Understanding and controlling reproductive cycles and gonadal maturation in cultivated species are crucial in aquaculture. The sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, known for its edible gonads, requires careful maturation control for both reproduction and commercialization. This study explores the impact of temperature, photoperiod, and diet on gonadal development to enhance year-round aquaculture practices. Using two independent cultivation systems, we manipulated environmental conditions to mimic different seasons. Sea urchins were exposed to natural or manipulated temperature and photoperiod conditions and fed either natural (Ulva spp.) or formulated diets. The gonadosomatic index (GI) and histological analysis assessed gonadal development. Results revealed a clear correlation between environmental conditions, diet, and gonadal maturation. Manipulated conditions accelerated maturation, with sea urchins showing advanced stages compared to natural conditions. Furthermore, sea urchins fed formulated diets exhibited higher GI values, indicating enhanced maturation. Histological analysis confirmed accelerated maturation, particularly in females. The study underscores the feasibility of controlling gonadal maturation through environmental manipulation and diet, enabling year-round marketable gonad production. Providing formulated diets rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, notably docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), enhances commercial value. These findings optimize aquaculture practices for P. lividus, highlighting its adaptability to yield-maximizing production strategies. Understanding and controlling reproductive cycles and gonadal maturation in cultivated species are crucial in aquaculture. The sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, known for its edible gonads, requires careful maturation control for both reproduction and commercialization. This study explores the impact of temperature, photoperiod, and diet on gonadal development to enhance year-round aquaculture practices. Using two independent cultivation systems, we manipulated environmental conditions to mimic different seasons. Sea urchins were exposed to natural or manipulated temperature and photoperiod conditions and fed either natural (Ulva spp.) or formulated diets. The gonadosomatic index (GI) and histological analysis assessed gonadal development. Results revealed a clear correlation between environmental conditions, diet, and gonadal maturation. Manipulated conditions accelerated maturation, with sea urchins showing advanced stages compared to natural conditions. Furthermore, sea urchins fed formulated diets exhibited higher GI values, indicating enhanced maturation. Histological analysis confirmed accelerated maturation, particularly in females. The study underscores the feasibility of controlling gonadal maturation through environmental manipulation and diet, enabling year-round marketable gonad production. Providing formulated diets rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, notably docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), enhances commercial value. These findings optimize aquaculture practices for P. lividus, highlighting its adaptability to yield-maximizing production strategies.

Aim: We estimated the correlation between serum bilirubin concentrations and insulin resistance in advanced maternal age without diabetes mellitus. Method: The cross-sectional study involved consecutive 50 women of advanced maternal age without diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance (IR) was diagnosed according to the homeostatic model assessment insulin resistant (HOMA-IR) formula and the cut-off point was set to more than 2.5. Serum bilirubin and HOMA-IR were compared between the IR (+) and IR (-) groups. Results: We found that serum bilirubin levels in the IR subjects were significantly decreased compared to those without IR (p = 0.0252). Serum bilirubin concentrations were negatively correlated with the weight and the fasting insulin concentrations in all subjects (r=−0.282, p=0.047, r=-0.424, p=0.002). Additionally, serum bilirubin had a negatively correlation with HOMA-IR (r = -0.410, p = 0.003) in all subjects. The multiple linear regression analysis found that serum total bilirubin levels were independently correlated with HOMA-IR (beta = -0.392, p= 0.015) in these subjects. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that serum bilirubin concentrations had negatively correlation with insulin resistance in advanced pregnant women without diabetes mellitus, and decreased serum bilirubin may forebode increased gestational diabetes mellitus risk in our study population.

The maritime industry contributes to over 80% of global trade and ranks as the sixth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The International Maritime Organization has taken strides to reduce these emissions, while the European Union spearheads efforts to establish sustainable maritime transport. However, meeting decarbonisation targets poses significant challenges, with the potential implications of adopting an EU Emission Trading System (ETS) on shipping allowances, particularly at specific borders. If not managed effectively, this could result in diversifying regular container shipping routes away from EU ports, potentially leading to increased shipping emissions and disrupting the logistics trade and security chain. These challenges are exacerbated by the International Maritime Organization's lack of a carbon fee on bunkering, which creates an imbalance. The ETS Directive has fostered unfair competition between EU and non-EU ports due to discrepancies in applying emission unit allowances. It is imperative to implement preventive measures to contain and prevent the shift of operations from EU ports to nearby ports, ensure equitable treatment of EU transhipment ports and their competitors, and thwart carbon leakage. Additionally, the recent Houthis attacks on the Red Sea have significantly impacted shipping costs on the Cape of Good Hope route to Europe, necessitating increased allowances to and from Europe.

The maritime industry contributes to over 80% of global trade and ranks as the sixth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The International Maritime Organization has taken strides to reduce these emissions, while the European Union spearheads efforts to establish sustainable maritime transport. However, meeting decarbonisation targets poses significant challenges, with the potential implications of adopting an EU Emission Trading System (ETS) on shipping allowances, particularly at specific borders. If not managed effectively, this could result in diversifying regular container shipping routes away from EU ports, potentially leading to increased shipping emissions and disrupting the logistics trade and security chain. These challenges are exacerbated by the International Maritime Organization's lack of a carbon fee on bunkering, which creates an imbalance. The ETS Directive has fostered unfair competition between EU and non-EU ports due to discrepancies in applying emission unit allowances. It is imperative to implement preventive measures to contain and prevent the shift of operations from EU ports to nearby ports, ensure equitable treatment of EU transhipment ports and their competitors, and thwart carbon leakage. Additionally, the recent Houthis attacks on the Red Sea have significantly impacted shipping costs on the Cape of Good Hope route to Europe, necessitating increased allowances to and from Europe.

This study proposes a risk analysis model based on the principles of ISO 31000 and decision theory for biological agents with potential for offensive use in Brazil. Bibliographic research was conducted on the main models already published on the subject. The German risk classification system was adopted as the main reference because it is adjustable and adopts a semiquantitative approach. After translating and adapting this model to the Brazilian context, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to generate a hierarchical tree with criteria and subcriteria to be considered in the risk assessment. A questionnaire was administered to a group of experts to evaluate the relevant criteria and subcriteria and the risks related to three biological agents (Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis), which were selected in an exploratory manner to exemplify the application of the model. According to the results, the criterion of impact of a biological attack was given greater importance when compared with the probability of occurrence of this event. According to the subcriteria, the greatest weight was attributed to human health when compared with agriculture, the environment, or the economy. Finally, in the evaluation of the three pathogens, B. anthracis was identified as having the highest risk for offensive use in Brazil. This research is focused on a practical approach and can be implemented by competent agencies to foster their capacity for biological defense by determining which pathogens represent the greatest risk to society.

Enhancing soil fertility and maize productivity is crucial for sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of tillage practices, nitrogen management strategies, and acidified hydrochar on soil fertility and maize productivity. The experiment used a randomized complete block design with split-split plot arrangement and four replications. Main plots received shallow tillage and deep tillage. Sub-plots were treated with nitrogen (120 kg ha⁻¹) from farmyard manure and urea, including control, 33% FYM + 67% urea (MU), and 80% FYM + 20% urea (MF). Acidified hydrochar treatments H0 (no hydrochar) and H1 (with hydrochar, 2 t ha⁻¹) were applied to sub-sub plots. Deep tillage significantly increased plant height, biological yield, grain yield, ear length, grains ear-1, thousand grain weight, and nitrogen content compared to shallow tillage. MU and MF improved growth parameters and yield over the control. Hydrochar effects varied; H1 enhanced certain yield components but reduced plant height and soil properties compared to H0. Canonical discriminant analysis linked deep tillage and MU/MF nitrogen management with improved yield and soil characteristics. In conclusion, deep tillage combined with integrated nitrogen manage-ment enhances maize productivity and soil health. However, hydrochar application requires op-timization. These findings highlight the importance of selecting appropriate tillage and nitrogen strategies for sustainable maize production. These insights guide policymakers, agronomists, and agricultural extension services in adopting evidence-based strategies for sustainable agriculture, enhancing food production, and mitigating environmental impacts. Future research should in-vestigate long-term impacts across diverse environments to validate these results.

Many natural signals exhibit a quasi-periodic behavior and are conveniently modeled as a combination of several harmonic sinusoids whose relative frequencies, magnitudes and phases vary with time. The waveform shape of those signals reflects important physical phenomena underlying their generation, which requires that those parameters be accurately estimated and modeled. In the literature, accurate phase estimation and modeling has received much less research effort than frequency estimation, or magnitude estimation. First, this paper addresses accurate DFT-based phase estimation of individual sinusoids in six scenarios involving two DFT-based filter banks and three different windows. It is shown that bias in phase estimation is less than 1E-3 radians when the SNR is equal to or larger than 2.5 dB. Taking as a reference the Cramér-Rao Lower Bound, it is shown that one particular window offers a performance of practical interest by approximating better the CRLB when signal conditions are favorable, and by minimizing the performance deviation when signal conditions are adverse. Second, this paper explains how a shift-invariant phase-related feature can be devised that characterizes harmonic phase structure, which motivates a signal processing paradigm that greatly simplifies parametric modeling, transformation and synthesis of harmonics signals, in addition to facilitating the understanding and reverse engineering of the phasegram. Theory and results are discussed in a reproducible perspective using dedicated experiments that are supported with code allowing not only to replicate figures and results in this paper, but also to expand research.

Longitudinal cutting is a most common process in steel structure manufacturing, and the man-hours of the process provide an important basis for enterprises to generate production schedules.However, currently the man-hours in factories are mainly estimated by experts, and the accuracy of this method is relatively low.In this study,we propose a system that predicts man-hours with history data in the manufacturing process and that can be applied in practical structural steel fabrication.The system addresses the data inconsistency problem by one-hot encoding and data normalization techniques,Pearson correlation coefficient for feature selection,and the Random Forest Regression(RFR) for prediction.Compared with the other three Machine Learning(ML) algorithms, the Random Forest algorithm has the best performance.The results demonstrate that the proposed system outperforms the conventional approach and has better forecast accuracy, so that it is suitable for man-hours prediction.

Cancer, characterized by abnormal cell proliferation driven by genetic mutations, remains a significant health challenge. Tailoring effective therapies depends on factors like tumor location, grade, and stage, alongside patient condition. Leveraging Nano-carrier encapsulated drugs offers a promising avenue, as they accumulate preferentially at tumor sites, enhancing therapeutic efficacy while mitigating side effects. Polymeric Nano-carriers, with their customizable properties, further optimize drug delivery efficiency and specificity. Incorporating active targeting ligands such as antibodies, carbohydrates, peptides, folates, and aptamers-onto polymeric nanoparticle surfaces through techniques like functionalization, adsorption, and conjugation plays a pivotal role in directing therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Consequently, polymeric nanoparticles emerge as the carrier of choice for delivering drugs to various tumor types, including breast, colon, lung, prostate, liver, and spleen tumors.

Abstract. The remarks by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the toll of the famines that afflicted occupied Iran in World War I and World War II indicate a desire to incorporate these calamities in Iran’s national narrative and collective memory. His criticism of famine historiography and stated toll numbers, and the unfolding catastrophic famine in Gaza, justify and necessitate a fresh look at each famine’s historiography and toll. This article re-estimates the toll of each famine by including many overlooked and neglected primary sources and in ways not previously done. It builds a trajectory of Iran’s demographic development from 1810 to 1944, and derives the toll of each famine. The World War II famine and typhus epidemics had claimed 5.5 million. World War I famine was also more deadly, though the 1869-73 famine was not far behind. At least 15.5 million Iranians died in the two world wars, a fact nowhere reflected in the history of the conflicts. Iran’s 1944 population of 12 million was unchanged from that of 1850 and a century of population growth obliterated

In this paper, we thoroughly explore the complex realm of cryptography, examining its historical, cultural, and metaphorical aspects. We delve into the roots of cryptography, tracing back to its Ancient Greek origins where it meant the study of secure and hidden writing. We also reveal the historical significance of cryptography in times of war and conflict, showcasing how it has been a vital tool for encoding messages and maintaining confidentiality. Furthermore, we uncover the surprising connection between cryptography and love, highlighting moments from history, such as the encrypted letters between Marie Antoinette and Axel von Fersen during the French Revolution, which showcase the human desire to communicate and connect even during times of turmoil. This paper delves into the cultural and metaphorical representations of cryptography, with a specific focus on the iconic characters Alice and Bob and how they are reinterpreted in different cultural contexts. The paper draws parallels between the complexities of the intertwining of logical, emotional, technical, and personal narratives in cryptographic discourse, offering insights into the lasting legacy of cryptographic metaphors in explaining complex concepts and emphasising the universal human desire for secure and intimate connections.

This study addresses the implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9) in the European Union as of January 1, 2018, replacing the International Accounting Standard 39 (IAS 39) to introduce a new model for recognizing Loan Loss Provisions (LLP) based on Expected Credit Loss (ECL). This model responds to criticisms of the former Incurred Credit Loss (ICL) system for its inability to reflect credit losses in a timely manner, potentially exacerbating the effects of financial crises (Bushman & Williams, 2015; Gebhardt & Novotny-Farkas, 2011). The study focuses on the effects of adopting the ECL model on the level of Loan Loss Allowances (LLA) in loans, own equity, and the Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio across 13 Portuguese commercial banks. A mean comparison test is used to evaluate scenarios before and after the application of the ECL model, highlighting the importance of regulator actions and the adequacy of loss recognition policies, including the effects of Regulation (EU) 2017/2395 of December 12. The results obtained demonstrate significant negative impacts on the net values of loans, own equity, and the CET1 ratio upon adopting the IFRS 9 ECL model, due to the widespread increase in LLAs.

