Periodontal disease is one of the most common conditions affecting dogs worldwide and is reported to be particularly prevalent in racing greyhounds. A range of potential risk factors have been hypothesised. Previous research has suggested, regular tooth brushing can reduce both calculus and gingivitis, but the frequency required is unclear. Here, we report a controlled blinded in-situ in which kennel staff brushed 160 racing greyhounds’ teeth (living at six kennel establishments), either weekly, daily or never over two-month period. All visible teeth were scored for calculus and gingivitis, using previously validated scales. We calculated average scores for each of three teeth groups and overall averaging the teeth groups. Changes were compared to baseline. After two months, the total calculus scores (controlling for baseline) were significantly different in the three treatemnet groups, (F(2,129) = 10.76, p<0.001) with both weekly and daily brushing resulting in significant reductions. Gingivitis was also significantly different (F(2,128) = 4.57, p=0.012), but in this case, only daily brushing resulted in a significant reduction. Although dogs in different kennels varied significantly in their levels of both calculus (F(5,129) =8.64, p<0.001), and gingivitis (F(5,128)=3.51 p=0.005), the intervention was generally similarly effective in all establishments. Teeth groups varied and incisors were not significantly affected by treatment. Since trainers implementing the routine, reported minimal time commitment and positive experiences, we suggest that daily brushing is recommended for racing greyhounds, and that demonstrations should include attention to all teeth groups including incisors. Similar trials need to be conducted with retired greyhounds since these have been shown to present particularly high levels of periodontal disease.

We present a data-driven, in situ proximal multi-sensor digital soil mapping approach to develop digital twins for multiple agricultural fields. A novel Digital Soil CoreTM (DSC) Probe was engineered that contains seven sensors, each of a distinct modality, including sleeve friction, tip force, dielectric permittivity, electrical resistivity, soil imagery, acoustics, and visible and near-infrared spectroscopy. The DSC System integrates components the DSC Probe, DSC software, and deployment equipment to sense soil characteristics at a high vertical spatial resolution (mm scale) along in situ soil profiles up to a depth of 120 cm in about 60 sec. The DSC Probe in situ proximal data are harmonized into a data cube providing vertical high-density knowledge associated with physical-chemical-biological soil conditions. In contrast, conventional ex situ soil samples derived from soil cores, soil pits, or surface samples analyzed using laboratory and other methods are bound by substantially coarser spatial resolution and multiple compounding errors. Our objective was to investigate the effects of mismatched scale between high-resolution in situ proximal sensor data and coarser resolution ex situ soil laboratory measurements to develop soil prediction models. Our study was conducted in central California soil in almond orchards. We collected DSC sensor data and spatially co-located soil cores that were sliced into narrow layers for laboratory-based soil measurements. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) cross-validation was used to compare results testing four data integration methods. Method A reduced the high-resolution sensor data to discrete values paired with layer-based soil laboratory measurements. Method B used stochastic distributions of sensor data paired with layer-based soil laboratory measurements. Method C allocated the same soil analytical data to each one of the high-resolution multi-sensor data within a soil layer. Method D linked the high-density multi-sensor soil data directly to crop responses (crop performance and behavior metrics) bypassing costly laboratory soil analysis. Overall, the soil models derived from Method C outperformed Methods A and B. Soil predictions derived using Method D were most cost-effective for directly assessing soil-crop relationships, making this method well-suited for industrial-scale precision agriculture applications.

The move from paper to online is not only necessary for remote working, it is also significantly more sustainable. This trend has seen a rising need for high-quality digitization of content from pages and whiteboards to sharable online material. But capturing this information is not always easy, nor are the results always satisfactory. Available scanning apps vary in their usability and do not always produce clean results, retaining surface imperfections from the page or whiteboard in their output images. CleanPage, a novel smartphone-based document and whiteboard scanning system, is presented. CleanPage requires one button-tap to capture, identify, crop and clean an image of a page or whiteboard. Unlike equivalent systems, no user intervention is required during processing and the result is a high-contrast, low-noise image with a clean homogenous background. Results are presented for a selection of scenarios showing the versatility of the design. CleanPage is compared with two market leader scanning apps using two testing approaches: real paper scans and ground-truth comparisons. These comparisons are achieved by a new testing methodology that allows scans to be compared to unscanned counterparts, by using synthesized images. Real paper scans are tested using image quality measures. An evaluation of standard image quality assessments is included in this work and a novel quality measure for scanned images is proposed and validated. The user experience for each scanning app is assessed, showing CleanPage to be fast and easier to use.

Due to the continuing high suicide rates among young men, there is a need to understand help-seeking behaviour and engagement with tailored suicide prevention interventions. The aim of this study was to compare help-seeking among younger and older men who attended a therapeutic centre for men in a suicidal crisis. In this case series study, data were collected from 546 men who were referred into a community-based therapeutic service in North West England. Of the 546 men, 337 (52%) received therapy; 161 (48%) were aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age 24 years, SD=3.4). Analyses included baseline differences, symptom trajectories for the CORE-34 Clinical Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) and engagement with the therapy. For the CORE-OM there was a clinically significant reduction in mean scores between assessment and discharge (p<0.001) for both younger and older men. At initial assessment, younger men were less affected by entrapment (46% v 62%; p=.02), defeat (33% v 52%; p=.01), not engaging in new goals (38% v 47%; p=.02), and positive attitudes towards suicide (14% v 18%; p=.001) than older men. At discharge assessment, older men were significantly more likely to have an absence of positive future thinking (15% v 8%; p=0.03), have less social support (45% v 33%; p=.02) and feelings of entrapment (17% v 14%; p=.02) than younger men. Future research needs to assess the long-term effects of help-seeking using a brief psychological intervention for young men in order to understand whether the effects of the therapy are sustainable over a period of time following discharge from the service.

Leadership and sustainability have been researched and examined concurrently. We know much about sustainable, sustainability and environmental leadership as separate areas of research and the leadership behaviours and practices that facilitate achievement of sustainability outcomes. Whilst these research streams have developed alongside each other, we know little about the similarities and differences of each of these three leadership approaches. The purpose of this paper is to review and compare which sustainable, sustainability and environmental leadership approaches are predictive of improved organizational performance with a view to understanding leadership towards sustainability. Through a comprehensive review of the extant literature, we integrate the three leadership approaches and highlight areas of similarity and difference. From a theoretical perspective, this paper seeks to make a significant contribution to the scholarly literature by building on current knowledge and developing a unified framework that combines our findings on leadership practices and behaviours in terms of the types of leadership required for achieving sustainability outcomes. By unifying existing frameworks and clarifying points of integration and differentiation under the umbrella of ‘leadership towards sustainability’, this paper seeks to advance research on leadership approaches. From a practical perspective, a cohesive set of leadership behaviours and practices will be emphasized so that leaders can adapt these to suit the context of their organization, thus helping leaders make sense of the literature to inform their practice and reach sustainability goals. Thus, the main goal of this paper is to identify a range of leadership behaviours and practices that are required to improve the performance of sustainability in organizations thus informing the broader leadership field.

Due to the continuing high suicide rates among young men, there is a need to understand help-seeking behaviour and engagement with tailored suicide prevention interventions. The aim of this study was to explore help-seeking behaviour and engagement for young men aged 18 to 30 years who attended a therapeutic centre for men in a suicidal crisis. In this prospective cohort study, data were collected from 546 men who were referred into a community-based therapeutic service in North West England. Of the 546 men, 337 (52%) received therapy; 161 (48%) were aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age 24 years, SD=3.4). One third (n=54; 34%) of the men were seen within 48 hours of their referral. Analyses included baseline differences, symptom trajectories for the CORE-34 Clinical Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) and engagement with the therapy. For the CORE 34 there was a clinically significant reduction in mean scores between assessment and discharge (p<0.001), with all outcomes demonstrating a large effect size. Future research needs to assess the long-term effects of help-seeking using a brief psychological intervention for young men in order to understand whether the effects of the therapy are sustainable over a period of time following discharge from the service.

