The Siret River crosses NE Romania from the north to the south and it discharges into the Danube, near the city of Galati. During the period, 17^th June - 10^th July 2010, significant amounts of precipitations in the mountainous basin of Siret were recorded. The floods comprised two periods with four bimodal cycles and they were counted among the strongest on the Romanian territory. The exceptional floods occurred in the rivers of Siret, Suceava, Moldova, Bistrita, Trotus and so on. The most important compound flood wave was determined by the precipitations which fell within the period, 29^th June to 1^st July 2010, when significant amounts of rain were recorded, sometimes, exceeding 80 mm. The high discharges on the Bistrita River – downstream from the Bicaz Reservoir – were controlled by complex hydro technical works. The maximum discharge for the year 2010 summer floods was recorded at Dragesti hydrometric station: 2,884 m³/s (historic discharge) compared to the preceding historic discharge of the year 2008 (2,850 m³/s). The effects of floods were strongest in the counties of Suceava, Neamt, and Bacau. The floods on the main course of the Siret River were analyzed in correlation with the tributaries within the mountainous sector.

Cancer is the most feared disease, with more than 1.6 million cases each year. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, from the uncontrollable growth and multiplication of damaged cells. Cancerous tumors can spread into the human body (a process called metastasis) as a solid form usually, but the cancers of blood generally do not. Cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, surgery and radiations. In this article we will address inorganic compounds as a source of treatment, diagnosis, carriers of active substances.

Due to the still large number of patients diagnosed with pelvic neoplasms (colorectal, gynecological, and urological) in advanced stages right from the initial diagnosis, surgery represents the mainstay of treatment, often implying wide, eventually multi-organ resections in order to achieve negative surgical margins. Perineal wound morbidity, particularly in extralevator abominoperineal excision, leads to complications and local infection rates of up to 40%. Strategies to reduce postoperative wound complications are pursued to address this issue.The VRAM flap remains the gold standard for autologous reconstruction after pelvic oncological resection; it was initially designed for abdominal wall defects and later expanded for large pelvic tissue defects.The flap's application is based on its physical characteristics, including abundant tissue and a generous skin paddle, which effectively obliterates dead space after exenterations. The generous skin paddle offers good cosmetic and functional outcomes at the recipient site.This article describes the case of a patient histopathologically diagnosed with stage IIIA squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix who received multimodal onco-surgical treatment. The surgical mainstay of this treatment is pelvic exenteration. Pelvic reconstruction after this major surgery was performed using a vertical flap with the rectus abdominis.

Introduction: Antitumor host immune response is an important factor, but its role is not fully established. The role of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in breast cancer as an immunological biomarker has been significantly explored over the past years. The number of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) increased and identification of a biomarker to predict the probability of pCR (pathological complete response) is a high priority. Materials and methods: We evaluated 334 cases of BC treated with NAC followed by surgical resection from 2020-2022 in Ist Clinic of Oncological Surgery, Oncological Institute "Prof Dr I Chiricuta" Cluj Napoca. Of the above, 122 cases were available for histological evaluation both in pre-NAC biopsy and post-NAC resection tissue. Evaluation of biopsy fragments and resection parts using hematoxylin eosin (H&E). The TIL evaluation took place according to the recommendations of the International TIL Working Group (ITILWG). Results: There was a strong association between elevated levels of pre-NAC TIL. At the same time, there is a statistically significant correlation between stromal TIL and tumor grade, the number of lymph node metastases, the molecular subtype, and the number of mitoses (p <0.005). Intratumoral TIL showed a significant correlation with tumor size, distant metastasis, molecular subtype, number of mitosis, stage and lymph node metastasis (p<0.005). We also demonstrated that high pre-NAC TILs represent a strong predictive marker for pCR. Conclusion: This study reveals the role of TIL as a predictive biomarker in breast cancer not only for the well-established TNBC (triple negative breast cancer) and HER2+ (Her2 overexpressed) subtypes but also in Luminal A and B molecular subtypes. In this scenario, the evaluation of TILs as novel predictive and therapy-predicting factors should become a routinely performed analysis that could guide clinicians into the choice of the most appropriate therapy.

This paper presents the development, comparison and analysis of several implementations of the B92 Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol. In order to achieve this objective a prototype which consists of traditional (non-quantum) simulators was created, one for B92 protocol, one for B92 protocol with eavesdropper and one for B92 protocol with Quantum Bit Travel Time (QBTT) eavesdropper detection method. The principles of quantum mechanics were studied, as a foundation of quantum cryptography, for the realization of simulation programs that were written in C ++, focusing mainly on the B92 protocol and QBTT eavesdropper detection method. We compared the Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) for implementation of B92 protocol without eavesdropper, B92 protocol with eavesdropper and B92 protocol with QBTT eavesdropper detection method and found that QBTT eavesdropper detection method significantly reduces the QBER from the final key.

The dynamic process of plants’ growth is primarily influenced by interconnected biochemical and physiological activities that operate throughout different growing phases. These processes respond to environmental conditions, affecting plant development and productivity. The present studies were carried out to investigate greenhouse conditions' impact on winter-grown cherry tomatoes (Cheramy F1) in terms of growth, yield, and nutritional composition.Data was collected on various dates during the period extending from December 2022 to March 2023. The greenhouse temperature varies from 22°C to 25.47°C (avg. 21.20°C) during plant growth and from 20°C to 23.85°C during fruit-bearing. Average CO2 concentration was 349.19 ppm; average light was 240.93 w/m2. Measured growth parameters include plant height, leaf growth, stem diameter, leaf spacing, leaf count, leaf area, and inflorescence count per plant. The key results of this study revealed the progressive growth report (PGR), which predicted the daily potential growth rate of plants: plant height, 2.86 to 3.81 cm/day; growth rate of mature old leaf: 0.003988 m2/day; middle younger leaf: 0.008733 m2/day; top Nascent leaf: 0.010722 m2/day; three to five leaves per week; and one inflorescence per week. In our accidental observation, we observed that plants with different orientations and growing spots within the greenhouse responded differently in view of their growth parameters. A exceedingly significant interaction among the inflorescence was found in view of length of inflorescence, number of fruits inflorescence, total fruit mass inflorescence, average fruit mass inflorescence, fruit dry matter inflorescence, fruit height inflorescence, and fruit diameter inflorescence. A non-significant interaction was found between the fruit keeping quality (Shelf days), fruit size, and inflorescence number. Inflorescence with a high, lower leaf area appeared to have high productivity. The nutritional composition of fruit was also different among the inflorescences.. The study's goal is to investigate and gather data to test the hypothesis that changes in greenhouse conditions and the adoption of green management practices will directly influence plant growth attributes, productivity, and fruit quality. The findings of this research could be valuable for optimizing greenhouse operations to enhance crop yields and quality while also promoting environmental sustainability.

This paper presents performed Ansys numerical simulation on WindFloat structures. It contributes to the methodology of calculation based on CFD instruments to study the movements of the waves on semi-submersible stationary structures and highlights the importance of using RAO functions. RAO numerical approach developed can be applied to design semisubmersible WindFloat structures in order to fulfill essential requirements regarding operational safety and design. Numerical methodology was designed in accordance marine loads and the I.T.T.C. recommendations. The numerical RAO results for regular wave movements include many elements for the semi-submergible structure. Close results to open sea operation can be achieved by constant improvement in numerical simulation methodologies. The work opens the way for further hydrodynamic development on irregular waves for realistic hydrodynamic and structural response of the actual semi-submersibles at sea. The results demonstrate the accuracy of RAO function approach for specific WindFloat in Jonswap spectrum.

Sodium valproate is a established antiepileptic drug of first choice, primarily used to treat epilepsy, but also bipolar disorder and prevent migraine headaches. Valproate increases concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain, due to inhibition of enzymes responsible for the catabolism of gamma-aminobutyric acid. Main goal of this research consisted in the optimization and development for a new sensitive spectrophotometric quantitative analysis method of sodium valproate from tablets in the Visible field. Following the quantitative color reaction of sodium valproate with diazonium salt of alpha naphthylamine in alkaline medium, a light yellow azo dye was formed and spectrophotometrically analyzed at the wavelength of 386 nanometers. The amount of pure sodium valproate found on pharmaceutical extended-release tablet was 492.578 miligrams compared to the official declared pure amount of 500 miligrams on prolonged-release tablet. Amount found was assigned to a percentage content of 98.5156 percent pure sodium valproate in a pharmaceutical tablet. Mean average percentage error (deviation) from the officially stated value was about 1.4844 percent, which was included within normal limits, below five percent maximum limit allowed by European and Romanian Pharmacopoeias rules. Spectrophotometric method was subjected to the statistical validation procedure and was successfully validated.

Magnetic permeability (μ), dielectric permittivity (ε) and electrical conductivity (σ) of the six elastomer samples obtained by mixing silicone rubber (RTV-530) with a kerosene-based ferrofluid in different volume fractions, φ: 1.31%, 2.59% and 3.84%, were determined using the complex impedance measurements, over the frequency range (500 Hz-2 MHz). Three samples (A0, B0 and C0) were manufactured in the absence of a magnetic field and the other three samples (Ah, Bh and Ch) in the presence of the magnetic field, H=43 kA/m. The component μ″ of the complex magnetic permeability of all samples presents a maximum, at a frequency fmax, which moves to higher values by increasing, φ, this maximum being attributed to Brownian relaxation processes. The conductivity spectrum, σ(f) for all samples, follows the Jonscher universal law, which allows both the determination of the static conductivity σDC, and the barrier energy of electrical conduction process, Wm. For the same φ, Wm is lower and σDC is higher in the samples Ah, Bh and Ch than in the samples A0, B0 and C0. The performed study is useful in manufacturing elastomers with predetermined properties and for possible applications, such as magneto-dielectric flexible electronic devices, which can be controlled by the volume fraction of particles or by an external magnetic field.

Sensors and actuators are fundamental units in Cyber-Physical and Internet of Things systems. Because they are included in a variety of systems, using many technologies, it is very useful to characterize their functions abstractly by describing them as Abstract Entity Patterns (AEPs), that are patterns that describe abstract conceptual entities. For concreteness, we study them here in the context of autonomous cars. An autonomous car is a complex system because, in ad-dition to its own complex design, it interacts with other vehicles and with the surrounding in-frastructure. To handle these functions, it must incorporate various technologies from different sources. An autonomous car is an example of a Cyber-Physical System, where some of its func-tions are performed by Internet of Things units. Sensors are extensively used in autonomous cars to measure physical quantities; actuators are commanded by controllers to perform appro-priate physical actions. From AEPs we can derive concrete patterns, a structure combining re-lated AEPs is an Entity Solution Frame (ESF). Both sensors and actuators are susceptible to mali-cious attacks due to the large attack surface of the system where they are used. Our work is in-tended to make autonomous cars more secure, which also increases their safety. Our final objec-tive is to build a Security Solution Frame for sensors and actuators of autonomous cars that will facilitate their secure design. A Security Solution Frame is a solution structure that groups to-gether and organizes related security patterns. This article is the first stage of a secure unit that can be used to design not only secure autonomous cars but also any system where sensors and actuators are used. This paper concentrates on AEPs and ESFs for sensors and actuators; that is, on the functional aspects of these devices.