The comfort of the elderly in hospital settings requires a special attention from the involved health care professionals, particularly nurses, since hospitalization often generates suffering and discomfort. In such contexts, it is essential to take into account the specific characteristics of the elderly, considering their life experiences and their needs, to promote the health, well-being, and comfort of this population. Hence, the present work aimed to explore the nursing interventions that promote comfort among the elderly in hospital settings. A mixed descriptive exploratory study was conducted, through the application of a questionnaire, using intentional non-probabilistic sampling. The study encompassed 55 elderly individuals hospitalized in a medical service of a public hospital located in Lisbon. The results show that the participants perceived a reasonable level of comfort (5.65 ± 6.46). The following categories emerged from the content analysis: 1) Physical interventions; 2) Psycho-spiritual interventions; 3) Socio-cultural interventions; and 4) Environmental interventions. These findings help to understand comfort-promoting nursing interventions in the studied population. It was concluded that, to improve care quality, comforting interventions should focus on the elderly patient’s individuality, through support activities, empowerment, and the preservation/correction of the surrounding environment. Additionally, the provided care should be based on the real needs, expectations, preferences, and values of the elderly individual.

Many corporations have now revised their value statements to showcase their commitment to sustainable development and green business due to the pressing issues of climate and environmental damage. Despite the importance of value statements that can direct companies to achieve sustainable goals, what kind of values can be perceived as organizational orientations to sustainability remains unknown. This study explores how the general public views the inclusion of sustainable components in value statements from the listed companies in Hong Kong by using Q-sort methodology (n = 30). Analyzing the final sample of 40 value statements extracted from 27 listed companies, we identified three factors related to sustainability, namely, Empowering business process management, Empowering customer-centric excellence, and Empowering sustainable progress. This study provides an additional component to the traditional triple bottom line by suggesting that internal operation of a company is an emerging idea to understand corporate sustainability.

Healthcare professionals constantly face situations that reflect ecosystems’ degradation. These can negatively affect their mental health. Research suggests that hope and resilience can play an important role in this scenario, since they are related to/predict mental health in highly heterogeneous samples (considering geography, age, profession, health, etc.). In this context, the aims of the present study are: to characterize and explore the relationship between hope, resilient coping and mental health of Portuguese healthcare professionals. Using Google Forms, 276 healthcare professionals answered to the GHQ-28, the (adult) Trait Hope Scale, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (cross-sectional study). The minimum and maximum possible scores were reached, with the exception of the maximum score of GHQ-28-Total. Regarding Hope, 19.6% scored below the midpoint (M=43.46, SD=11.97); 29.3% revealed low resilience (M=14.93, SD=4.05); and the average of 4 of the 5 Mental Health scores (exception: Severe Depression) indicates the probability of a psychiatric case. Hope correlated with Social Dysfunction and GHQ-28-Total; resilient coping proved to be a (weak) predictor of 4 of the 5 GHQ-28 indicators (exception: Severe depression). The results support the need to promote the sample's mental health, hope and resilient coping. They also suggest that stimulating resilient coping may contribute to improving healthcare professionals’ mental health.

This research focuses on examining the responses of interest groups listed in the European Transparency Register to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Its aim is to investigate the nuanced reactions of 2,579 commercial and business associations and 2,957 companies and groups to the conflict, as expressed through their X (Twitter) activities. Utilizing advanced text mining, NLP and LDA techniques, this study conducts a comprehensive analysis encompassing language dynamics, thematic shifts, sentiment variations, and activity levels exhibited by these entities both before and after the outbreak of the war. The results obtained reflect a progressive decreasing in negative emotions regarding the conflict over time. Likewise, multiple forms of outside lobbying are identified in the communication strategies of interest groups. All in all, this empirical inquiry into how interest groups adapt their messaging in response to complex geopolitical events holds the potential to provide invaluable insights into the multifaceted role of lobbying in shaping public policies.

This paper aims to assess whether the financial performance of Portuguese companies that publish sustainability reports (SR) differs from the financial performance of companies that do not publish SR. We use two methodological procedures. First, we conducted a univariate analysis to test the differences in the financial performance according to the disclosure of SR. Second, we conducted a multivariate analysis using a multiple linear regression that explains financial performance by the disclosure of SR, as well as control variables such as sector, size, leverage, growth, and liquidity. Findings indicate that financial performance of companies that disclose SR does not significantly differ from the financial performance of companies that do not disclose SR. The results are robust to both methodological procedures, as well as to the sample split by sectors.

Blockchain technology (BCT) has the potential for sustainable development, enhancing business efficiency, reducing costs, and strengthening data security. Despite its potential, adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is low due to the need for significant changes in technology infrastructure and the challenge of interoperability. A cross-sectional survey was done with 226 Hong Kong SMEs. The PLS-SEM results highlighted favorable transformation conditions as the most critical factor for SMEs considering the adoption of BCT. These conditions address both internal and external readiness for adopting the disruptive strategy. Other contributing factors to BCT adoption include trust in BCT developers, perceived usefulness and ease of use, government support, and perceived security. The research results contributed to the literature on disruptive technology acceptance, adoption, transformation conditions, technology readiness, and SMEs’ technology adoption. Government-supported policies and initiatives can promote BCT adoption, including educational programs, case studies, and resources for readiness. Financial support and regulatory frameworks can further encourage adoption. BCT developers can demonstrate the value of their systems, effectively communicate potential ROI and cost savings, and provide user-friendly interfaces to increase SMEs’ intention to adopt BCT.

The Axillary Seabream Pagellus acarne is of economic importance for recreational and commercial fisheries in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, but a decline in total landings has been observed and raised some concern. Although biological information on the species has been provided for the Atlantic and Mediterranean, in the Portuguese continental slope data is restricted to the southern part of the country, which points to the relevance of the present work. A total of 520 individuals, between 7.8 cm and 39.9 cm TL, were monthly collected from September 2020 to August 2022 from commercial landings of fishing vessels operating off mainland Portugal, and used to study age and growth, the reproductive strategy and the annual sexual cycle. Age varied between 0 years (7.8 cm TL) and 15 years (34.2 cm TL) and the von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated from whole-otolith readings (L∞ = 35.2 cm, k = 0.133 yr–1 and t 0 = –2.78 yr). Pagellus acarne proved to be a protandric hermaphrodite species with males prevailing until 28.0 cm TL and females between 28.0 cm and 34.0 cm TL with a brief sex change phase. Females presented asynchronous oocyte development with a batch spawning pattern. The spawning season occurred from April to October with a spawning peak between June and August aas shown by histological analysis of the gonads and high levels of GSI during the period.

Objective: To report time-loss match injuries in Portugal’s “Divisão de Honra” (Portuguese First Tier) 2022/23 season focusing on injury incidence, injury burden, anatomical region and type of injury. Methods: A cohort prospective observational study was conducted. Data was collected through an online form sent for every team medical department categorizing player position, injury type, location and severity. Injury incidence and burden were calculated per 1000-player-match-hours. Results: The overall injury incidence was 54.4 injuries per 1000 player-match-hours (CI95% 30.3-96.2). Forwards had a higher incidence comparing to backs. Lower limbs were the most affected location (52% of the injuries). Sprain/ligaments injuries were the most common type of injury followed by muscle injuries. Discussion: The injury incidence was higher than what is reported in amateur competitions and lower than professional ones. Injury severity was similar to other studies. Our study suggests a lower injury burden compared to other semi-professional and elite leagues. Further research with broader participation and training injury data is needed.

The article explores the concept of 'synthetic man' (SM) in the context of 'synthetic biology' (SB), analysing the potential, challenges, and ethical implications of these achievements. Through dialogue with ChatGPT 4, an in-depth understanding of the evolution, contributions of SM, ChatGPT's contribution, and concerns associated with SM is sought, providing insight into how this technology could affect our society. Our study uses a structured dialogue framework with ChatGPT that addresses essential SM questions regarding SM history, contributions, challenges, and concerns. ChatGPT responses are analysed to extract relevant information and identify trends and insights. The ChatGPT dialogue reveals that MS is still a theoretical and speculative concept with significant advances in gene therapy and genetic engineering. The potential contributions of SM in addressing global challenges such as health, environment and education are identified. Ethical and social concerns such as health risks and psychological impact are also highlighted. Differences in ChatGPT responses were observed between different sessions or even within the same session, which highlighted the limitations in the replicability of the research and sometimes the need for clarification of the questions. The article is distinguished by its unique approach of using an advanced language model to explore a complex and speculative topic. The LLM Dialogue Framework on Technology (LLM-DFonTech) framework proposal for structured dialogue with ChatGPT on various technological topics related to the original contribution provides an adaptable tool for interdisciplinary research in emerging technologies. This methodology opens up new possibilities for analyzing and developing trends in technology and society.

The first treatments with dental implants had low success rates (75%). Nowadays, oral rehabilitation with titanium dental implants has a high success rate (95-98%). The success rate significantly increases due to increased scientific knowledge about osseointegration, changes in surgical techniques, and the development of implant surface treatments. Despite the high success rate of implants, no protocol defines the time for the prosthesis to be installed and loaded after surgery. This work compares a new dental implant's primary (mechanical) and secondary (osseointegration) stability. Dental implant with micro- and nano-roughness surface was placed in 24 patients with a minimum of 35 N.cm and a maximum of 60 N.cm. Primary stability was quantified with a torque wrench and Ostell Mentor. The secondary stability 45 and 60 days after surgery was measured with Ostell. The results showed no statistical difference in secondary stability at 45 and 60 days postoperatively among implants. The success rate of dental implants can be associated with the surface morphology with micro and nano-roughness and the shape of the fillets of the implant threads. When the manufacturer's guidelines are followed, it is possible to prosthetically rehabilitate the patient with an implant 45 days after surgery.

This pioneering study explores the geospatial and temporal patterns of natural and human-induced disasters from 1900 to 2024, providing essential insights into their global distribution and impacts. Utilizing the comprehensive international EM-DAT database, our analysis reveals significant trends and disparities in disaster occurrences and their widespread consequences. Results showed a dramatic escalation in both natural and man-made (technological) disasters over the decades, with notable surges in the 1991-2000 and 2001-2010 periods. A total of 25,836 disasters were recorded worldwide, of which 69.41% were natural disasters (16,567) and 30.59% were man-made (technological) disasters (9,269). The most significant increase in natural disasters occurred from 1961-1970, while man-made (technological) disasters surged substantially from 1981-1990. Seasonal trends reveal that floods peak in January and July, while storms are most frequent in June and October. Droughts and floods are the most devastating in terms of human lives, while storms and earthquakes cause the highest economic losses. The most substantial economic losses were reported during the 2001-2010 period, driven by catastrophic natural disasters in Asia and North America. Our research highlights Asia as the most disaster-prone continent, accounting for 41.75% of global events, with natural disasters making up 61.89% of these events. Oceania, despite experiencing fewer total disasters, shows a remarkable 91.51% of these as natural disasters. Africa is notable for its high incidence of man-made (technological) disasters, which constitute 43.79% of the continent's disaster events. Europe, representing 11.96% of total disasters, exhibits a balanced distribution but tends towards natural disasters at 64.54%. Examining specific countries, China, India, and the United States emerged as the most frequently affected by both natural and man-made (technological) disasters. The impact of these disasters has been immense, with economic losses reaching their highest during the decade of 2010-2020, largely due to natural disasters. The human toll has been equally significant, with Asia recording the most fatalities and Africa the most injuries. Particularly, the decade from 2001 to 2010 experienced the greatest economic losses, primarily driven by natural disasters in Asia and North America. These insights highlight the urgent need for tailored disaster risk management strategies that address the distinct challenges and impacts in various regions. By understanding historical disaster patterns, policymakers and stakeholders can better anticipate and manage future risks, ultimately safeguarding lives and economies.

This article analyzes the Franco-Spanish invasion of Vietnam from 1858 to 1860. Research is based on documents such as correspondence, reports, archives and diplomatic treaties as well as monographs from the time France intended to invade Vietnam through missionary activities until the end of the Franco-Spanish invasion. The article focuses on three basic issues that are the causes of the alliance, the evolution of the French and Spanish coalition invasion in Vietnam and its impact on stakeholders. The research results on the Franco-Spanish invasion of Vietnam indicated that the invasion carried out by this alliance was more special than that of the other French coalitions before. The invasion was based on an alliance without any commitment to the interests and responsibilities of the parties. The goals of France and Spain in this invasion were different. That led to conflict between France and Spain during the invasion and the fall of the alliance. France achieved its goal through an invasion that turned Vietnam into a colony, while Spain had barely achieved its desire to have commercial and missionary interests in the area.