A high intensity Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return (CNVR) intervention was used over 5 years to manage the free-roaming dog population of Greater Bangkok, using nearly 300,000 CNVR operations across cover 6 Provinces. An evaluation used multiple methods to assess the impact of this intervention, including clinic data, an observational street survey, an online attitude survey and reported cases of dog rabies confirmed with laboratory testing. The evaluation found evidence of a reduction in free-roaming dog density over time (24.7% reduction over 5 years), a reduction in dog rabies cases (average reduction of 5.7% rabies cases per month) and an improvement in dog-human relationships (a 39% increase per year in free-roaming dogs with visible signs of ownership or care, and a perception of less trouble with free-roaming dogs in districts benefiting from CNVR). The CNVR intervention appears to have been effective at managing the current free-roaming dog population and minimizing one future source of free-roaming dogs by limiting breeding of dogs accessible on the streets. However, there is evidence that other sources of free-roaming dogs exist, presumed to be predominately abandoned or lost owned dogs that were previously inaccessible to the CNVR intervention because they were ordinarily confined or living outside the project area. Hence a fully effective dog population management will require further interventions targeting owned dogs in addition to this CNVR effort.

Urban vitality, understood as a key factor for the achievement of cities’ sustainability, shows a strong relationship with urban morphology. The city theorist Jane Jacobs suggested morphologi-cal aspects to promote vital cities already in the 1960s, which remain valid in the present. How-ever, few studies in the Andean region quantitatively exemplify this. This paper aims to test the measurement of urban vitality in a neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, called La Mariscal, inte-grating Jacobs’ approach. In particular, three urban vitality indexes are evaluated with the appli-cation of GIS software using cadastral data obtained from the municipality and field data col-lection. Results show that the context-based previous knowledge and the scale of analysis are es-sential factors in the configuration of dimensions, indicators, and spatial representation of any urban vitality index. In the study area land use mixture, contact opportunity, and accessibility dimensions are fundamental. Regarding indicators, the incorporation of the informal small-scale commerce, the quality of sidewalks, the street slope, and the good-conditioned street furniture is recommended. Finally, a hybrid representation (raster and vectorial) is suggested to precisely measure urban vitality at a block scale. Altogether, by providing a comparative approach, we in-tend to bring a useful framework for researchers and planners to study urban vitality in Andean cities.

A selection of 36 commercial probiotic fermented dairy products from UK and Europe markets were evaluated for the numbers, types and viability of Lactobacillus strains against the stated information on their packages. A comparative study was carried out on selectivity of MRS-Clindamycin, MRS-Sorbitol and MRS-IM Maltose, to select the right medium for enumeration of probiotic Lactobacillus. Based on selectivity of medium for recovery of the targeted lactobacilli and also simplicity of preparation, MRS-Clindamycin was chosen as the best medium for enumeration of probiotic Lactobacillus in fermented milks. The results of enumeration of lactobacilli showed that 22 out of a total 36 tested products contained more than 106 colony forming units/g at the end of their shelf- life, which comply with the recommended minimum therapeutic level for probiotics. Rep-PCR using primer GTG-5 was applied for initial discrimination of isolated strains, and isolates, which presented different band profile, were placed in different groups. The isolated Lactobacillus spp. were identified mainly as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus paracasei by analysis of partial sequences of the 16S ribosomal RNA and rpoA genes. In conclusion, it is unknown to recommend the adequate number of probiotic bacteria to be consumed to ensure the beneficial properties.

For Visually impaired People (VIPs), the ability to convert text to sound can mean a new level of independence or the simple joy of a good book. With significant advances in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in recent years, a number of reading aids are appearing on the market. These reading aids convert images captured by a camera to text which can then be read aloud. However, all of these reading aids suffer from a key issue – the user must be able to visually target the text and capture an image of sufficient quality for the OCR algorithm to function – no small task for VIPs. In this work, a Sound-Emitting Document Image Quality Assessment metric (SEDIQA) is proposed which allows the user to hear the quality of the text image and automatically captures the best image for OCR accuracy. This work also includes testing of OCR performance against image degradations, to identify the most significant contributors to accuracy reduction. The proposed No-Reference Image Quality Assessor (NR-IQA) is validated alongside established NR-IQAs and this work includes insights into the performance of these NR-IQAs on document images.

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.

In 1789, the Annonaceae family was cataloged by de Jussieu. It encompasses tropical and subtropical plants which are widespread in distribution across various continents such as Asia, South and Central America, Australia and Africa. The genus of Annona is one of the 120 genera of the Annonaceae family and contains more than 119 species of trees and shrubs. The majority of these species are found in tropical America with more than 105 species (26 of them are endemic). Due to its edible fruits and medicinal properties, Annona is the most important genus of Annonaceae family. Despite Annona having many species, only limited species of this family are economically important such as A. squamosa L. (sugar apple), A. cherimola Mill. (Cherimoya), A. muricata L. (guanabana or soursop), A. atemoya Mabb. (atemoya), a hybrid between A. cherimola and A. squamosa, A. reticulata L. (custard apple), A. glabra L. (pond-apple) and A. macroprophyllata Donn. Sm. (ilama). Phytochemically, several classes of secondary metabolites such as acetogenins, essential oils, alkaloids, terpenoids and flavonoids have been described in this genus. A variety of pharmacological activities have been reported from various parts of Annona species specially leaves and seeds including applications against antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory.

According to Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions, cultures differ in cultural values and norms; values and norms that may influence differences in trendsetting, creative traits and behaviors, and pro-environmental behaviors. Further, because men and women have been socialized within particular cultures, gender differences may exist in trendsetting, creative traits and behaviors, and pro-environmental behaviors. Trendsetters have characteristics that are interrelated with creative traits and behaviors, perhaps inclining them to endorse pro-environmental behaviors. However, the interrelationships among these variables remain unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine these three variables among college students in South Korea and the United States, specifically looking at cultural and gender differences. Participants were 225 Korean college students and 221 U.S. college students. Questionnaires included demographic items and scales measuring trendsetting, creative traits and behaviors, and pro-environmental behaviors. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha reliability, MANOVA, ANOVA and SNK posthoc test. Results show that U.S. (vs Korean) students indicated greater trendsetting and creative traits and behaviors but not greater pro-environmental behaviors. Fashion trendsetting groups in both Korea and the U.S. differed in creative traits and behaviors and pro-environmental behaviors. Among Korean trendsetting groups, reluctant adopters scored lowest on creative traits and behaviors and pro-environmental behaviors. Among U.S. trendsetting groups, trendsetters scored highest on creative traits and behaviors and pro-environmental behaviors; reluctant adopters scored lowest on pro-environmental behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are provided for researchers and marketers.

