Since the discovery of transposable elements (TEs) in Maize in the 1940s by Barbara McClintock [1] transposable elements have been described as junk, as selfish elements with no benefit to the host, and more recently as major determinants of genome structure and genome evolution. TEs are DNA sequences that are capable of moving to new sites in the genome and make additional copies while doing so. To limit the propagation of TEs, host silencing mechanisms are directed at transposon-encoded genes that are required for mobilization. The mutagenic properties of TEs, the potential of TEs to form new genes and affect gene expression, together with the host silencing mechanisms shape eukaryotic genomes and drive genome evolution. While TEs constitute more than half of the genome in many higher eukaryotes, transposable elements in the nematode C. ele-gans form a relatively small proportion of genome, about 15% [2]. Genetic studies of transposon silencing and the discovery of RNAi in C. elegans, propelled C. elegans to the forefront of studies of RNA-based mechanisms that silence TEs. Here, I will review the transposable elements that are present and active in the C. elegans genome, and the host defense mechanisms that silence these elements.

Low-cost miniature hyperspectral and thermal cameras onboard lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) bring new opportunities for monitoring land surface variables at unprecedented fine spatial resolution with acceptable accuracy. This research applies hyperspectral and thermal imagery from a drone to quantify upland rice growth and water use efficiency (WUE) after biochar application in a Costa Rican dry region. The field flights were conducted over two experimental groups with bamboo biochar and sugarcane biochar amendments and one control group without biochar application. Rice canopy biophysical variables were estimated by inversion of a canopy radiative transfer model on hyperspectral reflectance. Variations in gross primary production (GPP) and WUE across treatments were estimated from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), canopy chlorophyll content (CCC), and evapotranspiration. We found that GPP was increased by 41.9±3.4 % when using bamboo biochar and 17.5±3.4 % when using sugarcane biochar, which was probably due to higher soil moisture in the biochar-amended plots and led to significantly higher WUE by 40.8±3.5 % in bamboo biochar and 13.4±3.5 % in sugarcane biochar. This study demonstrated the use of hyperspectral and thermal imagery from drone to provide indicators for quantifying biochar effects on tropical dry cropland by integrating with ground point samples and physical models.

It has been more than a century since Erlang published his paper in 1909. The classical queueing system for the M/D/c queue has been investigated by many authors. The key is to find the roots of an equation using explicit or numerical methods. We present an alternate form of explicit solution(s) of this/these root(s) using the Lambert-W function in this paper. In addition, the unsaturated probabilities of the number of customers in the system is derived explicitly in terms of this/these root(s). Finally, the mean number of customers in the system and the mean queueing delay are obtained from these probabilities. The exact queueing delay formula for the M/D/c queue is expressed in closed-form in terms of the root(s). Numerical results show that they are in excellent agreement with the numerical results published by Seelen, Tijms and Van Hoorn.

A comprehensive kinetic model of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is developed in a fixed bed reactor under operating conditions (temperature, 230–235°C, pressure, 20–25 bar, gas hourly space velocity, 4000–5000 cm³(STP)/h/g_catalyst ,H₂/CO feed molar ratio, 2.1) over a Co based catalyst. Reaction rate equations based on Eley-Rideal (ER) type model for initiation step and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) type model for propagation and termination steps of the FTS reactions have been considered and the readsorption of olefins were taken into account. The model that was reported in the literature was modified in order to explain many significant deviations from the ASF distribution. Optimum parameters have been obtained by Genetic Algorithms (GA). The calculated activation energies to produce n-paraffins and 1-olefins were in the range of 82.24 to 90.68 kJ/mol and 100.66 to 105.24 kJ/mol, respectively. The hydrocarbon distribution in FTS reactions was satisfactorily predicted particularly for paraffins.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, and despite advances in treatment, survival rates are still low; therefore, the development of novel drugs is imperative. Acetylcorynoline (ACN) is derived from Corydalis ambigua. The effect of ACN on colon cancer is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated its potential effects. Our data showed that ACN inhibited cell viability and proliferation. Moreover, ACN induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by inhibiting cell growth. In the present study, we hypothesized that ACN regulates c-Myc through CNOT2 or MID1IP1. ACN reduced the protein expression of oncogenic genes, decreased c-Myc half-life, and rapidly inhibited the serum stimulation response. Moreover, knockdown of CNOT2 and MID1IP1 with ACN increased apoptosis and further reduced the expression of oncogenes. In addition, ACN exhibited a synergistic effect with low-dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin (Dox). Collectively, our data demonstrates that ACN inhibited c-Myc expression through CNOT2 and MID1IP1 and induced apoptosis. These findings indicate the potential of ACN as a therapeutic agent against colon cancer.

Introduction: Successful R0 resection is crucial for the survival of patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) or liver metastases. Up to date, surgical resection lacks a sensitive, real-time intraoperative imaging modality to determine R0 resection. Real-time intraoperative visualization with near-infrared light fluorescence (NIRF) using indocyanine green (ICG) may have the potential to meet this demand. This study evaluates the value of ICG visualization in PLC and liver metastases surgery regarding R0 resection rates. Materials and Methods Patients with PLC or liver metastases were included in this prospective cohort study. ICG 10mg was administered intravenously 24 hours before surgery. Real-time intraoperative NIRF visualization was made with the SpectrumTM Fluorescence Imaging Camera System. First, all liver segments were inspected with the fluorescence imaging system and intraoperative ultrasound for identification of the known tumor as well as additional lesions, compared to preoperative MRI. PLC, liver metastases, and additional lesions were then resected according to oncological principles. Of all resected specimens the resection margins were analyzed with the fluorescence imaging system for ICG positive spots right after resection. Histology of additional detected lesions as well as ICG fluorescence compared to histological resection margins were assessed. Results Of the 66 included patients median age was 65.5 years (IQR 58.7 - 73.9), 27 (40.9%) were female and 18 (27.3%) were operated laparoscopically. Additional ICG positive lesions were detected in 23 (35.4%) patients of which nine (29%) were malignant. In patients with no fluorescent signal at the resection margin, R0 rate was 93.9%, R1 rate was 6.1%, and R2 rate was 0% compared to a ICG positive resection margin with a R0 rate of 64.3%, R1 rate of 21.4%, and R2 rate of 14.3% (p=0.005). One and two year overall survival were 95.2% and 88.4%, respectively. Conclusion The here presented study provides significant evidence that ICG NIRF guidance helps to identify R0 resection intraoperatively. This offers a true potential to verify radical resection and improve patients´ outcome. Furthermore, implementation of NIRF guided imaging in liver tumor surgery allows to detect a considerable amount of additional malignant lesions.

A series of Cu(II)-thiocyanato complexes derived from sterically hindered N-donors diamines were synthesized and characterized: catena-[Cu(Me₃en)(μ-NCS)(NCS)] (1), catena-[Cu(NEt₂Meen)(μ-NCS)(NCS)] (2), catena-[Cu(N,N,2,2-Me₄pn)(μ-NCS)(NCS)] (3), the dimeric: [Cu₂(N,N′-isp₂en)₂(μ-NCS)₂(NCS)₂] (4) and the monomeric complex [Cu(N,N′-t-Bu₂en)(NCS)₂] (5), where Me₃en = N,N,N′-Trimethylethylenediamine, NEt₂Meen = N,N-diethyl-N′-methylethylenediamine, N,N,2,2-Me₄pn = N,N,2,2-tetramethylpropylenediamine, N,N′-isp₂en = N,N′-diisopropylethylenediamine and N,N′-t-Bu₂en = N,N′-di(tert-butyl)ethylenediamine. The complexes were characterized by elemental microanalyse, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray crystallography. Density Functional Theory was used to evaluate the role of steric effects in compounds 4 and 5 and how this may affect the adaption of a specific geometry, NCS-bonding mode and the dimensionality of the resulting complex.

This paper investigates whether currency risk is priced differently in the different sectors (industrial, financial, and basic materials) of equity markets in a sample of developed United States of America (USA) and developing economies (Brazil, India, Poland, and South Africa). The paper makes use of the following techniques: (i) Univariate Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average and Exponential General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (ARFIMA-EGARCH), (ii) the Markov-Switching method (MS), and (iii) the Canonical Vine Copulas (C-Vine) techniques. Using a sample of daily data made of the foreign exchange rate against the domestic currency and equity market sectors; our findings show that there is an asymmetry effect between equities markets and the foreign exchange rate: there is a heterogeneous, strong, and positive dependence between the two. Higher equities prices are associated with depreciation of local currencies, according to US dollar (USD) exchange rates. In addition, we find that the selected emerging economies are pricing a positive and considerable currency risk. The pricing of currency risk has a varied effect in both regimes representing the states of the economy. In fact, when currency risk pricing has a beneficial impact on certain sectors of the economy, investors predict better returns.

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death and drives patient morbidity as well as healthcare costs. For several cancers, breast and prostate in particular, bone is the primary site of metastasis. Efforts to treat bone metastases have been stymied by a lack of models to study the progression and cellular players and signaling pathways driving bone metastasis. In this review, we examine the newly described and classic models of bone metastasis. Through the use of current in vivo, microfluidic and in silico computational models bone metastasis models we may eventually understand how cells escape the primary tumor and how these circulating tumor cells then home to and colonize the bone marrow. Further, future models may uncover how cell enter and escape dormancy to develop into overt metastases. Recreating the metastatic process will lead to the discovery of therapeutic targets for disrupting and treating bone metastasis.

To assist firefighters and other first responders to use their existing equipment for respiration during the COVID-19 pandemic without using single-use, low-supply, masks, this study outlines an open source kit to convert a 3M-manufactured Scott Safety self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) into a powered air-purifying particulate respirator (PAPR). The open source PAPR can be fabricated with a low-cost 3-D printer and widely available components for less than $150, replacing commercial conversion kits saving 85% or full-fledged proprietary PAPRs saving over 90%. The parametric designs allow for adaptation to other core components and can be custom fit specifically to fire-fighter equipment, including their suspenders. The open source PAPR has controllable air flow and its design enables breathing even if the fan is disconnected or if the battery dies. The open source PAPR was tested for air flow as a function of battery life and was found to meet NIOSH air flow requirements for 4 hours, which is 300% over expected regular use.

This study provides designs for a low-cost, easily replicable open source lab-grade digital scale that can be used as a precision balance. The design is such that it can be manufactured for use in most labs throughout the world with open source RepRap-class material extrusion-based 3-D printers for the mechanical components and readily available open source electronics including the Arduino Nano. Several versions of the design were fabricated and tested for precision and accuracy for a range of load cells. The results showed the open source scale was found to be repeatable within 0.1g with multiple load cells, with even better precision (0.01g) depending on load cell range and style. The scale tracks linearly with proprietary lab-grade scales, meeting the performance specified in the load cell data sheets, indicating that it is accurate across the range of the load cell installed. The smallest loadcell tested(100g) offers precision on the order of a commercial digital mass balance. The scale can be produced at significant cost savings compared to scales of comparable range and precision when serial capability is present. The cost savings increase significantly as the range of the scale increases and are particularly well-suited for resource-constrained medical and scientific facilities.

Artisanal goldminers in Ghana are exposed to various levels and forms of health, safety and environmental threats. Without the required legislation and regulations, artisanal miners are responsible for their own health and safety at work. Consequently, understanding the probabilities of self-protection at work by artisanal goldminers is crucial. A cross-sectional survey of 500 artisanal goldminers was conducted to examine the probabilities of personal protective equipment use among artisanal goldminers in Ghana. The data was subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. Initial findings showed that personal protective equipment use among artisanal miners was 77.4%. Overall, higher probabilities of personal protective equipment use was observed among artisanal goldminers who work in good health and safety conditions as compared to artisanal miners who work in poor health and safety conditions. Also, personal protective equipment use was more probable among the highly educated artisanal goldminers, miners who regularly go for medical screening and the most experienced miners. Additionally, personal protective equipment use was more probable among artisanal miners who work in non-production departments and miners who work in the medium scale subsector. Inversely, personal protective equipment use was less probable among female artisanal miners and miners who earn more monthly income ($174 and above). To increase self-care and safety consciousness in artisanal mining, there is the need for a national occupational health and safety legislation in Ghana. Also, interventions and health promotion campaigns for better occupational conditions in artisanal mining should target and revise the health and safety related workplace programs and conditions

The affinity constant, also known as the equilibrium constant, binding constant, equilibrium association constant, or the reciprocal value, the equilibrium dissociation constant (K_d), can be considered as one of the most important characteristics for any antibody-antigen pair. Many methods based on different technologies have been proposed and used to determine this value. However, since a very large number of publications and commercial datasheets do not include this information, significant obstacles in performing such measurements seem to exist. In other cases where such data are reported, the results have often proved to be unreliable. This situation may indicate that most of the technologies available today require a high level of expertise that does not seem to be available in many laboratories. In this paper, we present a simple approach based on standard immunoassay technology that is easy and quick to perform. It relies on the effect that the molar IC₅₀ approaches the K_d value in the case of infinitely small concentrations of the reagent concentrations. A two-dimensional dilution of the reagents leads to an asymptotic convergence to K_d. The approach has some similarity to the well-known checkerboard titration used for the optimization of immunoassays. A well-known antibody against the FLAG peptide, clone M2, was used as a model system and the results were compared with other methods. This approach could be used in any case where a competitive assay is available or can be developed. The determination of an affinity constant should belong to the crucial parameters in any quality control of antibody-related products and assays and should be mandatory in papers using immunochemical protocols.