Identifying or authenticating a computer user are necessary steps to keep systems secure on the network and to prevent fraudulent users from accessing accounts. Keystroke dynamics authentication can be used as an additional authentication method. Keystroke dynamics involves in-depth analysis of how you type on the keyboard, analysis of how long a key is pressed or the time between two consecutive keys. This field has seen a continuous growth in scientific research. In the last five years alone, about 10,000 scientific researches in this field have been published. One of the main problems facing researchers is the small number of public data sets that include how users type on the keyboard. This paper aims to provide researchers with a data set that includes how to type free text on the keyboard by 80 users. The data were collected in a single session via a web platform. The dataset contains 410,633 key-events collected in a total time interval of almost 24 hours. In similar research, most datasets are with texts written by users in English. The language in which the users wrote for this research is Romanian. This paper also provides an extensive analysis of the data set collected and presents relevant information for the analysis of the data set in future research.

This study explores the complexities involved in the extraction and purification of catechins, prominent bioactive compounds found in plant extracts and tea. It addresses challenges arising from the intricate molecular structure of catechins and their inherent variability across botanical sources. Despite these obstacles, catechins present significant potential, particularly in healthcare. Their potent antioxidant properties have been extensively investigated and associated with numerous health benefits, positioning them as promising therapeutic agents for combating chronic diseases. Furthermore, catechins have diverse applications across various industries, including food and beverage, cosmetics, agriculture, and materials science. This abstract emphasizes the importance of continued research and innovation in catechin extraction and utilization, which hold promise for advancing human health and technological progress across multiple domains.

Social support in working with beggars and vagrants has always been and still is a challenge for all social protection systems. This paper aims to analyze the social work system in working with vagrants and beggars, starting with the presentation of the concept and seeking to evaluate the evolution of this particular sector of the social protection system in Romania, presenting, on one hand, the legislative changes and, also, the situation found in reality which could be (slightly) different. In the paper we describe two research models, a case study, which starts from the situation found in Romania and is based on the model of good practice (social enterprises) developed by Nicolae Minovici in the interwar period (1934) and also presents the opinion of citizens from Craiova city, investigated during a sociological survey conducted in 2021-2022 on a sample of 1494 persons, on the opportunity to set up such centers for beggars and vagrants in Romania. The article seeks to extract the good practices used by the national system for the purpose of comparing and issuing proposals to regulate and improve the current situation in Romania.

Hidradenitis suppurativa and Langerhans cell histiocytosis are rare disorders that can reveal similar clinical manifestations, making differential diagnosis difficult. A definitive diagnosis requires biopsy and histological confirmation in suspicious cases. The complex pathophysiology of these diseases has still not been understood, therefore the treatment is still a challenge for physicians. It is seen with predilection in the intertriginous areas of the body, predominantly in the axillary region, rarely requiring a surgical procedure. However perineal, perianal, and gluteal HS usually necessitates some form of surgical treatment. Langerhans cell histiocytosis (histiocytosis X) is a very rare systemic disease manifested by clonal cell proliferation of histiocytic-dendritic nature, with pseudonodular manifestation that deeply infiltrates the hypodermis and ulcerates the epidermis on the surface. Langerhans cells are dendritic, antigen-presenting cells localized in the suprabasal regions of the squamous epithelium of the skin and mucous membranes, which help regulate the immune system. In this report, we present our experience with extensive gluteal, perineal, and perianal hidradenitis suppurativa and Langerhans cell histiocytosis cases, including our treatment methods and outcomes.

Measurements of complex magnetic permeability, μ(f,H)=μ′(f,H)-iμ″(f,H) and dielectric permittivity ε(f,H)=ε′(f,H)-iε″(f,H), in the frequency range, f of (0.4-7) GHz, and polarizing field, H of (0–135) kA/m, were performed, for a kerosene-based ferrofluid with magnetite nanoparticles. Based on these measurements, the phenomenon of ferromagnetic resonance was highlighted and some microwave propagation parameters of the ferrofluid were determined: the attenuation constant, α(f,H), and the reflection coefficient, R(f,H), at the air-material interface. Knowing these parameters we proposed a theoretical model establishing for the first time a new equation that allows the calculation of the overall reflection coefficient, Rw(f,H), of a ferrofluid with thickness d, deposited on a totally reflective support, following multiple internal reflections of the electromagnetic wave in the material. The results show that by increasing both, H, and d, the parameter, Rw(f,H) presents a minimum that decreases from 0.90 (for d=2mm) to 0.64 (for d=10 mm), at frequency f=5 GHz, which indicates an increase in the absorption of the electromagnetic wave by the ferrofluid. The obtained results are useful in the study of some materials that could be used as electromagnetic absorbers in the microwave range, by the determination of the overall reflection coefficient, Rw(f,H), controlled both by the thickness, d , of the absorber and by the external applied field, H.

This paper presents a device for measuring and maintaining the constant water level in a tank. The device uses a capacity sensor to measure the water level. The sensor has a DC voltage output proportional to the water level in the tank. This voltage can be used in other automation too. The water level, in percentages, is displayed on a vu meter with 8 LEDs. The circuit for maintaining the constant level consists in a comparator with hysteresis. The level of the water is adjustable, using a reference voltage from a potentiometer (marked in percentages). The level of the water is compared with the prescribed level and the difference between them commands the start/stop of the water pump which supplies the tank through a relay. The device is powered by 220 V and is isolated from the environment.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is one of the most common hereditary cancer syndrome in human populations, associated with germline variants in MLH1, MSH2/EPCAM, MSH6 and PMS2 genes. The advent of next generation sequencing has proven a significant impact in germline variant detection in the causative genes; however, a large proportion of patients with clinical criteria still receive uncertain or negative results. PMS2 is the least frequent reported gene, associated with up to 15% of LS cases with late-onset disease and low penetrance phenotype; however, the proportion of PMS2-LS cases is considered to be highly underestimated. In this context, we consulted public available databases (ClinVar, LOVD) for missense and intronic PMS2 variants and performed an in silico analysis of the genomic sequence. Splicing bioinformatics tools proven effective in other genes were used to assess both the wild-type DNA sequence and reported genetic variants. Splicing alterations were predicted in silico and using GTEx short-read RNA expression data. Out of the 2384 missense variants discovered, 90% were classified with uncertain significance (VUS). 4.9% of missense variants were shown to have a potential splicing consequence (DS > 0.2) using SpliceAI. As described in the original publication, SpliceAI-visual was proven effective in annotation of short intronic variants (< 50 bp). Four short intronic variants were identified using SpliceAI-visual as potentially splicing disturbing, in spite of using a lower threshold (DS > 0.1). Moreover, we observed that Splicing Regulatory Elements (SREs) may play a fundamental role in alternative splicing in PMS2 gene, ESE motifs being overrepresented in highly expressed exons 5, 11 and 14. Computational analysis performed in our study serves as a valuable filtering step for guiding further RNA sequencing experiments. Additional functional data is necessary to evaluate the significance of our findings.

Currently, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung (LCNEC) is classified as a rare lung cancer subtype, but given the high incidence of lung cancer, the overall number of cases is considerable. The pathologic diagnosis is based on the microscopic appearance of the tumor cells, the amount of intra-tumoral necrosis, the mitotic rate, and the presence of positive neuroendocrine markers identified by immunohistochemistry. Recently, a subdivision into two main categories was proposed based on mutation signatures involving the RB1, TP53, KRAS, and STK11/LKB1 genes, into SCLC-like (small cell lung cancer-like) and NSCLC-like (non-small cell lung cancer-like) LCNEC. In terms of treatment, surgery remains the best option for resectable, stage I–IIIA cases. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have conflicting evidence. Etoposide/platinum remains the standard chemotherapy regimen. However, based on the newly proposed LCNEC subtypes, some retrospective series report better outcomes using a pathology-driven chemotherapy approach. Encouraging outcomes have also been reported for immunotherapy and targeted therapy, but the real impact of these strategies is still being determined in the absence of adequate prospective clinical trials. The current paper scrutinizes the epidemiology, reviews the reliability of pathologic diagnosis, discusses the need for molecular subtyping, and reviews the heterogeneity of treatment algorithms in LCNEC.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a distinct category of lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by the clonal expansion of mature B cells, followed by their accumulation in primary and secondary lymphoid organs. Cluster of differentiation (CD) markers such as CD20, CD22, CD23, CD5, and CD81 serve as reliable prognostic indicators and disease progression factors in CLL. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is a critical genetic variable in many diseases, with well-documented associations between HLA and various cancers. This study aims to investigate, for the first time, potential connections between HLA typing and CD marker expression in CLL. Despite being one of the most prevalent neoplasms in developed regions, there is a need for biomarkers that can improve survival predictions and identify possible genetic determinants. Methods: This study included 66 CLL patients and 100 controls, with all samples analyzed using biochemical methods, flow cytometry, and cytomorphology. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed for HLA typing. Results: The results indicate that several CD markers are statistically associated with different HLA alleles. Specifically, CD20 was associated with HLA-DRB1*11:04:01; CD45 with HLA-C*07:01:01; CD79b with HLA-DPA1*02:01:02; CD23 with HLA-B*39:01:01; CD43 with HLA-DRB1*15:01:01; CD22 with HLA-B*49:01:01, HLA-C*07:01:01, HLA-DPB1*02:01:02, and HLA-DRB1*07:01:01; and CD81 with HLA-DPB1*04:02:01, HLA-DQA1*01:04:01, and HLA-DQB1*05:03:01.Conclusion: In conclusion, this research demonstrates significant statistical links between HLA genes and immunophenotypic markers in CLL patients, shedding new light on the immunological context of CLL.

This paper presents results from numerical and experimental investigation on Charpy tests in order to point out failure mechanisms and to evaluate new polymeric blends PP+PA6+EPDM. Charpy tests were done for initial velocity of the impactor of 0.96 m/s and its mass of 3.219 kg and these data were also introduced in the finite element model. The proposed model take into account the system of four balls, including support and the ring of fixing the three balls and it has a finer discretization of the impact area to highlight the mechanisms of failure and their development in time. The constitutive models for four materials (polypropylene with 1% Kritilen, two blends PP+PA6+EPDM and a blend PA6+EPDM) were derived from tensile tests. Running simulations for each constitutive model of material makes possible to differentiate the destruction mechanisms according to the material introduced in the simulation, including the initiation and the development of the crack(s), based on equivalent plastic strain at break (EPS) for each material. The validation of the model and the simulation results was done qualitatively, analysing the shape of broken surfaces and comparing them to SEM images and quantitatively by comparing the impact duration, energy absorbed by the sample, the value of maximum force during impact. The duration of the destruction of the specimen is longer than the actual one, explainable by the fact that the material model does not take into account the influence of the material deformation speed in Charpy test, the model being designed with the help of tests done at 0.016 m/s (1000 mm/min) (maximum strain rate for the tensile tests). Experimental results are encouraging for recommending the blends 20% PP+42% PA6+28% EPDM and 60% PA6+ 40%EPDM as materials for impact protection at low velocity (1m/s). Simulation results are closer to the experimental ones for the more brittle tested materials (with less content of PA6 and EPDM) and more distanced for the more ductile materials (with higher content of PA6 and EPDM).

This paper represents a thermodynamic and chemical reactivity study regarding the possible formation of four proteinogenic amino acids: glutamic acid, glutamine, lysine and arginine, starting from three synthons: methylene, nitrene and carbon monoxide. All intermediates are specified: neutral molecules and radicals involved in the formation of these four proteinogenic amino acids. The study is based on the synthonic theory of the formation of the first proteinogenic amino acids and their corresponding polypeptides. The thermodynamic quantitative data are obtained from mechanical-quantum calculations mainly by the DFT-B88-LYP methods, DZVP basis set.

