Material efficiency is a key element of new thinking to address the challenges of reducing impacts on the environment and of resource scarcity, whilst at the same time meeting service and functionality demands on materials. Directly related to material efficiency is the concept of the Circular Economy, which is based on the principle of optimising the utility embodied in materials and products through the life cycle. Whilst steel, as a result of high recycling rates, is one of the most ‘circular’ of all manufactured materials, significant opportunities for greater material efficiency exist, which are yet to be widely implemented. In the field of Life Cycle Management, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is commonly used to assess the environmental benefits of recovering and recycling materials through the manufacturing supply chain and at end-of-life. As well as containing information to calculate environmental impacts, LCA models also provide the flows of materials through the product life cycle and can also be used to quantify material efficiency and the circularity of a product system. Using an example taken from renewable energy generation, this paper explores the correlation between product circularity and the environmental case for strategies designed to improve material efficiency. An LCA-based methodology for accounting for the recovery and re-use of materials from the supply chain, and at end-of-life, is used as the basis for calculating the carbon footprint benefits of five material efficiency scenarios. Resulting carbon footprints were then compared with a number of proposed material circularity indicators. Two conclusions from this exercise were that i) LCA methodologies based around end-of-life approaches are well placed for quantifying the environmental benefits of material efficiency and circular economy strategies and ii) when applying indicators relating to the circularity of materials these should also be supported by LCA studies.

Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by craniofacial abnormalities due to underdeveloped facial bones. In addition to physical deformities, TCS also presents with several neurological disorders resulting from facial defects and brain malformations. This paper reviews the neurological manifestations of TCS with a focus on facial nerve paralysis, neurodevelopmental delay, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder. Facial nerve hypoplasia leads to an inability to control facial muscles and expressions. Neurodevelopmental delays in motor function and language acquisition are commonly reported in infants with TCS due to hearing loss, facial impairments, poor nutrition, infections, and structural brain changes. Intellectual disability with below average IQ is also more prevalent in TCS, affecting about one third of patients. Brain imaging reveals abnormalities like white matter hypoplasia, cortical atrophy, and reduced grey matter volume which likely contribute to cognitive deficits. Additionally, the rate of autism spectrum disorder is significantly higher in TCS compared to the general population. The reasons are unclear but may involve hearing loss, facial dysmorphisms, and socio-emotional processing centers in the brain. Management is multidisciplinary, focusing on early interventions like speech, physical, feeding, and behavioral therapy to maximize developmental and functional outcomes. Further research on the neurological pathophysiology of TCS is needed to better elucidate the mechanisms linking craniofacial defects with adverse neurodevelopmental consequences.

High-power lasers play an important role in modern science, industry, and medicine. A signifi-cant milestone was reached on December 5, 2022, when Inertial Confinement Nuclear Fusion (ICF) achieved scientific breakeven, releasing more energy than the input laser energy. Additionally, Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) has enabled the development of microchips with 3 nm process nodes, marking a leap in semiconductor technology. These examples together with the recent achievement of a 10 PW (1015 W) laser output heralds remarkable advancements in technology and science soon. Laser systems are broadly classified based on their operating re-gimes into two main categories: Continuous Wave (CW) operation, where the laser is continuously pumped and emits a steady beam of light, and the pulsed regime, in which the laser pro-duces single or multiple pulses at various repetition rates. This review will primarily focus on pulsed laser systems, exploring their various types and recent technological advancements.

This paper draws an earlier book (with Evans and Higgins) entitled Bad Call: Technology’s Attack on Referees and Umpires and How to Fix It (hereafter Bad Call) and its various precursor papers. These show why it is that current match officiating aids are unable to provide the kind of accuracy that is often claimed for them and that sports aficianados have been led to expect from them. Accuracy is improving all the time but the notion of perfect accuracy is a myth because, for example, lines drawn on sports fields and the edges of balls are not perfectly defined. The devices meant to report the exact position of a ball – for instance ‘in’ or ‘out’ at tennis – work with the mathematically perfect world of virtual reality, not the actuality of an imperfect physical world. Even if ball-trackers could overcome the sort of inaccuracies related to fast ball speeds and slow camera frame-rates the goal of complete accuracy will always be beyond reach. Here it is suggested that the purpose of technological aids to umpires and referees be looked at in a new way that takes the viewers into account.

With online wildlife trade increasing and viral videos increasing demand, the trade in primates on TikTok is becoming more prevalent. Despite wildlife trade being banned on most social media platforms, the trade in primates persists. TikTok’s policies ban the sale of live animals, and specific terms related to wildlife trade are banned; however, these search term bans are easy to get around, and sellers are still prolific on the site. This study documented primates for sale on TikTok using the search term “for sale monkey” over a four-month period (from mid-July to mid-November 2023) with the aim of determining how widespread primate trade is on TikTok, the legality of advertisements, and which countries advertise the most primates for sale. 42 individual advertisements were identified, spanning 6 different genera of primates and 5 different countries. Spider monkeys, rhesus macaques, and common marmosets were found to be the most commonly advertised species on TikTok. All spider monkeys were advertised from the USA, while the majority of the marmosets were advertised from the UK, and all of the rhesus macaques were advertised from Pakistan. The USA was the only country identified in this study that advertised a range of species, and the only species found in this study that was not advertised in the USA was the mona monkey. 44% of all species recorded were classified as either Endangered or Critically Endangered, and it was found that endangered species were more frequently sold illegally than non-endangered species. The findings of this study underline a need for stricter primate legislation and wildlife law enforcement, especially if the UN’s sustainable development goals are to be achieved by 2030. They also show a need for TikTok to broaden their restrictions on wildlife trade on their app.

Over the coming decades, global freshwater withdrawals are expected to grow, especially in low and middle-income countries. Unless there are significant improvements in the efficiency of water use by economies, freshwater stress, crises and scarcity will worsen. This paper explores further the economic relationship between water use efficiency and scarcity. Because growing scarcity of freshwater in many regions and countries is not adequately reflected in markets, there is often insufficient incentives for investment and innovation to improve the efficiency of water use. To explore further changes in water use efficiency across countries, we conduct a panel analysis of water productivity changes for 130 countries over 1995 to 2020. Countries with lower initial levels of water use efficiency tended to have higher water productivity growth, whereas more agriculturally dependent economies displayed lower improvements in water use efficiency. Better institutional quality and capacity for innovation may also increase water use efficiency. We discuss the implications of these results for improving water use productivity in economies, and in particular, the opportunities and challenges for improving water markets and trades to alleviate water scarcity. We conclude by identifying further areas of research.

Abstract: In recent years, low frequency (LF) electroencephalogram (EEG) signals have been decoded to obtain kinematic trajectories with the aim of achieving closed loop natural control. However, decoded trajectories suffer variability and low correlation against the measured movement. This paper suggests that if EEG features of motor intents are directly associated with fixed points along a given range of motion, then the natural kinematic parameters can be quantified. A novel classification method is proposed to evaluate this hypothesis along with equations for obtaining the movement parameters (velocity, acceleration). Furthermore, this implies that the force of an end-effector and work done in moving the end-effector may be computed, leading to natural control of EEG-based robotic arms and neuroprostheses. Finally, expectations are that combining the proposed method with existing classification methods will increase the accuracy and scalability of brain-computer interface (BCI) applications.

There is high confidence that climate change has increased the probability of concurrent temperature-precipitation extremes, changed their spatial-temporal variations, and affected the relationships between drivers of such natural hazards. However, the extent of such changes has been less investigated in Australia. Daily weather data (131 years, 1889-2019) at 700 grid cells (1◦ × 1◦) across Australia was obtained to calculate annual and seasonal mean daily maximum temperature (MMT) and total precipitation (TPR). A nonparametric multivariate copula framework was adopted to estimate the return period of compound hot-dry (CHD) events based on an ‘And’ hazard scenario (hotter than a threshold ‘And’ drier than a threshold). CHD extremes were defined as years with joint return periods of larger than 25 years. Mann-Kendall nonparametric tests was used to analyse trends in MMT and TPR as well as in the frequency of univariate and CHD extremes. A general cooling-wetting trend was observed over 1889-1989. Significant increasing trends were detected over 1990-2019 in the frequency and severity of hot extremes across the country while trends in dry extremes were mostly insignificant (and decreasing). Results showed a significant increase in the association between temperature and precipitation at various temporal scales. The frequency of CHD extremes was mostly stable over 1889-1989, but significantly increased between 1990 and 2019 at 44% of studied grid cells, mostly located in the north, south-east and south-west. Spatial homogeneity (i.e. connectedness) and propagation of extreme events from one grid cell to its neighbouring cells was investigated across Australia. It can be concluded that this connectedness has not significantly changed since 1889.

Abstract: Microstructural and mechanical properties of the eutectic Sn58Bi and micro-alloyed Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag solder alloys were compared. With the addition of Ag micro-alloy, the tensile strength was improved and this is attributed to a combination of microstructure refinement and an Ag3Sn precipitation hardening mechanism. However, ductility is slightly deteriorated due to the brittle nature of the Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Additionally, a board level reliability study of Ag micro-alloyed Sn58Bi solder joints produced utilising a surface-mount technology (SMT) process, were assessed under accelerated temperature cycling (ATC) conditions. Results reveal that micro-alloyed Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag has a higher characteristic lifetime with a narrower failure distribution. This enhanced reliability corresponds with improved bulk mechanical properties. It is postulated that Ag3Sn IMCs are located at the Sn-Bi phase boundaries and suppress the solder microstructure from coarsening during the temperature cycling, hereby extending the time to failure.

Genetics plays an integral role in athletic performance and is increasingly becoming recognised as an important risk factor for injury. Ankle and knee injuries are the most common injuries sustained by soccer players. Often these injuries result in players missing training and matches, which can incur significant costs to clubs. This study aimed to identify genotypes associated with ankle and knee injuries in soccer players and how these impacted the number of matches played. 289 soccer players including 46 professional, 98 semi-professional and 145 amateur players were genetically tested. Ankle and knee injuries and the number of matches played were recorded during the 2014/15 season. Four genes were assessed in relation to injury. Genotypes found to be associated with injury included the TT genotype of the GDF5 gene, TT and CT genotypes of AMPD1 gene, TT genotype of COL5A1 and GG genotype of IGF2 gene. These genes were also associated with a decrease in the number of matches played.

Bacteriophages can provide alternative measures for the control of E. coli O157:H7 that is currently an emerging food-borne pathogen of severe public health concern. This study was aimed at characterising E. coli O157:H7 specific phages as potential biocontrol agents for these pathogens. Fifteen phages were isolated and screened against 69 environmental E. coli O157:H7. Only 3 phages displayed broad lytic spectra against environmental shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 strains. These 3 lytic phages were designated V3, V7 and V8. Subsequent characterization indicated that they displayed very high degree of similarities despite isolation from different locations. Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) of the phages revealed that they all had isometric heads of about 73 – 77 nm in diameter and short tails ranging from 20 - 25 nm in diameter. Phages V3, V7 and V8 were assigned to the family Podoviridae based on their morphology. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genome estimation of the 3 phages demonstrated identical genome sizes of ~ 69 nm. The latent periods of these phages were 20 min, 15 min, and 20 min for V3, V7 and V8 respectively while the burst sizes were 374, 349 and 419 PFU/ infected cell respectively. While all the phages were relatively stable over a wide range of salinity, temperatures and pH values, their range of infectivity or lytic profile was rather narrow on environmental E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from cattle faeces. This study showed that the Podoviridae bacteriophages are the dominant E. coli O57:H7-infecting phages harboured in cattle faeces in the North-West Province of South Africa and due to their favourable characteristics can be exploited in the formulation of phage cocktails for the bio-control of E. coli O157:H7 in meat and other meat products.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is an important deciduous species in western U.S. forests. Existing maps of aspen distribution are based on Landsat imagery and often miss small stands (<0.09 ha or 30 m²), which rapidly regrow when managed or following disturbance. In this study, we present methods for deriving a new regional map of aspen forests using one year of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery in Google Earth Engine. We assessed the annual phenology of aspen in the Southern Rockies and leveraged the frequent temporal resolution of S1 and S2 to create ecologically relevant seasonal composites. Additionally, we derived spectral indices and radar textural features targeting the canopy structure, moisture, and chlorophyll content. Using spatial block cross-validation and Random Forests, we assessed the accuracy of different scenarios and selected the best performing set of features for classification. Comparisons were then made with existing landcover products across the study region. The resulting map improves on existing landcover products in both accuracy (average F1-score = 93.1%) and detection of smaller forest patches. These methods enable accurate mapping at spatial and temporal scales relevant to forest management for one of the most widely distributed tree species in North America.

