An approach based on the OpenFOAM library has been developed to solve a high-speed, multicomponent mixture of a reacting, compressible flow. This work presents comprehensive validation of the newly developed solver called compressibleCentralReactingFoam with different supersonic flows, including shocks, expansion waves, and turbulence-combustion interaction. The comparisons of the simulation results with experimental and computational data confirm the fidelity of this solver for problems involving multicomponent high-speed reactive flows. The gas dynamics of turbulence-chemistry interaction are modeled using a partially-stirred reactor formulation and provide promising results to better understand the complex physics involved in supersonic combustors. A time-scale analysis based on local Damköhler numbers reveals different regimes of turbulent combustion. In the core of the jet flow, the Damköhler number is relatively high indicating that the reaction time scale is smaller than the turbulent mixing time scale. This means that the combustion is controlled by turbulent mixing. In the shear layer, where the heat release rate and the scalar dissipation rate have the highest value, the flame is stabilized due to finite rate chemistry with small Damköhler numbers and a high fraction of fine structure. This solver allows three-dimensional gas dynamic simulation of high-speed multicomponent reactive flows relevant to practical combustion applications.

regulating translational speed and accuracy. Threonylcarbamoyl adenosine (t6A37) and 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-thiouridine (mcm5s2U34) are critical ASL modifications that have been linked to several human diseases. The model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is viable despite the absence of both modifications, growth is however greatly impaired. The major observed consequence is a subsequent increase in protein aggregates and aberrant morphology. Proteomic analysis of the t6A-deficient strain revealed a global mistranslation leading to protein aggregation without regard to physicochemical properties or t6A-dependent or biased codon usage in parent genes. However, loss of sua5 led to increased expression of soluble proteins for mitochondrial function, protein quality processing/trafficking, oxidative stress response, and energy homeostasis. These results point to a global function for t6A in protein homeostasis very similar to mcm5/s2U modifications.

Academic and corporate research has been focusing on analyzing stock performances, financial markets, and investment strategies for decades. According to Lynch and Rothchild (1989), certain investments can be described as plays. In this work, the authors use the term for investments in value stocks, spin-offs, and turnarounds to analyze the long-term stock performance and risk-adjusted excess returns of up to five years for those stocks. Additionally, stocks with a supe-rior return performance are identified within an investment play based on low P/E and P/B mul-tiples. The study finds that value stocks, spin-offs, and turnarounds outperform the S&P 500 on average on a one-, three- and five-year investment horizon. The analysis of the three investment plays confirms earlier studies that investment plays constitute a profitable investment opportunity. Moreover, the research exemplifies that private investors could achieve an excess return (alpha) through a passive buy-and-hold investment strategy. Overall, the analysis provides a deeper in-sight into the long-term performance of value stocks, spin-offs, and turnarounds.

We describe an efficient and cost effective data access mechanism for Sentinel-1 TOPS 1 mode bursts. Our data access mechanism enables burst-based data access and processing, thereby 2 eliminating ESA’s Sentinel-1 SLC data packaging conventions as a bottleneck to large scale processing. 3 Pipeline throughput is now determined by available compute resources and efficiency of the analysis 4 algorithms. For targeted infrastructure monitoring studies, we are able to generate coregistered, 5 geocoded stacks of SLCs for any AOI in the world in a few minutes. In addition, we describe our 6 global scale radar backscatter and interferometric products and associated pipeline design decisions 7 that ensure geolocation consistency across the suite of derived products from Sentinel-1 data. Finally, 8 we discuss the benefits and limitations of working with geocoded SAR SLC data.

A chiral sodium glicerophosphate is successfully exploited as catalyst in Michael addition of methyl malonate to a number of chalcones. The reactions furnished the target adducts in satisfactory yields and good enantiomeric excesses. A tentative of computational study is presented aiming to understand the reaction mechanism.

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

(S)-Atenolol ((S)-2-(4-(2-Hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy)phenyl)acetamide) has been synthesized in >99% ee with use of Candida antarctica lipase B from Syncozymes (Shanghai, China), in a kinetic resolution of the corresponding racemic chlorohydrin. Deprotonation of the starting phenol building block was base catalyzed. The enantiopurity of the chlorohydrin building block remained unchanged upon subsequent amination. All four steps in the synthesis protocol have been optimized compared to previously reported methods, which makes this new protocol more sustainable and in accordance with green chemistry principles compared to previously reported protocols.

In eukaryotes, the Dph1•Dph2 dimer is a non-canonical radical SAM enzyme. Using iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters, it cleaves the cosubstrate S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) to form a 3-amino-3-carboxy-propyl (ACP) radical for synthesis of diphthamide. The latter decorates a histidine residue on elongation factor 2 (EF2) conserved from archaea to yeast and humans and is important for accurate mRNA translation and protein synthesis. Guided by evidence from archaeal orthologues, we searched for a putative SAM binding pocket in Dph1•Dph2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We predict a SAM binding pocket near the FeS cluster domain that is conserved across eukaryotes in Dph1 but not Dph2. Site-directed DPH1 mutagenesis and functional characterization by assays diagnostic for loss of diphthamide reveal the SAM pocket is essential for synthesis of the décor on EF2 in vivo. Further evidence from structural modeling suggests particularly critical residues close to the methionine moiety of SAM. Presumably, they facilitate a geometry specific for SAM cleavage and ACP radical formation that distinguishes Dph1•Dph2 from classical radical SAM enzymes, which generate canonical 5′-deoxyadenosyl (dAdo) radicals.

Turmeric starch (TS) has gained significant attention due to its potential health benefits, this study intended to investigate the dose-dependent effects of TS on colonic fermentation in rats. Four experimental diets containing different levels of TS (5%, 10%, and 20% w/w) were formulated and fed to male Fischer 344 rats for two weeks and compared with rats fed 0% TS diet (TS0). The results showed that increasing doses of TS resulted in reduced body weight gain and lower visceral tissue weights compared to the TS0 group. These effects may be attributed to the high content of resistant starch in TS, which contributed to lower caloric intake. Colonic fermentation analysis revealed that higher doses of TS resulted in increased short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production, specifically increased cecal acetate content and decreased cecal pH dose-dependently. Notably, beneficial bacteria from the family Oscillospiraceae, genus Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, and Ruminococcus spp. were enriched in the TS-fed groups, further supporting its beneficial effects on gut microbiota and SCFA production. Furthermore, these results suggest that TS may have beneficial effects on colonic fermentation in rats.

A simple protocol for preparation of O-acylated enol form - (R/S)-ethyl-2-acetoxy-4-phenyl-4H-chromene-3-carboxylate 5 was presented. The compound was characterized by 1H-, 13C-and DEPT135 NMR spectra, including {1H,1H} COSY, {1H,13C} HSQC, {1H,13C} HMBC and 2D-NOESY spectra. The preferred regioselectivity for O-acylation of 3,4-dihydrocoumarin 5 in the presence of substituent in 4-th position in the chroman ring and accounting the steric hindrance of the ester group in 3-th place was confirmed.

Topological indices have been used to modeling biological and chemical properties of molecules in quantitive structure property relationship studies and quantitive structure activity studies. All the degree based topological indices have been defined via classical degree concept. In this paper we define a novel degree concept for a vertex of a simple connected graph: S degree. And also we define S indices of a simple connected graph by using the S degree concept. We compute the S indices for well-known simple connected graphs such as paths, stars, complete graphs and cycles.

We study L_2-approximation problems in the weighted Hilbert spaces in the worst case setting. Three interesting weighted Hilbert spaces appear in this paper, whose weights are equipped with two positive parameters $\ga_j$ and $\az_j$ for $j=1,\,2,\dots,\,d$. We consider the worst case error of algorithms that use finitely many arbitrary continuous linear functionals. We discuss the exponential convergence-(t,s)-weak tractability (EC-(t,s)-WT) of these L_2-approximation problems under the absolute or normalized error criterion. In particular, we obtain the sufficient and necessary conditions for EC-(1,1)-WT and EC-(t,1)-WT with t

We describe an efficient approach to radiometrically flatten geocoded stacks of calibrated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for terrain-related effects. We use simulation to demonstrate that, for the Sentinel-1 mission, one static radiometric terrain flattening factor derived from actual SAR imaging metadata per imaging geometry is sufficient for flattening interferometrically compliant stacks of SAR data. We quantify the loss of precision due to application of static flattening factors, and show that these are well below stated requirements of change detection algorithms. Finally, we discuss the implications of applying radiometric terrain flattening to geocoded SAR data instead of the traditional approach of flattening data provided in the original SAR image geometry. The proposed approach allows for efficient and consistent generation of five different Committee of Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Analysis Ready Dataset (ARD) families - Geocoded Single Look Complex (GSLC), Interferometric Radar (InSAR), Normalized Radar Backscatter (NRB), Polarimetric Radar (POL) and Ocean Radar Backscatter (ORB) from SAR missions in a common framework.

Macromolecular assemblies, such as protein complexes, undergo continuous structural dynamics, including global reconfigurations critical for their function. Two fast analytical methods are widely used to study these global dynamics, namely elastic network model normal mode analysis and principal component analysis of ensembles of structures. These approaches have found wide use in various computational studies, driving the development of complex pipelines in several software packages. One common one has been conformational sampling through hybrid simulations incorporating all-atom molecular dynamics and global modes of motion. However, wide functionality is only available for experienced programmers with limited capabilities for other users. We have, therefore, integrated one popular and extensively developed software for such analyses, the ProDy Python application programming interface, into the Scipion workflow engine. This enables a wider range of users to access a complete range of macromolecular dynamics pipelines beyond the core functionalities available in its command-line applications and the normal mode wizard in VMD. The new protocols and pipelines can be further expanded and integrated into larger workflows together with other software packages for cryo-electron microscopy image analysis and molecular simulations. We present the resulting plugin, Scipion-EM-ProDy, in detail, highlighting the rich functionality made available by its development.

This is a study on fractals existing in music. The application case is the composition DIAPHONIES of Michael Paouris. Sliding-window fractal analysis indicate areas of continuous fractality dipped in non-fractal areas of possibly deterministic and stochastic nature. Diverging cases of pronounced non-fractal areas are addressed and also areas of mixed fractality and non-fractality. Many segments exhibit persistency-P (2

A sustainable solution for crack maintenance in geopolymers is necessary if they are to be the future of modern green construction. This study thus aimed to develop self-healing biogeopolymers that could potentially rival bioconcrete. First, a suitable healing agent was selected from Bacillus subtilis, B. sphaericus, and B. megaterium by directly adding their spores in the geopolymers and subsequently exposing them to a large amount of nutrients for 14 days. SEM-EDX analysis revealed the formation of biominerals for B. subtilis and B. sphaericus. Next, the effect of biochar-immobilization and co-culturing (B. sphaericus and B. thuringiensis) on the healing efficiencies of the geopolymers were tested and optimized by measuring their ultrasonic pulse velocities weekly over a 28-day healing period. The results show that using co-cultured bacteria significantly improved the observed efficiencies, while biochar-immobilization had a weak effect but yielded an optimum response between 0.3-0.4 g/mL. The maximum crack width sealed was 0.65 mm. Through SEM-EDX and FTIR analyses, the biominerals precipitated in the cracks were identified to be mainly CaCO3. Furthermore, image analysis of the XCT scans of some of the healed geopolymers confirmed that their pulse velocities were indeed improving due to the filling of their internal spaces with biominerals. With that, there is potential in developing self-healing biogeopolymers using biochar-immobilized spores of bacterial cultures.

Ship detection from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is crucial for various fields in real-world applications. Numerous deep learning-based detectors have been investigated for SAR ship detection, which require a substantial amount of labeled data for training. However, SAR data annotation is time-consuming and demands specialized expertise, resulting in that deep learning-based SAR ship detectors struggle due to a lack of annotations. With limited labeled data, semi-supervised learning is a popular approach for boosting detection performance by excavating valuable information from unlabeled data. In this paper, a semi-supervised SAR ship detection network is proposed, termed as Multi-Teacher Dempster-Shafer Evidence Fusion Net-work (MTDSEFN). The MTDSEFN is an enhanced framework based on the basic teacher-student skeleton frame, comprising two branches: the Teacher Group (TG) and the Agency Teacher (AT). The TG utilizes multiple teachers to generate pseudo-labels for different augmentation versions of unlabeled samples, which are then refined to obtain high-quality pseudo-labels by using Dempster-Shafer (D-S) fusion. The AT not only serves to deliver weights of its own teacher to the TG at the end of each epoch, but also updates its own weights after each iteration, enabling the model to effectively learn rich information from unlabeled data. The combination of TG and AT guarantees both reliable pseudo-label generation and learning comprehensive diversity information from numerous unlabeled samples. Extensive experiments were performed on two public SAR ship datasets, and the results demonstrated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach.

