For older adults, approaching end-of-life (EOL) brings unique transitions related to family relationships. Unfortunately, most families greatly underestimate the need to discuss these difficult issues. For example, parents approaching EOL issues often struggle with receiving assistance from others, avoiding family conflict, and maintaining their sense of personhood. In addition, discussions of EOL issues force family members to face their parents’ mortality, which can be particularly difficult for the adult children to process emotionally. This study explored aging issues identified by aging parents and their families as they traverse these impending EOL changes. Ten focus groups of seniors (n = 65) were conducted. Focus groups were organized according to race (African American/Caucasian), gender, and whether the older adult was living independently or in an assisted care facility. When asked open-ended questions about discussing aging and EOL issues with family members, participants revealed tensions that led us to consider Relational Dialectics Theory as a framework for analysis. The predominant tension highlighted in this report was certainty versus uncertainty, with the two sub-themes of sustained life versus sustained personhood and confronting versus avoiding EOL issues. For these data, there were more similarities than differences as a result of gender, race, or living situation than one might expect, although culture and financial status were found to be influential in the avoidance of EOL discussions. The results of this study help to provide additional insight into relational dialectics related to aging, EOL, and the importance of communication in facilitating family coping.

Background: The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) combines standardized terminology with a classification system for imaging findings in patients with HCC, therefore rendering diagnostic biopsy unnecessary in many cases. This retrospective study included 23 patients with a biopsy diagnosis of HCC, performed either before or after local interventional procedures, in order to evaluate the histopathologic changes induced by previous procedures and their potential influence on the response to immune therapy. Material and Methods: The study encompassed a cohort of patients diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Diagnosis was established through contrast-enhanced computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging that identified LI-RADS-5 nodules in conjunction with historical liver disease and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, or through histological examination confirming positivity for glypican3, heat shock protein70, and glutamine synthetase. The study detailed the liver disease etiology, LI-RADS scores, characteristics and dimensions of HCC nodules, serum AFP concentrations, Edmondson-Steiner grading, and the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in the tumor cells. Results: Among the study's cohort of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) patients, a portion had not received any prior treatments, while the remainder experienced local HCC recurrence following trans-arterial chemoembolization or radiofrequency ablation. Observations indicated elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in those who had not undergone any previous interventions, showing statistical significance. The Edmondson-Steiner classification predominantly identified grade III differentiation across patients, irrespective of their treatment history. Furthermore, an increase in intra-tumoral programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was noted in patients who had not been subjected to previous therapies. Conclusion: Liver biopsy offers valuable insights for patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), assisting in the tailoring of immune therapy strategies, particularly in cases of recurrence following prior local interventions.

Air pollution, climate change and global warming show direct linkage. Introduction - Background: Research in the field has proposed and demonstrated their link to increased allergenicity in plants, leading to increased allergic diseases. Allergen patterns are changing in response to climate change. Across Europe, up to 12% of the population suffers from allergic diseases (bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis) caused by the pollen grains. The medical costs of these types of allergies are enormous and are increasing with the spread of common ragweed - Ambrosia artemisiifolia* in Europe. In practice, more and more patients are turning to allergists. Methods: Based on these data, the research aims to identify safety measures and specific legislation to control and eradicate common ragweed in the countries most affected by the spread of this plant in Europe, increase in population exposure in countries affected by the presence of common ragweed and the socio-economic impact of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma at European level.[1][2] Our database search did not reveal any other research that has addressed this topic to date. Results: This research identifies specific legislation to the countries most affected by the spread of this plant pollen grains at European level, changes in allergen patterns and monitoring/safety eradication measures decided by local authorities, and data on the spread of common ragweed over the last two decades, costs per treatment, increased allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma morbidity in the most affected areas. Conclusions: At European level, there are no universally valid models for eradicating this weed. Various methods can be used to limit the spread of common ragweed and its pollen production (e.g. mowing once or twice a year of overgrown land, ploughing, chemical control, public information, etc.). Local and regional cooperation should be considered essential to promote phytosanitary & safety measures and exchange of information on methods to identify and manage the spread of common ragweed. Unified legislation at European level would help all affected countries; reduce morbidity from respiratory allergic diseases and the costs of treating these diseases.

Background: Peritoneal sclerosis (PS) and its most severe form, encapsulating PS (EPS), are rare entities that can occur in various procedures (liver transplantation, intraperitoneal chemotherapy), secondary to medications ( beta-blockers); however, PS or EPS typically occur in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis as a form of renal function substitution. Medical or surgical treatments can be applied, but morbidity and mortality have high rates . This condition typically presents clinically as an intestinal obstruction caused by the inclusion of the intestinal loops in the peritoneal fibrous membrane. Methods: Herein we present data from a single tertiary surgery center that has dedicated teams for patients receiving dialysis. In 12 years we analyzed a group of 63 patients admitted for catheter replacement/removal or for acute surgical pathology. In 5 cases (7,9%) we diagnosed EPS . Two patients with EPS presented with atypical abdominal pathologies requiring emergency surgery: one case of hemoperitoneum caused by a ruptured ovarian cyst and one case of uterine fibroids and metrorrhagia. Results: The definitive diagnoses were established intraoperatively and by analyzing the morpho-pathological changes of the peritoneum. The possible intraoperative challenges included laborious dissection, difficulties in restoring the correct anatomical landmarks, increased duration of the surgical intervention and a high rate of incidents and accidents Conclusions: The aim of the present study was to emphasize the possibility of other surgical pathologies overlapping with EPS, increasing the complexity of the surgical intervention. Also, we sought to determine whether there is a correlation between the morpho-pathological results of these patients who underwent emergency surgery and the common EPS morpho-pathological changes.

Background: Chronic lateral epicondylitis challenges the therapeutical approach; underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood; neuropathic pain and central and peripheral sensitization may explain the fact that botulinum toxin was found to play a role in pain and function management. Methods: We searched the literature for MeSH terms: lateral epicondylitis or synonyms and botulinum toxin. Results: We found 14 papers containing trials on botulinum toxin injection into the tendon or into the extensor muscles (particularly extensor carpi radialis brevis and extensor communis digitorum). We followed the administration pathways, doses, timing and side effects. Conclusion: With chronic course, the focus of the therapy shifts from the afflicted tendon to the inserting muscles, as muscle contracture may create a vicious loop to perpetuate and aggravate the disease. Doses, timing and side effects are discussed.

Introduction: Carcinoid heart disease is a rare cause of right-sided valvular dysfunction, an important complication in patients with carcinoid syndrome. Objectives: We aim to present our own experience regarding early myocardial dysfunction in patients with carcinoid syndrome. Methods: 64 patients (35-90 year old, 62,5% female, 37,5% male patients) with carcinoid syndrome were evaluated be-tween October 2017 and June 2021. All patients underwent two-dimensional echocardiography with additional tissue Doppler and speckle-tracking techniques. For all patients there were measured urinary level of 5- hydroxyindolacetic acid, serotonin and NT-proBNP values. Results: The following echocardiographic features: global longitudinal strain of both ventricles, mean systolic velocity of the left ventricle, systolic velocity of the free wall of right ventricle, correlated with high values of specific biomarkers: serotonin, and urinary 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid, and also with the presence of hepatic metastases and poorly differentiated tumors. Discussion: In this study we identified several patients with early myocardial dysfunction due to carcinoid syndrome, representing a predictive model of poor prognosis, requiring further investigations. Conclusion: Echocardiographic assessment based on the measurement of systolic velocities, as well as the global longitudinal strain of both ventricles, together with specific biomarkers may contribute to better recognition of carcinoid heart disease in clinical practice, but this needs validation through further studies enrolling larger number of patients.

(1) Background: Globally, about 600 million people are afflicted with diabetes, and one of its most prevalent complications is neuropathy, a debilitating condition. At present, the exploration of novel therapies for alleviating diabetic neuropathy-associated pain is genuinely captivating, considering that current therapeutic options are characterized by poor efficacy and significant risk of side effects. In the current research, we evaluated the antihyperalgesic effect of sildenafil (phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor) – metformin (antihyperglycemic agent) combination and its impact on biochemical markers in alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathy in rats; (2) Methods: The study comprised a cohort of 70 diabetic rats and 10 non-diabetic rats which were submitted to hot, cold, and tactile stimulus tests. Morover, we investigated the influence of this combination on TNF-α, IL-6 nitrites and thiols levels in brain and liver tissues; (3) Results: The results demonstrated that all sildenafil-metformin combinations decreased the pain sensitivity in von Frey test, Hot-plate test and Cold-plate test. Furthermore, alterations in nitrites and thiols concentrations and pro-inflammatory cytokines (specifically TNF-α and IL-6) were noted following a 15-day regimen of various sildenafil-metformin combinations. (4) Conclusions: The combination of sildenafil and metformin has a synergistic effect in alleviating pain in alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathy rats. Additionally, the combination effectively decreased inflammation, inhibited the rise in NOS activity, and provided protection against glutathione depletion.

Although the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia explains the effects of all the available antipsychotics in clinical use, there is an increasing need for developing new drugs for the treatment of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms of chronic psychoses. Xanomeline-trospium (KarXT) is a drug combination that is based on the essential role played by acetylcholine in the regulation of cognitive processes and the interactions between this neurotransmitter and other signaling pathways in the central nervous system, with a potential role in the onset of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and substance use disorders. A systematic literature review that included four electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Clarivate/Web of Science, and Google Scholar) and the US National Library of Medicine database for clinical trials detected 21 sources referring to 14 studies focused on KarXT, out of which only four have published results. Based on the results of these trials, the short-term efficacy and tolerability of xanomeline-trospium are good, but more data is needed before this drug combination may be recommended for clinical use. However, on a theoretical level, the exploration of KarXT is useful for increasing the interest of researchers in finding new, non-dopaminergic, antipsychotics that could be used either as monotherapy or as add-on drugs.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully revealed numerous susceptibility loci for obesity. PREDATORR study (2014) shows that in Romania, 34,6% of adults aged 20-79 y/o are overweight, 31,4% are obese with a high risk of cardiometabolic complications, a number that puts almost 67% of Romania's population in the abnormal weight group. Our study aims to investigate the current staus of genetic foundation in metabolic disease associated with obesity, applied to a pilot group of patients specifically examining the impact of known polymorphisms and their haplotype of six food intake-regulating genes: leptin (LEP), leptin receptor (LEP-R), serotonin receptor (5HTR2A), ghrelin (GHRL), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and fat-mass and obesity-associated (FTO) with the following polymorphisms: LEP A-2548G, LEPR A-223G, 5HTR2A G-1439A, GHRL G-72T, NPY T-29063C, FTO A-T and body mass index (BMI). A notable link between the LEP-2548 rs7799039 gene's AG genotype and the risk of obesity was observed, particularly pronounced in males aged 40-49, with an approximately sevenfold increased likelihood of obesity. The 5HTR2A rs6311 AA genotype was associated with a higher BMI, not statistically significant. The FTO rs9939609 gene's AA genotype emerged as a significant predictor of obesity risk. Besides these significant findings, no substantial associations were observed with the LEPR, 5HTR2A, GHRL and NPY genes. Haplotype association analysis showed a suggestive indication of GRGMLA (rs7799039, rs1137101, rs6311, rs696217, rs16139, rs9939609 sequence) haplotype with susceptibility effect towards obesity predisposition. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed statistically significant associations between LEP and LEPR gene (p = 1e-04), LEP and GHRL gene (p = 0.0047), GHRL and FTO gene (p=0.03). The outcomes of this study, to our knowledge, one of the very few on the Romanian population, aimed to be a starting point for further research on the targeted interventional strategies to reduce cardiometabolic risks.

