The oviparous blow fly Calliphora vicina has shown potential as a managed pollination species to support honeybee (Apis mellifera) usage in Australian horticulture. This blow fly species lays eggs onto carrion soon after death and the resultant larvae that hatch are necrophagous and feed on the decomposing tissues of the dead animal. Newly hatched larvae of this fly were provided with plant-based meals (soya bean and canola) and compared with animal-derived meatmeal to determine if plant-based meal could be used to mass rear this blow fly species. Both soyabean and canola meal media did not support the survival of any larvae through to adult eclosion. The addition of only 10% whole egg powder to the plant-based meals enabled survival to eclosion of 39% and 13% on soyabean and canola based medias respectively compared with 76% on animal-based meatmeal with 10% whole egg powder. Larvae fed livestock meatmeal with 10% whole dried egg powder had the fastest development to the pupal stage, the highest pupation rate, the heaviest pupae and the highest subsequent adult eclosion. This study concluded that the use of plant-based meals in the mass rearing of the blow fly C. vicina was neither viable, nor economically viable.

Mesoscale eddies wield a significant influence on primary productivity in marine ecosystems by regulating nutrient availability, vertical mixing, and phytoplankton growth dynamics. In this study, we tracked and analyzed the effects of mesoscale eddies on net primary productivity (NPP) across the Bay of Bengal (BoB) using remote sensing data. Dividing the Bay into six zones based on mesoscale eddy frequency and distribution, our analysis identified 1880 anticyclonic eddies and 1972 cyclonic eddies during January 2010–March 2020 monitoring period. Cyclonic eddies predominantly occurred in the western part of the bay - along the east coast of the Indian Peninsula; while anticyclonic eddies were also observed, albeit in lesser proportions. Among eddies lasting one-week, anticyclonic eddies comprised approximately 48.81%, while cyclonic eddies constituted approximately 51.19% of the total. Analysis of the NPP distribution across the months revealed intriguing patterns. Mean values of NPP fluctuated throughout the year, with the highest value observed in August (748.51 mg C/m2/day) and the lowest in May (519.26 mg C/m2/day). The findings indicate a complex relationship between eddy distribution and NPP, with Zones 1 and 2 exhibiting a higher occurrence of cyclonic eddies, correlating with greater NPP and its variability. Conversely, Zones 3 and 5 display increased eddy activity despite fewer cyclonic eddies and lower NPP levels. Zone 6 shows reduced eddy activity and NPP, while Zone 4 presents moderate eddy activity alongside lower NPP. In contrast, Zones 3 to 5 exhibit lower NPP levels despite exhibiting heightened eddy activity. This study contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of ocean circulation and the impacts of eddies on NPP, which can inform fisheries management strategies, advances climate resilience measures, expands scientific knowledge, and guides policies related to conservation and sustainable resource utilization.

Immunotherapy, particularly Immune Checkpoint Blockade (ICB), has demonstrated significant efficacy in treating melanoma in recent years. However, accurately predicting treatment success and avoiding ineffective therapies remains an unresolved challenge. Therefore, this study aims to develop statistical models utilizing neural networks to forecast the effectiveness of immune checkpoint therapies for melanoma patients. Our models primarily rely on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to anticipate both Overall Survival (OS) and Progression-Free Survival (PFS) among melanoma patients undergoing anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1/anti-PDL1 therapy. We incorporate gene expression data, measured in Transcripts per Million (TPM), derived from bulk tumor RNA-sequencing datasets. Additionally, clinical variables such as gender, age, and treatment type are factored into our analysis. The ANN underwent optimization to attain the highest feasible precision in anticipating the predetermined survival outcome. Issues stemming from high-dimensional data, such as overfitting, were tackled through regularization and feature selection methods. Consequently, the ANN-based model incorporating feature selection exhibited the capacity to forecast survival (PFS) in response to ICB therapy with a maximal precision of 86%. Conversely, the ANN lacking feature selection but incorporating regularization achieved accuracies of up to 72% for PFS and 71% for OS, correspondingly. In order to confront the challenge posed by limited patient samples and to assess replicability, the model underwent training and validation based on the amalgamation of all five datasets. However, this amalgamation failed to enhance predictive performance, necessitating further investigations.

