data size. Lastly, we provide an empirical comparison of existing trends and techniques and a comprehensive analysis of where the field of LLM currently stand.

The case of a virtual bosonic scalar field phi(x) gravitationally coupled in a conformally flat spacetime is investigated. The action S is known to be Weyl invariant only for specific expressions of the potential V(phi). In the conformally flat FLRW case the harmonic angular frequency omega_k(eta) becomes uniquely temporally independent. Therefore any inertial observers embedded in a conformally flat FLRW spacetime all agree on the choice of virtual vacuum states. We postulate that the wavenumber k must be quantized in order to be able to regulate the vev by zeta regularization. Some fundamental implications of this result is derived, and likely conclusions drawn.

Testosterone (T), the principal androgen secreted by the testes, plays an essential role in male health. Male hypogonadism is diagnosed based on a combination of associated clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory confirmation of low circulating T levels. In this review we have highlighted factors, both biological and analytical, that introduce variation into the measurement of serum T concentrations in men; these need to be considered when requesting T levels and interpreting results. There is an ongoing need for analytical standardisation of T assays and harmonisation of pre- and post-analytical laboratory practices, particularly in relation to the laboratory reference intervals provided to clinicians. Further, there is a need to share with service users the most up-to-date and evidence-based action thresholds for serum T as recommended in the literature. Estimation of free testosterone may be helpful. Causes of secondary hypogonadism should be considered. A comprehensive approach is required in the management of male hypogonadism, including lifestyle modification, as well as medication where appropriate. The goal of treatment is resolution of symptoms as well as optimisation of metabolic, cardiovascular and bone health. The advice of an endocrinologist should be sought, where there is doubt about the cause and appropriate management of the hypogonadism.

Background: Assessing the impact of bone health clinical management in breast cancer (BC) patients receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy and designing a personalized clinical pathway to reduce bone loss, in an Italian research hospital. Methods: The primary endpoint was to assess (through the process improvement organizational method) the clinical pathway that post-surgical BC patients prescribed with endocrine therapy undergo to prevent bone loss. The secondary endpoint was to design a personalized clinical pathway for a prompt implementation of guidelines, to assess and possibly prescribe antiresorptive therapy. Results: During the first year of the new diagnostic therapeutic assistance pathway execution, an 60% increase in Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry evaluations within 30 days and a 39.5% increase in antiresorptive therapy prescription within 90 days (since prescription of endocrine therapy) were shown, thus increasing patients’ compliance. Conclusion: Case managers and bone health specialists in this context can improve patients’ adherence to therapies and bone health, helping physicians to expand their collaboration.

Given the opportunities offered by foreign investment in energy infrastructure mostly by Chinese firms, the Government of Cambodia is giving high priority to developing hydropower resources for reducing energy poverty and powering economic growth. Using a “Political ecology of the Asian drivers” framework, this paper assesses China’s involvement in the development of large dams’ in Cambodia and its impacts on the access of natural resources such as water and energy by dam builders, local communities and the government. This analysis is based on 61 interviews and 10 focus group discussions with affected communities, institutional actors, Chinese dam builders and financiers in relation to the first large Chinese dam built in Cambodia, the Kamchay dam. Based on the results of the analysis this paper makes recommendations on how to improve the planning, implementation and governance of large dams to ensure that the dams’ benefits are shared more equally.

Low-frequency electromagnetic induction (EMI) is a non-invasive geophysical method that is based on the induction of electromagnetic (EM) waves into the subsurface to quantify changes in electrical conductivity. In this study we present an open (design details and software are accessible) and modular system for the collection of EMI data. The instrument proposed allows to adjust the separations between the transmitter and up to four receiving antennas as well as the acquisition frequency (in the range between 3 and 50 kHz) to permit measurements with variable depth of investigation. The sensor provides access to raw data and the software described in this study allows control of the signal processing chain. The design specifications permit apparent conductivity measurements in the range of between 1 mS/m and 1000 mS/m, with a resolution of 1.0 mS/m and with a sampling rate of up to 10 samples per second. The sensor allows for a synchronous acquisition of a time stamp and a location stamp for each data sample. The sensor has a mass of less than 5 kg, is portable and suitable for 1-person operation, provides 4 hours of operation time on one battery charge, and provides sufficient rigidity for practical field operations.

Large-span post-tensioned (PT) beams play a crucial role in maximizing the benefits of post-tensioning techniques. Bonded and unbonded systems are prevalent, with the latter being more widespread in the United States. While bonded systems are advantageous for creating long spans when multiple tendons are grouped in ducts, limited literature exists on their demolition. In a case study, this paper addresses the unique challenge of demolishing large-span bonded post-tensioned beams due to a building's functional change. Emphasizing insights for engineers, it explores the use of cutting and dismantling methods, considering the presence of prestressed cables. The demolition process is distinctive due to the presence of numerous pre-stressed cables along the beams, necessitating a specialized and cautious cutting approach. This is accomplished through the use of a drilling technique that selectively distresses the tendons, ensuring they are not all affected simultaneously. An intriguing observation discussed in this paper pertains to the occurrence of horizontal cracks accompanied by loud sounds following the drilling process, offering insights from the design perspective of PT systems. The paper details an innovative method for safely demolishing large-span bonded PT beams, using ground-penetrating radar and computer models to navigate structural complexities and ensure nearby structures' safety.

Background: This study retrospective evaluates patients with stage IV melanoma treated with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab combination therapy from two regional oncology centers from Romania between the years of 2019 up to the end of 2022. Methods: The data were analyzed in SAS for Windows, V9.4. The survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival distributions were compared with log-rank test. The effects of the main clinical and pathological variables on OS and PFS were investigated with Cox regression. Results: Kaplan-Meier curve of OS in all evaluable patients enrolled in the study resulted in a median OS of 346 days (95% CI: 150-NA) and a median PFS of 211 days (95% CI: 113-430). 45.3% of the patients experienced adverse events during the Nivolumab + Ipilimumab treatment with some of them having multiple organ systems involved. Discussion: The OS values were lower than that reported in approval clinical trials, but the results show a marked improvement when comparing to results obtained by chemotherapy regimens previously used in these scenarios. Conclusion: This study provides real-world insights into the survival data and safety profiles of combination therapy with anti-PD-1 antibodies and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies.

Background. Until now, cost of allergy treatment in insured public health care system and non-insured self-financing private health care system in Indonesia has not been well documented and published, as well as the cost of allergy treatment with subcutaneous immunotherapy. Objective. To evaluate the clinical and cost benefits of allergic rhinitis treatment in children with subcutaneous immunotherapy in non-insured self-financing private health care system. Methods. A retrospective cohort study conducted from 2015 until 2020, compared clinical improvement and health care costs over 18 months in newly diagnosed AR children who received SCIT versus matched AR control subjects who did not receive SCIT, with each group consisting of 1,098 subjects Results. Decrease of sp-HDM-IgE level (kU/ml) from 20.5 + 8.75 kU/ml to 12.1 + 3.07 kU/ml had been observed in the SCIT group. To reduce the symptom score of allergic rhinitis by 1.0 with SCIT it costs IDR 21,753,062.7 per child, for non SCIT it costs IDR 104,147,878.0 per child. Meanwhile, to reduce the medication score (MS) by 1.0 with SCIT it costs Rp. 17,024,138.8 while with non SCIT it costs Rp. 104,147,878.0. Meanwhile, to lower combination symptoms and medication score (CSMS) by 1.0, with SCIT it costs IDR 9,550,126.6, while with non SCIT it costs IDR 52,073,938.9. Conclusion. In conclusion, this first Indonesia-based study demonstrates substantial health care cost savings associated with SCIT for children with AR in an uninsured private health care system and provides strong evidence for the clinical benefits and cost-savings benefits of AR treatment in children.

