We investigate the impact of incoming nuclear data on the predictions of the neutron star (NS) stripping model for short gamma-ray bursts. The main area to which we pay attention is the NS crust. We show that the uncertain properties of the NS equation of state can significantly influence the stripping time tstr, the main dynamical parameter of the model. Based on the known time delay (tstr≈1.7s) between the peak of the gravitational wave signal GW170817 and the detection of gamma photons from GRB170817A, we obtain new restrictions on the nuclear matter parameters, in particular, the symmetry energy slope parameter: L<114.5MeV. In addition, we study the process of nucleosynthesis in the outer and inner crusts of a low-mass NS. We show that the nucleosynthesis is strongly influenced by both the incoming nuclear data and the equation of state of the NS matter.

This paper is devoted to change-point detection using only the ordinal structure of a time series. A statistic based on the conditional entropy of ordinal patterns characterizing the local up and down in a time series is introduced and investigated. The statistic requires only minimal a priori information on given data and shows good performance in numerical experiments.

The impact of a non-anticholinergic spasmolytic drug (drotaverine hydrochloride) on 23 heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV) and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) motility in the normal, resting 24 horses was determined. Ten adult riding horses had ECG recordings for 180 minutes after treat-25 ment with drotaverine (180 mg) or saline. Horses from the drotaverine group presented a de-26 creased of GIT contraction for two hours after treatment, but also showed drowsiness. Drotaverine 27 caused a reduction in cardiac vagal modulation of HR at T30 (P=0.050) and T60 (P=0.008) compared 28 to those receiving saline. RMSSD and high frequency (HF) recorded significantly low values after 29 drotaverine treatment by the end of the study, suggesting a decrease in parasympathetic activity. 30 HRV analysis indicated that drotaverine decreased both the low frequency (LF) and Lf/HF ratio 31 reflecting a decrease in sympathetic system. Non linear parameters registered low values after 32 drotaverine administration pointing a diminished in parasympathetic (for SD1) and sympathetic 33 (for SD2) activity. Decreased HRV was suggestive for a pervasive state of sympathetic hypervigi-34 lance of horses. The marked effect of drotaverine on HRV and GIT function in horses should be 35 taken into consideration when evaluating a clinical response to this drug in diseases associated 36 with smooth muscle spasm.

Nickel-based superalloys are attractive to many industrial sectors (automotive, military, energy, aerospace etc.). However, their physical properties make them difficult to machining using traditional tools. Therefore, the new materials for the machining of Ni-based alloys are required. Ceramic-based composites could act as a tool to replace the current materials. The incentives for this paper are to provide an overview of existing ceramic composites and draw some conclusions that will help in solving the problem of choosing materials for processing of Ni-based superalloys. Despite the diversity of ceramic composites in this work the focus was on the SiAlON ceramic.

In the present work, the state of the art of the most common additive manufacturing (AM) technologies used for the manufacturing of complex shape structures of graphene-based ceramic nanocomposites, ceramic and graphene-based parts is explained. A brief overview of the AM processes for ceramic, which are grouped by the type of feedstock used in each technology, is presented. The main technical factors that affect the quality of the final product were reviewed. The AM processes used for 3D printing of graphene-based materials are described in more detail; moreover, some studies in a wide range of applications related to these AM techniques are cited. Furthermore, different feedstock formulations and their corresponding rheological behaviour were explained. Additionally, the most important works about the fabrication of composites using graphene-based ceramic pastes by Direct Ink Writing (DIW) are disclosed in detail and illustrated with representative examples. Various examples of the most relevant approaches for the manufacturing of graphene-based ceramic nanocomposites by DIW are provided.

A series of novel asymmetrical mono-carbonyl analogs of curcumin (AMACs) were synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxic activity using the brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT) and the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay against Vero, HeLa, and MCF7 cell lines. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR), ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ¹³C-NMR, and mass spectral data. The results of the cytotoxicity evaluation showed that the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to very high toxic activity in BSLT, requiring a concentration of 13.06–714.49 µg/mL to kill half the population. Most of the compound exhibited cytotoxic activity against HeLa cell lines, comparable to the activity of cisplatin with a concentration of the synthesized compounds required to inhibit 50% of the growth of the cell lines (IC₅₀) value of 40.65–95.55 µM, and most of the compounds tested against MCF7 cell lines exhibited moderate to very high cytotoxic activity (IC₅₀ value 7.86–35.88 µM). However, the selectivity index of the compounds was low, less than 1–1.96. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 1b showed the highest cytotoxicity and selectivity against MCF7 cell lines. Compound 1b could be considered for further development to obtain more active and selective chemotherapeutic agents against breast cancer.

The study is dedicated to analyzing the complex interaction between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) with institutional structures in the context of sustainable development. This work examines the impact of these technologies on economic and social development, identifying their potential advantages and risks. Methodologically, the research relies on information gathering and case study analysis, assessing the impact of technology in various domains, from smart cities to the manufacturing sector. The findings emphasize the necessity of integrating technological innovations into broader social and environmental initiatives, highlighting the importance of institutional transformations for achieving environmental sustainability.

Tremor is a prevalent symptom associated with multiple conditions, including Essential Tremor (ET), Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, and trauma. The surgical management of tremor evolved from stereotactic lesions to deep-brain stimulation (DBS), which allowed safe and reversible interference with specific neural networks. This paper reviews the current literature on DBS for tremor, starting with a detailed discussion of current tremor targets (Vim, Raprl, caudal Zi, Vo and STN) and continuing with a discussion of results obtained when performing DBS in the various aforementioned tremor syndromes. Future directions for DBS research are then briefly discussed.

The modern paradigm of studying the processes of carcinogenesis and vital activity of tumor tissues implies increased attention to constituents of tumor microenvironment (TME) and their interactions. These interactions between the cells in TME can be mediated via protein junctions of different types. Connexins (Cnxs) are one of the major contributors to intercellular communication. They form gap junctions responsible for the transfer of ions, metabolites, peptides, miRNA, etc. between neighboring tumor cells as well as between tumor and stromal cells. Cnx hemichannels mediate purinergic signaling and bidirectional molecular transport with the extracellular environment. Additionally, Cnxs were reported to localize in tumor-derived exosomes and facilitate the release of their cargo. A large body of evidence implies that the role of connexins in cancer is multifaceted. Pro- or anti-tumorigenic properties of connexins are determined by their abundance, localization and functionality as well as channel assembly and non-channel functions. In this review we have summarized the data on the Cnxs contribution in TME and to the cancer initiation and progression.

Biomimicry in additive manufacturing often refers to topology optimization and the use of lattice structures, due to the organic shape of the topology-optimized designs, and the lattices often looking similar to many light-weight structures found in nature such as trabecular bone, wood, sponges, coral, to name a few. Real biomimetic design however involves the use of design principles taken in some way from natural systems. In this work we use a methodology whereby high resolution 3D analysis of a natural material with desirable properties is “reverse-engineered” and the design tested for the purpose. This allows more accurate replication of the desired properties, and adaption of the design parameters to the material used for production (which usually differs from the biological material). One such example is the impact-protective natural design of the glyptodont body armour. In this paper we report on the production of body armour models in metal (Ti4Al4V) and analyze the resulting mechanical properties, assessing their potential for impact protective applications. This is the first biomimetic study using metal additive manufacturing to date.

The polarised emission from AGN jets carries information about the physical conditions at the emitting plasma elements while its temporal evolution probes the physical processes that introduce variability and dynamically modify the local conditions. Here we present the analysis of multi-frequency radio linear and circular polarisation datasets with the aim to exactly quantify the conditions in blazar jets. Our analysis includes both the careful treatment of observational datasets and numerical modelling for the reproduction of synthetic polarisation curves that can be compared to the observed ones. In our approach the variability is attributed to traveling shocks. The emission from the cells of our jet model is computed with radiative transfer of all Stokes parameters. The model also accounts for Faraday effects which map the low-energy particle populations. We present two extreme cases in terms of the significance of Faraday conversion in the production of circular polarisation. As we show, in both regimes the model gives realistic reproduction of the observed emission.

1. Background Septic shock is a rare and serious infectious disease. Patients surviving the early phase are at high risk of multiple amputations of limbs. They are potential sources of serious disability. 2. Methods The objective was to describe the functional prognosis and quality of life of the four-limb amputee patients following septic shock. This is a descriptive, retrospective and mono-centric study. The patients included between 2010 and 2019 had septic shock after 18 years, responsible for amputation of the four limbs. We studied the mean age of septic shock, the causative organisms, the infectious door enter, the different levels of amputation, the fitting process, the resumption of walking, the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the SF-12 Quality of Life Questionnaire. 3. Results We suceed to include 15 patients.. 53.3% women and 46.7% men with an average age of 46.1 years. 80% presented bilateral trans-tibial amputations, all were able to return walking even over short distances, within an average of 8.4 months. 40% did not require a technical walking aid, 33.3% had no walking perimeter limitation. 47% had a higher mental and social quality of life score than the general population. The younger the patients, the better their physical quality of life. After two years of follow-up, the younger the patients, the better their functional autonomy. Patients with better functional autonomy had a better physical quality of life. 4. Conclusion The number of amputations due to spetic shock is likely to increase in the years to come throughout the world. Our study prove that quadri-amputee patient can regain a fully acceptable functional and quality of life being monitored in a specialized health center with multidisciplinary health professional to help him.

The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is one of three major pathways involved in glucose metabolism, regulated by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), controlling NADPH formation. NADPH, in turn, regulates the balance of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. G6PD dysfunction, affecting PPP, is implicated in neurological disorders, including epilepsy. However, PPP's role in epileptogenesis and ROS production during epileptic activity remains unclear. To clarify these points, we conducted electrophysiological and imaging analyses on mouse hippocampal brain slices. Using the specific G6PD inhibitor G6PDi-1, we assessed its effects on mouse hippocampal slices, examining intracellular ROS, glucose/oxygen consumption, and ROS production during synaptic stimulation and in the 4AP epilepsy model. G6PDi-1 increased basal intracellular ROS levels and reduced synaptically induced glucose consumption but had no impact on ROS production from synaptic stimulation. In the 4AP model, G6PDi-1 didn't significantly alter spontaneous seizure frequency or H2O2 release amplitude but increased the frequency and peak amplitude of interictal events. These findings suggest that short-term PPP inhibition has a minimal impact on synaptic circuit activity.

This paper presents the latest developments in microCT, both globally and locally, for supporting the additive manufacturing industry. There are a number of recently developed capabilities which are especially relevant to the non-destructive quality inspection of additive manufactured parts; and also for advanced process optimization. These new capabilities are all locally available but not yet utilized to their full potential, most likely due to a lack of knowledge of these capabilities. The aim of this paper is therefore to fill this gap and provide an overview of these latest capabilities, showcasing numerous local examples.

A technique for fabrication of bacterial cellulose-based films with CeO₂ nanofiller has been developed. The structural and morphological characteristics of the materials have been studied, their thermal and mechanical properties in dry and swollen states having been determined. The preparation methodology makes it possible to obtain composites with a uniform distribution of nanoparticles. The catalytic effect of ceria regarding the thermal oxidative destruction of cellulose has been confirmed by TGA and DTA methods. An increase in CeO₂ content led to an increase in the elastic modulus (a 1.27-fold increase caused by the introduction of 5 wt.% of the nanofiller into the polymer) and strength of the films. This effect is explained by the formation of additional links between polymer macro-chains via the nanoparticles’ surface. The materials fabricated were characterised by a limited ability to swell in water. Swelling caused a 20- to 30-fold reduction in the stiffness of the material, the mechanical properties of the films in a swollen state remaining germane to their practical use. The application of the composite films in cell engineering as substrates for the stem cells’ proliferation has been studied. The increase in CeO₂ content in the films enhanced the proliferative activity of embryonic mouse stem cells. The cells cultured on the scaffold containing 5 wt.% of ceria demonstrated increased cell survival and migration activity. An analysis of gene expression confirmed improved cultivation conditions on CeO₂-containing scaffolds.

