Activated platelets are involved in blood coagulation by exposing phosphatidylserine (PS), which serves as a substrate for assembling coagulation complexes. Platelets accelerate fibrin formation and thrombin generation, two final reactions of the coagulation cascade. We investigated the effects of antiplatelet drugs on platelet impact in these reactions and platelet ability to expose PS. Washed human platelets were incubated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), ticagrelor, ASA in combination with ticagrelor, ruciromab (glycoprotein IIb-IIIa antagonist) or prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). Platelets were not activated or activated by collagen, sedimented in multiwell plates and plasma was added after supernatant removal. Fibrin formation (clotting) was monitored in a recalcification assay by light absorbance and thrombin generation in a fluorogenic test. PS exposure was assessed by annexin V staining using flow cytometry. Ticagrelor (alone and in combination with ASA), ruciromab and PGE1, but not ASA prolonged the lag phase and decreased the maximum rate of plasma clotting, and decreased the peak and maximum rate of thrombin generation. Inhibition was observed when platelets were not treated with exogenous agonists (activation by endogenous thrombin) and pretreated with collagen. Ticagrelor (alone and in combination with ASA), ruciromab and PGE1, but not ASA decreased PS exposure on washed platelets activated by thrombin and by thrombin + collagen. PS exposure on activated platelets in whole blood was lower in patients with acute coronary syndrome receiving ticagrelor + ASA in comparison with donors free of medications. These results indicate that antiplatelet drugs are able to suppress platelet coagulation activity not only in vitro but also after administration to patients.

Findings of new targeted treatments with adequate safety evaluations is essential for better cancer cures and mortality rates. Immunotherapy holds promise for patients with relapsed disease, with the ability to elicit long-term remissions. Emerging promising clinical results in B-cell malignancy using gene-altered T-lymphocytes uttering chimeric antigen receptors have sparked a lot of interest. This treatment could open the path for a major difference in the way we treat tumors that are resistant or recurring. Genetically altered T cells used to produce tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptors are resurrected field of adoptive cell therapy by demonstrating remarkable success in the treatment of malignant tumors. Because of the molecular complexity of chimeric antigen receptors -T cells, a variety of engineering approaches to improve safety and effectiveness are necessary to realize larger therapeutic uses. In this study, we investigate at new strategies for enhancing chimeric antigen receptors-T cell therapy by altering chimeric antigen receptors proteins, T lymphocytes, and their relations with other solid tumor microenvironment (TME) aspects.

In this paper, we present sums and partial sums of Horadam sequences via generating functions which extends a recent result of Prodinger.

The current work reveals the fine tuning between stability zones and randomness of GI/M/1 Pointwise Stationary Fluid Flow Approximation (PSFFA) model of the non-stationary D/M/1 queueing system. More specifically, this clearly provides more insights into developing a contemporary PSFFA theory that unifies non-stationary queueing theory with chaos theory and fields in both theoretical physics and chaotic systems. This opens new grounds for stability analysis of non-stationary queueing systems. A notable application of GI/M/1 queueing model to achieve ultra-low latency of autonomous driving service is highlighted. Concluding remarks associated with future avenues of research are given.

The current work reveals the fine tuning between stability zones and randomness of Pointwise Stationary Fluid Flow Approximation (PSFFA) model of the non-stationary queueing D/M/1 system. More specifically, this clearly provides more insights into developing a contemporary PSFFA theory that unifies non-stationary queueing theory with chaos theory and fields in both theoretical physics and chaotic systems. This opens new grounds for stability analysis of non-stationary queueing systems.

In this paper, closed forms of the sum formulas $\sum_{k=0}^{n}x^{k}W_{k}^{3}$ and $\sum_{k=1}^{n}x^{k}W_{-k}^{3}$ for the cubes of generalized Fibonacci numbers are presented. As special cases, we give sum formulas of Fibonacci, Lucas, Pell, Pell-Lucas, Jacobsthal, Jacobsthal-Lucas numbers.

This report is on online banking and information systems in online banking. It throws some light on the introduction and historical background of online banking. Next, in this term report online banking information is explained in detailed. We collected a few articles, related to internet banking, on which other researchers have worked. Then further we have brief them into a table where we have mentioned their problems and limitations. Next, we discussed them in detail, giving an overview of each article. Lastly, recommendations for the online banking sectors are also mentioned.

Antibiotic resistance was described soon discovery of penicillin by Fleming. In recent years, there has been increasing research interest in the development of alternatives to address this problem. Natural products, mainly, have long been considered as sources of drugs, and a great part of pharmaceuticals available in modern medicine are directly or indirectly derived from natural sources. propolis been used to treat human diseases since ancient times, propolis, is a natural resinous mixture produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from collected parts of plants, he is increasingly recognized by their wide range of biological and pharmacological properties, As anti- infective agent, combination synergy with standard antibiotics could be very promising alternative strategy

Hepatotoxic microcystins (MCs) are the most widespread class of cyanotoxins and the one that has most often been implicated in cyanobacterial toxicosis. One of the main challenges in studying and monitoring MCs is the great structural diversity within the class. The full chemical structure of the first MC was elucidated in the early 1980s and since then the number of reported structural analogues has grown steadily and continues to do so, thanks largely to advances in analytical methodology. The structures of some of these analogues have been definitively elucidated after chemical isolation using a combination of techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance, amino acid analysis and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Others have only been tentatively identified using liquid chromatography-MS/MS without chemical isolation. An understanding of the structural diversity of MCs, the genetic and environmental controls for this diversity and the impact of structure on toxicity are all essential to the ongoing study of MCs across several scientific disciplines. However, because of the diversity of MCs and the range of approaches that have been taken for characterizing them, comprehensive information on the state of knowledge in each of these areas can be challenging to gather. We have conducted an in-depth review of the literature surrounding the identification and toxicity of known MCs and present here a concise review of these topics. At present, at least 269 MCs have been reported. Among these, about 20% (54 of 269) appear to be the result of chemical or biochemical transformations of MCs that can occur in the environment or during sample handling and extraction of cyanobacterial, including oxidation products, methyl esters, or post-biosynthetic metabolites. The toxicity of many MCs has also been studied using a range of different approaches and a great deal of variability can be observed between reported toxicities, even for the same congener. This review will help clarify the current state of knowledge on the structural diversity of MCs as a class and the impacts of structure on toxicity, as well as to identify gaps in knowledge that should be addressed in future research.

The excessive intake of sodium (Na) and insufficient intake of potassium (K) are major concerns to prevent hypertension. Using low-Na/K seasonings (reducing 25% of the NaCl and adding K salt) may improve the dietary Na/K ratio and help prevent hypertension. To devise an intervention study using low-Na/K seasonings at a company cafeteria, we calculated the Na and K contents of the meals served at the cafeteria and estimated changes in the intakes when suitable low-Na/K seasonings were used. We also considered using milk as a good source of K. We used an ingredient list of a company cafeteria and calculated Na and K contents in each dish. The average amounts of NaCl and K per use were 5.04 g and 718 mg, respectively. Seasonings contributed 70.9% of the NaCl. With the use of low-Na/K seasonings, an estimated reduction in NaCl of 0.8 g/day and an estimated increase in K of 308 mg/day was achieved. An additional serving (200 mL) of milk, NaCl was reduced by 0.57 g/day and K was increased by 610 mg/day, with an overall decrease in the dietary Na/K ratio from 3.20 to 2.40. The use of low-Na/K seasonings and dairy may improve the dietary Na/K ratio among cafeteria users and help prevent hypertension.

Crop plants should be resilient to climatic factors in order to feed ever-increasing populations. Plants have developed stress-responsive mechanisms by changing their metabolic pathways and switching the stress-responsive genes. The discovery of plant transcriptional factors (TFs) as key regulators of different biotic and abiotic stresses have opened up new horizons for plant scientists. TFs perceive the signal and switch certain stress-responsive genes on and off by binding to different cis-regulatory elements. The above 50 species of plant TFs have been reported in nature. DREB, bZIP, MYB, NAC, Zinc-finger, HSF, Dof, WRKY, and NF-Y are important with respect to biotic and abiotic stresses whereas the role of many TFs is yet to explore. In this review, we summarize the role of different stress-responsive TFs with respect to biotic and abiotic stresses. Further, challenges and future opportunities linked with TFs for developing climate-resilient crops are also elaborated.

The new pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide threatening health issue. Early progression of this disease starts in the lung airways with an exaggerated inflammation, triggered by the viral infection and characterized by a “cytokine storm” that can lead to lethal lung injuries. In the absence of an effective anti-viral molecule and until the formulation of a successful vaccine, anti-inflammatory drugs might offer a complementary tool for controlling the associated complications and thus decreasing the subsequent fatalities. Drug repurposing for several molecules has emerged as a rapid temporary solution for COVID-19. Among these drugs, Thalidomide, a historically emblematic controversial molecule that harbors an FDA approval for treating Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (ENL) and multiple myeloma (MM). Based on only one-case report of positive outcomes in a patient treated amongst others with Thalidomide, two clinical trials on the efficacy and safety of Thalidomide in treating severe respiratory complications in COVID-19 patients were registered. Conversely, the absence of any substantial, promising evidence on Thalidomide usage in that context along with the discontinued studies on the efficiency of this drug in similar pulmonary diseases might cause a significant obstacle for carrying on clinical studies. In this review, we will discuss the theoretical effectiveness of this drug in attenuating inflammatory complications that are encountered in patients with COVID-19 while pinpointing the lack of evidence that is needed to move forward with this drug.

Deep networks-based hashing has gained significant popularity in recent years, particularly in the field of image retrieval. However, most existing methods only focus on extracting semantic information from the final layer, disregarding valuable structural information that contains important semantic details crucial for effective hash learning. To address this limitation and improve image retrieval accuracy, we propose a novel deep hashing method called Deep Supervised Hashing by Fusing Multiscale Deep Features (DSHFMDF). Our approach involves extracting multiscale features from multiple convolutional layers and fusing them to generate more robust representations for efficient image retrieval. Experimental results on CIFAR10 and NUS-WIDE datasets demonstrate that our method surpasses the performance of state-of-the-art hashing techniques.

Historically, 2020 will be remembered as the year of COVID-19 pandemic, that limited people move and their social habits. This virus, becomes the first daily tracked public health burden that leads to more than 1,2 million deaths in the World by the end of October 2020, and until now no countries' best control strategies are cited as the example of long term success.Since March 2^nd, 2020, date of the first SARS-COV-2 detected case in Morocco; many decisions were adopted as COVID-19 control strategies. If the first period of COVID-19 noticed a few numbers of cases and deaths, the second half from July is marked with an exponential increase of the number of cases and a spread in almost all provinces with more intensive care needs and more deaths. The policy analysis approach was followed as a method to define the pitfalls themes and to compare with the updated available international information any significant similarities or divergences. Thus, this report has the aim to present an overview of how the COVID-19 pandemic was dealt in Morocco during these 200 days, by highlighting some discrepancies with corrective advice provided in the first version of the manuscript to be confronted by a Moroccan health policymaker’s community, then to notice the decisions adopted during another one month by the MoH to get better future control results against COVID-19.Unfortunately, despite the MoH decision to increase the diagnostic facilities for molecular tests, the overall number of laboratory tests do not go further than 21000 tests per day. The actual insidious transmission is a dangerous blind threat that dissipates the collaborating efforts, due to this limited number of confirmation and follows up tests.Accurate, standardised and up to ten times per day tests of molecular biology represented by RT-qPCR, to interpret results following the time progress of cycle quantification values is the primary action to be done to enhance the overall control strategy.

