Obesity is invariably accompanied by autonomic dysfunction, although data in pediatric populations are conflicting. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies (totaling 1102 participants) comparing obese and normal-weight subjects (5-18 years of age), defined as body mass index >95th or <85th percentile, respectively. Using a random-effects model, we report the standardized mean differences (SMD) of sympathetic and vagal indices, calculated by heart rate variability. Autonomic dysfunction was present in the obese group, based on the average SMD in the standard deviation of sinus intervals (at -0.5340), and on the ratio of low (LF) to high (HF) frequency spectra (at 0.5735). There was no difference in sympathetic activity, but the heterogeneity among the relevant studies weakens this result. SMD in HF (at 0.5876), in the root mean square of successive differences between intervals (at -0.6333), and in the number of times successive intervals exceeded 50ms divided by the total number of intervals (at -0.5867) indicated lower vagal activity in the obesity group. Thus, autonomic dysfunction is present in obese children and adolescents, attributed to lower vagal activity. Further studies on autonomic function are needed in various pediatric cohorts, placing emphasis on sympathetic activity.

This paper introduces a rigorous and comprehensive approach for the assessment of marine shafting systems through the utilization of an advanced Pi-Theorem based scaling methodology. Integrating journal bearing similarity assessment and shaft-line scaling methodology with advanced dimensional analysis, the study aims to provide a methodology foundation for systematic replication and analysis of marine shafting systems through scaled models. The proposed scaling methodology ensures geometric and mechanical similarity in terms of shaft-line deflection, considering key scaling parameters such as shaft length, diameter, weight, loads, rotational speed, material properties, bearing locations, and offsets. The advanced dimensional analysis computes specific non-dimensional ratios to guarantee a close resemblance between a real-size system and a scaled lab model, enabling meaningful experimentation. The methodology is analytically derived and validated with numerical simulations for a case study, conducting comparative analysis, evaluating discrepancies, and utilizing the integrated framework for experimentation.

In this research paper an algorithm for the derivation of methods based on theorems and axioms of fuzzy logic is presented, analyzed and applied. This new proposed procedure generates fuzzy methods and evaluates the value of fuzzy propositions through fuzzy implication. The new implications of the family should satisfy a number of axioms. Also, we denote the conditions in order to satisfy the maximum number of axioms. Moreover, authors state and prove theorems focusing on fuzzy implication, observing the rule: the fuzzy function of fuzzy implication is strong and that lead to fuzzy negation. In addition, the optimal number of repetitions is calculated according to the expected truth value. The formulas produced are verified through the use of temperature and humidity values over a certain period of time and in a certain geographical area in Greece. The basic steps of the methodology are the fuzzification of the data given ​​using four membership degree functions and the application of the membership degrees of temperature and humidity values on a new type of fuzzy implication. Finally, we observed that the isosceles trapezium gave the best results and the type of fuzzy implication can be effectively applied.

: In the last years, materializations of neuromorphic circuits based on nanophotonic arrangements have been proposed, which contain complete optical circuits, laser, photodetectors, photonic crystals, optical fibers, flat waveguides, and other passive optical elements of nanostructured materials, which eliminate the time of simultaneous processing of big groups of data, taking advantage of the quantum perspective and thus highly increasing the potentials of contemporary intelligent computational systems. This article is an effort to record and study the research that has been conducted concerning the methods of development and materialization of neuromorphic circuits of Neural Networks of nanophotonic arrangements. In particular, an investigative study of the methods of developing nanophotonic neuromorphic processors, their originality in neuronic architectural structure, their training methods and their optimization has been realized along with the study of special issues such as optical activation functions and cost functions.

While SARS-CoV-2 uses angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the receptor for cell entry, it is important to examine for other potential interactions between the virus and other cell receptors. Based on the clinical observation of low smoking prevalence among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, we recently identified a “toxin-like” amino acid (aa) sequence on the receptor binding domain of the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (aa 375-390) with homology to a sequence of a snake venom toxin, which could interact with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We now present computational molecular modelling and docking experiments using 3D structures of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and the extracellular domain of the nAChR alpha9 subunit. We identified an interaction between the aa381-386 of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and the aa189-192 of the extracellular domain of the nAChR alpha9 subunit, a region which forms the core of the “toxin-binding site” of the nAChRs. The mode of interaction is very similar to the interaction between the alpha9 nAChR and alpha-bungarotoxin. A similar interaction was observed between the pentameric alpha7 AChR and the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. Our findings support the hypothesis that severe COVID-19 may be associated with disruption of the nicotinic cholinergic system which could be caused by an interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and nAChRs.

Udder health of dairy cows is related to their productivity and welfare. The period from dry-off to calving and early lactation is crucial. Ultrasonography is a useful and practical tool for the examination of the mammary parenchyma and blood flow. This observational study investigated the relationship between udder echotexture features, blood flow volume (BFVol) in the milk vein, milk somatic cell count (SCC) and daily milk yield (DMY) from late lactation, throughout dry period and consecutive early lactation. Seventeen repeated measurements were performed on 21 Holstein cows. The udder parenchyma was examined with B-mode ultrasonography. Udder echotexture was studied using 15 features: Numerical Pixel Value (NPV), Pixel Standard Deviation (PSD), Skewness, Excess, Contrast, Homogeneity, Correlation, Entropy, Run Percentage, Long Run Emphasis, Grey Value Distribution, Runlength Distribution, Gradient Mean Value, Gradient Variance and Percentage of Non-zero Gradients. Blood flow in the milk vein was examined with spectral Doppler. Linear mixed effects models were employed to investigate relationships between BFVol, udder echotexture features, SCC and DMY, throughout the study period. Our models showed that a 1-kg increase in DMY was associated with a significant increase of 0.25 L/min in the expected BFVol, and that a 1,000,000-cells/mL increase in SCC was associated with a significant BFVol decrease of 0.49 L/min, keeping all other variables constant. Multivariable models showed significant associations between DMY and NPV, PSD and Long Run Emphasis, and between SCC and NPV, PSD, Gradient Mean Value, Homogeneity, Gradient Variance and Entropy. In conclusion, udder echotexture and BFVol in the milk vein are related to SCC and milk yield. Ultrasonography can be used for the comprehensive assessment of udder health in the direction of precision dairy farming.

Background: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common valvular disorder linked to high morbidity and mortality. For patients unsuitable for surgery, transcatheter mitral edge-to-edge repair (TEER) with the MitraClip® G4 system offers an alternative. This study aims to evaluate procedural, echocardiographic, functional, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes in patients who underwent TEER with the MitraClip® G4 system, along with possible predictors of New York Heart Associa-tion (NYHA) class I at 30 days and 1 year. Methods: Patients with moderate-to-severe (3+) or se-vere (4+) degenerative MR (DMR) or functional MR (FMR), classified as NYHA class III or IV, who underwent TEER with the MitraClip® G4 system at our center between January 2021 and De-cember 2023 were included. Results: A total of 83 patients [71% FMR, 66% male, median (IQR) age 70 (11) years] underwent TEER, with 100% procedural success. MR ≤2+ was achieved in 100% and 98% of patients at 30 days and 1 year, respectively. NYHA class I or II was achieved in 100% and 96.8% of patients at 30 days and 1 year, respectively. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Ques-tionnaire (KCCQ) score improved from 51±20 at baseline to 69±15 at 30 days (p< 0.001) and 70.5±15 at 1 year (p< 0.001). Lower baseline N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) pre-dicted achieving NYHA class I at 30 days (HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41–0.95, p = 0.030), while lower Eu-ropean System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II) and NT-proBNP pre-dicted it at 1 year [(HR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28–0.89, p = 0.019), (HR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.44–0.99, p = 0.049), respectively]. Conclusions: The MitraClip® G4 system provides significant improvements in MR severity, functional class, and QoL. Lower NT-proBNP and EuroSCORE II were strong predictors of achieving optimal functional status (NYHA class I).

Vibration suppression in a field of frequencies and the creation of band gaps which do not allow the propagation of the waves is studied in this paper by means of microstructures designed through topology optimization. Topology optimization is formulated in frequency domain. Band gap design is based on Floquet-Bloch theory and genetic optimization. The result is appealing in view of modern 3D printing techniques.

One of the uses of Helmholtz resonators is as sound absorbers for room acoustic applications, especially for the low frequency range. Their efficiency is centered around their resonance frequency which is mainly depended on elements of their geometry such as the resonator volume and neck dimensions. Incorporating additional necks on the body of a Helmholtz resonator (depending on whether they are open or closed) has been found to alter the resulted resonance frequency. For this study, tunable Helmholtz resonators to multiple resonance frequencies, are proposed and investigated utilizing additional necks. The resonance frequencies of various multi-neck Helmholtz resonators are first modeled with the use of finite element method (FEM), then calculated with the use of an analytical approach and the results of the two approaches are finally compared. Results of this study show that Helmholtz resonators with multiple resonances at desired frequencies are achievable with the use of additional necks, while FEM and analytical methods can be used for the estimation of the resonance frequencies. Analytical and FEM approach results show a good agreement in cases of small number of additional necks, while the increasing differences in cases of higher neck additions, were attributed to the change in effective length of the necks as demonstrated by FEM. The proposed approach can be useful for tunable sound absorbers for room acoustics applications according to the needs of a space. Also, this approach can be applied in cases of additional tunable air resonances of acoustic instruments (e.g. string instruments).

This work addresses the lot-sizing and production scheduling problem of multi-stage multi-product food industrial facilities. More specifically, the production scheduling problem of the semi-continuous yogurt production process, for two large-scale Greek dairy industries, is considered. Production scheduling decisions are taken using two approaches: i) an optimization and ii) a rule-based approach, followed by a comparative study. A MILP model is applied for the optimization of short-term production scheduling of the two industries. Then, the same problems are solved using the commercial scheduling tool ScheduleProTM, which derives scheduling decisions, using simulation-based techniques and empirical rules. It is concluded that both methods, despite having their advantages and disadvantages, are suitable for addressing complex food industrial scheduling problems. The optimization-based approach leads to better results in terms of operating cost reduction. On the other hand, the complexity of the problem and the experience of production engineers and plant operators can significantly impact the quality of the obtained solutions for the rule-based approach.

this paper we present approaches for generating random numbers along with potential applications. Rather than trying to provide extensive coverage of several techniques or algorithms that have appeared in the scientific literature, we focus on some representative approaches presenting their workings and properties in detail. Our goal is to delineate their strengths and weaknesses as well as their potential application domains so as the reader can judge what would be the best approach for the application in hand, possibly a combination of the available approaches. For instance, a physical source of randomness can be used for the initial seed, then suitable preprocessing can enhance its randomness and then the output of the preprocessing can feed different types of generators, e.g. a linear congruential generator, a cryptographically secure one and one based on the combination of one way hash functions and shared key cryptoalgorithms in various modes of operation. Then, if desired, the outputs of the different generators can be combined giving the final random sequence. Moreover, we present a set of practical randomness tests which can be applied on the outputs of random number generators in order to assess their randomness characteristics. In order to demonstrate the importance of unpredictable random sequences, we present an application of cryptographically secure generators in domains where unpredictability is one of the major requirements, i.e. eLotteries and cryptographic key generation.

We give a topological condition for a generic sliced space to be globally hyperbolic, without any hypothesis on the lapse function, shift function and spatial metric.

In this paper, we present a method for detecting and quantifying pathogens in water samples. The method proposes a portable dark field imaging and analysis system for quantifying E. coli concentrations in water after being labeled with magnetic particles. The system utilizes the tracking of moving micro/nano objects close to or below the optical resolution limit confined in small sample volumes (~ 10 µl). In particular, the system analyzes the effect of volumetric changes due to bacteria conjugation to magnetic microparticles (MP) on their Brownian motion while being suspended in liquid buffer solution. The method allows for a simple inexpensive implementation and the possibility to be used as point-of-need testing system. Indeed, a work-ing prototype is demonstrated with the capacity of quantifying E. coli colony forming units (CFU) at a range of 1x10³ - 6x10³ CFU/mL.

Cretan lyra is a stringed instrument very popular on the island of Crete, Greece and an important part of its musical tradition. For stringed musical instruments, the air mode resonance plays a vital part in their sound, especially in the low frequency range. For this study, the air mode resonance of a Cretan lyra is investigated with the use of finite element method (FEM). Two different FEM acoustic models were utilized: first, a pressure acoustics model with the Cretan lyra body treated as rigid was used to provide an approximate result; secondly, an acoustic-structure interaction model was applied for a more accurate representation. In addition, acoustic measurements were performed to identify the air mode resonance frequency. Results of this study reveal that the acoustic-structure interaction model has a 3.7% difference regarding the actual measurements of the resonance frequency. In contrast, the pressure acoustics solution is approximately 13.8% too high compared with the actual measurements. Taken together, findings of this study support the idea that utilizing FEM acoustic-structure interaction models could possibly predict more accurately the vibroacoustic behavior of musical instruments, which in turn can enable the determination of key aspects that can be used to control the instrument’s tone and sound quality.