Introduction: Birth Asphyxia is a severe condition that includes many potential pathways of occurrence both in utero and during childbirth. We aimed to identify and describe specific macroscopic and microscopic placental injuries in birth asphyxia to serve as a quick tool to stratify a newborn’s potential further evolution, as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy can be responsible for neonatal death or severe neurologic sequelae further compromising the affected persons’ quality of life. Materials and methods: We conducted an observational prospective study over 3 years. 62 patients diagnosed with birth asphyxia which had placental histopathological examination performed were enrolled. The control group consisted of 69 term newborns that required neonatal intensive care for at least three days, in the same period, for any other reason and that also had available placental exams. In our study, placental histopathological lesions identified in birth asphyxia have been classified according to Amsterdam Criteria. Results: We analysed data gathered from both groups by applying specific statistical tests for each type of variable and hypothesis. Thus, umbilical cord abnormalities were associated with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in a statistically significant manner when comparing the birth asphyxia group of newborns with the control group. Also, we identified a high statistical level of significance for maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion and the occurrence of hypoxic-ischemic syndrome when comparing the two groups (p = .00). Conclusion: The macroscopic and microscopic placental examination can provide important information on the evolution of the disease in selected newborns according to the identified lesions.

Early discharge after childbirth has led to a rise in neonatal readmission, becoming a major concern in recent decades. Our research aimed to identify the risk factors and incidence of neonatal readmission, as well as explore preventive measures. Our study at the Clinical Hospital of Pediatrics in Ploiești, Romania included 108 neonates admitted during the neonatal period. This accounted for 2.06% of all admissions (5226). The most prevalent cases were malnutrition (25%), fever (20.3%) and bronchiolitis (17.5%). Diarrhea and infectious gastroenteritis were also observed (14.8%), along with acute rhinoconjunctivitis (9.2%) and late onset sepsis (3.7%). No deaths were recorded. The most significant characteristics identified were number of children (p<0.001) and age at maternity discharge (p<0.001). By following the prevention rules, malnutrition, feeding errors, and infections can be avoided. This includes practicing proper hand hygiene for both mothers and medical staff, as well as educating and demonstrating to mothers the benefits of breastfeeding. In addition, all newborns discharged from the maternity ward should benefit from follow-up at 7-10 days of life. Our results confirm the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team and endorse promoting breastfeeding. Implementing quality control measures and regularly evaluating the surveillance program will help improve its effectiveness.

Crystalline silver thin layers were obtained by high-energy pulsed laser ablation without heating of the deposition substrate. The fluid Plateau-Rayleigh (PRI), Rayleigh – Taylor (RTI) and Richtmyer – Meshkov (RMI) instabilities, as well as crown splash induced during pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in high energy regime, resulting in ring and pearl shaped structures, offer the benefit of increased sorption surface. These morphological structures obtained for the silver thin layers make them of interest for catalytic applications. The study presented with this work addresses both the fundamental and applied issues on the morphological structures obtained for the silver thin layer and their catalytic function in organic processes. In this sense, the catalytic action of the thin silver layer was highlighted by modifications of the Reactive Blue 21 dye (C.I.) in aqueous solution with sodium bicarbonate. Specific investigations and analyzes were carried out by electron microscopy and elemental analysis (SEM-EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and profilometry, mass spectrometry, ablation plasma diagnosis, diffractograms (XRD), as well as IR spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition to the experimental investigation and analyzes, simulation of the ionization energy threshold was conducted in COMSOL for complementary evaluation on the involved processes and phenomena.

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 < 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.

Before COVID-19, post-secondary learning was dominated by in-person, institution-organized meetings. With the March 12, 2020 lockdown, learning became virtual, largely dependent on commercial online platforms. Already more likely to experience anxiety and depression in re-lation to their research work, perhaps no students have endured more regarding the limitations imposed by COVID-19 on their mentorship and supervision than graduate students. The in-crease in mental health issues facing graduate students has come to the attention of their post-secondary institutions. Programs have been devised with the aim of reducing these chal-lenges. However, the additional attention and funds to combat depression and anxiety have not shown anticipated results. A new approach to mitigate anxiety and depression in graduate students through mentorship and supervision is warranted. Offered here is an award-winning model featuring self-directed learning in a community based on consensus decision-making where consensus represents the adding together of different points of view rather than agreement. The approach is non-hierarchical in structure, based in narrative research. The proposed model and approach are presented and limitations considered. This model and approach are offered as a likely solution to ebb the increase in anxiety and depression in graduate stu-dents—particularly in response to COVID-19.

This analysis takes into account a significant chapter of the history of elites and eugenics from Transylvania during the interwar period. In his famous „Black Notebook”, Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, one of the most important personalities of the Romanian Great Union generation, wrote some surprising reflections about eugenics, race, and Romanian national superiority. In different ways, his reflections underline an invitation to analyze Romanian elites from the interwar period, as well as their way of thinking and feeling. Vaida's "Black Notebook" can therefore be considered "a torn page" from an important chapter in the history of the Romanian eugenics movement. It also represents an important key for understanding the history of Romanian freemasonry in Transylvania from the first two decades of the 20th century.

Chronic joint inflammatory disorders such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have in common an upsurge of inflammation, and oxidative stress, resulting in progressive histological alterations and disabling symptoms. Currently used conventional medication (ranging from pain-killers to biological agents) is potent, but frequently associated with serious, even life-threatening side effects. Used for millennia in traditional herbalism, medicinal plants are a promising alternative, with lower rate of adverse events and an efficiency frequently comparable with that of conventional drugs. Nevertheless, their mechanism of action is in many cases elusive and/or uncertain. Even many of them have been proved effective in studies done in vitro or on animal models, there is a scarcity of human clinical evidence. The purpose of this review is to summarise the available scientific information on these joint-friendly medicinal plants, which have been already tested in human studies: Arnica montana, Boswelliaspp., Curcuma spp., Equisetum arvense, Harpagophytumprocumbens, Salix spp., Sesamumindicum, Symphytumofficinalis, Zingiberofficinalis, Panaxnotoginseng, Whitaniasomnifera.

Scholarly publication in international journals depends on qualified, unbiased and available referees: (1) qualified in their ability to assume each role inherent to being a peer reviewer and in willingly and competently accepting the responsibilities that coincide with these roles; (2) unbiased in focusing on the submitted research content irrespective of their own research programs in judging the submission’s merit; and (3) available to devote time to read and understand the paper, check the accuracy and relevance of references, and write a comprehensive review commenting on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript, the ability of the research to be replicated, and the contribution of the work to the discipline. This study investigates the range of reviewer’s roles and responsibilities in relation to author’s own assessment as a frequent reviewer for fourteen journals representing five publishing houses—and as an active researcher—in comparison with a 2019 comprehensive study of the views of 224 authors on peer review. Based on this investigation, advice will be provided to potential reviewers regarding what is expected of them in undertaking their work. Recommendations will be offered for peer review to mitigate weaknesses in the process and increase the pool of qualified peer reviewers.

The present article seeks to analyse the period 1938-1940, when the Romanian interwar democracy was suspended through the promulgation of the anti-liberal Constitution of 27 February 1938. The Constitution abolished the political parties and trade unions, replacing them with new institutions established according to royal decrees: the royal single party, known as the National Renaissance Front (Frontul Renaşterii Naţionale, FRN) and corporations of workers and employers, respectively. Starting from that moment, the regime, through its representatives, made recourse to a nationalist rhetoric directed against the democratic parliamentary system. Moreover, a cult of personality of the monarch can be identified in the speeches of the royal corporatist ‘parliament’, as well as in the doctrine of FRN and the Nation’s Party (its successor), but also in the regime’s youth organisation, ‘The Country’s Sentinel’ (Straja Ţării), whose First Sentinel was the authoritarian monarch himself. Thus, the cult of personality of Carol II represented one of the sources of inspiration for the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and for the leaders of this totalitarian regime.

The COVID-19 virus is spread to the respiratory system by minute airborne particles in contrast to large particle fomite transmission. Yet, an often-repeated health directive during the COVID-19 pandemic was to improve handwashing to limit the spread of the virus. Persistent handwashing can aggravate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), diminishing mental health. Given that handwashing is unlikely to control the spread of COVID-19, it is pertinent to determine if the directive for handwashing to eradicate the COVID-19 virus increased the incidence of OCD and, as such, promoted negative mental health. This scoping review of the parameter, “handwashing, mental health, COVID-19, OCD”, conducted during July 2023, searched six relevant databases. The result was that negative mental health related to increased handwashing was evident both for those already diagnosed with OCD and regarding new cases of OCD throughout the duration of the pandemic. The conclusion is that health officials should update details of their health directives as information becomes available during a pandemic and, concerning COVID-19, the directive to concentrate on handwashing should have been relaxed once it was known that spread of the virus by fomite transmission was improbable. This likely would have reduced the incidence of OCD and improved mental health.

As distinct human societies, three unique intentional communities are investigated regarding their preferred consensus decision-making practices. It is Identified that each has adopted a different form of consensus decision-making to solve potential group-wide interpersonal conflict. The individual attributes of these three consensus decision-making practices are considered, both from the perspective of maintaining group stability and in relation to individual member's mental health. The communities are a Canadian self-directed public senior elementary and secondary school, an annual English conference for those self-identifying as on the autistic spectrum, and a self-producing Korean popular music (K-pop) group. It is found that the intentional community and participants’ mental health are sustained regarding each of the three consensus decision-making practices. Nevertheless, the resulting decisions generate various stresses within the communities, both as a whole and concerning the individual members. To retain group cohesion and maintain individual mental health, these stresses must be recognized and understood by participants. The novel finding of this research is that, dependent on the time available for decision-making, and the members’ perspective adopted, intentional communities might practice more than one form of consensus decision-making and still support both group cohesion and individual mental health, maintaining the democracy of these distinct societies.

In European thought, the relationship among the fields of psychology, education, and health is both complex and obscured. Foucault’s acclaimed work, The Order of Things, offers a framework to evaluate their interconnection by identifying three distinct periods of European thought since the 16th century with respect to the ordering of phenomena—Renaissance, Classical and Modern. Theoretically dense and often difficult to decipher, the book’s categorization of language, value and being has been understandably underused, yet it provides deep insights into what have come to be known as psychology, education and health and remains invaluable in understanding the origin, limits and consequences of these fields. How Foucault’s analysis can be interpreted concerning the development of these areas as to each of the three periods of European thought is investigated. An approach based on narrative research appraises the analysis offered in the book. The results, presented for the first time in table form, compare these three periods, demonstrating a continuing practical value to Foucault’s insights. With the aid of the framework revealed by these tables, the boundaries and relationship of psychology, education and health become clear and their limitations—plus potential solutions to them—can be identified to mitigate anticipated negative consequences.

