Ensuring access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, coupled with behavior change education in schools, is fundamental for fostering a conducive learning environment and promoting principles of inclusion, dignity, and equality. This study focuses on 12 primary schools in Anápolis, Brazil, encompassing 4,394 students and 248 teachers. WASH assessments were conducted through a questionnaire, observation of water and sanitation facilities and structures, and microbiological analysis. Over the period 2018 to 2020, the proportion of schools with safely managed drinking water surged from 42% to 92%. However, sanitation conditions in the schools were categorized as a basic level, with hygiene services rated as limited in 92% of the schools due to the absence of soap. While this study reveals that Anápolis schools generally align with WASH guidelines for basic/advanced drinking water services, there is a crucial need for enhancements in both hardware and software facilities to address sanitation and hygiene challenges.

The industry is increasingly relying on fish for toxicity assessment. However, current guidelines for toxicity assessment focus on teratogenicity and mortality. From an ecotoxicological point of view, however, these endpoints may not reflect the “full picture” of possible deleterious effects that can nonetheless result in decreased fitness and/or inability to adapt to a changing environment, affecting whole populations. Therefore, assessing sublethal effects add relevant data covering different aspects of toxicity at different levels of analysis. Impacts of toxicants on neurobehavioral function have the potential to affect many different life-history traits, and are easier to assess in the laboratory than in the wild. We propose that carefully-controlled laboratory experiments on different behavioral domains – including anxiety, aggression, and exploration – can increase our understanding of the ecotoxicological impacts of contaminants, since these domains are related to traits such as defense, sociality, and reproduction, directly impacting life-history traits. The effects of selected contaminants on these tests are reviewed, focusing on larval and adult zebrafish, showing that these behavioral domains are highly sensitive to small concentrations of these substances. These strategies suggest a way forward on ecotoxicological research using fish.

Fibrosis is an important health problem and its pathogenetic activation is still largely unknown. It can develop either spontaneously or, more frequently, as a consequence of various underlying diseases, such as chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Fibrotic tissue is always characterized by mononuclear immune cells infiltration. The cytokine profile of these cells shows clear proinflammatory and profibrotic characteristics. Furthermore, the production of inflammatory mediators by non-immune cells, in response to several stimuli, can be involved in the fibrotic process. It is now established that defects in the abilities of non-immune cells to mediate immune regulation may be involved in the pathogenicity of a series of inflammatory diseases. The convergence of several, not yet well identified, factors results in the aberrant activation of non-immune cells, such as epithelial cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts, that producing pro-inflammatory molecules, exacerbate the inflammatory condition leading to the excessive and chaotic secretion of extracellular matrix proteins. However, the precise cellular mechanisms involved in this process have not yet been fully elucidated. In this review we explore the latest discoveries on the mechanisms that initiate and perpetuate the vicious circle of abnormal communications between immune and non-immune cells, responsible for fibrotic evolution of inflammatory autoimmune diseases.

The research is based on the inspection performed in June 2002 for carrying out a research program for the eradication of a termite infestation due a desertic species in the area of the Saint Catherine Holy Monastery at Mount Sinai - Egypt. The paper describes the application of the registered European bait system SentritechTM and the trend of eradication during the first year. The application of bait system blocked the termite infestation inside the Katholikon (Main church) and in the surrounding after 6 months. Nevertheless, the infestation restarted and even increased again in the surrounding of the main church. An explanation of this surprising event is attempted in this paper.

Globally, increasing rates of obesity are one of the most important health issues. The association between breakfast skipping and body weight is contradictory between cross-sectional and interventional studies. The systematic review and meta-analyses aim to summarize this association based on observational longitudinal studies. We included prospective studies on breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity or weight change in adults. Literature was searched until September 2020 in PubMed and Web of Science. Summary RRs with a 95% CI were estimated in pairwise meta-analyses by applying a random-effects model. In total, 9 studies were included in the systematic review and 6 of them were included in the meta-analyses. The meta-analysis indicated an 13% increased RR for overweight/obesity when breakfast was skipped on ≥ 3 days per week compared to ≤ 2 days per week (95% CI: 1.06, 1.21, n=3 studies). The meta-analysis on weight change displays a 21% increased RR for weight gain for breakfast skippers compared to breakfast eaters (95% CI: 1.05, 1.40, n=2 studies). The meta-analysis on BMI change displayed no difference between breakfast skipping and eating (RR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.05, n=2 studies). This study provides low meta-evidence for an increased risk for overweight/obesity and weight gain for breakfast skipping.

Fibrosis represents a process characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. It often represents the evolution of pathological conditions, causes organ failure, and can, in extreme cases, compromises the functionality of the organs to the point of causing death. In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying fibrotic evolution and to identify possible therapeutic strategies. Great interest has been aroused by the discovery of a molecular association between epithelial to mesenchymal plasticity (EMP), in particular epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), and fibrogenesis, which has led to the identification of complex molecular mechanisms closely interconnected with each other, which could explain EMT-dependent fibrosis. However, the result remains unsatisfactory from a therapeutic point of view. In recent years, advances in epigenetics, which is based on chromatin remodeling through various histone modifications or through the intervention of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have provided more information on the fibrotic process, and this could represent a promising path forward for the identification of innovative therapeutic strategies for organ fibrosis. In this review, we summarize current research on epigenetic mechanisms involved in organ fibrosis, with a focus on epigenetic regulation of EMP/EMT-dependent fibrosis.

Fibrosis is the end result of persistent inflammatory responses induced by a variety of stimuli, including chronic infections, autoimmune reactions, and tissue injury. Fibrotic diseases affect all vital organs and are characterized by a high rate of morbidity and mortality in the developed world, although currently there are no approved antifibrotic therapies. In recent years, high levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) have been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases with fibrotic complications, that culminate in organ failure. In this review, we provide an update on the role of IL-17 in fibrotic diseases, with particular attention to the most recent lines of research in the therapeutic field represented by the epigenetic mechanisms that control IL-17 levels in fibrosis. A better knowledge of the IL-17 signalling pathway implications in fibrosis could design new strategies for therapeutic benefits.

Interleukin (IL)-23 is a central proinflammatory cytokine with a broad range of effects on immune responses. The pathological consequences of excessive IL-23 signaling have been linked to its ability to promote the production of inflammatory mediators such as IL-17, IL-22 by stimulating the differentiation and proliferation of T helper type 17 (Th17 cells). Emerging evidence suggests a potential pro-fibrotic role for IL-23 in the development of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases characterized by intense fibrosis. In this review, we summarized the biological features of IL-23 and gathered recent research on the role of IL-23 in fibrotic autoimmune conditions, which could provide a theoretical basis for clinical targeting and drug development.

Sustainable agriculture is essential to provide food security for a growing world population without further sacrificing the integrity of the environment. To make progress towards agricultural sustainability we must consider ecological and socioeconomic processes within the agricultural socio-ecosystem and involve stakeholders in the research process. We propose an innovative experimental approach for examining how natural regulation of ecosystems may provide an alternative to increasing external inputs in agriculture while improving the socio-economic welfare of farmers. These “social-ecological experiments” go further to participatory action research by not only involving stakeholders in the research process but also by manipulating simultaneously socioeconomic and ecological processes under real field conditions to give a faster route to sustainability. Social-ecological experiments are undertaken in real field conditions, explicitly involving stakeholders, and help untangle the drivers of social-ecological dynamics under various land management and farming practices. Social-ecological experiments are distinct from adaptive management and scenario-planning approaches as they highlight the interactions between ecological and social processes, manipulate the social and ecological processes shaping the system and show causal links between patterns and processes. As an example, we describe a social-ecological experiment for reducing herbicide use. Social-ecological experiments offer great opportunities for increasing stakeholders’ acceptance of environmental policies implemented through adaptive management. These experiments may help to identify management practices that optimize multiple objectives, deliver a portfolio of ecosystem services and satisfy key stakeholders.

Social networks have become an ubiquitous aspect of adolescents' life, providing new ways to connect and communicate with peers. However, little is known about the impact of social net-works on adolescents' emotional intelligence (EI), a crucial skill for social and identity development. The aim of the present study is to explore the time spent and reasons for using social net-works and their relationship with emotional intelligence in adolescents and young adults (15-19 years). After signing informed consent, participants completed a battery of questionnaires offered via secure online form. The results showed that teenagers spend more than 3 h/day on Whatsapp, more than 2 h/day on Instagram and less on Facebook (26m per day); girls prefer to use Whatsapp and Instagram, boys opt for Facebook. Most participants use social media when bored and/or to communicate with friends. Moreover, time spent on social media has a relationship with stress management with some aspects of EI (assertiveness, self-actualization, optimism, etc.). EI and social desirability have a significant relationship, especially in the sphere of adaptability. Based on the results obtained, future perspectives and training are suggested with the aim of adapting to the constant changes in the new technological reality.

Keywords: Antisense Oligonucleotides, Cell Penetrating Peptides, Delivery, DG9 peptide, Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMO), Pip, R6G.

This report presents a framework for analysing the risk of alien taxa under South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004, and the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations of 2014. While the report was initially designed to meet a specific South Africa need, the risk analysis processes developed can, we believe, be transferred to any specified geographic region. In outlining a series of questions related to a taxon’s likelihood of invasion and the consequences thereof, i.e. the potential impacts, the report provides a structure for collating data relevant to the process of listing taxa as well as a process for developing recommendations that is both mathematically sound, transparent, and that explicitly takes uncertainty into account. The framework is based on collating information according to international standards in biological invasions (specifically the IUCN Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa Scheme, the CBD's scheme for classifying invasion pathways, and the Unified Framework for Biological Invasions proposed by Blackburn et al. 2011). The risk analysis framework is currently being implemented in South Africa in an effort to underpin national regulatory lists of invasive species.

