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

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

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), has emerged as an attractive state-of-the-art tool for precisely fabricating functional materials with complex geometries, championing several advancements in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and therapeutics. However, this technology has an untapped potential for biotechnological applications, such as sensor and biosensor development. By exploring these avenues, the scope of 3D printing technology can be expanded and pave the way for groundbreaking innovations in the biotechnology field. Indeed, new printing materials and printers would offer new possibilities for seamlessly incorporating biological functionalities within the growing 3D scaffolds. Herein, we review the extrusion-based 3D printing modalities emphasizing biosensor applications. We highlighted the application of natural, synthetic, and composite biomaterials as 3D-printed soft hydrogels. Emphasis was placed on the approach by which the sensing molecules were introduced during the fabrication process. Finally, the future perspective was provided.

Understanding pollen and ovule fertility as factors influencing fruit and seed set is important in cassava breeding. Red light (RL) and plant growth regulators (PGRs) have been used to induce or enhance flowering and fruit set in cassava without any reference to effects on pollen viability or ovule fertilizability. This study investigated effects of field-applied RL and PGR on pollen viability and ovule fertilizability. Panels of cassava genotypes, with early or moderate flowering responses were used. RL was administered from dusk to dawn. Two PGRs, a cytokinin (6-benzyl adenine, BA) and an anti‑ethylene (silver thiosulphate, STS) were applied. Pollen viability was assessed basing on pollen grain diameter, in vitro stainability, in vivo germinability, ovule fertilizability and ploidy level. Treating flowers with RL led to increased pollen diameter from 143.6 to 148.5µm, stainability from 82.9 to 93.0%, ovule fertilizability from 52.0 to 56.9% in treated female flowers and 47.7 to 64.3% on using pollen from treated male flowers. Fruit set increased from 51.5 to 71.8% in RL-treated female flowers and from 53.7 to 71.1% when pollen from RL-treated male flowers was used. Seed set followed a trend similar to that of fruit set. Ploidy level of pollen from RL-treated flowers increased slightly and positively correlated with pollen diameter (R2 = 0.09*), ovule fertilization (R2 = 0.20*), fruit (R2 = 0.59*) and seed set (R2 = 0.60*); but negatively correlated with pollen stainability. Treating flowers with PGR did not affect pollen diameter and stainability, but increased ovule fertilizability from 42.9 to 64.9% and fruit set from 23.2 to 51.9% in treated female flowers and 31.3 to 54.7% when pollen from treated male flowers was used. Application of combined BA+STS on male flowers caused the highest ovule fertilizability, fruit and seed set efficiency, though this varied among study genotypes. These results show that RL and PGR treatment of flowers increases pollen viability and ovule fertilizability. This is important for planning pollination strategies in cassava breeding programmes.

Thermodynamics has been the foundation of many models of biological and technological systems. But thermodynamics is static and is misnamed. A more suitable name is thermostatics. Thermostatics does not include time as a variable and so has no velocity, flow or friction. Indeed, as usually formulated, thermostatics does not include boundary conditions. Devices require boundary conditions to define their input and output. They usually involve flow and friction. Thermostatics is an unsuitable foundation for understanding technological and biological devices. A time dependent generalization of thermostatics that might be called thermal dynamics is being developed by Chun Liu and collaborators to avoid these limitations. Electrodynamics is not restricted like thermostatics, but in its classical formulation involves drastic assumptions about polarization and an over-approximated dielectric constant. Once the Maxwell equations are rewritten without a dielectric constant, they are universal and exact. Conservation of total current, including displacement current, is a restatement of the Maxwell equations that leads to dramatic simplifications in the understanding of one dimensional systems, particularly those without branches, like the ion channel proteins of biological membranes and the two terminal devices of electronic systems. The Brownian fluctuations of concentrations and fluxes of ions become the spatially independent total current, because the displacement current acts as an unavoidable low pass filter, a consequence of the Maxwell equations for any material polarization. Electrodynamics and thermal dynamics together form a suitable foundation for models of technological and biological systems.

We propose the traditional goal of cancer therapists to develop a single drug or drug combination that can, by itself, eliminate all cancer cells within a host has neglected potential treatments that may achieve curative outcomes by strategically combining agents that are individually effective but non-curative. We derive basic principles for such an approach from the eco-evolutionary dynamics of background extinctions in which a “first strike” reduces the size and heterogeneity of the initial population and is followed immediately by demographic and ecological “second strikes” that push the population below an extinction threshold. This proposed strategy appears identical to the empirically-derived curative therapy in childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

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

Enhanced adoption of new cassava varieties is dependent on the ability to breed for acceptability attributes that define boiled roots and flour-based meals. This study assessed the role of pasting properties in defining farmers’ acceptability. Cassava accessions in a Triadic Comparison of Technologies (TRICOT) approach were assessed for acceptability in addition to moisture content root softness (boiled roots)and pasting properties (flour). Results showed location based differences in moisture content (13-17%) and boiled root softness (0.5-6.0 N/cm). Pasting properties such as peak viscosity (4300-5500 cP), breakdown (2204-3234 cP) and final viscosity (2953-3493) also varied significantly among accessions. Linear relationships were observed between consumer acceptance parameters and pasting properties {(final viscosity and root mealiness (r=0.7), ease of mingling (r=0.6), product stickiness (r=0.5) and overall performance of the flour based meal (r=0.6)}.Therefore pasting property analysis can differentiate cassava accessions and is an important tool in selection of consumer acceptable varieties.

Background: Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) have shown efficacy in delivering adequate oxygen for various patient scenarios; however, there is a lack of research on POCs’ efficacy across different respiratory rates specifically among COPD patients. Methods: This bench study was conducted using the IngMar Medical Active Servo Lung 5000 attached to flexible tubing, which simulated an adult patient’s nares. An oxygen analyzer (Maxtec Handi+) was connected to the tubing 6 inches below the nares to estimate the inspired oxygen concentration at the adult trachea. A standard nasal cannula was placed in the simulated patient nares, which was also attached to each POC. The IngMar Lung was programmed to simulate a COPD patient at the following respiratory rates: 15, 20, 30, and 40 breaths/min. POC devices were then compared to an oxygen wall outlet and a standard oxygen concentrator (non-portable CAIRE device). The POCs included the CAIRE FreeStyle Comfort (with Autosat), CAIRE FreeStyle Comfort (without Autosat), Inogen G4, Inogen G5, Phillips SimplyGo Mini, GCE Zen-O lite, Drive Medical iGo2, and Kingon POCs. Descriptive statistics and ANOVAs were computed to determine statistically significant differences between POCS and control devices (wall oxygen and standalone oxygen concentrator). Results: Across most respiratory rate scenarios, the wall oxygen and standalone oxygen concentrator (control group) resulted higher oxygen measurements compared to the POCs. Among the POCs on setting 2, the highest oxygen measurement for 15, 30, and 40 breaths/min was the CAIRE FreeStyle Comfort with AutoSat on sensitivity 5 (24.43%, 24.81%, and 25.0%, respectively). On setting 2, the 20 breaths/min highest oxygen measurement was the Inogen G4 (24.43%). For setting 5, the highest oxygen measurement for 15 breaths/min and 40 breaths/min was the CAIRE FreeStyle Comfort without AutoSat (31.56% and 26.13%, respectively), while the highest oxygen measurement for 20 breaths/min was the Inogen G5 (30.26%), and the highest oxygen measurement for 30 breaths/min was the CAIRE FreeStyle Comfort with AutoSat on sensitivity level 5 (27.89%). Conclusions: The oxygen administered through the wall and the standalone CAIRE oxygen concentrator all delivered higher oxygen levels compared to the POCs (with the exception of the 40 breaths/min scenario on setting 2). However, among the POCs, the CAIRE Freestyle Comfort with AutoSat, CAIRE Freestyle Comfort without AutoSat, and the Inogen G4 all performed the best among the various breathing rate scenarios.

Recycling information can be complex and often confusing which may subsequently reduce the participations in any waste recycling schemes. As a result, this research explored the roles as well as the importance of a holistic approach in designing recycling information using 15 expert-based in-depth interviews. The rationale was to offer a better understanding of what constitutes waste, recycling, and how recycling information should be designed and presented to make recycling more attractive/convenient. Based on the research participants’ perceptions with supports from the existing studies, this research sub-categorised recycling information into three different themes, termed the “WWW” of recycling information components. As a result, these components (or attributes) were extensively described (using findings of semi-structured interviews) to elicit pragmatic guidance for practitioners, policy-makers, and other stakeholders in designing structured communication or information strategies that may simplify and subsequently increase waste-recycling practices. The policy implications of holistic information in enhancing recycling are further discussed.

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

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.

In this work, an evaluation and quantification of the impact of using mixtures based on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide "s-CO2" (s-CO2/COS, s-CO2/H2S, s-CO2/NH3, s-CO2/SO2) are made as a working fluid in simple and complex recompression Brayton s-CO2 power cycles configurations that have pressure drops in their components. These cycles are coupled to a solar thermal plant with parabolic-trough collector (PTC) technology. The methodology used in the calculation performance is to establish values of the heat recuperator total conductance (UAtotal) between 5 and 25 MW/K. The main conclusion of this work is that the cycle's efficiency has improved due to s-CO2 mixtures as working fluid; this is significant compared to that obtained using the standard fluid (pure s-CO2). Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis is carried out that compares each configuration's costs using pure s-CO2 and a mixture of s-CO2/COS with a molar fraction (70/30) respectively as working fluid where relevant results are obtained. These results show that the best configuration in terms of thermal efficiency and cost is the RCC-RH for pure sCO2 with values ​​of 41.25% and 2811 $/kWe, while for the mixture sCO2/COS, the RCC-2RH configuration with values ​​of 45, 05% and 2621 $/kWe is optimal. Using the mixture costs 6.75% less than if it is used the standard fluid (s-CO2).