Informal dementia home caregiving is viewed negatively and can result in caregiver depression and anxiety from burnout, potentially compromising caregiving. Solutions are unclear, as caregiving relationships are unique—caregiver creation of a graphic memoir may help to mitigate the negative dementia narrative and reduce experienced burnout. This investigation examines the writing of a graphic memoir by one informal dementia home caregiver, created with the help of a cartoon illustrator and a publisher who edited, printed, and made the graphic memoir available at the psychiatric bookstore considered the largest in North America. Mother of the illustrator and the editor and publisher of this graphic memoir, this author provides the perspective taken in this investigation. The analysis, developed by this author, represents psychoanalytic narrative research, serving as the historical method. Aided by email threads between the publisher/caregiver, publisher/printer, and publisher/bookseller, and a published interview with the dementia caregiver are answers to how writing, illustrating, and publishing the graphic memoir affected the caregiver’s narrative reconstruction and burnout. Providing an example for other informal dementia home caregivers similarly to write and illustrate a publishable graphic memoir for their positive narrative reconstruction and to help decrease their depression and anxiety from burnout is the aim.

Depression and anxiety are prevalent, persistent and difficult to treat industrialized world mental health problems. These disorders negatively modify an individual’s life perspective through brain function imbalances, notably in the amygdala and hippocampus, and are primarily treated with pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy. Nevertheless, these mental health issues have only increased in the number of individuals affected and the intensity of their suffering—especially as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and fears. An approach to alleviating depression and anxiety in relation to researchers self-identifying as experiencing burnout is promising. Enhancing resilience, the approach considers depression and anxiety as consequences of the particular method people adopt in ordering their memories, and focuses on narrative development. The method encourages accepting of different perspectives as unique and necessary in creating safe protection from research burnout. Moving from an identification of personal character to prompting plot development of memory, the method promotes resilience by encouraging thoughtful reconsideration of the negative assessments by participants of their circumstances that can lead to depression and anxiety. The method of ordering and group members’ feedback are inspected, including during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, and conclusions are offered regarding further research to encourage burnout resilience to diminish depression and anxiety.

Concerning the hippocampal mechanisms that simultaneously function to map environmental position and to generate episodic memories, a developing consensus emerged by the early 21st century. The hippocampus was recognized as embodying the primary location of personal narrative development, with the ability to create stable and coherent narrative largely representing the mental health of individuals. Determining recent advances regarding the relationship among the hippocampus, narrative, and mental health, a limited, six-database review was conducted for peer reviewed articles published since 2019. Of the 127 records located, 14 reports were included for study. The results support the necessity of creating and maintaining a stable and coherent narrative as fundamental to human mental health such that facts will be distorted in personal accounts, sleep will be disrupted, and DNA altered to retain one’s personal narratives. With narrative development fundamental to human mental health, a goal of interventions concerning hippocampal function and positive health outcomes is enhancing personal narratives in providing individuals with the ability to construct and recall those that are robust and effective. One such intervention that has proven successful in this regard, the Health Narratives Research Process, is outlined with its most recent results presented, offering opportunity for further such research.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a prevalent congenital disorder diagnosed with high frequency, affecting approximately 0.8% to 1.2% of all live births. Research has demonstrated that the use of pulse oximetry and clinical examination as a screening tool for CHD diagnosis has proven extremely valuable. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study over a 3-year period that involved screening 1188 newborns admitted to the NICU during the first 72 hours of life within this timeframe. 201 newborns were diagnosed with CHD. Almost all (n=198) had a positive screening test during the 72-hour period, while 3 had a negative screening test, but were later diagnosed using echocardiography. The prevalence rate was 16.67%. A confusion matrix was constructed with 198 true positives (TP), 3 false negatives (FN), no false positives (FP), and 987 true negatives (TN). The sensitivity of the screening test was 98.51%, while the specificity 100%, with no false positives. In our study, a total of 9 deaths occurred. Using the Kaplan-Meier method, the survival probability appeared to be slightly above 0.9 (95.5%), indicating that almost all patients survived past 72 hours after being diagnosed with CHD. Pulse oximetry is an effective, low cost and easy-to-use method and a useful tool to assess and lead to the diagnosis of CHD.

The African bush and forest elephants, Loxodonta Africana and Loxodonta cyclotis, and the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, are the largest land-dwelling animals. Elephants need to be highly mobile and active in order to find fresh food and water, and in the case of males, to locate females in estrus for breeding. Asian elephants walk up to 21 km each day and African elephants can walk up to 28 km per day. This high level of mobility in the wild is also important for maintaining an optimum musculoskeletal health. However, most zoo elephants live in restricted spaces and cold climates that require extended periods of indoor confinement are therefore unable to be as physically active. Zoo enclosures for elephants are relatively small with hard surfaces (i.e. concrete, tarmac and hard packed dirt), so they cannot exercise and are forced to stand on unnaturally hard surfaces continually. Physical inactivity in captivity makes them more prone to gaining weight and developing bone and joint diseases such as osteomyelitis, joint ankylosis and osteoarthritis (OA). Many health and welfare problems in captive elephants are likely to be caused by the lack of mobility. This perspective article focuses on the possible link between captivity, mobility, physical inactivity and the development of OA in captive elephants.

Human resources management (HRM) development aims at career sustainability. Work-related flow, as originated and defined by Csikszentmihalyi, is a process experienced by those optimally challenged by their work, considered the optimal work-related experience. Happiness is a judgment-dependent state of a pleased satisfaction with one’s current experience that one hopes will continue. PERMA (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) represents five measurable factors of positive psychology that constitute well-being. As the optimal work-related experience, flow determines career sustainability compared with either happiness or PERMA factors. HRM development programs focused on happiness or PERMA factors thus represents risk factors regarding an inability to develop career sustainability. Established from this publisher’s founding ongoing concern with sustainability, articles published in MDPI journals with the keywords “flow, Csikszentmihalyi, work” were searched, excluding those pertaining to education, health, leisure, marketing, non-workers, and spirituality. Of 628 results returned, 28 reports were included for potential assessment. Although current studies on flow represented only three, the results regarding flow position it as the best indicator of career sustainability, contrasted to either happiness or PERMA. Consequently, HRM is advised to concentrate on developing practices for assessing and encouraging employees’ engagement with work-related flow in its aim of career sustainability.

Emily Howard Jennings Stowe is acclaimed as Canada’s first female school principal, physician to practice medicine, and a founding Canadian suffragette. Yet, relatively little has been investi-gated regarding the life-changing events permitting her to pioneer in these chosen fields. To reveal relationships among the life-changing events in Emily Stowe’s life, a unique narrative research process is engaged to take Stowe’s story and develop it into a particular point of view based on responses to questions posed regarding her life, ranging from those most objective and specific to those that are subjective and more general. This is accomplished by following a prescribed order of question-asking: when, where, who, what, how, and why. The aim is to facilitate a comparison and interpretation of the connections regarding twenty-two of her life-changing events. Four dis-tinct aspects of her life are noted: personal, teacher, physician, and suffragette. It is found that much of Stowe’s success originated from her family’s Establishment connections, her studious intellectual ability, and her decision to obtain her medical education in the United States. There were notable periods in her life that might have ended her career. However, the aforementioned protective features of her status permitted the successful withstanding of these difficulties.

Negative mental health in students currently is classified as a global crisis with the highest and lowest student achievers recognized at greatest risk. Public schooling, in reproducing accepted psychosocial beliefs through standardized learning, developed separately from necessitating student mental health, in contrast to self-directed learning. Differing from standardized learning, the objective of self-directed learning in public schools is the creation of relevant support structures for student mental health, promoting positive psychosocial outcomes. The designed separation of public schooling from both mental health and self-directed learning was first acknowledged—and lamented—by John Dewey, over 100 years ago, in anticipating today’s mental health crisis. Yet, in responding effectively to the limitations of COVID-19, self-directed learning became an acknowledged learning method in public schools, potentially able to be accommodated by them regularly in support of mental health through the use of online technology. This study investigates the COVID-19 results of self-directed online learning in public schools through a Google Scholar search of peer reviewed research regarding self-directed learning, online learning, and mental health during COVID-19, recommending support for self-initiated self-directed online learning so that self-directed learning can continue, post COVID-19, improving student mental health in public schools, leading to positive psychosocial outcomes.

A presently ubiquitous idea, how gender is defined remains deeply indebted to modern thought, depending on the concept of sex as its reference point. Originating with practices arising with capitalism, modern thought’s concept of sex was enhanced with the search for the norm regarding standardization, then further refined through the research program of eugenics. Gender, in contrast to sex, has its roots in sexual practice changes from the second half of the twentieth century onward, developed in association with 1980s postmodern thought. The presuppositions of the two concepts differ radically. Understanding the difference between sex and gender matters because gender is now more than a critique of sex—it’s an idea accepted and understood in popular culture and affects how people interpret their sexuality. This review examines the foundations of modern and postmodern thought then focuses on sex and gender with respect to their history within these modes of thought. The conclusion, pointing to future research, is that a further reformulation of sexuality will be required for gender, as a postmodern idea, to truly separate itself from the presumptions of sex as a modern concept, permitting individuals to express their sexuality as they choose without negative social and psychological repercussions.

Extraversion, a Big Five personality trait, has been identified as a significant factor in COVID-19 positive coping—yet, relevant research is conflicting. Studies have not situated the influence of extraversion within a geographical and historical context. Thus, a sound base is lacking for assessing when opposing results regarding extraversion and COVID-19 positive coping are likely to result. Furthermore, extraversion with respect to COVID-19 coping has not been considered concerning other-directed learning in contrast to self-directed learning. To establish a sufficiently sound base, an examination of the range of high-ranking Google Scholar results on extraversion and COVID-19 coping from different countries during the pandemic’s various waves—pre and post vaccine introduction—is undertaken. The same are then considered for insights into public opinion. Following, extraversion is compared with other-directed learning and differentiated from self-directed learning. An understanding is thus presented for assessing when extraversion will necessarily be an effective personality trait for COVID-19 positive coping and when it will not. Extraversion’s effect will be found inherently inconsistent for identifying COVID-19 positive coping as a result, because of its dependence on other-directed learning. The conclusion: COVID-19 positive coping stability is contingent on personal values that guide self-directed learning, rather than other-directed extraversion.

Burnout, a negative job-related psychological state particularly associated with the health professions, equates to a loss of valuable research in healthcare researchers. Team mindfulness, recognized to enhance personal fulfilment through work engagement, represents one important aspect found effective in reducing burnout. In a specific series of diverse membership academic meetings intended to reduce research burnout—employing writing prompts, doodling and continuous developmental feedback to do so—team mindfulness was demonstrated when conducted in person. Therefore, determining if team mindfulness is evident when holding such academic meetings online is relevant. When COVID-19 limitations required moving these academic meetings online, it was previously noted and reported that team mindfulness was affected in no longer being present during the first eighteen months of restrictions. To discover if this result persisted, question asking, doodles submitted and feedback responses were analyzed of the following year’s academic meetings for the same group, both quantitively and qualitatively. In finding the team mindfulness of these meetings additionally compromised the second full year, online practices actually found successful at creating and supporting team mindfulness—online games—are identified and considered. Concluding implications are noted and recommendations made regarding team mindfulness in reducing burnout for future online academic meetings.

The ability to self-direct a research program determines graduate degree completion. Yet, research on incompletion of graduate physics programs assume students’ present level of self-direction adequate and neglects to recognize a lack of self-directed learning as key. One theoretical mathematical physicist focused on changing this challenge of physics graduate education by promoting self-directed learning through the type research flow that has been found to bring the greatest satisfaction to researchers with respect to their insights. This he provided through his space, time, open mindedness and theoretical contributions with his students and in collaboration with his colleagues. A self-directed learner himself, David J. Rowe developed methods of mentoring for encouraging physics graduate students to recognize symmetry as valuable in identifying solutions to problems quickly—helping these students take the lead in finding insightful resolutions to complex, multidimensional, mathematical physics uncertainties. How Rowe set about supporting self-directed learning in his graduate physics education interactions will be examined with the use of narrative research to interpret the texts and conversations with the author he made available. His techniques will be presented and recommendations made regarding how Rowe’s work in this regard can be modeled to improve self-direction in STEM graduate education.