Four methods in two different families have been constructed to derive the exact solutions to Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation in two space dimensions. Simply defined hyperbolic tangent, hyperbolic secant and hyperbolic cosecant ansatzes and the expansion method based on the Sine-Gordon equation in two dimensions are directly substituted into the governing ODE reduced from the two dimensional BBM equation. Classical algebraic method is used to find the relations among the target parameters representing the nonzero coefficients in the predicted solutions and the wave transform parameters. Some complex and real solutions have been constructed in explicit forms.

Concrete contributes 8% of all global carbon emissions making the need to find substitute critical for environmental sustainability. Research has indicated the potential for recycled plastics to be used as concrete substitutes. This study extends existing research by investigating the use of polycarbonate (PC) in plastic sand bricks as a mechanical equivalent to concrete. PC has high compressive strength, durability, impact strength, thermal resistivity, clarity, fatigue resistance, and UV resistance. This work provides a method and mold to produce a matrix of sand-plastic sample compositions with dimensions adhering to ASTM D695 standard for compressive properties of rigid-plastic. Compositions of 0% (control), 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% sand by weight were tested. Samples were tested for compressive strength until yield and stress-strain behaviors plotted. The results for 100% PC demonstrated an average and maximum compressive strength of 71 MPa and 72 MPa, respectively. The 50% PC and 50% sand composition yielded an average and maximum compressive strength of 71 MPa and 73 MPa respectively with an increase in compressive stiffness, and transition to shear failure resembling cement. With a composite density of 1.86 g/cm3 against concrete’s average 2.4 g/cm3, and a compressive strength exceeding commercial concrete demands of 23.3 MPa to 30.2 MPa, this lightweight alternative meets the strength demands of concrete, reduces the need for new construction materials, and provides an additional recycling opportunity for nonbiodegradable waste plastic.

In this paper, we relate Poisson’s summation formula to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. They both express Fourier dualities within the space of tempered distributions and these dualities are furthermore the inverses of one another. While Poisson’s summation formula expresses a duality between discretization and periodization, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle expresses a duality between regularization and localization. We define regularization and localization on generalized functions and show that the Fourier transform of regular functions are local functions and, vice versa, the Fourier transform of local functions are regular functions.

Observing air quality from sensors onboard light rail cars in Salt Lake County, Utah began as a pilot study in 2014 and has now evolved into a five-year state-funded program. This metropolitan region suffers from both elevated ozone levels during summer and high PM2.5 events during winter. Pollution episodes result predominantly from local anthropogenic emissions but are also impacted by regional transport of dust, chemical precursors to ozone, and wildfire smoke as well as being exacerbated by the topographical features surrounding the city. Two electric light-rail train cars from the Utah Transit Authority light-rail Transit Express (“TRAX”) system were outfitted with PM2.5 and ozone sensors to measure air quality at high spatial and temporal resolution in this region. Pollutant concentration data underwent quality control procedures to determine whether the train motion affected the readings and how the sensors compared against regulatory sensors. Quality assurance results from data obtained over the past year show that TRAX Observation Project sensors are reliable, which corroborates earlier preliminary validation work. Two case studies from summer 2019 are presented to illustrate the strength of the finely-resolved air quality observations: 1) an elevated ozone event and 2) elevated particulate pollution resulting from 4th of July fireworks. The mobile observations were able to capture spatial gradients as well as pollutant hotspots during both of these episodes. Sensors have been recently added to a third light rail train car, which travels on a north-south oriented rail line along which we were unable to monitor air quality previously. The TRAX Observation Project is currently being used to provide reliable pollutant data for health studies and inform urban planning efforts. Links to real-time data displays and updated information on the quality-controlled data from this study are available at https://atmos.utah.edu/air_quality/trax/.

The CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) is a transcription factor that regulates cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and tumorigenesis. Although the pro-oncogenic roles of C/EBPβ have been implicated in various human cancers, how it contributes to tumorigenesis or tumor progression has not been determined. Immunohistochemistry with human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues revealed that higher levels of C/EBPβ protein are expressed compared to normal lung tissues. Knockdown of C/EBPβ by siRNA reduced the proliferative capacity of NSCLC cells by delaying G₂/M transition of the cell cycle. In C/EBPβ-knockdown cells, a prolonged increase in phosphorylation of cyclin dependent kinase 1 at tyrosine 15 (Y15-pCDK1) was displayed with increased Wee1 and decreased Cdc25B expression, simultaneously. ChIP analysis showed that C/EBPβ bound to distal promoter regions of WEE1 and repressed WEE1 transcription through the interaction with histone deacetylase 2. Treatment of C/EBPβ-knockdown cells with a Wee1 inhibitor induced a decrease in Y15-pCDK1 and recovered cells from G₂/M arrest. In the xenograft tumors, the depletion of C/EBPβ significantly reduced tumor growth. Taken together, these results indicate that Wee1 is a novel transcription target of C/EBPβ that is required for the G₂/M phase of cell cycle progression, ultimately regulating proliferation of NSCLC cells.

This article reports new measurements of laser-induced plasma hypersonic expansion measurements of diatomic molecular cyanide (CN). Focused, high-peak power 1064-nm Q-switched radiation of the order of 1 TW/cm² generates optical breakdown plasma in a cell containing a 1:1 molar gas mixture of N₂ and CO₂ at a fixed pressure of 1.1 × 10⁵ Pascal and in a 100 ml/min flow of the mixture. Line-of-sight (LOS) analysis of recorded molecular spectra indicate the outgoing shockwave at expansion speeds well in excess of Mach number 5. Spectra of atomic carbon confirm an increased electron density near the shock wave, and equally, molecular CN spectra reveal higher excitation temperature near the shockwave. The results are consistent with corresponding high-speed shadow graphs obtained by visualization with an effective shutter speed of five n anosecond. In addition, LOS analysis and application of integral inversion techniques allow inferences about the spatio-temporal distribution of the plasma.

Titania is one of the most comprehensively studied nanostructures due to its widespread applications in production of catalytic, gas- sensing and corrosion- resistance materials [1]. M-polynomial of nanotubes has been vastly investigated as it produces many degree-based topological indices which are numerical parameters capturing structural and chemical properties. These indices are used in the development of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) in which the biological activity and other properties of molecules are correlated with their structure like boiling point, stability, strain energy etc of chemical compounds. In this paper, we determine M-polynomials of single-walled titanium (SW TiO2) nanotubes and recover important topological degree based indices of them to theoretically judge these nanotubes. We also use Maple to plot surfaces associated to different types of single-walled titanium (SW TiO2) nanotubes.

Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a neglected tropical disease associated with freshwater habitats. A variety of limnic organisms harbor this pathogen, including aquatic bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), which have been hypothesized to be epidemiologically important reservoirs. Aquatic Hemiptera exhibit high levels of diversity in the tropics, but species identification remains challenging. In this study, we collected aquatic bugs from emerging foci of BU in the Southwest Region of Cameroon, which were identified using morphological and molecular methods. The bugs were screened for mycobacterial DNA and a selection of 20 mycobacteria-positive specimens from the families Gerridae and Veliidae were subjected to next-generation sequencing. Only one individual revealed putative M. ulcerans DNA, but all specimens contained sequences from the widespread alpha-proteobacterial symbiont, Wolbachia. Phylogenetic analysis placed the Wolbachia sequences into supergroups A, B and F. Circularized mitogenomes were obtained for seven gerrids and two veliids, the first from these families for the African continent. This study suggests that aquatic Hemiptera may have a minor role (if any) in the spread of BU in Southwest Cameroon. Our metagenomic analysis provides new insights into the incursion of Wolbachia into aquatic environments and generates valuable resources to aid molecular taxonomic studies of aquatic Hemiptera.

Background: As the opioid epidemic continues, understanding the geospatial, temporal and demand patterns is important for policymakers to assign resources and interdict individual, organization, and country-level bad actors. Methods: GIS geospatial-temporal analysis and extreme-gradient boosted random forests evaluate ICD-10 F11 opioid-related admissions and admission rates using geospatial analysis, demand analysis, and explanatory models, respectively. The period of analysis was January 2016 through September 2018. Results: The analysis shows existing high opioid admissions in Chicago and New Jersey with emerging areas in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. High rates of admission (claims per 10,000 population) exist in the Appalachian area and on the Northeastern seaboard. Explanatory models suggest that hospital overall workload and financial variables might be used for allocating opioid-related treatment funds effectively. Gradient-boosted random forest models accounted for 87.8% of the variability of claims on blinded 20% test data. Conclusions: Based on the GIS analysis, opioid admissions appear to have spread geographically, while higher frequency rates are still found in some regions. Interdiction efforts require demand-analysis such as that provided in this study to allocate scarce resources for supply-side and demand-side interdiction: prevention, treatment, and enforcement. Based on GIS analysis, the opioid epidemic is likely to spread or diffuse through the country, and interdiction efforts require demand-analysis such as that provided in this study to allocate scarce resources for supply-side and demand-side interdiction: prevention, treatment, and enforcement.

Senescence is a stable cell cycle arrest that is either tumor suppressive or tumor promoting depending on context. Epigenetic changes such as histone methylation are known to affect both induction and suppression of senescence by altering expression of genes that regulate the cell cycle and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. A conserved group of proteins containing a Jumonji C (JmjC) domain alter chromatin state, and therefore gene expression, by demethylating histones. Here, we will discuss what is currently known about JmjC demethylases in induction of senescence and how these enzymes suppress senescence to contribute to tumorigenesis.

Health literacy is a growing research area with specific aspects and different instruments to measure health literacy. This article uses natural language processing model to analyze the academic corpora regarding seven health literacy instruments - Health Literacy Questionnaire, Mental Health Literacy Scale, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, Health Literacy Survey, The Newest Vital Sign and eHealth Literacy Scale. We apply Structural Topic Modeling to all the abstracts of the selected academic corpora, label the topics based on their focus, and use the topic distribution with metadata to train a Random Forest algorithm for predicting yearly citations. We estimate Regression models based on the ranking of the most relevant features, which serves as a robustness check and to infer their impact on citation dynamics. We have found that Digital Health Literacy is positively associated with yearly citations, while other topics such as Functional Health Literacy and Women's Health reduce citation likelihood. Other article characteristics also have shown a significant role in the citation likelihood, such as the publication year, amount of articles and certain keywords. These findings portray the current landscape of health literacy research, highlighting literature gaps and popular topics.

With an increase in energy consumption globally, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis is a good alternative for producing fuels and chemicals from coal, natural gas or biomass. Among them, coal to liquids has been put into production in countries that have large coal reserves. In this process, Fe-based catalysts are commonly used due to their earth abundance, comparatively wide operation range and ready availability to handle low H2/CO ratio from coal. Despite their extensive applications, the kinetic and mechanistic understandings of Fe carburization and FT reaction on Fe-carbides are relatively limited due to the complexity of phase composition of the applied catalysts. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of FT synthesis on Fe-carbide with an emphasis on underlying mechanism. Specifically, the employment of model catalyst, such as Raney-Fe, could provide a convenient way to furnish kinetic information regarding Fe carburization and subsequent FT reaction. A major challenge for further understanding catalytic reactions occurring at the Fe-carbide surface is correlating FT activity and selectivity to specific active site. To address this issue, the advancements of both DFT calculations and surface science techniques are highly demanded.

