Heat-stressed lactating dairy cattle exhibit unique metabolic symptoms; many of which are undoubtedly involved in heat-induced subfertility. Because of its known systemic effects, we hypothesized that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) participates in the regulation of insulin and progesterone during heat stress. Multiparous lactating Holstein cows (n=6) were studied during four experimental periods: 1) thermoneutral (TN; d 1-5), 2) TN + hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp (d 6-10), 3) heat stress (HS; d 16-20), and 4) HS + euglycemic clamp (d 21-25). Blood samples were collected once daily via coccygeal venipuncture into heparinized evacuated tubes. Analysis of GABA concentrations from all four treatment periods yielded no differences. In direct comparison to TN concentrations, plasma GABA tended to be decreased during HS (16.57±2.64 vs 13.87±2.28 ng/ml, respectively, P = 0.06). Both milk production and plasma insulin were moderately correlated with plasma GABA (r=0.35, P<0.01; r = -0.32, P<0.01). Plasma progesterone was correlated with plasma GABA concentrations during TN but not HS. These results are the first to indicate that peripheral GABA could be involved in regulating aspects of production and reproduction during heat stress. More research is needed to determine its precise role(s).

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are an emerging biomarker predictive of response to immunotherapy across a spectrum of solid organ malignancies. The characterization of TILs in gastric cancer (GC) treated with contemporary, multiagent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is understudied. In this retrospective investigation, we analyzed the degree of infiltration, phenotype, and spatial distribution of TILs via immunohistochemistry within resected GC specimens treated with or without NAC at a Western center. We hypothesized that NAC executes immunostimulatory roles evidenced by an increased number of anti-tumor TILs in the tumor microenvironment. We found significantly elevated levels of conventional and memory CD8+ T cells, and total TILs (CD4+, CD8+, Treg, B cells) within chemotherapy-treated tumors compared to chemotherapy-naïve specimens. We also revealed important associations between survival and pathologic response with enhanced TIL infiltration. Taken together, our findings advocate for an immunostimulatory role of chemotherpy and underscore the potential synergistic effect of combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy in resectable gastric cancer.

This review seeks to explain four features of viral respiratory illnesses that have perplexed many generations of microbiologists: (1) the seasonal occurrence of viral respiratory illness; (2) the occurrence of respiratory illness year-round in the Tropics; (3) the rapid response of illness to temperature drops in temperate regions; (4) the explosive arrival and rapid termination of epidemics caused by influenza and other respiratory viruses. I discuss the inadequacy of the popular explanations of seasonality, and propose a simple hypothesis, called Temperature Dependent Viral Tropism (TD-VT), that is compatible with the above and other features of respiratory illness. TD-VT notes that viruses can often transmit themselves more effectively if they moderate their pathogenicity (thereby maintaining the mobility of their hosts) and suggests that most endemic respiratory viruses accomplish this by developing thermal sensitivity, in the sense that they normally replicate rapidly only at temperatures below normal body temperature. This allows them to confine themselves to the upper respiratory tract and to avoid infecting the lungs, heart, gut etc. I review biochemical and tissue-culture studies that found that “wild” respiratory viruses often show natural thermal sensitivity within a range that supports organ-specific tropism within the human body, and I discuss the evident tendency for viral strains to adapt their thermal sensitivity to their local climate and season. I also explore the possible misinterpretation of early experiments where volunteers were inoculated nasally with viral samples and then chilled. Next, I discuss the practical implications of the TD-VT hypothesis for preventing and treating respiratory illness. Finally, I note that the hypothesis is very testable and make suggestions for the most important experiments to increase our understanding of the seasonality and pathogenicity of viral respiratory illness.

Surface temperature influences human health directly and alters the biodiversity and productivity of the environment. While previous research has identified that the composition of urban landscapes influences the physical properties of the environment such as surface temperature, a generalizable and flexible framework is needed that can be used to compare cities across time and space. This study employs the Structure of Urban Landscapes (STURLA) classification combined with remote sensing of New York City’s (NYC) surface temperature. These are then linked using machine learning and statistical modeling to identify how greenspace and the built environment influence urban surface temperature. It was observed that areas with urban units composed of largely the built environment hosted the hottest temperatures while those with vegetation and water were coolest. Likewise, this is reinforced by borough-level spatial differences in both urban structure and heat. Comparison of these relationships over the period between2008 and 2017 identified changes in surface temperature that are likely due to the changes in prevalence in water, lowrise buildings, and pavement across the city. This research reinforces how human alteration of the environment changes ecosystem function and offers units of analysis that can be used for research and urban planning.

Natural cycles underpin the very stuff of life. In this commentary we consider unnatural cycles: that is, anthropogenic activities which have a circularity, but whose nature is to have a detrimental effect on human health, exacerbating existing problems. Natural cycles have feedback loops, some of which have recently come to light, with an understanding that everything is connected in some way. In health, feedback loops are imperative in homeostatic mechanisms. However, in the unnatural cycle the feedback loops serve to reinforce (and in some cases amplify) negative problems. We offer a commentary on an unnatural cycle moving from air quality to lung function and back to air quality; we call this the lung disease unnatural cycle. We suggest where links occur, and where wider consideration of interactions between various disciplines can lead to breaking this unnatural (or vicious) cycle, changing it to a healthy cycle where individual health can be improved, along with better global scale outcomes. We suggest that many activities within this unnatural cycle occur within silos. However, the improved cycle incorporates joint activities at geological, health, and financial levels, to the mutual benefit of all, breaking the unnatural cycle, and improving health, life and financial costs.

Recent developments in US immigration policies have brought tired attention to the problems of immigration in the United States. Although there has been growing awareness of the need to manage immigration that address the economic causal factors underlying the motivation to cross borders, the recent changes in immigration policies fail to do so. This paper brings attention to the futility of border control laws and calls on urban planners to address immigration through strategic planning for a socially-responsible, sustainable economic development in sending countries. This paper concludes with recommendations for how to do this.

Since the public inauguration of the URP (Urban and Regional Planning) Bill in 2009, which is now law (The Urban and Regional Planning Act No. 3 of 2015), urban planning in Zambia has undergone changes. In partnership with the Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) Federation, the Zambian parliament put into effect pilot urban planning assistance programs to assist districts around the country, including Chipata District in 2011, transition to a more decentralized, integrated and locally-defined approach to urban planning. However, the presence of discrimination, corruption, and negative attitudes towards urban planning engagement, social maladies prominently displayed in Zambian society, pose challenges to implementing the ideal goals of the 2009 URP Bill. The extreme, widespread poverty in Zambia merely exacerbates the propensity towards corrupt and discriminatory behavior, and influences poor attitudes toward urban planning engagement. This paper describes the projects undertaken by the VSO volunteer from the USA between 2011 and 2012 in the light of the specific urban problems facing Chipata District, and discusses the ways the social maladies play out in Zambian society to pose challenges to implementing the recommended changes to the planning system scribed in the 2009 URP Bill.

Correlations between the Neoproterozoic belts surrounding the West African Craton and northern Brazilian cratons have long been a subject of interest and controversies. Due to the splitting of African and South American continents by the Atlantic oceanic domains, no direct links are preserved, requiring relying on various geological or geophysical characteristics to propose such correlations. In addition to the opening of the Atlantic oceanic domains, another difficulty arises from the covering of northern Brazilian belts by upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic basins, making these correlations speculative. Recently, four orogens have been evidenced in the Neoproterozoic belts of the western margin of the West Africa Craton, while the belts on the eastern side underwent only one orogeny. Similarities with the Pan-African I (900-650 Ma) and with the Pan-African II (650-480 Ma) orogenic events have been evidence in the western Brazilian belts (Araguay and Paraguay). The two first orogens on the western margin (Pan-African I and Pan-African II) can thus be extended to the western Brazilian belts and can be considered as parts of a single geodynamic system running from the Mauritania to the Paraguay including the “Gurupi rift” as an aulacogen connected to the NNW-SSE Panafrican I and II oceanic domains. Consequently, the eastern Brazilian belt should rather be linked the Eastern Trans-Saharan belts.

This review seeks to explain four features of viral respiratory illnesses that have perplexed generations of virologists: (1) the seasonal timing of respiratory illness; (2) the common viruses causing respiratory illness worldwide, including year-round disease in the Tropics; (3) the rapid response of outbreaks to weather, specifically temperature; (4) the rapid arrival and termination of epidemics caused by influenza and other viruses. The inadequacy of the popular explanations of seasonality is discussed, and a simple hypothesis is proposed, called Temperature Dependent Viral Tropism (TDVT), that is compatible with the above features of respiratory illness. TDVT notes that viruses can transmit themselves more effectively if they moderate their pathogenicity (thereby maintaining host mobility) and suggests that endemic respiratory viruses accomplish this by developing thermal sensitivity within a range that supports organ-specific viral tropism within the human body, whereby they replicate most rapidly at temperatures below body temperature. This allows them to confine themselves to the upper respiratory tract and to avoid infecting the lungs, heart, gut etc. Biochemical and tissue-culture studies show that “wild” respiratory viruses show such natural thermal sensitivity. The typical early autumn surge of colds and the existence of respiratory illness in the Tropics year-round at intermediate levels are explained by the tendency for strains to adapt their thermal sensitivity to their local climate and season. The TDVT hypothesis has important practical implications for preventing and treating respiratory illness including Covid-19. TVDT is testable with many options for experiments to increase our understanding of viral seasonality and pathogenicity.

Background: Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) of the donor and partial exchange (pET) of the recipient is a temporizing treatment for pregnancies with Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence (TAPS). We sought to give a detailed description of the procedural approach and outcomes for sequential donor IUT and recipient pET in TAPS. Methods: Retrospective study of spontaneous TAPS referred to the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy treated with donor IUT followed by recipient pET utilizing a double-syringe set up. Procedure characteristics and outcomes as well as accuracy of existing transfusion formulas were analyzed and compared with the literature. Results: 5 of 78 patients with spontaneous TAPS underwent a total of 19 combined IUT/pET procedures (median first procedure to delivery interval 5.6 weeks [interquartile range IQR 1.9-6.0]). One pET was stopped for fetal decelerations. Patients delivered at 33.0 weeks [IQR 31.9-33.3] with two survivors and no neonatal transfusion requirements. IUT volumes were 48 ml [IQR 39-63 ml] and pET volumes 32 ml [IQR 20-50] utilizing aliquots of 5 – 20 mls for the latter (p=0.021). For IUTs, assumption of a fetal blood volume below 150 ml/kg underestimated required transfusion volume. For pETs, all formulas required adjustment of dilution volume based on bedside testing (p&lt;0.05 for all). Conclusions: Donor transfusion followed by partial exchange in the recipient can prolong pregnancy in spontaneous TAPS and obviate the need for neonatal transfusion. A double-syringe setup facilitates efficient saline exchange. Because the accuracy of volume formulas is limited, bedside testing is recommended to achieve the target hemoglobin.

Into the frame of the French TANDEM project (Tsunamis in the Atlantic and the English ChaNnel: Definition of the Effects through numerical Modelling) Principia has been working on the development and qualification of two in-house CFD software’s: the 2D EOLE-SV (Saint Venant) model for simulation of large scale tsunami propagation from the source up to coastal scale and the 3D EOLE-NS (Navier-Stokes) model dedicated to tsunami coastal impact modelling. This paper presents a large range of test cases carried out into the frame of the project and dedicated to the validation of numerical codes in various tsunami wave conditions. The main aspects of phenomena such as wave generation, propagation and coastal impact are investigated on academic situations. A real case simulation is concerned as well, the devastating 2011 Tohoku event which is compared with in-situ data.

The most widespread intracellular bacteria in the animal kingdom are maternally-inherited endosymbionts of the genus Wolbachia. Their prevalence in arthropods and nematodes worldwide and a stunning arsenal of parasitic and mutualistic adaptations make these bacteria a biological archetype for basic studies of symbiosis and applied outcomes for curbing human and agricultural diseases. Here, we conduct a summative, centennial analysis of living in the Wolbachia world. We synthesize literature on Wolbachia’s host range, phylogenetic diversity, genomics, cell biology, and applications to filarial, arboviral, and agricultural diseases. We also review the mobilome of Wolbachia including phage WO and its essentiality to hallmark phenotypes in arthropods. Finally, the Wolbachia system is an exemplar for discovery-based science education using biodiversity, biotechnology, and bioinformatics lessons. As we approach a century of Wolbachia research, applications, and education, the interdisciplinary science and knowledge from this symbiosis stand as a model for consolidating and teaching the integrative rules of endosymbiotic life.

Enteropathogens, namely Salmonella and Campylobacter, are a concern in global public health and have been attributed in numerous risk assessments to a poultry source. During the last decade a large body of research addressing this problem has been published. The literature reviewed contains review articles on certain aspects of poultry production chain, however in the past decade there hasn’t been a review on the through production chain, farm to fork, production of poultry. This review, a pool of 514 articles were selected for relevance via a systematic screening process (from >7500 original search articles). These studies identified a diversity of management and intervention strategies for the elimination or reduction of enteropathogens in poultry production. Many studies were laboratory or limited field trials with implementation in true commercial operations being problematic. Entities considering using commercial anti-enteropathogen products and interventions are advised to perform an internal validation and fit for purpose trial as Salmonella and Campylobacter serovars and biovars may have regional diversity. Future research should focus on non-chemical application within the processing plant and how synergistic through chain intervention may contribute to reducing the overall carcass burden of enteropathogen, coupled with increased consumer education on safe handling and cooking of poultry.