A non-steady state mathematical model of amino acid (phenylalanine (Phe)) and mineral salt (NaCl) solution separation by neutralization dialysis (ND) carried out in a batch mode is proposed. The model takes into account the characteristics of membranes (thickness, ion-exchange capacity and conductivity) and solutions (concentration, composition), as well as the flow rate of the solution in the dialyzer compartments. As compared to previously developed models, the new one considers the local equilibrium of Phe protolysis reactions in solutions and membranes and, also, the transport of all the phenylalanine forms (zwitterionic, positively and negatively charged) through membranes. A series of experiments on ND demineralization of NaCl and Phe mixed solution was carried out. In order to minimize Phe losses, the solution pH in the desalination compartment was controlled by changing the concentrations of the solutions in the acid and alkali compartments of the ND cell. The validity of the model was verified by comparison of simulated and experimental time dependencies of solution electric conductivity and pH, as well as the concentration of Na+, Cl– ions and Phe species in the desalination compartment. Based on the simulation results, the role of Phe transport mechanisms in the losses of this amino acid during ND was discussed.

The continuous advancements in healthcare technology have empowered the discovery, diagnosis, and prediction of diseases, revolutionizing the field. Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving the goals of precision medicine, particularly in disease prevention, detection, and personalized treatment. This study aims to determine the optimal combination of the mother wavelet and AI model for the analysis of pediatric electroretinogram (ERG) signals. The dataset, consisting of signals and corresponding diagnoses, undergoes Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) using commonly used wavelets to obtain a time-frequency representation. Wavelet images were used for the training of five widely used deep learning models: VGG-11, ResNet-50, DensNet-121, ResNext-50, and Vision Transformer, to evaluate their accuracy in classifying healthy and unhealthy patients. The findings demonstrate that the combination of Ricker Wavelet and Vision Transformer consistently yields the highest median accuracy values for ERG analysis, as evidenced by the upper and lower quartile values. The median balanced accuracy of the obtained combination of the three considered types of ERG signals in the article are 0.83, 0.85, and 0.88. However, other wavelet types also achieved high accuracy levels, indicating the importance of carefully selecting the mother wavelet for accurate classification. The study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of different combinations of wavelets and models in classifying ERG wavelet scalograms.

The work is devoted to the study of the mechanisms of damage accumulation in a polymer composite material (PCM) during fatigue loading. Mechanical testing of a fiberglass sample was carried out by cyclic tension accompanied by registration of acoustic emission (AE). For the recorded AE signals, the Fourier spectra were calculated and used for clustering with Kohonen self-organizing map. Relations between clusters and types of damage in the PCM structure were established. The analysis of the peak frequencies of the Daubechies D14-wavelet components of AE signals was carried out. Obtained results has allows one to describe the processes of destruction in the PCM sample. It has been established that, on the base of local formation of microdamages in the matrix and the fracture of the fibers detected during recording of the AE data, it is possible to predict the destruction of the polymer composite material, while the beginning of a material destruction can be registered if the damage identified as an adhesion failure is observed. Perspectives of application of adaptive fiber-optic AE sensors for structural monitoring of PCMs on the base of preliminary experimental results are considered and discussed.

Steady-state one-dimensional flows of five-component air behind a normal shock wave are considered with one-temperature model. A mathematical model is formulated to describe the relaxation of a five-component air mixture with a one-temperature non-equilibrium approximation. A numerical study of non-equilibrium flows of a reacting five-component air mixture behind shock waves at different heights and velocities of free flow is performed. The contribution of different types of reactions to the overall relaxation of the mixture is discussed, and the distributions of macro-parameters of the flow behind the shock wave front are calculated. The lengths of the relaxation zones behind the shock wave front are compared at different initial conditions.

Ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are widely used in desalination, waste water treatment, food, energy production and other applications. There is a strong demand for cost-effective IEMs characterized by high selective transport of ions of a certain sign of charge. In this paper, we simulate the experimental results of V. Sarapulova et al. (IJMS 2021) on the modification of an inexpensive anion-exchange membrane (CJMA-7, Hefei Chemjoy Polymer Materials Co. Ltd., China) with a perfluorosulfonated ionomer (PFSI). The modification was made in several stages including keeping the membrane at a low temperature, applying a PFSI solution on its surface, and subsequent drying it at an elevated temperature. We apply the known microheterogeneous model with some new amendments to simulate each stage of the membrane modification. It has been shown that the PFSI film formed on the membrane-substrate does not affect significantly its properties due to the small thickness of the film (4 m) and similar properties of the film and substrate. The main effect is caused by the fact that PFSI material “clogs” the macropores of the CJMA-7 membrane, thereby blocking the transport of coions through the membrane. In this case, the membrane microporous gel phase, which has a high selectivity to counterions, remains the primary pathway for both counterions and coions. Due to the above modification of the CJMA-7 membrane, the coion (Na+) transport number in the membrane equilibrated with 1 M NaCl solution decreased from 0.11 to 0.03. Thus, the modified membrane becomes comparable in its transport characteristics with more expensive IEMs available on the market.

Layout estimation is a challenge of segmenting a cluttered room image into floor, walls and ceiling. We applied Double refinement network proved to be efficient in the depth estimation to generate heat maps for room key points and edges. Our method is the first not using encoder-decoder architecture for the room layout estimation. ResNet50 was utilized as a backbone for the network instead of VGG16 commonly used for the task, allowing the network to be more compact and faster. We designed a special layout score function and layout ranking algorithm for key points and edges output. Our method achieved the lowest pixel and corner errors on the LSUN data set. The input image resolution is 224*224.

Modern development of high-intensity and high-resolution X-ray technology allows detailed studies of the multiphoton absorption and scattering of X-ray photons by deep and subvalent shells of molecular systems on a wide energy range. The interpretation of experimental data requires the improvement of computational methods for obtaining excited and ionized electron states of molecular systems with one or several vacancies. The specificity of solving these problems requires the use of molecular orbitals obtained in one-center representation. Slow convergence of one-center expansions is a significant disadvantage of this approach; it affects the accuracy of the calculation of spectroscopic quantities. We offer a method of including higher harmonics in one-center expansion of a molecular orbital with the use of wave functions of electrons of deep shells of a ligand (off-center atom of a molecule). The method allows one to take into account correctly electron density of a linear molecule near the ligand when describing vacancies created in a molecular core leading to radial relaxation of electron density. The analysis of the parameters of one-center expansion of the ligand functions depending on ligand’s charge is performed. The criteria for the inclusion of higher harmonics of one-center decomposition of the ligand functions in the molecular orbital are determined. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated by the example of diatomic molecules HF, LiF, and BF by estimating energy characteristics of their ground and ionized states.

The article analyzes the problems connected with ensuring the coordinated operation of slipway drives that arise during the launch of a ship. The dynamic model of load of the electric drive of the ship's cart is obtained taking into account the peculiarities of the construction of the ship-lifting complex, which allows to analyze the influence of external factors and random influences during the entire process of launching the ship. A linearized mathematical model of the dynamics of a complex vessel movement in the process of descent in the space of states is developed, which allows to identify the mode of operation of the multi-drive system, taking into account its structure. The analysis of efficiency of application of recurrent methods of identification (stochastic approximation and least squares) of the parameters of the linearized model in the space of states is carried out. A decision support system has been developed in the automated system of operational control by the module for estimating the situation and the control synthesis to ensure a coherent motion of a complex ship-carts object in a two-phase environment.

Hafnium is a metal with rare properties, such as a low superconducting transition temperature slightly above 100 mK, which makes it attractive for a lot of applications, especially for design and fabrication of microcalorimeters with high energy resolution. In this paper we describe the results of fabrication and experimental investigation of superconducting properties of hafnium thin films in a dilution refrigerator. The considered Hf films, whose thickness is in the range from 60 to 115 nm, are deposited on substrates by electron beam evaporation. The combinations with thin layers of normal metals to decrease the critical temperature of superconducting hafnium films by proximity effect, are also considered. The critical temperature of the studied films varies from 56 to 302 mK. Also, significant increase of the critical temperature of some films over time was observed and investigated.

A primary challenge facing conservationists is reconciling the human needs of forest adjacent communities with the needs of conserving forest biodiversity, especially in tropical regions with growing populations of rural poor. Agroforestry has the potential to simultaneously provide for human needs and enhance forest biodiversity, but the complex interactions and feedbacks between the social and natural dimensions are relatively undescribed and thus systematic implementation is rare. The attributes of trees on farms required for human needs and conservation value may conflict. For example, exotic species in monoculture may provide the most economic value for farmers, while relic or planted indigenous tree mixtures may be more valuable for biological conservation. The objective of this study was to explore whether agroforestry practices in a moist tropical forest ecosystem in Kenya can simultaneously provide timber and fuelwood value to small-holder farmers while extending forest tree biodiversity. We described the agroforestry attributes on farms around a tropical forest, assessed the relationship between number and biomass of timber/fuelwood trees and tree biodiversity, and explored the relationships between forest tree diversity attributes and farm tree diversity attributes on a landscape scale using spatial analysis. We found that the diversity and number of trees on farms in this area are extensive yet variable, but that no significant relationship exists between the number of timber/fuelwood trees and tree diversity. This suggests that the two values of agroforestry may not be in conflict, due mainly to the high diversity of trees used for fuelwood. We also found that trees on farms in the larger landscape add to the conservation value of forest tree biodiversity and could be important components in conservation management. If agroforestry is to play an increasingly active role in conserving biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes, particularly in areas of dense subsistence farmer populations, increase recognition needs to be given to farmer’s perception of the value of trees and their selection of what trees to plant or maintain.

This paper reports on the production and mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V micro-lattice structures, with strut thickness nearing the single-track width of the laser-based powder bed fusion (LPBF) system used. Besides providing new information on the mechanical properties and manufacturability of such thin-strut lattices, this paper also reports on the in-situ deformation imaging of micro-lattice structures with 6 unit cells in every direction. LPBF lattices are of interest for medical implants, due to the possibility of creating structures with an elastic modulus close to that of the bones and small pore sizes which allow effective osseointegration. In this work four different cubes were produced by laser powder bed fusion and subsequently analyzed using microCT, compression testing and one selected lattice was subjected to in-situ microCT imaging during compression. The in-situ imaging was performed at 4 steps during yielding. The results indicate that mechanical performance (elastic modulus and strength) correlate well with actual density and that this performance is remarkably good, despite the high roughness and irregularity of the struts at this scale. In-situ yielding is visually illustrated.

(1) Background: As Patient-reported outcome measures face challenges with low response rate on surveys, different incentive mechanism have been proposed to achieve a higher response rate. However, it seems that monetary incentives are the only mechanism with proven effect. Nevertheless, it is less likely to be used than other mechanisms due to the monetary cost. (2) Methods: In this research work, a cryptographic scheme for rewarding patients with cryptographic tokens is developed and implemented on the Ethereum test network. (3) Results: The model is able to distribute decentralised tokens to patients who complete the PROMs in a fair, private, decentralised approach. The token can be further used by patients to exchange more healthcare services, encouraging more patients to participate in PROMs. At the same time, an IER detection method is built to improve the quality of PROMs, avoiding the healthcare provider paying for meaningless PROMs from patients who barely participate for incentives. (4) Conclusions: This work provides an privacy-preserving incentive model to increase the response rate for PROMs surveys. Our model prevents patients providing invalid responses to gain rewards.

The use of commodity polymers such as polypropylene (PP) is key to open new market segments and applications for the additive manufacturing industry. Technologies such as powder-bed fusion (PBF) can process PP powder; however, much is still to learn concerning process parameters for reliable manufacturing. This study focusses in the process-property relationships of PP using laser-based PBF. The research presents an overview of the intrinsic and the extrinsic characteristic of a commercial PP powder as well as fabrication of tensile specimens with varying process parameters to characterize tensile, elongation at break, and porosity properties. The impact of key process parameters, such as power and scanning speed are systematically modified in a controlled design of experiment. The results were compared to the existing body of knowledge; the outcome is to present a process window and optimal process parameters for industrial use of PP. The computer tomography data revealed a highly porous structure inside specimens ranging between 8.46% and 10.08%, with porosity concentrated in the interlayer planes in the build direction. The results of the design of experiment for this commercial material show a narrow window of 0.122 ≥ Ev ≥ 0.138 J/mm³ led to increased mechanical properties while maintaining geometrical stability.