Pre-COVID-19, doodling was identified as a measure of burnout in researchers attending a weekly, in-person health narratives research group manifesting team mindfulness. Under the group’s supportive conditions, variations in doodling served to measure change in participants’ reported depression and anxiety—internal states directly associated with burnout, adversely affecting healthcare researchers, their employment, and their research. COVID-19 demanded social distancing during the group’s 2020/21 academic meetings. Conducted online, the group’s participants who chose to doodle did so alone during the pandemic. Whether the sequestering of group participants during COVID-19 altered the ability of doodling to act as a measure of depression and anxiety was investigated. Participants considered doodling during the group’s online meetings increased their enjoyment and attention level—some expressed it helped them to relax. However, unlike face-to-face meetings during previous non-COVID-19 years, solitary doodling during online meetings was unable to reflect researchers’ depression or anxiety. COVID-19 limitations necessitating doodling alone maintained the benefits group members saw in doodling but hampered the ability of doodling to act as a measure of burnout in contrast to previous in-person doodling. This result is seen to correspond to one aspect of the group’s change in team mindfulness resulting from COVID-19 constraints.

The online learning necessitated by COVID-19 social distancing limitations has resulted in the utilization of hybrid online formats focused on maintaining visual contact among learners and teachers. The preferred option of video conferencing for academic meetings has become that of Zoom. The needs of one voluntary, democratic, self-reflective university research group—grounded in responses to writing prompts—differed in learning focus. Demanding a safe space to encourage and record both self-reflection and creative questioning of other participants, the private Facebook group was chosen over video conferencing to maintain the concentration on group members’ written responses rather than how they saw themselves (and thought others saw them) on screen. A narrative research model initiated in 2015, the 2020/21 interaction of the group in the year’s worth of Facebook entries, and the yearend feedback received from group participants, will be compared with previous years when the weekly group met in-person. The results in relation to COVID-19 limitations indicate that an important aspect of self-directed learning related to trust that comes from team mindfulness is lost when face-to-face interaction is eliminated regarding the democratic nature of these meetings. With online meetings the new standard, maintaining trust requires improvements to online virtual meeting spaces.

Late January 2020, COVID-19 unexpectedly imposed world-wide limitations on daily life. Deemed a pandemic mid-March 2020, lockdowns were imposed for an indefinite period, including at academic institutions. Consequently, interest in digital literacy—an on-going and increasing concern of academic institutions in the 21^st century—exponentially heightened. Continuing meetings of academic groups now necessitated online communication. In the almost overnight closure of all non-essential services, academic units at one post-secondary institution expeditiously selected Zoom—a popular video conferencing application—as the preferred platform for meetings until social distancing was lifted. In contrast to this widely accepted use of Zoom for scheduled meetings, one unique health-related group at the institution, tailored to the 4Cs of 21^st century learning of critical thought, communication, cooperation and creativity, found social networking through a private Facebook group a more appropriate and satisfying group experience than likely possible with the Zoom app. Pros and cons of both online platforms are presented along with when each choice is warranted. In promoting digital literacy as the primary goal in online communication for academic meetings, private Facebook groups hold promise for collaborative online academic meetings with similar features to this health-related group.

The peptidyl-prolyl isomerases of the cyclophilin type are distributed throughout human cells, including eight found solely in the nucleus. Nuclear cyclophilins are involved in complexes that regulate chromatin modification, transcription, and pre-mRNA splicing. This review collects what is known about the eight human nuclear cyclophilins: PPIH, PPIE, PPIL1, PPIL2, PPIL3, PPIG, CWC27, and PPWD1. Each “spliceophilin” is evaluated in relation to the spliceosomal complex in which it has been studied, and current work studying the biological roles of these cyclophilins in the nucleus are discussed. All eight of the human splicing complexes available in the PDB are analyzed from the viewpoint of the human spliceophilins. Future directions in structural and cellular biology, and the importance of developing spliceophilin-specific inhibitors, are considered.

C. auris is a newly emerging yeast, raising public health concerns due to its outbreak potential, lack of protocols for decontamination and isolation of patients or contacts, increased resistance to common antifungals and associated high mortality. This research aimed to describe the challenges related to identifying the outbreak, limiting further contamination, and treating affected individuals. We retrospectively analysed all cases of C. auris detected between October 2022 and August 2023, but our investigation focused on a three-month-long outbreak in the department of cardio-vascular surgery and the related intensive care unit. Along with isolated cases in different wards, we identified 13 patients who became infected or colonized in the same area and time, even though the epidemiological link could be traced only in 10 patients, according to the epidemiological investigation. In conclusion, our study emphasizes the substantial challenge encountered in clinical practice when attempting to diagnose and limit the spread of an outbreak. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly apply contact precaution measures and appropriate environmental cleaning, from the first case detected positive.

Gardens play a key role in the definition of the cultural landscape since they reflect the culture, identity and history of a people. They also contribute to the ecological balance of the city. Despite gardens have an historic and social value, they are not protected as much as the rest of the existing heritage, like architecture and archaeological sites. While methods of built-heritage mapping and monitoring are increasing and constantly improving to reduce built-heritage loss and the severe impact of natural disasters, the documentation and survey techniques for gardens are often antiquated, inventories are typically made by non-updated/updatable reports, and rarely they are on digital format and in 3D. This paper presents the preliminary results of a study on latest technology for gardens laser scanning. We compared static Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Mobile Laser Scanning point clouds, to evaluate their quality for documentation and the estimation of the tree attributes. The evaluation is based on visual observation and graphic comparison of the two point clouds acquired in different instances. Both methods produced useful outcomes for the research scope within their limitations. Terrestrial Laser Scanning is still the method that offers more accurate point clouds with a higher point density and less noise level. However, the more recent Mobile Laser Scanning is able to survey in less time, significantly reducing the costs for site activities, data post-production and registration. Both methods have their own restrictions that are amplified by site features, mainly the lack of plans for the geometric alignment of scans and for the Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) process. We also offer the results of a comparison of the functional range of the two machines, as well as for a comparison of their terrain information extraction capabilities.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationships between several clinical and biological factors, but also the tumor topography and surgical strategies used in patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: We designed an analytical, observational, retrospective study that included patients admitted to our emergency surgical department and diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The study group inclusion criteria were: patients admitted during 2020-2022; patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (including the ileocecal valve); patients who benefited from a surgical procedure, either in emergency or elective. Results: In our study group, consisting of 153 patients, we accounted for 56.9% male patients and 43.1% female patients. The most common clinical manifestations were pain (73.2% of the study group), followed by abdominal distension (69.3% of the study group) and absence of intestinal transit (38.6% of the study group). A number of 69 patients were operated in emergency (45.1%), while 84 patients (54.9%) benefited from elective surgery. The most frequent topography of the tumor was the sigmoid colon, with 19.60% of the patients, followed by the colorectal junction, with 15.68% of the patients and superior rectum and inferior rectum, with 11.11% of the patients in each subcategory. The most frequent type of procedure was right hemicolectomy (21.6% of the study group), followed by rectosigmoid resection (20.9% of the study group). The surgical procedure was finished by performing an anastomosis in 49% of the patients, an ostomy in 43.1% of the patients, while for 7.8% of the patients, a tumoral biopsy was performed. Conclusions: Colorectal cancer remains one of the most frequent cancers in the world, with a heavy burden that involves high mortality, alterations in the quality of life of the patients and their families, and also the financial costs of the medical systems.

Abstract: Cancer cells are originated by normal cells and with those share the need to be fed. Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is not yet fully understood although there is a vast literature suggesting that huge amounts of both energy and substrates are require for synthesis of components of new neoplastic cells so that any macronutrient may be efficiently utilized. Recently, in vitro data show that EAA supplementation promoted colon cancer cells apoptosis by enhanced autophagy. Therefore, in this study we tested in vivo the effects of matched macronutrients standard laboratory diet (control) versus EAA rich modified diet (EAArmd) in mice injected with colon cancer cells. Results of the first set of 12 animals, 6 controls and 6 EAArmd-fed, showed that controls mice develop cancer volume cancers 5 times larger and heavier than EAArmd-fed. If confirmed, these results would open new scenarios for the cancer integrate therapies.

A hybrid material, consisting of commercially available nitrocellulose (NC) membrane non-covalently modified with amino-polyethylene glycol functionalized reduced graphene oxide (NH2-PEG-rGO) nanoparticles, was successfully synthesized for oligonucleotide extraction. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the modification of the NC membrane, revealing characteristic peaks of both compounds NC and NH2-PEG-rGO. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) exhibited morphological changes in the NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane, marked by the introduction of NH2-PEG-rGO particles, resulting in a distinctly smothered surface compared to the porous surface of the NC control membrane. Wettability assays revealed hydrophobic behavior for the NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane, with a water contact angle exceeding 90°, contrasting with the hydrophilic behavior characterized by a 16.7° contact angle in the NC membrane. The performance of the NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane was evaluated for the extraction of ssDNA with fewer than 50 nucleotides from solutions containing various ionic species (MnCl2, MgCl2, and MnCl2/MgCl2). The NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane exhibited optimal performance when incubated in MgCl2, presenting the highest fluorescence emission at 525 relative fluorescence units (r.f.u.). This corresponds to the extraction of approximately 610 pg (≈13%) of the total oligo-DNA, underscoring the efficacy of the pristine material, which extracts 286 pg (≈6%) of oligo-DNA in complex solutions.

Panoramic and periapical radiograph tools help dentists diagnose the most common dental diseases. Generally, dentists identify dental caries manually by inspecting X-ray images. However, due to their heavy workload, or poor image quality, dentists may sometimes overlook some unnoticeable dental caries, which may ultimately hinder the patient treatment. The purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm that classifies the teeth X-Ray images into three categories of “Normal”, “Caries”, and “Filled”. Our study used a dataset of 116 patients and 3712 single teeth images for training, validation and testing. Images were pre-processed using a sharpening filter and an intensity color map. We used a pre-trained transfer learning model, the NASNetMobile, which served as the feature extractor and the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model served as the classifier. The training dataset had a “Recall” of 0.92, 0.90 and 0.91 for “Normal”, “Caries” and “Filled” respectively and the test dataset had a “Recall” of 0.86, 0.81 and 0.85 for “Normal”, “Caries” and “Filled” respectively. The classification of the teeth X-Rays was successful and can be valuable for dentist as the artificial intelligence algorithm can serve as a decision support tool to aid dentists when they need to diagnose dental treatment.

Gold, present as electrum, in the Battle Gap, Ridge North-West, HW, and Price deposits at the Myra Falls mine, occurs in late veinlets cutting the earlier VMS lithologies. The ore mineral assemblage containing the electrum comprises dominantly galena, tennantite, bornite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and rare stromeyerite is defined as an Au-Zn-Pb-As-Sb association. The gangue is comprised of barite, quartz, and minor feldspathic volcanogenic sedimentary rocks and clay. Deposition of gold as electrum in the baritic upper portions of the sulphide lenses occurs at relatively shallow water depths beneath the sea floor. Primary, pseudosecondary, and secondary fluid inclusions, petrographically related to gold, show boiling fluid inclusion assemblages in the range of 123 to 173 °C, with compositions and eutectic melt temperatures consistent with seawater at approximately 3.2 wt% NaCl equivalent. The fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures are consistent with boiling seawater corresponding to water depths ranging from 15 to 125 metres. Slightly more dilute brines corresponding to salinities of approximately 1 wt% NaCl indicate that there is input from very low-salinity brines, which could represent a transition from subaqueous VMS to epithermal-like conditions for precious metal enrichment, mixing with re‑condensed vapour, or very low-salinity igneous fluids.