The effect of salinity on seed germination/emergence in narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) was studied both under field and laboratory conditions, in order to detect critical values to NaCl exposure. Research Highlights: Novel statistical methods in germination ecology has been applied (i) to determine the effects of chilling length and salinity (up to 150 mM NaCl) on Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. oxycarpa seed emergence, and (ii) to estimate threshold limits treating germination response to salinity as a biomarker. Background and Objectives: Salinity cut values at germination stage had relevant interest for conservation and restoration aims of Mediterranean floodplain forests in coastal areas subjected to salt spray exposure and/or saline water introgression. Results: Salinity linearly decreased germination/emergence both in the field and laboratory tests. Absence of germination was observed at 70 mM NaCl in the field and at 150 mM NaCl for 4-week (but not for 24-week) chilling. At 50 mM NaCl germination percentage was 50% (or 80%) of control for 4-week (or 24- week) chilling. Critical values for salinity were estimated between freshwater and 50 (75) mM NaCl for 4-week (24-week) chilling by Bayesian analysis. After 7-week freshwater recovery, critical cut-off values included all tested salinity levels up to 150 mM NaCl, indicating a marked resumption of seedling emergence. Conclusions: Fraxinus angustifolia is able to germinate at low salinity and to tolerate temporarily moderate salinity conditions for about two months. Prolonged chilling widened salinity tolerance.

The classification of tumors in subtypes, characterized by phenotypes determined by specific differentiation pathways, aids diagnosis and directs therapy towards targeted approaches. However, with the advent and explosion of next-generation sequencing, cancer phenotypes are turning out to be far more heterogenous than initially thought, and the classification is continually being updated to include more subtypes. Tumors are indeed highly dynamic and they can evolve and undergo various changes in their characteristics during disease progression. The picture becomes even more complex when tumor responds to a therapy. In all these cases, cancer cells acquire the ability to trans-differentiate, changing subtype, and adapt to changing microenvironments. These modifications affect the tumor's growth rate, invasiveness, response to treatment, and overall clinical behavior. Studying tumor subtype transitions is crucial for understanding tumor evolution, predicting disease outcomes, and developing personalized treatment strategies. We discuss this emerging hallmark of cancer and the molecular mechanisms involved at the crossroads between tumor cells and their microenvironment, focusing on four different human cancers in which tissue plasticity causes a subtype switch: breast cancer, prostate cancer, glioblastoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

There is considerable interest in delineating the molecular mechanisms of action of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), considered as central player in a plethora of human conditions, including cancer, fibrosis and autoimmune disease. TGF-β elicits its biological effects through membrane bound serine/threonine kinase receptors which transmit their signals via downstream signalling molecules, SMADs, which regulate the transcription of target genes in collaboration with various co-activators and co-repressors. Until now, therapeutic strategy for primary Sjӧgren’s syndrome (pSS) has been focused on inflammation, but, recently, the involvement of TGF-β/SMADs signalling has been demonstrated in pSS, although TGFβ family members seems to have ambiguous effects on the function of pSS salivary glands. Based on these premises, this review highlights recent advances in unravelling the molecular basis for the multi-faceted functions of TGF-β in pSS that are dictated by orchestrations of SMADs, and describe TGF-β/SMADs value as both disease markers and/or therapeutic target for pSS.

This research revealed the children with difficulties in attentional functions in healthy children attending primary school and aimed to identify the possible socio-demographic factors such as child’s age, gender and school’s grade that could influence attentive performance. The participants were 105 children aged 6-10 years (M age=8.6; SD=1.04), 57 females, attending primary schools. Family economic condition attested mostly at a medium level (63.5%) and parents had more frequently 13 years of schooling. The computerized test KiTAP was administered to children to assess attentional functions. Results showed higher frequency of omissions and false alarms and a reduced speed in Alertness, Go/No go and Sustained Attention tasks comparing to Italian norms. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were run with school grade, gender and current age as independent variables and mean reaction times (and standard deviation), number of omissions and of false alarms as dependent ones. Results showed male gender and attending a lower primary school grade impacting on lower attentional performance in several subtests. Females showed the best performances in distractibility and impulsive reaction tendencies tests, while higher school grade positively influenced the divided and sustained attention. These results could be useful to identify children with major attentional difficulties and some recommendations for futures studies and implement attention empowerment programmes were proposed.

In recent years the study of the teacher-student relationship in the teaching-learning processes in physical education has had great emphasis. Previous studies have shown that the use of the Spectrum of teaching Styles can enhance intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, adherence to physical activity and physical activity levels in children and adolescents. The present study aims to assess if a physical education (PE) intervention based on the variations in teaching styles, with reference to production ones, can also have positive effects on physical fitness. The sample involved 4 primary school classes (n = 124 children, mean age = 8-10 years) recruited from the SBAM (Health, Wellness, Food Education and Movement at School) Project in Apulia, Southern Italy. Classes were randomly assigned to Experimental Group (EG) and Control Group (CG). EG followed a 5months experimental intervention based on the variation of teaching styles, while CG performed regular PE lessons. Physical fitness test was assessed with Standing Long Jump (SLJ), Medicine Ball Throw 1kg (MBT), and 20m sprint (20m), while two validated questionnaires were used to evaluate physical self-perception (PSP) and enjoyment. A 2x2 (intervention group x time) ANOVA was carried out to assess significant difference and interaction effect pre (t0) and post (t1) intervention protocol. Data analysis showed a significant improvement of physical fitness in both EG and CG, while PSP and enjoyment increased only in EG. Moreover, significant interaction (p<. 05) effects were found for 20m sprint, PSP and Enjoyment with low effect size (η2 ~. 20). The results of the present study highlight the effectiveness of a PE intervention based on the variation of teaching styles in improving physical fitness, self-perception, and enjoyment. Moreover, the use of production teaching styles significantly impacts self-perception and enjoyment, that are important mediating factors for guarantee better adherence to physical activity.

Pharmaceutical poisoning is a significant global public health concern, causing approximately 190,000 deaths yearly. This scoping review aims to comprehensively map the available literature on pharmaceutical poisoning and compare patterns between high-income countries (HICs) and low-middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic search was performed across the following databases: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL. Studies included were from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2020, in English, with full text available. Seventy-nine articles were included in the study; 21 were from LMICs and 58 were from HICs. The toxic exposure was largely intentional (77%) in LMICs and accidental (68%) in HICs. Drugs acting on the nervous system were responsible for 95% of toxicities worldwide with analgesics accounting for the largest subtherapeutic group in both LMICs (40%) and HICs (58%). Notable statistics were that HICs accounted for 99% of opioid overdoses, and LMICs accounted for 19% of anti-epileptic-induced toxicities. Overall, the medical outcomes of poisonings were generally worse in LMICs. The review provides possible interventions to target specific geographic locations, based on the trends identified, to reduce the burden worldwide. Many gaps within the literature were recognised, calling for more robust analytical research.

Humans’ performance varies due to the mental resources that are available to successfully pursue a task. To monitor users’ current cognitive resources in naturalistic scenarios, it is essential to not only measure demands induced by the task itself but also consider situational and environmental influences. We conducted a multimodal study with 18 participants (nine female, M = 25.9 with SD = 3.8 years). In this study, we recorded, respiratory, ocular, cardiac, and brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) while participants performed an adapted version of the warship commander task with concurrent emotional speech distraction. We tested the feasibility of decoding the experienced mental effort with a multimodal machine learning architecture. The architecture comprised feature engineering, model optimisation, and model selection to combine multimodal measurements in a cross-subject classification. Our approach reduces possible overfitting and reliably distinguishes two different levels of mental effort. These findings contribute to the prediction of different states of mental effort and pave the way toward generalised state monitoring across individuals in realistic applications.

Pacing strategy refers to the distribution of effort and speed throughout the race to achieve optimal performance. The study aims to understand whether the choice of pacing strategy in swimming depends on the length of competitions and how sex, age, and performance level influence this strategy. Participants were the finalists of the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events at the elite and junior world championships in 2022-2023. Race outcomes and pacing parameters were compared between the two distances and across different groups of swimmers. Swimmers in both distances did not break world records. Pacing strategy generally followed a U-shape with significant differences in the frequency and duration of speed changes between the two distances. The 800-meter exhibited more frequent changes in acceleration while the 1500-meter events generally followed a more consistent time series pattern. There were differences in pacing strategies between males and females and between junior and elite swimmers. Swimmers closer to world records showed more consistent pacing patterns compared to those farther from records. The study suggests that pacing strategies are influenced by race distance, sex, age, and performance level. The research highlights the complex interplay between physiological and psychological factors that shape a swimmer's decision-making during a race.

Connexins are tetraspan transmembrane proteins that form gap junctions and facilitate direct intercellular communication, a critical feature for the development, function and homeostasis of tissues and organs. In addition, a growing number of gap junction-independent functions are being ascribed to these proteins. The connexin gene family is under extensive regulation at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, and undergoes numerous modifications at the protein level, including phosphorylation, which ultimately affects their trafficking, stability and function. Here, we summarize these key regulatory events, with emphasis on how these affect their multi-functionality in health and disease.

The co-electrolysis of CO2 and H2O at intermediate temperature is a viable approach for the power-to-gas conversion that deserves for further investigation, considering the need for green energy storage. The commercial solid oxide electrolyser is a promising device, but it is still facing to solve issues concerning the high operating temperatures and the improvement of gas value. In this paper we reported the recent findings of a simple approach that we have amply suggested for solid oxide cells consisting in the addition of a functional layer coated to the fuel electrode of commercial electrochemical cells. This approach simplifies the transition to the next generation of cells manufactured with the most promising materials currently developed and improves the gas value in the outlet stream of cell. Here, the material in use as a coating layer consisted of a Ni-modified La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Co0.2O3 which was developed and demonstrated as promising fuel electrode for solid oxide fuel cells. The results discussed in this paper proved the positive role of Ni-modified perovskite as a coating layer for the cathode, since an improvement of about twice was obtained about the quality of gas produced.