This research aimed to compare the measurements recorded by a traditional PCI technology biometer (Partial Coherence Interferometry) and by a SS-OCT (Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography) technology machine in preoperative screening of patients with age-related cataract. Optical biometry was performed with the IOLMaster 500 (version 5.5, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Germany) and the ANTERION (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) in a total sample of 144 eyes, from 80 patients, (37 men and 43 women), with a mean age of 70.54 ± 0.739 years (range: 45-89 years) and the values of the Axial Length (AL), two meridians of the cornea (Kf, Kflat and Ks, Ksteep), astigmatism (Ast) as well as the Anterior Chamber Depth (ACD) were compared with the program IBM SPSS Statistics 27. The IOLMaster500 and ANTERION devices did not have statistically significant differences in terms of axial length and flat corneal meridian Kf, while they differed statistically significantly in terms of steep corneal meridian Ks, astigmatism and anterior chamber depth. This study suggests that a thorough pre-operative check must be performed, sometimes with more than one device, aiming at greater accuracy in the measurements of the ocular biometrics, so that we achieve more successful postoperative outcomes and ultimately more satisfied patients.

We give an exact mathematical construction of a spacelike order $<$, which is dual to the standard chronological order $\ll$ in the $n$-dimensional Minkowski space $M^n$ and we discuss its order-theoretic, geometrical as well as its topological implications, conjecturing a possible extension to curved spacetimes.

The variations in socioeconomic status (SES) between different social classes of a population correspond to differences in accessibility to all resources available and able to improve global health. While SES is now known as one of the main determinants for a good health and a good aging, its influence on sleep disorders (SD) is not well understood. SES is a concept, not directly observable but estimated using indicators like income, education, occupational status and area of living. This theoretical review explores some theories linking environment of people with occurrence of SD, with different patterns associated to SES. A model of interaction is proposed to summarize and conceptualizes these interactions and to promote more research on the topic.

Climate change is a crucial issue of the 21st century, leading to more frequent and severe extreme precipitation events globally. These events result in significant social and economic disruptions, including flooding, loss of life, and damage to infrastructure. Projections suggest that extreme rainfall will intensify in the latter half of the century, underscoring the need for accurate and timely forecasting. Despite advancements in meteorological and climate models that offer high accuracy for various weather parameters, these models still struggle to detect extreme values, particularly for precipitation. This research examines the sensitivity of extreme precipitation events to temperature, based on the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship, focusing on Thessaloniki, Greece. It also evaluates the effectiveness of reanalysis data in identifying extreme precipitation and explores how rainfall-temperature relationships can enhance prediction accuracy. The findings are vital for improving the estimation of extreme rainfall events and informing the design of flood-resilient infrastructure.

Semantic Web technologies are being increasingly adopted by the geospatial community during last decade through the utilization of open standards for expressing and serving geospatial data. This was also dramatically assisted by an ever increasing access and usage of geographic mapping and location-based services via smart devices in people’s daily activities. In this paper we explore the developmental framework of a pure Javascript client-side GIS platform exclusively based on invocable geospatial Web services. We also extend Javascript utilization on the server side by deploying a node server acting as a bridge between open source WPS libraries and popular geoprocessing engines. The vehicle for such an exploration is a cross platform Web browser capable of interpreting Javascript commands to achieve interaction with geospatial providers. The tool is a generic Web interface providing capabilities of acquiring spatial datasets, composing layouts and applying geospatial processes. In an ideal form the end-user will have to identify those services, which satisfy a geo-related need and put them in the appropriate row. The final output may act as a potential collector of freely available geospatial web services. Its server-side components may exploit geospatial processing suppliers composing that way a light-weight fully transparent open Web GIS platform.

The analysis of the 2002 Prestige tanker accident showed how public misinformation can worsen marine pollution incidents, rendering their management suboptimal as these evolve, raising thus the issue of appropriately informing and educating coastal and island populations at risk. Two decades later, developments in electronic platforms, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), in Automatic Identification System (AIS) for ship signal transmission, and in social media, provide a set of means for public monitoring of such incidents, creating the possibility to antagonize effec-tively erroneous, or malevolent information which can hinder efficient actions for containing ma-rine pollution risks even without active training of populations concerned. The authors, in the framework of development of the Marine Coastal Observatory and Risk Management project “AEGIS+”, have developed E-S.A.V.E., an online platform which: a) meets the needs of different users as revealed by a survey run across groups of them, b) uses a suitable Geographic Infor-mation Systems (GIS) environment, c) cooperates with public authorities, for the reliable update of automated systems, and d) employs an artificial intelligence (AI) supported tool for social me-dia monitoring; the platform also provides educational and information national and interna-tional resources on marine environmental protection and sustainable maritime logistics.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a severe and invariably fatal disease affecting both domestic and wild felines with limited effective therapeutic options available. By considering the significant immunomodulatory effects of vitamin E observed in both animal and human models under physiological and pathological conditions, we have provided a full in-silico investigation of vitamin E and related compounds and their effect on the crystal structure of feline infectious peritonitis virus 3C-like protease (FIPV-3CLpro). This work revealed the β-tocotrienol and δ-tocotrienol analogues as inhibitor candidates for this protein, suggesting their potential as possible drug compounds against FIP or their supplementary use with current medicines against this disease.

The importance of radar-based human activity recognition increased significantly over the last two decades in safety and smart surveillance applications due to its superiority towards vision-based sensing in the presence of poor environmental conditions, like illumination, increased radiative heat, occlusion, and fog. An increased public sensitivity for privacy protection, and the progress of cost-effective manufacturing, led to a higher acceptance and distribution. Deep learning approaches proved that the manual feature extraction that relies heavily upon process knowledge can be avoided by its hierarchical, non-descriptive nature. On the other hand, ML techniques based on manual feature extraction provide a robust, yet empirical based approach where the computational effort is comparatively low. This review outlines the basics of classical ML- and DL-based human activity recognition and its advances while taking recent progress of both categories into regard. For every category, state-of-the-art methods are introduced, briefly explained and discussed in terms of their pros, cons and gaps. A comparative study is performed to evaluate the performance and computational effort based on a benchmarking data set to provide a common basis for the assessment of the techniques’ degree of suitability.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a proven treatment for severe aortic stenosis (AS). Transfemoral access is the most prevalent method, achieved either surgically or percutaneously. This study compares in-hospital outcomes and length of stay between surgical cut-down and fully percutaneous approaches. Methods: This retrospective, propensity-matched study analyzed medical records of all patients who underwent transfemoral TAVR at our center from January 2019 to December 2023. Outcomes were assessed based on Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) consensus criteria. Results: 251 TAVR patients (77 propensity score matching pairs) were included (55% female) with a median (IQR) age of 80 (11) years. Surgical cut-down showed fewer vascular complications, bleeding, and transfusions. No death, stroke, atrial fibrillation (AF), or need for pacemaker was reported in this group. Fewer mean hospitali-zation days were observed in the total cohort over the years (p< 0.001). This reduction was more pronounced after 2021 when the surgical approach was adopted. Mean hospitalization days were 6.40 ±6.46 for percutaneous and 4.34 ±1.61 for surgical groups (p< 0.001). Conclusions: Surgical cut-down for TAVR femoral access yields superior outcomes and shorter hospital stays compared to fully percutaneous methods.

Background: Hepatic erythrophagocytosis is augmented in NASH and amplifies inflammation and fibrosis. Although various pro-phagocytic signals have been identified on erythrocytes of NASH patients, the role of bound thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which acts as an “eat-me” signal, arginase-1, which regulates the levels of nitric oxide in erythrocytes, and phosphatidylethano-lamine (PE) which can amplify erythrophagocytosis and hepatic inflammation have not been explored. Hence, we sought to investigate the levels of arginase-1 and TSP-1 in erythrocyte lysate and PE in erythrocyte membranes of NASH patients. Methods: Twenty-four patients and 14 healthy controls participated in our study. The levels of TSP-1 and arginase were quantified by ELISA in erythrocyte lysates, and the levels of PE in erythrocyte membranes by thin layer chro-matography. Results: Erythrocytes of NAFLD patients exhibit lower levels of arginase-1 and TSP-1 (p<0.01). Erythrocyte-bound TSP-1 levels correlated with the levels of erythrocyte surface CD47. Phosphatidylethanolamine was increased in erythrocytes of NASH patients and was accompanied by increased release, indicating exposure. Conclusion: Our results imply reduced TSP-1 binding by erythrocytes which could allow free TSP-1 molecules to act on macrophages, enhancing erythrophagocytosis. Increased PE which could amplify inflammation after efferocytosis, while downregulation of arginase-1 could lead to defective efferocytosis.

Being able to express broad families of equivariant or invariant attributed graph functions is a popular measuring stick of whether graph neural networks should be employed in practical applications. However, it is equally important to learn deep local minima of losses (i.e., with much smaller loss values than other minima), even when architectures cannot express global minima. In this work we introduce the architectural property of attracting GNN optimization trajectories to local minima as a means of achieving smaller losses. We take first steps in satisfying this property for losses defined over attributed undirected unweighted graphs with a novel architecture, called Universal Local Attractor (ULA). The latter refines each dimension of end-to-end trained node feature embeddings based on graph structure to track the optimization trajectories of losses satisfying some mild conditions. The refined dimensions are then linearly pooled to create predictions. We experiment on 10 tasks, from node classification to clique detection, on which ULA is comparable with or significantly outperforms popular alternatives of similar or greater theoretical expressive power.

The potential of quantum computing for scientific and industrial breakthroughs is immense, however, we are still in the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) era, where the currently available quantum devices contain small numbers of qubits, are very sensitive to environmental conditions and prone to quantum decoherence. Even so, existing NISQ computers have already been shown to outperform conventional computers on specific problems and the key question is how to make use of today’s NISQ devices to achieve quantum advantage in the field of computational science and engineering (CSE). In this direction, this work proposes a hybrid computing formulation by combining quantum computing with machine learning for accelerating the solution of parameterized linear systems in NISQ devices. In particular, it focuses on the Variational Quantum Linear Solver (VQLS), which is a hybrid quantum- classical algorithm for solving linear systems of equations. VQLS employs a short-depth quantum circuit to efficiently evaluate a cost function related to the system solution. The algorithm’s circuit consists of a quantum gate sequence (unitary operators) that involves a set of tunable parameters. Then, well-established classical optimizers are utilized to tune the parameters of the sequence in order to minimize the cost function, which is equivalent to finding the system solution at an acceptable level of accuracy. In this work, it is demonstrated that machine learning tools such as feed-forward neural networks and nearest-neighbor interpolation techniques can be successfully employed to accelerate the convergence of the VQLS algorithm towards the optimal values for the circuit parameters when applied to parameterized linear systems that need to be solved for multiple parameter instances.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to further explore how e-loyalty and E-marketing influences E-trust and satisfy the demand by offering fresh perspectives based on research as well as emphasis on the factors influencing the E-trust such as culture as a mediator. This study not only contributed theoretically but also presented practical implementations. Design/methodology/approach: Online survey was used to obtain data by focusing the Hospitality sector (Hotel Industry) and verifying the conceptual framework. Data was collected in multiple time lags. Findings: Findings showed that the E-trust influenced by E-loyalty and E-Marketing. E-trust comes from the previous experiences, e-loyalty and e-marketing. Further, some trends such as culture influenced the e-trust. Research limitation/implications: The present study is quite suitable for those Researchers interested in learning more about the effects of E-loyalty and E-marketing on user E-trust and how to mitigate cultural influences can benefit from the current study. This research also has implications for those who wish to improve market allure and survival in digital world. This study focused on the hospitality sector (Hotel Industry) in China; however, the sector and geography could be altered to suit the needs of the study's participants. Practical implications: The present study delivers the practical guidelines which are quiet suitable for understanding the formation of E-loyalty, E-marketing, and E-trust through which specific E-marketing strategy can be designed to deal with the consumer’s E-loyalty and their expectations as per their Cultural perspective. At some particular regions/countries, cultural trends are more important than practical market. This research study practically showed that how culture changed the consumer set of mind. Originality/value: The relationship between E-loyalty, E-marketing, E-trust, specifically with the cultural influence in digital market has been the subject of few research.

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.

This paper presents a novel real time control strategy on four-wheel independent steering system for electric vehicle with stepper motors using neural networks combined with fuzzy logic. The control of the four wheels is based on a variation of Hopfield Neural Network (VHNN) method, in which the input is the error of each steering motor and the output is processed by a hyperbolic tangent function (HTF) feeding the fuzzy logic controller (FLC), which ultimately drives the stepper motor. The whole system is made up of the four aforementioned blocks where they work in sync and inseparable from each other with the common goal of driving all the steering stepper motors at the same time. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control method has strong robustness and practicability under different angles and speeds.