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in clinical settings has become a significant global concern. Among these bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii stands out due to its remarkable ability to acquire resistance genes and persist in hospital environments, leading to some of the most challenging infections. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a crucial role in the evolution of this pathogen. The A. baumannii AMA205 strain, belonging to sequence type ST79, was isolated from a COVID-19 patient in Argentina in 2021. This strain’s antimicrobial resistance profile is notable as it harbors multiple resistance genes, some of which had not been previously described in this species. The AmpC family β-lactamase blaCMY-6, commonly found in Enterobacterales, had never been detected in A. baumannii before. Furthermore, this is the first ST79 strain known to carry the carbapenemase blaNDM-1 gene. Other acquired resistance genes include the carbapenemase blaOXA-23, further complicating treatment. Susceptibility testing revealed high resistance to most antibiotic families, including cefiderocol, with significant contributions from blaCMY-6 and blaNDM-1 genes to the cephalosporin and carbapenem resistance profiles. The A. baumannii AMA205 genome also contains genetic traits coding for 111 potential virulence factors, such as the iron-uptake system and biofilm-associated proteins. This study underscores A. baumannii's ability to acquire multiple resistance genes and highlights the need for alternative therapies and effective antimicrobial stewardship to control the spread of these highly resistant strains.

In 2011, it was reviewed that there is a strong co-occurrence between major depression and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), with fatigue and physio-somatic symptoms being key symptoms of depression, and depressive symptoms appearing during the course of CFS. Moreover, the comorbidity between both conditions may in part be explained by activated immune-inflammatory pathways, including increased translocation of Gram-negative bacteria and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1. Nevertheless, the possible involvement of activated microglia in this comorbidity has remained unclear. This paper aims to review microglial disturbances in major depression, CFS and their comorbidity. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the PubMed / MEDLINE database to identify studies that are relevant to this current review. Depressed patients present neuroinflammatory alterations, probably related to microglial activation, while animal models show that a microglial response to immune challenges including lipopolysaccharides is accompanied by depressive-like behaviors. Recent evidence from preclinical studies indicate that activated microglia have a key role in the onset of fatigue. In chronic inflammatory conditions, such as infections and senescence, microglia orchestrate an inflammatory microenvironment thereby causing fatigue. In conclusion, based on our review we may posit that shared immune-inflammatory pathways and activated microglia underpin comorbid depression and CFS and that activated microglia are the main orchestrators of this comorbidity. As such, microglial activation and neuro-inflammation may be promising targets to treat the overlapping manifestations of both depression and CFS.

In this work, anchoring of cinchona derivatives to trifunctional cores (hub approach) was demonstrated to obtain size-enlarged organocatalysts. By modifying the cinchona skeleton in different positions, we prepared four C3-symmetric size-enlarged cinchona derivatives (hub-cinchonas), which were tested as organocatalysts and their catalytic activities were compared with the parent cinchona (hydroquinine) catalyst. We showed that in the hydroxyalkylation reaction of indole, hydroquinine provides good enantioselectivities (up to 73% ee), while the four new size-enlarged derivatives gave significantly lower values (up to 29% ee) in this reaction. Anchoring cinchonas to trifunctional cores was found to facilitate nanofiltration-supported catalyst recovery using PolarClean alternative solvent. The C3-symmetric size-enlarged organocatalysts were completely rejected by all the applied membranes, whereas the separation of hydroquinine was found to be insufficient using organic solvent nanofiltration. Furthermore, the asymmetric catalysis was successfully demonstrated in the case of Michael reaction of 1,3-diketones and trans-β-nitrostyrene using Hub3-cinchona (up to 96% ee) as a result of the positive effect of the C3-symmetric structure using a bulkier substrate. This means an increased selectivity of the catalyst in comparison to hydroquinine in the latter Michael reaction.

Despite well-documented health benefits of probiotics Saccharomyces, its application in oral health has not been comprehensively assessed. Dental caries is a transmissible disease initiated by acid production of cariogenic bacteria and yeast, such as Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, on tooth enamel and followed by subsequent enamel demineralization. Here, we investigated the effect of two Saccharomyces strains (Saccharomyces boulardii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on S. mutans-C. albicans cross-kingdom interactions using a cariogenic planktonic model. Viable cells, pH changes and gene expression were measured. S. cerevisiae and S. boulardii inhibited the growth of C. albicans either in dual-, or multi-species conditions. Saccharomyces also inhibited C. albicans hyphal formation. Furthermore, Saccharomyces reduced the acidity of the culture medium which usually plummeted below pH 5 when S. mutans and C. albicans were present in the model. The presence of Saccharomyces maintained the culture medium above 6 even after overnight incubation, demonstrating a protective potential against dental enamel demineralization. S. boulardii significantly downregulated S. mutans atpD and eno genes expression. Overall, our results shed light on a new promising candidate, Saccharomyces, for dental caries prevention due to its potential to create a less cariogenic environment marked by a neutral pH and reduced growth of C. albicans.

Prime numbers are the atoms of mathematics and mathematics is needed to make sense of the real world. Finding the Prime number structure and eventually being able to crack their code is the ultimate goal in what is called Number Theory. From the evolution of species to cryptography, Nature finds help in Prime numbers. One of the most important advances in the study of Prime numbers was the paper by Bernhard Riemann in November 1859 called “Ueber die Anzahl der Primzahlen unter einer gegebenen Grösse” (On the number of primes less than a given quantity). In that paper, Riemann gave a formula for the number of primes less than x in terms the integral of 1/log(x) and the roots (zeros) of the zeta function defined by: Where ζ(z) is a function of a complex variable z that analytically continues the Dirichlet series. Riemann also formulated a conjecture about the location of the zeros of RZF, which fall into two classes: the "trivial zeros" -2, -4, -6, etc., and those whose real part lies between 0 and 1. Riemann's conjecture Riemann hypothesis [RH] was formulated as this: [RH] The real part of every nontrivial zero z* of the RZF is 1/2. Proving the RH is, as of today, one of the most important problems in mathematics. In this paper we will provide a proof of the RH. The proof of the RH will be built following these five parts: PART 1: Description of the RZF PART 2: The C-transformation PART 3: Application of the C-transformation to in Re(z) 0 to obtain ζ(z)=X(z)-Y(z) PART 4: Analysis of the values of z such that X(z)=Y(z), and |X(z)|=|Y(z)|, that equates to ζ(z)=0 Proof that |X(z)|=|Y(z)| only if Re(z)=1/2 Conclude that ζ(z)=0 only if Re(z)=1/2 for Re(z) 0 PART 5: We will also prove that all non-trivial zeros of ζ(z) in the critical line of the form are not distributed randomly. There is a relationship between the values of those zeros and the Harmonic function that leads to an algebraic relationship between any two zeros.

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex condition that represents a significant burden in terms of individual disability and societal costs. Despite decades of research investigating treatment options, PTSD remains a major cause of quality-of-life impairment. We hypothesized that patients with PTSD might benefit from peripheral somatosensory stimulation (PSS) therapy. Methods Six adult patients with clinically diagnosed PTSD were enrolled to undergo daily PSS therapy over a 4-week period. Patients completed two surveys evaluating satisfaction with treatment and overall well-being (Survey 1) and severity of PTSD symptoms (Survey 2). Survey 1 was completed weekly during the course of the study. Survey 2 was based on the 9-question National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale (NSESSS) and was completed as a baseline prior to initiation of therapy and then at the conclusion of the trial. All data were analyzed by an independent statistician. Results Six male patients were enrolled in the study; all completed the trial. All patients demonstrated a decrease in symptoms within one week of initiation of therapy. This benefit was sustained and appeared to further improve over the course of the trial. For Survey 1, the overall median scores demonstrated a significant time-dependent improvement across measurement times (p < 0.001). For Survey 2, patients had statistically significant improvements from baseline regarding feelings of being emotionally upset and being overly alert. Results from a cumulative link mixed model demonstrated that treatment yielded a 38.2-fold higher likelihood of transitioning from a higher PTSD score at baseline to a lower (improved) score at week 4. No adverse events were described by the patients. Conclusions PSS stimulation appeared to improve symptoms in all six patients with PTSD symptoms in this trial. Patients had unanimous and clinically meaningful improvement in overall PTSD symptoms with treatment. By week 4, all patients responded that they enjoyed the treatment and would like to keep their device. We suggest that further investigation into the potential usefulness of PSS therapy in patients with PTSD is warranted.

Diastolic dysfunction, a prevalent condition characterized by impaired relaxation and filling of the left ventricle, significantly contributes to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Galectin-3, a β-galactoside-binding lectin, has garnered attention as a potential biomarker and mediator of fibrosis and inflammation in cardiovascular diseases. This comprehensive review investigates the impact of galectin-3 on diastolic dysfunction. We explore its molecular mechanisms, including its involvement in cellular signaling pathways and interaction with components of the extracellular matrix. Evidence from both animal models and clinical studies elucidates galectin-3's role in cardiac remodeling, inflammation, and fibrosis, shedding light on the underlying pathophysiology of diastolic dysfunction. Additionally, we examine the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of galectin-3 in diastolic dysfunction, emphasizing its potential as both a biomarker and a therapeutic target. This review underscores the significance of comprehending galectin-3's role in diastolic dysfunction and its promise in enhancing diagnosis and treatment approaches for HFpEF patients.

Probiotics are living microbes that provide benefits to the host. The increasing data on health promotion following probiotics administration triggered growing interest among researchers and pharmaceutical companies looking for novel therapeutic or preventive tools. Infections of the lower genital tract in females are caused by a wide range of pathogens, they are widespread, and represent one of the main areas for the use of probiotics and postbiotics. Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) affects 75% of women in their reproductive age at least once during their lifetime. Of these women 5-8% develop the recurrent form (RVVC). The disease onset is triggered by the overgrowth of Candida species on the vaginal mucosa. Here, we evaluated the beneficial properties of the Bacillus coagulans spore-producing LMG S-24828 against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis. Our results show that both alive B. coagulans and its Cell-Free-Supernatant (CFS) exerted antifungal activity against both fungi. Moreover, alive B. coagulans reduced hyphal formation, inhibited C. albicans adhesion to vaginal epithelial cells and showed co-aggregation capacity. Overall, B. coagulans LMG S-24828 exerted a protective effect on vaginal epithelial cells infected with C. albicans. These data suggest that B. coagulans LMG S-24828 may provide benefits in the context of Candida vaginal infections.

A Gem-quality rubies and sapphires are often commercially heat treated at about 800°C or higher temperatures to enhance their colour and clarity, and hence quality. For this study, selected corundum samples containing diaspore- and goethite inclusions were heated step-by-step to a maximum of 1000 °C with the aim to monitor the dehydration and phase transformation of these oxyhydroxides to corundum and hematite during heating. Based on our experiments and in agreement with literature, the dehydration of diaspore in corundum occurs between 525 to 550 °C, whereas goethite transforms to hematite already between 300 and 325 °C. As both, diaspore and goethite are common inclusions in rubies, sapphires, and other corundum varieties, these dehydration reactions and phase transformations can be considered important criteria to separate unheated stones from heated ones, specifically in cases in which other methods (e.g. microscopy, FTIR) are unsuccessful.

Euler’s product formula over the primes and Euler’s zeta function equate to enshrine the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic that every integer > 1 is the product of a unique set of primes. The product formula has no zero, and with a domain ≤1 Euler’s zeta diverges. Dirichlet’s eta function η(s), negates alternate terms of zeta, permitting convergence when s∈C and Re(s) < 1, and its non-trivial zeros {ρ}, have a deep relationship with the distribution of the primes. The Riemann Hypothesis is that all the non-trivial zeros have Re(ρ) = 1/2. This work examines the symmetries in a partial Euler’s zeta series with a complex domain equating it to the difference between two finite vector series whose matched terms have mirror-image arguments, but whose magnitudes differ when Re(s) ≠ 1/2. Analytical continuation generates a modified eta series η_l(s), in which every l^th term is multiplied by (1-l). If the integer l is appropriately determined by the Im(s), similar paired finite vector series have a difference that closely follows η_l (s) and their terminal vectors intersect in a unique way permitting zeros only when Re(s) = 1/2. Furthermore, those vectors tracking the derivatives of the series, have a special relationship permitting zeros of the differential only when Re(s) > 1/2.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a commonly used chemotherapeutic that can adversely affect skeletal muscle, including causing muscle atrophy. Dox is known to induce an event known as mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in cardiac muscle and this plays an important role in Dox-mediated cardiac toxicity. Further to this, recent evidence identifies MPT as a mechanism of atrophy in skeletal muscle, suggesting that MPT may underlie some of the Dox-related toxicity in skeletal muscle. To test this hypothesis, we used cultured human primary myotubes, C2C12 myotubes, and single adult mouse flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle fibers in experiments involving Dox treatment with or without inhibitors of MPT. Dox treatment of myotubes caused myonuclear translocation of the mitochondrial protein apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS), consistent with the known consequences of MPT. Furthermore, Dox caused atrophy in C2C12 myotubes grown on patterned plates, human primary myotubes, and single muscle fibers from adult mice. Notably, Dox-induced atrophy could be prevented by a wide variety of agents that inhibit MPT, as well as by inhibiting mROS or Caspase 3. In conclusion, our results indicate that MPT plays an important role in driving Dox-mediated skeletal muscle atrophy.