Non-Vitamin K Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) have revolutionized anticoagulant therapy, offering improved safety and efficacy over traditional agents like warfarin. This review comprehensively examines the dual roles of NOACs—Apixaban, Rivaroxaban, Edoxaban, and Dabigatran—not only as anticoagulants but also as modulators of inflammation via Protease-Activated Receptor (PAR) signaling. We highlight the unique pharmacotherapeutic properties of each NOAC, supported by key clinical trials demonstrating their effectiveness in preventing thromboembolic events. Beyond their established anticoagulant roles, emerging research suggests that NOACs influence inflammation through PAR signaling pathways, implicating factors such as FXa and Thrombin in the modulation of inflammatory responses. This review synthesizes current evidence on the anti-inflammatory potential of NOACs, exploring their impact on inflammatory markers and conditions like atherosclerosis and diabetes. By delineating the mechanisms by which NOACs mediate anti-inflammatory effects, this work aims to expand their therapeutic utility, offering new perspectives for managing inflammatory diseases. Our findings underscore the broader clinical implications of NOACs, advocating for their consideration in therapeutic strategies aimed at addressing inflammation-related pathologies. This comprehensive synthesis not only enhances understanding of NOACs' multifaceted roles but also paves the way for future research and clinical applications in inflammation and cardiovascular health

Neocarya macrophylla (Sabine) Prance (Nm, Chrysobalanaceae) is used traditionally as food, for medicinal spiritual and industrial purposes. It is also used as soap, dye, glue, fodder, termite repellent, firewood and for structural materials. Few studies on the physicochemical, nutritional contents, phytochemical and pharmacological activities have validated the benefits of Nm to humanity as food, in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. The major bioactive constituents identified in the plant so far are steroids and flavonoids (such as stigmasterol, quercetin, catechin and its related glycosides). Extracts of the plant have shown good antivenom, antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimycobacterial, anthelmintic and antioxidant activities. Acute toxicity studies conducted have confirmed the plant to be toxic. More studies on the plant are required in order to exploit other biological activities as claimed by traditional healers and also to isolate more bioactive compounds. In addition, the safety and tolerability assessment of Nm should be undertaken due to its widespread usage.

Nowadays, the selection of web services with uncertain quality of service (QoS) is gaining a lot of attention in the service-oriented computing paradigm (soc). In fact, searching for a service composition that fulfills a complex user’s request is known to be NP-Complete. The search time is mainly dependent on the number of the requested tasks, the size the available services, and the size of the QoS realizations (i.e., sample size). To handle this problem, we propose a two-stage approach that reduces the search space using heuristics for ranking the tasks’ services and a bat algorithm metaheuristic for selecting the final near optimal compositions. The fitness used by the metaheuristic aims to fulfill all the global constraints of the user. The experimental study shows that the ranking heuristics, termed “fuzzy pareto dominance” and "Zero-order stochastic dominance", are highly effective than the other heuristics and most of the existing state-of-the-art methods.

Cissus populnea Guill. & Perr. (Vitaceae) is used in traditional medicine to treat microbial infec-tions, venereal diseases, and infertility, among others. The aim of the research is to isolate and characterize the antimicrobial constituent(s) from the stem of C. populnea. The n-butanol fraction of C. populnea being most active was subjected to silica gel column chromatography which led to the isolation of a white solid and white crystalline substances coded compounds C1 and C4C5, respectively. Spectral analysis (1D & 2D-NMR) of the isolated compounds and comparison with literature data indicated C1 to be Bis-(2-ethyloctyl)-phthalate and C4C5 to be a mixture of stig-masterol and β-sitosterol; C4C5 exhibited zone of inhibition ranging from 24 – 29 mm against the test organisms with Candida albicans being the most sensitive organism while Trichophyton rubrum was the least sensitive organism. The standard drugs, Ciprofloxacin had 27 – 37 mm while Flu-conazole and Fulcin exhibited zone of inhibition ranging from 34 mm and 29 – 32 mm, respec-tively. The MIC and MBC/MFC values for C4C5 ranges from 12.5 – 25.0 µg/cm3 and 25.0 – 50.0 µg/cm3 against MRSA, S. aureus, E. coli, C. albicans, T. rubrum, and T. mentagrophyte, respectively. In conclusion, three bioactive compounds were identified for the first time from the stem of C. populnea

Lung cancer is one of the most important health risks worldwide for human. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cause of premature death from malignant disease. This study provides in-depth insights from systems biology analyses to identify molecular to inform systemic drug targeting in NSCLC. Gene expression profiles from non small cell lung cancer were analyzed with genome-scale biomolecular networks (I,e., protein-protein interaction, transcriptional and post transcriptional regulatory networks). The aim of the study was to determine the pathways and expression profile of the genes to discover molecular signature at RNA and protein levels which could serve as potential drug targets for therapeutics innovation and the identification of novel targets. Eight proteins, six TFs and seven miRNAs came into prominence as potential drug targets. The differential expression profiles of these reporter biomolecules were cross-validated by independent RNA-Seq and miRNA-Seq. Risk discrimination performance of the reporter biomolecules NPR3, JUN, PPARG, TP53, CKMT1A, SP3 and TFAP2A were also evaluated. Total 213 drugs and 7 proteins were found for non small cell lung cancer through dgidb. Among these identified drugs seven drugs such as- Gemcitabine, Carboplatin, paclitaxel, Docetaxel, Crizotinib, Bevacizumab and Gemcitabine is used for NSCLC which is approved by National Cancer Institute. The molecular signatures and repurposed drugs presented here permit further attention for experimental studies which are offer significant potential as biomarkers and candidate therapeutics for precision medicine approaches to clinical management of NSCLC.

In the paper, the authors generalize the notion "k-Mittag-Leffler function'', establish some integral transforms of the generalized k-Mittag-Leffler function, and derive several special and known conclusions in terms of the generalized Wright function and the generalized k-Wright function.

This paper will explore analogs of groups formed by the transformations of two ropes as presented by Minh-Tam Quang Trinh.1 The two operations acting on these ropes are T and S, defined as twists and clockwise turns, respectively. These actions intertwine the ropes, creating tangles. T and S also have the ability to untangle the rope when used in certain combinations. In the two-rope case, these actions expressed as a group presentation were shown to be isomorphic to SL₂(Z). We explored the analog of these opera- tions, T and S, and conjectured the corresponding group to which they are isomorphic. Partial proofs for this conjecture are included and future work would include proving our conjecture as well as generalizing results to k ropes.

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) is an edible perennial grass-like plant that has long been recognized for its health benefits as it is rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and natural sugars. It can be eaten raw, roasted or made into a refreshing milk which is very nutritive and healthy for consumption. There were several efforts to mass-produce the locally prepared tiger nut milk in our locality, but the fact that it has a shorter shelf-life, brings about a hindrance. The main objective of the present study is to unveil the cause for the easily spoilage of tiger nut milk and device ways to promote its production using different treatments. Tiger nut milk products were prepared using different methods; water soaked tiger nut milk (WSTM), toasted tiger nut milk (TTM), methanol soaked tiger nut milk (MSTM), and the pasteurised tiger nut milk (PTM). Each of these milk proucts prepared was divided into two portions; the first portion is treated with an antibiotic preservative, Nisin and the second portion was left untreated. The two portions were further divided into two; one stored at refrigerating temperature and the other at room temperature, making four different treatments per mixture and a total of 16 samples. These samples were subjected to proximate analysis; protein, fat, moisture, ash and carbohydrate. The chemical composition of the samples was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by processing treatment. All the samples had high moisture content, and a considerable amount of fat. The preservative treated samples that received pasteurized treatment were found to stay more than a week with fair quality. Findings from the study shows that the chemical characteristics of the various milk products were significantly affected by the different processing treatments.

Objective: To explore sex differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) related risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and demographic, anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and nutritional differences among 40-60 years old Pakistani CVD patients.Design: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study.Setting: The present study was conducted at the Mayo/King Edward Medical University (K.E.M.U) Hospital Cardiology Department (CCU-I & CCU-II), Lahore, from February 2020 to June 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.Participants: A random sample of 300 cardiac patients was included in the study. Patient records, food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall was used to solicit information about demographic, anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical measurements; dietary intake parameters; and CVD risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. Results: Men CVD patients had higher BMI (33.43 kg/m² vs. 28.69 kg/m²) and higher prevalence of hypertension (81.1% vs. 59%), hypercholesterolemia (82.4% vs. 54.5%) and smoked more cigarettes (72.6% vs. 9%) as compared to women while there was higher prevalence of diabetes among women as compared to men (59% vs. 29.4%). There were 85% women vs. 80% men consuming white bread, while half of the men reported using meat daily, as compared to only 16.6% women. There were 51.5% women and 17% men who reported consuming fruits and vegetables daily. There were 40% men and 16% women who reported consuming soft drinks. Conclusion: The study showed significant sex differences in the nutritional status and risk factors of patients with CVD.

Natural radioactivity of 238U, 232Th and 40K for liquid and solid samples collected from Sidi Salem dam (Tunisia) and Aïn Dalia dam (Algeria) were measured using TERRA detector of rays (gam-ma, beta, and alpha), Atomic adsorption and Gamma-ray spectrometry were used to analyze the levels of radionuclides and toxic heavy metals, respectively. Toxic heavy metals (Fe, Bb, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr and Cd) and associated health risks in surface water and sediment of dams have been in-vestigated in this present study. The radioactivity mean rates in the water samples were 1.72±0.01, 0.068±0.01 and 94.6±1.04 Bql-1 for 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively (Tunisia dam) and were 1.9± 0.24, 0.09±0.01 and 131.43±1.03 Bql-1 for 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively (Algeria dam). The 238U, 232Th and 40K radioactivity mean concentration measured in the sediment samples were 2.67±0.01, 0.18±0.012 and 197.87±2.01 Bqkg-1 respectively (Tunisian dam) and were 4.34±0.05, 0.27±0.05 and 287.61±3.34 Bqkg-1 respectively (Algeria dam). The activity concentration of 40K was higher than that of 238U and 232Th for the water and sediment samples. The mean activity concen-trations follow the order 40K > 238U > 232Th. The cumulative impact can be a serious immediate radiological health burden on the ecosystem, environment and people's health in this study area and can be transposable to any other similar region. The good knowledge of monitoring quality and quantity for the transboundary water resources and the international collaborations are es-sential to safeguard human health (women’s breasts cancer, thyroid cancer, neurological im-pact…), and avoid the conflicts, especially during these climatic upheavals of drought.

:Peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. A realistic estimate is that 50% of the world’s wetlands have been lost. Peat is used in horticulture, especially for the cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. The consequences of peatland exploitation are an in-crease in the greenhouse effect and a decrease in carbon stocks. Wood fiber can be used as an al-ternative to peat. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the growing container. This study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) variety “Dirigent H” developed in the Netherlands, were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) con-ventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. The experiment was carried out in three repli-cations. As the amount of wood fiber increased, the humidity and pH of the growing medium in-creased. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in 50/50 and 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat sub-strate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

: Greenhouse plants are usually grown in containers filled with growing media. Peat is the main component of the growing media used in greenhouses. However, peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. Wood fiber can be an alternative to use as a growing media for controlled-climate crops. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the vegetative container. Therefore, this study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) conventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in WF/PS 50/50 and WF/PS 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat substrate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

The KcsA is a prokaryotic potassium-oriented channel, which is sourced from the Streptomyces lividans soil bacteria. From extensive studies that have been carried over the KcsA potassium channel, it has been proved that various factors enable the gating and shuttling of the potassium ions into and out of the cells. Some of the factors include the different concentration of protons in the inside and outside membrane. The other factor is the existence of the selectivity filter equipped in the exit of channel pore, which enables the movement of the K⁺ ions. Not only are potassium ions present in the channel but also sodium ions. Potassium and sodium ions are the ions that are essential in the conductivity of a cell because of their charge. An intuitive idea about why K⁺ ions are at least 10,000 times more permeant than Na⁺ ions is presented in various entities. The hypothesis is that the selectivity ratio is probably related to the successive entry of Na⁺ ions, based on the premise that the ratio seems to be relevant to unpredictable quantities caused by Brownian corrosion of ions.