The article examines the relationship between household food waste and GDP in various European regions, aiming to determine how economic prosperity influences household food waste levels. Using comparative analysis of secondary and tertiary data, we developed a synthetic indicator (IpFW), to assess the interaction between GDP per capita and household food waste per capita. Despite expectations, higher GDP did not consistently correlate with lower food waste, challenging assumptions about economic prosperity and environmental stewardship. The research underscores the complex interplay between economic factors and food waste management, revealing no significant correlation even at regional levels. It also highlights the potential of e-commerce in enhancing food waste reduction strategies. E-commerce platforms can optimize food supply chains and consumer behavior, contributing to more sustainable consumption patterns. The conclusions call for a reevaluation of policies and suggest that integrating e-commerce could bolster efforts to manage food waste more effectively, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The reconstruction of traffic accidents has grown as an interdisciplinary field since the first accident occurred. Various methods have been developed over time, starting with primary data collected at the scene of the accident. In this work, I proposed a method by which the value of the force in the safety belt buckle can be determined when it is equipped with a pretensioning system with pyrotechnic trigger in the tube, PBP or PLP type. The anti-return system of the pretensioner mechanism, which prevents the passenger's body from moving forward, contains a set of balls that block the movement of the piston in the pretensioner tube after its activation. When limiting the movement, the force the human body exerts on the safety belt webbing is transformed into the deformation of the pretensioner tube by the balls of the anti-return system. Depending on the magnitude of the force, the marks left by the balls differ. I propose a relationship of dependence between the acting force and the deformation of the tube. An experimental test bench was created to perform shock traction tests on the pre-tensioning system, under similar conditions to those of the human body acting on the belt in case of a frontal collision. Following the tests, the force value of the seat belt buckle cable and the diameter of the spherical indentations that the balls left in the pretensioner tube were measured. A mathematical model was proposed to determine the normal force with which a ball from the anti-return system deforms the tube. The normal force was also determined by two other methods specific to contact mechanics and used in the specialized literature. By comparing the normal forces obtained by the three methods, a good correlation between the proposed mathematical model and the Komvopoulos-Ye method resulted, the "Hardness" method not being suitable for this study. The determined polynomial regression curve allows finding out the force in the cable of the closer depending on the size of the deformations produced by the balls in the tube. The forces in the belt webbing can be thus determined and biomechanics specialists can evaluate the injuries to the chest and abdomen of the occupants of a vehicle.

De novo regeneration of Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis) using tissue culture techniques remains unreliable and infrequent. Conventional methods for the regeneration and transformation of cannabis have not achieved the reliability and replicability needed to be integrated into research and breeding programs. Protoplast systems are effective for gene expression studies, transformation and genome editing technologies, and opens the possibility of somatic hybridization to create interspecific hybrids. To date, leaf-derived protoplast have been isolated for transient gene expression studies, but attempts at protoplast-to-plant regeneration have not been reported. The present study aims to test the efficacy of using a callus culture system, as an abundant source for protoplast isolation and lays the groundwork for a protoplast-to-plant regeneration system. Using hypocotyl-derived callus cultures, which are known to have relatively greater regenerative potential, the efficacy of protoplast isolation and initial cell division were assessed. In this study, the effect of 2-aminoindane-2-phosphonic acid (AIP) in callus culture media and the effect of subculture frequency on protoplast yield were assessed. This study found that inclusion of AIP at 1 mM resulted in a 334% increase in protoplast yield compared with AIP-free medium, representing the first known use of AIP in cannabis tissue culture. Inclusion of AIP led to a 28% decrease in total soluble phenolics and 52% decrease in tissue browning compared to the control medium. Lastly, a two-phase culture system for protoplast regeneration was tested. At a concentration of 2.0×10^5 protoplasts per mL, division was observed, providing the first know report of cell division from cannabis protoplasts and setting the stage for future development of a protoplast-to-plant regeneration system.

Sexual vs asexual reproduction—unisexual vs bisexual populations—diploid vs polyploid biotypes—genetic vs environmental sex determination: all these natural phenomena are associated with the genus of teleost fish, Carassius. Two Carassius entities with completely different biological characteristics exist: one globally widespread and invasive Carassius gibelio, and the other C. carassius with decreasing trend of natural occurrence. Comprehensive biological and cytogenetic knowledge of both entities, including the physical interactions between them, can help to balance advantages of highly invasive and disadvantages of threatened species. For example, benefits of a wide-ranged colonization can lead toward extinction of native species or be compensated by parasitic enemies and lead to equilibrium. This review emphasizes the comprehensive biology and cytogenetic knowledge and importance of the Carassius genus as one of the most useful experimental vertebrate models for evolutionary biology and genetics. Secondly, the review points out that effective molecular cytogenetics should be used for identification of various species, ploidy levels, and hybrids. The proposed investigation of these hallmark characteristics in Carassius may be applied in conservation efforts to sustain threatened populations in their native ranges. Also, the review focuses on consequences of co-occurrence of native and non-native species and outlines future perspectives of Carassius research.

There is a need to find methods to intensify the anaerobic digestion process. One possibility is the use of pre-treatment techniques. Many laboratory tests confirm their effectiveness, but in most cases, there is no verification work carried out on industrial plants. The aim of the research carried out under laboratory conditions and on a large scale was to determine the technological and energy efficiency of the use of hydrodynamic cavitation in the pre-treatment of a waste mixture from dairy farms. It has been shown that hydrodynamic cavitation significantly increases the concentration of organic compounds in the dissolved phase. In the most effective variants, the increase in the content of these indicators was over 90% for both COD and TOC. The degree of solubilisation achieved was 49±2.6% for COD and almost 52±4.4% for TOC. Under laboratory conditions, the highest effects of anaerobic digestion were achieved after 10 minutes of pre-treatment. The amount of biogas was on average 367±18 mL/gCOD and the amount of methane 233±13 mL/gCOD. Further large-scale optimisation trials showed that after 8 minutes of hydrodynamic cavitation, the biogas yield was 327±8 L/kgCOD with a CH4 content of 62.9±1.9%. With this variant, the net energy yield was 66.4±2.6 kWh/day, a value that was 13.9% higher than the original variant with 10 minutes of disintegration and 3.1% higher than the variant without pre-treatment.

Psoriasis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory autoimmune pathology, with a major genetic component and several interferences of immunological cells and their cytokines. The complex orchestration of psoriasis pathogenesis is related to the synergic effect of immune cells, polygenic alterations, the presence of autoantigens and several external factors. The major act of IL-23/IL-17 axis, strongly influencing the inflammatory pattern established during the disease activity, is visible as a continuous perpetuation of the pro-inflammatory response and keratinocyte activation and proliferation leading to the development of psoriatic lesions. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) along offered a better view of psoriasis pathogenic pathways, with approximately one third of psoriasis genetic impact on psoriasis development is associated to MHC region, with genetic loci located on chromosome 6. The most eloquent genetic factor of psoriasis, PSORS1, was identified in the MHC I site. Between the several factors involved in its complex etiology, dysbiosis, due to genetic or external stimulus, exhibiting less variety and the involvement of pathogenic bacteria, cand induce a burst of proinflammatory consequences, both cutaneous and gut microbiome being involved in psoriasis pathogenic process. A complex understanding of the major pathways that interplay in order to initiate and perpetuate psoriatic diseases and its associated comorbidities can help the current clinical practice by properly evaluating completely and individualized each patient and establish the proper therapeutic management.

: Belize is located within the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot and is an important link between critical biodiverse habitats in Central America. Despite considerable research on biodiversity in marine environments of Belize, research in freshwater environments is limited, with the most recent checklists having been published in obscure, mostly unavailable references more than 20 years ago.Belize is currently experiencing serious degradation of some of its major freshwater resources such as the New River in the northern part of the country. These unique habitats are increasingly threatened by agro-urban development, invasive species and erratic climatic events. The economically important barrier coral reef is also experiencing impacts from the degraded freshwater watersheds that empty into the sea near the reefs. This work addresses the paucity of documentation of the freshwater fishes of Belize, particularly for the Shipstern Peninsula area. The Shipstern Peninsula is a unique region in northern Belize, adjacent to the southern border of Mexico and the northeastern end of the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. This paper reports on fish collected in 2015, with comparisons to historical data in surveys published in 1990, 1993, and 1997. We report on 12 genera/species collected in 2015 and provide molecular barcode data on several, which was not available in previous publications. Floridichthys polyommus, a new observation for the Shipstern Lagoon, and Dajaus monticola, a revised name and new observation for the Inland Blue Hole, were confirmed by barcodes. This update is vital to the continued management of freshwater environments in Belize, and especially for the Shipstern Peninsula and its important habitats held in trust for perpetuity for the Belizean people.

The need for continuous research to refine the models used in accident reconstruction appears with the development of new car models that satisfy consumer complaints. The paper analyzed a sub-sequence of car and pedestrian accidents, from the perspective of the distance traveled by them in the contact phase, with the aim of improving the information regarding the reconstruction of road accidents. The research included the analysis of some accidents with pedestrian dummies, as well as the simulation of the impact between different classes of vehicles and pedestrians in two different walking positions. Specialized software was used with complex multibody models of pedestrians, modifying the speed and deceleration parameters at the time of the collision. The research results highlight the differences between bilinear models used in accident reconstruction and the proposed study. They can also be used to determine the distance traveled by the vehicle in the first phase of the collision with pedestrians.

Glaucoma, a group of diseases characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell loss, cupping of the optic disc and by a typical pattern of visual field defects, is a leading cause of severe visual impairment and blindness worldwide. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the leading risk factor for glaucoma development. However, glaucoma can also develop at normal pressure levels. An increased susceptibility of retinal ganglion cells to IOP, systemic vascular dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction and autoimmune imbalances have been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of normal tension glaucoma. Since inflammation and oxidative stress play a role in all forms of glaucoma, the goal of this review article is to resent an overview on the inflammatory and prooxidant mechanisms in the pathophysiology of glaucoma and to discuss immunomodulatory and antioxidant treatment approaches.