Results from a behavioral economic laboratory experiment are used to enhance our understanding of public health decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic. The identification of systematic biases from optimal decision theory found in controlled experiments could help inform public policy design for future public health crises. The laboratory and the shelter-in-place decisions made during COVID-19 included elements of risk, uncertainty and ambiguity. The lab findings found individuals adopt different decision rules depending on both personal attributes and on the context and environment in which the decision task is conducted. Key observations to consider in the context of the COVID-19 decision environment include the importance of past experience, the ability to understand and calculate the odds of each action, the size and differences in economic payoffs given the choice, the value of information received, and how past statistical independent outcomes influence future decisions. The academic space encompassing both public health and behavioral economics is small, yet important, particularly in the current crisis. The objective of continued research in this area would be to develop a more representative model of decision-making processes, particularly during crisis, that would serve to enhance future public health policy design.

Technology has transformed aeroponics, providing numerous advantages over traditional soil-based agriculture. However, there remains a need for comprehensive information on the types of technology employed in aeroponics and their impact on the growing process. This paper presents a literature review of 47 studies published between 2012 and 2023 in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. As a result, it identifies the status and tendencies in the usage of technology in aeroponics as well as the main opportunities and challenges. Furthermore, this paper introduces the Technology Adoption and Integration in Sustainable Agriculture (TAISA) model. TAISA is a model that identifies the degree of technology integration in any sustainable agriculture system to determine how technology affects production and quality. Overall, the systematic review suggests that technology can play a vital role in improving the efficiency and sustainability of aeroponic farming. However, careful consideration must be given to the costs and technical requirements associated with using these technologies. Moreover, the TAISA model reveals that technology has primarily been employed in creating new processes that are not possible to implement without the help of technology. Therefore, we conclude that technology use has taken root in aeroponics and can be promoted to improve sustainable agriculture.

Electronic waste generation has been following a continuously rising trend. With electronics containing a myriad of materials some of which are hazardous, toxic, extremely rare or precious combined with more stringent legislative laws which encourage the reuse and optimised recycling of the materials included in e-waste, the need for a holistic approach is inevitable. Such an approach should not only identify the materials found in the various types of e-waste and their respective quantities but also needs to highlight the possible handling techniques and their respective impacts and associated hazards whether to the environment or human health. Performing such a task manually would be exasperating and costly while requiring extensive resources which might not be met with a justifiable economic gain; thus, the use of the advancement in computational sustainability to draw a complete picture and aid in an informed decision-making process is crucial. The e-waste ontology developed in this paper is one way of addressing the problem since it covers the treatment domain, the hazard and the materials contained within the different types of e-waste. The ontology developed can be used directly from the protégé software or by embedding it into a developed Decision Support System.

The variations in socioeconomic status (SES) between different social classes of a population correspond to differences in accessibility to all resources available and able to improve global health. SES can influence global health trajectory for an individual or a community, depending if SES is low or high. Sleep is sensitive to environmental stimuli, as well as living conditions. Plenty of studies linked sleep complaints with mood disorders, allostatic load or circadian disruption; but very few or none investigated deeply what happened earlier to sleep depending of SES. While SES is now known as one of the main determinants for a good health and a good aging, its influence on sleep disorders (SD) is not well understood. SES is a concept, not directly observable but estimated using indicators like income, education, occupational status and area of living. Even if recent evidence suggested that few of SES indicators like occupational status are linked with sleep disturbances, the relation between SES and health in general with sleep as an outcome or a mediator is not well documented. This scoping review synthetized studies which investigated physiological and psychological mechanisms resulting from a low SES and linked them with sleep disturbances as consequences or as mediators. This review also explore a possible role played by sleep in the relation between socioeconomic status and health inequalities.

On using a 3D model to teach students a topic in astronomy, feedback was evaluated via a questionnaire. Analysis of students' responses to the questions revealed that user interface had a significant impact on their attitudes, which in turn could increase users' willingness to use immersive technology in e-learning. The results also showed that improving visual features through immersive technology and augmented reality tools were effective. The results confirm all hypotheses about positive relationships between facilitating conditions and usability of metaverse technology for students' attention and study motivation.

Aedes albopictus is an invasive mosquito species responsible for local transmission of chikungunya and dengue viruses in Europe. In the absence of available treatments, insecticides-based control is one of the most important viable strategies to prevent emerging problems. Diflubenzuron (DFB) and Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) are among the most commonly used larvicides for Ae. albopictus control which pose major concerns for potential resistance development. Studies on the resistance emergence of Ae. albopictus to both DFB and Bti and its persistence in the wild are essential for the efficient and sustainable planning of the control programs. In this concept, larvae from a recently laboratory established population were subjected to increasing selective pressure for nine successive generations against both DFB and Bti. At the end of this process, the resistance levels and the overwintering success of the selected populations relative to control (colonies that received no selection) were determined. Results revealed a substantial and a moderate increase on the resistance levels following selection with DFB and Bti respectively. Interestingly, the selection process to both larvicides had no apparent impacts on the overwintering capability relative to control suggesting the successful persistence of the resistant individuals in the wild from year to year.

This systematic review explores the cross-cultural validation of neuropsychological assessments and their clinical applications in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), focusing on culturally adapted CBT (CA-CBT) across diverse populations and settings. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted in multiple academic databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. Keywords related to cognitive-behavioral therapy, cultural adaptation, and specific populations were used. Inclusion criteria encompassed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and pilot studies that assessed CA-CBT for various mental health conditions. Results: The review included studies involving Chinese Americans, Latino caregivers, Syrian refugees, Jordanian children, Malaysian Muslims, Afghan refugees, Iraqi women, Japanese children and adolescents, and Tanzanian and Kenyan children. CA-CBT demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and psychosis. For instance, Research has shown that CA-CBT is more effective than standard CBT in reducing depressive symptoms among Chinese Americans and significantly lowering PTSD symptoms in Syrian refugee women. The method has been well-received and feasible in diverse populations, such as Jordanian children and Afghan refugees. Long-term benefits are promising, with sustained improvements reported in various studies. Additionally, digital and remote delivery methods have demonstrated potential for expanding the accessibility of CA-CBT. Conclusions: CA-CBT is a valuable and effective intervention for diverse cultural populations, significantly improving mental health outcomes. However, future research must address limitations such as small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, and variability in assessment tools. Studies should include larger and more diverse sample sizes, longer follow-up periods, rigorous control groups, and comprehensive outcome measures to further validate and enhance the application of CA-CBT across different cultural contexts.

The aim of the present work is to explore a different non-traditional approach to higher dimensional spacetime which differs from the usual approaches such as large extra space dimensions, warped extra space dimensions and multiple extra time dimensions. This approach will be referred to as "Dynamic" higher dimensional spacetime. By this term will be introduced a new kind of higher dimensional spacetime (more than the usual 3+1 dimensions), which behaves dynamically in the sense that time is not a fixed dimension but is the extra plus one dimension to the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon we are studying. For a higher dimensional phenomenon, the lower dimensional time will behave as space and the new time will be a plus one dimension, meaning if we study a 3-dimensional phenomenon then time is the usual 4th dimension but if we are studying a 4-dimensional phenomenon then its time will be an extra 5th dimension and for this phenomenon the 4th dimension will behave as space. All spatial dimensions are indistinguishable from each other and behave in the exact same way, which means that the important parameter is not the dimension we are studying (for example the 4th or the 5th) but the number of dimensions in which a phenomenon can interact and how higher dimensional phenomena interact with lower ones. This non-traditional approach to higher dimensional spacetime may appear confusing at first but will become clearer in the rest of the paper. For this reason, we will first associate the time dimension with propagation relative to space dimensions and change orthogonal to them in order to give the reader a better intuition. Following that, we will describe how higher - dimensional phenomena would appear to us, the 3 - dimensional observer and try to set some guidelines on how we should mathematically model higher - dimensional phenomena in order for us to make accurate predictions of their behaviour. Then we will express the general framework of a "Dynamic" higher - dimensional spacetime and turn our gaze to 4+1 – dimensional phenomena. We will explore how a mass term arises for 4 – dimensional waves by generalizing the frequency – speed – wavelength relation of 3D waves and give a basic description on a possible way to describe a 4+1 – dimensional disturbance in a scalar Energy Field in order to make accurate predictions on our 3+1 dimensional plane. In this framework we will derive the Klein – Gordon equation by generalizing the wave equation and ignoring all lower than 4+1 - dimensional disturbances and compere our mass term findings with the Klein – Gordon equation mass term and with results from gravity – induced quantum interference experiments. Lastly, we will describe how a "Dynamic" 5 - dimensional spacetime would appear in a 3D observer and examine whether our findings are compatible with quantum mechanics and the special theory of relativity.

This paper addresses the atmospheric emissions from oil and gas extraction and production in Greece. The study was carried out in 2014 in the Kavala gulf, which currently is the only location of oil and gas production in Greece and where the exploration activities for hydrocarbons started in the late ‘60’s. This study presents the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of atmospheric emissions, in relation also to the emissions’ control management system. Particular reference is made to sulphur compounds since the existence of volcanic rocks results to increased amounts of H₂S. The results shows that, currently, atmospheric emissions of pollutants during extraction and production of hydrocarbons in Greece are very low and do not have any significant effect on air quality and climate change. Since it is expected that exploitation of hydrocarbons and oil and gas extraction and production will increase in the future, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure environmental protection, such as the development of integrated monitoring systems and the use of up to date emission control technologies.

Current VAT rules for cross-border e-commerce companies in the EU are not sustainable, because they are extremely complex and often opaque, due to the lack of tax harmonization. The aim of the research is to explore, using a qualitative method, what kind of harmonization would make the current legislation more uniform, simpler, more transparent, and easier to understand, without conflicting with the rules of any Member State. To this end, the aspects of the new platform regulation introduced on 1 July 2021 and its potential for expansion are assessed through information from possible sales models. The research suggests that the rules on platforms do not cover all possible sales models, which in our view imposes an unnecessary extra administrative burden on some businesses and makes their tax activities less transparent. In the light of the results of the research, we propose that the current EU platform regulation should be extended to cover B2B, B2C transactions and services. As a result of this suggested harmonization, a simpler, more transparent, uniform and sustainable tax system would contribute to the whitening of the economy, generating additional tax revenue for Member States.

Internationalization and alternative ways for strategic management have been an objective for stakeholders in cultural industry, especially after COVID-19 pandemic crisis. During the past years “internationalization” has been almost exclusively related with promoting creation or content to larger audiences. Such a strategy seemed sufficient, even if empirical data did not always support such a belief. Technological progress and costs reduction in developing Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications, provides to cultural industry the opportunity to reach global audiences and to enrich their experience. Current research provides evidence about developing VR and AR tools that can act as internationalization facilitators when it comes to cultural industry. Research conducted during “VARSOCUL” project funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Greek National Scope Action entitled "RESEARCH-CREATE-INNOVATE". The project’s main result, alongside with VR and AR tools developed are presented.

This paper analyses the EU’s policies for energy and climate, using Börzel's (2002) theoretical framework on Europeanisation, and examines member states’ Green Deal responses, strategies, and compliance. As expressed in their final NECPs, although member states’ responses vary, most of the critical components were partially addressed, while the others were largely addressed. We observe a considerable variation in Member State’s strategies. Member States classified as foot-dragging beforehand are fence-sitting now, while those previously categorised as fence-sitting are now either foot-dragging or pace-setting. The root cause of these classification changes for the member states within the EU can be traced back to their internal environments in which the involved stakeholders each have a different response pace regarding environment, climate, and energy. We present and analyse our theoretical context, discuss the EU’s energy policies and the NECPs, examine member states’ responses and compliance with this new framework, and propose several challenges.

Background: Despite recent advances in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) treatment, recur-rence and mortality rates have not improved significantly. DNA hypermethylation has generally been associated with ominous prognosis and chemotherapy resistance, but the role of DNMTs in EOC remains to be investigated. Methods: In the current study, we systematically retrieved gene expression data from patients with EOC and studied the immunohistochemical expression of DNMTs in 108 primary and 26 relapsed tumors. Results: Our results showed that DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B and DNMT3L RNA levels were higher and DNMT2 lower in tumors compared to non-neoplastic tissue, and DNMT3A and DNMT2 expression decreased from Stage II to Stage IV carcinomas. Proteomic data also suggested that DNMT1 and DNMT3A levels were increased in tumors. Similarly, DNMT1, DNMT3A and DNMT3L protein levels were overex-pressed and DNMT2 expression was reduced in high grade carcinomas compared to non-neoplastic tissue and low-grade tumors. Moreover, DNMT1 and DNMT3L were increased in relapsed tumors compared to their primaries. DNMT3A, DNMT1 and DNMT3B mRNA lev-els were correlated with overall survival. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that DNMT1 and DNMT3L are upregulated in primary high grade EOC and further increase in relapses, whereas DNMT3A is upregulated only in the earlier stages of cancer progression. DNMT2 downregulation highlights a presumptive tumor-suppressor activity of this gene in ovarian car-cinoma.