Abstract The aim of the present review is to discuss the roles of vitamin K and vitamin K-dependent proteins, and the combined action of the vitamins K and D, for maintenance of bone health. The most relevant vitamin K-dependent proteins in this respect are osteocalcin and matrix Gla-protein (MGP). When carboxylated these proteins appear to have the ability to chelate and import calcium from the blood to the bone, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Carboxylated osteocalcin appears to contribute directly to bone quality and strength. Adequate vitamin K status is required for carboxylation of MGP and osteocalcin. In addition, vitamin K acts on bone metabolism by other mechanism, such as a ligand for the nuclear steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR). In this narrative review, we examine the evidence for increased bone mineralization through dietary adequacy of vitamin K (phylloquinone or menaquinone). Summarizing the evidence for a synergistic effect of vitamin K and vitamin D3 we find that an adequate supply of vitamin K on top of an optimal vitamin D status seems to add to the benefit for maintaining bone health. More research related to synergism and possible mechanisms of vitamins D3 and K interaction in bone health is needed.

The $k$-means problem is to compute a set of $k$ centers (points) that minimizes the sum of squared distances to a given set of $n$ points in a metric space. Arguably, the most common algorithm to solve it is $k$-means++ which is easy to implement, and provides a provably small approximation factor in time that is linear in $n$. We generalize $k$-means++ to support: (i) non-metric spaces and any pseudo-distance function. In particular, it supports M-estimators functions that handle outliers, e.g. where the distance $\mathrm{dist}(p,x)$ between a pair of points is replaced by $\min {\mathrm{dist}(p,x),1}$. (ii) $k$-means clustering with $m\geq 1$ outliers, i.e., where the $m$ farthest points from the $k$ centers are excluded from the total sum of distances. This is the first algorithm whose running time is linear in $n$ and polynomial in $k$ and $m$.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SAC) is a leading cause of mortality. In recent years, though, many lives have been saved through the use of defibrillators by random bystanders. As a result, defibrillators have been popping up in various locations. In this work we propose a state mandate demanding the presence of a defibrillator at every pharmacy store and argue that it could greatly enhance and augment the impact of the defibrillator network. We support our claim via detailed calculations of the immediate (a defibrillator readily available) and partial (a defibrillator available at a reasonable distance) population coverage achievable by the implementation of our proposal, taking the Argolis area in Peloponnese Greece as a case study. Our findings indicate that, in addition to other benefits, the use of pharmacies to establish a defibrillator network could bring an eight-fold increase in the immediate population coverage of defibrillators and would provide immediate / partial access to a defibrillator to 18 / 24 incidents of SCA per year that would otherwise lead to death, potentially leading to the saving of numerous lives. Alternative scenaria are also discussed.

The automatic diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases has received much attention in the deep learning field. In this context, the segmentation of the left ventricle endocardium constitutes a major task in diagnosing heart conditions such as health failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The objective of this paper is to propose a "deep convolution network" for segmenting the internal cavity of the left ventricle (endocardium) using MRI images. In particular, we design an improved UNET model which handles additional inception modules for efficiently segmenting the internal cavity of the left ventricle. Our approach has been validated on the Sunnybrook Cardiac Data (SCD) dataset and has showed promising results in terms of precision. More specifically, the improved UNET largely outperforms the baseline UNET model and many existing state-of-the-art methods.

Recent data suggest that K-Ras4B (hereafter K-Ras) can drive cancer cell stemness via calmodulin (CaM)-dependent, non-canonical Wnt-signalling. Here we examined whether another Ca2+-binding protein, the CaM-related centrin1, binds to K-Ras and could mediate some K-Ras functions that were previously ascribed to CaM. While CaM and centrin1 appear to distinguish between peptides that were derived from their classical targets, they both bind to K-Ras in cells. Cellular BRET-data suggest that CaM engages more with K-Ras than centrin1 and that the interaction with the C-terminal membrane anchor of K-Ras is sufficient for this. Surprisingly, binding of neither K-Ras nor its membrane anchor alone to CaM or centrin1 is sensitive to inhibition of prenylation. In support of an involvement of the G-domain of K-Ras in cellular complexes with these Ca2+-binding proteins, we find that oncogenic K-RasG12V displays increased engagement with both CaM and centrin1. This is abrogated by addition of the D38A effector-site mutation, suggesting that K-RasG12V is held together with CaM or centrin1 in complexes with effectors. When treated with CaM-inhibitors the BRET-interaction of K-RasG12V with centrin1 was also disrupted in the low micromolar range, comparable to that with CaM. While CaM predominates in regulating functional membrane anchorage of K-Ras, it has a very similar co-distribution with centrin1 on mitotic organelles. Given these results, a significant overlap of the CaM- and centrin1-dependent functions of K-Ras is suggested.

We review time expansion wave theory and refine our model showing it to accurately match observed cosmological luminosity data. The theory augments general relativity to create a container within which quantum effects can be explained by treating time as an artefact of a fourth spatial dimension that we observe as the expansion of the universe. This leads us to explain mass creation, the speed of light limit, gravity, black holes without singularities and other macroscopic effects. Our model leads to an expansion velocity of 6.87 0.36 × 106 ms-1, which results in a Hubble expansion rate constant of 71.3 3.7 km/s/Mpc. Because of the finite window of time in which we exist, an extra a degree of freedom is available leading to interesting interpretations at the subatomic level. At this size range, then a spin is allowed within the time dimension explaining why wave particle duality occurs and explains the electromagnetic force and other quantum mechanical properties. It provides a solution to the double slit conundrum and can explain how quantum entangled partners can behave in a quantum way and pass seemingly time-defying information. The potential quantitative origin of the fine structure constant which governs the size of the electromagnetic force is also strongly indicated by this theory.

Nearest-neighbour clustering is a simple yet powerful machine learning algorithm that finds natural application in the decoding of signals in classical optical-fibre communication systems. Quantum k-means clustering promises a speed-up over the classical k-means algorithm; however, it has been shown to currently not provide this speed-up for decoding optical-fibre signals due to the embedding of classical data, which introduces inaccuracies and slowdowns. Although still not achieving an exponential speed-up for NISQ implementations, this work proposes the generalised inverse stereographic projection as an improved embedding into the Bloch sphere for quantum distance estimation in k-nearest-neighbour clustering, which allows us to get closer to the classical performance. We also use the generalised inverse stereographic projection to develop an analogous classical clustering algorithm and benchmark its accuracy, runtime and convergence for decoding real-world experimental optical-fibre communication data. This proposed `quantum-inspired' algorithm provides an improvement in both the accuracy and convergence rate with respect to the k-means algorithm. Hence, this work presents two main contributions. Firstly, we propose the general inverse stereographic projection into the Bloch sphere as a better embedding for quantum machine learning algorithms; here, we use the problem of clustering quadrature amplitude modulated optical-fibre signals as an example. Secondly, as a purely classical contribution inspired by the first contribution, we propose and benchmark the use of the general inverse stereographic projection and spherical centroid for clustering optical-fibre signals, showing that optimizing the radius yields a consistent improvement in accuracy and convergence rate.

Vitamin K occupies a unique and often obscured place among its fellow fat-soluble vitamins. Evidence is mounting however, that vitamin K (VK) may play an important role in the visual system apart from the hepatic carboxylation of hemostatic related proteins. However, to our knowledge, no review covering the topic has appeared in the medical literature. Recent studies have confirmed that matrix Gla protein (MGP), a vitamin K-dependent protein (VKDP), is essential for the regulation of intraocular pressure in the mouse. The PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) study, a randomized trial involving 5860 adults at risk for cardiovascular disease, demonstrated a 29% reduction in the risk of cataract surgery in participants with the highest tertile of dietary vitamin K1 (PK) intake compared with the lowest tertile. However, the specific requirements of the eye and visual system (EVS) for VK, and what might constitute an optimized VK status, is currently unknown and largely unexplored. It is the intention therefore of this narrative review to provide an introduction concerning VK and the visual system, review ocular VK biology, and to provide some historical context to recent discoveries. Potential opportunities and gaps in current research efforts will be touched upon, in the hope of raising awareness, and encouraging continued VK related investigations in this important and highly specialized sensory system.

Clustering, or otherwise known as cluster analysis, is a learning problem that takes place without any human supervision. This technique has often been utilized, much efficiently, in data analysis, and serves for observing and identifying interesting, useful, or desired patterns in the said data. The clustering technique functions by performing a structured division of the data involved, in similar objects based on the characteristics that it identifies. This process results in the formation of groups, and each group that is formed, is called a cluster. A single said cluster consists of objects from the data, that have similarities among other objects found in the same cluster, and resemble differences when compared to objects identified from the data that now exist in other clusters. The process of clustering is very significant in various aspects of data analysis, as it determines and presents the intrinsic grouping of objects present in the data, based on their attributes, in a batch of unlabeled raw data. A textbook or otherwise said, good criteria, does not exist in this method of cluster analysis. That is because this process is so different and so customizable for every user, that needs it in his/her various and different needs. There is no outright best clustering algorithm, as it massively depends on the user’s scenario and needs. This paper is intended to compare and study two different clustering algorithms. The algorithms under investigation are k-mean and mean shift. These algorithms are compared according to the following factors: time complexity, training, prediction performance and accuracy of the clustering algorithms.

In the particular configuration of the scalar field K-essence in the Wheeler-DeWitt quantum equation, for some age in the Bianchi type I anisotropic cosmological model, a fractional differential equation for the scalar field arises naturally. The order of the fractional differential equation is $\beta=\frac{2\alpha}{2\alpha - 1}$. This fractional equation belongs to different intervals, depending on the value of the barotropic parameter; when $\omega_{X} \in [0,1]$, the order belongs to the interval $1\leq \beta \leq 2$, and when $\omega_{X}\in[-1,0)$, the order belongs to the interval $0<\beta \leq 1$. In the quantum scheme, we introduce the factor ordering problem in the variables $(\Omega,\phi)$ and its corresponding momenta $(\Pi_\Omega, \Pi_\phi)$, obtaining a linear fractional differential equation with variable coefficients in the scalar field equation, then the solution is found using a fractional power series expansion. The corresponding quantum solutions are also given. We found the classical solution in the usual gauge N obtained in the Hamiltonian formalism and without a gauge. In the last case, the general solution is presented in a transformed time $T(\tau)$, however in the dust era we found a closed solution in the gauge time $\tau$.

The main objective of this paper is to introduce k-fractional derivative operator by using the definition of k-beta function. We establish some results related to the newly defined fractional operator such as Mellin transform and relations to k-hypergeometric and k-Appell's functions. Also, we investigate the k-fractional derivative of k-Mittag-Leffler and Wright hypergeometric functions.