Intraoperative load sensors have been developed with the aim of balancing the soft tissue in the knee during Total Knee Replacements (TKRs). Literature has shown success in soft tissue bal-ancing however, concerns regarding the accuracy of these sensors remain. For this reason, pre-vious research has attempted to create robust sensors for intraoperative use. The design of the sensor in this research has aimed to address the concerns outlined in the literature to create a new and novel smart-sensor for soft-tissue balancing. This new intraoperative load sensor included design features to increase accuracy while artificial intelligence allowed for comprehensive sensing across the entirety of the sensor, providing unparalleled insight during the operation. Notably, the sensor was designed to withstand loads of at least 450 N, ensuring robust perfor-mance of the sensor. To optimize the design process while minimizing cost, Finite Element Analysis was employed. This approach ensured the design features fulfilled their function while maintaining structural integrity to withstand loads. Moreover, the novelty of using training data from simulated data will reduce the iterative process of the labor-intensive collection of training data for the artificial intelligence while reducing human error associated with it. Results from the evaluation demonstrated the ability of this design to successfully bridge the current gap in the market by fulfilling all essential design criteria established within the literature. This innovative smart-sensing tool will in turn enhance patient outcomes and alleviate financial burdens to pa-tients and the healthcare systems by reducing the need for early revision surgeries associated with improper joint tension.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) is effective for the manipulation of fluids and particles in microscale. The current approach of integrating interdigitated transducers (IDTs) for SAW generation into microfluidic channels involves complex and laborious microfabrication steps. These steps often require the full access to clean room facilities and hours to align the transducers to the precise location. This work presents an affordable and innovative method for fabricating SAW-based microfluidic devices without the need of clean room facilities and alignment. The IDTs and microfluidic channels are fabricated in the same process and thus precisely self-aligned in accordance with the device design. With the use of the developed fabrication approach, a few types of different SAW-based microfluidic devices have been fabricated and demonstrated for particle separation and active droplet generation.

Kinematic control of redundant serial manipulators has been carried out for the past half century based primarily on a generalized inverse velocity formulation that is known to have mathematical deficiencies. A recently developed inverse kinematic position mapping is extended to an operational configuration space differentiable manifold formulation for kinematic control with obstacle avoidance is employed to resolve deficiencies in the generalized inverse velocity formulation. Output trajectory tracking with obstacle avoidance for four and twenty degree of redundancy manipulators is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the differentiable manifold approach and that it resolves deficiencies of the conventional generalized inverse velocity formulation.

A study was conducted to predict failure stresses, failure locations, and their paths of initiation of perforated polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) specimens as they were loaded using pins inserted into the holes. First, a series of experiments were conducted for perforated PMMA coupons. There were six different types of coupons. The test specimens had three different widths with a circular hole of a diameter of 8 mm, which was placed at two different locations along the specimen length. All the specimens were loaded using a pin inserted into the hole with three different pins of nominal diameters of 8 mm, 6 mm, and 5 mm, respectively. To predict the failure and compare the results against the experimental data, the recently proposed universal failure criterion was used in the study using finite element analyses. The failure criteria gave acceptable results as compared to the experimental data.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy techniques were applied in this work to 9 lead-acid battery prototypes fabricated industrially, divided on three type/technology packages. Frequency dependent impedance changes were interpreted during successive charge/discharge cycles on two distinct stages: 1) immediately after fabrication; and 2) after a controlled aging procedure to 50% Depth of Discharge, following industrial standards. By investigating their State of Health behaviour vs electrical response, three methods were employed, namely the (Q-Q0) total charge analysis, the decay values of Constant Phase Element in the equivalent Randles circuits, and the resonance frequency of the circuit. A direct correlation has been found for prediction of the best performant batteries in each package, thus allowing a qualitative analysis capable to provide the decay of the battery State of Health. We emphasized which parameters are directly connected with their lifetime performance in both stages, and by consequence, which type/technology battery prototype emphasize the best performance. Based on this methodology, the industrial producers can further establish the quality of the novel batteries in terms of performance vs lifespan, allowing them to validate the novel technological innovations implemented in the current prototypes.

We introduce a new integral method for Quantum Key Distribution to perform sifting, reconciliation and amplification processes to establish a cryptographic key through the use of binary structures called frames which are capable to increase quadratically the secret key rate. The method can be implemented with the usual optical Bennett-Brassard (BB84) equipment allowing strong pulses in the quantum regime.

Background: Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma presents significant treatment challenges owing to its rarity and limited therapeutic options. The LANCE study was designed to explore the survival benefits of incorporating atezolizumab in chemotherapy for metastatic LCNEC. Methods: In this non-randomized study, patients with metastatic LCNEC were treated with ei-ther standard chemotherapy plus atezolizumab or standard chemotherapy alone. The primary outcomes measured were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), with an ex-ploratory analysis of miR375 in plasma as a potential biomarker. Results: Of the 22 screened patients, 17 met the inclusion criteria and were stratified into the atezolizumab and chemotherapy (n=10) or chemotherapy alone(n=7) groups. After a median follow-up of 23.3 months, the 12-month survival rate for the atezolizumab group was 57.1% (95% CI: 32.6%-100%) and 45.7% at 24 months (95% CI: 22.4%-93.2%). In contrast, the chemotherapy group had a 14.3% survival rate at both 12 and 24 months (95% CI: 2.33%-87.7%). The log-rank test for survival showed a statistically significant difference in the atezolizumab-treated group (chi-squared = 4, df = 1, p = 0.04). A non-significant correlation was found between disease pro-gression and elevated levels of miR375. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that atezolizumab combined with chemotherapy may be effective in treating metastatic LCNEC. The non-significant correlation between plasma miR375 levels and disease progression suggests its biomarker potential, warranting further validation research.

In this study, we address the formidable challenge of solving large-scale Max-Cut problems (MCP). We introduce a rapid computational procedure utilizing a hybrid 1-flip/r-flip local search heuristic. This innovative strategy significantly reduces the computational time required for MCP problems while consistently generating solutions of exceptional quality. The paper presents substantial computational insights, showcasing the effectiveness of our approach on very-large-scale Max-Cut instances with varying densities. Our proposed heuristic is rigorously evaluated by comparing its performance against a quantum annealing solver, leveraging a multi-start Tabu Search framework. The results underscore the potency of this unique combination as an efficient and effective solution for large-scale QUBO problems. Notably, our hybrid heuristic consistently delivers high-quality solutions within the stringent CPU time limits of 600 seconds, demonstrating its efficacy across Max-Cut instances ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 variables. This research contributes to advancing the state-of-the-art in large-scale QUBO problem-solving, offering a powerful and time-efficient approach with broad applicability.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence combined with behavioral sciences have led to the development of cutting-edge tools for recognizing human emotions based on text, video, audio, and physiological data. However, these data sources are expensive, intrusive, and regulated, unlike plants which have been shown to be sensitive to human steps and sounds. A methodology is proposed to use plants as human emotion detectors. Electrical signals from plants are tracked and labeled based on video data. Labeled data are then used for classification. MLP, biLSTM, MFCC-CNN, MFCC-ResNet, and additionally, Random Forests, 1-Dimensional CNN, and biLSTM without windowing models are set using a grid search algorithm with cross-validation. Finally, best-parameterized models are trained and used with the test set for classification. The performance of this methodology is measured with a case study with 54 participants, who were watching an emotionally charged video, as ground truth their facial emotions were simultaneously measured using face emotion analysis. The Random Forest model shows the best performance, particularly in recognizing high-arousal emotions, achieving an overall weighted accuracy of 55.2% and demonstrating high weighted recall in emotions such as fear 61.0% and happiness 60.4%. The MFCC-ResNet model offers decently balanced results, with Accuracy(MFCC-ResNet)=0.318 and Recall (MFCC-ResNet)=0.324. With the MFCC-ResNet model fear and anger are recognized with 75% and 50% recall respectively. Thus, using plants as an emotion recognition tool seems worth investigating, addressing both cost and privacy concerns.

The growth of urban population, combined with an increase of extreme events due to climate changes call for a better understanding and representation of urban floods. Rainfall and infiltration are two important factors that affect the watershed response to a given precipitation event. In this paper, we evaluate the influence of the representation of infiltration and spatially variable rainfall on the computer simulation of the floods that affected the city of Hull, UK in June 2007. This work compares a uniform rainfall with one generated using Kriging with External Drift and a constant infiltration equal to the soil hydraulic conductivity with a neglected infiltration. The results of the four simulations are then compared with the flood extents observed by public authorities. It results that the computer model is able the reproduce the general dynamic of the flood and identify the main inundated areas. We found that neglecting the infiltration induce a better representation of this flood event. Furthermore, the use of radar rainfall results in an accuracy similar to the one obtained with a constant rainfall. This study indicates that when the spatial resolution of the rainfall data is low compared to the catchment size and the precipitation distribution is uniform, the spatial variability of the rainfall might not add significant information.