There is a growing interest in glial cells in the central nervous system due to their important role in maintaining brain homeostasis both under physiological conditions and after injury. A significant amount of evidence has been accumulated regarding their capacity to exert either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects under different pathological conditions. In combination with their known proliferative potential, they contribute not only to the limitation of brain damage and tissue remodeling but also to neuronal repair and synaptic recovery. Moreover, reactive glial cells can modulate the processes of neurogenesis, proliferation, and migration of neurons in the existing neural circuits in the adult brain. By discovering precise signals within specific niches, the regulation of sequential processes in adult neurogenesis holds the potential to unlock strategies that can stimulate the generation of functional neurons, whether in response to injury or as a means of addressing degenerative neurological conditions. Cerebral ischemic stroke, a condition falling within the realm of acute vascular disorders affecting the circulation of the brain, stands as a prominent global cause of disability and mortality. Extensive investigations into glial plasticity and their intricate interactions with other cells in the central nervous system have predominantly relied on studies conducted on experimental animals, including rodents and primates. However, valuable insights have also been gleaned from in vivo studies involving post-stroke patients, utilizing highly specialized imaging techniques. Following the attempts to map brain cells, the role of various transcription factors in modulating gene expression in response to cerebral ischemia is gaining increasing popularity. Although the results obtained thus far remain incomplete and occasionally ambiguous, they serve as a solid foundation for the development of strategies aimed at influencing the recovery process after ischemic brain injury.

Alunogen, Al2(SO4)3·17H2O, occurs as an efflorescent in acid mine drainage, low-temperature fumarolic or pseudofumarolic (at coal fires) terrestrial environments. It is considered as one of the main Al-sulfates of Martian soils demanding comprehensive crystal chemical data of natural terrestrial samples. However, structural studies of natural alunogen were carried out in 1970s without localization of H atoms and have not previously been performed for samples from geothermal fields, despite the fact that these environments are considered as proxies of the Martian conditions. The studied alunogen sample comes from Verkhne-Koshelevsky geothermal field (Koshelev volcano, Kamchatka, Russia). Its chemical formula is somewhat dehydrated, Al2(SO4)3×15.8 H2O. The crystal structure was solved and refined to R1 = 0.068 based on 5112 unique observed reflections with I > 2σ(I). Alunogen crystalizes in P-1 space group, a = 7.4194(3), b = 26.9763(9), c = 6.0549(2) Å, α = 90.043(3), β = 97.703(3), γ = 91.673(3) °, V = 1200.41(7) Å3, Z = 2. The crystal structure consists of isolated SO4 tetrahedra, Al(H2O)6 octahedra and H2O molecules connected by hydrogen bonds. The structure refinement includes Al, S and O positions that are similar to previous structure determinations and thirty-four H positions localized for the natural sample first. The study also shows the absence of isomorphic substitutions in the composition of alunogen despite the iron-enriched environment of mineral crystallization. The variability of the alunogen crystal structure is reflected in the number of “zeolite” H2O molecules and their splitting. The structure complexity of alunogen and its modifications ranges from 333-346 bits/cell for models with non-localized H atoms to 783-828 bits/cell for models with localized H atoms. The higher values correspond to higher hydration state of alunogen.

The overall contribution of otolith receptors to eye movements, postural control and perceptual functions is the basis for clinical testing of otolith function. With such wide range of contributions, it is important to recognize that the functional outcomes of these tests may vary depending on the specific method employed to stimulate the hair cells. In this article, we review common methods used for clinical evaluation of otolith function and how different aspects of physiology may affect the functional measurements in these tests. We compare the properties and performance of various clinical tests with the emphasis on the newly-developed video ocular counter roll (vOCR), measurement of ocular torsion on fundus photography, and subjective visual vertical or horizontal (SVV/SVH) testing.

The basic hydrolysis of Malachite Green in the presence of β-Cyclodextrin has been studied and a catalytic effect has been found. Indeed, this basic hydrolysis is catalyzed by the interaction of deprotonated cyclodextrin hydroxyl group with the carbocation in the host-guest complex. This behavior is like the hydrolysis of Cristal Violet in the same reaction media.

Addressing the pressing challenge of global warming, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector is a critical imperative. Battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles have emerged as promising solutions for curbing emissions in this sector. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) for typical passenger vehicles, heavy duty trucks and city buses using either proton-exchange membrane fuel cells or Li-ion batteries with different cell chemistries. To ensure accuracy, we supplemented existing studies with data from the literature, particularly for the recycling phase, as database limitations were encountered. Our results highlight that fuel cell and battery systems exhibit large emissions in the production phase. Recycling can significantly offset some of these emissions, but a comparison of the technologies examined revealed considerable differences. Overall, battery electric vehicles consistently outperform fuel cell electric vehicles regarding absolute greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, we recommend prioritizing battery electric over fuel cell vehicles. However, deploying fuel cell electric vehicles could become attractive in a hydrogen economy scenario where other factors, e. g. the conversion and storage of surplus renewable electricity via electrolysis, become important.

We found out main regularities of surface waters pollution by diesters of о-phthalic acid (PAEs) at the background level of concentrations. Lake Baikal was selected as a model for our studies. The composition of PAEs in Baicalins waters is represented by dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Their concentrations are assessed in statistically valuable average values and ranges: 0.02 (0.01 – 0.02), 0.07 (0.06 – 0.09), 0.55 (0.47 – 0.66), 0.30 (0.26 – 0.34), µg/L, respectively. Main factors determining PAEs concentration are found out: year and season of sampling. The distribution of PAEs in the water body meets their hydrophobicity and is characterized by: i) even distribution of minor hydrophilic congeners DMP and DEP in the whole water area; ii) maximal concentrations of hydrophobic congeners DnBP and DEHP in the upper and near-bottom layers of the water column; iii) decrease of concentration of hydrophobic congeners in the near-shore zone. The contribution of near-shore sources of PAEs into the pelagic site is minimal, the main pollutants source is atmospheric transfer. A valuable contribution of DEHP from biogenic sources into the background level of PAEs is shown. Within RQ coefficients, we assessed the environmental risk for Baicalins biota.

FY-3E WindRAD (Fengyun-3E Wind Radar) is a dual-frequency rotating fan-beam scatterometer. Its data characteristics, NOC (NWP Ocean Calibration), and wind retrieval performance are investigated in this paper. The radar view geometry diversity varies across the swath, with maximum diversity in the sweet swaths and limited diversity in the outer and nadir swaths. When NOC backscatter calibration coefficients are computed as a function of incidence angle only (NOCint), a smooth correction is found. However, when relative antenna azimuth angle is included (NOCant), it appears that the corrections as a function of relative azimuth angle vary harmonically and substantially for a specific incidence angle. NOCant corrections yield a better fit of the measurements to the GMF (Geophysical Model Function). Hence NOCant is applied for the wind retrieval analysis from Ku-band, C-band. An extra engineering correction of 0.15dB and 0.2dB is applied on Ku-band and C-band backscatter values, respectively, to reduce the wind speed bias without increasing the standard deviation. Overall, NOCant is the best option for both channels. Also, the instrument backscatter data stability over time is good and the retrieved winds can fulfill operational requirements.

Background and Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative disease that is targeting continuously people of different ages, but especially the elderly population, the number of which tends to increase continuously at the global level. Apart from age, excess weight can influence the evolution of the disease, with obesity being associated with a weak inflammation stage, and an imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The present work aimed to identify specific biomarkers alike ACRP-30, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-6 in synovial fluid and correlate them with patients’ clinical data. Materials and Methods: 24 subjects with KOA and over 50 years of age are involved in the present study. All patients performed a supine X-ray at the target knee. Ultrasound was performed using an ESAOTE MyLab Omega (ESAOTE Spa, Italy) ultrasound device and a 6-19 MHz linear array transducer. Results: The obtained results highlighted a significant correlation between age and adiponectin level (p=0.0451, r=-0.412). Also, the IL-10 values are lower in cases where the intensity of the pain is more pronounced (p=0.0405, r=-0.421). In addition, analyzing the data by gender, it was observed that in the case of males, stiffness is more related to age (p=0.0079, r=0.7993), compared to women (p=0.0203, r=0.6223). In the case of women, the progression of the disease tends to increase more intensively total WOMAC score’s values (p=0.00031, r=0.8342), compared with men (p=0.0289, r=7013). Regarding interleukins and BMI, significant correlations were observed only in the case of men. Conclusions: A significant correlation between age and adiponectin, and adiponectin and IL-6, suggests that advanced age may contribute to adiponectin reduction. Comparing men with women, it was observed that men's age is more related to rigidity, and IL-6 and IL-10 are directly correlated to BMI and women seem to be more sensitive to pain and stiffness.

Rice is an essential crop for national food security in Egypt. Increasing the population calls for regular increases in rice production. At the same time, cultivated rice crop areas should be decreased because of the gradual scarcity of irrigation water. This means more rice production should be gained from less rice area. This situation calls for the annual accurate system for rice monitoring and yield estimation. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a remotely sensed based system for rice cultivation assessment using satellite imagery parallel with field measurements of some biophysical parameters. Multi-temporal normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) extracted from twelve sentinel-2 imagery cover the whole summer season with variance and maximum value assessed by ground control points (GCPs), were used to isolate uncultivated areas, then to isolate rice areas and other vegetation covers. object-based classification methods with kappa co-efficient 0.9261 and overall accuracy 94.92% was generated to discriminate rice crop area and other summer crops on the study area. Leaf area index (LAI) for the experiment the l site was calculated using the surface energy balance algorithm for Land (SEBAL) model and then tested versus measured (LAI). NDVI and LAI were used to generate an empirical ran rice yield prediction model. Then, this model was used to produce rice to yield a map. The study was carried out in an experimental site in Kafr Elsheikh governorate with a total area of 5040 Hectare. Produced cultivated land use map showed 95% overall accuracy. High similarity was observed between measured and calculated (LAI) with high accuracy of R2 = 0.94. of Rice, yield map showed expected to yield more to than a month before harvest. The generated yield map was tested using a correlation coefficient between actual yield and estimated yield with high accuracy R2 = 0.9. This method is applicable to estimate the acreage and productivity of rice in the northern Nile delta in adequate time before harvest.

In this work, we have proposed two new methods for the synthesis of [TcO2L4]+ (where L = im-idazole (Im), methylimidazole (MeIm)) complexes using thiourea (Tu) and Sn(II) as reducing agents. The main and by-products of the reactions were determined, and possible reaction mechanisms were proposed. We have shown that the reduction of Tc(VII) with thiourea is ac-companied by the formation of the Tc(III) intermediate and further oxidation to Tc(V). The reac-tion conditions changing can lead to the formation of Tc(VII) and Tc(IV) salts. Seven new crystal structures are described in this work: Tc(V) complexes, salts with Tc(VII) and Tc(IV) anions. For halide salts of Tu the cell parameters were determined. In all obtained compounds, except for [TcO2(MeIm)4]TcO4, there are π-stacking interactions between aromatic rings. An increase in the anion size lead to weaken intermolecular interactions. Halogen bonds and anion-π interactions have also been found in hexahalide-containing compounds. The Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the main contribution to the crystal packing is made by van der Waals interactions of the H···H type (42.5–55.1%), H···C/C ···H (17.7–21.3%) and hydrogen bonds, which contribute 15.7–25.3% in total.

The development and use of highly automated vehicles (HAV) in agriculture is a highly important task because of the lack of machine drivers and unsatisfactory level of their qualifications, reducing the impact of harmful factors on employees of agricultural enterprises. HAVs allow to avoid these problems: increase productivity and the efficiency of seasonal use of equipment, and reduce the impact of harmful factors on people. Modern HAVs in agriculture are based on the following methods: parallel driving according to geo coordinates without automatic turning and without obstacles tracking, and on technical vision without the use of a geographic information system (for example Cognitive AgroPilot) and a digital field map, which makes it impossible to generate the optimal path around the field.

Grid refinement is used to save computing costs while preserving high precision of fluid simulation. In the Lattice Boltzmann Method, grid refinement often uses interpolated values. We found a method, where interpolation in space and time is not required. For this purpose, we used the moment matching condition and rescaling the non-equilibrium part of populations, and developed the recalibration procedure that allows to transfer information between different LBM stencils in the simulation domain. Then, we build non-uniform lattice which uses stencils with different shapes on the transition. The resulting procedure is verified on the 2D Poisselle flow and the advected vortex benchmark. In prospect, grids with adaptive geometry can be built with the use of the proposed method.

The rice-wheat rotation is the dominant cropping system in Bihar, where food security of the rural population depends heavily on the production of rice and wheat. In Bihar, climatic shocks induced by low temperatures and terminal heat stress can significantly affect rice and wheat yields. The present work evaluates the benefit of using the monsoon onset as the date for planting rice in reducing thermal stress on rice-wheat systems. High-resolution gridded crop simulations using the APSIM model were performed to simulate potential yields of rice and wheat using the monsoon onset and the farmers’ practice as planting dates. The monsoon onset was calculated using an agronomic definition and farmers’ practice dates were estimated using satellite data. Model outputs were analyzed in terms of planting dates, yields, and the incidence of low temperature stress on rice and high temperature stress on wheat by means of the APSIM yields limiting factors. The results show that the rice planting and harvest dates using the monsoon onset are in general 20-30 days earlier, decreasing the incidence of thermal stress in rice and wheat, and generating higher and more stable yields. These results can help design mitigation strategies for the impacts of climate shocks induced by low and high temperature events in the context of the advances in sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasting, targeting climate services for farmers in Bihar.