This paper proposes the utilization of large language models as recommendations systems for museums. Since the aforementioned models lack the notion of context, they can’t work with temporal information that is often present in recommendations for cultural environments (e.g. special exhibitions or events). In this respect, the current work aims at enhancing the capabilities of large language models through a fine-tuning process that incorporates contextual information and user instructions. The resulting models are expected to be capable of providing personalized recommendations, aligned with user preferences and desires. More specifically, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4, a knowledge-based large language model is fine-tuned and turned into a context-ware recommendation system, adapting its suggestions based on user input and specific contextual factors such as location, time of visit, and other relevant parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated through certain user studies, which ensure an improved user experience and engagement within the museum environment.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide, accounting for approximately 25% of deaths among pregnant women. We previously reported that pregnancy serum facilitates HEV replication in vitro. However, the differences in host cells with HEV infection induced by pregnancy serum and fetal bovine serum (FBS) are unclear. In this study, differentially expressed proteins were identified in HEV-infected hepatoma cells (HepG2) supplemented with different sera by using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation. Proteomic analysis indicated that HEV infection significantly induced 1014 differentially expressed proteins in HEV-infected HepG2 cells when supplemented with FBS compared with pregnancy serum. Further validation by Western blot confirmed that filamin A, heat-shock proteins 70 and 90, Cytochrome c, and Thioredoxin were associated with HEV infection. This comparative analysis provides an important basis to further investigate HEV pathogenesis in pregnant women and HEV replication.

The shift towards autonomous excavators in construction and mining is a significant leap towards enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring worker safety. However, it presents challenges such as the need for sophisticated decision-making and environmental perception due to complex terrains and diverse conditions. Our study introduces the E-GTN framework, a novel approach tailored for autonomous excavation that leverages advanced multisensor fusion and a custom-designed convolutional neural network to address these challenges. Results demonstrate that GridNet effectively processes grid data, enabling the reinforcement learning algorithm to make informed decisions, thereby ensuring efficient and intelligent autonomous excavator performance. The study concludes that the E-GTN framework offers a robust solution for the challenges in unmanned excavator operations, providing a valuable platform for future advancements in the field.

The research is based on the inspection performed in June 2002 for carrying out a research program for the eradication of a termite infestation due a desertic species in the area of the Saint Catherine Holy Monastery at Mount Sinai - Egypt. The paper describes the application of the registered European bait system SentritechTM and the trend of eradication during the first year. The application of bait system blocked the termite infestation inside the Katholikon (Main church) and in the surrounding after 6 months. Nevertheless, the infestation restarted and even increased again in the surrounding of the main church. An explanation of this surprising event is attempted in this paper.

Small bowel non-Meckelian diverticulosis is a rare condition with only few published cases despite being described over 200 years ago. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies suggested that a lot of patients may experience gastrointestinal manifestations. Intestinal symptoms could worsen the inflammation and infection associated with small bowel diverticulitis. Here, we present two cases: one with inflammation and rupture in a COVID-19 patient and the other as an asymptomatic detection. Furthermore, we provide a mini-review of the literature to emphasize the importance of considering this entity in the differential diagnosis of an acute abdomen.

As digital technology has become an integral part of urban’s daily operations; the urban landscape is constantly evolving with the needs of its society. This new reality allowed Municipalities to exert a higher influence in the national and local economy. Through deliberate planning and executing initiatives, they can ignite the local financial ecosystem to growth. In line with this, the paper aims to understand the possibilities available to the Greek Municipalities to exploit the smart city benefits to foster economic development. It is essential to understand the role of different factors including the strategy during the planning and implementing phases of initiatives concerning economy and innovation in a smart city. To achieve this, a tailor-made questionnaire and advanced statistical techniques are applied. The main findings highlight the importance to plan initiatives aligned with the needs of the municipality and the business environment. The existence of a smart city strategy has a catalytic effect on the final impact of the implemented initiatives on the urban environment. A systematic analysis of the smart cities’ dynamics and the new state of the urban environment can help the local actors focus on the value creation and public service provision, fostering innovation and profitability.

Households and businesses are generating unprecedented levels of electrical and electronic wastes (e-waste), fueled by modernisation and rapid obsolescence. While the challenges imposed by e-waste are similar everywhere in the world, disparities in progress to deal with it exists; with developing nations such as South Africa lagging. The increase in e-waste generation increases the need to formulate strategies to manage it. This paper presents an overview of e-waste management on a global and South African scenarios with a specific case for Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) waste management practices in South Africa. CRTs present the biggest problem for recyclers and policy makers because they contain hazardous elements such as lead and antimony. Common disposal practices have been either landfilling or incineration. The research into the South African practices with regards to CRT waste management showed that there is still more to be done to effectively manage this waste stream. This is despite clear waste regulatory frameworks in the country. However, recent developments have placed e-waste as a priority waste stream, which should lead to intensified efforts in dealing with it. Overall, these efforts should aim to maximise diversion from landfilling and to create value-addition opportunities, leading to social and environmental benefits.

The development of biofuels and biodiesel industry specifically, has resulted in the generation of large amounts of glycerol as a surplus. The conversion of glycerol, into chemicals with indus-trial interest, through anaerobic fermentation using E. coli as a biocatalyst is an attractive alter-native to improve economic performance in the biodiesel industry, for example through the bi-otransformation of residual glycerol into ethanol. For 2019, the size of the global ethanol market was valued at $ 89.1 billion US dollar. Biodiesel can be produced from several materials like rapeseed, palm, soya, corn, palm kernel, frying oil or olive-pomace oil (OPO). The last, can be extracted from alperujo, byproduct of olive oil process. However, olive-pomace oil converting into biodiesel is not enough established to achieve a global olive-oil/biodiesel derived process with minimized waste generation. Traditionally biodiesel production process produces an equivalent of 10% by mass of glycerol as a waste or by-product. This work explores the conver-sion of residual glycerol into chemicals like ethanol and hydrogen with a focus on projecting raw material potential availability from OPO, contributing to the promotion of the use of biofu-els and biodegradable compounds.

We propose a novel unsupervised semantic segmentation method for fast and accurate flood area detection utilizing color images acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fully unsupervised method for flood area segmentation in color images captured by UAVs, without the need of pre-disaster images. The proposed framework addresses the problem of flood segmentation based on parameter-free calculated masks and unsupervised image analysis techniques. First, a fully unsupervised algorithm gradually excludes areas classified as non-flood utilizing calculated masks over each component of the LAB colorspace, as well an RGB vegetation index and the detected edges of the original image. Unsupervised image analysis techniques, such as distance transform, are then applied, producing a probability map for the location of flooded areas. Finally, flood detection is obtained by applying the hysteresis thresholding segmentation. The proposed method is tested and compared with variations, and other supervised methods in two public datasets, consisting of 953 color images in total, yielding high-performance results, with 87.4% and 80.9% overall accuracy and F1-Score, respectively. The results and computational efficiency of the proposed method show that it is suitable for on board data execution and decision-making during UAVs flight.

This research ventures into the critical public health challenge of childhood obesity by exploring the dynamic interplay between psychological well-being and Body Mass Index (BMI) throughout various developmental stages of childhood. It delves into how emotional regulation, attachment dynamics, and social relationships correlate with obesity from early childhood to adolescence. Highlighting key findings, such as the negative correlation between psychological resilience and higher BMI in young children, the impact of social relationships on obesity risk during pre-adolescence, and the link between adaptive emotional strategies and higher BMI in adolescents, this study brings to the fore the nuanced relationship between psychological factors and obesity. Utilizing the interdisciplinary process of bioinformatics, this research synergizes psychometric and biomedical data to unearth psychological markers critical for crafting targeted, age-appropriate interventions. This study advocates for a holistic healthcare approach, emphasizing the integration of psychological support within obesity prevention and management strategies, thereby underscoring the indispensable role of psychological factors in the fight against childhood obesity. The application of bioinformatics methods to analyze complex datasets demonstrates how collaboration across medical specialties can enrich our understanding and response to childhood obesity, contributing significantly to the development of comprehensive, bioinformatics-enhanced healthcare solutions.

A series of derivatives, involving two dithienylethene (DTE), groups, connected by several molecular linkers (bis(ethylene-1,2-dithiolato)Ni- (NiBDT), naphthalene, quasilinear oligothiophene chains) are investigated with the aid of computational quantum chemistry methods. This involves the computation of the second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties, i.e. molecular hyperpolarizabilities of the designed/selected derivatives. These properties can be efficiently controlled by DTE switches, in connection with light of appropriate frequency. We found that NiBDT, as a linker, is associated with a greater contrast, in comparison to naphthalene, between the first and second hyperpolarizabilities of the “open-open” and the “closed-closed” isomers. This is explained by invoking the low lying excited states of NiBDT. It has been found that the second hyperpolarizability can be used as an index, which follows the structural changes induced by photochromism. The two-photon absorption, which is related to the imaginary part of second hyperpolarizability, has also been investigated for the S0S1 transition. Furthermore, the intramolecular excited-state energy transfer (EET) is studied as well as the overlap between the absorption and emission spectra of the donor and acceptor groups of the molecules. The electronic coupling, VDA, between the donor and acceptor fragments, as well as the emission spectrum of the donor and the absorption spectrum of the acceptor have been computed, assuming a Förster type transfer mechanism. EET is a critical factor governing the photochromism. Two methods were used to compute VDA, one based on linear response and one based on the distributed multipole analysis (DMA); both techniques give very similar results for the dominating Coulomb contribution. For NiBDT as the linker a low VDA value has been computed. We found that VDA is affected by the molecular geometry. Our results clearly show that the linker strongly influences the communication between the open-closed DTE groups and thus, photochromism. The present computations show that full photochromism is attained in derivatives where two DTE groups are linked by a tetrathiophene chain, in agreement with experiment. The sensitivity of molecular linear and nonlinear optical properties upon photochromism can assist with the identification of the molecular isomers.

Nutrition and calorie intake are associated with subtle changes of thyroid function tests in subjects with intact Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid axis. Iodine deficiency and extreme fluctuations in calorie intake, such as those occurring during periods of starvation or overfeeding could lead to alterations of thyroid hormones. The dietary macronutrient composition could also influence the thyroid function. Recently, Low-Glycemic Load (LGL) diets are very popular and effective in the treatment and/or prevention of several medical conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and epilepsy. In this review, we report the available data from the literature regarding the association between LGL diets and thyroid function or dysfunction. Unfortunately, there are only a few studies in this field, with inconsistent findings.

Hepatitis B virus reactivation (HBVr) is a well described result of immunosuppressive therapy initiation in a variety of diseases with dose and duration of treatment being the main factors determining the probability for reactivation. Such cases have been described also in Covid-19 patients treated with immunosuppressive therapies. Nevertheless, there have also been reported cases of Covid-19 infection that led to HBVr with no concurrent immunosuppressive therapy or any other described cause. In accordance with that observation, we present a patient followed for a period spanning 20 years with HBeAg negative chronic HBV infection and non-detectable HBV DNA who after a mild Covid-19 infection treated only with low dose and short duration inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), developed elevated AST and ALT as well as elevated HBV DNA levels. During the diagnostic workout other etiologies of abnormal liver biochemistries were excluded and thus the diagnosis of HBV reactivation was established and treated with entecavir. Since other causes of reactivation were excluded, and ICS dose and duration was found baring only a very low risk (&lt;1%) for HBVr, Covid-19 infection could be considered the most probable cause of reactivation.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type E (PTPRE) is a member of the “classical” protein tyrosine phosphatase subfamily and regulates a variety of cellular processes in a tissue-specific manner by antagonizing the function of protein tyrosine kinases. PTPRE plays a tumorigenic role in different human cancer cells, but its role in retinoblastoma (RB), the most common malignant eye cancer in children, remains to be elucidated. Etoposide resistant RB cell lines and RB patients display significant higher PTPRE expression levels compared to chemosensitive counterparts and the healthy human retina, respectively. PTPRE promotor methylation analyses revealed that PTPRE expression in RB is not regulated via this mechanism. Lentiviral PTPRE knockdown (KD) induced a significant decrease in growth kinetics, cell viability, and anchorage independent growth of etoposide resistant Y79 and WERI RB cells. Caspase-dependent apoptosis rates were significantly increased and a re-sensitization for etoposide could be observed after PTPRE depletion. In vivo chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays revealed decreased tumor formation capacity as well as reduced tumor size and weight following PTPRE KD. Expression levels of miR631 were significantly downregulated in etoposide resistant RB cells and patients. Transient miR631 overexpression resulted in significantly decreased PTPRE levels and concomitantly decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis levels in etoposide resistant RB cells, impacts mirroring PTPRE KD effects and indicating PTPRE regulation via this miR. Additionally, PTPRE KD led to altered phosphorylation of protein kinase SGK3 and - dependent on the cell line - also AKT and ERK1/2, suggesting potential PTPRE downstream signaling pathways. In summary, these results indicate an oncogenic role of PTPRE in chemoresistant retinoblastoma.