Ochna kibbiensis (Family: Ochnaceae) has been employed in ethnomedicine for the treatment of malaria, and inflammation among others. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize prophylactic antimalarial agents from the leaves of O. kibbiensis against Plasmodium berghei, in vivo and in silico. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the methanol extract and its fractions (n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate and n-butanol) was determined according to Lorke’s method while the antimalarial effect of the extract and its fractions was investigated according to the method described by Peters prophylactic test using Chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei (NK65). All the extract/fractions exhibited LD50 values ≥ 5000 mg/kg with the exception of the n-butanol fraction (1702.94 mg/kg) which indicate that the plant is non-toxic. Dichloromethane fraction exhibited significant (p&lt;0.05) and dose-dependent prophylactic effect with 47.62, 85.12 and 100.0 % prophylaxis (at 500, 250 &amp; 125 mg/kg) while the least effect was observed by the n-butanol fraction with percentage prophylaxis of 64.29 and 76.19, respectively; the standard drug, pyrimethamine had 95.24 % prophylaxis. Based on the result obtained, dichloromethane fraction of O. kibbiensis was subjected to chromatographic purification which led to the isolation of a mixture of two compounds identified as stigmasterol and β-sitosterol by analysis of the NMR spectral data and comparison with existing literature; the compounds exhibited good binding affinities (- 5.129 and - 4.889 kcal/mol) against pfLDH and favorable ADMET profile. In conclusion, the leaf of O. kibbiensis have demonstrated a significant prophylactic antimalarial activity and the two known steroids (stigmasterol and β-sitosterol) isolated from the dichloromethane fraction for the first time.

Background: Diffuse glioma is a malignant human brain cancer that is hard to overcome. This represents a high risk of mortality. The current challenge is limited to the control of tumor progression and survival improvement. Immunotherapy consists of stimulating the immune system in order to eliminate the non-self-elements that damage the human body, including cancer cells. However, in human glioma, the current immunotherapeutic targets did not show significant benefit. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the expression and potential role of a new immunosuppressive molecule, TIGIT in glioma patients. Methods: A cohort of 667 patients from the TCGA database along with a cohort of 53 Moroccan patients, were analyzed in order to assess the role of TIGIT in human glioma progression and to estimate whether blocking this immune checkpoint molecule would be of a potential therapeutic benefit. Real time RT-PCR from fresh human biopsies and RNAseq data analysis were performed in this study. Results: Our results showed that high expression of TIGIT had prognostic value with some known clinical glioma risk factors such as sex, age and IDH mutation status. High expression of TIGIT was positively associated with advanced grades of glioma. Interestingly, elevated rates of TIGIT were significantly associated to elevated levels of other inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules (PD-1, VISTA and Tim-3) in human glioma patients, also TIGIT showed strong association with Treg cell-secreted cytokines (TGF-beta and IL-10), indicating the high potential involvement of TIGIT in immunosuppression in human glioma. Moreover, we reported that high TIGIT expressing CD8 T-cells displayed more surface inhibitory molecules and, elevated levels of Treg cells and FoxP3 were linked to higher rates of TIGIT, supporting the likely involvement of TIGIT in the suppression of the intra-tumoral immune cells. Finally, high expression of TIGIT was significantly linked to advanced histological subtypes of glioma and was associated with poor overall survival in human glioma. Conclusion: TIGIT blockade might be of valuable therapeutic benefit in patients with advanced glioma.

Nanoporous membranes promise energy-efficient water desalination. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), like graphene, exhibits outstanding physical and chemical properties, making it a promising candidate for water treatment. We employed Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations to establish accurate modeling of Na+ and Cl- permeation through hydrogen passivated nanopores in graphene and h-BN membranes. In these complex systems the classical potentials cannot properly account for the physics at play. We demonstrate that ion separation works well for the h-BN by imposing a barrier of 0.13 eV and 0.24 eV for Na+ and Cl- permeation respectively, compared to the graphene where the Cl- ion faces a negative barrier of 0.68 eV and is prone toward blockade and Na+ permeation is associated with a slightly negative barrier of 0.03 eV. From the change in the solvation shell, we get the following trend: Na/h-BN > Na/G > Cl/G > Cl/h-BN. We argue that the trend in the permeation barrier changes to Cl-h-BN > Na-h-BN > Na-G > Cl-G due to a combination of several interactions, including the distortion of the water network induced by the ions, the ion-water interaction, and the ion-nanopore interaction. Overall, the desalination performance of h-BN surpasses that of their graphene counterparts.

This paper presents a new semi-explicit algorithm for parameters estimation in a time-fractional generalization of dual-phase-lag heat conduction model with the Caputo fractional derivatives. It is shown that this model can be derived from a general linear constitutive relation for the heat transfer by conduction when the heat conduction relaxation kernel contains the Mittag-Leffler function. The model can be used to describe heat conduction phenomena in a material with power-law memory. The proposed algorithm of parameters estimation is based on the time integral characteristics method. The explicit representations of the thermal diffusivity and the fractional analogues of the thermal relaxation time and the thermal retardation are obtained via a Laplace transform of the temperature field and utilized in the algorithm. An implicit relation is derived for the order of fractional differentiation. In the algorithm, this relation is resolved numerically. An example illustrates the proposed technique.

The visualization of hyperspectral images in display devices, having RGB colour composition channels is quite difficult due to the high dimensionality of these images. Thus, principal component analysis has been used as a dimensionality reduction algorithm to reduce information loss, by creating uncorrelated features. To classify regions in the hyperspectral images, K-means clustering has been used to form clusters/regions. These two algorithms have been implemented on the three datasets imaged by AVIRIS and ROSIS sensors.

Concept Knowledge (C-K) theory has been used in engineering and science-based research for more than a decade. Design of an Information Technology (IT) artefact is mostly pragmatic in nature. Design Science Research (DSR) methodology applied and studied in many Information Systems (IS) research. Many sub design decisions involved through the design of an IT artefact from a concept (idea) to a working prototype. A DSR artefact is based on a combination of decisions made during several sub-design stages. Artefacts are built based on the selection of elements in each sub-design space. Recording the design decisions on each sub-design space would be beneficial for future researchers. By knowing the design decisions on each sub-design space, researchers would be able to try different combinations of the design. C-K theory provides the ability to capture the design processes’ several sub-design spaces. In this paper, we discuss the DSR research methodology by looking at the stages proposed in the literature, and the application of C-K theory in an IT-based DSR. This paper also proposed a C-K theory-based protocol called Concept Tree for tracking and reporting artefact design steps. The application of C-K theory in DSR is exhibited using the implementation of the Concept Tree for a prototype design IT artefact.

In this paper, some convexity properties and some inequalities for the (p,k)-analogue of the Gamma function, Г_p,k(x) are given. In particular, a (p,k)-analogue of the celebrated Bohr-Mollerup theorem is given. Furthermore, a (p,k)-analogue of the Riemann zeta function, ζ_p,k(x) is introduced and some associated inequalities are derived. The established results provide the (p,k)-generalizations of some known results concerning the classical Gamma function.

The internet of things and growing demand for smaller and advanced devices has created the problem of high heat production in the electronic equipment which greatly reduces the work performance and life of the electronic instruments. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are placed in between heat generating micro-chip and the heat dissipater to conduct all the produced heat to the heat sink. Development of suitable TIMs with excellent thermal conductivity (TC) in both in-plane and through-plane directions is a very important need at present. For efficient thermal management, polymer composites are potential candidates. But in general their thermal conductivity is low compared to that of metals. The filler integration into the polymer matrix is one of the two approaches used to increase the thermal conductivity of polymer composites and is also easy to scale up for industrial production. Another way to achieve this is to change the structure of polymer chains, which fall out of the scope of this work. In this review, considering the first approach, the authors have summarized recent development in many types of fillers with different scenarios by providing multiple cases with successful strategies to improve through-plane thermal conductivity (TPTC) (K⊥). For better understanding of TC the comprehensive background is also presented. In the end, it is given a detailed conclusion which provides drawbacks of some filler, multiple significant routes recommended by other researchers to build Thermally Conductive Polymer Composites, future aspects along with direction so that the researchers can get a guideline to design an effective polymer based Thermal interface materials. A number of methods to improve the effective (out-plane) thermal conductivity of polymer composites are also discussed.

The current study aims to produce a material that has a dual effect of healing and anti-inflammatory. For this target k-carrageenan/polyacrylamide hydrogel film loaded with cetrimide (k-CAR/PAAm/CI) was performed by manual casting technique. Definite concentrations of k-CAR and AAm was heated at 80°C for 2 hours, CI and glycerol were added. The solution was cast without using initiator and cross-linker. The reaction of the sulfonic acid group -SO3H of k-CAR with -CONH2 group of PAAm lead to the formation of a sulfonamide (-SO2NH-) linkage. The characteristics of the produced films were investigated by FTIR, TGA, contact angle, and mechanical properties. Improvement in the thermal stability was performed in k-CAR/PAAm/CI2 film containing 1.5% CI compared to the film has 0.5% CI (k-CAR/PAAm/CI1). The contact angle measurement proved the films are hydrophobic that enhanced by increasing CI content. The tensile strength and elongation percent values are considered adequate for materials used in wound care. k-CAR/PAAm/CI2 (1.5% CI) film showed superior antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa, moderate activity against S. aureus, and low activity against E. coli. The film k-CAR/PAAm/CI2 was effectively inhibiting the heat-induced hemolysis and may offer a promising approach for the development of effective wound dressings.

Salinity, resulting from climate change and excessive mineral fertilization, burdens farmers and negatively impacts soil and water ecosystems in the Northeastern Nile Delta. Organic and biological approaches are crucial for addressing these issues. This study examined the effects of individual and combined inoculations with cyanobacteria, yeast, and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), with or without K-humate, on enhancing salinity tolerance, increasing yield, and improving crop quality of wheat and faba bean. The aim was to reduce NPK mineral fertilizer application rates to 25% of recommended doses. An economic evaluation was also conducted. In a preliminary laboratory experiment, the interactive effects of these microbiomes on the production of plant antioxidant enzymes and soil enzymes were investigated under salinity stress. Results showed that co-inoculation, especially with K-humate, yielded superior outcomes compared to individual inoculations. The laboratory experiment findings were confirmed by a field trial conducted in saline-alkaline soil in the Northeastern Nile Delta region. The study found that the integrated inoculation of cyanobacteria, yeast, and mycorrhizae with K-humate, along with 25% mineral NPK fertilization enhanced microbial activity, including AMF colonization, spore density, and total bacteria, cyanobacteria, and yeast counts in the plant rhizosphere. It also increased soil enzyme activity, improving soil fertility compared to individual or mineral control treatments. This integration resulted in wheat yields of 2.77 tons/ha and faba bean yields of 4.75 tons/ha. Crop quality improved, with higher levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and protein in wheat grains and faba bean seeds. Microbiomes inoculation increased potassium uptake over sodium, enhancing the potassium/sodium ratio and salt stress tolerance. This approach reduces reliance on costly mineral fertilizers by up to 75%, enabling economically viable cultivation in marginal lands. These sustainable practices optimize resource utilization, maximize economic efficiency, and preserve natural resources.

Lichens are unique extremophilic organisms due to their phenomenal resistance to adverse environmental factors, including ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Melanization plays a special role in the protection of lichens from UV-B stress. In present study, we analyzed the binding of melanins with the components of cell walls of mycobiont of upper cortex in the melanized lichen thalli Lobaria pulmonaria. Using scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, the morphological and nanomechanical characteristics of melanized layer of mycobiont cells were visualized. Melanization of lichen thalli led to the smoothing the surface relief and thickening mycobiont cell walls and resulted in the increase of deformation values and reduction of adhesion properties of lichen thallus. Treatment of thalli with hydrolytic enzymes, especially chitinase and lichenase, enhanced the yield of melanin from melanized thalli and release of carbohydrates, while treatment with pectinase increased the release of carbohydrates and phenols. Our results suggest that melanin by firmly binding with hyphal cell wall carbohydrates, particularly chitin and 1,4-β-glucans, can form associations, strengthen the melanized upper cortex of lichen thalli, and thereby can contribute to lichen survival under UV stress.