To date, the percentage composition of the lung microbiome in bronchopulmonary cancer has not been summarized. Existing studies on identifying the lung microbiome in bronchopulmonary cancer through 16S rRNA sequencing have shown variable results regarding the abundance of bacterial taxa. Objectives: To identify the predominant bacteria in the lung microbiome of bronchopulmonary cancer from samples collected through bronchoalveolar lavage and to assess their potential role in the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary cancers. Data Sources: A systematic review of English articles using MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science. Search terms included lung microbiome, lung cancer, bronchoalveolar lavage. Study Selection: Randomized clinical trials that investigated the lung microbiome in bronchopulmonary cancer with samples collected via bronchoalveolar lavage. Data Extraction: Independent extraction of articles using predefined data fields, including study quality indicators. Data Synthesis: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, focusing on those that utilized a percentage expression of the microbiome at the phylum or genus level. There was noted heterogeneity between studies, both in terms of phylum and genus, with a relatively constant percentage of the Firmicutes phylum and the genera Streptococcus and Veillonella being mentioned. Significant differences were also observed regarding the inclusion criteria for study participants, the method of sample collection, and data processing. Conclusions: To date, there is no consistent percentage pattern at the phylum or genus level in bronchopulmonary cancer, with the predominance of a phylum or genus varying across different patient cohorts, resulting in non-overlapping outcomes.

As prominent oil producers, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have played a significant role in the global energy market. However, as the world's attention increasingly shifts towards environmental sustainability, understanding the implications of the GCC's economic activities on CO2 emissions becomes indispensable. This research paper investigates the relationship between specific economic indicators and their impact on CO2 emissions in the GCC from 2001 to 2021. The study employs quantile regression, a powerful statistical method that estimates the conditional quantiles of a response variable given a set of predictor variables. The findings reveal several important insights: Financial institution efficiency is significant and negative at a 1% level at the lower (10th) -83537.3 and the higher quantile (90th) -549002.3. The relationship between GDP per capita and CO2 emissions varies across quantiles, highlighting the complexity of the growth-environment nexus. Total patents exhibit a positive and significant relationship with emissions, underscoring the importance of directing innovation towards environmentally sustainable solutions. Renewable energy consumption displays a nuanced relationship with CO2 emissions, with a stronger negative impact observed at higher consumption levels. This underscores the potential of renewable energy to mitigate emissions when integrated at scale. The study's outcomes hold crucial policy implications for the GCC countries as they seek to align economic growth with environmental sustainability. The findings emphasize the importance of fostering financial institution efficiency, promoting green innovation, and expanding renewable energy sources to reduce emissions

This is a review on social laser theory completed with its new developments and applications. An important methodological step towards similarity with quantum physics is the invention and consistent operation with infons. These are excitations of the quantum social-information field carrying social energy and coarse grained content of communications (their color and quasi-color). We study in more detail interactions of infons with social atoms, the processes of absorption and emission (spontaneous and stimulated). We also analyze the dynamics of iterations of the cascades of infons in the social resonators. The latter are based on social networks coupled to laser's gain medium composed of social atoms. Consideration of the pro-war and pro-peace beams leads to the general discussion on the competing beams of social radiation and the conditions for their creation and coexistence. The role of social networks in lasing is illustrated by the protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is highlighted that a human gain medium can approach the state of population inversion with supply of infons of one sort (quasi-color), but the stimulated emission can be induced by injection into the gain medium of infons of a different quasi-color. We call this behavior of social atoms memorylessness. This theoretical property is illustrated with the examples from the modern social-political life.

We report a novel dual-band barrier infrared detector (DBIRD) design using type-II superlattices (T2SLs). The DBIRD structure consists of back-to-back barrier diodes: a "blue channel" (BC) diode which has an nBp architecture, an n-type layer of larger bandgap for absorbing blue band infrared/barrier/p-type layer, and a "red channel" (RC) diode which has an pBn architecture, a p-type layer of smaller bandgap for absorbing red band infrared/barrier/n-type layer. Each has a unipolar barrier using a T2SL lattice matched to a GaSb substrate to impede the flow of majority carriers from the absorbing layer. Each channel in the DBIRD can be independently accessed with a low bias voltage, as is preferable for high-speed thermal imaging. Device modeling of DBIRDs and simulation results of the current-voltage characteristics under dark and illuminated conditions are also presented. They predict that dual-band operation of the DBIRD will produce low dark currents and 27-33% quantum efficiencies for the in-band photons in the BC with λc=5.58 μm, and a nearly-constant 33% in the RC with λc=8.05 μm. The spectral quantum efficiency of the BC for 500 K blackbody radiation is approximately 20% over the range of λ=3 − 4.2 μm, while that of the RC has a peak of 42% at 5.7 μm. The DBIRD may provide improved high-speed dual-band imaging in comparison with NBn dual-band detectors.

Viral diseases are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Virus-specific vaccines and antiviral drugs are the most powerful tools to combat viral diseases. However, broad-spectrum antiviral agents (BSAAs, i.e. compounds targeting viruses belonging to two or more viral families) could provide additional protection of general population from emerging and re-emerging viral diseases reinforcing the arsenal of available antiviral options. Here, we reviewed discovery and development of BSAAs and summarized the information on 120 safe-in-man agents in freely accessible database (https://drugvirus.info/). Future and ongoing pre-clinical and clinical studies will increase the number of BSAAs, expand spectrum of their indications, and identify drug combinations for treatment of emerging and re-emerging viral infections as well as co-infections.

This study investigated the relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMSs) and health-related fitness (HRF) among first and second graders in South Korean elementary schools. It aimed to provide foundational data for developing physical education programs tailored to the motor development stages and fitness levels of younger elementary school students. In October 2023, FMSs (jumping, running, hopping, static balance, dynamic balance, overhand throwing, and kicking) and HRF (muscular strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility) were evaluated among 291 first and second graders. The collected data were analyzed through frequency and multiple regression analyses performed using the SPSS software. The results revealed that higher scores in jumping and hopping are associated with greater muscular strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility. Running had no significant effect on HRF elements. Higher scores in static balance (single-leg stance) were associated with increased muscular strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility, but dynamic balance (balance beam walking) did not have a significant effect. Higher scores in overhand throwing were associated with greater muscular strength and cardiorespiratory endurance, but kicking did not show a significant association. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of prioritizing jumping and static balance in physical education for the well-rounded health development of first and second graders.

Zinc cobalt oxide-zinc hydroxide (ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2) microspheres were successfully fabricated on carbon cloth via a sample hydrothermal method. The surface morphology of these microspheres and their efficacy in degrading methyl violet were further modulated by varying the thermal annealing temperatures. The manipulation of thermal annealing temperatures was pivotal in adjusting the porosity of ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres to amplify their photocatalytic performance. Various analytical techniques were utilized to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field-emission transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Compared to untreated ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, those subjected to thermal annealing exhibited increased specific surface area and light absorption capacity, rendering them highly effective photocatalysts under UVC light exposure. Subsequent studies have confirmed the superior performance of ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres as a reusable photocatalyst for degrading methyl violet and tetracycline. Additionally, trapping experiments during the photodegradation process involving ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres have identified hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O2–) as the primary reactive species.

A proxy war, between a coalition of countries, BLUE and a country, RED, is considered. RED wants to increase the size of the RED territory. BLUE wants to involve more regions in trade and other types of cooperation. GREEN is a small and independent nation that wants to become a member of BLUE. RED attacks GREEN and tries to invade. BLUE decides to give optimal arms support to GREEN. This support can help GREEN in the war against RED and simultaneously reduce the military power of RED, which is valuable to BLUE, also outside this proxy war, since RED may confront BLUE also in other regions. The optimal control problem of dynamic arms support, from the BLUE perspective, is defined in general form. The objective function is a weighted sum of the present value of the free GREEN territory and the present value to BLUE of the net loss of military resources in the RED army. The net loss of RED at a particular point in time is a function of the location of the front line and the size of the mobile GREEN forces behind the RED line. First, it is assumed that the expected net loss is proportional to the force ratio behind the red front line. It is proved that the net loss function is a strictly concave quadratic function of x, the location of the front line. It is also proved that the unique maximum of the net loss function occurs at the same front location, also if the net loss function is proportional to the strength ratio behind the RED lines, raised to any strictly positive exponent. From the BLUE perspective, there is an optimal position of the front. This position is a function of the weights in the objective function and all other parameters. Optimal control theory is used to determine the optimal dynamic BLUE strategy, conditional on a RED strategy, which is observed by BLUE military intelligence. The optimal arms support strategy for BLUE is to initially send a large volume of arms support to GREEN, to rapidly move the front to the optimal position. Then, the support should be almost constant during most of the war, keeping the war front location stationary. In the final part of the conflict, when RED will have almost no military resources left and tries to retire from the GREEN territory, BLUE should strongly increase the arms support and make sure that GREEN rapidly can regain the complete territory and end the war

In Korea, substantial disparities exist in physical environments across regions, exacerbating the polarization between metropolitan and provincial areas, and urban and rural regions. This study examines the differences in physical activity and self-rated health of local communities in relation to satisfaction with the physical environment. By identifying and addressing these underlying causes of health disparities, the study provides foundational data to inform policy efforts. The study utilized data from the 2023 Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It included 231,752 individuals aged 19 and older (105,754 men and 125,998 women) selected through a two-stage probability proportional systematic sampling method. One-on-one online interviews were conducted from May 16 to July 31, 2023. Physical environment was assessed based on public satisfaction with safety, natural and living environments, public transportation, and medical services. Study variables included subjective health status and physical activity, with sub-variables for physical activity encompassing the duration of vigorous and moderate physical activity, walking, and flexibility exercises. For data analysis, MANOVA and ANOVA were conducted, with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Considerable variations in physical activity were observed based on satisfaction with the local community environment. Regarding self-rated health, significant differences were found in safety levels, living environment, and medical services. Satisfaction with the physical environment positively influenced physical activity and self-rated health. Therefore, it is imperative to reduce disparities in the physical environment between regions and enhance residents' satisfaction.

Burning Man is probably the most famous art festival in the world. What started as a bonfire ritual for a small group of friends held on San Francisco beach in 1986, has evolved into an iconic event. Held annually for one week before the Labor Day weekend, the festival attracts over 60,000 participants each year and yields over $8 million in tickets and contributions.This preprint reveals some preliminary results from the economic analysis of Burning Man that is based on the unique data from over 500 surveys collected during several Burning Man events between 2012 and 2018.The paper’s main findings demonstrate that Burning Man is not some hippie get-together with lots of booze and drugs. Instead, it is a lucrative and exclusive event that is attended by bright, wealthy and well-educated people, both from the United States and abroad. A typical Burner is a 32-old childless male with a college degree and an average annual income above $100,000 who attended Burning Man at least two times before and who spends between $5,000 and $6,000 on tickets, fares, gear, and supplies.

Energy and Environment Tax is used globally as a means of environment policy. Energy and Environment tax plays an important role as a driving force for the conversion to environmentally friendly energy. The basic tax principles considered in the design of energy and environmental taxation increases the efficiency of policy instruments. The purpose of this study is to evaluate South Korea’s energy and environmental taxation based on tax principles, namely, equity, efficiency, simplicity, flexibility, and accountability and to suggest directions for improvement. This study applied a methodology that provides policy implications, such as reviewing existing literature and comparing energy and environmental taxes. Results of this study show that South Korea’s energy and environmental taxation is negative in terms of equity, simplicity, and accountability. South Korea’s current energy and environmental tax is regressive to income classes and complex tax structures and it does not objectively measure the impact of energy and environmental taxation. However, energy and environmental taxation is evaluated positively in terms of efficiency and flexibility because it meets the greenhouse gas reduction policy and operates a flexible tax rate. The results of this analysis provide policy implications for reorganizing South Korea’s energy and environmental taxation

This article studies examines the relationship of literature, ideology, and reading through a study of language, or la langue, as explored by De Man, Derrida, and Lacan. It attempts to show that structure, assumed to be the given of language, even within deconstruction, is, as structure, that which undoes structure. Literature explores this possibility of language, which is that it be and not be at the same time. The article finishes by studying the connection between this idea of literature as the possibility of language and the possibility of man, an important theme of the above three thinkers.

Dogs population increased exponentially in the past decade while the birth rate decreased gradually, especially in the developed countries. Due to dogs’ characteristics of loyalty and obedience, most pet owners treated their dogs as their family members or companions, therefore they are willing to select and purchase safe, high quality and nutrition dog food to their dogs. However, there is lack of regulation or standard to reinforce the production or distribution of dog food in Hong Kong. Consequently, this paper will first review the relationship between high dog population and declining birth rate, types of dog food and typical ingredients. Secondly, the potential health implications of various “toxic” food ingredients for dog, hazard analysis of dog food and its testing methods will be investigated. Lastly, this paper will summarize worldwide existing standards and regulations, quality and hygiene management system related to dog food safety to provide insights and suggestions to Hong Kong government about the importance and urgency of implementing regulations and policies to oversee the imported and local manufactured dog food.

The move towards a new Circular Economy (CE) economic model has been advocated and supported in Portugal, however, there is limited research on this topic. To address this gap, a quantitative research based on an online survey was carried out among 99 Portuguese organizations, encompassing a wide range of sectors and sizes. The results show that CE is regarded as a strategic and relevant issue for profitability and value creation. Furthermore, the perception that it requires the adoption of new business models in addition to the classical “reduce, reuse, and recycle” approach is growing. Moreover, based on the hypotheses raised, results suggest that the level of CE adoption is positively impacted by the status of the EMS (Environmental Management System) certification and the willingness to improve the environmental performance and achieve a sustainable business model. However, CE activities are still relatively modest and a friendlier context (fiscal, legal, organizational, etc.) and the stronger support from supply chain agents and consumers are required. Future research should focus on how to design and shape the transition from a linear to a CE economy, and to ascertain if the positive attitude towards CE is materialized in changing the way business is done.