Snowpack loss in midlatitude mountains is ubiquitously projected by Earth system models, though the magnitudes, persistence and time horizons of decline vary. Using daily downscaled hydroclimate and snow projections we examine changes in snow seasonality across the U.S. Pacific Southwest region during a simulated severe 20-year dry spell in the 21st century (2051–2070) developed as part of the 4th California Climate Change Assessment to provide a "stress test" for water resources. Across California’s mountains, substantial declines (30–100% loss) in median peak annual snow water equivalent accompany changes in snow seasonality throughout the region compared to the historic period. We find 80% of historic seasonal snowpacks transition to ephemeral conditions. Subsetting empirical-statistical wildfire projections for California by snow seasonality transition regions indicates a two-to-four-fold increase in burned area, consistent with recent observations of high elevation wildfires following extended drought conditions. By analyzing six of the major California snow-fed river systems we demonstrate snowpack reductions and seasonality transitions result in concomitant declines in annual runoff (47-58% of historic values). The negative impacts to statewide water supply reliability by the projected dry spell will likely be magnified by changes in snowpack seasonality and increased wildfire activity.

Directed evolution methods are becoming increasingly popular, as they are extremely powerful toward developing new biomolecules with altered/novel activities, e.g., proteins with new catalytic functions or substrate specificities, and nucleic acids that recognize an intended target. Especially useful are systems that have incorporated continuous evolution, where the protein to be evolved undergoes continuous mutagenesis to evolve a desired trait with little to no input from the researcher once the system is started. However, continuous evolution methods can be challenging to implement in the lab and daunting for researchers to invest time and resources. Our intent is to provide basic information and helpful suggestions that we have gained from our experience with bacterial phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE). Specifically, we review factors to consider before adopting PACE for a given evolution scheme, different types of selection circuits that can be utilized with particular focus on the PACE-B1H selection system, what optimization of a PACE selection circuit may look like using directed evolution of ME47 as a case study, and additional techniques that may be incorporated into a PACE experiment. With this information, researchers will be better equipped to determine if PACE is a valid strategy to use to evolve their proteins and how to set up a valid selection circuit.

Some cancer cells rely heavily on non-essential biomolecules for survival, growth, and proliferation. Enzyme based therapeutics can eliminate these biomolecules, thus specifically targeting neoplastic cells; however, enzyme therapeutics are susceptible to immune clearance, exhibit short half-lives, and require frequent administration. Encapsulation of therapeutic cargo within biocompatible and biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) is a strategy for controlled release. Unfortunately, PLGA NPs exhibit burst release of cargo shortly after delivery or upon introduction to aqueous environments where they decompose via hydrolysis. Here we show the generation of hybrid silica-coated PLGA (SiLGA) NPs as viable drug delivery vehicles exhibiting sub-200 nm diameters, a metastable Zeta potential, and high loading efficiency and content. Compared to uncoated PLGA NPs, SiLGA NPs offer greater retention of enzymatic activity and slow the burst release of cargo. Thus, SiLGA encapsulation of therapeutic enzymes, such as asparaginase, could reduce frequency of administration, increase half-life, and improve efficacy for patients with a range of diseases.

The complete structure and connectivity of the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system was first published in 1986. The ‘mind of a worm’ was the first organism to have its nervous system to be reconstructed at the level of synapses, and represented a critical milestone considering today it remains the only organism to be mapped to that level of connection. Recently, the extrasynaptic connectome of neuropeptides and monoamines has been described. This review discusses recent technological advances used to perturb whole-organism neuronal function, such as: whole brain imaging, optogenetics, sonogenetics and mutant analysis, which have allowed for interrogations of both local and global neural circuits, leading to different behaviors. A better understanding of a whole organism requires combining experimental datasets with biophysical neuronal modelling, and behavioral quantification. Combining these approaches will provide a complete understanding of the worm nervous system and shed light into how networks function and interact with the synaptic network to modulate information processing and behavioral output.

Cisplatin (CDDP), carboplatin (CP), and oxaliplatin (OXP) are three platinating agents clinically approved worldwide for use against a variety of cancers. They are canonically known as DNA damage inducers; however, that is only one of their mechanisms of cytotoxicity. CDDP mediates its effects through DNA damage-induced transcription inhibition and apoptotic signalling. In addition, CDDP targets the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to induce ER-stress, the mitochondria via mitochondrial DNA damage leading to ROS production, and the plasma membrane and cytoskeletal components. CP acts in a similar fashion to CDDP by inducing DNA damage, mitochondrial damage, and ER stress. Additionally, CP is also able to upregulate micro-RNA activity, enhancing intrinsic apoptosis. OXP, on the other hand, at first induces damage to all the same targets as CDDP and CP, yet it is also capable of inducing immunogenic cell death via ER stress and can decrease ribosome biogenesis through its nucleolar effects. In this comprehensive review, we provide detailed mechanisms of action for the three platinating agents, going beyond their nuclear effects to include their cytoplasmic impact within cancer cells. In addition, we cover their current clinical use and limitations, including side effects and mechanisms of resistance.

The high consumption of firewood in Honduras requires the search for alternatives that reduce its negative effects on health, economy, and the environment. One of these alternatives has been the promotion of improved cooking stoves, which achieve a large reduction in firewood consumption. This paper shows a cost-benefit analysis for an improved cooking stove adoption strategy for Honduras. The methodology uses the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System, LEAP, a tool globally used in the analysis and formulation of energy policies and strategies. The energy model considers the demand for firewood as well as the gradual introduction of improved cooking stoves, according to premises of a National Strategy. Hence, it is demonstrated that the costs of implementing this adoption strategy are lower than the costs of not implementing it, taking into consideration various scenarios up to and including the year 2030.

Synthetic fuels play an important role in the defossilization of future aviation transport. To reduce the ecological impact of remote airports due to long range transportation of kerosene, a decentralized on-site-production of synthetic paraffinic kerosene is applicable, preferably as near-drop-in fuel or alternatively as blend. One possible solution for such a production of synthetic kerosene is the Power-to-Liquid process. The basic development of a simplified plant layout addressing the specific challenges of a decentralized kerosene production which differ from most current approaches for infrastructural well-connected regions is described. The decisive influence of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis on the PtL process is shown by means of a steady-state reactor model which was developed in Python and serves as basis for further development of a modular environment able to represent entire process chains. The reactor model is based on reaction kinetics according current literature. The effects of adjustments of the main operation parameters on the reactor behavior are evaluated and the impacts on up- and downstream processes are described. The results prove the governing influence of the Fischer-Tropsch reactor on the PtL process and show its flexibility regarding the desired product fraction output, which makes it an appropriate solution for a decentralized kerosene production.

Yerba maté, an herbal tea derived from Ilex paraguariensis, has previously been reported to be protective against obesity-related and other cardiometabolic disorders. Using high-resolution respirometry and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, the effects of four weeks of yerba maté consumption on mitochondrial efficiency and cellular redox status in skeletal muscle, adipose, and liver, tissues highly relevant to whole body metabolism, were explored in healthy adult mice. Yerba maté treatment increased mitochondrial oxygen consumption in adipose, but not in other tissues examined. Yerba maté increased ATP concentration in skeletal muscle and decreased ATP concentration in adipose. Combined with observed changes in oxygen consumption, these data yielded a significantly higher ATP:O2, a measure of mitochondrial efficiency, in muscle and a significantly lower ATP:O2 in adipose, which were consistent with yerba maté-induced weight loss. Yerba maté treatment also altered the hepatic glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) redox potential to a more reduced redox state, suggesting potential protective effects against oxidative stress and preservation of cellular function. Together, these data indicate beneficial, tissue-specific effects of yerba maté supplementation on mitochondrial bioenergetics and redox states in healthy mice that are protective against obesity.

In humans, finely tuned gamma synchronization (60-90 Hz) rapidly appears at movement onset in a motor control network involving primary motor cortex, the basals ganglia and motor thalamus. Yet the functional consequences of brief movement-related synchronization are still unclear. Distinct synchronization phenomena have also been linked to different forms of motor inhibition, including relaxing antagonist muscles, rapid movement interruption and stabilizing network dynamics for sustained contractions. Here I will introduce detailed hypotheses about how intra- and inter-site synchronization could interact with firing rate changes in different parts of the network to enable flexible action control. The here proposed cause-and-effect relationships shine a spotlight on potential key mechanisms of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical communication. Confirming or revising these hypotheses will be critical in understanding the neuronal basis of flexible movement initiation, invigoration and inhibition. Ultimately, the study of more complex cognitive phenomena will also become more tractable once we understand the neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioural readouts.

One important goal of research on heterogeneous catalysis for Fischer Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is to understand the connection linking catalyst morphology and its activity. Development of these effective catalysts highlights the potential for understanding the effectiveness of promoted supported catalysts and revealing their complex and dynamic effects in FTS. The metal-support interaction (MSI) is influenced by the physicochemical and textural features provided by the modified support and can directly influence the sizes of active metal crystallites, reactants and/or products mass transfer, dispersion, mechanical strength, stability and consequently the adsorption-desorption characteristics of the catalyst. Herein, this article explores the general strategies for modifying silica supports (achieved through doping, coating, or promoting the support or support precursor) and how these strategies can be manipulated to further alter catalyst performance and product selectivity by enhancing the amount of active metal species and improving the intrinsic turnover frequency (TOF). Furthermore, the review emphasises a new strategy (the inverse model of the silica support modification) aiming at overcoming the challenges posed by active metal coating or coverage, as well as pore blockages by promoters that occur during conventional preparation of promoted silica supported FT catalysts.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory condition which significantly affects quality of life in both patients and their caregivers. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) are a class of immunosuppressive drugs predominantly inhibiting T cell mediated immune processes. CNI form complex by binding with immunophilins and in turn inhibit calcineurin and suppress downstream inflammatory pathway. Tacrolimus and pimecrolimus are topical CNI approved for the treatment of mild to severe AD in both children and adults. Application site reactions are frequently seen. They have been issued with black box warning towards increased risk of malignancies but supportive evidence is lacking. Cyclosporine, though highly effective, is used off-label for AD management. It is used for controlling acute flares of AD due to its very rapid onset of action. Nephrotoxicity and hypertension are its serious complications. CNI have not been reported with teratogenicity and may be used conditionally during pregnancy and lactation.

Targeted cancer therapy has grown exponentially in the last decade, representing the largest frontier in the modern concept of precision medicine. This renaissance is largely due to our rapidly evolving ability to biochemically harness our immune systems to target cancer-specific antigens. Combined with an increasing armamentarium of surgical and non-invasive techniques for cancer mitigation we have upgraded cancer therapy from a non-specific assault on cell-division to a multi-modal, targeted approach. This renaissance has resulted in an increase in the perioperative footprint of patients with advanced cancer. The scope of the perioperative clinician has evolved from one of passive/reactive management of complications to a proactive approach that starts in the preoperative optimization phase and continues into the postoperative period. The perioperative world should not exist in a silo, and thus involvement of the oncology team is paramount. To provide safe oncologic care, it is essential to be up to date in newer cancer therapies, lest we act on erroneous and/or outdated information. Oncologists should weigh in on immune status, recent chemotherapeutic exposures, and potentially evolving toxicities. These might involve critical changes to perioperative infectious prophylaxis, steroid administration, and coagulopathy management. First, patients living beyond the typical life-expectancy for their cancer will carry a high burden of cancer-related downstream effects. General metabolic issues will include malnutrition, cachexia, and gastric outlet obstruction. Severe protein-calorie malnutrition, as well as hepatic and renal dysfunction can impact the metabolism and clearance of drugs. The cardiovascular, endocrinologic, pulmonary, and central nervous system implications of new cancer therapies will be discussed extensively below. Second, we have to enhance our ability to manage a cancer population who may be experiencing increasing novel chemotherapeutic toxicities. Newer agents differ from historical agents, which were blunt-force tools aimed at nonspecific destruction of cell-division. These drugs are efficacious but physiologically costly. Newer immunogenic therapies have a slightly improved acute safety profile, and a more complex chronic toxicity profile that may be overt or insidious. Chronic toxicities can present overtly or as a smoldering undertone to other active medical conditions such as sepsis, pneumonia, failure to thrive, or renal failure. The new therapies discussed in this review occur in the context of an overall increasingly multi-faceted cancer care machine. An example is screening for esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett's esophagus, or periodic chest CTs for patients with a strong history of tobacco use. These interventions are more likely to detect disease while it is still resectable, and resections will commonly accompany neo-adjuvant therapy. These approaches commonly involve new immunotherapies whose efficacy is higher-yield with a lower disease burden. In a recent example, the immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) ipilimumab plus nivolumab have significantly increased survival rate for squamous cell esophageal cancer when combined with standard chemotherapy. Surgical resection has evolved to one that often accompanies neoadjuvant chemo and radiation. The increasing efficacy of this approach may de-necessitate many major resections, and increase the number of sub-anatomic resections and minimally invasive procedures. Improved techniques - notably for hepatectomy, whipple procedure, prostatectomy, nephrectomy - have increased the safety profile and decreased the perioperative physiologic burden. This has enabled a broader subset of patients (due to cancer burden or due to medical comorbidities) to qualify for the operation, and increased the involvement of anesthesia and their perioperative services. With an increase in surgical candidacy comes an increase in post-surgical complications, and post-surgical maintenance such as drains, embolizations, imaging studies, etc. In the non-OR anesthesia realm, there have been considerable advancements in cancer “micro-treatments” such as hepatic metastasis embolization, tumor ablation, and peri-tumor vascular embolization. There are an ever-increasing number of IR-guided embolizations for bleeding tumors, aspiration of malignant effusions, and drainage of abscesses. This review serves to provide insight into new categories of chemotherapy and their perioperative implications.