Products derived from Cannabis sativa have gained increased interest and popularity. As these products become common amongst the public, the heath and potential therapeutic values associated with hemp have become a premier focus of research. While the psychoactive and medicinal properties of Cannabis products have been extensively highlighted in literature, the antibacterial properties of CBD have not been explored in depth. This research serves to examine the antibacterial potential of CBD against Salmonella newington and Salmonella typhimurium. In this study we observed bacterial response to CBD exposure through biological assays, bacterial kinetics, and fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, comparative studies between CBD and ampicillin were conducted against Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella newington to determine comparative efficacy. Furthermore, we observed potential resistance development of our Salmonella spp. against CBD treatment.

The reaction of arylidene-α-amino esters with electrophilic alkenes to yield the Michael type addition compounds is optimized using several phosphines as organocatalysts. The transformation is very complicated due to the generation of several final compounds, including those derived from the 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. For this reason, the selection of the reaction conditions is a very complex task and the slow addition of the acrylic system is very important to complete the reaction. The study of the variation of the structural components of the starting imino ester is performed as well as the expansion of other electron-poor alkenes. The crude products have a purity higher than 90% in most cases without any purification. A plausible mechanism is detailed based on the bibliography and the experimental results. The synthesis of pyroglutamate entities, after reduction of the imino group and cyclization, is performed in high yields. In addition, the hydrolysis of the imino group, under acidic media, represents a direct access to glutamate surrogates.

. Protein cysteine S-glycosylation is a relatively rare and less well characterized post-translational modification (PTM). Creating reliable model proteins that carry this modification is challenging. The lack of available model or natural S-glycosylated proteins significantly hampers the development of MS-based methodologies for detecting protein cysteine S-glycosylation in real-world proteomic studies. There is also limited MS-sequencing data describing easier to create synthetic S-glycopeptides. Here, we present the results of an in-depth manual analysis of automatically annotated CID/HCD spectra for model S-glucopeptides. The CID spectra show a long series of y/b-fragment ions with retained S-glucosylation, regardless of the dominant m/z signals corresponding to neutral loss of 1,2-anhydroglucose from the precursor ions. In addition, the spectra show signals manifesting glucosyl transfer from the cysteine position onto Lys, Arg side chains, and a peptide N-terminus. Other spectral evidence indicates that the N-glucosylated initial products of transfer are converted into N-furanosylated (i.e., glycated) structures due to Amadori rearrangement. We discuss the peculiar transfer of the glucose oxocarbenium ion (Glc+) to positively charged guanidinium residue (ArgH+) and propose a mechanism for the gas-phase Amadori rearrangement involving a hydride ion shift.

Commercial sleep devices and mobile-phone applications for scoring sleep are gaining ground. In order to provide reliable information about the quantity and/or quality of sleep, their performance needs to be assessed against the current gold-standard, i.e. polysomnography (PSG; measuring brain, eye and muscle activity). We here assessed some commercially available sleep trackers, namely; a commercial activity tracker: Mi band (Xiaomi, BJ, CHN), a scientific actigraph: Motionwatch 8 (CamNTech, CB, UK), and a much used sleep application: Sleep Cycle (Northcube, GOT, SE). We recorded 27 nights in healthy sleepers using PSG and these devices. Surprisingly, all devices had very poor agreement with the gold standard. Sleep parameter comparisons revealed that specifically the Mi band and the sleep cycle application had difficulties in detecting wake periods which negatively affected the total sleep time and sleep efficiency estimations. However, all 3 devices were good in detecting the most basic parameter, the actual time in bed. In summary, our results suggest that, to-date; available sleep trackers do not provide meaningful sleep analysis but may be interesting for simply tracking times in bed. A much closer interaction with the scientific field seems necessary if reliable information shall be derived from such devices in the future.

The implementation of management systems has become a strategic advantage in achieving business goals, especially in industrial organizations, but the implementation of social responsibility requirements is especially ethical. Large multinational companies have long been developing and, in particular, implementing their own codes of conduct, which include their suppliers, to demonstrate their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The compliance with CSR requirements from stakeholders is thus extended or intertwined with requirements in established management systems (MSs). The objectives of the study were to (1) analyze the different approaches to CSR in internationally recognized cross-industry and industry-specific standards and codes in different industries; (2) select the most appropriate framework for assessing the degree of applicability of CSR in the selected management systems and develop a methodology for its assessment; (3) apply the proposed methodology (referred to as SRIMS) in the selected areas: automotive industry, research organization, and metallurgical industry; (4) through ANOVA, validate its use for assessing the overall level of CSR applicability in an organization's established management systems. The application of the Bonferroni method confirmed the hypotheses that the developed SRIMS model is a sufficiently appropriate tool for assessing the overall level of applicability of CSR requirements to established MSs.

The operating room in a cardiothoracic surgical case is a complex environment, with multiple handoffs often required by staffing changes, and can be variable from program to program. This study was done to characterize what types of practitioners provide anesthesia during cardiac operations to determine the variability in this aspect of care. A survey was sent out via a list serve of members of the cardiac surgical team. Responses from 40 programs from a variety of countries showed variability across every dimension requested of the cardiac anesthesia team. Given that anesthesia is proven to have influence on the outcome of cardiac procedures, this study indicates the opportunity to further study how this variability influences outcomes, and to identify best practices.

In this paper, a multi-operator differential evolution algorithm (MODE) is proposed to solve the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem and is called MODE-OPF. The MODE-OPF utilizes the strengths of more than one differential evolution (DE) operator in a single algorithmic framework. Additionally, an adaptive method (AM) is proposed to update the number of solutions evolved by each DE operator based on both the diversity of population and quality of solutions. This adaptive method has the ability to maintain diversity at the early stages of the optimization process and boost convergence at the later ones. The performance of the proposed MODE-OPF is tested by solving OPF problems for both small and large IEEE bus systems (i.e., IEEE-30 and IEEE-118) while considering the intermittent solar and wind power generation. To prove the suitability of this proposed algorithm, its performance has been compared against several state-of-the-art optimization algorithms, where MODE-OPF outperforms other algorithms in all experimental results and thereby improving a network's performance with lower cost. MODE-OPF decreases the total generation cost up to 24.08%, the real power loss up to 6.80% and the total generation cost with emission up to 8.56%.

Background: Over the past two decades, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) has been established as a valid instrument to measure psychosocial stress at work. Currently, the COPSOQ international network is responsible for monitoring and improving COPSOQ. In 2019, a new questionnaire was published, and the Greek version is now being validated. Methods: The measurement qualities of the Greek COPSOQ III have been explored in accordance with the usual requirements of a validation study as defined by DIN EN ISO 10075-3. A sample of observations from 2,189 participants surveyed with the COPSOQ in Greece was used to validate the current version with appropriate statistical analyses. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the statistical relationships for many scales. Results: With its 108 items and 40 scales, the Greek COPSOQ III includes all psychosocial work factors that have been internationally validated and remain compatible with approximately 72% of the COPSOQ III German version content. In addition to the primary results, congruence with widely used theoretical approaches such as the demand-control (−support) model (DCM) or the job demands-resources model (JDR) is generally satisfactory. In summary, our validation study for the Greek COPSOQ III version showed adequate reliability and validity, which is in line with the findings of the COPSOQ III questionnaire from other European countries, and it is also compatible with the validation of the German COPSOQ III (Lincke, 2021). Our regression analysis revealed that 34 psychosocial work factors (34 “context” scales) could adequately predict the scores of the satisfactory and health scales (6 “outcome” scales). The analysis also revealed the top five (5) predictors (context variables) for each of the six (6) “effect” scales (outcome variables). Conclusions: With the launch of COPSOQ III in Greece, current and new workplace psychosocial aspects could be explored. COPSOQ III (GR) is a beneficial instrument for enterprise research and risk assessment.

This study presents a novel Fe-CNs-P/S carbon composite material, synthesized by doping elements P and S into NH2-MIL-101 (Fe) using carbonization method. The material's application in sustainable water treatment was evaluated, focusing on its effectiveness in activating persulfate for pollutant degradation. The research thoroughly investigates the synthesis process, structural characteristics, and performance in degrading pollutants. Results indicate that Fe-CNs-P/S-5 with 50% P and S co-doping is higher than that of other samples, where the degradation rate of TC in 30min is as high as 98.11% under the optimum conditions, that is temperature at 25 ℃, 0.05 g/L of catalyst concentration, and 0.2 g/L of PMS concentration. The composite material demonstrates robust versatility and stability, maintaining high degradation efficiency across multiple organic pollutants, with no significant reduction in catalytic performance after four cycles. Furthermore, the free radical quenching experiments displays that the singlet oxygen 1O2 is the main active species. It is demonstrated that the doping of P and S play a role in the enhancement of PMS activation over the Fe-CNs-P/S catalyst. This material demonstrates remarkable efficacy in treating a range of organic contaminants and exhibits excellent reusability, presenting a promising approach for enhancing sustainability in water treatment applications.

Foliage-feeding fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and root-feeding western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) are maize (Zea mays L.) pests that cause significant yield losses. Jasmonic acid (JA) play pivotal defense role against insects. 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (12-OPDA) is converted into JA by peroxisome-localized OPDA reductases (OPR). However, little is known about the physiological functions of cytoplasmic OPRs. Here, we show that disruption of ZmOPR2 reduced wound-induced JA production and defense against FAW while accumulating more JA catabolites. Overexpression of ZmOPR2 in Arabidopsis enhanced JA production and defense against beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua). In addition, lox10opr2 double mutants were more susceptible than either single mutant, suggesting that ZmOPR2 and ZmLOX10 uniquely and additively contributed to defense. In contrast to the defensive role of ZmOPR2 and ZmLOX10 in leaves, single mutants did not display any alteration in root herbivory defense against WCR. Feeding on lox10opr2 double mutants resulted in increased WCR mortality associated with greater herbivory-induced production of insecticidal death acids and ketols. Thus, ZmOPR2 and ZmLOX10 cooperatively inhibit synthesis of these metabolites during herbivory by WCR. We conclude that ZmOPR2 and ZmLOX10 regulate JA-mediated resistance in leaves against FAW while suppressing insecticidal oxylipin synthesis in roots during WCR infestation.

The viewpoint and reaction of a country towards climate change are shaped by its political, cultural, and scientific backgrounds, in addition to the distinct characteristics of its evolving climate and the anticipated and actual consequences of the phenomenon in the times ahead. A region's climate has a significant impact on how water is managed and used, mostly in the primary sector (agroforestry systems, livestock, and agriculture), and both the distribution of ecosystem types and the amount and spreading of species on Earth. As a result, the environment and agricultural practices are affected by climate, so evaluating both distribution and evolution is extremely pertinent. Towards this aim, the climate distribution and evolution in the S. Francisco River basin (SFRB) is assessed in three periods (1970−2000, 1981−2022) in the past and 20412060 in the future from an ensemble of GCMs under two SSPs (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways), SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5. The Köppen-Geiger (KG) climate classification system is analyzed, and climate change impacts are inferred for this watershed located in central-eastern Brazil, covering an area equivalent to 8% of the country. Results predict the disappearance of the hot-summer (Csa) and warm-summer (Csb) Mediterranean climates, and a reduction/increase in the tropical savanna with dry winter (Aw)/dry summer (As). A striking increase in the semi-arid hot (BSh-steppe) climate is predicted with a higher percentage (10%) under SSP5-8.5. The Source and the mouth of SFRB are projected to endure the major impacts of climate change that is followed by a predicted increase/decrease in temperature/precipitation. Future freshwater resource availability, and quality for human use will all be impacted. Consequences on ecosystems, agricultural and for the socioeconomic sectors within the SFRB might deepen the current contrasts between regions, urban and rural areas, and even between population groups, thus translating to a larger extent, the inequality that still characterizes Brazilian society. Maps depicting land use and cover changes in the São Francisco River basin from 1985 to 2022 highlight tendencies such as urbanization, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and changes in shrubland and water bodies. Urban areas fluctuated slightly, while cropland significantly increased from 33.57% to 45.45%, and forest areas decreased from 3.88% to 3.50%. Socioeconomic data reveals disparities among municipalities: 74.46% with medium Human Development Index (HDI), 0.59% with very high HDI, and 9.11% with low HDI. Most municipalities have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita below US$ 6,000. Population distribution maps show a predominance of small to medium-sized urban and rural communities, reflecting the basin's dispersed demographic and economic profile. To build routes towards a shared sustainable goal—namely, to adapt and reduce the expected climate change impacts in SFRB—it is imperative that integrated measures be conducted with the cooperation of stakeholders, local population, and decision-makers.