Despite the clinical significance of partial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), research on its associated cognitive function profiles is notably lacking. This study aimed to identify distinct cognitive function profiles in patients with partial PTSD. Medical records of Vietnamese War Korean Veterans undergoing psychiatric assessments, including the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and neurocognitive tests on the same day, were retrospectively reviewed. The participants were divided into partial PTSD (N = 10) and non-PTSD (N = 36) groups based on the CAPS interview. Neurocognitive test score profiles of the partial PTSD and non-PTSD groups were compared. Covariance analysis adjusted for potential confounders in cognitive function. In cognitive profiles, executive function, mental flexibility (measured by Trail Making Test B), and concentration (measured by the Mini-Mental Status Exam) were significantly poorer in the partial PTSD group. When adjusted for age, depressive symptoms, and education level, no significant differences were observed in the cognitive profiles between the partial PTSD and non-PTSD groups. In the current study, executive function and concentration showed deficits in patients with partial PTSD compared with those without PTSD. Partial PTSD cognitive profiles displayed no significant differences from non-PTSD profiles when adjusted for possible confounders such as depressive symptoms.

Tug-of-war (TOW) is an internationally played activity including professional and amateur athletes and defined as early (4000 years ago as a rope less version) in the artwork on Egyptian tomb engravings and is played as per the rules laid out by TWIF, which has 73 member countries and administrative headquarters in the USA. Typically, two teams of “pullers” participate and apply enormous contra directional forces on the pulling rope. Originally, two types of competition are used: knockout and points. This narrative review describes the scientific state of the art about of TOW. For the best of the author’s knowledge no previous information has been published. Anthropometric parameters are near 83.6, lean body mass 69.4, and body fat 16. The VO2MAX is 55.8 ml/kg/min. Relative strength, the dynamic leg power was 4659.8 N. Endurance TOW elicits minimal muscle damage. The injured strains and sprains comprised over half of all injuries: back (42%), shoulder–upper limb (23%) and knee (17%). Pulling movement in TOW contests can be divided into three phases: namely "Drop", "Hold" and "Drive" phase. The maximal pulling forces was 1041.6 ± 123.9 N. The percentage of dynamic pulling force in static maximal pulling force was 75.5 ± 14.4% and the dynamic ranged from 106.4 to 182.5%. There are two gripping styles, indoor and outdoor. The friction characteristics between surface and shoe in TOW is important to determine a suitable shoe for indoor TOW. Waist Belt might be a useful piece of equipment for TOW sport. The EMG technique in Tow described a high activity of dorsal muscle during the pulling. The factor of force vanishing was the coordination among athletes. The force vanishing percentage goes from 8.82±5.59 for 2 contenders to 19.74±2.22 for 8 athletes, 6.4 % in the sum of 2 pullers. However, in the drop phase, for female elite TOW team, only the 0.5 % of them pulling force was wasted. Future studies are need in order to understand better this historical sport activity.

This study investigated changes in the average BMI of 5th and 6th grade elementary school students in Korea and provided foundational data to suggest the role of physical education for student health and set future directions. The 2019–2021 Physical Activity Promotion System (PAPS) of the Korean Ministry of Education was used. Data corresponding to 5th and 6th grade students (124,693 from 2019, 126,226 from 2020, and 117,809 from 2021) in 1,208 elementary schools in Korea were collected. The BMI was obtained by dividing weight by the square of height (㎏/m2). Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted for data analysis, and confidence intervals were modified through the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. The Greenhouse-Geisser correction was used for effects test. The study findings are: First, the average BMI of 5th and 6th grade elementary school students in Korea increased significantly in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. Second, changes in the yearly average BMI showed a significant difference depending on gender and grade. Obesity among 5th and 6th grade elementary school students in Korea increased steadily in 2019–2021, which may be due to a decrease in students’ physical activity. Male students showed a steeper increase, regardless of grade.

Descartes believed that there was a logical path from doubting the existence of the body to affirming mind-body dualism. In the 20th and 21st centuries, a critique of Cartesian reasoning first made by Arnauld in 1641 has been revived and widely accepted. Several writers including Paul Churchland and Gary Hatfield make the case that the argument for dualism commits the masked man fallacy; that the Cartesian argument relies on mere ignorance of the body to reach its conclusion. In this paper, I show that the argument from Cartesian doubt to mind-body dualism does not depend on mere ignorance. It depends on reliable knowledge about what can and can not be known. Descartes’ method of doubt leads to the conclusion that the body can never under any circumstance be known as the mind is known. The argument for dualism rests on that knowledge, not on ignorance. This paper reveals a viable Cartesian argument for mind-body dualism and explicates the missteps of Descartes’ contemporaneous and present-day critics.

Liberation war of Bangladesh was estimated to be held in financial year 1971 to gain independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh alone generated 70% of export return and in turn it received only 25%. The fabric mills of Bangladesh faced a slow increment from 11 to only 26 mills operating from 1947 till the fiscal year 1970. Nationalization of Urdu speaking language finally created outrage and turmoil among citizens of West and East Pakistan and generated war of Freedom Movement. This article mainly sheds light of different challenges faced by Bangladesh citizens such as genocide, women torture and communal disparity. Different factors such as economic turmoil political unrest and minor treatments were major reason behind the hate campaign of the liberation war. Thus, this article critically demonstrates the strategies adopted for mitigating challenges such as peaceful negotiation and maintenance of equality and similar priority to every citizen. This article critically evaluates the concept of hate campaign and Liberation War of Bangladesh. Its aim at analyzes ways incorporated by liberation war of Bangladesh for triggering hate campaigns along with different factors affecting hate campaigns. This study shed light on illustrating three different case studies including when government of Bangladesh undertook strict actions against mobs that tend to vandalize on Communal activities. In addition, second case study includes when social media platform Facebook formed a partnership with Asia foundation for combating online haters-based intolerance. Apart from that, third case study evaluating hate campaign on using social media platform it blocks two groups of people for hacking allegations.

Background:In view of fact, the drawback of the armed conflict between Sudanese army and rapid support force was shocking, mass migration to neighboring countries, and many civilian were died, behind the war there were another factors for death, among these factors is brain tumors. The objectives of this study: To build up information and correlation between demographic data, brain tumors, surgery type and limitation of surgical resources, and to identify neurosurgical practice during armed conflict and how surgical resources can be utilized. Methods:This was a case report study, done at Almubarik hospital from April 2024 to July 2024.Ethical approval was taken from the National Center for Neurological Sciences.The operating room at Almubarik hospital includes X-ray viewing box, operating table, which is design for obstetrical and gynecology operation. very limited instruments for completing the surgery (forceps, straight dissector and scissors).Moreover, regarding anesthesia in this new situation there is no invasive BP, CVP, core temperature or even capnograph, all this made difficulties in monitoring the patient. In this conflict period, due to the lake of monitoring of the drugs and inappropriate storage, we used to give IV propofol , midasolam , morphine , lidocaine and nondepolrising muscle relaxant. ETT size 7 for all adult patients as it is the only big size available. Halothane MAC was used as volatile agent with propofol. pracetamol , magnisum sulphate ,are given as analgesia.Nevertheless,, for positing we manipulate our operating table by adding special head rest which was manually made from iron par and semi firm bellows are constructed on it tightly, so prone position was made. Conclusion: Despite of the infrastructural limitations, brain tumor surgery has special nature in the context of this conflict. Brain tumor surgery is challenges, and need not only skillful neurosurgeon but advance technology and well trained staff.

Alleged practices of magical assault and vampirism are a recurrent feature of popular explanations of misfortune in Tuva Republic, South Siberia. Based on a field study of healing practices in an “Association of Shamans”, this article analyses rituals of countercursing one’s antagonists in a context of Russian political domination. A central purpose of this discussion is to foreground the centrality of kinds of parasitical worship and occult threat to structures of political power in – and beyond – the region of Tuva. Focusing on a “curse-scape”, which develops from the combative practices of shamans, occult specialists and office-holders, the article probes a repertoire of healing symbols in a shaman’s courtroom. It is argued that shamanic healing draws its efficacy from appropriating hunting symbols and animal spirits, which appear in Indigenous Siberian cosmologies. The analysis shows that ideas of playing with risk during countercursing rituals structure the process of symbolic resolution. The article concludes by highlighting indigenous perceptions of a “cursed” landscape as a field where the agencies of “darkness” (and their political sponsors) are confronted with an emancipating, Buddhist religious mindset.

Deficiency of Cytochrome P450 Steroid 21-hydroxylase (CYP21A2) represents 90% of cases in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), an autosomal recessive disease caused by defects in cortisol biosynthesis. Computational prediction along with functional studies are often the only way to classify variants to understand the links to disease-causing effects. Here we investigated the pathogenicity of uncharacterized variants in the CYP21A2 gene reported in the Brazilian and Portuguese populations. Physicochemical alterations, residue conservation, and effect on protein structure were accessed by computational analysis. The enzymatic performance was obtained by functional assay with the wild-type and mutant CYP21A2 proteins expressed in HEK293 cells. Computational analysis showed that p.W202R, p.E352V, and p.R484L have severely impaired the protein structure, while p.P35L, p.L199P, and p.P433L have moderate effects. The p.W202R, p.E352V, p.P433L, and p.R484L variants showed residual 21OH activity consistent with the simple virilizing phenotype. The p.P35L and p.L199P variants showed partial 21OH efficiency associated with the non-classical phenotype. Additionally, p.W202R, p.E352V and p.R484L also modified the protein expression level. We have determined how the selected CYP21A2 gene mutations affect the 21OH activity through structural and activity alteration contributing to the future diagnosis and management of 21OH deficiency.

The access to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is contingent upon physician referrals, yet these are often inadequate, particularly in low-resource settings. This multi-method study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Portuguese version of the Provider Attitudes toward CR and Referral (PACRR-P) scale, as well as to identify key factors influencing CR referral in a Latin American context for the first time. The PACRR was translated into Brazilian-Portuguese through a rigorous process involving independent translation, back-translation, and expert panel review to ensure face, content, and cross-cultural validity. A total of 44 Brazilian physicians completed the questionnaire, allowing for an assessment of internal consistency, criterion validity, and convergent validity. The findings confirmed the face, content, and cultural validity of the 20 translated items, with a mean item clarity rating of 4.8/5. The final version included 17 of the original 19 PACRR-P items, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73. Referral rates were significantly associated with specific PACRR-P items, supporting the scale's criterion validity, while correlations with ReCaRe scores further supported convergent validity. The most prominent barriers to referral were a lack of familiarity with CR site locations, absence of a standard referral form, and lack of automatic referral processes. The PACRR's validity and reliability among Portuguese-speaking providers are preliminarily supported.

Aim: To analyze a single center's experience with Short Bowel Syndrome/ Chronic Intestinal Failure (SBS/CIF) in adult patients treated with Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN). Materials and methods: In the last thirty years, 13 patients with SBS/CIF were included in an HPN program. Results: Between 1992 and 2023, 13 patients were included in an HPN program. The primary underlying pathology was acute mesenteric ischemia. The median age of the starting HPN was 44 years old. Most are submitted to several surgeries of extensive intestinal resection with posterior intestinal reconstruction. Five of the 13 patients have died while on HPN for a median of 42 months. The causes of death HPN-related were catheter sepsis, endocarditis with cardiac failure, or hepatic failure. One patient died due to underlying pathology: pelvic abscesses and bleeding related to radiotherapy. Eight patients remain alive with a median time of HPN of 173 months. During the HPN support, the most frequent complications were venous catheter infection and venous territory thrombosis. None of the eight patients alive have hepatic failure. Two patients recently started teduglutide, with good tolerance, and need reduction of HPN support. All these eight patients have a satisfactory quality of life (parenteral support needs range between five to two nutrition bags per week). Conclusion: HPN remains the gold standard of SBS/CIF treatment, although Teduglutide may reduce HPN needs and HPN complications and provide a better quality of life. An HPN multidisciplinary healthcare group support is essential to ensure these patients' survival and quality of life. Keywords Short bowel Syndrome, Chronic Intestinal failure, Home Parenteral Nutrition, Teduglutide, Complications of Parenteral Support.

Air traffic congestion is caused by the unbalance between increasing traffic demand and saturating capacity. Flight delay not only causes huge economical lost, but also has very negative environmental impact in the whole air transportation system. In order to identify the impact of extended TMA on airport capacity, an airspace capacity assessment method based on augmented cell transmission model was proposed. Firstly, the airspace structure was modeled with points, segments, layers, and cells. Secondly, mixed integer linear programming model was built up with maximum throughput or capacity as the objective function. Finally, genetic algorithm was used to find the optimal result, and the results were validated by comparing with the fast-time simulation results generated by total airspace and airport modeler (TAAM) software. It is found that the proposed method could achieve a relatively accurate result in a much affordable and fast way. The numerical results could be very helpful for air traffic controllers to analyze the dynamic traffic flow entering and exiting TMA, so as to make decisions via reasonable analysis and do planning in advance by referring to the airport capacity.

The neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimers, Parkinsons, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntingdons) and the prion disorders, have in common a dysregulation of metalloprotein chemistry involving redox metals (Cu,Fe,Mn). The consequent oxidative stress gives rise to protein plaques and neuronal cell death. An equilibrium exists between the functional requirement of the brain for Cu and Fe and their destructive potential with the production of reactive oxygen species. The importance of the brain barrier is highlighted in regulating the import of these metals. Upregulation of key transporters occurs in foetal and neonatal life when brain metal requirement is high and is down-regulated in adult life when need is minimal. By contrast a neonatal mode of CTR1 upregulation persists in feral N.Ronaldsay sheep. This has led to the premise that metal regulation may return to the default setting in ageing with implications for neurodegenerative disease.

Hydrogen sulfide is present in active or extinct volcanic areas (mofettas). The habitable premises in these areas are affected by the presence of hydrogen sulfide, which, even in low concentrations, gives off a bad to unbearable smell. If the living spaces considered are closed enclosures, then a system can be designed to reduce the concentration of hydrogen sulfide. This paper presents a membrane way to reduce the hydrogen sulfide concentration to acceptable limits using a cellulosic derivative-propylene hollow fiber based composite membrane module. The cellulosic derivatives considered were carboxymethyl–cellulose (NaCMC), cellulose acetate (CA), methyl 2–hydroxyethyl–cellulose (MHEC), and 2–hydroxyethyl–cellulose (HEC). In the permeation module, hydrogen sulfide is captured with a solution of cadmium that forms cadmium sulfide, usable as a luminescent substance. The composite membranes were characterized by SEM, EDAX, FTIR, FTIR 2D maps, thermal analysis (TG and DSC) and from the perspective of hydrogen sulfide air removal performance. To determine the process performances, the variables were: the nature of the cellulosic derivative–polypropylene hollow fiber composite membrane, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the polluted air, the flow rate of polluted air, and the pH of the cadmium nitrate solution. Pertraction efficiency was maximum for the sodium carboxymethyl–cellulose (NaCMC)-polypropylene hollow fiber membrane, a hydrogen sulfide concentration in the polluted air of 20 ppm, polluted air flow rate of 50 L/min, and a pH of 2 and 4.

Low back pain is prevalent in equestrian athletes, but prevalence and associated factors are unknown in the Portuguese equestrian population. A questionnaire regarding low back pain and possible associated factors was answered by 347 respondents. Estimated 12-month prevalence was 67.1%. The probability of suffering from low back pain was higher in individuals with higher weekly riding workload, that reported equestrianism as their main occupation and that performed daily stable duties. The Roland Morris disability questionnaire was applied to the respondents that stated having experienced low back pain in the past 12 months, resulting in an average score of 5.39 ± 4.42. 63.1% of respondents stated that low back pain impaired their performance. Individuals that stated equestrianism was their main occupation showed a significant higher risk (OR = 1.759) of exhibiting a score ≥ 4, as measure of dysfunctionality. Age and high body mass index were also associated to a dysfunctional score. Further research is needed to fully understand the impacts of low back pain in Portuguese equestrian athletes.

Bundle recommendation is provided to users by combining related items into a bundle, enhancing the user's shopping experience and increase the merchant's sales revenue. Despite the success of existing solutions based on Graph Neural Networks(GNN), there are still some significant challenges: (1)It is demanding to explicitly model multiple complex associations using standard graph neural networks. (2)Numerous additional nodes and edges are introduced to approximate higher-order associations. (3)The user-bundle historical interaction data is highly sparse. In this work, we propose a Global Structural Hypergraph Convolution model for Bundle Recommendation (SHCBR) to address the above problems. Specifically, we jointly incorporate multiple complex interactions between users, items, and bundles(three entities) into a relational hypergraph without introducing additional nodes and edges. Higher-order associations are already involved in the hypergraph structure which alleviate the training burden of neural networks and the dilemma of scarce data. In addition, we design a special matrix propagation rule that captures non-pairwise complex relationships between entities. Using item nodes as links, hypergraph convolution propagation between user and bundle nodes generates the learned representations. Experimental results on two real-world datasets demonstrate that SHCBR outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines by 11.07%-25.66\% on Recall and 16.81%-33.53% on NDCG. We publicly release the codes and datasets at https://github.com/Lxtdzh/SHCBR-master/.

The air side thermal hydraulic performance of multi-louvered aluminium fin heat exchangers is investigated. A detailed study was performed to analyse the thermal performance of air over a wide range of Reynolds number i.e. from 30 to 250. Air-side heat transfer coefficient and air pressure drop were calculated and validated over the mentioned band of Reynolds numbers. Critical Reynolds number was determined numerically and the variation in flow physics along with the thermal and hydraulic performance of microchannel heat exchanger associated with R_cri has been reported. Moreover, a parametric study of the multi-louvered aluminium fin heat exchangers was also performed for 36 heat exchanger configurations with the louver angles (19-31°), fin pitches (1.0, 1.2, 1.4 mm) and flow depths (16, 20, 24 mm); and the geometric configuration exhibiting the highest thermal performance was reported. The air-side heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop results for different geometrical configurations were presented in terms of Colburn j factor and Fanning friction factor f, as a function of Reynolds number based on louver pitch.

Wheat, a component of the staple diet globally, is a common food allergen in children. The symptoms of wheat allergy (WA) range from skin rash to shortness of breath, significantly impairing quality of life. Following initial clinical suspicion, individuals may undergo wheat allergen-specific skin prick test (SPT), blood test for serum immunoglobulin E (sIgE) levels or oral food challenge. Conventional management of WA lies in wheat avoidance, yet accidental consumption may be inevitable owing to the ubiquity of wheat in various food products. This article aims to provide an overview of the immunologic pathway of WA, followed by its novel diagnostic methods, namely alcohol-soluble SPT extracts, component-resolved diagnosis and basophil activation test (BAT). The mechanisms underlying wheat allergen-specific oral immunotherapy (OIT) as well as a summary of the efficacy, tolerability and safety of related clinical trials will then be discussed.

Difficult-to-cut materials are being increasingly used in many industries because of their superior properties, including high corrosion resistance, heat resistance and specific strength. However, these same properties make the materials difficult to machine using conventional machining techniques. Laser-assisted milling (LAM) is one of the effective methods for machining difficult-to-cut materials. In laser-assisted milling machining occur after the workpiece is locally preheated using a laser heat source. Laser assisted machining has been studied by many researchers on flat workpiece or micro end-milling. However, there is no research on the curved shape using laser assisted milling. This study investigated the use of laser assisted milling to machine a three-dimensional curved shape workpiece based on NURBS. A machining experiment was performed on Inconel 718 using different tool paths (ramping, contouring) under various machining conditions. Finite elements analysis was conducted to determine the depth of cut. Cutting force, specific cutting energy and surface roughness characteristics were measured, analyzed and compared for conventional and LAM machining. LAM significantly improved these machining characteristics, compared to conventional machining. There results can be applied to the laser-assisted machining of various three-dimensional shapes.

This paper focuses on the non-destructive dielectric measurement for low-loss planar materials with a thickness of less than 3 mm using a large coaxial probe with an outer diameter of 48 mm. The aperture probe calibration procedure required only to make a measurement of the half-space air and three offset shorts. The reflection coefficient for the thin material is measured using a Keysight E5071C network analyzer from 0.3 MHz to 650 MHz and then converted to a relative dielectric constant and tangent loss via closed form capacitance model and lift-off calibration process. Measurement error of dielectric constant, Δε_r is less than 2.5 % from 1 MHz to 400 MHz and the resolution of loss tangent, tan δ measurement is capable of achieving 3×10^-3.

There is a considerable increase in the use of substances and medical procedures aimed at changing the esthetics of the face, particularly the appearance of the lips. Permanent fillers such as polydimethylsiloxane, also called liquid silicone, are widely used, but their application for facial esthetics is currently obsolete. However, the long-term complications remain a reality, as they can occur decades after the application. Thus, the goal of this case report was to present a complication after 16 years of treatment using liquid silicone. This case report involved a 52-year-old male with a complication of bilateral permanent filler in the upper lip performed 16 years ago, its surgical removal, and histological analysis. Histologically, it was possible to identify a chronic inflammatory, lymphoplasmacytic, and granulomatous reaction, with foreign body giant cells’ reaction, in relation to non-polarizable exogenous material due to the reaction to silicone. The most common complications are granulomas' appearance and material displacement. The case report shows these granulomas are characterized as chronic low-caliber inflammation around the silicone. They have an unknown etiology but are probably multifactorial, from continuous trauma, friction or irritation, iatrogenic factors, infection, immunological mechanisms, and genetic and molecular variations, and can be highly related to the impurity of the injected material.

The article addresses the function of (post)colonial nostalgia in a context of multidirectional memory (Rothberg 2009) in contemporary Europe. How can different cultural memories of the Second Word War be put into respectful dialogue with each other? The text is based on a contrapuntal reading (Said 1994) of British and Egyptian popular narratives, using a qualitative content analysis of 10 British tv documentary films about the North Africa Campaign, and data from qualitative interviews collected during ethnographic fieldwork in Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, during visits 2013--2015. The study highlights considerable differences between the British and Egyptian narratives, but also significant similarities regarding the use and function of nostalgia. In addition, the Egyptian narrative expresses a profound cosmopolitan nostalgia and a longing for what is regarded as Egypt’s lost, modern Golden Age, identified as the decades before the nation’s fundamental change from western-oriented monarchy to Nasser’s Arab nationalist military state. The common elements between the two national narratives indicate a possibly fruitful way to open up for a shared popular memory culture about the war years, including postcolonial aspects.

The impact of ponds on basins has recently started to receive its well–deserved scientific attention. In this study, pond–induced impacts on soil erosion and sediment transport were investigated at the scale of the French Claise basin. In order to determine erosion and sediment transport patterns under current conditions, the CORINE erosion and SWAT models were used. The impact of ponds on the studied processes was revealed by means of land cover change scenarios, using ponded versus pondless inputs. Results show that under current conditions (pond presence), 12.48% of the basin corresponds to no–erosion risk zones (attributed to the dense pond network), while 65.66% corresponds to low–erosion risk, 21.68% to moderate–erosion risk and only 0.18% to high–erosion risk zones. The SWAT model revealed that ponded sub–basins correspond to low sediment yields areas, in contrast to the pondless sub–basins, which yield appreciably higher erosion rates. Under the alternative scenario, erosion risks shifted to 1.12%, 0.52%, 76.8% and 21.56% for no, low, moderate and high–erosion risks, respectively, while the sediment transport pattern of the Claise completely shifted to higher sediment yield zones. This approach solidifies ponds as powerful man–induced modifications to hydro/sedimentary processes.

Background: We assessed the pertinence of yearly updating the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) risk classification in people with diabetes by quantifying the changes in the risk group and its accuracy in identifying those developing an ulcer (DFU) in a primary care setting. Methods: In our retrospective cohort study, we included all people with diabetes with a foot as-sessment registry between January 2016 and December 2018 in the Baixo Alentejo Local Health Unit. Foot-related data was collected at baseline after one and two years. DFU and/or death until December 2019 were registered. The proportion of people changing their risk status each year was calculated. Accuracy measures of the IWGDF classification to predict DFU occurrence at one, two, and three years were calculated. Results: A total of 2097 people were followed for three years, during which 0.1% died, and 12.4% developed a DFU. After two years, 3.6% of the participants had progressed to a higher-risk group. The IWGDF classification presented specificity values superior to 90% and negative predictive values superior to 99%. Conclusion: Foot risk status can be safely updated every two years instead of yearly. The IWGDF classification can accurately identify those not at risk of DFU.

In a world where physical activity and social participation are fundamental pillars for a full, healthy, and quality life, confidence in walking emerges as a fundamental aspect to be assessed, especially in older adults. The purpose of this study was therefore to develop a Portuguese (Euro-pean) version, linguistically and psychometrically adapted, of the Ambulatory Self-Confidence Questionnaire (ASCQ); A translation method was used followed by an assessment of its validity and reliability. The Portuguese version was completed by 173 older adults. To assess reliability was used Cronbach’s Alpha and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). For sociodemographic and clinical characterization, as well as for the questionnaire scoring was used descriptive statistical analysis. Pearson's correlation (r), Student´s t-test and ANOVA were used to analyse the criterion and con-struction validity; The Portuguese interactions of ASCQ was effectively translated and adjusted, revealing exceptional internal consistency and test-retest reliability, as reflected in Cronbach's alpha and ICC values of 0.95. No Floor Effect was observed, however, a Celling Effect was identified (3.5%). Criterion and construct validity were verified because all the correlations established were statistically significant; The adaptation of the ASCQ to Portuguese culture is adequate, making it valid for use within the Portuguese population of Portugal.