Chemical simulants have long been used in human trials of mass decontamination to determine the efficacy of decontamination interventions against more toxic agents. Until now, reliance has mostly been on individual chemicals as surrogates to specific agents (e.g. methyl salicylate for sulphur mustard). A literature review was conducted to identify chemicals that had been previously tested on human volunteers and that represent diverse physicochemical characteristics in order to create a repository for chemical simulants. Of the 171 unique chemicals identified 78 were discounted for the risk they could pose to human volunteers, 39 were deemed suitable for use and a further 54 were considered to be possible simulants but would require further research. Suitable simulants included both solid and liquid chemicals spanning a wide range of physicochemical properties including molecular weight, octanol/ water partition coefficient, vapour pressure and solubility. This review has identified an array of potential simulants suitable for use in human volunteer decontamination studies and is of relevance to future studies on systemic absorption and surface decontamination.

Starting from the fact that in sensorless control systems of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) the load torque can have short and significant variations, this paper presents the sensorless control of a PMSM based on a Linear Adaptive Disturbance Rejection Controller (LADRC) type controller. Essentially, the successful operation of the LADRC controller to achieve PMSM rotor speed control performance depends on a good estimation of the disturbances acting on the system. Traditionally, an Extended State Observer (ESO) is used to make such an estimate. In this paper, it is proposed to use a Disturbance Observer (DO) to estimate the external disturbances, and after their rejection, the LADRC controller ensures an equivalent global behavior of the control system with an ideal double integrator, and thus increased ease in achieving the desired control performance. Control structures and Matlab/Simulink implementation of the sensorless PMSM control system based on LADRC controller with ESO/DO type observer are presented, as well as its use in tandem with a Reinforcement Learning Twin-Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (RL-TD3) specially trained agent that provides correction signals for more accurate estimation of external disturbances and hence improved control performance. Qualitatively superior performance is achieved by using LADRC with the RL-TD3 agent control structure in terms of parametric robustness, response time, and steady-state error. Also, by calculating the fractal dimension (DF) of the controlled signal and the PMSM rotor speed, it is found that the higher the DF, the better the performance of the control system. The validation of the superiority of the proposed control structures is carried out by means of numerical simulations in the Matlab/Simulink environment.

As the global demand for water increases, so does the quantity of wastewater requiring treatment. Due to a relatively low carbon footprint, compared with conventional wastewater treatment technologies, anaerobic digestion (AD) was identified in the 1970s as a forerunner in the push for sustainability, when interest in sustainable technologies and renewable energy sources was first sparked. AD technology development ultimately resulted in the discovery of the ‘anaerobic granule’. It is a spontaneously-forming bio-aggregate of microbial cells capable of digesting pollutants and producing methane-rich biogas as a renewable source of bioenergy. The high settling velocity of such granules meant that AD systems could be operated as high-rate treatment processes, because the active, relatively-slow-growing, pollutant-removing biomass would be retained inside, and not washed out of, even bioreactors operated at extremely high volumetric loading rates. In the intervening years the emergence of the anaerobic ammonium oxidising (anammox) granule, aerobic granule, hydrogenic granule, oxygenic photogranule, and many other functionally-specialised granules, has opened new opportunities in wastewater treatment biotechnology. Whilst environmental engineering based around wastewater treatment is still a growing field of research and implementation, the granule (in all forms) is starting to catch the attention of microbial ecologists. It is a self-immobilised biofilm, with many of the properties of ‘conventional’ biofilms formed in Nature. However, as a single entity, a granule represents an entire community of microorganisms, competing or functioning cooperatively or in syntrophy. Together, inside a bioreactor, granules perform side-by-side arguably representing a meta-organism. Granules are gaining traction as the perfect samples for high-throughput studies on fundamental ecological concepts. Granular biofilms can be used to test hypotheses around drivers of diversity, community assembly, biofilm formation and maturation, community expansion and succession, community stress response, among others. This review outlines the history of three of the most influential types of granules: the anaerobic (methanogenic), aerobic and anammox granule. The main biochemical processes found in each type; their primary characteristics; and the typical makeup of the microbial community underpinning the processes are compared. Finally, the adoption of granules as the perfect ‘playground’ for experiments in microbial ecology is reviewed.

Corporate sustainability reporting, also known as Triple-bottom-line reporting, involves reporting nonfinancial and financial information to a broader set of stakeholders than just shareholders and seek to fortify an organization’s ability to manage key risks. The current case is that, the quality, rigor, and utility of sustainability reporting remains contentious with concerns about the suitability of the criteria or standards used to prepare the reports. Despite the rapid increase in the number of companies around the world adopting Global Reporting Initiative standards, little is known about the extent of practice of corporate sustainability reporting in public universities in Kenya. The study selected five universities that had their 2017-18 audited financial reports available online for the readers, which served as the main source of secondary data. The guidelines on corporate sustainability reporting was derived from literature review, which provided key indicators upon which the data from each university was evaluated. It was observed that almost all the institutions recognize the critical role of both internal and external independent audit of financial statements. In conclusion, financial reporting sustainability is guided by strict compliance to the factors of sustainability.

Most empirical work on sources of economic growth for different countries lack country-specific empirical evidence to guide policy choices in individual developing countries and previous studies of factor productivity tend to focus on the entire economy or a single sector. In this study, we use the recently developed growth accounting tools to explicitly determine the sources of economic growth at both national and sectoral levels in Zambia between 1970 and 2013. We use data from World Development Indicators and Zambia’s Central Statistical Office. On average, total factor productivity (TFP) contributes about 5.7% to economic growth. Sectoral analysis shows that agriculture contributes the least to GDP and that within each sector; factors that contribute to growth differ. Structural transformation has been slow and contributed to the observed inefficiency. We outline the implications of the observed growth and provide recommendations.

Background: Since 2000, vaccine coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has surpassed multiple milestones. Its contribution to global health, especially in low-middle-income countries is one of the achievements in global governance of modern medicine, averting 2-3 million child deaths every year. However, in Nigeria, vaccine-preventable-diseases still account for one in eight child deaths before their fifth-year birthday and remains one of the ten countries where 4.3 million children under five are without complete immunization. The reasons for declining childhood vaccine demand are unclear. Therefore, the goal of this contribution is to shed light on the reasons to set a foundation for future interventions. Methods: Four focus group discussions were conducted. The primary targets were mothers of children 0 – 12 months old in Nigeria. A simplified quota sampling approach was used to select mothers in four geographical clusters of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. At least six mothers from each cluster were randomly included, giving a total of 24 participants. An interview guide developed from the 5C psychological antecedence model was used (assessing confidence, complacency, calculation, constraints, collective responsibility); two additional variables were included that had proved meaningful in previous work (religion and masculinity). The data were analyzed using meta-aggregation approach such as framework synthesis, which summarized data in a stepwise fashion. Results: The sample was generally relatively positive towards vaccination. Still, mothers reported low trust in vaccine safety and the healthcare system (confidence). Yet, they had great interest in seeking additional information during antenatal visits (calculation), difficulties in prioritizing vaccination over other equally competing priorities (constraints) and were aware that vaccination translates into overall community health and wellbeing (collective responsibility). They had a bias towards God as ultimate giver of good health (religion) and reported that their husbands played a dominant role in vaccination decision-making (masculinity). Mothers perceived their children vulnerable to disease outbreaks, which motivated them to get them vaccinated (complacency). Conclusion: The 5C model and the added determinants provided a useful qualitative tool for understanding mothers’ vaccination decision-making in low resources settings.

A number of regolith-hosted REE occurrences have recently been discovered in the Esperance region in southern Western Australia. This paper summarizes major characteristics of the REE mineralization and discusses contributing factors and potential controls. The main aim is to explain why there is a lack of highly sought-after ion-adsorption clay type REE deposits across the region despite the presence of the regolith-hosted REE mineralization on a regional scale. Local mineralization mostly occurs as continuous flat-lying enrichment “blankets” within the residual regolith developed over Archaean–Proterozoic granite gneisses and granitoids with elevated REE content. The enriched horizon is commonly located in the lower saprolite and saprock and is accompanied by an overlying REE-depleted zone. This distribution pattern, together with the data on HREE fractionation and the presence of the supergene REE minerals, indicate chemogenic type enrichment formed by supergene REE mobilization into groundwater, downward transport and accumulation in the lower part of the weathering profile. Residual REE accumulation processes due to bulk rock volume and mass reduction during weathering also contribute to mineralization. It is proposed that climate and groundwater chemistry are the critical controls on the distribution of REEs in the weathering profile and on their speciation in the enrichment zone. Cenozoic aridification of climate in southwest Australia heavily overprinted pre-existing REE distributions in the weathering profile. Acidic (pH <4), highly saline groundwaters intensely leached away any relatively weakly bound, adsorbed or colloidal REE forms, moving them downward. Dissolved RREs precipitated as secondary phosphates in neutral to alkaline environment at lower Eh near the base of the weathering profile forming the supergene enrichment zone. Low denudation rates, characteristic of areas of low relief under the arid climate, are favorable for the preservation of the existing weathering profiles with REE mineralization.

Typhoid fever is an infectious disease that affects humanity worldwide particularly in the lower socio-economic communities where many individuals are exposed to a dirty environment and unclean food. A mathematical model is formulated to analyze the impact of control measures such as vaccination of susceptible humans, treatment of infected humans and sanitation in the different socio-economic communities. The model assumed that the population comprises of two socio-economic classes. The essential dynamical system analysis of our model was appropriately carried out. The impact of the control measures was analyzed, and the optimal control theory was applied on the control model to explore the impact of the different control measures. Numerical simulation of the models and the optimal controls were carried out and results obtained indicates that the overall combination of the control measures eradicates Typhoid fever in the population but the controls are more optimal in the higher socio-economic communities.

While examination malpractice has been a recognized social problem among students, the control of the phenomenon remains a challenge. In this study, we formulate a mathematical model describing the population dynamics of examination malpractice among students. Initial insight into the dynamics of the model is gained by analyzing some important mathematical features of the model such as the basic malpractice number. The malpractice-free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium points of the model are shown to be locally asymptotically stable when the basic malpractice number is less than unity. This result implies that examination malpractice can be totally eradicated among students when the basic malpractice number is less than unity. To understand the impact of controlling this social problem, we extend the model to incorporate awareness campaign and disciplinary measure as control strategies in curtailing the act. Our analysis reveals that incorporating control strategies have some influence in reducing examination malpractice among students. Further analysis indicates that considering both control strategies simultaneously yields a better result in reducing examination malpractice and examination malpractice will grow faster when control strategies are not introduced.

Peripheral tissue metabolism of steroids (intracrinology) is now accepted as a key way in which tissues, such as the endometrium, can utilize inactive steroids present in the blood to respond to local physiological demands and ‘fine-tune’ the activation or inhibition of steroid hormone receptor-dependent processes. Expression of enzymes that play a critical role in activation and inactivation of bioactive oestrogens (E1, E2) and androgens (A4, T, DHT), as well as expression of steroid hormone receptors, has been detected in endometrial tissues and cells recovered during the menstrual cycle. There is robust evidence that increased expression of aromatase is important for creating a local microenvironment that can support a pregnancy. Measurement of intra-tissue concentrations of steroids using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry has been important in advancing our understanding of a role for androgens in the endometrium acting both as active ligands for the androgen receptor and as substrates for oestrogen biosynthesis. The emergence of intracrinology, associated with disordered expression of key enzymes such as aromatase, in the aetiology of common women’s health disorders such as endometriosis and endometrial cancer has prompted renewed interest in development of drugs targeting these pathways opening up new opportunities for targeted therapies and precision medicine.

Based on the need for real-time sag monitoring of Overhead Power Lines (OPL) for electricity transmission, this article presents the implementation of a hardware and software system for online monitoring of OPL cables and cable sag determination. The mathematical model based on differential equations and the methods of algorithmic calculation of OPL cable sag are presented. Considering that, based on the mathematical model presented, the calculation of OPL cable sag can be done in different ways depending on the sensors used, and the presented application uses a variety of sensors. Therefore, a direct calculation is made using one of the different methods. Subsequently, the verification relations are highlighted directly and, respectively, the calculation by the alternative method, which uses another group of sensors, to generate both a verification of the calculation and the functionality of the sensors, thus obtaining a defect observer of the sensors. The hardware architecture of the OPL cable online monitoring application is presented, together with the main characteristics of the sensors and communication equipment used. The configurations required to transmit data using the ModBUS and ZigBee protocols are also presented. The main software modules of the OPL cable condition monitoring application are described, which ensure the monitoring of the main parameters of the power line and the visualisation of the results both on the electricity provider's intranet using a web server and MySQL database, and on the Internet using an Internet of Things (IoT) server. This categorisation of the data visualisation mode is done in such a way as to ensure a high level of cyber security. Starting from the mathematical model of the OPL cable sag calculation, it goes through the stages of creating such a monitoring system, from the numerical simulations carried out using Matlab to the real-time implementation of this monitoring application. The main modules of the application software are: the software module for reading quantities from the sensor network through a ModBUS Input/Output (I/O) server, the software module for real-time calculation of the OPL cable sag, the software module for read/write operations based on MySQL type data, the software module for transferring data to the user's intranet through a web server, and the software module for viewing data by authorised users based on user and password through an IoT server. The development software environments used are Matlab and Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW).