COVID-19 is the most severe health crisis of the 21st century. COVID-19 presents a threat to almost all countries world-wide. The restriction of human mobility is one of the strategies used to control the transmission of COVID-19. However, it has yet to be determined how effective this restriction is in controlling the rise in COVID-19 cases, particularly in major capital cities such as Jakarta, Indonesia. Using Facebook's mobility data, our study explores the impact of restricting human mobility on COVID-19 case control in Jakarta. Our main contribution is showing how the restriction of human mobility data can give important information about how COVID-19 spreads in different places. We proposed modifying a global regression model into a local regression model by accounting for the spatial and temporal interdependence of COVID-19 transmission across space and time. We applied Bayesian hierarchical Poisson spatiotemporal models with spatially varying regression coefficients. We estimated the regression parameters using an Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation. We found that the local regression model with spatially varying regression coefficients outperforms the global regression model based on DIC, WAIC, MPL, and R2 criteria for model selection. In Jakarta's 44 districts, the impact of human mobility varies significantly. The impacts of human mobility on the log relative risk of COVID-19 range from –4.445 to 2.353. The prevention strategy involving the restriction of human mobility may be beneficial in some districts but ineffective in others. Therefore, a cost-effective strategy had to be adopted.

Although fragility fractures, osteoporosis, sarcopenia and frailty are becoming more prevalent in our aging society the treatment options are limited and preventative strategies are needed. Despite magnesium being integral bone and muscle physiology the relationship between dietary magnesium and skeletal muscle and bone health has not been investigated concurrently before. We analysed cross-sectional associations between dietary magnesium and skeletal muscle mass (as fat free mass – FFM), grip strength and bone density (BMD) in 156,575 men and women aged 39-72 years from the UK Biobank cohort. FFM was measured with bioelectrical impedance and expressed as the percentage of body weight (FFM%) or divided by body mass index (FFM_BMI). Adjusted mean grip strength, FFM%, FFM_BMI, and BMD were calculated according quintiles of dietary magnesium, correcting for covariates. Significant inter-quintile differences across intakes of magnesium existed in men and women respectively of 1.1% and 2.4% for grip strength, 3.0% and 3.6% for FFM%, 5.1% and 5.5% for FFM_BMI, and 2.9% and 0.9% for BMD. These associations are as great or greater than annual measured losses of these musculoskeletal outcomes indicating potential clinical significance. Our study suggests that dietary magnesium may play a role in musculoskeletal health and have relevance for population prevention strategies for sarcopenia, osteoporosis and fractures.

Probiotics have been used to ameliorate gastrointestinal symptoms since ancient times. Over the past 40 years, probiotics have been shown to exert major effects on the immune system, both in vivo and in vitro. This interaction is clearly linked to gut microbes, their polysaccharide antigens, and key metabolites produced by these bacteria. At least four metabolic pathways have been implicated in mechanistic studies of probiotics, based on carefully studied animal models. Microbial-immune system crosstalk has been linked to short chain fatty acid production and signaling, tryptophan metabolism and the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptors, nucleoside signaling in the gut, and activation of the intestinal histamine-2 receptor. Several randomized controlled trials have now shown that microbial modification by probiotics may improve gastrointestinal symptoms and multi-organ inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis. Future work will need to carefully assess safety issues, selection of optimal strains and combinations, and attempts to prolong the duration of colonization of beneficial microbes.

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).

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 root extracts of Symphytum officinale (comfrey) are commonly used in traditional medicine to treat muscle, joint, skin and bone disorders. However, little information is available on the biomedical functions of comfrey leaves. In this study, sequencing results of Internal Transcribed Spacer and trnL-trnF genes showed that plants purchased from the local market were comfrey and named as S. officinale WL (WL). The optimal extraction conditions of WL leave with the highest extract yield and contents of total phenols and flavonoids by microwave-assisted extraction were identified. The antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities and possible molecular mechanism(s) of the WL leaf extract (WLE) were evaluated. Furthermore, the major component of WLE was identified as rosmarinic acid by HPLC. Results showed that the optimal extract condition was obtained with 750W microwave power, 50℃, 75% methanol, the solid-to-solvent ratio of 1:10, and 15 minutes. Results of all DPPH, ABTS and superoxide radical scavenging activities, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power showed high antioxidative capacities of WLE. Furthermore, WLE showed obvious DNA protecting activity. WLE attenuated lipopolysaccharides-stimulated inflammation by suppressing iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expressions in RAW264.7 macrophages. These attenuations involved in inactivations of lipopolysaccharides-induced NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

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.

Assistance dogs provide significant benefits to older adult owners. However, despite protective legislation, aged care facilities continue to not allow owners to retain their dog on relocation. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether older adults should be allowed to retain their dog on relocation to an aged care facility, and what factors should impact this decision. Further, if allowed to retain their dog, what would be the best practice to allow for this. A deliberative democracy methodology was used, with a range of key stakeholders recruited. Focus groups were held, with follow up questionnaire to establish deliberation for all questions. Results indicated that with sufficient objective measurement, fair decisions can be made to ensure the welfare and wellbeing for owner and dog. Key policy and procedure changes would also be necessary to ensure ongoing support, such as training, care plans, and emergency directives. By ensuring sufficient policies and procedures are in place, training and support could lead to an ideal outcome where facilities could be at the forefront of a better future for aged care.

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.

Management of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) disease in Brassica napus is heavily reliant on prophylactic fungicide applications at flowering, which often provides inconsistent control depending on timing of ascospore release in the field and environmental conditions. Understanding host response to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infection is essential for sustainable disease management in the future. This study determined the host response of nine B. napus varieties to four aggressive S. sclerotiorum isolates across two years by measuring four disease variables; area under the disease progress stairs (AUDPS), seed production, sclerotia number and average sclerotia weight. Brassica napus varieties varied greatly in their response to the four measured variables, with varieties producing the highest AUDPS not the same varieties that had the lowest seed production, the highest numbers of sclerotia or heaviest sclerotia. Repeating the experiment over two years using the same varieties and isolates identified the impact of environment as the most influential factor on measured disease variables, highlighting the complexity of disease responses to diverse isolates and host genotypes under different environments. It was recommended that both long-term (such as inoculum production) and short-term (such as seed production) disease outcomes be combined with lesion length measurement (i.e. AUDPS) for future host screening studies.

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&lt;0.01) and in the following year (OR=0.88 CI95%=0.84; 0.92 p&lt;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.

The use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS ) as platforms for data capture has rapidly increased in recent years. However, while there has been significant investment in improving the aircraft, sensors, operations, and legislation infrastructure for such, little attention has been paid to supporting the management of the complex data capture pipeline sUAS involve. This paper reports on the outcomes of a four-year-long community-engagement-based investigation into what tools, practices, and challenges currently exist for particularly researchers using sUAS as data capture platforms. The key results of this effort are: (1) sUAS captured data – as a set that is rapidly growing to include data in a wide range of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Engineering Disciplines, and many civil and commercial use cases – is characterised as both sharing many traits with traditional remote sensing data and also as exhibiting – as common across the spectrum of disciplines and use cases – novel characteristics that require novel data support infrastructure. And (2), given this characterization of sUAS data and its potential value in the identified wide variety of use case, we outline eight challenges that need to be addressed in order for the full value of sUAS captured data to be realized. We then conclude that there would be significant value gained and costs saved across both commercial and academic sectors if the global sUAS user and data management communities were to address these challenges in the immediate to near future, so as to extract the maximal value of sUAS captured data for the lowest long-term effort and monetary cost.

This paper presents the Advanced Syntactic-Graph Convolutional Model (ASGCM), a pioneering approach in Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA) that integrates syntactic dependency features within a graph convolution framework. ASGCM stands out for its novel use of dependency edge encoding and tag-based graph convolutions, providing a fine-grained analysis of sentiments associated with specific aspects in text. This model meticulously captures the intricacies of syntactic structures, thereby offering enhanced precision in sentiment analysis. Notably, ASGCM incorporates a dual-layer graph convolution system: one layer processes syntactic dependencies (edges), while the other interprets semantic roles (tags), ensuring a comprehensive understanding of both structural and contextual elements in text. We rigorously tested ASGCM on multiple datasets, including both English and Chinese languages, and our findings reveal a significant improvement in sentiment classification accuracy compared to existing models. The versatility of ASGCM makes it a robust tool for diverse linguistic environments, setting a new standard for ABSA methodologies.