Landslides impact on human activities and socio-economic development especially in mountainous areas. This study focuses on the comparison of the prediction capability of advanced machine learning techniques for rainfall-induced shallow landslide susceptibility of Deokjeokri catchment and Karisanri catchment in South Korea. The influencing factors for landslides i.e. topographic, hydrologic, soil, forest, and geologic factors are prepared from various sources based on availability and a multicollinearity test is also performed to select relevant causative factors. The landslide inventory maps of both catchments are obtained from historical information, aerial photographs and performing field survey. In this study, Deokjeokri catchment is considered as a training area and Karisanri catchment as a testing area. The landslide inventories content 748 landslide points in training and 219 points in testing areas. Three landslide susceptibility maps using machine learning models i.e. Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Deep Neural Network (DNN) are prepared and compared. The outcomes of the analyses are validated using the landslide inventory data. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method is used to verify the results of the models. The results of this study show that the training accuracy of RF is 0.757 and the testing accuracy is 0.74. Similarly, training accuracy of XGBoost is 0.756 and testing accuracy is 0.703. The prediction of DNN revealed acceptable agreement between susceptibility map and the existing landslides with training and testing accuracy of 0.855 and 0.802, respectively. The results showed that, the DNN model achieved lower prediction error and higher accuracy results than other models for shallow landslide modeling in the study area

Potential breeding habitat of egrets and herons was evaluated using the Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt). Model output can help guide management of nuisance egret and heron rookeries in urban forests of Daejeon Metropolitan City, Korea. This study examined 126 locations regarded as breeding sites of egrets and herons at the nationwide census conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Research between 2011 and 2012. In addition, 252 randomly selected locations were used to identify the significant variables among a total of 15 environmental variables within 4 factors (topography, natural environment, distance and climate). Twelve variables were significantly different between the breeding and randomly selected points. The final 10 variables were selected through Pearson’s correlation analysis. Using MaxEnt, breeding area was estimated using the 10 selected variables in Daejeon. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.950, which was the average value through 10-fold cross-validation to estimate the model reliability. The potential breeding habitat for egrets and herons was estimated to be 106.69 km2 (19.76% of the total area) in Daejeon. Within the estimated potential habitat, 11.82 km2 (12.46%) were less than 50 m from the residential district while 79.85 km2 (88.92%) were more than 50m from the residential district. Discriminative management strategies considering the breeding location of egrets and herons should be applied not only to minimize conflicts with residents, but also to maintain stable egret and heron breeding sites in Daejeon, Korea.

This study aims to investigate the changes in the structural relationship between alienation in physical education (PE) class, school happiness, and future healthy life expectancy in Korean adolescents after the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected from adolescents in the Republic of Korea using scales for these factors. The collected data were analyzed with frequency analysis, reliability analysis, validity analysis, independent t-test, and path analysis. The key results were as follows. First, there were partial changes in each of the parameters since the outbreak of COVID-19. Second, before the pandemic, alienation in PE class negatively affected school happiness, and school happiness positively affected future healthy life expectancy; however, alienation in PE class did not affect future healthy life expectancy showing a complete mediating effect. Third, during the pandemic, alienation in PE class negatively affected school happiness, and school happiness positively affected future healthy life expectancy; alienation in PE class negatively affected future healthy life expectancy, showing a partial mediating effect. These findings emphasize the importance and potential of school education, especially PE, in promoting happiness and healthy life in adolescents. We expect these findings to have practical implications for future research by presenting theoretical and empirical data.

The concrete sector is known for its significant contribution to the CO2 emissions. There are two main contributing factors for this situation: the large amount of concrete consumed per year on the planet and the high CO2 released from Portland cement manufacture, the key binding agent in concrete. To face the consequent sustainability issues, diverse strategies have been explored on the carbon capture and storage potential of cementitious materials. This paper addresses the potential of storing CO2 in concrete during the curing stage, applied to the precast Portuguese industry. To this purpose, it was assumed that CO2 will become a waste that will require an outlet in the future, considering that carbon capture will become mandatory in many industries. This work concluded that the net benefit in terms of carbon retention is positive for the process of storing carbon in concrete during the curing stage. More specifically, it was demonstrated that the additional emissions from the introduction of this new operation are only 10% of the stored amount, returning a storage potential of 76 000 tonnes of CO2 yearly. Moreover, the overall net reduction in the concrete life cycle averages 9.4% and 8.8% for precast elements and only non-structural elements, respectively. When a low cement dosage strategy is coupled with carbonation curing technology, the overall carbon net reduction is estimated to be 45%.

In light of the prevalent pest and disease issues faced by greenhouse cucumbers, a staple vegetable during winter, this study introduces a detection method based on the enhanced YOLOv8s model. This method aims to provide technical support for detecting and classifying pests and diseases in cucumber agricultural production. The model integrates the 'MultiCat' module for multiscale feature fusion and employs the 'C2fe' and 'ADC2f'modules to strengthen spatial and channel attention. The 'Block2d' function also facilitates the choice between average pooling and attention-based spatial pooling. Channel fusion is achieved through additive and multiplicative operations, allowing the model to delve deeper into feature learning. Experimental results confirm that our approach outperforms the original YOLOv8s model in pest detection, particularly excelling in the identification of small-scale and overlapping afflictions.

Objectives: 1) To describe the cardiovascular health of the construction workers in Hong Kong, 2) to examine the demographic differences in cardiovascular health, and 3) to examine the association between modifiable lifestyle behaviors and cardiovascular conditions. Methods: 626 registered construction workers were included in the analysis. Blood chemistry, blood pressure, weight and height were measured. Face-to-face questionnaire interview was conducted. T-tests and One-way ANOVAs were used to compare the cardiovascular health score, cardiovascular outcomes, and lifestyle behaviors by demographic characteristics. Logistic regressions were performed to assess the cardiovascular outcomes by lifestyle behaviors. Results: Two-thirds of the construction workers failed to achieve three out of the seven “ideal” cardiovascular health indicators. The younger, more educated, and female subjects had better cardiovascular health scores than their counterparts. The ideal fish and seafood consumption was associated with 1) ideal weight status and 2) ideal cholesterol level, whereas less soft drink consumption was associated with ideal cholesterol level. Conclusions: The findings highlighted the importance of promoting cardiovascular health in the construction industry. This study provided insights for future interventions, which should include increasing fish and seafood intake, decreasing soft drink consumption, and enhancing the health literacy amongst older, less educated, and male construction workers.

A methodological similarity between Thomas Hobbes and Pëtr Kropotkin is the intention to spread a theoretical foundation to everyone, in the sense that they are willing to give to all the people a clear description of the reality and a subsequent political view. To do so, they use a scientific method, deductive (starting from empirical observations) in the case of Hobbes, inductive-deductive in the case of Kropotkin. Kropotkin underlines the educational value of the scientific method.In this work we want to highlight that, although they both start their argumentations from a materialist ontology, Hobbes and Kropotkin conjecture two completely different states of nature. Hobbes describes the state of nature through the two famous metaphors homo homini lupus (citing Plautus) and bellum omnium contra omnes, while Kropotkin introduced the theory of mutual aid. Both the theory of a state of war by Hobbes and the theory of mutual aid by Kropotkin have been revolutionary. Hobbes has been influenced by the scientific revolution initiated by Francis Bacon, one of his mentors, and Galileo Galilei, together with a criticism towards the ancient Greece philosophers, in particular Aristotle. Kropotkin has been influenced by the ground-breaking writings of Charles Darwin together with a very fruitful Russian scientific environment.We want to stress here that the disenchanted view of the human nature in Hobbes, a state of war due to the fact that everyone has rights on everything, helps him to legitimate sovereignty, while the positive view of human nature in Kropotkin, a spontaneous mutual aid among people in a community, helps him to legitimate anarchy. Therefore, the fascinating scientific methods of the two materialists Hobbes and Kropotkin to structure a solid political theory cannot neglect different views on human nature due to their historical contexts.

Background: Strength assessment is one of the main fields in sports performance, physical rehabilitation, physical activity and health. Purpose: To compare maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) and paired voluntary isometric contractions (VIC) of knee extensors between an isokinetic dynamometer (BIODEX) and a portable and lightweight device (DINABANG). Methods: From 19 volunteers (age: 28.7±7 y; body mass: 72±10 kg and height: 173±7 cm) we obtained 114 paired MVIC measures and, from the force-time curves of these repetitions, 22507 paired VIC measures of knee extensors. Results: We observed “excellent” repeatability for MVIC (ICC:1.00; p<0.001) between BIODEX (247±79.5 Nm) and DINABANG (247±74.8 Nm), with “trivial” effect (mean difference: 0.12 Nm (0.02%); 95%CI: -0.13 to 0.23 Nm; p=0.606; d=0.048). Bland-Altman plots revealed high accuracy for MVIC (bias: 0.12 Nm) and consistent distribution (precision) inside the limits of agreement (-4.81 to 5.06 Nm) and respective 95%CI. “Excellent” repeatability was also observed for VIC (ICC:1.00; p<0.001) between BIODEX (219±84.1 Nm) and DINABANG (218±84.0 Nm), with “trivial” effect (0.24 Nm (0.11%); 0.08 to 0.11 Nm; p<0.001; d=0.100). Bland-Altman plots revealed high accuracy for VIC (bias: 0.24 Nm) and consistent distribution (precision) inside the limits of agreement (-4.5 to 4.9 Nm) and respective 95%CI. Conclusion: DINABANG is accurate, precise and reliable for torque measurement.

This study focuses on the use of gamification, specifically the UrbanGame activity, to enhance heritage education related to the Spanish Civil War bombings in Alicante. The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of active methodologies in raising cultural heritage awareness among university students. By employing a combination of collaborative work, meaningful learning, problem-based learning, discovery learning, concentration, and motivational strategies, the study involved 122 students from primary and secondary education programs. The methods included the design and implementation of the UrbanGame, followed by surveys to collect quantitative and qualitative data on students' perceptions, satisfaction, and learning outcomes. The results indicated that while collaborative work did not have a significant impact on content comprehension, skill acquisition, or value acquisition, meaningful learning showed a positive trend towards content comprehension. Problem-based learning had a weak but notable relationship with content comprehension, while motivation and concentration significantly influenced learning outcomes. Additionally, the UrbanGame activity promoted memory and cultural heritage by emotionally connecting students with local history. The findings suggest that an integrated approach that combines various active methodologies is essential for maximizing educational effectiveness and cultural promotion.

The zebrafish is now an important model organism for cancer biology studies and provides some unique and complementary opportunities in comparison to the mammalian equivalent. The translucency of zebrafish has allowed in vivo live imaging studies of tumour initiation and progression at the cellular level thus providing novel insights into our understanding of cancer. Here we summarise and discuss available transgenic zebrafish tumour models and what we have gleaned from them with respect to cancer inflammation. In particular, we focus on the host inflammatory response toward transformed cells during the pre-neoplastic stage of tumour development. We discuss features of tumour associated macrophages and neutrophils in mammalian models and present evidence which supports the idea that these inflammatory cells promote early stage tumour development and progression. Direct live imaging of tumour initiation in zebrafish models has shown that the intrinsic inflammation induced by pre-neoplastic cells is tumour promoting. Signals mediating leukocyte recruitment to pre-neoplastic cells in zebrafish correspond to signals mediating leukocyte recruitment in mammalian tumours. The activation state of macrophages and neutrophils recruited to pre-neoplastic cells appears to be heterogenous, as seen in mammalian models, which provides an opportunity to study the plasticity of innate immune cells during tumour initiation. Although several potential mechanisms are described that might mediate the trophic function of innate immune cells during tumour initiation in zebrafish, there are several unknowns that are yet to be resolved. Rapid advancement of genetic tools and imaging technologies for zebrafish will facilitate research into the mechanisms that modulate leukocyte function during tumour initiation and identify targets for cancer prevention.

Between 25 and 30% of the nearly one million military personnel who participated in the 1991 Persian Gulf War became ill with chronic symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal to nervous system dysfunction. This disorder is now referred to as Gulf War Illness (GWI) and the underlying pathophysiology has been linked to exposure-based neuroinflammation caused by organophosphorous (OP) compounds coupled with high circulating glucocorticoids. In a mouse model of GWI we developed, corticosterone was shown to act synergistically with an OP (diisopropylflurophosphate) to dramatically increase proinflammatory cytokine gene expression in the brain. Because not all Gulf War participants became sick, the question arises as to whether differential genetic constitution might underlie individual differences in susceptibility. To address this question of genetic liability, we tested the impact of OP and glucocorticoid exposure in a genetic reference population of 30 inbred mouse strains. We also studied both sexes. The results showed wide differences among strains and overall that females were less sensitive to the combined treatment than males. Furthermore, we identified one OP-glucocorticoid locus and nominated a candidate gene—Spon1—that may underlie the marked differences in response.

The construction industry, a vital sector of the global economy, is projected to grow significantly over the next 15 years. Despite its importance, this industry struggles with inefficiency, high costs, prolonged timelines, and substantial ecological impacts. These challenges have led governments to advocate for Building Information Modeling (BIM) to enhance Efficiency and sustainability through comprehensive digital representations of physical and functional characteristics. The effective integration of BIM technology hinges on the active participation of industry providers, raising the question of how these providers can positively contribute to improving BIM dimen-sions. This study investigates the potential of coopetition networks within the Portuguese Orna-mental Stone industries (OS-PT) to address this challenge. Coopetition networks, which blend competition and cooperation, foster collaborative networks among companies to enhance their re-sponse to digital supply chains. The research employs an Experimental Pilot Network facilitated by an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) artefact to assess the benefits of coopetition networks. The findings demonstrate that transitioning from current practices (CB.P) to coopetition network practices (CN.P) significantly improves operational Efficiency, labour productivity, and sustaina-bility. Specifically, the transition resulted in a 15.6% increase in on-time delivery performance, a 27.38% improvement in labour productivity, and a 21.8% reduction in CO₂ emissions per part produced. These improvements align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 9, 11, and 13, highlighting the strategic value of coopetition in driving innovation and sustainability in the construction industry. Future research should explore the scalability of these findings across different sectors and further refine methodologies to maximize the benefits of coopetition net-works.