There is increasing interdisciplinary interest in phytoplankton community dynamics as the growing environmental problems of water quality (particularly eutrophication) and climate change demand attention. This has led to a pressing need for improved biophysical and causal understanding of Phytoplankton Functional Type (PFT) optical signals, in order that satellite radiometry may be used to detect ecologically relevant phytoplankton assemblage changes. This understanding can best be achieved with biophysically and biogeochemically consistent phytoplankton Inherent Optical Property (IOP) models, as it is only via modelling that phytoplankton assemblage characteristics can be examined systematically in relation to the bulk optical waterleaving signal. The Equivalent Algal Populations (EAP) model is used here to investigate the source and magnitude of size- and pigment- driven PFT signals in the water-leaving reflectance, as well as the potential to detect these using satellite radiometry. This model places emphasis on explicit biophysical modelling of the phytoplankton population as a holistic determinant of IOPs, and a distinctive attribute is its comprehensive handling of the spectral and angular character of phytoplankton scattering. Selected case studies and sensitivity analyses reveal that phytoplankton spectral scattering is the primary driver of the PFT-related signal. Key findings are that the backscattering-driven signal in the 520 to 600 nm region is the critical PFT identifier at marginal biomass, and that while PFT information does appear at blue and red wavelengths, it is compromised by biomass/gelbstoff ambiguity in the blue and low signal in the red, due primarily to absorption by water. These findings are hoped to provide considerable insight into the next generation of PFT algorithms.

Optical power splitters play a crucial role as the fundamental building blocks for many integrated optical devices. They should have low losses, broad bandwidth, and a high tolerance to fabrication errors. Adiabatic optical power splitters inherently possess these qualities while being compatible with foundry processes well-suited for mass-production. The long device lengths of adiabatic power splitters, however, are a limiting factor to achieve compact device sizes, which must be reduced. Here, we use a polynomial taper profile optimization algorithm to design 1×2 and 2×2 adiabatic power splitters with significantly shorter lengths than their adiabatic counterparts. The best performing 1×2 and 2×2 power splitters have 20 μm and 16 μm coupling lengths, respectively. Our designs have minimum feature sizes ranging from 140 nm to 200 nm, and our measurements averaged across 9 different chips show excellent consistency in performance for devices with 180 nm and 200 nm minimum features. Both the 1×2 and 2×2 adiabatic optical power splitters have excess losses less than 0.7 dB over a 100 nm bandwidth, with a standard deviation lower than 0.3 dB. Furthermore, our measurements show greater than 20 dB extinction ratios over 130 nm bandwidth. We also demonstrate the design of 1×2 power splitters with arbitrary splitting ratios, where splitting ratios ranging from 50:50 to 94:6 were achieved with standard deviations between 2% and 6%.

Pathologic angiogenesis is responsible for much of the vision loss that stems from several chorioretinal vascular diseases including neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Because vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) serves as a pivotal angiogenic molecule, it has emerged as the primary target for therapeutic drugs. Current anti-VEGF therapy is dominated by bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept, all of which have been available for more than a decade, but new drugs, both biosimilars (Byooviz and Cimerli) and drugs whose primary aim is to decrease treatment burden (brolucizumab, faricimab, and the ranibizumab port delivery system), have been approved. Recent failures (conbercept, abicipar, and KSI-301) emphasize the complexity of drug development and the difficulties faced by innovators. Most therapies under development, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors and gene therapy, include VEGF-A blockade as their primary function and aim to extend durability rather than increase peak efficacy. But even as many new drugs look to extend durability, cost containment with mandated use of biosimilars serves to balance the therapeutic landscape.

Studies on Protein-Protein interactions (PPI) can be helpful for the annotation of unknown protein function and for the understanding of cellular processes, such as specific virulence mechanisms developed by bacterial pathogens. In that context, several methods have been extensively used in recent years for the characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis PPI to further decipher TB pathogenesis. This review aims at compiling the most striking results based on in vivo methods (yeast and bacterial two-hybrid systems, protein complementation assays) for the specific study of PPI in mycobacteria. Moreover, newly developed methods, such as in-cell native mass resonance and proximity-dependent biotinylation identification, will have a deep impact on future mycobacterial research, as they are able to perform dynamic (transient interactions) and integrative (multiprotein complexes) analyses.

Out of a worldwide annual incidence of ~150 million cases for urinary tract infection (UTI), >25% of outpatient prescriptions of oral antimicrobial treatment (OAT) are for cystitis not complicated by sepsis. OAT aids the immune cells infiltrating urothelium to eliminate uropathogens attaching and invading urothelium amidst hyperosmotic urine. This adaptability of uropathogens and the short interval between Penicillin sale and the first antimicrobial resistance (AMR) report suggests that AMR is a 3.8 billion years old evolutionary conserved heritable trait of surviving environmental threats through exponential proliferation of mutant strains selected by Darwinian principle. Therefore, OAT success with minimal AMR can be ensured by antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) following the principle of 5Ds -drug, dose, duration, drug-route, and de-escalation. While convenient to administer, the onset of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for OAT in urine is a window of opportunity for uropathogens to survive the first contact with OAT and the descendant colonies armed with AMR are likely to survive subsequent higher urine OAT levels. Meanwhile, intravesical antimicrobial treatment (IAT) delivers the first strike well above MIC. The root cause analysis of AMR dovetails with the strengths, weaknesses, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis of OAT in this interdisciplinary review.

Understanding the relationships between land cover/urban structure patterns and air pollutants is key to sustainable urban planning and development. In this study, we employ a mobile monitoring method to collect PM_2.5 and BC data in the city of Philadelphia, PA during the summer of 2019 and apply the Structure of Urban Landscapes (STURLA) methodology to examine relationships between urban structure and atmospheric pollution. We find that, while PM_2.5 and BC vary by STURLA class, many of the differences in pollutant concentrations between classes are not significant. However, we also find that the proportions in which STURLA components are present throughout the urban landscape can be used to predict urban air pollution. Among frequently sampled STURLA classes, gpl hosted the highest PM_2.5 concentrations on average (16.60 _± 4.29 µg/m³), while tgbwp hosted the highest BC concentrations (2.31 _± 1.94 µg/m³). Furthermore, STURLA combined with machine learning modeling was able to correlate PM_2.5 (R²= 0.68, RMSE 2.82 µg/m³) and BC (R² = 0.64, RMSE 0.75 µg/m³) concentrations with the urban landscape and spatially interpolate concentrations where sampling did not take place. These results demonstrate the efficacy of the STURLA methodology in modeling relationships between air pollution and land cover/urban structure patterns.

In 2023, the technological landscape witnessed an unprecedented surge of transformative innovations, including Web 3.0 and machine learning, poised to revolutionize various aspects of our daily lives. At the forefront of this revolution stands artificial intelligence (AI), which has evolved from a concept once confined to science fiction into an indispensable force reshaping industries on a global scale. Notably, recent years have seen remarkable strides in AI functionalities, particularly in machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. These advancements have empowered AI to generate diverse interactions and media autonomously. This study ultimately provides invaluable insights into the dynamic intersection of AI and Advertising, con-tributing to a deeper comprehension of this evolving field. This study conducts a comprehensive review of Artificial Intelligence within the advertising domain, employing network analysis. By meticulously examining the evolution of AI through co-occurrences of terms, keywords, and co-authorship analysis, we aim to unveil the relationship of AI & Advertising through the lens of Generative models to identify pivotal trends, core concepts, and seminal studies that have profoundly influenced the industry. The analysis charts the trajectory leading to the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), a transformative development poised to revolutionize advertising practices and consumer engagement. In tandem with these objectives, the results highlight vital trends, emphasizing the growing prominence machine learning tools and techniques such as deep learning techniques and advanced natural language processing methods like word2vec, GANs, and more in shaping the future of advertising practices.

As brachycephalic dog breed ownership increases, there is a growing concern for the welfare of these breeds due to extreme brachycephalism. Understanding the motivations and behaviours of those choosing to own these breeds is important if we wish to address these concerns. The aim of this study was to investigate how owners of brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic dog breeds use social media dog breed groups to discuss common health issues. The purpose of Facebook posts in relation to common health issues, owner awareness of health issues, and the role of Facebook facilitated social support were explored between brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic dog owners. Twelve Facebook breed groups were selected (brachycephalic breed groups, n=6, non-brachycephalic breed groups, n=6). Using key word searches we extracted the first twenty posts from each group. Thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes: advice seeking, advice giving and community bonding mechanisms. Whilst the purpose of posting did not differ between groups, non-brachycephalic owners appeared to display greater awareness of breed-specific health issues, whilst social support played a more prominent role in brachycephalic groups. This research highlights that social media groups can act as platforms for knowledge exchange and emotional support. These could be utilised by owners, veterinarians and welfare organisations to more effectively enhance dog health and wellbeing.

In eastern part of Ethiopia groundnut is very commonly intercropped with sorghum. Even though intercropping of sorghum with groundnut is practiced in the eastern part of Ethiopia the population density at what ratio should not be known. Therefore determining the population ratio is found to be crucial to draw management options. The study was conducted at two locations at Fadis (on station) and Babile (sub- station). Sorghum variety (Teshale) and groundnut (Fetene) were used as planting materials. All agronomic data were collected and analyzed by using GenStat software. Significant different were obtained among the treatments. The research result showed that, there were significance difference for both sorghum and ground nut yield per hectare in the years (2014 and 2015) among treatments. The result over time(in 2014 and 2015) at Fadis and Erer showed that the highest sorghum and groundnut yield per hectare were obtained/harvested from the intra row spacing of 25cmx20cm and 30cmx20cm intercropping sorghum with ground nut system with (1.27 and 1.31) respectively. The highest LER (1.31) and highest GMV (10218.00 ETBr/ha) were obtained from the intercropping of 30cmx20cm (Sorghum & groundnut). Clearly showed that, with intercropping of sorghum and Groundnut, it is possible to produce additional yield of sorghum without significant reduction in groundnut yield. As a result of this, the intra spacing of the main crop (sorghum) 25cm and 30cm and for the subsidiary crop (groundnut) 20cm was recommended for further production in the study areas of eastern Harerghe zone and similar agro-ecologies.

Eating disorder (ED) symptoms often co-occur with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This comorbidity is consistent with evidence that trait negative urgency increases risk for both of these phenomena. We previously found that impaired late-stage negative emotional response inhibition (i.e., negative emotional action termination or NEAT) might represent a neurocognitive mechanism for heightened negative urgency among people with NSSI history. The current study evaluated whether relations between negative urgency and ED symptoms similarly reflect deficits in this neurocognitive process. One hundred and five community adults completed an assessment of ED symptoms, negative urgency, and an emotional response inhibition task. Results indicated that, contrary to predictions, negative urgency and NEAT contributed independent variance to the prediction of ED symptoms, while controlling for demographic covariates and NSSI history. Worse NEAT was also uniquely associated with restrictive eating, after accounting for negative urgency. Our findings suggest that difficulty inhibiting ongoing motor responses triggered by negative emotional reactions (i.e., NEAT) may be a shared neurocognitive characteristic of ED symptoms and NSSI. However, negative urgency and NEAT dysfunction capture separate variance in the prediction of ED-related cognitions and behaviors, distinct from the pattern of results we previously observed in NSSI.

Quantitative research on positive aspects of work-life integration and the well-being of families with children with disabilities is scarce, especially in the national context. The aim of this study was to examine the contributions of some personal and environmental resources in explaining work-to-family (WFF) and family-to-work (FWF) facilitation and mental health of parents of children with disabilities residing in Croatia. The mediational role of WFF and FWF in the relationship between the resources and mental health was tested, while controlling for some general socio-demographic variables. A total of 571 employed parents of a child/children with disabilities completed an online self-assessment questionnaire. The results showed higher WFF (19%) was predicted by higher levels of social support at work, a higher level of education, posttraumatic growth (PTG) of personal strength, and recovery management. Higher FWF (46%) was predicted by higher levels of social support in the family, PTG of personal strength, the emotional regulation strategy of reorienting to planning, optimism, a lower age, the male gender, a greater number of children, and a higher level of education. A higher level of mental health (47%) was predicted directly by higher levels of optimism, recovery management, FWF, emotional regulation strategies of positive refocusing and planning, and a greater number of children, and indirectly by all the predictors of FWF, through a higher level of FWF (but not WFF).

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of molecular chaperones that regulate essential protein refolding and triage decisions to maintaining protein homeostasis. Numerous co-chaperone proteins directly interact and modify the function of HSPs, and these interactions impact the outcome of protein triage, impacting everything from structural proteins to cell signaling mediators. The chaperone/co-chaperone machinery protects against various stressors to ensuring cellular function in the face of stress. However, coding mutations, expression changes, and post-translational modifications of the chaperone/co-chaperone machinery can alter the cellular stress response. Importantly, these dysfunctions appear to contribute to numerous human diseases. Therapeutic targeting of chaperones is an attractive but challenging approach due to the vast functions of HSPs, likely contributing to the off-target effects of these therapies. Current efforts focus on targeting co-chaperones to develop precise treatments for numerous diseases caused by defects in protein quality control. This review focuses on the recent developments regarding selected HSP70/HSP90 co-chaperones, focusing on cardioprotection, neuroprotection, and cancer. We also discuss therapeutic approaches that highlight both the utility and challenges of targeting co-chaperones.

Sewage sludge is an organic waste generated in waste-water treatment plants with certain content of nutrients, what may potentially be used as a source of slow release fertilizer, especially as phosphorus (P) source, but it demands some pre-treatment and the content of P is much lower compared to soluble mineral fertilizers. For these reasons, composted sewage sludge was used to manufacture pelletized organomineral fertilizers, mixing it with the inorganic sources monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and AshDec® (ASD) (thermochemically incinerated sewage sludge). The fertilizers were physiochemically characterized and evaluated as to the dynamics of soil P solubilization, and the forms of P remaining according to its lability. The sources evaluated were: organic compost of sewage sludge powder (SSC), pelletized SSC (SCP), pelletized organominerals SSC+MAP (S+MAP) and SSC+ASD (S+ASD), ASD alone, all compared to a soluble mineral fertilizer (MAP), and a control without P fertilizer. A test was conducted in leaching columns with 50 g of soil (Oxisol), where the fertilizers were applied at a dose of 100 mg P/column, and 30 mL of water or 2% citric acid were added daily for 30 consecutive days. The collected leachates had pH measured and P content determined. Pelletizing process resulted in denser products and promoted more gradual P release. The organomineral S+MAP was the most water-soluble recycled source, solubilizing about 70% of the total P, while the others presented much lower solubilization (&lt;20%). In contrast, all fertilizers showed high solubility in 2% citric acid (except for S+ASD). After leaching, the greatest amount of P remaining in the soil as labile and moderately labile. Composting and the AshDec process produced materials with slow P solubilization, which would be favoured to solubilize in acidic soils and acidic rhizosphere conditions. In turn, the organomineral mixture of SSC with a highly soluble mineral fertilizer (MAP) resulted in a promising product with intermediate nutrient solubility, better synchronized with crop demand, thus increasing efficiency in P use.