A long-term investigation of D. suzukii dynamics in wild blueberry fields from 2012 - 2018 demonstrates relative abundance is still increasing seven years after initial invasion. Relative abundance is determined by physiological date of first detection and air temperatures the previous winter. Date of first detection of flies does not determine date of fruit infestation. The level of fruit infestation is determined by year, fly pressure, and insecticide application frequency. Frequency of insecticide application is determined by production system. Non-crop wild fruit and predation influences fly pressure; increased wild fruit abundance results in increased fly pressure. Increased predation rate reduces fly pressure, but only at high abundance of flies, or when high levels of wild fruit are present along field edges. Male sex ratio might be declining over the seven years. Action thresholds were developed from samples of 92 fields from 2012 - 2017 that related cumulative adult male trap capture to the following week likelihood of fruit infestation. A two-parameter gamma density function describing this probability was used to develop a risk-based gradient action threshold system. The action thresholds were validated from 2016-2018 in 35 fields and were shown to work well in two of three years (2016 and 2017).

The workplace is an ideal setting for health promotion. The regular medical examination of workers enables us to screen for numerous diseases, spread good practices and correct lifestyles, and obtain a favourable risk/benefit ratio. The continuous monitoring of the level of workers' wellbeing using a holistic approach that goes beyond the simple prevention of occupational risks enables us to promptly identify problems in work organization and the company climate. Problems of this kind can be adequately managed by using a participatory approach. In this study participatory ergonomics groups were used to improve occupational life in a small company. After intervention we observed a reduction in levels of perceived occupational stress measured with the effort / reward imbalance model, and an improvement in psychological wellbeing assessed by means of the Goldberg anxiety / depression scale. Although the limited size of the sample calls for a cautious evaluation of this study, the GEP© strategy proved to be a useful tool due to its cost-effectiveness.

The ageing of workers is one of the most important issues for occupational health and safety in Europe. A number of intervention studies on health promotion for older workers were conducted in European workplaces between 2000 and 2015. This review gives an overview of these studies and considers perspectives for workplace health promotion.

One application of the Cosmological Gravitational Lensing in General Relativity is the measurement of the Hubble constant H_0 using the time delay Delta t between multiple images of lensed quasars. This method has already been applied, obtaining a value of H_0 compatible with that obtained from the SNe 1A, but non compatible with that obtained studying the anisotropies of the CMB. This difference could be a statistical fluctuation or an indication of new physics beyond the Standard Model of Cosmology, so it desirable to improve the precision of the measurements. At the current technological capabilities it is possible to obtain H_0 to a percent level uncertainty, so a more accurate theoretical model could be necessary in order to increase the precision about the determination of H_0. The actual formula which relates Delta t with H_0 is approximated; in this paper we expose a proposal to go beyond the previous analysis and, within the context of a new model, we obtain a more precise formula than that present in the Literature.

Starting from the fact that one of the global control strategies of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM), namely the Direct Torque Control (DTC) type control strategy, is characterised by the fact that the inner flux and torque control loop usually uses hysteresis ON-OFF type controllers and the oscillations introduced by them have to be cancelled out by the outer speed loop controller (which is usually a PI speed controller and whose performance is good around the global operating points and for relatively small variations of the external parameters and disturbances caused in particular by the load torque variation), while retaining the advantages of the DTC strategy, this paper presents the improvement of the performance of the PMSM sensorless control system using Proportional Integrator (PI), PI Equilibrium Optimizer Algorithm (EOA), Fractional Order (FO) PI, Tilt Integral Derivative (TID) and FO Lead-Lag for constant flux, and Sliding Mode Control (SMC) and FOSMC for variable flux. The performance indicators of the control system are the usual ones: response time, settling time, overshoot, steady-state error and speed ripple, plus another one given by the fractal dimension (FD) of the PMSM rotor speed signal, and the hypothesis that the FD of the controlled signal is higher when the control system provides better performance is verified. The paper also presents the basic equations of the PMSM, based on which the synthesis of integer and fractional controllers, the synthesis of an observer for estimating the PMSM rotor speed, electromagnetic torque and stator flux are presented. The comparison of the performance of the proposed control systems and the demonstration of the parametric robustness are performed by numerical simulations in Matlab/Simulink using Simscape Electrical and Fractional Order Modelling and Control (FOMCON). Real-time control based on an embedded system using a TMS320F28379D controller demonstrates the good performance of the PMSM sensorless control system based on the DTC strategy in a complete hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) implementation.

Healthcare personnel must face two problems of growing importance: violence in the workplace and the loss of work ability due to ageing of the workforce. Studying the relationship between these two phenomena can help to prepare effective prevention measures. In a public health company, we asked nurses to self-assess their work ability using the Work Ability Index (WAI) and we analysed the relationship between this indicator and the violence experienced in the previous and following years. 321 out of 344 nurses (99.3%) participated. In a logistic regression model, the WAI score was a significant protective factor for violence experienced in the previous year (OR=0.94 CI95%=0.90; 0.98 p<0.01) and in the following year (OR=0.88 CI95%=0.84; 0.92 p<0.01). In a hierarchical logistic regression model, social support acted as a protective factor (OR = 0.87 CI95% = 0.79; 0.95 for violence experienced in the previous year), while occupational stress was a significant determinant of the risk of aggression (OR=3.65 CI95%=1.90; 7.03 in the previous year, OR=3.54 CI95%=1.801; 6.947 in the following year). The difficulties that nurses encounter in carrying out their growing work demands in an environment that is not promptly adapted to their changing physical and mental conditions can lead to an increased risk of violence. Prevention of workplace violence should include organizational and ergonomic measures that reduce stress and increase staff support and work ability.

Human milk (HM) is the gold standard for feeding infants but has been associated with slower growth in preterm infants compared with preterm formula. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarises the post-1990 literature to examine the effect of HM feeding on growth during the neonatal admission of preterm infants with birth weight ≤1500g and/or born ≤28 weeks’ gestation. Medline, PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus were searched, and comparisons grouped as: exclusive human milk (EHM) vs exclusive preterm formula (EPTF), any HM vs EPTF and higher vs lower doses of HM. We selected studies that used fortified HM and compared that with a PTF; studies comparing unfortified HM and term formula were excluded. Experimental and observational studies were pooled separately. The GRADE system was used to evaluate risk of bias and certainty of evidence. Forty-four studies were included with 37 (n =9,963 infants) included in the meta-analyses. In general, due to poor quality studies, evidence of the effect of any HM feeds or higher versus lower doses of HM was inconclusive. There was a possible effect that lower doses of HM compared with higher doses of HM improved weight gain during the hospital admission, and separately, a possible effect of increased head circumference growth in infants fed EPTF vs any HM. The clinical significance of this is unclear. There was insufficient evidence to determine the effects of an exclusive HM diet on any outcomes.

The understanding of the ‘I-Thou’ relationship is the recognition that there is a relation between one and another in the world of human being. Each individual is an entity that carries a great deal of dignity and the good appropriation of this dignity fosters a great interpersonal relationship. For there to be any peace-relation among beings, a way to human enquiry and understanding of common good and advancement, there is a need for unbiasness. In Robert Kane’s view, it is through a positive I-Thou peace-relation which is achievable through ‘openness’ that human beings sustain the moral sphere, and avoid breaking it. It will help them to arrive at truth and a way forward to any debatable issue among human beings. Openness is a form of respect for another even in the face of divided or different opinions. Hence, in any deliberation of any sort, one has to take the part of Openness by limiting narrowness of vision and choose to respect every other point of view and way of life. This will help to foster the ideal I-Thou or inter-human beings’ peace-relation in the face of obstacles and conflicts. However, he seems to take for granted the uniqueness or difference in human thinking patterns and so he creates back the problem which he sets out to resolve by not giving a stand on what truth is and how human beings can get to it when openness fails. Adopting expository and analytic methods, the research argues that Kane’s idea of Openness appears to be a solution to sustain harmony among human beings.

Recent works have shown that collective single photon spontaneous emission from an ensemble of N resonant two-level atoms is a rich field of study. Superradiance describes emission from a completely symmetric state of N atoms, with a single excited atom prepared with a given phase, for instance imprinted by an external laser. Instead, subradiance is associated with the emission from the remaining N−1 asymmetric states, with a collective decay rate less than the single-atom value. Here, we discuss the properties of the orthonormal basis of symmetric and asymmetric states and the entanglement properties of superradiant and subradiant states.

The heat and matter transfer during glucose catabolism in living systems and their relation with entropy production are a challenging subject of the classical thermodynamics applied to biology. In this respect, an analogy between mechanics and thermodynamics has been performed via the definition of the entropy density acceleration expressed by the time derivative of the rate of entropy density and related to heat and matter transfer in minimum living systems. Cells are regarded as open thermodynamic systems that exchange heat and matter resulting from irreversible processes with the intercellular environment. Prigogine’s minimum energy dissipation principle is reformulated using the notion of entropy density acceleration applied to glucose catabolism. It is shown that, for out-of-equilibrium states, the calculated entropy density acceleration is finite and negative and approaches as a function of time a zero value at global thermodynamic equilibrium for heat and matter transfer independently of the cell type and the metabolic pathway. These results could be important for a deeper understanding of entropy generation and its correlation with heat transfer in cell biology with special regard to glucose catabolism representing the prototype of irreversible reactions and a crucial metabolic pathway in stem cells and cancer stem cells.

Big Epidemiology is an innovative framework that extends the interdisciplinary approach of Big History to understand disease patterns, causes, and effects across human history on a global scale. This comprehensive methodology integrates epidemiology, genetics, environmental science, sociology, history, and data science to address contemporary and future public health challenges through a broad historical and societal lens. The foundational research agenda involves mapping the historical occurrence of diseases and their impacts on societies over time, utilizing archaeological findings, biological data, and historical records. By analyzing skeletal remains, ancient DNA, and artifacts, researchers can trace the origins and spread of diseases, such as Yersinia pestis in the Black Death. Historical documents, including chronicles and medical treatises, provide contextual narratives and quantitative data on past disease outbreaks, societal responses, and disruptions. Modern genetic studies reveal the evolution and migration patterns of pathogens and human adaptations to diseases, offering insights into co-evolutionary dynamics. This integrative approach allows for temporal and spatial mapping of disease patterns, linking them to social upheavals, population changes, and economic transformations. Big Epidemiology also examines the roles of environmental changes and socioeconomic factors in disease emergence and re-emergence, incorporating climate science, urban development, and economic history to inform public health strategies. The framework reviews historical and contemporary policy responses to pandemics, aiming to enhance future global health governance. By addressing ethical, legal, and social implications, Big Epidemiology seeks to ensure responsible and effective epidemiological research and interventions. This approach aims to profoundly impact how we understand, prevent, and respond to diseases, leveraging historical perspectives to enrich modern scientific inquiry and global public health strategies.

Cumulative effects of landscape disturbance in forested source water regions can alter the storage of fine sediment and associated phosphorus in riverbeds, shift nutrient dynamics and degrade water quality. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in major element chemistry and particulate phosphorus (PP) fractions of river-bed sediment in an oligotrophic river during environmentally sensitive low flow conditions. Study sites along 50 km of the Crowsnest River were located below tributary inflows from sub-watersheds and represent a gradient of increasing cumulative sedi-ment pressures across a range of land disturbance types (harvesting, wildfire, and municipal wastewater discharges). Major elements (Si2O, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, Ti2O, V2O5, P2O5), loss on ignition (LOI), PP fractions (NH4CI-RP, BD-RP, NaOH-RP, HCI-RP and NaOH(85)-RP) and absolute particle size were evaluated for sediments collected in 2016 and 2017. While total PP concentrations were similar across all sites, bioavailable PP fractions (BD-RP, NaOH-RP) increased downstream with increased concentrations of Al2O3 and MnO and levels of landscape disturbance. This study highlights the longitudinal water quality impacts of increasing landscape disturbance on bioavailable PP in fine riverbed sediments and shows how the convergence of climate (wildfire) and anthropogenic (sewage effluent, harvesting, agriculture) drivers can produce legacy effects on nutrients.

Air passenger traffic prediction is crucial for the effective operation of civil aviation airports. Despite some progress in this field, the prediction accuracy and methods need further improvement. This paper proposes an integrated approach to the prediction of air passenger index as follows. Firstly, the air passenger index is defined and classified by the K-means clustering method. Based on the mutual information (MI) principle, the information entropy is used to analyze and select the key influencing factors of air passenger travel. By incorporating the MI principle into the support vector regression (SVR) framework, this paper presents an innovative MI-SVR machine learning model used to predict the air passenger index. Finally, the proposed model is validated by passenger throughput data of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China. The experimental results prove the model feasibility and effectiveness by comparing them with conventional methods, such as ARIMA, LSTM, and other machine learning models, outperformed by the MI-SVR model. Besides, it is shown that the prediction effect of each model could be improved by introducing influencing factors based on mutual information. The main findings are considered instrumental to the airport operation and air traffic optimization.