In this study, we aim to explore whether rephrasing enhances the performance of advanced question answering systems in terms of accuracy. Initially, we analyze the effectiveness of Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT)—a widely used pre-trained language model—when presented with rephrased questions and documents containing distracting details. Our findings reveal that BERT exhibits excessive sensitivity to such instances, prompting us to investigate potential strategies for mitigating this sensitivity. To address the observed decline in performance, we propose a refinement approach for BERT, incorporating techniques such as data augmentation and multitask learning. Specifically, given a question and its context, we generate a series of paraphrases through back-translation. Alongside minimizing the loss between the predicted answer distributions for the original questions—we also minimize the supervised loss associated with the augmented questions. Furthermore, we introduce an auxiliary objective aimed at minimizing the unsupervised loss between the answer distributions of the original and augmented questions. Notably, this auxiliary loss is unsupervised, as it does not directly rely on labels corresponding to the augmented examples. To compute this unsupervised loss, we employ measures such as symmetric Kullback-Leibler divergence and the Jensen-Shannon distance, serving as regularization techniques for the model. The findings revealed that the supervised model exhibited superior performance compared to both the original and our proposed model. However, our proposed model demonstrated a nearly 2% enhancement in both Exact Match (EM) and F1 scores when tested on a paraphrased development set that we formulated. This suggests the potential effectiveness of our proposed approach in enhancing model accuracy and performance.

Vegetation Net Primary Productivity (NPP) plays a crucial role in terrestrial carbon sinks and the global carbon cycle. Investigating the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region can furnish a solid scientific foundation for green, low-carbon, and sustainable development in China, as well as a reference for other rapidly urbanizing regions. This study focuses on the YRD region as an illustration and utilizes the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA model) to quantify NPP in this region from 2000 to 2018. Investigation into the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors was conducted using Theil–Sen Median Trend Analysis and Scenario Analysis. The results indicate that (1) the NPP in the YRD region from 2000 to 2018 exhibited pronounced spatial differentiation characteristics, typically exhibiting a spatial distribution pattern of being high in the south and low in the north, high in the west and low in the east. Additionally, the expansion of built-up areas and the reduction of cultivated land have the potential to reduce NPP in the YRD region. Moreover, the influence of LUCC is anticipated to be relatively limited compared to that of climate change. Furthermore, changes in precipitation were found to be positively correlated with changes in NPP, with the effect being relatively more pronounced. The correlation between temperature and NPP demonstrated spatial differentiation, with a mainly positive correlation in the central and southern parts of the YRD and a mainly negative correlation in the northern part. Changes in solar radiation had a negative correlation with changes in NPP. Based on these results, it is recommended that local governments strictly enforce urban development boundaries and manage the disorderly expansion of built-up areas, enhance the regional irrigation infrastructure, and address air pollution, so as to ensure the necessary conditions for the growth of vegetation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and control regional temperature rise.