This research evaluates the inhibitory effect of L-amino acids (AAs) with different side chain lengths on Fe surface implementing Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. A quantitative and qualitative description of the adsorption behavior of AAs on the iron surface has been carried out. Calculations have shown that the absolute values of the adsorption energy of L-amino acids increase with side chain prolongation; they are also determined by the presence of heteroatoms. AAs from nonpolar and basic groups have the best adsorption ability to the iron surface, which indicates their highest inhibitory efficiency according to the results of MC simulation.

The quasi-experimental study examines the role of contemporary technologies, such as artificial intelligence and humanoid robots, in enhancing sustainability education for future teachers, emphasizing their impact on shaping sustainable beliefs in future generations. Involving 112 pre-service teachers, the research compares various contemporary and traditional learning methods. Pre- and post-test evaluations were conducted to assess changes in participants’ understanding of sustainability concepts and the variability of their responses. Results reveal significant improvements in sustainability awareness, with methods involving humanoid robots showing higher response variability. The study also identifies the development of new literacies crucial for effectively utilizing advanced technologies in promoting environmental sustainability. While artificial intelligence and humanoid robots match the efficacy of traditional methods, they notably engage young educators more effectively in sustainability topics. These findings highlight the need to integrate such technologies into educational framework to deepen the understanding of environmental issues and prepare youth for future challenges. However, further research is required to explore long-term effects and broader demographics. The research contributes significantly to educational technology and sustainability in education, showcasing the transformative potential of incorporating contemporary technologies in educational settings.

We present an idea how to use long-wavelength multi-wavelength radio continuum observations of spiral galaxies to isolate magnetic structures which were previously accessible from short-wavelength observations only. The approach is based on the RM-synthesis and 2D continuous wavelet transform. Wavelet analysis helps to recognize a configuration of small-scale structures which are produced by Faraday dispersion. We find that these structures can trace galactic magnetic arms for the case of the galaxy NGC 6946 observed at $\lambda = 17 \div 22$~cm. We support this interpretation by an analysis of a synthetic observation obtained using a realistic model of a galactic magnetic field.

Placental growth factor (PlGF or PGF) is a member of the VEGF family, which is known to play a critical role in pathological angiogenesis, inflammation, and endothelial cell barrier function. However, the molecular mechanisms by which PlGF mediates its effects in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR) remain elusive. In this study, we performed transcriptome-wide profiling of differential gene expression for human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) treated with PlGF antibody. The effect of antibody treatment on the samples was validated using trans-endothelial electric resistance (TEER), and western blot. A total of 3760 genes (1750 upregulated and 2010 downregulated) were found to be differentially expressed between the control and PlGF antibody treatment group. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were used for gene ontology and enrichment analysis to identify gene function, signal pathway, and interaction networks. The gene ontology results revealed that catalytic activity (GO:0003824) of molecular function, cell (GO:0005623) of the cellular component, and cellular process (GO:0009987) were among the most enriched biological processes. Pathways such as TGF-β, VEGF-VEGFR2, p53, apoptosis, pentose phosphate pathway, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, were among the most enriched, and TGF-β1 was identified as a primary upstream regulator. These data provide new insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of PlGF in mediating biological functions, in relation to DR.

Collecting relevant data is an important aspect in allowing evaluation of the performance of systems, methods, algorithms, and techniques developed in the research process. Researchers at the South African Scientific and Industrial Research Council perfoemd a study to identify biometric(s) that can be used to identify and verify young children from birth to 16 years old. Three types of biometrics were considered in this study as a resukt of a comprehensive preliminary research, namely, fingerprins, iris and ear shap. This paper presents challenges identified and lessons learned during the in trying to collect data for scientific research that require interaction with children of different ages and their parents in different environments. . The study is primarily based on researcher’s experiences. Some of the discussion points discussed are of global relevance to children and general human beings, while others relate to South Africa in particular. The discussion aims to share knowledge and experience, hoping that this will help researchers prepare for a trouble-free child data collection process in the future. Keywords: Baby biometrics; long-term data collection, baby fingerprints, baby iris, baby ears

Dynamic tribochemical processes for dicationic ionic liquid containing a germinal imidazolium cation head groups bridged by a poly(ethylene glycol) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion were studied using time-resolved Mechanically Stimulated Gas Emission Mass-Spectrometry (MSGE-MS). In comparison with similar monocationic imidazolium ionic liquids with short alkylic or long polyether side chains the dicationic ionic liquid had lower coefficient of friction on Ti6Al4V alloy and smoother behaviour. The analysis of volatile decomposition products suggested multiple tribochemical reactions in which both anionic and cationic moieties are involved. Tribochemical degradation of cations was mainly through detachment of the side and bridging chains from the imidazolium head groups. Absence of volatile products containing nitrogen implies that imidazole group remained unchanged. Hydrogen and water desorption were attributed to the reactions of hydrogen fluoride being a product of anion degradation with titanium and titanium oxide.

Modern surface analysis techniques are expanding significantly possibilities in description and attribution of historical artifacts. The present study is aimed to compare analytical ability of the X-ray fluorescent analysis (XRF) typically applied for studies ceramic art items with novel surface analysis methods: time-of-flight secondary ions mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) that were applied on measurements of elemental compositions of powder raw materials for porcelain fabrication: pegmatite P-1, Vesco-prima clay, kaolin, bone earth, dolomite, and feldspar. It was shown that SIMS successfully measures light elements unnoticeable for XRF such as lithium, beryllium, boron and heavy impurities not found out by XRF such as cobalt, cerium, copper, rubidium, vanadium. XPS has found thorium in the kaolin sample that was not detected by SIMS and XRF. The paper provides also values of chemical shifts of some XPS lines observed in materials under examination. The obtained information on relations of basic and impurity elements revealed by XRF and SIMS together with XPS chemical shifts data could be used to expose contemporary falsifications of historical porcelain and to attribute porcelain items during conservation process.

Background: The electroretinogram is a clinical test used to assess the function of the photoreceptors and retinal circuits of various cells in the eye, with the recorded waveform being the result of the summated response of neural generators across the retina. Methods: The present investigation involved an analysis of the electroretinogram waveform in both the time and time-frequency domain through the utilization of the discrete wavelet transform and continuous wavelet transform techniques. The primary aim of this study was to monitor and evaluate the effects of treatment in a New Zealand rabbit model of endophthalmitis via electroretinogram waveform analysis and to compare these with normal human electroretinograms Results: The wavelet scalograms were analyzed using various mother wavelets, including the Daubechies, Ricker, Wavelet Biorthogonal 3.1 (bior3.1), Morlet, Haar, and Gaussian wavelets. Distinctive variances were identified in the wavelet scalograms between rabbit and human electroretinograms. The wavelet scalograms in the rabbit model of endophthalmitis showed recovery with treatment in parallel with the time -domain features. Conclusions: The study compared Adult, Child, and Rabbit electroretinogram responses using DWT and CWT, finding that Adult signals had higher power than Child signals, and Rabbit signals showed differences in a-wave and b-wave depending on the type of response tested, while Haar Wavelet was found to be superior in visualizing frequency components in electrophysiological signals in following the treatment of endophthalmitis and may give additional outcome measures for the management of retinal disease.

Providing simultaneously autotrophic and heterotrophic carbon sources is a promising strategy to overcome the limits of autotrophic syngas fermentations. D-xylose and L-arabinose are particularly interesting as they can be obtained by the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. The individual conversion of varying initial concentrations of these pentoses and D-fructose as reference was studied with C. autoethanogenum in fully-controlled stirred-tank reactors with a continuous syngas supply. All mixotrophic batch processes showed increased biomass and product formation compared to an autotrophic reference process. Simultaneous CO and D-xylose or L-arabinose conversion was observed in contrast to D-fructose. In the mixotrophic batch processes with Larabinose or D-xylose, the simultaneous CO and sugar conversion resulted in high final alcohol to acid ratios of up to 58 g g-1. L-arabinose was superior as a mixotrophic carbon source because biomass and alcohol concentrations (ethanol and 2,3-butanediol) were highest, and significant amounts of meso-2,3-butanediol (>1 g L-1) in addition to D-2,3-butanediol (>2 g L-1) were solely produced with L-arabinose. Furthermore, C. autoethanogenum could not produce meso-2,3 butanediol under purely heterotrophic conditions. The mixotrophic production of meso-2,3-butanediol from Larabinose and syngas, both available from residual lignocellulosic biomass, is very promising for use as a monomer for bio-based polyurethanes or as an antiseptic agent.

In current study we have obtained Co2FeSi-glass coated microwires with different geometrical aspect ratio, ρ = d/Dtot (diameter of metallic nucleus, d and total diameter, Dtot). The structure and magnetic properties are investigated at a wide range of temperature. XRD analysis illustrates a notable changing in the microstructure by increasing the aspect ratio of Co2FeSi glass coated microwires. Amorphous structure is detected for the sample with the lowest aspect ratio (ρ = 0.23), whereas a growth of crystalline structure is observed in the other samples (aspect ratio ρ = 0.30 and 0.43). This change at the microstructure properties correlates with dramatic changing in magnetic properties. For the sample with the lowest ρ -ratio, non-perfect square loops are obtained with low normalized remanent magnetization. A notable enhancement in the squareness and coercivity are obtained by increasing ρ -ratio. Changing the internal stresses strongly affects the microstructure, resulting in a complex magnetic reversal process. The thermomagnetic curves show large irreversibility for the Co2FeSi with low ρ -ratio. Meanwhile, if we increase the ρ -ratio, the sample shows perfect ferromagnetic behavior without irreversibility. The current result illustrates the ability to control the microstructure and magnetic properties of Co2FeSi-glass-coated microwires by changing only their geometric properties without performing any addition heat treatment. The modification of geometric parameters of Co2FeSi glass-coated microwires allows to obtain microwires which exhibit an unusual magnetization behavior that offers opportunities to understand the phenomena of various types of magnetic domain structures, which is essentially helpful for designing sensing devices based on thermal magnetization switching.

Spin crossover (SCO) complexes are in the forefront of image, memory and sensing devices, with applications already established since for thirty years. In order to reach magnetic multistability conditions, the high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) states have to be carefully balanced by ligand field stabilization and spin pairing energies. Both of these effects could be effectively modelled by electronic structure theory, if the description would be accurate enough to describe these concurrent influences to within a few kJ/mol. Such a milestone would allow for the in silico-driven development of SCO complexes. However, so far, the ab initio simulation of such systems has been dominated by general gradient approximation density functional calculations. The latter can only provide the right answer for the wrong reasons, given that the LS states are grossly stabilized. In this contribution, we explore different venues for the parameterisation of hybrid functionals. A fitting set is provided on the basis of explicitly correlated coupled cluster calculations, with single- and multi-dimensional fitting approaches being tested to selected classes of hybrid functionals (hybrid, range separated and local hybrid). Promising agreement to benchmark data is found for a rescaled PBE0 hybrid functional and a local version thereof, with a discussion of different atomic exchange factors.

Traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-programs rarely include participatory components that connect CSR-activities of private companies with their local communities. However, there is an increasing demand to include citizens as well as the resources and expertise of the private sector in the design and implementation of local community planning processes. To assess the potential, opportunities, and challenges of including private companies into participatory community planning at a local level, we analyzed the experiences that we collected during the piloting phase and the commercial roll-out of the ‘Bürgercockpit’-application for citizen participation, as well as the results of a digital CSR-questionnaire that we shared with different companies in Austria. Our research indicates that most of the participating companies are interested in including local communities into their CSR-projects using a digital tool, if this tool is easy-to-use, easy-to-access, and provides a flexible structure to address specific project requirements as well as properly designed features for stakeholder communication and user feedback. The findings of both, the ‘Bürgercockpit’-pilot study and the CSR-questionnaire provided us valuable input for designing a prototype solution of a digital CSR-tool for participatory community planning at a local level as well as recommendations for future research in this topic of growing interest.

