African Swine Fever (ASF) poses a significant threat to domestic pig populations worldwide. This study investigates the histopathological alterations in confirmed ASF-positive domestic pigs, focusing on over 100 cases from 2018 to 2021. Biological material from 118 pigs, confirmed ASF-positive via PCR examination, was histopathologically examined. Tissue samples from various organs were processed, embedded, and analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to detect the major capsid protein (p72) of the ASF virus.Histological examination revealed characteristic ASF lesions, including severe hemorrhages, lymphoid depletion, and inflammatory infiltrates. Vascular anomalies leading to hemorrhagic events were widespread. Microthromboses were prevalent in lymph nodes and kidneys. IHC detected p72 in various organs, with tonsils consistently showing the highest viral presence.This comprehensive study underscores the pivotal role of lymph nodes, spleen, and kidneys in ASF pathogenesis, highlighting prominent vascular involvement and hemorrhagic manifestations. The study establishes the efficacy of IHC in detecting ASF virus, even in autolyzed tissue samples. Tonsils emerge as a consistent epicenter of viral presence, shedding light on the intricate pathogenesis of ASFV.

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.

We propose a theory of ASD as a condition of comorbid cognitive impairments that corrupt the learning, encoding, and manipulation of episodic and semantic memories. We consider (i) episodic and semantic memory functions of the entorhinal-hippocampal complex, (ii) constraints on the transfer and encoding of these memory components into neocortical areas, and (iii) the demands of cognitively manipulating memories in distributed computations being necessary for goal oriented interactions. In ASD, learning and cognitive challenges manifest in diverse ways but especially in high-complexity model predictive control tasks with latent variables. ASD impairments in social interactions represent a prototypical example. Social interactions are at the high end of complexity and require processes (i)–(iii) to work in a concerted fashion due to the need for the learning and estimation of many, sometimes latent, parameters, including emotions, intention, physical and mental capabilities as well as the predictive modeling of these parameters for decision making and timed-action series. We put forth the idea that autism is a result of an arbitrary combination of otherwise not prominent corruptions in processes (i)–(iii). Together, these corruptions may severely impair intelligence and slow down learning, especially in high complexity learning tasks. Over time, slow learning may spare the spontaneous learning-by-doing method - namely, repetitive behavioral patterns, whereas behavioral failures related to complex tasks can restrict interest in such task, thus inducing a fear of novelty; conversely, the fear of novelty restricts interest and can slow learning down. We embed our thoughts into a predictive autoencoding, goal-oriented model of a deterministic world. We compare this model to others, such as the noisy brain model, the Bayesian prior theory, the mirror neuron theory and the weak central coherence theory. We argue that the predictive autoencoder model of the deterministic world harmonizes with these other models and embraces them in a straightforward way.

Living organisms with developed endocrine systems react in a complex way to environmental changes. Changing atmospheric pressure causes different blood pressures or hormone levels; carcinogenic radiation modifies the structure of DNA. Charged particles and ions act as neurotransmitters and block certain types of protein channels and receptors. A high concentration of carbon dioxide has an indirect effect on both blood pressure and neuron activity. The bioelectric nature of living tissues highlights the complexity of the connection between the dynamic physical environment and biological systems. Recent results from studies on the interactions and connections mentioned above are reviewed in this paper.

Research with deuterium-depleted water (DDW) in the last two decades proved that deuterium/hydrogen ratio has a key role in cell cycle regulation and cellular metabolism. The present study aimed to investigate the possible effect of deuterium-depleted organic compounds (DDOC) alone and in combination with DDW on cancer growth in two in vivo mouse models. To produce DDOC, drinking water of laying hens was replaced with DDW (25 ppm) for 6 weeks, resulting in 60 ppm D level in dried egg yolk that was used as deuterium-depleted food additive. In one model, 4T1, a cell line with high metastatic capacity to the lung, was inoculated in the mice’s mammary pad. After three weeks of treatment with DDW and/or DDOC, the tumor volume in the lungs was smaller in all treated groups vs. controls with natural D level. Tumor growth and survival in mice transplanted with MCF-7 breast cancer cell line showed that the anticancer effect of DDW was enhanced by food containing the deuterium-depleted yolk. The study confirmed the importance of D/H ratio not only in consumed water but also in metabolic water produced by the mitochondria while oxidizing nutrient molecules. This is in line with the concept that initiation of cell growth requires the cells to generate a higher D/H ratio, but DDW, DDOC, or the naturally low-D lipids in a ketogenic diet, have significant effect on tumor growth by preventing the cells from raising D/H ratio to the threshold.

Hubble diagrams are examined for SN1a supernovae in the redshift range z = 0.01–1.3 and for gamma ray bursts in the range z = 0.034–8.1. It is shown that in the low redshift range, the Hubble diagram shows an innate equivocality between the ΛCDM and the tired light model. This means that the strong agreement between the z/µ data, calculated with the parameters of the ΛCDM model, and the experimentally measured z/µ values cannot be considered as definite evidence for the expansion hypothesis. The exponential function , which is characteristic of the tired light redshift mechanism, fits the data with similarly high accuracy. Hence, on the premise of low redshift data, a decision for or against either model is completely arbitrary. The Hubble diagram for high redshift gamma ray bursts shows poor agreement with the ΛCDM model, but concurs with the exponential energy decay following from the tired light redshift hypothesis.

The cosmological model presented here rests on the postulate that the universe can be described as an interacting attraction (exerted by matter) and repulsion (exerted by the excitation energy of the quantum vacuum) system in virial equilibrium. The basic parameters of the model, the matter density and the excitation energy of the quantum vacuum are determined by observations and are not adjusted to the model. The model requires only a few assumptions that can be deduced from the laws of conventional physics and from the rules of quantum field theory. Existing problems in standard cosmology, such as the flatness and the horizon problems, among others, can be resolved in a straightforward way without inflation and without recourse to dark matter and dark energy.

Analyses of the Hubble diagrams are presented for SN1a supernovae and gamma ray bursts in the redshift ranges z = 0.01–1.3 and 0.034–8.1, respectively. Data are presented on the typical z/μ scale and also on the less common yet increasingly sensitive photon flight time t/(z+1) scale. The primary conclusion is that on the basis of the presently accessible data in the redshift range z = 0.01–8.1, the slope of the Hubble diagram is, or is extremely close to, exponential.

Current VAT rules for cross-border e-commerce companies in the EU are not sustainable, because they are extremely complex and often opaque, due to the lack of tax harmonization. The aim of the research is to explore, using a qualitative method, what kind of harmonization would make the current legislation more uniform, simpler, more transparent, and easier to understand, without conflicting with the rules of any Member State. To this end, the aspects of the new platform regulation introduced on 1 July 2021 and its potential for expansion are assessed through information from possible sales models. The research suggests that the rules on platforms do not cover all possible sales models, which in our view imposes an unnecessary extra administrative burden on some businesses and makes their tax activities less transparent. In the light of the results of the research, we propose that the current EU platform regulation should be extended to cover B2B, B2C transactions and services. As a result of this suggested harmonization, a simpler, more transparent, uniform and sustainable tax system would contribute to the whitening of the economy, generating additional tax revenue for Member States.

Poultry farming in Slovakia has a tradition and an irreplaceable position to ensure rational nutrition for the population. In terms of a nutritional value, poultrymeat (Galliformes) contains a high amount of proteins, essential amino acids, essential unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and a low fat content. Poultrymeat production has a relatively short reproductive cycle and thus allows regulating the demand and supply. The poultry market also influences the development of domestic consumption. According to the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, the consumption of meat has witnessed a persistent increase over the last 10 years. [1] According to the 2023 AVEC (The Voice of European Meat Sector) annual report, the consumption of poultrymeat in Slovakia was 20.0 kg per person per year. The average consumption in the EU-27 (2021) was 23.4 kg, with the countries with the highest consumption being Portugal (37.8 kg), Ireland (36.0 kg), Hungary (33.5 kg) and Spain (29.9 kg). On the other hand, the countries with the lowest consumption of poultrymeat, apart from Slovakia, also include Austria and Greece with a consumption of 21.5, resp. 21.0 kg [2]. The breeding of broiler chickens, as well as the production and placing on the market of poultrymeat must comply with the requirements laid down by legislation, while the compliance is regularly checked by the competent authorities.

The concept of using special electrical circuit design realize a "cold resistors", that is, an active resistor circuitry with lowered effective noise temperature, was first introduced about 80 years ago. Later on, various kinds of artificial resistors were applied in different research areas, such as gravitational wave detection, photo-amplifiers and quartz oscillators. Their proofs of concepts were experimentally proved. Unfortunately, the complete theory was not found even though several attempts had been published, sometimes with errors. In this paper, we describe a correct and complete circuit theoretical model of a cold resistor system. The results are confirmed by computer simulations. A design tools for this circuit is also shown.

The purpose of this article is to disclose the strenuous efforts of Laszlo Hudec in China and Antonin Raymond in Japan and India to create a modern architectural stance by heralding an incipient space syntax. In the turn of the 19th Century, for dynastic, politic and economic reasons, Eastern Asia had very little modern Architecture. It is a surprising fact that, out of happenstance, two European architects Antonin Raymond and Laszlo Hudec, had to intervene to remedy this situation, to the point of becoming 20th Century icons in Japan and China. Their fruitful careers spanned over thirty years and included locations, like Tamil Nadu or the Philippines. The Oriental territories were not an easy ground for the bold architectural achievements that they produced. Despite of faraway strangeness and uncountable personal losses, in revolutions and wars, which eventually forced them both to leave for the United States of America and never to return, they were successful in the manner of establishing a broad avenue for Modern Asian Architecture which is still recognisable today thanks to their systematic approach. However, theirs is an endangered heritage and the intention of this article is to be a just remembrance of in which way such actions could be performed, how they predated by many years a syntactic approach to architectural composition and why their legacy should be preserved.