Study Objectives: To (1) investigate the prevalence of sleep disorder symptoms in caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and (2) the relationships between caregiver sleep problems and their health-related quality of life and family quality of life. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of caregivers (N=62) of children ages 6 to 11 years old diagnosed with ASD receiving care at a regional autism research and resource center. Measurements and Results: Participants completed the Sleep Habits Questionnaire (SHQ), the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) SF-12, and the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL). Caregivers with longer sleep duration reported better mental health and better family quality of life. Caregivers who reported insomnia symptoms, non-restorative sleep, and insufficient sleep were more likely to report poorer mental health than caregivers who did not report these sleep disorder symptoms. Caregivers with obstructive sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome experienced worse physical quality of life. Conclusions: The physical and mental health of the primary caregiver is essential to the support of the child with ASD and to the functioning of the family. The study findings point to the importance of future research and interventions to enhance sleep health in order to improve quality of life for caregivers of children with ASD.

The conservation of coastal wetland ecosystems, like mangrove forests and salt marshes, represents a critical strategy for mitigating atmospheric emissions and climate change in the 21st century. Yet the existence of these environments is threatened by human-induced disturbances, namely deforestation and accelerated sea-level rise. Coastal systems maintain surface elevation in response to sea-level rise through a combination of physical and biological processes both above and below the ground surface. The quantification and relative contribution of belowground process controls (e.g., seasonal water content, organic matter decomposition) on surface elevation change is largely unexplored but crucial for informing coastal ecosystem sustainability. To address this knowledge deficit, we integrated measurements of surface elevation change of the live root zone (0.5 to 1 m depth) with geotechnical data from co-located sediment cores in the Sundarbans mangrove forest (SMF) of southwest Bangladesh. Core data reveal that the primary belowground controls on surface elevation change include seasonal fluctuations in pore-water content and the relative abundance of fine-grained sediments capable of volumetric expansion and contraction, supporting an elevation gain of ~2.42 ± 0.26 cm yr⁻¹. In contrast to many mangrove environments, the soils of the SMF contain little organic matter and are dominantly composed (>90%) of inorganic clastic sediments. The mineral-rich soil texture likely leads to less compaction-induced subsidence as compared to organic-rich substrates and facilitates surface equilibrium in response to sea level rise. Despite a relatively high soil bulk density, soil carbon (C) density of the SMF is very low owing to the dearth of preserved organic content. However, rates of C accumulation are balanced out by locally high accretion rates, rendering the SMF a greater sink of terrestrial C than the worldwide mangrove average. The findings of this study demonstrate that C accumulation in the SMF, and possibly other alluvial mangrove forests, is highly dependent on the continued delivery of sediment to the mangrove platform and associated settings.

Background and Objectives: High job strain is worsening the outcome in coronary artery disease, CAD. Severe dissatisfaction on workplace, imbalance between high demands , and low rewards, are affecting the quality of life, and diminishing the duration of life, especially in CAD patients. Our study included two samples : CAD patients (experimental group), and without CAD patients, but with traditional risk factors (control group). The main objective of the study was the role played by high sensitivity C reactive protein, hs CRP, and microalbuminuria, as mediators of job strain and CAD relationship. Secondary objectives were the following: identification of the most vulnerable patients( with significant job strain) and intervention towards this category, for cardiovascular events prevention (primary or secondary). Materials and Methods: The utilized methods were the following : clinical exam; electrocardiogram; echocardiogram; non contrast enhanced computed chest tomography; laboratory findings ( lipid profile, glycemia, hs CRP, microalbuminuria); type D scale, DS 14; depression questionnaire, PHQ-9; and satisfaction with work scale, SWWS. Results: The highest values for hs CRP and microalbuminuria were noticed in patients with the lowest Likert score, for both samples CAD, and without CAD patients. The highest job strain was noticed in females. More than half of CAD patients ,with low Likert scores, revealed myocardial infarction. Conclusions: Microalbuminuria and hs CRP were statistical significant in the study as intercessors, in job strain and CAD relationship. The most vulnerable patients for vascular events were females, in both groups : CAD and “CAD waiting desk”. In CAD sample, the vascular vulnerability was also increased by high job strain.

Psoriasis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory autoimmune pathology, with a major genetic component and several interferences of immunological cells and their cytokines. The complex orchestration of psoriasis pathogenesis is related to the synergic effect of immune cells, polygenic alterations, the presence of autoantigens and several external factors. The major act of IL-23/IL-17 axis, strongly influencing the inflammatory pattern established during the disease activity, is visible as a continuous perpetuation of the pro-inflammatory response and keratinocyte activation and proliferation leading to the development of psoriatic lesions. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) along offered a better view of psoriasis pathogenic pathways, with approximately one third of psoriasis genetic impact on psoriasis development is associated to MHC region, with genetic loci located on chromosome 6. The most eloquent genetic factor of psoriasis, PSORS1, was identified in the MHC I site. Between the several factors involved in its complex etiology, dysbiosis, due to genetic or external stimulus, exhibiting less variety and the involvement of pathogenic bacteria, cand induce a burst of proinflammatory consequences, both cutaneous and gut microbiome being involved in psoriasis pathogenic process. A complex understanding of the major pathways that interplay in order to initiate and perpetuate psoriatic diseases and its associated comorbidities can help the current clinical practice by properly evaluating completely and individualized each patient and establish the proper therapeutic management.

Water pollutants removal by biomass adsorbent has been considered innovative and cost effective, thus commendable for application in industrial applications. However, certain important aspects have been overlooked by researchers, namely the efficiency in the operation time and pollutant removal. In this research, landfill leachate samples with organic components were treated using bentonite-enriched with sawdust augmented (SBR) process. By modifying the pH, the sawdust samples were categorized into three: the acidic, the alkaline, and the neutral. To bentonite samples, the pH-adjusted sawdust was added at 10%, 20%, and 30% amounts by mass respectively. At the optimum aeration rate of 7.5 L/min and contact period of 22 h, the treatment achieved 99.28% and 95.41% removal of COD and NH₃-N with bentonite respectively. For both pollutants, in the presence of sawdust, the removal reduced by about 17% with contact period reduced to 2 h which was a considerable achievement.

Background: In hepatocytes and alcohol-metabolizing cultured cells, Golgi undergoes ethanol (EtOH)-induced disorganization. Periniclear and organized Golgi is important in liver homeostasis, but how the Golgi remains intact is unknown. Work from our laboratories showed that EtOH-altered cellular function could be reversed after alcohol removal; we wanted to determine whether this recovery would apply to Golgi. Methods: We used alcohol-metabolizing HepG2 (VA-13) cells (cultured with or without EtOH for 72 h) and rat hepatocytes (control and EtOH-fed (Lieber-DeCarli diet). For recovery, EtOH was removed and replenished with control medium (48 hours for VA-13 cells) or control diet (10 days for rats). Results: EtOH-induced Golgi disassembly was associated with de-dimerization of the largest Golgi matrix protein giantin, along with impaired transport of selected hepatic proteins. After recovery from EtOH, Golgi regained their compact structure, and alterations in giantin and protein transport were restored. In VA-13 cells, when we knocked down giantin, Rab6a GTPase or non-muscle Myosin IIB, minimal changes were observed in control conditions, but post-EtOH recovery was impaired. Conclusions: These data provide a link between Golgi organization and plasma membrane protein expression and identify several proteins whose expression is important to maintain Golgi structure during the recovery phase after EtOH administration.

Children—Dependents in Social Construction Theory—are assessed within democracies regarding their ability to self-direct their behavior concerning their associated society. In this regard, childhood represents a lack of self-direction, a life period when people require the guidance and protection of adults. The assumed necessity of adults supervising children in democracies requires substantial social resources, reducing the self-direction of those charged with overseeing children. Given that self-direction defines the optimal experience of people within democratic society, finding ways to increase the self-direction of children is an individual and a social benefit. In this regard, smartphones have improved self-direction in children. How children have become empowered to self-direct their lives with smartphone use considering Social Construction Theory—as Advantaged, Contenders, or Deviants—is the focus of a scoping review conducted on “children, empowerment, smartphones” of the following databases: OVID, JSTOR, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The result is that children permitted to self-direct their activities aided by smartphone technology have comparable social behavior to adults positioned as Advantaged, Contenders, or Deviants and, as such they should be encouraged to utilize smartphone technology to improve their self-direction, as doing so will augment individual and caregiver self-direction, providing increased social benefit.

Immune responses to influenza (flu) antigens reflect memory to prior infections or vaccinations, which might influence immunity to new flu antigens. Memory of past antigens has been termed “original antigenic sin” or more recently “immune imprinting” and “seniority”. We have researched a comparison between the immune response to live flu infections and inactivated flu vaccina-tions. A brief history of antibody generation theories is presented culminating in new findings about the immune-network theory suggesting that a network of clones exists between an-ti-idiotypic antibodies and T cell receptors. Findings regarding the 2009 pandemic flu strain and immune responses to it are presented, including memory B cells and conserved regions within the hemagglutinin protein. The importance of CD4+ memory T cells and cytotoxic CD8+ T cells responding to both infections and vaccinations are discussed and compared. Innate immune cells like natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages are discussed regarding their roles in adaptive immune responses. Antigen presentation via macroautophagy processes are described. New vaccines in development are mentioned along with the results of some clinical trials. The manu-script concludes with how repeated vaccinations are impacting the immune system and a sketch of what might be behind the imprinting phenomenon, including future research directions.

Background. Sarcopenia, defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, is a major clinical problem in many chronic illnesses, in cancer and in the elderly. Exercise and adequate nutrition, peculiarly dependents on availability of essential amino acids, considered the primary strategies for prevention and treatment of protein synthetic deficits, affect both the efficient scavenging of aged and overused protein molecules and the renewal, by maintaining muscular protein synthesis. Many questions still remain about the regulation of protein syntheses and degradation. Degradation of inefficient proteins or organelles is performed by the sum of micro and macro-autophagy plus ubiquitin-proteasome system, activities known as proteostasis, necessary to preserve and promote protein masses and consequently, the body’s reserves. However, how protein synthesis is regulated, and how activation of the mTOR complex may modulate and transduce the flow of information provided by exercise and nutrition to balance proteostasis and syntheses, is far from being fully understood. We suggest that energy production and availability, thus also mitochondria, may have a pivotal role in synchronizing activity and functional outcomes of protein syntheses, and that those syntheses, since higly energy demanding, are main effectors of AMPK dependent autophagy activation by consuming ATP and producing AMP. Conclusion. While in normal conditions protein syntheses drive autophagy activation by decreasing ATP to AMP ratio, conversely autophagy may be inefficiently activated when chronic both low production and consumption of ATP would result in lowest concentrations of AMP, and therefore both blunted rates of protein syntheses and autophagy would be observed. We suggest that this functional hypothesis may explain sarcopenia in many pathological conditions , as in cancer or in aging muscles.