This paper considers a nonlinear model for population dynamics with age structure. The fertility rate with respect to age is non constant and has the form proposed by . Moreover, its multiplicative structure and the multiplicative structure of mortality makes the model separable. In this setting it is shown that the number of births in unit time is given by a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The steady state solution together with the equilibrium solution is found explicitly.

We propose a concept of hybrid nanoelectronic-magnetic device for logic integrated platforms made of magnetic core-shell nanoparticles deposited onto prepatterned Si (111) substrate with basic logic circuitry made of metallic conductive lines. The synthesis of magnetic material and the creation of nanoelectronic prepatterned interdigitated die is reported and its capabilities are demonstrated in terms of magnetotransport properties. The laser pyrolysis method is employed in order to synthesize magnetic core-shell Fe / FeC nanoparticles with sizes between 12 – 15 nm. E-beam lithography has been used in order to design and execute two different layouts of interdigitated die, prepatterned with logic capacity, one with two pads and 50 microns thick conductive metallic lines, another one with 4 pads and parallel 5 microns thick conductive lines separated by 5 microns thick spacer. The as-obtained structures are morphologically characterized by means of optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopies. As-synthesized core-shell nanoparticles have been magnetically characterized inasmuch as the hybrid device obtained by depositing centrifugated and dispersed core-shell nanoparticles from liquid carrier solutions. For the first time, a significant giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect has been observed and measured for the hybrid architectured device made of Fe / FeC nanosized materials on pre-patterned interdigitated die. A ∆R/R of 8% at 4.2 K has been measured from conductivity-in-plane electron transport measurements. This opens possibilities for the use of such devices as arrays of nanosensors and in spintronic applications.

This research addresses a gap in the literature by conducting a comprehensive analysis of patients’ level of satisfaction with dental care. Methods: By combining quantitative and qualitative survey methods with the PSQ questionnaire this study aims to augment ongoing initiatives to enhance dental patients’ experiences by painting a more comprehensive depiction of patients' level of satisfaction; Results: When asked about their overall level of satisfaction 77,1% of the patients said they received excellent services from the office personnel and 72,2% said they trust their doctors; Conclusions: Assessing patient satisfaction in the realm of dental services quality is crucial for enhancing service quality and accuracy, benefiting both patients and dentists, and ultimately improving public health.

A new trend in cow's milk has emerged in the market called type A1 and A2 milk. These products have piqued the interest of both consumers and researchers. Recent studies suggest that A2 milk may have potential health benefits, which is why researchers are investigating this product further. It is interesting to note that the A1 and A2 milk types have area-specific characteristics compared to breed-specific characteristics. Extensive research has focused on milk derivatives obtained from cow’s milk, primarily through in vitro and animal studies. However, few clinical studies have been conducted in humans, and the results have been unsatisfactory. New molecular techniques for identifying A1 and A2 milk may help researchers to develop new studies that can clarify certain controversies surrounding A1 milk. It is essential to exercise extreme caution when interpreting the updated literature. It has the potential to spread panic worldwide and have negative economic implications. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the new aspects of A1 and A2 milk in different research areas and clarify some aspects regarding these two types of milk.

This paper presents a study of the 2D roughness profiles on a flat surface generated on a steel work piece, by ball nose end milling, with linear equidistant tool paths (pick-intervals). The milled surface exploration with a surface roughness tester (on pick and feed directions) produces usually 2D roughness profiles having periodical evolutions. These evolutions can be seen as time-dependent signals, describable as a sum of sinusoidal components (the wavelength of each component being regarded as a period). In order to detect a well approximated description of these components, two appropriate signal processing techniques are used in this work: first technique provides a direct mathematical (analytical) description and is based on computer aided curve (signal) fitting (more accurate), the second technique (providing an indirect and incomplete description) is based on the spectrum generated by fast Fourier transform (less accurate). This study can be seen as a way for a better understanding the interaction between the tool and the work piece or to achieve a mathematical description of the machined surface microgeometry in terms of roughness (e. g. its description being a collection of closely spaced 2D roughness profiles).

Microplastic pollution represents an emerging problem of great interest in the public domain in the last decade; in addition, it overlaps with another delicate problem - pollution with pharmaceutical products that can have negative effects on the environment and people, even in small amounts. The main purpose of this study was to assess the biochemical and behavioral effects of exposure of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) to polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and valproic acid (VPA), respectively to their mixtures - possible situations in natural aquatic environments. In terms of behavioral responses, sociability appears to be more impaired in the PP group after 5 days of exposure. The mechanisms affected are more those of swimming performance than of sociability. Even more, VPA increases presence in the arm with conspecifics but decreases mobility and locomotion, indicating a possible anxiety mechanism. The mixtures decrease the aggressiveness, especially in the case of the PE+VPA group, where it reaches a super low level compared to the control, which could endanger the species in nature. Regarding the anxiogenic effect, PP and PE act differently, if PE has an anxiogenic effect, on the opposite side is the PP group, which shows a bolder and more agitated behavior. All four variants showed behavioral changes indicative of toxicity from the first dose.

This study is focused on the mechanical properties of WC-Co composites obtained via Selective Laser Sintering using PA12 as a binder. The as-printed samples were thermally debonded, and sintered, first in vacuum, and then sinter-HIPed at 1400oC, using 50 bar Ar, which has led to relative densities up to 66 %. Optical metallographic images show a microstructure consisting of WC, with an average grain size in the range of 1.4 – 2.0 µm, with isolated large grains, in a well-distributed Co matrix. The shrinkage of the samples was 43 %, with no significant shape distortion. The printing direction of the samples has a great impact on the transversal rupture strength (TRS). Nevertheless, the bending strength was low, with a measured maximum of 612 MPa. SEM images of the fracture surface of TRS samples show the presence of defects that constitute the cause of the low measured values. The hardness values position the obtained composites in the range of medium coarse classical cemented carbides. The results were also related to the amount of free Co after sintering, close to the initial one, as assessed by magnetic measurements, indicating a low degree of interaction with PA12 decomposition products.

Drilling vibrations has been identified as a key performance limiter that prevents successful energy transfer from the surface to the bit. The resultant irregular bit rotation speed causes drilling challenges like poor hole quality and reduction in rate of penetration to name a few. Amongst other vibration suppression techniques, active control of vibrations is widely used and recommended. Active control system utilizes a closed loop feedback control to continuously adapt to downhole vibrations detected at the surface. The system requires regular tuning and upgrades which is done experimentally before field deployment. The paper presents a PID based experimental tuning of horizontal and vertical strings for irregular RPM. In doing so, the paper highlights the need of having horizontal experimental setups for state-of-the-art PID tuning for downhole RPM. The settling time of irregular RPM for horizontal setup is found to be lower than the vertical configuration due to multiple contact points and increased friction coefficient.

Electrophysiological mapping (EM) using acute electrode probes is a common procedure performed during functional neurosurgery. Due to their constructive specificities, the EM probes are lagging in innovative enhancements. This work addressed complementing a clinically employed EM probe with carbonic and circumferentially segmented macrocontacts that are operable both for neurophysiological sensing ("recording") of local field potentials (LFP), and for test stimulation. The paper illustrates in-depth the development, that is based on direct writing of functional materials. The unconventional fabrication processes were optimized on planar geometry and then transferred to the cylindrically thin probe body. We report and discuss on the constructive concept and architecture of the probe, characteristics of the electrochemical interface deduced from voltammetry and chronopotentiometry, and the results of in vitro and in vivo recording and pulse stimulation tests. Two and three directional macrocontacts were added on probes having shanks of 550 and 770 m diameters and 10-23 cm lengths. The graphitic material presents a ~2.7 V-wide, almost symmetric water electrolysis window, and an ultra-capacitive charge transfer. When tested with 150 s biphasic current pulses, the interfacial polarization stayed safely away from the water window for pulse amplitudes up to 9 mA (135 C/cm2). The in vivo experiments on adult rat models confirmed the high-quality sensing of LFPs. Additionally, the in vivo-prevailing increase of the electrode impedance and overpotential are discussed and modeled by an ionic mobility-reducing spongiform structure; this restricted diffusion model gives new applicative insight into the in vivo-uprisen stimulation overpotential.

3D printing with cement-based materials is a promising manufacturing technique for civil engineering applications that already allows for the design and the construction of complex and highly customized structures using a layer-by-layer deposition approach. Usually, in this type of additive manufacturing, a mixture of cement, water, aggregate and additives is extruded through a specific print head and deposited in successive layers to form the desired shape. The extrusion mechanism is one of the most expensive parts of the 3D printer. Also, for low scale 3D printers, based on the shape of the extruder and the geometry limitation of the mixing blade, the 3D mixture is often limited to a narrow range of materials due to the risk of layer splitting or blockage. Therefore, there is a need to develop affordable and feasible alternatives to the current design-fabrication-application approach of 3D printers. In this paper, various new designed mixtures of fiber reinforced mortars that can be 3D printed using only a commercially available screw pump are analyzed based on their fresh properties and mechanical characteristics. The reduced facility requirements in this approach allow 3D-printing to be more available for civil engineering applications. With further innovation in the future, this method and mixtures can be extended for sustainable and economically feasible printing of single-family housing units.

The financial equilibrium of the enterprise is an important company function ensuring by itself the maintenance of the enterprise of the competitive market. The financial equilibrium is analysed in numerous empirical studies. In this empirical study we highlight for the first time in a research the impact that taxation has on the financial equilibrium of some companies over ten years, period that includes the pre-crisis, the financial crisis and post-crisis periods.

The importance of small urban green areas has increased in the context of rapid urbanization and densification of the urban tissue. The analysis of these areas through remote sensing has been limited due to the low spatial resolution of freely available satellite images. We propose a timeseries analysis on 3 m resolution Planet images, using GEOBIA and vegetation indices, with the aim of extracting and assessing the quality of small urban green areas in two different climatic and biogeographical regions – temperate (Bucharest, Romania) and mediterranean (Athens, Greece). Our results have shown high accuracy (over 91%) regarding the extraction of small urban green areas in both cities, across all analysed images. The timeseries analysis showed consistency in location for around 55% of the identified surfaces throughout the entire period. The vegetation indices registered higher values in the temperate region, due to the vegetation characteristics and the planning of the two cities. For the same reasons, the increase in vegetation density and quality, as a result of the distance from the city centre and the decrease in the density of built-up areas is more obvious in Athens. The proposed method provides valuable insights in the distribution and quality of small urban green areas at city level and can represent the ground basis for many analyses, currently limited by poor spatial resolution.

Bisphenol A is a remarkable chemical compound for its many applications mainly in the plastics industry, but also for its toxic effects on the environment and human health. BPA (4,4-isopropylidenediphenol) is an anthropogenic compound, moderately soluble in water (120 – 300 mg/l) at room temperature, and highly soluble in alkaline solutions, ethanol and acetone. BPA can bioconcentrate, bioaccumulate and biomagnify through food webs until it reaches humans. To prevent this, effective strategies are sought to allow its removal from the environment, through physico-chemical or enzymatic methods, advanced oxidation, adsorption and biodegradation, ultrasonic degradation. This article shows a comparative study regarding adsorption of BPA on Active carbon and zeolitic tuff, ZTC. In this paper, the characterization of the zeolitic tuff Rupea adsorbent, was carried out from an elemental and mineralogical point of view, pore size and elemental distribution, using SEM, EDAX, and XRD analysis. The pore size varies from 30 nm to 10 µm, atomic ratio Si/Al≥4, and the 80 % of mineralogical composition represent Ca Clinoptilolite zeolites Ca Clinoptilolite zeolite ((Na1.32K1.28Ca1.72Mg0.52)(Al6.77Si29.23O72)(H2O)26.84). Also, a comparative study of the adsorbtion capacity of bisphenol A from synthetic solutions on activated carbon type - Norit GAC 830 W, GAC, as well as on Clinoptilolite-type zeolitic tuff, ZTC, Rupea, was carried out. The experiments were carried out at a temperature of 20 ºC, a pH of 4.11; 6.98 and 8.12, and ionic strength being assured using KCl of 0.01 M, and 0.1 M. The adsorption capacities of GAC and ZTC tend to 115 mg/g and 50 mg/g respectively, at 8.12 pH and ionic strength of 0 M. The Langmuir mathematical model most faithfully describes the adsorption equilibrium of BPA. The maximum adsorption capacity for both adsorbents increases with increasing pH, and decreases with increasing ionic strength.