Background: Our study aimed to examine how modulating variables such as social support, health anxiety, coping, gender, being separated from home, and lockdown can modify or amplify the effect of perceived stress as a starting variable in the point of view of the output variable, dissociation. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in online form at two points in time: the beginning and the later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: We received a total of 1711 responses. Perceived stress moderately correlated with dissociation in both International and Hungarian samples. Health anxiety showed a strong direct and indirect correlation with dissociation. Regarding social support, the support of family significantly decreased the dissociative experiences in the Hungarian sample through mediating the stress and directly as well. In the international sample, the goal-oriented coping strategy had a strong decreasing effect on all dissociation scales in the first measurement, through mediation of perceived stress. As to the Hungarian sample, positive thinking was found to decrease dissociation through decreasing perceived stress. Conclusion: The cause and effect relationship between stress and dissociation may be tinctured by health anxiety, coping and social support, influencing dissociacion directly and indirectly. Social support, mainly support of the family and problem-focused coping strategies seem to alleviate dissociation-provoking effect of stress.

We introduce the notion of p-adic magic contraction on p-adic Hilbert space. We derive p-adic Halmos dilation, p-adic Egervary N-dilation, p-adic von Neumann inequality and p-adic Sz.-Nagy dilation for p-adic magic contraction.

We introduce an information theoretic framework for a quantitative measure of originality to model the impact of various classes of biases, errors and error corrections on scientific research. Some of the open problems are also outlined.

A new attack against the Kirchhoff-Law-Johnson-Noise (KLJN) key distribution system is introduced. The attack is based on 1) Utilizing the dc-voltage-source - which we put at Alice’s end in our mathematical modeling of the attack-that could exist due to errors, imbalances, Electromagnetic interference and etc.2) On studying the number of samples per bit in the security key that the measured Alice/Bob voltages exceeds or falls below a threshold voltage, respectively. The threshold voltage is the average between dc voltages across low and high resistors- generated by a dc-voltage source. We count the number of samples the voltage at Bob’s end (containing both the noise and dc components) exceeds the threshold voltage and how many times it falls below the threshold to judge whether the resistor can be guessed as low or high for every cycle. Also for a pre-specified key-length we count the number of high resistance estimations per bit –at Bob’s end-according to the previous criterion and the non-successful estimations per bit to judge the final guessed resistor value at Alice’s end and Bob’s end, where if we have more bits with most of its measured samples are above the threshold voltage then we will predict Bob’s resistance as high resistance, otherwise we predict Bob’s resistance to be low resistance. The Simulation was conducted and the attack proved that it is successful unless the temperature increased dramatically to ranges more than a threshold temperature ~ Kelvin that increases when the number of samples per bit increases.

Authors evaluated the relevant literature related to the purging which is the interaction between selection and inbreeding where the population may get rid of its inbreeding load at least partially. The backroad of the relevant theory was given and the available methods were described both based on the conventional quantitative genetic approach (based on genealogy data) and based on the latest genomic methods. The different parameters necessary for signalling purging (highlighting those inbreeding coefficients which are not yet been widely known in animal and veterinary science) were presented together with the relevant results of the literature. The available statistical methods together with the softwares and R packages to calculate various inbreeding coefficients and to determine inbreeding depression and purging were provided. The main results of the different approaches obtained in laboratory ZOO and domesticated populations (lethal equivalents, ancestral inbreeding, Inbreeding-Purging Model, genomic approaches) were summarized and presented. Application possibilities and future prospective of purging was also discussed.

Climate adaptation is a major challenge. Chasing the sufficient amount of hay is getting in higher priority. Distant mass hay producers give favourable offers despite long distances. Quality is also gaining position and indicators like RFQ (Relative Forage Quality) is highlighting the marketing language. Hay market as we knew no longer exists in Hungary. Most farmers produce their own hay and do not spend extra cents to buy bales. Climate change however, force them to adapt and store more bales for the future. Horse owners and dairy farmers are the main driver to convince hay producers to provide high quality forage. We gathered Hungarian regional hay-price information and evaluated the trends in this sector. The demand-driven hay-price is in contradiction with premium quality timothy grass hay.

We discuss some of the fundamental practical limitations of the Fluctuation-Enhanced Sensing of odors and gases. We address resolution, measurement speed, reproducibility, memory and other problems such as humidity. Various techniques and ideas are presented to overcome these problems. Circuit solutions are also discussed.

The solved research problem is oriented to the implementation of advanced methods of component design and their sophisticated use in the ever-advancing additive manufacturing. Based on the stated objectives, the research was divided into several parts. Initially, the methods and principles of design in additive manufacturing were evaluated and investigated, from which the intent was subsequently defined and the DfAM method in the component design and development process was determined. The given design method, namely topology optimization (TO), was applied to multiple development and production cycles of additive manufacturing parts to validate the research conclusions. In this paper, the procedure for a specific part or component assembly is shown. By evaluating the developed design procedure using the TO method included in the design process, the conclusions are positive in terms of both time savings and properties of the designed part such as strength and weight parameters. The given findings need to be further developed by implementing on specific product lines for increasing the efficiency of the developed design methodology.

The effects of the ferrocenyl moiety to enhance the nucleophilicity of the carbonyl group, situated at its adjacent position, have been explored in a series of α-ferrocenyl ketocarboxylic acids. In the presence of trifluoroacetic anhydride, 3-ferrocenoylpropionic acid and 4-ferrocenoylbutyric acid gave 5-ferrocenyl-4-trifluoroacetyl-2(3H)-furanone and 6-ferrocenyl-5-trifluoroacetyl-3,4-dihydropyran-2-one, respectively. Under similar reaction conditions, 2-ferrocenylcarbonylbenzoic acid, a keto carboxylic acid without a β-hydrogen, gave a dimerized lactone, 3,3’-diferrocenyl-3,3’-diphthalide possibly due to radical coupling. The nucleophilic attack of carbonyl oxygen, activated by the ferrocenyl moiety, to the carboxylic carbon, is assumed to be the crucial mechanistic step in forming these lactones. When the carbonyl group was reduced to an alcohol to break its conjugation with the ferrocenyl moiety, saturated lactones were isolated after the acidic workup. These results indicate that the α-ferrocenyl carbinols readily undergo solvolysis under acidic conditions, giving ferrocenylcarbenium ions, which are attacked by the carboxy oxygen to give lactones.

The mechanical behavior, microstructures as well as the crystallographic textures of the Ti57-Nb43 alloy were investigated on cylindrical specimens compressed at high temperatures, in the range of 700-1000 °C, and strain rates between 0.001 and 1.0 s-1. Hardening, followed by softening behaviours were observed as a function of strain, due to the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization/recovery in hot deformation. The modified five-parameter Voce type equation described well the stress-strain curves, but for the present alloy, it was also possible with only four parameters. A new two-variables polynomial function was employed on the four parameters that described well the flow curves as a direct function of temperature and strain rate. It permitted to reduce the number of parameters and had the predictive capacity for the flow stress at any temperature, strain, and strain rate in the investigated range. The crystallographic textures were similar at all temperatures with an increase of intensity from 900 °C. The textures could be characterized by a double <100> and <111> fiber and a unique component of (001)<110>, the latter inherited from the initial hot rolling texture. Viscoplastic polycrystal self-consistent deformation modeling reproduced the measured textures showing that dynamic recrystallization did not alter the development of the deformation texture, only increased it intensity.

The accurate prediction of the solar Diffuse Fraction (DF), sometimes called the Diffuse Ratio, is an important topic for solar energy research. In the present study, the current state of Diffuse Irradiance research is discussed and then three robust, Machine Learning (ML) models, are examined using a large dataset (almost 8 years) of hourly readings from Almeria, Spain. The ML models used herein, are a hybrid Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), a single Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and a hybrid Multi-Layer Perceptron-Grey Wolf Optimizer (MLP-GWO). These models were evaluated for their predictive precision, using various Solar and Diffuse Fraction (DF) irradiance data, from Spain. The results were then evaluated using two frequently used evaluation criteria, the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The results showed that the MLP-GWO model, followed by the ANFIS model, provided a higher performance, in both the training and the testing procedures.

We present the full case pictorial assay including preoperative imaging as well as the surgical correction of the uterine anomaly and associated complication of a very rare case of occult unicornuate right uterus with rudimentary non-communicating functioning left horn and its natural evolution following an initially incomplete surgical treatment.

Background: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency is a genetic condition. Affected individuals typically develop symptoms before age 10 with severe hypertriglyceridemia. No pharmacological treatment has lowered triglyceride levels in LPL deficiency patients successfully. The purpose of this study is to report on clinical outcomes of patients with LPL deficiency who responded to dietary therapy with successful reduction of their triglyceride (TG) levels with a long-chain triglyceride (LCT)-restricted, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT)-supplemented diet. Methods: A single-center retrospective case review study of LPL deficiency patients who met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated at the Hospital of Sick Children between January 2000 to December 2022. Data collected include demographic and clinical data, biochemical profiles at diagnosis and after dietary treatment initiation, and molecular results. Results: The study included seven patients with a suspected diagnosis of LPL deficiency (hypertriglyceridemia > 20 mmol/L). Six patients had a confirmed molecular diagnosis of LPL deficiency, and one had a Glycogen storage disease 1a (GSD1a) diagnosis. After presenting with hypertriglyceridemia, an LCT-restricted and MCT-supplemented diet was initiated, resulting in immediate and sustained TG reduction in all LPL deficiency patients that adhered to the diet. Additionally, they all maintained excellent growth and development. LPL deficiency-related complications were not observed under the MCT-enriched diet, except for increased pancreatic enzymes in one patient after dietary error. As expected, the diet failed to treat hypertriglyceridemia in the GSD1 patient. Conclusions: The dietary restriction of LCT in combination with MCT supplementation was feasible and effective in the long-term management of patients with LPL deficiency. In our experience, this treatment eliminated LPL-related complications and led to good clinical outcomes.