The CYSTM (cysteine-rich transmembrane module) protein family comprises small molecular cysteine-rich tail-anchored membrane proteins found in many eukaryotes. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains carrying the CYSTM genes YDRO34W-B and YBR056W-A (MNC1) fused with GFP were used to test expression of these genes under different stresses. The YBR056W-A (MNC1) and YDR034W-B genes are expressed under stress conditions caused by the toxic concentrations of heavy metal ions such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, zinc, cuprum, and 2.4-dinitrophenol uncoupler. YDR034W-B but not YBR056W-A is expressed under alkali and cadmium stresses. YBR056W-A is localized in intracellular membranes, while YDR034W-B is localized in the cytoplasmic membrane. The null-mutants in both genes demonstrated both decreased cell concentration and lytic phenotype when cultivated in the presence of excess manganese. This indicates the involvement of Mnc1 and YDR034W-B proteins in manganese detoxification, probably by complexation of its ion.

The ability to directly look into genome sequences has opened great opportunities in plant breeding. Yet, the assembly of full-length chromosomes remains one of the most difficult problems in modern genomics. Genetic maps are commonly used in de novo genome assembly and are constructed on the basis of a statistical analysis of the number of recombination rather than physical distance in base pairs. This may affect the accuracy of the ordering and orientation of scaffolds within the chromosome, especially in the region of recombination suppression. Here we report the use of Tyr-FISH for validation of genetic and pseudochromosome maps. For probe design we developed a pipeline that is based on selection of a unique sequence with minimal potential fluorescent background arising from non-specific in situ hybridization. In total of 24 unique genes were located on physical chromosomes 2 and 6. The order of markers has been corrected by integration genetic and cytogenetic maps. Tyr-FISH mapping showed that the order of 23.1% (chromosome 2) and 27.3% (chromosome 6) of the tested genes differed between physical chromosomes and pseudochromosomes. Also the position of the mlh1 gene, which was not on the genetic map, was defined on physical chromosome 2. The results suggest the possibility of Tyr-FISH mapping of any gene that may not be neither on the genetic map nor in the assembly. Hence, Tyr-FISH provides valuable information for the improvement of the genome assembly.

The sustainability of ecotourism is the backbone of tourism development of a country. Ecotourism can contribute to both conservation and development in which involves dynamic relationship between tourism, biodiversity and communities, facilitate by great management. The purpose of this study is to analyze the dimensions of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of ecotourism in communities surrounding the Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu, Malaysia. This study provides a framework for the development and evaluation of ecotourism. The framework will determine if the relationships between indicators are positively correlated which will result in positive contribution to the other by using System Dynamic. Socio-cultural and economic data will be collected through interviews and group discussions in selected communities in Tasik Kenyir. Data on wildlife will be extracted from secondary data from Kenyir Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. The data analysis will explore the socio-cultural and economic differences between and within different communities due to ecotourism development, the contribution of ecotourism to conservation activities, local support for conservation and ecotourism as well as the influence of tourist activities on the distribution of wildlife species in Tasik Kenyir. This study aims to contribute toward understanding the natural resource community-ecotourism inter-relationship and help to bridge the knowledge gap that hinders biodiversity conservation initiatives. The findings will be used as a base for further development of ecotourism and will recommend alternative management options where necessary for the study area.

To obtain a given structure in 3D building-up modes, it is necessary to use optimal surfacing modes that determine the amount of heat input in local areas. For this purpose, aluminum bronze was surfacing onto a deformed base and the structure and its characteristics in the surfacing and heat-affected zones were studied by the EBSD method. The heterogeneity of the formation of the structure in each selected zone is established, which indicates the heterogeneity of heat input in local areas of the material in one mode of surfacing. For typical cases of crystallization, a molecular dynamics simulation of crystallization processes with different heat input to the base with characteristics specified based on experimental data was carried out. It has been established that the amount of heat input determines the degree of melting and the inherited defectiveness of growing crystals. The formation of misorientation boundaries and crystallization centers of new grains is determined by the conditions of joint growth of grains with given crystallographic parameters of the computational model. Numerical calculations agree with the experimentally observed results.

The present review paper aims at collecting and discussing the research work, numerical and experimental, carried out in the field of Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in one-dimensional (1D) pressurized transient flow in the time-domain approach. Background theory and basic definitions are provided for the proper understanding of the assessed literature. A novel frame of reference is proposed for the classification of FSI models based on pipe degrees-of-freedom. Numerical research is organized according to this classification, while an extensive review on experimental research is presented by institution. Engineering applications of FSI models are described and historical accidents and post-accident analyses documented.

Enormous quantities of softwood and hardwood tree bark are generated yearly in the pulp and woodworking industry. Chemical compounds which can be found in bark extracts have important biological properties and therefore a high potential for using in the production of special formulations. In the present study, extraction of Picea abies bark with organosolv solvents was investigated to achieve a high yield of desirable compounds. For the extraction four different solvent ratios of ethanol and water were applied. The temperature range of extraction was set between 40 and 100 °C and stirring velocity of 400 rpm. Extractions were performed with a solid/liquid ratio of 1:20. Yields of phenolics, flavonoids and tannins were determined using gallic acid for total phenolic content (TPC), quercetin for total flavonoid content (TFC) and tannic acid for total tannins content (TTC) as calibration compounds. Qualitative analysis of phenolic constituents was performed after their derivatization, by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry identification. The total yield of bark extract of 14.75 wt.% was achieved by using an ethanol/water ratio of 50% (v/v) and a temperature of 100 °C. Gas chromatography results show 9 aromatic carboxylic acids as phenolic acids and quercetin and (+)-catechin as flavonoid compounds. Highest concentrations of TPC = 3.21 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, TCF = 0.62 mg quercetin equivalent/g and TTC = 0.84 tannic acid equivalent/g were determined at the same process conditions by photometric method. This study determined the conditions for organosolv extraction of useful compounds and suggests that some of extractives, e.g., taxifolin and rhamnetin presented in the spruce bark extracts, have antiviral (SARS-CoV-2) effects. Therefore, this warrants further evaluation of the antiviral properties of spruce bark constituents.

Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) are highly promising for biological and biomedical applications, including bioimaging, due to their unique opltical properties (i.e. strong fluorescence and very high photostability). Their low or negligible in vitro toxicity has been reported, but in vivo toxicity and biological effects of SiNPs are still uncertain. Uncoated SiNPs were dispersed in distilled water via sonication, and their rapid aggregation was observed (319.0 ± 2.4 nm particle size). In vivo toxicity was studied using Danio rerio embryos and larvae. Rapid aggregation in their incubation medium was observed; besides that, SiNPs at 25 mg/L or higher concentration induced swim bladder malformation and/or death of the fish. The estimated LC50 value for 7-day larvae was 180 mg/L. This is the first in vivo toxicity study of uncoated and unfunctionalized SiNPs. To achieve better stability in biological media and lower toxicity, SiNPs should be covered with hydrophilic layers, but their absorption by cellular membranes may be weaker in this case.

Cellular senescence accumulates with age and has been shown to impact numerous physiological and pathological processes, including immune function. The role of cellular senescence in cancer is multifaceted, but the impact on immune checkpoint inhibitor response and toxicity has not been fully evaluated. In this review, we evaluate the impact of cellular senescence in various biological compartments, including the tumor, the tumor microenvironment, and the immune system on immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy and toxicity. We provide an overview of the impact of cellular senescence in normal and pathological contexts and examine recent studies that have connected aging and cellular senescence to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in both the pre-clinical and clinical contexts. Overall, senescence plays a multi-faceted, context-specific role, and has been shown to modulate immune-related adverse event incidence as well as immune checkpoint inhibitor response.

Detecting and understanding emotions is critical for our daily activities. As emotion recognition (ER) systems develop, we start looking at more difficult cases than just acted adult audio-visual speech. In this work, we investigate automatic classification of audio-visual emotional speech of children. Our interest is, specifically, in the improvement of the utilization of the cross-modal relationships between the selected modalities: video and audio. To underscore the importance of developing ER systems for the real-world environment, we present a corpus of children’s emotional audio-visual speech that we collected. We select a state-of-the-art model as a baseline for the purposes of comparison and present several modifications focused on a deeper learning of the cross-modal relationships. By conducting experiments with our proposed approach and the selected baseline model, we observe a relative improvement in performance by 2%. Finally, we conclude that focusing more on the cross-modal relationships may be beneficial for building ER systems for child-machine communications and the environments where qualified professionals work with children.

The electroretinography (ERG) is a diagnostic test that measures the electrical activity of the retina in response to a light stimulus. This test has a long history and has been extensively studied among years. Dr. James Dewar recorded the first electroretinogram signal in 1873. Later he described signal analysis using 4 components, namely amplitude, and latency of a-wave and b-wave. Nowadays, the international electrophysiology community has established the standard for electroretinography in 2008. However, from the point of view of signal analysis, the major change did not happen. ERG analysis is still based on the 4 components evaluation. The article describes ERG database including the classification of signals by using advanced analysis of electroretinograms based on wavelet scalogram processing. To implement an extended analysis of the ERG, the parameters extracted from the wavelet scalogram of the signal were obtained using digital image processing and machine learning methods. The results of the study show that the proposed algorithm implements the classification of adult electroretinogram signals by 19% more accurately and pediatric signals by 20% more accurately than the classical algorithm. The promising use of ERG is differential diagnostics, which may also be used in preclinical toxicology and experimental modeling. The problem of developing methods for electrophysiological signals analysis in ophthalmology is associated with the complex morphological structure of electrophysiological signals components, due to the generation of retina cell electrical responses to light stimulus.

Vanadium containing slurry is a by-product of vanadium pentoxide by hydrometallurgical methods from vanadium slag. It is promising technogenic raw material for vanadium production. The phase analysis of vanadium-containing slurry by X-ray diffraction method has shown that it contains vanadium in spinel form (FeO∙V2O3). The various oxidation roasting methods for slurry treatment have been studied for increasing vanadium extraction into the solution. It has shown that the most effective additive is 1% CaCO3 at a roasting temperature of 1000 °C. The oxidation roasting of vanadium-containing slurry with the additive led to increase acid-soluble form of V2O5 from 1.5 to 3.7% and decrease the content of FeO∙V2O3 from 3 to 0.4%. These results have confirmed the efficiency of the application of oxidation roasting to convert vanadium compounds into acid-soluble forms. The conversion mechanism of spinel to acid-soluble phases during oxidation roasting with additives was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and thermodynamic simulation. It has shown that the formation of acid-soluble calcium vanadates during oxidation roasting without additives occurs at temperatures above 800 °C, but СаСО3 addition allows to reduce this temperature to 600 °C.

Atmospheric correction is a necessary step in image processing data and spectra recorded by spaceborne sensors for pure cloudless atmosphere, primarily in the visible and near-IR spectral range. We have present a fast and sufficiently accurate method of atmospheric correction based on the proposed analytical solutions describing with high accuracy the spectrum of outgoing radiation at the top boundary of the cloudless atmosphere. This technique includes the model of the atmosphere and its optical parameters that are important in terms of radiation transfer. The solution of the inverse problem for finding unknown parameters of the model is carried out by the method of non-linear least squares (Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm) for an individual selected pixel of the image (its spectrum), taking into account the adjacency effects. Using the found parameters of the atmosphere and the average surface albedo, assuming homogeneity of the atmosphere within a certain area of the hyperspectral image (or the whole frame), the spectral albedo at the Earth's surface is calculated for all other pixels. It is essential that the procedure of the numerical simulation with non-linear least squares of the direct transfer problem is based on using analytical solutions, which provides a very short calculation time of the atmospheric parameters (seconds or less) and the ability to perform atmospheric correction "on-fly." Testing methods of atmospheric correction was performed using the synthetic outgoing radiation spectra at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), obtained by numerical simulation in the LibRadTran code, as well as spectra of real space images of the Hyperion hyperspectrometer. A comparison with the results of atmospheric correction in module FLAASH of ENVI package has been performed. Finally, to validate our data obtained by the SHARK method, a comparative analysis with ground-based measurements of Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet) was carried out.