The COVID-19 pandemic and tuberculosis have epidemiological similarities, being transmitted airborne, favored by direct contact, crowded environments and vulnerable biological status. We performed a retrospective study of 45 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis associated with COVID-19 (TB+COV+) compared to 45 cases with tuberculous monoinfection (TB+COV-), hospitalized during 2021-2022. The demographic characteristics were similar in the two groups, predominating men, a median age of 51 years, living in rural areas, medium level of education and smoking. Common symptoms of the two groups were cough, weight loss, profuse sweating, loss of appetite and hemoptysis, while fever, headache, myo-arthralgias and digestive symptoms characterized the TB+COV+ forms. The scores of radiological lesions in the TB+COV+ compared to TB+COV- group were significantly higher and persistent, revealing more frequent bilateral extensive lung lesions. There were no significant differences in the biological parameters between the two groups. Mortality was 2.2%, regardless of the association of COVID-19. The frequency of infections with Clostridioides difficile was higher in TB+COV+ cases. In conclusion, the co-infection of COVID-19 had an impact on the clinical and biological expression of tuberculosis diagnosed in a pandemic context.

Urinary tract infections are among the most frequent infectious diseases and require screening of a great amount of urine samples from patients. However, a high percentage of samples results as negative after urine culture plate test (CPT), demanding a simple and fast preliminary technique to screen out the negative samples. We propose a digital holographic microscopy (DHM) method to inspect fresh urine samples flowing in a glass capillary for 3 minutes, recording holograms at 2 frames per second. After digital reconstruction, bacteria, white and red blood cells, epithelial cells and crystals were identified and counted and the samples were classified as negative or positive according to clinical cutoff values. Taking CPT as reference, we processed 180 urine samples and compared the results with those of urine flow cytometry (UFC). Using standard evaluation metrics for our screening test, we found similar performance for DHM and UFC, indicating DHM as a suitable and fast screening technique retaining several advantages. As a benefit of DHM, the technique is label-free and does not require sample preparation. Moreover, the phase and amplitude images of the cells and other particles present in urine are digitally recorded and can serve for further investigation afterwards.

Damage detection based on modal parameter changes becomes popular in the last decades. Nowadays are available robust and reliable mathematical relations to predict the natural frequency changes if damage parameters are known. Using these relations, it is possible to create databases containing a large variety of damage scenarios. Damage can be thus assessed by applying an inverse method. The problem is the complexity of the database, especially for structures with more cracks. In this paper, we propose two machine learning methods, namely the random forest (RF) and the artificial neural network (ANN) as search tools. The databases we developed contain damage scenarios for a prismatic cantilever beam with one crack and ideal and non-ideal boundary conditions. The crack assessment is made in two steps. First, a coarse damage location is found from the networks trained for scenarios comprising the whole beam. Afterward, the assessment is made involving a particular network trained for the segment of the beam on which the crack is previously found. Using the two machine learning methods, we succeed to estimate the crack location and severity with high accuracy for both simulation and laboratory experiments. Regarding the location of the crack, which is the main goal of the practitioners, the errors are less than 0.6%. Based on these achievements, we concluded that the damage assessment we propose, in conjunction with the machine learning methods, is robust and reliable.

Evaluating the integrity of structures is an important issue in engineering applications. The use of vibration-based techniques has become a common approach to assessing cracks, which are the most often occurring damage in structural elements. When involving an inverse method, it is necessary to know the influence of the position and the geometry of the crack on the modal parameter changes. The geometry of the crack, both in size and shape, defines the damage severity (DS). In this study, we present a method (DS-SHC) used for estimating the DS for closed and open transverse cracks in beam-like structures by using the intact and damaged beam deflections under its weight and a Stochastic Hill Climbing (SHC) algorithm. After describing the procedure of applying DS-SHC, we calculate for a prismatic cantilever beam the severities for different crack types and depths. The results are tested by comparing the DS obtained with DS-SHC with those acquired from dynamic tests made using professional simulation software. We obtained a good fit between the severities determined in these two ways. Afterward, we performed laboratory experiments and find out that the severities obtained with the DS-SHC method can accurately predict the frequency changes due to the crack. Hence, these severities are a valuable tool for damage detection.

Co-doped SnO2 nanocrystals with tetragonal rutile-type (space group P42/mnm) structure have been investigated using in-situ high-pressure synchrotron angle dis-persive X-ray diffraction till 20.9 GPa at ambient temperature. The analysis of ex-perimental results based on Rietveld refinements suggest that rutile-type SnO2 un-dergoes a structural phase transition at 14.2 GPa to an orthorhombic CaCl2-type phase (space group Pnnm) with no coexistence during the phase transition. No further phase transition is observed till 20.9 GPa. The low-pressure and high-pressure phases are related via a group/subgroup relationship. However, as a discontinuous change in the unit-cell volume is detected at the phase transition, thus, the phase transition can be classified as first-order type. On decompression the transition is found to be re-versible. The results are compared with previous high-pressure studies on SnO2.

In this work, we report a series of undoped and 1% Ga or Y doped lanthanum manganite compounds which have been synthesized via sol-gel technique. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX). The XRD results confirmed a good crystallinity for all the studied samples and a change in the crystal structure of Ga or Y doped lanthanum manganite (Pm-3m space group) is observed compared to pristine sample (R-3c space group). Thermal analysis highlighted a different behavior of the doped samples compared to the undoped sample observed by the different mass loss in the analyzed temperature range. For these materials, it is shown for the first time that the static electrical conductivity, σDC of Ga or Y doped LaMnO3 compounds increases compared to the σDC pristine sample, and the thermal activation energy of the conduction EA,cond increases linearly with the temperature, for all three studied sample.

Background: Biomarker profiles should represent a coherent description of the colorectal cancer (CRC) stage and its evolution. Methods: Using droplet digital PCR, we detected the allelic frequencies (AF) of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and EGFR mutations from 60 tumors. We employed a pair-wise association approach to estimate the risk involving AF mutations as outcome variables for clinical data and as predicting variables for tumor-staging. We evaluated correlations between mutations AFs and also between the mutations and histopathology features (tumor staging, inflammation, differentiation and invasiveness). Results: KRAS G12/G13 mutations were present in all patients. KRAS Q61 was significantly associated with poor differentiation, high desmoplastic reaction, invasiveness (ypT4) and metastasis (ypM1). NRAS and BRAF were associated with the right-side localization of tumors. Diabetic patients had a higher risk to exhibit NRAS G12/G13 mutations. BRAF’s presence limited the invasiveness in the submucosa, co-existing with NRAS G12/G13 mutations. Conclusions: The associations we found and the mutational AF we reported may help to understand disease processes and may be considered as potential CCR biomarker candidates. In addition, we propose representative mutation panels associated with specific clinical and histopathological features of CRC, as a unique opportunity to refine the degree of personalization of CRC treatment.

Daylighting design is not only a stage of dimensioning glazed surfaces to provide sufficient natural light to an occupied space, but also a method of analysing how this matter can be achieved without unwanted effects, such as: gains and losses of heat, glare, and variations of the daylighting intensity, at various indoor distances and levels. According to the international regulations in force, glazed surfaces must be designed with a careful balance between the admission of natural light and thermal performance, such as heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. In a novel project, it is essential to determine the optimal ratio of window-to-wall surface area. This necessity arises because the materials constituting the glazed surfaces of windows typically exhibit lower insulation properties compared to those of the building's walls. This methodology could be applied to building renovations when envelope modifications are possible and suitable. The case study presented in the paper highlights the energy consumed due to a group of windows with a large glazed area in an existing building, located in a temperate continental climate area. The energy consumption results from supplementary artificial lighting required to maintain adequate illumination for indoor activities and that to counterbalance heat loss during colder periods are evaluated. The analysis performed by modifying the glazed surface led to the identification of an optimum value of windows dimensions for an energy consumed minimum.

Epigenetic modifications play a significant role in determining the fate of AFSC in terms of differentiation into multiple lineages. There is a tight correlation among DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small noncoding RNAs during the epigenetic control of stem cells differentiation. The present study investigates the role of miRNAs in differentiation of AFSC and addresses how their unique signatures contribute to lineage-specific differentiation. miRNAs profile was assessed in AFSC after 4 weeks of endothelial and muscular differentiation. Our results showed a decreased expression of for 5 miRNAs (miR-125b-5p, hsa-miR-18a-5p, hsa-miR-137, hsa-miR-21-5p and hsa-let-7a-5p) and an increased expression for 12 miRNAs (miR-134-5p, miR-103a-3p, let-7i-5p, miR-214-3p, let-7c-5p, miR-129-5p, miR-210-3p, let-7d-5p, miR-375, miR-181-5p, miR-125a-5p, hsa-let-7e-5p) in EPC compared with undifferentiated AFSC. Smooth muscle differentiation of AFSC revealed significant changes in 9 miRNAs from total of 84 tested; 3 were downregulated (miR-18a-5p, miR-137, sa-miR-21-5p) and 6 were upregulated (miR-155-5p, miR-20a-5p, let-7i-5p, hsa-miR-134-5p, hsa-miR-214-3p, hsa-miR-375). miRNAs are molecular regulators of cell fate and differentiation, recent advances in molecular biology techniques revealed miRNA regulatory networks that can provide us information of endothelial and muscle cell biology in terms of homeostasis, growth, differentiation, and vascular function.

The first Network Arch Bridge (NAB) was opened to traffic 60 years ago and since then the idea spread around the world. It is a type of a tied arch bridge that combines the benefits of tied arch bridges and trusses in a single system, thus it has a very good stiffness even in the case of extremely slender structures. In a Network Arch the hangers are inclined and some of them intersect each other at least twice. The core of a NAB is the hanger arrangement that minimizes the bending moment in the arch to very small values, leading thus to compression in the arch. This paper reviews the Network Arch idea devised by prof. Tveit and extended by researchers and engineers worldwide. A comprehensive review of the literature about the Network Arch is provided and the situation of NABs around the world from the standpoint of location, span, structural system used for the cross-section, bridge type (road, railway, combined or pedestrian) and opening year is discussed.