Tropical rainforests have the highest rates of net primary productivity (NPP) of the world. Hypotheses about the effect of edaphic nutrient contents, especially the availability of P, propose that they limit NPP of tropical forests or promote the redistribution of its above and belowground components. However, these hypotheses have not been tested experimentally in highly rainy tropical forests. To test such hypotheses, the effects of soil fertilization on the above and belowground NPP were evaluated in forests of two localities of Chocó (Colombia), one of the rainiest regions of the world. Five fertilization treatments (N, P, K, NPK and Control) were applied, and the above and belowground NPP were determined in permanent plots. There were no significant effects of treatments on total NPP; only the application of N significantly increased litter NPP. Additionally, a redistribution of the above and belowground NPP was found with the application of P, which increased the proportion of fine roots and litter, and decreased the woody components of forest NPP. This change of carbon allocation is interpreted as an ecophysiological mechanism to capture additional nutrients in soils with very low content of available P.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of the Mediterranean diet (MD) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Caucasian subjects between 35 and 74 years. The secondary aim is to analyze sex differences. Methods: A cross‑sectional trial. This study utilized data from the EVA, MARK, and EVIDENT studies, a total of 3417 subjects with a mean age of 60.14±9.14 years (57% men). MetS was defined based on the Joint Scientific Statement National Cholesterol Education Program III. Waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and lipid profile were measured. Adherence to the MD was assessed with the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire used in the PREDIMED study. Good adherence was considered when the MD value was higher than the median value. Results: The mean value of the MEDAS questionnaire was 5.83±2.04; (Men 5.66±2.06 and women 6.04±1.99; p<0.001). Adherence to the MD was observed by 38.6% (34.3% men and 40.3% women; p<0.001). MetS was observed in 41.6% (39.0% men and 45.2%women p<0.001). In the multiple regression analysis after adjusting for possible confounders, the mean MD value showed a negative association with the number of MetS components per subject (β=-0.336), and with the different components of MetS: Systolic blood pressure (β=-0.011), Diastolic blood pressure (β=-0.029), glycemia (β=-0.009), Triglycerides (β=-0.004), Waist circumference (β=-0.026), except with the HDL-cholesterol value which showed a positive association (β=0.021); (p<0.001 in all cases). The adjusted logistic regression models showed that an increase in MDA decreases the probability of MetS (OR =0.56) and its components: blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg (OR = 0.63), fasting plasma glucose ≥100 mg/dL (OR = 0.62); triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL (OR = 0.65); waist circumference ≥88 cm in women and ≥102 cm in men (OR = 0.74), and increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <40 mg/dL in men or <50 mg/dL in women (OR = 1.70); (p<0.001 in all cases). The results by sex were similar, both in multiple regression and logistic regression. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet decreases the probability of presenting Mets globally and by sex.

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has raised concerns surrounding immunological protection against the virus, particularly for people with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). While COVID-19 vaccination induces robust antibody, memory B-cell, and T-cell responses in healthy individuals, how well vaccination protects people with IEI against infection and severe disease remains unclear – especially in the context of new viral variants and vaccine formulations – leading to anxiety, ongoing self-isolation, and repeated vaccination with limited evidence of increased efficacy. Whilst most people with IEI generate some level of cellular and/or humoral immunity to COVID-19 vaccination, the level of protection and durability of the response are unclear. Alongside vaccination, antibody-based therapeutics are aimed at limiting infection and severe disease in this cohort. Immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) provides passive immunity in antibody-deficient individuals. However, to successfully prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, a sufficient number of neutralizing antibodies must be present in product. While antibodies against circulating variants are eventually present in IgRT products (both from natural infection and vaccination of the donors), evidence of their capacity to recognize new variants is limited. Furthermore, while antibody-based pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis can be effective, they are susceptible to decreased efficacy in the context of variant evolution. This review provides an in-depth overview of current knowledge about COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in IEIs, the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody products, and knowledge and technological advances required for continued protection of people with IEI.

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

The article presents the results of studies aimed to identify the effect of foliar treatments of winter wheat, sugar beets and soybeans with mineral and bioorganic fertilizers. Their positive effect on increasing the concentration of mineral forms of nitrogen in soil was revealed. The crop types have a greater influence on the size of nitrous oxide emissions: in winter wheat crops - 679 µg/m3, soybeans - 637.2 µg/m3, sugar beets - 576.8 µg/m3. The amounts of nitrous oxide emissions were lower in the variants without the use of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. The Ruter AA fertilizer showed the greatest efficiency on winter wheat crops - 42.7 c/ha. Soybean grain yield of 44.2 c/ha was also achieved by using Ruter AA, as well as Geo-humate together with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. On the background of the actual supply of phosphorus and potassium, maximum yield was obtained when using N30 on the leaf - 39.3 c/ha. Foliar feeding ensured a yield of sugar beet root crops of up to 67.1-77.4 c/ha on the backdrop of the application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with the advantage of using Amino turbo. The largest yield of sugar beet roots without use of mineral phosphorus and potassium was ensured by N30 treatment of the leaf in the phases of 4-6 and 8 leaves - 63.2 t/ha. Of the organo-mineral fertilizers and biostimulants, the best result was shown by the use of Ruter A - 62.6 t/ha. We believe that foliar feeding of crops can be a sustainable farming method that can increase crop yields and reduce N2O emissions.