While lidar-based forest inventory methods have been widely demonstrated, prediction of tree diameters with lidar is not well understood. The performance metrics typically used in studies for prediction of diameters can be difficult to interpret and may not support comparative inferences between sampling designs or study areas. We evaluate a variety of lidar and k nearest neighbor (k-NN) strategies for prediction of tree diameter distributions using two indices which are easier to interpret and compare. The indices are based on the coefficient of determination (R²), and root mean square deviation (RMSD). These indices facilitate comparisons with alternative (non-lidar) inventory strategies, and with other project areas. We evaluate k nearest neighbors (k-NN) dbh density (relative frequency by dbh class) prediction strategies with lidar for 190 training plots distribute across the 800 km² Savannah River Site in South Carolina, USA. We evaluate the performance of k-NN with respect to distance metrics, number of neighbors, predictor sets, and response sets. Amongst the examined strategies we found Mahalanobis distance with k = 3 neighbors performed best according to a number of criteria.

Real time condition monitoring and precision health assessment system is a mandatory need for effective maintenance program in industrial sector. Rapid advancement in the information technology and other engineering technologies have invited more proactive attention from research and development in industrial sectors and particularly in condition monitoring of machines and related Industrial processes. In this work, the drill bit condition monitoring techniques have been developed based on the wavelet analysis and artificial neural network (ANN) as automatic drill bit fault detection and classification. An experimental work has been conducted to capture the vibration signals for analysis. In this experiment, the CNC drill machine is used with high carbon steel drill bit and mild steel material as work piece. The cutting condition parameters are kept constant and the wear level is changed. The Data Acquisition system (DAQ) with Lab VIEW software is used to capture the vibration signals for drill bit with different wear conditions. The captured vibrations data are analyzed using continuous wavelet transform (CWT) with Morlet wavelet and Daubechies wavelet as a prime function. In general, the CWT coefficient is used to generate the inputs features to ANN for automatic tool condition classification, with two outputs (0, 1) for healthy and (1, 0) for faulty. The results show the effectiveness of the combed WT and ANN for automatic classification of tool wear conditions with high success rate.

Water pollution is regarded as a dangerous problem that needs to be resolved right away. This is largely due to the positive correlation between the increase in global population and waste production, especially food waste. Hydrogel beads based on sodium alginate (Alg) and pomegranate fruit peels (PP) were developed for the adsorption of Safranin O dye (SO) in aqueous solutions. The obtained Alg-PP beads were widely characterized. The effects of the contact time (0-180 min) and initial concentration (10-300 mg/l), the initial pH (2-10), the adsorbent dosage (1-40 g/l) and the temperature (293-333 K) were investigated through batch tests. The data proved that the adsorption kinetics of SO reached equilibrium within 30 min and up to 180 min. The adsorption data of SO onto synthesized beads follow the pseudo second-order model. The experimental data fitted very well to both Freundlich and Langmuir models. The maximum adsorption capacity of Alg-PP could reach 8.99 mg/g at 293 K. Calculation of Gibbs free energy and enthalpy indicated that adsorption of SO onto Alg-PP is spontaneous and endothermic. Finally, analysis of diffusion and mass transport phenomena were presented. The reported results revealed that the Alg-PP beads could be used as a novel natural adsorbent for the removal of cationic dye pollutants from aqueous environments.

(1) Background: Vitamin K deficiency is a common feature of chronic kidney disease (CKD), leading to impaired bone quality and increased risk of vascular calcifications. A method to indirectly measure Vitamin K status is measuring the blood level of Vitamin K dependent proteins (VKDP)- osteocalcin (OC) and matrix GLA protein (MGP). The aim of this study is to correlate the level of OC and MGP with markers of CKD mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD). (2) Methods: We conducted a single-center cross-sectional study that included 45 CKD G5D patients and measured blood biochemistry, complete blood count and intact osteocalcin and matrix GLA protein. (3) Results: We found a strong statistically significant correlation of OC with the markers of CKD-MBD such as: iPTH , serum calcium and serum phosphorus and a strong indirect statistically significant correlation with abdominal circumference. There was also a statistically significant correlation of MGP with markers of inflammation (CRP). Higher levels of MGP were found in patients treated with vitamin K antagonists, non-calcium based phosphate binders and vitamin D receptor activator- paricalcitol. (4) Conclusions: In our study, we found that vitamin K deficiency, measured indirectly using the level of VKDP is associated to CKD-MBD. The use of medication such as phosphate binders, that reduce vitamin K absorbtion, Vitamin D that increases Vitamin K requirements and also vitamin K antagonists, seem to have an influence on the blood level of VKDPs.

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

In this paper, closed forms of the sum formulas $\sum_{k=0}^{n}W_{k}^{2}$ \ for the squares of generalized Tetranacci numbers are presented. We also present the sum formulas $\sum_{k=0}^{n}W_{k+1}W_{k},$ $\sum_{k=0}^{n}W_{k+2}W_{k},$ and $\sum_{k=0}^{n}W_{k+3}W_{k}.$ As special cases, we give summation formulas of the of Tetranacci, Tetranacci-Lucas and some other fourth order linear recurrance sequences.

In document forensic, Ink mismatch relays very important information about forgeries in this way we can find out the authenticity of documents. Finding out and distinguishing these unique inks from the multispectral document is very challenging task. In this paper we proposed the method to identify the inks using clustering. We used K-Mean clustering instead of widely known Fuzzy C-Means Clustering (FCM) and successfully identity the number of inks. For the purpose of optimizing and improving our results we used two optimization techniques such as Elbow and silhouette optimization techniques.

The k-means is one of the most popular and widely used clustering algorithm, however, it is limited to only numeric data. The k-prototypes algorithm is one of the famous algorithms for dealing with both numeric and categorical data. However, there have been no studies to accelerate k-prototypes algorithm. In this paper, we propose a new fast k-prototypes algorithm that gives the same answer as original k-prototypes. The proposed algorithm avoids distance computations using partial distance computation. Our k-prototypes algorithm finds minimum distance without distance computations of all attributes between an object and a cluster center, which allows it to reduce time complexity. A partial distance computation uses a fact that a value of the maximum difference between two categorical attributes is 1 during distance computations. If data objects have m categorical attributes, maximum difference of categorical attributes between an object and a cluster center is m. Our algorithm first computes distance with only numeric attributes. If a difference of the minimum distance and the second smallest with numeric attributes is higher than m, we can find minimum distance between an object and a cluster center without distance computations of categorical attributes. The experimental shows proposed k-prototypes algorithm improves computational performance than original k-prototypes algorithm in our dataset.

A temperature-modulated pyroelectricity measurement system for a small single crystal is developed and applied to standard sample measurements performed on a thin single crystal of lithium niobate. The modulation measurement is based on the AC technique, in which the temperature of the sample is periodically oscillated, and the synchronized pyroelectric signal is extracted using a lock-in amplifier. Temperature modulation is applied by irradiating periodic light on the sample placed in the heat exchange gas. To apply this technique to the transparent reference sample, a commercially available black resin is coated on the sample’s surface to absorb the light energy and transmits it to the specimen. The experimental results are analyzed using a two-layer heat transfer model to verify the effect of the light-absorbing layer as well as the non-contact temperature modulation system.

Triangular resonators re-shaped with the Sierpinski geometry and U-shaped resonators have been designed, linking them with single-pole-double-through (SPDT) RF MEMS switches to provide frequency tuning for potential applications in the K-Band. Prototypes of band-stop narrowband filters working around 20 GHz and 26 GHz, interesting for RADAR and satellite communications, have been studied in coplanar waveguide (CPW) configuration, and the tuning was obtained by switching between two paths of the devices loaded with different resonators. As a result, dual-band operation or fine-tuning can be obtained depending on the choice of the resonator, acting as a building block. The studied filters belong to the more general group of devices inspired by the metamaterial design.

In this article we investigate the determinants of the European “Most Cited Publications”. We use data from the European Innovation Scoreboard-EIS of the European Commission for the period 2010-2019. Data are analyzed with Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Panel Data with Random Effects, WLS, and Pooled OLS. Results show that the level of “Most Cited Publications” is positively associated, among others, to “Innovation Index” and “Enterprise Birth” and negatively associated, among others, to “Government Procurement of Advanced Technology Products” and “Human Resources”. Furthermore, we perform a cluster analysis with the k-Means algorithm either with the Silhouette Coefficient and the Elbow Method. We find that the Elbow Method shows better results than the Silhouette Coefficient with a number of clusters equal to 3. In adjunct we perform a network analysis with the Manhattan distance, and we find the presence of 4 complex and 2 simplified network structures. Finally, we present a confrontation among 10 machine learning algorithms to predict the level of “Most Cited Publication” either with Original Data-OD either with Augmented Data-AD. Results show that the best machine learning algorithm to predict the level of “Most Cited Publication” with Original Data-OD is SGD, while Linear Regression is the best machine learning algorithm for the prediction of “Most Cited Publications” with Augmented Data-AD.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) is a variant that has been increasingly linked to severe, life threatening infections including pyogenic liver abscess and bloodstream infections. HvKp belonging to the capsular serotypes K1 and K2 have been reported worldwide, however very scarce studies are available on the their genomics and virulence. In the current study we report four hypermucoviscous hvKp ESBL clinical strains of capsular serotype K1 and K2 isolated from pus and urine of critically ill patients in tertiary care hospitals in Oman. These strains belong to diverse sequence types (STs) namely ST-23(K1), ST-231(K2), ST-881(K2), and ST-14(K2). To study their virulence, Galleria Mellonella model and resistance to human serum killing were used. The G. mellonella model revealed that the K1/ST-23 isolate is the most virulent as 50% of the larvae died in the first day, followed by isolate K2/ST-231 for which 75% of the larvae died in the second day and isolate K2/ST-14 for which 50% of the larvae died in the second day. Resistance to human serum killing showed there was complete inhibition of bacterial growth of all four isolates by the end of the first hour and up to the third hour. For ST-23(K1), ST-231(K2), ST-881(K2), and ST-14(K2), there was a gradual decrease in the number of colonies up to the second to third hour, which indicates neutralization of bacterial cells by the serum components. However, this was followed by sudden increase of bacterial growth, indicating possible resistance of bacteria against human serum bactericidal activity. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed that hvKp strains display unique genetic arrangement of k-loci. Whole genome SNP-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that these hvKp isolates are phylogenetically distinct, belonging to diverse clades and belong to different STs in comparison to global isolates. This is the first report from Oman detailing the WGS of hvKp clinical isolates and assessing their resistance and virulence genomics, which reinforce our understanding of their epidemiology and dissemination in clinical settings.

This article investigates on the radial and non-radial geodesic structures of the generalized K-essence Vaidya spacetime. Within the framework of K-essence geometry, it is important to note that the metric does not possess conformal equivalence to the conventional gravitational metric. This study employs a non-canonical action of the Dirac-Born-Infeld kind. In this work, we categorize the generalized K-essence Vaidya mass function into two distinct forms. Both the forms of the mass functions have been extensively utilized to analyze the radial and non-radial time-like or null geodesics in great details inside the comoving plane. Indications of the existence of wormhole can be noted during the extreme phases of spacetime, particularly in relation to black holes and white holes, which resemble the Einstein-Rosen bridge. In addition, we have also detected the distinctive indication of the quantum tunneling phenomenon around the central singularity.

For a positive integer k, a radio k-coloring of a simple connected graph G = (V (G), E(G)) is a mapping | f(u) - f(v)| ≥ k +1-d (u , v ) such that f :V (G)→{0,1, 2,...} for each pair of distinct vertices u and v of G, where d(u, v) is the distance between u and v in G. The span of a radio k-coloring f, rck(f), is the maximum integer it assigns to some vertex of G. The radio k-chromatic number, rck(G) of G is min{rck(f)}, where the minimum is taken over all radio k-colorings f of G. If k is the diameter of G, then rck(G) is known as the radio number of G. In this work, we propose four algorithms (two serial algorithms and their parallel versions) which related to the radio k-coloring problem. One of them is an approximate algorithm that determines an upper bound of the radio number of a given graph. The other is an exact algorithm which finds the radio number of a graph G. The approximate algorithm is a polynomial time algorithm while the exact algorithm is an exponential time algorithm. The parallel algorithms are parallelized using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard. The experimental results prove the ability of the proposed algorithms to achieve a speedup 7 for 8 processors.