As our understanding of the thalamocortical system deepens, the questions we face become more complex. Their investigation requires the adoption of novel experimental approaches complemented with increasingly sophisticated computational modeling. In this review, we take stock of current data and knowledge about the circuitry of the somatosensory thalamocortical loop in rodents, discussing common principles across modalities and species whenever appropriate. We review the different levels of organization, including the cells, synapses, neuroanatomy, and network connectivity. We provide a complete overview of this system that should be accessible for newcomers to this field while nevertheless being comprehensive enough to serve as a reference for seasoned neuroscientists and computational modelers studying the thalamocortical system. We further highlight key gaps in data and knowledge that constitute pressing targets for future experimental work. Filling these gaps would provide invaluable information for systematically unveiling how this system supports behavioral and cognitive processes.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has actualized human papillomavirus (HPV) virome profiling for in-depth investigation of viral evolution and pathogenesis. However, viral computational analysis remains a bottleneck due to semantic discrepancies between computational tools and curated reference genomes. To address this, we developed and tested automated workflows for HPV taxonomic profiling and visualization using a customized Papillomavirus database in CLC Microbial Genomics Module. HPV genomes from Papilloma Virus Episteme were customized and incorporated into CLC “ready-to-use” workflows for stepwise data processing to include: 1) Taxonomic Analysis, 2) Estimate Alpha/Beta Diversities, and 3) Map Reads to Reference. Low-grade (n = 95) and high-grade (n = 60) Pap smears were tested with ensuing collective runtimes: Taxonomic Analysis (36 min); Alpha/Beta Diversities (5 sec); Map Reads (45 min). Tabular output conversion to visualizations entailed 1-2 keystrokes. Biodiversity analysis between low- (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) revealed loss of species richness and gain of dominance by HPV-16 in HSIL. Integrating clinically relevant, taxonomized HPV reference genomes within automated workflows proved to be an ultra-fast method of virome profiling. The entire process named “HPV DeepSeq” provides a simple, accurate and practical means of NGS data analysis for a broad range of applications in viral research.

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.

New coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) treatments and vaccines are under development to combat the COVID-19 disease. Several approaches are being used by scientists for investigation including 1) various small molecule approaches targeting RNA polymerase, 3C-like protease, and RNA endonuclease and 2) exploration of antibodies obtained from convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. The coronavirus genome is highly prone to mutations that lead to genetic drift and escape from immune recognition; thus, it is imperative that sub-strains with different mutations are also accounted for during vaccine development. As the disease has grown to become a pandemic, new B-cell and T-cell epitopes predicted from SARS coronavirus have been reported. Using the epitope information along with variants of the virus, we have found several variants which might cause drifts. Among such variants, 23403A>G variant (p.D614G) in spike protein B-cell epitope is observed frequently in European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and France.

Phytopathogenic oomycetes are known to infect a host plant successfully due to their ability to secrete a set of protein effectors. Of interest to many researchers are effectors with the N-terminal RxLR motif (Arginine-any amino acid-Leucine-Arginine). Owing to the genome sequencing, we can now comprehend the high level of diversity among oomycete effectors, and similarly, their conservation within and among species core RxLR effectors (CREs). Currently, there are a couple of putative CREs that have been identified in oomycetes. The functional characterization of these CREs proposes their virulence role with the potential of targeting central cellular processes that are conserved across diverse plant species. This could be harnessed in engineering plants for broad-spectrum and durable resistance.

1) Public health remains a tiny portion of the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum and the material is integrated into other modules. The objective of this study is to describe the UK undergraduate pharmacy curriculum, including its public health content; 2) Methods: A qualitative method (content analysis of websites) was used to describe the UK undergraduate pharmacy curriculum and teaching and learning policy. This involved selecting relevant concepts and then quantifying their presence and the relationships between them. The NVivo software was used to carry out ‘group queries’ and visualisation of results; 3) Results: Public health remains an optional module in the curricula of many UK schools of pharmacy. Several public health-related topics are often integrated into other modules, but UK undergraduate pharmacy curricula are still dominated by traditional pharmacy modules; and 4) Conclusions: Most of the curricula analysed were dominated by traditional pharmacy modules designed to enhance students' knowledge and skills. The skill set of UK pharmacy students with respect to macro-level public health activities needs to be improved in order to enhance pharmacists’ contribution to public health.

PTK6, a Non-Receptor–Tyrosine-Kinase, modulates the pathogenesis of breast and prostate cancers, and is recognized as a biomarker of breast cancer prognosis. There are over 30 known substrates of PTK6, including signal transducers, transcription factors and RNA binding proteins. Many of these substrates are known drivers of other cancer types such as colorectal cancer. Colon and rectal tumours also express higher levels of PTK6 than the normal intestine suggesting a potential role in tumorigenesis. However, the importance of PTK6 in colorectal cancer remains unclear. PTK6 inhibitors such as XMU-MP-2 and Tilfrinib have demonstrated potency and selectivity in breast cancer cells when used in combination with chemotherapy, indicating the potential for PTK6 targeted therapy in cancer. However, most of these inhibitors are yet to be tested in other cancer types. Here, we discuss the current understanding of the function of PTK6 in normal intestinal cells compared with colorectal cancer cells. We review existing PTK6 targeting therapeutics and explore the possibility of PTK6 inhibitory therapy for colorectal cancer.

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

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.

The field of mitochondrial genomics has advanced rapidly and revolutionized disciplines from molecular anthropology, population genetics, to medical/oncogenetics. However, mtDNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis for matrilineal haplotyping and phylogeographic inference remains hindered by the lack of a consolidated, mitogenome database and efficient bioinformatics pipeline. To address this, we developed a customized human mitogenome database (hMITO DB) embedded in a CLC Genomics workflow for read mapping, variant analysis, haplotyping, and geo-mapping. The database was constructed from 4,286 mitogenomes. The macro-haplogroup (A to Z) distribution and representative phylogenetic tree were found consistent with published literature. The hMITO DB automated workflow was tested using mtDNA-NGS sequences derived from Pap smears and cervical cancer cell lines. The auto-generated read mapping, variants track, and table of haplotypes and geo-origins were completed in 15 min for 47 samples. The mtDNA workflow proved to be a rapid, efficient and accurate means of sequence analysis for translational mitogenomics.

This experiment examined the effect of feeding graded levels of Momordica foetida leaf (MFL) as a substitute for Noug Seed Cake (NSC) on feed intake, digestibility, growth performance, and economic efficiency. Forty-two yearling lambs (16.1±0.6 kg) were randomly allotted to six dietary treatment groups for 90 days feeding trial followed by ten days digestibility trial. Treatments were T1(Control) = adlibitum PG (Pennisetum glaucifolium) + 449.3gm WB (Wheat Bran), T2 = 449.3gm WB + 100% MFL; T3 = 449.3gm WB + 75% MFL + 25% NSC; T4 = 449.3gm WB + 50% MFL + 50% NSC; T5 = 449.3gm WB + 25% MFL + 75% NSC; T6 = PG + 449.3gm WB + 0% MFL + 100% NSC. Data were analyzed using SAS's General Linear Model (GLM) procedures (version 9.4, 2019). The result indicates that the increasing level of MFL had no significant effect on basal dry matter intake. The apparent digestibility of DM was higher (P<0.001) in T1 (60.5%) and T6 (62.5%); a higher (P<0.001) average daily gain was recorded for animals in T6 (171.0g/d). The cost-benefit analysis revealed that T5 has a good and optimum final body weight gain (30.5kg), 765.5 ET/head total return, and 381.1 ETB/head net return. It was concluded that 25% inclusion of MFL in the diet increases nutrient intake, weight gain and economic efficiency in Bonga sheep.