1) Background: We analyzed the corpus of three geoscientific journals to investigate if there are enough locational references in research articles to apply a geographical search method, on the example of New Zealand. 2) Methods: Based on all available abstracts and all freely available papers of the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, and the Journal of Hydrology, New Zealand, we searched title, abstracts and full texts for place name occurrences that match records from the official Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) gazetteer. We generated ISO standard compliant metadata records for each article including the spatial references and make them available in a public catalogue service. This catalogue can be queried for articles based on authors, titles, keywords, topics as well as by spatial reference. We visualize the results in a map to show which area the research articles are about. 3) Results: We outline the methodology and technical framework for the geo-referencing of the journal articles and the platform design for this knowledge inventory. The results indicate that the use of well-crafted abstracts for journal articles with carefully chosen place names of relevance for the article provides a guideline for geographically referencing unstructured information like journal articles and reports in order to make such resources discoverable through geographical queries. 4) Conclusion: This approach can actively support integrated holistic assessment of water resources and support decision making.

In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the different sexual systems and sex determining mechanisms in bivalves, with a focus on the various epigenetic and genetic factors that may be involved. The final section of the review provides recent discoveries on sex-specific mitochondrial genes in bivalves possessing the unconventional system of doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondria (which is found in several members of the orders Mytiloida, Unionoida, Veneroida and Nuculanoida). The genes involved in this developmental pathway could represent the first sex determination system in animals in which mitochondrially-encoded genes are directly involved.

Why do neurons communicate through spikes? By definition, spikes are all-or-none neural events which occur at continuous times. In other words, spikes are on one side binary, existing or not without further details, and on the other can occur at any asynchronous time, without the need for a centralized clock. This stands in stark contrast to the analog representation of values and the discretized timing classically used in digital processing and at the base of modern-day neural networks. As neural systems almost systematically use this so-called event-based representation in the living world, a better understanding of this phenomenon remains a fundamental challenge in neurobiology in order to better interpret the profusion of recorded data. With the growing need for intelligent embedded systems, it also emerges as a new computing paradigm to enable the efficient operation of a new class of sensors and event-based computers, called neuromorphic, which could enable significant gains in computation time and energy consumption — a major societal issue in the era of the digital economy and global warming. In this review paper, we provide evidence from biology, theory and engineering that the precise timing of spikes plays a crucial role in our understanding of the efficiency of neural networks.

This study focuses on the potential medicinal properties of Campsis radicans L. extracts and its aim is to investigate the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of these extracts on the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29). Cytotoxic activity in the HT-29 cell line was evaluated, and the 3-dimensional structures of phenolic compounds were obtained using the GC-MS method. Docking simulations were performed with AutoDock Vina, targeting proteins that are crucial in the apoptotic pathway (Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3). Drug similarities and ADMET estimates of the phenolic compounds were obtained from databases. The highest antioxidant activity of Campsis radicans L. plant was observed in ethanol and water extracts, with notable inhibition capacities. While the total phenolic content was highest in ethanol, water, and ether extracts respectively the total flavonoid content was highest in ethanol, then ether, and water extracts. Certain elements were undetectable in mineral determination, and others exceeded the toxic doses for plants. The water extract exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxic activity in the HT-29 cell line, with an IC50 value of 4.47 mg/mL. Molecular docking results revealed the binding of phenolic molecules to the active sites of apoptotic pathway proteins. The findings suggest that Campsis radicans L. plant possesses cytotoxic properties, significant phenolic and flavonoid content, and a high antioxidant capacity. These properties make it a potential candidate for treatment use, emphasizing its potential therapeutic value in the HT-29 cell line. Further research and exploration on the identified phenolic compounds could contribute to the development of novel therapeutic agents.

Callus induction (CI) is the critical trait for the transformation of desirable genes in plants. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis was conducted on the rice germplasm of 110 diverse indica rice accessions. Three tissue culture media, including B5, MS, and N6, were used for CI in those rice panels. Seven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on chromosomes 2, 6, 7, and 11 were found to confer a CI percentage in these three media. For the B5 medium, one QTL (qCI-B5-Chr6) was identified on the rice chromosome 6. For the MS medium, two QTLs were identified on the rice chromosomes 2 and 6 (qCI-MS-Chr2 and qCI-MS-Chr6, respectively). For the N6 medium, four QTLs were identified on the rice chromosomes 6, 7, and 11 (qCI-N6-Chr6.1, qCI-N6-Chr6.2, qCI-N6-Chr7, and qCI-N6-Chr11, respectively). Fifty-five genes were identified within the haplotype blocks corresponding to these QTLs. Thirty-one genes showed haplotypes associated with different CI in those media. The qCI-B5-Chr6 was located in the same region as the qCI-N6-Chr6.2. The caleosin-related family protein was identified in this region. Analysis of the gene-based haplotype reveals the association of this gene with different CI in both B5 and N6 media, suggesting that the gene may play a critical role in the CI mechanism. Moreover, several genes, including the beta-tubulin, the zinc finger proteins, the RNP-1 domain-containing protein, and the Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase, were associated with different CI in the N6 media. Results from this study provide insight into the potential QTLs and candidate genes for callus induction in rice that will fulfill the understanding of the physiological and biochemical processes involved in callus formation, which is an essential tool in the molecular breeding of rice.

Hospitalizations for patients with diabetes and dementia take a significant health and economic toll on older adults in the United States. The present study sought to examine the differences in hospitalization characteristics and outcomes associated with diabetes and dementia separately and together using discharge record data of Los Angeles County residents aged 50+ from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information for the period 2019-2021. Results from multiple linear regression analyses indicated that when compared to those with no diabetes or dementia, patients with diabetes alone exhibited the highest total charges, while those with comorbid diabetes and dementia exhibited lower charges (p≤.05). Results of a multinomial logistic regression found that patients with comorbid diabetes and dementia had the highest odds of having a length of stay of 7+ days (AOR=1.49; 95% CI=1.44-1.53). A matched-case control analysis found that comorbid diabetes and dementia was associated with significantly lower odds of hypertensive disease than diabetes alone (MOR=0.81; 95% CI=0.67-0.97). These results highlight the complexity of factors affecting variation in hospitalization outcomes across these distinct disease profiles. Findings suggest a need to carefully consider this complexity when developing health policies or strategies to improve hospitalization outcomes involving these disease conditions.

Pigmented corn is a gramineae food of great biological, cultural and nutritional importance for many Latin American countries, with more than 250 breeds in the American continent. It confers a large number of health benefits due to its diverse and abundant bioactive compounds. In this narrative review we decided to organize the information on the nutrients, bioactive compounds and phytochemicals present in pigmented corn, as well as their effects on human health. Phenolic compounds and anthocyanins are some of the most studied and representative compounds in these grasses, with a wide range of health properties, mainly the reduction of prooxidant molecules. Carotenoids are a group of molecules belonging to the terpenic compounds, present in a large number of pigmented corn breeds, mainly the yellow ones, whose biological activity incorporates a wide spectrum. Bioactive peptides can be found in abundance in corn, having very diverse biological effects that include analgesic, opioid, antihypertensive, etc. activity. Other compounds with biological activity found in pigmented corn are resistant starches, some fatty acids, phytosterols, policosanols, phospholipids, ferulic acid and phlobaphenes, as well as a great variety of vitamins, elements, and fibers. This review aims to disseminate and integrate the existing knowledge on compounds with biological activity in pigmented corn, in order to promote their research, interest and use by scientists, nutrition professionals, physicians, industries and the general population.

We have previously reported that a single test measuring oVEMP n10 to 4000Hz stimuli (either bone-conducted vibration (BCV) or air-conducted sound (ACS)) provides a definitive diagnosis of semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD) in 22 CT-verified patients with a sensitivity of 1.0 and specificity of 1.0. Such a single short screening test has great advantages of speed, minimizing testing time and the exposure of patients to stimulation. However some studies of the 4000Hz test for SCD have reported sensitivity and sensitivity values somewhat less that what we reported.

Social, cultural, environmental and economic factors closely regulate the selection, allocation and consumption of maternal diets. We developed a nutrition behaviour change intervention to promote a balanced diet in pregnancy through practical demonstration in rural Bangladesh and tested the impact with a cluster randomised controlled trial. This paper presents the findings of the process evaluation and describes the strategies that worked for intervention compliance. We conducted in-depth interviews with pregnant women, women who birthed recently, and their husbands; focus groups with mothers and mothers-in-law; key-informant interviews with community health workers, and observation of home visits. We identified six key areas within the intervention strategy that played a crucial role in achieving the desired adherence. These included practical demonstration of portion sizes; addressing local food perceptions; demystifying animal-source foods; engaging husbands and mothers-in-law; leveraging women’s social networks; and harnessing community health workers’ social role. Practical demonstration, opportunity to participate and convenience of making of the plate with the food available in their kitchen or neighbours’ kitchen were the most commonly mentioned reasons for acceptance of the intervention by the women and their families. The balanced plate intervention helped women through practical demonstration to learn about a balanced meal by highlighting appropriate portion sizes and food diversity. The women needed active involvement of community health workers in mobilising social support to create an enabling environment essential to bring changes in dietary behaviours. Programs to promote a nutritious maternal diet should focus on encouraging the use of healthy foods through practical demonstration of portion sizes and engagement of the women and family instead of replicating the traditional information-based counselling.

This paper investigates how blocks of buildings could fit into load shedding strategies. It focuses in particular on what could be the effects on peak shaving, occupants’ thermal comfort or CO2 emissions reduction and how to quickly quantify them. To achieve this goal, we focused on a new residential district, thermally fed by heat pumps. Four modeling approaches were confronted in order to estimate buildings' responses to load shedding orders. On the one hand, a quick estimation of the peak shaving impact can rely on experimental results if the buildings' envelope and uses of the experimentation match those of the study case. On the other hand, thermal simulation models allow us to assess thermal comfort while considering the building physical response. Finally, a hybrid modeling approach can provide a good compromise between modeling rapidity and accuracy of the impacts estimation. At district scale, it may be necessary to mix modeling approaches, from experimental results to detailed thermal models. Accuracy is not guaranteed for all approaches so that the choice should be made carefully in regards to study needs. However, results are sufficient to compare the effects of load shedding strategies on peak shaving, thermal comfort, and CO2 emissions reductions.

This review examines the effects of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) on general and oral health. The effects of lingonberry are based on the vitamins, minerals, fibers and polyphenolic compounds it contains. Lingonberry's bioactive substances have a diverse range of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiproteolytic, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties. Research results suggest that lingonberries can have a positive effect on human health. Berries, lingonberry juice/lingonberry nectar/fermented lingonberry juice and polyphenol fractions have been used in clinical studies. Lingonberries balance post-meal blood sugar, free fatty acids and insulin levels. Fermented lingonberry juice reduces Streptococcus mutans, Candida and periodontal pathogen counts, but is probiotic because it favors growth of Lactobacilli. In addition, it increases saliva secretion and thus lowers the risk of oral infections. It lowers the clinical parameters of periodontitis and the active matrix metalloprotease-8, reducing the low-grade inflammation associated with periodontal diseases. More studies on humans are needed.

In the last decades droughts, deforestation and wildfires have become recurring phenomena that have affected both human activities and natural ecosystems in Amazonia. The time an ecosystem requires to recover from carbon losses is a crucial metric to evaluate disturbance impacts on forests. However, the factors influencing and controlling the recovery time and its spatiotemporal patterns at the regional scale are still poorly understood. In this study, we combined forest growth model, remote sensing and field plots, to map Amazonia-wide (300-ha resolution) impact and recovery time of aboveground biomass (AGB) after drought, fire and a combination of logging and fire. Our simulated results indicate that AGB decreases by 4%, 19% and 46% in forests disturbed by drought, fire and logging + fire, respectively, with an average AGB recovery time of 27 years for drought, 44 years for burned and 63 years for logged + burned areas and with maximum values reaching 184 years in areas of high fire intensity. Our findings provide two major insights in the spatial and temporal patterns of drought and wildfire in the Amazon: 1) the recovery time of the forests takes longer in the southeastern part of the basin, and, 2) as droughts and wildfires become more frequent – since the intervals between the disturbances is getting shorter than forest regeneration – potentially causing a long-lasting damage in these fragile ecosystems and a permanent degradation.

Lactobacilli are considered an inexhaustible source of potentially bioactive substances; indeed, several products from their metabolism are known to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity. Recently, we demonstrated that cell-free supernatants (CFS) obtained from Lactobacillus (L.) acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri can impair Candida pathogenic potential in an in vitro model of epithelial vaginal infection. This effect could be ascribed to a direct effect of living lactobacilli on Candida virulence and to the production of metabolites which are able to impair fungal virulence. In the present work, stemming from those data, we deepened our knowledge on the CFS from these 4 lactobacilli by performing a metabolomic analysis to better characterize their composition. By using an untargeted metabolomic approach, we detected consistent differences in the metabolites produced by these four different lactobacilli. Interestingly, L. rhamnosus showed the most peculiar metabolic profile. Specifically, after a hierarchical clustering analysis in positive and negative ionization mode, L. rhamnosus showed a specific area of significant overexpressed metabolites that strongly differed from the same area in other lactobacilli. In this area, inosine was identified among the overexpressed metabolites of L. rhamnosus. This molecule has been described to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective and neuroprotective properties. The biological significance of its overproduction by L. rhamnosus might be important in its probiotic and/or postbiotic activity.

Keywords: pluripotency; naïve; stem; imprinting; primordial germ cells; trophoblast; CDK8; Mediator; enhancers.