Implementing digital technologies, such augmented reality and 3D models, to various cultural sectors is an ongoing procedure, especially favorable after COVID-19 pandemic. Even though such technologies are familiar to museums, galleries and archaeological places all over the world, little research or practical cases have been developed when it comes to theaters and theatrical costumes. Proposed research article describes the methodology of both reference material collection and applications development, while an analysis of functions and aesthetic results are described, especially when it comes to 3D models. The paper’s aim to reveal that theatrical operations (as part of cultural sector) as well as structured parts (such as acts, performances and costumes) can be preserved and served to larger audiences via technological means, such as an augmented reality application.

Background/Objectives: Parental internalizing issues, particularly maternal mental health, can significantly influence adolescents' mental health by altering parenting behaviors and roles. This study aims to explore how parental rejection, a dimension of both maternal and paternal behavior, moderates the relationship between parental depression, anxiety, and stress with adolescents' mental health and quality of life. We hypothesized that parental rejection would have a significant moderating effect on these relationships; Methods: This cross-sectional, non-interventional study involved 206 parents (138 mothers) of adolescents aged 12-18 years from the general population. Participants were recruited online via convenience sampling and completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, the KIDSCREEN-27 to evaluate adolescents' quality of life, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess adolescents' mental health; Results: Parental rejection was found to moderate the relationship between maternal anxiety and adolescents' quality of life, as well as between maternal anxiety and adolescents' mental health problems. Paternal rejection moderated the relationship between paternal stress and adolescents' mental health. However, parental rejection did not moderate the relationship between parental depression and adolescents' quality of life or mental health; Conclusions: These findings emphasize the significant role of maternal rejection in the association between maternal mental health, particularly anxiety, and adolescents' mental health outcomes. Paternal rejection also showed some moderating effects, though to a lesser extent. These results underscore the importance of considering both maternal and paternal influences in adolescent mental health and quality of life. Further research is necessary to fully understand the gender-specific dynamics of these relationships.

This narrative review provides an in-depth analysis of attachment during adolescence, empha-sizing how early attachment experiences shape emotional, social, and psychological development. Drawing from the foundational work of Bowlby and Ainsworth, it revisits attachment theories and explores how the attachment system evolves as adolescents seek greater autonomy while maintaining bonds with caregivers. The review discusses the prevalence and developmental con-sequences of attachment-related disorders, such as reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder, particularly in relation to adverse caregiving environments. Key themes include the intergenerational transmission of attachment, where parental reflective func-tioning and early caregiving behaviors influence attachment security across generations. The evolving role of fathers, peer relationships, and romantic bonds in adolescence are explored as significant factors shaping attachment patterns during this developmental period. Methodologi-cal considerations highlight the value of qualitative approaches, including interviews and obser-vational methods, for capturing the complexity of adolescent attachment dynamics. Additionally, the review addresses the processes that contribute to both continuity and change in attachment classifications over time, emphasizing the impact of life events, parental behaviors, and develop-mental transitions. The implications of attachment for developmental psychopathology, particu-larly in relation to emotional regulation and psychosocial functioning, are discussed. Finally, the review calls for further interdisciplinary research to deepen understanding of attachment mecha-nisms, using advanced technologies and culturally sensitive approaches to improve mental health and developmental outcomes across the lifespan.

In this study, the effect of laser processing (LP) on the thermoelectric (TE) properties of bismuth antimony telluride (BST) alloy pellets is investigated. The stoichiometric alloy used is Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3.0, which was prepared by mechanical alloying techniques (MA) and hot pressed (HP) into pellets under optimal pressing and temperature conditions. An innovative approach to HP was also developed to enhance the yield of BST samples per HP process while maintaining the TE profiles of the samples within a variance of less than 1%. The LP process was executed by employing a metal 3D printer, with a thorough analysis of beam parameters. Notably, the laser power (P) was held constant at 25 W, along with a fixed hatching distance (HD) of 50 μm, while the parameter adjusted was the laser's scanning speed (SS), which spanned from [600 - 1800] mm/s in increments of 200 mm/s. Examination via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed two material states: melted and sintered. The melted state formed the surface crust of "canyon" patterns that were held on the surface of the samples, and which both size and quantity were altered with changes in SS. For thermoelectric characterization, two distinct shapes of LP samples were produced: rectangular (for electrical properties) and disk (for thermal properties). The results demonstrated that the electrical properties are profoundly influenced by SS, with the electrical conductivity peak at SS value of 1600 mm/s, while the Seebeck coefficient reaches a minimum at the same value. Consequently, within the temperature range of interest, a notable 12% increase in electrical conductivity and a 9% decrease in the Seebeck coefficient were observed compared to the non-LP material state. Overall, the ZT value experience an 6.9% decline within the same temperature interval.

CD74 is a type II cell surface receptor found to be highly expressed in several hematological and solid cancers, due to its ability to activate pathways associated with tumor cell survival and proliferation. Over the past 16 years, CD74 is emerging as a commonly detected fusion partner in multiple oncogenic fusion proteins. Studies have found CD74 fusion proteins in a range of cancers including lung adenocarcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To date, there are five known CD74 fusion proteins, CD74-ROS1, CD74-NTRK1, CD74-NRG1, CD74-NRG2a, and CD74-PDGFRB, with a total of 16 different variants, each with unique genetic signatures. Importantly, the occurrence of CD74 in the formation of fusion proteins has not been well explored despite the fact that ROS1 and NRG1 families utilize CD74 as the primary partner for the formation of oncogenic fusions. Fusion proteins known to be oncogenic drivers, including those of CD74, are typically detected, and targeted after standard chemotherapeutic plans fail and the disease relapses. The analysis reported herein provides insights into early intervention of CD74 fusions and highlight the need for improved routine assessment methods so that targeted therapies can be applied while they are most effective.

Despite its apparent lack of physicality, the virtual environment produces real experiences to its users. In its intangible context of digital operation, the virtual setting can be a meeting point for individuals to interact and to gain experiences that have an impact upon their lives. After more than three decades of broad accessibility and use of the internet and various digital platforms, the virtual experience has also prompted to rethink many of the assumptions commonly attributed to physical space. From a practical point, the virtual world has been an extension of the real one as a new site that can host people’s activities without many of the limitations associated with the material world. Given its absence of physical restrictions, the virtual space appears as a boundless one, whose potential of evolution is still unclear. This sense of limitedness has caused to shift our common sense about physical space as well, including architectural perception and the methods and practices applied to design it. In response, this present study focuses on the ways in which elements and concepts of the virtual world may be transferred to physical space and enrich architectural aims and the broader design discourse.

The development of new turbomachinery designs requires numerous time-consuming and computationally intensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations. However, most of the generated high spatial resolution data remains unused at later development steps. That is also the case with automated optimization processes that use only a few integral values to determine objectives and constraints. Therefore the development of a data-driven AI model was initiated to ensure the potential of further use of the CFD data which is also used to train the AI model. The presented method subsequently provides a fast approximation of the 3D flow for new designs. In this paper, the structure of the developed AI model is presented and the approximation quality is analysed using a complex, state-of-the-art compressor test case. It is shown that the AI model can reproduce many characteristics of the 3D flow of new designs, and performance measures such as efficiency can be derived from these flow predictions. In addition, the complex test case revealed that greater design variation reduces the AI approximation quality which can lead to undesirable exploratory behaviour in an optimisation setup. Overall, the test case has shown promising results and has provided hints for further improvements of the AI model.

Oncogenic protein E6 from Human Papilloma Virus 16 (HPV-16) mediates the degradation of Membrane-associated guanylate kinase with inverted domain structure-1 (MAGI-1), throughout the interaction of its protein binding motif (PBM) with the Discs-large homologous regions 1 (PDZ1) domain of MAG1-1. Generic variation in the E6 gene that translates to changes in the protein’s amino acidic sequence modifies the interaction of E6 with the cellular protein MAGI-1. MAGI-1 is a scaffolding protein found at tight junctions of epithelial cells, where it interacts with a variety of proteins regulating signaling pathways. MAGI-1 is a multidomain protein containing two WW (rsp-domain-9), one guanylate kinase-like, and six PDZ domains. PDZ domains played an important role in the function of MAGI-1 and served as targets for several viral proteins including the HPV-16 E6. The aim of this work was to evaluate, with an in silico approach, employing molecular dynamics simulation and protein-protein docking, the interaction of the intragenic variants E-G350 (L83V), E-C188/G350 (E29Q/L83V), E-A176/G350 (D25N/L83V), E6-AAa (Q14H/H78Y/83V) y E6-AAc (Q14H/I27RH78Y/L83V) and E6-reference of HPV-16 with MAGI-1. We found that variants E-G350, E-C188/G350, E-A176/G350, AAa and AAc increase their affinity to our two models of MAGI-1 compared to E6-reference.

The graphene based highly conductive and flexible devices has received momentous attraction and growth in recent years for potential multifunctional uses. The development of flexible and washable textile sensors, actuators, energy storage and energy harvesting systems. Textile fabrics coated with graphene and conductive polymers have been used for wearable self-powered e-textiles, such as tribo-electric, piezoelectric, and Thermoelectric. Herein this research, 100% woven cotton fabric is Fictionalized with graphene oxide (GO) using industrial-scale cold pad batch dyeing technique for the development of low-grade body heat into self-powered wearable e-textiles. The conductive polymer PEDOT: PSS was coated using layer by layer approach. The study demonstrates that the resultant textile electrodes showed reduced electrical sheet resistance from 2.5 MΩ to 15KΩ, with a reduced graphene oxide and further reduced to (2.5 -12.5 Ω) for conductive polymer. The sheet resistance was decreased with the number of dyeing cycles (10-15) and increased with 20 washing cycles vice versa. The study demonstrates that the sensor response and performance were improved with increasing the content percent of rGO and PEDOT: PSS. The tensile strength of as coated fabric electrodes was improved from (25.0-85.5 mPa) and fabric thickness was increased to (26-38µm) without compromising or influencing the air permeability. The resultant textile electrodes may potentially be used in smart textiles for self-powered flexible wearable generators, sensors, and energy storage. The study demonstrates that the cold pad batch dyeing method is a suitable and effective method for the fabrication of graphene-based textiles.

The scratch test consists in pushing a tool across the surface of a material at a given penetration depth or applied load. It has several applications in Science and Engineering including strength testing, damage and quality control of thin films and coatings. Despite numerous attempts in scientific literature, the application of scratch test to characterizations of fracture properties remains a heavily controversial topic. Therefore, this investigation arises as an experimental study in order to assess the fracture toughness using scratch test. A study on the effect of cryogenic treatment, performed after tempering, on fracture toughness, via scratch test experiments, of different tool steels has been made. A laboratory investigation on AISI D2, AISI M2 and X105CrCoMo18 steel confirms the possibility of increasing the fracture toughness by carrying out the cryogenic treatment after the usual heat treatment

In 2020, students of Pakistan had to adapt to the online environment for the very first time. This study aims to analyze the perceptions of medical, dental, and allied health students about online education in Pakistan. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done to assess the level of acceptance of undergraduate students. A pre-validated questionnaire regarding demographics, past-experience of e-learning, advantages disadvantages of e-learning, and general perception of students towards e-learning was distributed. Descriptive statistics were computed for demographics, Mann-Witney-U test was used to compare the differences of perceptions between pre-clinical year and clinical years students. Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare the results of three specialties of students. Chi-square was used to compare overall category-wise positive and negative responses of students. 1200 students participated in the study. The major advantage identified by all students was the ‘comfortable environment’ in which they studied online. The major disadvantage selected by preclinical year students was ‘anxiety due to social isolation’ and that chosen by clinical year students was ‘lack of patient interaction’. Overall, 72% of students had a negative perception of e-learning. Student-teacher training, student counselling sessions, and innovative techniques need to be introduced to enhance student engagement and reduce pandemic stress.