With a data revolution underway for some time, there is an increasing demand for formal privacy protection mechanisms that are not so destructive. Hereof microaggregation is a popular high-utility approach designed to satisfy the popular k-anonymity criteria while applying low distortion to data. However, standard performance metrics are commonly based on mean square error, which will hardly capture the utility degradation related to a specific application domain of data. In this work, we evaluate the performance of k-anonymous microaggregation in terms of the loss in classification accuracy of the machine learned models built from perturbed data. Systematic experimentation is carried out on four microaggregation algorithms that are tested over four data sets. The empirical utility of the resulting microaggregated data is assessed using the learning algorithm that obtains the highest accuracy from original data. Validation tests are performed on a test set of non perturbed data. The results confirm k-anonymous microaggregation as a high-utility privacy mechanism in this context and distortion based on mean squared error as a poor predictor of practical utility. Finally, we corroborate the beneficial effects for empirical utility of exploiting the statistical properties of data when constructing privacy preserving algorithms.

In this present paper, we deal with the generalized (k, s)-fractional integral and differential operators recently defined by Nisar et al. and obtain some generalized (k, s)-fractional integral and differential formulas involving the class of a function as its kernels. Also, we investigate a certain number of their consequences containing the said function in their kernels.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a modern lifestyle on college female students' health, specifically focusing on their hip and knee joint mobility. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of hydraulic resistance training with the self-myofascial release technique on improving joint mobility in female college students. The training also aimed to compare the effectiveness of hydraulic resistance exercise with and without the self-myofascial release technique on hip and knee joint mobility.Methods The study used a randomized controlled trial design to recruit 30 female college students aged 18-25 through campus advertisements and announcements. Medical conditions or injuries that might have affected participation was screened. Participants were indiscriminately allocated to Group A (Hydraulic Resistance Training with Self-Myofascial Technique) or Group B (Hydraulic Resistance Training without Self-Myofascial Technique). The baseline assessments included joint range of motion (ROM) measurements using a goniometer. Certified trainers supervised the training sessions, and the data were analyzed using SD and mean using SPSS. ResultsThis study aimed to evaluate the impact of hydraulic resistance training with self-myofascial release on hip and knee joint mobility in female college students. The results showed that both groups showed improved hip and knee flexion with and without the self-myofascial release technique. However, the Group A using the self-myofascial release technique (Group A) showed a more significant enhancement, as indicated by the smaller p value compared to Group B. It has been suggested that the self-myofascial release technique may improve hip and knee joint mobility. ConclusionThis study concluded that Hydraulic Resistance Training with Self-Myofascial Release (HSMR) could improve hip and knee joint mobility among female college students. These findings suggest that integrating the self-myofascial release technique into training regimens can improve joint mobility. However, further research with larger sample sizes and extended intervention periods was needed to understand the long-term effects and sustainability of these improvements.

Aiming at the problem of low charging efficiency caused by the scattered sensor nodes in traditional wireless rechargeable sensor networks (WRSNs), a UAV-assisted WRSN Online Charging Strategy Based on Dynamic Queue and Improved K-means (UOCS) is proposed. The scheme assumes that the energy consumption of nodes is unpredictable, and only generates charging requests when the energy is lower than a threshold, and performs on-demand responses to nodes that issue charging requests. The scheme combines the characteristics of one-to-one charging of UAVs, the selection and allocation timing of waiting queues and the number of UAVs, and the improved K-means partitioning based on space-time coordination(SPKM), which simplifies the problem of coordinated charging of multiple UAVs and maximizes energy. Using the efficiency and charging success rate, the optimal charging trajectory can be found under the constraint that the node will not starve to death due to power shortage. Finally, a simulation comparison experiment is carried out with the existing UAV charging scheduling strategy. UOCS achieves the optimal node survival rate with low algorithm complexity.

The present study comprises the second part of our previous work that dealt mainly with the phytochemical and physicochemical characterization of green coffee, clove, cinnamon/clove and nutmeg ethanolic extracts of grape origin. In the present study, we focused on producing a discriminating model concerning green coffee, clove, cinnamon, cinnamon and clove, and nutmeg fine powders based on multivariate analysis of variance and supervised learning on data of volatile compounds analysis, carried out with solid phase dynamic extraction in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results showed that 7 volatile compounds namely ethylene, methanol, 3-methylpentane, ethyl acetate, 9-hexadecen-1-ol, toluene, and methyl acetate could differentiate the investigated samples resulting in a 100% classification rate using the cross-validation method of linear discriminant analysis. Results were further confirmed using partial least squares regression analysis. The study contributes to the typification of green coffee, cinnamon, clove, cinnamon and clove and nutmeg, based on selected volatile compounds, and provides further support to the literature by means of possible adulteration given the statistical models developed.

Development of new techniques of multimodal treatment, diagnostics of various neoplasms and improvement of these techniques can significantly increase the life expectancy of patients with carcinomas of the colon and abdominal cavity organs, since prevention of various side effects of radiation therapy is one of the main problems of oncological care. Electron irradiation is one of the most promising types of radiation therapy. There are no data on proliferation and apoptosis of the colon epithelium after irradiation with electrons, especially in different modes (single and summary). Aim of the study: Morphological evaluation of apoptosis and proliferation of colonic epithelium after local irradiation with electrons at doses 2 Gy and 25 Gy. Materials and methods. Colon fragments from sexually mature Wistar rats (n=50, body weight 200 ± 10 g) were divided into three groups: I - control (n = 10); II - experimental group (n = 20; local single electron irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy), III - experimental group (n=30), local fractional irradiation with electrons at a total dose of 25 Gy. They were studied by light microscopy using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical reactions with antibodies to Ki-67 and Cas3. Morphological disorders were accompanied by increased expression of pro-apoptotic molecules (caspase-3), and the period of regeneration by proliferative marker (Ki-67). Conclusions: Local fractional irradiation of the colon with electrons at a dose of 2 Gy and 25 Gy resulted in minor changes in the epithelium, a decrease in the number of goblet cells, but with preservation of regenerative potential, mild degenerative-dystrophic lesions. Intestinal crypts were damaged, leading to a decrease in Ki-67 and an increase in the number of caspase-3-positive epitheliocytes.

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma has several applications in different fields. One of these fundamental applications is medical usages, where various methods are employed to improve the plasma treatment process. The combination of different gases is one of the important strategies to improve the performance of plasma in treatment. In this paper, the optimized plasma parameters for one-dimensional radiofrequency discharge produced at low pressures in a helium gas combination is studied. In this research, the optimal combination of H₂O and He is identified to attain the highest amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Considered mixture are 5,10,15 and 20 precent of H₂O for one dimensional helium gas discharge. The results show that the parameters of the output plasma are highly dependent on the composition of the input gases. It is found that the greatest concentrations of H+, He+, Hes (excited helium), and OH/ densities are observed when the H₂O percentage is 10%. Moreover, the density distributions of various species and the temperatures of electrons are numerically calculated during the electrical discharge process. These findings provide useful knowledge on how to optimize plasma parameters for biomedical applications, which may lead to improved treatment results in several therapeutic areas.

This study aims to investigate the hydration and strength characteristics of green cementitious mortars with ultrahigh-volume limestone-calcined clay as well as two kinds of Class F fly ash. Using the ASTM C311 strength activity index test method, the effect of different pozzolan replacement levels of cement (0%, 20%, 50%, and 80%, by weight) were investigated. Compressive strength at 3, 7, 14, 28 and 90 days under standard curing was recorded, and hydration heat of the 20% and 80% replacement mixes was studied using iso-thermal calorimetry. It was observed that the effectiveness of the pozzolan in mortars depends on particle size distribution, glassy or amorphous nature, surface area and replacement level. The sum of all these effects can be captured by the strength activity test only if the standard recommended 20% pozzolan mix is substituted with the actual mix composition. The results in this study provide insights into the mix design and applications of ultrahigh-volume pozzolanic cementitious materials specifically made with limestone-calcined clay, and promote greener cement and concrete in construction industry.

Rapidly rotating neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields are observed to emit pulsed emission in the whole range of electromagnetic spectrum from radio to high energy gamma-rays. These so called pulsars are known for their exceptional rotational stability. The radio emission from pulsars is generally believed to be powered by the rotational energy of neutron stars. More than 3000 pulsars have been currently known from radio observations, however, it is observed that a large population of pulsars is also bright in optical, X-rays and gamma-rays. The Fermi-LAT observations in the energy range above 100 MeV have discovered about 300 pulsars. However, origin of high energy non-thermal radiation from pulsars is not completely understood and remains an active area of research. In this contribution, we report a summary of observational features of the gamma-ray pulsars and perform pulsar population study to predict their detectability for the MACE gamma-ray telescope, which has just started its regular science operation at Hanle in India.

Rare ginsenoside compound K (CK), is an intestinal microbial metabolite with a low natural abundance that is primarily produced by physicochemical processing, side chain modification, or metabolic transformation in the gut. Moreover, CK exhibits potent biological activity compared to primary ginsenosides, which has raised concerns in the field of ginseng research and development as well as ginsenosides-related dietary supplements and natural products. Ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, and Rc are generally used as a substrate to generate CK via several bio-conversion processes. Current research shows that CK has a wide range of pharmacological actions including boosting osteogenesis, lipid and glucose metabolism, lipid oxidation, insulin resistance, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptosis properties. Further research on the bioavailability and toxicology of CK can advance its medicinal application. The purpose of this review is to lay the groundwork for future clinical studies and the development of CK as a therapy for metabolic disorders. Furthermore, the toxicology and pharmacology of CK are investigated as well in this review. The findings indicate that CK primarily modulates signal-ing pathways associated with AMPK, SIRT1, PPARs, WNTs, and NF-kB. It also demonstrates a positive therapeutic effect of CK on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and its complications, as well as osteoporosis. Additionally, the analogues of CK showed more bioavailability, less toxicity, and more efficacy against disease states. Enhancing bioavailability and regulating hazardous variables are crucial for its use in clinical trials.

Pathologies of the blood brain barrier (BBB) have been linked to a multitude of CNS disorders whose pathology is poorly understood. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) has long been postulated to be involved in the underlying mechanisms of these disease states, yet full understanding remains elusive. This study utilized an in vitro model of the BBB with b.End3 murine endothelial cells to investigate the role of CSD in BBB pathology by characterizing effects of the release of major pronociceptive substances on BBB functional integrity using TEER screening, transcellular uptake, and immunoreactive methods in concert with global proteome and phospho-proteomic approaches. Findings demonstrated relocalization and functional alteration to proteins associated with the cytoskeleton and endothelial tight junctions. Pathologic mechanisms induced by individual substances released during CSD were found to have unique phosphorylation signatures in phospho-proteome analysis, identifying Zona Occludens 1 as a possible pathologic “checkpoint” of the BBB. Utilizing these phosphorylation signatures, possible novel diagnostic methods may be developed for neurological diseases and warrants further investigation.