This study was designed to examine the relationships among the impulsivity construct as a personality trait, the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and testosterone in a sample of 120 healthy middle-aged males. (Mage = 44.39; SD = 12.88). The sum of the three BIS-11 scales, the SR and the five UPPS-P scales correlated with DHEA-S .23 (p < .006) and testosterone .19 (p < .04), controlling for age. Partial correlations showed that DHEA-S is significantly related to Motor impulsivity (.24; p < .008), Sensitivity to Reward (.29; p < .002) and Lack of premeditation (.26; p < .05) and, to a lesser extent, Sensation Seeking (.19; p < .04) and Positive Urgency (.19; p < .04). Testosterone correlated with Attention impulsivity (.18; p < .04), Sensation Seeking (.18; p < .04), and Positive Urgency (.22; p < .01). Sensitivity to Reward, Negative Urgency and Positive Urgency were significant predictors of DHEA-S (R2 = .28), and Positive Urgency for testosterone (R2 = .09). Non-parametric LOESS graphical analysis for local regression allowed us to visualize the non-linear relationships between the impulsivity scales with the two androgens, including non-significant trends. We discuss the implications of these results for biological impulsive personality traits, the limitations of our analyses, and the possible development of future research.

Analytical data platform have been used for decades for improving the organizational performance. Starting from the data warehouses used primarily for structured data processing, through the data lakes oriented for raw data storage and post-hoc data analyses, to the data lakehouses − a combination of raw storage and business intelligence pre-processing for improving the platform efficacy. But in recent years a new architecture called Data Mesh has emerged. The main promise of this architecture is to remove the barriers between operational and analytical teams in order to boost the overall value extraction from the big data. A number of attempts has been made to formalise and to implement it in existing projects. Although being defined as a socio-technical paradigm, data mesh still lacks the technology support for enabling its widespread adoption. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new view of the platform requirements alongside the formal governance definition that we believe can help in successful adoption of the data mesh. It is based on fundamental aspects such as decentralized data domains and federated computational governance. In addition, we also present a blockchain-based implementation of a mesh platform as a practical validation to our theoretical proposal. Overall, this article demonstrates a novel research direction of the information system decentralization technologies.

The microstructure evolution, superplasticity, and room temperature mechanical properties of Ti-4%Al-1%V-3%Mo alloys modified with 0.01-2 wt.% boron were investigated. Increasing the boron content from 0 to 0.1 wt.% effectively refined prior β-grains, reducing a mean grain size from ~700 µm to ~210 µm. Whiskers of the TiB phase with a size in a range of 0.7-2.9 µm were observed after solidification and thermomechanical processing. Alloys with 0.01-0.1 wt.% boron exhibited similar superplastic elongations and strain rate sensitivity coefficient m of 0.4-0.5 at a strain rate of 1×10-3 s-1 and the elongation to failure decreased from 1000% at 875°С to 400-500% at 700°С. Along with this, the minor boron addition effectively decreased flow stress values, especially at 775 °C, that was explained by the acceleration of the recrystallization and globularization of the microstructure at the initial stage of deformation. Recrystallization-induced decrease in yield strength from 770 MPa to 680 MPa was observed with an increase in boron content from 0 to 0.1 wt.%. Heat treatment increased post-forming strength characteristics for the alloys with 0.01-0.1 wt.% boron by 90–140 MPa without ductility reduction. Alloys with 1-2 wt.% B demonstrated the opposite behavior. The grain refinement effect was not revealed, and prior β grain sizes were ~670-750 µm after solidification. Thermomechanical processing promoted the fragmentation of boride whiskers and the formation of near-spherical particles with a size of ~1 μm for the alloy with a eutectic concentration of 2 wt.% B. A high fraction of borides, ~5-11%, in the alloys with 1-2 wt.% B deteriorated the superplastic properties and drastically decreased ductility at room temperature. The alloy with 2 wt.% B demonstrated non-superplastic behavior and a low level of mechanical properties, meanwhile, the alloy with 1% boron exhibited high-temperature superplasticity at 875 °C with elongation of ~500%, and yield strength of 830 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 1020 MPa at a room temperature after 100% of superplastic deformation.

The synchronization of laser and X-ray sources is essential for time-resolved measurements in the study of ultrafast processes, including photo-induced piezo-effect, shock wave generation, and phase transition. On the one hand, the optical diagnostics (by synchronization of two laser sources) provides information about change in vibration frequencies, shock waves dynamics, linear and nonlinear refractive index behavior. On the other hand, the optical pump – X-ray probe diagnostics give opportunity to directly reveal the lattice dynamics. To integrate two approaches into a unified whole one need to create a robust method for synchronization of two systems with different repetition rate up to MHz range. In this paper, we propose a universal approach utilizing a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to achieve precise synchronization between different MHz sources such as various lasers and synchrotron X-ray sources. This synchronization method offers numerous advantages, such as high flexibility, fast response, and low jitter. Experimental results demonstrate successful synchronization of two different MHz systems with a temporal resolution of 250 ps for these systems. This enables ultrafast measurements with sub-nanosecond resolution, facilitating the uncovering of complex dynamics in ultrafast processes.

Published in July 2018, TAILORx aimed to establish non-inferiority of endocrine therapy (ET) compared to addition of chemotherapy (CHT-ET) in hormone receptor positive, human epidermal receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer (BC) patients with a 21-gene intermediate (11-25) recurrence score (RS). While this hypothesis proved correct, the study did show benefit of addition of chemotherapy (CHT) in a subgroup of women under 50 years of age, and particularly in the RS 16-25. The aim of this present study was to look at how TAILORx findings, including changes in RS categories, impacted CHT implementation at one oncologic center in Basel, Switzerland, and to identify main factors leading to these changes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on HR+/HER2-, BC patients who underwent 21-gene genomic testing between 2010-2021, at our center. Patients with metastatic disease were not included. We identified 326 eligible patients, of which 165 had a BC diagnosis before TAILORx (cohort A) and 161 after TAILORx publication (cohort B). Results: Demographic and tumor characteristics were similar in the two cohorts, although cohort B included significantly more women under the age of 50 when compared to A (34% vs. 24%, p<0.001). Median age and mean RS results were comparable 59 (IQR 16) in A and 58 (IQR 19) years in B and 17.72 (SD9.59) in A and 17.89 (SD9.53) in B, respectively. Patients in cohort A were slightly more overweight when compared to B (55% vs. 40% respectively, p<0.001). Most patients had stage II tumors of NST histologic type. Tumors in cohort B had higher Ki-67 than cohort A (39% vs. 32%, p=0.010). When compared based on manufacturer’s and based on TAILORx thresholds there were no significant differences in RS distribution. However, changes in score category led to shifts in patient population distribution, leading to a 40% drop in the low RS (from 60% to 20%), a doubling in the intermediate RS (from 30% to 60%) and an increase of 5% in the high RS (from 8-10% to 15%). Most patients had conservative surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and ET. Overall CHT recommendation and application did not differ significantly in B vs. A. There was a reduction of 1% in the intermediate RS (11-25) and an increase of 13% CHT-ET application in the high RS (>26) category. In cohort B we noticed an increase in CHT-ET application among women <50 years old (by 12.5%), in lobular carcinomas (by 10%), grade 3 tumors (by 2%), node positive BC (by 3%) and node negative (by 2%). Tumor board recommendation for CHT dropped by 1% in the post TAILORx era, with a notable reduction of 5% in the intermediate RS (11-25) category. However, overall CHT administration rate was 19% in cohort A and 22% in B (p=0.763). Tumor Board recommended CHT for 90% of the BC patients that would have otherwise been assigned to CHT according to new RS guidelines in A and for 85% in B, showing a trend for undertreatment. Logistic regression analysis showed significance of age in both cohort A (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.11, p=0.03) and cohort B (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.84-0.94), p<0.001), and of nodal status in both cohort A (=R 3.32 95% CI 1.09-10-06, p=0.034) and cohort B (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.29-8.53, p=0.013), while intermediate and high RS seem to be more relevant in cohort A (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.03-0.43, p=0.01 and OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.21, p<0.01). Overall logistic regression analysis showed relevance of age (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.08-0.97, p=0.001), pN (OR 4.77, 95% CI 2.03-11.22, p<0.001) and RS categories (RS 11-25: OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.01-0.07, p<0.001; RS>26: OR 617.93, 95% CI 57.97-6587.16, p<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings are similar to those reported across several studies: while tumor board recommendation for CHT decreases in the intermediate RS category, there is an increase being reported in the high RS category, leading to overall minor changes in CHT application. Administration of CHT-ET seems to be increasing among younger women, with unfavorable histo-pathological factors, such as lobular carcinoma and G3 histologic grade. Before TAILORx there is a tendency for undertreatment (-10%), especially among older BC patients, which seems to be maintained and even deepened (-15%) in the post TAILORx era, pointing to a personalized decision-making approach among Swiss oncologists.

Resuscitation is one of the most stressful tasks in emergency medicine. The participation of medical professionals in this procedure can have specific effects on them. In the research, we wanted to find out what these effects are. A qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews was used, and thematic data analysis of the recorded interviews was done. The collected data were transcribed verbatim with no corrections to the audio recordings. The computer program ATLAS.ti 22 was used for qualitative data analysis. Eleven male registered nurses were interviewed, with an average of 18.5 years of experience working in a prehospital environment (max. 32/min. 9). A total of 404 minutes of recordings were analyzed and 789 codes were found, which were combined into 36 patterns, and 11 themes. As the most stressful situa-tions, the interviewees pointed out the resuscitation of a child, familiar persons, conflicts with the environment, conflicts within the resuscitation team, non-functioning or insufficient equipment, complications during resuscitation, and resuscitating a person only for exercise. As positive effects, the interviewees cited successful resuscitations or their awareness that, despite the unsuccessful resuscitation, they did everything they could. Participation in these interven-tions has a specific positive or negative impact on the performers. The interviewees shared the opinion that they can cope effectively with resuscitation's adverse or stressful effects. Yet, de-spite everything, they allow the possibility of subconscious influences of this intervention on them.

Spinal muscular atrophy is a neuromuscular disorder caused by mutationsin both copies of the survival motor neuron gene 1 (SMN1) which lead to reduction in the production of the SMN protein. Currently, there are several therapies that have been approved for SMA, with much more undergoing active research. While various biomarkers have been proposed for assessing the effectiveness of SMA treatment, a universally accepted one still hasnot been identified. This study aimed to investigate whether the number of gems in cell nuclei could serve as a potential biomarker for SMA. To gain insight into whether the number of gems in cell nuclei varies based on their SMN genotype and whether the increase in gems number is associated with therapeutic response, we utilized fibroblast cell cultures obtained from a patient with SMA type II and from healthy individual. We have discovered a remarkable difference in the number of gems found in the nuclei of these cells, specifically when counting gems per 100 nuclei. Then the SMA fibroblasts were treated with antisense oligonucleotides the beneficial effects in correcting the abnormal splicing of SMN2 exon 7 have been demonstrated. It was observed that there was a significant increase in the number of gems in the treated cells compared to the intact SMA cells. The results obtained significantly correlate with an increase of full-length SMN transcripts share. Based on our findings, it is evident that the quantity of gems can be regarded as a reliable biomarker for SMA drugs development.

Levan is a fructan-type exopolysaccharide, which is produced by many microbes from sucrose via extracellular levansucrases. The hydrocolloid properties of levan depend on its molecular weight, while it is unknown why and to which extent levan is functionally diverse in dependence of its size. The aim of our study was to get deeper insights into the size-dependent, functional variability of levan. For this purpose, levans of different sizes were produced using the water kefir isolate Gluconobacter albidus TMW 2.1191 and subsequently rheologically characterized. Three levan types could be identified, which are similarly branched, but significantly differ in their molecular size and rheological properties among each other. The smallest levan (< 107 Da) produced without adjustment of the pH exhibited Newton-like flow behavior up to a specific concentration of 25% (w/v). On the contrary, larger levans (> 108 Da) produced at pH ≥ 4.5 were shear-thinning and showed a gel like behavior at ≥ 5% (w/v). A third (intermediate) levan variant was obtained via production in buffers at pH 4.0 and exhibited the properties of a viscoelastic fluid at ≥ 5% (w/v). Our study reveals that the variable size and composition of levan are controllable and more decisive for its functionality than the amount of exerted levan.

Red mud is a hazardous waste of alumina industry that contains high amounts of iron, aluminum, titanium and REEs. One of the promising methods for the extraction of iron from red mud is car-bothermic reduction with the addition of sodium salts. This research focuses on the process of hy-drochloric high-pressure acid leaching using 10–20% HCl of two samples of non-magnetic tailings obtained by 60-minute carbothermic roasting of red mud at 1300 °C and the mixture of 84.6 wt. % of red mud and 15.4 wt. % Na2SO4 at 1150 °C, respectively, with subsequent magnetic separation of metallic iron. An influence of temperature, leaching duration, solid-to-liquid-ratio and acid con-centration on dissolution behavior of Al, Ti, Mg, Ca, Si, Fe, Na, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sc, Zr were studied. Based on the investigation of the obtained residues, mechanism of passing of valuable elements into the solution was proposed. It has shown that 90% Al, 91% Sc and above 80% of other REEs can be dissolved under optimal conditions; Ti can be extracted into the solution or the residue depending on the leaching temperature and acid concentration. Based on the research results, novel flowsheets for red mud treatment were developed.