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

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

Flowering in cassava is crucial for generation of botanical seed for breeding. However, most farmer preferred genotypes are poor at flowering, exhibit great disparity in time and amount of flowering or never flower. To elucidate the genetic basis of such a flowering behaviour, 293 diverse cassava accessions were evaluated for flowering traits under two locations and seasons in Uganda. Genotyping by the Diversity Array Technology Pty Ltd. (DArTseq) platform identified 24,040 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed on the 18 cassava chromosomes. Population structure analysis using principal components (PC) and kinships showed clustering, the first five PCs accounted for 49.2% of the observed genetic variation. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) estimation was averagely 0.32 at a distance of ~2850kb (kilo base pairs). Polymorphism information content (PIC) and minor allele frequency (MAF) were 0.25 and 0.23, respectively. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis uncovered 53 significant marker-trait associations (MTA) with flowering traits involving 27 loci. Two loci, SNPs S5_29309724 and S15_11747301 were associated with all the flowering traits. Using five of the 27 SNPs with Phenotype_Variance_Explained (PVE) ≥ 5%, 37 candidate genes were identified in the peak SNP sites located within 50kb upstream or downstream, most were associated with branching traits. Eight of the genes, orthologous to Arabidopsis and other plant species, had known functional annotations related to flowering, e.g. eukaryotic translation initiation factor and myb family transcription factor. This study identified genomic regions associated with flowering in cassava, the identified SNPs could be useful in marker-assisted selection to overcome hybridization challenges like unsynchronized flowering, and candidate gene validation.

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

High surface area carbon was obtained from -carrageenan – urea cryogels doped with 1.25 – 5 wt% graphene oxide (GO). Incorporation of GO resulted in multifaceted modification in the textural and chemical properties of the carbon cryogel. The thermal decomposition of GO facilitated the formation of micropores resulted in a substantial increase in the apparent surface area (up to 1780 m2/g). The annealing at 1000 °C removed part of the heteroatoms but left behind a high number of defects. While the volatile thermal degradation products of GO affected the porous texture and the surface chemistry in a complex way, its reduced residue resulted in a gradually increasing electrical conductivity. The influence of GO was studied in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and in Li-ion storage application. GO affected the electron transfer mechanism in the ORR tests and challenged the stability of the electrodes. Even if the electrode has been stabilized under oxygen-free conditions, later may undergo destabilization processes during the ORR. The 5 wt% GO doped sample was the most sensitive under oxidative conditions, but finally it exhibited the highest capacitance. In the Li-ion battery tests the coulombic efficiency of all the samples was consistently above 98 %, indicating the great potential of such carbons for efficient Li-ion insertion and reinsertion during the charge – discharge process, thereby providing a promising alternative for graphite-based anodes. The cell from the 1.25% sample showed an initial discharge capacity of 313 mAh/g, 95.1 % capacity retention and 99.3 % coulombic efficiency after 50 charge – discharge cycles.

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

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

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

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

Acidic ostreolysin A/pleurotolysin B (OlyA/PlyB, formerly known as ostreolysin (Oly), and basic 20 kDa equinatoxins (EqTs) are cytolytic proteins isolated from the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus and the sea anemone Actinia equina, respectively. Both toxins, although from different sources, share many similar biological activities: (i) colloid-osmotic shock by forming pores in cellular and artificial membranes enriched in cholesterol and sphingomyelin; (ii) increased vascular endothelial wall permeability in vivo and perivascular oedema; (iii) dose-dependent contraction of coronary vessels; (iv) haemolysis with pronounced hyperkalaemia in vivo; (v) bradycardia, myocardial ischemia and ventricular extrasystoles accompanied by progressive fall of arterial blood pressure and respiratory arrest in rodents. Both types of toxins are haemolytic within nanomolar range concentrations, and it seems that hyperkalaemia plays an important role in toxin cardiotoxicity. However, it was observed that the haemolytically more active EqT III is less toxic than EqT I, the most toxic and least haemolytic EqT. In mice, EqT II is more than 30 times more toxic than OlyA/PlyB when applied intravenously. These observations imply that haemolysis with hyperkalaemia is not the sole cause of the lethal activity of both toxins. Additional mechanisms responsible for lethal action of the two toxins are direct effects on heart, coronary vasoconstriction and related myocardial hypoxia. In this review, we appraise the pathophysiological mechanisms related to the chemical structure of OlyA/PlyB and EqTs, as well as their toxicity.

This article reports new measurements of laser-induced plasma hypersonic expansion measurements of diatomic molecular cyanide (CN). Focused, high-peak power 1064-nm Q-switched radiation of the order of 1 TW/cm² generates optical breakdown plasma in a cell containing a 1:1 molar gas mixture of N₂ and CO₂ at a fixed pressure of 1.1 × 10⁵ Pascal and in a 100 ml/min flow of the mixture. Line-of-sight (LOS) analysis of recorded molecular spectra indicate the outgoing shockwave at expansion speeds well in excess of Mach number 5. Spectra of atomic carbon confirm an increased electron density near the shock wave, and equally, molecular CN spectra reveal higher excitation temperature near the shockwave. The results are consistent with corresponding high-speed shadow graphs obtained by visualization with an effective shutter speed of five n anosecond. In addition, LOS analysis and application of integral inversion techniques allow inferences about the spatio-temporal distribution of the plasma.

This review focuses on the emerging evidence for the association between estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (eCRF) and metabolic risk factors. Given the challenges associated with directly measuring cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in large populations, eCRF presents a practical alternative for predicting metabolic health risks. A literature search identified six relevant cohort studies from 2021 to 2024 that investigated the association of eCRF with hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The review findings highlight a consistent inverse relationship between higher eCRF and lower incidence of metabolic risks in line with CRF cohort studies. This review highlights the importance of low eCRF as a primordial indicator for metabolic risks and underscores the need for broader application. Future research directions should include exploring eCRF's predictive accuracy across diverse populations and health outcomes and testing its real-world applicability in healthcare and public health settings.

Abstract. Background: This paper investigates the propagation of behaviorally transmitted traits with negative effect on host fitness. Methods: We analyze equilibrium between genetically transmitted and behaviorally transmitted competing propagators and consider whether a behavioral propagator is linked to reproduction (e.g. vertical culture transmission), or not. We employ combined genetic and behavior-induced fitness components for hosts, while behavioral propagators have replication factors to distinguish from what’s good for the host (fitness). Results: A trait which spreads faster than its marginal host fitness contribution reduces population will establish itself. The often transient nature of laterally transmitted traits may be a defense against accumulation of deleterious traits. Laterally transmitted traits with high spreading rate often do not equalize with genetic traits, spreading outside natural selection of the hosts. Vertical transmission reduces replication rate and allows group selection against deleterious behaviorally transmitted traits. Competing mutually exclusive propagators contribute to inequality and altruism, but compete through adverse fitness since exclusivity assumes low conversion. Conclusion: Behaviorally transmitted traits, in some cases a tremendous advantage, may also be a significant problem in the development of societies.

One of the main challenges of cultured meat is reducing the costs of production, often described as scaling. The main components of the cultivation process include: cells, media, scaffolds and bioreactors. This work presents an alternative to current stainless steel or glass bioreactors and uses food-grade plant-based scaffolds. Bioreactors must be sterile and leak-free to maintain a proper environment for cell growth. Thermoplastic films are a popular material for constructing these fluidic systems, but traditional methods of welding these film are expensive and do not allow rapid prototyping resulting in high research and development costs for companies. In this study, a laser welding method was developed to join thermoplastic films in a way that prevents contamination and leaks, affording effective macro-fluidics fabrication. This technique was tested using polyethylene (PET) films and a laser cutter operating with settings calibrated for the material to be welded or cut. The laser welding method was found to produce strong, leak-free seals in PET films with minimal heat-induced damage to the films. The ability to design fluidics, chambers and ports of various size. Using this method afforded the incorporation of plant-based scaffolds from food-grade plants (Rice). The laser welding method developed in this study provides a reliable, contamination-free method for the rapid fabrication of fluidic systems for cell cultivation. This technique has the potential to be compatible with a vast range of cell types and scaffolds and to be widely adopted in tissue engineering for regenerative medicine and food applications such as cultured meat.

Analytical instruments used for scientific research and education are often expensive. This limitation poses a challenge for schools and educators in low-income countries to provide practical science training to students. To address this problem, the improvisation of analytical instruments and instructional materials has emerged as a viable solution. By incorporating practical experiments into science education, students have the opportunity to engage directly with scientific instruments, conduct investigations, and collect data. This hands-on approach fosters a deeper understanding of scientific principles, enhances critical thinking skills, and cultivates scientific mindsets among students. Herein, we review and discuss, step-by-step, the approach of using a smartphone for quantitative analysis, referred to as smartphone digital image colorimetry (SDIC). SDIC, with its practicality and accessibility, utilizes smartphone digital cameras for image acquisition and the freely available image processing programs, such as ImageJ and smartphone Apps, for image quantification. Using SDIC can enable students in low-income countries to develop essential scientific skills, including critical thinking, data interpretation, and an evidence-based approach to scientific research. By leveraging the ubiquity and affordability of smartphone technology, SDIC offers an accessible and cost-effective approach to practical science education, bridging the gap between theory and practice in resource-constrained settings.

A New monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), a known monogalactosylmonoacylglycerol (MGMG) and a known polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl ester (PUFAME) were isolated from the marine dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi. The planar structure of the glycolipids was elucidated using MS and NMR spectroscopic analyses and comparisons to the known glycolipid to confirm its structure. The isolation of PUFAME strongly supports the polyunsaturated fatty acid fragment of these glycolipids. The relative configuration of the sugar was deduced by comparisons of 3JHH values and proton chemical shifts with those of known glycolipids. All isolated compounds MGDG, MGMG and PUFAME (1-3) were evaluated for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. All compounds modulated macrophage responses, with compound 3 exhibiting the greatest anti-inflammatory activity.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative bacterium that remains a prevalent clinical and environmental challenge. Quorum sensing (QS) molecules are effective biomarkers in pinpointing the presence of P. aeruginosa. This study aimed to develop a convenient-to-use whole-cell biosensor using P. aeruginosa reporters individually encapsulated within alginate-poly-L-lysine (alginate-PLL) microbeads to specifically detect the presence of bacterial autoinducers. The PLL-reinforced microbeads were prepared using a two-step method involving ionic crosslinking and subsequent coating with thin layers of PLL. The alginate-PLL beads showed good stability in the presence of a known cation scavenger (sodium citrate), which typically limits the widespread applications of calcium alginate. In media containing synthetic autoinducers, such as N-(3-oxo dodecanoyl) homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) and N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) or cell-free supernatants of planktonic or flow cell biofilm effluent of wild P. aeruginosa (PAO1), the encapsulated bacteria enabled a dose-dependent detection of the presence of these QS molecules. The prepared bioreporter beads remained stable during prolonged storage at 4 and -80 °C and were ready for on-the-spot sensing without the need for recovery. This whole-cell biosensor demonstrates the practicality of the encapsulated bioreporter for bacterial detection based on specific QS molecules.

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

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

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

Keywords: Marine sulfated glycans; SARS-CoV-2; Omicron XBB.1.5, Spike protein; Heparin

The characteristic lesion of primary tuberculosis is the granuloma as is widely studied in human tissues and animal models. Post-primary tuberculosis is different. It develops only in human lungs and begins as a prolonged subclinical obstructive lobular pneumonia that slowly accumulates mycobacterial antigens and host lipids in alveolar macrophages with nearby highly sensitized T cells. After several months, the lesions under necrosis to produce a mass of caseous pneumonia large enough to fragment and be coughed out to produce a cavity or be retained as the focus of a post-primary granuloma. Here we extend these findings with the demonstration of mycobacterial antigen, but not AFB, of M. tuberculosis in the cytoplasm of ciliated bronchiolar epithelium and alveolar pneumocytes in association with elements of the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2, and fatty acid synthase (FAS) pathways in the early lesion. This suggests that M. tuberculosis use its secreted antigens to coordinate prolonged subclinical development of the early lesions in preparation for a necrotizing reaction sufficient to produce a cavity, post-primary granulomas and fibrocaseous disease

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

The characteristic lesion of primary tuberculosis is the granuloma as is widely studied in human tissues and animal models. Post-primary tuberculosis is different. It develops only in human lungs and begins as a prolonged subclinical obstructive lobular pneumonia that slowly accumulates mycobacterial antigens and host lipids in alveolar macrophages with nearby highly sensitized T cells. After several months, the lesions undergo necrosis to produce a mass of caseous pneumonia large enough to fragment and be coughed out to produce a cavity or be retained as the focus of a post-primary granuloma. Here we extend these findings with the demonstration of mycobacterial antigen, but not AFB, of M. tuberculosis in the cytoplasm of ciliated bronchiolar epithelium and alveolar pneumocytes in association with elements of the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2, and fatty acid synthase (FAS) pathways in the early lesion. This suggests that M. tuberculosis uses its secreted antigens to coordinate prolonged subclinical development of the early le-sions in preparation for a necrotizing reaction sufficient to produce a cavity, post-primary granulomas and fibrocaseous disease.

(1) Background: TNF inhibitors (TNFi) have revolutionized the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, 30-40 % of RA patients do not respond adequately to those biologics. In addition to neutralizing soluble TNF, TNFi have the ability to bind the transmembrane form of TNF, tmTNF. Importantly, tmTNF can act itself as a receptor that induces a “Reverse Signaling” (RS) in cells. We previously showed that certolizumab, a Fab’ TNFi, activates RS in human primary monocytes, at least in part through the transcription factor NRF2 that is known to regulate the expression of genes involved in anti-inflammatory response and oxidative stress. (2) Methods: Here, we have developed an assay for the prediction of clinical response of RA patients to TNF inhibitors. This assay is based on mRNA quantitation of CD36 activation and of 6 genes induced by NRF2 following tmTNF RS in fresh monocytes. (3) Results: We could predict the response to anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with 93.3 % accuracy. However, our method was not suitable for the prediction of the response to TNF soluble receptor etanercept. (4) Conclusions: We have developed a rather simple, short-term, test that can be standardized. Predicting the response to TNF mAbs will help physicians offer the best available treatment and provide patients with personalized medicine.

Excess alcohol consumption is a top risk factor for death and disability. Fatty liver will likely develop and the risk of liver disease increases. We have previously demonstrated that an essential amino acid supplement (EAAS) improved protein synthesis and reduced intrahepatic lipid in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to further evaluate the influence of EAAS on intrahepatic lipid (IHL), body composition, and blood lipids in individuals with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD). Following consent, determination of eligibility, and medical screening, 25 participants (18 males at 38±15 years/age and 7 females at 34±18 years/age) were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of two dosages: a low dose (LD: 8 grams of EAAS twice/day (BID)) or high dose (HD: 13 grams of EAAS BID). Both groups consumed the supplement for 4 weeks. Pre- and post-EAAS administration, IHL was determined using magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy, body composition was analyzed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and blood parameters were measured by LabCorp. T-tests were used for statistical analysis and considered significant at P<0.05. While there was no significant change in IHL in the LD group, there was a significant 23% reduction in IHL in the HD group (p=0.02). Fat mass, lean tissue mass, bone mineral content, and blood lipids were not altered. Post-EAAS phosphatidylethanol was elevated and remained unchanged in LD at 407±141 ng/ml and HD at 429±196 ng/ml, indicating chronic and excess alcohol consumption. Based on these results, we conclude that 13 grams of proprietary EAAS consumed BID lowers IHL in individuals with mild to moderate AUD.

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.

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

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

Background: Physical activity is recommended to mitigate the incidence of obesity, but delivery of community wide initiatives is cumbersome. The challenges met by such programs are magnified when implementation transpires in the remote villages of Alaska. To overcome the difficulty of this challenge in the Arctic, the Skiku/AK Nordic cross-country skiing program was developed. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether access to Skiku/AK Nordic program would promote physical activity levels that met the daily recommendations for physical activity in Alaska Native children. Methods: Eight children (4 females and 4 males; 10±2 years/age) were recruited from Kaktovik, Alaska for participation in this study. Expert coaches and staff provided one week of cross-country ski instruction and access to ski equipment. Physical activity was monitored using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers. Data collected from the devices was then downloaded and analyzed using ActiLife software. Results: The participants expended ~586 calories/day devoted to physical activity. Light and moderate physical activity was 68±38 minutes/day and 447±248 minutes/day, respectively. Conclusions: Delivery of the Skiku/AK Nordic program promoted favorable levels of physical activity in Alaska Native children. Further research is needed to assess the longitudinal and seasonal effectiveness of the Skiku/AK Nordic program.

Wild game consumption has been associated with health benefits, but the influence on protein metabolism remains unknown. We compared the feeding-induced response to 2 oz of free-range reindeer (FR) versus commercial beef (CB) using stable isotope methodology. Seven male and female participants (age: 38±12 years; body mass index: 24±3 kg/m2) completed two studies using a randomized, crossover design in which they ingested 2 oz of FR or CB. L-[ring 2H5]phenylalanine & L-[ring 2H2]tyrosine were delivered via primed, continuous intravenous infusion. Blood samples were collected during the basal period and following consumption of FR or CB. Feeding-induced changes in whole body protein synthesis (PS), protein breakdown (PB), and net protein balance (NB) were determined via analysis of plasma samples for phenyalanine and tyrosine enrichment by gas chromatography mass spectrometry; plasma essential amino acid concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Plasma post-prandial essential amino acid (EAA) concentrations were higher with the ingestion of FR compared to CB (P=0.02). The acute feeding-induced response in PS was not different in either trial, but PB was reduced with the ingestion of FR compared to CB (P<0.0001). The difference in PB contributed to a superior level of NB (P<0.0001). When protein kinetics were normalized relative to the amino acids ingested, PB/EAAs and total amino acids ingested were reduced (P<0.01 and 0.001, respectively) in FR compared to CB; contributing to greater NB/total amino acid ingested (P<0.0001) between FR and CB. We conclude that the nutrient profiles of FR may have a more favorable benefit on protein metabolism compared to CB. These data support the potential health benefits of wild game in the preservation of whole-body protein.