Inside Central Nervous System (CNS) appears neurons and glia cells. There are more glial cells than neurons and have more functions than neurons. Glia name represents different kind of cells, ones from neural origin (astrocytes, radial glia, and oligodendroglia), and others from blood monocytes (microglia). During ontogeny, neurons appear first (rat fetal 15th) and after astrocytes (rat fetal 21th) indicating a bigger importance function in the CNS. Also, during the phylogeny, reptiles have less astrocytes compared to neurons and in humans, astrocytes are double in number than neurons. This data, perhaps means that astrocytes are more special cells and work in memory and learning? Astrocytes have an important role in different mechanisms protecting CNS across the production of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory proteins, cleaning extracellular medium and helping neurons to communicate with each other correctly. Inflammatory mediators production are important to prevent changes in normal physiology. But, excessive or continue production leads to many diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Sclerosis Lateral Amyotrophic (ELA), Multiple sclerosis (MS), and neurodevelopment diseases, like Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, and Autism's symptomatology. Different drugs and thecniques can reverse oxidative stress and/or inflammatory excess. This review is intended to serve as an approximation to the field.

Our natural language approach concerns syntactic analysis using a dedicated Javascript library - wink-nlp - and semantic analysis based on Prolog programming language, facilitated by another Javascript library - tau-prolog - that allows defining logical programs, declaring rules and checking for goals inside Javascript language. Firstly, our program splits the original text into sentences, than into tokens and identifies each part of the sentence, dynamically maps entities into Prolog rules, then check the spelling accordingly to the Definite Clause Grammar (DCG) by querying the pre-defined program for initial goals (the sentence itself). Basically, we let the parser infer its own rules from the syntactic point of view, then check the grammar from a semantic perspective against the DCG inside the same work flow or pipeline of steps.The provided article combine the usage of wink-nlp and tau-prolog packages for natural language processing (NLP) and understanding (NLU).

This article presents a methodology for the design of rehabilitation devices that considers factors involved in a clinical environment. This methodology integrates different disciplines that work together. The methodology is composed by 3 phases and 13 stages with specific tasks, the first phase includes the clinical context considering the requirements of the patient and therapist during the rehabilitation, the second phase is focused in engineering based on the philosophy of digital twin, and in the third phase is evaluated the device. This article explains the characteristics of the methodology and how it was applied in the design of an exoskeleton for passive rehabilitation of the upper limb.

Background/Aim: Rapid onset of facial ptosis can impact physical appearance and compromise the outcomes of facelift procedures. The level of vitamin D has a potential correlation with collagen formation and its deficiency with inflammatory processes that affect the breakdown of hyaluronic acid. This study aims to investigate the potential relationship between accentuated facial ptosis in women and low levels of vitamin D. Furthermore, it aims to explore preventive measures or strategies to slow down facial ptosis and enhance the longevity of facelift results. Materials and Methods: The study was focused on monitoring the vitamin D levels in women and men with advanced facial ptosis and comparing them with a control group. Results: Notably, a direct association between gender and serum vitamin D levels was observed, indicating less sustainable outcomes in women. Conclusion: Women face additional challenges in the aging process due to hormonal shifts after menopause or premenopausal, which are associated with osteoporosis and lower vitamin D levels.

Goji berries, long valued in Chinese medicine and cuisine for their wide range of medicinal benefits, are considered a 'superfruit' and functional food. Out of the nearly 100 Lycium species known for their genetic diversity, L. barbarum and L. chinense currently dominate the market. Due to increasing market demand and concerns about food safety and sustainability, Europe and the Americas are expanding the local goji berry production, using as starting material plants originated from China. European breeding programs are focusing on Lycium to develop varieties adapted to local conditions, especially in response to climate change. By 2023, Romania registered seven goji berry varieties, both from L. barbarum and L. chinense species, without incorporating local germplasm. Advanced genomic studies, including NGS sequencing of five cultivated and three wild goji berry plant genomes, have been conducted to analyse their genetic variation, with a particular focus on the BODYGUARD 3 and 4 genes. This research uncovered significant differences between cultivated and wild genotypes, both in the entire genome and specifically in the BODYGUARD genes, providing crucial insights for goji berry breeders to support the development of goji berry cultivation in Romania.

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

On the eve of the Brexit process, in the context of a rising Euroscepticism that fuels the modest confidence of European citizens in their national and European institutions, the article assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of the European Parliament within the framework of the ordinary legislative procedure (co-decision). After defining and formulating the main indicators, the paper analyses the micro- and macro-performance of the European Parliament within the decision-making process from a quantitative-qualitative and a qualitative-quantitative perspective, highlighting the relativizing factors and the responsiveness of the European decision-making process to the Europeans’ needs.

In this review we summarize existing trends of flow control used to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of wings. We first discuss active methods to control turbulence, starting with flat-plate geometries and building towards the more complicated flow around wings. Then, we discuss active approaches to control separation, a crucial aspect towards achieving high aerodynamic efficiency. Furthermore, we highlight methods relying on turbulence simulation, and discuss various levels of modelling. Finally, we thoroughly revise data-driven methods, their application to flow control, and focus on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). We conclude that this methodology has the potential to discover novel control strategies in complex turbulent flows of aerodynamic relevance.

Background: Dietary quality and the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods has been shown to protect against memory decline. Therefore, this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study aimed to investigate the effects of a nutritional supplement on changes in cognitive performance. Methods: In adults aged 40 to 70 years with subjective memory complaints, participants were randomly allocated to take a supplement containing vitamin E, astaxanthin, and grape juice extract daily for 12 weeks or a matching placebo. The primary outcomes comprised changes in cognitive tasks assessing episodic memory, working memory, and verbal memory. Secondary and exploratory measures included changes in the speed of information processing, attention, and self-report measures of memory, stress, and eye and skin health. Moreover, changes in plasma concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, malondialdehyde, tumor-necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 were measured, along with changes in skin carotenoid concentrations. Results: compared to the placebo, nutritional supplementation was associated with larger improvements in episodic memory, a self-report measure of everyday memory, increased plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor, decreased plasma malondialdehyde, and increased skin carotenoid concentrations. However, there were no group differences in changes in the remaining outcome measures. Conclusions: Twelve weeks of supplementation with a nutritional supplement was associated with improvements in episodic memory and several biological markers associated with cognitive health. Future research will be essential to extend and validate the current findings.

Establishing macrometastases at distant organs is a highly challenging process for cancer cells, with extremely high attrition rates. A very small percentage of disseminated cells have the ability to dynamically adapt to their changing micro-environments through reversibly switching to another phenotype, aiding metastasis. Such plasticity can be exhibited along one or more axes – epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) and cancer stem cells (CSCs) being the two most studied, and often tacitly assumed to be synonymous. Here, we review the emerging concepts related to EMP and CSCs across multiple cancers. Both processes are multi-dimensional in nature; for instance, EMP can be defined on morphological, molecular and functional changes, which may or may not be synchronized. Similarly, self-renewal, multi-lineage potential, and anoikis and/or therapy resistance may not all occur simultaneously in CSCs. Thus, arriving at rigorous functional definitions for both EMP and CSCs is crucial. These processes are dynamic, reversible, and semi-independent in nature; cells traverse the inter-connected high-dimensional EMP and CSC landscapes in diverse paths, each of which may exhibit a distinct EMP-CSC coupling. Our proposed model offers a potential unifying framework for elucidating the coupled decision-making along these dimensions and highlights a key set of open questions to be answered.

Unnatural diet composition and frequent feeding regimes may play an aetiological role in the multiple diseases prevalent in captive cheetahs. This study investigated the responses of captive-born (hand-reared) cheetahs (n = 6) to a reduced feeding frequency schedule. During the 3-week treatment period, the study cheetahs were fed four once-daily meals per week and two daily rations six days a week, subsequently, during the control period of equal duration. Total weekly food intake was maintained throughout the study. Variations in body temperature (Tb), heart rate (HR), locomotor activity (LA), behaviour, faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration, and faecal consistency score (FCS) were measured. Less frequent feeding resulted in higher FCS (p < 0.01) and LA (p < 0.0001) and lower HR (p < 0.0001) among the studied cheetahs. The study found that their HR was higher when the cheetahs were fed (p < 0.0001) than on days when they were not. Additionally, Tb (p < 0.0001) and HR (p < 0.05) were higher during feeding, suggesting a psychological excitation to food consumption. The results of the FCS analysis indicate that the more natural feeding pattern could have benefited the studied cheetahs’ GI health without a significant behavioural or physiological stress response to the change in feeding frequency.