This paper presents the values of several mechanical characteristics for two blends: H (60% PP + 12% PA6 + 8% EPDM + 20% Polybond 3200) and G (20% PP + 42% PA6 + 28% EPDM + 10% Polybond 3200) (%wt), comparing them to those of PP (polypropylene) and PA6 (polyamide 6). The adding of EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber) and Polybond 3200 help reducing the disadvantages of simple blends made of PP+PA6, when the PA6 concentration allows for having a PA6 matrix with droplets of PP. SEM analysis helps for understanding the performance of material G as compared to the neat polymers. EDX analysis proved that there was a matrix inversion, material H having a PP matrix and material G a matrix made of PA6 with droplets of PP. Strain at break for PP and material H were proved to be insensitive to test speed, but materials G and PA6 had large value for strain at break and energy at break for v = 10 mm/min. Taking at basis the values for polyamide 6 (PA6), material G has greater values for energy at break: with 97.8% for v = 10 mm/min, with 29.5% for v= 250 mm/min and with 98% for 1000 mm/min, without exhibiting the micro and macro cavitation of PA6. This means that the recipe, the technology and the mechanical characteristics make material G a potential candidate for applications where a low and moderate impact resistant material is required.

Popular geo-computer vision works make use of aerial imager with sizes ranging from 64 × 64 to 1024 × 1024 pixels without any overlap, although the learning process of deep learning models can be affected by the reduced semantic context or the lack of information near image boundaries. In this work, the impact of three image sizes (256 × 256, 512 × 512, and 1024 × 1024 pixels) and two image overlap levels (no overlap and 12.5% overlap) on the performance of road classification models was statistically evaluated. For this, two convolutional neural networks used in various tasks of geospatial object extraction were trained (using the same hyperparameters) on a large dataset (containing aerial image data covering 8650 km² of the Spanish territory that was labelled with binary road information) under twelve different scenarios, each scenario featuring a different combination of tile size and overlap. To assess their generalisation capacity, the performance of all resulting models was evaluated on a data from novel areas covering approximately 825 km². The performance metrics obtained were analysed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to evaluate the impact of the performance at distinct levels of the fixed factors (tile size, tile overlap, neural network architecture). Statistical tests were applied to study the main and interaction effects of the fixed factors on the performance. A significance level of 0.05 was applied to all the null hypothesis tests. The results were highly significant for the main effects (p-values lower than 0.001), while the two-way and three-way interaction effects among them had different levels of significance. The results indicate that the training of road classification models on images with a higher tile size (more semantic context) and tile overlap (additional border context and continuity) significantly impacts their performance. The best model was trained on a dataset featuring tiles with a size of 1024 × 1024 pixels and a 12.5% overlap and achieved a loss value of 0.0984, an F1 score of 0.8728, and an ROC-AUC score of 0.9766, together with an error rate of 3.5% on the test set.

Aluminum, a contentious trace element found in the environment, has been demonstrated to have harmful effects on both humans and animals. In contrast, Sempervivum tectorum, an evergreen plant, has been found to offer numerous beneficial effects for both humans and animals. Therefore, this study aims to assess the protective effect of S. tectorum on certain reproductive biomarkers in male rats exposed to aluminum. Thirty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: NTC (no-treatment control) received distilled water; NC (negative control) received drinking water containing 1 mg/L aluminum sulfate (AS); E1 received 1 mg/L AS along with an 8% S. tectorum extract; PC (positive control) received only 8% S. tectorum extract; E2 received 1 mg/L AS for three months followed by 8% extract for one month. The study analyzed testosterone, LH, FSH, body weight, and the histological structure of the testis, epididymis, and prostate, as well as the levels of zinc, manganese, copper, and iron in these organs. Significant decreases in body weight, testis, and epididymis size were observed in the aluminum-exposed groups compared to the control, whereas these decreases were not significant in the S. tectorum-treated groups compared to the control. Aluminum exposure led to significant decreases in testosterone and LH levels, with FSH levels showing a non-significant decrease in males, which were mitigated significantly by the administration of the plant extract. Histological analysis revealed alterations in the testis, epididymis, and prostate of the AS-exposed groups, including necrosis of seminiferous tubule epithelium and Leydig cells in the testis, and basal epithelial necrosis in the epididymis and prostate. Aluminum levels increased in all organs studied, while levels of zinc, copper, iron, and manganese decreased, showing a negative and significant correlation with aluminum levels. The aqueous extract of S. tectorum demonstrated a protective effect on certain studied biomarkers in male rats affected by aluminum exposure.

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease affecting children and altering their quality of life. The severity of asthma is often modulated by immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergen sensitization and is associated with comorbid allergic dis-eases. Omalizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody anti-IgE, the first biological therapy approved to treat patients aged ≥6 years with severe allergic asthma. The primary objective of our study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of Omali-zumab in Romanian paediatric patients with severe allergic asthma. Methods: In this observational real-life study, 12 children aged 6 to 18 years, (mean age 12.4 years ) with severe allergic asthma received Omalizumab as an add-on treatment. The levels of asthma control, exacerbations, lung function and adverse events were evaluated at baseline and after the first year of treatment. Results: We noticed general improvements in total asthma symptom scores and the rate of exacerbation of severe asthma. Omalizumab increased the initial variables of lung function, and no serious adverse reactions were reported. FEV1 improved statistically significant after one year of treatment with Omalizumab, [ΔFEV1 (% pred.) =18.3, and similarly, ΔMEF50 (%) = 25.8]. The mean severe exacerbation rates due to asthma decreased from 4.1 (2.8 SD) to 1.15 (0.78 SD) during the treatment year (p<0.0001) with Omalizumab. Conclusions: Treatment with Omalizumab can be an effective and safe therapeutic option for Romanian children with severe allergic asthma, providing clinically relevant in-formation on asthma control and exacerbation rate in children and adolescents. The results highlighted the effect of Omalizumab in young patients, starting from the first year of treatment.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration within the central nervous system. Brain plasticity, the brain's ability to adapt its structure and function, plays a crucial role in mitigating MS's impact. This paper explores the potential benefits of lifestyle changes and nutraceuticals on brain plasticity in MS population. Lifestyle modifications, including physical activity and dietary adjustments, can enhance brain plasticity by upregulating neurotrophic factors, promoting synaptogenesis, and reducing oxidative stress. Nutraceuticals, such as vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants like alpha-lipoic acid, have shown promise in supporting brain health through anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective mechanisms. Regular physical activity has been linked to increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and improved cognitive function. Dietary interventions, including caloric restriction and the intake of polyphenols, can also positively influence brain plasticity. Integrating these lifestyle changes and nutraceuticals into the management of MS could provide a complementary approach to traditional therapies, potentially improving neurological outcomes and enhancing the quality of life for MS population.

Background: This study presents the experience gained in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at “M. S. Curie” Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children in Bucharest after performing a series of bedside surgery interventions on newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We evaluate the advantages, complications, immediate and long-term outcome as well as the morbidity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the data for all patients operated on-site be-tween 2011 and 2020, in terms of pre- and post-operative stability, procedures performed, com-plications and outcomes. Results: Our study is based on data from ten cases of newborns, term or small for gestation age with birthweights ranging from 2300 to 3300 grams, operated, on average, on the fifth day of life. The main reasons for operating on-site were the hemodynamical instability and the need to ad-minister inhaled Nitic Oxide (iNO) and HFOV ventilation. There were no unforeseen events dur-ing surgery, no immediate postoperative complications and no surgery related mortality. One noticed drawback was the unfamiliarity of the surgery team with the new operating environment. Conclusions: Our experience indicates that bedside surgery improves the likelihood of survival for critically ill neonates suffering from CDH. No immediate complications could be associated with this practice. Keywords: congenital diaphragmatic hernia, severe pulmonary hypertension, bedside surgery, NICU infrastructure

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

This study is part of an extended investigation into the quantitative detection of therapeutic molecules with antineoplastic properties, specifically focusing on bleomycin. The objective is to minimize adverse effects while maximizing therapeutic effectiveness. We are presenting the results for bleomycin detection, in terms of cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We are continuing an approach we have recently started, of an electrochemical biosensor based on graphene, which is evidenced to be a revolutionary nanomaterial. The vertical graphene biosensor exhibited improved sensitivity, faster response, faster occurrence of the chemical reactions, and higher electrode surface conductivity, than the classical gold IDE sensor. The construction of the electrochemical sensor involved growing vertically aligned graphene nanosheets on the conductive surface of interdigitated electrodes. The results for bleomycin detection emphasized that a simpler surface modification method proved to be more efficient.

(1) Background: The prediction of cervical lesions evolution is a challenge for clinicians. The prospective study aimed to determine and compare the predictive accuracy of cytology, HPV genotyping, and p16/Ki67 dual staining alone or in combination with personal risk factors for the prediction of progression, regression or persistence of cervical lesions in human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected patients; (2) Methods: This prospective study included HPV-positive patients with or without cervical lesions that underwent follow-up. Descriptive statistics and sensitivity analysis for individual or combined index tests were used for data analysis; (3) Results: The highest predictive performance for the progression of cervical lesions was achieved by a model that comprised a Pap smear suggestive of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), the presence of 16/18 HPV strains, a positive p16/Ki67 dual staining result along with the presence of at least 3 clinical risk factors, which had a sensitivity (Se) of 74.42%, a specificity of 97.92%, an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.961, and an accuracy of 90.65%. The prediction of cervical lesions regression or persistence was modest; (4) Conclusions: Multiple testing or new biomarkers should be used to improve HPV-positive patient surveillance, especially for cervical lesion regression or persistence prediction.

Metabolomics is an advanced technology, still under development, with multiple research applications, especially in the field of health. Individual metabolic profiles, the functionality of the body, as well as its interaction with the environment can be established using this technology. The body's response to various external factors, including the food consumed and the nutrients it contains, has increased researchers' interest in nutrimetabolomics. Establishing correlations between diet and the occurrence of various diseases or even the development of personalized nutrition plans, could contribute to advances in precision medicine. The interdependence between humans, animals and the environment are of particular importance today, with the dramatic emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases, food, water and soil contamination, and the degradation of resources and habitats. All these events have led to an increase of risk factors for functional diseases, burdening global health. Thus, this study aimed to highlight the importance of metabolomics, in particular of nutrimetabolomics, as a technical solution for a holistic, collaborative, and precise approach for the advancement of the One Health strategy.

Hemorrhage is a detrimental event present in traumatic injury, surgery, and disorders of bleeding, that can become life-threatening if not properly managed. Moreover, uncontrolled bleeding can complicate surgical interventions, altering the outcome of surgical procedures. Therefore, to reduce the risk of complications and decrease the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with hemorrhage, it is necessary to use an effective hemostatic agent that ensures immediate control of bleeding. In recent years, there have been increasingly rapid advances in developing novel generation of biomaterials with hemostatic properties. Nowadays, a wide array of topical hemostatic agents is available, including chitosan-based biomaterials that have shown outstanding properties such as: antibacterial, antifungal, hemostatic, analgesic activity, in addition to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and wound-healing effects. This review provides an analysis of chitosan-based hemostatic and discusses the progress made in their performance, mechanism of action, efficacy, cost, and safety in recent years.