Pervasive purifying selection on non-synonymous substitutions is a hallmark of papillomavirus genome history. Whereas the role of selection on, and drift of, non-coding DNA elements on HPV diversification is poorly understood. More than a thousand complete genomes representing Alphapapillomavirus types, lineages and SNP variants were examined phylogenetically and interrogated for the number and position of non-coding DNA sequence motifs using Principal Components Analyses, Ancestral State Reconstructions and Phylogenetic Independent Contrasts. For anciently diverged Alphapapillomavirus types, composition of the 4 nucleotides (A,C,G,T), codon usage, trimer usage and 13 established non-coding DNA sequence motifs revealed phylogenetic clusters consistent with genetic drift. Ancestral state reconstruction and Phylogenetic Independent Contrasts revealed ancient genome alterations, particularly for CpG and APOBEC3 motifs. Each evolutionary analytical method we performed supports the unanticipated conclusion that genetic drift and different evolutionary drivers have structured Alphapapillomavirus genomes in distinct ways during successive epochs, even extending to differences in more recently formed variant lineages

Background: Recently some photon models of a Wigner's friend experiment have led investigators to suggest objective reality does not exist, and to publish non-academic articles with such claims. The public is not equipped to evaluate the severe limitations of these experiments. The separation of Wigner from the experiment and use of only reversible coherent processes for the friend allow operations that are not possible in ordinary reality according to the latest quantum research. Methods: We suggest directly testing the implied claim that objective reality, including incoherent objects with irreversible non-destructive memory, can be held in superposition. We suspect it will fail, but provide for a graduated approach that may discover something about the conditions for superposition collapse. To this end we design a thought experiment to model the objective world, investigating under what conditions experimenters in the same world (ensemble member) will be able to record a result and find it does not appear to change. An observer has a viewing apparatus and a memory apparatus. A second uncorrelated viewer of the same recorded result is employed to obtain objectivity. By hypothesis the uncorrelated second viewer obtains the same view of the measurement record as the first observer. There are not two measurements. This is not an investigation of hidden variables. Results: To model the objective world, incoherent and irreversible processes must be included. To test for superposition, coherence has to be established. These seem to present a contradiction. Conclusions: The thought experiment has suggested new places to look other than size for the origin of objective reality from the quantum world, casts doubt on the Many-Worlds interpretation, and provides a method of testing it.

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

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

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

Damaged connective tissues between the bone and tendons or ligaments are common among adults regardless of activity level. Achilles tendinosis is one of the most common tissue defects and enthesopathies. The patient in this study is a 54-year-old female with chronic Achilles tendinosis from chronic enthesopathy at the Achilles tendon insertion with a retrocalcaneal exostosis for three years who has failed standard-of-care practices for over two years. The patient received extracorporeal pulsed-activated therapy (EPAT) before applying 2ml of CryoText, a Wharton’s jelly tissue allograft. The patient then received class IV laser therapy treatments twice weekly for three weeks. The patient started with a 10/10 VAS at the initial visit. At five weeks post-application, the patient’s score had improved by 80% at 2/10 VAS. By week 13, the patient rated her pain as 0/10 VAS. The improvement in patient-reported pain and functionality reported in this study after the application of Wharton’s Jelly, EPAT, and class IV laser therapy warrants future research studying the safety and efficacy of these patient care modalities together.

The goal of this paper is to contribute the perspective of a systems engineer to the effort to fight pandemics. The availability of low latency case data and effectiveness of social distancing suggest there is sufficient control for successful smoothing and targeting almost any desired level of low or high cases and immunity. This control proceeds from spontaneous public reaction to caseloads and news as well as government mediated recommendations and orders. We simulate multi-step and intermittent-with-feedback partial unlock of social distancing for rapidly-spreading moderate-mortality epidemics and pandemics similar to COVID-19. Optimized scenarios reduce total cases and therefore deaths typically 8% and up to 30% by controlling overshoot as groups cross the herd immunity threshold, or lower thresholds to manage medical resources and provide economic relief. We analyze overshoot and provide guidance on how to damp it. However, we find overshoot damping, whether from expert planning or natural public self-isolation, increases the likelihood of transition to an endemic disease. An SIR model is used to evaluate scenarios that are intended to function over a wide variety of parameters. The end result is not a case trajectory prediction, but a prediction of which strategies produce near-optimal results over a wide range of epidemiological and social parameters. Overshoot damping perversely increases the chance a pathogen will transition to an endemic disease, so we briefly describe the undershoot conditions that promote transition to endemic status.

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

This article discusses laser-induced laboratory-air plasma measurements and analysis of hydroxyl (OH) ultraviolet spectra. New experiments with Q-switched laser pulses illustrate occurrence of molecular recombination spectra for time delays of the order of several dozen of microseconds after plasma initiation. The computation of the emission spectra utilizes line strength data that are communicated as a supplementary file. Applications of detailed OH computations include laser-induced plasma and combustion analyses, to name but two applications.

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel betacoronavirus and the aetiological agent of the current COVID-19 outbreak that originated in Hubei Province, China. While polymerase chain reaction is the front-line tool for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, application of amplification-free and culture-free methods for isolation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, partnered with next-generation sequencing, would provide a useful tool for both surveillance and research of SARS-CoV-2. We here release into the public domain a set of bait capture hybridization probe sequences for enrichment of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from complex biological samples. These probe sequences have been designed using rigorous bioinformatics methods to provide sensitivity, accuracy, and minimal off-target hybridization. Probe design was based on existing, validated approaches for detecting antimicrobial resistance genes in complex samples and it is our hope that this SARS-CoV-2 bait capture platform, once validated by those with samples in hand, will be of aid in combating the current outbreak.

First, we examine how spin is treated in special relativity and the necessity of introducing spin supplementary conditions (SSC) and how they are related to the choice of a center-of-mass of a spinning particle. Next, we discuss quantum electrodynamics and the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation which we note is a position operator identical to the Pryce-Newton-Wigner position operator. The classical version of the operators are shown to be essential for the treatment of classical relativistic particles in general relativity, of special interest being the case of binary systems (black holes/neutron stars) which emit gravitational radiation.

Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) integrate renewable sources, storage, and optionally conventional energies, offering an eco-friendly solution to fossil fuels. Microgrids (MGs) bolster HRES integration, enhancing energy management, resilience, and reliability at various levels. This study, emphasizing the need for refined optimization methods, investigates three themes: renewable energy, microgrid, and multiobjective optimization (MOO), through a bibliometric analysis of 470 Scopus documents from 2010-2023, analyzed with SciMAT software. It segments the research into two periods, 2010-2019 and 2020-2023, revealing a surge in MOO focus, especially in the latter period, with a 35% increase in MOO-related research. This indicates a shift towards com-prehensive energy ecosystem management that balances environmental, technical, and economic elements. The initial focus on MOO, genetic algorithms, and energy management systems has expanded to include smart grids and electric power systems, with MOO remaining a primary theme in the second period. The increased application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in optimizing HMGS within the MOO framework signals a move towards more sustainable, intelligent energy solutions. Despite progress, challenges remain, including high battery costs, the need for reliable MOO data, the intermittency of renewable energy sources, and HMGS network scalability issues, highlighting directions for future research.

The study addresses the urgent environmental issue of climate change, focusing specifically on the role of local food, which is produced and consumed locally, helps reduce carbon emissions by eliminating the need for long-distance transportation. Through quantitative analysis, this study elucidates the potential benefits in environmental impact achieved through the consumption of local food: the significant reduction in carbon emissions. Specifically, the consumption of local food is found to yield an annual decrease of 2,421,296 tCO2 emissions, representing 2.5% of South Korea’s total greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. This reduction further translates into an estimated economic value of USD 54.23 million (KRW 70.5 billion). This study underscores the potential of local food consumption as a tangible strategy to overcome environmental problems. Moreover, its academic contribution lies in its comprehensive analysis of the economic and empirical impacts of local food consumption on environment. Moving forward, we propose policies such as supporting local food distribution networks, providing public education on local food, fostering the local food industry, and providing incentives to revitalize local food consumption.

This paper uses preliminary studies of archaeological sites (burial mounds and settlements) from the Iron Age through Medieval periods (ca. 800 BCE to 1200 CE) in the Juuku Valley on the South side of Lake Issyk-Kul to model land-use across vertical mountain zones. To do so, we have established a radiometric chronology, conducted test excavations of an Iron Age settlement and a Turkic period burial, undertaken preliminary archaeobotanical research, and pedestrian surveys. Seed remains of wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), broomcorn millet (Panicum milaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and legumes were recovered in very small quantities from an Iron Age upland settlement at 2100 m asl and a Turkic period burial mound at 1934 m asl. These preliminary archaeobotanical results are compared to the Talgar Iron Age settlements on the north side of the Tian Shan Mountain range in Kazakhstan studied earlier by Robert Spengler. Small samples of faunal remains found at the Turkic period kurgan and from a profile at the upland Iron Age settlement indicate livestock herding of sheep/goats, cattle, and horses in Juuku Valley. The goal of this paper is to test the hypothesis that pastoral transhumance and agropastoralism were economic strategies used by ancient societies during the Iron Age through Medieval periods in mountain-river valley areas between 750 m to 2500 m asl. These economic strategies that combined the pasturing of sheep, goats, cattle and horses with the cultivation of cereals were adapted to the use of different vegetational zones along a vertical gradient. This paper based on preliminary research of upland sites of the Juuku Valley in Kyrgyzstan, initiates a long-term research study of four millennia of settlements that ranged from pastoral transhumance, pastoral nomadism, and combined mountain agriculture using survey data and test excavations.

The construction industry has a notable negative impact on the environment; thus, the promotion of the use of timber structures is an alternative to mitigate its effects. The research develops an artificial intelligence-based decision approach in the calculation of timber structures focused on the enhancement of the sustainability of roof structures. Based on the optimization carried out through genetic algorithms and the framework established in Eurocode 5, a general set of equations has been proposed for a laminated timber roof structure. The tool, which determines the most suitable roof structure for each strength class of laminated timber, allows for the determination of the dimensions of beams and purlins and their respective separations in order to minimize wood consumption. The ultimate goal is to offer multiple solutions regarding strength classes and structural designs in order to foster informed sustainable choices that promote efficient use of resources in construction.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous malignancy with complex carcinogenesis. Although there has been significant progress in the treatment of HCC over the past decades, drug resistance to chemotherapy remains a major obstacle in its successful management. In this study we were able to reduce chemoresistance in cisplatin-resistant HepG2 cells by either silencing the expression of transglutaminase type 2 (TG2) using siRNA or by pre-treatment of cells with the TG2 enzyme inhibitor cystamine. Further analysis revealed that, whereas the full-length TG2 isoform (TG2-L) was almost completely cytoplasmic in its distribution, the majority of the short TG2 isoform (TG2-S) was membrane-associated in both parental and chemoresistant HepG2 cells. Following induction of cisplatin toxicity in non-chemoresistant parental cells, TG2-S together with cisplatin quickly relocated to the cytosolic fraction. Conversely, no cytosolic relocalisation of TG2-S or nuclear accumulation cisplatin was observed following identical treatment of chemoresistant cells, where TG2-S remained predominantly membrane-associated. This suggests that deficient subcellular relocalisation of TG2-S from membranous structures into the cytoplasm may limit the apoptic response to cisplatin toxicity in chemoresistant cells. Structural analysis of TG2 revealed the presence of binding motifs for interaction of TG-S with the membrane scaffold protein LC3/LC3 homologue that could contribute to a novel mechanism of chemotherapeutic resistance in HepG2 cells.