Air passenger traffic prediction is crucial for the effective operation of civil aviation airports. Despite some progress in this field, the prediction accuracy and methods need further improvement. This paper proposes an integrated approach to the prediction of air passenger index as follows. Firstly, the air passenger index is defined and classified by the K-means clustering method. Based on the mutual information (MI) principle, the information entropy is used to analyze and select the key influencing factors of air passenger travel. By incorporating the MI principle into the support vector regression (SVR) framework, this paper presents an innovative MI-SVR machine learning model used to predict the air passenger index. Finally, the proposed model is validated by passenger throughput data of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China. The experimental results prove the model feasibility and effectiveness by comparing them with conventional methods, such as ARIMA, LSTM, and other machine learning models, outperformed by the MI-SVR model. Besides, it is shown that the prediction effect of each model could be improved by introducing influencing factors based on mutual information. The main findings are considered instrumental to the airport operation and air traffic optimization.

Male infertility is a condition that has always been less studied and known than female infertility. Male infertility is increasingly present and increasingly dignosticated. Although several causes are known, to date about 40% of the causes are considered idiopathic. The worldwide denatality, can only be slowed if awareness campaigns are implemented on all the diseases that can alter fertile potential, especially in young adolescents. Male infertility is, in addition, associated with several medical conditions, in particular the association between infertility and testicular cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases and genetic diseases is well known. For this reason, fertility preservation should not be proposed or be only oncological in nature, but there are several diagnosable pediatric pathologies associated with altered fertile potential to whose patients we could offer a gamete preservation pathway. In this paper we propose our experience on fertility preservation in pediatric andrological diseases.

It is standard for blockchain platforms to issue native tokens, currencies, that users must own to operate within the platform. Some blockchains however decided to issue two tokens, a dual system, one typically for governance and the other for implementing functions on the blockchain, such as executing transactions or smart contracts. Therefore, the two tokens are used for different activities. Typically, owning the governance tokens gives right to receive the other token for free, as a reward for participating to the blockchain decision-making process. However, both tokens can also be traded on some exchange nodes, which means that platform functions could be implemented even without owning governance tokens. In the paper we discuss some economic fundamentals of dual-token blockchain platforms. In particular, we investigate the market relative attractiveness of the two tokens by introducing some simple numerical indicators, based on prices, traded and circulating monetary quantities. Such indicators, which are meant to reflect the platform view on the tokens’ market desirability, could be computed in real time and used to support the platform’s policy making.

The wracks of Posidonia oceanica leaves on the sandy beaches of Calabrian region could be one of the most important defence against erosion processes. The management of Posidonia oceanica leaf litter in Italy has been realized through the mechanical removal and the transport in dumping areas of the beach-cast material. This solution, apparently simple and fast, produces a net loss of sediments from the sandy beaches and, therefore, a deficit in the sedimentary budget of coastline leading the coastal system to possible shore erosions. Instead, it could be better to keep these vegetable deposits on the place so to warrant a positive sedimentary budget and the tourist value of the regional beaches improving coastal tourism in the seaside resorts with bathing vocation.

This paper investigates whether the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic – also known as COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) – could have been favored by specific weather conditions. It was found that the 2020 winter weather in the region of Wuhan (Hubei, Central China) – where the virus first broke out in December and spread widely from January to February 2020 – was strikingly similar to that of the Northern Italian provinces of Milan, Brescia and Bergamo, where the pandemic has been very severe from February to March. The similarity suggests that this pandemic worsens under weather temperatures between 4°C and 11°C. Based on this result, specific isotherm world maps were generated to locate, month by month, the world regions that share similar temperature ranges. From January to March, this isotherm zone extended mostly from Central China toward Iran, Turkey, West-Mediterranean Europe (Italy, Spain and France) up to the United State of America, coinciding with the geographic regions most affected by the pandemic from January to March. It is predicted that next spring, as the weather gets warm, the pandemic will likely worsen in northern regions (United Kingdom, Germany, East Europe, Russia and North America) while the situation will likely improve in the southern regions (Italy and Spain). However, in autumn, the pandemic could come back and affect the same regions again. The Tropical Zone and the entire Southern Hemisphere, but in restricted southern regions, could avoid a strong pandemic because of the sufficiently warm weather during the entire year. Google-Earth-Pro interactive-maps are provided as supplements.

Microplastics (of size < 5mm) pollution in our environment is of current concern by researchers, public media and non-governmental organizations. Implications by their presence in aquatic and soil ecosystems have been well studied and documented, but less attention has been paid on airborne microplastics (MPs). Studies concerning airborne microplastics started from 2016 and only a few (n=7) have been published till date. Although, studies may increase in the following years, since air is very important for human survival. Microplastics have been observed in atmospheric fallouts in indoor and outdoor environments using a sampling or vacuum pump, rain sampler and/or particulate fallout collector. Identification and quantification have been carried out by visual, spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. Factors such as meterological, climatic and anthropogenic influence the distribution and movement of airborne MP. Human exposure may be through inhalation or dermal route with their potential biopersistence and translocation. Ingestion may cause localized inflammation and cancer due to responses by the immune cells, especially in individuals with compromised metabolism and poor clearance mechanisms. Ecological risks involve possible contamination of the ecosystem through a dynamic relationship of MPs in soil, water and air forming a MP contamination cycle. The present review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of current knowledge or information regarding microplastics in air, identifies gap in knowledge and give suggestions for future research.

This study introduces the MuhdoAge clock, a novel saliva-based epigenetic clock, designed to predict biological age with strong correlations in a healthy, disease-free cohort. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset from Muhdo Health, this research analyses saliva samples utilising the Illumina MethylationEPIC array. Through robust statistical methods, 237 significant CpG sites were identified that correlate with age-related methylation changes, exhibiting a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.652 after outlier removal, with tiered algorithmic design improving this further to 0.726 in a new dataset that combined pathologic and healthy individuals (n=2682). Comparatively, the MuhdoAge clock was evaluated against other known epigenetic clocks, demonstrating high precision in predicting biological age within healthy individuals (R² = 0.878, n=1844), emphasising its potential utility in non-invasive, large-scale applications. The clock shows promise for integration into public health strategies for monitoring and potentially mitigating age-related decline, facilitated by its ease of use and accessibility through saliva sampling. Furthermore, this study highlights the impact of lifestyle and environmental factors on biological ageing, highlighting the importance of personalised health interventions. Future research is to focus on longitudinal studies to validate these findings and explore the mechanisms underlying epigenetic age acceleration.

Abstract: One of the most significant medical advancements of the 20th century was the discovery of antibiotics, which continue to play a vital tool in the treatment and prevention of diseases in humans and animals. However, the imprudent use of antibiotics in all fields of One-Health and concerns about antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens have raised interest in antibiotic use restrictions on a global scale. Despite the failure of conventional antimicrobial agents, only about 15 new antibiotics have been introduced clinically since year 2000 to date. Moreover, there have been reports of resistance to some of these new antibiotics. This has necessitated a need to search for an alternative strategy to combat antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Thus, this review compiles and evaluates the approaches—natural compounds, phage treatment, and nanomaterials—that are being used and/or suggested as the potential substitutes for conventional antibiotics. These strategies include those that focus on the enzymes or proteins, as well as the physiology and metabolism of resistant bacteria

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is considered to be one of the leading health issues in Thailand. CVD not only contributes to an increase in the number of hospital admissions year on year but also impacts on the rising health care expenditure for the treatment and long-term care of CVD patients. Therefore, this study is aimed at examining the impacts of risk reduction strategies on the number of CVD hospital admissions, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and the costs of hospitalisation. To estimate such impacts a CVD cost-offset model wasapplied using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The number of the mid-year population was classified by age, gender and the CVD risk factor profiles from the recent Thai National Health Examination Survey (NHES) IV. This survey was chosen as the baseline population. The CVD risk factor profiles included age, gender, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and smoking status. The Asia-Pacific Collaborative Cohort Study (APCCS) equation was applied to predict the probability of developing CVD over the next eight-year period. Estimates on the following were obtained from the model: (1.) the CVD events both fatal and non-fatal; (2.) the difference between the projected number of deaths and the actual number of deaths in that population; (3.) the number of patients who are expected to live with CVD; (4.) the DALYs from the estimated number of fatal and non-fatal events; (5.) the cost of hospital admissions. Four CVD risk strategy scenarios were investigated as follows: (1.) the do nothing scenario; (2.) the optimistic scenario; (3.) achieve the UN millennium development goal; and (4.) the worst-case scenario. The findings showed that over the next eight years there are likely to be 3,297,428 recorded cases of CVD; 5,870,049 cases of DALYs; and, approximately ฿57,000 million, ($1.9 billion), is projected as the total cost of hospital admissions. However, if the current health policy can reduce the levels of risk factors as defined in the optimistic scenario or such policy meets the specifications of the UN millennium development goal,there would be a significant reduction in the number of hospital admissions. These are estimated to be a reduction of 522,179 male and 515,416 female cases. With these results it is expected that health care costs would save approximately ฿9,000 million, ($298.3 million), for CVD and 900,000 million of DALYs over the next eight years. However, if there is an upward trend in the risk factors as predicted in the worst-case scenario, then there will be an increase of 428,220 CVD cases; consequently, DALYs cases may rise by 766,029 while the hospitalisation costs may increase by approximately ฿7,000 million, ($232.1 million). Based on our findings, reducing the levels of CVD risk factors in the population will drastically reduce: (1.) the number of CVD cases; (2.) DALYs cases; and (3.) health care costs. Therefore it is recommended that the health policy should enhance the primary prevention programs which would be targeted at reducing the CVD risk factors in the population.

Object detection is complex and involved diverse requirements for different applications. In critical application such as visual impaired navigation guide and real-time surveillance for instance, identifying a particular object of instance is required and this involved a complex approach for realization. Literatures were reviewed, starting with the application of deep learning techniques for object detection; their gaps were identified and addressed using real-time object detection models literature review. From the review gaps were also detected and addressed using literature review on occlusion detection techniques. Object of instance detection in clustered scene with similar object of interest was identified as an open gap not addressed in the existing literature; even through it is vital for many applications. This research recommended an Occlusion Based Object of Instance Detection (OBOID) technique which used the spatial information to identify instant object of interest in clustered scene with many similarly object of interest. Limitation of the recommended OBOID is that it requires only system where position and distance of object is necessary to inform other decision.

(1) Background: Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a syndrome described as secondary when it is the consequence of an organic disorder (s-PPPD) or primary when no somatic triggers cannot be identified. We evaluated a group of patients diagnosed as s-PPPD with Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV) as the main somatic trigger with the aim to identify predictive clinical elements of evolution towards PPPD.; (2) Methods: We compared the clinical characteristics of the 51 patients with s-PPPD having as trigger a BPPV (group 1) with 107 subjects diagnosed as BPPV but with no evolution in PPPD (control group). Results: A significant statistical difference in the mean age was found between s-PPPD and the non-s-PPPD group. The latency between the onset of BPPV and the final diagnosis was 25.2 days in the group 1 and 12.8 days in the control group; (4) Conclusions: The parameters mostly involved as potential precipitants of PPPD after BPPV are represented by the age of the patients and a long latency between the onset of BPPV and the final diagnosis: the mean age of the subjects who developed a PPPD following BPPV is significantly higher. These findings lead us to emphasize the importance of an early identification and treatment of BPPV, especially in older patients.

Telecommuting is a flexible form of work that has progressively spread over the last 40 years and which has been strongly encouraged by the measures to limit the Covid19 pandemic. There is still limited evi-dence on the effects it has on workers' health. In this survey we invited 905 workers of companies that made a limited use of telework to fill out a questionnaire to evaluate: Intrusive leadership of managers (IL), the request for work outside traditional hours (OFF-TAJD), workaholism (BWAS), effort / reward imbalance (ERI), happiness and common mental issues (CMIs), anxiety and depression, assessed by the Goldberg scale (GADS). The interaction between these variables has been studied by structural equation modeling (SEM). Intrusive leadership and working after hours were significantly associated with occu-pational stress. Workaholism is a relevant moderator of this interaction: intrusive leadership significantly increased the stress of workaholic workers. Intrusive leadership and overtime work were associated with reduced happiness, anxiety and depression. These results indicate the need to guarantee the right to disconnect, to limit the effect of the OFF-TAJD. In addition to this, companies should implement policies to prevent intrusive leadership and workaholism.