Understanding the factors which control endothelial cell (EC) function and angiogenesis in the horse is crucial for developing the horse as a disease model but equine ECs remain poorly studied. In this study we have optimised methods for the isolation and culture of equine aortic endothelial cells (EAoECs) and characterised their angiogenic functions in vitro. Mechanical dissociation, followed by magnetic purification using an anti-VE-cadherin antibody, resulted in EC-enriched cultures suitable for further study. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) increased EAoEC proliferation rate and stimulated scratch wound closure and tube formation by EAoECs on extracellular matrix. Pharmacological inhibitors of FGFR1 (SU5402) or MEK (PD184352) blocked FGF2-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and functional responses, suggesting that these are dependent on FGFR1/MEK-ERK signalling. In marked contrast, VEGF-A had no effect on EAoEC proliferation, migration or tubulogenesis and did not promote ERK1/2 phosphorylation, indicating a lack of sensitivity to this classical pro-angiogenic growth factor. Gene expression analysis showed that, unlike human ECs, FGFR1 is expressed by EAoECs at a much higher level than both VEGFR1 and VEGFR2. These results suggest a predominant role for FGF2 versus VEGF-A in controlling the angiogenic functions of equine ECs. Collectively, our novel data provide a sound basis for studying angiogenic processes in the horse and lay the foundations for comparative studies of EC biology in horses versus humans.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited disorder of protein metabolism. It is generally treated using dietary management with limited intake of phenylalanine (Phe). Partial breastfeeding (BF) is encouraged among mothers of infants with PKU, together with a Phe-free mixture of synthetic amino acids. We aimed to describe our current BF rates and complementary feeding practices, as well as examining parental experiences of infant feeding. The aim was to better understand the challenges faced by families so improvements can be made to clinical care. A chart review was carried out on 39 PKU patients, examining the BF rate and duration, use of second stage synthetic protein (SP) and average complementary feeding age. A parental questionnaire on complementary feeding and BF experience was designed. 26% of babies were partially breastfed at three months. 70% of mums would like to have breastfed for longer and cited PKU as a reason for stop-ping. 52% parents reported challenges during the complementary feeding process including food refusal, protein calculation and anxiety around maintaining good Phe levels. Suggestions to improve BF continuation and duration include active promotion of the benefits and suitability, access to lactation consultant and peer support. The delay in introducing a second stage SP may contribute to long-term bottle use for SP. Improved patient education, written resources and sup-port is necessary to improve food choices and long term acceptance of SP.

Social media HPV vaccination interventions show promise for increasing HPV vaccination rates. An important consideration for the implementation of effective interventions into real-world practice in the translation potential, or external validity, of the intervention. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review to describe the current body of evidence regarding the external validity of social media HPV vaccination-related interventions. Constructs related to external validity were based on the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework. Seventeen articles published between 2006 and 2020 met inclusion criteria. Three researchers independently coded each article using a validated RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness/efficacy, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework. Discrepant codes were discussed with a fourth reviewer to gain consensus. Of these 17 studies, three were pilot efficacy studies, 10 were RCTs to evaluate effectiveness, one was a population-based study, and three did not explicitly state which type of study was conducted. Reflecting this distribution of study types, across all studies the mean level of reporting RE-AIM dimensions varied with reach recording 90.8%, effectiveness (72.1%), adoption (40.3%), implementation (45.6%), and maintenance (26.5%). This review suggests that while the current HPV vaccination social media-driven interventions provide sufficient information on internal validity (reach and effectiveness), few have aimed to gather data on external validity needed to translate the interventions into real world implementation. Our data suggest that implementation research is needed to move HPV vaccination-related interventions into practice. Included in this review are recommendations for enhancing the design and reporting of these HPV vaccination social media-related interventions.

(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.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people worldwide since its emergence in 2019. The current global pandemic was driven by human-to-human transmission. Knowing the zoonotic origin of the disease and the potential capacity of the virus to adapt to other species, it is important to understand the extent of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection of animals, in particular cats and dogs in households that are in direct contact with their owners. Hong Kong and Seoul are two of the most densely-populated urban cities in Asia, where companion animals often live in close contact with humans. In this study, we screened sera from 1,040 cats and 855 dogs during the early phase of the pandemic in Hong Kong and Seoul for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by using an ELISA that detects antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein. Sera testing positive on ELISA were also tested for the presence of neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization (sVNT) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Among feline sera, 4.51% and 2.54% of samples from Korea and Hong Kong, respectively, tested ELISA positive. However only 1.64% of samples from Korea and 0.18% from Hong Kong tested positive by sVNT, while only 0.41% of samples from Korea tested positive by PRNT. Among canine samples, 4.94% and 6.46% from Korea and Hong Kong, respectively, tested positive by ELISA, while only 0.29% sera from Korea were positive on sVNT and no canine sera tested positive by PRNT. These results confirm a low seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in companion animals in Korea and Hong Kong. The discordance between RBD-ELISA and neutralization tests may indicate possible ELISA cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses, especially in canine sera.

Tightly regulated and robust mitochondrial activities are critical for normal hearing. Previously, we demonstrated that Fus1 KO mice with mitochondrial dysfunction exhibit premature hearing loss. Molecular analysis of the cochlea revealed hyperactivation of the mTOR pathway, oxidative stress, altered mitochondrial morphology and quantity, suggesting compromised energy sensing and production. Here, we investigated whether pharmacological modulation of metabolic pathways using rapamycin (RAPA) or 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) supplementation can protect against hearing loss in female Fus1 KO mice. Additionally, we aimed to identify mitochondria- and Fus1-dependent molecular pathways and processes critical for hearing. We found that inhibiting mTOR or activating alternative mitochondrial energetic pathways to glycolysis protected hearing in the mice. Comparative gene expression analysis revealed dysregulation of critical biological processes in the KO cochlea, including mitochondrial metabolism, neural and immune responses, and cochlear hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis signaling system. RAPA and 2-DG mostly normalized these processes, although some genes showed a drug-specific response or no response at all. Interestingly, both drugs resulted in a pronounced upregulation of critical hearing-related genes not altered in the non-treated KO cochlea, including cytoskeletal and motor proteins, and Ca2+-linked transporters and voltage-gated channels. These findings suggest that pharmacological modulation of mitochondrial metabolism and bioenergetics may restore and activate processes critical for hearing, thereby protecting against hearing loss

The sustainability of agriculture depends as much on the natural resources required for production as it does on the stakeholders that manage those resources. It is thus essential to understand the variables that influence the decision-making process of agricultural stakeholders to design educational programs, interventions, and policies geared towards their specific needs, a required step to enhance agricultural sustainability. We examined the perceptions, experiences, and priorities that influence management decisions of five major groups of agricultural stakeholders (conventional small grain producers, organic small grain producers, organic vegetable producers, extension agents and agro-industry crop consultants, and researchers) across the Montana, United States. Results revealed that while stakeholder groups have distinct perceptions, experiences, and priorities, there were similarities across groups. Specifically, organic vegetable and organic small grain producers showed similar responses that were, in turn, divergent of conventional producers, researchers, and crop consultants. Conventional small grain producers and researchers showed overlapping response patterns while crop consultants formed an isolated group. Our results reinforce the need for agricultural education and programs that address unique and shared experiences, priorities, and concerns of multiple stakeholder groups. This study endorses the call for a paradigm shift from the traditional top-down agricultural extension model to one that accounts for participants’ socio-ecological contexts to facilitate the adoption of sustainable agricultural systems that support environmental and human wellbeing.