Exsolved perovskites can be obtained from lanthanum ferrites, such as La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Co0.2O3, as result of Ni doping and thermal treatments. Ni can be simply added to the perovskite by an incipient wetness method. Thermal treatments include calcination in air (e.g., 500 °C) and subsequent reduction in diluted H2 at 800 °C to favor the exsolution process. The chemistry of the nanoparticles exsoluted on the substrate surface can be further modulated by a post treatment in air. These processes allow to produce a two-phase material consisting of a Ruddlesden-Popper type structure and a solid oxide solution e.g. α-Fe100-y-zCoyNizOx oxide. The formed electro-catalyst shows sufficient electronic conductivity under reducing environment at the SOFC anode. Outstanding catalytic properties are observed for the direct oxidation of dry fuels in SOFCs, including H2, methane, syngas, methanol, glycerol and propane. This anode electrocatalyst can be combined with full density electrolyte based on Gadolinia-doped Ceria or with La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 (LSGM) or BaCe0.9Y0.1O3-δ (BYCO) to form a complete perovskite structure-based cell. Moreover, the exsolved perovskite can be used as a coating layer or catalytic pre-layer of a conventional Ni-YSZ anode. Beside the excellent catalytic activity, this material also shows proper durability and tolerance to sulphur poisoning. In this mini review, preparation methods, physico-chemical characteristics, surface properties of exsoluted and core-shell nanoparticles encapsulated on the metal-depleted perovskite substrate surface, electrochemical properties for the direct oxidation of dry fuels and related electrooxidation mechanisms are examined and discussed.

Early childhood is considered to be a period of rapid development, with the acquisition of abilities predicting future positive school competences. Motor, cognitive and social difficulties related to cancer therapies heavily impact the development of children with cancer. This study focused on two main aims: to assess the developmental pathways of preschool children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia one year post-treatment and to compare these abilities both with those of a control group of healthy peers and with Italian norms. Forty-four children and their families, recruited through the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Child and Woman Health (University of Padua), agreed to participate to this study. The children’s mean age was 4.52 years (SD = 0.94, range = 2.5-6 years), equally distributed by gender, all diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Matched healthy peers were recruited through paediatricians’ ambulatories. Each family was interviewed adopting the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. Paired sample Wilcoxon tests revealed that children were reported to have significantly more developmental difficulties than their healthy peers. When compared with Italian norms they scored particularly low in verbal competence, social and coping skills. No significant association were found between treatment variables and developmental abilities. These findings suggest that the creation of specialized interventions both for parents and children may fill the possible delays in children’s development probably due to stress, lack of adequate stimulation or difficult adaptation.

Early childhood is considered to be a period of rapid development, with the acquisition of abilities predicting future positive school competences. Motor, cognitive and social difficulties related to cancer therapies heavily impact the development of children with cancer. This study focused on two main aims: to assess the developmental pathways in preschool children with leukaemia one year post-treatment; and to compare these abilities with those of a control group of healthy peers. Forty-eight children and their families, recruited through the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Child and Woman Health (University of Padua), agreed to participate in this study. The children’s mean age was 4.36 years (SD = 1.07, range = 1.91–6 years), equally distributed by gender, most of whom were diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (N = 44). Matched healthy peers were recruited through paediatricians’ ambulatories. Each family was interviewed adopting the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. Paired sample t-tests revealed that children, especially aged 42–72 months, were reported to have significantly more developmental difficulties than their healthy peers, particularly in verbal competence, social and coping skills and gross motor abilities. These findings suggest that the creation of specialized interventions for both parents and children may fill the possible delays in children’s development due to toxic therapies and their associated hospitalisation.

A good management of diabetes requires at the same time self-regulation behaviour and a balanced involvement of family components. This study’s aims were: understanding fear of injections and perceptions of family conflicts in preadolescents and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and their mothers, comparing their perceptions, and identifying the risk factors impacting patients’ quality of life. Participants were one hundred and two patients (Mean age = 14.63, SD = 2.43; age range = 10-19 years; Females = 52) and their mothers (Mean age = 46.94, SD = 6.2, age range = 27-63 years), who filled in self and proxy-report questionnaires. Twenty % of patients and 14.7% of their mothers reported clinical score for fear of self-injection and blood testing. Mothers reported higher fear of injecting and family conflicts compared with the patients. Age, fear of injecting and family conflicts impacted significantly on patients’ quality of life perceptions. Clinical consideration and recommendations are given basing on the empirical results.

Health locus of control is the set of beliefs a person has about his or her personal influence on health. The current study aimed at identifying types of locus of control in parents of leukemia children and possible association with depressive symptomatology and current life perception. 104 parents were recruited at the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of Padua post 1 month from the leukemia diagnosis. Participants were Caucasian with a mean age of 37.28 years (SD=5.89), mostly mothers (87.5%) and with a mean of 12.16 years of education (SD=3.82). After signing the informed consent, they filled in the Ladder of Life questionnaire, the BSI-18 and the Parents Health Locus Of Control (PHLOC). Paired-samples t-test (t= -14.42; df=103; p=0.0001) showed that parents of leukemia children were more inclined to have an external locus of control than an internal one. Hierarchical regression analysis model (R2=0.34; F=4.32; p=0.0001) identified health professional influence (ß= -0.28; p=0.004), current life perception (ß= -0.3; p=0.013) and future life perception (ß= -0.26; p=0.012) as significantly predictors on Parental depression. Improving trust in the medical staff care and parental life perceptions could be a preventive program to cope with parental depression symptomatology.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) develops as a challenging nerve-damaging adverse effect of anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy. The disorder may require a dose reduction of chemo-therapy and its most common sensory symptoms are severe pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands and feet. CIPN affects dramatically the patient's quality of life (QoL). Pain and sensory abnormalities may occur for months, or even years after the termination of chemotherapy. This disease has complicated pathophysiology featured by underlying mechanisms not completely known. Although many pharmaco-logical and non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches have been tested to overcome these symptoms, there is currently no standardized cure to prevent or treat CIPN. According to current guidelines, Duloxe-tine is the only recommended agent for painful neuropathic symptoms. Therefore, finding effective thera-pies for CIPN is mandatory. The purpose of this review is to dissect CIPN, the target and immunothera-py-based approaches to this disorder, as well as to offer new insights for novel therapeutic perspectives.

Protein oligomerzation is key to countless physiological processes, but also to abnormal amyloid conformations implicated in over 25 mortal human diseases. Angiogenin (h-ANG), a ribonuclease A family member, produces RNA fragments that regulate ribosome formation, the creation of new blood vessels and stress granule function. Too little h-ANG activity leads abnormal protein oligomerization resulting in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Parkinson’s disease. While a score of disease linked h-ANG mutants has been studied by X-ray diffraction, some elude crystallization. There is also debate regarding the structure that RNA fragments adopt after cleavage by h-ANG. Here, to better understand the beginning of the process that leads to aberrant protein oligomerization, the solution secondary structure and residue-level dynamics of WT h-ANG and two mutants: H13A and R121C, are characterized by multidimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy under near physiological conditions. All three variants are found to adopt well folded and highly rigid structures in solution, although the elements of secondary structure are somewhat shorter than those observed in cystallography studies. R121C alters the environment of nearby residues only. By constrast, the mutation H13A affects local residues as well as nearby active site residues residues K41 and H119. The conformation characterization by CD and 1D 1H NMR spectroscopies of tRNAAla before and after h-ANG cleavage reveals a retention of most duplex structure and little or no G-quadruplex formation.

The molecular mechanism how the infecting DNA of bacteriophage T4 is passing from the capsid through the bacterial cell wall and entering the cytoplasm is essentially unknown. After adsorption, the short tail fibers of the infecting phage extend from the baseplate and trigger the contraction of the tail sheath, leading to a puncturing of the outer membrane by the tail tip needle composed of the proteins gp5.4, gp5 and gp27. To explore the events that occur in the periplasm and at the inner membrane, we have constructed T4 phage that have a modified gp27 in their tail tip with a His-tag. Shortly after infection with these phages, the cells were chemically cross-linked, solubilised, and the cross-linked products were affinity purified on a nickel column. The co-purified proteins were identified by mass spectrometry, and we found that predominantly the inner membrane proteins DamX, SdhA and PpiD were cross-linked. The same partner proteins were identified when purified gp27 was added to Escherichia coli spheroplasts suggesting a direct protein-protein interaction.

This paper introduces a novel approach to addressing the challenge of accurately timing short distance runs, a critical aspect in the assessment of athletic performance. Electronic photoelectric barriers, although recognized for their dependability and accuracy, have remained largely inaccessible to non-professional athletes and smaller sport clubs due to their high costs. A comprehensive review of existing timing systems reveals that claimed accuracies beyond 30 milliseconds lack experimental validation across most available systems.To bridge this gap, a mobile, camera-based timing system is proposed, capitalizing on consumer-grade electronics and smartphones to provide an affordable and easily accessible alternative. By leveraging readily available hardware components, the construction of the proposed system is detailed, ensuring its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. Experiments involving track and field athletes demonstrate the proficiency of the proposed system in accurately timing short distance sprints. Comparative assessments against a professional photoelectric cells timing system reveal a remarkable accuracy of 62 milliseconds, firmly establishing the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed system. This finding places the camera-based approach on par with existing commercial systems, thereby offering non-professional athletes and smaller sport clubs an affordable means to achieve accurate timing.In an effort to foster further research and development, open access to the device's schematics and software is provided. This accessibility encourages collaboration and innovation in the pursuit of enhanced performance assessment tools for athletes.