Little theoretically-informed research investigates how non-standard eyewitness identification tasks or metacognitive instructions might improve identification accuracy. We used a continuous dual-process model of recognition to explain familiarity-based identification errors and design modified lineup tasks and metacognitive instructions that increased eyewitness recollection and discriminability. In four studies we examined identification performance across lineups (standard simultaneous, elimination, delayed-choice) and instructions (task-related, phenomenological, standard). Participants viewed photos of targets and made identification decisions about a lineup for each target. Instructions about memory phenomenology improved discriminability in delayed-choice lineups, while task-related instructions were ineffective. Metacognitive instructions about how to better evaluate memory quality in modified lineup tasks could improve recollection for greater identification accuracy even when memory is poor. While immediate post-decision confidence is a good predictor of identification accuracy, lineup modifications that improve eyewitness memory use would provide better evidence of suspect guilt or innocence. We discuss implications for lineup theory and design.

It has been suggested that particle size plays an important role in determining the genotoxicity of gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The purpose of this study was to compare the potential radio-sensitization effects of two different sized GNPs (3.9 and 37.4 nm) fabricated and examined in vitro in Lewis Lung carcinoma (LLC) as a model of non-small cell lung cancer through use of comet and clonogenic assays. After the treatment of 2Gy X-ray irradiation, both particle sizes demonstrated increased DNA damage when compared to treatment with particles only and radiation alone. This radio-sensitization was further translated into a reduction in cell survival demonstrated by clonogenicity. This work indicates that GNPs of both sizes induce DNA damage in LLC cells at the tested concentrations, whereas the 37.4 nm particle size treatment group demonstrated greater significance in vitro. The presented data aids in the evaluation of the radiobiological response of Lewis Lung carcinoma cells treated with gold nanoparticles.

Enterococcus faecalis is a growing cause of nosocomial and antibiotic-resistant infections. Treating drug-resistant E. faecalis requires novel approaches. The use of bacteriophages (phages) against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has recently garnered global attention. Biofilms play a vital role in E. faecalis pathogenesis as they enhance antibiotic resistance. Phages eliminate biofilms by producing lytic enzymes, including depolymerases. In this study, Enterococcus phage vB_Efs8_KEN04 (ФKEN04), isolated from a sewage treatment plant in Nairobi, Kenya, was tested against clinical strains of MDR Enterococcus faecalis. This phage had a broad host range against 100% (26/26) of MDR E. faecalis clinical isolates and cross-species activity against Enterococcus faecium. It was able to withstand acidic and alkaline conditions, from pH 3 to 11, as well as temperatures between -80ᵒC and 37ᵒC. It could inhibit and disrupt the biofilms of MDR E. faecalis. Its linear double-stranded DNA genome of 142,402 bp contains 238 coding sequences with a G+C content and coding gene density of 36.01% and 91.46%, respectively. Genomic analyses showed that ФKEN04 belongs to the genus Kochikohdavirus in the family Herelleviridae. It lacked antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and lysogeny genes, and its stability, broad host range, and cross-species lysis indicate strong potential for the treatment of Enterococcus infections.

Natural products contribute substantially to anticancer therapy; the plant kingdom provides an important source of molecules. Conofolidine is a novel Aspidosperma-Aspidosperma bisindole alkaloid isolated from the Malayan plant Tabernaemontana corymbosa. Herein, we report conofolidine’s anticancer activity together with that of three other bisindoles - conophylline, leucophyllidine and bipleiophylline against human-derived carcinoma cell lines. Remarkably, conofolidine was able to induce apoptosis (as observed in MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells) or senescence (as detected in HT-29 colorectal carcinoma cells). Annexin V-FITC/PI, caspase activation and PARP cleavage confirmed the former while positive β-gal staining corroborated the latter. Evident cell cycle perturbations were observed comprising S-phase depletion, accompanied by downregulated CDK2, and cyclins (A2, D1) with p21 upregulation. Confocal imaging of HCT-116 cells revealed induction of aberrant mitotic phenotypes - multi-nucleation, membrane blebbing and DNA-fragmentation. The DNA integrity assessment of HCT-116 and MDA-MB-468 showed irreparable damage identified by increased fluorescent γ-H2AX during the G1 cell cycle phase. Furthermore, γ-H2AX foci were visually validated in HCT-116 and MDA-MB-468 cells using confocal microscopy. Conofolidine increased oxidative stress, preceding apoptosis- and senescence-induction in most carcinoma cell lines as seen by enhanced ROS levels accompanied by NQO1 expression. Collectively, we present conofolidine as a potential anticancer candidate capable of inducing heterogeneous modes of cancer cell death in vitro, encouraging further preclinical evaluation of this natural product.

Beetles are by far one of the most successful and diverse insect species. A part of this success is attributed to their elytra which provide various functions such as protection to their bodies from mechanical forces and the harmful environmental factors. In this study, Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) elytra were first examined for their overall flexural properties and were observed to have a localized shape retaining snap-through mechanism which could play a crucial role in energy absorption, e.g. during battles and falls from heights. The snap-through mechanism was validated using theoretical calculations and also finite element simulations. Elytra were also characterized to examine their puncture and wear resistance. Our results show that elytra resisted puncture up to a force of 1.8±0.4 N and have puncture resistance compared to that of commercially available puncture resistant gloves. The measured values of modulus and hardness of elytra exocuticle were 10.3±0.8 GPa and 0.7±0.1 GPa. Using the hardness to modulus ratio as an indicator of wear resistance, the estimated value was observed to be in the range of wear resistant biological materials. Thus, our study demonstrates different mechanical properties of the stag beetle elytra which can be explored to design shape retaining bio-inspired composites with enhanced puncture and wear resistance.

In the Mediterranean Sea, there are two critical issues affecting marine benthic biocenosis: the sedimentation process and the increasing trend in marine biodiversity loss. These processes are very marked along the western side of Calabria coastline where siltation is one of the main reasons for the regression of Posidonia beds in the regional coastal waters. This research aims to investigate the relationships between the geomorphological features of the debris source areas, represented by fluvial basins, and the distribution of Posidonia meadows. So, a geomorphological study of the Tyrrhenian fluvial basins with area greater than 200 km2 and its correlation with the mapping of the meadows in the Calabria Tyrrhenian waters was carried out. Furthermore, in order to assess the increased level of burial in a Posidonia oceanica meadow and its health state over time, a program of Posidonia monitoring was undertaken between 2000 and 2010, in a test area located in the Marine Regional Park of Isca (Calabria, Southern Italy). The results of this survey highlighted that, at the beginning of the study period, for a silting rate of 4 - 5 cm/year, the meadow suffered a reduction of its photosynthetic ratio with a rate of mortality of 50%. In the following years, the siltation rate reach 12 cm/year in 2010 and the meadow began to disappear. Therefore, the marine pollution by sedimentation represents a serious factor for the regression of Posidonia oceanica meadows, enhancing the risk of a gradual loss in marine biodiversity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that individuals with prediabetes are significantly less likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they participate in a lifestyle change program that results in at least 5% weight loss and 150 minutes of physical activity per week. The CDC recognizes distance learning as an effective delivery mode for lifestyle change programs to prevent type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to assess enrollment, engagement, and effectiveness of a type 2 diabetes prevention program (DPP) using synchronous distance technology. Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes (ESMMPD) is an intensive 12-month DPP delivered using synchronous distance technology. Throughout 26 lessons, participants focused on healthy eating, physical activity, and mindfulness behaviors. Study findings showed a significant decrease in A1C (-0.24 p<.0001). Weight loss averaged 5.66% for those who completed the program. Based on the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, participants demonstrated statistically significant changes in self-reported confidence in their ability to perform all 18 health-promoting behaviors assessed (p<.0001). Participation in the program also resulted in the adoption of health promoting behaviors. A DPP using synchronous distance technology is an effective delivery mode to help participants adopt healthy behaviors, increase physical activity, and achieve the weight loss necessary to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

In the world, migraine is one of the most common cause of disability in adults. To date, there is no a single cause for this disorder, but rather a set of physio-pathogenic triggers, in combination with a genetic predisposition. Among factors related to the migraine onset, a crucial role seems to be played by gut dysbiosis. In fact, it has been demonstrated how the intestine is able to modulate the central nervous system activities, through the gut-brain axis, and how gut dysbiosis can influence neurological pathologies, including migraine attacks. In this contest, in addition to migraine conventional pharmacological treatments, attention has been paid to an adjuvant therapeutic strategy based on different nutritional approaches and lifestyle changes able to positively modulate the gut microbiota composition. In fact, the restoration of the balance between the different gut bacterial species, the reconstruction of the gut barrier integrity and the control of the release of gut-derived inflammatory neuropeptides, obtained through specific nutritional patterns and lifestyle changes, represent a possible beneficial additive therapy for many migraine subtypes. Herein, this review explores the bi-directional correlation between migraine and the main chronic non-communicable diseases, like diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, obesity, cancer and chronic kidney diseases, whose link is represented by gut dysbiosis.

Aging is a complex and inevitable biological process characterized by a gradual decline in physiological function, including increased oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. While aging is a natural part of life, it is often accompanied by various disorders collectively known as age-related diseases (ARDs) or aging disorders. These include neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s (PD), cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, and frailty, among others. As the global population ages, the prevalence of ARDs such as PD and frailty is rising, necessitating innovative approaches to enhance healthy aging. Nutraceuticals are natural bioactive compounds in foods that offer health benefits beyond essential nutrition, which is pivotal in preventing and managing aging-related disorders. Nutraceuticals, with their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties, offer promising strategies to counteract these processes and promote healthy aging. This review highlights the potential of nutraceuticals as valuable adjuncts in managing PD and frailty, two conditions intricately linked to ARD. By examining the differential impacts of these bioactive compounds on the underlying mechanisms of each condition, this study underscores the promise of nutraceuticals in promoting healthy aging. The review aims to inform future research and clinical strategies by advocating for developing novel bioactive compounds, using advanced delivery technologies, and integrating personalized approaches based on genetic and epigenetic profiles. These efforts will pave the way for more precise, effective, and individualized interventions, ultimately extending health span and preventing ARD.

Violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) is a widespread, underreported and inadequately prevented problem. Only a few companies have efficient systems for assessing the extent of the phenomenon. In 2005, the health surveillance service of a public health company introduced a system that monitored violence experienced by HCWs by means of three items from the Violent Incident Form (VIF), integrated with departmental in-depth analyses using the participatory ergonomics group technique. In 2005, the annual rate of physical assaults was 8.2%, that of threats 12.0%, while the harassment rate was 19.6%. Over the past twenty years of observation (2005-2024), the percentage of workers who reported experiencing a physical attack in the previous year at their periodic medical examination, has fluctuated between 5.8% and 11.1%, except for the years 2020 and 2021 when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate was 3.9% and 3.2%, respectively. During the same pandemic period, the annual threat rate that ranged from 9.4% to 20.1%, dropped to 7.7%, while the prevalence of harassment, that was between 13.5 and 19.6, fell to 7.2%. HCWs believe that (i) limiting visitor access (ii) a better balance of the demand for services and (iii) a better attitude towards HCWs were the causes of the reduced rate of violence during the pandemic. Recording the violence experienced during health surveillance is an economical, reliable and sustainable risk assessment method.

In this paper, we develop a tractable mathematical model and emulation framework for communicating information through water using acoustic signals. Water is considered as one of the most complex mediums to model owing to its vastness and variety in characteristics depending on the scenario, what kind of water-body (lakes, rivers, tanks, sea etc.) and geographical location of the water-body is considered. Our proposed mathematical model involves the concept of damped harmonic oscillators to represent the medium (water) and Milne’s oscillator technique to map the interaction between the acoustic signal and water. Wave equations formulated for acoustic pressure and acoustic wave velocity are used to characterize the travelling acoustic signal. Signal strength, phase shift and time-delay generated from the mathematical model are fed to a Simulink-based emulator framework to generate channel samples and channel impulse responses. The emulator uses wide sense stationary uncorrelated scattering (WSSUS) assumption and finite sum-of-sinusoids (SOS) with uniformly distributed phase to generate the channel samples. Using the emulator platform it is possible to generate amplitude variation profile, Doppler shift and spread experienced by any travelling signal through different underwater communication scenarios. Such an emulator platform can be used to simulate different communication scenarios, underwater network topologies, data to train different learning models and predict performance of different modulation, multiplexing, error correction and multi-access techniques for underwater acoustic communications (UWAC) systems.

Although decision making strategy based on clinico-histopathological criteria is well established, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents a spectrum of biological ecosystems characterized by distinct genetic and molecular alterations, diverse clinical courses and potential specific therapeutic vulnerabilities. Given the plethora of drugs available, the subtype-tailored treatment to RCC subtype holds the potential to improve patient outcome, shrinking treatment-related morbidity and cost. The emerging knowledge of the molecular taxonomy of RCC is evolving, whilst the antiangiogenic and immunotherapy landscape maintained and reinforced their potential. Although several prognostic factors of survival in patients with RCC have been described, no reliable predictive biomarkers of treatment individual sensitivity or resistance have been identified. In this review, we summarize the available evidence able to prompt more precise and individualized patient selection in well-designed clinical trials, covering the unmet need of medical choices in the era of next-generation anti-angiogenesis and immunotherapy.