Although ovarian cystic teratoma is the most common ovarian tumor, complications are quite rare. However, it is important to be recognized by the radiologist in order to avoid inaccurately diagnosing them as malignant lesions. This case report describes a 61-year-old postmenopausal woman, who presented to the emergency room with abdominal pain following a minor blunt abdominal trauma. In this context, a CT scan was performed, which showed the presence of round, hypodense masses randomly distributed in the peritoneum, with coexisting ascites in moderate amount; ovarian carcinoma with peritoneal carcinomatosis was suspected. The patient was hospitalized and an MRI of the abdomen and pelvis was recommended for a more detailed lesion characterization. Following this examination, the patient was diagnosed with mature cystic ovarian teratoma complicated by rupture. Surgery was performed, and the outcome was favorable. The cases of ruptured cystic teratomas are rare, and to our knowledge, this is the first occurrence described in literature. Special attention must be paid when confronting with such a case in medical practice, since it can easily misdiagnosed as peritoneal carcinomatosis

Objective: The aim of our study was to perform a retrospective analysis of the volume of cervical screening tests, the number of patients treated with an excision method, and the incidence of invasive and non-invasive cervical during a pandemic and pre-pandemic period of 24 months. Results: There was a statistically significant age difference between the two study periods, both by the average age of patients and by age group. The mean difference was 32 years before the pan-demic and 35 years during the pandemic (p-value >0.05). The majority of patients presenting for investigations before and during the pandemic were in the 30-39-year-old age group (31.95%, respectively; 34.2% (p-value = 0.003). The biggest patient loss ratio identified by age group was in the 50–59 years: 14,53% in the pre-pandemic period and 9,1% in the pandemic period. In the pan-demic period, patients from rural areas presented in the clinical trial with a lower rate of 39.52% (83 patients) vs. 60.47% (127 patients) in urban areas. A higher percentage of patients experiencing cervicorrhagia as a clinical manifestation in the pandemic period vs. the prepandemic period, with an increase in more severe lesions in the pandemic period, has a statistical significance of 8% more newly diagnosed compared to the pre-pandemic period. Conclusion: The addressability of the patients during the COVID period was not affected in a drastic way in our study. We encountered a decrease in appointments in the age group 50–59 years and a decrease in patients with rural residence. In our study, we found an increase in cervicorrhagia as a reason for consultation in the pandemic period with a higher lesion degree, both on a pap smear and on a cervical biopsy.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is regarded as a component of metabolic syndrome, which has insulin resistance (IR) as the primary physiopathological event. The aim of study was to establish the association between IR, assessed using triglyceride and glucose index (TyG), and histopathological features of NAFLD lesions. Methods: The study included patients with metabolic syndrome. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting lipid profiles and liver enzymes were measured. IR was assessed by TyG index. Liver biopsy was performed for assessment steatosis and fibrosis. Results: TyG index had a mean value of 8.93 ± 1.45, with a higher value in the patients with overweight (p=0.002) and obesity (p=0.004) than in the patients with normal weight. TyG index mean value of 8.78 ± 0.65 in subjects without NASH, 8.91 ± 0.57 in patients with borderline NASH and 9.13 ± 0.55 in patients with definite NASH. Significant difference was found between subjects without NASH and the ones with definite NASH (p=0.004). The analysis of the area under the ROC curve proved that TyG index is a predictor for NASH (p=0.043). Conclusion: TyG index is a facile tool used to identify individuals at risk for NAFLD, but not for the progression of liver lesions.

(1) Introduction: Karstic springs are used worldwide by rural communities as sources of fresh water for human use and livestock survival. In Romania, 1/3 of the population has no direct access to the public water supply. The present study is part of a country-wide project on developing simple, quick and cheap methods for seasonal environmental and microbiological monitoring of karstic springs used as drinking water supply by rural populations. Critical steps for the monitoring workflow consist in the evaluation of water quality and choosing of suitable membrane filters to efficiently capture environmental DNA for further microbial diversity estimation by 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding; (2) Methods: Several commercial membrane filters of different composition and pore sizes were tested on the water sampled from three karstic springs in Romania, followed by water chemistry and whole community 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding analysis; (3) Results: We found that the different types of applied membrane filters provide a varying recovery of diversities and abundances of both overall and pathogenic bacteria; and (4) Conclusions: The result of the experiment with different filters shows which are the best for amplicon-based metabarcoding monitoring of karst springs.

This paper experimentally reveals some of the resources offered by the evolution of the instantaneous active electric power in describing the state of three-phase AC induction asynchronous electric motors (with squirrel-cage rotor) operating under no-load conditions. A mechanical power is required to rotate the rotor at no-load and this mechanical power is satisfactorily reflected in the constant and variable part of instantaneous active electric power. The variable part of this electrical power should necessarily have a periodic component with the same period as the period of rotation of the rotor. The paper proposes a procedure for extracting this periodic component description (as a pattern, by means of a selective averaging of instantaneous active electrical power) and analysis. The time origin of this pattern is defined by the time of a selected first passage through the origin of an angular marker placed on the rotor, detectable by a proximity sensor (e.g. a laser sensor). The usefulness of the pattern in describing the state of the motor rotor has been demonstrated by several simple experiments which show that a slight change in the no-load running conditions of the motor (e.g. by placing a dynamically unbalanced mass on the rotor) has clear effects in changing the shape of the pattern.

The article continues the exposition of the results obtained in the research of an agricultural machine for processing soil, designed for research with applications including exploitation. The MCLS complex cultivator was designed for the research of the working processes of the instruments intended for soil processing. The MCLS cultivator is a modulated machine (it can work for three working widths: 1, 2, and 4 m, with tractors of different powers) that is designed to use a wide range of working bodies. The experimental data obtained with the structure with a working width of 1 m and the results of their processing within the framework of the theory of random vibrations are presented in this article. The experimental results are analysed as random vibrations of the supports of the active body. As a result, the main characteristics of random vibrations are exposed: the distribution function, the average value, the autocorrelation, and the frequency spectrum. These general results regarding random vibrations are used for several critical applications in the design, execution, and exploitation of some subassemblies and assemblies of agricultural machines of this type. The main applications are: estimating the probability of the occurrence of dangerous load peaks, counting and selecting the load peaks that produce fatigue accumulation in the material of the supports of the working bodies, identifying some design deficiencies or defects in the work regime, estimating the effects of vibrations on the quality of soil processing. All the outcomes are comprised of applications in MCLS research and exploitation. The applications pursue well-known objectives of modeling the working processes of agricultural machines: safety at work, increasing the quality of work, optimizing energy consumption, and increasing productivity, all in a broad context to obtain a compromise situation

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.

Considering the worldwide impact of heart failure, it is crucial to develop approaches that can help us comprehend its root cause and make accurate predictions about its outcome. This is essential for lowering the suffering and death rates connected with this widespread illness. Cardiomyopathies frequently result from genetic factors, and the study of heart failure genetics is advancing quickly. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most prevalent kind of cardiomyopathy, encompassing both hereditary and nongenetic abnormalities. It is distinguished by the enlargement of the left ventricle or both ventricles, accompanied by reduced contractility. The discovery of the molecular origins and subsequent awareness of the molecular mechanism is broadening our knowledge of DCM development. Additionally, it emphasizes the complicated nature of DCM and the necessity to formulate several different strategies to address the diverse underlying factors contributing to this disease. Genetic variations that can be transmitted from one generation to another can be a significant contributor to causing family or isolated DCM. Genetic variation also plays a significant role in determining susceptibility for acquired triggers for DCM. The genetic causes of DCM can have a diverse range of phenotypic expressions. It is crucial to select the most probable patients to have advantages from genetic testing. The purpose of this research is to emphasize the significance of identifying genetic DCM, the crucial relationships between genotype and phenotype, and the usefulness of genetic testing in the therapeutic care of both those affected and their relatives. This approach is expected to gain importance once treatment is guided by genotype-specific advice and disease-modifying medications.

Background: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii in aquatic environments and fish microbiota by integrating culture-dependent methods, 16S metagenomics, and antibiotic resistance profiling. Methods: A total of 83 A. baumannii isolates were recovered using culture-dependent methods from intra-hospital infections (IHI), wastewater (WW) and surface water (SW) samples from two southern Romanian cities in august 2022. The antibiotic susceptibility was screened using disc diffusion, microdilution, PCR and Whole Genome Sequencing assays. Results: The highest microbial load in the analyzed samples was found in Glina, Bucharest for both WW and SW samples across all investigated phenotypes. For Bucharest isolates, the resistance levels corresponded to fluoroquinolones &gt; aminoglycosides &gt; β-lactam antibiotics. In contrast, A. baumannii from upstream SW samples in Targoviste showed the highest resistance to aminoglycosides. The blaOXA-23 gene was frequently detected in IHI, WW, and SW isolates in Bucharest but was absent in Targoviste. Molecular phylogeny revealed presence of ST10 in Târgoviște isolates and ST2 in Bucharest isolates, while other minor STs were not specifically correlated with a sampling point. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, significant differences in microbial populations between the two locations was identified. The low abundance of Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria in both locations suggests environmental pressures or contamination events. Conclusions: These findings indicate significant fecal contamination and potential public health risks, emphasizing the need for improved water quality monitoring and management.

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.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to rise worldwide and one of the most serious microvascular complications is diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Current bi-omarkers such as urinary albumin excretion rate have limitation for early detection of DKD. In our study we used ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-ESI+-MS) techniques to quantify previously analyzed metabolites, such as tryptophan, kynurenic acid, taurine, l-acetylcarnitine, glycine, and tiglylglycine. We performed the targeted analy-sis of metabolites from urine and serum samples, collected from 110 subjects. Of these, 90 patients with type 2 DM (T2DM) were divided according to the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) into normoalbuminuria 300 mg/g groups, respectively, while 20 subjects were rep-resented by healthy controls. Through various validation methods, we identified several metabolites as potential biomarkers, such as kynurenic acid, glycine, and l-tryptophan in serum and l-acetylcarnitine, tiglylglycine, and tau-rine in urine.

Background and Objectives: Renal cell carcinomas and upper tract urothelial carcinomas are types of malignancies that originate in the kidneys. Each of these examples shows an increasing trend in the frequency and the mortality rate. This study aims to comprehensively define carcinomas by analysing clinical, paraclinical, and histological aspects to predict aggressiveness and mortality. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective investigation on a group of patients suspected with kidney cancers. Results: We identified 188 cases. We observed a higher mortality rate and older age in individuals with urothelial carcinomas. Anemia, acute kidney injury, hematuria and perineural invasion were the main risk factors that predicted their mortality. Tumour size in renal cell carcinomas correlates with the presence of necrosis and sarcomatoid areas. Factors that indicate a higher rate of death are older age, exceeding of the renal capsule, the lesion that includes the entire kidney, lymphovascular invasion, acute kidney injury, and anemia. Conclusions: Even if they originate at the renal level, and the clinical-paraclinical picture is similar, the histopathological characteristics make the difference. In addition, to these are added the previously mentioned common parameters that can represent important prognostic factors. In conclusion, the characteristics commonly identified in one type of cancer may act as risk factors for the other tumor. The detected data include threshold values and risk factors, making a significant contribution to the existing literature.

Background: Early diagnosis of postoperative complications is an urgent task, allowing timely prescribing of appropriate therapy and reducing the cost of patient treatment. Prognostic models based on various data could help in the early diagnosis of postoperative complications after cardiac surgery. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine whether an integrated approach based on clinical data along with metabolites and biomarkers had greater predictive value than the models built on less data. Methods: The study included patients (n=62) admitted for planned cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass), who were retrospectively divided into two groups depending on the presence (n=26) or absence (n=36) of postoperative complications of all types. Clinical and laboratory data on the first day after surgery were analyzed. Additionally, patients' blood samples were collected before and on the first day after surgery to determine biomarkers (interleukin-6, procalcitonin, NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity troponin T) and metabolites (8 aromatic and 2 dicarboxylic acids were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Results: Patients before surgery, compared with healthy donors, differed in the concentration of metabolites (p &lt; 0.05), and had concentrations of a number of biomarkers exceeding the corresponding reference values. Multivariate PLS-DA models, predicting the presence or absence of postoperative complications, were built using clinical data (ROC-AUC=0.71), concentrations of metabolites and biomarkers (ROC-AUC=0.60), and the entire data set (ROC-AUC=0.75). For comparison we built univariate models using the EuroScore2 (ROC-AUC=0.59) and SOFA (ROC-AUC=0.76) scales; concentrations of lactate (ROC-AUC=0.71), the dynamic changes of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (ROC-AUC=0.69), and the sum of three sepsis-associated metabolites (ROC-AUC=0.70). The proposed complex model using entire data set was comparable to the SOFA scale, which confirms the expediency of searching for new predictive models based on a variety of factors.