Abstract: Background: Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality, yet postpartum deaths remain a significant issue. Emphasis on quality postnatal care (qPNC) is crucial, as increased coverage alone has not sufficiently reduced maternal morbidity and mortality. Methods: This study included data from the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey of 32,106 mothers who delivered within three years prior to the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to report coverage and components of postnatal care stratified by covariates. Log-linear regression models were used to assess the determinants of quality postnatal care among facility and home births. Results: From 2010 to 2016, postnatal care coverage within 48 hours of delivery by a qualified provider rose from 23% to 47%. 94% of facility births received timely PNC, contrasted with only 6% for home births. Despite the increased coverage, quality of care remained as low as 1% for home births and 13% for facility births. Key factors affecting qPNC utilization included socio-demographic factors, pregnancy complications, delivery method, financial readiness, and mobile ownership. Conclusion: Importantly, deliveries assisted by skilled birth attendants correlated with higher quality postnatal care. The study reveals a significant gap between the coverage and quality of postnatal care in rural Bangladesh, especially for home births. It underscores the need for targeted interventions to enhance qPNC.

Micronutrient deficiencies are a major public health problem. Beans are an important plant-based source of iron, zinc and copper, but their absorption is reduced in the presence of anti-nutrients such as phytates, polyphenols and tannins. Soaking and discarding the soaking water before cooking is unanimously recommended, but this can result in mineral loss. Data on the consequences for mineral bioaccessibility is still limited. This study aimed to evaluate iron, zinc and copper bioaccessibility in black beans cooked (regular pan, pressure cooker) with and without the soaking water. Minerals were quantified by ICP-MS, myo-inositol phosphates (InsP₅, InsP₆) by HPLC ion-pair chromatography, total polyphenols using Folin-Denis reagent and condensed tannins using Vanillin assay. Mineral bioaccessibility was determined by in vitro digestion and dialysis. All treatments resulted in a statistically significant reduction of total polyphenols (30%) and condensed tannins (20%). Only when discarding the soaking water a loss of iron (6%) and copper (30%) was observed, and InsP₆ was slightly decreased (7%) in one treatment. Bioaccessibility of iron and zinc were low (about 0.2% iron and 35% zinc), but copper presented high bioaccessibility (about 70%). Cooking beans under pressure without discarding the soaking water resulted in the highest bioaccessibility levels among all household procedures. Discarding the soaking water before cooking did not improve the nutritional quality of the beans.

This study evaluates for the first time the plastic litter occurrence in Posidonia spheroids of four Mediterranean sandy beaches at different anthropogenic impact. A total of 80 spheroids was analyzed and 202 plastic items were found. Spheroids entangled a high number of plastic litter (132 plastic items/kg) with significant differences between beaches. Our results highlight the importance to implement the beach cleaning plan for the removal of all spheroids in order to prevent them from flaking and releasing the marine litter trapped inside them again in the environment. Spheroids should be manually removed in order to protect the banquettes. The removal should be involved all spheroids, independently from their size. This study adds data for the implementation of the monitoring program of marine litter and contributes to the development of specific management measures as well as implement Mediterranean action plans.

Avatar therapy (AT) is a novel virtual reality-based psychotherapy that has been developed to treat auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients. Various psychotherapeutic components, such as emotions and sense of presence, could contribute to clinical outcomes. However, the interplay between sense of presence, emotions and clinical response has seldom been investigated. This study aimed to explore the relations between sense of presence, emotions, and clinical outcomes in AT. To conduct this investigation, data from previous and ongoing AT trials were used. Sense of presence and emotions were assessed using standardized questionnaires. AVH were evaluated using the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales. While sense of presence was positively associated with positive emotions such as control and serenity, no significant associations were found for negative emotions. Moreover, a higher level of sense of presence was associated with a bigger decrease in AVH. Overall, positive emotions seem to be associated with sense of presence in AT. Sense of presence also seems to be involved in the therapeutic outcome, thereby suggesting that this could be an important component related to clinical response. More studies are needed to confirm these trends, which could be generalized to other virtual reality-based psychotherapies.

The use of pain relief during castration and dehorning of calves on commercial beef operations can be limited by constraints associated with the delivery of analgesic agents. As topical anaesthetic (TA) and buccal meloxicam (MEL) are now available in Australia, offering practical analgesic treatments for concurrent castration and dehorning of beef calves, a study was conducted to determine their efficacy in providing pain relief when applied alone or in combination. Weaner calves were randomly allocated to; (1) no castration and dehorning / positive control (CONP); (2) castration and dehorning / negative control (CONN); (3) castration and dehorning with buccal meloxicam (BM); (4) castration and dehorning with topical anaesthetic (TA); and (5) castration and dehorning with buccal meloxicam and topical anaesthetic (BMTA). Weight gain, paddock utilisation, lying activity and behaviour following treatment were measured. CONP and BMTA calves had significantly greater weight gain than CONN calves (P < 0.001). CONN calves spent less time lying compared to BMTA calves on all days (P < 0.001). All dehorned and castrated calves spent more time walking (P = 0.024) and less time eating (P < 0.001) compared to CONP calves. There was a trend for CONP calves to spend the most time standing and CONN calves to spend the least time standing (P = 0.059). There were also trends for the frequency of head turns to be lowest in CONP and BMTA calves (P = 0.098) and tail flicks to be highest in CONN and BM calves (P = 0.061). The findings of this study suggest that TA and MEL can improve welfare and production of calves following surgical castration and amputation dehorning.

Air corridors are an integral part of the advanced air mobility infrastructure. They are the virtual highways in the sky for transportation of people and cargo in the controlled airspace at an altitude of around 1000 ft. to 2000 ft. above the ground level. This paper presents fundamental insights into the design of air corridors with high operational efficiency as well as zero collisions. It begins with the definitions of air cube, skylane or track, intersection, vertiport, gate, and air corridor. Then, a multi-layered air corridor model is proposed. Traffic at intersections is analyzed in detail with examples of vehicles turning in different directions. The concept of capacity of an air corridor is introduced along with the nature of distribution of locations of vehicles in the air corridor and collision probability inside the corridor are discussed. Finally, the results of simulations of traffic flows are presented.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is diffused worldwide, and it is responsible for potentially severe chronic liver disease and primary liver cancer. Chronic infection remains for life if not spontaneously eliminated and viral persistence profoundly impairs the efficiency of host’s immunity. Attempts have been made to develop an effective vaccine, but efficacy trials have met with failure. The availability of highly efficacious direct acting antivirals (DAA) has shed hopes for progressive elimination of chronic HCV infection; however, this approach requires a global monumental effort. Moreover, DAA treatment does not completely restore the normal immunologic homeostasis. Here we discuss the main immunological features of immune responses to HCV and the epigenetic scars that chronic viral persistence leaves behind.

Background and aim: To explore the discriminant accuracy of Cytokeratin 18 (CK18, including M65 and M30 forms) for an elevated fatty liver index (FLI) as a validated proxy of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in the general population. Methods: Both serum CK18 forms were measured using a commercial immunoassay in randomly selected samples from 312 participants of the PREVEND general population cohort. FLI ≥60 was used to indicate NAFLD. Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and the SCORE2 were used to estimate the 10-year risk of CVD. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, linear/logistic regression models and Spearman's correlations were used. Results: Intricate associations were found between CK18, FLI and CVD risk scores. While M30 was the only independent predictor of FLI≥60, M65 discriminated best NAFLD individuals at very-high 10-years CVD risk according to SCORE2 (AUC:0.71; p=0.001). Values above the predefined manufacturer cut-off (400 U/l), were associated with an independent 5-fold increased risk (adjusted odds ratio: 5.44, p=0.01), with negative predictive value of 93%. Conclusions: Confirming that NAFLD is associated with an increased CVD risk, our results point to CK18 M65 as a candidate biomarker to identify NAFLD individuals at low CVD risk in European general population.

There is little doubt that final victories over pandemics, such as COVID-19, are attributed to herd immunity, either through post-disease convalescence or active immunization of a high percentage of the world's population with vaccines, demonstrating protection from infection and transmission, being available in large quantities and at reasonable prices. However, it is assumable that humans with immune defects or immune suppression, e.g., as a consequence of allograft transplantation, cannot be immunized actively nor produce sufficient immune responses to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections. These subjects desperately need other strategies, such as sophisticated protection measures and active immunization. Hypertonic salt solutions attack vulnerable core areas of viruses, i.e., salt denatures surface proteins and thus prohibits virus penetration of somatic cells. It has to be ensured that somatic proteins are not affected by denaturation regarding this unspecific virus protection. Impregnating filtering facepieces with hypertonic salt solutions is a straightforward way to inactivate viruses and other potential pathogens. As a result of the contact of salt crystals on the filtering facepiece, these pathogens become denatured and inactivated almost quantitatively. Such a strategy could be easily applied to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and other ones that may occur in the future. Another possible tool to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is passive immunization with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, preferably from human origin. Such antibodies can be harvested from patients´ human sera, which have successfully survived their SARS-CoV-2 infection. The disadvantage of a rapid decrease of the immunoglobulin titer after infection ends can be overcome by immortalizing antibody-producing B-cells via fusion with, e.g., mouse myeloma cells. The resulting monoclonal antibodies are then of human origin and available in, at least theoretically, unlimited amounts. Finally, dry blood spots are a valuable tool for surveilling the population´s immunity.

Considering the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, onshore wind energy is certain to play a major role in future energy systems. This topic has received significant attention from the research community, producing many estimations of Europe's onshore wind potential for capacity and generation. Despite this focus, previous estimates have relied on distribution assumptions and simulation schemes that summarily under predict both the amount of available future wind capacity as well as its performance. Foremost in this regard is the common use of contemporary, or at least near-future, turbine designs which are not fitting for a far-future context. To fulfill this role, an improved, transparent, and fully reproducible work flow is presented for determining European onshore wind potential. Within a scenario of turbine cost and design in 2050, 13.5 TWof capacity is found to be available, allowing for 34.4 PWh of generation. By sorting the explicitly-placed potential generation locations by their expected generation cost, national relations between turbine cost and performance versus a desired capacity are exposed. In this way, it is shown that all countries possess some potential for onshore wind energy generation below 4 €_ct kWh^-1. and, furthermore, that it is unlikely for these costs to exceed 6 €_ct kWh^-1.