Understanding behavioral factors associated with obesity is of importance in addressing this issue. This study examined the association between cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating and body mass index (BMI) and amount of food plated, consumed, leftovers, and leftover food thrown into the trash (food wasted) in early adolescent girls nine to 13 years in O’ahu, Hawai’i (n = 93). Food plated, consumed, leftovers, and food wasted were estimated using a three-day mobile food record (mFR). Weight and height were measured to compute BMI (kg/m2). The three-factor eating questionnaire provided a score from 0 to 100 for cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. Higher scores are indicative of greater cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. Pearson’s correlation and general linear models were computed to examine the relationship between three factor eating scores, BMI, and food plated, consumed, leftovers, and food wasted. There was no clinically significant association between cognitive restraint and amount of food wasted. Cognitive restraint was positively correlated with BMI (r=0.36, p<0.001) and with BMI z score (r=0.40, p<0.001). Uncontrolled eating and emotional eating were positively correlated with amount of leftover food at dinner (r=0.30, p=0.006; r=0.33, p=0.003, respectively). Emotional eating was positively associated with percentage of leftover food at dinner (r=0.24, p=0.30). Additional research should examine the specific roles of cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating and food waste in the development of obesity in adolescents.

Irish beef farms have experienced poor viability longitudinally, with officially acknowledged ‘crisis’ levels in 2013. In response, beef Producer Organisation (PO) legislation was introduced. Through the lens of international evidence in the literature about how POs function, this paper presents an analysis of Irish stakeholders’ views in the context of a public consultation process. While stakeholders indicate the need for individual POs to collaborate, little emphasis is placed on other factors necessary for success: collaboration with other chain actors; and market differentiation of products. Stakeholders identified primary threats as poor engagement on the part of both farmers and processors/purchasers.

Smart local energy systems (SLES) have been promoted in policy as a solution to decarbonisation challenges which also bring wider benefits, such as community prosperity and energy affordability. But the combination of conditions required to enable their successful emergence and operation are still to be elaborated. This paper reports on the development of a Theory of Change (ToC) for the “societal project” of emergence of SLES with benefits. ToC is a process of making explicit the causal links by which activities lead to outcomes, surfacing assumptions, and recognising possible unintended consequences. We describe the ToC development process, involving consultation and collaboration across a research consortium. It consists of layers (e.g. users, skills, data and digital), and shows conditions considered necessary to deliver SLES, and for these to deliver wider benefits. It also provides interactive links to evidence emerging from the consortium, as well as policy/governance conditions and metrics. We reflect on potential uses of the ToC – internally to the consortium and externally – along with challenges we encountered in pursuing this approach. Policy implications relate to the importance of enabling conditions across multiple sectors, the absence of any of which could inhibit delivery of either SLES or their ensuing benefits.

Abstract. The purpose of this review is to investigate the nature of privacy concerns in the context of Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) to understand how SLES providers can minimize both users’ concern, and cause for concern, around privacy. We conducted a rapid realist review and thematic framework analysis against Bronfrenbrenner’s socio-ecological model to understand privacy concerns in different contexts. A common privacy concern was that sharing detailed energy use data had the potential to reveal information about home life, and to intrude upon people’s sense of autonomy, choice and control. Evidence suggests that people are willing to accept newdata sharing technologies if the benefits of doing so are clear, anticipated, and mutually beneficial. Building trust, through increasing knowledge and understanding was a mechanism for overcoming privacy concerns, but this was mediated by the organization providing the information. Non-profit organizations were more trusted to ensure appropriate safeguards to privacy were in place. One key barrier to participation with good supporting evidence was that people can resist perceived intrusions on their privacy. This could be actively resisted by refusing to install data collection technologies or passively by non-participation in adapting energy use behaviors: both of which are necessary for SLES to achieve their goals of managing energy demand and building resilience in smart grids.

We recently reported that refocusing attention between temporal and spatial tasks becomes more difficult with increasing age, which could impair daily activities such as driving (Callaghan et al., 2017). Here we investigated the extent to which difficulties in refocusing attention extend to naturalistic settings such as simulated driving. 118 participants in five age groups (18-30; 40-49; 50-59; 60-69; 70-91 years) were compared during simulated driving, where they switched from a spatially focal yet temporally complex task (braking due to traffic ahead) to a spatially more distributed task (reading a motorway road sign). Sequential-Task (switching) performance was compared to Single-Task performance (road sign only) to calculate age-related switch-costs. Electroencephalography was recorded in 34 participants (17 in the 18-30 and 17 in the 60+ years groups) to explore age-related changes in the neural oscillatory signatures of refocusing attention while driving. We indeed observed age-related impairments in attentional refocusing, evidenced by increased switch-costs in response times and by deficient modulation of theta and alpha frequencies. Our findings highlight virtual reality (VR) and Neuro-VR as important methodologies for future psychological and gerontological research.

Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton community assessments depend on species diagnostics, yet morphological identifications are time consuming, require taxonomic expertise, and are hampered by lack of diagnostic characters –particularly for larval stages. Metabarcoding can identify multiple species in communities from short DNA sequences in comparison to reference databases. To evaluate species resolution across phylogenetic groups and food webs of zooplankton and ichthyoplankton, we compare five metabarcode mitochondrial (mt)DNA markers from gene regions of (a)cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, (b) cytochrome b, (c) 16S ribosomal RNA, and (d) 12S ribosomal RNA for DNA extracted from net tows in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean’s Salish Sea across seven sites and two seasons. Species resolved by metabarcoding are compared to invertebrate morphological identifications and biomass estimates. Results indicate that species resolution for different zooplankton and ichthyoplankton taxa can markedly vary among gene regions and markers, and in comparison to morphological identifications. Thus, researchers seeking “universal” metabarcoding should take caution that several markers and gene regions likely will be needed; all will miss some taxa and yield incomplete overlap. Species resolution requires careful attention to taxon marker selection and coverage in reference sequence repositories. In summary, combined multi-marker metabarcode and morphological approaches improve broadscale zooplankton diagnostics.

Burnout represents a concern for all healthcare providers, particularly those specializing in emergency medical care for whom burnout outcomes have been well-documented. What remains unknown is the effect of burnout on redeployed medical specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic from an appointment-centered practice to emergency care directed by public health considerations. This research aims to identify and assess the burnout responses of fourteen medical specialties noted in searched returns of the four most cited articles published since 2020 about non-emergency physicians regarding their burnout brought on by the unanticipated need for them to provide emergency care during the recent pandemic. The hypothesis is that medical specialists accustomed to planning for emergency possibilities in their appointment-centered practice would demonstrate the least burnout regarding COVID-19-related emergencies. Considering coping as a process based on Lazarus's research, comparing and ranking the COVID-19 emergency responses across the various normally appointment-centered medical specialties in their employed coping strategies determines the outcome. With the hypothesis supported, suggested interventions for future pandemics—when these specialists are, again, redeployed to emergency care directed by public health considerations—are those coping strategies identified as most effective in reducing burnout while maintaining the viability of the medical specialty and excellent patient care.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are prevalent and lead to high morbidity and mortality globally. Physiotherapists regularly interact with patients with or at risk of CVDs (pwCVDs). This study aimed to assess the nature of existing evidence, interventional approaches used, and the population groups included in physiotherapy-led health promotion (PLHP) for pwCVDs. The scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and PEDro databases were searched from inception until June 2023. Two reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, full text and conducted data extraction. All conflicts were resolved with a third reviewer. A total of 4992 records were identified, of which 20 full-text articles were included in the review. The studies had varied populations, including those with stroke, coronary artery diseases, peripheral artery diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and multiple CVD risk factors. The interventions ranged from exercise and physical activity programs, dietary interventions, education, and counselling sessions with various supplementary approaches. Most interventions were short-term, with less than 12 months of follow-up. Interventions were personalised and patientcentred to promote adherence and health behaviour change. Among the included studies, 60% employed experimental designs, with the remainder using quasi-experimental designs. Although a wide range of PLHP strategies have been used for pwCVDs, exercise and physical activity were employed in 85% of included studies. Other components of health promotion, such as sleep, smoking, and alcohol abuse, should be investigated within PLHP.

In this paper we present a successful implementation of the Hindmarsh–Rose model within a SC environment. The merits of the proposed approach are design simplicity, due to stochastic computing, and the ease of implementation. Simulation results showed that the approximation achieved is equivalent to introducing a noise source into the original model. A study for the level of noise introduced, according to the number of bits in the stochastic sequence, has been performed. Additionally, we demonstrate that such an approach, even though it is noisy, it reproduces the behaviour of biological systems, which are intrinsically noisy. It is also demonstrated that a speedup of x2 compared to biological systems is easily achievable, with a very small number of gates, thus paving the road for the in silico implementation of large neuron networks.

Biopolymers based on plant and animal proteins are interesting alternatives in the development of films with future prospects as food packaging. Considering that in recent years there has been an increasing interest in the valorization of agro-industrial residues and by-products and that the blending of polymers can lead to materials with improved properties, in this work, keratin-rich feather fibers and gliadins were blended at different ratios in order to develop sustainable and biodegradable films. Control gliadin G100, feather F100 films and their blends at 3:1 (G75F25) , 2:2 (G50F50) and 1:3 (G25F75) ratios were successfully developed through thermoprocessing. The physical properties were differentiated as a function of the concentration of both polymeric matrices. Although gliadins showed higher hydrophilicity confirmed by its highest swelling degree, films with high gliadin ratios exhibited lower water permeability values at low and medium relative humidities. On the other hand, the feathers displayed the highest Young´s modulus values and provided oxygen barrier to the blends, principally at the highest relative humidity. In conclusion, the blend of these protein-based polymers at different ratio resulted on interesting composites whose physical properties could be adjusted.

In recent years, the need for safe and modern composite barrier for the prevention of groundwater contamination and the provision of Geo-environmental protection has been studied together with the need of designing low cost and effective liner for isolating landfill contents from the environment. In this study, various mix designs involving two natural adsorbents, the Na-Bentonite and the pH-adjusted sawdust were prepared for a series of Geo-environmental experiments to be carried out to determine the adsorption capacity, buffering capacity, pH changes, and COD changes among others, in the presence of Pb(NO3)2 contaminant concentrations. Generally, the results showed an increase in adsorption capacity in the acidic segment of the treatment. An increase of 58% of the adsorption efficiency of the Na-Bentonite in adsorbing the contaminant at the highest concentration was the most important achievement of the system while in the acidic segment.

23-Hydroxy ursolic acid (23-OH UA) is a potent atheroprotective and anti-obesogenic phytochemical, with anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving properties. In this study, we examined whether dietary 23-OH UA protects mice against the acute onset and progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Female C57BL/6 mice were fed either a defined low-calorie maintenance diet (MD) or an MD supplemented with 0.2 % wgt/wgt 23-OH UA for 5 weeks prior to actively inducing EAE and during the 30 days post-immunization. We observed no difference in the onset of EAE between both groups of mice, but ataxia and EAE disease severity were suppressed by 52% and 48%, respectively, and disease incidence was reduced by over 49% in mice that received 23-OH UA in their diet. Furthermore, disease-associated weight loss was strikingly ameliorated in 23-OH UA-fed mice. ELISPOT analysis showed no significant differences in frequencies of T cells producing IL-17 or IFN- between 23-OH UA fed mice and control mice, suggesting that 23-OH UA does not appear to regulate peripheral T-cell responses. In summary, our findings demonstrate that dietary 23-OH UA may represent an effective oral adjunct therapy for the prevention and treatment of relapsing-remitting MS.