The article is devoted to the research of economic cycles and crises, which are studied within the framework of the theory of long waves by N. D. Kondratiev (K-waves) using the mathematical apparatus of fractional calculus. The object of the study is the mathematical model of S.V. Dubovsky 3 and some of its modifications, which describe the dynamics of the economic system, characterizing the interaction between the efficiency of new technologies and the efficiency of capital productivity. Modifications in the model are determined by the following points: the mathematical model takes into account the dependence of the rate of accumulation on capital productivity, there is an external harmonic influence - the influx of investments and new technological solutions, the economic system has heredity, including time-dependent, which leads to a delayed effect - the system’s response to impact. The property of heredity in the mathematical model is taken into account using fractional derivatives of constant and variable orders. Mathematical model S.V. Dubovsky and its modifications are studied numerically using the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton algorithm. Oscillograms and phase trajectories are constructed, and an interpretation of the simulation results is given.

In the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), education plays a fundamental role. However, traditional methodologies do not favor the enrichment and personal development essential to promote global awareness. The use of active methodologies based on experiences improve the quality of learning. This work describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the acquired knowledge of a didactic proposal for non-formal education as a support for regulated education based on botany content. Firstly, a workshop was held, where young people participated directly in developing field work with a real scientific methodology. Subsequently, a group of students was chosen to be interviewed to obtain a global vision of the learning they obtained. The motivation of the students was quite positive, which allowed us to obtain voluntary participation in the field work and gave the students a participative attitude throughout the development of the workshops. Four months later, this positive attitude remained during their direct involvement in various activities, and the students still remembered the fundamental content discussed. Relating the didactic proposal to its immediate environment was shown to increase interest in learning and value in its own context. The results of this educational experience have been very positive, as knowledge was acquired, and interest in the preservation of the environment and the profession of a researcher was promoted.

General characteristics of K changes together with their fine structure associated with ground flashes in Sri Lanka in the tropics are presented. It is found that on average there are about 2 K changes associated with each return stroke. Analysis of the fine structure of the K changes shows that the K change is a chaotic pulse burst. Some of these chaotic pulse bursts start and the others end as a regular pulse bursts. Sometimes the chaotic part occurs in between two regular pulse bursts. This is in agreement with the recent published results that claim that chaotic pulse bursts are a random superposition of regular pulse bursts. The results show that the small step fields identified in the literature as K changes are the static fields associated with these pulse bursts.

In this paper, we establish some inequalities bounding the ratio Г_p,k(x)/Г_p,k(y), where Г_p,k(.) is the (p,k)-analogue of the Gamma function. Consequently, some previous results are recovered from the obtained results.

The spread of fake news poses a serious threat to public trust and informed decision-making. The emergence of AI-generated fake news exacerbates this issue, as it can be produced more rapidly and convincingly than human-generated content. Addressing this issue, our paper introduces a robust approach to detect AI-generated fake news that is applicable across major disinformation domains: Politics and Elections, Health and Medicine, Science and Technology, and Entertainment and Celebrities. Our models differentiate between AI-generated and human-generated news articles while assessing their truthfulness. Utilizing large language models such as ChatGPT, we curated datasets spanning both AI and human generated fake and genuine news. Following extensive data preprocessing and the application of diverse feature extraction techniques, our models were trained using multiple machine learning algorithms. Our results show the feasibility of accurately identifying AI-generated fake news, thereby adding a significant layer of defense in combating misinformation across various sectors. In addition, we have explored the potential utility of transferable machine learning models trained on data from one domain (e.g., politics), when tested on another domain (e.g., health).

The Sidi Bou Othmane (SBO) pegmatite district is in the Central Jebilet massif, Occidental Meseta domain, Morocco. The SBO district is hosted essentially in a volcano-sedimentary series composed of the Late-Devonian Sarhlef shales. Pegmatite bodies crop out as dykes, which are oriented from N-S to E-W and are generally variably deformed with ductile and/or brittle structures with ante, syn- or post kinematic criteria. Petrographic observations of pegmatite dykes show that feldspars (i.e., albite, microcline) are the most abundant mineral phases, followed by quartz, micas, with tourmaline and accessory mineral as garnet, and zircon and secondary minerals as clinochlore, sericite, and illite. The geochemical study indicates that, according to the major pegmatite elements dykes of SBO have mainly a S-type granitic composition and are peraluminous granite with calc-alkalic affinity. The study of trace elements pointed out that SBO pegmatite formed under post-orogenic syn-collision context during the Variscan orogeny, by the partial melting of argilliferous sediment and can be ascribed to the muscovite-bearing pegmatite; moreover, they have a good potential on ceramic and contain minerals, such as feldspar, recently assessed as Critical raw materials by European Union.

Background and objective K. pneumoniae appeared to be a significant problem due to its ability to accumulate antibiotic-resistance genes. After 2013, alarming colistin resistance rates among carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae have been reported in the Balkans. The study aims to perform an epidemiological, clinical, and genetic analysis of a local outbreak of COLr CR-Kp. Material and methods All carbapenem-resistant and colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates observed among patients in the ICU unit of Military Medical Academy, Sofia from 1 January to 31 October 2023 were included. The results were analyzed according to the EUCAST criteria. All isolates were screened for blaVIM, blaIMP, blaKPC, blaNDM, and blaOXA-48. Genetic similarity was determined using the Dice coefficient as a similarity measure and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). mgrB genes and plasmid-mediated colistin resistance determinants (mcr-1, mcr-2, mcr-3, mcr-4, mcr-5) were investigated. Results There was a total of 379 MDR-K. pneumoniae isolates, 88% of which were carbapenem-resistant. Of them, there were 9 (2.7%) colistin-resistant isolates in six patients. A time and space cluster for five patients was found. Epidemiology typing showed that two isolates belonged to clone A (pts. 1, 5) and the rest to clone B (pts. 2-4) with 69% similarity. Clone A were coproducers of blaNDM-like and blaOXA-48-like and had mgrB-mediated colistin resistance (40%). Clone B isolates had only blaOXA-48-like and intact mgrB genes. All isolates were negative for mcr-1,-2,-3,-4,-5 genes. Conclusions The study describes a within-hospital spread of two clones of COLr CR-Kp with a 60% mortality rate. Clone A were coproducers of NDM-1 and OXA-48-like enzymes and had mgrB-mediated colistin resistance. Clone B isolates had only OXA-48-like enzymes and intact mgrB genes. No plasmid-mediated was found. The extremely high mortality rate and limited treatment options warrant strict measures to prevent outbreaks.

The Na+/K+ ATPase is a protein involved in the active transport of ions across the cellular membrane. Ouabain is a cardiotonic glycoside that, by inhibiting the Na+/K+ pump, interferes with cell processes mediated directly by the pump, but also indirectly influences other cellular processes, such as cellular cycle and proliferation, growth, cell differentiation, angiogenesis, migration, adhesion and invasion. We used the SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) in vitro for determining the changes induced by Ouabain in concentration of 10-5 M, 10-6 M, 10-8 M, 10-9 M on these cellular types, employing specific methods: SEM for morphological evaluation; immunocytochemistry, flowcytometry to assess immunophenotypical markers expression, cell cycle and Annexin V/PI assay for cellular proliferation and viability testing; flowchamber assay to evaluate functional adhesion behavior; RT-PCR for Na+/K+ ATPase subunits molecular expression. Being indicative of the pro-apoptotic and inhibitory effect of Ouabain on tumor invasion and metastasis, the results support the addition of Ouabain to the oncological therapeutic arsenal, trailing the “repurposing drugs” approach.

In our previous study, a novel barrier processing on a porous low-dielectric constant (low-k) film was developed: an ultrathin Mn oxide on a nitrogen-stuffed porous carbon-doped organosilica film (p-SiOCH(N)) as a barrier of the Cu film was fabricated. To form a better barrier Mn₂O_3-xN film, an additional annealing at 450°C was implemented. In this study, the electrical characteristics and reliability of this integrated Cu/Mn₂O_3-xN/p-SiOCH(N)/Si structure is investigated. The proposed Cu/Mn₂O_3-xN/p-SiOCH(N)/Si capacitors exhibited poor dielectric breakdown characteristics in the as-fabricted stage, although, less degradation was found after thermal stress. Moreover, its time-dependence-dielectric-breakdown electric-field acceleration factor slightly increased after thermal stress, leading to a larger dielectric lifetime in a low electric-field as compared to other MIS capacitors. Furthermore, its Cu barrier ability under electrical or thermal stress was improved. As a consequent, the proposed Cu/Mn₂O_3-xN/p-SiCOH(N) scheme is a promising integrity for back-end-of-line interconnects.

Although the signaling function of Na/K ATPase is been studied for decades, the chasm between the pumping function and the signaling function of Na/K – ATPase is still an open issue. This article explores the relationship between ion pumping and signaling with attention to the amplification of oxidants through this signaling function. Starting with some experimental observations published by our laboratories and others, we develop some predictions regarding cellular oxidant stress.

Increased nutrient withdrawal by rapidly expanding intensive cropping systems, in combination with imbalanced fertilization, is leading to potassium (K) depletion from agricultural soils in Asia. There is an urgent need to better understand the soil K-supplying capacity and K-use efficiency of crops to address this issue. Maize is increasingly being grown in rice-based systems in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and North East India. The high nutrient extraction, especially K, however, causes concerns for the sustainability of maize production systems in the region. The present study was designed to estimate, through a plant-based method, the magnitude, and variation in K-supplying capacity of a range of soils from the maize-growing areas and the K-use efficiency of maize in Bangladesh. Eighteen diverse soils were collected from several upazillas (or sub-districts) under 11 agro-ecological zones to examine their K-supplying capacity from the soil reserves and from K fertilization (@ 100 mg K kg-1 soil) for successive seven maize crops grown up to V10-V12 in pots inside a net house. A validation field experiment was conducted with five levels of K (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha-1) and two fertilizer recommendations based on “Nutrient Expert for Maize-NEM” and “Maize Crop Manager-MCM” decision support tools (DSSs) in 12 farmers’ fields in Rangpur, Rajshahi and Comilla districts in Bangladesh. Grain yield and yield attributes of maize responded significantly (P < 0.001) to K fertilizer, with grain yield increase from 18 to 79% over control in all locations. Total K uptake by plants not receiving K fertilizer, considered as potential K-supplying capacity of the soil in the pot experiment, followed the order: Modhukhali >Mithapukur >Rangpur Sadar >Dinajpur Sadar >Jhinaidah Sadar >Gangachara >Binerpota >Tarash >Gopalpur >Daudkandi >Paba >Modhupur >Nawabganj Sadar >Shibganj >Birganj >Godagari >Barura >Durgapur. Likewise in the validation field experiment, the K-supplying capacity of soils was 83.5, 60.5 and 57.2 kg ha-1 in Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Comilla, respectively. Further, the order of K-supplying capacity for three sites was similar to the results from pot study confirming the applicability of results to other soils and maize-growing areas in Bangladesh and similar soils and areas across South Asia. Based on the results from pot and field experiments, we conclude that the site-specific K management using the fertilizer DSSs can be the better and more efficient K management strategy for maize.

Melanins are phenolic biopolymers synthesised by most of the living organism mainly for photoprotection or surviving in harsh conditions. Melanin is localised in different areas or complexed with different other biomolecules when observed from animals to microbes. This makes the melanin extraction procedure different in animal, plant and microbial tissues. Basically, the alkali-acid extraction is used in most protocols of which slight variations are there depending on the tissue used. This review will try to compile melanin extraction procedures from different cells and tissues ranging from animals to bacteria.

Development of K-Ras independence may explain failure of targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer (PC). In this paper active N as well as K-Ras was shown in all human cell lines tested. In a cell line dependent on mutant K-Ras, it was shown that depleting K-Ras reduced total Ras activity, while cell lines described as independent had no significant decline in total Ras activity. Knockdown of N-Ras showed it had an important role in controlling the relative level of oxidative metabolism but only K-Ras depletion caused a decrease in G2 cyclins, proteasome inhibition reversed this and other targets of APC/c were also decreased by K-Ras depletion. K-Ras depletion did not cause an increase in ubiquitinated G2 cyclins but instead caused exit from G2 phase to slow relative to completion of S-phase, suggesting mutant K-Ras may inhibit APC/c prior to anaphase but stabilizes G2 cyclins independently of this. We propose that during tumorigenesis, cancer cells expressing wild type N-Ras protein are selected because the protein protects cancer cells from the deleterious effects of cell cycle independent induction of cyclins by mutant K-Ras. Mutation independence results when N-Ras activity becomes adequate to drive cell division even in cells where K-Ras is inhibited. Keywords: Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, K-Ras, N-Ras, G2 cyclins.