We prove an analog of the removable singularity theorem for bounded harmonic functions on stratified sets. The harmonic functions are understood in the sense of the soft Laplacian. The result can become one of the main technical components for extending the well-known Poincaré–Perron’s method of proving the solvability of the Dirichlet problem for the soft Laplacian.

Aim: To evaluate the panmacular subthreshold micropulse laser treatment results among patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and their correlation with functional and morphological parameters. Material and methods: The examined group included 10 non-treated and 41 treated patients with acute, recurrent, and chronic CSC (13 F, 38 M, mean age 44.11±6.5) and 14 healthy controls (6 F, 8 M, mean age 45±9.3). The BCVA examination, ophthalmoscopy, microp-erimetry, angio-OCT and OCT were performed. The medical history regarding chronic general disorders and known risk factors were recorded. Results: Complete resorption of SRF was obtained in 100% aCSC, 86.66% cCSC, and 63.63% r CSC. BCVA and RetSens significantly improved most of the patients treated in aCSC. The lowest BCVA and RetSens, but the largest pachyvessel and disease duration, were found in rCSC. A strong negative correlation between final BCVA and disease duration was found. No patient demonstrated laser lesions following treatment. Conclusions: The panmacular MPLT therapy leads to long-term enhancement of functional and morphological parameters in all CSC patients. The acute CSC patients showed the most significant improvement. The procedure is safe and could be considered a preferred treatment option for all active CSC cases. Timely treatment is crucial for beneficial outcomes.

In polymer-based dental composites, wear is a three-body wear system mainly abrasive, because of the food particles and wear products suspended in the oral cavity, which are transferred to the microcavities of the surface of the replacements. Due to this fact, the incorporation of nanodiamond as reinforcement in these polymer matrix composites, which promotes the creation of a solid lubricant tribofilm surface could be advantageous. When nanodiamond is added in contents of 0.8, 1.6 and 3.2 wt %, an increase in microhardness from 95 up to 420 %, compared to the one of neat BisGMA/TEGDMA, is observed. Additionally, the incorporation of a content of 1.6 wt % is enough to cause a diminution of ~78 % in the friction coefficient and a reduction of the specific wear rate and Archard’s coefficient of ~50 %. Nevertheless, the addition of relatively high contents reduces the effectiveness of photoinitiation and UV-curing, which is related to the scattering and absorption of UV radiation by ND.

Current theories of autoimmunity are diverse, sometimes contradictory, and suffer from incompleteness. Although substantial evidence exists that adaptive and innate immunity, sex, genetic predisposition, and the microbiome all play essential roles in autoimmune disease etiologies and pathogenesis, and that antigen processing is altered during disease induction, no existing theory integrates all of these factors through a single, coherent mechanism. In an attempt to focus the field on the need to elucidate such an integrative mechanism, I propose one possibility here that, if nothing else, helps to identify the nature of the problems that need to be addressed. My theory is that autoimmune diseases are induced by normal immunological responses to unique pairs of complementary antigens, at least one of which is a molecular mimic of a host target. Each antigen in the complementary pair induces a complementary immune response (T or B cell); although each immune response is idiotypic in origin, the antigenic complementarity results in what appears to be an idiotype-anti-idiotype relationship between the responses. Additionally, because of the antigenic complementarity, each immune response mimics one of antigens, abrogating the distinction between self and non-self. If at least one of the antigens mimics a host antigen, then the resulting immunological civil war spreads to a host tissue. Complementary antigens also alter antigen processing so that antigens that would normally be proteolytically digested are presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) to T and B cell receptors inducing a cross-reactive immune response. The resulting civil war is supported by the innate immune system due to the complementarity of the initiating antigens.. Complementary antigens stimulate synergistic toll-like receptors (TLR) and/or nucleotide-binding oligomerization receptors (NOD) resulting in up-regulation of cytokine production and further stimulation of the adaptive immune response. Because the immune responses (e.g., antibodies) mimic the initiating antigens, this synergistic activation of innate immunity becomes chronic. Additionally, TLR and NOD function are highly sensitive to sex hormones, some becoming up-regulated and some down-regulated in the presence of either testosterone or estrogens. This sensitivity explains how sex modifies susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. Genetic mutations in TLR, NOD and MHC further alter antigen presentation and the degree to which antigens stimulate an immune response explaining how genetics also modifies susceptibility. Finally, sex hormones also alter the host microbiome, which in turn modulates autoimmune disease risk by shaping the immunological nature of self and by mediating susceptibility to microbial infection. Moreover, it appears that the microbiome camouflages itself from the immune system by mimicking the host antigenic repertoire; the mimicry between the antigens of the microbiome and the host results in selective attacks on microbiome constituents concomitant with any autoimmune attack on host tissues. This antigenic complementarity theory thereby integrates all major elements known to affect, or be affected by, autoimmune diseases and provides a set of testable implications.

New information suggests female autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is much more common than previously thought, with a likely prevalence of 6% and with 80% undiagnosed at the age of 18. ASD then becomes a common comorbidity of female mental illness with nearly one in five women who develop a mental illness being autistic. ASD has heretofore been regarded as a pediatric condition and though now thought to be life long it is still not well recognized by adult health services. Most mental illness first presents in the teens and early twenties. Comorbid ASD is more difficult to diagnose due to diagnostic overshadowing, and ASD comorbidity maks the mental illness more severe and mor difficult to treat. Recognized ASD is readily treatable with an approach sympathetic to neurodiversity. Improving the pathway from adolescence to adulthood by increasing knowledge of autism in adult health services would dramatically improve female mental health at surprisingly little extra cost. It is low hanging fruit in a very fraught area of healthcare. This paper will examine the extent of the problem. It will explore solutions and quantify the gains of appropriate therapy.

Abstract: Doppler renal resistive index (RRI) has been used for several decades as a potential indi-cator for renal disease and progression. In recent years, RRI has emerged as a useful prognostic indicator for a range of co-morbidities in patients who are acutely unwell and as a potential marker for sub-clinical acute kidney injury (AKI) and post procedural AKI risk. Despite this, the clinical and theoretical determinants of RRI are poorly understood and remain contentious. Method: A narrative review of studies exploring the theoretical, experimental, and clinical evidence for factors affecting RRI. No date restrictions were set. Findings: Both experimental and clinical data confirm that RRI is markedly affected by a range of systemic and renal determinants and is influenced closely by the underlying risk factors and sys-temic vascular changes that lead to progressive renal damage. Discussion: This paper provides an overview of the key haemodynamic determinants of renal re-sistive index and aims to clarify their relative importance. With reference to a simplified theoretical model, evidence from experimental and clinical studies is reviewed. Pathophysiological factors and patient characteristics that influence RRI are explored to provide a better understanding of why RRI values change in the presence of common or complex pathologies. Conclusion: By gaining a better understanding of the complex systemic and renal factors that influ-ence RRI, ultrasound users will be better prepared to understand and interpret changes in RRI across a range of patient presentations.

In South Sudan, three case-control studies found a positive association between Nodding Syn-drome (NS) and a Mansonella perstans infection. To investigate whether M. perstans could play the primary and sole causal role in the development of NS, we examined blood films of persons with and without epilepsy in rural villages affected by NS in Mahenge, Tanzania, to identify M. perstans infections. Study participants were also examined for onchocercal nodules and skin lesions and tested for the presence of anti-O. volvulus antibodies (Ov16 ELISA). One hundred and thirteen epilepsy cases and 132 controls were enrolled, with a mean age of 28.3 years (interquartile range 22 – 34 years); 125 (51%) were females. Of the persons with epilepsy, 43 (38.1%) met the probable NS criteria. M. perstans infection was absent in all participants, but Ov16 prevalence and oncho-cerciasis-associated skin manifestations were positively associated with epilepsy, including probable NS. Onchocercal nodules in the mothers of cases were also positively associated with epilepsy. In conclusion, in contrast with O. volvulus, M. perstans is likely not endemic in Mahenge and therefore cannot be a co-factor for NS in the area. Hence, this filaria cannot be the primary and sole causal factor in the development of NS.

The agronomic characteristics of Cenchrus purpureus were assessed through a randomized block experimental design with seven accessions (Taiwan grass, King grass, Elephant grass, Merkeron, CT-115, Purpule grass and Maralfalfa) as treatments and four replications research was carried out at the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Tantoyuca, in 2019 and 2020, under rainfed conditions. Sowing density was established at 36 tillers in 25 m2. Green and dry matter yield, daily rates of dry matter accumulation in leaves, leaf/stem ratio, height, leaf area index and cutting frequency were assessed. Rainfall amount, temperature, relative humidity and global radiation levels were recorded to assess their effect on the evaluated variables. One-way ANOVA and multivariate analysis techniques, such as multiple linear regression (MLR), Clustering, and Principal component analysis (PCA) with the Statistica V7 software, were used. The leaf area index was greatest (p &lt; 0.05) on the dry season. Green and dry matter yield were greatest in Maralfalfa (p &lt; 0.05). Variation in the results is attributed to weather phenomena; nonetheless, Elephant grass and Maralfalfa showed the highest yields. Quality parameters must be evaluated to identify those grasses with the best attributes.

This new study revised interlinked issues of global soil organic carbon (SOC), annual net primary productivity (NPP) and atmospheric CO₂ turnover time (τ). Soil is confirmed as both the greatest sink and source for excess atmospheric CO₂. Most terrestrial NPP (~218 Gt C/yr) is ultimately processed in topsoil and SOC stocks now total >10,000–12,000 Gt. More excess carbon is released into the air and water from SOC loss (>20 Gt C/yr) due to land clearance for pasture/crops, fires, agrichemical poisoning and erosion, than from fossil fuels (~10 Gt C/yr). NOAA’s Barrow bounce and isotopic analyses support high terrestrial flux up to ~800 Gt C/yr and CO₂ turnover time of ~1–4 years. Earth’s re-humification via compost offers the best and only practical/time-critical fix for climate, strategy for species extinction plus remedy for human health.

Shutdown for just six days enables land plants to entirely fix CO₂ excess of +4 Gt C per yr. Rebuilding soil organic carbon (SOC) in worm-worked humus is the only practical carbon capture and storage (CCS) capable of freely offsetting annual anthropogenic emissions. A case is made to redirect all available resources towards proven, earthworm-based, organic husbandry. Priority is to safely combat mounting global threats due to irreversible species extinction, perilous climate change and deteriorating human wellbeing (mental/physical health). All three interlinked risks are underpinned by a relentless, yet largely ignored, critical loss of precious topsoil. A first step to topsoil recovery is vermi-composting all vegetable and animal ‘wastes’ for return to the field.

We present a new approach to retrieve Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) over the turbid coastal water. This approach supplements the operational Dark Target (DT) aerosol retrieval algorithm that currently don’t conduct any AOD retrieval in the regions with large water-leaving radiances in the visible spectrum. Over the global coastal water regions in all cloud-free conditions, this unavailability of AOD retrievals due to the inherent limitation in existing DT algorithm is ~20%. Here, we refine the MODIS DT algorithm by considering that water-leaving radiance at 2.1 μm is negligible regardless of water turbidity. This refinement, with the assumption that the aerosol single scattering properties over coastal turbid water are similar to that over the adjacent open-ocean pixels, yields ~18% more of MODIS-AERONET collocated pairs for six AEROENT stations in the coastal water regions. Furthermore, comparison with these AERONET observations show that the new AOD retrievals are in either equivalent or better accuracy than those retrieved by the MODIS operational algorithm (over coastal land and non-turbid coastal water). Combining the new retrievals with the existing MODIS operational retrievals not only yield an overall improvement of AOD over those coastal water regions, but also successfully extend the spatial and temporal coverage of MODIS AOD retrievals over the coastal regions where 60% of human population resides, and thereby, aerosol impacts on regional air quality and climate are expected to be significant.

The ratio of males to females with ASD is generally quoted as 4:1 though it is believed that there are biases preventing females being diagnosed and that the true ratio is lower. These biases have not been clearly identified or quantified. Starting with a clinical dataset of 1711 children <18 years old four different methods were employed in an inductive study to identify and quantify the biases and calculate the proportion of females missed. A mathematical model was constructed to compare the findings with current published data. The true male to female ratio appears to be 3:4. Eighty per cent of females remain undiagnosed at age 18 which has serious consequences for the mental health of young women.

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

Two conundrums have puzzled COVID-19 investigators: 1) morbidity and mortality is rare among Infants and young children and 2) rates of morbidity and mortality exhibit very large variances across nations, locals and even within cities. These differences correlate with rates of Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and pneumococcal vaccination, which are almost universal among infants and vary widely by geography among adults and the elderly. The higher the rate of vaccination, the lower the COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Vaccination rates with other vaccines, including BCG and poliovirus, do not correlate with COVID-19 risks. Notably, both Hib and pneumoccoci are common co-infections with influenza and coronaviruses and are associated with more severe disease and risk of death. Whether the vaccines simply protect against COVID-19 complications, directly protect against COVID-19 infection by inducing cross-reactive immunity, or are markers for some other types of protection such as availability of better healthcare, is not yet known. What is known is that improving coverage rates of Hib and pneumococcal vaccination has significantly lowered severe morbidity and mortality in influenza epidemics and might have similar efficacy for mitigating coronavirus outbreaks. If infants and children are valid indicators, the beneficial effects might be very significant. The possibility that anti-viral proteins in milk (e.g., lactoferrin) protect against COVID-19 is also explored.

Structural diversity is a key feature of forest ecosystems that influences ecosystem functions from local to macroscales. The ability to measure structural diversity in forests with varying ecological composition and management history can improve the understanding of linkages between forest structure and ecosystem functioning. Terrestrial LiDAR has often been used to provide a detailed characterization of structural diversity at local scales, but it is largely unknown whether these same structural features are detectable using aerial LiDAR data that are available across larger spatial scales. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to quantify cross-compatibility of structural diversity metrics from terrestrial versus aerial LiDAR in seven National Ecological Observatory Network sites across the eastern USA. We found strong univariate agreement between terrestrial and aerial LiDAR metrics of canopy height, openness, internal heterogeneity, and leaf area, but found marginal agreement between metrics that describe heterogeneity of the outer most layer of the canopy. Terrestrial and aerial LiDAR both demonstrated the ability to distinguish forest sites from structural diversity metrics in multivariate space, but terrestrial LiDAR was able to resolve finer-scale detail within sites. Our findings indicate that aerial LiDAR can be of use in quantifying broad-scale variation in structural diversity across macroscales.

Methylation is a biochemical process involving the addition of a methyl group (-CH3) to various chemical compounds. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the endothelium, which lines the interior surface of blood vessels and has been linked, among other conditions, to coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite significant progress in CAD diagnosis and treatment, intensive research continues into genotypic and phenotypic CAD biomarkers. This review explores the significance of the methylation pathway and folate metabolism in CAD pathogenesis, with a focus on endothelial dysfunction resulting from deficiency in the active form of folate (5-MTHF). We discuss emerging areas of research into CAD biomarkers and factors influencing the methylation process. By highlighting genetically determined methylation disorders, particularly the MTHFR polymorphism, we propose the potential use of the active form of folic acid (5-MTHF) as a novel CAD biomarker and personalized pharmaceutical for selected patient groups. Our aim is to improve the identification of individuals at high risk of CAD and enhance their prognosis.

Stellar NGC 6853, also known as the Dumbbell Nebula, is a remarkable example of an elliptical morphological type 1 multiple shell planetary nebula, which is now in one of its last evolutionary stages. This project focuses on examining the distinct varieties of the nebula temperatures and densities using observation data from the Issac Newton Group of Telescopes and comparing them with the observation data from Observatoire de Haute Provence from 14th to 18th of October 2019, with a primary focus on the data from the Issac Newton Telescope (INT). The densities ranged from diffused regions of 376.63 ± 228.97 atoms per cm³ to dense regions of 6441.11 ± 228.90 atoms per cm³; these values are slightly lower approximately by 2000 than the values from the Observatoire de Haute Provence. The radial velocity and the expansion velocity were also calculated using the spectroscopic data and were found to be 29.50 ± 0.38 km⁻¹ and 37.40 ± 0.38 km⁻¹ respectively. This result is expected from a multi-shell nebula that consists of the main body and surrounding halo

This paper analyses the application of deep learning techniques for predicting wave overtopping events in port environments using sea state and weather forecasts as inputs. The study was conducted in the outer port of Punta Langosteira, A Coruña, Spain. A video recording infrastructure was installed to monitor overtopping events from 2015 to 2022, identifying 3709 overtopping events. The data collected was merged with actual and predicted data for the sea state and weather conditions during the overtopping events, creating three datasets. We used these datasets to create several machine learning models to predict whether an overtopping event would occur based on sea state and weather conditions. The final models achieved a high accuracy level during the training and testing stages: 0.81, 0.73, and 0.84 average accuracy during training and 0.67, 0.48, and 0.86 average accuracy during testing, respectively. The results of this study have significant implications for port safety and efficiency, as wave overtopping events can cause disruptions and potential damage. Using deep learning techniques for overtopping prediction can help port managers take preventative measures and optimize operations, ultimately improving safety and helping to minimize the economic impact that overtopping events have on the port's activities.

This investigation mainly focused on the microstructural analysis of Al based hybrid metal matrix composites. Aluminium as base metal and reinforced with 2% B4 C, ZrO2 (2%,4%,6%), SiC (4%,8%,12%). Specimens were manufactured by using conventional stir casting technique. Hybrid metal matrix composites were examined by using Scanning electron microscope. This research explained XRD, EDS and Fractography analysis. This investigation shows the reinforced material has given better results in all aspects than pure Al6061 alloy and homogeneous dispersion of particles inside the matrix. Porosity, delamination, cracks, particle distributions were observed through microstructural analysis. Additionally determined the crystal size of pure Aluminium 6061 alloy and hybrid composites.

Background: A large percentage of deaths in an epidemic or pandemic can be due to overshoot of population (herd) immunity, either from the initial peak or from planned or unplanned exit from lockdown or social distancing conditions. Objectives: We study partial unlock or reopening interaction with seasonal effects in a managed epidemic to quantify overshoot effects on small and large unlock steps and discover robust strategies for reducing overshoot. Methods: We simulate partial unlock of social distancing for epidemics over a range of replication factor, immunity duration and seasonality factor for strategies targeting immunity thresholds using overshoot optimization. Results: Seasonality change must be taken into account as one of the steps in an easing sequence, and a two step unlock, including seasonal effects, minimizes overshoot and deaths. It may cause undershoot, which causes rebounds and assists survival of the pathogen. Conclusions: Partial easing levels, even low levels for economic relief while waiting on a vaccine, have population immunity thresholds based on the reduced replication rates and may experience overshoot as well. We further find a two step strategy remains highly sensitive to variations in case ratio, replication factor, seasonality and timing. We demonstrate a three or more step strategy is more robust, and conclude that the best possible approach minimizes deaths under a range of likely actual conditions which include public response.