Background: Cancer patients require cross-professional care during the diagnosis and treatment periods. Therefore, methods for effectively carrying out case management are essential to tumor care. Purpose: To investigate the effects of using the community software LINE Official Ac-count on oral cancer case management. Methods: An experimental design was used; 100 patients were randomly divided into two groups by using a computer-generated random number table. The experimental group used LINE Official Account, which gave them self-care information, timely messages, and one-on-one health-care consultations. The control group followed standard healthcare practices. Results: The experimental group was satisfied with the self-care information provided by LINE Official Account (86.9%), patients regularly checked the self-care information (89.4%) and would check the information when receiving a push notification (54.3%). Ten patients used the one-on-one consultation(20.0%). LINE Official Account had a significant effect on the rate of participation in support groups. Generalized estimating equations indicated a significant difference between the two groups regarding the overall quality of life over 7 days (P = 0.023). Conclusion: Community software applications used in oncological case management can improve self-management and empower, also enable tracking of long-term follow-up effectiveness and reinforce the case manager’s role as a family therapist. Therefore, this study recommends that case manager systems be incorporated into mobile applications to increase the sustainable management, accessibility, effectiveness, and satisfaction of oncological management systems. This study also provides the value of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with Good Health and Well-being, and decreased social withdrawal among patients with oral cancer.

The Cordoba Guitar Festival is one of the most important cultural events in Spain. This article analyses the musical preferences, satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty of spectators who attended the 36th festival held in July 2016, as well as the festival’s economic impact on the city. To achieve this aim, a structural equation model (SEM) was used. The results show the goodness-of-fit of the model and indicate that the observed data fit the expected dataset.

Resuscitation plans (RP) are an important clinical indicator relating to care at the end of life in pediatrics. A retrospective review of the medical records of children who had been referred to the Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia who died in the calendar year 2011 was performed. Of 62 records available, 40 patients (65%) had a life limiting condition and 43 medical records (69%) contained a documented (RP). This study demonstrated that both the underlying condition (life-limiting or life-threatening) and the setting of care (PICU or home) influenced the development of resuscitation plans. Patients referred to the paediatric palliative care (PPC) service had a significantly longer time interval from documentation of a resuscitation plan to death and were more likely to die at home. All of the patients who died in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) had a RP which was documented within the last 48 hours of life. Most RPs were not easy to locate. Documentation of discussions related to resuscitation planning should accommodate patient and family centered care based on individual needs. With varied diagnoses and settings of care, it is important that there is inter-professional collaboration (particularly involving PICU and PPC services) in developing protocols of how to manage this difficult but inevitable clinical scenario.

Cancer cells are originated by normal cells and with those share the need to be fed. Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is not yet fully understood, and there is a vast literature suggesting that any macronutrient may be efficiently utilized by cancer for duplication purposes. Metabolic hyperactivity of cancer and continuous duplication requires huge amounts of both energy and substrates for syntheses of components of new cells, and the modifications of metabolism induced by cancer cells to survive and grow damaging lethally, the whole organism. In rodents, we have recently observed that by modifying diet in a way not existent in nature, changing radically the ratios among essential and non-essential amino acids (AA) (usually less than 0.9), largely increasing essential-AA (EAA) percentages, lifespans increased. In vitro, EAA supplementation promoted colon cancer cells (CT116) apoptosis by enhanced autophagy. Therefore, we tested in mice if injection of colon cancer cells would have been followed by unvaried development of cancer volumes in animals fed with standard laboratory diet (controls) versus EAA rich modified diets (EAAmd). Both diets perfectly matched the same total macronutrients and micronutrients contents; only quality of nitrogen was radically different. Results of the first set of 8 animals, 4 controls and 4 EAAmd-fed, showed that controls develop cancers near 5 times larger and heavier than EAAmd-fed (P&lt;0,002) on the same time. We discuss which epigenetic modifications would be involved and worth to be studied, and what kind of scenarios those preliminary findings, if confirmed, would open.

In this paper, a system of searching for optimal paths is developed and concreted on a FPGA. It is based on a memristive emulator, used as a delay element, by configuring the test graph as a memristor network. A parallel algorithm is applied to reduce computing time and increase efficiency. The operation of the algorithm in Matlab is checked beforehand and then exported to two different Intel FPGAs: a DE0-Nano board and an Arria 10 GX 220 FPGA. In both cases reliable results are obtained quickly and conveniently, even for the case of a 300x300 nodes maze.

Background/Objectives: Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause variable symptoms, which may be irreversible if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. We aimed to develop a widely accepted expert consensus to guide the practice of diagnosing and treating B12 deficiency. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of the literature published in PubMed since January 2003. Data were used to design a two-round Delphi survey to study the level of consensus among 42 experts. Results: The panelists agreed on the need for educational and organizational changes in the current medical practices for diagnosing and treating B12 deficiency. Recognition of clinical symptoms should receive the highest priority in establishing the diagnosis. There is agreement that the serum B12 concentration is useful as a screening marker, whereas methylmalonic acid or homocysteine can support the diagnosis. Patient lifestyle, disease history and medications can provide clues to the cause of B12 deficiency. Regardless of the cause of the deficiency, initial treatment with parenteral B12 was regarded as the first choice for patients with acute and severe manifestations of B12 deficiency. The use of high-dose oral B12 at different frequencies may be considered for long-term treatment. Prophylactic B12 supplementation should be considered for specific high-risk groups. Conclusions: There is a consensus that clinical symptoms need to receive more attention in establishing a diagnosis. B12 laboratory markers can support the diagnosis. The severity of clinical symptoms, the causes of B12 deficiency and the treatment goals govern decisions regarding the route and dose of B12 therapy.

Epitranscriptomics refers to post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression via RNA modifications and editing that affect RNA functions. Many kinds of modifications of mRNA have been described, among which N6-Methyladenosine (m6A), N1-methyladenosine (m1A), 7-methylguanosine (m7G), pseudouridine (Ψ), 5-methylcytidine (m5C). They alter mRNA structure and consequently stability, localization and translation efficiency. Perturbation of the epitranscriptome is associated with human diseases, thus opening the opportunity for potential manipulations as therapeutic approach. In this review, we overview the functional roles of epitranscriptomic marks in the skeletal muscle system, in particular in embryonic myogenesis, muscle cell differentiation and muscle homeostasis processes. Further, we explored high throughput epitranscriptome sequencing data to identify RNA chemical modifications in muscle-specific genes and we discuss the possible functional role and the potential therapeutic applications.

Purpose. This paper aims to present a unique perspective that emphasizes the intricate interplay between energy, dietary proteins, and amino acid composition, underscoring their mutual dependence for health-related considerations. Energy and protein synthesis are fundamental to biological processes, crucial for the sustenance of life and growth of organisms. Methods and Results. We explore the intricate relationship between energy metabolism, protein synthesis, regulatory mechanisms, protein sources, amino acid availability, and autophagy, in order to elucidate how these elements collectively maintain cellular homeostasis. We underscore the vital role this dynamic interplay has in preserving cell life. Conclusion. A deeper understanding of the link between energy and protein synthesis is essential to comprehend fundamental cellular processes. This insight could have wide-ranging impact in several medical fields, such as nutrition, metabolism, and disease management.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutations pose significant challenges to diagnostic tests as these mutations can reduce the sensitivity of commonly used RT-PCR assays. Therefore, there is a need to design diagnostic assays with multiple targets to enhance sensitivity. In this study, we identified a novel diagnostic target, nsp10 gene, using nanopore sequencing. Firstly, we determined the analytical sensitivity and specificity of our COVID-19-nsp10 assay. The COVID-19-nsp10 assay had the limit of detection of 74 copies/mL (95% confidence interval: 48-299 copies/mL) and did not show cross-reactivity with other respiratory viruses. Next, we determined the diagnostic performance of the COVID-19-nsp10 assay using 261 respiratory specimens, including 147 SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens belonging to ancestral strain and Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Mu, Eta, Kappa, Theta and Omicron lineages. Using the LightMix E-gene RT-PCR assay as the reference method, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the COVID-19-nsp10 assay were 100%. The median Cp values for the LightMix E-gene RT-PCR and our COVID-19-nsp10 RT-PCR were 22.48 (range: 12.95-36.60) and 25.94 (range 16.37-36.87), respectively. The Cp values of the COVID-19-nsp10 RT-PCR assay correlated well with those of the LightMix E-gene RT-PCR assay (Spearman’s ρ = 0.968; P&lt;0.0001). In conclusion, nsp10 is a suitable target for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay.

L-asparaginase from bacterial sources have been used in antineoplastic treatments and the food industry. A novel type II L-a sparaginase encoded by the N-truncated gene ansZP21 of halotolerant Bacillus subtilis CH11 isolated from Chilca salterns in Peru was expressed using a heterologous system in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)pLysS. The recombinant protein was purified using one-step nickel affinity chromatography and exhibited activity of 234.38 U mg-1 and a maximum catalytic activity at pH 9.0 and 60 °C. The enzyme shows a homotetrameric form with an estimated molecular weight of 155 kDa by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme half-life at 60 °C was 3 h 48 min, and L-asparaginase retained 50% of initial activity for 24 h at 37 °C. The activity was considerably enhanced by KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2, mercaptoethanol, and DL-dithiothreitol (p-value &lt; 0.01). Moreover, the Vmax and Km were 145.2 µmol mL-1 min-1 and 4.752 mM, respectively. These findings evidence a promising novel type II L-asparaginase for future industrial applications.

We report the relative humidity (R.H.) sensing response of a resistive sensor, employing sensing layers based on a ternary nanohybrid comprising holey carbon nanohorns (CNHox), potassium chloride (KCl), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at mass ratios 7/1/2, 6.5/1.5/2, and 6/2/2 (w/w/w/w). The sensing structure comprises a silicon substrate, a SiO2 layer, and interdigitated transducer (IDT) electrodes. The sensing film is deposited on the sensing structure via the drop-casting method. The sensing layers' morphology and composition are investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) and RAMAN spectroscopy. The ternary hybrid-based thin film resistance increases when the sensors are exposed to R.H., ranging from 0% to 100%. The manufactured devices show a room temperature response comparable to a commercial capacitive R.H. sensor and are characterized by excellent linearity, rapid response time, and good sensitivity. The presented sensors exhibit superior performance in terms of sensitivity compared to other similarly manufactured and tested sensors that employ a CNHox-based sensing layer. We explain the sensing role of each constituent of the ternary hybrid nanocomposites based on their chemical and physical properties, electronic properties, and affinity for water molecules. Different alternative sensing mechanisms are considered and discussed, such as the decreasing number of holes in the holey CNHox at the interaction with water molecules, proton conduction, and PVP swelling.

Wildfires can be destructive to highway infrastructure. Despite the substantial number of wildfires experienced every year, research on the physical impacts of wildfire on highways has been understudied. This research examines historical and potential future highway physical damage from wildfires. To accomplish our research objectives, we examined three major areas related to physical harm to highways and the consequences of that damage – physical characteristics, roadway impacts, and traffic impacts. These categories were subsequently broken into additional metrics, the first being physical characteristics, which includes length of highway affected and reduced average daily traffic (RADT) impacts during the event. Roadway impacts were broken into the number of trees requiring removal (those that present a danger either standing or fallen), pavement damage (burning asphalt concrete), slope/rock scaling (loose hazard rocks/vegetation), and structural damage (guardrail, signs, and delineators). Traffic impacts included the need for traffic control, road closures required, and reduced annual average daily traffic (RAADT) impacts for the year. The physical characteristics on the three highways researched during the 2020 Oregon Labor Day wildfires (Beachie Creek, Archie Creek, and Holiday Farm) indicated less than 61% of the highways were affected. The highway impacts, which included damage from hazard trees, damage to various structures – guardrail, signs, and delineators as well as bridges, slope/rock scaling damage and pavement destruction – averaged 34% for the three highways, while the three of eight arterial highway routes studied in the Oregon Cascades saw a 21% reduction in AADT. Results from this study can be used not only to assess physical damage to highways from wildfires, but as a baseline for measuring and assessing potential future wildfire highway impacts.