L-Theanine, a unique non-protein amino acid, is an important bioactive component of green tea. Previous studies have shown that L-theanine has many potent health benefits, such as anti-anxiety effect, regulation of immune response, relaxing neural tension, reducing oxidative damage. However, little is known concerning whether L-theanine can improve the clearance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage in organisms. Here, we reported that L-theanine treatment increased ATP production and improved mitochondrial morphology to extend the lifespan of UVC-exposed nematodes. Mechanistic investigations showed that L-theanine treatment enhanced the removal of mtDNA damage and extended lifespan by activating autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) in UVC-exposed nematodes. In addition, L-theanine treatment also up-regulated the expression of genes related to mitochondrial energy metabolism in UVC-exposed nematodes. Our study provided a theoretical basis for the possibility that tea drinking may prevent mitochondrial related diseases.

The study findings revealed significant variability in various wood properties among different genetic families, although the static modulus of elasticity did not exhibit significant differences between the chosen genetic families. All measured wood properties decreased from the bottom to the top of the model trees. Wood hardness displayed a moderately negative correlation with wood density and weak correlations with MOE and MOR. Given the weak correlations between wood hardness and other wood mechanical properties, it is suggested that the MOEdyn would be a more suitable trait for genetic studies.

Kamchatka berries (Lonicera caerulea L.) are known for their high content of phenolic compounds or vitamins, which is reflected in their antibacterial, detoxifying and anti-inflammatory properties. They are used in the production of jams, juices, wines and as natural dye. A bioferment was prepared from the pomace of the Kamchatka berry varieties Aurora and Indigo Gem and the strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, which was used to prepare a cosmetic preparation with a concentration of 5% in accordance with the guidelines of the COSMOS certification body. Conducted physico-chemical and organoleptic analyses and bioactive profile characterisation (UHPLC-DAD and UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The results showed that the presence of caffeic acid 4.47 ± 0.07 mg/100g was detected after fermentation of Kamchatka berry pomace. Vitamin C content increased by 141% after fermentation of Kamchatka berry pomace. The results of stability tests showed that in the process of physicochemical analysis of cosmetic preparation with bioferment of Kamchatka berry pomace the pH should oscillate in the range of 4.38-4.76 ± 0.01. Stability tests showed that the cosmetic should be protected from high temperatures and UV radiation and proved that the product is stable under changing conditions, resulting in lower transport and storage costs.

Spontaneous tumours in higher plants can develop depending on plant genotype without any pathogen invasion. Spontaneous tumour formation on the taproots is consistently observed in certain inbred lines of radish (Raphanus sativus var. radicula Pers.). In this work, we have sequenced the genomes of two closely related radish inbred lines that differ in their ability to spontaneously form tumours. We have identified numerous single nucleotide variants (amino acid substitutions, insertions or deletions) that are likely to be associated with the spontaneous tumour formation. Furthermore, we performed the identification of CLE and WOX genes the genomic sequences of the radish inbred lines and, as a result, identified two unique radish CLE genes which probably encode proteins with multiple CLE domains. The results obtained provide a basis for investigating the mechanisms of plant tumour formation and also for future genetic and genomic studies of radish.

Freezing of gait (FOG), a debilitating symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD), can be safely studied using the stepping in place (SIP) task. However, clinical, visual identification of FOG during SIP is subjective and time consuming, and automatic FOG detection during SIP currently requires measuring center of pressure on dual force plates. This study examines whether FOG elicited during SIP in 10 individuals with PD could be reliably detected using kinematic data measured from wearable inertial measurement unit sensors (IMUs). A general, logistic regression model (AUC = 0.81) determined that three gait parameters together were overall the most robust predictors of FOG during SIP: arrhythmicity, swing time coefficient of variation, and swing angular range. Participant-specific models revealed varying sets of gait parameters that best predicted FOG for each participant, highlighting variable FOG behaviors, and demonstrated equal or better performance for 6 out of the 10 participants, suggesting the opportunity for model personalization. The results of this study demonstrated that gait parameters measured from wearable IMUs reliably detected FOG during SIP, and the general and participant-specific gait parameters allude to variable FOG behaviors that could inform more personalized approaches for treatment of FOG and gait impairment in PD.

Many protein expression systems are primary utilised to produce a single, specific recombinant protein. In contrast, most biological processes such as virus assembly rely upon a complex of several interacting proteins rather than the activity of a sole protein. The high complexity of the baculovirus genome, coupled with a multiphase replication cycle incorporating distinct transcriptional steps, made it the ideal system to manipulate for high-level expression of a single or co-expression of multiple foreign proteins within a single cell. We have developed and utilised a series of recombinant baculovirus systems to unravel the sequential assembly process of a complex non-enveloped model virus, Bluetongue virus (BTV). The high protein yields expressed by the baculovirus system not only facilitated structure-function analysis of each viral proteins but were also advantageous to crystallography studies and supported the first atomic level resolution of a recombinant viral protein, the major BTV capsid protein. Further, the formation of recombinant double-shelled virus-like particles (VLPs) provided insights into the structure-function relationships among the four major structural proteins of the BTV whilst also representing a potential candidate for a viral vaccine. The baculovirus multi-gene expression system facilitated the study of structurally complex viruses (both non-enveloped and enveloped viruses) and heralded in a new generation of viral vaccines.

Berberis vulgaris (L.) has remarkable ethnopharmacological properties and is widely used in traditional medicine. The present study investigates B. vulgaris stem bark (Berberidis cortex) by extraction with 50% ethanol. The main secondary metabolites were quantified, resulting in a polyphenols content of 17.6780 ± 3.9320 mg Eq Tannic acid / 100 g extract, phenolic acids amount of 3.3886 ± 0.3481 mg Eq Chlorogenic acid / 100 g extract and 78.95 µg/g berberine. The dried hydro-ethanolic extract (BVE) was thoroughly analyzed using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS/MS) and HPLC and 40 bioactive phenolic constituents were identified. Then, the antioxidant potential of BVE was evaluated using three methods; our results could explain the protective effects of Berberidis cortex EC50FRAP = 0.1398 mg/mL, IC50ABTS = 0.0442 mg/mL, IC50DPPH = 0.2610 mg/mL compared to ascorbic acid (IC50 = 0.0165 mg/mL). Next, the acute toxicity and teratogenicity of BVE and Berberine - Berberine sulfate hydrate (BS) - investigated on Daphnia sp reported significant BS toxicity after 24 h; BVE revealed considerable toxicity after 48 hours and induced embryonic developmental delays. Finally, the anticancer effects of BVE and BS were evaluated on different tumor cell lines after 24 and 48 hours of treatments. The MTS assay evidenced a dose- and time-dependent antiproliferative activity, higher on BS than BVE. The strongest diminution of tumor cell viability was recorded on breast (MDA-MB-231), colon (LoVo) cancer, and OSCC (PE/CA-PJ49) cell lines after 48 h of exposure (IC50 &lt; 100 µg/mL). However, no cytotoxicity was reported on normal epithelial cells (HUVEC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HT-29) cell lines. Extensive data analysis supports our results, showing a significant correlation between the BVE's concentration, phenolic compounds content, antioxidant activity, exposure time, and the viability rate of various normal cells and cancer cell lines.

In many European countries over the last decades, arable fields dominate agriculture landscapes, leading to a very intensive land-use practices. This reason seems to be the main cause of popula-tions declines for numerous farmland species, including the European hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778). The Research institute for Animal Production (National Agricultural and Food Centre, Luzianky, Slovakia) has been engaged in a long monitoring project (project currently run-ning), collecting certain indicators of hare population dynamics during hunting season since 1987 to 2023 in the Slovak Danubian Lowland. In the same macro-area (Čiližská Radvaň and Lehnice) a study was conducted on the influence of permanent semi-natural vegetation in relation to re-cruitment, population density and production. The whole monitored period was aggregated into 5-years intervals (for a total of 7 time-intervals), with the aim of analyzing the brown hare popu-lation dynamics. Spring hare density in the Danubian Lowland is currently 20.8 hares/km2, with harvests of 4.6 hares/km2. During all the monitoring period, bag’s animals have been examined following the regular hunting operations for the purpose of age determination (weight of eye lenses), sex ratio and productivity. The results of our analysis showed that the proportion of juve-nile in bag (PYB) among those shot varied from 37.0 % of the last 5-years interval (2018-2023), to a maximum of 51.0 % in interval of years 1998-2002. On total average there were 1.86 juveniles per adult female (r). The proportion of adult females in gamebag varied from 22.58 % (years in-terval 1992-1997) to 31.26 % (years interval 2018-2023). Sex-ratio (SI; males : females) among shot hares showed a value of 0.50, ranged from 0.48 in the period 2008-2012 to 0.52 in the first observed period (years 1987-1991) and in the last one (years 2018-2023). Average weight of shot hares was 4.04 kg (juveniles 3.83 kg, adults 4.27 kg, adult males 4.21 kg and females 4.32 kg). There was a large positive effect of set-aside with special mixtures, created for hares in large-scale farmed agrarian landscape, on hare density, bag and recruitment. In model hunting grounds with such set-asides increased the spring stock by 25 %, bag by 100 % and recruitment by 20 %. This study reveals that the management of European brown hare is not sustainable, and the population is decreasing. It is proved through the decline of harvest hares and by population dynamics parameters. Environmental improvements lead to the stabilization and increasing of requested parameters.

The aims of this study were to assess oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices among orthodontic patients between the ages of 15 and 17 years old compared to adolescents without orthodontic treatment. This cross-sectional study included 392 adolescents drawn from various French teaching hospitals. A closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. Adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment had a higher knowledge of oral health than adolescents without orthodontic treatment. The majority of adolescents for both groups (69%) claimed to brush their teeth twice a day. Regarding complimentary dental material, 81.9% of adolescents without orthodontic treatment never used an interdental brush and 78.8% never used dental floss. For those undergoing orthodontic treatment, 48.5% never used interdental brush. Only 4% of adolescents without and 3% of adolescents with orthodontic treatment never consumed fizzy drinks, 4.9% and 3% never consumed sweets, 4% and 8.4% never ate fast-food. Adolescents without treatment consumed more sodas (p=0.04) and more fast food (p=0.03). Adolescents had insufficient knowledge of oral health. Health education programmes should be implemented to improve adolescents' knowledge and individual oral prophylaxis with interdental brushes.

Minirhizotron tubes were installed to monitor root growth dynamics of mature Shiraz grapevines in a rootstock trial established in the hot climate Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The vertical root distribution and seasonal root growth dynamics of Shiraz on own-roots and Shiraz grafted on the rootstocks Ramsey, 140 Ruggeri and Schwarzmann was studied for five seasons across a seven-year period to a depth of 60 cm. New root production was significantly influenced by genotype, soil depth, season, growth stage and year. Soil moisture and soil tem-perature were monitored at 10, 30 and 60 cm in the last two seasons. Soil moisture at 30 cm and soil temperature at all three depths were significant predictors of root growth. New root numbers were significantly higher in 140 Ruggeri than the other rootstocks. To the depth studied, 140 Ruggeri roots were evenly distributed from the topsoil down, whereas the majority of roots of Schwarzmann and Shiraz were located at intermediate depths in the 10-40 cm ad 20-40 cm zones respectively, while Ramsey roots were found at 20 cm or below. Depending on genotype, root growth occurred across several phenological stages but tended to peak at flowering. In some years we observed root growth in early and late winter at rates exceeding that of autumn, and this was associated with warmer temperatures during this period. Overall, seasonal rooting dynamics were responsive to abiotic factors but dominated by genotype.

This study aims to understand Filipino rice farmers’ aspirations, both farming and non-farming-related. Understanding aspirations can help the government and interested third-party entities to provide impactful initiatives to farmers. The Role Identity Theory guided our analysis in this study. This study is predominantly qualitative, with focus group discussion as the main method of collecting data. The research sites were in Kalinga, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Quezon, Northern Samar, Zamboanga del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, and Agusan del Norte. Among the farming-related aspirations noted in this study relate to property, fair price, infrastructure, government support, and good governance. The non-farming related aspirations relate to infrastructure development; progress; government support and governance; love, passion, peace, and unity; wellness and long life.

This manuscript addresses the phenomenon of masked priming in bilingual individuals. We employed a lexical decision task with masked translation priming, which serves as a valuable tool for elucidating the orthographic and lexical processes involved in the initial stages of reading. Our study builds upon previous research conducted on monolingual masked priming, which consistently demonstrates shifts in the response time (RT) distributions when comparing related and unrelated primes. Within the framework of a diffusion model, we implemented two theoretical positions. First, we posited that translation priming operates at the orthographic level, resulting in enhanced efficiency during the encoding process. Second, we explored the possibility that translation priming operates at the semantic level, influencing the accumulation of evidence during the lexical decision task. Our findings indicate that translation priming elicits outcomes similar to those observed in monolingual priming paradigms. Specifically, we observed that translation priming facilitation is manifested as shifts in the RT distributions. We interpret these findings as suggesting that the benefits derived from the encoding process are not specific to the accessed lexicon following brief stimulus presentation.

Cys is one of the least abundant amino acids in proteins. However, it is often highly conserved and usually found in important structural and functional regions of proteins. Its unique chemical properties allow it to undergo several post-translational modifications, many of which mediated by reactive oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur or carbonyl species. Thus, in addition to their role in catalysis, protein stability and metal binding, Cys residues are crucial for redox regulation of metabolism and signal transduction. In this review, we discuss Cys post-translational modifications (PTMs) and their role in plant metabolism and signal transduction. These modifications include oxidation of the thiol group (S-sulfenylation, S-sulfinylation and S-sulfonylation), the formation of disulfide bridges, S-glutathionylation, persulfidation, S-cyanylation S-nitrosation, S-carbonylation, S-acylation, prenylation, CoAlation as well as the formation of thiohemiacetal. For each of these PTMs, we discuss the origin of the modifier, the mechanisms involved in PTM, as well as their reversibility. Examples of the involvement of Cys ​​PTMs in the modulation of protein structure, function, stability, and localization are presented to highlight their importance in the regulation of plant metabolic and signaling pathways.