Objective: CAD/CAM generated ceramic implant abutments have recently attracted interest due to their superior customization possibilities and aesthetic advantages. Despite their widespread clinical use, little information is currently available on their surface topography, however. The transmucosal portion of the abutment shoulder is of particular interest, as it ideally supports soft tissue but minimizes mechanical plaque retention. The aim of this in vitro study was to topographically characterize the trans- and subgingival roughness of CAD/CAM zirconia abutments from different manufacturers and compare them with zirconia stock abutments. Material and Method: The surface topography of eight CAD/CAM zirconia implant abutments (tests) and two prefabricated zirconia stock abutments (controls) was determined using focus variation microscopy. Two points on the abutment shoulder were subjected to profilometric examination. 2D and 3D parameters of roughness were obtained and compared. Results: The surface roughness of all the test abutments exceeded the recommended threshold of Ra = 0.2 µm and therefore exhibited an increased risk of mechanical plaque retention. Obvious differences in surface structure were apparent, allowing conclusions to be drawn about the manufacturing method and subsequent reworking processes. Conclusion: Manually reworking the trans- and submucosal area of the investigated CAD/CAM zirconia abutments appears necessary to fulfil the conditions for optimal surface topography. The Sa value as arithmetic mean, taking the maximum height (Sz value) and surface excess (Sdr) into account, is an essential parameter for assessing the surface topography of implant abutments.

Keywords: keyword 1; keyword 2; keyword 3 (List three to ten pertinent keywords specific to the article yet reasonably common within the subject discipline.)

In previous studies we used Laurent Schwartz’ theory of distributions to rigorously introduce discretizations and periodizations on tempered distributions. These results are now used in this study to derive a validity statement for four interlinking formulas. They are variants of Poisson’s Summation Formula and connect four commonly defined Fourier transforms to one another, the integral Fourier transform, the Discrete-Time Fourier Transform (DTFT), the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and the Integral Fourier transform for periodic functions—used to analyze Fourier series. We prove that under certain conditions, these four Fourier transforms become particular cases of the Fourier transform in the tempered distributions sense. We first derive four interlinking formulas from four definitions of the Fourier transform pure symbolically. Then, using our previous results, we specify three conditions for the validity of these formulas in the tempered distributions sense.

In previous studies we found that generalized functions can be smooth, discrete, periodic or discrete periodic and they can either be local or global and they are regular or generalized functions. We also saw that these properties were related to Poisson’s summation formula on one hand and to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle on the other. In this paper, we interlink these studies and show that scalars (real or complex numbers) considered as trivial functions are discrete and periodic, local and global as well as regular and generalized, simultaneously. However, this is also a paradox because it means that Dirac’s δ and 1 (its Fourier transform) coincide. They both are unity. We show that δ and 1 coincide in the sense of scalars (real or complex numbers) but they differ in the sense of (generalized) functions. This result can moreover be related to Max Born’s principle of reciprocity. It also answers an open question in present-day quantum mechanics because it means that the Dirac delta squared is simply delta.

Low-loss photonic waveguides in lithium niobate offer versatile functionality as nonlinear frequency converters, switches, and modulators for integrated optics. Combining the flexibility of laser processing with liquid phase epitaxy we have fabricated and characterized lithium niobate channel waveguides on lithium niobate and lithium tantalate. We used liquid phase epitaxy with K2O flux on laser-machined lithium niobate and lithium tantalate substrates. The laser-driven rapid-prototyping technique can be programmed to give machined features of various sizes, and liquid phase epitaxy produces high quality single-crystal, lithium niobate channels. The surface roughness of the lithium niobate channels on a lithium tantalate substrate was measured to be 90 nm. The lithium niobate channel waveguides exhibit propagation losses of 0.26 ± 0.04 dB/mm at a wavelength of 633 nm. Second harmonic generation at 980 nm was demonstrated using the channel waveguides, indicating that these waveguides retain their nonlinear optical properties.

The recent outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major threat to human health and the global economy. In addition to the development of vaccines there is an urgent need for preventive and therapeutic strategies towards severe COVID-19. Key to this would be a better understanding of the molecular mechanismsoiuuuu affected by SARS-COV-2. To address this, we performed a systems biology approach by integrating available RNA-seq datasets from post-mortem lung tissue of COVID-19 patients and cell culture models infected with SARS-COV-2, Respiratory Syncytial virus or influenza virus. We identified two gene-expression modules that are commonly regulated by the three viral diseases and one that is specific to COVID-19. All 3 gene-expression modules represent key inflammatory processes. We identified several proteins within these networks that can be targeted by FDA approved drugs. Key examples are TNF, NFkB, INTERLEUKIN-1 and ALOX5 signaling pathways. Our data also suggest that Vitamin D supplementation and a ketogenic diet should be further analyzed as preventive strategies. In conclusion, our data highlights the potential of transcriptomics to unravel the pathological processes related to COVID-19 and guide the initiation of clinical trials.

In 2007, the excavation of the M-30 ring road located in Madrid and the creation of a green corridor either side of the Manzanares river brought significant change to the metropolitan area. The corridor and linear park which it provided were designed to contribute to the regeneration of the fluvial ecosystem, establish links among residents on each side of the river and promote cultural and leisure activities. This paper provides a sustainability analysis of the excavation of the M-30 (involving the socio-economic and environmental impact) 14 years after its construction. In order to show such an impact, an analysis of the area both prior to the project and after completion, as well as a hypothetical solution that uses improved materials, has been performed. This entails use of the multi-criteria decision-making model named MIVES (initials in Spanish, modelo integrado de valor para una evaluación sostenible). The MIVES method is based on the application of value functions of sustainability indicators selected by socio-economic and environmental criteria, chosen by experts. Results from analysis showed that the excavation of the M-30 considerably improved the sustainability of the area (sustainable index 3.43 and 6.26 both before and after the excavation works). However, use of improved materials in contrast with the application of conventional materials slightly improved the sustainability of the work (Sustainability Index 6.26 and 6.74, respectively, of the conventional materials).

This article discusses laser-induced laboratory-air plasma measurements and analysis of hydroxyl (OH) ultraviolet spectra. New experiments with Q-switched laser pulses illustrate occurrence of molecular recombination spectra for time delays of the order of several dozen of microseconds after plasma initiation. The computation of the emission spectra utilizes line strength data that are communicated as a supplementary file. Applications of detailed OH computations include laser-induced plasma and combustion analyses, to name but two applications.

Abstract: As a low-input crop, Miscanthus offers numerous advantages that, in addition to agricultural applications, permits its exploitation for energy, fuel, and material production. Depending on the Miscanthus genotype, season, and harvest time as well as plant component (leaf versus stem), correlations between structure and properties of the corresponding isolated lignins differ. Here, a comparative study is presented between lignins isolated from M. x giganteus, M. sinensis, M. robustus and M. nagara using a catalyst-free organosolv pulping process. The lignins from different plant constituents are also compared regarding their similarities and differences regarding monolignol ratio and important linkages. Results showed that the plant genotype has the weakest influence on monolignol content and interunit linkages. In contrast, structural differences are more significant among lignins of different harvest time and/or season. Analyses were performed using fast and simple methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Data was assigned to four different linkages (A: b-O-4 linkage, B: phenylcoumaran, C: resinol, D: b-unsaturated ester). In conclusion, A content is particularly high in leaf-derived lignins at just under 70 % and significantly lower in stem and mixture lignins at around 60 % and almost 65 %. The second most common linkage pattern is D in all isolated lignins, the proportion of which is also strongly dependent on the crop portion. Both stem and mixture lignins, have a relatively high share of approximately 20 % or more (maximum is M. sinensis Sin2 with over 30 %). In the leaf-derived lignins, the proportions are significantly lower on average. Stem samples should be chosen if the highest possible lignin content is desired, specifically from the M. x giganteus genotype, which revealed lignin contents up to 27 %. Due to the better frost resistance and higher stem stability, M. nagara offers some advantages compared to M. x giganteus. Miscanthus crops are shown to be very attractive lignocellulose feedstock (LCF) for second generation biorefineries and lignin generation in Europe.

This work investigated the effects of manufacturing variations including coil resistance, initial pod mass, and e-liquid color on coil lifetime and aerosol generation of Vuse ALTO pods. Random samples of pods were used until failure (where e-liquid was consumed, and coil resistance increased to high value indicating a coil break). Initial coil resistance, initial pod mass, and e-liquid net mass ranged between 0.89 to 1.14 [], 6.48 to 6.61 [g], and 1.88 to 2.00 [g] respectively. Coil lifetime with light color e-liquid was (mean) = 149, (standard deviation) = 10.7 puffs while pods with dark color e-liquid was = 185, = 22.7 puffs with a difference of ~36 puffs (p <0.001). Total mass of e-liquid consumed until coil failure was = 1.93, = 0.035 [g]. TPM yield per puff of all test pods for the first session (brand new pods) was = 0.0123, = 0.0003 [g]. During usage, TPM yield per puff of pods with light color e-liquid was relatively steady while it was continuously decreasing for pods with dark e-liquid. Coil lifetime and TPM yield per puff were not correlated with either variation in initial coil resistance or variation in initial pod mass. The absence of e-liquid in the pod is an important factor in causing coil failure. Small bits of the degraded coil could be potentially introduced to the aerosol. There is a potential correlation of e-liquid color with both coil lifetime and TPM yield per puff. Change of e-liquid color might have been a result of oxidation which changed some nicotine into nicotyrine.

Copper-catalyzed and organocopper-involved reactions are of great significance in organic synthesis. To have a deep understanding of the reaction mechanisms, the structural characterizations of organocopper intermediates become indispensable. Meanwhile, the structure-function relationship of organocopper compounds would advance rational design and development of new Cu-based reactions and organocopper reagents. Compared to the mono-carbonic ligand, the C,N- and C,C-bidentate ligands better stabilize the unstable organocopper compounds. The bidentate ligands can chelate to the same copper atom via ?2-mode, forming a mono-cupra-cyclic compounds with at least one acute C-Cu-C angle. When the bidentate ligands bind to two copper atoms via ?1-mode at each coordinating site, the bimetallic macrocyclic compounds will form nearly linear C-Cu-C angles. The anionic coordinating sites of the bidentate ligand can also bridge two metals via ?2-mode, forming organocopper aggregates with Cu-Cu interactions and organocuprates with contact ion pair structures. The reaction chemistry of some selected organocopper compounds is highlighted, showing their unique structure-reactivity relationships.

Background: Reliable HPV testing and genotyping are essential for quality assurance in HPV-based primary screening, disease management and for monitoring the impact of HPV vaccination. The clinical validation of HPV molecular diagnostic assays has significantly contributed to these objectives, however little emphasis has been placed in assuring sample quality. This study aims to assess the accuracy of sample cellularity assessment using C-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 5 (CCR5) gene target as a marker of sample adequacy in molecular diagnostics. Methods: Jurkat cell line samples were counted both using Thoma cell-counting chamber and Fluorescent-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS). Jurkat cell line samples at three different concentrations were subsequently evaluated using the OncoPredict HPV Quality Control (QC) real-time PCR assay, employing CCR5 for molecular cellularity quantification. Results: Cellularity values obtained were comparable across the 3 different methods for all dilutions of the cell line tested. Conclusions: The results obtained from this study show that CCR5 represents a promising molecular marker for the accurate quantification of sample cellularity, confirming its use as a reliable sample adequacy control, thus reducing the risk of “false negative” results.