The new Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU) (2023-2027) envisages a stronger Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) that will unite all relevant ac-tors in a co-creation process to ensure knowledge flows within and across Member States. A sig-nificant and increasing body of literature focuses on the strategy and processes of strengthening AKIS. However, there is a relative gap in research related to the role of AKIS in achieving sus-tainability in the farming sector. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the advancements so far of AKIS across the EU when it comes to facilitating the sustainable management of natural resources (SMNR). The paper builds upon a comprehensive review of rel-evant literature during the last 15 years covering all 28 EU countries (including the United King-dom until 2019). We conclude that AKIS architecture in most EU countries lacks a comprehensive structure promoting SMNR. Based on the results we identify countries with relatively high inten-sity of research and development projects linking AKIS to SMNR and where SMNR is better in-tegrated to AKIS. Our results can be of interest to the design of stronger AKIS during the new programming period.

Non-invasive continuous health monitoring has become feasible with the advancement of biosensors. While monitoring certain biomarkers such as heart rate or skin temperature are now at certain maturity, monitoring molecular biomarkers is still challenging. Progress has been shown in sampling, measurement and interpretation of data towards non-invasive molecular sensors that can be integrated in daily wearable items. Towards this goal, this paper explores the potential of embroidered interdigitated transducer (IDT)-based sensors for non-invasive, continuous monitoring of human biomarkers, particularly glucose levels, in human sweat. The study employs innovative embroidery techniques to create flexible fabric-based sensors with gold-coated IDTs. In controlled experiments, we have shown the variation of glucose concentration in water can be wirelessly detected by tracking the resonant frequency of the embroidered sensors. The current sensors operate at 1.8GHz–2GHz and respond to the change of glucose concentration with a sensitivity of 0.17 MHz/(mg/dl). The embroidered IDT-based sensors with wireless sensing will be a new measurement modality for molecular wearable sensors. The establishment of a wireless sensing mechanism for embroidered IDT-based sensors will be followed by investigation of sweat for molecular detection. This will require adding functionalities for sampling and interpretation of acquired data. We envisage the embroidered IDT-based sensors offer a unique approach for seamless integration into clothing, paving the way for personalised, continuous health data capture.

In recent years, the prevalence of tobacco and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adolescents has raised significant public health concerns worldwide. This study aims to investigate respiratory symptoms among Polish adolescents. We conducted an online survey among Polish school students from all provinces, collecting data over two months in Spring 2021. Students voluntarily complete the anonymous survey, answering questions about respiratory symptoms, smoking habits (both traditional and electronic cigarettes), and demographic information. Analysis focused on four subgroups: non-tobacco users, traditional cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and dual users, totaling 10,388 pupils aged 12-18 years, predominantly attending secondary technical and comprehensive schools. A total of 10388 pupils participated in the study, 55.6 % (5778) of whom were girls and 44.4 % (4610) boys. Adolescents, who admitted using both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes experienced more frequent episodes of cough during the day (39.70%) and at night (18.40%) compared to their peers in other groups. Chest discomfort, including pain and pressure, was also reported more often by adolescents, who used e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes concurrently (27.60%) compared to their peers in other groups. Chest pressure was experienced less commonly by non-smoking adolescents (14.40%) than by smokers (18.90%). Higher severity of cough during the day and at night was observed in the group of adolescents using traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes concurrently compared to the other groups. The adolescents in the dual user group experienced more severe dyspnoea and wheezing compared to the other groups included in the comparison. The results of this study confirm the correlation between the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in adolescents who smoke cigarettes, use e-cigarettes and in dual users. The respiratory symptoms occur most frequently and are the most severe in the group of adolescents who use e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common respiratory disease in pre-term and is still associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The great interest lies in iden-tifying early biomarkers that can predict the development of BPD. Objectives: This pilot study explores the potential of e-nose for early identification of BPD risk in premature infants by analyzing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the exhaled breath con-densate (EBC). Materials and Methods: Fourteen mechanically ventilated very preterm infants were included in the study. Clinical parameters and EBC were collected within the first 24 hours of life. The dis-criminative ability of breath-prints between preterms who did and did not develop BPD was in-vestigated by pattern recognition, machine learning algorithm, and standard statistical methods. Results: We found that e-nose probes can significantly predict the outcome of “no-BPD” vs “BPD”. Specifically, a subset of probes (S18, S24, S14, and S6) were found to be significantly predictive, with an AUC of 0.87, 0.89, 0.82, 0.8 and p=0.019, 0.009, 0.043, 0.047, respectively. Conclusion: The E-nose is an easy-to-use, handheld, non-invasive electronic device that quickly samples breath. Our preliminary study has shown that it has the potential for early prediction of BPD in preterms.

BACKGROUND: Qu-aroma is a critical quality indicator for medium-high temperature Daqu (MT-Daqu), significantly influencing the aroma profile of strong-aroma Baijiu (SAB). SAB is produced across various regions in China, each with unique environmental conditions and production techniques. These regional differences are likely to cause variations in the Qu-aroma of MT-Daqu. Despite this, comprehensive research on the variations in Qu-aroma across different regions has been lacking. This study aims to address this gap by utilizing Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry-Mass Spectrometry (GC-O-MS) and electronic nose (E-nose) technology, combined with sensory evaluation, to analyze the differences in Qu-aroma characteristics and volatile compound profiles of MT-Daqu from seven distinct production areas.RESULTS: Sensory analysis identified seven broad aroma categories and 25 specific aromas characterizing the Qu-aroma of MT-Daqu samples. Chen aroma and roasted aroma were notably more prevalent in MT-Daqu samples from Sichuan compared to those from other regions (P < 0.05), while the fermentation aroma was less prominent in Sichuan samples. In total, 123 volatile compounds were detected in MT-Daqu, with 46 classified as aroma-active compounds. Among these, 21 aroma-active compounds were identified as markers distinguishing Sichuan MT-Daqu from those produced in non-Sichuan regions, showing significant differences in their concentrations (P < 0.05). Additionally, six major aroma-active compounds-ethyl isovalerate, ethyl heptanoate, hexanal, 1-nonanal, (E)-2,4-decadienal, and 2,3-dimethyl-5-ethylpyrazine-were found to significantly contribute to the aroma differences between Sichuan and non-Sichuan MT-Daqu.CONCLUSION: This study delineates the distinct Qu-aroma characteristics of MT-Daqu from various SAB production areas and identifies the aroma-active compounds responsible for these differences. The insights gained from this research offer valuable guidance for optimizing flavor profiles in MT-Daqu production, potentially enhancing the overall quality and regional distinctiveness of the product.

Wavelength selective switches (WSSs) are essential elements for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks, as they offer cost-effective, high port-count and flexible spectral channel switching. This work proposes a new hybrid WSS architecture that leverages the beam shaping and steering features of uniform silicon nitride (SiN) based end-fire optical phased arrays (OPAs). By introducing beamforming to a WSS system, the spectral channels on the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) panel can be tailored and arranged properly, depending on the optical configuration, using the beam control capabilities of OPAs. Combining 3D-FDTD and ray tracing simulations, the study shows that by reducing the input beam dimensions with proper sizing of the OPAs, the WSS design with the null-steering OPAs layout and 4×No switch size features increased spectral resolution. This extensive beamforming study on the steering-enabled layout reveals the acquirement of an even higher input channel number, achieving up to the 8×No WSS scheme with flexible channel routing on the LCoS panel. Such implementation of beamsteerers can unlock an extra degree of freedom for the switching capabilities of hybrid WSS devices. The results show great promise for the introduction of OPAs in WSS systems and provide valuable insight for the design of future wireless communication links and WDM systems.

Oil spills may have devastating effects on marine ecosystems, public health, the economy, and coastal communities. Therefore, scientific literature contains various up-to-date, advanced oil spill predictive models, capable to simulate the trajectory and evolution of an oil slick generated by the accidental release from ships, hydrocarbons production, or other activities. To predict in near real time oil spill transport and fate with increased reliability these models are usually coupled operationally to synoptic meteorological, hydrodynamic, and wave models. The present study reviews the available different met-ocean forcings that have been used in oil spill modeling, simulating hypothetical or real oil spill scenarios, worldwide. Nine state-of-the-art oil spill models are critically examined in terms of the met-ocean data used as forcing inputs in the simulation of twenty-four case studies. Results illustrate that most oil spill models are coupled to different resolution, forecasting meteorological and hydrodynamic models, posing, however, limited consideration in the forecasted wave field (expressed as the significant wave height, the wave period and the Stokes drift) that may affect oil transport, especially at the coastal areas. Moreover, the majority of oil spill models lacks any linkage to the background biogeochemical conditions, hence, limited consideration is given in processes like oil biodegradation, photo-oxidation and sedimentation. Future advancements in oil spill modeling should be directed towards the full operational coupling with high-resolution atmospheric, hydrodynamic, wave, and biogeochemical models, improving our understanding in the relative impact of each physical and oil weathering process.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of two antiglaucoma procedures, namely trabeculectomy and Ex-PRESS mini-shunt insertion on the biomechanical properties of the cornea. This is a prospective study. Thirty patients (30 eyes) were included in the study. Nineteen eyes had an Ex-PRESS shunt inserted (Group 1) and 11 had trabeculectomy (Group 2). The examination time points for both groups were 1 to 3 weeks preoperatively and at month 1, 6 and 12 postoperatively. Corneal biomechanical properties [corneal hysteresis (CH) corneal resistance factor (CRF)] were measured with the Ocular Response Analyzer. In group 1, CH was significantly increased at 6 and 12 months compared to baseline values. Corneal hysteresis was also higher at 1 month postoperatively but this increase did not reach statistical significance. In group 2, the CH was significantly increased at all time points compared to the preoperative values. CRF decreased at all time points postoperatively compared to the preoperative values in both groups. The difference (preoperative values to postoperative values at all time points) of the CH and CRF between the two groups was also compared and no significant differences were detected between the two surgical techniques. Trabeculectomy and the EX-PRESS mini-shunt insertion alter significantly the corneal biomechanical properties as a result of the surgical trauma and the presence of the shunt in the corneal periphery. When compared between them they affect the corneal biomechanical properties in a similar way.

The healthcare sector has undergone a profound transformation, owing to the influential role played by IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) technology. However, there are substantial concerns over these devices' security and privacy-preserving nature. Current literature on IoMT tends to focus on specific security features like data confidentiality or data integrity or data availability or access control and most solutions are simulated and not tested in a real-world live network. This paper proposes a smart secure by design solution that safeguards user’s data during health and wellbeing monitoring of patients locally (home, care-home, and hospital) and remotely. The proposed innovative solution is known as Secure by Design Real Time IoMT Architecture for e-Health Population Monitoring (RTPM) for smart hospitals and any healthcare monitoring management. In this system, keys can also be generated by the patient monitoring system independent to maintain high privacy standard and trust during the monitoring process and to enable the IoMT devices run independently even if the server is compromised and are made safe from external exploits to the client nodes. However, the session keys are controlled by the trusted IoMT server to lighten the IoMT devices overheads and the session keys are securely exchanged between the client system and the monitoring server. The proposed RTPM focuses on addressing the major security requirements for an IoMT system: confidentiality, integrity, availability, conducts authentication, protect from DoS attacks and prevent from non-repudiation attack of patient medical data and the devices in a real time, sensory data communication environment for live e-health monitoring. A secure communication is tested by capturing the live network traffic and the system’s performance analysis of RTPM using different security algorithms with different key sizes of RSA, AES, and SHA shows that resource constraint low powered system can also successfully integrate with high-end state-of-the-art secure parameters and features and have the potential to support real time secure interaction. A stress test is also conducted to ensure that the system can withstand huge key sizes and different data types including multi-media information.

Several pathotypes of enteric E. coli have been identified. The group represented by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is of particular interest. Raw milk and raw milk products are significant sources of STEC infection in humans; therefore, identifying pathogens at the herd level is crucial for public health. Most national surveillance programs focus solely on raw milk and raw milk cheeses that are ready for retail sale, neglecting the possibility of evaluating the source of contamination directly at the beginning of the dairy chain. In order to assess the viability of new molecular methodologies applied to raw milk filters enabling the identification of the presence of STEC serotypes in milk production and apply the same methods to identify the presence of these pathogens in calf feces we analyzed, through a commercial real-time PCR assay, a total of 290 samples coming from 18 different dairy herds; 88 bulk tank milk (BTM), 104 raw milk filters (RMF) and 98 calves’ feces samples. In total 3.4% of BTM, 41.4% of RMF and 73.4% of calves’ feces tested positive for stx presence, supporting our hypothesis that BTM is not a suitable matrix to assess the STEC presence at herd level, underestimating it. Our conclusion is that the surveillance program needs critical and extensive improvements such as RMF and calves’ feces analysis implementation in order to be more efficient in detecting and preventing STEC infections. The epidemiology of these infections and the characteristics of the pathogen clearly show how a One Health approach will be pivotal to improve our capabilities to control the spread of these infections.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) continues to pose a significant challenge, contributing to elevated hospitalization rates among children up to 5 years old, with a disproportionate burden on newborn and infants under 6 months old. The unique characteristics of the young immune system make it prone to altered responses to infections and vaccinations, requiring a tailored approach to disease prevention. The recent approval of the maternal RSV vaccine, (brand name ABRYSVO), represents a pivotal advancement in preventive strategies among newborns and infants, marking a milestone in RSV research as the first market-approved maternal vaccine. The present review examines clinical trial data on both recent and previous vaccine candidates, as well as the licensed vaccine, focusing on the prevention of RSV disease in newborns and young infants through the passive acquisition of antibodies following maternal immunization. Additionally, it evaluates the safety profile of these vaccines.