Urological cancers include a spectrum of malignancies affecting organs of the reproductive and/or urinary systems, such as prostate, kidney, bladder, and testis. Despite improved primary prevention, detection and treatment, urological cancers are still characterized by an increasing incidence and mortality worldwide and although advances have been made toward understanding the molecular basis of these diseases, a complete insight of the pathogenic mechanisms is still a research challenge for defining safer pharmacological therapies and prognostic factors, especially for the metastatic stage of these neoplasms for which no effective therapies exist. Glyoxalases are enzymes that catalyzes the glutathione-dependent metabolism of cytotoxic methylglyoxal (MG), thus protecting against cellular damage and apoptosis. They are generally overexpressed in numerous cancers as a survival strategy by providing a safeguard through enhancement of MG detoxification. Increasing evidence suggest that glyoxalases, especially Glo1, would act as oncogenes in urological malignancies and be central to their initiation, growth and progression. In this review, we highlight the critical role of glyoxalases as regulators of tumorigenesis in the prostate through modulation of various critical signaling pathways, and provide an overview of the current knowledge on glyoxalases in bladder, kidney and testis cancers. We also discuss the promise and challenges for Glo1 inhibitors as future anti-PCa therapeutics and the potential of glyoxalases as biomarkers for PCa diagnosis.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the main themes and insights from the Journal of Orthopedic Research (JOR)/JOR Spine Workshop during the Orthopedic Research Society 2022 Annual Meeting in Tampa Bay, Florida. This workshop, organized by JOR Editor-in-Chief Dr. Linda Sandell, focused on communication strategies (particularly using social media) to broadcast published work in orthopedic research. In this manuscript, we summarize data that support the beneficial impacts of amplifying scholarly works on social media and outline a linearized workflow for constructing a Twitter posts, which can be generalized to other social media platforms, to share academic research. Finally, we identify resources to alleviate barriers to social media use and help promote professionalism and success online in the orthopedic research community. As early career scientists in orthopedics, we see immense value in using social media, particularly Twitter, to communicate our research findings and build our scholarly networks. We hope this information will be persuasive to those in the orthopedic field and be broadly applicable to others in related scientific fields who wish to disseminate findings and engage a public audience on social media. For the orthopedic research society and journal of orthopedic research, social media can assist in accomplishing our mission of creating a world without musculoskeletal limitations via the timely dissemination of orthopedic research findings and news.

Research has consistently found that people with mental illness (known as consumers) experience lower levels of participation in meaningful activities, which can limit their opportunities for recovery support. The aim of this study was to describe the outcomes of participation in a group program designed to address all stages of activity participation, known as Pathways to Participation (P2P). A descriptive longitudinal design was utilized, collecting data at three time points. Outcomes were measured by the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal (CANSAS), Recovery Assessment Scale – Domains and Stages (RAS-DS), Behaviour and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24), Living in the Community Questionnaire (LCQ) and time use diaries. All data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and Chi square analyses. Seventeen consumers completed baseline data, eleven contributed post program data and eight provided follow up data. Most were female (63.64%) and had been living with mental illness for 11.50 (± 7.74) years on average. Reductions in unmet needs and improvements in self-rated recovery scores were re-ported, but no changes were identified in either time use or psychosocial health. The findings indicate the P2P program may enable consumers to achieve positive activity and participation out-comes as part of their personal recovery.

We consider an alternative formula for time delay in gravitational lensing. Imposing a smoothness condition on the gravitationally deformed paths followed by the photons from the source to the observer, we show that our formula displays the same degrees of freedom of the standard one. In addition to this, it is shown that the standard expression for time delay is recovered when small angles are involved. These two features strongly support the claim that the formula for time delay studied in this paper is the generalization to arbitrary angles of the standard one, which is valid at small angles. This could therefore result in a useful tool in view of softening the known discrepancy between the various estimates of the Hubble constant. As an aside, two interesting consequences of our proposal for time delay are discussed: the existence of a constraint on the gravitational potential generated by the lens and a formula for the mass of the lens in the case of central potential.

This case study assessed marketing arrangements used by small scale farmers in the Lake Basin and Lower Eastern bean corridors of Kenya to determine which markets work for rural producers and what changes are needed to produce and supply sufficient quantities for trade. Using exploratory research, data was collected through focus group discussions with six farmer groups representing a total of 1255 bean farmers and key informant interviews with extension staff. The results indicated that 94% of the farmers produced beans before identifying buyers with only 6% participating in group marketing. Though spot-market transactions with brokers and traders provided ready cash for the farmers, formal buyers were perceived to be more reliable but difficult to find and, operated stringent requirements which were a barrier to entry. A theory of change to integrate smallholders into formal markets to sustainably produce and supply sufficient volumes for trade should entail a transformation agenda at four levels of the value chain: intensification of production through pure stand models with greater use of certified high yielding varieties; stable price guarantees; a market-driven research and extension service and; an enabling political, policy and business environment in the bean value chain. Further research is needed to pilot these changes in a case control study.

The influence of lignin modification on drug release and pH-dependent releasing behaviour of oral solid dosage form was investigated using three different formulations. The first formulation contains microcrystalline cellulose (MCC101) as excipient and paracetamol as active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The second formulation includes Alcell lignin and MCC 101 as excipient and paracetamol, and the third formulation consists of carboxylated Alcell lignin, MCC 101 and paracetamol. Direct compaction was carried out in order to prepare the tablets. Lignin can be readily chemically modified due to the existence of different functional groups in its structure. The focus of this investigation is on lignin carboxylation and its influence on paracetamol control release behaviour at varying pH. Results suggest that carboxylated lignin tablets had the highest drug release, which is linked to their faster disintegration and lower tablet hardness.

Local anaesthetic agents suppress action potentials in excitable tissues by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels. In doing so they inhibit the depolarisation of nociceptive nerve fibres and so prevent the transmission of pain impulses. UK legislation allows HCPC-registered Podiatrists with POM-A annotation access to six local anaesthetic drugs and two of these with the addition of adrenaline. The use of local anaesthetia has transformed the treatment of nail pathology by Podiatrists. In the UK, the drug of choice in podiatric practice is 3% mepivacaine hydrochloride: it is a good choice of drug for digital anaesthesia. This paper will review the chemistry, pharmacology and dose calculation of mepivacaine, and challenge some of the orthodoxy over the rigid calculation of maximum safe dosages.

Despite their prevalence in almost all publicly orientated conservation settings, sign design receives limited attention in the research literature. We used a remote eye-tracking device to test how visitors read educational signs, maps, and species signage. Three designs, plus a plain-text control sign, were tested for each sign type. Sign content was based on Brackenhurst Botanic Garden, Kenya and included four different information texts (156-256 words long) and a species information text (64 words long). Four presentations of extinction threat-status were also tested as were depictions of trail routes on maps. Data were collected from 51 participants at six cultural venues across Nottingham, UK. Signs positioned centre-left of an exhibit were read first. Information on the left-hand side of signs was read first and dwelled upon the longest. Signs with a single large image and a single block of text were generally preferred, and images were most frequently recalled. Extinction threat-status was most frequently viewed and best recalled from green-red thermometer diagrams and least from the IUCN red-list diagram. Map routes were clearest when presented as coloured solid lines. This study indicates the potential benefit of eye-tracking research for measuring sign use and assisting in sign design.

Oxidative stress (OS) is reported in several chronic diseases. Extra-cellular superoxide dismutase (ec-SOD) catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide anion with a protective role on endothelial cells. In chronic kidney diseases (CKD), OS and thyroid dysfunction (low T3 syndrome) are fre-quently present, but their relationship has not been investigated. This cohort study evaluated ec-SOD activity in CKD patients during haemodialysis, divided into: “acute hemodialytic pa-tients” (AH, 1-3 months of treatment) and “chronic hemodialytic patients” (CH, treated for a longer period). We also evaluated plasmatic total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the relation-ships with thyroid hormones. Two basal samples (“basal 1”, 3 days after the last dialysis and “basal 2”, 2 days after the last dialysis) were collected. On the same day of basal 2, a sample was collected 5 and 10 min after the standard heparin dose and at the end of the procedure. The ec-SOD values were significantly higher in CH vs AH in all determinations. Moreover, they pre-sented lower TAC values. Dividing CH patients into two subgroups according to fT3 levels (nor-mal or low) we found significantly lower ec-SOD values in the group with low fT3 at basal, 5 and 10 min samples. Finally, a significant correlation was observed between fT3 and ec-SOD in the basal 1 samples. These data, confirming OS and low T3 syndrome in CKD, suggest that low fT3 concentrations can influence ec-SOD activity and therefore contribute to possible endothelial oxi-dative damage in such a situation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal association between socio-economic deprivation and the incidence of COVID-19 and how this association changes through the seasons and due to the existence of restrictive public health measures. A retrospective observational study was conducted among COVID-19 cases that occurred in the Apulia region from 29 February 2020 to 31 December 2021, dividing the period into four phases with different levels of restrictions. A generalized estimating equations model was applied to test the independent effect of deprivation on the incidence rate of COVID-19, taking into account age, sex, and regional incidence rate as possible confounding effects and covariates such as season and levels of restrictions as possible modifying effects. The highest incidence rate was in areas with a Very High deprivation Index (DI) in winter (107.2 for 100,000 ab. ± 7.5), while in autumn, the highest Rate Ratio (RR) was estimated between Very High vs. Low DI (3.83, p<.001). During total lockdown, no RR between areas with different levels of DI was significant, while during soft lockdown, areas with Very High DI were more at risk than all other areas. The effects of social inequalities on incidence rate of COVID-19 change in as-sociation with the seasons and restrictions on public health. Disadvantaged areas showed a higher incidence rate of COVID-19 in the cold seasons and in the phases of soft lockdown.

The Work Ability Index (WAI) is the most widely used questionnaire for the self-assessment of working ability. Because of its different applications, shorter versions, and widespread use in healthcare activities, it is worthwhile assessing its characteristics. The WAI was distributed online among the workers of a healthcare company; the results were compared with data contained in the workers' personal health records and with absence registers. 340 out of 575 workers (59.1%) participated; 6.5% of them reported poor work ability. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the one-factor version best described the characteristics of the WAI. The scores of the complete WAI, the shorter form without the list of diseases, and the minimal one-item version (WAS) had equal distribution and were significantly correlated. The WAI score was inversely related to age and significantly lower in women than in men, but it was higher in night workers than in colleagues due to the probable effect of selective factors. The WAI score was also correlated with absenteeism, but no differences were found between males and females in the average number of absences, suggesting that cultural or emotional factors influence the self-rating of the WAI. Workers tended to overreport illnesses in the online survey compared to data collected during occupational health checks. Musculoskeletal disorders were the most frequently reported illnesses (53%). Psychiatric illnesses affected 21% of workers and had the greatest impact on work ability. Multilevel ergonomic and human factor intervention seems to be needed to recover the working capacity of healthcare workers.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of medicinal plants and phytochemicals as potential treatments for acne vulgaris. This condition, characterized by chronic inflammation, predominantly affects adolescents and young adults. Conventional treatment typically targets the key factors contributing to its development: the proliferation of Cutibacterium acnes and the associated inflammation. However, these treatments often involve the use of potent drugs. As a result, the exploration of herbal medicine as a complementary approach has emerged as a promising strategy. By harnessing the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants and phytochemicals, it may be possible to address acne vulgaris while minimizing the reliance on strong drugs. This approach not only offers potential benefits for individuals seeking alternative treatments but also underscores the importance of natural remedies in dermatological care. The primary aim of this study was to assess the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of plants and their phytochemical constituents in the management of mild acne vulgaris. A comprehensive search of scientific databases was conducted from 2018 to September 2023. The findings of this review suggest that medicinal plants and their phytochemical components hold promise as treatments for mild acne vulgaris. However, it is crucial to note that further research employing high-quality evidence and standardized methodologies is essential to substantiate their efficacy and safety profiles.

Inhibitors of the factor FXI represent a new class of anticoagulant agents that are facing the clinical approval for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), venous thromboembolism (VTE), and stroke prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF). These new inhibitors include chemical small molecules (asundexian and milvexian), monoclonal antibodies (abelacimab, osocimab, and xisomab), and antisense oligonucleotides (IONIS-FXIRX and fesomersen), and thus with very peculiar and different pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Besides their clinical efficacy and safety, based on their pharmacological heterogeneity, the use of these drugs in patients with comorbidities may undergo to drug-drug interactions (DDI) with other concomitant therapies. Although only few clinical evidence are available, it is possible to predict clinical relevant DDI by taking into consideration their pharmacokinetic properties, such as the CYP450-dependent metabolism, the interaction with drug transporters and/or the route of elimination. These characteristics may be useful to differentiate their use with the direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) anti -FXa (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban) and thrombin (dabigatran), whose pharmacokinetics are strongly dependent from P-gp inhibitors/inducers. In the present review, we summarize the current clinical evidence on DDI of new anti FXI with CYP450/P-gp inhibitors and inducers and indicate potential differences with DOAC anti FXa.