COVID-19 is a well-known respiratory disease spreading worldwide since January 2020, causing many deaths and massive pressure on health systems. This pandemic’s appearance compromised the health services’ sustainability and quality as many procedures were postponed or even canceled out, with an expected increase of adverse events like nosocomial infections, in-hospital deaths, and the worsening of the patients’ clinical status. Therefore, assessing whether the healthcare providers’ performance has changed is paramount. In this case, we evaluated the public hospitals in Portugal as the leading secondary health care providers in the country, which in turn has been highly affected by the pandemic. To this end, we developed a network Data Envelopment Analysis model serially relating efficiency and effectiveness. Using 2,795 observations from public hospitals and 18 variables, we observed consistent drops in efficiency when the pandemic started, followed by a recovery to levels above the pre-pandemic ones. Regarding effectiveness, we observed a positive trend during the evaluated period. In short, these results allow us to conclude that, apart from the great resilience of public healthcare providers, the Portuguese State was not prepared for a pandemic like COVID-19, but still the actions taken (including massive vaccination) were beneficial.

The application of machine learning techniques to satellite imagery has been the subject of interest in recent years. The increase in quality and quantity of images, made available by Earth observation programs, such as the Copernicus program, led to the generation of large amounts of data. Among the various applications of this data is the creation of land cover maps. The present work aimed to create machine learning models capable of accurately segment and classify satellite images, to automatically generate a land cover map of the Portuguese territory. Several experiments were carried out with the spectral bands of the Sentinel-2 satellite, with vegetation indices, and with several sets of land cover classes. Three machine learning architectures were evaluated, which adopt two different techniques for image classification. One of the classification techniques follows an object-oriented approach, and in this case the architecture adopted in our models was a U-Net artificial neural network. The other classification technique is pixel-oriented, and the machine learning models tested were random forest and support vector machine. The overall accuracy of the results obtained ranged from 68.6% to 94.75%, depending strongly on the number of classes into which the land cover is classified. The result of 94.75% was obtained when classifying the land cover only into 5 classes. However, a very interesting accuracy of 92.37% was achieved by the model when trained to classify 8 classes. These results are superior to those reported in the related bibliography.

The Portuguese health system has a universal, public, general National Health Service (NHS), tending towards free healthcare access. Created in 1979, this delivery model developed from the integration and complementarity between the different response levels (primary, hospital, continuing, and palliative care). However, over these 40 years, the initially centralized system underwent a decentralization process with the creation of Regional Health Administrations in the five mainland administrative regions. Since then, the entire NHS has settled around this new organization. The most recent step started in 2018 with decentralizing primary health care skills to 190 municipalities. This paper presents the various critical issues involved in the latest gradual decentralization process in health, intending to bring services closer to the citizens, and more focused on their needs. The article identifies and discusses the implications of this experience based on the steps foreseen in the already published legal texts.

The construction industry of Ukraine shall not only recover but also to upgrade, enhance and reevaluate projects of existing buildings. Further research raises simultaneously two pertinent issues for Ukraine - retrofitting as well as reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure. The priority objective of the research is to restore damaged and ruined buildings rapidly. It may be achieved by means of a creation of recovery methods in Ukraine and countries in the post-conflict stage of development. The approach implies using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence of things (AIoT) to make reconstruction faster, better and less costly. In addition, we acquire a reduction of energy consumption and increase in the lifespan of the building by choosing retrofitting methods. The effectiveness of BIM and AIoT technologies allows imple-menting modern requirements to reduce the time and cost of design, optimize design solutions based on experience in designing new buildings and structures, providing the necessary infor-mation support of the investment project throughout its life cycle.

The main objective of this study is to analyze the impact of investment in Research & Development on the performance and value of companies, that is, to try to explain how R&D investment influences the companies’ performance. For this purpose, a dynamic panel data model was estimated using the Generalized Method of Moments, which made possible to measure the impact of R&D investment on performance through the Return on Operating Assets ratio for the Portuguese companies that invested the most between 2012 to 2019. The results show that the investment in R&D is not statistically significant in explaining the operating return on assets. However, the lagged financial performance in one period, the leverage, the asset turnover ratio and the accounts payable turnover show to have impact on the variable under study.

Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen causing serious infections in both swine and humans. Although metals are essential for life, excess amounts of metals they are toxic to bacteria. when accumulated in excess amounts. Except for zinc, Transcriptome-level data of the mechanisms for resistance to metal-induced toxicity in S. suis are available for no metals other than zinc. have not been investigated from the transcriptome level in S. suis. Herein, we explored the transcriptome-level changes of in S. suis in response to ferrous iron and cobalt toxicity by RNA sequencing. Many A lot of genes were differentially expressed in the presence of excess ferrous iron and cobalt. Most of the genes in response to cobalt toxicity showed the same expression trends as those were expressed in the same trend in response to ferrous iron toxicity. qRT-PCR analysis of the selected genes confirmed the accuracy of RNA sequencing results. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed genes indicated that ferrous iron and cobalt have similar impacts effects on the cellular processes of S. suis. Treatment with ferrous Ferrous iron treatment resulted in down-regulation of several oxidative stress tolerance-related genes involved in oxidative stress tolerance and up-regulation of the genes in an amino acid ABC transporter operon. Expression of the several genes in the arginine deiminase system was down-regulated in the presence of after ferrous iron and cobalt treatment. Collectively, our results suggested that S. suis alters the expression of a lot of multiple genes to respond to ferrous iron and cobalt toxicity.

The use of tuning forks to measure fluid density and viscosity is widely employed in fields such as food, medicine, textiles, automobiles, petrochemicals, and deep drilling. The explicit analytical model based on Euler-Bernoulli cantilever beam theory for the relationship between tuning fork resonance characteristics and the density and viscosity of fluid is only applicable to the situation where the fluid viscous effect is very small. In this paper, the finite element method is used to simulate the influence of large variations in fluid density and viscosity on the resonance characteristic parameters (resonant frequency and quality factor) of the tuning fork. The numerical simulation results are compared with the analytical analysis results and experimental measurement results. Then, the sensitivity of tuning fork resonance characteristic parameters to fluid density and viscosity is studied. The results show that compared with the analytical results, the numerical simulation results have a higher degree of agreement with the experimental measurement results. The relative difference in resonant frequency is less than 2%, and the relative difference in quality factor is less than 4%. This indicates that the finite element method includes the influence of fluid viscosity on tuning fork resonance parameters, which is more in line with the actual conditions than the analytical model. Simulating and analyzing the sensitivity of the tuning fork to fluid density and viscosity by the finite element method, it is possible to consider the situation where fluid density and viscosity vary over a large range. Compared with experimental measurements, this method has higher efficiency and can significantly save time and economic costs. This study can overcome the limitation of existing explicit analytical models, which are only applicable when the viscous effects of the fluid are very small. It enables a more accurate simulation of the coupling vibration between tuning forks and fluids, thereby providing theoretical references for further optimizing tuning fork structural parameters to enhance the accuracy of measuring fluid characteristic parameters.

Although numerous citrus varieties have recently been developed to enhance their quality, information on their quality characteristics is limited. We assessed the quality characteristics of Yellowball, a novel citrus variety, by evaluating its appearance, storability, sensory properties, functionality, and metabolite profiles and comparing these characteristics with those of its parent varieties: Haruka and Kiyomi. The metabolite profiles between the citrus varieties differed significantly, resulting in distinct physicochemical and functional qualities. The storability of Yellowball was significantly increased compared with that of its parent varieties owing to its strong antifungal activity and unique peel morphology, including the stoma and albedo layers. While we did not investigate the volatile compounds, overall functional activities, and detailed characteristics of each metabolite, our data provide valuable insights into the relationship between citrus metabolites, peel morphology, physicochemical properties, and storability and demonstrate the potential of Yellowball as a promising variety in the citrus industry.

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of balancing cultural preservation and tourism investment in historic Syrian cities in the post-war period. The Syrian conflict has caused significant damage to the country's cultural heritage, including its ancient cities, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Key issues raised include what challenges local governments to face, the impact of the war on the preservation of historic sites, how tourism can be used as a tool for economic development, and how to ensure that cultural heritage is preserved while also allowing for tourism investment. To gain an in-depth understanding of the old Syrian cities, extensive research has been conducted, including a review of existing literature and interviews with key stakeholders. The researcher found that rebuilding historic Syrian cities is a complex task that requires balancing cultural preservation with tourism investment. It will require collaboration between government officials, preservationists, developers, and local communities to ensure that these cities are restored in a way that respects their history and culture while also promoting economic growth through tourism.

Background: The vegetative state (VS)/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) denotes brain-injured, awake patients who are seemingly without awareness. Still, up to 15% of these patients show signs of covert consciousness when examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or EEG, which is known as cognitive motor dissociation (CMD). Most experts prefer the term unresponsive wakefulness syndrome to avoid the negative connotations associated with vegetative state and to highlight the possibility for CMD. However, the perception of VS/UWS by the public has never been studied systematically. Methods: Using an online crowdsourcing platform, we recruited 1297 participants from 32 countries. We investigated if vegetative state and unresponsive wakefulness syndrome might have a different influence on attitudes towards VS/UWS and CMD. Results: Participants randomized to be inquired about the vegetative state believed that CMD was less common (mean estimated frequency in unresponsive patients 38.07% ± SD 25.15) than participants randomized to unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (42.29% ± SD 26.63; p=0.016). Attitudes towards treatment withdrawal were similar. Most participants preferred unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (60.05%), although a sizeable minority favored vegetative state (24.21%; difference 35.84%, 95% CI 29.36 to 41.87; p<0.0001). Searches on PubMed and Google Trends revealed that unresponsive wakefulness syndrome is increasingly used by academics but not lay people.Discussion: Simply replacing vegetative state with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome may not be fully appropriate given that 1 of 4 prefer the first term. We suggest that physicians take advantage of the controversy around the terminology to explain relatives the concept of CMD and its ethical implications.

As an important carrier of urban residents' public life, urban public open space plays an indispensable role in improving the quality of life of urban residents. Accessibility is an important indicator to characterize the publicity and service level of a public open space. This study optimized the GIS-based, Gaussian two-part mobile search method to quantitatively calculate and evaluate the accessibility of public open space within a 5-minute walking distance for residents in Nanshan District, Shenzhen. On this basis, social survey methods, including the questionnaire survey method via a field survey and the interview method, were used to conduct field research on residents' accessibility satisfaction. Comparing the results of the survey on residents' accessibility satisfaction to the GIS quantitative evaluation results of accessibility, the results of the field research show that current residents of Nanshan are more satisfied with the accessibility of public open space. In view of the similarities and differences between the two sets of results, the influencing factors of public open space accessibility were analyzed, corresponding countermeasures were proposed for the construction of public open spaces in the future.

The scientific, private and industrial sectors use a wide variety of technological platforms available to achieve protection against SARS-CoV-2, including vaccines. However, the virus evolves continually into new highly virulent variants, which might overcome the protection provided by vaccines and may re-expose the population to infections. Mass vaccinations should be continued in combination with more or less obligation mandatory non-pharmaceutical interventions. Therefore, the key questions to be answered are: (i) How to identify the primary and secondary infections of SARS-CoV-2? (ii) Why are neutralizing antibodies not long-lasting in both the cases of natural infections and post-vaccinations? (iii) Which are the factors responsible for this decay in neutralizing antibodies? (iv) What strategy could be adapted to develop long-term herd immunity? (v) Is the Spike the only vaccine candidate or a vaccine cocktail is better?

The recent world events seem to play a significant influence in the acquisition and upgrowth of empathy and socio-emotional competencies (SEC). In this study we sought to assess how the perception of these events affects the level of socio-emotional competencies and interpersonal reactivity of Portuguese adolescents and analyze differences due to sex and relationship status on its dimensions. Participants were 230 adolescents of both sexes, living in Portugal, with ages between 16 and 18 years old, mostly female, with the secondary educational level, living in an urban area and not in a relationship. An online questionnaire was applied, with the Social and Emotional Competencies (SEC-Q) scale and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). As results, it was found that adolescents have an above-average global interpersonal reactivity, with empathic concern and perspective taking presenting the higher values. Adolescents show a medium high average level of SEC, with the highest domains being self-awareness and social awareness and prosocial behavior. Girls showed significantly more interpersonal reactivity in empathic concern, personal distress and fantasy, and boys presented more self-awareness. As for the relationship status, adolescents not in a relationship manifest more personal distress, while those in a relationship present higher values in all dimensions of SEC. Although the perception of Portuguese adolescents does not seem to have been greatly affected by recent world events, these results can contribute to thinking about youth protection policies and designing more appropriate interventions to promote well-being in this crucial period of life, especially in times of instability.