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.

Electricity distribution network operators face several operational constraints in the provision of safe and reliable power given that investments for network area reinforcement must be commensurate with improvements in network reliability. This paper provides an integrated approach for assessing the impact of different operational constraints on distribution network reliability by incorporating component lifetime models, time-varying component failure rates as well as the monetary cost of customer interruptions in an all-inclusive probabilistic methodology that applies a time-sequential Monte Carlo simulation. A test distribution network based on the Roy Billinton test system is modelled to investigate the system performance when overloading limits are exceeded as well as when preventive maintenance is performed. Standard reliability indices measuring the frequency and duration of interruptions, and the energy not supplied are complemented with a novel monetary reliability index. The comprehensive assessment includes not only average indices but also their probability distributions to adequately describe the risk of customer interruptions. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of this holistic approach as the impacts of operational decisions are assessed from both reliability and monetary perspectives. This informs network planning decisions through optimum investments and consideration of customer outage costs.

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.

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.

The main aim of the present study was to explore health professionals’ reported experiences and approaches to managing children who receive a designation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-related metabolic syndrome/cystic fibrosis screen positive inconclusive diagnosis following a positive NBS result for cystic fibrosis. An online questionnaire was distributed via Qualtrics Survey Software and circulated to a purposive, international sample of health professionals involved in managing children with this designation. In total, 101 clinicians completed the online survey; 39 from the US, six from Canada and 56 from Europe (including the UK). Results indicated that while respondents reported minor deviations in practice, they were cognizant of recommendations in the updated guidance and for the most part, attempted to implement these into practice consistently internationally. Where variation was reported, the purpose of this appeared to be to enable clinicians to respond to either clinical assessments or parental anxiety in order to improve outcomes for the child and family. Further research is needed to determine if these findings are reflective of both a wider audience of clinicians and actual (rather than reported) practice.

Targets for finished livestock are often determined by expected fat, either subcutaneous or intramuscular. These targets are used frequently to improve the chances of acceptable eating quality. Lower intramuscular fat, lack of product uniformity, and reduced or insufficient tenderness can negatively impact beef acceptability. This study aimed to investigate differences in gene expression that potentially alter subsequent metabolism and intercellular signaling in the muscle and proximate intermuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue in beef carcasses at different fat endpoints. In this study, Longissimus thoracis muscle samples and associated adipose tissue were collected at harvest. RNA was harvested from both tissues, and individual samples were sequenced using RNAseq. Differential expression was determined using edgeR, and p-values were adjusted using the Benjamini-Hochberg method. A corrected p-value of 0.005 and log₂ (fold change) of 1 was set as the threshold to identify differential expression of genes. Comparison between intermuscular fat and subcutaneous fat showed no differences between the genes activated in the two adipose tissue depots, suggesting that subcutaneous fat could be sampled to evaluate changes in adipose tissue. Carcass data allowed the classification of carcasses by projected USDA quality grades (marbling targets). In the comparison between muscle from Standard and Choice carcasses, 15 genes were downregulated, and 20 were upregulated. The insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS 1) gene was the only known functionally important gene to be differentially expressed. There were 49 downregulated genes and 113 upregulated genes in the comparison between adipose tissue from Standard and Choice carcasses. These genes are mostly related to the metabolism of fat and energy. This potentially indicates that muscle is not changing at the transcript level as much as the adipose tissue at the sampled endpoints. Also, subcutaneous fat can be used to evaluate transcript changes in both subcutaneous and intermuscular fat. However, it is not clear if these fat tissues can be used as surrogates for intramuscular fat or marbling.

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.

Microbiota-based strategies are a novel auxiliary therapeutic and preventative way of moderating chronic kidney disease. Lactobacillus mixture (Lm) was previously demonstrated to exert a renal-protective function in the CKD mice model. The efficacy of probiotics in pet foods is a relatively new area of study, and thus verifying the potential health benefits is necessary. This study evaluated the efficacy of Lm treats in feline CKD and elucidated the mechanisms underlying host-microbe interactions. CKD cats (2 and 3 stages) were administrated probiotic pet treats daily (10 g) for 8 weeks. The results demonstrated that during the eight weeks of Lm administration, creatinine was reduced or maintained in all cats with CKD. Similarly, gut-derived uremic toxins (GDUT), IS, and TMAO were significantly downregulated in the serum (confidence intervals = 90%). The life quality of the cats also improved. Feline gut microbiome data, KEGG pathway, and renal function indicator analyses revealed the possible mechanisms involved in modulating CKD feline microbial composition. Further regulation of the microbial functions in amino acid metabolism after Lm administration contributed to downregulating deleterious IS, PCS, and TMAO. The current study provides potential adjuvant therapeutic insights into probiotic pet foods or treats for pets with CKD.

The bioactive marine sulfated polysaccharides ulvan and carrageenan, formulated in gels at 1.5, 5.0 and 10% w/w concentrations, were evaluated for their wound healing potential on second-degree burn wounds. The polysaccharide-based gels were administered on the burn-inflamed skin of hairless female SKH-hr2 mice, and the therapeutic effect of the various treatments was assessed based on histopathological analysis, the clinical condition of mice, photo-documentation, evaluation of biophysical skin parameters, and FT-IR spectroscopy.Clinical and histopathological assessment, as well as the reduction rate of the burn wound area, indicated that the 10% w/w carrageenan gel significantly enhanced wound healing, especially at the early stages of the healing process, recovering both the α-helix of collagen and the glycosaminoglycans configuration as evidenced by the FT-IR absorption bandsof skin in vivo and ex vivo. At later stages, the healing effect of the 5% w/w ulvan gel was also notably significant, indicating that carrageenan and ulvan wound dressing gels could potentially contribute to the efficient wound healing of burn wounds.

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.

2-(4-Benzyloxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-5-(carbethoxyethylene)-7-methoxy-benzofuran (BMBF), a benzofuran derivative, is an intermediate found in the process of total synthesis of ailanthoidol. Benzofuran derivatives are a class of compounds that possess various biological and pharmacological activities. The present study explored the anti-metastasis effects in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our preliminary findings indicate that BMBF suppresses the proliferation and changes the morphology of Huh7, an HCC cell line with a mutated p53 gene (Y220C). According to scratching motility assay, noncytotoxic concentrations of BMBF significantly inhibited the motility and migration in Huh7 cells. BMBF upregulated the expression of E-cadherin and downregulated the expression of vimentin, Slug, and MMP9, which are associated with epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and metastasis in Huh7 cells. BMBF decreased the expression of integrin α7 and deactivated its downstream signal FAK/AKT and inhibited p53 protein levels. Cell transfection with p53 siRNA resulted in prevention of cell invasion because of the reduced expression of integrin α7, Slug, and MMP-9 in Huh7 cells. BMBF had anti-metastatic effects in PLC/PRF/5, an HCC cell line with R249S, a mutated p53 gene. Our findings indicate that BMBF has anti-metastatic effects in that it downregulates p53 and mediates the suppression of integrin α7, EMT, and MMP-9 in HCC cells with mutated p53 gene.

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.