Milk serves as a crucial source of natural bioactive compounds essential for human nutrition and health. The gastrointestinal digestion of milk proteins releases various biologically active peptides that positively impact human health and enhance physiological performance. With the growing production of cheese, Greek yogurt, and other dairy products, the volume of unutilized acid whey is significantly increasing. Acid whey, containing almost all whey proteins and approximately one-quarter of casein, presents a valuable raw material for generating peptides with potential health benefits. These peptides exhibit properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, opioid, mineral-binding, and growth-stimulating activities, contributing to improved human immunity and the treatment of chronic diseases. Enzymatic hydrolysis of milk proteins has been developed as a method to produce these peptides, facilitating their use in food fortification. To incorporate whey into functional beverages, it undergoes fermentation by lactic acid bacteria with proteolytic activity. To specifically enrich these beverages with peptides exhibiting targeted bioactivities, it is essential to select lactic acid bacteria strains possessing the requisite protease profiles. Additionally, the sensory properties of the final product can be enhanced using starter cultures with diverse metabolic capabilities, even in the absence of added flavoring agents. Given the imperative to develop waste-free technologies and enhance the profitability of the dairy industry, there is a growing need to efficiently utilize and transform acid whey into a broad spectrum of valuable products and food additives. This approach is justified not only by the nutritional benefits of the bioactive components in whey but also by the commercial potential of safe and health-enhancing products.

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.

The impact of interaction SS with MJO on rainfall along Java Island to East Nusa Tenggara has been studied using daily rainfall observation data from 2140 weather observation stations, which are also equipped with GSMaP, OLR, and ERA5 data. There were 61 SS events found, 17 during active MJO and 44 in inactive MJO. Rainfall increases more in the western study area when the active MJO and more in the eastern study area when the inactive MJO is due to SS. SS reduces rainfall in the Jakarta region, regardless of the activity or inactivity of the MJO. SS causes extreme rainfall to only occur in a small part of certain areas, so it tends to significantly reduce the possibility of extreme rainfall. In the southern part of the IMC, SS predominates over MJO in supporting increased water vapor transport. Large-scale synoptic circulations like the monsoon, SS, and MJO can interact with local land-sea wind circulation to produce spatiotemporal variability in rainfall on Java Island. Rainfall mostly increases in the afternoon and decreases in the morning when SS occurs, whether there is MJO or not. Convective instability analysis indicates that SS increases precipitation, most likely by lowering CIN and raising VIMFC.

In order to shorten the detection time and improve the average precision on embedded devices, A lightweight and high accuracy model is proposed for passion fruit in complex environments (backlight, occlusion, overlap, sunny, cloudy, rainy). Firstly, replacing the backbone network of YOLOv5 with a lightweight GhostNet model reduces the number of parameters and computation while improving detection speed. Secondly, a new feature branch is added to the GhostNet network, and the feature fusion layer in the neck network is reconstructed to effectively combine the lower-level and higher-level features, which not only improves the accuracy of the model but also maintains its lightweight. Finally, the knowledge distillation methods are used to transfer the knowledge from the more capable teacher model to the less capable student model, which significantly improving the detection accuracy. The improved model is denoted as G-YOLO-NK. The average accuracy of the G-YOLO-NK network is 96.00%, which is 1.00% higher than the original YOLOv5s model. Furthermore, the improved model size is 7.14MB, reduced to half of the original model, and the real-time detection frame rate is 11.25 FPS on the Jetson Nano. Compared to the state-of-the-art model, the proposed model outperforms them in terms of average precision and detection performance. The present work provides an effective model for real-time detection of passion fruits in complex orchard scenes, which can provide valuable technical support for the development of orchard picking robots and greatly improve the intelligence level of orchards.

The Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) scanner is an easy and portable Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition device. Its main output is a 3D point cloud covering the scanned scene. Regarding the importance of accuracy in the survey domain, this paper aims to assess the accuracy of two SLAM scanners: the NavVis VLX and the BLK2GO Scanner. This assessment is conducted for both outdoor and indoor environments. In this context, two types of reference data are used: the Total Station (TS) and the static scanner Z+F Imager 5016. To carry out the assessment, four comparisons are tested: cloud to cloud, cloud to mesh, mesh to mesh, and edge detection board assessment. However, the results of the assessments confirm that the accuracy of indoor SLAM scanner measurements (5 mm) is greater than that of outdoor ones (between 10 mm and 60 mm). Moreover, the comparison of cloud to cloud provides the best accuracy regarding direct accuracy measurement without manipulations. Finally, based on the high accuracy, scanning speed, flexibility, and the accuracy differences between tested cases, it is confirmed that SLAM scanners are effective tools for data acquisition.

In recent years, electroencephalogram (EEG) emotion recognition has emerged as a research hotspot in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite advancements in EEG-based emotion recognition, room for enhancing performance persists due to EEG signal redundancy and limitations in feature extraction, leading to inefficient models and emotional information loss. To fully utilize EEG's emotional information and improve recognition accuracy while reducing computational costs, this paper proposes a Convolutional-Recurrent Hybrid Network with a dual-stream adaptive approach and an attention mechanism (CSA-SA-CRTNN). Firstly, the model utilizes a CSAM module to assign corresponding weights to EEG channels. Then, an adaptive dual-stream convolutional-recurrent network (SA-CRNN and MHSA-CRNN) is applied to extract local spatial-temporal features. After that, the extracted local features are concatenated and fed into a temporal convolutional network with a multi-head self-attention mechanism (MHSA-TCN) to capture global information. Finally, the extracted EEG information is used for emotion classification. We conducted binary and ternary classification experiments on the DEAP dataset, achieving 99.26% and 99.15% accuracy for arousal and valence in binary classification, and 97.69% and 98.05% in ternary classification, surpassing relevant algorithms. Additionally, the model's efficiency is significantly higher than other models, achieving better accuracy with lower resource consumption.

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

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

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

Superior fiber quality is one of the most important objectives in cotton breeding. To detect the genetic basis underlying fiber quality, an F2 population containing 413 plants was constructed by crossing Jifeng 914 and Jifeng 173, both of which have superior fiber quality, with Jifeng 173 being better. Five fiber quality traits were investigated in the F2, F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5 populations. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted based on a high-density genetic map containing 11,488 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spanning 4,202.12 cM in length. Transgressive segregation patterns and complex correlations in the five tested traits were observed. A total of 108 QTLs were found, including 27 for fiber length (FL), 16 for fiber strength (FS), 24 for micronaire (MC), 17 for fiber uniformity (FU), and 24 for fiber elongation rate (FE). Chromosome A7 contained 12 QTL, ranking the first. No QTL was found on chromosome D1 and D11. Each QTL contributed 1.98%–21.45% to the phenotypic variation (PV), including 13 major effect QTLs that contributed more than 10% toward PV. Two QTLs could be repeatedly detected in three populations, including qFL-D3-2 in F2, F2:4, and F2:5 with 9.18%–21.45% of PV, qFS-A11-1 in F2:3, F2:4 and F2:5 with 6.05%–10.41% of PV. Another seven stable QTLs could be detected in two populations, including four major effect QTLs: qFL-A12-3, qFS-D10-2, qMC-D6-2, and qMC-D8-1. Fourteen QTL-overlapping regions were found, which might explain the complex correlations among the five phenotypic traits. Four regions on chromosome A11, D3, D6, and D10 covered by both stable and major effect QTLs are promising for further fine mapping. The genomic regions of the two QTLs detected in three populations and the four major effect QTLs contain 810 genes. Gene functional analysis revealed that the annotated genes are mainly involved in protein binding and metabolic pathways. Fifteen candidate genes in the qFL-D3-2 region are highly expressed in fiber or ovules during fiber initiation, elongation, secondary cell wall thickening, or maturation stages. qRT-PCR revealed that Ghir_D03G005440.1 and Ghir_D03G011310.1 may play a role in promoting fiber initiation, Ghir_D03G006470.1 may be beneficial for promoting fiber elongation. This study provides more information for revealing the molecular genetic basis underlying cotton fiber quality.

Currently there are fewer depth models applied to pepper picking detection, while the existing generalized neural networks have problems such as large model parameters, long training time, and low model accuracy.In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a Yolo-chili target detection algorithm for chili pepper detection. First, the classical target detection algorithm yolov5 is used as a benchmark model, and an adaptive spatial feature pyramid structure combining the attention mechanism and the idea of multi-scale prediction is introduced to improve the model's detection effect on occluded peppers and small target peppers. Secondly, a three-channel attention mechanism module is introduced to improve the algorithm's long-distance recognition ability and reduce the interference of redundant testers. Finally, the quantized pruning method is used to reduce the model parameters and realize the lightweight processing of the model. Applying the method to the homemade chili pepper dataset, the AP value of chili pepper reaches 93.11%; the accuracy rate is 93.51% and the recall rate is 92.55%.The experimental results show that yolo-chili is able to achieve accurate and real-time pepper detection under complex orchards.

The temporary immersion system bioreactor named GreenTray®[2], [3]presents advantages over the existing ones. Firstly, there is no need to use forceps to move the shoots or plantlets in or out of the recipient, neither the use of scalpel to divide them. Secondly, the basis of the shoot can remain in the GreenTray® and can sprout again in several cycles of growth. These two characteristics reduce the costs in the process of micropropagation. Besides, shoots or plantlets development is enhanced by the aeration of the recipient, thus enriching with CO2 the recipient atmosphere. The chapter describes and provides images and values of interest in (1) the micropropagation process of some commercial Prunus or Pyrus rootstocks; (2) the plantlet growth under autotrophic conditions; and (2) the inoculation of plants with pathogens that reproduce in vitro the symptoms observed in vivo, using the GreenTray® bioreactor.

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcomes of treating isolated surgical neck fractures of the humerus using either the intramedullary nail or the MIROS (Minimally Invasive Reduction and Osteosynthesis System®) system. The study included 42 patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Polyclinic from January 2014 to June 2020. The results indicated that both treatments were effective; however, the MIROS system exhibited a higher complication rate. Intramedullary nailing was more reliable, thus recommended as the primary treatment method. This study underscores the importance of selecting the appropriate fixation technique to minimize complications and enhance patient outcomes.