Pedigree data of the Border Collie dog breed was constructed in Hungary, to examine genetic diversity within the breed and between its different lines. The database based on available herd books from the development of the breed (the late 1800s) until now. The constructed pedigree file consisted of 13 339 individuals from which 1567 dogs (born between 2010 and 2016) composed the reference population that are still alive and active from breeding aspect. Since the breed is subdivided by phenotype, the reference population was dissected according to the existing lines. The number of founders was 894 but only 8 individuals were responsible for contributing 50% of the genetic variability. The reference population had a pedigree completeness 99.6% until 15 generations and inbreeding coefficient of 9.86%, respectively. Due to the changing breed standards and the requirements of the potential buyers the effective population size substantially decreased between 2010 and 2016. Generation intervals varied between 4.09 and 4.71 years where the sire paths were longer due to the later ages when males begin their breeding carrier compared to females. Genetic differences among the existing lines calculated by fixation indices are not significant, nonetheless ancestral inbreeding coefficients are able to show the contrasts.

We utilize known exact analytic solutions of perfect fluid hydrodynamics to analytically calculate the polarization of baryons produced in heavy ion collisions. Assuming local thermodynamical equilibrium also for spin degrees of freedom, baryons get a net polarization at their formation (freeze-out). This polarization depends on the time evolution of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), which can be described as an almost perfect fluid. By using exact analytic solutions, we thus can analyze the necessity of rotation (and vorticity) for non-zero net polarization. In this paper we give the first analytical calculations for the polarization four-vector. We use two hydrodynamical solutions; one is the spherically symmetric Hubble flow (a somewhat oversimplified model, to demonstrate the methodology). The other solution which we use is a somewhat more involved one that corresponds to a rotating and accelerating expansion, and is thus well suited to investigate some main features of the time evolution of the QGP created in peripheral heavy-ion collisions (although there are still many numerous features of a real collision geometry that are beyond the reach of this simple model). Finally we illustrate and discuss our results on the polarization.

Due to increase demand of food grain in the world, assessment of yield before actual production is important in making policies and decisions in agricultural production system. For a large area, forecast models developed from vegetation indices derived from remote sensing satellite data possesses the potential to give quantitative and timely information on crops over large areas. Different vegetation indices are being made used for this purpose, however, their efficiency in estimating crop yield is needed to be certainly tested. In this study, wheat yield forecast was derived by regressing ground truthing yield data against time series of spatial vegetation indices for the 2013 to 2019 growing seasons. These spatial vegetation indices derived from Landsat 8 image data: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were compared to evaluate the most appropriate index that performs better in forecasting wheat production at Karcag, Kunhegyes and Ecsegfalva settlements in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. The best time for making wheat yield prediction with Landsat 8- SAVI and NDVI was found to be the beginning of ripening period (160th day of the year) with higher correlation between the vegetation indices and the wheat yield. The validation results revealed that the model from SAVI provides more consistent and accurate forecasts yield compared to NDVI. The SAVI model forecast yield for the validation years, 2018 and 2019 were within 6.00% and 4.41% of the final reported values while that of NDVI model were within 8.31% and 6.27%. Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index is positive with E1= 0.99 for the model from SAVI and for NDVI, E1=0.57, which connote that the forecasting method developed and evaluated performs acceptable forecast efficiency.

We search for limit cycles in the dynamical model of two-species chemical reactions that contain seven reaction rate coefficients as parameters and at least one third-order reaction step, that is, the induced kinetic differential equation of the reaction is a planar cubic differential system. Symbolic calculations were carried out using the Mathematica (or, Wolfram language) mathematical program package, and it was also used for the numerical verifications to show the following facts: the kinetic differential equations of these reactions each has two limit cycles surrounding the stationary point of focus type in the positive quadrant. In the case of Model 1, the outer limit cycle is stable and the inner one is unstable that appears in a supercritical Hopf bifurcation. Moreover, the oscillations in a neighborhood of the outer limit cycle are slow-fast oscillations. In the case of Model 2, the outer limit cycle is unstable and the inner one is stable. With another set of parameters, the outer limit cycle can be made stable and the inner one unstable.

Objectives: The aim of our current study was to analyze whether the use of important measures of methodological quality and reporting of randomized clinical trials published in the field of cardiovascular disease research have changed over time. Further aim was to investigate whether there was an improvement over time in the ability of these trials to provide a good estimate of the true intervention effect. Methods We conducted two searches in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTAL) database to identify cardiovascular clinical research trials published in either 2012 or 2017. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) trials in cardiovascular disease research with adult participants were eligible to be included. We randomly selected 250 RCTs for both publication year 2012 and 2017. Trial characteristics, data on measures of methodological quality and reporting were extracted and risk of bias for each trial was assessed. Results As compared to 2012 in 2017 there were significant improvements in the reporting of the presence of a data monitoring committee (42.0% in 2017 compared to 34.4% in 2012), and a positive tendency of registering cardiovascular disease research RCTs in clinical trial registries (83.6% in 2017 compared to 72.0% in 2012). On the other hand, we also observed that significantly fewer RCTs reported sample size calculation (60.4% in 2017 compared to 98.4% in 2012) in 2017 as compared to 2012. RCTs in 2017 were more likely to have low overall risk of bias ( RoB ) than in 2012 (29.2% in 2017compared to 21.2% in 2012). Conclusion: As compared to 2012 in 2017 there were significant improvement in some, but not all the important measures of methodological quality. Although more trials in the field of cardiovascular disease research had a lower overall RoB in 2017, the improvement over time was not consistently perceived in all RoB domains.

An improved method for Fluctuation Enhanced Sensing (FES) is introduced. We enhanced the old binary fingerprinting method, where the fingerprint bit values were ± 1, by introducing ternary fingerprints utilizing a reference odor. In the ternary method, the fingerprint bit values are -1, 0, and +1 where the 0 value stands for the situation where the slope of the spectrum is identical to that of the reference odor. The application of the reference odor spectrum makes the fingerprint relative to the reference. This feature increases the information entropy of the fingerprints. The method is briefly illustrated by sensing bacterial odor in cow manure isolates.

The large American liver fluke (Fascioloides magna) is considered an invasive trematode parasite in Europe. Its origin dates back before the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction, after which it survived at least three population bottlenecks, and successful host switches before it arrived in Europe. The authors review the evolutionary history of F. magna, the distribution by its ancient proboscidean hosts and the probable drivers of switch to the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The review collects knowledge on the biology of intermediate hosts, which help understand the factors that influence the epidemiology of F. magna in aquatic ecosystems. The authors demonstrate the adaptation potential of the parasite by data from both the North American and the European endemics. Finally, the study calls attention to the epidemiological risk of human induced global change, with a special interest to the invasive snail species, Pseudosuccinea columella.

Electrical contacts are important circuit components with diverse industrial applications, and their failure can lead to multiple unwanted effects. Hence, the behavior of electrical contacts is a widely studied topic in scientific literature based on various approaches, tools, and techniques. The present study proposes a numerical modeling and simulation approach based on the Holm contact theory to study the dependence between the electric potential and the temperature within an electrical contact. Structured in 5 sections, the research was conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software and its solid-state mechanics, electric current, and heat transfer modules in order to highlight contact behavior from mechanical, electrical and thermal points of view: the von Mises stress, contact force, the electric field amplitude, the variation of the electrical potential along the current path, the temperature gradient, and dependence of temperature along the contact elements edges were obtained by simulation and graphically represented. The results are in line with the expectations and with past research that was studied in the literature review.

The characterization of thin-film solar cells is of huge importance for obtaining high open-circuit voltage and low recombination rates from the interfaces or within the bulk of the main materials. Among the many electrical characterization techniques, the two- and four-wire probe using the Cascade instrument is of interest since the resistance of the wires, and the electrical contacts can be excluded by the additional two wires in 4-wire probe configuration. In this paper, both two and four-point probes configuration are employed to characterize the CIGS chalcogenide thin-film solar cells. The two-wire probe has been used to measure the current-voltage characteristics of the cell which results in a huge internal resistance. Therefore, the four-wire connection is also used to eliminate the lead resistance to enhance the characterization’s accuracy. The load resistance in the two-wire probe diminishes the photogenerated current density at smaller voltage ranges. In contrast, the proposed four-wire probe collects more current at higher voltages due to enhanced carrier collection efficiency from contact electrodes. The current conduction mechanism is also identified at every voltage region represented by the value of the ideality factor of that voltage region. It is observed that a long time given to the charge collection results in increased current density at a higher voltage. According to the results and device characteristics, a novel double-diode model is suggested to extract the saturation current density, shunt and series resistances and the ideality factor of the cells. These cells are shown to be efficient in terms of low recombination at the interfaces and with lower series resistance as the quality of the materials is in its most possible conductive form. The measured internal resistance and saturation current density and ideality factor of the two measurement configuration is measured and compared.

Several studies suggest that COVID-19 may be accompanied by symptoms such as a dry cough, muscle aches, sore throat, and mild to moderate respiratory illness. The symptoms of this disease indicate the fact that COVID-19 causes noticeable negative effects on the lungs. Therefore, considering the health status of the lungs using X-rays and CT scans of the chest can significantly help diagnose COVID-19 infection. Due to the fact that most of the methods that have been proposed to COVID-19 diagnose deal with the lengthy testing time and also might give more false positive and false negative results, this paper aims to review and implement artificial intelligence (AI) image-based diagnosis methods in order to detect coronavirus infection with zero or near to zero false positives and false negatives rates. Besides the already existing AI image-based medical diagnosis method for the other well-known disease, this study aims on finding the most accurate COVID-19 detection method among AI methods such as machine learning (ML) and artificial neural network (ANN), ensemble learning (EL) methods.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are many times higher in chronic kidney disease (CKD), as well as IgA nephropathy (IgAN), than in the general population. The occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and metabolic risk factors are independent risk factors for CV disease and renal progression. The study aimed to determine the prognostic role of metabolic profiles in a homogenous group of CKD patients. Methods: One hundred and forty-five IgA nephropathy patients (92 male, 53 female, age 54.7 ± 13 years) with CKD stage 1-4 were investigated and followed for a median of 190 months. The composite (CV and renal) endpoints included all-cause mortality and any CV event such as stroke, myocardial infarction, revascularization (CV), end-stage renal disease, and renal replacement therapy (renal). Results: Patients with MetS had significantly more endpoint events (16/27 patients vs. 15/98 patients, p = 0.001) compared to the nonMetS group. Of the secondary endpoints (CV or renal separately), the rate of the renal and CV endpoints was significantly higher in the MetS group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.029). The primary endpoint independent predictors of survival were dyslipidemia, eGFR, hemoglobin, urine albuminuria, and diabetes mellitus, as determined by Cox regression analysis. Independent predictors of secondary renal endpoint were dyslipidemia, hemoglobin, urine albumin, and eGFR. Predictors of secondary cardiovascular endpoints were gender, BMI, and diabetes. Kaplan-Meier curves showed significant differences in MetS and non-MetS when examined at the combined endpoints (CV and renal) or at each endpoint separately. The primary endpoint rate increased significantly with the increased number of MetS components (MetS comp. 0 vs. MetS comp. 2+, primary endpoints, p = 0.012). Conclusion: Our results showed that the metabolic profile has a prognostic role not only for renal endpoints but also for CV endpoints in IgAN. BMI, hyperuricemia, hypertension, and diabetes have a predictive value for the prognosis of IgA nephropathy.