Galdieria maxima is a polyextremophilic alga capable of diverse metabolic processes. Ammonia is widely used in culture media typical of laboratory growth. Recent reports that this species can grow on wastes promote the concept that G. maxima might have biotechnological utility. Accordingly, there is a need to know the range of pH levels that can support G. maxima growth in a given nitrogen source. Here, we examined the combined effect of pH and nitrate/ammonium source on the growth and long-term response of the photochemical process to a pH gradient in different G. maxima strains. All were able to use differing nitrogen sources, despite both the growth rate and photochemical activity were significantly affected by the combination with the pH. All strains acidified the NH4+-medium (pH<3); only G. maxima IPPAS P507 showed reduced capacity in lowering the pH from 6.5. pH was a limiting factor in nitrate uptake at pH≥6.5; noteworthy, at pH 5 on nitrate G. maxima ACUF551 showed a good growth performance, despite the alkalization of the medium.

Macrophages are well known for the involvement in the biocompatibility, as well as biodistribution, of nano(bio)materials. Although there are a number of rodent cell lines, they may not fully recapitulate primary cell responses; particularly for those of human cells. Isolation of tissue resident macrophages, from humans, is difficult and may result in insufficient cells with which to determine the possible interaction with nano(bio)materials. Isolation of primary human monocytes, and differentiation to monocyte-derived macrophages, may provide a useful tool with which to study, further, these interactions. To that end, we developed a standard operating procedure for this differentiation, as part of the REFINE project, and used it to measure the secretion of bioactive molecules from M1 and M2 differentiated monocytes in response to model nano(bio)materials, following an initial assessment of pyrogenic contamination which may confound, potential, observations. The SOP was deployed in two partner institutions with, broadly, similar results. The work presented here shows the utility of this assay but, highlights the relevance of donor variability in responses to nano(bio)materials. Whilst donor variability can provide some, logistical, challenges to application of such assays, this variability is much closer to the heterogeneous cells that are present in vivo, compared to homogeneous, non-human, cell lines.

Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is a growing public health concern, with rising prevalence and significant impact on individuals across age groups. This systematic review examined pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for CUD among adolescents, young adults, transitioning adults, and older adults. Database searches were conducted for randomized controlled trials of CUD interventions reporting outcomes such as cannabis use, abstinence, withdrawal symptoms, and treatment retention. In total, 53 studies were included. Pharmacological treatments such as cannabinoid agonists, gabapentin, and N-acetylcysteine demonstrated modest benefits predominantly in alleviating withdrawal and craving. Psychosocial approaches including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contingency management conferred greater abstinence and retention, either alone or combined with pharmacotherapy. However, age-specific efficacy remains unclear. Technology-based interventions represent promising alternatives to expand access and improve cost-effectiveness. In conclusion, cannabis disorders require expanded, affordable treatment tailored to individuals’ developmental stage. Further research should clarify the utility of harm reduction outcomes and establish age-specific best practices.

The Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) Investigator Qualification Project addresses the need for a more efficient and effective means of identifying qualified clinical investigators and delegates. Selection of investigators and delegates who are qualified by training and experience to conduct clinical trials is essential to safeguarding protections for study participants and ensuring data quality and integrity. Sponsors generally document investigator qualification through training on the principles of good clinical practice (GCP), as defined by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), adopted by regulatory authorities in the US, Japan and the European Union. Although these GCP principles provide an important foundation for promoting the conduct of quality clinical trials, the industry standard “one-size-fits-all” GCP training may not fully prepare investigators and delegates for conducting quality clinical trials. Routine GCP training alone may not be sufficient to prepare an inexperienced member of a site team, while repeating such training is unlikely to enhance the qualifications of an experienced researcher. The CTTI project team used findings from qualitative research activities, as well as input from an expert meeting with multiple stakeholders, to identify gaps and redundancies in the current training of investigators and their delegates and recommend practical, action-based solutions. CTTI provides recommendations on how to implement a more efficient and effective means of qualification for investigators and delegates, determine whether a site team is a good fit for a particular protocol, and improve the quality of clinical trial conduct.

Abstract: Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) induces respiratory and urogenital disease in chickens. Although IBV replicates in the gastrointestinal tract, enteric lesions are uncommon. We have reported a case of runting-stunting syndrome in commercial broilers from which an IBV variant was isolated from the intestines. The isolate, CalEnt, demonstrated an enteric tissue tropism in chicken embryos and SPF chickens experimentally. Here, we determined the full genome of CalEnt and compared it to other IBV strains, in addition to comparing the pathobiology of CalEnt and M41 in commercial broilers. Despite the high whole-genome identity to other IBV strains, CalEnt is rather unique in nucleotide composition. The S gene phylogenetic analyses showed great similarity between CalEnt and Cal 99. Clinically, vent staining was slightly more frequent in CalEnt-infected birds than those challenged with M41. Furthermore, IBV IHC detection was more evident and the viral shedding in feces was overall higher with the CalEnt challenge compared with M41. Despite underlying intestinal lesions caused by coccidiosis and salmonellosis vaccination, microscopic lesions in CalEnt-infected chickens were more severe than in M41-infected chickens or controls, supporting the enteric tropism of CalEnt. Further studies in SPF chickens are needed to determine the pathogenesis of the virus, its molecular mechanisms for the enteric tropism, and its influence in intestinal health.

Background: Cell-free plasma DNA (cfDNA) is composed of circulating extracellular DNA originating from apoptosis or cell necrosis. It is generally present in healthy individuals, but its levels increase in different clinical conditions, such as kidney disease, sepsis, myocardial infarction, trauma and cancer. Caspase-3 plays a central role in apoptosis, a mechanism of programmed cell death involved in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: We compared cfDNA and caspase-3 levels in 25 CKD patients and in 10 healthy subjects, evaluating the modification of their concentrations according to CKD stage. We also analyzed the correlation between cfDNA and caspase-3 levels in CKD patients and the correlation between cfDNA and caspase-3 levels and creatinine and urea. Results: CfDNA and caspase-3 levels were higher in CKD patients compared to healthy subjects, in particular in patients with advanced renal disease. A positive correlation between cfDNA and caspase-3 levels and between cfDNA and caspase-3 and creatinine and urea was also observed. Conclusion: Patients with chronic kidney disease present higher levels of cfDNA and caspase-3 levels compared with healthy subjects. The worsening of renal damage and the increase in uremic toxin concentration are associated to higher levels of cfDNA and caspase-3 levels, thus reflecting a central role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of CKD.

Verticillium wilt is a soil borne disease caused by distinct vegetative compatibility groups (VCG) of the fungus Verticillium dahliae. Two V. dahliae isolates were recovered from symptomatic cot-ton plants in Australian cotton fields and were assigned to two distinct vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs). One corresponding to the defoliating (VCG 1A) and the other non-defoliating (VCG 2A) pathotypes of Verticillium, have been transformed with Red and Green Fluorescent protein genes, respectively. The transformants maintained their ability to infect cotton and both strains were observed to colonise the xylem vessels of cotton plants. Moreover, we observed that the cotton V. dahliae strains could also infect some sampled non-Gossypium species found in the Australian landscape. The fluorescently labelled strains of V. dahliae will allow us to gain a thorough understanding of the infection processes of this important pathogen.

The firmware developed for the readout and trigger processing of the information emerging from BIS78-RPC Muon Spectrometer chambers in the ATLAS experiment at CERN, is presented here, together with data processing techniques, data acquisition software and tests of the readout chain system, on the road to make these chambers operational in the ATLAS experiment. This work is performed in the context of the BIS78-RPC project, which deals with the pilot deployment of a new generation of sMDT+RPC chambers in the experiment. Such chambers are planned to be fully deployed in the whole barrel inner layer of the Muon Spectrometer during the Phase-II upgrade of the ATLAS experiment. On-chamber front-ends include an amplifier, a discriminator ASIC and an LVDS transmitter. The signal is digitized by CERN HPTDC chips and then processed by an FPGA which is the heart of the readout and trigger processing, using various techniques. The work presented here is a continuation of the work presented in [1].

Protective coatings, in recent years also from nanocomposite formulations, are commonly applied onto architectural stone and stone artefacts, mainly to prevent absorption into the porous stone structure of condensed water and dissolved atmospheric pollutants. While standard protocols are available to assess a coating’s performance, understanding the response of the coating-stone system is a complex task, due to the interplay of various factors determining the overall behaviour. Characterization techniques allowing to correlate the extent and nature of surface modification upon treatment with the most relevant physical properties (i.e water absorption and surface wettability) are thus of great interest. Electrokinetic analysis based on streaming current measurements, thanks to its sensitivity towards even minor changes in the surface chemical composition, may fulfil such requirement. Indeed, by involving the interaction with a testing aqueous electrolyte solution, this technique allows to probe not only the outer surface but also the outermost layer of the pore network, which plays a crucial role in the interaction of the stone with condensed atmospheric water. In this work a correlation was found between the extent of surface modification, as determined by streaming current measurements, surface wettability and capillary water absorption of 6 coating-lithotype combinations (3 lithotypes and 2 nanocomposites).

Parents’ attitudes and practices may support the children’s reactions to treatments for leukemia and their general adjustment. This study has two aims: to explore parenting depending on child's age and to develop and test a model on how family processes influence the psycho-social development of children with leukemia. Patients were 118 leukemic children and their parents recruited at the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua. All parents were Caucasian with a mean age of 37.39 years (SD = 6.03). Children’s mean age was 5.89 years (SD = 4.21). After the signature of the informed consent, the parents were interviewed using the EFI-C from which we derived Parenting dimension and 3 parental perceptions on child’s factors. One year later, the clinical psychologist interviewed again parents using the VABS scales. The analyses revealed the presence of a significant difference in parenting by child’s age: Infants required a higher and more intensive parenting. Child’s coping to medical procedures at the second week after the diagnosis, controlled for parenting effect, impacted upon child’s adaptation one-year post diagnosis. Specific intervention programmes are proposed in order to help children more at risk just after the diagnosis for developmental delays.