Commercially cultivated Prunus species are commonly grown in adjacent or mixed orchards, and can be infected with unique or commonly shared viruses. Apple (Malus domestica), another member of the Rosacea and distantly related to Prunus, can share the same growing regions and common pathogens. Pollen can be a major route for virus transmission, and analysis of the pollen virome in tree fruit orchards can provide insights into these virus pathogen complexes from mixed production sites. Commercial honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination is essential for improved fruit set and yield in tree fruit production systems. Here we describe the metagenomics-based detection of plant viruses through bee and pollen samples collected during the spring bloom period from a mixed Prunus and Malus orchard. Twenty-one unique viruses were detected in samples collected during apricot (Prunus armeniaca), sweet cherry (Prunus avium), peach (Prunus persica), and apple blooms. Ilarviruses prune dwarf virus (PDV) and prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), Secoviridae family members tomato necrotic ringspot virus, tobacco necrotic ringspot virus, and prunus virus F, and Capillovirus cherry virus A (CVA) were detected in all time points, while other viruses were detected with restricted ranges. These results demonstrate the benefits of area-wide monitoring through bee pollination activities, and provide new insights into the diversity of viruses in tree fruit pollination ecosystems.

Age-related disorders of the musculoskeletal system including sarcopenia, osteoporosis and arthritis represent some of the most common chronic conditions worldwide, for which there remains a great clinical need to develop safer and more efficacious pharmacological treatments. Collectively, these conditions involve multiple tissues, including skeletal muscle, bone, articular cartilage and the synovium within the joint lining. In this review, we discuss the potential for oligonucleotide therapies to combat the unmet clinical need in musculoskeletal disorders by evaluating the successes of oligonucleotides to modify candidate pathological gene targets and cellular processes in relevant tissues and cells of the musculoskeletal system. Further, we discuss the challenges that remain for the clinical development of oligonucleotides therapies for musculoskeletal disorders and evaluate some of the current approaches to overcome these.

Vertically aligned Fe, S, and Fe-S doped anatase TiO₂ nanotube arrays are prepared by electrochemical anodization process using an organic electrolyte in which lactic acid is added as an additive. In the electrolyte, nanotube layers of greater length (12 μm) and high order with inner diameter of approx. 90 nm and outer diameter of approx. 170 nm are achieved. Doping of Fe, S, and Fe-S via simple wet impregnation method substituted Ti and O sites with Fe and S, which leads to enhance the rate performance at high discharge current densities. Discharge capacities of TiO₂ tubes increased from 82 mAh g-1 (bare) to 165 mAh g-1 for Fe-S doped TiO₂ at high current densities of 0.3 mAcm-2 after 100 cycles with exceptional capacity retention of 85% after 100 cycles. Owing to the enhancement of thermodynamic and kinetic properties by doping of Fe-S, Li-diffusion increas2ed resulting in remarkable discharge capacities of 143 mAh g-1 and 89 mAh g-1 at a current density of 7.4 mA cm-2 and 19 mA cm-2, respectively.

Planning and implementation of construction projects are difficult processes and are burdened with many risk elements. The budget spread over time, which is developed on the basis of the schedule, presents the expected distribution of costs throughout the duration of the works, which during the implementation of the project is subject to constant changes resulting from time, cost and organizational factors. Managing construction contracts requires managers to be able to analyze on an ongoing basis the variances of production costs - from the values calculated in the offer cost estimate and assumed in the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled. The article attempts to analyze the emerging time and cost variances using proprietary C-S and S-C monitoring, based on simple indicators of the EVM method. An example of construction of a multi-family housing development was used to study the variances of planned and incurred costs.

An efficient stereoselective three-component reaction for the synthesis of spiro[4H-chromene-3,3’-oxindole] derivatives was realized through an organocatalyzed cascade Knoevenagel/Michael/cyclization reaction using a quinidine-derived squaramide as the catalyst. Under the optimized conditions, the reactions of isatins, malononitrile, and sesamol yield the desired spirooxindoles in good yields (75–87%) and moderate to high ee values (up to 90% ee). Two pairs of selected enantiomers were subjected to evaluate their antiproliferative activities on three types of human cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. The results indicated that stereoselectivity and electrical effect showed significant impact on activity. Enanotiomer R-3f exhibited optimal cytotoxic activity against U2OS cell line, which was close to the inhibitory activity of positive control, Adriamycin.

We report on the role of synergistic polarization of Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3 (BST) nanoparticles in sulfur cathodes to enhance the redox kinetics of polysulfides for high-capacity Li-S batteries. Ferroelectric nanoparticles are known to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries due to their inherent self-polarization and high adsorption capacity towards polysulfides. X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the tetragonal symmetry (c/a=1.0073), while Raman spectroscopic analysis validated the presence of tetragonal orientation Raman modes in BST-modified composites. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed a homogeneous distribution of BST in the sulfur cathode system, with grain sizes ranging from 1 to 1.5 μm. Notably, the BST-coupled S50BST30CB10PVDF10 composite cathode achieved a capacity of approximately 820 mAh/g at 100 mA/g, maintaining stability over 100 cycles, demonstrating improved electrochemical performance. Two distinct plateaus between 2.3 V to 2.0 V and 2.0 V to 1.5 V further underscore the superior performance of BST ferroelectric nanoparticles in enhancing the redox kinetics of Li-S batteries. By leveraging the favourable affinity of polar substances towards polysulfides, we aimed to create a more stable reactive environment within the cathodic site, effectively trapping polysulfide intermediates through the synergistic polarization of BST nanoparticles. The synergistic polarization induced by the asymmetric crystal structure of ferroelectrics is anticipated to generate internal electric fields, enhancing chemisorption with heteropolar reactive. The observed high cyclic stability further validates the efficacy of these composite cathodes in mitigating the polysulfide shuttle effect, offering promising prospects for advancing Li-S battery technology.

This article is about a framework for determining the degree of realism of any given 1 passenger ride motion discomfort measurement formula. After providing some context and reviewing 2 evidence of deficiency in currently popular ride motion discomfort measurement formulas, the article 3 outlines the research program that needs to be carried out in order to establish such a framework. 4 The research begins with gathering recordings of uncomfortable ride motion episodes encountered in 5 a chosen type of passenger transport service. It then has test subjects compare the episodes via a ride 6 motion simulator and adjust their amplitudes pair wise until they cause equal discomfort. It explains 7 how to take the pair wise amplitude adjustments and determine amplitude adjustments that bring all 8 of the motion episode recordings to a common level of discomfort so that they form a normalized set. 9 Then, the lower the scatter of the scores assigned by any given discomfort measurement formula to 10 the members of that set, the more realistic that formula will be for the chosen service.

Micro-combs [1-4] - optical frequency combs generated by integrated micro-cavity resonators – offer the full potential of their bulk counterparts [5,6], but in an integrated footprint. The discovery of temporal soliton states (DKS – dissipative Kerr solitons) [4,7-11] as a means of mode-locking micro-combs has enabled breakthroughs in many fields including spectroscopy [12,13], microwave photonics [14], frequency synthesis [15], optical ranging [16,17], quantum sources [18,19], metrology [20,21] and more. One of their most promising applications has been optical fibre communications where they have enabled massively parallel ultrahigh capacity multiplexed data transmission [22,23]. Here, by using a new and powerful class of micro-comb called “soliton crystals” [11], we achieve unprecedented data transmission over standard optical fibre using a single integrated chip source. We demonstrate a line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) using the telecommunications C-band at 1550nm with a spectral efficiency – a critically important performance metric - of 10.4 bits/s/Hz. Soliton crystals exhibit robust and stable generation and operation as well as a high intrinsic efficiency that, together with a low soliton micro-comb spacing of 48.9 GHz enable the use of a very high coherent data modulation format of 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulated). We demonstrate error free transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre in the laboratory as well as in a field trial over an installed metropolitan optical fibre network. These experiments were greatly aided by the ability of the soliton crystals to operate without stabilization or feedback control. This work demonstrates the capability of optical soliton crystal micro-combs to perform in demanding and practical optical communications networks.

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

This note first summarizes the history of the manuscript "On a Continuum Model for Avalanche Flow and Its Simplified Variants" by Grigorian and Ostroumov―published in the Special Issue on snow avalanche dynamics of Geosciences―since the early 1990s and explains the guiding principles in editing it for publication. The changes are then detailed and some explanatory notes given for the benefit of readers who are not familiar with the early Russian work on snow avalanche dynamics. Finally, the editor's personal views as to why he still considers this paper of relevance for avalanche dynamics research today are presented in brief essays on key aspects of the paper, namely the role of simple and complex models in avalanche research and mitigation work, the status and possible applications of Grigorian's stress-limited friction law, and non-monotonicity of the dynamics of the Grigorian–Ostroumov model in the friction coefficient. A comparison of the erosion model proposed by those authors with two other models suggests to enhance it with an additional equation for the balance of tangential momentum across the shock front. A preliminary analysis indicates that continuous scouring entrainment is possible only in a restricted parameter range and that there is a second erosion regime with delayed entrainment.

Background and objectives: Effective management for chronic diseases, hereditary and rare diseases and Thalassaemia in particular constitutes an important indicator for the quality of healthcare systems. We aimed at assessing healthcare services in different countries by using publicly available health indicators and by surveying Thalassaemia patients and their caregivers. Materials and Methods: We reviewed official worldwide databases from the WHO, World Bank, and scientific resources and also used a structured patient tailored self-completed questionnaire to survey Thalassaemia patients and their caregivers in 2023. Results: A total of 2,082 participants were surveyed (mean age 27 years, males 42%). About 1 in 4 respondents had less than high school education, while 24% had a bachelor degree. About a third of respondents were married and had either full- or part-time employment. The vast majority (~80%) had initiated transfusion therapy between 1 – 4 years of age. Only 42% reported no delays in receiving blood transfusion, while 47% reported occasional delays and 8% serious delays. About half of patients reported being very satisfied (11%) or satisfied (38%) with the quality of provided services, while 1 in 3 patients reported being unsatisfied or very unsatisfied, and their access to treatment was difficult or very difficult due to traveling expenses and high cost of treatment. Conclusion: Important improvements in the care of Thalassaemia patients have been documented during the past decades. Nevertheless, our recent survey reveals many unmet needs where additional focus is required through national healthcare systems in order to address them effectively and achieve satisfactory patient outcomes.

The present Feature Paper highlights the application of bacterial surface (S-) layer proteins as versatile components for the fabrication of biosensors. One technologically relevant feature of S‑layer proteins is their ability to self-assemble on many surfaces and interfaces to form a crystalline 2D protein lattice. The S-layer lattice on the surface of a biosensor becomes part of the interface architecture, linking the bioreceptor to the transducer interface, which may cause signal amplification. The S-layer lattice as ultrathin, highly porous structure with functional groups in a well-defined special distribution and orientation and an overall anti-fouling characteristics can significantly raise the limit in terms of variety and ease of bioreceptor immobilization, compactness of bioreceptor molecule arrangement, sensitivity, specificity, and detection limit for many types of biosensors. The present paper discusses and summarizes examples for the successful implementation of S-layer lattices on biosensor surfaces in order to give a comprehensive overview on the application potential of these bioinspired S-layer protein-based biosensors.

In this systematic review, the PRISMA method was applied to examine publications from the last two decades that have investigated the noxious gaseous emissions from dairy barns. The aim was to analyse the outcomes from literature studies estimating the quantities of polluting gases produced in dairy barns, with specific focus on ammonia (NH₃) emissions. The review also explores proposed methods to reduce the associated effects through mitigation strategies. Estimation of NH₃ emissions is significantly influenced by the complex interactions among several factors, including animal management practices, such as controlling animal behavioral activities; manure management, like utilising practices for floor manure removal; the type of structure housing the animals, whether it is naturally or mechanically ventilated; and environmental conditions, such as the effects of temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and ventilation rate on NH₃ release in the barn. These influential components have been considered by researchers, identifying targeted mitigation strategies. Despite growing attention to the issue, gaps in the scientific literature were identified and discussed, particularly regarding the analysis of mitigation strategies and their long-term impacts (i.e., environmental, economic and productivity-wise).