Aiming at the problems of inaccurate segmentation of long object and information loss of small object in real-time semantic segmentation algorithm, this paper proposes a lightweight multi-branch real-time semantic segmentation network based on BiseNetV2. The new auxiliary branch makes full use of spatial details and context information to cover the long object in the field of view. Meanwhile, in order to ensure the inference speed of the model, the asymmetric convolution is used in each stage of the auxiliary branch to design a structure with low computational complexity. In the multi-branch fusion stage, the alignment and fusion module is designed to provide guidance information for deep and shallow feature mapping, so as to make up for the problem of feature misalignment in the fusion of information at different scales, and thus reduce the loss of small target information. In order to further improve the model’s awareness of key information, a global context module is designed to capture the most important features in the input data. The proposed network uses NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU experiment, on the road street view data set Cityscapes and CamVid average occurring simultaneously ratio reached 77.1% and 78.4% respectively, with running speed of 127 frames/s respectively and 112 frames/s. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve real-time segmentation and improve the accuracy significantly, showing good semantic segmentation performance

Excess nitrogen in agricultural drainage poses a serious threat to the water quality safety of the Yellow River basin. Utilizing aquatic plants to modify the rhizosphere microbial community structure and facilitate nitrogen transformation is a crucial strategy for mitigating regional water eutrophication. Our results revealed that the denitrification rate (DR), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium rate (DNRAR) and nitrogen fixation rate (NFR) of rhizosphere sediments exhibited a significant increase in artificially cultivated ditch. Compared with those in natural ditches, the richness of the bacterial community and the relative abundances of Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Firmicutes, Anaeromyxobacter and Geobacter, which are involved mainly in the nitrogen cycle, in the rhizosphere sediments of artificially cultivated ditch were significantly greater due to improvements in environmental conditions. In artificially cultivated ditch, the dominant functional genes affecting DRNARs in the rhizosphere sediments of P. australis were nrfC and nrfA, while DRs were driven mainly by norB and napA, which were influenced by the nitrogen and carbon levels; and the dominant functional genes affecting NFRs in the rhizosphere sediments of T. orientalis were nifD, nifK and nifH. Our results provide a scientific basis for the use of aquatic plants for mitigating excess nitrogen levels in agricultural drainage.

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.

In this paper we study a class of impulsive delayed neural networks with parameter uncertainties and reaction-diffusion terms. Using the properties of M-matrices and some inequality techniques, some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the global exponential stability of the given system. The results obtained are presented by simple algebraic inequalities, which are certainly more concise than previous methods. Finally, the validity and usefulness of our results are illustrated by arithmetic examples.

Pyrops candelaria is one of the common pests of fruit trees, but the research on the pathogenic microorganisms it may carry is very limited. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the pathogenic microbes it carries and their potential hazards. This study found a new virus from the transcriptome of P. candelaria, which was first reported in P. candelaria and named as PyCaV (Pyrops candelaria associated virus). RACE and bioinformatics assay revealed that the full-length of PyCaV is 10855 bp with the polyA tail, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein consisting of 3171 amino acid (aa). The virus has a typical Iflavirus structure, including two rhv domains, a RNA helicase domain (HEL), a 3C cysteine protease domain (Pro), and a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (RdRp). Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus belongs to family Iflaviridae and sequence alignements analysis suggedted PyCaV is new member in unassigned genus of family Iflaviridae. Further in-depth analysis of virus-infection-part showed that PyCaV is distributing in the whole longan lanternfly, including its head, chest, and abdomen, but more PyCaV was identified in the chest. The distribution of PyCaV in different parts of P. candelaria was further explored, which showed that more PyCaV were detected in its piercing-sucking mouthparts and chest viscera. Statistical analysis showed that the PyCaV infection was affected by time and locations.

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.

In this paper, we extend the KdVSKR equations in (1+1)-dimension and (2+1)-dimension to fractional KdVSKR equations with modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. The (2+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, which is a recent extension of (1+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, can model the resonances of solitons in shallow water. By means of the Hirota bilinear method, finite symmetry group method and consistent Riccati expansion method, many new interaction solutions have been derived. Soliton-cnoidal interaction solution of the (1+1)-dimensional fractional KdVSKR equation has been derived for the first time. For the (2+1)-dimensional frac-tional KdVSKR equation, two-wave interaction solutions and three-wave interaction solutions, including dark-soliton-sine interaction solution, bright-soliton-elliptic interaction solution, and lump-hyperbolic-sine interaction solution, have been derived. Impact of the fractional order on the shapes of these solutions has been illustrated by figures. Three-wave interaction solutions of fractional systems have not been reported in the existing references. The research idea in this paper can be applied to other fractional differential equations.

With the burgeoning growth of online retail, the issue of counterfeit products has become a significant threat to both consumer trust and brand integrity, posing challenges to sustainable market practices. Online retail platforms are promoted to redesign their channel structures and enhance brand traceability to tackle counterfeits using blockchain technology. To investigate the interactions between blockchain technology and the channel structures of online retail platforms, we design a game theory model incorporating a manufacturer with(out) blockchain participation selling products via an online retail platform that operates an agency channel and/or a reselling channel. We show that the critical trade-off of blockchain participation comprises the brand assurance effect of the blockchain, the channel competition intensification effect, and the blockchain adoption cost. The platform is capable of strategically designing the channel structure to encourage (while discouraging) blockchain participation by the manufacturer. Our analysis highlights the complementarity between blockchain participation and the channel structure. Furthermore, the effect of the consumer’s belief in the reselling channel, the commission fee in the agency channel, and the substitutability between channels are investigated in depth. The research provides valuable insights for online retail platforms and policymakers seeking to foster a sustainable and trustworthy e-commerce ecosystem.

Antimicrobial peptides represent a promising alternative to traditional drugs in relation to cost, toxicity and, primarily, the growing problem of drug resistance. Here we report on the activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 of a previously described wide-spectrum synthetic decapeptide, Killer Peptide (KP). As determined by plaque reduction assays, treatment with KP at 100 μg/mL resulted in a reduction in the viral yield titer of 3.5 Logs for HSV-1 and 4.1 Logs for HSV-2. Further evaluation of KP antiviral activity focused on the early stages of virus replicative cycle, including the determination of the residual infectivity of viral suspensions treated with KP. A direct effect of the peptide on viral particles, impairing virus absorption and penetration, was shown. The toxicity profile proved to be extremely good with a selectivity index of 29.6 for HSV-1 and 156 for HSV-2. KP was also active against an acyclovir (ACV)-resistant HSV-1 strain, while HSV-1 subcultures in the presence of sub-inhibitory doses of KP did not lead to the emergence of resistant strains. Finally, the antiviral action of KP proved to be synergistic with that of ACV. Overall, these results demonstrate that KP could represent an interesting addition/alternative to acyclovir for antiviral treatment.

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.

As the world population grows, fulfilling the need for biomaterials in the healthcare system becomes increasingly important. Biomaterials, which include metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, play an important role in the creation of medical devices that improve people's lives. The European Society for Biomaterials described biomaterials as non-biological materials used in medical devices to interact with biological systems. This definition has developed to encompass materials that treat, assess, or replace tissues or bodily functions. Biocompatibility, as defined by the FDA, is a key feature of biomaterials, as is the requirement to fulfil design requirements such as mechanical performance, geometry, and electrical control. Over the last decade, advances in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering have boosted biomaterials' usage in medical applications dramatically. Despite its promise, scientists, engineers, and physicians continue to face significant challenges due to the complexity of biomaterials. Biomaterials have various benefits, including biodegradability, non-toxicity, and biocompatibility, making them extremely useful for replacing, sustaining, or improving biological activities in damaged tissues. They are used in a wide range of applications, including tissue engineering implants, human tissue healing and regeneration, medication delivery systems, and biosensors. This study gives insights into the fundamental characteristics, case studies, and ethical issues associated with the usage and use of biomaterials, further examining their potential and significance in healthcare and medicine.

The paper describes the new method for image compression based on coordinated group signal transformation. The algorithm is a type of difference coding. Coordinated processing significantly simplifies the difference signal conversion scheme using a single group codec for all signals. The described method considers color channels as correlated signals of a multi-channel communication system. The specifics of the processed data required modification of the coordinated group processing algorithm. First, we changed how to calculate the difference signals to prevent data loss. Secondly, the group codec was supplemented with a neural network to improve the quality of reconstructed images. We considered the following types of neural networks: fully connected, recurrent, convolution, and convolution in the Fourier space. Based on the simulation results, it is best to use fully connected neural networks if the goal is to minimize processing delay time. These networks have a response time of 13 ms. On the other hand, if the priority is to improve quality in cases where delays are not critical, then convolution neural networks in the Fourier space should be used. These networks have a response time of 140 ms and are of significant interest.

In electromagnetic ultrasonic testing, it is difficult to recognize small-size bottom cracks by time of flight (ToF), and the lift-off fluctuation of the probe affects the accuracy and consistency of the inspection results. In order to overcome the difficulty, a novel EMAT (electromagnetic acoustic transducer)-PEC (pulse eddy current) composite sensor is designed. We use amplitude of bottom echo recorded by EMAT to identify the tiny bottom crack as well as the amplitude of PEC signals picked up by the integrated symmetric coils to measure the average lift-off of the probe in real time. Firstly, the effects of lift-off and bottom cracks on amplitude of bottom echo are distinguished combining the theoretical analysis and finite element method (FEM). And then an amplitude correction method based on the fusion of EMAT and PEC signals is proposed to reduce the impact of lift-off on the defect signal. The experimental results demonstrate that the designed composite sensor can effectively detect the bottom crack as small as 0.1mm* 0.3mm. The signal fusion method can accurately correct the amplitude of defect signal and the relative error is less than ±8%.

The studied solar pot is a recent invention, which gained a utility model protection in 2021 from the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office under patent number 5489. The device is made for environmentally friendly cooking or heating (by utilizing solar energy) of foods and liquids. Its structure is similar to a double pipe heat exchanger, it has an outer mantle and an inner cooking tank. The goals of the paper are proposing a new physically-based mathematical model describing the solar pot and carrying out computer experiments with it, assembling an experimental system of the pot connected with a solar collector and performing measurements on it. Based on the results, the solar pot can successfully be used for cooking or sterilizing foods or liquids during the studied time period, in Hungary.

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.

Abstract: Transcription factors are crucial pre-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that can modulate the expression of downstream genes by binding to their promoter regions. DOF (DNA binding with One Finger) proteins are a unique class of transcription factors with extensive roles in plant growth and development. Our previous research indicated a decrease in iron content in chlorotic bamboo leaves. However, to our knowledge, genes related to iron metabolism pathways in bamboo species have not yet been studied. Therefore, in the current study, we identified iron metabolism-related (IMR) genes in bamboo and determined the transcription factors that significantly influence them. Among these, DOFs were found to have widespread effects and potentially significant impacts on their expression. We identified specific DOF members in Dendrocalamus latiflorus with binding abilities through homology with Arabidopsis DOF proteins, and established connections between some of these members and IMR genes using RNA-seq data. Additionally, molecular docking confirmed the binding interactions between these DlDOFs and the DOF binding sites in the promoter regions of IMR genes. The co-expression relationship between the two gene sets was further validated using q-PCR experiments. This study paves the way for research into iron metabolism pathways in bamboo and lays the foundation for understanding the role of DOF transcription factors in D. latiflorus.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to be a global threat due to its ability to evolve and generate new subvariants, leading to new waves of infection. Additionally, other coronaviruses like Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV, formerly known as hCoV-EMC) which first emerged in 2012, persists and continues to present a threat of severe illness to humans. The continued identification of novel coronaviruses, coupled with the potential for genetic recombination between different strains, raises the possibility of new coronavirus clades of global concern emerging. As a result, there is a pressing need for pan-CoV therapeutic drugs and vaccines. After extensive optimization of an HCV protease inhibitor screening hit, a novel 3CLPro inhibitor (MK-7845) was discovered and subsequently profiled. MK-7845 exhibited nanomolar in vitro potency with broad spectrum activity against a panel of clinical SARS-CoV-2 subvariants and MERS-CoV. Furthermore, when administered orally, MK-7845 demonstrated a notable reduction of viral burdens by &gt;6 log orders in the lungs of transgenic mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 (K18-hACE2 mice) and MERS-CoV (K18-hDDP4 mice).

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.