As in every workplace, human sustainability in dental enterprises is connected to air and water quality, eco-friendly and naturally designed working spaces and 4R’s culture. Purpose of this study is to access the preferences and knowledge on circular economy and green building construction in a sample of students and dentists in Greece. Students (N1=93) and dentists (N2= 126) filled in e-questionnaires from April to December 2022. The response rate was 17,88% for N1 and 1.94% for N2. Data revealed that both students and dentists lack knowledge on circular economy (N1=67.7%, N2=68,25%), EU regulations on amalgam disposal (N1=64.5%, N2=58.73%) and plastic recycling (N1=76.34%, N2=76,98) while they do recycle at home (N1= 80.6%, N2=82.54%) and have participated in voluntary environmental actions (N1=58.1%, N2=66.67%). Gender influences the importance of factors related to green dental practices, with women students being more prone to answer positively as important for increase costs for network changes (p=0.02), lack of environmental awareness of manufacturers (p=0.057), and poor wastewater management (p=0.01). Students from urban areas are more prone to answer positively for lack of state financial support (p=0.02), low level of green design in the building (p=0.03), low direct financial benefit of a green dental office (p=0.04), low benefit to the reputation of the green dental office (p=0.02), lack of continuing education training seminars on green dentistry (p=0.05). For dentists, no significant relationships were observed except of a weak positive relationship in increase in costs for changes related to utility networks (p=0.08) while increased wasteful energy (p=0.12) and waste of dental materials (p=0.19) seemed important only for dentists in urban areas. Women dentists were more prone to answer positively on wasting energy (p=0.024) and use of unapproved disinfection products (p=0.036). The findings contribute ideas and solutions on green dental office buildings and sustainable behaviors through educational activities and social perspective of factors such as age, experience in dentistry, gender, and urbanism. It also inspires future multi-disciplinary research on dental quality assurance, psychology of environmentalism, economics, and behavioral science in dentistry.

Students studying dentistry and nursing experience anxiety daily, which affects both their general well-being and academic achievement. Anxiety is exacerbated by several circumstances, such as stressors in one's personal life, clinical environment exposure, and academic expectations. To effectively regulate anxiety and support students' achievement, treatments that take these elements into account must be designed. In this study, 271 students from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece's departments of dentistry and nursing were polled. Being the following resources, participants filled out an electronic questionnaire that was uploaded to Google Forms and assessed their levels of stress, anxiety, depression, resilience, hope, and spiritual well-being: a) the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), b) the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-12), c) the Adult Hope Scale (AHS), d) the Resilience Assessment Questionnaire (RAQ8), and e) the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Additionally, demographic data was gathered, such as gender, educational attainment, family income, and country of origin. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate the relationships between the variables, including hierarchical multiple linear regression and t-tests. The sample consisted of 271 students from the Department of Nursing (n=126, 46.5%) and Dentistry (n=145, 53.5%), with 68.60% of them being female, 80.10% being undergraduate students, and 48.30% being from Athens, the country's capital. Comparatively speaking, 74.50 percent of nursing students were female, while 62.80% of dental students were. Compared to dental students (2.10%), nurses (40.50%) participated in postgraduate studies at a higher rate. Compared to dental students (44.80%), nursing students reported a household income of just 13.90%, which is much less than €35,000. Anxiety was reported by 51.30% of participants overall, with dental students reporting higher anxiety than nursing students. Higher family wealth was associated with reduced stress levels, while female undergraduate students reported higher levels of anxiety than their male counterparts. Hope was a strong predictor of resilience, but stress and worry had a negative correlation. Promoting students' well-being and academic success requires effective stress-reduction and resilience-building techniques aimed to not only improve student performance but also support future healthcare professionals' personal sustainability and holistic growth.

Introduction: The aim is to investigate the possibility of altering the delusional perceptions of psychotic patients by exposing them to a cognitively flexible virtual environment. A flexible vir-tual reality (VR) environment could challenge and enhance the ability to adapt to changing situa-tions and generate novel solutions to core psychotic symptoms. Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted using different combinations of keywords in different databases. This study was conducted using the PRISMA statement. Results: There is a growing literature on the use of VR to manipulate and normalise perceptual distortions in psychosis. Over the last decade, the number of published studies on VR in mental health has increased 14-fold. Conclusions: A cognitive flexibility virtual environment can alter delusional perception by ex-posing the person to different scenarios that require them to question their assumptions, test their hypotheses, and revise their beliefs. Commonly used biosensors measure heart rate, skin con-ductance and body temperature in relation to different emotional states. Recently, there has been a major shift towards the use of neuroimaging techniques to better understand the pathophysiology of mental disorders. This is where the new wave of biosensor-integrated virtual reality (VR) sys-tems comes in.

Adenomyosis, a benign gynecological condition characterized by the infiltration of endometrial tissue into the myometrium, poses significant challenges to women's reproductive health. Recently, the landscape of adenomyosis diagnosis transformed significantly, thanks to advancements in imaging technologies such as transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. This lead to a noticeable shift in the demographic profile of patients diagnosed with adenomyosis, including younger women of reproductive age who frequently present with a diverse array of symptoms. Approximately 20% of women are affected by adenomyosis. Adenomyosis manifests with various subtypes, distinct epidemiological profiles, symptomatology, and treatment responses, necessitating tailored approaches for optimal management. Despite its clinical significance, adenomyosis remains understudied, resulting in a significant disparity in research and literature compared to other gynecological conditions. The severity of adenomyosis is compounded when coexisting with endometriosis, particularly deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), leading to exacerbated fertility issues and severe symptomatology. The wide range of symptoms, including adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, highlights its wider impact and emphasizes the need for increased awareness of the condition. Furthermore, Adenomyosis is frequently associated with treatment failure in endometriosis, contributing to dienogest resistance, elevated discontinuation rates, and persistent pain post endometriosis surgery. Additionally, the lack of specific treatments tailored to adenomyosis poses a considerable challenge in clinical management.

Background: Diagnostic accuracy of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a synucleinopathy, based on diagnostic criteria is suboptimal. A biomarker for synucleinopathies is pivotal both from a clinical and from a research aspect. CSF a-synuclein has been extensively studied over the past two decades as a candidate biomarker of synucleinopathies. Herein we present data on studies focusing on total, phosphorylated and oligomeric CSF a-synuclein in PD. Methods: Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for studies with &gt;10 PD patients and control subjects, with data (mean, SD) on total, phosphorylated or oligomeric a-synuclein. Cohen’s d, as a measure of effect size, was calculated for all a-synuclein forms. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed in an effort to explain between-study heterogeneity. Results: Thirty studies on total, six studies on oligomeric and one study on phosphorylated a-synuclein were included. Total a-synuclein was decreased and oligomeric a-synuclein increased in PD patients vs. controls. Effect size was medium for total and high for oligomeric a-synuclein. A-syn forms provided suboptimal combined sensitivity/specificity for the differentiation of PD from controls. There was significant between-study heterogeneity. PD cohort characteristics (sex, age, disease duration, UPDRS, H&amp;Y) and study characteristics (study design, healthy vs. neurological controls, control for CSF blood contamination, method of a-syn measurement) could not account for between-study heterogeneity. Publication bias was limited. Conclusions: CSF a-synuclein levels lack sufficient accuracy to be used as biomarkers for PD. Standardization of (pre)analytical variables may improve the discriminatory power of a-synuclein forms in the future.

The goal of this paper is the performance evaluation of a deep learning approach when deployed in fifth-generation (5G) millimeter wave (mmWave) multicellular networks. To this end, the optimum beamforming configuration is defined by two neural networks (NNs) that are properly trained, according to mean square error (MSE) minimization. The first network has as input the requested spectral efficiency (SE) per active sector, while the second network the corresponding energy efficiency (EE). Hence, channel and power variations can now be taken into consideration during adaptive beamforming. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated with the help of a developed system level simulator via extensive Monte Carlo simulations. According to the presented results, machine learning (ML)-adaptive beamforming can significantly improve EE compared to the standard non-ML framework. Although this improvement comes at the cost of increased blocking probability (BP) and radiating elements (REs) for high data rate services, the corresponding increase ratios are significantly reduced compared to the EE improvement ratio. In particular, considering 21.6 Mbps per active user and ML adaptive beamforming, then EE can reach up to 5.3 Mbps/W, which is significantly improved compared to the non-ML case (0.9 Mbps/W). In this context, BP does not exceed 2.6%, which is slightly worse compared to 1.7% in the standard non-ML case. Moreover, approximately 20% additional REs are required, with respect to the non-ML framework.

Purpose: To compare the standard implantation technique of a new ab externo microshunt (PRESERFLO) to a posterior technique with a small incision. The standard anterior approach (A) requires a relatively large, 6-8 mm perilimbal peritomy. In contrast, the posterior approach (P) involves only a 2-3 mm snip incision 2 mm posterior to the limbus. Methods: Charts of 126 PRESERFLO patients (54 A and 72 P) were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was 270 days. We compared the surgical time, intraocular pressure (IOP), number of medications, and complications. Results: The preoperative IOP in A was 21.8±8.5 mmHg and 23.9±8.1 mmHg in P (p=0.08). The surgical time for A was 26±0.8 minutes and 10±0.4 minutes for B (p<0.001). Following a low-pressure phase during the first week, A and P had an IOP value of 10.8±5.9 mmHg and 10.6±4.5 mmHg at 30 days, respectively (p=0.62). IOPs remained at this level throughout the study (all intra-group p> 0.08). There were no inter-group differences in IOP at any visit (all p-values > 0.3). Patients in A and P took 3.2 ± 1.3 and 3.3 ± 1.0 pressure-lowering medications at baseline, respectively (p=0.4). These values declined to 0.2 ± 0.6 in A and 0.3 ± 0.7 in P at 270 days. Both groups had a similar number of revisions (13 (10.3%) versus 10 (7.9%, p=0.14)) and complications (26 (20.8%) versus 31 (24.6%, all p>0.25). Conclusion: The posterior PRESERFLO insertion technique was 2.6 times faster than the standard anterior technique and yielded similar results with a large reduction in IOP and medications and a safety profile favorable over traditional filtering surgery.

Altered metabolism is a common feature of many cancers and in some cases is a consequence of mutation in metabolic genes, such as the ones involved in Krebs cycle. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene is mutated in many gliomas and other cancers. Physiologically IDH converts isocitrate to αketoglutarate (αKG), but when mutated, IDH reduces αKG to D2-hydroxyglutarate (D2-HG). D2-HG accumulates at high levels in IDH mutant cancers, and in the last decade, a massive effort has been done to develop small inhibitors targeting mutant IDH. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the cellular and molecular consequences of IDH mutations, and the therapeutic approached developed to target IDH mutant tumours, with a focus on gliomas.

The adverse relationship between viral hepatitis and pregnancy in developing countries was seen as a reflection of retrospective biased hospital-based data collection by the West. However, the discovery of HEV from an epidemic of non-A, non-B hepatitis in Kashmir and documenting increased incidence and severity of hepatitis E in pregnancy from a house-to-house survey unmasked the unholy alliance. Among the family of HEV’s, genotype (gt)-1, with a unique ORF4-encoded protein enhancing viral polymerase activity and viral replication, is the sole HEV that shows this adverse relationship. The epidemics caused by HEV-gt1 and not by HEV-gt2 show adverse relationship with pregnancy. The pathogenesis of the unholy alliance is complex and at present not well understood. Possibly multiple factors play a role in causing severe liver disease in the mother including: infection, replication and damage to the maternal-foetal interface by HEV-gt1; vertical transmission of HEV to foetus causing severe foetal/neonatal hepatitis; and combined viral and hormone related immune dysfunction of diverse nature in the mother promoting viral replication. Management is multidisciplinary and needs a close watch for the development and management of ALF. Preliminary data suggest beneficial maternal outcomes by early termination of pregnancy in patients with lower grades of encephalopathy.