We study the application of Optimal Control Theory to Ion Cyclotron Resonance. We test the validity and the efficiency of this approach for the robust excitation of an ensemble of ions with a wide range of cyclotron frequencies. Optimal analytical solutions are derived in the case without any pulse constraint. A gradient-based numerical optimization algorithm is proposed to take into account limitation in the control intensity. The efficiency of optimal pulses is investigated as a function of control time, maximum amplitude and range of excited frequencies. A comparison with adiabatic and SWIFT pulses is done. On the basis of recent results in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, this study highlights the potential usefulness of optimal control in Ion Cyclotron Resonance.

The rise in prevalence of obesity in women of reproductive age in both developed and developing countries might propagate intergenerational cycles of detrimental effects on metabolic health, contributing to substantial economic burden on society. Placental lipid metabolism might be disrupted by maternal obesity, which possibly affects the life-long health of the offspring. Here, we investigated placental lipid metabolism and handling from women with pre-gestational obesity as a sole pregnancy complication and compared to placental responses of lean women. Open profile and targeted lipidomics were used to assess placental lipids and oxidized products of docosahexahenoic acid (DHA), neuroprostanes, and arachidonic acid (AA), isoprostanes. Placental fatty acid transporters FABP1, FABP3 and endothelial lipase protein were measured. Despite no signs of overall alterations in lipid content, increased contents of DHA, AA, DHA-derived neuroprostanes and AA-derived isoprostanes and decreased content of FABP1 protein were found in placentas from obese women. Multivariate analyses suggested that these oxidised fatty acids are associated with maternal and placental inflammation and also with birth weight. These results might shed light on the molecular mechanisms associated with altered fatty acid metabolism and lipid handling in maternal pre-gestational obesity, placing these oxidized fatty acids as novel mediators of placental function.

Background: Breast cancer and other neoplasms, such as acute lymphocytic leukaemia, are a severe hazard to public health globally. L-glutamine-degrading enzymes are required for the treatment of malignancies such as acute lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer. L-glutaminase, an amidohydrolase, has been shown to be an effective chemotherapeutic tool for treating a variety of malignancies. The aim of the study: Molecular characterization is used in the study and production of bacterial L- glutaminase as an anticancer agent from a variety of Egyptian soil locales. The type of the study: Screening experimental study. Methodology: In the current study, many bacterial isolates were tested on mineral L-glutamine agar selective medium (MGA) to evaluate if they generated L-glutaminase. The most effective positive bacterial isolates that produce L-glutaminase, however, were discovered by morphological and biochemical analysis. The primary positive isolate producing L-glutaminase was also identified utilizing molecular detection by 16S rRNA sequencing homology technique. The properties of bacteria-produced L- glutaminase were investigated. The anticancer activity was assessed with an MTT assay. Results: Sole bacterial isolates that only needed L-glutamine for metabolic nitrogen grew well on MGA. The optimal conditions for producing positive bacterial isolates were pH 7.4 and 37 ̊C. The morphological and biochemical investigations of soil samples from diverse soil conditions in Egypt revealed that Bacillus subtilis subsp. niger (ATCC 9372) was the primary positive bacterial isolate producing L-glutaminase. At a pH of 7.4 and a temperature of 37 °C, the activators KCL, ZnSO4, FeSO4, K2HPO4, and MgSO4 offered ideal conditions for defining L-glutaminase production. L-glutaminase from Bacillus subtilis was detected to be a highly bioavailable and efficient anticancer treatment. The original yield [productivity] from MGA was 6.3 U/ml, but invitro coupled transcription and translation production raised it to 89± 1 U/ml. L-glutaminase had a molecular mass of approximately 36 kDa. The purification of L-glutaminase resulted total activity of 21,883 ± 15.67 (U), specific activity of 379.14 ± 7.35 (U/mg of protein), and purification fold of 1.82 ± 3.06. The enzymatic activators Ni2+ and Mg 2+ increased L-glutaminase activity by 20%, 27%, respectively. The compound showed significant anticancer activity (IC50 = 38.72, 8.6, 6.41, 19.02, 49.83, and 9.45 μg/ml) against cancer cell lines from the liver (HepG-2), colon (HCT- 116), breast (MCF-7), lung (A-549), lymphocytic (CCL-120), and cervical (Hela). The kinetic parameters Km and Vmax were 15.2^ 10 -3 M and 119.86 μmol/ml/min, indicating a higher affinity for the substrate. The enzyme demonstrated high efficacy at pH 6.5 and temperature 35. The enzyme was thermostable at 58 ̊C for 1 hour. Conclusion: Acute lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer are two instances of auxotrophic malignancies for which L-glutamine is the sole metabolic source, and Bacillus subtilis- derived L-glutaminase was a suitable enzyme in their treatment.

Background: The World Health Organization identifies lung and prostatic cancers as solid tumors with significant global lethality, both being auxotrophic cancers for L-arginine aminoacid. The aim of the study: The study aims to detect L-arginase-expressing bacteria from various soil environments in Egypt using 16S rRNA and characterize its anticancer activity. Methodology: A hundred samples of Egyptian grassland soil were gathered at a depth of 11–20 cm, close to wheat mills. Using fast plate assay screening and spectrophotometric analysis, the presence of bacteria generating L-arginase was verified. The major soil bacterial isolates were identified by morphological characterization, biochemical responses, and 16SrRNA sequencing methods. The anticancer activity of the test enzyme was assessed using MTT assay. Results: On the MAA medium, only the bacterial isolates capable of using L-arginine as the only metabolic source for carbon and nitrogen were cultivated. Bacillus cereus DSM 360 was shown to be the prevailing bacterial isolate generating L-arginase using molecular detection and biochemical reactions. When Co+2, Ni+2, and Mn+2 metal ions were present as co-factors, bacterial L-arginase demonstrated remarkable anticancer action against auxotrophic tumors for L-arginine. The total protein content was 0.349 mg, while total enzyme activity was 8.174 U with 61% enzyme recovery. As well as the specific activity reached 23.4212 U/mg. Using the mass spectrometer, the molecular weight of the bacterial L-arginase was revealed to be 37 KDa. The bacterial L-arginase's IC50 values were 3.12 U/ml for the lung cancer cell line, 3.91 U/ml for prostatic cancer cell line, 0.91 U/ml for acute promyelocytic leukemia cancer cell line and 2.73 U/ml for kidney cancer cell line. The enzyme under test showed kinetic characteristics of 7.36 mmol/l and 6.14 μmol/min for Km and Vmax, respectively. The half-life time (T1/2) was 90.17 min at 50°С, while being 86.53 min at 60°С. The test enzyme was thermostable at 60°С for 1 hour. Conclusion: The study showed a potential strategy by identifying and determining a newly discovered bacterial L-arginase enzyme as an anticancer agent in Egypt's soil settings.

Mineral nutrition is essential for plant growth and interaction of plants with biotic and abiotic stresses. Mango twig-tip dieback (MTTD) is a new type of mango decline, but its impact on the trees’ mineral nutrition is unknown. This study was conducted to determine the effect of MTTD infection on the nutrient status, balance, and resorption efficiency (RE) of mango. Leaf nutrient concentrations and deviation from the optimum percentage (DOP) indices of ‘Kensington Pride’ (KP) mango trees with low (LD) and high (HD) levels of MTTD infections were analyzed to compare the foliar nutrition status and nutrient balance between the LD and HD trees. Moreover, the nutrient resorption efficiency of MTTD-infected dried leaves (RE_D) was compared with the resorption efficiency of healthy (RE_S) leaves of KP mangoes. The concentrations of the total Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were lower in the HD trees than in the LD trees. But the total K content was higher in the HD trees, and its DOP index was sufficient, while the total K concentration was low and deficient level in LD trees. Moreover, DOP indices for total Ca, Mn, and Zn were less deficient in LD trees than in HD trees, and overall nutrient imbalances were exacerbated in HD trees. RE_D was significantly lower than RE_S for the total N, P, S, Cu, Fe, and Zn but significantly higher than RE_S for K. The study underscores the significant influence of MTTD on the mineral nutrition of KP mangoes, revealing distinct nutrient variations between trees with low and high MTTD infection levels. These findings have important implications for mango crop management, emphasizing the need for targeted nutrient interventions to address imbalances induced by MTTD and enhance the overall health and resistance of mango trees against MTTD infection.

Amidst worsening climate change, drought stress imperils global agriculture, jeopardizing crop yields and food security, necessitating urgent exploration of sustainable methods like biopriming, harnessing beneficial microorganisms to bolster plant resilience. Recent research has revealed diverse biological compounds with versatile applications produced by Schizophyllum commune, rendering this fungus as a promising contender for biopriming applications. For the first time this study aimed to investigate,the potential of S. commune exo- (EPSH) and intra-PSH (IPSH), isolated from two strains: Italian (ITA) and Serbian (SRB) under submerged cultivation, in enhancing the resilience of Pisum sativum L. seeds through biopriming technique. Testing of seed quality of bioprimed, hydroprimed, and unprimed seeds was done using a germination test, under optimal and drought conditions. In optimal conditions, the IPSH SRB increased germination energy by 5.50% compared to the control, while the highest percentage of germination (94.70%) was shown after biopriming with PSH isolated from the ITA strain. Additionally, all assessed treatments resulted in a boost in seedling growth and biomass accumulation, where the ITA strain demonstrated greater effectiveness in optimal conditions, whereas the SRB strain showed superiority in drought conditions. The drought tolerance indices increased significantly in response to all examined treatments during the drought, with EPSH ITA (23.00%) and EPSH SRB (24.00%) demonstrating the greatest effects. Results demonstrate a significant positive influence of fungal PSH, indicating their potential as biopriming agents and offers insights into novel strategies for agricultural resilience in the face of changing environmental conditions.

According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the world population will increase to about 91 million (Asia 51 million, Africa 19 million). A rise in the world’s population means an increased need for food. However, climate change has caused desertification and unpredictable weather, creating problems in the supply and demand of food. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an alternative to solving the food problem, as it is one of the world’s most important food crops, especially in developing countries. The tuberous roots of sweet potato are usually used as staple food, animal feed, industrial material, or raw material for alcohol production. In the future, more variations of sweet potato will be needed for breeding this crop. Recently, molecular markers developed for sweet potato have demonstrated good potential for use in genetic selection. In this study, a cDNA library was constructed from the total RNA of sweet potato leaves. A total of 789 copies of the cDNA were cloned in Escherichia coli by employing the pGEM-T Easy vector. Sequencing was carried out by Solgent Co. (Korea). As many as 579 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers were designed (73.38%) from the known cDNA nucleotide base sequences. The lengths of the developed EST-SSR markers ranged from 100 to 499 bp (average length 238 bp). Their motif sequence types were varied, with most being dinucleotides and pentanucleotides, and the most commonly found motifs were CAGAAT (29.0%) and TCT (2.8%). Based on these SSR-containing sequences, 619 pairs of high-quality SSR primers were designed using WebSat and Primer3web. The total number of primers designed was 144. Polymorphism was evident in 82 EST-SSR markers among 20 Korean sweet potato cultivars tested and in 90 EST-SSR markers in the two parents of a mapping population, Yeseumi and Annobeny. In this study, the hexaploid sweet potato (2n = 6x = 90) EST-SSR markers were developed in the absence of full-sequence data. Moreover, by acting as a molecular tag for particular traits, the EST-SSR marker can also simultaneously identify information about the corresponding gene. These EST-SSR markers will allow the molecular analysis of sweet potato to be done more efficiently. Thus, we can develop high-quality sweet potato while overcoming the challenges from climate change and other unfavorable conditions.

During the last decade, essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) derived from marine sources have been investigated as nonpharmacological dietary supplements to improve different pathological conditions, as well as aging. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary n-3 PUFA monoacylglycerides (MAG, both EPA and DHA) on the mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress of a short-lifespan model, Drosophila melanogaster, sampled at five different ages. Our results showed that diets supplemented with MAG-EPA and MAG-DHA increased median lifespan by 14.6% and decreased mitochondrial proton leak resulting in an increase of mitochondrial coupling. The flies fed on MAG-EPA also had higher electron transport system capacity and mitochondrial oxidative capacities. Moreover, both n-3 PUFAs delayed the occurrence of lipid peroxidation, but only flies fed the MAG-EPA diet showed maintenance of superoxide dismutase activity during aging. Our study therefore highlights the potential of n-3 PUFA monoacylglycerides as nutraceutical compounds to delay the onset of senescence by acting directly or indirectly on the mitochondrial metabolism, and suggests that Drosophila could be a relevant model for the study of the fundamental mechanisms linking the effects of n-3 PUFAs to aging.

Loss-of-function mutations of the spermine synthase gene (SMS) result in Snyder-Robinson Syndrome (SRS), a recessive X-linked syndrome characterized by intellectual disability, osteoporosis, hypotonia, speech abnormalities, kyphoscoliosis, and seizures. As SMS catalyzes the biosynthesis of the polyamine spermine from its precursor spermidine, SMS deficiency causes a lack of spermine with an accumulation of spermidine. As polyamines, spermine and spermidine play essential cellular roles that require tight homeostatic control to ensure normal cell growth, differentiation, and survival. Using patient-derived lymphoblast cell lines, we sought to comprehensively investigate the effects of SMS deficiency on polyamine homeostatic mechanisms including polyamine biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes, derivatives of the natural polyamines, and polyamine transport activity. In addition to decreased spermine and increased spermidine in SRS cells, ornithine decarboxylase activity and its product putrescine were significantly decreased. Treatment of SRS cells with exogenous spermine revealed that polyamine transport was active, as the cells accumulated spermine, decreased their spermidine level, and established a spermidine-to-spermine ratio within the range of wild type cells. SRS cells also demonstrated elevated levels of tissue transglutaminase, a change associated with certain neurodegenerative diseases. These studies form a basis for further investigations into the leading biochemical changes and properties of SMS-mutant cells that potentially represent therapeutic targets for the treatment of Snyder-Robinson Syndrome.