Several mathematicians and physicists are working all over the globe to get a unified theory. However, most of them are discarding Einstein’s view at the very first step of their theories. This article provides a brief description about this. Also, on the basis of Koga’s theory we point out two reasons which might have caused Einstein’s failure to get a unified theory.

Multidisciplinary research efforts on potential COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic candidates have increased since the pandemic outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019. This search has become imperative due to the increasing emergences and limited widely available medicines. The presence of bioactive anti-SARS-CoV-2 molecules was examined from various plant sources. Among them is a group of proteins called lectins that can bind carbohydrate moieties. In this article, we present ten novel, chitin-specific Hevein-like lectins that were derived from Selaginella moellendorffii v1.0's genome. The capacity of these lectin homologs to bind with the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was examined. Using the HDOCK server, 3D-modeled Hevein-domains were docked to the spike protein's receptor binding domain (RBD). The Smo446851, Smo125663, and Smo99732 interacted with Asn343-located complex N-glycan and RBD residues, respectively, with binding free energies of -17.5, -13.0, and -26.5 Kcal/mol. The normal-state analyses via torsional coordinate association for the Smo99732-RBD complex using iMODS is characterized by overall higher stability and minimum deformity than the other lectin complexes. The three lectins interacting with carbohydrates were docked against five individual mutations that frequently occur in major SARS-CoV-2 variants. These were in the spike protein’s receptor-binding motif (RBM), while Smo125663 and Smo99732 only interacted with the spike glycoprotein in a protein-protein manner. The precursors for the Hevein-like homologs underwent additional characterization and their expressional profile in different tissues was studied. These in-silico findings offered potential lectin candidates targeting key N-glycan sites crucial to the virus's virulence and infection.

Modular nanotransporters (MNTs) are drug delivery systems for targeted cancer treatment. Being composed of several modules, they offer the advantage of high specificity and biocompatibility in delivering drugs to the target compartment of cancer cells. The large carrier module brings together functioning MNT modules and serves as a platform for drug attachment. The development of smaller-sized MNTs via truncation of the carrier module looks advantageous in facilitating tissue penetration. In this study, two new MNTs with a truncated carrier module containing either an N-terminal (MNTN) or a C-terminal (MNTC) part were developed by genetic engineering. Both new MNTs demonstrated high affinity for target receptors, as revealed by fluorescently labeled ligand-competitive binding. The liposome leakage assay proved the endosomolytic activity of MNTs. Binding to the importin heterodimer of each truncated MNT was revealed by a thermophoresis assay, while only MNTN possessed binding to Keap1. Finally, the photodynamic efficacy of the photosensitizer attached to MNTN was significantly higher than when attached to either MNTC or the original MNT. Thus, this work reveals that MNT’s carrier module can be truncated without losing MNT functionality, favoring the N-terminal part of the carrier module due to its ability to bind Keap1.

We are in amidst of COVID-19 pandemic. Since Dec 2019, severe acute respiratory corona virus (SAR-CoV-2) has infected more than half a billion people killing nearly 7 million people worldwide. Now the BA.5 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is causing mayhem and driving the global surge. Epidemiologist are aware of the fact that this virus is capable of escaping immunity and likely to infect the same person multiple times despite adequate vaccination status. Elderly people of age more than 60 years and those with underlying health conditions are considered as high-risk who are likely to suffer complications and death. While it is tempting to frame complications and mortality from COVID-19 as a simple matter of too much of a virulent virus in too weak of a host, much more is at play here. Framing the pathophysiology of COVID-19 in the context of the Chrousos and Gold model of the central stress response system can shed insight into its complex pathogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms by which pharmacologic modulation of the central stress response system via administration of clonidine and/or dexamethasone may offer an explanation as to why a viral pathogen can be well tolerated and cleared by one host while inflaming and killing another.

Emerging data have demonstrated a strong association between the gut microbiota and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as atherosclerosis, inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, platelet hyperactivity, and plasma lipid abnormalities. Several studies in humans and animal models have demonstrated an association between gut microbial metabolites, such as trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), short-chain fatty acids, and bile acid metabolites, amino acid breakdown products, with CVD. Human blood platelets are a critical contributor to the hemostatic process. Besides, these blood cells play a crucial role in developing atherosclerosis and, finally, contribute to cardiac events. Since the TMAO, and other metabolites of the gut microbiota, are associated with platelet hyperactivity, lipid disorders, and oxidative stress, the diet-gut microbiota interactions have become an important research area in the cardiovascular field. Platelets became hyperactive in people with diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and insulin resistance and exhibited increased sensitivity at a baseline level and in response to agonists, ultimately contributing to increased aggregation plaque development. In addition to these factors, TMAO also contributes to platelet hyperactivity. Several approaches are now suggested to reduce plasma TMAO levels, such as microbiota modulation using probiotics, prebiotics, and oral broad-spectrum antibiotics. This review describes the association between microbiota-derived metabolites and CVD development.

Image recovery by dictionary learning is of potential interest for many possible applications. To learn a dictionary, one needs to solve a minimization problem where the solution should be sparse. The K-SVD formalism, which is a generalization of the K-means algorithm, is one of the most popular methods to achieve this aim. We explain the preprocessing that is needed to bring images into a manageable format for the optimization problem.The learning process then takes place in terms of solving for sparse representations of the image batches. The main contribution of this paper is to give an experimental analysis of the recovery for highly textured imagery. For our study, we employ a subset of the Brodatz database. We show that the recovery of sharp edges plays a considerable role. Additionally, we study the effects of varying the number dictionary elements for that purpose.

Edge computing reduces the response time of real-time services with handling dynamic traffics reliably. Edge servers with limited resources utilize container technology that provides a lightweight execution environment. When deploying containers in edge servers, a container image is required and is downloaded from a remote registry. Therefore, these operations are dependent on network overhead between the container deployment system and the remote registry. Through motivation experiments, we show that container pooling time increases in proportion to physical distance and has characteristics that vary flexibly depending on runtime time. In this study, we define a system model for high-speed registry deployment in this edge system and propose a clustering technique into k groups based on the network overhead and affinity of the regionally distributed edge servers that make up the edge system. Also, considering idle resources, we propose a technique to deploy a registry after electing a leader for each cluster. A simulation experiment is conducted to verify the performance of the proposed technique and shows that performance improvement can be achieved regardless of the number of edge servers and the k value.

The contamination on the insulators may increase its surface conductivity and, as a consequence, electrical discharges occur more frequently, which can lead to interruptions in the power supply. To maintain reliability in the electrical distribution power system, components that have lost their insulating properties must be replaced. Identifying the components that need maintenance, is a difficult task as there are several levels of contamination that are hardly noticed during inspections. To improve the quality of inspections, this paper proposes to use the k-nearest neighbours (k-NN) to classify the levels of insulator contamination, based on the image of insulators at various levels of contamination simulated in the laboratory. Using computer vision features such as mean, variance, asymmetry, kurtosis, energy, and entropy are used for training the k-NN. To assess the robustness of the proposed approach, statistical analysis and a comparative assessment with well-consolidated algorithms such as decision tree, ensemble subspace, and support vector machine models are presented. The k-NN showed results of up to 85.17 % accuracy using the k-fold cross-validation method, with an average accuracy higher than 82 % for multi-classification of the contamination of the insulators, being superior to the compared models.

Hyper spectral imaging (HSI) is a technique that is used to obtain the spectrum for each pixel in the image. It helps in finding objects and identifying materials etc. Such an identification is very difficult using other imaging techniques. It allows the researchers to investigate the documents without any physical contact. Nowadays detection of unequal Ink mismatch based on HSI has shown vast improvement in distinguishing the inks. Detection of unequal Ink mismatch is an unbalanced clustering problem. This paper used K-means Clustering for ink mismatch detection. K-means Clustering find same subgroups in the data based on Euclidean distance. This paper demonstrates performance in unequal Ink mismatch based on HSI.

In this paper, we introduce a novel controlled quantum communication protocol utilizing a quantum random walk involving one sender, one receiver, and multiple controllers. Inspired by classical random walk theory, quantum random walk serves as the foundation of our proposed protocol. With this protocol, we demonstrate the ability to transfer any n- dimensional quantum state to any party facilitated by any m number of controllers. Furthermore, any of the (m+1) individuals has the freedom to accept the role of the receiver. Rigorous testing of the protocol’s performance is conducted through quantum state tomography. We have run different variations of the circuits in IBMQ QASM simulator. Additionally, we explore the effectiveness of a weak measurement-based protocol designed to mitigate amplitude-damping noise’s detrimental effects on quantum states. By analyzing fidelity versus amplitude damping noise-strength plots for scenarios with and without the weak measurement protocol, we provide valuable insights into its protective capabilities across various levels of noise. These find- ings illuminate the protocol’s potential applications in quantum information processing

Dilation of contractions on Hilbert space and Banach space is classical. Recently, dilations theory has been put in the setting of sets, vector spaces, p-adic Hilbert spaces and modules. In this paper, we derive important dilation results for self-adjoint morphisms on indefinite inner product modules over *-rings of characteristic 2. More precisely, we prove indefinite inner product versions of Halmos dilation, Egervary N-dilation and Sz.-Nagy dilation.

Jacobian-free Newton Krylov (JFNK) is an attractive method to solve nonlinear equations in nuclear engineering systems, and has been successfully applied to steady-state neutron diffusion (k-eigenvalue) problems and multi-physics coupling problems. Preconditioning technique plays an important role in JFNK algorithm, significantly affecting computational efficiency. The key point is how to automatically construct a high-quality preconditioning matrix that can improve the convergence rate, and perform the preconditioning matrix factorization efficiently. An efficient reordering-based ILU(k) preconditioner is proposed to achieve the above objectives. In detail, the finite difference technique combined with the coloring algorithm is utilized to construct an efficient preconditioning matrix with low computational cost automatically. Furthermore, the reordering algorithm is employed for the ILU(k) to reduce the additional non-zero elements and pursue robust computational performance. A two-dimensional LRA neutron steady-state benchmark problem is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed preconditioning technique, and steady-state neutron diffusion problem with thermal-hydraulic feedback is also utilized as a supplement. The results show that coloring algorithms can efficiently and automatically construct the preconditioning matrix. The reordering-based ILU(k) preconditioner shows excellent robustness, avoiding the effect of fill-in levels k choice in incomplete LU factorization.

It is unclear how important it is to reduce fluoroquinolone consumption in the general population to prevent the spread of fluoroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (bystander selection). Methods We assessed bystander selection by using Spearman’s correlation to assess if the country-level prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae was correlated with the prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance in four other gram-negative species - Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results Fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae was positively associated with homologous resistance in all 4 species - A. baumanii. (ρ=0.61, P=0.0003, E. coli (ρ=0.67, P<0.0001), K. pneumoniae (ρ=0.52, P=0.0004) and P. aeruginosa (ρ=0.40, P=0.0206). Positive associations were also found between the national prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance and fluoroquinolone consumption in the general population in the preceding year for 4 of the 5 species. Conclusions Gonococcal fluoroquinolone resistance can be productively viewed as being part of a syndemic of fluoroquinolone resistance. Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship programs may help retard the spread of fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae.