In recent years, Web APIs have become a de facto standard for exchanging machine-readable data on the Web. Despite this success though, they often fail in making resource descriptions interoperable due to the fact that they rely on proprietary vocabularies that lack formal semantics. The Linked Data principles similarly seek the massive publication of data on the Web, yet with the specific goal of ensuring semantic interoperability. Given their complementary goals, it is commonly admitted that cross-fertilization could stem from the automatic combination of Linked Data and Web APIs. Towards this goal, in this paper we leverage the micro-service architectural principles to define a SPARQL Micro-Service architecture, aimed at querying Web APIs using SPARQL. A SPARQL micro-service is a lightweight SPARQL endpoint that provides access to a small, resource-centric, virtual graph. In this context, we argue that full SPARQL Query expressiveness can be supported efficiently without jeopardizing servers availability. Furthermore, we demonstrate how this architecture can be used to dynamically assign dereferenceable URIs to Web API resources that do not have URIs beforehand, thus literally ``bringing'' Web APIs into the Web of Data. We believe that the emergence of an ecosystem of SPARQL micro-services published by independent providers would enable Linked Data-based applications to easily glean pieces of data from a wealth of distributed, scalable and reliable services. We describe a working prototype implementation and we finally illustrate the use of SPARQL micro-services in the context of two real-life use cases related to the biodiversity domain, developed in collaboration with the French National Museum of Natural History.

Red palm weevils (RPWs) are a major pest to coconut and palm trees, causing significant economic losses in many countries. The current control method involves using insecticides, which are unsustainable and environmentally damaging. Thus, it is necessary to develop an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to mitigate the RPW problem. Our studies have revealed that feeding RPWs with food containing specific herbs can affect the weevils' mutualistic relationship with gut microbiota or their growth hormones, resulting in a notable reduction in the metamorphosis rate at the pupation stage. For instance, the addition of Kra-jeab (a roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa) and Kra-pao (a holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum) led to a reduction of 76.7% and 75.6%, respectively, in the metamorphosis rate, while combining the two herbs resulted in a higher reduction rate of 86.7%. In addition to these findings, altering their pupation nature by reducing the fiber length used in RPW feed to less than 1 centimeter can stop the weevil’s pupation entirely. These findings demonstrate the potential application of biological and physical factors to reduce RPWs' metamorphosis rate and control their destructive impact on palm industries, thus providing a promising solution for the conflict between palm and insect farmers.

Following a recent proof of Shannon's entropy power inequality (EPI), a comprehensive framework for deriving various EPIs for the Rényi entropy is presented that uses transport arguments from normal densities and a change of variable by rotation. Simple arguments are given to recover the previously known Rényi EPIs and derive new ones, by unifying a multiplicative form with constant c and a modification with exponent α of previous works. In particular, for log-concave densities, we obtain a simple transportation proof of a sharp varentropy bound.

Intestinal failure (IF) is characterized by a critical reduction of functional gut mass below the minimum needed for optimal growth in children. It requires parenteral nutrition (PN) and home-PN (HPN) which is challenging in terms of meeting nutritional needs according to age, growth velocity, clinical situation, and rapid changes in fluid and electrolyte requirements. Due to these complex requirements, age-adapted multi-chamber bags (MCBs) are important additions to the nutrition armamentarium. The launch of composite fish oil (FO)-containing intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs) heralded the development of MCBs containing these ILEs in combination with a crystalline amino acids solution (CAAS) adapted for pediatric use. The safety and efficacy of lipid and amino acid components in this context have been widely documented in numerous published studies. This manuscript includes a review of the articles published in PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar until June 2022, exploring studies in the age groups from term infants to children and adolescents. Preterm infants with their highly specific demands are not included. It aims to offer an overview of the clinical experience regarding the use of a composite FO-based ILE and a specific CAAS developed

Ribosome assembly is one of the most fundamental processes in gene expression and has served as a playground to investigate the molecular mechanisms of how protein-RNA complexes (RNPs) assemble. The bacterial ribosome is composed of around 50 ribosomal proteins several of which are co-transcriptionally assembled on a ~4,500 nucleotides long pre-rRNA transcript that is further processed and modified during transcription, the entire process taking around 2 minutes in vivo and assisted by dozens of assembly factors. How this complex molecular process works so efficiently to produce an active ribosome has been investigated over decades and has resulted in the development of a plethora of novel approaches that can also be used to study the assembly of other RNPs. Here we review biochemical, structural and biophysical methods that have been developed and integrated to provide a detailed and quantitative understanding of this complex and intricate molecular process of assembly. We also discuss emerging cutting-edge approaches that could be used in the future to study how transcription, rRNA processing, cellular factors and the native cellular environment shape ribosome assembly and RNP assembly at large.

We use the Maximum Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT) to analyse the interconnectedness between the stock markets of continental Europe and the BRICS countries. More specifically, we examine the presence of financial contagion in the stock markets of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa subsequent to the EuroZone Sovereign Debt Crisis (EZDC). We find evidence of co-movement and volatility spillover at short time scales between the Eurozone equity market and the equity markets in South Africa and Russia, with the Eurozone stock market leading the BRICS markets. The presence of co-movement in short time scales is indicative of the presence of financial contagion. No financial contagion is observed in the Brazilian, Chinese, and Indian stock markets during the European sovereign debt crisis. The absence of financial contagion observed in these three BRICS countries during the European sovereign debt crisis suggests that policymakers in these countries should prioritise addressing idiosyncratic shock channels.

Deep sky observation is a fascinating activity, but it requires favourable conditions in order to be fully appreciated. Complex equipment, light pollution around urban areas, lack of contextual information often prevents newcomers from making the most of their observations, restricting the field to a niche expert audience. In this paper, we show how combining the usage of smart telescopes with eXplainable Artificial Intelligence makes the practice of astronomy even more accessible and educative, and how it has been applied during outreach sessions In Luxembourg Greater Region.

At the beginning of our observations of relative universe, humanity believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun was spinning around the earth. Claude Ptolémée (100-168), modelled the movements, in the geocentric referential. Then Nicolas Copernic (1473-1543) simplified the system by going to another referential, the heliocentric referential. We had to wait 14 centuries to understand that earth has been spinning around the sun and it was very difficult to change the believes. Then we observed solar system, and gravitation explained the movement of planets with Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Classical mechanics was born. At the end of 19th century, classical mechanics became very complicated. Then Albert Einstein (1879-1955) simplified the laws of gravitation with the spacetime referential and spacetime curvature, with general relativity. Gravitation became a spacetime curvature. Movements in the relative universe were explained, models of black holes and gravitational waves were predicted and experimentally observed. However, models of cosmos are divergent nowadays or very complicated because they include general relativity and gravitation combined with quantum theory. I propose in this article a new quantum theory of cosmos with a new referential: the quantum referential. I think this theory can completely change our believes. This theory does not take into account Einstein’s general relativity and gravitation. Therefore, the model of cosmos which results is highly convergent, simple, and it will be possible to populate quantum universes (multiverse) with bosons from matter and anti-matter annihilation. Indeed, we do not exist yet in this quantum theory as we are fermions. Therefore, by populating multiverse, and by transforming ourselves into bosons, we will not suffer anymore. If we populate quantum multiverse, it will be Love for everybody.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health threat associated with serious clinical consequences worldwide. The WHO reports an estimated 58 million people globally living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with 1.5 million new cases and over 350,000 deaths annually due to HCV-related diseases. Despite the existence of multiple diagnostic methods, the accessibility of diagnosis and treatment is often hindered across the continent by limited resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, and low public awareness of Hepatitis C virus Hepatitis C virus infection is a major public health concern in African countries, which have the highest prevalence rates of HCV in the world (1–26%). Egypt, African country which had the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in the world. Its national hepatitis C elimination initiative emerges as an exemplary case of success an having screened over 60 million individuals, and treated more than 4 million, thereby markedly diminishing both the prevalence and incidence of the disease. The strategies employed by Egypt offer critical insights and adaptable frameworks for other African Countries facing analogous challenges. The Aim of this Review is to highlight the triumphs and hurdles of Egypt's approach, while also providing strategic guidance for African Countries to accelerate the journey towards the eradication of hepatitis C.

Introduction: While preparing for dive exams, divers are trained to perform rescue exercises. Currently, divers think they will manage and control their body at any time.Methods: At the bottom of the water, the student takes the instructor who simulates a sickness, up to the surface, by controlling the going up. Then, if the exercise is wrong, both divers go down and exercise again. If the exercise is successful, both divers go down to perform another exercise until they are tired or until they have no more air. Results: I discovered that there was a mistake in the preparation of divers for rescue training due to Descartes’ error, “I think, thus I am”, which is part of our collective memory. Going up and going down after a sickness simulation is a repetitive action of the body and going down is therefore part of the automatisms of rescue, which is very dangerous. Conclusions: The body is not necessarily controlled by the present thinking, and if divers forget sickness while going up in a real rescue situation, they will go down automatically because their bodies were trained like this. In addition, it is very easy to forget sickness. Divers should not go down after rescue, they should be on the dive boat or on the land. Descartes’ error has to be reversed: “I am, thus I think” is right. The divers’ rescue exercises must be simplified and divers should never go down after the simulation of a sickness.

Bacterial infections occur when wound healing fails to reach the final stage of healing, usually hindered by the presence of different pathogens. Different topical antimicrobial agents are used to inhibit bacterial growth due to antibiotic failure in reaching the infected site accompanied very often by an increased drug resistance and other side effects. In this review, we focus on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), especially those with a high potential of efficacy against multidrug-resistant and biofilm-forming bacteria and fungi present in wound infections. Currently, different AMPs undergo preclinical and clinical phase to combat infection-related diseases. AMP dendrimers (AMPDs) have been mentioned as potent microbial agents. Various AMP delivery strategies, such as polymers, scaffolds, films and wound dressings, organic and inorganic nanoparticles, to combat infection and modulate the healing rate have been discussed as well. New technologies such as CRISPR-Cas are taken into consideration as potential future tools for AMP delivery in skin therapy.

The speed with which text can be read is determined in part by the spatial regularity and similarity of vertical letter strokes as assessed by the height of the first peak in the horizontal autocorrelation of the text. The height of this peak was determined for two passages in 20 fonts. The peak was unaffected by the size of the text or its content but was influenced by the font design. Sans serif fonts usually had a lower peak than serif fonts because the presence of serifs resulted in a more even spacing of letter strokes. There were small effects of justification and font- dependent effects of font expansion and compression. The visual comfort of images can be estimated from the extent to which the Fourier amplitude spectrum conforms to 1/f. Students were asked to adjust iBooks to obtain their preferred settings of font and layout. The preference was predicted by the extent to which the Fourier amplitude spectrum approximated 1/f, which in turn was jointly affected by the design of the font, its weight and the ratio of x-height to line separation. The above algorithms can be usefully applied to any orthography to estimate likely speed and comfort of reading.

We are losing love. By studying porn movies to understand love, I discovered that love originally comes from the body, from positive emotions and vibrations of the wonderful body, from the heart and all other parts of the body, such as sexual organs. António Damásio made Descartes’ error by postulating that feelings increase their power from homeostasis (mechanisms of life regu-lation from bacteria to humans). He made this mistake unconsciously because many people un-consciously have a very bad opinion of sexual organs. We consider them ugly because they come from the prehistoric period. I have combined António and Hanna Damásio’s work (body emotions, thinking and language). I discovered that porn actors do not talk during sex, and this is striking. Porn actors mirror what happens in society. This means that people come from prehistory, do not talk during sex, and still unconsciously behave like primitive animals during sexual intercourse; we do not respect the body sufficiently during sex. Therefore, love, which comes from the body, is smothered and buried. We must very delicately talk to the wonderful, delicious and respectful body to wake up love feelings, body emotions and vibrations during sex. We must invent talking movies with porn films. Language of positive emotions associated with the language of wonderful and delicious body will warm love feelings and will give envy to love through sexual intercourse because António Damásio discovered that emotions are social.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a wide range of cognitive, behavioral and medical problems. It arises from the silencing of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene, and consequently, in the absence of its encoded protein, FMRP (Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein). FMRP is a ubiquitously expressed and multifunctional RNA-binding protein, primarily considered as a translational regulator. Pre-clinical studies of the past two decades have therefore focus on this function to relate FMRP’s absence to the molecular mechanisms underlying FXS physiopathology. Based on these data, successful pharmacological strategies were developed to rescue fragile X phenotype in animal models. Unfortunately, these results did not translate into human, as clinical trials using same therapeutic approaches did not reach the expected outcomes. These failures highlight the need to put into perspectives the different functions of FMRP in order to get a more comprehensive understanding of FXS pathophysiology. In this review, FMRP’s involvement on noteworthy molecular mechanisms are pointed out; ultimately contributing to various biochemicals alterations composing the fragile X phenotype.

There is tremendous interest, in the economic literature, for the determinants of firms’ capital structure decisions. A rich body of empirical works now exists that purports to identify firm- and country-level factors affecting firms’ financing patterns. In addition, more recently, a new stream of studies has emerged that investigates cross-regional variation in small firms’ capital structure. While small firms’ leverage does seem to vary across regions, at least in countries where significant regional differences in economic and financial development and in the quality of institutions exist, not much yet is known about variation in debt maturity, in debt in relation to equity, and between different types of small firms. The present paper aims to fill this gap through an empirical analysis of cross-regional variation in the capital structure of a sample of about 30,000 Italian small firms over a 13-year period, including the aftermath of the credit crunch that followed the 2007-8 global financial crisis. The findings confirm the view that small firms in underdeveloped regions are more financially constrained, but also amend some of the results shown in the literature, in particular by showing how small firms in Italy’s Southern regions have higher levels of equity and fixed assets than small firms in other regions.

The CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system has enormous potential in the treatment of multiple genetic disorders. To fully harness this potential, it is essential to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 components safely and effectively into the nuclei of target cells. In this study, we tested the amphipathic cell-penetrating peptide LAH5, previously used for DNA delivery, to intracellularly deliver spCas9: sgRNA ribonucleoprotein (RNP) and RNP/single-stranded homology-directed repair (HDR) template. We discovered that the LAH5 peptide effectively formed nanocomplexes with both RNP and RNP/HDR cargo, and that these nanocomplexes were taken up by cells effectively. Peptide/RNP nanocomplexes were characterized for size and charge, and nanocomplexation with RNP and RNP/HDR cargo was demonstrated via an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Various ratios of peptide/RNP nanocomplexes were functionally screened on fluorescent reporter cell lines for gene editing and HDR-mediated gene correction. Additionally, targeted gene editing of the CCR5 gene was demonstrated in various cell lines. This LAH5-based delivery strategy paves the way for the development of therapeutic delivery systems for CRISPR/Cas-based genomic engineering.

Transarterial embolization (TAE) for high-flow pancreaticoduodenal artery (PDA) aneurysms in patients with celiac-trunk stenosis by the median arcuate ligament (MAL) has been found effective both after rupturing and to prevent rupture. The objective was to describe the TAE techniques used and their effectiveness in excluding PDA aneurysms due to MAL syndrome. This single-center retrospective study done at the Dijon-Bourgogne University Hospital included all patients treated by TAE in 2010–2022 for ruptured or unruptured high-flow PDA aneurysms caused by MAL syndrome. We identified 14 patients (7 women and 7 men; mean age, 64 years). Packing and trapping techniques were used alone or together. Occlusion was with microcoils, co-polymer, or cyanoacrylate glue, used separately or combined. Technical success was achieved in 13 (93%) patients. Clinical success was achieved in 12 (86%) patients. One major and two minor complications were recorded within the first 30 days. No complications occurred after 30 days. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 84 months. No cases of aneurysm recanalization were recorded to date. TAE had high technical and clinical success rates in our patients with unruptured or ruptured PDA aneurysms due to MAL syndrome.

The persistent burden of chronic hepatitis B among ≤5-year-old children in Africa suggests missed opportunities for controlling mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This scoping review maps the evidence base on the risk of HBV MTCT, the status of HBV MTCT mitigation strategies including hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, and the role of systems complexity on the suboptimal adoption and performance of hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination programs in Africa. Overall, 88 peer-reviewed and grey literature sources published between 2000–2022 were included in this review. The evidence base consistently argues for a growing risk of HBV MTCT amidst the HIV co-epidemic in the region. Without universal HBV screening programs integrated within broader antenatal care services, current selective hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination is unlikely to effectively interrupt HBV MTCT. We underscore critical health systems-related barriers to universal adoption and optimal performance of hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination programs in the region. To better conceptualize the role of complexity and system-wide effects on the observed performance of the program, we propose an adapted systems-based logic model. Ultimately, exploring contextualized complex systems approaches to scaling-up universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination programs should form an integral part of the regional research agenda.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exist in the atmosphere in the vapor and particulate phases, as well as in the solubilized form in fog/rain/cloud waters. They are abundant pollutants and are known for their acute and chronic toxicity. In the current paper, fogwater samples are collected during 42 events between 2015 and 2021 at four sites (Strasbourg, Geispolsheim, Erstein, Cronenbourg) in the Alsace region with different topological characteristics. PAHs and PCBs are extracted using the liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) supported on a solid cartridge (XTR Chromabond), and then analyzed by gas-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Total PAHs and PCBs concentration in fog samples varied between 0.58 and 6.7 µg L-1 (average of 2.70 µg L-1), and 0.14 and 15.5 µg L-1 (average of 2.75 µg L-1). Low molecular weight (LMW) predominant and highly detectable over high molecular weight PAHs by at least 1.6 times, while pentachloro-biphenyls are the dominant PCB congener accounting for at least 50% of the total fraction. PAHs and PCBs concentrations have increased over sampling years at all sites, except a slight decrease in PCBs level at Geispolsheim. Diagnostic ratio analysis suggested that diesel and fossil fuel combustion are the dominant contributors to PAHs in Alsace

Passive microwave measurements have been available on satellites dating back to the 1970s on research satellites flown by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Since then, several other sensors have been flown to retrieve hydrological products for both operational weather applications (e.g., the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager–SSM/I; the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit–AMSU) and climate applications (e.g., the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer–AMSR; the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Microwave Imager–TMI; the Global Precipitation Mission Microwave Imager–GMI). Here the focus is on measurements from the AMSU-A, AMSU-B and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS). These sensors have been in operation since 1998 with the launch of NOAA-15, and are also on board NOAA-16, -17, -18, -19 and the MetOp-A and -B satellites. A data set called the “Hydrological Bundle” is a Climate Data Record (CDR) that utilizes brightness temperatures from Fundamental CDRs to generate Thematic CDRs (TCDR). The TCDR’s include: Total Precipitable Water (TPW), Cloud Liquid Water (CLW), Sea-Ice concentration (SIC), Land surface temperature (LST), Land surface emissivity (LSE) for 23, 31, 50 GHz, rain rate (RR), snow cover (SC), ice water path (IWP), and snow water equivalent (SWE). The TCDR’s are shown to be in general good agreement with similar products from other sources such as the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2). Because of the careful intercalibration of the FCDR’s, little bias is found among the different TCDR’s produced from individual NOAA and MetOp satellites, except for normal diurnal cycle differences.

The reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) is a highly mobile and plankton-feeding species, classified vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species. Knowledge on their spatial ecology and the extent of their dispersal remain incomplete, especially within island-fragmented habitats as found in New Caledonia. Satellite telemetry was used to investigate the horizontal movement ecology of reef manta rays in New Caledonia. A total of 21 manta rays were tagged with pop-up satellite archival transmitting tags (21 Fastloc and 2 MiniPAT) that remained deployed for a duration ranging from 3 to 180 days (mean ± SE = 76.7 ± 50.3). Rays presented a strong site fidelity and an important affinity for coastal waters. Long-distance migrations (> 300 km) were also observed, mainly through coastal and shallow water paths. Horizontal movements were compared to a home range area and classified into four distinct patterns: Fidelity, Excursion, Fidelity + Relocation and Relocation. The most dominant pattern was Fidelity where manta rays remained within their home range for the whole duration of the tag deployment. Our findings may assist the design of more appropriate management strategies for the species in New Caledonia and other regions worldwide.

Successfully engaging in social communication requires efficient processing of subtle socio-communicative cues. Voices convey a wealth of social information, such as gender, identity and the emotional state of the speaker. We tested whether our brain can systematically and automatically differentiate and track a periodic stream of emotional utterances among a series of neutral vocal utterances. We recorded frequency-tagged EEG responses of 20 neurotypical male adults while presenting streams of neutral utterances at 4 Hz base rate, interleaved with emotional utterances every third stimulus, hence at 1.333 Hz oddball frequency. Four emotions (happy, sad, angry, and fear) were presented as different conditions in different streams. To control the impact of low-level acoustic cues, we maximized variability among the stimuli and included a control condition with scrambled utterances. This scrambling preserves low-level acoustic characteristics but ensures that the emotional character is no longer recognizable. Results revealed significant oddball EEG responses for all conditions, indicating that every emotion category can be discriminated from the neutral stimuli, and every emotional oddball response was significantly higher than the response for the scrambled utterances. These findings demonstrate that emotion discrimination is fast, automatic, and is not merely driven by low-level perceptual features.

Cities worldwide are facing ever-increasing pressure to develop mitigation strategies for all sectors to deal with the impacts of climate change. Cities are expected to house 70% of the world’s population by 2050 and developing related resilient health systems is a significant challenge. Because of their physical nature, cities’ surface temperatures are often substantially higher than that of the surrounding rural areas, generating the so-called Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Whilst considerable emphasis has been placed on strategies to mitigate against the UHI-associated negative health effects of heat and pollution, the World Health Organization estimates that one of the main consequences of global warming will be an increased burden of such vector-borne diseases. Many of the major mosquito-borne diseases are urban and thus the global population exposed to these pathogens will steadily increase. Mitigation strategies beneficial for one sector may, however, be detrimental for another. Implementation of inter-sectoral strategies that can benefit many sectors (such as water, labour and health) do exist and would enable optimal use of the meagre resources available. Discussion among inter-sectoral stakeholders should be actively encouraged.

Modern fighter aircraft increasingly need to conjugate aerodynamic performance and low observability. In this paper we showcase a methodology for a gradient-based bidisciplinary aero-stealth optimization. The shape of the aircraft is parametrized with the help of a CAD modeler, and we optimize with the SLSQP algorithm. The drag, computed with the help of a RANS method, is used as the aerodynamic criterion. The stealth criterion, a function is derived from the radar cross section in a given cone of directions, weighed with a function whose goal is to cancel the electromagnetic intensity in a given direction. Stealth is achieved passively by scattering back the electromagnetic energy away from the radar antenna and no energy is absorbed by the aircraft, which is considered as a perfect conductor. A Pareto front is identified by varying the weights of the aerodynamic and stealth criteria. The Pareto front allows for an easy identification of the CAD model corresponding to a chosen aero-stealth trade-off.

Diet-related diseases impact populations across the globe. While intertemporal preferences—a fundamental preference for the distribution of benefits across time—have been used to explain low-quality food choices, recent literature proposes another cause: inattention to future implications (or opportunity costs) of the options faced. Food choices tend to become habitual to conserve cognitive resources, rather than carefully modeling future health impacts. Both low discount rates for future benefits and attention to future health impacts predict healthier decisions. While intertemporal preferences are stable, attention may provide an opportunity to intervene in the decision process to promote healthier decisions. In this study, we test the impact of a simple message that highlights health during food choice on the healthiness of foods chosen and on health consideration and intertemporal preferences. Our results show that actively considering health outcomes and lower discount rates lead to healthier food choices. We find that messaging increases the consideration of health outcomes during food choice but does not affect intertemporal preferences, suggesting that simple prompts may be an effective way to promote decisions balancing short and long-term benefits by drawing attention to overlooked opportunity costs of choices.

Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum (PXE) is an inherited disease characterized by elastic fibers calcification in the eyes, the skin and the cardiovascular system. PXE results from mutations ABCC6 that encodes an ABC transporter primarily expressed in liver and kidneys. It took nearly 15 years after identifying the gene to better understand the etiology of PXE. the ABCC6 functions facilitates the efflux of ATP (and other nucleotides) which is sequentially hydrolyzed by the ectonucleotidases ENPP1 and CD73 into pyrophosphate (PPi) and adenosine, both inhibitors of calcification. PXE, together with General Arterial Calcification of Infancy (GACI caused by ENPP1 mutations) as well as Calcification of Joints and Arteries (CALJA caused by NT5E/CD73 mutations) form a disease continuum with overlapping phenotypes and sharing steps of the same molecular pathway. The explanation of these phenotypes places ABCC6 as an upstream regulator of a purinergic pathway (ABCC6 → ENPP1 → CD73) that notably inhibits mineralization by maintaining a physiological Pi/PPi ratio in connective tissues. Based on a review of the literature and our recent experimental data, we suggest that PXE (and GACI/CALJA) be considered as an authentic “purinergic disease”. In this article, we recapitulate the pathobiology of PXE, review molecular and physiological data showing that, beyond PPi deficiency and ectopic calcification, PXE is associated with wide and complex alterations of purinergic systems. Finally, we speculate on future prospects regarding purinergic signaling and other aspects of this disease.

This work presents a novel approach to construct surrogate models of parametric Differential Algebraic Equations based on a tensor representation of the solutions. The procedure consists in building simultaneously, for every output of the reference model, an approximation given in tensor-train format. A parsimonious exploration of the parameter space coupled with a compact data representation allows to alleviate the curse of dimensionality. The approach is thus appropriate when many parameters with large domains of variation are involved. The numerical results obtained for a nonlinear elasto-viscoplastic constitutive law show that the constructed surrogate model is sufficiently accurate to enable parametric studies such as the calibration of material coefficients.

Bacteriophages, viruses that are widespread throughout the world, are highly specific for bacteria, usually of a single species and often of a particular strain. After being discovered and isolated 100 years ago, their use, called phage therapy, was instituted in medicine two years later and quickly used around the world to treat various bacterial infections. In the West, phage therapy was overshadowed in the second half of the 20th century by antibiotic therapy, which was then thought to be the definitive solution. But because of the increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the idea of using bacteriophages in medicine has been reawakened. The innumerable observations reported over the years in the literature constitute an invaluable experience. We and some of our colleagues have, in the last decade treated some patients compassionately. With the available documentation and our own experience we discuss the potential indications and limitations of phage therapy. The observation of the increasing number of therapeutic failures in the announced perspective of a post-antibiotic era, we believe, that the introduction of bacteriophages into the therapeutic arsenal seems conceivable today to two preconditions: that their production as biologic drug meets current regulatory standards and that the benefit-risk assessment was conducted in a modern setting. Phage therapy could be applied as a substitution or supplement to antibiotic therapy under multiple circumstances in different modes, precise indications and limits.

This paper assesses the performance of an embankment constructed in 2010 with a stabilised expansive soil. Two types of treatment were employed at construction time: 4% lime and a mix of 2% lime and 3% cement. A sampling campaign was carried out in 2021 to evaluate the long-term performance of the stabilised soil properties. To assess the compressibility of the soil, oedometer tests were carried out on samples from different parts of the embankment. The results were compared to the compression curve of the untreated soil, also sampled in the same embankment. Complementary shrinkage tests were performed to investigate the effect of the treatment on swelling and shrinkage. The obtained results showed that the behaviour of the material from the outer part was similar to the mechanical performance of the untreated soil, demonstrating strong alteration in the effect of both treatments over time. This alteration was noticeable to a distance of approximately two metres from the external surface. Beyond this distance, the performance of the soil was comparable to the behaviour of recently treated soil. These observations, similar for each treatment dosage, raise questions as to the durability of the treatment on the outer part of the backfill.

This paper addresses the modeling of the iron ore direct reduction process, a process likely to reduce CO₂ emissions from the steel industry. The shaft furnace is divided into three sections (reduction, transition, and cooling), and the model is two-dimensional (cylindrical geometry for the upper sections and conical geometry for the lower one), to correctly describe the lateral gas feed and cooling gas outlet. This model relies on a detailed description of the main physical–chemical and thermal phenomena, using a multi-scale approach. The moving bed is assumed to be comprised of pellets of grains and crystallites. We also take into account eight heterogeneous and two homogeneous chemical reactions. The local mass, energy, and momentum balances are numerically solved, using the finite volume method. This model was successfully validated by simulating the shaft furnaces of two direct reduction plants of different capacities. The calculated results reveal the detailed interior behavior of the shaft furnace operation. Eight different zones can be distinguished, according to their predominant thermal and reaction characteristics. An important finding is the presence of a central zone of lesser temperature and conversion.

In the context of the French-German space lidar mission MERLIN dedicated to the determination of the atmospheric methane content, an end-to-end mission simulator is being developed. In order to check whether the instrument design meets the performance requirements, simulations have to count all the sources of noise on the measurements like the optical energy variability induced by speckle. Speckle is due to interference as the lidar beam are quasi monochromatic. Speckle contribution to the error budget has to be estimated but also simulated. In this paper, the speckle theory is revisited and applied to MERLIN double pulsed IPDA lidar and also to the DLR demonstrator CHARM-F. Results show: on the signal path, speckle noise depends mainly on the size of the illuminating area on ground; on the solar flux, speckle is fully negligible both because the pixel size and the optical filter spectral width; on energy monitoring path a decorrelation mechanism is needed to reduce speckle noise on averaged data. Speckle noises for MERLIN and CHARM-F can be simulated by Gaussian noises with only one random draw by shot separately for energy monitoring and signal paths.

Today, satellite imagery has made a major contribution to the reconstruction and spatial prediction of sensitive or complex areas such as Pendjari and W Transboundary Reserves which constitute biodiversity reservoirs and habitats for wildlife conservation. Despite the protection to which they are subject, they remain dependent on climatic hazards that can influence their stability. This study has applied remote sensing techniques, combined with climate records from the last thirty years, to analyze the past dynamics of land use and climate changes, to predict the future states of the vegetation cover of the two national parks in Benin, as well as their periphery. The methodology used remote sensing and GIS techniques that allowed the supervised classification of Landsat images of 1985, 2000 and 2015. Climatic data were combined in R software to identify the break periods for climatic parameters. Finally, the predictive vegetation cover for the year 2030 was made by combining vegetation and climate in the "Land Change Modeler" extension. Ten land use and land cover classes were obtained. These are the agglomerations, mosaics of fields and fallows, water bodies, dense forests, gallery forests, clear forests and wooded savannahs, swamp forests and shrubby wooded savannahs, saxicolous savannahs and bare ground. The natural vegetation decreased from 90.85% in 1985 to 83.54% in 2000 then to 79.56% in 2015, a decline of 11.39% over a 30-year period. The analysis of the climatic curves revealed the presence of break, meaning drought frequency. The predictive modeling revealed that land use units projected to 2030 are consistent with past trends, but with the continued expansion of fields and fallows (2%) at the expense of vegetation cover. This study will motivate many others in the field.

We review some properties of a relativistic classical massless charged particle with spin interacting with an external electromagnetic field. We give in particular a proper definition of kinetic energy and total energy, the latter being conserved when the external field is stationary. We find that the particle’s velocity may differ from c as a result of the spin - electromagnetic field interaction, without jeopardizing Lorentz invariance.

The processing of cloud free geo-referenced imagery is one of the preliminary processing step of any land application. This letter describe the methodology developed to obtain a seamless cloud free composite of Africa for 2016 using Sentinel-2A data at 10 meters resolution freely available from the European Space Agency. The method is based on an hybrid method resulting from the merging of the two most robust time series methods namely the "darkest pixel" and the "maximum NDVI" previously developed with AVHRR time series.

Limited understanding exists concerning leptospirosis in Zanzibar. The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of knowledge and awareness of leptospirosis within the urban and peri-urban populations of Unguja. A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing semi-structured questionnaires from January to April 2022. Two hundred respondents were randomly selected (130 males and 70 females) aged between 18 and 89 years. Descriptive analysis was employed to assess the main trends in knowledge and awareness, and χ2 analysis was utilized to determine associations between demographic characteristics with respondents’ knowledge and awareness. The majority of respondents (64%) lacked awareness of leptospirosis' etiology, but a significant proportion of respondents had a favorable attitude (68.6%) towards leptospirosis compared to their average knowledge and awareness (35%) and practices (29.3%). Nonetheless, the livestock keeper, farmers, fishermen, and healthcare providers had low levels of knowledge and awareness. The findings also demonstrated that males had a strong association with occupational physical activities, while educational level was associated with preventive practices. Living in urban or peri-urban areas was significantly linked with the respondents' practices. The study's outcomes demonstrated low levels of community knowledge and awareness regarding leptospirosis' etiology, mode of transmission, and symptoms among livestock keepers, farmers, fishermen, and healthcare providers. Although most respondents had a favorable attitude, their low level of knowledge and poor practices indicate that supplementing a positive attitude with enhanced knowledge and awareness is necessary to promote individual engagement in preventive measures.

Currently, the clinical impact of cell therapy after a myocardial infarction (MI) is limited by low cell engraftment due to significant cell death, including apoptosis, in an infarcted, inflammatory, poor angiogenic environment, low cell retention and secondary migration. Cells interact with their environment through integrin mechanoreceptors that control their survival/apoptosis/differentiation/migration/proliferation. Optimizing these interactions may be a way of improving outcomes. The association of free cells with a 3D-scaffold may be a way to target their integrins. Collagen is the most abundant structural component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the best contractility levels are achieved with cellular preparations containing collagen, fibrin, or Matrigel (i.e. tumor extract). In the interactions between cells and ECM, 3 main proteins are recognised: collagen, laminin and RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) peptide. The RGD plays a key role in heart development, after MI, and on cardiac cells. Cardiomyocytes secrete their own laminin on collagen. The collagen has a non-functional cryptic RGD and is thus suboptimal for interactions with associated cells. The use of a collagen functionalized with RGD may help to improve collagen biofunctionality. It may help in the delivery of paracrine cells, whether or not they are contractile, and in assisting tissue engineering a safe contractile tissue.

A medical entity (hospital, nursing home, rest home, revalidation center, etc.) usually includes a multitude of information systems that allow for quick decision-making close to the medical sensors. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is an area of IoT that generates a lot of data of different natures (radio, CT scan, medical reports, medical sensor data). However, these systems need to share and exchange medical information in a seamless, timely, and efficient manner with systems that are either located within the same entity or located in other healthcare entities. The lack of inter and intra entity interoperability causes major problems in the analysis of patient records and leads to additional financial costs (e.g., redone examinations). In order to develop a medical data interoperability architecture model that will allow providers and different actors in the medical community to exchange patient summary information with other caregivers and partners in order to improve the quality of care, the level of data security, and the efficiency of care, we take stock of the state of knowledge.

Boosted by the progress in deep learning, Single Image Super-Resolution (SISR) has gained a lot of interest in the Remote Sensing community, who sees it as an oportunity to compensate for satellite's ever-limited spatial resolution with respect to end users needs. While there has been a great amount of work on network architures in the latest years, deep learning based SISR in remote sensing is still limited by the availability of the large training sets it requires. The lack of publicly available large datasets with the required variability in terms of landscapes and seasons pushes researchers to simulate their own dataset by means of downsampling. This may impair the applicability of the trained model on real world data at the target input resolution. In this paper, we propose an open-data licenced dataset composed of 10m and 20m cloud-free surface reflectance patches from Sentinel-2, with their reference spatially-registered surface reflectance patches at 5 meter resolution acquired on the same day by the VENµS satellite. This dataset covers 29 locations on earth with a total of 132 955 patches of 256x256 pixels at 5 meters resolution, and can be used for the training of super-resolution algorithms to bring the spatial resolution of 8 of the Sentinel-2 bands down to 5 meters.

The main objective of this work is to study the effects of carbon nanotubes (CNT) on the strength and electrical properties of cement mortar. Molecular dynamic simulations (MDS) were carried out for the mechanical and electrical properties of the cementitious composite and the associated mechanisms. To model the atomic structure of the Calcium-Silicate-Hydrates (C-S-H) gel, tobermorite 11Å was chosen. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) embedded in tobermorite structure were tested numerically. In particular, the effect of the concentration of CNT in cement paste was studied. An innovative experiment of electrical characterization of a cementitious composite of carbon nanotubes has been developed.

River monitoring has the potential to grow substantially with present-day available affordable and locally sourced hardware. Yet river monitoring networks are still under pressure due to lack of resources, difficulties with maintenance, and rapidly changing conditions which in part may be due to climate change. We advocate that to turn around this trend, monitoring stations must rely on local people, work with locally available devices, work without contact with water and operate through openly available knowledge. River observations with camera videos have this potential. IP cameras, drones or smartphones are widely available as observation platforms. The scientific methods are well established in literature. Yet current attempts to establish scalable open-source software solutions that can be operated anywhere are lacking. In fact, currently available software is either research-oriented, more aimed at incidental observations, is restricted to single-use licenses, entirely proprietary, or restricted to operations through a third-party Software as a Service. To overcome this obstacle, we present OpenRiverCam, a free and open-source software ecosystem for river observations that can fulfill a wide variety of use cases and business cases through a well-documented and simple to use Application Programming Interface, service workflows, cloud scalability and interoperability, and options to extend to several applications within the hydrological, hydrodynamic, environmental and geospatial domains. We demonstrate its current technical abilities through three different case studies that all originate from a user perspective. We discuss the future developments to meet further requirements, which include documentation, widely available training materials and embedding in curricula, and further hardware and software developments.

Background. Green spaces contribute to a significant life quality and maintain the sustainability of cities. In Benin, despite the political greening willingness, municipalities are experiencing technical issues in finding suitable spaces to achieve this goal. This study should serve many other towns. It aims at identifying suitable areas for green spaces to integrate landscaping into urban planning in Abomey-Calavi district. Methods. The multi-criteria analysis combining GIS and the hierarchical classification approach were performed. Six factors (land use, altitude, slope, distance from main roads, proximity to urban centres and distance from flood zones, water bodies) were combined using the ArcGIS "Spatial Analysis" extension to generate a map of green space suitability. Results. large areas of land, of which 23.27% are very suitable and 26.06% are suitable for landscaping in this municipality. The ranking of the factors revealed altitude, proximity to road networks, large conurbations and distance from wetlands accounting for 18%, compared with 14% for the other factors regarding the study environment. However, the use of these results must take into account the existing inhabited areas for a good site selection. Conclusion. These outputs guidance to decision-makers in choosing suitable sites for green spaces there and integrating them into sustainable development.

The choice of antibiotic regimens to use in patients presenting with diabetic foot osteomyelitis and their duration differs according to the situation. Antibiotics play a more important role in the medical option where no infected bone has been resected while their role is reduced but not negligible in the case of surgical options. Some studies have reported the presence of biofilm structures in bone samples taken from patients with diabetic foot osteomyelitis which raises the question of the place of anti-biofilm antibiotic regimens in this setting. During the last two decades, clinical studies have suggested a potential benefit for anti-biofilm antibiotics, mainly rifampicin against staphylococci and fluoroquinolones against gram-negative bacilli. No data from randomized controlled studies have however been reported so far. The present work provides a summary of the available data on the question of the place of anti-biofilm antibiotics for the treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis but also the potential limitations of such treatments.

Infusions of Camellia sinensis leaves have been known for their health benefits. The ABC method is a method of enriching organic infusion leaves (from Camellia. sinensis) with organic dry and concentrated extracts using organic acacia gum and its application to white tea has provided Qi cha tea®. In the present study, we assessed the content of tea polyphenols and caffeine, and biochemical properties of Qi cha tea® and its botanical constituents. Antioxidant and cell viability activities were determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay and MTT assay in Caco-2 and human HCT-116 cell lines, respectively. The caffeine, catechin, epicatechin composition of Qi cha tea® was modified with less caffeine and gallic acid and more EGCG than the original white tea. The majority of the tested botanical samples including Qi cha tea® at 50 µg/mL showed similar antioxidant activities, with the exception of Echinacea. The greatest effect was found for white tea. The antioxidant power of the Qi cha tea® (90% at 50 µg/mL for pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was divided by approximately a factor of 2 (61% at 50 µg/mL for pressurized liquid extraction products (PLEP)) which corresponds to the 48.3 % (mass/mass) white tea original content in the Qi cha tea®. Qi cha tea® showed the lowest activity in the viability of the two cell lines. The application of the ABC (Bio Concentrate Assets®) method to Qi cha tea® using various botanicals and dry extract with the acacia gum as blinder has allowed the development a new innovative functional health beverages which comply with European health claims.

Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies such as anemia are considered significant public health challenges in Bangladesh, which enhancing fish consumption is a well-established food-based intervention to address these. This paper documents the establishment of community-based fish chutney production and reports the impact of its consumption on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels among targeted 150 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in rural Bangladesh. A fish chutney was developed using locally available ingredients followed by a series of laboratory tests, including nutrient composition, shelf-life and food safety. A community-based fish chutney production process was designed to: 1) supply locally available ingredients for processing; 2) establish two fish drying sites; 3) initiate a community-based production site, and 4) distribute fish chutney to PLW by six women nutrition field facilitators for one year. Then a pre- and post-intervention study was designed for a selected 150 PLW to receive 30g of fish chutney daily for 12 months. Differences in mean mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels pre- and post-consumption were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Consumption of 30g of fish-chutney resulted in significant increases of the mean values of Hb levels and MUAC among the targeted PLW.

Precision medicine seeks to use genomic data to help provide the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. Next-generation sequencing technology allows for the rapid and accurate sequencing of many genes at once. This technology is becoming more common in oncology, though the clinical benefit of incorporating it into precision medicine strategies remains under significant debate. In this manuscript, we discuss the early findings of the impact of next-generation sequencing on cancer patient outcomes. We investigate why not all patients with genomic variants linked to a specific therapy receive that therapy and describe current barriers. Finally, we explore the current state of health insurance coverage for individual genome sequencing and targeted therapies for cancer. Based on our analysis, we recommend increased transparency around the determination of “actionable mutations” and a heightened focus on investigating the variations in health insurance coverage across patients receiving sequencing-matched therapies.

Remote patient monitoring systems are helpful since they can provide timely and effective healthcare facilities. Such online telemedicine are usually achieved with the help of sophisticated and advanced wearable sensor technologies. The modern type of wearable connected devices enables the monitoring of vital sign parameters such as: heart rate variability (HRV) also known as electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure (BLP), Respiratory rate and body temperature. The ubiquitous problem of wearable devices is power demand for signal transmission, such devices require frequent battery charge which causes serious limitations to the continuous monitoring of vital data. To overcome this, the current study provides a primary report for collecting kinetic energy from human daily activities for monitoring Human vital signs, the harvested energy is used to sustain the battery autonomy of wearable devices, which enables longer monitoring time of vital data. A thorough review of available commercial ECG devices is first provided, and different methods evaluated in other literature to improve the monitoring time of wearable IOT devices. Besides, a novel type of Stress or exercise ECG monitoring device based on Microcontroller PIC18F4550 and Wi-Fi device ESP8266 is proposed in this study, which is cost effective and enables real time monitoring of heart rate on cloud during normal daily activities. In order to achieve both portability and maximum power, the harvester has smallest structure and low friction. Neodymium magnets are chosen for their highest magnetic force. Due to nonlinear magnetic force interaction of the magnets, the nonlinear part of the dynamic equation has inverse quadratic form. Electromechanical damping is considered in this study and the quadratic non linearity is approximated using MacLaurin expansion, which enables to find the law of motion for general case of studies using classical methods for dynamic equations and find the suitable parameters for the harvester. The oscillations are enabled by applying an initial force and there is loss of energy due to the electromechanical damping. A typical numerical application is computed with Matlab software and ODE45 solver is used to verify the accuracy of the method.

Gas chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been used in biomedical research to analyze volatile, non-polar, and polar metabolites in a wide array of sample types. Despite advances in technology, missing values are still common in metabolomics datasets and must be properly handled. We evaluated the performance of ten commonly used missing value imputation methods with metabolites analyzed on an HR GC-MS instrument. By introducing missing values into the complete (i.e., data without any missing values) NIST plasma dataset we demonstrate that Random Forest (RF), Glmnet Ridge Regression (GRR), and Bayesian Principal Component Analysis (BPCA) shared the lowest Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) in technical replicate data. Further examination of these three methods in data from baboon plasma and liver samples demonstrated they all maintained high accuracy. Overall, our analysis suggests that any of the three imputation methods can be applied effectively to untargeted metabolomics datasets with high accuracy. However, it is important to note that imputation will alter the correlation structure of the dataset, and bias downstream regression coefficients and p-values.

Fertilized zygotes normally display 2 pronuclei (PN) but abnormal fertilization patterns (0, 1 or >2 PN) are daily observed in IVF labs. Multiple PN zygotes (>2) are generally discarded due to an increased risk of aneuploidy. However, the decision to transfer or not 1PN-derived embryos remains controversial. The aims of our study were to analyze the neonatal outcomes of fresh or frozen-thawed embryos derived from 1PN zygotes, and to evaluate the influence of the fertilization method. Data were retrospectively collected from cycles performed between January 2018 and December 2022. Fresh cycles were analyzed for the comparative fate of 1PN zygotes (n=1234) following conventional in vitro fertilization (cIVF; n=648) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI; n=586), as well as the results of the 64 transfers of 1PN derived embryos (pregnancy rate (PR) and neonatal outcomes). This pregnancy follow-up was also applied to 167 transfers of frozen-thawed 1PN derived embryos. In fresh cycles, 46% of the 1PN zygotes in cIVF group gave rise to embryos of sufficient quality to be transferred or frozen (day 3 or 5/6). This rate decreased to 33% in the fresh ICSI cycles. Blastulation rate was also significantly higher in cIVF group (44%) in comparison to ICSI group (20%). The fresh embryo transfers (32 per group) allowed 7 pregnancies in the cIVF group (PR=21.9%) as compared to 4 pregnancies in the ICSI group (PR=12.5%). In the cIVF group, 4 deliveries of healthy newborns were achieved and only one in the ICSI group. In frozen/thawed cycles, 36 pregnancies were obtained out of the 167 transfers. A non-significative difference was observed between embryos derived from cIVF cycles (PR=26%) and ICSI cycles (PR=16%) with respectively 18 and 8 healthy babies born. In conclusion, we observed better outcomes for 1PN zygotes in cIVF cycles in comparison to ICSI cycles. Our center policy to transfer good quality 1PN-derived embryos allowed the birth of 31 healthy babies.

Low charge density nanometric ions were recently shown to bind strongly to neutral hydrated matter in aqueous solution. This phenomenon, called (super-)chaotropic effect, arises from the partial dehydration of both, the nano-ion and the solute, leading to a high gain in enthalpy. Here, we investigate the chaotropic effect of the polyoxometalate α-PW12O403- on the triblock copolymer P84: (EO)19(PO)43(EO)19 with (EO)19 the polyethoxylated and (PO)43 the polypropoxylated chains. The combination of phase diagrams, spectroscopic (nuclear magnetic resonance) and scattering (small angle neutron/X-ray scattering) techniques reveals that (i) below the micellization temperature of P84, PW12O403- exclusively binds to the propylene oxide moiety of P84 unimers and (ii) above the micellization temperature, PW12O403- mostly adsorbs on the ethylene oxide micellar corona. The preferential binding of the PW12O403- to the PPO chain over the PEO chains suggests that the binding is driven by the chaotropic effect and reinforced by the hydrophobic effect. At higher temperatures, the copolymer micellization leads to the displacement of PW12O403- from the PPO chain to the PEO chains. This study deepens the understanding of the subtle interplay between the chaotropic and hydrophobic effects in complex salt-organic matter solutions.

This paper presents a theoretical evaluation of the prices of mixed briquettes produced from co-conut shells (CCS), banana peels (BNP), rattan waste (RWT), and sugarcane bagasse (SGC), and, on the other hand, an analysis of the economic viability of their use as a replacement for conventional household fuels (Liquefied Petroleum Gas, fuelwood, and wood charcoal) in house-holds in Cameroon. The investigation was carried out using the Life Cycle Cost method on a typical household over a ten-year period with annual cooking energy requirements of 950 kWhth. The SGC-CCS and SGC-RWT mixed briquettes with a ratio higher than 7.75% and 11.1%, respectively, have prices lower than 0.063 €/kWhth. The Present Value of the Net Benefit is posi-tive for the use of SGC-CCS and SGC-RWT mixed briquettes. The results show that by making the right mixes of residues, it is possible to obtain biomass briquettes that are less expensive than conventional fuels.

Background: Informal caregivers' own quality of life, health status, and determinants are poorly understood despite their concerns for the health of the individuals they assist. Objectives: To compare the quality of life and the health determinants of older informal caregivers with those of older adults without caregiving responsibilities. Methods: An online survey was designed to investigate the quality of life and the health determinants of people aged 65 years and over, with a focus on informal caregivers. In addition to socio-demographic data, the number of informal caregiver and the Zarit scale of caregiver burden were collected. Quality of life (SF-12) and health determinants (access to technology and level of physical activity (IPAQ)) were assessed and compared between informal caregivers and the others. Results: A total of 111 participants (70 ± 3.83 years, 71.2% of women). The majority of respondents (91.8%) were Belgian. One third of the respondents identified themselves as informal caregiver and declared to have severe burden (61.9±15.2/88). Socio-demographic characteristics and access to technology were similar between informal caregivers and non-caregivers (p>0.05). However, informal caregivers have a lower SF-12 score in the mental score domain (44.3±10.2 vs; 50.7±7.0; p=0.004) and a lower level of physical activity (434±312 METS/min/week vs.1126±815 METS/min/week; p=0.01) than their peers. Conclusions: Informal caregivers reported lower quality of life and lower level of physical activity than their peers. Given the recognized importance of physical activity for overall health, this survey highlights the need to promote physical activity among older informal caregivers.

Soil-borne Trichoderma spp. have been extensively studied for their biocontrol activities against pathogens and growth promotion ability with plants. However, the beneficial effect of Trichoderma on inducing resistance against insect herbivores has been considered only recently. Among diverse Trichoderma species, consistent with previous reports, we showed that root colonization by T. virens triggered induced systemic resistance (ISR) to leaf-infecting fungal pathogens. Whether T. virens induces ISR to insect pests has not been tested before. In this study, we investigated whether T. virens affects jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and defense against fall armyworm (FAW) and western corn rootworm (WCR). Unexpectedly, the results showed that T. virens colonization of maize seedlings grown in autoclaved soil suppressed wound-induced production of JA, resulting in reduced resistance to FAW. Similarly, the bacterial endophyte Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84 suppressed systemic resistance to FAW due to reduced JA. Further comparative analyses of the systemic effects of these endophytes when applied into sterile or non-sterile field soil showed that both T. virens and P. chlororaphis 30-84 triggered ISR against hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola in both soil conditions, but only suppressed resistance to FAW in sterile soil. In contrast to the effect on FAW defense, T. virens colonization of maize roots suppressed WCR larvae survival and weight gain. This is the first report suggesting the potential role of T. virens as a biocontrol agent against WCR.

Abstract: Due to their rapid evolution and their impact on health care, be-ta-lactamases, protein degrading beta-lactam antibiotics, are used as generic model of protein evolution. Therefore, we investigated the mutation effects in two distant beta-lactamases TEM-1 and CTX-M-15. Interestingly we found a site with a complex pattern of genetic interactions. Mutation G251W in TEM-1 is in-activating the protein’s function just as the reciprocal mutation W251G in CTXM-15. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that mutation G has been entrenched in TEM-1 background: while rarely observed throughout the phylogeny it is es-sential in TEM-1. Using a rescue experiment in TEM-1 G251W mutant, we could identify sites that alleviates the deviation from G to W. While few of these muta-tions could potentially involve local interactions, most of them were found on distant residues in the 3D structure. Many well-known mutations having an impact on protein stability, such as M182T, were recovered. Our results there-fore suggest that entrenchment of an amino acid may rely on diffuse interactions among multiple sites with a major impact on protein stability.

The present study aimed to examine the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of racemic ketamine in dogs at low dose. Secondary aims were to identify associated behavioural side effects and propose a ketamine infusion rate. The study was conducted on nine intact male beagles, with each dog undergoing two treatments (BOL and INF). For treatment BOL, a single intravenous bolus of 1 mg/kg racemic ketamine was administered over 2 minutes. The treatment INF involved an initial bolus of 0.5 mg/kg given over 1 minute, followed by an infusion at 0.01 mg/kg/min for 1 hour. Blood samples were collected from the left cephalic vein for pharmacokinetic analysis. The median R/S enantiomer ratio of ketamine remained close to 1 throughout the study. However, levels of S-norketamine were significantly higher than those of R-norketamine across all time points. Based on the collected data, the infusion rate predicted to achieve a steady state racemic ketamine plasma concentration of 150 ng/mL was 1.7 mg/kg/h. Furthermore, employing ROC curve analysis, a racemic ketamine plasma concentration of 102 ng/mL was defined as the cut-off value, correlating with the occurrence of undesirable behavioural patterns.

The Matāura River is the sixth largest river system in New Zealand and has long been subject to agricultural, industrial, and residential land use activities. The catchment has geographic and economic value and is of great cultural importance for local Māori, who have concerns over potential adverse impacts that anthropogenic stressors exert on the health of the river. There is a dearth of information on the impacts of these stressors towards the health of native species such as the longfin eel Anguilla dieffenbachii. This study assessed the environmental status of the Matāura River using biological and chemical methodologies incorporating A. dieffenbachii as a bioindicator species for exposure to combined anthroprogenic stressors. A range of biomarker endpoints were measured in caged and wild-caught eels (when available) to characterize site-specific responses to combined anthropogenic stressors. While there was no clear indication of cumulative impacts moving from pristine headwaters to the lower reaches of the Matāura River biomarkers of xenobiotic metabolization were induced in A. dieffenbachia and there was evidence of chemical contamination in sediments and tissues.

The different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic caused dramatic issues regarding the organiza-tion of care. In this context innovative solutions have to be developed in a timely manner to adapted the organization of the care. The establishment of middle care (MC) units is a bright example of such an adaptation. A multidisciplinary MC team, including expert and non-expert respiratory nurses, physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists and social workers, was built and trained to work in the COVID-19 MC unit. Important educational resources were set up to ensure rapid and effective training of the MC team, limiting the admission or delaying transfers to ICU and ensuring optimal management of palliative care. We conducted a retrospec-tive analysis of patient data in the MC unit during the second COVID-19 wave. Fifty-two COVID-19 ‘step-up’ patients admitted to the MC unit were included in the study. Thirty-four (65%) patients worsened, of which 12 (23%) were not eligible for ICU access. In total, 42% of the ICU-eligible patients were managed in the MC unit to avoid the ICU. Among the 22 patients transferred to the ICU, 15 were intubated. The establishment of an MC unit during a pandemic, mixing expert and non-expert respiratory team members, is feasible and needed. MC units possi-bly relieve the pressure exerted on ICUs. A highly trained multidisciplinary team is key to ensur-ing the success of an MC unit during a pandemic.

Introduction: It is widely recognized that young female sex workers (YFSWs) are at greater risk of HIV infection than their older counterparts. This study aims to unravel the complexities surrounding HIV transmission among this demographic group, by determining the prevalence of HIV infection and identifying high-risk sexual practices associated with HIV infection among YFSWs in Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study and used a comprehensive sample of all YFSWs who presented to the HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infections Screening and Treatment Center in Lubumbashi between April 2016 and December 2017. We collected data on age, number of years in the practice of selling sex, number of sexual encounters per day, number of clients per week, systematic condom use, having suffered from sexually transmitted infections in the last 3 months before the survey, regular alcohol consumption, having anal sex in the last 12 months, having had forced sex in the last 12 months. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify potential factors associated with HIV infection. Results: A total of 572 YFSWs were included in the study, 19 of whom were HIV-positive (3.3%; 95% CI: 2.1% - 5.1%). Participants who were forced to have sex (adjusted OR=12.2; 95% CI: 3.2 - 46.4; p<0.0001), those who did not use condoms systematically (adjusted OR=4.1; 95% CI: 1.3 - 13.0; p=0.018), and those who had anal sex (adjusted OR=23.8; 95% CI: 6.9 - 82.4; p<0.0001) were more likely to be HIV-positive. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that HIV prevalence among YFSW is higher than in the general Congolese population, and is significantly associated with high-risk sexual practices. Interventions aimed at increasing YFSW’s knowledge of high-risk behaviors should be vigorously pursued.

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is well known in the cosmetic industry for its hydrating properties linked to its interaction with keratin in the stratum corneum. Hair is also mainly composed of keratin, but no evidence of penetration and interaction of HA in hair had yet been established. Herein, we examined, with appropriate methods, this penetration and interaction. Methods: Confocal Raman Spectroscopy was used to track HA penetration in hair fibers. Human hair was UV-irradiated, or not, before washing with a number of different shampoo formulations. Low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid, high-molecular weight HA, and an optimized blend of low- and high-molecular weight HA, were used. The benefits of HA for cosmetic application were then evaluated at the ex vivo level. Results: Raman analysis of non-irradiated samples revealed that the HA blend penetrated the hair cortex 5.9 times more than the placebo and with irradiated samples, a 1.8-fold increase in penetration was observed. Whatever the irradiation status, penetration of this optimal HA blend was significantly greater than that of the other two active substances. Compared to the placebo, the HA blend significantly decreased spontaneous frizzing by 11%, repaired the hair by increasing the elastic modulus and the break force, and increased the water content in the hair shafts. Conclusion: Confocal Raman Spectroscopy can be considered as a powerful, non-invasive technique to investigate the penetration of active ingredients into the hair.

Background and Objectives: ACTION-France (Awareness, Care and Treatment In Obesity MaNagement in France) aims to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and potential barriers to effective obesity management in France and guide collaborative actions. Methods: ACTION-France is a cross-sectional survey of people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs), in France. The PwO and HCP questionnaires ran from 27/09/2022 to 01/02/2023 and from 19/12/2022 to 31/03/2023, respectively. Results: The study, encompassing 1226 PwO and 166 HCPs, reveals a shared recognition of obesity as a chronic condition. However, despite being requested by most PwO, weight-related discussions are surprisingly infrequent, leading to delayed diagnosis and care. PwO and HCPs held different views as to why: HCPs often attributed it to PwO’s lack of motivation or disinterest, whereas PwO avoided them because they felt weight managing was their own responsibility and were uncomfortable discussing it. When weight was discussed, primarily with general practitioners (GPs), discussions mostly focused on physical activity and dietary. However, results identified a strong psychosocial impact of obesity: 42% of respondents reported anxiety-depressive symptoms, and many more hesitated to engage in certain social activities because of their weight. Psychotherapy was only discussed by 55% of HCPs. Pharmaceutical options were also rarely discussed (19.5% of HCPs), though 56.1% of PwO reported they would want to. Conclusions: HCPs’ and PwO’s perceptions differed significantly and need to converge through enhanced communication. A holistic approach, integrating comprehensive training for GPs and psychological comorbidities, would help to bridge perceptual gaps effectively and foster more empathetic and effective patient care.

The three-point bending behavior of a single Au nanowire deformed with an atomic force microscope was monitored by coherent X-ray diffraction using a sub-micrometer sized hard X-ray beam. While three-dimensional reciprocal-space maps were recorded before and after deformation by standard rocking curves, they were measured by scanning the energy of the incident X-ray beam during deformation at different loading stages. The mechanical behavior of the nanowire is visualized in reciprocal space and a complex deformation mechanism is described. In addition to the expected bending of the nanowire, torsion is detected. Bending and torsion angles are quantified from the high resolution diffraction data.

Two new zoanthamine alkaloids, namely 3-acetoxynorzoanthamine (1) and 3-acetoxyzoanthamine (2), have been isolated from the zoantharian Zoanthus cf. pulchellus collected off the coast of the Peninsula of Santa Elena – Ecuador, together with three known alkaloids zoanthamine, norzoanthamine and 3-hydroxynorzoanthamine. The chemical structures of 1 and 2 were determined by interpretation of their 1D and 2D NMR data and comparison with literature data. This is the first report of zoanthamine-type alkaloids from Zoanthus cf. pulchellus collected in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. The neuroinflammatory activity of all the isolated compounds were evaluated in microglia BV-2 cells and high inhibitory effects were observed in ROS and NO generation.

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is a rare and severe disease that corresponds to a specific entity of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. Patients with IMNM suffer from proximal muscle weakness, and present high levels of creatine kinase and necrotic myofibers. Anti-Signal Recognition Particle (SRP) and anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase autoantibodies (HMGCR) have recently been identified in two thirds of patients with IMNM and are used as a hallmark of the disease. In this review, we provide a detailed description of these antibodies and the tests used to detect them in the serum of patients. Based on in vitro studies and mouse models of IMNM, we will discuss the role of autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of the disease. Finally, in the light of the latest knowledge, we will conclude with a review of recent therapeutic approaches.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is characterized by the accumulation of undifferentiated blast cells in the bone marrow and blood. In most AMLs, relapse frequently occurs due to resistance to chemotherapy. Compelling research results indicate that drug resistance in cancer cells is highly dependent on the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Modulating ROS levels is therefore a valuable strategy to overcome the chemotherapy resistance of leukemic cells. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), a well-known inhibitor of ROS production, in targeting AML cells. Results showed that although inhibiting cytoplasmic ROS production, DPI triggered an increase in the mitochondrial ROS levels caused by the disruption of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. We also demonstrated that DPI blocks the mitochondrial oxidative respiration (OxPhos) in a dose-dependent manner and that AML cells with high OxPhos status were highly sensitive to treatment with DPI, which synergizes with the chemotherapeutic agent cytarabine (Ara-C). Thus, our results suggest that targeting mitochondrial function by DPI might be exploited to target AML cells with high OxPhos status.

The purpose of this study was to develop an in-vitro digestion protocol to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the peptides found in processed cheddar cheese using digestion enzymes. We studied first antioxidant and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and antioxidant activities of processed cheddar cheese with the addition of spices e.g. cumin, clove and black pepper made from buffalo milk and ripened for 9 months. Then we conducted an in vitro digestion of processed cheddar cheese by gastric and duodenal enzymes. Freeze dried water (WSE) and ethanol soluble fractions (ESE) of processed cheddar cheese were also monitored for their ACE inhibition activity and antioxidant activities. In our preliminary experiments, different levels of spices (cumin, clove and black pepper) were tested into cheese matrix and only one level 0.2g/100g (0.2%) on the basis of cheese weight was considered good concerning sensory evaluation. Significant increase in ACE-inhibition (%) of processed Cheddar cheese as well as its WSE and ESE was obtained. Lower IC50 values were found after duodenal phase digestion compared to oral phase digestion.

Luminescent carbon dots (CDs) were locally synthesized in the core of CYTOP fibers using IR femtosecond laser direct writing (FLDW), a one-step simple method serving as a post-treatment of the genuine fiber. This approach enables the creation of several types of modifications such as ellipsoid voids. The CDs and photoluminescence (PL) distribute at the periphery of the voids. The PL spectral properties were studied through Excitation Emission Matrix in the visible range and excitation/emission spectrum in UV/visible range. Our finding reveals the presence of at least 3 distinct luminescent species, facilitating a broad excitation range extending from UV to green, and light emission spanning from blue to red. The average laser power and dose influence the quantity and ratio of these luminescent CD species. Additionally, we measured the spatially resolved lifetime of the luminescence during and after the irradiation. We found longer lifetimes at the periphery of the laser-induced modified regions and shorter ones closer to the center, with a dominant lifetime ~ 2ns. Notably, unlike many other luminophores, these laser-induced CDs are insensitive to oxygen, enhancing their potential for display or data storage applications.

This contribution shows the possibilities of a low-cost multipurpose data logger that was built around an Arduino Mega 2560 single board computer. To transform the Arduino Mega into such a data logger, a sensor shield was designed that contains an SD-card, real-time clock, and different kinds of connectors so that sensors can easily be attached to the device. The software considers a wide range of predefined sensors from which a user can choose. To assess the performance of such a device, short-term monitoring campaigns in relation to outdoor air quality, human activity in an office, motion of a journey on a bike, and exhaust gas monitoring of a diesel generator were realized. Besides the possibilities to apply the data logger in different kinds of applications, a method is proposed to assess the credibility of such a system. The assessment based on the various short-term campaigns showed that the system scores positively on most of the performance indicators, but that unexpected (black swan) events affect the assessment over the longer term. This makes the development of low-cost scientific instruments harder than expected. The stability and long-term performance of this type of design requires continuous evaluation and engineering correction.

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL or Apo2 or TNFSF10) belongs to the TNF superfamily. When bound to its agonistic receptors, TRAIL can induce apoptosis in tumour cells, while sparing healthy cells. This tumour selectivity prompted, over the last three decades, many studies aiming at evaluating the anti-tumoral potential of TRAIL or its derivatives. Although most of these attempts have failed, so far, novel formulations are still being evaluated. Yet, emerging evidence indicates that TRAIL can also trigger, on the other hand, a non-canonical signal transduction pathway that is likely to be detrimental for its use in oncology. Likewise, increasing studies suggest that TRAIL can induce, through Death receptor 5 (DR5) in some circumstances, tumour cell motility, potentially leading to and contributing to tumour metastasis. While the pro-apoptotic signal transduction machinery of TRAIL is well known from a mechanistic point of view, that of the non-canonical pathway is less understood. We are reviewing here the current state of knowledge of TRAIL non-canonical signalling.

Modern research applies the Open Science approach that fosters the production and sharing of Open Data according to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. In the geospatial context this is generally achieved through the setup of OGC Web services that implements open standards that satisfies the FAIR requirements. Nevertheless, the requirement of Findability is not fully satisfied by those services since there’s no use of persistent identifiers and no guarantee that the same dataset used for a study can be immutably accessed in a later period: a fact that hinders the replicability of research. This is particularly true in recent years where data-driven research and technological advances have boosted frequent updates of datasets. Here, we review needs and practices, supported by some real case examples, on frequent data or metadata updates in geo-datasets of different data types. Additionally we assess the currently available tools that support data versioning for databases, files and log-structured tables. Finally we discuss challenges and opportunities to enable geospatial web services that are fully FAIR: a fact that would provide, due to the massive use and increasing availability of geospatial data, a great push toward open science compliance with ultimately impacts on the science transparency and credibility.

A practical wind farm controller for production maximisation based on coordinated control is presented. The farm controller emphasises computational efficiency without compromising accuracy. The controller combines Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) with a turbulence intensity based Jensen wake model (TI-JM) for exploiting the benefits of either curtailing upstream turbines using coefficient of power ($C_P$) or deflecting wakes by applying yaw-offsets for maximising net farm production. First, TI-JM is evaluated using convention control benchmarking WindPRO and real time SCADA data from three operating wind farms. Then the optimized strategies are evaluated using simulations based on TI-JM and PSO. The innovative control strategies can optimise a medium size wind farm, Lillgrund consisting of 48 wind turbines, requiring less than 50 seconds for a single simulation, increasing farm efficiency up to a maximum of 6% in full wake conditions.

Re-investigation of the chemical composition of the annual plant Mitracarpus scaber Zucc. led to the identification of clarinoside, a new pentalogin derivative containing a rare quinovose moiety, and the known compound harounoside. While the planar structure was fully determined using tandem MS and quantum mechanics calculations (QM), the tridimensional structure was unravelled after isolation and NMR analysis. The absolute configuration was assigned by comparison of experimental and theoretical SRCD spectra. Both compounds were tested for anti-inflammatory activity and compound 1 showed the ability to inhibit the production of interleukin-8 (Il-8) with an IC₅₀ of 9.17 µM.

In South Western Indian ocean (IO), Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL) are a main public health issue. In livestock, ESBL burden was unknown. The aim of this study was estimating the prevalence of ESBL on commercial farms in Reunion, Mayotte and Madagascar and genes involved. Secondly, risk factors of ESBL occurrence in broiler, beef cattle and pig farms were explored. In 2016-2017, commercial farms were sampled using boot swabs and samples stored at 4°C before microbiological analysis for phenotypical ESBL and gene characterization. A semi-directive questionnaire was performed. Prevalences observed in all production types and territories were elevated, except for beef cattle in Reunion which differed significantly. The most common ESBL gene was the CTX-M-1 subtype. Generalized linear models explaining ESBL occurrence varied between livestock production sectors and allowed identifying main protective (e.g., water quality control and detergent use for cleaning) and risk factors (e.g., recent antibiotic use, other farmers visiting the exploitation, pet presence). This study is the first to explore tools for antibiotic resistance management in IO farms. It provides interesting hypothesis to explore about antibiotic use in IO and ESBL transmission between pig, beef cattle and humans in Madagascar.

Abstract. Babies born to severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected mothers are at greater risk for perinatal morbidity and more likely to receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis in the first year of life. However, the effect of maternal infection on placental function and neonatal outcomes varies depending upon the patient population. We set out to test our hypothesis that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in our underserved, socioeconomically disadvantaged, predominantly African American and Latina population in the Bronx, NY would have effects evident at birth. Fifty-five SARS-CoV-2 positive and 61 negative third trimester patients were randomly selected from Montefiore Medical Center (MMC), Bronx, NY. In addition, two positive cases from Yale New Haven Hospital, CT were included as controls. All 55 placentas delivered by SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers were uninfected by the virus, based on immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization, and qPCR analysis. However, placental villous infarcts, mild preeclampsia, shortened gestational periods and lower Apgar scores were observed in the infected cases. These findings suggest that even without entering the placenta, SARS-CoV-2 can affect various systemic pathways culminating in altered placental development and function, which may adversely affect the fetus, especially in a high-risk patient population such as ours. These results underline the importance of vaccination among pregnant women, particularly in low resource areas.

The South of France is a biodiversity hotspot within Europe. Here, we present a comprehensive review of surveys conducted in the Cent Fonts aquifer, an overlooked subterranean biodiversity hotspot embedded in a region rich in stygobiotic species and threatened by climate change and water abstraction projects. Key studies, spanning from 1950 to 2006, show a progression in survey methods and results, although troglobiotic species remain poorly documented. With 43 stygobiotic species recorded, the Cent Fonts is the second richest stygobiont hotspot in Europe. Most species are regional endemics, a quarter of which are considered vulnerable by the IUCN. The Cent Fonts also hosts several relict species and is the type locality of four species. Such a high biological value clearly deserves to be preserved. Our analysis warns of a possible decline in biodiversity, as 8 of the species recorded in the 20th century were absent from the 2006 survey, suggesting potential threats of unknown origin. The capture of the Cent Font springs for water abstraction is discussed as a potential threat to this ecosystem and its unique biodiversity. Three new species of stygobiotic molluscs are described, one of which was collected in the Cent Fonts.

Smear-ripened cheeses host complex microbial communities that play a crucial role in the ripening process. Although bacteriophages have been frequently isolated from dairy products, their diversity and ecological role in such type of cheese remain underexplored. In order to fill this gap, the main objective of this study was to isolate and characterize bacteriophages from the rind of a smear-ripened cheese. Thus, viral particles extracted from cheese rind were tested against a collection of bacterial isolates through a spot assay. In total, five virulent bacteriophages infecting Brevibacterium aurantiacum, Glutamicibacter arilaitensis, Leuconostoc falkenbergense and Psychrobacter aquimaris species were obtained. All exhibit a narrow host range, being only able to infect a few cheese-rind isolates within the same species. The complete genome of each phage was sequenced using both Nanopore and Illumina technologies, assembled and annotated. Sequence comparison with known phages revealed that four of them may represent at least new genera. The distribution of the five virulent phages into the dairy-plant environment was also investigated by PCR and three potential reservoirs were identified. This work provides new knowledge on the cheese rind viral community and an overview of the distribution of phages within a cheese factory.

Bats have been identified as the natural hosts of several emerging zoonotic viruses, including paramyxoviruses, such as Hendra and Nipah viruses, that can cause fatal disease in humans. Recently, African fruit bats with populations that roost in or near urban areas have been shown to harbour a great diversity of paramyxoviruses, posing potential spillover risks to public health. Understanding the circulation of these viruses in their reservoir populations is essential to predict and prevent future emerging diseases. Here, we identify a high incidence of multiple paramyxoviruses in urine samples collected from a closed, captive colony of circa. 115 straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum). The sequences detected have high nucleotide identities with those derived from free ranging African fruit bats and form phylogenetic clusters with the Henipavirus genus, Pararubulavirus genus and other unclassified paramyxoviruses. As this colony had been closed for 5 years prior to this study, these results indicate that within-host paramyxoviral persistence underlies the role of bats as reservoirs of these viruses.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.

In the chloroplast, Calvin-Benson-Bassham enzymes are active in the reducing environment imposed in the light via the electrons from the photosystems. In the dark these enzymes are inhibited, and this regulation is mainly mediated via oxidation of key regulatory cysteine residues. CP12 is a small protein that plays a role in this regulation with four cysteine residues that undergo a redox transition. Using amide-proton exchange with solvent measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass-spectrometry, we confirmed that reduced CP12 is intrinsically disordered. Using real-time NMR, we showed that the oxidation of the two disulfide bridges are simultaneous. In oxidized CP12, the C23-C31 pair is in a region that undergoes a conformational exchange in the NMR-intermediate timescale. The C66-C75 pair is in the C-terminus that folds into a stable helical turn. We confirmed that these structural states exist in a physiologically relevant environment that is, in cell extract from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Consistent with these structural equilibria, the reduction is slower for the C66-C75 pair compared to the C23-C31 pair. Finally, the redox mid-potentials for the two cysteine pairs differ and are similar to those found for phosphoribulokinase and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, that we relate to the regulatory role of CP12.

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

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

Silicon-based microchannel technology offers unmatched performances for cooling high energy physics silicon-pixels detectors. Although Si-Si direct bonding, used for the fabrication of cooling plates, meets the stringent requirements of this application, in particular high-pressure resistance (~200 bar), it is reported to be a challenging and expensive process. In this work, we have evaluated two alternative bonding methods towards a more cost-effective fabrication process: Si-Glass-Si anodic bonding (AB) with a thin-film glass and Au-Au thermocompression (TC). The bonding strength of the two methods were evaluated with destructive pressure burst tests (0 - 690 bar) on test structures, each made of a 1×2 cm² silicon die etched with a tank and an inlet channel and sealed with a plain silicon die using AB or TC bonding. The pressure resistance of the structures was measured to be higher for the TC sealed samples (max. 690 bar) than for the AB ones (max. 530 bar) but less reproducible. The failure analysis indicates that the AB structure resistance is limited by the adhesion force of the deposited layers. Nevertheless, both the TC and AB methods provided sufficient bond quality to hold the high pressure required for the high energy physics pixel detectors cooling application.

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

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

A wide panel of microtubule-associated proteins and kinases is involved in coordinated regula-tion of the microtubule cytoskeleton and may thus represent valuable molecular markers contrib-uting to major cellular pathways deregulated in cancer. We previously identified a panel of 17 microtubule-related (MT-Rel) genes that are differentially expressed in breast tumors showing resistance to taxane-based chemotherapy. In the present study, we evaluated the expression, prognostic value and functional impact of these genes in breast cancer. We show that 14 MT-Rel genes (KIF4A, ASPM, KIF20A, KIF14, TPX2, KIF18B, KIFC1, AURKB, KIF2C, GTSE1, KIF15, KIF11, RACGAP1, STMN1) are up-regulated in breast tumors compared with adjacent normal tissue. Six of them (KIF4A, ASPM, KIF20A, KIF14, TPX2, KIF18B) are overexpressed by more than 10-fold in tumor samples and four of them (KIF11, AURKB, TPX2 and KIFC1) are essential for cell survival. Overexpression of all 14 genes, and underexpression of 3 other MT-Rel genes (MAST4, MAPT and MTUS1) are associated with poor breast cancer patient survival. A Systems Biology approach highlighted three major functional networks connecting the 17 MT-Rel genes and partners, which are centered on spindle assembly, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Together our studies identified mitotic Aurora kinases and their substrates as major targets for therapeutic approaches against breast cancer.

Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potentially colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across 9 provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colonies were collected, from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1,242 bp segment of the the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings in this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.

COX II containing a dual core CuA active site is one of the three core subunits of mitochondrial Cco, which plays a significant role in the physiological process. In this report, the full-length cDNA of COXⅡ gene was cloned from Sitophilus zeamais, which had an ORF of 684 bp encoding 227 amino acids residues. The predicted COXⅡ protein had a molecular mass of 26.2 kDa with pI value of 6.37, and multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Sitophilus zeamais COXⅡ had high sequence identity 78.51% with the COXⅡ of other insect species, especially similarity to sitophilus oryzae. This gene was subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a, and induced by IPTG in E.coli Transetta (DE3) expression system. Finally the COXⅡ with 6-His tag was purified using affinity chromatography with Ni²⁺-NTA agarose. WB showed the recombinant COXⅡ was about 44 kD, and the concentration of fusion protein was 50μg/mL. UV-spectrophotometer and infrared spectrometer analysis showed that recombinant COXⅡ could catalyze the oxidation of substrate Cytc, and influenced by AITC. It was found that AITC could form a hydrophobic region with COXⅡ protein via molecular docking, besides, a sulfur atom of AITC structure could form a length of 2.9 Å hydrogen bond with Leu-31. These results will provide valuable information for elucidating the role of COXⅡ in Sitophilus zeamais responses to AITC, meanwhile, it will helpful to carry out a point mutation in AITC binding sites for the future research.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

This paper is focused on typical rural settlements in the Stara Planina Mountain area in Serbia. They are distinguished by their authenticity, identity and character, and they have still not been destroyed by inappropriate development as is the case in some other mountain areas in Serbia, where the effects of urbanization, globalization and homogenization are obvious. Consequently, there is a need to prevent these effects in mountain areas where there is a threat of disbalance between development and the inherited natural and cultural values. The paper starts from several important concepts that relate contemporary approaches to cultural heritage preservation, place morphology and planning future development. The concept definitions from recent documents from related fields are used. These concepts are then applied to the area of Stara Planina Mountain and its rural settlements. The necessity for an integrative approach to planning this area with significant natural and anthropogenic potential is pointed out, including its integration into international programs of sustainable development.

Science continues to become more interdisciplinary and to involve increasingly complex data sets. Many projects in the biomedical and health-related sciences follow or aim to follow the principles of FAIR data sharing, which has been demonstrated to foster collaboration, to lead to better research outcomes, and to help ensure reproducibility of results. Data generated in the course of biomedical and health research present specific challenges for FAIR sharing in the sense that they are heterogeneous and highly sensitive to context and the needs of protection and privacy. Data sharing must respect these features without impeding timely dissemination of results, so that they can contribute to time-critical advances in medical therapy and treatment. Modeling and simulation of biomedical processes have become established tools, and a global community has been developing algorithms, methodologies, and standards for applying biomedical simulation models in clinical research. However, it can be difficult for clinician scientists to follow the specific rules and recommendations for FAIR data sharing within this domain. We seek to clarify the standard workflow for sharing experimental and clinical data with the simulation modeling community. By following these recommendations, data sharing will be improved, collaborations will become more effective, and the FAIR publication and subsequent reuse of data will become possible at the level of quality necessary to support biomedical and health-related sciences.

The research reported on this paper was aimed at improving the overall efficiency of a PDO certified artisanal cheese production process. Being a PDO certified foodstuff by the EU, it is considered to have properties and qualities determined by the geographical environment in which is made, with its production taking place in a specific and determined geographical location, in this case the Serra da Estrela region. In that sense, the authors conducted a mapping according to a systemic perspective of the processes involved in the context of manufacturing and distribution of certified Serra da Estrela cheese. Numerous methods were used throughout the process, such as a systemic design analysis, and techniques derived from ethnographic methods, which led to the collection of data in the field and consequently provided the immersion of the researcher in genuine work situations. Critical points were identified and emphasized in the systemic map with the purpose of encouraging initiatives to address and overcome the gaps and inefficiencies detected. The systemic design analysis triggered the development of design work. Observations following an ethnographic approach identified ergonomic risks in cheese making during the process of cutting excess chips, fostering the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders at the wrist. A tool that fits best to the task at hand was developed. A prototype of the new tool enabled collecting feedback from use in the work context, in order to inform product development. The domains of agricultural production and microbiology, considering the specific microorganisms developed trough the ripening process of the cheese, turned out to be aspects of high importance for the issue under focus, contributing to a broader understanding of the ripening process and its risks, simultaneously improving the efficiency and success of cheese production. If it were not for the systemic analysis, which served as a link between the boundaries of distinct domains such as the risk of microorganism contamination, ergonomics, energy efficiency, legislation and regulation policies, transportation challenges and economic viability, approached throughout the research. Simultaneously creating bridges between them, the various problems might not have been detected in the first place, as they are usually addressed in specialized disciplines, predetermined by the restrictions of each specific area of knowledge. As a consequence of the development of this research, which was based on an analysis that sought to establish possible connections between various disciplines and tried to constantly maintain a holistic perspective, making new connections and observing the issues from a new angle, apart from the already established methodologies. All this allowed to lay out the seeds for the development of a plan to tackle the critical points identified by the systemic analysis reported in this paper.

In French Polynesia, Wuhan, Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants-of-concern (VOCs) caused epidemics with variable severities. We assessed the prevalence and titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies related to natural infection and/or vaccination, from a representative sample (N=673) of the adult population of Tahiti recruited during November-December 2021 (after the Delta outbreak and just before the Omicron epidemic). Of the 673 participants tested, 644 (95.7%) had detectable antibodies against SARS-CoV-2-S and/or -N proteins resulting from natural infection and/or vaccination, and 388 (57.7%) were positive only for the detection of anti-N antibodies indicating natural infection. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence extrapolated to the adult population of Tahiti was estimated at 95.9%. Concentrations of anti-SARS-CoV-2-S antibodies significantly increased with age, number of self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infections (0 or ≥1), and number of COVID-19 vaccine doses (0, 1, 2, or 3) received by the participants. Elderly people, who are at higher risk of severe outcomes, had received more vaccine doses than younger individuals both in our sample and in the general population. The high level of antibody responses related to past infections and vaccination, especially booster doses, has likely contributed to reducing the severity of the Omicron outbreak in French Polynesia.

Promoting green development has become an important way to optimize the ecological and economic structure and promote sustainable development. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is an important economic corridor in China, and it remains to be examined whether the implementation of environmental regulations has enhanced the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of cities. This paper calculates the green total factor productivity of 107 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt by using the super-efficient SBM model and the GML index with Chinese city panel data from 2007-2019 and measures the intensity of environmental regulations through textual analysis. The bidirectional fixed-effects model constructed in this paper suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and GTFP, which is confirmed by a series of robustness tests. Green technology innovation and advanced industrial structure play a mechanism role in this. In regions with lower levels of green technology and industrial structure, the inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and green total factor productivity is more significant. In addition, the phenomenon of GTFP rising and then falling because of environmental regulation is more obvious in cities in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and outside the urban agglomerations. Therefore, when formulating environmental regulation policies, it is necessary to balance the relationship between economic development and environmental protection and harmonize the environment and economic development of the entire Yangtze River Basin.

The wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh are home to some of the most prolific and valuable ecosystems on the planet, offering a wide range of benefits to both the local and wider communities. A limited number of research on this topic have been carried out in various wetlands in coastal hilsa, but none have been located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. Thus, the goal of this study was to better understand the most commercially relevant species (anadromous hilsa) in northeastern Bangladesh as well as to assess the wetland ecosystem services more thoroughly with the contribution of their fish genetic resources. In addition to laboratory studies, fieldwork was done in the fishing settlements along the Surma River, Hakaluki Haor, and Tanguar Haor. The study classified 77 fish species into 21 subcategories of ecosystem services, of which 56% were not threatened, 17% were vulnerable, and 10% were highly endangered. The species Hilsa was found to be the most economically significant, accounting for 1% of the GDP overall. The study determined if the hilsa stock of the examined wetlands maintains a single or several subpopulations in comparison to other parts of the country when they migrate from saline water to northeastern Bangladesh (freshwater). But when compared to other groups, the FST score was between 0.000 to 0.017, indicating that the populations are identical and that there is genetic material sharing between them. Additionally, these statistics imply that the Sylhet haor and adjacent river systems contain a single stock of Hilsa fish. Nevertheless, a number of stresses and risks, including overexploitation, illicit and destructive fishing, siltation, and natural disasters like flash floods, have been linked to changes in the supply of hilsa and other ecosystem services. This study also emphasizes the necessity of policy attention and research to address the concerns.

In this paper, we introduce a specialized, fully automated experimental arrangement designed for assessing the effectiveness of augmented and virtual reality technologies in healthcare setting and explore its design principles focusing on depth sensor characterization. The main goal of this project is to establish a robust benchtop platform for the quantitative evaluation of extended reality technologies in a controlled environment, emphasizing the practical assessment of augmented reality head-mounted devices. We outline a design concept and considerations for an experimental configuration aimed at creating a realistic testing environment. This apparatus comprises an observation platform mounted on a three-degree-of-freedom motorized system and a test phantom stage. Focusing on real-case scenarios, we utilized a range of sensors, including readily available range-sensing cameras and commercial augmented reality headsets, such as the Intel RealSense L515 LiDAR camera, mounted on the motion control system. The setup enabled automated data collection and facilitates controlled assessments and validation of various facets of augmented reality technologies, including object, hand, and head tracking, as well as static and dynamic image registration. This paper describes the system architecture, the process of automated data collection, and presents several evaluation studies conducted with this setup, providing insights into the quality and temporal noise associated with static or moving objects or observers in augmented reality applications.

To conduct high-precision and high-resolution numerical simulation of complex flow structures in turbomachinery, a high-order finite volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme for the large eddy simulation (LES) is improved and embedded into the three-dimensional viscous unsteady CFD solver NUAA-Turbo. Firstly, the spectral characteristics and unsteady convergence of the improved WENO scheme are studied. Compared with the classical WENO scheme, the improved WENO scheme has better dissipation and dispersion characteristics and faster convergence speed. Then, the coefficient CW of the Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE) model is calibrated by decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence (DHIT) test case. Finally, the scheme is applied to conduct high-precision LES calculations of turbulent boundary layer flow, supersonic compression corner flow, and low-pressure turbine cascade separation flow. The numerical simulation results show that this WENO scheme has excellent shock wave capture ability and turbulence resolution and can capture more flow field details with less mesh size, greatly reducing the computational cost and laying a foundation for large-scale engineering application of LES.

To secure logic circuits against the illegal copying the insertion of the so-called key bit inputs using XOR/XNOR gates has been proposed in . The inserted gates modify (lock) the behavior of the original circuit and only the correct choice of the secret key bits guarantees the equivalent behaviour of the locked circuit to the original circuit. To break this kind of security, i.e. to find the secret key bits, there was a SAT solver based attack proposed in . The aim of this work is to experimentally verify this attack on several locked circuits with various number of primary inputs and outputs and with various number of gates. Except for the random placement of the key gates we evaluate also the positioning with chaining elimination. The obtained and presented results show that we were able to unlock 10 of 11 circuits within few minutes on a common PC.

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to utilize in tribological environments, but to date the works are hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperature. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo-40Ni-13Si (at.%). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of ternary Mo-Ni-Si alloy melt, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the ductility improvement of intermetallic alloy. Tribological properties of the designed alloy, including wear resistance, friction coefficient and metallic tribological compatibility, were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggested that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent property for room-temperature wear applications, which is attributed to the unique microstructural features and thereby good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported by observing the worn surface, subsurface and wear debris of alloy, which to be found is soft abrasive wear.

With the integrated development of the Internet, wireless sensor technology, cloud computing, and mobile Internet, there has been a lot of attention given to research about and applications of the Internet of Things. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of the important information technologies in the Internet of Things; it integrates multi-technology to detect and gather information in a network environment by mutual cooperation, using a variety of methods to process and analyze data, implement awareness, and perform tests. This paper mainly researches the localization algorithm of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network. Firstly, a multi-granularity region partition is proposed to divide the location region. In the range-based method, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength indicator, RSSI) is used to estimate distance. The optimal RSSI value is computed by the Gaussian fitting method. Furthermore, a Voronoi diagram is characterized by the use of dividing region. Rach anchor node is regarded as the center of each region; the whole position region is divided into several regions and the sub-region of neighboring nodes is combined into triangles while the unknown node is locked in the ultimate area. Secondly, the multi-granularity regional division and Lagrange multiplier method are used to calculate the final coordinates. Because nodes are influenced by many factors in the practical application, two kinds of positioning methods are designed: the unknown node is in the positioning unit or not. When the unknown node is on the side of the positioning unit, we use the method of vector similarity. Moreover, we use the centroid algorithm to calculate the ultimate coordinates of unknown node. When the unknown node is not on the side of the positioning unit, we establish a Lagrange equation containing the constraint condition to calculate the first coordinates. Furthermore, we use the Taylor expansion formula to correct the coordinates of the unknown node. In addition, this localization method has been validated by establishing the real environment.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of brain activity. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology formed by the EEG signal has become one of the hotspots at present. How to extract the feature signal of EEG is the most basic research of BCI technology. In this paper, A new method of recognizing fatigue, conscious, concentrated state of human brain is proposed by the combination of discrete wavelet transform and the neural network based on EEG signal. First of all, the law signal is preprocessed by the wavelet denoising method because the law EEG signal contains a large number of high frequency noise, which is decomposed into multi-layer high frequency signal and low frequency signal. thus, δ wave, θ wave, α wave, β wave are obtained by the wavelet transform. And then, frequency band energy of the different wave is regards as the feature signal of EEG. In the experiment, the feature signal is classified by radial basic function (RBF) and annealed chaotic competitive learning network (ACCLN). RBF and ACCLN networks are trained with 500 sets of sample data and are tested by 100 sets of samples in different mental states. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of RBF network under three conditions are 88.75%, 88.25%, 88.5%, respectively, and the correct rate of ACCLN network is 97%, 98%, 98%, respectively.

Early discharge after childbirth has led to a rise in neonatal readmission, becoming a major concern in recent decades. Our research aimed to identify the risk factors and incidence of neonatal readmission, as well as explore preventive measures. Our study at the Clinical Hospital of Pediatrics in Ploiești, Romania included 108 neonates admitted during the neonatal period. This accounted for 2.06% of all admissions (5226). The most prevalent cases were malnutrition (25%), fever (20.3%) and bronchiolitis (17.5%). Diarrhea and infectious gastroenteritis were also observed (14.8%), along with acute rhinoconjunctivitis (9.2%) and late onset sepsis (3.7%). No deaths were recorded. The most significant characteristics identified were number of children (p<0.001) and age at maternity discharge (p<0.001). By following the prevention rules, malnutrition, feeding errors, and infections can be avoided. This includes practicing proper hand hygiene for both mothers and medical staff, as well as educating and demonstrating to mothers the benefits of breastfeeding. In addition, all newborns discharged from the maternity ward should benefit from follow-up at 7-10 days of life. Our results confirm the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team and endorse promoting breastfeeding. Implementing quality control measures and regularly evaluating the surveillance program will help improve its effectiveness.

Wearable technology has been proposed as a potential tool to change the way of human life, such as the smart bracelet and the Google Glass. In the wearable technology, the inertial sensor has great significance in tracking the object movements. The paper focused on detecting the movements of user’s finger based on the inertial sensor to give the control signals. Firstly, the attitude matrix, which represented the transformation relation of carrier coordinate system and the navigation coordinate system, was obtained. Secondly, the attitude matrix was expressed based on the quaternions. Thirdly, the finger gesture was processed by the attitude matrix to get the attitude angle. Finally, the robot was controlled by attitude angle to make the moving action. The experimental results showed the detection of the finger movement is effective.