We report on the use of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) for multi-gas detection. Photo-acoustic (PA) spectra of mixtures of water (H2O), ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) were measured in the mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength range using a MIR (mid-infrared) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) light source. Highly overlapping absorption spectra is a common challenge for gas spectroscopy. To mitigate this, we use a partial least-squares regression (PLS) method to estimate the mixing ratio and concentrations of the individual gasses. The concentration range explored in the analysis varies from a few parts-per-million (ppm) to thousands of ppm. Spectra obtained from HITRAN and experimental single-molecule reference spectra of each of the molecular species were acquired and used as training data sets. These spectra were used to generate simulated spectra of the gas mixtures (linear combinations of the reference spectra). Here in this proof-of-concept experiment we demonstrate that after an absolute calibration of the QEPAS cell, the PLS analyses could be used to determine concentrations of single molecular species with a relative accuracy within a few % for mixtures of H2O, NH3 and CH4 and with an absolute sensitivity of approximately 300(±50) ppm/V, 50(±5) ppm/V and 5(±2) ppm/V for water, ammonia and methane, respectively. Thus, demonstrating that QEPAS assisted by PLS is a powerful approach to estimate concentrations of individual gas components with considerable spectral overlap, which is a typical scenario for real-life adoptions and applications.

This mini-review discusses the development and applications of naturally derived bioconjugates from hydroxycinnamic acids, such as coumaric, sinapic, ferulic, and caffeic acids, combined with various biomaterials. These bioconjugates offer a range of benefits including antioxidant properties, UV protection, customized hydrophilic-lipophilic balance, improved safety, solubility, emolliency, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and targeted delivery for biomedical, cosmetic, and food applications. The increasing demand for sustainable and natural products in the biomedical, cosmetic, and food industries has led to the exploration of these hydroxy cinnamic acids and their derivatives. We discuss the synthesis and modification of hydroxy cinnamic acids with biomaterials such as ω-hydroxy fatty acids, castor and lesquerella oils, glycerol, isosorbides, and synthetic polyethylene glycol to form functional phenolipids for biomedical, sunscreen and skincare applications. Techniques such as encapsulation with β-cyclodextrins and modification of biopolymeric supports like polysaccharides and starch are discussed for enhancing bioavailability and solubility. The fine-tuned development of bioconjugates from hydroxycinnamic acids using glycerol to modify the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance, substitution by water-soluble carboxylic acid groups, vegetable oil-based phenolipids, polysaccharides, PEGylation provide enhanced functionalities and offers a promising avenue for creating sustainable and effective products across various applications.

Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Salmonella serotypes host-adapted to cattle is of increasing concern to the beef and dairy industry. The bulk of the existing literature focuses on AMR post-slaughter. In comparison, the understanding of AMR in Salmonella among pre-harvest cattle is still limited, particularly in Texas, which ranks top five in beef and dairy exports in the United States; inherently, the health of Texas cattle has nationwide implications for the health of the United States beef and dairy industry. In this study, long-read whole genome sequencing and bioinformatic methods were utilized to analyze antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in 98 isolates from beef and dairy cattle in the Texas Panhandle. Fisher exact tests and elastic net models accounting for population structure were used to infer associations between ARGs and antimicrobial phenotypic profiles and metadata. Gene mapping was also performed to assess the role of mobile genetic elements in harboring ARGs. ARG were found to be statistically different between the type of cattle operation and Salmonella serotypes. Beef operations were statistically significantly associated with more resistance genes compared to dairy operations. Salmonella Heidelberg, followed by Salmonella Dublin isolates, were associated with the most ARGs. Additionally, specific classes of ARGs were only present within mobile genetic elements.

The preparation of transition metal salt ammine complexes having oxidizing anions is a great challenge due to the reaction between the ammonia and oxidizing anions during the synthesis of these materials. However, they have an important role in the development of new oxidants in organic chemistry and especially as precursors in the preparation of mixed metal oxides and alloys in controlled temperature thermal decomposition reactions. Therefore, the synthetic procedures to prepare the complexes of transition metal permanganate, pertechnetate, and perrhenate (VIIB group tetraoxometallates) salts with ammonia as ligand or co-ligand have been comprehensively reviewed. The available data about the structure and spectroscopic properties of these compounds, including the hydrogen bonds that act as redox reaction centers under their thermal decomposition are given and evaluated. Their thermal decomposition processes and products have been summarized. The available pieces of information about their role in organic oxidation reactions like the oxidation of benzyl alcohols, and regeneration of oxo-compounds from oximes and phenylhydrazones including the kinetics of these processes have also been collected.

This study investigates the emergence of ertapenem-resistant, meropenem-susceptible (ErMs) among non-carbapenemase producing (NCP) and carbapenemase producing (CP) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. As mutations for ertapenem resistance establish the genetic background for non-carbapenemase meropenem resistance, there is a great need for antibiotic stewards and researchers to understand the determinants of a strain’s propensity to become resistant. Whole genome sequencing was conducted on clinical carbapenem-resistant E. coli (CREC) and K. pneumoniae (CRKP) across 5 hospitals in San Antonio, U.S. from 2012-2018. The majority of carbapenem resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) were NCP (54%; 41/76). The blaCTX-M was found to be most prevalent among NCP isolates (p = 0.02). LC-MS/MS analysis of carbapenem hydrolysis revealed that blaCTX-M-mediated carbapenem hydrolysis, indicating the need to reappraise the term, “non-carbapenemase (NCP)” for quantitatively uncharacterized CRE strains harboring blaCTX-M. Antimicrobial susceptibility results showed that 56% of all NCPE isolates had an ErMs phenotype (NCPE vs. CPE, p < 0.001), with E. coli driving the phenotype (E. coli vs. K. pneumoniae, p < 0.001). ErMs strains carrying blaCTX-M, had approximately 4-fold more copies of blaCTX-M than ceftriaxone-resistant but ertapenem and meropenem susceptible (EsMs) isolates (3.7 v. 0.9, p < 0.001). ErMs also carried more mobile genetic elements (MGEs), particularly IS26 composite transposons, than EsMs (37 vs. 0.2, p < 0.0001). Immunoblot analysis demonstrated the absence of OmpC expression in NCP-ErMs E. coli, with 92% of strains lacking full contig coverage of ompC. Overall, this work provides evidence of a collaborative effort between blaCTX-M and OmpC in NCP strains that confer resistance to ertapenem but not meropenem. To thwart potential mismanagement of CRE infected patients, future efforts should focus on understanding the mechanism(s) underlying OmpC loss, developing rapid methods to detect blaCTX-M copy number variants, and targeted antimicrobials for NCPE and ErMs strains.

This study introduces and demonstrates a comprehensive, accurate, unbiased approach to robust quantitative comparison of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) appropriate for establishing substantial equivalence (or lack thereof) between tobacco products. The approach is demonstrated across a family of thirteen pen- and pod-style ENDS products. Methods employed consist of formulating a robust emissions surface regression model, quantifying the empirical accuracy of the model as applied to each product, evaluating relationships between product design characteristics and maximum emissions characteristics, and presenting results in formats useful to researchers, regulators, and consumers. Results provide a response surface to characterize emissions (total particulate matter and constituents thereof) from each ENDS appropriate for use in a computer model and for conducting quantitative exposure comparisons between products. Results demonstrate that emissions vary as a function of puff duration, flow rate, E-Liquid composition, and device operating power. Further, results indicate that regulating design characteristics of ENDS devices and consumables may not achieve desired public health outcomes; it is more effective to regulate maximum permissible emissions directly. Three emissions outcome measures (yield per puff, mass concentration and constituent mass ratio) are recommended for adoption as standard quantities for reporting by manufacturers and research laboratories. The approach provides a means of (a) quantifying and comparing maximal emissions from ENDS products spanning their entire operating envelope, (b) comparative evaluation of ENDS devices and consumable design characteristics, and (c) establishing comparative equivalence of maximal emissions from ENDS. A consumer-oriented product emissions dashboard is proposed for comparative evaluation of ENDS exposure potential. Maximum achievable power dissipated in the coil of ENDS is identified as a potentially effective regulatory parameter.

Globally, increasing rates of obesity are one of the most important health issues. The association between breakfast skipping and body weight is contradictory between cross-sectional and interventional studies. The systematic review and meta-analyses aim to summarize this association based on observational longitudinal studies. We included prospective studies on breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity or weight change in adults. Literature was searched until September 2020 in PubMed and Web of Science. Summary RRs with a 95% CI were estimated in pairwise meta-analyses by applying a random-effects model. In total, 9 studies were included in the systematic review and 6 of them were included in the meta-analyses. The meta-analysis indicated an 13% increased RR for overweight/obesity when breakfast was skipped on ≥ 3 days per week compared to ≤ 2 days per week (95% CI: 1.06, 1.21, n=3 studies). The meta-analysis on weight change displays a 21% increased RR for weight gain for breakfast skippers compared to breakfast eaters (95% CI: 1.05, 1.40, n=2 studies). The meta-analysis on BMI change displayed no difference between breakfast skipping and eating (RR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.05, n=2 studies). This study provides low meta-evidence for an increased risk for overweight/obesity and weight gain for breakfast skipping.

Vacuum drying can dehydrate materials further than dry heat methods while protecting sensitive materials from thermal degradation. Many industries have shifted to vacuum drying as cost- or time-saving measures. Small-scale vacuum drying, however, has been limited by high costs of specialty scientific tools. To make vacuum drying more accessible, this study provides design and performance information for a small-scale open source vacuum oven, which can be fabricated from off-the-shelf and 3-D printed components. The oven is tested for drying speed and effective-ness on both waste plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a consortium of bacteria developed for bioprocessing of terephthalate wastes to assist in distributed recycling of PET for both additive manufacturing as well as potential food. Both materials can be damaged when exposed to high temperatures, making vacuum drying a desirable solution. The results showed the open source vacuum oven was effective at drying both plastic and biomaterials, drying at a higher rate than a hot-air dryer for small samples or for low volumes of water. The system can be constructed for less than 20% of commercial vacuum dryer costs for several laboratory-scale applications including dehydration of bio-organisms, drying plastic for distributed recycling and additive manufacturing, and chemical processing.

There is a potential for synergy effects in utilizing CO2 for both enhanced gas recovery (EGR) and geothermal energy extraction (CO2-plume geothermal, CPG) from natural gas reservoirs. This “combined CO2-EGR–CPG system” has been introduced as a feasible approach that constitutes a CO2 Capture double-Utilization and Storage (CCUUS) system. In this study, we carry out reservoir simulations, using TOUGH2, to evaluate the sensitivity of the natural gas recovery, pressure buildup, and geothermal power generation performance of the combined system to various key reservoir and operational parameters. The reservoir parameters include horizontal permeability, permeability anisotropy, reservoir temperature, and pore-size-distribution index; while the operational parameters include wellbore diameter and ambient surface temperature. Using an example of a natural gas reservoir model, we also investigate the effects of different strategies of transitioning from the CO2-EGR stage to the CPG stage on the energy-recovery performance metrics and on the two-phase fluid-flow regime in the production well. The simulation results show that overlapping the CO2-EGR and CPG stages and having a relatively brief period of CO2 injection but no production (which we call the CO2-plume establishment stage) achieves the best overall energy (natural gas and geothermal) recovery performance. Permeability anisotropy and reservoir temperature are the parameters the natural gas recovery performance of the combined system is most sensitive to. The geothermal power generation performance is most sensitive to the reservoir temperature and the production wellbore diameter. The results of this study pave the way for future CPG-based geothermal power-generation optimization studies. For a CO2-EGR–CPG project, the results can be a guide regarding the required accuracy of the reservoir parameters during exploration and data acquisition.

The links between mindfulness, savoring positive experiences, and depressive symptoms have been well-established in the literature. Nevertheless, little has been done to disentangle the prospective relations among these constructs. Clarifying the longitudinal relations is crucial, as it enables researchers and practitioners to discern potential trajectories of mental health interventions. In this study, 180 emerging adults between 18 and 27 years old were recruited twice at 3 months apart to complete self-reported measures including mindfulness, savoring positive experiences, and depressive symptoms. Cross-lagged path analysis indicated that savoring the moment was predictive of mindfulness three months later, whereas depressive symptoms were predictive of both mindfulness and savoring the moment three months later, above and beyond the effects of age, gender, and family income. Additionally, mindfulness, savoring positive experiences, and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated at baseline. The present study evidenced short-term inversed effects of depressive symptoms on mindfulness and savoring the moment, as well as a positive effect of savoring the moment on mindfulness. Hence, interventions gearing towards symptom reduction of depression are likely to carry concurrent and prospective benefits of psychological functioning, namely the ability to be present in the moment and to savor. Taken together, reducing depressive symptoms may be crucial in fostering psychological well-being.