Spinal Cord Injury in children can be a devastating condition in children with profound implications for their overall health and quality of life. In this review we aim to provide a concise overview of the key aspects associated with SCI in pediatric population. Firstly, we discuss the etiology and epidemiology of SCI in children, highlighting the diverse range of causes. We explore the unique anatomical and physiological characteristics of the developing spinal cord that contribute to the specific challenges faced by pediatric patients. Next, we delve into the clinical presentation and diagnostic methods, emphasizing the importance of prompt and accurate diagnosis to facilitate appropriate interventions. Furthermore, we approach the multidisciplinary management of pediatric SCI, encompassing acute medical care, surgical interventions, and ongoing supportive therapies. Finally, we explore emerging research and innovative therapies in the field and we emphasize the need for continued advancements in understanding and treating SCI in children to improve their functional independence and overall quality of life.

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is often prodromal to Parkinson’s disease (PD). Thus there should be detectable in vivo functional signatures shared between RBD and PD that aid in disease classification. To assess common in-vivo phenotypes, resting state data was collected on a 3T clinical MRI platform and a novel functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) approach, which combined independent component analysis (ICA) and graph theory, was used to evaluate deficits in interconnectivity among 15 PD, 14 RBD and 13 control participants. Whole brain and network-level analyses revealed the largest deficits in network connectivity in PD compared with controls, with less severe differences between RBD and controls. Importantly, the network-level analysis demonstrated decreased network interconnectivity, with the greatest aberrant networks in PD, and a subset in RBD. Additionally, a disease classification algorithm predicted PD cases by being trained on RBD cases with 0.87 sensitivity and 0.68 specificity. The functional alterations in cortical networks in RBD extended beyond the brainstem. These findings demonstrate progressive reductions in connectivity between brain networks, with less severe deficits in RBD than PD. Moreover, RBD phenotypes can be used to predict PD status in a cross-sectional sample, which suggests RBD is an intermediate phenotype.

The COVID-19 pandemic over the past years has shown a great need for rapid, low-cost and on-site detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, an aptamer-based colloidal gold nanoparticle lateral flow test strip was well developed to realize the visual detection of wild type SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) and multiple variants. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a low detection limit of SARS-CoV-2 S protein of 0.68 nM was acquired, and the actual detection recovery was 83.3% to 108.8% for real world samples. This suggests a potential tool for the prompt detection of SARS-CoV-2 with good sensitivity and accuracy, and a new method for the development of alternative antibody test strips for the detection of other viral targets.

This study investigates the impact of vertical greenery systems (VGS) applied to heavyweight walls on indoor thermal conditions in a building module situated in the Mediterranean climate of Catania, Italy. Using dynamic simulations in TRNSYS, the research compares the thermal behavior of walls constructed from hollow clay blocks (Poroton) and lava stone blocks with a lightweight wall setup already in place at the University of Catania. The primary focus is on evaluating the VGS’s effect on reducing peak inner surface temperatures and moderating heat flux fluctuations entering the building. The findings indicate that adding a vertical greenery layer to heavyweight walls can decrease the peak inner surface temperature by up to 1.0°C compared to the same wall without vegetation. However, the greenery’s impact on mitigating heat flux fluctuations is less pronounced than in the case of the lightweight wall. This research underscores the potential of green facades in enhancing indoor thermal comfort in regions with climates similar to the Mediterranean, providing valuable insights for sustainable building design and urban planning.

The philosophy of testing statistical hypothesis is a natural consequence and functional extension of mathematical analysis of Probability. Along with the concept of recurrence when applied to random sequences and functions, it leads to the analysis of a priori and posterior which implies testing statistical hypothesis. Testing statistical hypothesis also involves algebraic, functional and dimensional considerations, which are found in the works of Laplace. Aspects of mathematical analysis such as universality of solutions, Laws of Large Numbers, Entropy, Information, and various functional dependencies are the main factors explained in the five properties that lead to implication of testing statistical hypothesis. Various interesting examples with modern scientific significance from genetics, astrophysics, and other areas give methodological access to answers of different problems and phenomena which are involved in the logic of testing statistical hypothesis.

Dioscorea praehensilis Berth is one of the wild yam species resistance to many yam disease (yam anthracnose disease and yam mosaic virus) grow in Ghana especially in the cocoa grown regions of the country. It is a crucial crop that has been known to contribute to poverty reduction and food gap. Genetic diversity in this yam species has been discovered to be eroding and neglected. In this study we evaluated the genetic diversity among 43 D. praehensilis collected from Ghana using simple sequence repeat (SSR). Using 11 SSR marker, a total of 99 number of alleles were generated with an average of 8.48 alleles per locus. The mean gene diversity was 0.81, mean polymorphism information content was 0.82 while mean Shannon information index was 1.94. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed a contribution of 40.16% of the first three coordinate axes and grouped the 43 morphotypes into 2 groups while hierarchical cluster through UPGMA revealed the presence of 3 main clusters. Molecular variance (AMOVA) alongside the Fst revealed low genetic diversity and differentiation among accessions and population. Result of this study assess the genetic diversity and will facilitate the use D. praehensilis as sources of resistance gene into yam breeding program.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is currently used to monitor not only the spread of the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 but also for other viruses in endemic conditions, particularly in the absence of syndromic surveillance. Continuous monitoring of sewage requires high costs and significant time investment, highlighting the need for standardized methods and structured monitoring strategies. In this context, we conducted weekly wastewater monitoring in northwestern Italy, targeting Human Adenovirus (HAdV), Norovirus Genogroup II (NoVggII), Enterovirus (EV), and SARS-CoV-2. Samples collected at the entrance of treatment plants were concentrated using PEG/NaCl precipitation and viral nucleic acids were extracted and detected by real-time (RT-)qPCR. NoVggII resulted the most identified target (84.4%), followed by HAdV, SARS-CoV-2, and EV. Only HAdV and EV exhibited seasonal peaks in spring and summer. SARS-CoV-2 results compared with data previously collected in the same study area (February 2021 to September 2021) revealed a shift from an epidemic to a pandemic status, likely due to the evolution of variants. In conclusion, WBE, using standardized methods and an efficient monitoring strategy, proves valuable for virus surveillance in pandemic and epidemic scenarios, enabling the identification of temporal-local distribution patterns that are useful for making informed public health decision.

Let R be a commutative graded ring with unity, S be a multiplicative subset of homogeneous elements of R and P be a graded ideal of R such that P\bigcap S=\emptyset In this article, we introduce several results concerning graded S-prime ideals. Then we introduce the concept of graded weakly S-prime ideals which is a generalization of graded weakly prime ideals. We say that P is a graded weakly S-prime ideal of R if there exists s\in S such that for all x, y\in h(R), if 0\neq xy\in P, then sx\in P or sy\in P. We show that graded weakly S-prime ideals have many acquaintance properties to these of graded weakly prime ideals.

Climate change has significant impacts on the distribution of orchids. The endemic and endan-gered orchids are more susceptible to climate change than widely distributed orchids. To date, lit-tle is known concerning the response of endangered Changnienia amoena, endemic to China, to different climate scenarios. Here, we chose RF, MaxEnt, and GBM to build an ensemble model af-ter using ten models from Biomod2 to project its potential distribution in China. The outcomes showed that the four key environmental factors influencing its distribution were mean diurnal temperature range, minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature seasonality, and precipitation of the warmest quarter. This orchid was mainly distributed in western Hubei, the junction between Shaanxi and Sichuan, eastern Guizhou, northwestern Hunan, and the junction among Anhui, Henan, and Hubei provinces in the current. The total suitable area of C. amoena was 58.33 × 104 km2, only accounting for 6.08% of China's total territory, which is larger than known. However, only 4.48% of the suitable area is located within national nature reserves, and 3.33% within provincial nature reserves, respectively. During the Last Inter Glacial and mid-Holocene, its suitable areas were larger than the current. Under six future climate scenarios, its suitable areas may averagely decrease by 2.26% relative to the current, with severe habitat fragmentation. Col-lectively, the centroid of C. amoena is expected to migrate towards the southeast in the future. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that climate change takes an adverse effect on its potential distribution. We recommend expanding protected areas or establishing new conservation sites for C. amoena. Furthermore, our study can help to inform the development of conservation manage-ment strategies for other endangered orchids in China under climate change.

A large body of evidence has linked unhealthy eating patterns with an alarming increase in obesity and chronic disease worldwide. However, existing methods of assessing dietary intake in nutritional epidemiology rely on food frequency questionnaires or dietary records that are prone to bias and selective reporting. Herein, metabolic phenotyping was performed on 42 healthy participants from the Diet and Gene Intervention (DIGEST) pilot study, a parallel two-arm randomized clinical trial that provided complete diets to all participants. Matching urine and plasma specimens were collected at baseline and following 2 weeks of provision of either a Prudent or Western diet with a weight-maintaining menu plan designed by a dietician. Targeted and nontargeted metabolite profiling was conducted using three complementary analytical platforms, where 80 plasma metabolites and 84 creatinine-normalized urinary metabolites were reliably measured (CV < 30%) in the majority of participants (> 75%) after implementing a rigorous data workflow for metabolite authentication with stringent quality control. We classified a panel of metabolites with distinctive trajectories following 2 weeks of food provisions when using complementary univariate and multivariate statistical models. Unknown metabolites associated with contrasting dietary patterns were identified with high resolution MS/MS and/or co-elution after spiking with authentic standards. Overall, 3-methylhistidine and proline betaine concentrations increased consistently after participants were assigned a Prudent diet (q< 0.05) in both plasma and urine samples with a corresponding decrease in the Western diet group. Similarly, creatinine-normalized urinary imidazole propionate, hydroxypipecolic acid, dihydroxybenzoic acid, and enterolactone glucuronide, as well as plasma ketoleucine and ketovaline increased with a Prudent diet (p< 0.05) after adjustments for age, sex and BMI. In contrast, plasma myristic acid, linoelaidic acid, linoleic acid, a-linoleic acid, pentadecanoic acid, alanine, proline, carnitine and deoxycarnitine, as well as urinary acesulfame K increased among participants following a Western diet. Most metabolites were also correlated (r > ±0.30, p< 0.05) to changes in average intake of specific nutrients from self-reported diet records reflecting good adherence to assigned food provisions. Our study revealed robust biomarkers sensitive to short-term changes in habitual diet for accurate monitoring of healthy eating patterns in free-living populations, which is required for validating evidence-based public health policies for chronic disease prevention.

Although mask-wearing is now widespread, knowledge of how to quantify or improve its performance remains surprisingly limited and largely based on empirical evidence. The objective of this study was to visualize the expiratory airflows from facemasks and evaluate aerosol transmission between two persons. Different visualization methods were explored, including the Schlieren optical system, laser/LED-particle imaging system, thermal camera, and vapor-SarGel system. The leakage flows and escaped aerosols were quantified using a hotwire anemometer and a particle counter, respectively. The results show that mask-wearing reduces the exhaled flow velocity from 2~4 m/s (with no facemask) to around 0.1 m/s, thus decreasing droplet transmission speeds. Cloth, surgical, and KN95 masks showed varying leakage flows at the nose top, sides, and chin. The leakage rate also differed between inhalation and exhalation. The neck gaiter has low filtration efficiency and high leakage fractions, providing low protection efficiency. There was considerable deposition in the mouth-nose area, as well as the neck, chin, and jaw, which heightened the risk of self-inoculation through spontaneous face-touching. A face shield plus surgical mask greatly reduced droplets on the head, neck, and face, indicating that double face coverings can be highly effective when a single mask is insufficient. The vapor-SarGel system provided a practical approach to study interpersonal transmission under varying close contact scenarios or with different face coverings.

Nowadays, the identification and characterization of grapevine cultivars resilient to climate and water stress while preserving quality traits is crucial for the wine industry. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize according to their aromatic potential 9 white and 6 red minority cultivars recently recovered from Castilla-La Mancha region (Spain), subjected at two different water deficit regimes: rainfed, with subsistence irrigation, and irrigated. For this, the varietal aromatic potential index (IPAv) and the detailed aromatic composition were analyzed by HS-SBSE-GC/MS, in extracts of two different ph. For IPAv values, red varieties did not show a clear trend with respect to irrigation. However, in white minority varieties, higher values were obtained under irrigation conditions. Thus, a clear differentiation of the minority varieties in comparison to the references was observed, primarily attributed to the content of esters and acids, in both white and red varieties. A notable contrast was observed at different pH, indicating a greater extractability of certain compounds like linalool, under more acidic conditions. This suggests that some recovered minority cultivars could be promising for cultivation in semi-arid regions with limited water, contributing to the wine sector sustainability in the future.