High quantities of biomass produced in greenhouses create environmental problems, as this side stream and its downgraded products are not further used in the production cycle. The aim of our research was the identification and semi-quantification of molecules extracted from vegetative tomato plant residues with sustainable green alternative solvents using vacuum-assisted soxhlet and solid-liquid extraction to evaluate the possibilities for high-value applications. To identify compounds, GC-MS analysis, and the Folin-Cioalteau method was used. In sum, 285 different compounds have been assigned to 383 detected peaks using GC-MS analysis. The solvents 2-MTHF and ethyl acetate, compared to ethanol and hexane, provided better results with a maximum number of 99 ± 8.83 compounds, a maximum total concentration of 5,894.82 ± 586.48 and 3,363.02 ± 71.14 mg NEQ kgdw-1 and a total phenolic content of 2,143.25 ± 155.17 and 1,605.92 ± 66.46 mg GAE kgdw-1, respectively. With 781.2 ± 112.66 and 718.25 ± 54.89 mg NEQ kgdw-1 the compound neophytadiene was the most common terpene in ethyl acetate and 2-MTHF extracts, respectively. It can be concluded that vegetative tomato plant residues contain a high variety of bioactive molecules. Green solvents, such as 2-MTHF and ethyl acetate, enhance the extraction of these molecules from the solid matrix.

In the development of power systems it is indicated very often, that transformation of power systems should be carried out in accordance with the idea of energy democracy. This will develop energy communities, that are trying to meet energy needs by using local renewable generation sources. This may result with a temporary low load on the MV lines connecting the community grid and the power system. Such state may cause incorrect operation of power protection systems. This can cause an extended protection operation time, due to decision algorithms inactivity at low values of measurement currents. Therefore, the detailed MV lines overcurrent digital protection model and a dynamic model of the power network were developed. The simulation results are showing that the settings of the parameters activating the protection decision algorithms affect their operation time in dynamic conditions. The conclusion is that the development of the power protection automatics must be carried out in the same time (preferably in advance) with the change of the power system operation model. This is very important for future power systems with high penetration energy communities and renewable generation sources.

The recent legalization of Cannabis sativa L. in many regions has revealed a need for effective propagation and biotechnologies for the species. Micropropagation affords researchers and producers methods to rapidly propagate insect/disease/virus free clonal plants, store germplasm, and forms the basis for other biotechnologies. Despite this need, research in the area is limited due to the long history or prohibitions and restrictions. Existing literature has multiple limitation: many publications use hemp as a proxy for drug-type Cannabis when it is well established that there is significant genotype specificity, studies using drug-type cultivars are predominantly op-timized using a single cultivar, most protocols have not been replicated by independent groups, and some attempts demonstrate a lack of reproducibility across genotypes. Due to culture decline and other problems the multiplication phase of micropropagation (stage 2) has not been fully developed in many reports. This review will provide a brief background on the history and botany of Cannabis as well as a comprehensive and critical summary of Cannabis tissue culture. Special attention will be paid to current challenges faced by researchers, the limitations of existing Cannabis micropropagation studies, and recent developments and future directions of Cannabis tissue culture technologies.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a significant public health challenge. Prioritising its prevention is essential. With the growing interest in wearable health technologies continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) have expanded their scope, transitioning from exclusive use in diabetes management to lifestyle enhancement for individuals without diabetes. While CGMs primarily target glycaemic stabilization, their potential role in mitigating noncommunicable conditions, including T2DM, warrants exploration. This review examines the regulation of CGMs and critically assesses the purported benefits of CGMs for individuals without diabetes, as presented in the 'health and wellness' sector: (1) early dysglycaemia detection through glucose variability observation; (2) refining glycaemic control by tailoring nutrition according to postprandial glucose response; and (3) promoting and fine-tuning physical activity based on instantaneous data feedback. We find a lack of compelling evidence for the utility of CGMs in PNLD, including accuracy, data analysis and interpretation metrics, and user acceptability markedly under-researched. A paucity of research exists on the unanticipated negative consequences of CGM usage, such as obsessive symptom tracking and potential onset of disordered eating, like orthorexia. Given the increasing adoption of CGMs by individuals without diabetes, this review underscores the need of addressing these research gaps to ensure safety and reliability of CGMs in novel contexts. We emphasise the importance of refining CGM regulation in the UK, particularly when considering its ‘off-label’ use. Marrying robust scientific evidence with effective regulation is pivotal in fortifying the coherence, equity, and effectiveness of diabetes prevention initiatives, while protecting the wellbeing of CGM users.

In recent years, significant advancements in the field of machine learning have influenced the domain of image restoration. While these technological advancements present prospects for improving the quality of images, they also present difficulties, particularly the proliferation of manipulated or counterfeit multimedia information on the internet. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of existing inpainting algorithms and forgery detections, with a specific emphasis on techniques that are designed for the purpose of removing objects from digital images. In this study, we will examine various techniques encompassing conventional texture synthesis methods, as well as those based on neural networks. Furthermore, we will explore the artifacts associated with the identification of modified photos and present the artifacts frequently introduced by the inpainting procedure and assess the state-of-the-art technology for detecting such modifications. Lastly, we shall look at the available datasets and how the methods compare with each other. Having covered all of the above, the final outcome of this study is to provide a comprehensive perspective on the abilities and constraints to detect images for which an inpainting object removal method was applied.

The industry is in a continuous evolution in the context of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 requirements and expected benefits. Some sectors allow a higher reconfiguration dynamics considering the interference capabilities and process/equipment renewals, but others have considerable inertia that is many times justified. In most encountered situations, the reality confirms that the industry is struggling with new demands as interoperation and efficiency improvements. The water industry makes no difference, being a sector with critical infrastructures and highly varied subsystems, where invasive interference in legacy solutions tends to be avoided. Following previous successful footsteps in researching a proactive decentralized historian, the current work focuses on a case-study that refers to a water treatment and distribution facility that is operated for several years and the current operating regime was established by local operators following accumulated observations, restrictions and response strategies. The proactive historian was tailored for the current case-study and it was applied and tested in the suboptimal functioning scenario where the water sources configuration was manually selected and used for water availability and energy efficiency, but without assuming current/future failures or different water demands. The proposed low-cost historian targeted to improve the functioning and operation of the water facility considering energy efficiency and other impacting outcomes of the current strategy, and to establish an automatic functioning regime in a completely non-invasive manner towards the local legacy solution. The results were satisfactory, proving that the historian is able to adapt to a particular and suboptimal functioning real industrial scenario, to establish recipes in a process-aware manner, and to interoperate with the local legacy solution in order to apply improving actions.

The paper presents the conceptualization and realization of a novel platform for additive manu-facturing, an industrial robot arm-based system for additive manufacturing applications. Tradi-tional 3D printers, especially those employing fused deposition modelling (FDM) processes, are restricted to depositing material in a single toolpath plane (e.g. x-y plane). The focus of this study was to explore the feasibility of integrating commercial off the shelf (COTS) additive manufac-turing technologies with a six degree of freedom industrial robot arm to yield a 3D additive manufacturing system with the capability to perform free-form six degree of freedom fused deposition modelling. The present paper presents the development of a platform from stage 0, i.e. materials to its use, and finally a printed product with the developed extruder.

In the present research, chronic viral hepatitis in children is approached from a multidisciplinary point of view, considering social status, economic and medical aspects. We conducted a 4-year observational prospective study. A questionnaire regarding the socio-economic status of pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic viral hepatitis B or C was applied. In total, 159 patients were included, 52 % from urban areas, 2.5 % coming from centres for abandoned children. Among 119 school-aged children, 66% were attending classes. All patients are registered with a general practitioner. Regarding the monthly income per family, 49% had less than 1000 RON (5 RON = 1$), of which 17% had no income, 28% had an income ranging between 1000 and 2000 RON and in only 23% of cases the income exceeded 2000 RON (5% had more than 4000 RON). There were between 3 and 12 members per family. Concerning parents` educational level, the average years of study for mothers was 7.8, while for fathers, it was 8.2. For 17 % of children, at least one of the parents was illiterate, and for 5.6 %, both parents were illiterate. For a third of patients, both parents were unemployed. Regarding social living conditions, 38.4% did not have water facilities or sewerage, and 32 % used personal objects (scissors, nail clippers) in common. The socio-economic level can have a significant impact on disease epidemiology (infectiousness) and access to treatment, and it is tightly related to educational level and access to information, which are critical factors in disease prevention through general and specific measures and in disease management (treating infected patients and limiting the transmission).