Mining activities often generate important amounts of extractive waste, and as a consequence, environmental impacts that affects all factors to a greater or lesser extent. Depending on a variety of variables, the impact can be permanent or temporary, reversible or irreversible, negative or positive. This study conducted research on the status of closure and remediation processes of mining areas in Romania, specifically in the counties of Maramureș, Suceava, Harghita, Alba, Hunedoara, and Caraș-Severin. Furthermore, based on the type and level of pollution, the degree of application of remediation techniques for water and soil pollution in the investigated mining areas was studied. From the analysed information, it is evident that although the closure and remediation process started in Romania over 20 years ago, unfortunately, to this day, the technical projects, technical assistance, and execution of closure and remediation works have not yet completely solved the complex environmental issues in the mining sector. Most of the tailing ponds and waste piles of former mines continue to pose permanent specific risk to the environment and the population. This study concludes that the mining sector in Romania, although it has the necessary techniques and technologies for the ecological rehabilitation of degraded lands related to the Extractive Waste Facilities and the elimination of negative impacts on the environment and public health, has not yet been able to fully concretize its remediation efforts.

(1) Background: Transcription factors (TFs) are main regulators of eukaryotic gene expression. The cooperative binding of at least two TFs to genomic DNA is the widespread mechanism of transcription regulation. Massive analysis of co-occurrence of overrepresented pairs of motifs (composite elements, CEs) for different target TFs studied in ChIP-seq experiments can clarify the mechanisms of TF cooperation. (2) Methods: We focused on homotypic CEs representing the same motif models and considered only CEs with spacers. We improved the capability of the Motifs Co-Occurrence Tool (MCOT) to predict asymmetric homotypic CEs in which one of par-ticipating motifs has higher conservation than the other. We categorized the target TFs from the data of M. musculus ChIP-seq and A. thaliana ChIP-seq/DAP-seq according to the structure of DNA-binding domains (DBDs) into classes. (3) Results: For all TF classes the predominance of asymmetric CEs over both symmetric and those with no enrichment in both directions was re-vealed. Target TFs from classes Basic helix-loop-helix factors (bHLH) and Basic leucine zipper factors (bZIP) showed the highest fractions of datasets with asymmetric CEs. We showed that pioneer TFs, despite their DBD types, have a higher significance of asymmetry within homotyp-ic CEs compared to other TFs. (4) Conclusion: Asymmetry within homotypic CEs is a promising new feature decrypting the mechanisms of gene transcription regulation.

This work involves results of research on short-term and long-term DC-drifts in electro-optical modulators based on annealed proton exchange waveguides in LiNbO3 crystals after wafer pre-annealing. The relaxation time of the DC-drift of the operating point for a short-term drift is minutes, and for a long-term drift, hours and days. DC-drift was measured by applying bias voltage and changing crystal temperature. Obtained results shows significant impact on stability of operating point in EO-modulators after treatment of defective structure of the near-surface layer of a LiNbO3 crystal. Treatment of the disturbed near-surface layer of a LiNbO3 crystal results in twice reduction of short-term DC-drift and increase of operation stability of electro-optical modulators during long-term measurement of temperature by activation energy calculation.

This paper provides an overview of the new CPAM Project on Additive Manufacturing (AM) in design and simulation, focusing on topology & lattice structure optimization for a light-weighting advantage. This industry/academia collaboration project aims to utilize existing hardware and software tools, and investigate the practical limits of the technologies, providing eventual guidelines for general use. This will provide a solid foundation for the practical use of metal AM optimized solid and latticed structures especially for Ti6Al4V parts. Two case studies are demonstrated here, one a purely topology optimized design, and one also incorporating lattice optimized design, both from Ti6Al4V and load-bearing components, to be utilized in the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) Eco-Car Project in competition, late in 2018. This paper presents the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) process, the challenges met iro applying a DfAM design mindset, and a unique final voxel-based smoothing step finishing off the design process. Detailed structural integrity assessment of these parts are included - the question remains: can Additive Manufacturing help win the race?

High average power narrow-linewidth tunable solid-state lasers in the wavelength region between 2 to 3 μm are attractive light sources for many applications. This paper reports a narrow-linewidth widely-tunable laser system based on the polycrystalline Cr2+:ZnSe elements pumped by the repetitively-pulsed 2.1 µm Ho3+:YAG laser operating at the tens of kilohertz pulse rate. An advanced procedure of ZnSe-element doping and surface improvement was applied to increase the laser-induced damage threshold, which resulted in an increase of the output power of the Cr2+:ZnSe laser system. The high-average-power laser system comprised double master-oscillators and power amplifiers: Ho3+:YAG and Cr2+:ZnSe laser oscillators, and Ho3+:YAG and Cr2+:ZnSe power amplifiers. The output wavelength was widely tuned within 2.3-2.7 µm by an acousto-optical tunable filter inside the Cr2+:ZnSe master oscillator cavity. The narrow-linewidth operation at the pulse repetition rate of 20-40 kHz in a high-quality beam with the average output power up to 9.7 W was demonstrated.

4-(2-Methyloxazol-4-yl)benzenesulfonamide was synthesized by the reaction of 4-(2-bromoacetyl)benzenesulfonamide with an excess of acetamide. The obtained compound was evaluated as a potential inhibitor of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B and was found to inhibit these enzymes with IC50 values of 3.47 μM for MAO-B and 43.3 μM for MAO-A. Thus, the new selective MAO-B inhibitor was identified, which may be used as the lead compound for development anti-Parkinson’s disease agents.

Legume plants enter symbiosis with soil nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia), thereby gaining access to the assimilable atmospheric nitrogen. This symbiosis is important for agriculture, thus, biofertilizers with effective strains of rhizobia are created for crop legumes to increase their yield and minimize the amounts of mineral fertilizers used. In this work, we sequenced and characterized the genome of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae strain RCAM1022, a component of the ‘Rhizotorfin’ biofertilizer produced in Russia and used for pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Keywords: Hypertensive emergency; diagnosis; lactate dehydrogenase; high sensitivity cardiac troponin T; brain natriuretic peptide; area under the curve.

3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-5-(1H-indol-5-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole was synthesized via the condensation of 3,4-dichlorobenzamidoxime and methyl 1H-indole-5-carboxylate using superbasic medium (NaOH/DMSO). The compound was tested as a potential inhibitor of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B. It demonstrated notable inhibition with an IC50 value of 0.036 μM for MAO-B and isoform specificity. The product was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. In conclusion, the new active MAO-B inhibitor may serve as a candidate for the future discovery of therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

The article analyzes existing materials and structures with quadratic-nonlinear optical properties that can be used to generate a difference frequency in the terahertz and sub-terahertz frequency ranges. The principle of constructing a nonlinear optical-radio converter, based on an optical focon (a focusing cone), is proposed. Based on the assumption that this focon can be implemented from the metal-organic framework (MOF), we propose a technique for modeling its parameters. The mathematical model of the process of propagation and nonlinear interaction of waves inside the focon is based on a simplification of the nonlinear wave equation. Within the framework of the developed model, the following parameters are approximately determined: the 3D gradient of the linear refractive index and the function determining the geometric profile of the focon, which provide a few-mode-based generation of the difference frequency.

Plasma treatment of soft polymers is the promising technique to improve biomedical properties. The response to the deformation of such materials is not yet clear. Soft elastic polyurethane treated with plasma immersion ion implantation is subjected to fatigue uniaxial loading (50000 cycles, frequency – 1 Hz, strain amplitude – 10, 20, 40%). The influence of the strain amplitude and the plasma treatment regime on damage character is discussed. Surface defects are studied in unloaded and stretched states of the material. As a result of fatigue loading, transverse cracks (with closed overlapping edges as well as with open edges deeply propagating into the polymer) and longitudinal folds which are break and bend inward, appear on the surface. Hard edges of cracks cut the soft polymer which is squeezed from the bulk to the surface.

The global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the causative viral pathogen of COVID-19, has driven the biomedical community to action – to uncover and develop anti-viral interventions. One potential therapeutic approach currently being evaluated in numerous clinical trials is the agent remdesivir, which has endured a long and winding developmental path. Remdesivir is a nucleotide analog prodrug that perturbs viral replication, originally evaluated in clinical trials to thwart the Ebola outbreak in 2014. Subsequent evaluation by numerous virology laboratories demonstrated the ability of remdesivir to inhibit coronavirus replication, including SARS-CoV-2. Here, we provide an overview of its mechanism of action, discovery, and the current studies exploring its clinical effectiveness.

Quantification of bone loss for follow-up comparisons has not been routinely performed in patients with parietal thinning so far. This study compares different methodological approaches including both 2- and 3-dimensional methods in computerized tomographies of a single patient. The 2-dimensional method provides accurate measurements of bone thickness, while the 3-dimensional method allows for a more comprehensive view of the bone's structure, including parameters like shape, size, and thickness. The techniques provided valuable data for the treating physician and suggest a possible effect of corticosteroids in this individual patient. The study concludes that 3-dimensional reconstruction of computerized tomographies with subsequent 2-dimensional analyses appears justified for routine radiological practice to increase clinical awareness of the size of the parietal bone defects and allow for quantification of bone loss during long-term follow-ups. Further validation of the proposed analytical approaches is warranted in larger studies to investigate patterns of bone thinning across the skull and changes in bone volumes over time, with specialized software to be approved for such analyses.

The aim of this investigation is to offer a data-based scheme for predicting electrode wear in resistance spot welding. Electrode wear and alloying is one of the most significant factors that affect the mechanical properties of spot welds and the variation in weld quality. In this study, Rogowski coils and twisted pairs attached to the top and bottom electrodes were used to obtain the welding current and the inter-electrode voltage in the welding process, thereby calculating the dynamic resistance value during the welding process. The electrode diameter was obtained from the pressure exerted by the upper and lower electrodes on the carbon paper when the current was cut off and was regarded as an indicator of electrode wear. By continuously welding 0.5mm thick BH 340 steel plates until the electrode failed, the dynamic resistance signal was recorded in real time. Simultaneously, the electrode diameter after every 4 welds was also recorded. On this basis, the correlation between electrode diameter and dynamic resistance is studied. In order to quantitatively study the mapping relationship between dynamic resistance and electrode wear, 11 characteristic values were extracted from the dynamic resistance, and the stepwise regression method was used to obtain the regression formula between the characteristic values and the electrode diameter. Using new data to verify the effectiveness of the regression model, the acquired results display that the maximum error between the predicted value of the electrode diameter and the measured value obtained by the regression equation with the interactive quadratic term is 0.3 mm, and the corresponding relative error is 7.69 %. This result demonstrates that the method proposed in this paper can effectively monitor the electrode wear and failure process.

: The crystallization conditions from the solution play an important role in determining the mor-phology, phase composition, and photovoltaic properties of perovskite films. Post-processing of the obtained films can have a crucial role in increasing the grain size of perovskite and enhancing its crystallinity. It has been shown that the formation of crystal nuclei can be utilized to accelerate crystallization. In this case, crystallization occurs through the growth of seed crystals created in the solution, enabling the formation of relatively large crystals. For the deposition of CH3NH3PbI3 hybrid halide perovskite films from a solution of the perovskite in dimethylformamide the spin coating technique was employed. Pre-crystallization was achieved by annealing the films at a temperature of 100 or 110 °C. The dissolution process involved adding a drop of dimethylformamide onto the substrate surface and allowing it to partially dissolve the perovskite film. Subsequently, residual solvent was removed through spin coating. The mor-phological analysis of the perovskite film surface after recrystallization at temperatures ranging from 80 to 130 °C was performed. The infrared transmission spectra of the obtained perovskite films were investigated, and their light absorption characteristics were studied through transmission spectra. The perovskite structure in the obtained films was confirmed by the peaks observed in the X-ray diffraction patterns.