Objectives Assess rates of adverse events (AE) after COVID-19 vaccines experienced by women of reproductive age, focusing on pregnancy and menstruation, using data collected by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database. Design Population-based retrospective cohort study. Setting US and global entries in US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Participants CDC VAERS entries from January 1, 1998 to June 30, 2022. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures A proportional reporting ratio analysis is performed using data in the VAERS system comparing adverse events (AE) reported post-COVID-19 vaccines with that of post-Influenza vaccines. Results COVID-19 vaccines, when compared to the Influenza vaccines, are associated with a significant increase in AE with all proportional reporting ratios of > 2.0: menstrual abnormalities, miscarriage, fetal chromosomal abnormalities, fetal malformation, fetal cystic hygroma, fetal cardiac disorders, fetal arrhythmias, fetal cardiac arrest, fetal vascular malperfusion, fetal growth abnormalities, fetal abnormal surveillance, fetal placental thrombosis, low amniotic fluid, preeclampsia, premature delivery, preterm premature rupture of membrane, fetal death/stillbirth, and premature baby death (all p values were much smaller than 0.05). When normalized by time-available, doses-given, or persons-received, all COVID-19 vaccine AE far exceed the safety signal on all recognized thresholds. Conclusions Pregnancy complications and menstrual abnormalities are significantly more frequent following COVID-19 vaccinations than Influenza vaccinations. A worldwide moratorium on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy is advised until randomized prospective trials document safety in pregnancy and long-term follow-up in offspring.

Cannabis has long been used for its medicinal and psychoactive properties. With the relatively new adoption of formal medicinal cannabis regulations worldwide, the study of cannabinoids, both endogenous and exogenous, has similarly flourished in more recent decades. In particular, research investigating the role of cannabinoids in regeneration and neurodevelopment has yielded promising results in vertebrate models. However, regeneration-competent vertebrates are few, whereas a myriad of invertebrate species have been established as superb models for regeneration. As such, this review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the endocannabinoid system, with a focus on current advances in the area of endocannabinoid system contributions to invertebrate neurodevelopment and regeneration.

Chronic wounds remain a significant clinical challenge, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic agents. Sedum telephium L. (syn. Hylotelephium telephium (L.) H. Ohba) leaf juice, known for its traditional medicinal uses, was evaluated for its wound healing properties. This study aimed to chemically characterize the leaf juice and assess its efficacy in promoting wound healing in vitro. Fresh leaves were collected and processed to obtain the juice, which was analyzed for polyphenols, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and proteins. Key bioactive compounds, including flavonols such as kaempferol glycosides and quercetin glycosides, were identified. The juice and its polysaccharidic fraction were tested on human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and fibroblasts (HFF-1) to assess cell viability, wound closure, and the production of growth factors and pro-collagen I. Our results indicated that the whole juice significantly enhanced wound closure in both cell types, with a marked increase in fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and LAP(TGF-β1) production in keratinocytes, highlighting its potential mechanisms of action. The polysaccharidic fraction alone showed limited efficacy, emphasizing the importance of the complete phytocomplex. These findings suggest that Sedum telephium L. represents a promising candidate in the setting of skin regeneration and repair.

L-gulonolactone oxidase enzyme (GULO) catalyzes the last step of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) biosynthesis. This enzymatic activity is lost in primates. The full-length rat GULO has been previously produced in plants and demonstrated to be active. In this study, we compare activity of two variants of GULO produced in Escheriachia coli cells, full-length rat GULO (fGULO) and its C-terminal catalytic domain (cGULO). The expression and purification of the recombinant proteins were optimised and their biological activity was confirmed by two methods, the GULO activity assay in the protein extracts and the ‘in-gel’ staining for GULO activity. Both variants of recombinant GULO were biologically active in both assays. However, cGULO is more promising than fGULO for ascorbic acid production because it is more efficiently produced by bacteria.

In this paper, we propose an imagined speech-based brain wave pattern recognition using deep learning. Multiple features were extracted concurrently from eight-channel Electroencephalography (EEG) signals. To obtain classifiable EEG data with fewer number of sensors, we placed the EEG sensors on carefully selected spots on the scalp. To decrease the dimensions and complexity of the EEG dataset and to avoid overfitting during the deep learning algorithm, we utilized the wavelet scattering transformation. A low-cost 8-channel EEG headset was used with MATLAB 2023a to acquire the EEG data. The Long-Short Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) was used to decode the identified EEG signals into four audio commands: Up, Down, Left, and Right. Wavelet scattering transformation was applied to extract the most stable features by passing the EEG dataset through a series of filtration processes. Filtration has been implemented for each individual command in the EEG datasets. The proposed imagined speech-based brain wave pattern recognition approach achieved a 92.50% overall classification accuracy. This accuracy is promising for designing a trustworthy imagined speech-based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) future real-time systems. For better evaluation of the classification performance, other metrics were considered, and we obtained 92.74%, 92.50% and 92.62% for precision, recall, and F1-score, respectively.

The lab-on-a-chip concept, enabled by microfluidic technology, promises the integration of multi-ple discrete laboratory techniques into a miniaturised system. Research into microfluidics has generally focused on the development of individual elements of the total system (often with rela-tively limited functionality), without full consideration for integration into a complete fully opti-mised and miniaturised system. Typically, the operation of many of the reported lab-on-a-chip devices is dependent on the support of a laboratory framework. In this paper, a demonstrator platform for routine laboratory analysis is designed and built, which fully integrates a number of technologies into a single device with multiple domains such as fluidics, electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, and photonics. This facilitates the delivery of breakthroughs in research, by incorpo-rating all physical requirements into a single device. To highlight this proposed approach, this demonstrator microsystem acts as a fully integrated biochemical assay reaction system. The re-sulting design determines enzyme kinetics in an automated process and combines reservoirs, three-dimensional fluidic channels, optical sensing, and electronics in a low-cost, low-power and portable package.

Ever since Varela and Maturana proposed the concept of autopoiesis as the minimal requirement for life, there has been a focus on cellular systems that erect topological boundaries to separate themselves from their surrounding environment. Here we reconsider whether the existence of such a spatial boundary is strictly necessary for self-producing entities. This work presents a novel computational model of a minimal autopoietic system inspired by dendrites and molecular dynamics simulations in three-dimensional space. A series of simulation experiments where the metabolic pathways of a particular autocatalytic set are successively inhibited until autocatalytic entities that could be considered autopoietic are produced. These entities maintain their distinctness in an environment containing multiple identical instances of the entities without the existence of a topological boundary. This gives rise to the concept of a metabolic boundary which manifests as emergent self-selection criteria for the processes of self-production without any need for unique identifiers. However, the adoption of such a boundary comes at a cost, as these autopoietic entities are less suited to their simulated environment than their autocatalytic counterparts. Finally, this work showcases a generalized metabolism-centered approach to the study of autopoiesis that can be applied to both physical and abstract systems alike.

Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) is an oilseed with potential for use as a raw material in second-generation biofuels. Camelina has a seed yield of up to 2380 kg ha^-1 and contains around 45% fatty acids. Selection of a suitable site is critical for production optimization. The objective of this study was to determine Chilean agro-climatic suitability for establishing camelina as a productive alternative. Climate and soil requirements and geographical restraints were evaluated for the species, considering the climatological characteristics of its regions of origin, as well as regions where camelina is successfully grown in the rest of the world. The variables considered include factors (maximum temperatures of the warmest month, water deficits, and degree days) and limitations (altitude, geomorphology, and current land use), which permitted the evaluation of the national territory for a certain level of suitability. It was determined that 1.3% of the national territory (960,664 ha) has some degree of suitability for camelina adoption. Between the Biobío and Los Lagos regions, 49.0% of land (471,203 ha) is in the category of without thermic restrictions, with mild water restrictions, and mild soil restrictions or without information, which can be used for camelina production. The Los Ríos region had 21.4% surface area (321,176 ha) with some level of suitability for camelina, the most suitable region to establish this crop in Chile.

Cultivated adlay or Job’s tear (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) is an important food crop having numerous therapeutic and nutraceutical health benefits. Our study aimed to determine nutrients, minerals, fatty acid composition, and functional groups of seven wild Adlay accessions (brown, black, yellow, grey, green, off-white, and purple) to find out their scope as cereal crops using simple, rapid, and modern analytical techniques. Results revealed variations among bulk densities, specific densities, percent empty spaces, and corresponding grain counts per 10g of sample are valuable characteristics in distinguishing the accessions. Contents of fat, protein, ash, and fibre were found to be comparable to cultivated Adlay. Brown adlay was measured with the highest protein, fat, and fibre contents, 15.82%, 4.76% and 2.37%, respectively. Phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and sodium ranged 0.3% - 2.2%, whereas boron, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese were in the range 1.6mg/kg - 20.8mg/kg. Wild adlay triglyceride composition constituted of polyunsaturated fatty acids as primary fraction followed by olein and palmitic acid as prominent fatty acids. Distinguishing functional groups expressed infra-red frequencies in narrow bands and fingerprint region of proteins associated with out-of-plane region evident structural differences among adlay accessions. Frequency of functional groups in seven accessions indicated black genotype promising for varietal development.

Rosemary is one of the most important medicinal plants for natural therapy due to its multiple pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antiproliferative, antitumor, hepato- and nephroprotective, hypolipidemic, hypocholesterolemic, antihypertensive, anti-ischemic, hypoglycemic, radioprotective, antimicrobial, antiviral, antiallergic, wound healing. Our study reports for the first time, over a 12-month period, the identification and quantification of polyphenols and the investigation of the antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity of the Rosmarinus officinalis L. species harvested at flowering from the flora of southwestern Romania (Oltenia Region). Identification and quantification of polyphenolic acids was made by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS). Total phenolic content was determined using the spectrophotometric method. In situ antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and AChE inhibitory assay, respectively, on high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates. DPPH radical scavenging activity was also assessed spectrophotometrically. The results revealed significant correlations between specific polyphenolic compounds and the measured biological activities, understanding the role of seasonal variations and providing insights into the optimal harvesting times and medicinal benefits of rosemary. Our research brings new information on the phytochemical profile of R. officinalis, as a natural source of polyphenols with antioxidant and AChE inhibitory properties.

Groundwater is becoming increasingly important in the Pacific Northwest of the USA due to declining snowpack volumes and shifts in precipitation type and timing, all connected with climate change. The Upper Williamson Basin of the Klamath Watershed is a groundwater dominated watershed with massive fluctuations in year-to-year streamflow volumes over the past four decades, including the complete absence of any live flow for several years. The precise relationship between groundwater and streamflow in the basin has been difficult to assess due to a limited number of monitoring wells and significant gaps in the water level time history. To address this challenge, we use a novel imputation technique that leverages Earth observations and machine learning to impute gaps in water level records. We use these more complete datasets to compute a groundwater storage change time series for the basin. We show that groundwater storage is highly correlated to streamflow and that groundwater storage is correlated to rainfall with a three- to four-year delay that appears variable depending on groundwater storage volumes. The tools and relationships we present make it possible for water managers to estimate when streamflows will return to the basin and be more informed to support better management.

Performing arts used as a method of spreading health information dates back to the origins of storytelling. However, interventions in developing, non-Western countries typically utilise Western entertainment forms. This qualitative investigation assesses responses to an intervention designed around traditional Javanese shadow puppetry (wayang kulit). Semi-structured interviews provided in-depth responses from a sample (n=12) of villagers. Responses analysed both cross-case and within-case, focused on perceptions of the music and storyline, responses to the intervention, and perceived appropriateness of wayang kulit for disseminating a health message. Wayang kulit was considered to be interesting and easy to remember, but concerns remained regarding the reliability of information provided through the drama. The fusion of traditional and modern music and story elements were perceived positively. Some participants were inspired to improve their hygiene practices, although the lack of motivation, or belief that they were unable to change was noted. The performance was generally received positively in terms of the nature of the intervention, the fusion of traditional and Western music and story elements, as well as the use of wayang kulit to spread health information. The study provides guidance for modifications to the production, prior to scaling up.

Many dioecious plants have sex chromosomes that are cytologically heteromorphic, but about half of species lack cytological differences between males and females and are thus homomorphic. Very little is known about the size and content of the non-recombining sex-determining region (SDR) in these species. Here, we assess the size and content of the SDR of the diploid dioecious herb Mercurialis annua, which has homomorphic sex chromosomes and shows signatures of mild Y-chromosome degeneration. We used RNAseq to identify new Y-linked markers for M. annua. Twelve of 24 transcripts with male-specific and male-biased expression could only be PCR-amplified from males and are thus Y-linked. We found a further six Y-linked sequences that were present in males but not females using genome capture data from multiple populations. We used the Y-linked sequences to identify and sequence 17 sex-linked bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), which form 11 groups of non-overlapping sequence, covering a total sequence length of about 1.5 Mb. Content analysis of this region suggests it is enriched for repeats, has a low gene density and contains few candidate sex-determining genes. The BACs map to a subset of the sex-linked region of the genetic map, which is estimated to be at least 14.5 Mb. This is substantially larger than estimates for other dioecious plants with homomorphic sex chromosomes, especially given the small genome size of M. annua. Our data provide a rare, high-resolution view of the homomorphic Y chromosome of a dioecious plant.

Berberis vulgaris L. (Berberidaceae) is a shrub that has been widely used in European folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent. The purpose of our study was to elucidate the mechanisms of antiproliferative action of the plant’s methanolic root extract (BVR) against colon cancer cells. Cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic activity were determined in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines (LS180 and HT-29) and control colon epithelial CCD841 CoN cells. According to the MTT assay, after 48 h of cell exposure, the IC50 values were as follows: 4.3; 46.1 and 50.2 µg/mL for LS180, HT-29, and CCD841 CoN cells, respectively, showing the greater sensitivity of cancer cells to BVR. The Cell Death Detection ELISAPLUS kit demonstrated that BVR induced programmed cell death only against HT-29 cells. RT-qPCR with relative quantification method showed significant changes in the expression of genes related to apoptosis in both colon cancer cell lines. The genes BCL2L1 (126.84-366.66%), BCL2L2 (277.08-330.12%), CASP3 (180.36-261.36%) and CASP9 (158.08-213.46%) had significantly elevated expression, while BCL2 (23.08-52.06%) had reduced expression. Furthermore, in a panel of antioxidant tests, BVR showed positive effects (63.93±0.01, 122.92±0.01, and 220.29±0.02 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/g in the DPPH•, ABTS•+ and ORAC assays, respectively). In the lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibition test, BVR revealed 62,60±0.87% of enzyme inhibition. The chemical composition of BVR was determined using UHPLC-UV-CAD-MS/MS analysis and confirmed the presence of several known alkaloids, including berberine, as well as other alkaloids and two derivatives of hydroxycinnamic acid (ferulic and sinapic acid hexosides). This is the first such extensive assessment of the biological activity of BVR. The results are very promising and encourage for the use of BVR as a comprehensive chemopreventive agent (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro-apoptotic) in colorectal cancer.