Fabrics comprised of porous fibers could provide effective passive protection against chemical and biological (CB) threats whilst maintaining high air permeability (breathability). Here, we fabricate hierarchically porous fibers consisting of regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) and activated-carbon (AC) prepared through two fiber spinning techniques in combination with ice-templating – namely cryogenic solution blow spinning (Cryo-SBS) and cryogenic wet-spinning (Cryo-WS). The Cryo-WS RSF fibers had exceptionally small macropores (as low as 0.1 µm) and high specific surface areas (SSAs) of up to 79 m2 g-1. The incorporation of AC could further increase the SSA to 210 m2 g-1 (25 wt. % loading) whilst also increasing adsorption capacity for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Fungal pathogens pose a major threat to food production worldwide. Traditionally, chemical fungicides have been the primary means of controlling these pathogens, but many of these fungicides have recently come under increased scrutiny due to their negative effects on the health of humans, animals, and the environment. However, the use of fungicides with less of an environmental impact tends to result in the development of resistance in populations of phytopathogenic fungi. Therefore, new environmentally friendly alternatives that provide adequate levels of disease control are needed to replace chemical fungicides—if not completely, at least partially. A number of alternatives to conventional chemical fungicides have been developed, including plant defence elicitors (PDEs), biological control agents (fungi, bacteria and mycoviruses), biofungicides, RNA interference (RNAi) methods, and resistance breeding. This article reviews the conventional and alternative methods available to manage fungal pathogens, discusses their strengths and weaknesses, and identifies potential areas for future research.

There has been a great deal of research in the area of using graph engines and graph databases to model network traffic and network attacks, but the novelty of this research lies in visually or graphically representing the Reconnaissance Tactic (TA0043) of the MITRE ATT&amp;CK framework. Using the newly created dataset, UWF-Zeekdata22, based on the MITRE ATT&amp;CK framework, patterns involving network connectivity, connection duration, and data volume were found and loaded into a graph environment. Patterns were also found in the graphed data that match the Reconnaissance as well as other tactics captured by UWF-Zeekdata22. The Star motif was particularly useful in mapping the Reconnaissance tactic. The results of this paper show that graph databases/graph engines can be essential tools for understanding network traffic and trying to detect network intrusions before they happen. Finally, an analysis of the run-time performance of the reduced dataset used to create the graph databases showed that the reduced datasets performed better than the full dataset.

In vitro cancer cell cytotoxicity (IC50 values) of (E)-3-(4’-methylbenzylidene)-4-chromanone (IIIb) showed &gt;50.0 decreases in comparison to those of the respective tetralone derivative (IIIc). On the other hand, such a decrease was not observed in the analogous 4-OCH3 (IIc and IIIc) derivatives. Since the compounds can be considered cyclic chalcone analogs, kinetics and diastereoselectivity of non-enzyme catalyzed reactions with reduced glutathione (GSH) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) of IIIb and IIIc were investigated to assess the possible role of thiol-reactivity in the increased cytotoxicity of IIIb. Reactivity of the compounds and stereochemical outcome of the reactions were evaluated using high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Molecular modeling calculations were performed to rationalize the observed differences in the thiol-reactivities of the chromanones (III) and the previously investigated tetralones (II). The results indicated possible role of spontaneous thiol-reactivity of compounds III in their recorded biological effects.

Astrocytes perform a wide variety of essential functions defining normal operation of the nervous system, and are active contributors to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer among others. Recent data provide compelling evidence that distinct reactive astrocyte states are associated with specific stages of Alzheimer´s disease. The advent of transcriptomics technologies enables rapid progress in the characterisation of such pathological astrocyte states. In this review, we provide an overview of the origin, main functions, molecular and morphological features of astrocytes in physiological as well as pathological conditions related to Alzheimer´s disease. We will also explore the main roles of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer´s disease and summarize main transcriptional changes and altered molecular pathways observed in astrocytes during the course of the disease.

We address the problem of finding a unique graph embedding that best describes a graph's "topology". This issue is of particular interest in the chemistry of materials. Graphs that admit a tiling in 3-dimensional Euclidean space are termed tessellate, those that do not decussate. We give examples of decussate and tessellate graphs that are finite and 3-periodic. We conjecture that a graph has at most one tessellate embedding. We give reasons for considering this the default "topology" of periodic graphs.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) poses public health challenges, and this has led to a continuous search for effective novel antimicrobial agents. This study aimed to isolate marine actinomycetes from South Africa, evaluate their in vitro antimicrobial activity against Listeria and STEC, and characterize their mechanisms of action. Marine actinoymcetes were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the chemical constituents of bioactive actinomycetes secondary metabolites. Antibacterial activity of the secondary metabolites was assessed by the broth microdilution method and their mode of actions were predicted using computational docking. While five strains showed antibacterial activity during primary screening, only Nocardiopsis dassonvillei strain SOD(B)ST2SA2 exhibited activity during secondary screening for antibacterial activity. GC-MS identified five major bioactive compounds: 1-octadecene, diethyl phthalate, pentadecanoic acid, 6-octadecenoic acid, and tri-fluoroacetoxy hexadecane. SOD(B)ST2SA2`s extract demonstrated the minimum inhibitory con-centration and minimum bactericidal concentration ranging from 0.78–25 mg/ml and 3.13 to > 25 mg/ml, respectively. Diethyl phthalate displayed the lowest bacterial protein binding energies (kcal/mol): −7.2, dihydrofolate reductase; −6.0, DNA gyrase B, and −5.8, D-alanine:D-alanine lig-ase. Thus, marine N. dassonvillei SOD(B)ST2SA2 is a potentially good source of antibacterial compounds that can be used to control STEC and Listeria monocytogenes.

Iterated games, in which the same economic interaction is repeatedly played between the same agents, are an important framework for understanding the effectiveness of strategic choices over time. To date very little work has applied information theory to the information sets used by agents in order to decide what action to take next in such strategic situations. This article looks at the mutual information between previous game states and an agent's next action by introducing two new classes of games: ’invertible games’ and ‘cyclical games'. By explicitly expanding out the mutual information between past states and the next action we show under what circumstances these expressions can be simplified. These information measures are then applied to the Traveler's Dilemma game and the Prisoner's Dilemma game, the Prisoner's Dilemma being invertible, to illustrate their use. In the Prisoner's Dilemma a novel connection is made between the computational principles of logic gates and both the structure of games and the agents' decision strategies. This approach is applied to the cyclical game Matching Pennies to analyse the foundations of a behavioural ambiguity between two well studied strategies: ‘Tit-for-Tat' and ’Win-Stay, Lose-Switch'.

Left Ventricular Outflow Tract (LVOT) obstruction occurs in approximately 70% of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients and currently requires imaging or invasive testing for diagnosis, sometimes in conjunction with provocative physiological or pharmaceutical stimuli. To identify potential biomarkers of LVOT obstruction, we performed proteomics profiling of 1305 plasma proteins in 12 HCM patients with documented LVOT obstruction referred for surgical myectomy. Plasma was collected at the surgical preoperative visit approximately one month prior to surgery and then at the post surgical visit approximately 3 months later. Proteomic profiles were generated using the aptamer-based SOMAscan assay. Principal Component Analysis using the highest statistically significant proteins separated all preoperative samples from all postoperative samples. Further analysis revealed a set of 25 proteins that distinguished the preoperative and postoperative states with a paired t-test p value of <0.01. Ingenuity Pathway analysis facilitated the generation of protein interaction networks and the elucidation of key upstream regulators of the differentially expressed proteins such as interferon-, TGF-1 and TNF. Biological pathways affected by the surgery included organ inflammation, migration and motility of leukocytes, fibrosis, vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, acute coronary events, endothelial proliferation, eicosanoid metabolism, calcium flux, apoptosis and morphology of the cardiovascular system. Our results indicate that surgical relief of dynamic outflow tract obstruction in HCM patients is associated with unique alterations in plasma proteomic profiles that likely reflect improvement in organ inflammation and physiological function.

Breeding for low hydrogen cyanide (HCN) varieties is a major objective of programmes targeting boiled cassava food product. To enhance breeding for low HCN, knowledge on genetic variation and trait heritability is essential. In this study, 64 cassava clones established across four locations and evaluated for HCN using three HCN assessment methods; 1 to 9 scale, 0 ppm to 800 ppm scale and a quantitative assay based on spectrophotometer readings (HCN_Spec). Data were also collected on the weather variables precipitation, relative humidity, and temperature. Significant differences were observed among clones (P &lt; 0.001) and locations (p &lt; 0.001). There were also significant (p &lt; 0. 001) clone by environment interactions. Locations Arua and Serere posted higher HCN scores among clones and were associated with significantly higher (p &lt; 0.001) mean daily temperature (K) and lower relative humidity (%) across 12-hour and 18-hour intervals. Within locations HCN broad sense heritability estimates ranged 0.22 – 0.64 while combined location heritability estimates ranged 0.14 to 0.32. Relationships between the methods were positive and strong (R2 = 0.75 – 0.92). It is expected that the information herein will accelerate efforts towards breeding for low HCN cassava varieties.

Can the type of implant rehabilitation influence peri-implant bone loss in case of full-arch mandibular prosthesis? The purpose of the study was to assess, by orthopantomograms (OPG), bone loss around implants in different types of implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitations and evaluate potential risk factors associated with the number and location of implants that may have an association with bone defect. A radiographic study was conducted on 22317 OPGs in the time range from 2010 to 2024. All OPGs with implant-supported prosthetic mandibular rehabilitations were included in the study. A total of 155 OPGs were evaluated, with peri-implant bone loss identified in 64 (41.3%). Distal implants (furthest from the center) across various positioning patterns were most susceptible to bone loss, with positions 3.6 and 4.6 demonstrating the most frequent occurrences (25 and 26 cases, respectively). χ² test revealed significant associations between both implant positioning pattern (p &lt; 0.001) and number of implants (p &lt; 0.001) with peri-implant bone loss. Also by updating the sample of OPGs, increased susceptibility to bone resorption was found for implants placed distal to the mental foramen compared to mesial ones in full-arch implant-supported fixed prostheses. Prospective clinical studies will then be useful to investigate this finding further.

We have carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature published on PM and, more specifically, on its presence in fish and seafood of interest to the population from Mediterranean area. Given its preference and wide acceptability in the scientific community, we followed the PRISMA. The potential functional and clinical toxicity in humans due to MP in fish must be considered by the chemical composition of the microplastics the presence of PM and its additives, associated contaminants and pathogens in fish and shellfish, as well as the possible effects on human health, requires improving legislation on evaluation and providing a basis for consumer protection.

Starting from acid chlorides, alkynes, tryptamines, and acroyl chloride, 21 densely substituted tetrahydro-beta-carbolines are prepared in a four-component one-pot reaction. In this study, the aza-Michael addition step to generate intermediate enaminones is optimized in the presence of ytterbium triflate. Moreover, apart from acroyl chloride, all reactants can be deployed in almost equimolar ratios, which increases the atom economy of the sequence. For mechanistic rationali-zation, the concluding aza-anellation was investigated by DFT calculations on potential inter-mediates and corresponding activation energies, revealing that the aza-anellation rather pro-ceeds via ene-reaction than via electrocyclization.

Computational models of homologous protein groups are essential in sequence bioinformatics. Due to the diversity and rapid evolution of viruses, the grouping of protein sequences from virus genomes is particularly challenging. The low sequence similarities of homologous genes in viruses require specific approaches for sequence- and structure-based clustering. Furthermore, the annotation of virus genomes in public databases is not as consistent and up-to-date as for many cellular genomes. To tackle these problems, we have developed VOGDB, a database of Virus Orthologous Groups. VOGDB is a multi-layer database that progressively groups viral genes into groups connected by increasingly remote homology. The first layer is based on pair-wise sequence similarities, the second layer is based on the sequence profile alignments and the third layer uses predicted protein structures to find the most remote homology. VOGDB groups allow for more sensitive homology searches of novel genes and increase the chance of predicting annotations or inferring phylogeny. VOGDB uses all virus genomes from RefSeq and partially re-annotates them. VOGDB is updated with every RefSeq release. The unique feature of VOGDB is inclusion of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses in the same clustering process which makes it possible to explore old evolutionary relationships of the two groups. VOGDB is freely available at https://vogdb.org under the CC BY 4.0 license.