Each injection of any known vaccine results in a strong expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This is the result of the innate immune system activation, without which no adaptive response to the injection of vaccines is possible. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines would not escape this rule. Unfortunately, the degree of inflammation produced by these vaccines is variable, probably depending on the genetic background and previous immune experiences, which through epigenetic modifications, could have made the innate immune system of each individual tolerant or reactive to subsequent immune stimulations.We hypothesize that we can move from a limited pro-inflammatory condition to conditions of increasing expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can culminate in multisystem hyperinflammatory syndromes following COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (MIS-V). We have graphically represented this idea in a hypothetical inflammatory pyramid (IP) and we have correlated the time factor to the degree of inflammation produced after the injection of vaccines. Furthermore, we have placed the clinical manifestations within this hypothetical IP, correlating them to the degree of inflammation produced. Surprisingly, excluding the possible presence of an early MIS-V, the time factor and the complexity of clinical manifestations are correlated to the increasing degree of inflammation: symptoms, heart disease and syndromes (MIS-V).

A workplace sleep health promotion program was implemented in an Italian police unit from 2016 to 2017. Of the 242 police officers in the unit, 218 (90%) agreed to take part in the program. A crossover trial was made in which the police officers were divided into two groups that performed sleep health promotion activities in the first and second year, respectively. The first group of officers showed significant sleep improvements at the end of the first year, while the second group had similar or worse parameters than at baseline. At follow-up, a significant improvement in the quantity and quality of sleep was reported in both groups. Sleep improvements at follow-up were associated with a marked reduction in the frequency of accidents at work and near-misses. All sleep parameters showed a significant association with injuries and near-misses in univariate logistic regression analyses. Before the intervention, sleepiness was the best predictor of injuries (aOR 1.220; CI95% 1.044-1.426) and near-misses (aOR 1.382; CI95% 1.182-1.615). At follow-up, when sleep conditions had improved, insomnia symptoms were the most significant predictors of work accidents (aOR 13.358; CI95% 2.353-75.818). Sleep health promotion can be useful in police officers.

Parvovirus infections have been well known for around 100 years in domestic carnivores. However, the use of molecular assays and metagenomic approaches for virus discovery and characterization has led to the detection of novel parvovirus species and/or variants in dog. Although some evidence suggests that these emerging canine parvoviruses may act as primary causative agents or as synergistic pathogens in the diseases of domestic carnivores, several aspects regarding epidemiology and virus-host interaction remain to be elucidated.

Gold nanoparticles have been indicated for use in a diagnostic and/or therapeutic role in several cancer types. The use of gold nanorods (AuNRs) with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the second Near-Infrared II (NIR-II) optical window promises deeper anatomical penetration through increased maximum permissible exposure and lower optical attenuation. In this study, the targeting efficiency of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody functionalised AuNRs with an SPR at 1064 nm was evaluated in vitro. Four cell lines, KYSE-30, CAL-27, Hep-G2 and MCF-7 that either over or under expressed EGFR were used. This expression was confirmed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. Cytotoxicity assays showed no AuNRs toxicity to both EGFR positive and EGFR negative cell lines up to a concentrations of 19 µg/ml. Optical microscopy demonstrated a significant difference (p&lt;0.0001) between targeted AuNRs (tAuNRs) and untargeted AuNRs (uAuNRs) in all four cancer cell lines. This study demonstrates that anti-EGFR functionalisation significantly increased the number of tAuNRs associated with each EGFR positive cancer cell. This successful targeting highlights the use of tAuNRs for molecular photoacoustic imaging or tumour treatment through plasmonic photothermal therapy.

(1) Background: Usually, the majority of patients suffering from vertigo and dizziness can be identified in four major categories: acute spontaneous vertigo, episodic (recurrent) vertigo, recurrent positional vertigo, chronic imbalance. Our purpose is to retrospectively evaluate the main causes of episodic vertigo and to find indications for a reliable clinical suspicion useful for a definitive diagnosis, comparing patients affected by different presenting symptomatology (acute vertigo, recurrent episodic vertigo, and imbalance) (2) Methods: we retrospectively evaluated the clinical records in a population of 249 consecutive patients observed for vertigo in our tertiary referral center in the period 1 January 2019 – 31 January 2020. On the basis of the reported clinical history, patients were divided into three groups: patients with first ever attack of vertigo, patients with recurrent vertigo and dizziness; patients with chronic imbalance. (3) Results: On the basis of the results of the instrumental examination, we arbitrary divided (for each type of symptoms) the patients in a group with a normal vestibular instrumental examination and a group of patients in which the clinical-instrumental evaluation showed some pathological results; a highly significant difference (p: 0.157) was found between recurrent and acute vertigo and between recurrent vertigo and imbalance. (4) Conclusions: patients with recurrent vertigo more frequently exhibit a negative otoneurological examination since they are often examined in the intercritical phase. A precise and in-depth research of the patient's clinical history is the key to suspect or make a diagnosis together with the search for some instrumental or clinical hallmark, especially in cases where the clinical picture does not fully meet the international diagnostic criteria.

This research experiments with a sustainability assessment based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 through a process of their territorialisation and implementation. This process enables the development of a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that can be integrated with strategic environmental assessments in urban planning. The assessment takes place on the transversality of the sustainability concept by trying to consider together the three dimensions (environmental, social and economic) into a single assessment through the Spatial Sustainability Assessment Model (SSAM) by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria analyses. Economic development, social equity, and ecological integrity represent three common visions for rethinking peri-urban edges.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely tested the physical and mental health of health care workers (HCWs). The various stages of the epidemic have posed different problems; consequently, only a prospective study can effectively describe the changes in the workers’ health. This repeated cross-sectional study is based on a one-year investigation (spring 2020 to spring 2021) of intensive care physicians in one of the two COVID-19 hub hospitals in Central Italy. Changes in their work activity due to the pandemic were studied anonymously together with their perception of organizational justice, occupational stress, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, burnout, job satisfaction, happiness, and intention to quit. In May-June 2021, one year after the baseline, doctors reported an increased workload, isolation at work and in social life, lack of time for physical activity and meditation and compassion fatigue. Stress was inversely associated with the perception of justice in safety procedures and directly correlated with work isolation. Occupational stress was significantly associated with anxiety, depression, burnout, dissatisfaction, and intention to quit. Procedural justice was significantly associated with happiness. Doctors believed vaccinations would help control the problem; however, this positive attitude had not yet resulted in improved mental health. Doctors reported high levels of distress (73%), sleep problems (28%), anxiety (25%), depression (64%). Interventions to correct the situation are urgently needed.

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely tested the mental health of frontline health care workers. A repeated cross-sectional study can provide information on how their mental health evolved during the various phases of the pandemic. The intensivists of a COVID-19 hub hospital in Rome were investigated with a baseline survey during the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020 and were contacted again in December 2020, during the second wave. 152 of the 205 eligible workers responded to an online questionnaire designed to measure procedural justice, occupational stress (effort/reward imbalance), sleep quality, anxiety, depression, burnout, job satisfaction, happiness, and turnover intention. Workers reported a further increase in workload and compassion fatigue, which had already risen during the first wave, and a marked reduction in the time devoted to meditation and mental activities. A low level of confidence in the adequacy of safety procedures and the need to work in isolation, together with an increased workload and lack of time for meditation were the most significant predictors of occupational stress in a stepwise linear regression model. Occupational stress was, in turn, a significant predictor of insomnia, anxiety, low job satisfaction, burnout, and intention to leave the hospital. The number of workers manifesting symptoms of depression increased significantly to exceed 60%. Action to prevent occupational risks and enhance individual resilience cannot be postponed.

Mercury (Hg) fish and seafood contamination is a global concern and needs worldwide sea investigations in order to protect consumers. The aim of this study was to investigate the Hg concentration by means of a rapid and simple analytical technique with direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA-80) in pelagic fish species, Tetrapturus belone (spearfish), Thunnus thynnus (tuna) and Xiphias gladius (swordfish) caught in the Mediterranean Sea. Hg contents were evaluated also in Salmo salar (salmon) as pelagic fish not belonging to the Mediterranean area. The results obtained were variable ranging between 0,015-2,562 mg kg-1 for T. thynnus specie, 0,477-3,182 mg kg-1 for X. gladius, 0,434-1,730 mg kg-1 for T. belone and 0,004-0,019 mg kg-1 for S. salar, respectively. The total Hg tolerable weekly intake (TWI) and % tolerable weekly intake (TWI%) values according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) were calculated. The results highlighted that the pelagic species caught in the Mediterranean Sea should be constantly monitored due to their high Hg contents as well as their TWI and TWI% with respect to S. salar samples.

Regenerated silk (RS) is a protein-based “biopolymer” that enables the design of new materials; here, we called “bionic” the process of regenerated silk production by a fermentation-assisted method. Based on yeast’s fermentation, here we produced a living hybrid composite made of regenerated silk nanofibrils and a single-cell fungi, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast extract, by fermentation of such microorganisms at room temperature in a dissolution bath of silkworm silk fibers. The fermentation-based processing enhances the beta-sheet content of the RS, corresponding to a reduction in water permeability and CO₂ diffusion through RS/yeast thin films enabling the fabrication of a mechanically robust film that enhances food storage durability. Finally, a transfer print method, which consists of transferring RS and RS/yeast film layers onto a self-adherent paraffin substrate, was used for the realization of heat-responsive wrinkles by exploiting the high thermal expansion of the paraffin substrate that regulates the applied strain, resulting in a switchable coating morphology from the wrinkle-free state to a wrinkled state if the food temperature overcomes a designed threshold. We envision that such efficient and smart coatings can be applied for the realization of smart packaging that, through such a temperature-sensing mechanism, can be used to control food storage conditions.

Free-living terrestrial mites (Acari) have persisted through numerous glacial cycles in Antarctica. Very little is known, however, of their genetic diversity and distribution, particularly within the Ross Sea region. To redress this gap, we sampled for mites throughout the Ross Sea region, East Antarctica, including Victoria Land and the Queen Maud Mountains (QMM), covering a latitudinal range of 72-85oS, as well as from Lauft Island near Mt Siple (73oS) in West Antarctica and Macquarie Island (54oS) in the sub-Antarctic. We assessed genetic diversity using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences (COI-5P DNA barcode region), and also morphologically identified voucher specimens. We obtained 130 sequences representing four genera: Nanorchestes (n = 30 sequences), Stereotydeus (n = 46), Coccorhagidia (n = 18) and Eupodes (n = 36). Tree-based analyses (maximum likelihood) revealed 13 genetic clusters, representing as many as 23 putative species indicated by Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) from the Barcode of Life Datasystems (BOLD) database. We found evidence for geographically-isolated cryptic species, e.g. within Stereotydeus belli and S. punctatus, as well as unique genetic groups occurring in sympatry (e.g. Nanorchestes spp. in QMM). Collectively, these data confirm high genetic divergence as a consequence of geographic isolation over evolutionary timescales. From a conservation perspective, additional targeted sampling of understudied areas in the Ross Sea region should be prioritised, as further diversity is likely to be found for these short-range endemic mites.

Background and aim: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted, one of the three most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in both males and females, and the most common viral STI. A crucial public health strategy to protect people against HPV is through vaccination, which has shown its effectiveness in preventing HPV related diseases. Presently three types of vaccines are available (bivalent, quadrivalent, and nonavalent) and they all target at least the two most oncogenic virus genotypes (HPV 16, 18). In the past few years, the need to implement vaccination programmes that include all genders has been discussed in order to achieve herd immunity against HPV. To date, only a few countries have included young males in their vaccination programmes, so we aim through this review to provide an overview of the epidemiology of HPV and prevention strategies to prevent it, reporting the latest findings from the scientific literature.

The concept of smart morphing blades, which can control themselves to reduce or eliminate the need for active control systems, is a highly attractive solution in blade technology. In this paper an innovative passive control system based on Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) is proposed. On the basis of previous thermal and shape characterization of a single morphing blade for a heavy-duty automotive cooling axial fan, this study deals with the numerical analysis of the aerodynamic loads acting on the fan. By coupling CFD and FEM approaches it is possible to analyze the actual blade shape resulting from both the aerodynamic and centrifugal loads. The numerical results indicate that the polymeric blade structure ensures proper resistance and enables shape variation due to the action of the SMA strips.

Oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathological processes that trigger various chronic liver diseases and contributes to the development of hepatocarcinogenesis. Antioxidants from natural sources trap free radicals by converting them into non-harmful products and minimize oxidative stress, playing a crucial function in the treatment of free radical-induced diseases. However, the activity of these antioxidants is limited due their poor bioavailability, which is why various nano-drug delivery systems have been developed to improve their stability, promote smooth release, and targeted delivery for liver cancer treatment. Specifically, this review aims to report recent scientific findings of novel nano-formulations containing natural antioxidant molecules targeted for the treatment of liver cancer.