A substantial amount of phosphorus (P) in soil is not readily available for plant uptake. Certain species may enhance P availability from poorly soluble P forms. This research aimed to compare the P solubilization capacity of the soil of two Lupine species, L. albus, and L. angustifolius, with a control crop of oats (Avena strigosa L.). Plants were planted in pots in four soils with varying texture, organic matter content, acidity, and P availability. Phosphorus solubilization capacity was assessed on variations of P availability (PBray1) at four points in time, comparing soils with lupine to oat-containing soils and their baseline values. At harvest, measurements of plant shoot biomass included their shoot dry weight and some nutrient concentrations such as P, nitrogen (N), manganese (Mn), and lupine nitrogen fixation. Compared to soils containing oats, lupine soils significantly increased PBray1 concentrations; increments ranged from 0.9 to 5.4 mg kg-1, depending on species, sampling time, and soil type. Lupine-induced soil acidification did not fully explain this P increase., As a proxy measurement of organic acid exudation, Manganese concentration was high in both lupine species' shoot biomass; however, these legumes had divergent Mn accumulation responses to soil acidity and P availability. Nitrogen fixed quantity varied with Lupine species (105-240 mg pot-1) and soil type (60-240 mg pot-1). Lupinus albus had a higher ability to mobilize non-labile P and provide N through biological N fixation (BNF), positioning it as a suitable crop for diversifying Uruguay's agricultural crop rotation systems.

Background: Pediatric forearm fractures represent a substantial proportion of childhood injuries, requiring effective and minimally invasive treatments. Our study investigated the mid-term outcomes of biodegradable poly-L-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) intramedullary implants in managing diaphyseal forearm fractures in children. Methods: A follow-up cohort study was conducted with 38 patients treated with PLGA implants. Control examinations were performed one year post-operation, assessing bone healing through radiographic evaluations and functional outcomes using injured and uninjured limb range of motion (ROM) comparisons. Scarring was evaluated employing the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), and satisfaction via a questionnaire. Results: Children were predominantly female (76.4%), with a mean age of 9.71 (SD: 2.69) years. Effective fracture stabilization and bone healing were found in all patients, with a minor reduction (mean difference of -1.5°, p = 0.282) in elbow flexion on the operated side (139.3°) compared to the intact (140.8°). Elbow extension presented negligible average changes (0.2°, p= 0.098). Forearm movements were slightly reduced on the operated side (mean pronation: 80.8° vs. 83.7°, p= 0.166; average supination: 83.5° vs. 85.7°, p= 0.141). Wrist palmar flexion and dorsiflexion showed no significant differences. VSS ratings indicated minimal scarring (mean guardian and doctor scores were 1.13 and 0.55, respectively, p= 0.020), and all patients reported satisfaction with the treatment outcomes. Conclusion: Biodegradable implants are effective for pediatric forearm fractures, providing stable bone healing while preserving functional ROM with minimal scarring and high patient satisfaction. PLGA proved to be a viable alternative to traditional metal implants, eliminating secondary removal surgeries.

High Brassicaceae consumption reduces the risk of developing several cancer types, probably due to their glucosinolate amount. Extracts from Sinapis nigra L. and Sinapis alba L. have been obtained from leaves and seeds under different conditions using ethanol/water mixtures because well accepted by food industry. The EtOH/H2O 8:2 mixture gives better yields in glucosinolate amounts from grinded seeds, mainly sinalbin in S. alba and sinigrin in S. nigra. The highest antiproliferative activity in both non-tumour and tumour cell lines was induced by S. alba seeds extract. To evaluate whether Sinapis spp effect was only due to glucosinolate content or it was influenced by the extracts’ complexity, cells were treated with extracts or glucosinolates, in the presence of myrosinase. Pure sinigrin did not modify cell proliferation, while pure sinalbin was less effective than the extract. The addition of myrosinase increased the antiproliferative effects of the S. nigra extract and sinigrin. Antiproliferative activity was correlated to MAPKs modulation, which was cell and extract-dependent. Cell-cycle analysis evidenced a proapoptotic effect of S. alba on both tumour cell lines and of S. nigra only on HCT 116. Both extracts showed good antimicrobial activity in disc diffusion tests and on ready-to-eat fresh salad. These results underline the potential effects of Sinapis spp in chemoprevention and food preservation.

The immune system plays a major role in the surveillance and control of malignant cells, with the presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) correlating with better patient prognosis in multiple tumor types. The development of ‘checkpoint blockade’ and adoptive cellular therapy has revolutionized the landscape of cancer treatment and highlights the potential of utilizing the patient’s own immune system to eradicate cancer. One mechanism of tumor-mediated immunosuppression that has gained attention as a potential therapeutic target is the purinergic signaling axis, whereby the production of the purine nucleoside adenosine in the tumor microenvironment can potently suppress T and NK cell function. The production of extracellular adenosine is mediated by the cell surface ectoenzymes CD73, CD39 and CD38 and therapeutic agents have been developed to target these as well as the downstream adenosine receptors (A₁R, A_2AR, A_2BR, A₃R) to enhance anti-tumor immune responses. This review will discuss the role of adenosine and adenosine receptor signaling in tumor and immune cells with a focus on their cell-specific function and their potential as targets in cancer immunotherapy.

Although the water absorption feature (WAF) at 970 nm is not very well-defined, it may be used alongside other indices to estimate the canopy water content. The individual performance of a number of existing vegetation water content (VWC) indices against the WAF is assessed using linear regression model. We developed a new Combined Vegetation Water Index (CVWI) by merging indices to boost the weak absorption feature. CVWI showed a promise in assessing the vegetation water status derived from the 970 nm absorption wavelength. CVWI was able to differentiate two groups of dataset when regressed against the absorption feature. CVWI could be seen as an easy and robust method for vegetation water content studies using hyperspectral field data.

The research was aimed at comparing the fire characteristics of different types of pepper in the context of designing explosion prevention. The following characteristics were studied: explosion pressure pmax and Kst at selected concentrations, ignition temperature of the deposited dust layer from the hot surface and minimum initiation energy. The comparison of the chemical properties of the used types of pepper was performed using TG/DSC. Results of the measurements suggest that different types of peppers exhibit different explosion characteristics. Each of the samples reached the maximum value of the explosion pressure, and their rate of pressure rise increased at different concentrations. The volume of the explosion chamber used also influenced the explosion characteristics. It is a consequence of the fact that the explosion characteristics strongly depend on the mechanism of action of a particular igniter. The minimum effect on the safety characteristics was observed when measuring the minimum initiation energy and the minimum ignition temperature of dust layer from the hot surface. The results of the measurements suggest that different types of peppers exhibit different explosion characteristics. This information should then be considered in explosion prevention.

Background: Breast cancer and other neoplasms like acute lymphocytic leukemia pose a serious threat to public health worldwide. Treatment for malignancies including acute lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer requires enzymes that break down L-glutamine. An amidohydrolase called L-glutaminase can be an effective chemotherapeutic tool for treating various cancers. Methods: On mineral L-glutamine agar selective medium (MGA), a few bacterial isolates were examined in the current investigation to see if they produced L-glutaminase. However, the most effective positive bacterial isolates generating L-glutaminase were identified using morphological and biochemical testing. Molecular detection using the direct Southern blotting approach was also used to determine the main positive isolate that produces L-glutaminase. L-glutaminase synthesis by bacteria was evaluated for its characteristics. Using an MTT test, the anticancer activity was evaluated. Results: exclusive bacterial isolates that used L-glutamine as their sole source of metabolic nitrogen exhibited favorable growth on MGA. PH 7.4 and a temperature of 37 0C were the ideal environmental and physiological conditions for developing positive bacterial isolates. From the soil samples taken from various soil conditions in Egypt, the morphological and biochemical analyses showed that Bacillus cereus 14579 was the main positive bacterial generating L-glutaminase isolate. At a pH of 7.4 and a temperature of 37 °C, the following activators—KCL, ZnSO4, FeSO4, K2HPO4, and MgSO4—provided the high-grade circumstances for characterizing L-glutaminase synthesis. Bacillus cereus-produced L-glutaminase has shown excellent bioavailability and effectiveness as an anticancer therapy. The yield [productivity] was 5.2 U/ml during the original manufacture from MGA, but it increased to 42.96 U/ ml by bacterial recombinant DNA manufacturing. The molecular mass of L-glutaminase was roughly 37 KDa. L-glutaminase was purified, yielding final enzyme recovery of 55 1.23%, total activity 12,990± 19.76 ( U), specific activity 384.66± 8.92( U/ mg of protein), and purification fold 2± 2.99. Furthermore, the L-glutaminase activity was raised by 19%, 23%, 15%, and 9%, respectively, by the enzymatic activators Mn2+, K+, Na+, and Fe3+. It demonstrated strong DPPH scavenging activity (IC50 = 61 μg/ mL) and anticancer activity( IC50 = 40.72, 9.7, 7.39, 20.61, 51.28, and 11.55 μg/ mL, respectively) against human liver (HepG-2), colon ( HCT-116), breast ( MCF-7), lung( A-549), lymphocytic( CCL-120), and cervical( Hela) cancer cell lines. A stronger affinity for its substrate was shown by the kinetic parameters of Km and Vmax, which were 13.2 10-5 M and 119.86 μmol/ ml/ min, respectively. Conclusion: Acute lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer are examples of auxotrophic malignancies for which L-glutamine serves as the only metabolic source, and L-glutaminase generated by Bacillus cereus was an appropriate enzyme in the therapy of these diseases.

Six bacterial strains with differing abilities to produce varying concentrations of Indole Acetic Acid were tested individually and in consortia for plant growth promoting and fitness related traits of Cicer arietinum. In all experiments the presence of the nitrogen fixer Mesorhizobium ciceri resulted in increased biomass production. In the absence of this strain, IAA Psedomonas putida and Bacillus megaterium hinder plant growth and fitness related traits. The application of mixes of the three strains always resulted in better plant performance when M. ciceri was present. Whereas P. putida has a noticeable plant growth-promoting effect B. megaterium resulted less effective. The low levels of IAA produced by the selected strains had a significantly greater positive effect on plant biomass accumulation, flower, pods and seed production as well as on total plant nitrogen and nitrogen concentration in seed than high IAA producer strains.

The study involved a comparison of the chemical, physical, microbiological, and functional attributes of must extracted from Solaris cultivar grapes cultivated under both conventional and organic farming systems. This study aimed to determine the influence of cultivation methods on various must properties, including the levels of health-promoting polyphenols and health-threatening mycotoxins and pesticide residues. It was observed that the organic grapes hosted a greater diversity and quantity (OTUs) of bacteria and fungi. The predominant bacteria were Sphingomonas (with similar numbers in both crops) and Massilia (more abundant in grapes from the conventional crop). These two bacterial groups collectively accounted, on average, for about 40% of all OTU sequences detected. Lower levels of bacteria of the genera Hymenobacter and Pseudomonas and others colonized the grapes. Among the fungi, Erysiphe and Aureobasidium were dominant, comprising about 50–70% of all detected taxa. Notably, Erysiphe was predominantly found in conventionally grown grapes, while Aureobasidium, Mycosphaerella, and Botryotinia were present in comparable quantities in fruit from both types of crops. No mycotoxins were detected in the must or marc, despite the presence of genes responsible for aflatoxin and ochratoxin biosynthesis in both types of grape juice. The organic must exhibited significantly higher levels of polyphenols and displayed improved antioxidant properties and technological characteristics. Moreover, sulfur and copper used in the protection of the organic plantation passed from the fruit surface into the must. Also, pesticide residues, namely cyprodinil and fludioxonil from conventional cultivation, were detected in the must.

The G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER; G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 30, also known as GPR30) is a novel estrogen receptor and has emerged as a promising target for ovarian cancer. GPER, a seven-transmembrane receptor, suppresses cellular viability and migration in studied ovarian cancer cells. However, its impact on the fallopian tube, which is the potential origin of high-grade serous (HGSC) ovarian cancer, has not been addressed. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship of GPER, ovarian cancer subtypes, i.e., high-grade serous cell lines (OV90 and OVCAR420), as well as potential HGSC ovarian cancer origin (i.e., the fallopian tube cell line FT190). The selective ligand assessed here is the agonist G-1, which was utilized in an in vitro study to characterize its effects on cellular viability and migration. As a result, this study has addressed the effect of a specific GPER antagonist in combination with an agonist on cell viability, providing a better understanding of the effects of these compounds on our diverse group of studied cell lines. Strikingly, attenuated cell proliferation and migration behaviors were observed in the presence of G-1. Thus, our in vitro study reveals the impact of the origin of HGSC ovarian cancers and highlights the GPER agonist G-1 as a potential therapy for ovarian cancer.

Hazelnut shells (HS), scientifically known as Corylus avellana L. shells, are a waste produced in companies that process nuts. The main objective of this study was to find an efficient way to maximize the chemical potential of HS by solubilizing the hemicelluloses, which could then be used to recover sugars and at the same time increase the lignin content of this material in order to produce adhesives or high strength foams. In order to optimize the pre-hydrolysis process, two different temperatures (160 and 170 C) and times varying from 15 to 180 min were tested. All the remaining solid materials were then liquefied by polyalcohols with acid catalysis. The chemical composition of hazelnut shells was determined before and after the pre-hydrolysis. All the process was monitored by FTIR-ATR by determining the spectra of solids and liquids after pre-hydrolisis and liquefactions steps. The highest solubilization of hazelnut shells was found for 170 C and 180 min, resulting in a 25.8% solubilization. Chemical analysis after the hydrolysis process showed a gradual increase in the solubilization of hemicelluloses as both the temperature and time of the reactor were increased. Simultaneously, the percentages of α-cellulose and lignin in the material also increased with rises in temperature and duration. FTIR-ATR allowed for the detection of significant spectral changes in the hazelnut shells from their initial state to the solid residue and further into the liquefied phase. This confirmed that pre-hydrolysis was effective in enhancing the chemical composition of the material, making it more suitable for the production of adhesives or polyurethane foams with enhanced mechanical strength.