The paper aims to develop and test an algorithm for classifying Russian-language text reviews of patients’ experiences with medical facilities and physicians, extracted from social media. This is motivated by the limitations of conventional methods of surveying consumers to assess their satisfaction with the quality of services, which are being replaced by automatic processing of text data from social media. This approach enables to get more objective results due to the increased representativeness and independence of the sample of service consumers. The authors have tested machine learning methods using various neural network architectures. A hybrid method was developed to classify text reviews of medical facilities posted by patients on the two most popular physician review websites in Russia. Overall, more than 60,000 reviews were analysed. The main results are as follows: 1) the classification algorithm developed by the authors has a high efficiency, the best result being achieved by the GRU-based architecture (val_accuracy = 0.9271); 2) applying the named entity search method to text messages following their partitioning improved the classification efficiency for each of the classifiers based on artificial neural networks. To further enhance the classification quality, reviews need to be semantically partitioned by target and sentiment and the resulting fragments need to be analysed separately.

Background. In the last decade, it was concluded that glaucomatous optic neuropathy is part of the neurodegenerative diseases in which destructive neuronal lesions are located not only in the structure of the retina, but they are also present at the level of the central visual and nervous pathways. Patients with Primitive Open Angle Glaucoma may have experienced changes such as sensorineural hearing loss as well as balance changes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of involvement of the auditory system in patients with glaucoma, the structural changes in the optic nerve and, to establish correlation between the hearing loss and structural changes in the optic nerve. The subjects included in the study are grouped as follows: a group of patients with glaucoma that will be compared to a group of patients without glaucoma only as well as identi-fy-ing the evolution of structural changes in optic nerve to patients with glaucoma and to normal patients. Material and methods. It is a prospective, cross-sectional study on 32 eyes of 16 subjects with Primitive Open Angle Glaucoma in a study group and 24 eyes of 12 healthy subjects in con-trol group with a mean age of 62 years in both groups. Both groups underwent ophthalmo-logical, audiological and radio imaging evaluation: Pure-tone audiometry (PTA) were recorded, oph-thalmologic evaluations according to a standardized protocol and MRI cerebral examination was performed. Results: In the Study group patients, compared to the Control group, the average lev-els of the left PTA, the cup/disc (C/D) area in both eyes, the C/D ratio in both eyes are in-creased. The mean level of Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) mean thickness was slightly lower in patients with glaucoma. Multivariate analysis demonstrates that gender can be a good predictor of C/D area, gender and age can be good predictors of PTA both eyes and C/D ratio in the right eye, and gender, age and background can be good predictors of disc area in the left eye. Conclu-sions: Pa-tients with Primitive Open Angle Glaucoma show changes in audiometry test in correla-tion with ophthalmological parameters demonstrating that the auditory system can be affected in Primitive Open Angle Glaucoma. This study emphasizes the problem of interdisciplinarity in medicine with the aim of ensuring the quality of life of patients with glaucoma. A good collabora-tion between ophthalmologist and otolaryngologist will be very useful for these patients.

Background: Frailty assessment allows the identification of patients at risk of death, and it is a challenge in both emergency departments and support wards. The aim here was to study the ability of the Frail-VIG Index (FI-VIG) in order to discriminate frailty groups of older adults and garner its correlation with mortality in an emergency department short-stay unit (2) Methods: Our observational, single-center, prospective study consecutively included patients over 65-years-old admitted to the unit between March 1, 2021, and April 30, 2021. (3) Results: A total of 302 patients were included (56% women), with a mean age of 83 ± 8 years, and 39.1% of them had a functional disability whilst 16.5% of them had dementia. A total of 174 patients (58%) met the frailty criteria (FI-VIG ≥0.2): 111 (63.8%) had mild frailty (FI-VIG 0.2 - 0.36), 52 (29.9%) had moderate frailty (FI-VIG 0.36 - 0.55), and 11 (6.3%) had advanced frailty (FI-VIG >0.55). Mortality at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year was analyzed: no frailty was 6.3%, 10.8%, and 12.5%, respectively; mild frailty was 10.8%, 22.5%, and 22.5%, respectively; moderate frailty was 25%, 34.6%, and 42.3%, respectively; and advanced frailty was 36.4%, 54.5%, and 3.6%, respectively. This shows the significant differences between the groups (1-year mortality p<0.001). Mild frailty vs. non-frail HR was 2.47 (95%CI 1.12 - 5.46), moderate frailty vs. non-frail HR was 6.93 (95%CI 3.16 - 15.23), and advanced frailty vs. non-frail HR was 11.29 (95%CI 3.54 - 36.03). The mean test time was 7 minutes. (4) Conclusions: There was a strong correlation between frailty degree and mortality at 1, 6, and 12 months. FI-VIG Index is a fast and easy-to-use tool in this setting, and its routine implementation in SSUs could enable early risk stratification in order to detect vulnerable patients with specific needs.

CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy coatings were prepared on compacted graphite iron（CGI） through plasma cladding to strength the CGI substrate. The effects of heat treatment temperatures and times on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the CoCrFeNiMn coatings were investigated. After heat treatment, a single FCC phase was remained in the coating as compared to the deposited one, with smaller dendrites, larger dendritic spacing and more Cr-rich compounds precipitated between dendrites. The coatings’ microhardness was increased after heat treatment. After heat treated at 660°C for 90 minutes, the coating had the highest microhardness of 563±6.9 HV0.2, the lowest frictional coefficient of 0.71 and the smallest wear mass loss of 1.12 mg, and it had the best wear resistance.

Background: The protocol described in this paper is part of a research project coordinated 1 between three Spanish universities where a technology aimed at improving the quality of life of 2 people suffering from cerebral palsy will be developed. Part of the technology developed will consist 3 of developing an interface and a series of applications to increase motivation for daily physical activity. 4 The basis of these developments is based on the measurement of the emotional state of the subjects. 5 Methods: The experimental protocol is designed with two objectives, on the one hand to identify the 6 emotional state through physiological signals, and on the other to determine whether music can be 7 a motivating factor to promote physical activity. It has been specifically designed for subjects with 8 cerebral palsy taking into account the special characteristics of this population. These are people with 9 whom it is difficult to use questionnaires to have a basis to contrast with the measured physiological 10 signals, so measurements must be taken in carefully chosen daily life situations Discussion: As results 11 we hope to obtain which physiological parameters are the most robust to measure the emotional state 12 and how to design rehabilitation and physical activity promotion routines that are motivating, in 13 addition to being able to avoid risk factors during the performance of these routines. Trial registration: 14 NCT05621057. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05621057

Meiotic crossovers/chiasmata are not randomly distributed and strictly controlled. The mechanisms behind COs patterning remain largely unknown. In many species COs predominantly occur in the distal 2/3 of the chromosome arm and suppression of COs is observed in the proximal regions. The exceptions are some species, among which Allium fistulosum has strictly localized COs in the proximal region. The ability to manipulate the COs localization can be useful for onion breeding. We investigated the factors that may contribute to the pattern of COs in two closely related onion species A. cepa and A. fistulosum, which differ significantly in the localization of chiasmata, and their F1 diploid and triploid hybrids in pollen mother cells. We demonstrate a significant shift in the COs localization to the distal and interstitial region in F1 triploid hybrid, which has a complete diploid set of A. fistulosum chromosomes and haploid set of A. cepa chromosomes. This observation points to a possible genetic control of COs distribution. We did not find the differences in the assembly and disassembly of ASY1 and ZYP1 between A. cepa and A. fistulosum while the difference between parental species and their hybrids was observed. In diploid F1 hybrids at pachytene the chromosome pairing delay marked by ASY1 was revealed. Immunolocalization of MLH1, a marker for class I of the interference-dependent COs, and MUS81, a marker for class II of the interference-free COs, and mlh1/mus81 gene expression profiling in different stages of meiosis showed a spatiotemporal asymmetry among A. cepa, A. fistulosum and their diploid and triploid F1 hybrids. Our results support the hypothesis of genetic control of CO distribution as one of the players that affect meiotic recombination and exchange of genomic material.

The human mind is multimodal. Yet most behavioral studies rely on century-old measures of behavior—task accuracy and latency (response time). Multimodal and multisensory analysis of human behavior creates a better understanding of how the mind works. The problem is that designing and implementing these experiments is technically complex and costly. This paper introduces versatile and economical means of developing multimodal-multisensory human experiments. We provide an experimental design framework that automatically integrates and synchronizes measures including electroencephalogram (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), eye-tracking, virtual reality (VR), body movement, mouse/cursor motion and response time. Unlike proprietary systems (e.g., iMotions), our system is free and open-source; it integrates PsychoPy, Unity and Lab Streaming Layer (LSL). The system embeds LSL inside PsychoPy/Unity for the synchronization of multiple sensory signals—gaze motion, electroencephalogram (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), mouse/cursor movement, and body motion—with low-cost consumer-grade devices in a simple behavioral task designed by PsychoPy and a virtual reality environment designed by Unity. This tutorial shows a step-by-step process by which a complex multimodal-multisensory experiment can be designed and implemented in a few hours. When conducting the experiment, all of the data synchronization and recoding of the data to disk will be done automatically.

This paper aims to review the challenges, toxicity, and routes of synthesis and usage of silver nanoparticles in different applications but also highlighting their sustainability from both medical and environmental issues. Regarding their toxicity, it is known that silver nanoparticles can destroy over 650 microorganisms comparing with antibiotics. Supplementary, will be presented in a comparative manner some conventional synthesis routes (physical and chemical methods) and green synthesis routes using plant extracts. The approach using plant extracts have various advantages comparing with physical, chemical and microbial synthesis methods because there is no need to use chemicals, wasteful purifications and high energy requirements. The paper presents an overview on “green nanotechnology” focused on using either biological micro-organisms or plant extracts as an alternative to the classical chemical and physical methods. An important issue discussed in the paper is an overview of the synthesis routes of silver nanoparticles, some expected applications of silver based active agents and their toxicity and challenges that must be overcome. Also, it needs to focus our attention on the dismissal of silver nanoparticles into the environment and especially in water systems, fact which suggests that this issue must be fully understood and applied the law.

The COVID-19 pandemic is shifting teaching to an online setting all over the world. The Galaxy framework facilitates the online learning process and makes it accessible by providing a library of high-quality community-curated training materials, enabling easy access to data and tools, and facilitates sharing achievements and progress between students and instructors. By combining Galaxy with robust communication channels, effective instruction can be designed inclusively, regardless of the students' environments.

Genetic adaptation of Hermetia illucens (BSF) to suboptimal single sourced wastes can open new perspectives for insect production. Here, four replicate BSF lines were maintained on a single sourced, low-quality wheat bran diet (WB) or on a high-quality chicken feed diet (CF) for 13 generations. We continuously evaluated evolutionary responses in several performance traits to rearing at the two diets. Subsequently, we tested responses to interchanged diets, i.e. of larvae that had been adapted to low-quality feed and to high quality feed and vice versa to evaluate costs associated with diet adaptation. BSF were found to experience rapid adaptation to the diet composition. While performances on WB diet were always inferior to CF diet, the adaptive re-sponses were stronger to the former diet. This stronger response was likely due to stronger se-lection pressure experienced by BSF fed on the low-quality single sourced diet. The interchanged diet experiment found no costs associated with diet adaptation but confirmed diet adaptation for the larval biomass and insect frass traits for the WB diet treatment. Our results revealed that BSF can rapidly adapt to diet through evolutionary responses, which has potential to be utilized to produce lines tailored to specific diets.

Background: The human mind is multimodal. Yet most behavioral studies rely on century-old measures such as task accuracy and latency. To create a better understanding of human behavior and brain functionality, we should introduce other measures and analyze behavior from various aspects. However, it is technically complex and costly to design and implement the experiments that record multiple measures. To address this issue, a platform that allows synchronizing multiple measures from human behavior is needed. Method: This paper introduces an opensource platform named OpenSync, which can be used to synchronize multiple measures in neuroscience experiments. This platform helps to automatically integrate, synchronize and record physiological measures (e.g., electroencephalogram (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), eye-tracking, body motion, etc.), user input response (e.g., from mouse, keyboard, joystick, etc.), and task-related information (stimulus markers). In this paper, we explain the structure and details of OpenSync, provide two case studies in PsychoPy and Unity. Comparison with existing tools: Unlike proprietary systems (e.g., iMotions), OpenSync is free and it can be used inside any opensource experiment design software (e.g., PsychoPy, OpenSesame, Unity, etc., https://pypi.org/project/OpenSync/ and https://github.com/moeinrazavi/OpenSync_Unity). Results: Our experimental results show that the OpenSync platform is able to synchronize multiple measures with microsecond resolution.