Cannabis Sativa L. has been used for a long time to obtain food, fiber and as a medicinal and psychoactive plant. Today the nutraceutical potential of C. Sativa is being increasingly reappraised; however, C. Sativa roots remain poorly studied, despite citations in the scientific literature. In this direction, we identified and quantified the presence of valuable bioactives (namely β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, friedelin and epi-friedelanol) in the root extracts of C. Sativa, a finding which might pave the way to the exploitation of the therapeutic potential of C. Sativa in all its parts. To facilitate roots harvesting and processing, aeroponic (AP) and aeroponic elicited cultures (AEP), have been set up and compared to soil-cultivated plant (SP): interestingly a considerable overgrowth of the plants - particularly of roots - and a significant increase (up to 20 fold in the case of β-sitosterol) in the total content of the above roots’ bioactive molecules have been observed in AP and AEP. In conclusion aeroponics, an easy, standardised, free of contaminant cultivation tecchnique, allows an ease harvesting/processing of roots along with a greater production of their secondary bioactive metabolites which could be utilized in the formulation of health promoting and health care products.

There is still little research on psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction and reported problems in preadolescents and adolescents under therapy for leukaemia, and also little research comparing them with their healthy peers. The present study aims to analyse the life satisfaction, hope, psychological wellbeing and reported problems’ intensity in patients aged 8-18 during the first year of therapy, to identify those more at risk and to compare their reports with matched healthy peers. After the parental written consent signature, a battery of self-reported questionnaires was administered during hospitalisation or day hospital admissions post 6 months and post 12 months from the diagnosis. Younger patients (aged 8–13 years) were more at risk than older ones in their problems’ intensity and psychological symptoms; females and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia patients reported lower current life satisfaction perceptions; hope was associated with lower depression symptoms and mood problems. Healthy peers have a better perception of current life, but reported a lower hope score, more anxiety symptoms and more cognitive problems than patients. The first 6 months were more critical for patients’ psychological health. The clinical aim was to identify the patients more at risk in order to prepare ad hoc psychological interventions.

Climate Change is the most serious planetary emergency of our time. Carbon emissions secondary to the healthcare industry account for about ten percent of all emissions in the United States. Health professionals, therefore, need to understand how they can make a difference in their profession, by understanding the health-related impacts of climate change and the importance of healthcare sustainability. An 8-week telementoring Climate Change Healthcare Sustainability ECHO series was developed to educate healthcare professionals in these topics such as the health-related effects of climate change, healthcare sustainability, quality healthcare and carbon accounting. A total of 376 participants from throughout the US and 16 other countries- completed this 8-week series and received no-cost continuing medical education credits. The evaluation consisted of pre and post Zoom polls, weekly post-session surveys and the registration demographics. Participants were primarily physicians and public health professionals who significantly improved their knowledge and communication skills after the course as compared to starting the training.

Transgender (TG) describes individuals whose gender identity differs from the social norms. Some TG people undergo gender-affirming hormone therapy (HT) and may be considered as a sub-group of population susceptible to environmental contaminants for their targets and modes of action. Aim of the work is to set appropriate HT doses and identify specific biomarkers to implement TG animal models. Four adult rats/group/sex are subcutaneously exposed to 3 doses of HT (plus control) selected starting from available data. Demasculinizing-feminizing model (dMF): β-estradiol plus cyproterone acetate: 0.09+0.33, 0.09+0.93 and 0.18+0.33 mg, 5 times/week. Defeminizing-masculinizing model (dFM): testosterone 0.45, 0.95 and 2.05 mg, 2 times/week. Clitoral gain and sperm count, histophatological analysis of reproductive organs and liver, hormone serum levels and gene expression of sex-dimorphic CYP450 are evaluated. In dMF model, the selected doses, leading to T serum levels at the range of the corresponding cisgender, induced strong general toxicity and cannot be used in long-term studies. In dFM model, 0.45 mg of testosterone represents the correct dose. In addition, the endpoints selected are considered suitable and reliable to implement the animal model. The sex-specific CYP expression is a suita-ble biomarker to set proper (de)masculinizing/(de)feminizing HT and to implement TG animal models.

The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development (UD) across the US continues to be at the center of debates regarding safety to health and the environment. This study evaluated the water quality of private water wells in the Eagle Ford Shale within the context of community members’ perceptions. Community members (n=75) were surveyed regarding health status and perceptions of drinking water quality. Water samples from respondent volunteers (n=19) were collected from private wells and tested for a variety of water quality parameters. Of the private wells sampled, 8 had exceedances of MCLs for drinking water standards. Geospatial descriptive analysis illustrates the distributions of the well exceedance as well as the well owners’ overall health status. Surveys showed that the majority of respondents received their water from a municipal source and were significantly more distrustful of their water source than of those on private wells. In many cases, there are statistically significant differences between self-reported, provider undiagnosed conditions and self-reported, provider diagnosed conditions. Attitudes and perceptions of water quality may play an important role in the overall perceived health status of community members in high fracking regions.

Global use of single-use non-biodegradable plastics, like bottles made of polyethylene tereph-thalate (PET), have contributed to catastrophic levels of plastic pollution. Fortunately, microbi-al communities are adapting to assimilate plastic waste. Previously, our work showed a full consortium of five bacteria capable of synergistically degrading PET. Using omics approaches we identified key genes implicated in PET degradation within the consortium’s pangenome and transcriptome. This analysis led to the discovery of a novel PETase, EstB, discovered to hydrolyze oligomer BHET, and polymer PET. Besides genes implicated in PET degradation, many other biodegradation genes were discovered. Over 200 plastic and plasticizer degrada-tion related genes were discovered through the Plastic Microbial Biodegradation Database (PMBD). Diverse carbon source utilization was observed by a microbial community-based as-say, which paired with an abundant number of plastic and plasticizer degrading enzymes in-dicates a promising possibility for mixed plastic degradation. Using RNAseq differential analysis, several genes were predicted to be involved in PET degradation including aldehyde dehydrogenases and several classes of hydrolases. Active transcription of PET monomer me-tabolism was also observed, including the generation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bi-opolymers. These results present an exciting opportunity for the bio-recycling of mixed plastic waste with upcycling potential.

Sweet pepper is an important vegetable in the world. Bacterial leaf spot caused by the pathogen Xanthomonas perforans, is a limiting factor that significantly reduces the quality and yield of sweet pepper To control this disease, the use of chemical fungicides is currently the main disease control method. Thus, we want to develop an alternative method by using antagonistic microorganisms. Under this demand, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PMB04 has strong antagonistic effects against pathogens and can inhibit the occurrence of diseases. B. amyloliquefaciens PMB04 has the potential for the development of a disease control product. Primarily, PMB04 revealed to contain a strong inhibitory effect against all isolated X. perforans strains. In the inoculation assay, the severity of bacterial spot disease on sweet peppers was reduced by PMB04 bacterial suspensions. To increase the convenience of field application for future prospects, the development of PMB04 fermentation liquid was carried out with different ratios of brown sugar and yeast extract in a 30-liter fermentation tank subsequently. Results exhibited that the fermentation liquid of 3-1 formula obtained the highest bacterial population in a 30-liter fermentation tank. The fermentation liquid of 0.5-0.5 formula was the most stable formula under two different conditions in terms of consistent bacterial population and sporulation. In addition, the 200-fold dilution of 3-1 and 0.5-0.5 fermentation liquids revealed best control efficacy on bacterial leaf spot of sweet pepper. Additionally, the results of the 0.5-0.5 fermentation liquid (PMB4FL) with different dilution concentrations also showed that the 200- and 500-fold dilutions had the best control efficacy. To understand the effect of commonly used copper-containing fungicides on sweet peppers on the application of microbial agent PMB4FL, the effects of copper hydroxide and tribasic copper sulfate on the growth of X. perforans strains and B. amyloliquefaciens PMB04 were assayed. The results exhibited that the above two fungicides did not have any inhibitory effect on the growth of PMB04, but had a strong inhibitory effect on the X. perforans strain. In the follow-up control experiment, the treatment of copper hydroxide had no synergistic effect with PMB4FL to control bacterial leaf spot. We concluded that the use of PMB4FL fermentation liquid alone on the leaves can effectively control the occurrence of bacterial leaf spot in sweet pepper crops.

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.

In this study, bioactive compounds present in chestnut shells (CS) - derived from the industrial peeling processing - were extracted through different procedures. The aqueous extracts were characterized and the highest extraction yield and total phenolic content was obtained by Conventional Liquid Extraction (CLE). Gallic and protocatechuic acids were the main simple phenols in the extract with 86.97 and 11.20 mg/g chestnut shells dry extract (CSDE), respectively. Six tumor cell lines (DU 145, PC-3, LNCaP, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and Hep G2) and one normal prostate epithelial cell line (PNT2) were exposed to increasing concentration of CSDE (1-100 µg/mL) for 24 h and cell viability was evaluated using MTT assay. A reduced rate in cell viability was observed in DU 145, PC-3, LNCaP and MCF-7 cells while viability of MDA-MB-231 and Hep G2 cells was not affected except for PNT2 cells at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. Furthermore, CSDE-at concentrations of 55.5 and 100 µg/mL- lead to a significant increase of apoptotic cells in DU 145 cells of 28.2% and 61%, respectively. In conclusion, our findings showed that CS might be used for the extraction of several polyphenols that may represent good candidates for alternative therapies or in combination with current chemotherapeutics.