The paper is based on the scientific outcome of a PhD Thesis. It introduces the generic, model-based, reusable, and extensible conceptual framework to incorporate Facility Management data based within the three-dimensional model-based design and construction of an asset to enable smart applications, which are introduced. The conceptual framework is composed of empirical data from expert interviews, questionnaires, and factual analysis from 13 projects of varied sizes of public and private clients. It shows which phases need which data, who needs them, and which added value can be generated if intelligent data structuring is used at the beginning of the construction project and bridges the gap between requirement and practice. The term “smart application” is introduced.

Glacial ripping is a newly recognized process sequence in which subglacial erosion is triggered by groundwater overpressure. Investigations in gneiss terrain in lowland Sweden indicate that ripping involves three stages of (i) hydraulic jacking, (ii) rock disruption under subglacial traction and (iii) glacial transport of rock blocks. Evidence for each stage includes, respectively, dilated fractures with sediment fills, disintegrated roches moutonnées and boulder spreads. Here we ask: can glacial ripping also occur in sedimentary rocks, and, if so, what are its effects? The case study area is in hard, thinly bedded, gently dipping Cambrian quartz-arenites at Loch Eriboll, NW Scotland. Field surveys reveal dilated, sediment filled, bedding-parallel fractures, open joints and brecciated zones, interpreted as markers for pervasive, shallow penetration of the quartz-arenite by water at over-pressure. Other features, including disintegrated rock surfaces, boulder spreads and monomict rubble tills, indicate glacial disruption and short distance subglacial transport. The field results, together with published cosmogenic isotope ages, indicate that glacial ripping operated with high impact close to the former ice margin at Loch Eriboll at 17.6-16.5 ka. Glacial ripping thus can operate effectively in bedded, hard sedimentary rocks and the accompanying brecciation is significant – if not dominant - in till formation. Candidate markers for glacial ripping are identified in other sedimentary terrains in former glaciated areas of the Northern Hemisphere.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is one of the most common hereditary cancer syndrome in human populations, associated with germline variants in MLH1, MSH2/EPCAM, MSH6 and PMS2 genes. The advent of next generation sequencing has proven a significant impact in germline variant detection in the causative genes; however, a large proportion of patients with clinical criteria still receive uncertain or negative results. PMS2 is the least frequent reported gene, associated with up to 15% of LS cases with late-onset disease and low penetrance phenotype; however, the proportion of PMS2-LS cases is considered to be highly underestimated. In this context, we consulted public available databases (ClinVar, LOVD) for missense and intronic PMS2 variants and performed an in silico analysis of the genomic sequence. Splicing bioinformatics tools proven effective in other genes were used to assess both the wild-type DNA sequence and reported genetic variants. Splicing alterations were predicted in silico and using GTEx short-read RNA expression data. Out of the 2384 missense variants discovered, 90% were classified with uncertain significance (VUS). 4.9% of missense variants were shown to have a potential splicing consequence (DS &gt; 0.2) using SpliceAI. As described in the original publication, SpliceAI-visual was proven effective in annotation of short intronic variants (&lt; 50 bp). Four short intronic variants were identified using SpliceAI-visual as potentially splicing disturbing, in spite of using a lower threshold (DS &gt; 0.1). Moreover, we observed that Splicing Regulatory Elements (SREs) may play a fundamental role in alternative splicing in PMS2 gene, ESE motifs being overrepresented in highly expressed exons 5, 11 and 14. Computational analysis performed in our study serves as a valuable filtering step for guiding further RNA sequencing experiments. Additional functional data is necessary to evaluate the significance of our findings.

Little is known about how the degree of mixing of forest-forming species affects forest floor hydrology. We evaluated the water storage capacity of the resulting litter layer by mixing litterfall of Scots pine and sessile oak and studying their decomposition time. We prepared 90 artificial samples containing pure pine litter, pure oak litter, and mixed pine-oak litter with varying shares of pine needles. These samples were subjected to 15 months of decomposition in soil. After every three months of decay, some samples were removed from the soil, and their water storage capacity, bulk density, and C:N ratio were evaluated. Our findings indicate that samples with the greatest water storage capacity had a low C:N ratio and a predominant share of oak leaves. Conversely, samples with a high C:N ratio and a predominant share of pine needles had the lowest water storage capacity. After 12 and 15 months of decomposition, the water storage capacity increased by more than 52% compared to the initial water capacity of the samples. The highest increase in water storage capacity (>40%) was observed in samples with a predominant share of oak leaves, while the lowest (approximately 28%) was recorded in samples with 80 and 100% of pine needles.

Microscale surgery on single cells and small organisms have enabled major advances in fundamental biology and in engineering biological systems. Examples of applications range from wound healing and regeneration studies to the generation of hybridoma to produce monoclonal antibodies. Even today, these surgical operations are often performed manually, but they are labor-intensive and lack reproducibility. Microfluidics has emerged as a powerful technology to control and manipulate cells and multicellular systems at the micro- and nanoscale with high precision. Here, we review the physical and chemical mechanisms of microscale surgery, and the corresponding design principles, applications, and implementations in microfluidic systems. We consider four types of surgical operations: 1) Sectioning, which splits a biological entity into multiple parts, 2) ablation, which destroys part of an entity, 3) biopsy, which extracts materials from within a living cell, and 4) fusion, which joins multiple entities into one. For each type of surgery, we summarize the motivating applications and the microfluidic devices developed. Throughout the review, we highlight existing challenges and opportunities. We hope that this review will inspire scientists and engineers to continue to explore and improve microfluidic surgical methods.

Within the context of ever wider expansion of direct injection in spark ignition engines, this investigation was aimed at improved understanding of the correlation between fuel injection strategy and emission of nanoparticles. Measurements performed on a wall guided engine allowed identifying the mechanisms involved in the formation of carbonaceous structures during combustion and their evolution in the exhaust line. In-cylinder pressure was recorded in combination with cycle-resolved flame imaging, gaseous emissions and particle size distribution. This complete characterization was performed at three injection phasing settings, with butanol and commercial gasoline. Optical accessibility from below the combustion chamber, allowed visualization of diffusive flames induced by fuel deposits; these localized phenomena were correlated to observed changes in engine performance and pollutant species. With gasoline fueling, minor modifications were observed with respect to combustion parameters, when varying the start of injection. The alcohol, on the other hand, featured marked sensitivity to the fuel delivery strategy. Even though the start of injection was varied in a relatively narrow crank angle range during the intake stroke, significant differences were recorded, especially in the values of particle emissions. This was correlated to the fuel jet-wall interactions; the analysis of diffusive flames, their location and size confirmed the importance of liquid film formation in direct injection engines, especially at medium and high load.

Endothelial cells form a powerful interface between tissues and immune cells. In fact, one of the underappreciated roles of endothelial cells is to orchestrate immune attention to specific sites. Tumor endothelial cells have a unique ability to dampen the immune responses and thereby maintain an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Recent approaches to trigger immune responses in cancers have focused on activating nucleic acid sensors such as cGAS/STING in combination with immunotherapies. In this review, we present a case for targeting nucleic acid sensing pathways within the tumor vasculature to invigorate tumor immune responses. We introduce two specific nucleic acid sensors, the DNA sensor TREX1 and the RNA sensor RIG-I and discuss their functional roles in the vasculature. Finally, we present perspectives on how these nucleic acid sensors in the tumor endothelium can be targeted in an antiangiogenic and immune activation context. We believe understanding the role of nucleic acid sensing in the tumor vasculature can enhance our ability to design more effective therapies targeting the tumor microenvironment.

Temperature Cycle Induced Deracemization (TCID) offers a promising approach to obtain enantiopure solids from racemic mixtures. By combining rapid racemization in solution and temperature swings, homochirality is theoretically achieved. Despite theoretical expectations of doubled yields compared to traditional chiral separation methods, such as in Preferential Crystallization, experimental validation remains lacking. We applied TCID to (1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) pentan-3-one) (Cl-TAK), introducing a post-TCID cooling step to enhance yield and a washing step to augment enantiopurity. This refinement yielded an 89.8% mass yield with 99.1% enantiomeric excess in the crystal phase (c.e.e.) within 24 hours on an 8.75g scale, showcasing improved performance with insignificant process duration extension. Additionally, we explored the stochasticity of deracemization, observing the development from low initial crystal enantiomeric excesses(1-6% c.e.e0) at a 2.5 g scale. Kinetic analysis revealed that a 2% c.e.e0 effectively mitigates chiral flipping risks and induction time in our system. Our study underscores the potential for reduced initial c.e.e. to expedite deracemization and presents a straightforward method to optimize yield and purity, facilitating industrial application.