Background/Objectives: Meconopsis has long been used in traditional Tibetan medicine to treat various diseases. However, blue-flowered Meconopsis (M. betonicifolia) is becoming increasingly scarce due to overharvesting. As a potential alternative, yellow-flowered Meconopsis (M. integrifolia) shows promise but requires comprehensive characterization. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the anti-inflammatory potential of yellow- and blue-flowered Meconopsis species. Methods: LC-MS was used to analyze the chemical profiles of yellow- and blue-flowered Meconopsis. Putative targets of shared constituents were subjected to GO and disease enrichment analysis. The LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage model was employed to assess anti-inflammatory effects. Metabolomics was applied to gain mechanistic insights. Results: LC-MS revealed over 70% chemical similarity between species. Enrichment analysis associated targets with inflammation-related pathways. In macrophage assays, both species demonstrated dose-dependent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities, with yellow Meconopsis exhibiting superior efficacy. Metabolomics showed modulation of key inflammatory metabolic pathways. Conclusions: This integrative study validated yellow-flowered Meconopsis as a credible alternative to its blue-flowered counterpart for anti-inflammatory applications. Metabolic profiling provided initial clues regarding their multi-targeted modes of action, highlighting clinical relevance and potential for sustainable utilization and biodiversity conservation.

Biochar is a carbonaceous material derived from the thermochemical conversion of biomass under oxygen-lean conditions. Its properties render it many applications in agriculture, environmental remediation, and catalysis. Commonly produced by pyrolysis under a nitrogen atmosphere, the biochar composition is influenced mainly by residence time, heating rate, and process temperature. The existing literature primarily assesses biochar properties, such as ultimate, proximate, calorific, porosity, and combustibility, generated under various thermo-conversion conditions. However, there is a notable lack of sufficient investigation and attention given to the practical application of biochar. This article seeks to bridge that gap by enhancing the comprehension of the necessary experimental assessment for specific biochar applications and proposing process optimization methods using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). By delving into these aspects, the study offers a concise overview of biochar production and presents a comprehensive panorama based on articles and patents. Additionally, the research explores the physicochemical characterization techniques associated with biochar and its various applications in conjunction with MCDA. This comprehensive approach aims to uncover valuable insights that could further advance the practical and sustainable utilization of biochar in a wide range of fields.

After an earthquake, assessing the seismic vulnerability of buildings is essential for prioritizing emergency response, guiding reconstruction, and ensuring public safety. Accurate and timely evaluation of structural damage plays a vital role in mitigating further risks and facilitating in-formed decision-making during disaster recovery. This study investigates the performance of various Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) models, developed by different companies with diverse model sizes and context windows, in analysing post-earthquake images. The primary objective was to evaluate the models' effectiveness in classifying structural damage according to the EMS-98 scale (with 5 levels of damage), which ranges from minor damage to total destruction. For masonry buildings, the correct classification rates varied widely across models, from 28.6% to 64.3%, with mean damage grade errors ranging from 0.50 to 0.79. In the case of reinforced concrete buildings, correct classification rates ranged from 37.5% to 75.0%, with mean damage grade errors between 0.50 and 0.88. The use of fine-tuning could probably improve the results substantially. Improving the accuracy of GAI models could significantly reduce the time and resources needed to assess post-earthquake damage, namely when comparing with more traditional approaches. The results achieved thus far demonstrate the promise of GAI models for rapid, automated, and ac-curate damage evaluation, which is critical for expediting decision-making in disaster response scenarios.

From a differential geometric perspective, information geometry (IG) aims to characterise the structure of statistical geodesic models. The research done for this paper offers a novel method for modelling the information geometry of a queuing system. From the perspective of IG, the manifold of the transient M/M/infinity queue is described in this context. The Fisher Information matrix (FIM) as well as the inverse of (FIM), (IFIM) of transient M/M/infinity QM are devised. In addition to that, new results that uncovered the significant impact of stability of QM on the existence of (IFIM) are obtained. Moreover, the Geodesic equations of motion of the coordinates of the underlying transient are obtained. Also, it is revealed that stable QM is developable (i.e., has a zero Gaussian curvature) and has a non-zero Ricci Curvature Tensor (RCT). Novel stability dynamics of transient M/M/iInfinity queue manifold is revealed by discovering the mutual dual impact between the behaviour of (RCT) and the stability(instability) phases of M/M/Infinity QM. Furthermore, a new discovery that presents the significant impact of stability of queue manifold and the continuity of the unique representation between M/G/1 queue manifold and Ricci Curvature Tensor (RCT). The information matrix exponential (IME) is devised. Also, it is shown that stability of the devised (IME) enforces the instability of M/M/ Infinity QM. More interestingly, novel relativistic info-geometric queueing theoretic links are revealed .

An innovative concrete that incorporates the advantages of self-compacting concrete with geopolymer is called self-compacting geopolymer concrete. The objective of this study was the Manufacturing of M30-grade self-compacting geopolymer concrete by adding industrial materials like fly ash (FA), ultrafine ground granulated blast furnace slag (UFGGBS), and silica fume (SF) as minerals. The disposal of these industrial wastes can be substantially overcome, as they lead to land pollution. The fixed powder content was 500 kg/m³. A mixture of sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) created an alkaline solution that activated the cementitious binders. In this study, slump flow, L-box, V Funnel, T50 V Funnel, and J ring tests were carried out to determine the fresh qualities of the concrete. These tests were conducted under the regulations for self-compacting concrete provided by EFNARC (2005). To improve the flexural strength of the SCGC, 1.5 % glass fibre was added. This study illustrates how an artificial neural network (ANN) model can determine the concrete mix proportion. The characteristics of SCGC, both fresh and hardened properties test were investigated for molarities of 8, 10, and 12. The microstructural outcomes were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Background/Aim: Stool gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) determination is now considered a valuable tool for detecting dietary lapses in treated celiac disease (CeD) patients. Our study aims to explore the diagnostic performance of a qualitative lateral flow immunoassay point-of-care test (LFIA/PoCT) compared with a qualitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of stool GIP. Methods: The study is a post hoc analysis of stool samples collected in the real-life conditions from a cohort of gluten-free diet-treated CeD patients. Stool GIP was measured in µg/g of stool using an ELISA kit (iVYLISA GIP S®, Biomedal SL). For the qualitative evaluation of stool GIP, a LFIA/PoCT test (GlutenDetect®; Biomedal S.L) was employed, which reported results as positive or negative. The LFIA/PoCT performance was evaluated against ELISA, considered as the gold standard. GIP concentrations

Objective: Our goal is to develop an online questionnaire to survey the prevalence of suicidal behavior. Methods: We developed a questionnaire with 51 variables and proceeded with validations. Validations were performed using face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Reliability was performed by test-rest. Results: The face validity was 1.0 and the content validity was 0.91. The exploratory factor analysis got KMO = 0.86 and extracted one principal factor. The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates RMSEA= 0.000 and CFI=1.000. The test-retest had an intraclass correlated coefficient of 0.98. Conclusion: The adequate development questionnaire was validated, and we have an instrument to survey suicide behaviors in the pandemic time.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health threat associated with serious clinical consequences worldwide. The WHO reports an estimated 58 million people globally living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with 1.5 million new cases and over 350,000 deaths annually due to HCV-related diseases. Despite the existence of multiple diagnostic methods, the accessibility of diagnosis and treatment is often hindered across the continent by limited resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, and low public awareness of Hepatitis C virus Hepatitis C virus infection is a major public health concern in African countries, which have the highest prevalence rates of HCV in the world (1–26%). Egypt, African country which had the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in the world. Its national hepatitis C elimination initiative emerges as an exemplary case of success an having screened over 60 million individuals, and treated more than 4 million, thereby markedly diminishing both the prevalence and incidence of the disease. The strategies employed by Egypt offer critical insights and adaptable frameworks for other African Countries facing analogous challenges. The Aim of this Review is to highlight the triumphs and hurdles of Egypt's approach, while also providing strategic guidance for African Countries to accelerate the journey towards the eradication of hepatitis C.

A new set of basis functions is presented. The foundation in mathematics is established. To reconstruct a signal, it is compared to the Fourier basis functions. The M-basis functions' potential applications are also presented.

The entropic gravity conception proposes that what has been traditionally interpreted as unobserved dark matter might be merely the product of quantum effects. These effects would produce a novel sort of positive energy that translates into dark matter via $E=mc^2$. In the case of axions, this perspective as been shown to yield quite sensible, encouraging results [DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.17894.88641] . There, a simple Schrodinger mechanism was utilized, in which his celebrated equation is solved with a potential function based on the microscopic Verlinde's entropic force advanced in [Physica A {\bf 511} (2018) 139]. In this effort we revisit such technique with regards to fermions' behavior (specifically, baryons).

We performed for the first time to our knowledge fully ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of additive tribochemistry in boundary lubrication conditions. We consider an organophosphourus additive that has been experimentally shown to reduce friction in steel-on-steel sliding contacts thanks to the tribologically-induced formation of an iron phosphide tribofilm. The simulations allow us to observe in real time the molecular dissociation at the sliding iron interface under pressure and to understand the mechanism of iron phosphide formation. We discuss the role played by the mechanical stress by comparing the activation times for molecular dissociation observed in the tribological simulations at different applied loads with that expected on the basis of the dissociation barrier.

The flexitarian diet, which emphasizes a reduction in meat consumption, has been identified as a crucial factor in transitioning to sustainable food systems that can help combat climate change and improve food and nutritional security, particularly in areas where food choices are abundant. Despite Brazil being a major meat producer, meat consumption among Brazilians has been decreasing in recent years, with a growing portion of the population adopting meat-free and meat-reduced dietary models. In this study, we conducted the first non-industry funded scientific investigation of Brazilian flexitarians, with the goal of characterizing their socio-economic and demographic characteristics, motivations for adopting flexitarianism, frequency of animal-based meat consumption, and main substitutes consumed. Data was collected from 1029 self-identified flexitarians in Brazil. Our findings indicate that the flexitarian food model is primarily adopted by women and is motivated by concerns about the environmental impact of meat consumption, personal health, and animal welfare. Flexitarians were found to have a consumption profile that can be divided into three groups: low (consuming meat 36 times a week), medium (consuming meat 7 times a week), and high (consuming meat 4 times a week). The flexitarian meals pattern is characterized by lower consumption of beef (less than 2 times per week) and higher consumption of chicken (3 times per week) and is supplemented by plant-based protein sources and eggs as the main meat substitutes.

This paper deals with the analysis of the cognitive functions of the cerebral cortex or cortex in the evolutionary context. The triune brain model is presented given its notorious popularity in fields that are not strictly neuroscientific, and its limitations and inaccuracies are also shown. Although it is an outdated theory, this one represented the passage to a new era, because it really was the model of the movement towards understanding the brain in evolutionary terms. Next, the paper illustrates the different areas of the cortex and their functions, as well as the evolution of the brain and the cortex in vertebrates. To date, the expansion of the cortex with the amniotes was placed 300 million years ago, although recent studies place it in the lampreys more than 500 million years ago. Evolutionary changes in mammalian brain and cortex size are discussed, showing the evolution from three to six cell layers and trends in different groups of mammals. Finally, the most recent contributions in the field of research are illustrated, such as the role of neurogenesis and the evolution of the connectivity of the cortex.

Existing implants used with Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), and other joint reconstruction treatments, have displayed premature failures and frequent needs for revision surgery in recent years, particularly with young active patients who represent more than 55% of all joint reconstruction patients. Bone cement and stress shielding have been identified as the major reasons for premature joint failures. A breakdown of the cement may happen, and revision surgery may be needed because of the aseptic loosening. The significant mismatch of stiffness properties of patient trabecular bones and metallic implant materials in joint reconstruction surgery results in the stress shielding phenomenon. This could lead to significant bone resorption and increased risk of bone fracture and the aseptic loosening of implants. The present project introduces an approach for development of customized cellular structures to match the mechanical properties and architecture of human trabecular bone. It consists of four modules:1- characterization of geometry, microarchitecture, and stiffness properties of patient’s bones; 2- developing customized lattice structures tailored to mimic properties established in module 1; 3 - integration of developed lattice structure into full scale implant design and manufacturing; 4- implementation of the developed technology for use in implants that would overcome most of the issues related to aseptic loosening phenomenon. The present work aims at fulfilling the objectives of module 2 by exploring new designs of customized lattice structures and texture tailored to mimic closely patients’ bone anisotropic properties and that can incorporate an engineered biological press-fit fixation technique. The effects of various lattice design variables on mechanical performance of the structure are examined through systematic experimental plan using statistical design of experiments technique and analysis of variance method. All tested lattice designs were explored under realistic geometrical, biological, and manufacturing constraints. Of the four design factors examined in this study, strut thickness was found to have the highest percent contribution (41%) regarding the structure stiffness, followed by unit cell type, and cell size. Srut shape was found to have the lowest effect with only 11% contribution. The introduced solution offers lattice structure designs that can be adjusted to match bone stiffness distribution and promote bone ingrowth and hence eliminating the phenomenon of stress shielding while incorporating biological press-fit fixation technique.