The International Health Regulations (2005) promote national capacity in core institutions so countries can better detect, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. In accordance with the ‘all hazards’ approach to public health risk, this systematic review examines poisoning and toxic exposures in Myanmar. A systematic literature search was undertaken to find articles pertaining to poisoning in Myanmar published between 1998 and 2020. A number of poisoning risks are identified in this review including snakebites, heavy metals, drugs of abuse, agro-chemicals and traditional medicine. Patterns of poisoning presented in the literature diverge from poisoning priorities reported in other lower-middle income countries in the region. The expe-rience of professionals working in a Yangon-based poison treatment unit indicates that frequently observed poisoning as a result of substances including pharmaceuticals, methanol, and petroleum products were absent from the literature. Other notable gaps in the available research include assessments of the public health burden of poisoning through self-harm, household exposures to chemicals, paediatric risk and women’s occupational risk of poisoning. There is a limited amount of research available on poisoning outcomes and routes of exposure in Myanmar. Further inves-tigation and research is warranted to provide a more complete assessment of poisoning risk and incidence.

Molecular therapies exploiting mRNA vectors embody enormous potential, as evidenced by the utility of this technology for the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. None-the-less, broad implementation of these promising strategies has been restricted by the limited repertoires of delivery vehicles capable of mRNA transport. On this basis, we explored a strategy based on exploiting the well characterized entry biology of adenovirus. To this end, we studied an adenovirus-polylysine (AdpL) that embodied “piggyback” transport of the mRNA on the capsid exterior of adenovirus. We hypothesized that the efficient steps of Ad binding, receptor-mediated entry, and capsid-mediated endosome escape could provide an effective pathway for transport of mRNA to the cellular cytosol for transgene expression. Our studies confirmed that AdpL could mediate effective gene transfer of mRNA vectors in vitro and in vivo. Facets of this method may offer key utilities to feasibilize the promise of mRNA-based therapeutics.

The XChem facility at Diamond Light Source offers fragment screening by X-ray crystallography as a general access user program. The main advantage of X-ray crystallography as a primary fragment screen is that it yields directly the location and pose of the fragment hits, whether within pockets of interest or merely on surface sites: this is the key information for structure-based design and for enabling synthesis of follow-up molecules. Extensive streamlining of the screening experiment at XChem has engendered a very active user programme that is generating large amounts of data: in 2017, 36 academic and industry groups generated 35,000 datasets of uniquely soaked crystals. It has also generated a large number of learnings concerning the main remaining bottleneck, namely obtaining a suitable crystal system that will support a successful fragment screen. Here we discuss the practicalities of generating screen-ready crystals that have useful electron density maps, and how to ensure they will be successfully reproduced and usable at a facility outside the home lab.

Microsamples (collections usually less than 50 µL) have been introduced in pre-clinical, clinical, and research settings to overcome obstacles in sampling via traditional venipuncture. However, venipuncture remains the sampling gold standard for metabolic phenotyping of blood. This pre-sents several challenges in metabolic phenotyping workflows: accessibility for individuals in ru-ral and remote underserved areas (due to the need for trained personnel), the unamenable nature to frequent sampling protocols in longitudinal research (for its invasive nature), and sample col-lection difficulty in the young and elderly. Furthermore, venous sample stability may be compro-mised when temperate conditions necessary for cold-chain transport are beyond control. Alter-natively, research utilising microsamples extends phenotyping possibilities to inborn errors of metabolism, therapeutic drug monitoring, nutrition, as well as sport and anti-doping. Although the application of microsamples in metabolic phenotyping exists, it is still in its infancy, with whole blood being overwhelmingly the primary biofluid collected through the collection method of dried blood spots. Research into metabolic phenotyping of microsamples is limited; however, with advances in commercially available microsampling devices, common barriers such as volumetric inaccuracies and the ‘haematocrit effect’ in dried blood spot microsampling can be overcome. In this review, we provide an overview of the common uses and workflows for mi-crosampling in metabolic phenotyping research. We discuss the advancements in technologies, highlighting key considerations and remaining knowledge gaps for employment of microsamples in metabolic phenotyping research. Supporting the translation of research from the ‘bench to the community’.

Despite several attempts by governments and non-governmental organizations to eliminate female genital mutilation or cutting, it is puzzling that this traditional procedure is widely practiced today in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Scholarly arguments on the influence of female genital mutilation on sexual behavior up until now remain inconclusive. The current study sought to examine the association between female genital mutilation and early sexual initiation among girls and young women (AGYW) in SSA. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 12 SSA countries were combined. A total of 30,089 AGYW (15-24 years) who had ever had sex and had complete information on all the variables of interest were considered. The outcome variable for the study was early sexual initiation. The study employed multilevel logistic regression for the data analysis, with reported odds ratio and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The overall prevalence of female genital mutilation among AGYW was 49.9%, with the highest and lowest prevalence in Guinea (95.8%) and Togo (3.3%) respectively. The prevalence of early sexual initiation was 42.4%, with the highest and lowest prevalence in Niger (59.9%) and Burkina Faso (30.6%) respectively. AGYW who had not experienced female genital mutilation were less likely to have early sexual initiation [OR= 0.74, CI= 0.70-0.78], compared to those who had experienced female genital mutilation, after controlling for significant covariates. The likelihood of early sexual initiation was high among AGYW aged 15-19 [OR=2.38, CI=2.26-2.51] but low among AGYW with secondary education [AOR=0.58, CI=0.54-0.63], those who had never married [OR=0.68, CI=0.60-0.78], those in households with richest wealth quintile [OR=0.64, CI=0.57-0.72], those who were exposed to mass media [OR=0.88, CI=0.83-0.93], and those working [OR=0.91, CI=0.87-0.96]. Not undergoing female genital mutilation in the midst of socio-economic factors (e.g., education level, household wealth) could limit AGYW from early sexual debut. These findings underscore the need for effective campaign and programs (e.g., educational programs, entrepreneurial training, micro-finance schemes) against the practice of female genital mutilation. Policy interventions (e.g., “schooling for the girl-child” initiatives) that might delay early sexual initiation among adolescent girls and young women in the midst of identified socio-economic factors should be developed.

We present an analytic calculation of the cooperative decay of a one-dimensional chain of N two-level atoms in the single-excitation configuration. Whereas the subradiant decay is zero for infinite lattices, we prove that for finite lattice the subradiant decay rate decreases as 1/N. We compare the results obtained using the scalar and the vectorial model. The calculations provide simple analytic expressions for the decay rate of the excitation, for arbitrary lattice spacing.

Healthcare workers' stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, whose mid-term negative effects are still present. The aim of this study was to investigate in healthcare workers the effect of the dimensions of burnout (Psychophysical exhaustion, Relational deterioration, and Professional inefficacy) on Career satisfaction. These relationships were evaluated by considering the direct and mediated effects of Disillusion. For these purposes, the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Career Satisfaction Scale (Occupational Stress Indicator - OSI) were administered to 295 healthcare professionals working at three Italian public hospitals in Cagliari, Italy. The analyses were conducted using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) method. Findings highlight that healthcare workers were in a condition of work distress, high risk of burnout, and career dissatisfaction. Also recognized was the direct negative effect of burnout dimensions on career satisfaction. Finally, the mediated negative effect of Disillusion in the relationship between burnout and career satisfaction was identified. This study emphasizes the relevance of the dimension of Disillusion, and its “bright side” Fulfilment, in healthcare workers, specifically referring to the disregarded relationship between burnout and career satisfaction.

Introduction; to the best of the authors knowledge no past research has established how illness narrative master plots are expressed initially, and then if, and how they change longitudinally following musculoskeletal trauma. The aim of the current research was able to consider how specific master plots were expressed, interact and change across time following musculoskeletal trauma. Methods; a narrative analysis was undertaken that included individuals who had experienced a musculoskeletal traumatic injury. Individuals were included if they were an inpatient within 4 weeks of the first interview had mental capacity to participate and were able to communicate in English. Three interviews were undertaken (within 4 weeks of injury, 6 and 12 months). A 5-stage categorical form type narrative analysis was performed. Results; Twelve individuals (49.9±17.5 years; 7 male, 5 female) completed interviews at three time points following the trauma event (&lt;4 weeks months, 6 months and 12 months). Three main narratives that appeared to work together to facilitate a positive accommodation of the trauma event into the individual’s life were presented. These included the resumption narrative, the activity narrative and quest narrative. Finally, less often regressive narratives were identified although these narratives were, at times, actively avoided. Discussion; The current results provide important consideration for how narratives are used within clinical practice, in particular the value of how these three narratives could be access and promoted.

Laser-Powder Directed Energy Deposition (DED-LB/Powder) is an additive manufacturing process that is gaining popularity in the manufacturing industry due to its numerous advantages, particularly in repairing operations. However, its application is often limited to case studies due to some critical issues that need to be addressed, such as the degree of internal porosity. This paper investigates the effect of the most relevant process parameters of the DED-LB/Powder process on the level and distribution of porosity. Results indicate that, among the process parameters examined, porosity is less affected by travel speed and more influenced by powder mass flow rate and laser power. Additionally, a three-dimensional finite element transient model was introduced, which was able to predict the development and location of lack-of-fusion pores along the building direction.

Structural deformations are one of the most significant factor that affects machine tool (MT) positioning accuracy. These induced errors are complex to be represented by a model, nevertheless they need to be evaluated and predicted in order to increase the machining performance. This paper presents a novel approach to calibrate a machine tool in real-time, analyzing the thermo-mechanical errors through Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors embedded in the MT frame. The proposed configuration consists of an adaptronic structure of passive materials, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP), equipped by FBG sensors that are able to measure in real-time the deformed conditions of the frame. By using a proper thermo-mechanical kinematic model, the displacement of the end effector may be predicted and corrected when it is subjected to external undesired factors. By starting from a set of FE simulations to develop a model able to describe the MT structure stresses, a prototype has been fabricated and tested. The scope was to compare the numerical model with the experimental tests using FBG sensors. The experimental campaign has been performed varying the structure temperature over time and measuring the tool tip point (TTP) positions. The obtained results showed a substantial matching between the real and the predicted position of TTP confirming the effectiveness of the proposed calibration system.

A growing number of studies focus on methods to estimate and analyze the functional connectome of the human brain. Graph theoretical measures are commonly employed to interpret and synthesize complex network-related information. While resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is often employed in this context, is known to exhibit poor reproducibility, a key factor which is commonly neglected in typical cohort studies using connectomics-related measures as biomarkers. We aimed to fill this gap by analyzing and comparing inter- and intra- subject variability of connectivity matrices as well as graph-theoretical measures in a large (n=1003) database of young healthy subjects which underwent four consecutive rsfMRI sessions. We analyzed both directed (Granger Causality and Transfer Entropy) and undirected (Pearson Correlation and Partial Correlation) time-series association measures and related global and local graph-theoretical measures. While matrix weights exhibit a higher reproducibility in undirected as opposed to directed methods, this difference disappears when looking at global graph metrics and, in turn, exhibits strong regional dependence in local graphs metrics. Our results warrant caution in the interpretation of connectivity studies, and serve as a benchmark for future investigations by providing quantitative estimates for the inter- and intra- subject variabilities in both directed and undirected connectomic measures.

The indole nucleus is an important element of many natural and synthetic molecules with significant biological activity. Nonetheless, the co-presence of transitional metals in organic scaffold may represent an important factor in the development of effective medicinal agents. This review covers some of the relevant and recent achievements in the biological, chemical and pharmacological activity of important indole-based metal complexes in the area of drug discovery.

Background: In a Beveridgean decentralized healthcare system, like the Italian one, where regions are responsible for their own health planning and financing, the analysis of patients’ migration appears very interesting as it has economic and social implications. The study aims to analyze both patients’ migration for hospital rehabilitation and if the beds endowment is a driver for these flows; Methods: from 2011 to 2019, admissions data were collected from the Hospital Dis-charge Cards database of the Italian Ministry of Health, population data from Italian National Institute of Statistics and data of beds endowment from the Italian Ministry of Health website. To evaluate patients’ migration, we used Gandy’s Nomogram, while to assess if beds endowments are mobility drivers, we have created two matrices, one with attraction indexes (AI) and one with escape indexes (EI). The beds endowment, for each Italian region, were correlated with AI and EI. Spearman’s test was carried out through STATA software; Results: Gandy’s Nomogram showed that only some northern regions had good hospital planning for rehabilitation. A statistically significant correlation between beds endowment and AI was found for four regions, while with EI for eight regions. Conclusions: Only some northern regions appear able to satisfy the care needs of their residents, with an attraction minus escapes positive epidemiological balance. The beds endowment seems to be a driver of Patients’ migration, mainly for escapes. Certainly, the search for mobility drivers needs further investigation given the events in Molise and Basilicata.