Clew Bay is an important aquaculture production area in Ireland. In this study, we focused on a high-resolution simulation of the Clew Bay region based on a Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS). Freshwater discharges from eight rivers are included in the model and a wetting-drying scheme has been implemented. The Clew Bay model simulation was validated and calibrated with available observations (e.g., Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP), vertical salinity and temperature profiles and tide gauge) in the geographic area of the model domain. High correlations were found between the model outputs and observed temperature, salinity and tide gauge water levels along with small Root Mean Square Errors. This indicates that the model was able to reproduce the oceanographic phenomena in the study area. The Taylor diagram analysis showed a high correlation coefficient (R=0.99) between the ADCP bottom temperature in the Inner Bay and the Clew Bay model, along with a small Centered Root Mean Square Error (RMSD =0.5 ◦ C). High correlation coefficients (R > 0.80) were found between the model and the two ADCPs for the zonal current component. There was a resemblance in structure between the model and the observed salinity profiles, indicating that freshwater was correctly implemented in the model. Moreover, the correlation coefficient between the model and the tidal sea surface height (SSH) was 0.99, with an RMSD of 0.09 m. We discovered that wind direction and speed have a significant impact on the bay's water inflow rate. The model outputs can be used to provide scientists, fishermen and decision-makers with hydrodynamic information on ocean conditions in the bay.

The hybridization of machine learning methods with soft computing techniques is an essential approach to improve the performance of the prediction models. Hybrid machine learning models, particularly, have gained popularity in the advancement of the high-performance control systems. Higher accuracy and better performance for prediction models of exergy destruction and energy consumption used in the control circuit of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can be highly economical in the industrial scale to save energy. This research proposes two hybrid models of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-particle swarm optimization (ANFIS-PSO), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-genetic algorithm (ANFIS-GA) for HVAC. The results are further compared with the single ANFIS model. The ANFIS-PSO model with the RMSE of 0.0065, MAE of 0.0028, and R² equal to 0.9999, with a minimum deviation of 0.0691 (KJ/s), outperforms the ANFIS-GA and single ANFIS models.

Helicobacter pylori is the most common human gastric infection. H. pylori stool antigen lateral flow immunochromatography assay (HpSA-LFIA) is considered one of the most cost-effective and rapid non-invasive assays (active tests). The evaluation of this test is crucial for accuracy and utility assurance. This study aimed to evaluate the polyclonal antibody-based HpSA-LFIA in comparison to a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA kit. Methodology: Stool samples were collected from 200 gastric patients for HpSA-LFIA and semi-quantitative HpSA-ELISA. Statistical analysis of the diagnostic values was performed using MedCalc software. Chi-square tests were used to determine the effects of gender and age. Results: The obtained results found that HpSA-LFIA achieved promising sensitivity (93.75%) and NPV (98.00%). However, it had poor specificity, PPV, and accuracy, respectively, 59.76%, 31.25%, and 65.31%. LR+ & LR- were 2.33% & 0.1%, respectively. Gender had no significance on the di-agnostic parameters of HpSA-LFIA. Age groups had irrelevant sensitivity; however, specificity was significantly higher in patients over 45 years. Conclusion: It was concluded that HpSA-LFIA was not accurate enough to be the sole test for di-agnosis and needs other confirmatory tests in case of positive conditions

In most Eukaryotes, ubiquitin either exists as free monoubiquitin or as a molecule that is covalently linked to other proteins. These two forms cycle between each other and due to the concerted antagonistic activity of ubiquitylating and deubiquitylating enzymes, an intracellular ubiquitin equilibrium is maintained that is essential for normal biological function. However, measuring the level and ratio of these forms of ubiquitin has been difficult and time consuming. In this paper, we have adapted a simple immunoblotting technique to monitor ubiquitin content and equilibrium dynamics in different developmental stages and tissues of Drosophila. Our data show that the level of total ubiquitin is distinct in different developmental stages, lowest at the larval-pupal transition and in three days old adult males, and highest in first instar larvae. Interestingly, the ratio of free mono-ubiquitin remains within 30-50% range of the total throughout larval development, but peaks to 70-80% at the larval-pupal and the pupal-adult transitions. It stays within the 70-80% range in adults. In developmentally and physiologically active tissues, the ratio of free ubiquitin is similarly high, most likely reflecting a high demand for ubiquitin availability. We also used this method to demonstrate the disruption of the finely tuned ubiquitin equilibrium by the abolition of proteasome function or the housekeeping deubiquitylase, Usp5. Our data support the notion that the ubiquitin equilibrium is regulated by tissue- and developmental stage-specific mechanisms.

(1) Background: the popularity of rabbits has increased during the last decades and became the third common companion animals in EU. Their participation in animal assisted interventions (AAI) is growing. It is highly important to ensure the well-being of the animals in AAI. Whereas the needs and the advantages of people involved in AAI are becoming more and more evident, the needs of animals are not clearly determined, it is required not to affect the animals negatively. Those animals who are used for AAI purpose need toneed to be transported regulrarly; (2) Methods: the rabbits stress – caused by transportation – were measured by non-invasive faecaesl cortisol metabolite (FCM) analysis. 18 animals were involved in the study and experienced a 30 minutes transportation every second day duringfor two weeks (total 6 times) while 128 samples were collected; (3) Results: rabbits –could handle the transportation procedure by the first and second time but subsequently the stress hormone metabolites in faeces samples increased significantly regardless of the offered treatments (hay, carrot and apple) during the carriage. (4) Conclusions: those owners who use rabbits for Animal Assisted Intervention purpose need to take into account that transportation itself is a stressful experience for the animals.

Background. IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is associated with chronic inflammation. Platelet-related parameters, such as platelet (PLT) count, platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), were examined as potential prognostic indicators for renal and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in IgAN. Methods. 150 IgAN patients were devided into two groups based on the cut-off value of PAR. All-cause mortality, major CV events and end-stage renal disease were the primary combined endpoints. Secondary endpoints, such as CV or renal endpoints, were also analyzed separately. Results. The patient’s mean age was 43.7 ± 13.5 years, and the follow-up time was 124 ± 67 months. The K-M curve showed that PLR, PAR and PLT were strongly associated with primary combined (p = 0.002, p = 0.004, p = 0.001) and renal outcomes (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001), but not with CV outcomes in IgAN. However, when combined with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) or metabolic syndrome (MetS) PAR was found to be a significant predictor of both primary (p < 0.001, p < 0.001) and secondary outcomes (p = 0.001 and p = 0.038; p = 0.001 and p = 0.015). Additionally, PLR correlated with microalbuminuria (r = -0.165, p = 0.033) and LVH (r = -0.178, p = 0.025), while PLT correlated with eGFR (r = 0.158, p = 0.040). Conclusion. Elevated PAR and PLR may predict progression to end-stage kidney disease, but in combination with LVH and MetS, they showed CV events also in IgAN. The determination of PAR and PLR can be useful and cost-effective parameters for assessing both cardiovascular and renal risks in CKD.

Pedigree data of 13 339 border collie dog was collected along with hip and elbow dysplasia records (1352 CHD and 524 CED), and an inbreeding-purging (IP) model was created to detect possible purging. Ancestral inbreeding coefficients were calculated by gene dropping simulation method (Ballou, 1997; Kalinowski, 2000) with GRain 2.0 (Baumung et al., 2015) software. GLMM models were created to the examined traits fitted with a log-link Poisson distribution, added to the estimated values of classical inbreeding coefficient (F_W), and the ancestral inbreeding (F_BAL, F_KAL, F_KAL_NEW) as covariates. The effective population size decreased in the examined period along with the increase of F_W however, slight differences were found as a consequence of breeding dog imports. CHD values were getting lower by the expansion of F_BAL as the alleles were inbred in the past. For CHD signs of purging were obtained. There was a positive trend regarding the breeding activity (both sire and dam of the future litters should be screened and certified free from CHD and CED), as years of selection increased the frequency of alleles with favorable hip and elbow conformation. Division of the ancestral inbreeding coefficient shows that alleles IBD for the first time (F_KAL_NEW) had a negative effect on both traits, while F_KAL shows favorable results for alleles IBD in the past generations. Some authors had proven this phenomenon in captive populations or experimental conditions however, no evidence of inbreeding purge has ever been described in dog populations. Despite the various breeding practices, it seems, that alleles of these polygenic disorders could be successfully purged out of the population with long term selection.