Increasing environmental distress is associated with a growing asthma incidence and, with no treatments available, montelukast (MTK) – an antagonist of the cysteinyl leukotrienes receptor 1 – is widely used in the management of symptoms among adults and children. Recently, new molecular targets have been identified and MTK has been proposed for repurposing in other therapeutic applications, with several ongoing clinical trials. The proposed applications include neuroinflammation control, which could be explored in some neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases (AD and PD). However, this drug has been associated with an increasing number of reported neuropsychiatric adverse drug reactions. Besides, and despite being on the market since 1998, MTK metabolism is still poorly understood and the mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric ADRs remain unknown. We review the role of MTK as modulator of leukotriene pathways and systematize the knowledge about MTK metabolism. Known toxic effects of MTK are discussed, and repurposing applications are presented comprehensively, with a focus on AD and PD.

The aim of this review was to provide an update on the potential of cell therapies to restore or replace damaged and/or lost cells in retinal degenerative and optic nerve diseases, describing the available cell sources and the challenges involved in such treatments when these techniques are applied in real clinical practice. Sources include human fetal retinal stem cells, allogenic cadaveric human cells, adult hippocampal neural stem cells, human CNS stem cells, ciliary pigmented epithelial cells, limbal stem cells, retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) (including both human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Of these, RPCs, PSCs and MSCs have already entered early-stage clinical trials since they can all differentiate into RPE, photoreceptors or ganglion cells, and have demonstrated safety, while showing some indicators of efficacy. Stem/progenitor cell therapies for retinal diseases still have some drawbacks, such as the inhibition of proliferation and/or differentiation in vitro (with the exception of RPE) and the limited long-term survival and functioning of grafts in vivo. Some other issues remain to be solved concerning the clinical translation of cell-based therapy, including (1) the ability to enrich for specific retinal subtypes; (2) cell survival; (3) cell delivery, which may need to incorporate a scaffold to induce correct cell polarization, which increases the size of the retinotomy in surgery and, therefore, the chance of severe complications; (4) the need to induce retinal detachment to perform the subretinal placement of the transplanted cell; and (5) the evaluation of the risk of tumor formation caused by the undifferentiated stem cells and prolific progenitor cells. Despite these challenges, stem/progenitor cells represent the most promising strategy for retinal and optic nerve disease treatment in the near future, and therapeutics assisted by gene techniques, neuroprotective compounds and artificial devices can be applied to fulfil clinical needs.

Respiratory tract epithelium infection plays a primary role in Nipah virus (NiV) pathogenesis and transmission. Knowledge about infection dynamics and host responses to NiV infection in respir-atory tract epithelia is scarce. Studies in non-differentiated primary respiratory tract cells or cell lines indicate insufficient interferon (IFN) responses. However, studies are lacking to determin-ing complex host response patterns in differentiated respiratory tract epithelia to understand NiV replication and spread in swine. Here we characterized infection and spread of NiV in differenti-ated primary porcine bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) cultivated at the air-liquid-interface (ALI). After the initial infection of only a few apical cells, lateral spread for 12 days with epithelium disruption was observed without releasing substantial amounts of infectious virus from the api-cal or basal sides. Deep time course proteomics revealed pronounced upregulation of genes re-lated to type I/II- IFN, immunoproteasomal subunits, TAP-mediated peptide transport and MHC I antigen presentation. Spliceosomal factors were downregulated. We propose a model in which NiV replication in PBEC is slowed by a potent and broad type I/II-IFN host response with con-version from 26S proteasomes to immunoproteasomal antigen processing and improved MHC I presentation for adaptive immunity priming. NiV induced cytopathic effects could reflect the focal release of cell-associated NiV, which may contribute to efficient airborne viral spread between pigs.

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) can provide unique insights into the cycling of elements including carbon and nitrogen. One approach for CSIA is the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate compounds of interest, followed by analysis of these compounds using an elemental analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. A key component of this technique is the fraction collector, which automatically collects compounds as they are separated by HPLC. Here we present a fraction collector which is a simple adaptation of a 3D printer, and thus can be easily adopted by any laboratory already equipped for HPLC. In addition to the much lower cost compared to commercial alternatives, this adaptation has the advantage for CSIA that the 3D-printer is able to heat the collected fractions, which is not true for many commercial fraction collectors. Heating allows faster evaporation of the solvent, so that the dried compounds can be measured by EA-IRMS immediately. The procedure can be repeated consecutively so that dilute solutions can have the compounds concentrated for analysis. Any computer-controlled HPLC can be integrated to the fraction collector used here by means of AutoIt.

The stringency of GMO regulation affects trade of agricultural products among countries. On that account, our investigation attempts to shed the light on the complexity of the impact of genetically modified organisms (GMO) regulations among countries on bilateral trade with a focus on GMO approvals. We develop a framework extending Xiong and Beghin (2014) and their decomposition of export supply and imports demand effects. Our approach encompasses the supplemental effect of GMO regulation laxity in production on the exporter’s productivity. It decomposes three effects that impact bilateral trade flows between trade partners: productivity in the source country, sorting cost from bilateral dissimilarity in regulations, and stringency impact on import demand. We estimate the model using a panel dataset of corn trade and two econometric approaches (PPML, Heckman sample-selection). We find that GMO laxity in production of exporters has the most prominent and robust effect of enhancing bilateral trade of corn. The effect of GMO laxity in demand appears to be smaller than the export booster effect of GMO adoption. Finally, bilateral dissimilarity in regulations does not appear to matter, once we account for the impact of GMO in production of the exporters and laxity in demand differentiated for importer and exporters. Hence, GMO approval regulations have dominating multilateral effects rather than bilateral ones.

Despite the proposal of minimum reporting guidelines for metabolomics over a decade ago, reporting on the data analysis step in metabolomics studies has been shown to be unclear and incomplete. Major omissions and a lack of logical flow render the data analysis’ sections in metabolomics studies impossible to follow, and therefore replicate or even imitate. Here, we propose possible reasons why the original reporting guidelines have had poor adherence and present an approach to improve their uptake. We present in this paper an R markdown reporting template file that guides the production of text and generates workflow diagrams based on user input. This R Markdown template contains, as an example in this instance, a set of minimum information requirements specifically for the data pre-treatment and data analysis section of biomarker discovery metabolomics studies, (gleaned directly from the original proposed guidelines by Goodacre at al.). These minimum requirements are presented in the format of a questionnaire checklist in an R markdown template file. The R Markdown reporting template proposed here can be presented as a starting point to encourage the data analysis section of a metabolomics manuscript to have a more logical presentation and to contain enough information to be understandable and reusable. The idea is that these guidelines would be open to user feedback, modification and updating by the metabolomics community via GitHub.

More than 90% of patients affected by mastocytosis are characterized by a somatic point mutation of c-KIT, which induces ligand-independent activation of the receptor and downstream signal triggering, ultimately leading to mast cell proliferation and survival. The most frequent mutation is c-KIT p.D816V, but other rarer mutations can also be found. These mutations often have a very low variant allele frequency (VAF), well below the sensitivity of common next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods used in routine diagnostic panels. Highly sensitive methods are developing for detecting mutations. This review summarizes the current indications on the recommended methods and on how to manage and interpret molecular data for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with mastocytosis.

Snowpack seasonality in the conterminous United States (U.S.) is explored using a daily,14 km horizontal resolution gridded snow water equivalent and snow depth reanalysis product. I2calculated seasonal snowpacks using two established methods: (1) the classic Sturm approach that3requires 60 days of snow cover with a peak depth >50 cm and (2) the snow seasonality metric (SSM)4that only requires 60 days of continuous snow cover. The latter approach yields continuous values5from -1 to +1, where -1 (+1) indicates an ephemeral (seasonal) snowpack. Both approaches identify6seasonal snowpacks in western mountains and the northernmost central and eastern U.S. By relaxing7the depth constraint and providing continuous values, the SSM identifies greater areas of seasonal8snowpacks compared to the Sturm method, particularly in the upper Midwest, New England, and the9Intermountain West. Ephemeral snowpacks are identified throughout lower elevation regions of the10western U.S. and across a broad swath centered near 35°N spanning the lee of the Rocky Mountains11to the Atlantic coast. Because it lacks a depth constraint, the SSM approach is sensitive to interannual12variability, indicating it may inform the location of shallow but long-duration snowpacks at risk13of transitioning to becoming ephemeral with climatic change. A case study in Oregon during an14extreme snow drought year highlights seasonal to ephemeral snowpack transitions.

The retrieval of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence is greatly beneficial to studies of marine phytoplankton biomass, physiology, and composition and is required for user applications and services. Customarily phytoplankton chlorophyll fluorescence is determined from satellite measurements through a fluorescence line-height algorithm using three bands around 680 nm. We propose here a modified retrieval, making use of all available bands in the relevant wavelength range with the goal to improve the effectiveness of the algorithm in optically complex waters. For the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) we quantify a Fluorescence Peak Height from fitting a Gaussian function and related terms into the top-of-atmosphere reflectance bands between 650 and 750 nm. This algorithm retrieves, what we call Fluorescence Peak Height from fitting a Gaussian function upon other terms to top-of-atmosphere reflectance bands between 650 and 750 nm. This approach is applicable to Level-1 and Level-2 data. We find a good correlation of the retrieved fluorescence product to global in-situ chlorophyll measurements, as well as a consistent relation between chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence from radiative transfer modelling and OLCI/in-situ comparison. The algorithm is applicable to complex waters without needing an atmospheric correction and vicarious calibration and features an inherent correction of small spectral shifts, as required for OLCI measurements.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease worldwide. A large body of work implicates insulin resistance in the development and progression of AD such that AD may be a form of brain insulin resistance. Moreover, impairment in mitochondrial function, a common symptom of insulin resistance, now represents a fundamental aspect of AD pathobiology. Ceramides are a class of bioactive sphingolipids that have been hypothesized to drive insulin resistance. Here we describe preliminary work that tests the hypothesis that hyperinsulinemia pathologically alters cerebral mitochondrial function in AD mice via accrual of the ceramides. Homozygous male and female ApoE4 mice were given chronic injections of PBS (control), insulin, myriocin (an inhibitor of ceramide biosynthesis), or insulin and myriocin over four weeks. Cerebral ceramide content was assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption rates were measured with high-resolution respirometry, and H2O2 emissions were quantified via biochemical assays on brain tissue from the cerebral cortex. Significant increases in brain ceramides and impairments in brain oxygen consumption were observed in the insulin-treated group. These hyperinsulinemia-induced impairments in mitochondrial function were reversed with the administration of myriocin. Altogether, these data demonstrate a causative role for insulin in promoting brain ceramide accrual and subsequent mitochondrial impairments that may be involved in AD expression and progression.

In this paper, we present a new concept of the generalized core orthogonality (called the C-S orthogonality) for two generalized core invertible matrices $A$ and $B$. $A$ is said to be C-S orthogonal to $B$ if $A^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}B=0$ and $BA^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}=0$, where $A^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}$ is the generalized core inverse of $A$. The characterizations of C-S orthogonal matries and the C-S additivity are also provided. And the connection between the C-S orthogonality and C-S partial order has been given using their canonical form. Moreover, the concept of the strongly C-S orthogonality is defined and characterized.

Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic, which was brought on by the brand-new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has claimed a sizable number of lives. Despite the urgency, COVID-19 does not have any particular antiviral treatments at this time. As a result, scientists are concentrating on repurposing already existing antiviral medications or creating brand-new ones. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease, which is necessary for viral replication, has been identified as a possible target for a family of medicines called main protease inhibitors (MPIs). Studies of the major proteases from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, which have remarkably similar structures and functions to SARS-CoV-2, have provided insight for the creation of MPIs. By analyzing the MPI trials for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, this review sheds light on the possible therapeutic uses of MPIs for COVID-19. The review talks about how MPIs work, how effective they are against SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and how safe they are. The paper also emphasizes current developments in the creation of MPIs for SARS-CoV-2, including as computational studies, in vitro and in vivo research, and clinical trials. According to the review, there is a lot of hope for MPIs in the treatment of COVID-19, and numerous medications are in the works. Although more research is needed to assess their safety and effectiveness in clinical settings, these medications may offer patients with COVID-19 a much-needed therapeutic option. The review also emphasizes the importance of ongoing research into the structure and function of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, as this information will be critical for the development of effective MPIs and other antiviral drugs in the future.