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the activity of the remdesivir-nirmatrelvir combination against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to report a case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cured with this combination. Methods: A Vero E6 cell-based infection assay was used to investigate the in vitro activity of the remdesivir-nirmatrelvir combination. The SARS-CoV-2 strains tested were 20A.EU1, BA.1 and BA.5. After incubation, a viability assay was performed. The supernatants were collected and used for viral titration. The Highest Single Agent (HSA) reference model was calculated. An HSA score >10 is considered synergic. Results: Remdesivir and nirmatrelvir showed synergistic activity at 48 and 72 h with an HSA score of 52.8 and 28.6, respectively (p<0.0001). This data has been confirmed performing supernatant titration and against the omicron variants: the combination reduced the viral titer better than the more active compound alone. An immunocompromised patient with prolonged and critical COVID-19 was successfully treated with remdesivir, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, tixagevimab/cilgavimab, and dexamethasone, with an excellent clinical-radiological response. However, she required further off-label prolonged therapy with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir up to the negativization. Conclusion: Remdesivir-nirmatrelvir combination has synergic activity in vitro. This combination may have a role in immunosuppressed patients with severe COVID-19 and prolonged viral shedding.

In food industry, there is a growing demand for cost-effective methods for inline inspection of food items able to non-invasively detect small foreign bodies which may have contaminated the product during the production process. Microwave imaging may be a valid alternative to the existing technologies, thanks to its inherently low-cost and its capability of sensing low-density contaminants. In this paper, a low-complexity microwave imaging system specifically designed to enable the inspection of a large variety of food products is presented. The system consists of two Circularly Loaded Antipodal Vivaldi Antennas, having a very large operative band, from 1 to 15 GHz, thus allowing a suitable spatial resolution for different food products from mostly fatty to high water-content ones. The antennas are arranged in such a way to collect the signal useful to exploit a recently proposed real-time microwave imaging strategy, leveraging the inherent symmetries usually characterizing food items. The system is experimentally characterized, and the achieved results compare favorably with the design specifications and the numerical simulations. Relying on these positive results, a first experimental proof of the effectiveness of the whole system is presented, which confirms its efficacy.

Dermal penetration is considered to mainly occur via passive diffusion. Therefore, a high concentration gradient of dissolved active ingredient between formulation and skin is needed to achieve an effective dermal penetration. The concentration gradient between formulation and skin can be changed by changing the amount of dissolved active ingredient in the formulation. In case of poorly soluble active ingredients this can be achieved by using nanosized drug material instead of larger sized material. The smaller size and the resulting larger surface increase the kinetic solubility and thus increase the concentration gradient of dissolved active ingredient between formulation and skin, which then results in an increased dermal penetration. In this study we demonstrated that the concentration gradient between formulation and skin can also be influenced by the number of particles being present in the formulation and by the dose (volume of formulation) applied to the skin. Particles of undissolved active ingredient are known to act as a reservoir by releasing dissolved molecules in the liquid phase of the formulation. It could now be demonstrated that the particles - once the liquid in which they are dispersed evaporates - can connect to the skin via an aqueous meniscus. The aqueous meniscus contains dissolved active ingredient and therefore creates a small local spot with a locally high concentration gradient and improved dermal penetration. Therefore, the dermal penetration can be increased with formulations that contain high amounts of particles. This can be achieved by applying formulations with high numbers of particles and/or by applying larger volumes of particle containing formulations to the skin.

(1) Background. Cognitive impairment in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been studied in relation to some clinical variables (e.g., motor disability and disease duration) and lifestyle fac-tors such as Cognitive Reserve (CR). However, only very few studies have considered the interac-tion of clinical variables and cognitive reserve in preserving the integrity of the neuropsychologi-cal profile. In this paper, we hypothesised that a higher level of CR might predict good cognitive efficiency by modulating the clinical outcome of the disease. (2) Methods. A sample of 100 partic-ipants with MS (age range 30-74), was recruited and assessed remotely with a questionnaire to measure CR and a cognitive screening test. Data were analysed through Generalized Additive Models. (3) Results. We found that the model analysing the interaction between CR and disease duration, and between CR and motor disability was able to explain a significant percentage of cognitive performance. In particular, higher levels of CR predicted better cognitive performance despite long disease duration, unless the motor disability was severe. (4) Conclusion. This study highlights the crucial role of CR in modulating cognitive efficiency in people with MS.

The emergence of new SARSCoV-2 variants can affect vaccine efficacy, laboratory diagnosis and therapies already available, triggering interest in the search for antiviral agents for SARSCoV-2 infections. Ribavirin (RBV) is a broad-spectrum antiviral with demonstrated in vitro activity against multiple viruses, including SARSCoV-2. Methods. This retrospective study evaluated the dynamic and viral clearance of SARSCoV-2 in hospitalized adult participants (PTs) with COVID-19 pneumonia who received RBV aerosol within a compassionate use study. Was also assessed the impact of RBV on the clinical outcome and the mutational profile of SARSCoV-2. Results. The median RNA values measured in nine PTs included in the study de-creased from baseline to discharge (at BL, threshold cycle (Ct)=22.4, IQR 19.84-5.07; at discharge, Ct=27.92, IQR 26.43-36.11). Seven/9 PTs experienced a clinical improvement, while two PTs deceased during hos-pitalization. In PTs with a favorable outcome the virus clearance rate at discharge was 28.6%. The cumulative clearance rate was 71.4% within day 14th from discharge. A mutational pattern after RBV was detected in 3/5 PTs in whom was available whole genome sequencing. Conclusions. RBV may limit SARSCOV-2 replication resulting in a favorable clinical outcome. Ribavirin may also contribute to the mutational spectrum of SARSCoV-2.

In the European Union, Occupational Safety and Health legislation generally refers to European Regulation (CE) n. 1272/2008 to define and classify carcinogens of concern for occupational risk assessment and exposure assessment. In Europe, the current reference is Directive (UE) 2022/431, regarding carcinogen, mutagen and reprotoxic agents (CMRs) exposure. However, at worldwide level, different classification approaches are used to establish carcinogenicity of substances and it is often difficult to compare the classifications of carcinogenicity (CoCs) proposed by different international bodies. This study aims to investigate a list of carcinogens of concern in occupational settings based on the CLP (Classification Labelling Packaging) CoC, and to create a tool that allows a rapid translation-comparison of some international CoCs with the reference one. CoCs proposed by various sources were consulted and used to apply a translation method, to favor an alignment of different CoCs according to a reference. Results outlined that considering diverse sources, CoCs can result in different classifications of the same chemicals. Overall, this may have implications for the hazard assessment process, which is the base of risk assessment. The proposed tool is expected to help risk assessors in the occupational field when it is needed to have a comparison with different CoC systems.

The emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 virus in China in December 2019 has turned into a global pandemic through continued spread beyond borders. This review was aimed to extract up-to-date information on the evolution, transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of COVID-19 to fight against this common enemy. PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were the sources of literature; whereas CDC, WHO and Worldometer provided updated information. Bats served as the reservoirs of this virus while pangolin is believed as an intermediate host to transmit the virus to humans. Direct human-to-human and indirect transmissions were involved. Major clinical manifestations included fever, cough, fatigue, sputum production and shortness of breath. Chest radiographs mostly showed bilateral ground-glass opacities. Aged patients and patients with comorbidities had higher case fatality ratios. Critical cases were vulnerable to develop pneumonia, multi-organ failure and deaths. Overall situation in China has improved substantially. The European region and region of the Americas were the worst hit out of six WHO global regions. PCR based methods are used for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Severe/critical cases essentially require supportive or intensive cares. Avoiding exposure to COVID-19 is the best way to prevent the disease. Thus, this review provides a snapshot on COVID-19.

The application of naturally ventilated pig buildings (NVPBs) with outdoor exercise yards is on the rise mainly due to animal welfare considerations, while the issue of emissions from the buildings to the surrounding environment is important. Since air pollutants are mainly transported by airflow, the knowledge on the airflow characteristics downwind the building is required. The objective of this research was to investigate airflow properties downwind of a NVPB with a roofed outdoor exercise yard for roof slopes of 5°, 15°, and 25°. Air velocities downwind a 1:50 scaled NVPB model were measured using a Laser Doppler Anemometer in a large boundary layer wind tunnel. A region with reduced mean air velocities was found along the downwind side of the building with a distance up to 0.5 m (i.e. 3.8 times building height), in which the emission concentration might be high. It was found that a smaller roof slope (i.e. 5° slope) resulted in a higher and shorter wake zone and thus a shorter air pollutant dispersion distance. It was concluded that a smaller roof slope could contribute to the dilution of air pollutants and a lower air pollutant concentration near the ground.

Background: The intrauterine and early extrauterine development represents a “window of opportunity” in the immunological development. The underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to provide reference values B cell subpopulations in cord blood of term newborns, juveniles and in adults to find the spectrum of their physiological age-related variation. Methods: In this study, we used flow cytometry to evaluate human B lymphocytes and subpopulations in cord blood (n = 10), in peripheral blood from healthy juveniles aged 1 to 17 years (n=20) and from donors aged 24 to 62 years (n = 10). Results: Our findings showed increasing frequencies of IgM memory B cells, class-switched memory B cells, marginal zone B cells and plasmablasts, from cord blood to peripheral blood of juveniles and adults. In con-trast, the percentage of naïve B cells was higher in newborns than in juveniles and adults. The frequencies of were similar in cord blood and peripheral blood of adults. Interestingly, transitional B cells frequencies were similar in cord blood and adults but significantly lower in juveniles. Conclusions: The frequencies of circulating B cell subpopulation are subject to considerable changes during on-togeny, reflecting overlying effects of maturation and of the acquisition of an adaptive immune memory.