The nutrient absorption and utilization efficiency in the roots of seedlings are beneficial for increasing crop yield. Creating marker assisted selection for wheat root traits can assist wheat breeders in choosing robust roots to maximize nutrient uptake. Exploring and identifying the effect of different nitrogen applications on RSA is of great significance for breeding nitrogen efficient wheat varieties. In this study, A total of 243 wheat varieties native to the Yellow and Huai Valley regions of China were utilized for genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Furthermore, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 123 lines derived from the cross between Avocet and Chilero was utilized for linkage examination and confirmation of the hereditary loci distinguished by GWAS. Five RSA traits include the relative number of root tips (RNRT); relative total root length (RTRL); relative total root surface area (RTRS); relative total root volume (RTRV) and relative average root diameter (RARD) where evaluated under two N conditions—normal N (NN) supply and low N (LN)—to characterize the NUE of each accession. GWAS and linkage analysis were performed by integrating data from the wheat 660k single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip and diversity arrays technology (DArT) to identify genetic loci associated with RSA. The results showed that based on the ratio of RSA related traits under two N supply conditions, a total of 598 SNP markers, which are significantly associated with RSA related traits, were detected at 160 genetic loci by GWAS. A total of 10 QTL loci related to RSA were dis-covered and identified by linkage mapping. In which, three significant RSA related Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) were identified, namely qRtrl-3D, qRnrt-3D, and qRtrl-7D. The study has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of selecting root traits in wheat breeding programs, offering valuable insights into the genetic underpinnings of nitro-gen use efficiency (NUE) in wheat. This could lead to the creation of NUE wheat varieties by implementing focused breeding strategies.

We present synthetic experiments of lactic acid (LA) polycondensation to produce poly(lactic acid) (PLA), as well as kinetic modeling calculations that capture the polymer molecular weight increase with time, given the initial concentrations. Tin-octoate-catalyzed polycondensation of (D,L)- or L-lactic acid, was carried out in pre-dried toluene after azeotropic dehydration for 48-120 hours at 130-137 °C. The polymerization was optimized by varying lactic acid and catalyst concentrations as well as the temperature. Gel Permeation Chromatography was used to experimentally follow the evolution of molecular weights and the products were characterized by NMR, TGA, DSC and IR. Under optimal conditions, PLLA with weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 161 kDa could be obtained. The rate equations that describe polycondensation kinetics were recast in a condensed form that allowed very fast numerical solution and calculation of the number-average molecular weight with time. Deviations with respect to the experiment were minimized in a least-squares fashion, to determine rate constants. The optimized kinetics parameters are shown to reproduce the experimental data accurately

Eicheon properties are discussed. It is shown that the eicheon surface allows setting a boundary condition for the vacuum polarization and obtaining a solution describing the dark matter tail in the Milky Way. That is, the dark matter in the Milky Way is explained as the F-type of vacuum polarization, which could be treated as dark radiation. The model presented is spherically symmetric, but a surface density of a baryonic galaxy disk is taken into account approximately by smearing the disk over a sphere. This allows the reproduction of the large distance shape of the Milky Way rotational curve. Andromeda's rotational curves are also discussed.

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is not only the biomarker of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and expression activity in hepatocytes, but also contributes to viral specific T cell exhaustion and HBV persistent infection. Therefore, anti-HBV therapies targeting HBsAg to achieve HBsAg loss are key approaches for HBV functional cure. In this study, we found that YZH-106, a rupestonic acid derivative, inhibited HBsAg secretion and viral replication. Further investigation demonstrated that YZH-106 promoted the lysosomal degradation of viral L- and M-HBs proteins. Mechanistic study by Biacore and docking analysis revealed that YZH-106 bound directly to PreS2 domain of L- and M-HBsAg, thereby blocking their entry to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and promoting their degradation in cytoplasm. Our work thereby provide basis for design of novel compound therapy to target HBsAg against HBV infection.

Knowledge of the genetic diversity of the available germplasm is an important foundation for crop conservation, management, and improvement. Successful breeding strategies rely on a sound understanding of the genetic diversity of the crop germplasm. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the genetic diversity of 49 soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] genotypes using SSR markers as well as to evaluate parental potential of these genotypes in cultivar improvement. The bulk of the genotypes were developed in the national soybean breeding program in Zimbabwe between 1940 and 2013. The genetic diversity and relatedness were estimated using 30 SSR markers and produced 5 clusters that generally matched the pedigree information of the germplasm. The SSR analysis detected a total of 135 alleles. The polymorphic information content ranged from 0.10 to 0.77 with a mean of 0.45. The SSR primer, Satt012 was the most informative. The SSR marker analysis showed a wide genetic diversity in the germplasm. To date, there are no reports regarding the genetic diversity analysis of soybean germplasm in Zimbabwe. The genotypes, EL41 and EL7; EL41 and EL1; as well as EL41 and EL42 were the most divergent thus, indicating their potential use as parental lines in the genetic improvement of soybean in the region.

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. belongs to the Cactaceae family and the genus Opuntia; it is a succulent plant that adapts to extreme climatic conditions. The aerial part of the plant consists of the cladodes, morphological changes of branches that appear green, are covered with thorns, and are essential to reduce excessive perspiration of water. The composition of cladodes is very varied, and the main constituents are water, fibers, polysaccharides, proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, sterols, minerals, and polyphenols. Polyphenols are responsible for many beneficial activities for human health, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and nutritional properties. The purpose of this manuscript was to compare the properties of cladodes belonging to the same plant but with different stages of maturity. Relative extracts were tested both in vitro and on a cell line and antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties were found. The antioxidant activity was tested by the ORAC test, the DPPH test, and the measurement of cellular accumulation of ROS. Anti-apoptotic activity was evaluated by the annexin/PI assay and measurement of caspases 9 and 3 expression. The results obtained have shown that the extracts considered possess antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties. However, the different stages of maturity of cladodes are essential for the performance of both functions. In addition, important variations have been made in the dissolution of extracts that have brought greater safety in their use. In conclusion, this manuscript provides further information on cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica, which can be used as adjuvants in many human pathologies.

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are essential for modulating immune responses, and optimizing their differentiation protocols is critical for cell-based immunotherapies. This study compares eight different protocols for differentiating APCs from C57BL/6J mice using GM-CSF and L-929 supernatant. Four groups treated with GM-CSF and four with L-929 supernatant at various concentrations, alongside a control group were evaluated. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the expression of key markers, including MHC II, CD11c, F4/80, and CD11b. Our findings show that GM-CSF resulted in superior differentiation outcomes compared to L-929 supernatant, with higher expression levels of the analyzed markers. This study underscores the importance of considering both cell yield and protein expression quality in selecting differentiation protocols. For researchers developing therapies targeting specific cell populations, these findings demonstrate how different culture conditions influences both the quantity and phenotypic characteristics of differentiated cells. Balancing efficiency and phenotypic fidelity is crucial for optimizing cell-based immunotherapy strategies. Our data provide a valuable reference for future studies and applications involving APC differentiation from bone marrow precursors, ensuring robust foundations for developing advanced immunotherapies. This comprehensive comparison of differentiation protocols offers insights essential for enhancing the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of cell-based therapies.

Background: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 dynamics and transmission is a serious issue. Its propagation needs to be modeled and controlled. The Alsace region in the East of France has been among the first French COVID-19 clusters in 2020. Methods: We confront evidence from three independent and retrospective sources: a population-based survey through internet, an analysis of the medical records from hospital emergency care services, and a review of medical biology laboratory data. We also check the role played in virus propagation by a large religious meeting that gathered over 2,000 participants from all over France mid-February in Mulhouse. Results: Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 was circulating several weeks before the first officially recognized case in Alsace on February 26^th 2020 and the sanitary alert on March 3^rd. The religious gathering seems to have played a role for secondary dissemination of the epidemic in France, but not in creating the local outbreak. Conclusions: Our results illustrate how the integration of data coming from multiple sources could help trigger an early alarm in the context of an emerging disease. Good information data systems, able to produce earlier alerts, could have avoided a general lockdown in France.

Stream chemistry effectively integrates watershed ecosystem processes on both spatial and temporal scales. Streams of coastal areas integrate a more homogeneous, flat topography wherein there can be interactions between the stream and the body of water into which it drains, especially where tidal fluxes occur. The present study assessed water quality of Thompson Bayou, which comes to the campus of the University of West Florida in a wetland after flowing through 4 km of commercial and private property with associated impacts on water quality. Sampling was carried out for one year at eight discrete sites along Thompson Bayou from the UWF campus to the Escambia River. We used a portable field meter to measure temperature, pH, dissolved O2 (DO), and specific conductivity (SC). Except for temperature, all variables exhibited a spatial pattern of significant variation with distance, with consistent increases in DO and SC as the stream approached the river. These variables also exhibited a temporal pattern of significant seasonal variation, including—and especially—temperature. Data suggest that spatial and temporal patterns of water quality of Thompson Bayou are determined by (1) processing of water by the wetland, (2) interactions of the stream channel with upland forest stands, and (3) the tidal hydrology of the Escambia River.

The chemical investigation of the anti-yeast methanol extract from the stem bark of Terminalia mantaly led to the isolation of seven compounds: 3-O-methyl-4-O-α-rhamnopyranoside ellagic acid (1), 3-O-mehylellagic acid (2), arjungenin or 2,3,19,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oïc acid (3), arjunglucoside or 2,3,19,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oïc acid glucopyranoside (4), 2α,3α,24-trihydroxyolean-11,13(18)-dien-28-oïc acid (5), stigmasterol (6), stigmasterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7). Their structures were established by means of spectroscopic analysis and comparison with published data. Compounds 1-5 were tested in vitro for activity against three pathogenic yeast isolates, Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida krusei. The activity of compounds 1, 2 and 4 were comparable to that of the reference compound fluconazole (MIC values below 32 µg/ml) against the three tested yeast isolates. They were also tested for inhibitory properties against four enzymes of metabolic significance: Glucose-6-Phosphate Deshydrogenase (G6PD), human erythrocyte Carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCA I and hCA II), Glutathione S-transferase (GST). Compound 4 showed highly potent inhibitory property against the four tested enzymes with overall IC₅₀ values below 4 µM and inhibitory constant (Ki) <3 µM.

Adlay seed samples were collected from 3 adlay growing regions (Yeoncheon, Jeonnam and Eumseong regions) in Korea during 2012. Among all the samples collected, 400 seeds were tested for fungal occurrence by standard blotter and test tube agar methods and different taxonomic groups of fungal genera were detected. The most predominant fungal genera encountered were Fusarium, Phoma, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Cochliobolus and Leptosphaerulina. The occurrence of Fusarium species were 45.6% and based on the combined sequences of two protein coding genes, EF-1a, Beta-tubulin and phylogenetic analysis, 10 species were characterized as F. incarnatum (11.67%), F. kyushense (10.33%), F. fujikuroi (8.67%), F. concentricum (6.00%), F. asiaticum (5.67%), F. graminearum (1.67%), F. miscanthi (0.67%), F. polyphialidiom (0.33%), F. armeniacum (0.33%) and F. thapsinum (0.33%). The ability of these isolates to produce mycotoxins fumonisin (FUM) and zeralenone (ZEN) were tested by ELISA quantitative analysis method. The result revealed that fumonisin (FUM) was produced only by F. fujikuroi and zeralenone (ZEN) by F. asiaticum & F. graminearum. Mycotoxigenic species were then examined for their morphological characteristics to confirm their identity. Morphological observations of the species correlated well with their molecular identification and confirmed as F. asiaticum, F. fujikuroi and F. graminearum.

The state of Oaxaca, Mexico obtained the “Pluma” designation of origin in 2022 and has stood out for the production of specialty coffee. Within its process, roasting is one of the stages that contributes to the physical, chemical and sensory quality of the coffee bean. Therefore, the microstructure and elemental chemical composition of special medium-roasted Coffea arabica L beans from six locations with this denomination were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The average values of roughness Rz (25.93±2.69-34.18±1.15 and 13.85±1.66-21.85±6.63) and Ra (5.20±0.47- 8.27±0.82 and 6.55±0.94-11.53±1.65) were obtained at 400 and 2000x, respectively. The roasted Coffea arabica L. beans from MAP and HUA are the ones with the greatest roughness and both are located at a lower altitude compared to the rest. PLU and PTO roasted beans showed the highest physical and structural integrity. In all grains, 6C (66.48-81.14%), 8O (18.86-28.69%) and only 20Ca (4.5%) were found on the outside. This research constitutes a standard of authenticity and microstructural and elemental quality of Coffea arabica L. beans with designation of origin "Pluma".

Dreams and positive symptoms of schizophrenia are similar in many aspects, such as bizarre-ness, impairment of reality testing, intense emotional participation. Hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thoughts have been proposed to be an intrusion of the dreaming state in wake-fulness: conversely, psychotic patients’ abnormal cognitive and behavioral features could over-flow into sleep, transferring peculiar features to their dreams which would differ, in quantity and quality, from those of healthy people. Here we assess this latter hypothesis by analyzing the dreams of 46 patients, hosted in a residential facility or in a day-treatment center, affected by disorders of the schizophrenic spectrum with psychotic symptoms, versus those of 28 healthy controls, in terms of several quantitative and qualitative characteristics. In patients, we also in-vestigated whether dream variables correlated with the severity of symptoms assessed via the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Overall, patients reported fewer and shorter dreams than controls, with a reduction of many ele-ments like characters and settings. The greatest differences regarded emotions, which were less frequent in patients and inversely correlated with symptoms’ severity. This evidence supports the hypothesis that dreams are crucial for emotion regulation during wakefulness and that this func-tion could be totally or partially ineffective in psychoses.