Environmental lead exposure is a population health concern in many low- and middle-income countries. Lead is found throughout Myanmar and prior to the 1940s, the country was the largest producer of lead worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine any potential association between lead mining and adult literacy rates at the level of the 330 townships in Myanmar. Townships were identified as lead or non-lead mining areas and 2015 census data were examined with association being identified using descriptive, analytical and spatial statistical methods. Overall, there does appear to be a significant relationship between lead mining activity and adult literacy levels (P<0.05) among townships with both low access [OR= 2.701 (1.136-6.421)] as well as townships with high access to safe sanitation [OR=18.40 (1.794-188.745)]. LISA cluster maps confirm these findings. This exploratory analysis is a first step in the examination of potential environmental lead exposure and its implications in Myanmar.

. Shrub patches influence soil fertility and vegetation, impacting species composition and diversity. The Eastern Qilian Mountains' unique context provides insights into alpine ecosystems' response to environmental challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the physical characteristics and soil nutrient contents of shrub patches for four different shrub species. Four alpine shrub species (Salix oritrepha, Spiraea alpina, Rhododendron capitatum, and Potentilla fruticose) were studied, assessing their patch characteristics and soil nutrients at different depths within three patch microsites. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate differences among shrub species and locations within the shrub patches. Our results showed that the shrub species exhibited variations in patch characteristics and soil nutrient distribution. Soil nutrient content varied by depth and location within the shrub patches, with higher concentrations at the center. The relative interaction intensity (RII) showed nutrient aggregation or dispersion trends. The study highlighted the complex interactions between shrub characteristics and soil nutrients, emphasizing their influence on nutrient cycling, vegetation dynamics, and soil properties. These findings contribute to our understanding of alpine ecosystem dynamics and inform conservation and management strategies.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) represents a significant global public health burden, characterized by low survival and few established diagnostic tools to guide intervention. OHCA presents with a wide variety of etiologies in a heterogeneous population, posing a clinical challenge to care teams. In this review, we describe evolving research focused on diagnostic approaches to OHCA following resuscitation, including electrocardiography, coronary angiography, computed tomography, ultrasonography, and serologic biomarker assessment. These diagnostic tools have been employed in post-resuscitative efforts for diagnosing ischemic and non-ischemic cardiac, respiratory, neurologic, vascular, traumatic, and metabolic causes of arrest.

Soil-borne Trichoderma spp. have been extensively studied for their biocontrol activities against pathogens and growth promotion ability with plants. However, the beneficial effect of Trichoderma on inducing resistance against insect herbivores has been considered only recently. Among diverse Trichoderma species, consistent with previous reports, we showed that root colonization by T. virens triggered induced systemic resistance (ISR) to leaf-infecting fungal pathogens. Whether T. virens induces ISR to insect pests has not been tested before. In this study, we investigated whether T. virens affects jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and defense against fall armyworm (FAW) and western corn rootworm (WCR). Unexpectedly, the results showed that T. virens colonization of maize seedlings grown in autoclaved soil suppressed wound-induced production of JA, resulting in reduced resistance to FAW. Similarly, the bacterial endophyte Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84 suppressed systemic resistance to FAW due to reduced JA. Further comparative analyses of the systemic effects of these endophytes when applied into sterile or non-sterile field soil showed that both T. virens and P. chlororaphis 30-84 triggered ISR against hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola in both soil conditions, but only suppressed resistance to FAW in sterile soil. In contrast to the effect on FAW defense, T. virens colonization of maize roots suppressed WCR larvae survival and weight gain. This is the first report suggesting the potential role of T. virens as a biocontrol agent against WCR.

Research on early stages of corrosion of steel bars, together with the formation and development of cracks induced in the surrounding concrete and caused by chloride penetration, is relevant in improving the durability of reinforced concrete structures. This paper uses integration of the analytical models examined in the published literature, combined with experimental research in corrosion induced at the concrete/steel interface, in estimating the time-to-crack initiation of reinforced concrete subjected to corrosion. This work studies the influence of the porous network and electric current density on the cracking process at early ages. The experimental campaign was performed by using an accelerated corrosion test on a conventional concrete (CC) and a concrete with silica fume (SFC) by submitting them to a current density of 50μA/cm² and 100μA/cm². Examination performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provided both qualitative and quantitative information on the penetration of the rust layer in the surrounding concrete porous network. Strain gauges were used to measure corrosion-induced deformations between steel and concrete matrices, as well as the formation of corrosion-induced cracks. A good correlation between the rate of penetration of the rust products in the surrounding pores and the delay of the cracking pressure in concrete was observed from the experimental results. This phenomenon is incorporated into the analytical model by using a reduction factor, which mainly depends on the pore size of the concrete. The crack width obtained exhibited a significant dependency on electric current density at the beginning of the test, depending mainly on the pore size of the concrete later.

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

Salinity can negatively impact crop growth and yield. Changes in DNA methylation are known to occur when plants are challenged by stress and have been associated with the regulation of stress-response genes. However, the role of DNA-methylation in moderating gene expression in response to salt stress has been relatively poorly studied among crops such as barley. Here, we assessed the extent of salt-induced alterations of DNA methylation in barley and their putative role in perturbed gene expression. Using Next Generation Sequencing, we screened the leaf and root methylomes of five divergent barley varieties grown under control and three salt concentrations, to seek genotype independent salt-induced changes in DNA methylation. Salt stress caused increased methylation in leaves but diminished methylation in roots with a higher number of changes in leaves than in roots, indicating that salt induced changes to global methylation are organ specific. Differentially Methylated Markers (DMMs) were mostly located in close proximity to repeat elements, but also in 1094 genes, of which many possessed gene ontology (GO) terms associated with plant responses to stress. Identified markers have potential value as sentinels of salt stress and provide a starting point to allow understanding of the functional role of DNA methylation in facilitating barley’s response to this stressor.

We report on the occurrence of natural Magnesium Alumina Silicate Hydrate (M-(A)-S-H) cement at Feragen and Leka in eastern and western Trøndelag Norway, respectively. Both occurrences are located in the sub-arctic climate zone and form in glacial till and moraine material deposited on ultramafic rock during the Weichselian glaciation. Weathering of serpentinized peridotite dissolve brucite and result in a relative high pH alkaline fluid that subsequently reacts with the felsic minerals of the till (quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar) to form a cement consisting of an amorphous material or a mixture of nanocrystalline Mg-rich phyllosilicates, including illite. The presence of plagioclase in the till results in the enrichment of alumina in the cement, i.e., forms M-A-S-H instead of the M-S-H cement. Dissolution of quartz results in numerous etch-pits and negative quartz crystals filled with M-A-S-H cement. Where the quartz dissolution is faster that the cement precipitation, a honeycomb-like texture is formed. Compositionally the cemented till (tillite) contains more MgO and has a higher loss of ignition than the till, suggesting that the cement is formed by a MgO fluid that previously reacted with the peridotite. The M-(A)-S-H cemented till represent a new type of duricrust, coined magsilcrete. The study of natural Mg-cement provides information on peridotites as a Mg-source for Mg-cement and as a feedstock for CO2 sequestration.

The rising popularity of virtual reality has seen a recent push in applications, such as, social media, educational tools, medical simulations, entertainment and training systems. With virtual realitythe ability to engage users for specific purposes, provides opportunities to entertain, develop cognitive abilities and technical skills outside of the standard mediums (e.g., the television or theclassroom) thereby optimizing exposure with realistic (live) opportunities. However, before these applications of virtual reality become more widespread, there are a number of open questions andissues that must be addressed including limitations, challenges, relationships between fidelity, multi-modal cue interaction, immersion, and knowledge transfer and retention. In this article, we begin with a brief overview of virtual reality methods, followed by a discussion of virtual reality and its applications (both historically, currently and in the future). We review virtual reality trends both from the early artistic days through to current day state of the art technological advancements. We explore emerging and futuristic breakthroughs - and their applications in virtual reality - showing how virtual reality will go way beyond anything we could envision. Infact, after reading this article, we hope the reader will agree, that virtual reality, is possibly one of the most powerful mediums of our time. While the earliest mechanistic virtual reality prototypes (e.g., Sensorama) allowed us to view stereoscopic 3D images accompanied by stereosound, smells, as well as wind effect - set the foundation and direction for future pioneers - there have been spearheaded developments which have continually pushed the concept of virtual reality to new domains. As virtual reality evolves, many new and yet-to-be-imagined applications will arise, but we must have understanding and patience as we wait for science, research andtechnology to mature and improve. The article ends with a short overview of future directions based upon recent breakthroughs in research and what this will mean for virtual reality in the coming years.

The misuse of antibiotics during the last decades led to the emergence of multidrug resistant pathogenic bacteria. This phenomenon constitutes a major public health issue. Consequently, the discovery of new antibacterials in the short term is crucial. Colicins, due to their antibacterial properties, thus constitute good candidates. These toxin proteins, produced by E. coli to kill enteric relative competitors, exhibit cytotoxicity through ionophoric activity or essential macromolecule degradation. Among the 25-colicin types known to date, colicin M (ColM) is the only one colicin interfering with peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Accordingly, ColM develops its lethal activity in E. coli periplasm by hydrolyzing the last peptidoglycan precursor, lipid II, into two dead-end products, thereby leading to cell lysis. Since the discovery of its unusual mode of action, several ColM orthologs have also been identified based on sequence alignments; all of the characterized ColM-like proteins display the same enzymatic activity of lipid II degradation and narrow antibacterial spectra. This publication aims at being an exhaustive review about what is currently known on this new family of antibacterial enzymes as well as on their potential use of food preservatives or therapeutic agents.

Dual generalized commutative quaternions have broad application prospects in many fields. Additionally, the matrix equation AXB = C has important applications in mathematics and engineering, especially in control systems, economics, computer science, and other disciplines. However, research on the matrix equation AXB = C over the dual generalized commutative quaternions remains relatively insufficient. In this paper, we derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the solvability of the dual generalized commutative quaternion matrix equation AXB = C. Furthermore, we provide the general solution expression for this matrix equation, when it is solvable. Finally, a numerical algorithm and an example are provided to confirm the reliability of the main conclusions.

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

β-Ga2O3 is a well-known semiconductor material for power devices and other applications. Recently, β-Ga2O3 has also been reported as a scintillator material with a light yield of approximately 8400 ph./MeV, scintillation decay time of &lt;1 μs, and density of 6.44 g/cm3. In this study, 2-inch diameter β-Ga2O3 single crystals were prepared by oxide crystal growth using the cold crucible (OCCC) method under various oxygen partial pressures. In the OCCC method, as in the cold crucible method, a high frequency is applied directly to the oxide materials, which are heated and melted, and the melt is held by the outermost solid material itself that is cooled by water using a copper hearth. In the OCCC method, crystal growth is performed while rotating the seed crystal, as in the Czochralski method, to increase the crystal diameter. The optical properties and radiation responses of the crystals grown under various oxygen partial pressures were evaluated.

On 5-7 April 2018 a landfalling atmospheric river resulted in widespread heavy precipitation in the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada. Observed snow levels during this event were among the highest snow levels recorded since observations began in 2002 and exceeded 2.75 km for 31 hours in the northern Sierra Nevada and 3.75 km for 12 hours in the southern Sierra Nevada. The anomalously high snow levels and over 80 mm of precipitation caused flooding, debris flows, and wet snow avalanches in the upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada. The origin of this atmospheric river was super typhoon Jelawat, whose moisture remnants were entrained and maintained by an extratropical cyclone in the northeast Pacific. This event was notable due to its April occurrence, as six other typhoon remnants that caused heavy precipitation with high snow levels (mean = 2.92 km) in the northern Sierra Nevada all occurred during October.

The article presents comparative results from 5 categories of animals (4 samples originating from pigs, 2 from cows, 1 from chicken, 1 from ostriches, 1 from horses, samples quantified with A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I). These samples were collected from large, medium and small (family) farms. The results were validated by the biogas production generated by the respective samples, using the Automatic Methane Potential Test System (AMPTS II) bio-processor. The largest amounts of biogas (2,464.5 Nml, 2,262.0 Nml) were recorded for the samples from pig farms (Sample B and Sample D), whereas the lowest values were obtained in the case of Sample A (414.1 Nml) and Sample C (558.3 Nml). The heavy metals analyzed in the article are Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, As. The results corroborate that the C/N ratio can also vary to values lower than 20-30, without affecting the biogas production process, and the heavy metal content must be known especially for the full management of the wastes. All final data presented in the article are based on repeated, triplicate experiments, with less as 2% deviation between data.