In 2020-2021, the second massive dissemination of a highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of H5Nx subtype occurred in Europe. During this period, the virus caused numerous outbreaks in poultry, including in the Czech Republic. In the present study, we provide an insight into the genetic variability of the Czech/2021 (CZE/2021) H5N8 viruses to determine the relationships between strains from wild and domestic poultry and to infer transmission routes between the affected flocks of commercial poultry. For this purpose, whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 70 H5N8 HPAI genomes representing 79.7% of the cases were performed. All CZE/2021 H5N8 viruses belonged to the 2.3.4.4b H5 lineage and circulated without reassortment, retaining the A/chicken/Iraq/1/2020 H5N8-like genotype constellation. Phylogenetic analysis suggested frequent local transmission of H5N8 HPAI from wild birds to minor poultry and extensive farm-to-farm spread among commercial poultry farms. In addition, the analysis suggested one cross-border transmission event. Indirect transmission via contaminated materials was considered the most likely source of infection. Improved biosecurity and increased collaboration between the field veterinarians and the laboratory are essential to limit the local spread of the virus and to reveal and interrupt critical routes of infection.

In 2021/2022, the re-emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) occurred in Europe. The outbreak was seeded from two sources, resident and reintroduced viruses, which is unprecedented in the recorded history of avian influenza. The dominating subtype was H5N1, representing a reversion to the original A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996-like subtype combination. In this study, we present a whole genome sequence and a phylogenetic analysis of 57 H5N1 HPAI and two low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H5N1 strains collected in the Czech Republic during 2021/2022. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close relationships between H5N1 genomes from poultry and wild birds and secondary transmission in commercial geese. The genotyping showed considerable genetic heterogeneity among Czech H5N1 viruses with six different HPAI genotypes, three of which were apparently unique. In addition, second-order reassortment relationships were observed with the direct involvement of co-circulating H5N1 LPAI strains. The genetic distance between Czech H5N1 HPAI and the closest LPAI segments available in the database illustrates the profound gaps in our knowledge of circulating LPAI strains. The changing dynamics of HPAI in the wild may increase the likelihood of future HPAI outbreaks and present new challenges in poultry management, biosecurity, and surveillance.

Promoting sustainable consumer behavior is now an obligation under new European legislation, requiring Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for accurate environmental impact evaluation. Portugal is a key textile producer, edge in competitiveness in sustainable textile production, driven by electricity-reduced carbon footprint and closed-loop manufacturing. Additionally, while simple spreadsheets can estimate a product's carbon footprint, openLCA software, combined with ecoinvent database, greatly enhances environmental footprint calculations by integrating diverse impact categories, otherwise difficult to estimate. In this study, openLCA is used to evaluate the environmental footprint of a white T-shirt made in Portugal, with 50% recycled cotton from post-industrial wastes combined with 50% organic cotton from Turkey, to assist the design of environmental key performance indicators (KPI). The RECIPE and EF method (adapted) are used to calculate the environmental impacts and allow aggregation in a single score. The KPI related to the global warming impact is validated using a spreadsheet calculator. We propose an “Envi-Score” based on an A to E classification for benchmarking and better communication with the buyers. E is set as the normalized environmental impact of the European benchmark for a mixture material T-shirt encompassing cradle-to-gate boundaries. The introduction of recycled cotton proves to be environmentally beneficial over organic and conventional cotton. Organic cotton proves to be beneficial in comparison with conventional cotton for most environmental categories, except to the ones affected by the lower production yield, for example Land Use. The hotspots for the main impact categories are identified and finally proposed a labelling scheme, to clearly inform about the environmental performance of the products and avoid greenwashing, with the “Envi-Score” rate, carbon footprint, land use and water depletion.

A novel mathematical model is developed to calculate the temperature distribution on the surface and bulk of a steel plate under the laser hardening process. The model starts with the basic heat equation then it is developed into a volumetric form and is connected to the various solid existing phases. The proposed model is based on three influencing parameters of the laser hardening process which are the velocity of the laser spot and irradiation time. The results are compared with the available experimental data reported in the literature. The volumetric model provides an assessment of temperature distribution in both the vertical and horizontal axis. Laser irradiation at sufficiently high fluence can be used to create a solid-state phase change on the surface. Primary calculations show that the temperature profile has a Gaussian distribution in horizontal x and y-axis and presents an exponentially decreasing in the horizontal and vertical depth directions.

We aimed to directly compare the cost-effectiveness of the NELSON and NLST screening protocols, two trials influencing lung cancer screening implementation internationally. A decision-analytic model analyzing the cost-effectiveness of the NELSON protocols was manipulated to reflect the protocols of the NLST, while maintaining features specific to the Hungarian healthcare setting. In the NELSON protocol, there are three possible outcomes to the initial round of screening: positive, negative, or indeterminate, indicating an uncertain degree of suspicion for lung cancer. This pro-tocol differs from the NLST protocol, in which the only possible screening outcomes are positive or negative, with no indeterminate option. The NLST pathway for smokers aged 55-74 resulted in a 43 € increase in total average lifetime costs compared to the Hungarian screening pathway and re-sulted in a lifetime gain of 0.006 QALYs. The incremental costs and QALYs yield an ICER of 7875 €/QALY. Our results demonstrate that assigning any suspicious LDCT screen as a positive result (NLST protocol) rather than indeterminate (NELSON protocol) can yield a slight QALY gain that is worth the additional use of resources according to Hungary’s willingness to pay threshold. Our study provides insight on the cost-effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages of various LDCT screening protocols for lung cancer and can assist other countries as they implement their screening programs.

The aim of the study is to obtain a more complete picture of the blood plasma melatonin concentration in the donkey species. To this purpose sampling and statistical processing were carried out in such a way that allowed to establish the annual and daily rhythm. Based on human observations, according to the hypothesis of the authors, the blood plasma melatonin concentration of pregnant individuals rises during late gestational period, before parturition. To confirm this, the melatonin concentration of pregnant and non-pregnant mares was monitored and compared. In regard to the circannual rhythm, the significantly lowest midnight melatonin value (27.67 pg/ml) is typical for the summer solstice. Under consideration of circadian changes, a significantly strongest melatonin production (45.16 pg/ml) can be observed on the night of the winter solstice (p &lt; 0.001). Considering the gestational age, the blood plasma melatonin concentration (around 38 pg/ml) does not change as pregnancy progresses (p = 0.136). The results obtained in the study population of the domestic ass usefully expand the little knowledge previously gathered about the development of blood plasma melatonin concentration of this species.

Mammography is often used as the most common laboratory method for the detection of breast cancer, yet associated with the high cost and many side effects. Machine learning prediction as an alternative method has shown promising results. This paper presents a method based on a multilayer fuzzy expert system for the detection of breast cancer using an extreme learning machine (ELM) classification model integrated with radial basis function (RBF) kernel called ELM-RBF, considering the Wisconsin dataset. The performance of the proposed model is further compared with a linear-SVM model. The proposed model outperforms the linear-SVM model with RMSE, R², MAPE equal to 0.1719, 0.9374 and 0.0539, respectively. Furthermore, both models are studied in terms of criteria of accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, validation, true positive rate (TPR), and false-negative rate (FNR). The ELM-RBF model for these criteria presents better performance compared to the SVM model.

In preserving genetic diversity among domestic animal breeds, the strategies emphasizing be-tween-breed diversity may be not optimal by neglecting within-breed variation. The present study aimed to assess the extent of the population subdivision of Mangalica pigs and the contri-bution of migration intensity to their substructure. Genealogy analysis was performed for breeding animals born between 1981 and 2023 examining three colour variations (Blonde, Swal-low-Belly, and Red). The fixation index (FST) was calculated and evaluated by Multidimensional Scaling and Clustering to expose the population substructure. The average FST is 0.04 for the Blonde and 0.05 for the Swallow-Belly and the Red while in the active herds, these parameters are smaller being 0.03 and 0.04, respectively. The migration of individuals affected 61.63% of the Blonde, 75.53% of the Swallow-Belly, and 63.64% of the Red breed herds. No population sub-structure was found in any Mangalica breed which can be explained by the extensive within breed migration among the herds.

Novel applications of artificial intelligence for tuning the parameters of industrial machines for optimal performance are emerging at a fast pace. Tuning the combine harvesters and improving the machine performance can dramatically minimize the wastes during harvesting, and it is also beneficial to machine maintenance. Literature includes several soft computing, machine learning and optimization methods that had been used to model the function of harvesters of various crops. Due to the complexity of the problem, machine learning methods had been recently proposed to predict the optimal performance with promising results. In this paper, through proposing a novel hybrid machine learning model based on artificial neural networks integrated with particle swarm optimization (ANN-PSO), the performance analysis of a common combine harvester is presented. The hybridization of machine learning methods with soft computing techniques has recently shown promising results to improve the performance of the combine harvesters. This research aims at improving the results further by providing more stable models with higher accuracy.

Climate change impacts and adaptations is subject to ongoing issues that attract the attention of many researchers. Insight into the wind power potential in an area and its probable variation due to climate change impacts can provide useful information for energy policymakers and strategists for sustainable development and management of the energy. In this study, spatial variation of wind power density at the turbine hub-height and its variability under future climatic scenarios are taken under consideration. An ANFIS based post-processing technique was employed to match the power outputs of the regional climate model with those obtained from the reference data. The near-surface wind data obtained from a regional climate model are employed to investigate climate change impacts on the wind power resources in the Caspian Sea. Subsequent to converting near-surface wind speed to turbine hub-height speed and computation of wind power density, the results have been investigated to reveal mean annual power, seasonal, and monthly variability for a 20-year period in the present (1981-2000) and in the future (2081-2100). The results of this study revealed that climate change does not affect the wind climate over the study area, remarkably. However, a small decrease was projected for future simulation revealing a slightly decrease in mean annual wind power in the future compared to historical simulations. Moreover, the results demonstrated strong variation in wind power in terms of temporal and spatial distribution when winter and summer have the highest values of power. The findings of this study indicated that the middle and northern parts of the Caspian Sea are placed with the highest values of wind power. However, the results of the post-processing technique using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model showed that the real potential of the wind power in the area is lower than those of projected from the regional climate model.

The flow properties of pellets or granules are crucial for further processing the drug dosage forms. Optimal compression or filling the multiparticulate dosage forms into capsules is influenced by forces between discrete particles, which could be partially characterized by flow properties. Several techniques were developed for the examination of flowability, including static and dynamic methods applying empirical studies and the up-to-date chaos theory; however newest methods seem only to be powerful with the supplement of empirical principles. Our experiments try to refine both the technique of analysis and the methods by finding new, alternative ways. Our approach to the flowability measurements was to set up a dynamic time-dependent model which combines empirical observations and the chaos theory on a geometrical basis, thus find new aspects regarding flow properties of pellets and granules that could be relevant for drug developers.