Oral health surveys are essential to assess the dental caries experience and to influence national policies. This retrospective cross-sectional study aims to analysis dental caries experience who sought dental treatment in a reference university dental hospital at the Lisbon Metropolitan Area between January 2016 and March 2020. Full-mouth examination, sociodemographic, behaviors and medical information were included. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression analysis were applied to ascertain risk indicators associated with dental caries experience. A final sample of 9,349 participants (5,592 females/3,757 males) were included, aged 18 to 99 years old. In this population, caries experience was 91.1%, higher in female participants. Age (OR= 1.01, 95% CI [1.00-1.02], occupation (OR= 2.94, 95% CI [2.37-3.65], OR= 3.35, 95% CI [2.40-4.67], OR= 2.55, 95% CI [1.66-3.91], for employed, unemployed and retired, respectively), overweight (OR= 1.52, 95% CI [1.18-1.96]), reporting to never visited a dentist (OR= 0.38, 95% CI [0.23-0.64] and self-reported week teeth status (OR= 2.14, 95% CI [1.40-3.28]) were identified as risk indicators for the presence of dental caries, according to adjusted multivariable logistic analyses. These results highlight a substantial rate of dental experience in a Portuguese cohort and will pave the way for future tailored oral public health programs in Portugal.

This paper documents the development of a special case of multilingual Automatic Speech Recognition model, specifically tailored to attend two languages spoken by the majority of Latin America, Portuguese and Spanish. The bilingual model combines Language Identification and Speech Recognition developed with the Wav2Vec2.0 architecture and trained on several open and private speech datasets. In this model, the feature encoder is trained jointly for all tasks and different context encoders are trained for each task. The model is evaluated separately on two tasks: language identification and speech recognition. The results indicate that this model achieves good performance on speech recognition and average performance on language identification, training on a low quantity of speech material. The average accuracy of the language identification module on the MLS dataset is 66.75%. The average Word Error Rate in the same scenario is 13.89%, which is better than average 22.58% achieved by the commercial speech recognizer developed by Google.

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to mental health problems worldwide. Nurses are particularly prone to stress because they directly care for individuals with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to explore the association between the mental health promotion strategies used by nurses during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and to compare the strategies and symptoms of mental health nurses and non-mental health nurses. Cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 821 nurses. Portuguese nurses demonstrated high symptoms of depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety. Healthy eating, physical activity, rest between shifts, maintaining social contacts, verbalizing feelings/emotions, and spending less time searching for information about COVID-19 are associated with better mental health. Mental health nurses have less depression, anxiety, and stress, and use more strategies to promote mental health than other nurses. We consider it important to promote nurses’ mental health literacy by encouraging them to develop skills and strategies aimed at improving their resilience and ability to deal with difficult situations while caring for the population.

Cancer patients may experience significant distress. The “Emotion Thermometers” (ETs) are a short visual analogue scale used to screen patients for psychosocial risk. This study aimed to assess emotional distress in a large sample of cancer patients attending psychological services at an NGO, and to explore factors that may contribute to it. The ETs were answered by 899 cancer patients. They were, on average, 59.9 years old, the majority were female, had breast cancer, were under treatment or were disease-free survivors, and reported high levels of emotional distress, above the cut-off (≥5). A Generalized Linear Model was used to measure the association between the level of Distress and 33 items of the problem list. Four items - sadness, depression, sleep and breathing - were found to be significantly related to a higher level of Distress. Additionally, women and those who were in the palliative phase also had significantly higher levels of Distress. Conclusions: The results confirm the need for early emotional screening in cancer patients, as well as the relevance of attending to the characteristics of each patient. Additionally, they highlight the utility of the ETs for the clinical practice, allowing to optimize the referral to specialized psy-chosocial services.

This paper compares the performance of three text-to-speech (TTS) models released from June 2021 to January 2022 in order to establish a baseline for Brazilian Portuguese. Those models were trained using dataset for Brazilian Portuguese. The experimental setup considers tts-portuguese dataset to fine-tune the following TTS models: VITS end-to-end model; glowtts and gradtts acoustic models both using hifi-gan vocoder. Performance metrics are arranged into objective and subjective metrics. As subjective metrics, the naturalness and intelligibility are measured based on the mean opinion score (MOS). Results shows that gradtts+hifigan model achieved naturalness of 4.07 MOS, close to performance of current commercial models.

The valve controlled cylinder drive system is the most common type among hydraulic applications. The nonlinear behaviour in such system is inevitable when the valve spool around its null position [1] , Leaney [2] utilised component linking method to investigate the nonlinearities in a Moog valve controlled asymmetric cylinder drive system by simulation in Fortran, in which a generalised concept is introduced and validated by comparing to the experimental results. An factor is proposed in the generalised concepts to describe the asymmetric cylinder state, which is a constant when the cylinder in extending or retracting, but numerically calculated when the valve spool in the underlap region [2]. This paper utilises the component linking method to simulate the Moog valve controlled asymmetric cylinder drive system in Matlab Simulink, and proposed an analytical solution for factor when the valve spool in the underlap region.

Psoriasis is a lifelong, systemic, immune mediated inflammatory skin condition, affecting 1-3% of the world’s population, with an impact on quality of life similar to diseases like cancer or diabetes. Genetics are the single largest risk factor in psoriasis, with GWAS studies showing that many psoriasis risk genes lie along the IL23/Th17 axis. Potential psoriasis risk genes determined through GWAS can be annotated and characterised using functional genomics, allowing the identification of novel drug targets and the repurposing of existing drugs. The pathogenesis of psoriasis is complex and focusing on the IL23/Th17 axis can provide insight into key cell types, cytokines and intracellular signaling pathways involved. Examination of currently available biological treatments, time to relapse post drug withdrawal and rates of drug primary/secondary drug failure show the need for greater understanding of the underlying genetic mechanisms of psoriasis and how they can impact treatment. This could allow for patient stratification towards the treatment most likely reduce dis-ease burden for the longest period possible.

Passive and forced drinking harm was prevalent but less recognized in Chinese adolescents. We educated adolescents on such harm to reduce their intention to drink. Students (n=1244) from 7 secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in a video-based health talk on passive and forced drinking harm. Paired t-test was used to assess their change in knowledge of passive and forced drinking, health and social harm of drinking after the health talk. McNemar's chi-squared test and adjusted multivariable logistic regression (AOR) were used to assess their change in intention to drink and intention to quit. Students were less likely to drink (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.19-0.42) and more likely to quit drinking (OR 3.50, 1.10-14.6) after the health talk. Increased knowledge of passive drinking was associated with less intention to drink (AOR 0.93, 0.90-0.97), increased knowledge of health harm (adjusted b 0.06, 0.05-0.08), and social harm of drinking (adjusted b 0.12, 0.10-0.16). Similar associations were observed in forced drinking (intention to drink: AOR 0.87, 0.79-0.96; health harm: adjusted b 0.16, 0.12-0.19; social harm: adjusted b 0.36, 0.28-0.43). We showed preliminary evidence that the health talk on passive and forced drinking reduced the intention to drink in adolescents.

Scientific literature shows increased interest in the aged and the aging phenomenon. The Aging Attitudes Questionnaire - AAQ was validated for the Portuguese population to understand the importance of attitudes towards old age and their impact on the subjective well-being of the elderly. A sample of 400 subjects (from 18 to 93 years) answered a socio-demographic questionnaire, and the AAQ was composed of three subscales (psychosocial losses, physical change, and psychological growth). The CFA confirmed the tri-factorial structure with very good adjustment of the model to the data with the Cronbach alpha of the total scale scoring .84 and ranging from .65 to .77 for each factor. A total of 9 items were omitted both for poor factor loadings (<0.50. Notwithstanding, 3 items below the criteria were maintained, as they conceptually fit into the factor. Of the final 15 AAQp items, 5 belong to the Psychosocial Loss factor, 6 to Physical Change, and 4 to Psychosocial Growth. This tree factor model explained 50.1 % of the total variance. In conclusion, this study supports that AAQ has acceptable validity, confirming the composite reliability and the discriminant validity, but not the convergent validity. Through multi-group analysis, the invariance of the scale was confirmed. This validation is of pivotal importance once it allows measuring the attitudes towards aging, thus facilitating the promotion of wellbeing across the lifespan.

Background: Passive drinking is prevalent in adolescents worldwide, but its prevalence and harm are understudied. Methods: Secondary students (n=5840, grades 7-12) from 23 selected schools in Hong Kong participated in the survey from 2015-16. Students reported the harm of passive drinking, perceived health status, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Perceived Stress Scale-4, perceived happiness, family health, happiness, and harmony in the questionnaire. The associations were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression (odds ratio, OR) and linear regression (unstandardized coefficient, b), adjusted for confounders. Results: 29.1% (95% CI 27.8 to 30.5%) of students experienced passive drinking in the past 30-day. Past 30-day parental passive drinking was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms (AOR 1.63, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.10), stress (adjusted b 0.76, 0.42 to 1.10), and lower level of perceived happiness (adjusted b -0.52, -0.72 to -0.33). Past 30-day parental passive drinking was associated with a lower level of family health (adjusted b -1.39, 95% CI -1.66 to -1.11), family happiness (adjusted b -1.36, -1.64 to -1.08), and family harmony (adjusted b -1.40, -1.70 to -1.10). Conclusion: Passive drinking was associated with poorer mental health, family wellbeing, and lower level of happiness among Hong Kong Chinese adolescents.

The synergistic efficacy of combined treatment mild heat (MH) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in Bacillus cereus-contaminated red pepper powder was tested. A cocktail of three strains of B. cereus (NCCP 10623, NCCP 14579, ATCC 11778) was inoculated onto red pepper powder and then treated with MH (60 ℃ for 5-20 min) and DBD plasma (5-20 min). Treatment with MH and DBD plasma alone for 5~20 min resulted in reductions of 0.23~1.43 and 0.12~0.96 log CFU/g, respectively. Combined treatment with MH and DBD plasma was the most effective at reducing B. cereus counts on red pepper powder and resulted in log-reductions of ≥ 6.0 log CFU/g. The largest synergistic values (4.24-4.42 log) against B. cereus in red pepper powder were obtained by the combination of 20 min MH and 5~15 min DBD plasma. Hunter color ‘‘L’’, ‘‘a’’, and ‘‘b’’ values of the combination-treated samples were not significantly different from those of non-treated samples. Also, no significant (p > 0.05) differences in pH values between samples were observed. Therefore, these results suggest that the combination of MH treatment and DBD plasma can be potentially utilized in the food industry to effectively inactivate B. cereus without incurring quality deterioration of red pepper powder.

Chemical investigation of the Chinese soft coral Lobophytum sp. has resulted in the isolation of six new compounds, namely lobosteroids A–F (1–6), along with four known compounds. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis and comparison with the spectral data reported in the literature. Among them, the absolute configuration of 1 was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. These steroids characterized by either the presence of an α,β-αꞌ,βꞌ-unsaturated carbonyl or an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety in ring A, or the existence of a 5α,8α-epidioxy system in ring B, as well as diverse oxidation sites of side chains. The prelimi-nary antibacterial bioassay showed all compounds exhibited significant antibacterial activities against the fish pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus parauberis FP KSP28 and Phoyobacterium damselae FP2244 with all inhibition rates more than 90% at the concentration of 150 µM. And at the same concentration, compounds 2, 6–10 also displayed potent inhibitory effects against vancomy-cin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteria G7 with all inhibition rates more than 90%.

The endorsement from Christian circles in facilitating the rise of right-wing populism in Brazil, the United States, as well as the support and alliance of the Polish Catholic Church with the Law and Justice (PiS) government, is widely acknowledged. Embedded within the intricate fabric of multifaceted factors contributing to the surge of right-wing populism, the Culture War assumes a pivotal yet often underestimated role. Manifesting as a profound confrontation, the Culture War signifies an existential clash between contrasting perspectives concerning socio-cultural values grounded in religious scripture. Progressive endeavors strive to deconstruct longstanding norms, advocating for the ascendancy of post-materialistic ideals, while conservative domains portray an unwavering commitment to safeguarding national and religious socio-cultural values as sacrosanct. Both factions employ moral-ethical justifications in their respective pursuits, rendering the landscape of cultural discourse a nuanced tapestry of ideological contention. The influence of Christian doctrine on the conflict surrounding social justice, and the potential convergence between Christian doctrine and the positions of Populist right-wing movements on social justice issues, is underscored. By employing a singular case study focused on Portugal, owing to the nation's enduring relationship with Catholicism spanning from Monarchical times to the Republic and the Fascist Catholic regime, Portugal emerges as indisputably one of the most religious countries in the Western world, akin to Poland. Consequently, in theory, the support of the Portuguese Catholic Church for the nascent Populist right-wing and Christian-oriented party should be evident amidst the Culture War conflict, wherein conservative religious Christian values face existential challenge. However, the backing extended to CHEGA by both the Catholic Church and the Portuguese Episcopal Conference assumes an ambivalent and markedly diminished stance, diverging from the previously robust support observed in established center-right mainstream parties such as the PSD and CDS. Despite this reality and the absence of official support for CHEGA, numerous Christian politicians or activists have expressed endorsement or alignment with the right-wing party, departing from their former affiliations, primarily due to social justice concerns.