Social support in working with beggars and vagrants has always been and still is a challenge for all social protection systems. This paper aims to analyze the social work system in working with vagrants and beggars, starting with the presentation of the concept and seeking to evaluate the evolution of this particular sector of the social protection system in Romania, presenting, on one hand, the legislative changes and, also, the situation found in reality which could be (slightly) different. In the paper we describe two research models, a case study, which starts from the situation found in Romania and is based on the model of good practice (social enterprises) developed by Nicolae Minovici in the interwar period (1934) and also presents the opinion of citizens from Craiova city, investigated during a sociological survey conducted in 2021-2022 on a sample of 1494 persons, on the opportunity to set up such centers for beggars and vagrants in Romania. The article seeks to extract the good practices used by the national system for the purpose of comparing and issuing proposals to regulate and improve the current situation in Romania.

The Golgi apparatus, long known for protein processing and vesicular trafficking, has recently emerged as an essential player in innate immune signaling pathways. This review article discusses our growing understanding of Golgi cells' roles in initiating and activating innate immunity pathways. We elaborate on the relevance of membrane connections between Golgi organelles and other organelles such as endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, endosomes, and autophagosomes that facilitate efficient access to innate immune signal transduction and subsequent effector responses. Additionally, we discuss microbial strategies that exploit the Golgi while diminishing its associated innate immune responses. By providing greater illumination of its multiple functions and mechanisms of operation, this article offers invaluable insight into how protein processing impacts innate immunity and vice versa.

The present state of research in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is marked by an ongoing process of refining numerical methods and algorithms with the goal of achieving accurate modeling and analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena. Remarkable progress has been achieved in the domains of turbulence modeling, parallel computing, and mesh generation, resulting in heightened simulation precision when it comes to capturing complex flow behaviors. Nevertheless CFD faces a significant challenge due to the time and expertise needed for meticulous simulation setup and intricate numerical techniques. To surmount this challenge, we introduce paint2sim—an innovative mobile application designed to enable on-the-fly 2D fluid simulations using a device’s camera. Seamlessly integrated with OpenLB, a high-performance Lattice Boltzmann-based library, paint2sim offers accurate simulations. The application leverages the capabilities of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) to model fluid behaviors accurately. Through a symbiotic interaction with the open-source OpenCV library, paint2sim can scan and extract hand-drawn simulation domains, affording the capability for instant simulation and visualization. Notably, paint2sim can also be regarded as a digital twin, facilitating just-in-time representation and analysis of 2D fluid systems. The implications of this technology extend significantly to both fluid dynamics education and industrial applications, effectively lowering barriers and rendering fluid simulations more accessible. Encouragingly, the outcomes of simulations conducted with paint2sim showcase promising qualitative and quantitative results. Overall, paint2sim offers a groundbreaking approach to mobile 2D fluid simulations, providing users with just-in-time visualization and accurate results, while simultaneously serving as a digital twin for fluid systems.

Background: By 2025, road traffic injuries are projected to rank third in the global burden of disease, posing a significant challenge that affects health, social well-being, and economic aspects. According to data from the Romanian Police National Statistics Center, there has been an average of 342 traffic accidents per year involving pediatric patients over the past 10 years. Materials and Methods: A retrospective research study was conducted, encompassing 358 cases of road traffic accidents identified for the study. Data collection was conducted at "St. Mary’s" Emergency Hospital for Children in Iasi, Romania, from January 2015 to December 2022. To facilitate statistical analyses, participants were categorized into three specific age groups, correlating between the anatomical region affected and different types of accidents was examined, and the classification of injury types was determined based on the characteristics of the harm inflicted. Results: An oscillating trend is observed from 2015 to 2020, with its lowest value recorded in 2017 at around 6.8% and its peak in 2019 at 20.1%. Notably, post-pandemic (Covid-19), the cases underwent a substantial decline of approximately 50%. At least 78.7% of those who did not undergo orthopedic reduction required surgery, whereas among those who underwent orthopedic reduction, only 23.4% needed surgery. Regarding the frequency of complications 7,9% of the total cases experienced complications. Conclusion: The increased frequency of pediatric traffic accidents is attributed to the extensive services provided by "St. Mary’s" Emergency Hospital for Children, Iasi, to a significant number of patients from both rural and urban areas across the seven counties of the Moldova, Romania.

We present a new post-processing method for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) that raise cubically the secret key rate in the number of double matching detection events. In Shannon’s communication model information is prepared at Alice’s side then it is intended to pass it over a noisy channel. In our approach, secret bits do not rely in Alice’s transmitted quantum bits but in Bob’s basis measurement choices. Therefore measured bits are publicly revealed while bases selections remain secret. Our method implements sifting, reconciliation and amplification in a unique process, it just require a round iteration, no redundancy bits are sent and there is no limit in the correctable error percentage. Moreover, this method can be implemented as a post processing software into QKD technologies already in use.

Hill stream loaches are a group of fish that inhabit fast flowing shallow freshwater. The family has radiated over Asia. For some species their range is limited to single catchments; they provide an excellent example of biogeographical speciation on multiple scales. Hill stream loaches have a range of adaptations which help them exploit environments where competitors and predators would be washed away. They have streamlined bodies and keeled scales reminiscent of Mako sharks and potentially many other as yet undiscovered drag reducing features. They adhere to rocks, crawl over shallow films of water, glide over hard surfaces using ground effects and launch into currents to attack prey or evade predation. They offer a test of modern approaches to organismal biology and a broad range of biomimetic potential. In this paper we analyse what behaviour is associated with their physical adaptations and how this might relate to their evolution and radiation. Our intent here is to review information that is presently available but also to derive new insight through combination and statistical analysis of existing material. We also use our own observations and critically argue several contradictory, or poorly supported assertions in the existing scientific literature. Our conclusion is that, although extensively studied, there remain major gaps in knowledge about their organismal biology. We summarise the research opportunities in the form of hypotheses that are worth testing.

Background and Objectives: Stroke is a main leading cause for mortality and morbidity worldwide. Treat-ment of this pathology is still under development and its risk factors remain the main target to be reached. Therefore, we aim to determine the role of interleukin 1 beta in atheromatosis, as risk factor for stroke and the reole of this biomarker in stroke prognosis. Materials and Methods: The study conducted enrolled 56 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke in the anterior (AVT) and posterior vascular territory (PVT). All patients had venous blood collected at admission and 7 days after the onset of the cerebral ischemia in order to determine plasma concentration for interleukin 1 beta. At the same time an extracranial carotid ultrasound was performed. Results: Interleukin 1 beta collected at admission was positively correlated with NIHSS at admission (Pearson index 0,424) and both measurements were corelated with carotid stenosis (Spearmen correlation index 0,529, respectively 0,653). Conclusion: Interleukin 1 beta could be a reliable biomarker for stroke prognosis and carotid atheromatosis development.

The metastatic disease is a complex and sequential process that involves the migration of tumor cells from the primary site to distant areas. This metastatic pathway is not always predictable. Therefore, this paper presents three rare cases of unusual metastases, due to their primary site: two metastases of a clear cell renal cell carcinoma, one gingival and one nasal, as well as a mandibular metastasis of a hepatocellular carcinoma. In all cases, an incisional biopsy was performed in order to sign out the diagnosis. After microscopical examination of morphological Hematoxylin and Eosin stained slides, for all cases, immunohistochemical reactions were performed to support the primary tumor site. Two cases had a previous histopathological diagnosis of a primary tumor, while for the third case, the metastatic lesion represented the first manifestation of the neoplastic disease, with an unfavorable prognosis.

Cumulative effects of landscape disturbance in forested source water regions can alter the storage of fine sediment and associated phosphorus in riverbeds, shift nutrient dynamics and degrade water quality. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in major element chemistry and particulate phosphorus (PP) fractions of river-bed sediment in an oligotrophic river during environmentally sensitive low flow conditions. Study sites along 50 km of the Crowsnest River were located below tributary inflows from sub-watersheds and represent a gradient of increasing cumulative sedi-ment pressures across a range of land disturbance types (harvesting, wildfire, and municipal wastewater discharges). Major elements (Si2O, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, Ti2O, V2O5, P2O5), loss on ignition (LOI), PP fractions (NH4CI-RP, BD-RP, NaOH-RP, HCI-RP and NaOH(85)-RP) and absolute particle size were evaluated for sediments collected in 2016 and 2017. While total PP concentrations were similar across all sites, bioavailable PP fractions (BD-RP, NaOH-RP) increased downstream with increased concentrations of Al2O3 and MnO and levels of landscape disturbance. This study highlights the longitudinal water quality impacts of increasing landscape disturbance on bioavailable PP in fine riverbed sediments and shows how the convergence of climate (wildfire) and anthropogenic (sewage effluent, harvesting, agriculture) drivers can produce legacy effects on nutrients.