Background: Our study aimed to assess the differences between domestic and international students in terms of social support, vital exhaustion, and depression during the time of COVID-19. Methods: The online cross-sectional survey was conducted via Google Forms® at three time intervals during the pandemic. Results: Respectively 1320, 246, and 139 students completed our questionnaires in the different time intervals. International students reported significantly lower values of perceived social support. Women reached higher scores regarding vital exhaustion in both samples. Concerning depression, international female students had higher values than their male counterparts but the difference diminished with time. No differences could be found in the comparison of depression between domestic female and male students. Significant correlations were found between depression, perceived social support, and vital exhaustion. Discussion: International students perceive diminished social support just when they need more. Decreased levels of perceived social support may contribute to the development of their psychological problems.

Biosolids from stabilized sludge presents a high fertilization potential due to its rich content of nutrients and organic matter. Three formulas of organo-mineral fertilizers based on biosolids were manufactured having at least 2 % N, 2 % P2O5, and 2 % K2O and characterized by classical and advanced methods. The content of N and P in the final formula was measured using specific reactants combined with VIS-nearIR spectroscopy. Additionally, all three formulas were characterized by advanced 1H NMR relaxometry, double-quantum and FT-IR spectroscopy. Structural characterization was performed using SEM, EDX and X-ray diffraction. Four dynamical components were identified in the T2-distribution showing that the rigid component is into a percentage larger than 90 %. In order to evaluate the release properties of organo-mineral fertilizers dynamic measurements of electric conductivity and pH were performed, by placing 0.25 g of formulas (V1, V2 and V3) in 200 ml of distillate water. It was found that V3 present the smallest release velocity, but release the largest amount of fertilizers. Two release mechanisms were also observed.

Engine oil degradation and tribological properties are strongly interrelated. Hence, understanding the chemical processes resulting in additive depletion and degradation products is necessary. In this study, in-service engine oils from petrol and diesel vehicles were analyzed with conventional and advanced methods (mass spectrometry). Additionally, the effect of the utilization profile (short- vs. long-range) was studied. Petrol engine oils generally showed accelerated antioxidant and antiwear degradation and higher oxidation, especially in case of a short-range utilization profile, which can be attributed to the higher air-to-fuel ratio (more rich combustion) compared to diesel engines. A detailed overview of oxidation and nitration products, as well as degradation products resulting from zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate and boron ester antiwear additives, diphenylamine antioxidants and salicylate detergents is given. A side-reaction between oxidation products (aromatic carboxylic acids) and the boron ester antiwear is highlighted. This reaction was only detected in the petrol engine oils, where the oxidation products were measured in a high abundance. However, no side reaction was found in the samples from the diesel vehicle, since there the aromatic carboxylic acids were largely absent due to lower oxidation.

High surface area carbon was obtained from -carrageenan – urea cryogels doped with 1.25 – 5 wt% graphene oxide (GO). Incorporation of GO resulted in multifaceted modification in the textural and chemical properties of the carbon cryogel. The thermal decomposition of GO facilitated the formation of micropores resulted in a substantial increase in the apparent surface area (up to 1780 m2/g). The annealing at 1000 °C removed part of the heteroatoms but left behind a high number of defects. While the volatile thermal degradation products of GO affected the porous texture and the surface chemistry in a complex way, its reduced residue resulted in a gradually increasing electrical conductivity. The influence of GO was studied in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and in Li-ion storage application. GO affected the electron transfer mechanism in the ORR tests and challenged the stability of the electrodes. Even if the electrode has been stabilized under oxygen-free conditions, later may undergo destabilization processes during the ORR. The 5 wt% GO doped sample was the most sensitive under oxidative conditions, but finally it exhibited the highest capacitance. In the Li-ion battery tests the coulombic efficiency of all the samples was consistently above 98 %, indicating the great potential of such carbons for efficient Li-ion insertion and reinsertion during the charge – discharge process, thereby providing a promising alternative for graphite-based anodes. The cell from the 1.25% sample showed an initial discharge capacity of 313 mAh/g, 95.1 % capacity retention and 99.3 % coulombic efficiency after 50 charge – discharge cycles.

This article introduces the design and analysis of a slope detection circuit tailored for on-chip sensing of the load current in DC-DC converters. The novel indirect sensing approach is grounded in measuring the output voltage slope across the filtering capacitor during discharge phases. Consequently, this slope data can be effectively harnessed to control the converter switches. The slope detector circuit was designed in standard 65 nm CMOS technology using the nominal supply voltage of 1.2 V and can be used for current sensing within the range from one to hundreds of mA. Since the proposed circuit has mainly digital character, the robustness to process, temperature and supply voltage variations can be ensured rather conveniently.

Exercises for lower trapezius (LT) often use overhead positions, causing compressive forces to the subacromial space. Scapular retraction would be an alternative to activate LT muscle. Electromyography of infraspinatus (IS), upper (UT) and LT was recorded during scapular retraction under progressive adduction loads of 42 participants, divided in 2 groups: with (SP, n=26) and without shoulder pain (nSP, n=16). The adduction loads of 20, 30, 40 and 50% of the maximal voluntary contraction were applied using a load cell. Normalized electromyography and the ratio between UT and LT (UT:LT) were used for statistical analysis. No differences were observed between groups, but a condition effect occurred for all muscles: UT showed higher values at 50% vs. 20% (p=0.004); LT showed higher values on 40% and 50% (p=0.001; 0.006). Higher values for IS were noted at 40% (vs 20%; p=0.04), and at 50% (vs. 20%; p=0.001, vs. 30%, p=0.001; vs. 40%; p=0.001). UT:LT showed lower values at 50% (vs. 20%; p=0.001, and vs. 30%; p=0.016). Scapular retraction with adduction loads at 40-50% is an alternative to overhead exercises aiming to activate the LT and the IS muscles. The exercise ensures higher levels of LT and IS excitation, without increasing UT excitation.

Grape production worldwide is increasingly threatened by grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs). No grapevine cultivar is known to be entirely resistant to GTDs, but susceptibility varies greatly. To quantify these differences, four Hungarian grape germplasm collections containing 305 different cultivars were surveyed to determine the ratios of GTDs based on symptom expression and mortality rate. The cultivars of monophyletic Vitis vinifera L. origin were amongst the most sensitive ones, and their sensitivity was significantly (p&lt;0.01) higher than that of the interspecific (hybrid) cultivars assessed, which are defined by the presence of Vitis species other than V. vinifera (e.g. V. labrusca L., V. rupestris Scheele, V. amurensis Rupr.) in their pedigree. We conclude that ancestral diversity of the grape confers higher degrees of resilience against GTDs.

Previously, we reported that metronidazole MICs are not dependent on the expression levels of nim genes in B. fragilis strains; and we also compared the proteomes of metronidazole-resistant laboratory B. fragilis strains to those of their susceptible parent strains. Here, we used RT-qPCR to correlate the expression levels of 18 candidate genes in a panel of selected, clinical nim gene-positive and -negative B. fragilis strains to their metronidazole MICs. Metronidazole MICs were correlated to the expression of certain tested genes. Specifically, lactate dehydrogenase expression correlated positively, whereas cytochrome fumarate reductase/succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate kinase redox and gat (GCN5-like acetyltransferase), and relA (stringent response) regulatory gene expressions correlated negatively with metronidazole MICs. This result provides evidence for the involvement of carbohydrate catabolic enzymes in metronidazole resistance in B. fragilis. This result was supported by direct substrate utilization tests. However, the exact roles of these genes/proteins should be determined in deletion–complementation tests. Moreover, the exact redox cofactor(s) participating in metronidazole activation need to be identified.

Society considers wine as a special product among food and beverages because of its high gastronomical value and its positively distinctive quality. In recent years, philosophies of the agricultural techniques and development of the oenological technology have been focused on the reduction of wasteful, "polluting" elements, and trends are moving towards an environmental friendly approach. Due to the stricter regulations and rules (with the limited amount and selection of the permitted chemicals) resistant, also known as interspecific or innovative grape varieties can be the ideal basic materials of alternative cultivation technologies. In terms of variety selection, innovative varieties can be equivalent to international varieties, although organically their quality could not compete with them. These grapes are more resistant to various fungal diseases and infections than international varieties. Well-founded analytical and organoleptic results have to provide the scientific background of resistant varieties, as these cultivars with the environmental friendly cultivation techniques, could be the raw material of the future.

In order to perceive the behavior presented by the multiphase chemical reactors, the ant colony optimization algorithm was combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data. This intelligent algorithm creates a probabilistic technique for computing flow and it can predict various levels of three-dimensional bubble column reactor (BCR). This artificial ant algorithm is mimicking real ant behavior. This method can anticipate the flow characteristics in the reactor using almost 30 % of the whole data in the domain. Following discovering the suitable parameters, the method is used for predicting the points not being simulated with CFD, which represent mesh refinement of Ant colony method. In addition, it is possible to anticipate the bubble-column reactors in the absence of numerical results or training of exact values of evaluated data. The major benefits include reduced computational costs and time savings. The results show a great agreement between ant colony prediction and CFD outputs in different sections of the BCR. The combination of ant colony system and neural network framework can provide the smart structure to estimate biological and nature physics base phenomena. The ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO) framework based on ant behavior can solve all local mathematical answers throughout 3D bubble column reactor. The integration of all local answers can provide the overall solution in the reactor for different characteristics. This new overview of modelling can illustrate new sight into biological behavior in nature.