The concept and policies of multiple early cancer detection (MCED) have gained significant attention from governments worldwide in recent years. In the era of burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the integration of MCED with AI has become a prevailing trend, giving rise to a plethora of MCED AI products. However, due to the heterogeneity of both the detection targets and the AI technologies, the overall diversity of MCED AI products remains considerable. The types of detection targets encompass protein biomarkers, cell-free DNA, or combinations of these biomarkers. In the development of AI models, different model training approaches are employed, including datasets of case-control researches or real-world cancer screening datasets. Various validation techniques, such as cross-validation, location-wise validation, and time-wise validation are used. All of the factors show significant impacts on the predictive efficacy of MCED AIs. After the completion of AI model development, deploying the MCED AIs in clinical practice presents numerous challenges, including presenting the predictive reports, identifying the potential locations and types of tumor, and addressing cancer-related information such as clinical follow-up and treatment. This study reviews several mature MCED AI products currently available in the market, detecting their composing factors from serum biomarkers detection, MCED AIs training/validation, and the clinical application. The review illuminates the challenges encountered by existing MCED AI products across these stages, offering insights into the continued development and obstacles within the field of MCED AI.

Site Index has been widely used as an age normalised metric to account for variation in forest height at a range of spatial scales. Although previous research has used a range of modelling methods to describe regional variation in Site Index little research has examined gains that can be achieved through use of regression kriging or spatial ensemble methods. In this study an extensive set of environmental surfaces were used as covariates to predict Site Index measurements covering the environmental range of \textit{Pinus radiata} D. Don plantations in Chile. Using this dataset, the objectives of this research were to (i) compare predictive precision of a range of geostatistical, parametric and non-parametric models, (ii) determine if significant gains in precision can be attained through use of regression kriging, (iii) evaluate the precision of a spatial ensemble model that utilises predictions from the five most precise models, through using the model prediction with lowest error for a given pixel and (iv) produce a map of Site Index across the study area. The five most precise models were all geostatistical and included ordinary kriging and four regression kriging models that were based on partial least squares or random forests. A spatial ensemble model constructed from these five models was the most precise of those developed (RMSE = 1.851 m, RMSE% = 6.38%) and had relatively little bias. Climatic and edaphic variables were the strongest determinants of Site Index and in particular, variables related to soil water balance were well represented within the most precise predictive models. These results highlight the utility of predicting Site Index using a range of approaches, as these can be used to construct a spatial ensemble that may be more precise than predictions from the constituent models.

Five-day exposure of clary sage (Salvia sclarea) to 100 μM cadmium (Cd) in hydroponics was sufficient to increase Cd concentrations significantly in roots and aboveground parts and affect negatively whole plant levels of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), since Cd competes for Ca channels, while reduced Mg concentrations are associated with increased Cd tolerance. Total zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) uptake increased but their translocation to the aboveground parts decreased possible due to translocation barriers. Despite the substantial levels of Cd in leaves, without any observed defects on chloroplast ultrastructure, an enhanced photosystem II (PSII) efficiency was observed, with a higher fraction of absorbed light energy to be directed to photochemistry (ΦPSΙΙ). The concomitant increase in the photoprotective mechanism of non-photochemical quenching of photosynthesis (NPQ) resulted in an important decrease in the dissipated non-regulated energy (ΦNO), modifying the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS), through a decreased singlet oxygen (1O2) formation. Thus, when clary sage was exposed to Cd for a short period, tolerance mechanisms were triggered, with PSII photochemistry to be regulated by NPQ in such a way that PSII efficiency to be enhanced. However, exposure to a combination of Cd and high light or for longer duration (8 days) to Cd alone, resulted in an inhibition of PSII functionality pointing out towards Cd toxicity. Thus, the rapid activation of PSII functionality at short time exposures and the inhibition at longer duration suggests a hormetic response and describes these effects in terms of “adaptive response” and “toxicity”, respectively.

Firebrands are an important agent of wildfire spread and structure fire ignitions at the wildland urban interface. Bark flake morphology has been highlighted as an important, yet poorly characterized factor in firebrand generation, transport, deposition, and ignition of unburned material. Using pine species where bark flakes are the documented source of embers, we conducted experiments to investigate how bark structure changes in response to diurnal drying. Over a 3-day period in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stand in Florida, we recorded changes in temperature, moisture content and structure of bark across different facing aspects of mature pine trees to examine the effects of varying solar exposure on bark moisture. We further compared results to bark drying in a pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) plantation in New Jersey. Under all conditions, bark peeled and lifted away from the tree trunk over the study periods. Tree bole aspect and the time of day interacted to significantly affect bark peeling. General temperature increases and moisture content decreases were significantly different between east and west aspects in pitch pine, and with time of day and aspect in longleaf pine. These results illustrate that bark moisture and flakiness is highly dynamic on short time scales, driven largely by solar exposure. These diurnal changes likely influence the probability of firebrand production during fire events via controls on moisture (ignition) and peeling (lofting).

Bamboo agroforestry is currently being promoted as a viable land use option to reduce dependence on natural forest for wood fuels in Ghana. To align the design and introduction of bamboo agroforestry in conformity with farmers’ needs, perceptions, skills and local cultural practices, information on its acceptability and adoption potential among farmers is necessary. It is therefore the objective of this study to (1) describe bamboo ethnobotany and (2) assess socioeconomic factors that affect the acceptability and adoption of bamboo and its integration into farming practices. Accordingly, information has been collected from 200 farmers in the dry semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. The study identified the socioeconomic risks and uncertainties as well as biophysical factors that are likely to influence the potential adoption of bamboo agroforestry in the study region. Gender, age, farmers’ known uses of bamboo, the practice of leaving trees on farmlands, farmers’ networking and access to extension services, land availability and ownership by farmers were identified as suitable predictor variables for the adoption of bamboo agroforestry. It is envisaged that bamboo agroforestry is a good bet in the DSFZ though there is the need to explore domestic energy (fuelwood) provision and substitution potential in order to have a broader picture of the technology.

Class attendance in institutions of higher learning plays a major role in the success of students and as such putting in measures to curb absenteeism of students would go a long way to help improve their grades. This research sought to design a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ System which will be very suitable for the post-COVID era as well as the fast-growing university community. The research results in a mobile-based attendance infrastructure used by students to prove their presence for class sessions. Flutter, a Software Development Kit (SDK) was used to program the mobile platform and Firebase was used for both the authentication and database. This system also comes in as an improvement on most existing systems as it functions on both Android and iOS. After the testing phase, the models achieved high accuracy and the proposed design has proven to have great potential. This solution stands beyond a research model as a ready-to-use platform.

Immunosuppressed individuals, such as people living with HIV (PLWH), remain vulnerable to severe COVID-19. We analyzed the persistence of specific SARS-CoV-2 humoral and cellular immune responses in a retrospective, cross-sectional study in PLWH on antiretroviral therapy. Among 104 participants, 70.2% had anti-S IgG antibodies and 55.8% had significant neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant in a surrogate virus neutralization test. Only 38.5% were vaccinated (8.76 ± 4.1 months prior), all displaying anti-S IgG, 75% with neutralizing antibodies and anti-S IgA. 29.8% had no SARS-CoV-2 serologic markers and displayed significantly lower CD4 counts and HIV viral load. Severe immunosuppression (present in 12.5% of participants) was linked to lower levels of detectable anti-S IgG (0.0003), anti-S IgA (p &lt; 0.0001) and lack of neutralizing activity against Omicron variant (p &lt; 0.0001). T-cell responses were present in 86.7% of tested participants, even in those lacking serological markers. In PLWH without severe immunosuppression, neutralizing antibodies and T-cell responses persisted for up to 9 months post-infection or vaccination. Advanced immunosuppression led to diminished humoral immunity, but retained cellular immune.

The responses of the aromatic and medicinal plant Salvia sclarea (clary sage) to 900 µM Zn exposure for 8 days in a hydroponic culture were investigated. The tolerance mechanisms under excess Zn exposure were assessed by changes in nutrient uptake, photosynthetic characteristics and leaf structure. The uptake and the distribution of Zn, as well as some essential nutrient elements such as: Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Cu, were examined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results revealed that Salvia sclarea is a Zn accumulator plant that tolerates significantly high toxic levels of Zn in the leaves by increasing the leaf content of Fe, Ca and Mn ions to protect the photosynthetic function and even stimulate photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) activities. Additionally, the leaf photosynthetic pigments and the total phenolic and anthocyanin content were also studied. Data showed that the exposure to excess Zn significantly increases the synthesis of phenolic compounds in the leaves which plays an important role in the Zn detoxification and protection against oxidative stress. Lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage in leaves used as clear indicators for heavy metal damage were slightly increased. All these data highlight that Salvia sclarea is an economically interesting plant for phytoextraction and/or phytostabilization of Zn contaminated soils.

Deep learning-based handwriting personality prediction uses neural networks (CNNs) to consider and predict personality characters from handwritten text to improve applications such as adaptive technology and automated data access. This method requires high computational resources and widely classified data, and its accuracy may suffer from signature variation and overfitting. This study introduces a novel optimizeddeep learning for Hand Written Personality Prediction. First the input data is collected from givendataset and an enhanced Gaussian filter is used in pre-processing to improve image quality by reducing noise and increasing contrast.After pre-processing, features are extracted by PCA-based normalized GIST, which standardizes the features to improve image representation.These extracted features are generated using an adaptive horse herd optimization algorithm to select the most important features. Based on selected features Improved Generative Adversarial Networks with artificial hummingbird optimization (IGAN_AHb) enables fast and efficient convergence of GANs. This reduce the mode collapse and ensures training with consistently fine-tuned parameters.The selected features are considered by characters such as openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, and finally classified using the IGAN_AHb classifier. In the result section, the proposed model is compared with various models with the matrix precision, recall, F1-score. The proposed model attained the value of 97.3% of precision and a recall rate of 96%, respectively. By comparing with other models, the proposed model attained highest values.

Pigs are a social species and they stablish hierarchies for a better use of resources and to reduce conflicts. However, in pig production, the opportunities for growing can differ in dominant and subordinate animals. In the present study a system was tested to perform a Dominance versus Subordinate test in growing pigs to investigate how the hierarchy affects feeding behaviour, growth and gut microbiota assessed in faeces. 64 animals housed in eight different pens were used, with four castrated males and four females in each one, weighing 18kg at arrival and maintained during the whole growing period, until 140 kg. Three stool samplings were obtained from the animals directly from the anus to avoid contamination of the faeces on 58, 100 and 133 days after the start of the study to investigate the microbiota composition. The dominant animals had higher gains during the growing period that the subordinate. In addition, they were performing more visits to the feeder throughout the day. Differential abundance patterns were observed in five bacterial genera, Oliverpabstia, Peptococcus, and Faecalbacterium being more abundant in dominant animals and Holdemanella and Acetitomaculum being overrepresented in subordinate ones. This microbial biomarker accurately classified dominant versus subordinate groups of samples with an AUC of 0.92.

This article explores the enduring mysteries of consciousness and the afterlife, two enigmatic topics that have fascinated humanity for ages. Despite extensive scientific efforts, the existence of an afterlife remains unproven, and understanding consciousness remains a significant challenge. The research introduces new hypotheses through simple experiments with empirical evidence and theoretical foundations. It delves into the complexities of consciousness, its relationship with the brain, and the need for interdisciplinary approaches. Boldly contemplating the probability of a continuous consciousness after death, the study argues that existing evidence strongly supports this idea. In other words, if we do not accept the hypothesis of an afterlife, we may not be able to discuss the experimental results in the context of any alternative theories. Beyond theoretical implications, it envisions practical outcomes, suggesting that insights into these mysteries could enhance human well-being and contribute to a more harmonious world. This article sheds light on age-old questions about consciousness and the afterlife. Through fresh methodologies, it seeks to provide new perspectives that could reshape our understanding of existence and inspire intellectuals to positive individual and societal advancements including psychological well-being and intelligence.

Symmetry concepts in parametrized dynamical systems may reduce the number of external parameters by a suitable normalization prescription. If, under the action of a symmetry group G, parameter space A becomes a (locally) trivial principal bundle, A ~ A/G x G, then the normalized dynamics only depends on the quotient A/G. In this way, the dynamics of fractional variables in homogeneous epidemic SI(R)S models, with standard incidence, absence of R-susceptibility and compartment independent birth and death rates, turns out to be isomorphic to (a marginally extended version of) Hethcote's classic endemic model, first presented in 1973. The paper studies a 10-parameter master model with constant and I -linear vaccination rates, vertical transmission and a vaccination rate for susceptible newborns. As recently shown by the author, all demographic parameters are redundant. After adjusting time scale, the remaining 5-parameter model admits a 3-dimensional abelian scaling symmetry. By normalization we end up with Hethcote's extended 2-parameter model. Thus, in view of symmetry concepts, reproving theorems on endemic bifurcation and stability in such models becomes needless.