Managing Water, Energy, and Food (WEF) resources within socio-environmental systems demands innovative strategies that provide decision-makers with actionable insights. This article explores the challenges and potential solutions of employing Focus Maps and choremes as a novel approach for assessing anthropogenic impacts and enhancing the visualization of the WEF Nexus in specific geographic areas. By integrating geospatial data, multi-criteria analysis, and involving stakeholders, our research aims to develop Choreomatic Focus Maps (CFMs) that offer a comprehensive spatial representation of the WEF Nexus, facilitating better-informed decision-making at the community level. Our current work outlines visualization of WEF Nexus, as an initial stages of creating CFMs through a detailed step-by-step process. This includes identifying the main drivers for WEF nexus, such as anthropogenic activities and their distribution, evaluating environmental factors, linking anthropogenic impact with environmental indicators over time, and conducting on-site validation. Our focus is on advancing through these crucial steps, particularly emphasizing field validation within the Local Decision-Makers Tools, visualized here by using Focus Maps. This phase is vital for ensuring our approach is grounded in reality and meets the needs of the communities within the Danube Delta region. By doing so, we aim to provide a visual summary of the WEF Nexus that not only captures the complexity of this fragile ecosystem but also incorporates local insights and priorities, identifying key areas where human activities have significant impacts.

Rheometric investigations facilitate the rheological analysis of cementitious suspensions. However, the choice of the rheometric device and raw data conversion affect the results. Contrary to small gap rheometry, where the flow data shear stress

In this paper, we identify issues and possible solutions in the key area of large-scale antenna systems, also know as Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems. Additionally, we propose the use of Massive MIMO technology as a means to tackle the uplink mixed-service communication problem. Under the assumption of an available physical narrowband shared channel (PNSCH), the capacity of the MTC network and, in turn, that of the whole system, can be increased by grouping Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices into clusters and letting each cluster share the same time-frequency physical resource blocks. We study the feasibility of applying sub-optimal linear detection to the problem of detecting a large number of MTC devices sharing the same time-frequency resources at the uplink of a base station (BS) equipped with a large number of antennas, M. In our study, we derive the achievable lower-bound rates for the studied sub-optimal linear detectors and show that the transmitted power of each MTC device can be reduced as M increases, which is a very important result for powerconstrained MTC devices running on batteries. Our simulation results suggest that, as M is made progressively larger, the performance of sub-optimal linear detection methods approach the matched filter bound, also known as perfect interference-cancellation bound.

With reference to our earlier published views on large nuclear gravitational constant , nuclear elementary charge and strong coupling constant , in this paper, we present simple relations for nuclear stability range, binding energy of isotopes and magic proton numbers.

In this study, five polyphenol compounds (reference substances, ref.) were added to Stokesia laevis (Slae26) ethanolic extract (5 mg GAE / mL) in order to test their antiproliferative effects on human colon tumor cell line Caco-2 (ATCC-HTB-37). The five phenolics (ref.) are luteolin-7-O-glucoside (orientin), luteolin-8-C-glucoside (cinnaroside), caffeic acid, gentisic acid and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and they were combined in ratio 1:1 between the active compounds in samples (GAE : ref.). Results indicated certain antiproliferative effects of Slae26 (IC50=36 μg GAE/mL sample), of the five reference compounds, but mainly of Slae26 combinations with the five phenolics tested (ref.). Punctually, there were obtained IC50 values around 5 μg/mL sample, signifying real therapeutic usefulness and antitumor potency of Slae26 combinations with the five food bioactive compounds tested. In silico docking studies provided potential therapeutic agents to inhibit the catalytic domain of human tankyrase 1 (TNKS1) in the series of food bioactive compounds tested, and revealed luteolin-7-O-glucoside high effectiveness.

Background: Areca nut and betel quid (ANBQ) chewing is a widespread carcinogenic habit. The BENIT (ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT02942745) is the first known randomized trial designed for ANBQ chewers. Methods: We compared intensive behavioral treatment intervention condition (IC) with control condition (CC) in the BENIT and included a 5-stage early stopping rule. We report the primary analysis at stage 3. English literate adults in Guam and Saipan who self-identified as ANBQ chewers with tobacco were enrolled between August 2016 and August 2020. IC participants (n=88) received five in-person sessions over 22 days and a brochure containing quitting advice. CC participants (n=88) received only the brochure. Participants were assessed at baseline and day-22 follow-up. Self-reported chewing status at day-22 was determined by a composite of two survey items with disparate wording and response options for cross-verification. Results: Cessation rates were 38.6% (IC) and 9.1% (CC). Proportional hazards regression revealed a p=0.0058, which met the Stage 3 criteria for significance and an estimated reduction in ANBQ chewing for IC compared to the CC of 71% (95% CI: 41%-88%). Conclusion: Robust self-reported intervention effects at day-22 suggests that intensive cessation programs such as BENIT should be further developed and implemented on a larger scale.

The management and classification of solid waste is one of the most important challenges around the world, in order to sustain economic growth and preserve the environment. The objective is to propose the use of Smart Ecological Points as a strategy to address the problem related to the solid waste management system at the source, which has become one of the biggest problems globally and Colombia is no exception. The article describes the current state of the problem in the country and in turn, presents the possibility of developing a prototype corresponding to a low-cost Smart Ecological Point supported by the use of an experimental capacitive sensor and Machine Learning algorithms, which will reduce the time necessary for the classification of recyclable and non recyclable waste, minimizing the health risks and increasing the percentage of waste that can be reused, by reducing the probability of being contaminated at the source, an aspect that is very common when done manually. According to the results obtained, it was evident that the proposed prototype made an adequate classification of waste, generating the possibility of being manufactured with existing technology in the environment, in order to promote adequate waste classification at the source.

The concept of destination image is closely related to the brand image of the destination. A good image is a step in branding the destination. The image of the destination can be a primary, sec-ondary or global one, the latter incorporating the first two. The sustainability of a positive image of the destination is based on both a positive secondary image and a positive global image. The purpose of this research is to analyze separately the two types of images for a given tourist des-tination that has registered in recent years a remarkable increase in the number of visitors. The research is based on a questionnaire-based survey of a sample of 607 people. The collected data were processed with SPSS and the results show significant differences between the two types of images (secondary image and global image), a dangerous situation in the medium and long term for destination management. The nuances in the perception of the image of the destination on the two types of respondents (who experienced respectively who did not experience the destination) can be explained by the aggressive strategy of promoting the tourist destination, but inefficient strategy for younger age groups. The study allows the formulation of conclusions and measures to correct the situation.

Abstract: Our goal is to create point-of-care (POC) strategies that accelerate decision making, increase efficiency, improve outcomes, and enhance standards of care in island communities faced with global warming, rising oceans, population migration, and intensifying weather disasters. We assessed needs in the Bantayan Archipelago and mainland Cebu Province, Visayas Islands, Philippines, to map POC diagnostics, rescue times, and spatial care paths. Significant deficiencies were lack of cardiac troponin testing for rapid diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, absence of blood gas and pH testing for support of critically ill patients, and geographic gaps prolonging patient transfers and delaying treatment. Strengths comprised primary care that can be facilitated by POC testing, logical inter-island transfers for which decision making and triage could be accelerated with onboard diagnostic testing, and healthcare small-world networks amenable to POC advances, such as pre-hospital testing, that avoid overloading emergency rooms. Healthcare resources must be distributed to archipelago islands, not concentrated in large metropolitan areas inaccessible for emergency interventions. We conclude that a point-of-need focus will help improve public health, decrease disparities in mortality among rural islanders versus urban dwellers, and pave the way for heightened resilience in anticipation of the adverse impact of global warming on vulnerable coastal areas.

Despite epidemiological findings of improvements in cardiovascular risk factors with a light-to-moderate intake of alcohol, many misconceptions remain regarding alcohol intake and the risks and benefits of consumption. We sought to examine physician attitudes and recommendations regarding alcohol intake in a cohort of Argentine physicians and to establish their sources of knowledge. An online national survey was distributed through the Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC) to cardiologists, internal medicine specialists, general and other subspecialty physicians in Argentina. The survey was completed by 745 physicians, of whom 671 (90%) were cardiologists. In total, 35% of physicians viewed moderate alcohol intake to be beneficial for cardiovascular health, 36% believed only wine offered such benefits, 24% viewed any intake to be harmful, and 5% had other opinions. More than half (57%) self-reported their knowledge to come from academic sources. Regarding knowledge of drinking guidelines, only 41% of physicians were aware of the concept of ‘standard drink’. Physicians were generally not comfortable converting ‘standard drinks’ into other metric units, however men tended to be more comfortable than women (p=0.052). Physicians were not satisfied with their knowledge of drinking guidelines (3.01 ± 2.73, on a 0-10 scale). Physicians were generally comfortable in counselling patients regarding safe-limits of consumption (6.22 ± 3.20, on a 0-10 scale). Argentine physicians were not satisfied with their knowledge of alcohol consumption guidelines or their understanding of the reported metrics. Only one-third of study participants viewed moderate alcohol intake as beneficial for cardiovascular health. This study shows the necessity to optimize the sources of knowledge.