Copper(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II) complexes of various peptide fragments of tau protein were studied by potentiometric and spectroscopic techniques. All peptides contained one histidyl residue and represented the sequences of tau(91-97) (Ac-AQPHTEI-NH2), tau(385-390) (Ac-KTDHGA-NH2) and tau(404-409) (Ac-SPRHLS-NH2). Imidazole-N donors of histidine were the primary metal binding sites for all peptides and all metal ions but in case of copper(II) and nickel(II) the deprotonated amide groups were also involved in metal binding by increasing pH. The most stable complexes were formed with copper(II) ion but the presence of prolyl residues resulted in significant changes in the thermodynamic stability and speciation of the systems. It was also demonstrated that nickel(II) and especially zinc(II) complexes have relative low thermodynamic stability with these peptides. Copper(II) catalyzed oxidation of the peptides was also studied. In the presence of H2O2 the fragmentation of peptides can be detected in all cases. In the simultaneous presence of of H2O2 and ascorbic acid the extent of the fragmentation of the peptide is less preferred, and the formation of 2-oxo-histidine also occurs.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that results from a combination of endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory arterial wall disorder. Stenosis of the carotid artery caused by atherosclerotic plaques is responsible for approximately 10-20% of strokes and transient ischemic attacks, and the low-grade intraplaque inflammation interferes with lesion stability and progression. Methods: In this cohort study, initially, 119 patients were enrolled who underwent carotid endarterectomy. Of these, 67 cases with active perilesional inflammatory infiltrate were chosen for further immunohistochemical examination. The CD68+ infiltrate, iNOS2+, Arg1, and CD31 expressions were quantified around the lipid core by digital morphometry. These results were correlated with the presence of morphological changes leading to plaque instability: ulceration, thrombosis, intraplaque hemorrhage, the presence of the lipid core, calcification, and neovascularization. Results: Patients with a stronger macrophage CD68+ infiltrate were associated with intraplaque hemorrhage (p=0.003). In 12 cases with dominant iNOS2 positivity, the occurrence of atherothrombosis was significantly more frequent (p=0.046). Plaque neovascularization, characterized by CD31+, was correlated with atherothrombosis (p=0.02). Conclusion: The intensity of macrophage infiltration correlates with intraplaque hemorrhage, and the presence of pro-inflammatory iNOS2+ macrophages is associated with atherothrombosis in endarterectomized carotid plaques. Neovascularization also has potential thrombotic capacity.

Background: After the increasingly common anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) procedure in competitive athletes, rehabilitation is crucial for facilitating a timely return to sports (RTS) and preventing re-injury. This pilot study investigates the biomechanical and psychological outcomes of postoperative rehabilitation in competitive athletes, comparing supervised rehabilita-tion (SVR) and home-based rehabilitation (HBR). Methods: After ACLR, 60 (out of 74 screened) athletes were recruited and equally divided into 2 groups using non-probability convenience sam-pling: 30 HBR and 30 SVR (each group comprising 15 males and 15 females). Rehabilitation out-comes in respective groups were evaluated at 8 months using measures (Tegner-Activity-Scale [TAS], International Knee Documentation Committee subjective knee form [IKDC-SKF], ACL Return to Sport after Injury [ACL-RSI]) and objective parameters (isometric muscle strength, hamstring/quadriceps asymmetry). RTS was evaluated at 9 months; with ACL re-injury rates rec-orded approximately 6 months post-RTS. Results: Both groups exhibited decreased TAS scores (HBR: 8 to 6, SVR: 8 to 7), with the SVR group demonstrating superior post-operative IKDC-SKF scores (81.82 vs. 68.43) and lower ACL-RSI scores (49.46 vs. 55.25). Isometric and isokinetic mus-cle strength, along with asymmetry values, favored the SVR group 8 months post-ACLR (p

Background: dementia is a significant health issue worldwide. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can transform into dementia over time. General practitioners may be the first to notice the cognitive deficit, so they may need a screening test in the event of suspicion, which they must be able to use under great time pressure. We examined the usability of the Hungarian Test Your Memory (TYM-Hun) self-administered dementia test in general practice, and with the results of the received tests, we tried to draw conclusions regarding the population. Methods: In the four Hungarian cities with medical universities, general practitioners filled out 368 questionnaires with their clients over 50 years of age. Results: the total scores of the test showed a significant correlation with education and the type of occupation, while a significant negative correlation with age. We found the clock drawing test and recall indicates cognitive decline the earliest. Based on the TYM-Hun results, the prevalence levels for MCI and dementia are slightly higher in Hungary than globally. Conclusion: the test can sensitively indicate MCI and early-stage dementia as a screening test, and two of its subtests can raise the possibility of cognitive impairment at an earlier age than the others.

In this work, anchoring of cinchona derivatives to trifunctional cores (hub approach) was demonstrated to obtain size-enlarged organocatalysts. By modifying the cinchona skeleton in different positions, we prepared four C3-symmetric size-enlarged cinchona derivatives (hub-cinchonas), which were tested as organocatalysts and their catalytic activities were compared with the parent cinchona (hydroquinine) catalyst. We showed that in the hydroxyalkylation reaction of indole, hydroquinine provides good enantioselectivities (up to 73% ee), while the four new size-enlarged derivatives gave significantly lower values (up to 29% ee) in this reaction. Anchoring cinchonas to trifunctional cores was found to facilitate nanofiltration-supported catalyst recovery using PolarClean alternative solvent. The C3-symmetric size-enlarged organocatalysts were completely rejected by all the applied membranes, whereas the separation of hydroquinine was found to be insufficient using organic solvent nanofiltration. Furthermore, the asymmetric catalysis was successfully demonstrated in the case of Michael reaction of 1,3-diketones and trans-β-nitrostyrene using Hub3-cinchona (up to 96% ee) as a result of the positive effect of the C3-symmetric structure using a bulkier substrate. This means an increased selectivity of the catalyst in comparison to hydroquinine in the latter Michael reaction.

The medial septum (MS), as part of the basal forebrain, supports many physiological functions, from sensorimotor integration to cognition. With often reciprocal connections with a broad set of peers at all major divisions of the brain, the MS orchestrates oscillatory neuronal activities throughout the brain. These oscillations are critical in generating sensory and emotional salience, locomotion, maintaining mood, supporting innate anxiety, and governing learning and memory. Accumulating evidence points out that the physiological oscillations under septal influence are frequently disrupted or altered in pathological conditions. Therefore, the MS may be a potential target for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders with abnormal oscillations (oscillopathies) to restore healthy patterns or erase undesired ones. Recent studies have revealed that the patterned stimulation of the MS alleviates symptoms of epilepsy. We discuss here that stimulus timing is a critical determinant of treatment efficacy on multiple time scales. On-demand stimulation may dramatically reduce side effects by not interfering with normal physiological functions. A precise pattern-matched stimulation through adaptive timing governed by the ongoing oscillations is essential to effectively terminate pathological oscillations. The time-targeted strategy for the MS stimulation may provide an effective way of treating multiple disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety/fear, schizophrenia, and depression, as well as pain.

Accumulation of proteins in filter membranes limits the efficiently of filtering technologies for cleaning wastewater. Efforts are ongoing to coat commercial filters with different materials (such as titanium-dioxide, TiO2) in order to reduce the fouling of the membrane. Beyond monitoring the desired effect of retention of biomolecules, it is demanding to understand what are the biophysical changes in water-soluble proteins caused by interacting with the new coated filter membranes, an aspect that has received little attention so far. Using spin label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), aided with native fluorescent spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS), here we report the changes in the structure and dynamics of bovine serum albumin (BSA) exposed to TiO2 (P25) nanoparticles or passing through commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes coated with the same nanoparticles. We have found that the filtering process and prolongued exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles had significant effects on different regions of BSA, and denaturation of the protein was not observed, neither with TiO2 nanoparticles nor by pressing through TiO2-coated filter membranes.

Heart disease is one of the most common diseases in middle-aged citizens. Among the vast number of heart diseases, coronary artery disease (CAD) is considered a common cardiovascular disease with a high death rate. The most popular tool for diagnosing CAD is the use of medical imaging, e.g., angiography. However, angiography is known for being costly and also associated with a number of side effects. Hence, the purpose of this study is to increase the accuracy of coronary heart disease diagnosis by selecting significant predictive features in order of their ranking. In this study, we propose an integrated method using machine learning. The machine learning methods of random trees (RTs), the decision tree of C5.0, support vector machine (SVM), the decision tree of Chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) are used in this study. The proposed method shows promising results and the study confirms that the RTs model outperforms other models.

Songorine (SON) is a diterpenoid alkaloid from Aconitum plants. Preparations of Aconitum roots have been employed in traditional oriental herbal medicine, however, their mechanisms of action are still unclear. Since GABA-receptors are possible brain targets of SON, we investigated which subtypes of GABA-receptors contribute to the effects of SON, and how SON affects anxiety-like trait behavior and psychomotor cognitive performance of rats. First, we investigated the effects of microiontophoretically applied SON alone and combined with GABA-receptor agents picrotoxin and saclofen on neuronal firing activity in various brain areas. Next, putative anxiolytic effects of SON (1.0-3.0 mg/kg) were tested against the GABA-receptor positive allosteric modulator refer-ence compound diazepam (1.0-5.0 mg/kg) in the elevated zero maze (EOM). Furthermore, basic cognitive effects were assessed in a rodent version of the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Local application of SON predominantly inhibited the firing activity of neurons. This inhibitory effect of SON was successfully blocked by GABA(A)-receptor antagonist picrotoxin but not by GABA(B)-receptor antagonist saclofen. Similar to GABA(A)-receptor positive allosteric modulator diazepam, SON increased the time spent by animals in the open quadrants of the EOM without any signs of adverse psychomotor and cognitive effects observed in the PVT. We showed that, under in vivo conditions SON acts as a potent GABA(A)-receptor agonist and effectively decreases anxiety without observable side effects. The present findings facilitate the deeper understanding of the mechanism of action and the widespread pharmacological use of diterpene alkaloids in various CNS indications.

We successfully created a composite photonic structure out of porous silicon (PSi) microcavities doped by the photochromic protein, photoactive yellow protein (PYP). Massive incorporation of the protein molecules into the pores was substantiated by a 30-nm shift of the resonance dip upon functionalization, and light-induced reflectance changes of the device due to the protein photocycle were recorded. Model calculations for the photonic properties of the device were consistent with earlier results on the nonlinear optical properties of the protein, whose degree of incorporation into the PSi structure was also estimated. The successful proof-of-concept results are discussed in light of possible practical applications in the future.

This trial was carried out to find out the effects of the parent flocks and the hatching time of broiler chickens on the production traits and bacteriota development of animals. Two times 730 hatching eggs were collected from two different parent flocks with age of 22-23 and 65-66 weeks. In the hatchery both groups were divided into two subgroups, when the day-old chickens were separated according to their hatching time. A feeding trial was carried out afterwards, using the 4 treatments in 6 replicate floor pens, feeding commercial starter, grower, and finisher diets, that contained all the nutrients according to the breeder’s recommendations. The day-old chickens of the parent older flock and those hatched later were heavier and this advantage of the birds remained until end of the production period. The different age and origin of parent flocks failed to modify the microbiological parameters of the chicken’s ceca. However, the hatching time significantly influenced the different bacteriota diversity indices. The late hatched chickens showed higher Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria and lower Firmicutes abundances at day 11. These treatments resulted differences in the main families, Ruminococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Bacteroidaceae. These differences could not be found at day 39.

This case study investigates the effects of ventilation intervention on measured and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) in a repaired school where occupants reported IAQ problems. Occupants´ symptoms were suspected to be related to the impurities leaked indoors through the building envelope. The study’s aim was to determine whether a positive pressure of 5-7 Pa prevents the infiltration of harmful chemical and microbiological agents from structures, thus decreasing symptoms and discomfort. Ventilation intervention was conducted in a building section comprising 12 classrooms and was completed with IAQ measurements and occupants´ questionnaires. After intervention, the concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) decreased, and occupants´ negative perceptions became more moderate compared to those for other parts of the building. The indoor mycobiota differed in species composition from the outdoor mycobiota, and changed remarkably with the intervention, indicating that some species may have emanated from an indoor source before the intervention.

A monolayer of endothelial cells (ECs) lines the lumen of blood vessels and as such provides a semi-selective barrier between the blood and the interstitial space. Compromise of the lung EC barrier due to inflammatory or toxic events may results in pulmonary edema, which is a cardinal feature of acute lung injury (ALI) and its more severe form, the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The EC functions are controlled, at least in part, via epigenetic mechanisms mediated by histone deacetylases (HDACs). Zinc-dependent HDACs represent the largest group of HDACs and are activated by Zn2+. Members of this HDAC group are involved in the epigenetic regulation primarily via modifying the structure of chromatin upon removal of acetyl groups from histones. In addition, they can deacetylate many non-histone histone proteins, including those located in extra nuclear compartments. Recently, the therapeutic potential of inhibiting zinc-dependent HDACs for EC barrier preservation has gained momentum. However, the role of specific HDAC subtypes in EC barrier regulation remains largely unknown. This review aims to provide an update on the role of zinc-dependent HDACs in endothelial dysfunction and its related diseases. We will broadly focus on biological contributions, signaling pathways and transcriptional roles of HDACs in endothelial pathobiology associated mainly with lung diseases and we will discuss the potential of their inhibitors for lung injury prevention.

Introduction: multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common immune-mediated chronic neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), affecting young people. Due to the permanent disability, cognitive impairment, and the enormous detrimental impact MS can exert on the patients’ health-related quality of life. It is of great importance to recognise it in time and commence adequate treatment at an early stage. The currently used disease-modifying therapies (DMT) aim to reduce disease activity and thus halt disability development, which in current clinical practice are monitored by clinical and imaging parameters but not by biomarkers found in blood and/or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Both clinical and radiological measures routinely used to monitor disease activity lack information on the fundamental pathophysiological features and mechanisms of MS. Furthermore, they lag behind the disease process itself. By the time a clinical relapse becomes evident or a new lesion appears on the MRI scan, potentially irreversible damage has already occurred in the CNS. In recent years several biomarkers that previously have been linked to other neurological and immunological diseases have received increased attention in MS. Additionally, other novel, potential biomarkers with prognostic and diagnostic properties have been detected in the CSF and blood of MS patients. Areas covered: in this review, we summarise the most up to date knowledge and research conducted on the already known and most promising new biomarker candidates found in the CSF and blood of MS patients. Author commentary: the current diagnostic criteria of MS rely on three pillars; MRI imaging, clinical events and the presence of oligoclonal bands in the CSF (which was reinstated into the diagnostic criteria by the most recent revision). Even though the most recent McDonald criteria made the diagnosis of MS faster than the prior iteration, it is still not an infallible diagnostic toolset, especially at the very early stage of clinically isolated syndrome. Together with the gold standard MRI and clinical measures, ancillary blood and CSF biomarkers may not just improve diagnostic accuracy and speed but very well may become agents to monitor therapeutic efficacy and make even more personalised treatment in MS a reality in the near future. The major disadvantage of these biomarkers in the past has been the need to obtain CSF to measure them. However, the recent advances in extremely sensitive immunoassays made their measurement possible from peripheral blood even when present only in minuscule concentrations. This should mark the beginning of a new biomarker research and utilisation era in MS.

We have established earlier a cell line from the human limbal area to study cell growth and response to the toxic effects of antibiotics used in ophthalmology. In the recent work, the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in cornea damage was investigated in vitro and in vivo in mice. In the in vitro experiments, the physiological effects of multi-walled carbon nano-tube (MWCNT) bundles on corneal wound healing were mimicked in vitro by a reepithelization limbal stem cell model. Murine in vivo experiments were performed with intact, non-functionalized MWCNTs to confirm the validity of in vitro tests. The MWCNTs of 10 -30 nm outer diameter at low concentration (5 µg/ml) did not interfere with the wound healing of the damaged limbal cell monolayer. Higher than 50 µg/ml concentrations: a) generated MWCNT aggregates, b) restrained the movement and prolonged the time of wound healing, c) increased the amplitudes of the oscillations of the cells, and d) resulted in scar formation affecting both cor-neal function and refraction. Chromatin condensation, a sensitive test of the viability of cells, including limbal stem cells revealed that the presence of a low concentration of nanotubes (5 µg/ml), did not significantly affect the viability of limbal cells. Chromatin condensation was completed and metaphase chromosomes were seen at higher MWCNT concentration proving that their aggregates did not affect the viability of limbal cells. This concentration of MWCNTs (5 µg/ml) did impact neither the reepithelization in vitro nor in vivo in the scratched eyes of mice. Scar formation took place at higher than 50 µg/ml concentrations and the healing of the cornea was prevented by the lack of movement of increasingly larger macroaggregates. In vivo murine experiments vali-dated in vitro monolayer regrowth followed by time-lapse microscopy portraying realistically the reepithelization of the damaged cornea that process was gradually slowed down by macro aggregate formation and caused the scarring of the cornea.

The effects of ELICE16INDURES, a well-known plant conditioner developed by the Research Institute for Medicinal Plants and Herbs Ltd. Budakalasz, Hungary, were studied in a soybean population. The active ingredients of the compound have been selected to help elicit general immunity in plants without pathogenic damage, thereby roborizing the healthy plant population and preparing it for possible future biotic stressors. Here we have analyzed changes in the expression levels of genes encoding enzymes involved in the catalysis of metabolic pathways that induce and regulate PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) at two different time points and treatments. Twenty-three different enzymes were analyzed that catalyze different metabolic pathways, such as the biosyntheses of jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, and phytoalexin biosynthesis and cellular detoxification processes. Bioinformatical softwares werw used to analyze the results. It has been found that some of the primary defense mechanisms (e.g., Mitogen-Activated-Protein Kinase (MAPK) cascade, jasmonic acid biosynthesis, flavonoid and phytoalexin biosynthesis, etc.) that intensify following the attack of pathogens can be activated without the intrusion of the actual pathogen by an immunochemical. Thus, we proved that plant resistance can be artificially conditioned.

Background: In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPAs) are responsible for disease onset and progression, however, our knowledge is limited on ligand binding affinities of autoantibodies with different citrulline-peptide specificity. Methods: Citrulline-peptide specific ACPA IgGs were affinity purified and tested by ELISA. Binding affinities of ACPA IgGs and serum antibodies were compared by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. Bifunctional nanoparticles harboring a multi-epitope citrulline-peptide and a complement activating peptide were used to induce selective depletion of ACPA producing B cells. Results: KD values of affinity purified ACPA IgGs varies between 10-6-10-8 M and inversely correlate with disease activity. Based on their cross-reaction with citrulline-peptides we designed a novel multi-epitope peptide, containing Cit-Gly and Ala-Cit motifs in two-two copies, separated with a short, neutral spacer. This peptide detects antibodies in RA sera with 66 % sensitivity and 98 % specificity in ELISA and is recognized by 90% of RA sera, while none of the healthy samples in SPR. When coupled to nanoparticles, the multi-epitope peptide specifically targets and depletes ACPA producing B cells ex vivo. Conclusions: The unique multi-epitope peptide designed on the basis of ACPA cross-reactivity might be suitable to develop better diagnostics and novel therapies for RA.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The health status of Hungary's population is unfavorable, with significant differences in health indicators not only compared to the EU15 but also to the Visegrad countries. Unfavorable health indicators can be disproportionate and particularly affect vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities. The aim of the present study is to compare the health behaviour and indicators of adolescents with disabilities in Hungary with those of the HBSC survey in the Visegrad countries, and to compare the results of the Hungarian special needs adolescent population with those of the Visegrad countries. Eating habits are unfavourable for both the Visegrad countries and the young people we studied. Children with disabilities have significantly higher rates of schoolwork stress compared to other countries. Significantly higher prevalence of somatic complaints and worse mental well-being parameters higher in Hungary than in the other Visegrad countries. The results suggest that further interventions are needed in Hungary and that differentiated, professionalised health promotion is needed for young people with disabilities. The researchers propose to extend the research to adolescents with disabilities living in the Visegrad countries, on the basis of which a methodology for injury-specific health promotion could be developed, including through interna-tional interprofessional cooperation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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