TGF-ꞵ signaling is a vital regulator for maintaining articular cartilage homeostasis. Runx transcription factors, downstream targets of TGF-ꞵ signaling, have been studied in the context of osteoarthritis (OA). Although Runx partner core binding factor β (Cbfβ) is known to play a pivotal role in chondrocyte and osteoblast differentiation, the role of Cbfβ in maintaining articular cartilage remains obscure. This study investigated Cbfβ as a novel anabolic modulator of TGF-ꞵsignaling and determined its role in articular cartilage homeostasis. Cbfβ significantly decreased in aged mouse articular cartilage and human OA cartilage. Articular chondrocyte-specific Cbfb-deficient mice (Cbfb△ac/△ac) exhibited early cartilage degeneration at 20 weeks old and developed OA at 12 months old. Cbfb△ac/△ac mice showed enhanced OA progression under the surgical-induced mice OA model. Mechanistically, forced expression of Cbfβ rescued Col2α1 and Runx1 expression in Cbfβ-deficient chondrocytes. TGF-ꞵ1-mediated Col2α1 expression failed despite the pSmad3 activation under TGF-ꞵ1 treatment in Cbfβ-deficient chondrocytes. Cbfβ protected Runx1 from proteasomal degradation through Cbfβ/Runx1 complex formation. These results indicate that Cbfβ is a novel anabolic regulator for cartilage homeostasis, suggesting that Cbfβ could protect OA development by maintaining the integrity of the TGF-ꞵ1 signaling pathway in articular cartilage.

Scrub typhus is a life-threatening infectious disease and always creating a diagnostic dilemma in terms of rapid turnaround time and accuracy, qRT PCR can become a very good option to achieve the desired result with the molecular level of accuracy and boost up the rapid patient management. This study was performed to evaluate the performance of qRT PCR in comparison to commonly used IgM ELISA and Weil-Felix tests to diagnose scrub typhus, as well as to look for the demographic and clinical profile of the disease in North-East India. It was a hospital-based prospective study conducted in a tertiary care hospital of north-east India, over a period of 1 year, in which all the samples from suspected scrub typhus cases were screened by Weil-Felix test as per institute’s diagnostic protocol after which IgM ELISA for Scrub Typhus was performed. All the IgM positive samples and 20 highly suspected but ELISA negative samples were subjected to qRT PCR, targeting 56 kDa type-specific gene of O. tsutsugamushi. Statistical analysis was done by MS-Excel for Windows v2013® and MedCalc® v17.9 for Windows (MedCalc Software, Acacialaan 22, B-8400 Ostend, Belgium). In this study, we have successfully evaluated the performance of qRT PCR kit for diagnosis of scrub typhus. Out of 54 samples tested, 24 IgM ELISA positive samples and 3 IgM ELISA negative samples have shown the presence of bacterial DNA with quantification of DNA copies. It has also been observed that 21 out of 27 PCR positive samples (77.8%) were detected within the 1st 7 days of illness. All the demographic, as well as clinical data, were also analysed. The performance of the commercial qRT PCR kit used in our study is satisfactory, which provides the extra advantage of quantification of DNA copies and increases diagnostic accuracy within the 1st week of fever.

The goal was to determine the personal, interpersonal, and sociocultural predictors of condom use among rural indigenous adolescents. Predictor variables were selected from Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Leininger's Transcultural Theory. The sample consisted of 419 Nahuas adolescents randomly selected from the total number of neighborhood blocks in a rural community in Puebla, Mexico. The instruments had acceptable psychometric characteristics (Cronbach alpha and validity scores). Multiple linear regression models were used. Results: 56.8% of participants were female, and 50.40 % were students. The mean age was M = 17.5 (SD = 0.97), and the majority (63%) identified as Catholic. Age at menarche/first ejaculation (β = -1.2, p = .038), attitude toward condom use (β = .13, p < .001), ethnic identity (β = .21, p < .001), and ability to negotiate condom use (β = .13, p < .003), predicted (R2 = 22.3) condom use. This study provides a basis for the integration of the cultural values of indigenous adolescents within interventions for sexual health promotion.

Background: The most frequent non-pigmented malignancy of the ocular surface is ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN), which has a frequency of 0.03 to 1.9 per 100,000 people per year. It can be diagnosed histologically as anything from mild dysplasia to aggressive squamous cell carcinoma that affects both the conjunctiva and the cornea. The purpose of this study is to determine the distribution of ocular surface squamous neoplasia at a teaching hospital in South Western Uganda.Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed all records of patients with ocular surface squamous neoplasia from the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)/ Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) pathology laboratory in South Western Uganda, from January 2015- October 2021.Results: Of the 1,133 cases of ocular neoplasia seen during this time, OSSN composed of 26.7% (n=303). OSSN occurred mainly in females (59.1%). The most common OSSN was invasive squamous cell carcinoma (60.4%). The age range was 15-106 years while the mean was 39.99 years. The commonest affected age group was 30-44years (41.3%).Conclusion: The burden of OSSN is high. It primarily affects young adults and is frequently found in women. Squamous cell carcinoma makes up the majority of the disease.

Technologies providing copyright-infringing IPTV content are a commonly used, as an illegal alternative to legal IPTV subscriptions and services, as they usually have lower monetary costs, and can be more convenient for the users that follow content from different sources. These infringing IPTV technologies may include websites, software, software add-ons, and physical set-top boxes. Due to the free or low cost of illegal IPTV technologies, illicit IPTV content providers will often resort to intrusive advertising, scams, and the distribution of malware to increase their revenue. We developed an automated solution for collecting and analysing malware from illegal IPTV technologies and used it to analyse a sample of illicit IPTV websites, application (app) stores, and software. Our results show that our IPTV Technologies Malware Analysis Framework (IITMAF) classified 32 of the 60 sample URLs tested as malicious, compared to running the same test using publicly available online anti-virus solutions, which only detected 23 of the 60 sample URLs as malicious. Moreover, the IITMAF framework also detected malicious URLs and files from 31 of the sample’s websites, one of which had reported ransomware behaviour.

The utilization of person centered care is highlighted as essential for health promotion, yet implementation has been inconsistent and multiple issues remain. There is a dearth of applied re-search exploring the facets of successful implementation. In this paper, a person centered wellbeing program spanning various groups is discussed outlining the central principles that have allowed for successful outcomes. The main data emerges from 10 years of pragmatic pre-post service evaluation. Measures of functional capacity and wellbeing were captured using validated measures. The method for this paper is a narrative exploration of the theory and practices that can explain the continual improvement the clinics have achieved over 10 years. Core principles relate to connecting with people, connecting through groups, and connecting with self. The operationalization and theoretical explanation of these principles is outlined alongside 10 years of data which shows sustained improvement in a range of outcomes. The discussion of these principles posits essential factors to prioritize to advance the implementation of person centered care in health promotion for long term conditions.

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.