Consumers often cite cognitive improvements as reasons for making dietary changes or using dietary supplements, a motivation that if leveraged could greatly enhance public health. However, rarely is it considered whether standardized cognitive tests that are used in nutrition research are aligned to outcomes of interest to the consumer. This knowledge gap presents a challenge to the scientific substantiation of nutrition-based cognitive health benefits. Here we combined qualitative consumer research and expert group methodology to (1) understand how consumers comprehend the potential benefits of nutrition for brain health, and (2) determine the alignment between consumers' articulated brain benefits and validated tests and tools. We derived a ‘Consumer Taxonomy of Cognitive and Affective Health in Nutrition Research’ which describes the cognitive and affective structure from the consumers' perspective. Experts agreed that validated tests exist for some consumer benefits including focused attention, sustained attention, episodic memory, energy levels, and anxiety. Prospective memory, flow, and presence represented novel benefits that require the development and validation of new tests and tools. Closing the gap between science and consumers, and fostering co-creative approaches to nutrition research, are critical to the development of products and dietary recommendations that support realizable cognitive benefits that benefit public health.

As non-operative management (NOM) of esophageal and rectal cancer is becoming more prevalent, blood-biomarkers such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may provide clinical information in addition to endoscopy and imaging to aid in treatment decisions following chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In this feasibility study, we prospectively collected plasma samples from locally advanced esophageal (n=3) and rectal cancer (n=2) patients undergoing multimodal neoadjuvant therapy to assess the feasibility of serial ctDNA monitoring throughout neoadjuvant therapy. Using the DIDA-Seq error-correction method, we serially interrogated plasma cell-free DNA at 28-41 tumor-specific genomic loci throughout therapy and in surveillance with an average limit of detection of 0.016% mutant allele frequency. In both rectal cancer patients, ctDNA levels were persistently elevated following total neoadjuvant therapy with eventual detection of clinical recurrence prior to salvage surgery. Among the esophageal cancer patients, ctDNA levels closely correlated with tumor burden throughout and following neoadjuvant therapy, which was associated with a pathologic complete response in one patient. In this feasibility study, patient and tumor-specific ctDNA levels correlated with clinical outcomes throughout multi-modality therapy suggesting that serial monitoring of patient ctDNA has the potential to serve as a highly sensitive and specific biomarker to risk-stratify esophageal and rectal cancer patients eligible for NOM. Further prospective investigation is warranted.

Chronic diseases are characterised by cell’s autophagy and proteins disarrangement resulting in sarcopenia, hypoalbuminemia and hypo-haemoglobinaemia. Hypo-haemoglobinaemia couses worse prognosis independentely of the principal disease. Currently, the cornerstone of therapy of anaemia is iron supplementation, with or without erythropoietin for the stimulation of hematopoiesis. However, treatment strategies should incorporate the addition of heme, the principal biochemical constituent of haemoglobin. Heme synthesis follows a complex biochemical pathway. The limiting step of heme synthesis is D-ALA availability which, for its synthesis, requires Glycine and Succinil-CoA. Consequently, treatment of anaemia should not be based only on iron availability, but also on the availability of the molecules fundamental for heme synthesis. Therefore, an adequate clinical therapeutic strategy should integrate the standard iron infusion and the supply of essential amino acids and vitamins involved in the heme synthesis. We report preliminary data in selected elderly anaemic patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and catabolic disarrangement, who, in addition to standard iron therapy, received personalized therapy with essential-AAs and vitamins involved in the maintenance of heme. Notably, such individualized therapy resulted in a significant increase in the serum concentration of haemoglobin after 30 days of treatment compared to standard iron therapy.

In the mammalian isocortex CD44, a cell surface receptor for extracellular matrix molecules, is present in pial-based and fibrous astrocytes of white matter, but not the protoplasmic astrocytes. In the hominid isocortex, CD44+ astrocytes comprise the subpial “interlaminar” astrocytes, sending long processes into the cortex. The hippocampus also contains similar astrocytes. We have examined all levels of the human CNS and found CD44+ astrocytes in every region. Astrocytes in white matter and astrocytes that interact with large blood vessels, but not capillaries in gray matter, are CD44+, the latter extending long processes into the parenchyma. Motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord, such as oculomotor, facial, hypoglossal, and in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, are surrounded by CD44+ processes, contrasting with neurons in the cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. We found CD44+ processes that intercalate between ependymal cells to reach the ventricle and that show a location-specific presence. We also found a CD44+ astrocyte in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex. Protoplasmic astrocytes, which do not normally contain CD44, acquire it in pathologies like hypoxia and seizures.

Glucocorticoids promote muscle atrophy by inducing a class of proteins called atrogenes, resulting in reductions in muscle size and strength. In this work, we evaluated whether a mouse model with pre-existing diet-induced obesity had altered glucocorticoid responsiveness. We observed that all animals treated with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone had reduced strength, but that obesity exacerbated this effect. These changes were concordant with more pronounced reductions in muscle size, particularly in Type II muscle fibers, and potentiated induction of atrogene expression in the obese mice relative to lean mice. Furthermore, we show that the reductions in lean mass do not fully account for the dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance observed in these mice. Together these data suggest that obesity potentiates glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy.

Colorectal cancer is a common disease, both in Chile and worldwide. The most widely used chemotherapy schemes are based on 5-fluorouracil (5FU) as the foundational drug. Genetic polymorphisms have emerged as potential predictive biomarkers of response to chemotherapy, but conclusive evidence is lacking. Additionally, the interplay between hereditary variations and acquired mutations in the EGFR pathway remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of genetic variants associated with 5FU-based chemotherapy on therapeutic effectiveness, considering their interaction with the EGFR pathway mutations. In a retrospective cohort of 63 patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer, a multivariate analysis revealed that liver metastases, DPYD, ABCB1 and MTHFR polymorphisms are independent indicators of a poor prognostic, irrespective of EGFR pathway mutations. BRAF V600E wild-type status and high-risk drug-metabolism polymorphisms correlated with a poor prognosis in this Chilean cohort. Additionally, findings from the genomics of drug sensitivity (GDSC) project demonstrated that cell lines with wild-type BRAF have higher IC50 values for 5-FU compared to BRAF-mutated cell lines. In conclusion, the genetic polymorphisms DPYD rs1801265, ABCB1 rs1045642 and MTHFR rs180113 may serve as useful biomarkers for predicting a poor prognosis in patients undergoing 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy, regardless of EGFR pathway mutations.

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

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

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

The musculoskeletal system consisting of bones and muscles have been recognized as endocrine organs secreting hormones that are involved in regulating metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are associated with several musculoskeletal system complications. We hypothesized that an interaction exists between adipomyokines namely, irisin and METRNL, and various bone markers in individuals with obesity and T2D. A total of 228 individuals were enrolled in this study, including 124 non-diabetic and 104 T2D. A Multiplex assay was used to assess the level of various bone markers namely Osteoactivin, Syndecan, osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteonectin/SPARC. Our data shows elevated levels of Osteoactivin, Syndecan, OPG and SPARC in T2D as compared to non-T2D individuals (p ≤ 0.05). Using Spearman’s correlation, irisin was positively correlated only with Osteoactivin and OPG (p &lt; 0.05). Similarly, a positive association was observed between METRNL and Osteoactivin (p &lt; 0.05). The strong positive association shown in our study between irisin, METRNL and various bone markers emphasises the strong interaction between these organs. This suggests that a dysregulation in the functional interaction between these molecules could play a possible role in the development of bone and muscle related complications that are associated with obesity and T2D.

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

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are of significant relevance due to their unique properties, which have been exploited for widespread applications. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) are one of most exploited ENM in the industry due to their excellent catalytic and multi-enzyme mimetic properties. Thus, toxicological effects of these ENMs should be further studied. Acute and subchronic toxicity of CeO2-NPs were assessed. First an in vitro multi-dose short-term (24h) toxicological assessment was performed in three different cell lines: A549 and Calu3, representing the lung tissue, and 3T3 as an interstitial tissue model. After that, a sub-chronic toxicity assessment (90 days) of these NPs was carried out on a realistic and well stablished reconstituted primary human airway epithelial model (MucilAir™), cultured at the Air-Liquid Interface (ALI), to study long-term effects of these particles. Results showed minor toxicity of CeO2-NPs in acute exposures. However, in subchronic exposures, cytotoxic and inflammatory responses were observed in the human airway epithelial model after 60 days of exposure to CeO2-NPs. These results suggest that acute toxicity approaches may underestimate the toxicological effect of some ENM, highlighting the need of subchronic toxicological studies in order to accurately assess the toxicity of ENM and their cumulative effects in the organism.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Escherichia coli and Shigella are common diarrhea-causing pathogens in children and adults. Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) shares a similar pathogenic mechanism with Shigella. However, EIEC are less virulent than Shigella. The aim of this work was to get a better understanding of the virulence differences between EIEC and S. flexneri. We investigated i) the bacterial gene co-expression networks (GCNs) and ii) the the transcriptional modules (WGCNA) of Caco-2 cells infected with EIEC or with S. flexneri during a three-hour period of bacterial infection. The GCN analysis showed that EIEC and S. flexneri networks presented different topologies. Additionally, the EIEC network revealed that pINV genes are not connected with chromosomal genes. WGCNA and eigengene analysis showed enterocyte gene expression variation along the three-hour bacterial post-infection period. Additionally, at one-hour post-infection EIEC induced a higher number of gene expression changes in Caco-2 cells than S. flexneri. Several of these genes are involved in autophagy. This study showed that the lower virulence of EIEC is associated with a lack of functional cooperation between pINV and chromosomal genes, differently from what was observed in S. flexneri. Consequently, EIEC becomes less efficient in subverting host-cell bacterial recognition as well as defense mechanisms such as autophagy.

Asymmetric reduction of enoates, imines and ketones are among the most important reactions in biocatalysis. These reactions are routinely conducted using enzymes that use nicotinamide cofactors as reductants. The deazaflavin cofactor F₄₂₀ also has electrochemical properties that make it suitable as an alternative to nicotinamide cofactors for use in asymmetric reduction reactions. However, cofactor F₄₂₀-dependent enzymes remain under-explored as a resource for biocatalysis. In this review, we consider the cofactor F₄₂₀-dependent enzyme families with greatest potential for the discovery of new biocatalysts: the flavin/deazaflavin-dependent oxidoreductases (FDORs) and the luciferase-like hydride transferases (LLHTs). We discuss characterized F₄₂₀-dependent reductions that have potential for adaptation for biocatalysis, and we consider the enzymes best suited for use in the reduction of oxidized cofactor F₄₂₀ to allow cofactor recycling in situ. We also discuss recent advances in the production of cofactor F₄₂₀ and its functional analog F_O-5’- phosphate, which remains an impediment to the adoption of this family of enzymes for industrial biocatalytic processes. Finally, we discuss the prospects for the use of this cofactor and dependent enzymes as a resource for industrial biocatalysis.

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

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

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