Past public health crises (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, opioids, cholera, HIV, lead, pollution, venereal disease, even COVID-19) have been met with interventions targeted both at the individual and all of society. While the healthcare community is very aware that the global pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) has its origins in our Western ultraprocessed food diet, society has been slow to initiate any interventions other than public education, which has been ineffective, in part due to food industry interference. This article provides the rationale for such public health interventions, by compiling the evidence that added sugar, and by proxy the ultraprocessed food category, meets the four criteria set by the public health community as necessary and sufficient for regulation — addiction, toxicity, ubiquity, and externalities (how does your consumption affect me?). To its credit, some countries have recently heeded this science and have instituted sugar taxation policies to help ameliorate NCD’s within their borders. This article also supplies scientific counters to food industry talking points, in order to guide both scientists and policy makers in instituting further appropriate public health measures to quell this pandemic.

Various studies indicate that vaccination, especially with pneumococcal vaccines, protects against symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. This paper explores the possibility that pneumococcal vaccines in particular, but perhaps other vaccines as well, contain antigens that might be cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Comparison of the glycosylation structures of SARS-CoV-2 with the polysaccharide structures of pneumococcal vaccines yielded no obvious similarities. However, while pneumococcal vaccines are primarily composed of capsular polysaccharides, some are conjugated to CRM197, a modified diphtheria toxin, and all contain about three percent protein contaminants, including the pneumococcal surface proteins PsaA, PspA and probably PspC. All of these proteins have very high degrees of similarity, using very stringent criteria, with several SARS-CoV-2 proteins including the spike protein, membrane protein and replicase 1a. CRM197 is also present in Hib and meningitis vaccines. Equivalent similarities were found at lower rates, or were completely absent, among the proteins in diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, and poliovirus vaccines. Notably, PspA and PspC are highly antigenic and new pneumococcal vaccines based on them are currently in human clinical trials so that their effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 disease is easily testable.

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has brought about unprecedented economic and social consequences worldwide. The implementation of isolation measures, including national and international travel restrictions, significantly affected contact-intensive sectors such as tourism. During this lockdown period, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was crucial in maintaining connectivity and enabling remote activities. Governments across the world implemented discretionary measures to mitigate the crisis's adverse effects on economic activity. This paper aims to analyze whether the level of ICT adoption and the importance of tourism influence the fiscal policy efforts pursued by governments. Based on the results of a linear regression analysis for 154 countries, the findings suggest that in countries with higher international tourism receipts, the governments had to promote higher fiscal stimulus. At the same time, ICT development diminished the efforts of the fiscal policy response to the crisis since it facilitated economic resilience. The findings of this study can contribute to understanding how governments responded to the pandemic crisis and the factors that influenced their fiscal policy decisions.

Introduction. Strontium-82/Rubidium-82 (⁸²Sr/⁸²Rb) generators are used widely for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of myocardial perfusion. In this study, the ⁸²Rb isotope yield and production efficiency of two FDA-approved ⁸²Sr/⁸²Rb generators were compared.Methods. N=515 sequential daily quality assurance (QA) reports from 9 CardioGen-82® and 9 RUBY-FILL® generators were reviewed over a period of 2 years. A series of test elutions was performed at different flow-rates on the RUBY-FILL® system to determine an empirical correction-factor used to convert CardioGen-82® daily QA values of ⁸²Rb activity (dose-calibrator ‘maximum’ of 50 mL elution at 50 mL/min) to RUBY-FILL® equivalent values (integrated ‘total’ of 35 mL elution at 20 mL/min). The generator yield (⁸²Rb) and production efficiency (⁸²Rb yield / ⁸²Sr parent activity) were measured and compared after this conversion to a common scale. Results. At the start of clinical use, the system reported ⁸²Rb activity from daily QA was lower for CardioGen-82® vs RUBY-FILL® (2.3 ± 0.2 vs 3.0 ± 0.2 GBq, p<0.001) despite having similar ⁸²Sr activity. Dose-calibrator ‘maximum’ (CardioGen-82®) values were found to under-estimate the integrated ‘total’ (RUBY-FILL®) activity by ~24% at 50 mL/min. When these data were used to convert the CardioGen-82 values to a common measurement scale (integrated total activity) the CardioGen-82® efficiency remained slightly lower than the RUBY-FILL® system on average (88 ± 4% vs 95 ± 4%, p<0.001). The efficiency of ⁸²Rb production improved for both systems over the respective periods of clinical use.Conclusions. ⁸²Rb generator yield was significantly under-estimated using the CardioGen-82® vs RUBY-FILL® daily QA procedure. When generator yield was expressed as the integrated total activity for both systems, the estimated ⁸²Rb production efficiency of the CardioGen-82® system was ~7% lower than RUBY-FILL® over the full period of clinical use.

Earth’s land surface area is raised from conventionally flat 15 to 64 Gha to account for hilly undulation and soil relief detail. Three main aspects are: topography, rugosity/tortuosity and micro-relief/porosity of vegetation-free ground. Recalibration is arrived at from four approaches: first, direct empirical estimates from the few compiled satellite or LiDAR data with means of +2.5–26% progressively overlain by +94% at cm² scale for soil ruggedness then +108% for mm² micro-relief; second, from digital elevation models with 1.6–2.0 times flat areas; third, by ‘reverse engineering’ global soil bulk densities and carbon reserves requiring x 2–6 land. Finally, a Fermi estimation conveniently sets the World’s new surface area – that exposed to Sun, air and rain – at 100 Gha (with 36 Gha flat ocean). Soil organic carbon (SOC) is thence raised to 8,580 Gt mainly in SOM/humus with its biotic complexity plus roots, VAM-fungi and leaf-litter, that itself = 17,800 Gt. Although four to six times IPCC’s or NASA/NOAA’s calculations of just 1,500–2,300 Gt SOC, this is likely an underestimation. Global biomass and biodiversity are at least doubled (x 2–3.5) and net primary productivity (NPP) similarly increased on land to >270 Gt C yr^-1 due to terrain.

Rainfall, or more generally the precipitation process (flux), is a clear example of chaotic variables resulting from a highly nonlinear dynamical system, the atmosphere, represented by a set of physical equations such as the Navier-Stokes equations, energy balances and hydrological cycle among others. As a generalization of the Euclidean (ordinary) measurements, chaotic solutions of these equations are characterized by fractal dimensions, which are non-integer values that represent the complexity of variables like the precipitation. However, observed precipitation is measured as an aggregate variable over time, thus physical analysis of the observed fluxes is very limited. Therefore, this review aims to go through the different approaches used in the identification and analysis of the complexity of the observed precipitation, taking advantage of its geometry footprint. To address the review, it ranges from classical perspectives of fractal-based techniques to new perspectives at temporal and spatial scales as well as for classification of climatic features, including monofractal dimension, multifractal approaches, Hurst exponent, Shannon entropy and time scaling in intensity-duration-frequency curves.

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

Some of the key features of inclusive and equitable teaching approaches encourage prompt feedback, student cooperation in communities of learning, active learning, and promotes diverse ways of knowing in the classroom. In my article, I present step-bystep tips to help instructors create guided microlearning inquiry questions within an inclusive and equitable general biology classroom setting. Microlearning is a special approach that helps students complete a specific task linked to a specific learning objective that would be completed in a short time window around five minutes. The step-by-step tips presented in my article helps instructors to develop questions aligned to specific learning objective to help clarify unclear or confusing topics in general biology using the Kahoot e-Learning platform. This guided microlearning inquiry toolkit provides a blueprint for helping instructors to infuse student-centered approaches to help clarify difficult concepts in general biology and further develop avenues refine students’ critical thinking and experimental design in biology research.

Heavy metal accumulation in soils used for agricultural purposes is a major issue as it can affect the growth of plants and contain health risks as plants containing heavy metals are taken as food. This study provided the potential of three Bacillus pumilus strains (C-2PMW-8, C-1 SSK-8, and C-1PWK-7) for mitigation of the health factors related to heavy metals on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) grown in chromium contaminated soil from activities related to mining. Lettuce seeds inoculated with B. pumilus strains were grown in pots with garden soil amended with varying amount of chromite mine soil (2.27%, 4.65%, 7.14%). Growth indicators like days to germination, percentage of germination, leaf weight, leaf area and rate of survival decreased with incremental soil chromium levels but improved highly with inoculation of B. pumilus compared to uninoculated controls. When B. pumilus strains were provided, there was also a decreased level in the buildup of chromium in soil as well as lettuce shoots. The results explains that plant growth-promoting B. pumilus strains may be able to lower down the detrimental effects of chromium on lettuce development, hence increment in the effectiveness of phytoremediation.

Transfer factor is the name given to material derived from activated lymphocytes that is probably composed of a complex of a peptide and a short segment of RNA and which has the reported ability to transfer specific T cell immunity to uncommitted lymphocytes. Many independent groups around the world reported isolating transfer factors between 1955 and 1990 and demonstrating their ability to transfer passive immunity from one animal or individual to another, often within 24 hours of inoculation. Such activity is potentially revolutionary both in making T cell vaccines readily manufacturable and also because the existence of transfer factors would undermine the basic assumptions of the clonal selection theory, which currently dominates immunological theory. Unfortunately, lack of the microanalytical and synthetic techniques required to properly identify transfer factors, combined with safety factors associated with it derivation from blood sources susceptible to HIV and prion infections, put an end to transfer factor research after 1990. This paper reviews the evidence supporting transfer factor activity and suggests that this potentially revolutionary concept be resurrected and subjected to renewed scrutiny in light of CRISPR-Cas mechanisms and because of its potential to make possible T cell vaccination and provide a novel basis for understanding immunological function.

Heart Rate Monitors (HRMs) are an indispensable tool for controlling training parameters of healthy athletes. They became a source of information about stress heart rhythm disturbances, recognized as unexpected increases in heart rate (HR), which can be life-threatening for athletes. Most HRMs do not recognize the type of arrhythmia, confusing them with artifacts. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of ECG recording functions by sports HRMs among endurance athletes, coaches, and physicians in comparison with other basic and hypothetical functions. We conducted 3 surveys among endurance athletes (76 runners, 14 cyclists, and 10 triathletes), as well as 10 coaches and 10 sports doctors to obtain information on how important ECG recording is, and what functions of HRMs should be improved to meet their expectations in the future. The respondents were asked questions regarding use and hypothetical functions, as well as preference for HRM type (optical/strap). For athletes, the 4 most important functions were distance traveled, pace, instant heart rate, and information about reaching the oxygen threshold. ECG recording was the 8th and 9th most important for momentary and continuous, respectively. Coaches opined more importance to ECG recording. Doctors placed ECG recording as most important. All participants preferred optical HRMs to strap HRMs. Research on the improvement and implementation of HRM functions shows slightly different preferences of athletes compared to coaches and doctors. Suspected arrhythmia increases the value of the HRM’s ability to record ECGs during training by athletes and coaches. For doctors, this is the most desirable feature in any situation. Considering the expectations of all groups continuous ECG recording during training will significantly improve the safety of athletes.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has proven to be effective in reducing the rate of recurrence and disease as secondary prevention (evidence-based intervention) in patients who have suffered from myocardial infarction (MI). CR is a multidisciplinary path in which the patient is followed pharmacologically, from a psychological, nutritional, nursing and physiotherapy point of view. Post-MI patients present a reduction in the performance of the diaphragm muscle, the main inspiratory muscle, and this condition can become a risk factor for further relapses or for the onset of heart failure. Despite the solidity of the international guidelines for CR, the latter are lacking in specifically indicating an evaluation and training path regarding the inspiratory muscles in post-MI patients who have not undergone cardiac surgery. The article reviews the information on the adaptation of the diaphragm post-MI and highlights the need for clearer indications for a rehabilitation process that gives importance to the diaphragm.

The motivations for the move to electrified vehicles are discussed with reference to their improved energy efficiency, their potential for lower CO2 emissions (if the electricity system is decarbonized), their lower (or zero) NOx/particulate matter (PM) tailpipe emissions, and the lower overall costs for owners. Some of the assumptions made in life-cycle CO2 emissions calculations are discussed and the effect of these assumptions on the CO2 benefits of electric vehicles are made clear. A number of new tribological challenges have emerged, particularly for hybrid vehicles that have both a conventional internal combustion engine and a battery, such as the need to protect against the much greater number of stop-starts that the engine will have during its lifetime. In addition, new lubricants are required for electric vehicle transmissions systems. Although full battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will not require engine oils (as there is no engine) they will require a system to cool the batteries – alternative cooling systems are discussed, and where these are fluid based, the specific fluid requirements are outlined.

Developmental, clinical, and epidemiological research have demonstrated the salience of perceived racial discrimination (PRD) as a contributor to negative mental health outcomes in adolescence. This article summarizes secondary analyses of cross-sectional data from a large-scale youth survey within a predominantly rural state to estimate the prevalence and strength of association between PRD and serious psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and prior suicidal attempts. Data from 93,812 students enrolled in Grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 within 129 school districts across Kentucky were examined to determine prevalence rates for subgroups within the cohort. Logistic regression analyses assessed differences and established comparative strength of association among these variables for racial/ethnic subgroups. PRD was self-reported at high rates across several demographic subgroups and was most evident among Black (24.5%) and Asian (22.1%) students. Multiracial students experienced the highest rates of both SPD and suicidality. Both for the entire cohort and for each racial/ethnic subgroup, PRD was significantly associated with increased likelihood of negative mental health outcomes, although the strength of these associations varied across subgroups and developmental levels. Implications for early intervention and prevention are discussed.

Displacement mapping is a computer graphics technique that enables the design of components with regularly or randomly textured surfaces that can be quickly materialized on a three-dimensional (3D) printer when needed. This approach is in principle more flexible, faster and more economical compared to conventional texturing methods, but the accuracy of the texture depends heavily on the parameters used. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how to produce a surface-textured part using polygonal (mesh) modeling software and a photopolymerizable resin, and to develop a universal methodology to predict the dimensional accuracy of the model file log combined with a resin 3D printer. The printed components were characterized on a scanning confocal microscope. In the setup used in this study, the mesh size had to be reduced to 10% of the smallest feature size and the textured layer had to be heavily (x4) overexposed to achieve the desired accuracy. As a practical application, two functional stamps with a regular (honeycomb) and a random texture, respectively, were successfully manufactured. The insights gained will be of great benefit in quickly and cost-effectively producing components with innovative patterns and textures for a variety of hobby, industrial and biomedical applications.

Chitosan (CS) nanoparticles are under investigation for a wide range of applications in nanomedicine. The structural, molecular and physicochemical properties of chitosan nanoparticles have a direct bearing on their efficacy in drug conjugation and delivery, gene delivery, and tissue engineering. Herein we report on the structural, morphological and molecular properties of chitosan nanoparticles synthesized using the ionic gelation method with the intended purpose of being used for drug delivery. The chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) were prepared in the 0.25 to 1.0% w/v concentration range, whereas separate samples of the 1.0% w/v CS-NPs were also functionalized with polyethylene oxide (PEO) alone and with a diblock copolymer of PEO and polypropylene glycol (PPG). The average size of the CS-NPs was determined from TEM imaging to be in the range of 11.3 to 14.8 nm. The XRD and TEM analyses show that the CS-NPs have semi-crystalline structure with the degree of crystallinity depending upon the nature of synthesis. Our results show that functionalizing the 1.0% w/v CS-NPs with PEO increases the degree of crystallinity whereas functionalizing with the diblock copolymer PEO - PPG results in a significant increase in their degree crystallinity. The CS/TPP concentration (CS:TPP fixed at 1:1 ratio) had no apparent effect on the degree of crystallinity of the CS-NPs. The results from the FTIR analysis confirm incorporation of TPP with CS in the CS-NPs. Additionally, FTIR analysis shows an enhancement of hydrogen bonding that is consistent with the increase in the degree of crystallinity of the CS-NPs.

ABSTRACT: The idea of a Common Mucosal Immune system (CMS) is 50 years old. Its relevance to immune protection at mucosal sites and its potential to modulate the impact of vaccination-induced protection against infection of the airway, has been poorly understood. The consequent failure of current SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to satisfy expectations with respect to prevention of infection, viral transmission, duration of protection and pattern of clinical protection, led to public health and medical decisions now under review. This review summarises knowledge of the CMS in man, including the powerful role it plays in immune protection and lessons with respect to what can and can not be achieved by systemic and mucosal vaccination for prevention of airway infection. The powerful impact in both health and disease of optimising delivery of immune protection using selected isolates from the respiratory microbiome, is demonstrated through review of randomised controlled trials (RCT’s) in subjects with chronic airway disease, and in otherwise healthy individuals with risk factors, in whom the idea of mucosal immune resilience is introduced.

In this project, four of fibers Bragg gratings were fabricated by injecting different volumes of liquids (star line Glass Mechanix optical adhesive material, olive oil diluted with ethanol) into the hollow core fiber. The amplitude splitting interferometric technique with a high resolution specially designed translation stage was used for the fabrication process. The fabrication was done using ultraviolet laser operated at wavelength 405nm. The fabricated Bragg length of the four fibers is equal to 3.8 cm. The results presented fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with successful fabrication at 653.3 nm Bragg reflected wavelength.

It appears that up to 80% of females with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have not been diagnosed by 18 years of age. This translates to a prevalence of about 5-6%, and if true has serious implications for female mental health. One way of finding the true value is to use Bayes’ Theorem with a comorbid condition as a more easily recognizable flag. An obvious choice is anorexia nervosa (AN), but it transpires that the proportion of women with ASD who develop AN is unknown. This study uses published data in novel ways to provide two methods of estimating a range for this variable, and gives a median value of 8.3% for AN in ASD and with four other methods a median prevalence of 6% for female ASD. The clinical implications for diagnosis and management of ASD and comorbidities are discussed and a solution is provided for the rate of ASD in generalized joint hypermobility.

This study compared the efficacy of alfaxalone and propofol to induce anesthesia in bitches undergoing an ovariohysterectomy or cesarean sections. 34 healthy and pyometra-affected females were induced with IV propofol administration, 35 healthy and pyometra-affected bitches were induced with the IV administration of alfaxalone. For the cesarean sections, females were induced with propofol (n=14) or alfaxalone (n=14). Maternal physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, temperature) were recorded throughout surgeries; the viability and a modified Apgar score was recorded in the neonates at 5, 60 and 120 minutes after delivery. The use of propofol and alfaxalone did not show relevant differences over parameters assessed, when ovariohysterectomy was performed in healthy bitches or females with pyometra, as well as when cesarean sections were compared; only, a transient tachycardia appeared after alfaxalone administration. However, a higher percentage of bitches needed extra-doses of propofol. Neonatal mortality was similar between both groups, but when alfaxalone was used a higher neonatal viability was observed. Propofol and alfaxalone showed similar efficacy to perform the ovariohysterectomy in all bitches. Both protocols were optimal for cesarean sections, but alfaxalone was associated with a higher neonatal viability and a higher neonatal survival rate.