Modern drugs have changed epilepsy, which affects people of all ages. But for young people with epilepsy, the framework of drug development has stalled. In the wake of the thalidomide catastrophe, the misconception emerged that for people <18y antiseizure medications (ASMs) need separate proof of efficacy and safety (E&S), overall called “pediatric drug development.” This has been corrected to some extent. Authorities accept that ASMs are effective in <18y as well, but they still require "extrapolation of efficacy," as if minors were another species. In our view, the real problem is less that relevant parts of pediatric clinical epilepsy research over the past decades were useless, but that this has hampered research on meaningful challenges. We do not need to show that ASMs work also before the 18th birthday. But we need to learn how to best use ASMs to prevent brain damage in young patients and optimize ASMs use considering a broader range of aspects

Full-order state-space models represent the starting point for the development of advanced control methods for wind turbine systems (WTSs). Regarding existing control-oriented WTS models, two research gaps must be noted: (i) There exists no full-order WTS model in form of one overall ordinary differential equation that considers all dynamical effects which significantly influence the electrical power output; (ii) all existing reduced-order WTS models are subject to rather arbitrary simplifications and are not validated against a full-order model. Therefore, in this paper, two full-order nonlinear state-space models (of 11th and 9th-order in the (a, b, c)- and (d, q)-reference frame, resp.) for variable-speed variable-pitch permanent magnet synchronous generator WTSs are derived. The full-order models cover all relevant dynamical effects with significant impact on the system’s power output, including the switching behavior of the power electronic devices. Based on the full-order models, by a step-by-step model reduction procedure, two reduced-order WTS models are deduced: A non-switching (averaging) 7th-order WTS model and a non-switching 3rd-order WTS model. Comparative simulation results reveal that all models capture the dominant system dynamics properly. The full-order models allow for a detailed analysis covering the high frequency oscillations in the instantaneous power output due to the switching in the power converters. The reduced-order models provide a time-averaged instantaneous power output (which still correctly reflects the energy produced by the WTS) and come with a drastically reduced complexity making those models appropriate for large-scale power grid controller design.

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.

How robust is our assessment of impacts to ecosystems and species from a rapidly changing climate during the 21st century? We examine the challenges of uncertainty, complexity and constraints associated with applying climate projections to understanding future biological responses. This includes an evaluation of how to incorporate the uncertainty associated with different greenhouse gas emissions scenarios and climate models, and constraints of spatiotemporal scales and resolution of climate data into impact assessments. We describe the challenges of identifying relevant climate metrics for ecological models and evaluate the usefulness and limitations of different methodologies of applying climate change to both quantitative and qualitative ecological response models. We discuss the importance of incorporating extreme climate events and their stochastic tendencies in assessing ecological impacts and transformation, and provide recommendations for better integration of complex climate-ecological interactions at relevant spatiotemporal scales. We further recognize the compounding nature of uncertainty when accounting for our limited understanding of the interactions between climate and biological processes. Given the inherent complexity in ecological processes and their interactions with climate, we recommend integrating quantitative modeling with expert elicitation from diverse disciplines and experiential understanding of recent climate-driven ecological processes to develop more robust understanding of ecological responses under different scenarios of future climate change. Inherently complex interactions between climate and biological systems also provide an opportunity to develop wide-ranging strategies that resource managers can employ to prepare for the future.

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.

The process of revitalising quiescent cells in order for them to proliferate plays a pivotal role in the repair of warn out tissues as well as for tissue homeostasis. This process is also crucial in the growth, development and well-being of higher multi-cellular organisms such as mammals. Deregulation of quiescent-proliferation transition is related to many diseases, in particular cancer. Recent studies have revealed that this process is regulated tightly by the Rb−E2F bistable switch mechanism. Based on experimental observations, in this study, we formulate a mathematical model to examine the effect of the growth factor concentration on the proliferation-quiescence transition in human cells. Working with a non-dimensionalised model, we prove positivity, boundedness and uniqueness of solutions. To understand model solution behaviour close to bifurcation points, we carry out bifurcation analysis, which is further verified by use of numerical bifurcation analysis, sensitivity analysis and numerical simulations. Indeed, bifurcation and numerical analysis of the model predicted a transition between stable, bistable and stable states, which are dependent on the growth factor concentration parameter (GF). The derived predictions confirm experimental observations.

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.

Viral integration within the host genome plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis. Various disruptive mechanisms are involved, leading to genomic instability, mutations, and DNA damage. With next-generation sequencing (NGS), we can now precisely identify viral and host genomic breakpoints and chimeric sequences, which are useful for integration site analysis. In this study, we evaluated a commercial hybrid-capture NGS panel specifically designed for detecting three key viruses: HPV, HBV, and HIV-1. We also tested workflows for Viral Hybrid Capture (VHC) and Viral Integration Site (VIS) analysis, leveraging customized viral databases in CLC Microbial Ge-nomics. By analyzing sequenced data from virally infected cancer cell lines (including SiHa, HeLa, CaSki, C-33A, DoTc2, 2A3, SCC154 for HPV; 3B2, SNU-182 for HBV; and ACH-2 for HIV-1), we precisely pinpointed viral integration sites. The workflow also highlighted disrupted and neigh-boring human genes that may play a crucial role in tumor development. Our results included in-formative virus-host read mappings, genomic breakpoints, and integration circular plots. These visual representations enhance our understanding of the integration process. In conclusion, our seamless end-to-end workflow bridges the gap in understanding viral contributions to cancer development, paving the way for improved diagnostics and treatment strategies.

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.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe parasitic disease transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. VL is endemic in West Pokot County, Kenya, where effective strategies to interrupt transmission are impeded by the limited understanding of VL risk factors. Therefore, this case-control study aimed to explore environmental, behavioral and household determinants of VL in West Pokot. From November 2022 to January 2023, a structured questionnaire was administered to 36 symptomatic primary VL cases attending the Kacheliba Sub-County Hospital and to 50 controls from local villages. The VL status of all participants was confirmed using an rK39 rapid diagnostic test. In an age-corrected univariate logistic regression analysis, significant associations were found between VL and housing characteristics, such as window presence and floor type. Furthermore, outdoor activities, including traveling outside the residence for more than 2 weeks, activities near termite mounds, and forest activities during the rainy season increased the risk of VL. VL cases more frequently reported the presence of cattle, dogs and sheep in their house yards at night. VL was also associated with cutting down trees in the house yard and house proximity to several Acacia tree species. To conclude, this work reports a number of previously undescribed risk factors for VL in the understudied West Pokot focus. Our findings warrant further research into sandfly ecology and potential zoonotic parasite reservoirs in West Pokot.

Background. Candida bloodstream infections (CBSIs) have decreased among pediatric populations in the United States, but remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Species distributions and susceptibility patterns of CBSI isolates diverge widely between children and adults. Awareness of these patterns can inform clinical decision-making for empiric or pre-emptive therapy of children at risk for candidemia. Methods. CBSIs occurring from 2006-2016 among patients in a large children’s hospital were analyzed for age specific trends in incidence rate, risk factors for breakthrough-CBSI and death, as well as underlying conditions. Candida species distributions and susceptibility patterns were evaluated in addition to antifungal agent use. Results. The overall incidence rate of CBSI among this complex patient population was 1.97/1,000 patient-days. About half of CBSI episodes occurred in immunocompetent children and 14% in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients. Antifungal resistance was minimal: 96.7% of isolates were fluconazole-, 99% were micafungin-, and all were amphotericin susceptible. Liposomal amphotericin was the most commonly prescribed antifungal agent including for NICU patients. Overall CBSI-associated mortality was 13.7%; there were no deaths associated with CBSI among NICU patients after 2011. Conclusions. Pediatric CBSI characteristics differ substantially from those in adults. Improved management of underlying diseases and antimicrobial stewardship may further decrease morbidity and mortality from CBSI while continuing to maintain low resistance rates among Candida isolates.

(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.

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.

This paper reports on in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 69 disabled people in England and Scotland, and with 28 key informants from infrastructure organisations in the voluntary and statutory sectors, about the impact of COVID-19, and measures taken to control it. Participants were recruited through voluntary organisations. As with everyone, the Pandemic has had a huge impact: we discuss the dislocations it has caused in everyday life; the failures of social care; the use of new technologies; and participants’ view on leadership and communication. We conclude with suggestions for urgent short term and medium term responses, so that the United Kingdom and other countries can respond better to this and other pandemics, and build a more inclusive world.