Multiple valued logic (MVL) has proven to be a better alternative and solution to the challenges of traditional binary logic because of its fast computation, fewer interconnects, and small die. It is a potential candidate for future digital design because it allows energy-efficient, low-complex, and high-speed circuits. This paper introduces a new resistive-load two-dimensional field effect transistor-based ternary logic gates, wherein the active resistive-load is replaced with memristor to reduce chip area and power consumption. A memristor-based standard ternary inverter (STI) is designed using GNRFET, MoS2 FET, WSe2 FET, and FinFET, and their performance metric such as delay, power, and energy delay product (EDP) are analyzed. The results show that the proposed design achieves 50% reduction in circuit area, the average power dissipation is reduced by 11.7X, 6.8X, and 3.2X for GNRFET, MoS2 FET, and WSe2 FET, respectively, as compared to FinFET-based ternary inverter. Moreso, other logic gates such as OR, NOR, AND and NAND were simulated in T-SPICE EDA tool, and the results and truth table are in good agreement.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an essential legume crop providing healthy and nutritious food for people in low- to middle-income countries, worldwide. Lentil roots support symbiotic interactions with soil rhizobia species fostering nitrogen fixation; however, assemblage and diversity of the complete microbial rhizosphere community and the effect of seed genotype and origin remains largely unexplored. In this study we examined with metagenomic analysis, the effects of seed origin on the rhizosphere’s communities in samples of the famous Greek lentil landrace Eglouvis derived from different local farmers and farming systems including a Gene Bank sample, in comparison to a commercial variety. The landrace exhibited higher rhizosphere microbiome diversity compared to the commercial variety for all indexes. A core microbiome comprised of 158 taxa was present in all samples, while higher number of unique bacterial taxa was recorded in the landrace samples compared to the commercial cultivar. Noteworthy, landrace samples originated from organic farming had more than double unique taxa compared to conventional counterparts. The study revealed higher diversity of N2 fixers and archaea, Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, in landrace samples and particularly in those derived from organic farming, underpinning the distinct recruiting efficiency of beneficial soil microbes by the landrace.

This article presents the graphical user interface of the ACUX-R mobile recommendation system, tailored for the cultural tourism domain. ACUX-R offers personalized recommendations based on visiting preferences, augmenting the overall user experience. Building upon a comprehensive methodology and recommendation algorithms from previous work, this contribution focuses on the user interface aspects of the ACUX-R by highlighting key design considerations, user interface elements and functionalities that contribute to an effective and engaging user experience. In an effort to evaluate the proposed interface, an initial case study with a dataset consisting of points of interest from the City of Athens, Greece has been performed. In the framework of the aforementioned study, the proposed user interface attained high ratings with respect to inspiring, exciting, interesting, and enthusiastic user experiences.

Bio-separation of natural molecules as well as clinical compounds has been constantly developed in last decades. Several techniques are available but the majority of them presents drawbacks such us impossibility to be applied for industrial purposes. The main limitations for the scaling up are high costs and the fact that the devices work with microfluid dynamics. Nevertheless, magnetic bio-separation is considered the most prone to be used for large scale applications. Herein, we propose a simple magnetic separation method that is not based on microfluid dynamics, can work in a continuous- and high-flow rate and can be easily automated in order to be used for standard separation purposes. It is based on the use of an anisotropic flexible ferric magnetic strip, Teflon hoses and a pumping device. We show the modelling of the separation process along with an experimental test on iron oxide magnetic particles. The results showed that it is possible to remove, and separately collect, more than 92% of magnetic particles from a liquid solution of 100 ml in roughly 15 minutes.

This study provides a thorough review and analysis of the evolution of the Greek vehicle fleet over the last ~30 years, which is next used for the generation of high granularity fleet projections and for the estimation of relevant environmental benefits by 2030. The integrated methodology developed takes also into account vehicle clustering and the Brown’s Double Simple Exponential Smoothing technique that together with the adoption of COPERT based emission factors allow for the estimation of the anticipated emissions in 2030. Expected 2030 emissions levels suggest a reduction across all pollutants in comparison to 2018, ranging from 3.7% for PM10 to 54.5% for NMVOC (and 46% for CO, 14% for SO2, 28% for NOX and 21% for CO2). We find that Greece is on track with national goals concerning the reduction of air pollution from the transportation sector, stressing the positive contribution of EVs and new, "greener" vehicles, and setting new challenges for the further improvement of the sector beyond the 2030 outlook.

This study aims to model grinding of a Polish slag and evaluate the particle size distributions of the products obtained after different grinding times. Then, selected products were alkali activated in order to investigate the effect of particle size on the compressive strength of the produced alkali activated materials (AAMs). Other parameters affecting alkali activation, i.e. temperature, curing and ageing time were also examined. Among the different mathematical models used to simulate the particle size distribution, Rosin-Rammler (RR) was found to be the most suitable. When piecewise regression analysis was applied to experimental data it was found that the particle size distribution of the slag products exhibits multi fractal character. In addition, grinding of slag exhibits non-first-order behavior and the reduction rate of each size is time dependent. The grinding rate and consequently the grinding efficiency increases when the particle size increases, but drops sharply near zero after prolonged grinding periods. Regarding alkali activation, it is deduced that among the parameters studied, particle size (and the respective specific surface area) of the raw slag product and curing temperature have the most noticeable impact on the compressive strength of the produced AAMs.

Background and Objectives: In recent years Electronic scooters (E-Scooters) have gained popularity, whether for private use or as a publicly available transportation method. With introduction of these vehicles, reports of E-Scooter related accidents have surged, sparking a public debate and concern. Aim of this study was to analyse epidemiological data, characteristics and severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) related to E-Scooter accidents. Materials and Methods: This retrospective case series evaluated 28 patients who were admitted to three largest neurosurgery clinics in Riga, Latvia between time period from April to October in two separate years – 2022 and 2023 after an E-Scooter related accident. Data were collected on patient demographics, time of the accident, alcohol consumption, helmet use, type of TBI, other related injuries, treatment and assessment at discharge. Results: A total of 28 patients were admitted with TBI related to E-Scooter use, with median age 30 years (Q1-Q3, 20.25-37.25), four individuals under age of 18, majority (64%) were male. In 23 cases the injury mechanism was fall, in 5 cases collision. None were wearing a helmet at time of injury. Alcohol intoxication was evident in over half of the patients (51.5%), with severe intoxication (&gt;1.2ppm) in 75% cases among them. Neurological symptoms upon admission were noted in 50% of cases. All patients had intracranial trauma - 50% brain contusions, 43% traumatic subdural hematoma, almost 30% - epidural hematoma. Craniofacial fractures were evident in 71% of cases, fractures in other parts of body in 3 patients. 6 patients required emergency neurosurgical intervention. Neurological complications were noted in 2 patients, 1 patient died. Conclusions: E-Scooter related accidents result in a significant number of brain and other associated injuries, with notable frequency linked to alcohol influence and lack of helmet use. Prevention campaigns to raise awareness of potential risks and implementation of more strict regulations should be done.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19, working from home has become the norm for millions of workers worldwide. The current research focuses on the benefits and challenges of teleworking in the administrative sectors of greek healthcare units, with a view to harnessing the knowledge gained through experience, in order to create the frame for sustainable behaviors. Anyways, the implementation of teleworking requires complex and dynamic changes in technical and behavioral aspects. Therefore, a systematic review was also conducted to identify the relationships between telecommuting and organizational behavior, with the aim of achieving sustainable development in businesses. Moreover, an important positive aspect of telework that emerged from this literature review appears to create opportunities for potential direct or indirect linkages between telework and many SDGs areas, based on the fact that telework appears to be a community-friendly form of work. In summary, this research strongly suggests that leaders facilitate telecommuters to adopt green practices and volunteerism that can consequently contribute to the SDGs. However, in order to meet the challenges arising from unprecedented times, the leaders of the organizations will have to redesign their policies, while the states will have to focus on guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of the workers.

Testicular granulosa cell tumors (TGCTs) are rare tumors of sex cord stromal origin. TGCTs can be classified into the adult type and the juvenile type. The adult type is extremely rare with only 93 known cases reported in the literature. We, herein, present a report of a case of a 30 year old male patient who presented with a testicular mass, underwent radical inguinal orchiectomy and the pathology examination revealed an adult type granulosa tumor. We additionally review the literature to summarize the scientific knowledge of an entity barely described worldwide.

In the past two decades the world experienced an exceptional number of unprecedented extreme weather events, some causing major human suffering and economic damage, such as the March 2012 heat event, which was called “Meteorological March Madness.” From the beginning of space era a correlation of solar flares with pressure changes in atmosphere within 2–3 days or even less was reported. In this study we wanted to test the possible relation of highly warm weather events in North-East America with Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events. For this reason we compared ground temperatures T_M in Madison, Wisconsin, with energetic particle fluxes P measured by the EPAM instrument onboard the ACE spacecraft. In particular, we elaborated case events and the results of a statistical study of the SEP events related with the largest (Dst ≤ −150nT) Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)-induced geomagnetic storms, between with the years 1997–2015. The most striking result of our statistical analysis is a very significant positive correlation between the highest temperature increase_. ΔT_M and the time duration of the temperature increase ΔT_M (r = 0.8, p <0.001) at “winter times” ( r = 0.5, p , 0.01 for the whole sample of 26 SEP examined events). The time response of T_M to P was found to be in general short (a few days), but in the case of March 2015, during a gradual P8 increase, a cross-correlation test indicated highest c.c. within 1 day (p < 0.05). The March 2012 “meteorological anomaly” was elaborated in the case of South-East Europe, where, beside a period of strong winds and rainfall (6-13.3.2012), intense precipitation in North-East Greece (Alexandroupoli) were found to be correlated with distinct high energy flux enhancements. A rough theoretical interpretation is discussed for the space—atmospheric extreme weather relationship we found. However, much work should be done to achieve early warning of space weather dependent extreme meteorological events. Such future advances in understanding the relationships between space weather and extreme atmospheric events would improve atmospheric models and help people’s safety, health and life.

Molecular structures, in chloroform and DMSO solution, of the monounsaturated free fatty acids (FFAs) caproleic acid (dec-9-enoic acid) and oleic acid (octadec-9-enoic acid) and the ω-3 FFAs α-linolenic acid (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid ALA), eicosapentanoic acid (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)-icosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoic acid) and docosahexaenoic acid (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaenoic acid), are reported with the combined use of NMR and DFT calculations. Variable temperature and concentration chemical shifts of the COOH protons and transient 1D NOE experiments, in CDCl3, demonstrate the major contribution of low molecular weight aggregates of dimerized fatty acids, through intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions of the carboxylic groups, with parallel and antiparallel interdigitated structures, even at the low concentration of 20 mM. For the dimeric DHA, a structural model of an intermolecular hydrogen bond through carboxylic groups and an intermolecular hydrogen bond between the carboxylic group of one molecule and the ω-3 double bond of a second molecule, is shown to play a role. In DMSO-d6 solution the centro-symmetric hydrogen bond interactions are broken and the carboxylic groups form strong intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions with a discrete solvation molecule of DMSO. These solvation species form parallel and antiparallel interdigitated structures of low molecular weight. DFT structural models in CHCl3 and DMSO, in agreement with the NMR data, are compared with the structures in the liquid state

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 million people worldwide are infected annually with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). There are 4 main genotypes of HEV. Genotype 1 and genotype 2 are common in developing countries and are transmitted by contaminated water from a fecal-oral route. Genotype 3 and genotype 4 are common in developed countries and can lead to occasional transmission to humans by undercooked meat. Hepatitis E virus 1 and HEV3 can lead to fulminant hepatitis, and HEV3 can lead to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in immunocompromised patients. The majority of patients with HEV infection are asymptomatic and usually have spontaneous viral clearance without treatment. However, infection in immunocompromised individuals can lead to chronic HEV infection. Both acute and chronic HEV infections can have extrahepatic manifestations. No specific treatment is required for acute HEV infection, no treatment has been approved in chronic infection and no HEV vaccine has been approved by the (United States) Food and Drug Administration. This review focuses on the molecular virology (HEV life cycle, genotypes, model systems, zoonosis), pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, and treatment of chronic HEV infection, especially in immunocompromised patients, to provide clinicians a better understanding of the global distribution of these infections and the significant effect they can have on immunocompromised patients.

This study proposes an innovative pharmacovigilance approach, VIGI-4, leveraging ChatGPT Teams Pro version. Our method involves aggregating data from all phase 4 studies published in February 2024 to identify adverse reactions. These results are categorized by disease state alphabetically, demonstrating the method's capacity to generate structured and easily navigable outputs. The results section is tailored to exemplify the valuable, actionable insights attainable through our workflow. This research emphasizes the game-changing potential of integrating advanced technologies such as ChatGPT into pharmacovigilance, signaling a new era in safeguarding drug safety.