Considering the harmful effects of cannabis on individuals with a severe mental disorder and the limited effectiveness of current interventions, this case report showcases the beneficial results of a 10-session Avatar intervention for cannabis use disorder (CUD) on a polysubstance user with a comorbid schizoaffective disorder. Virtual reality allowed the creation of an Avatar representing a person significantly related to the patient’s drug use. Avatar intervention for CUD aims to combine exposure, relational, and cognitive behavioral therapies while practicing real-life situations and learning how to manage negative emotions and cravings. Throughout therapy and later on, Mr. C managed to maintain abstinence from all substances. Also, an improvement in the severity of CUD as well as a greater motivation to change consumption, were observed after therapy. As observed by his mother, his psychiatrist, and himself, the benefits of Avatar intervention for CUD extended to other spheres of his life. The drastic results observed in this patient could be promising as an alternative to the current treatment available for people with a dual diagnosis of cannabis use disorder and psychotic disorder, which generally lack effectiveness. A single-blind randomized control trial comparing the treatment with a classical intervention in a larger sample is currently underway to evaluate whether the results are reproducible on a larger sample.

Bacterial infections are a constant challenge in the management of acute and chronic wounds. Chronic wounds, like diabetic foot ulcers, have increased significantly in the last years due to the rise of an aging population. A better understanding of the infectious pathophysiological mechanisms is urgently needed along with new options for the treatment of wound infections and wound healing disorders. New advances in the preparation of biocompatible dressing materials that can be loaded with antimicrobial drugs may improve the topical treatment of infected wounds. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) foils loaded with ciprofloxacin (Cipro-foils) in the presence of acetic acid as co-solvent. We used ex vivo human wounds that were infected with two bacterial strains: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1). The effectiveness of the treatment was demonstrated by the quantification of the living bacteria extracted from the wound and the detection of released immunological mediators in skin extracts and in the skin culture media. We found that Cipro-foils effectively treated the infection with both PAO1 and MRSA. Other than PAO1, MRSA had not proteolytic effects. MRSA infections increased cytokines expression and release. Interestingly, treatment with Cipro-foils could partially counteract these effects.

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

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

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

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

Aging is associated with a decline in immune system functionality. So-called immunosenescence may impair successful vaccination of elderly people. Thus, improved vaccination strategies specifically adapted to an aged immune system are required. We characterized a recombinant MVA expressing a stabilized version of SARS-CoV-2 S protein (MVA-ST) in an aged-hamster model for COVID-19. Intramuscular MVA-ST immunization resulted in protection from disease and severe lung pathology. Importantly, protection correlated with potent activation of SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cells and neutralizing antibodies. Our results suggest that MVA vector vaccines merit further evaluation as clinical candidate vaccines in elderly people to overcome limitations of age-dependent immunosenescence.

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

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) represent a continuum of lifelong impairments resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol, with significant global impact. The “spectrum” of disorders includes a continuum of physical, cognitive, behavioral, and developmental impairments, which can have profound and lasting effects on individuals throughout their lives impacting their health, social interactions, psychological well-being and every aspect of their lives. This narrative paper explores the intricate relationship between oxidative stress and epigenetics in FASD pathogenesis and its therapeutic implications. Oxidative stress, induced by alcohol metabolism, disrupts cellular components, particularly in the vulnerable fetal brain, leading to aberrant development. Furthermore, oxidative stress is implicated in epigenetic changes, including alterations in DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression, which influence gene regulation in FASD patients. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation contribute to epigenetic changes associated with FASD. Understanding these mechanisms holds promise for targeted therapeutic interventions. This includes antioxidant supplementation and lifestyle modifications to mitigate FASD-related impairments. While preclinical studies show promise, further clinical trials are needed to validate these interventions' efficacy in improving clinical outcomes for individuals affected by FASD. This comprehensive understanding of the role of oxidative stress on epigenetics in FASD underscores the importance of multidisciplinary approaches for diagnosis, management, and prevention strategies. Continued research in this field is crucial for advancing our knowledge and developing effective interventions to address this significant public health concern.

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

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

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

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

Nowadays, colon cancer prognosis still difficult to predict, especially in the early stages. Recurrences remain elevated, even in the early stages after curative surgery. Carcidiag Biotechnologies has developed an immunohistochemistry (IHC) kit called ColoSTEM Dx, based on a MIX of biotinylated plant lectins that specifically detects colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) through glycan patterns that they specifically (over)express. A retrospective clinical study was carried out on tumor tissues from 208 non-treated and 21 treated patients with colon cancer, that were stained by IHC with the MIX. Clinical performances of the kit were determined, and prognostic and predictive values were evaluated. With 78.3% and 70.6% of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity respectively, our kit shows great clinical performances. Moreover, patient prognosis is significantly poorer when the MIX staining is “High” compared to “Low”, especially at 5-years of overall survival and for early stages. The ColoSTEM Dx kit allows an earlier and a more precise determination of patients’ outcome. Thus, it affords an innovating clinical tool for predicting tumor aggressiveness earlier and determining prognosis value regarding therapeutic response in colon cancer patients.

Arthropod-borne flaviviruses represent human pathogens of global medical importance, against which no effective small molecule-based antiviral therapy is currently available. Arbidol (umifenovir) is a broad spectrum antiviral compound approved in Russia and China for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza. This compound showed activity against numerous DNA and RNA viruses. Its mode of action is based predominantly on the impairment of critical steps of virus-cell interaction. Here we demonstrate that arbidol possesses a micromolar inhibition activity (EC50 values ranging from 10.57 ± 0.74 to 19.16 ± 0.29 µM) in Vero cells infected with Zika virus, West Nile virus, and tick-borne encephalitis virus, three medically important representatives of arthropod-borne flaviviruses. Interestingly, no antiviral effect of arbidol is observed in porcine stable kidney cells (PS), human neuroblastoma cells (UKF-NB-6), human hepatoma cells (Huh-7 cells) indicating that the antiviral effect of arbidol is strongly cell-type dependent. Arbidol presents a significant increasing in cytotoxicity profiles when tested in various cell lines in the order: Huh-7 < HBCA < PS < UKF-NB-6 < Vero with CC50 values ranging from 18.69 ± 0.1 to 89.72 ± 0.19 µM. Antiviral activity and acceptable cytotoxicity profiles suggest that arbidol could be a promising candidate for further investigation as a potential therapeutic agent in treating flaviviral infections.

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

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

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that is highly prevalent in women of Indian ethnicity. Clinical practice guidelines do not adequately consider ethnic-cultural differences in the care of women with PCOS. This study aimed to explore ethnic Indian women’s experiences with PCOS diagnosis and management, their concerns and it’s impact on their quality of life (QoL). Methods: Global online survey of ethnic Indian women of reproductive age living with PCOS. Results: Respondents (n=4409) had a mean age of 26.8 (SD 5.5) years and the majority were diagnosed with one or more co-morbidities (anxiety/depression being the most common). Women waited one year on average before seeking treatment following symptom onset. Irregular periods, cysts on the ovaries and excess unwanted facial hair growth were their three major concerns. Weight and emotional concerns had the greatest impact on QoL. One-third did not receive information on long-term complications, appropriate behavioral advice to improve diet or exercise, or emotional support following diagnosis. Among those who received information at diagnosis, the majority were dissatisfied. Conclusions: Ethnic Indian women wait for a considerable time before seeking medical help for PCOS, have poor QoL relating to weight and mental health and are dissatisfied with the information and support provided at diagnosis. These gaps in care should be addressed in clinical practice and future research.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two interesting compounds such as quaternary ammonium lignin(QAL) and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) were synthesized as ionic liquids(QP-ILs) for the extraction of metal ions. The extraction behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) from chloride solution was compared between QP-ILs and P507. The results showed that the extraction rates of Co(II) and Ni(II) in the two solutions varied with the extraction conditions, but QP-ILs has stronger extractability for cobalt than P507, while Ni is on the contrary. Under the same conditions, the Co/Ni separation performance(βCo/Ni) in QP-ILs is superior to that in p507. At pH4.0, 55℃, concentration of 20%, extraction time of 10 minutes, the βCo/Ni of QP-ILs reached to 2703, while that of P507 was only 164. In conclusion, QP-ILs was more efficient than P507 for separating Co from mixed solutions.

Brain aging causes a wide variety of changes at molecular and cellular levels, leading to the decline of cognitive functions and increased vulnerability to neurodegenerative disorders. The research aimed at understanding the aging of the brain has made much progress in recent decades. Technological innovations such as single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), proteomic analyses, and spatial transcriptomic analyses have facilitated the research on the dynamic changes occurring within neurons, glia, and other cells along with their impacts on intercellular communication during aging. In this review, we introduce recent trends of how neurons and glia change during aging and discuss the impact of the brain microenvironment such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Museums are called to respond to contemporary challenges and contribute to the formation of more progressive societies. One of the major challenges of our time is climate change and museums could construct cocreated narratives around climate and implement targeted actions for the audiences through their sensorial and affective experiences. More specifically, Geology and Palaeontology museums are repositories of knowledge on geoheritage and geoconservation, recognized for their scientific, pedagogical, cultural and recreational values. The educational potential of geological and paleontological exhibits could be used in informal education activities regarding the climate emergency. Taking the above into consideration, this study focuses on both the creation and evaluation of an educational program for the Natural History Museum of Arsakeio Campus at Psychicko.

In this paper, we study the semilinear pseudo-parabolic equations $\displaystyle u_{t} - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u_{t} = \left|u\right|^{p-1}u$ on a manifold with conical singularity, where $\triangle _{\mathbb{B}}$ is Fuchsian type Laplace operator investigated with totally characteristic degeneracy on the boundary $x_{1} = 0$. Firstly, we discuss the invariant sets and the vacuum isolating behavior of solutions with the help of a family of potential wells. Then, we derive a threshold result of existence and nonexistence of global weak solution: for the low initial energy $J(u_{0})<d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) >0$ or $\displaystyle\Vert \nabla_{\mathbb{B}}u_{0}\Vert_{L_{2}^{\frac{n}{2}}(\mathbb{B})} = 0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$; for the critical initial energy $J(u_{0}) = d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) \geq0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$. The decay estimate of the energy functional for the global solution and the estimates of the lifespan of local solution are also given.