This paper presents a new methodology that provides the analysis of surface texture changes in areas adjacent to the volcano and its impact product of volcanic activity. To do this, algorithms from digital image processing such as the co-occurrence matrix and the wavelet transform are used. These methods are working on images taken by the Landsat satellite platform sensor 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM + sensor, and implemented with the purpose of evaluating superficial changes that can warn of surface movements of the volcano. The results were evaluated by similarity metrics for grayscale images, and validated in two different scenarios that have the same type of eruption, but differ, essentially, in climate and vegetation. Finally, the proposed algorithm is presented, setting the parameters and constraints for implementation and use.

High temperature Ni-superalloys are limited by reliance on critical elements and complex processing steps. High entropy alloys (HEAs) have demonstrated stable single/dual phase microstructures with strong ordering tendencies. A dual phase (FCC+BCC) Al0.5Co0.5CrFeNi1.5Ti0.25 alloy (developed using CALPHAD) was tested for room and high temperature compression behavior. The microstructure mainly comprises of coarse ordered FCC(L12) surrounding decomposed lamellae of ordered FCC(L12) and BCC(L21) phases, which coarsened upon annealing at high temperature (1100 °C) into a bi-continuous structure of disordered FCC+BCC(B2). Additionally, cold rollability of the cast alloy increased from &lt;5% to ~40% after annealing, with a corresponding softening observed in room temperature compression mainly due to disordering of FCC and BCC phases. Peak flow stresses of 793.45MPa, 535.12MPa, and 324.40MPa were achieved at 800oC, 900oC, and 1000oC respectively for the high temperature annealed alloy.

Rice has become the second major food among rural people. It is one of the most nutrient and low-cost food available in Asia. Rice is composed of two major subspecies as Japonica and Indica and it belongs to the Poaceae family. The World Bank predicts that rice demand will grow 51% faster than population growth in 2025. It is high time to develop a model which predicts the type of infected paddy leaf and avoids the loss of grains. In this paper, the proposed hybrid CNN model, three CNN networks with different layer properties are trained parallel. The extracted feature from these CNN networks is combined to provide the classification of the type of infected leaf. Fieldwork was carried and about 340 samples are collected from five different types of classes. The proposed hybrid model was tested with both the fieldwork dataset and also with an available dataset on the internet. The experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms the other CNN network and yields an accuracy value of 98%, a precision value of 95%, and a misclassification rate of 4% respectively.

Aims: A community-based multi-component intervention (increasing awareness of the importance of physical activity in chronic illness management through reading comic books, training regarding warm-up stretching exercises, identifying facilitators and barriers to exercise through photosharing, supporting self-reflection and development of action plans) was developed to promote physical activity (PA) among patients with diabetes and hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention on health behaviour (walking) and health outcomes. Design: A non-randomized controlled trial with waitlisted control and pre- and post-measures. Setting: Community centres for the elderly. Participants: A total of 204 older adults with diabetes and/or hypertension were recruited. They were assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or waitlisted to the control group (CG). Intervention: Under the supervision of a nurse, six weekly group meetings were arranged in community centres for the elderly in which the participants freely exchanged their views regarding the barriers and facilitators of regular physical activity. Participants were encouraged to take photos in their neighbourhood or at home and brought these photos to share at the group meetings. The photos showed both the barriers and the facilitators to PA. In the last meeting, each participant worked out a plan to perform PA in the coming four weeks. Measures: PA referred to the number of steps taken per day and it was measured by a Garmin Accelerometer at baseline, Week 6 and Week 10. Other measures included the nine-item Self-Efficacy Scale for Exercise - Chinese version (SEE-C), the 23-item Chinese Barriers to Exercise Scale and Senior Fitness Tests. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) models compared the outcomes over time between IG and CG. Results: A statistically significant difference in the changes in the average number of steps taken daily between the two groups at Week 10 (mean difference = 965.4; 95% confidence interval: 92.2, 1838.6, p = 0.030) was observed, although the difference at Week 6 was non-significant (mean difference = 777.6; 95% confidence interval: −35.3, 1590.5, p = 0.061). IG participants also showed significant improvements in lower body strength (mean difference = 0.967; 95% confidence interval: 0.029, 1.904, p = 0.043) and lower limb flexibility (mean difference = 2.068; 95% confidence interval: 0.404, 3.731, p = 0.015) at Week 10 compared to CG participants. Conclusion: This multi-component intervention improved the participants’ physical activity level and physical fitness, particularly in lower limb flexibility and body strength.

There is evidence that spaceflight poses acute and late risks on the central nervous system. To explore possible mechanisms, the proteomic changes following spaceflight in mouse brain were characterized. Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) was launched at the Kennedy Space Center on a 13-day mission. Within 3–5 hours after landing, brain tissue was collected to evaluate protein expression profiles using quantitative proteomic analysis. Our results showed that there were 26 proteins that were significantly altered after spaceflight in the grey and/or white matter. While there was no overlap between the white and grey matter in terms of individual proteins, there was overlap in terms of function, synaptic plasticity, vesical activity, protein/organelle transport, and metabolism. Our data demonstrate that exposure to the spaceflight environment induces significant changes in protein expression related to neuronal structure and metabolic function. This might lead to a significant impact on brain structural and functional integrity that could affect the outcome of space missions.

Recent algorithmic-based research in the stock market has predominantly focused on ultra-high-frequency trading and index estimation. We developed an improved algorithm to address the need for a low-frequency, real-world trading model to build on the existing high hit-ratio and low maximum drawdown. We utilized established price indicators, Stochastic and Williams %R, and introduced a volume factor to increase the model's safety to enhance the model's performance. This improved algorithm demonstrated superior returns while maintaining high hit-ratio and low maximum drawdown. Specifically, we leveraged the existing algorithm to trade using 2X and 3X signals, incorporating volume data, the 52-week average, standard deviation, and other factors. The data set comprised SPY ETF price and volume from 2010 to 2023, covering over 13 years. Our enhanced algorithmic trading model outperformed both the benchmark and previous results, achieving a hit rate of over 90%, a maximum drawdown of less than 1%, an average of 1.5 trades per year, a total return of +519.3%, and an annualized return (AnnR) of +15.1%. The analysis demonstrates that the model's simplicity, ease of application, and comprehensibility can assist investors in making informed investment decisions albeit the past performance does not guarantee future returns.

The aim of this work was to classify the business incubators in Spain according to the four phases of the startup’s incubation process. Considering that the graduation rate implies greater survival and business success of the incubated companies, they have been identified at each stage of the incubation (spread of entrepreneurship, pre-incubation, advanced incubation, and graduation). The activities that present higher impacts on the success of the incubated companies and the activities carried out by the business incubator that have a greater relevance on the graduation of the companies have concretely been considered. Principal component (PC) cluster analysis has been applied. All the incubation variables were used simultaneously, reducing their number, and grouping them into factors. Finally, the cases were grouped according to these latent variables. Principal components analysis reduced dimensionality to 8 factors with a 74 % of explained variance. Factor 1 was positively related to pre-incubation variables, factor 2 was linked to training and collaboration variables within the entrepreneurship diffusion phase. Factor 3, named activity monitoring and control, was related to phase 3 or basic incubation variables. Cluster analysis facilitates the grouping of business incubators into three clusters: Group 1 (16 % of the total), incubators with strong deficits in incubation phases 1, 2 and 3. They are small sized business incubators, often located in rural areas or cities and low graduation rate. Group 2 (30 %), business incubators with very high graduation rate, and strongly positive values in factors 1 and 2. Factor 3, although positive, it is susceptible to improvement. They are the largest group of business incubators and usually located in industrial and technological parks. Group 3 (54 %) is the majority, with values close to cluster 2 and 3.

The aim of this work was to classify the business incubators in Spain according to the four phases of startups incubation. Taking into account that the graduation rate implies greater survival and business success of the incubated companies, they have been identified at each stage of the incubation (spread of entrepreneurship, pre-incubation, advanced incubation, and graduation). The activities that present higher impacts on the success of the incubated companies and the activities carried out by the incubator that have a greater relevance on the graduation of the companies have concretely been considered. Principal component (PC) cluster analysis have been applied. All the incubation variables were used simultaneously, reducing their number, and grouping them into factors, finally the cases were grouped according to these latent variables. Principal components analysis reduced dimensionality to 8 factors with a 74 % of explained variance. Factor 1 was positively related to pre-incubation variables, factor 2 was linked to training and collaboration variables within the entrepreneurship diffusion phase. Factor 3 called activity monitoring and control and was related to phase 3 or basic incubation variables. Clusters analysis facilitates the grouping of incubators into three clusters: Group 1 (16 % of the total), incubators with strong deficits in incubation phases 1, 2 and 3. They are small Business Incubators, often located in rural areas or cities and low graduation rate. Group 2 (30 %), business incubators with very high graduation rate, and strongly positive values in factor 1 and 2. Factor 3 although positive is susceptible to improvement. They are the largest incubators and usually located in industrial and technological parks. Group 3 (54 %) is the majority, with values close to cluster 2 and 3.

This study is based on the clamor of fish farmers for a cheaper fish feed alternative to current commercial feeds. At present, 70-80% of aquaculture costs come from feed cost, keeping farmers' income below their expectation. This study aimed to find alternative feeds or supplementary feeds that can perform similarly to the existing commercial feeds thereby reducing farmer expense and cutting down their cost of production and increasing their profitability. To do that, various indigenous raw materials were selected based on an earlier study which could result in a better feed alternative. The formulations for the study included four grow-out treatments mainly: control (commercial feed), taro+control (powdered Colocasia esculenta+commercial fish feed), bloodmeal (formulated fish feed based on bloodmeal), banana stem+control (chopped banana stem+commercial fish feed). A total of 12,000 fingerlings initially weighing 16 g (TL=10 cm) individually were assigned randomly to the four treatments (3000 in each cage measuring 6 x 6 m). Week zero was used for acclimation period, and fingerlings were fed with commercial fish feed. Then the first week used the treatment diets which were adjusted based on average body weight and sampled weekly (ABW=23g; TL=11 cm). The result of the study first showed significant differences between treatments on their fourth week in terms of the diet treatments (MS=0.103, df=3, F=4.12, P=0.0076) with the control and the taro+control showing no difference in terms of weight and length (TC vs CF; P=0.4524). But during the fifth week, the bloodmeal treatment showed increased weight and length for fish sampled (MS=0.109, df=3, F=4.10, P=0.0076) and provided similar weight and length as those from the taro+control and the control (TC vs CF; P=0.3721 and BM vs CF; P=0.0587). During the succeeding weeks, there were no significant differences between feed treatments from 6th weeks onwards, whether with weight [MS=0.130, df=3, F=1.14, P=0.333] or total length of the treatments [MS=0.008, df=3, F=0.40, P=0.75]. The FCR ratio showed taro (1.81) as lowest, followed by blood meal (2.09), and control (2.24) and then banana stem (2.84). In terms of weight gain, fish from the bloodmeal treatment gained the highest (236.97 g), followed by control (223.33 g), then taro (217.67 g) and banana stem (196.99 g). As a result, we find that the tested treatments such as bloodmeal formulated feed, taro+commercial feed, and banana stem+commercial feed can serve as an alternative to purely commercial fish feeds. Cost-benefit analysis showed that a better gross profit margin of 42% and cost-benefit ratio of 1.37 was observed in taro+commercial feed diet.

This study profiled morphological and laboratory-derived performance biomechanics by position of American style football players training for the National Football League draft. Fifty-five players were categorized into Big (e.g., lineman; n=17), Big-skill (e.g., tight end; n=11), and Skill (e.g., receiver; n=27) groups. Body fat (BF%), lean body mass (LBM), total body mass, running force and ground contact time (GCT), countermovement jump height (CMJ-JH), CMJ normalized peak power (CMJ-NPP), and reactive strength were measured in a laboratory. Asymmetry was calculated for running force, GCT, and CMJ eccentric and concentric impulse (IMP). MANOVA determined between-group differences, and radar plots for morphological and performance characteristics were created using Z-scores. There was a significant between-group difference, F(26,80)=5.70, p&lt;0.001;Wilk’s Λ=0.123, partial η2=0.649. Fisher’s least squares difference post-hocs showed Skill had greater JH, CMJ-NPP, reactive strength, and running force versus Big but not Big-skill, p&lt;0.05. Big had greater BF%, LBM, total body mass, and GCT than Skill and Big-Skill, p&lt;0.05. Big-skill had greater GCT asymmetry than Skill and Big, p&lt;0.05. Asymmetries in running forces, and CMJ eccentric and concentric IMP were not different, p&gt;0.05. Morphological and performance biomechanics differences are pronounced between Skill and Big. Big-skill possess characteristics from both groups. Laboratory-derived results provide specialized profiles of draft trainees.