(1) Background: Several chronic respiratory diseases could be a risk factor for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection: among them, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare (about 1:10.000) inherited ciliopathy (MIM 242650) characterized by recurrent upper and lower respiratory tract infections due to a dysfunctioning of the respiratory cilia; We aimed to investigate if some polymorphisms of the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor correlate with an increased prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity of symptoms in a cohort of PCD subjects; (2) Methods: Patients answered several questions about possible SARS-CoV-2 infection, experienced symptoms and vaccinations; in case of infection, they also filled out a SNOT-22 and ARTIQ questionnaires; (3) Results: Forty PCD adult patients (mean age 36.6 ± 16.7 years, 23 females) participated to the study, out of which 30 % had tested positive for COVID-19 during the last four years; most of them reported a mildly symptomatic disease. We found no differences in age or sex, but a statistic significant difference (p=0.03) was observed in body mass index (BMI), that was higher in the COVID-acquired group (23.2 ± 3.3 vs 20.1 ± 4.1 kg/m2). Genotyping for TAS2R38 polymorphisms showed a prevalence of 28.6% PAV/PAV, 48.6% PAV/AVI and 22.8% AVI/AVI individuals in our cohort. In contrast to our hypothesis, we did not observe a protective role of PAV allele towards SARS-CoV-2 infection; (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest that subjects with PCD may not be at increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 and the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor genotype type does not affect SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Abstract: Field studies with large-stemmed plants Artemisia dubia (wormwood) have been carried out at Vėžaičiai Branch LAMMC since 2018. According to three years of experimental results, annual dry matter (DM) yield varied from 7.94 to 10.14 t ha-1. Growing conditions, nitrogen ap-plication level and harvesting time had significant impacts on Artemisia dubia productivity. This article presents the results of research on preparation and use of Artemisia dubia biomass for en-ergy conversion and evaluation of technological-technical and environmental parameters of these plants utilization for solid biofuel. For experiments were used 6 variants of Artemisia dubia samples, which were grown in 2021: plants were cut three times and two fertilization options were used: (1) no fertilization and (2) fertilization with 180 kg ha-1 of nitrogen fertilizer. These harvested plants were chopped, milled and were pressed into the pellets. The physi-cal-mechanical characteristics (mоisture content, density and strength) of Artemisia dubia pellets were investigated. During this study, it was found that the density in dry mass (DM) of pellets ranged from 1119.86 to 1192.44 kg m-3. The pellet moisture content ranged from 8.80 to 10.49%. After testing of pellet strength, it was found that the pellets which were made from plant bio-mass PK-1-1, were the most resistant to compression, they withstood 560.36 N of pressure. Dry fuel lower heating value (LHV) of pellets was sufficiently high and was very close to pine saw-dust pellets, it varied from 17.46±0.25 MJ kg-1 to 18.14±0.28 MJ kg-1. The ash content of burned pellets ranged from 3.62±0.02% to 6.47±0.09%. Emissions of harmful pollutants – CO2, CO, NOx and unburnt hydrocarbons (CxHy) did not exceed the maximum permissible levels. Summariz-ing the results of investigated properties, cоmbustion and emissiоns of Artemisia dubia pellets, it can be concluded that this biofuel can be used for production of pressed biofuel and it is charac-terized by sufficient high quality, efficient combustion and permissible emissions to the envi-ronment.

In patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), the choice of surgical strategy for histopathologic assessment is still controversial, particularly in terms of preoperative corticosteroid (CS) therapy. To provide further evidence for clinical decision-making, we retrospectively analyzed data from 148 consecutive patients who underwent surgery at our institution. Although patients treated with corticosteroids preoperatively were significantly more likely to require a second or third biopsy (p=0.049), it was only necessary in less than 10% of the cases with preoperative corticosteroid treatment. The choice of surgical procedure did not affect diagnostic accuracy (p>0.05). Preoperative CSF sampling did not provide additional information but was associated with delayed surgery (p=0.02). Surprisingly, diagnostic accuracy was significantly lower when patients were treated with anticoagulation or dual antiplatelet therapy (p=0.015). In conclusion, preoperative CS therapy can challenge the histological diagnosis of PCNSL. At the same time, our data suggest that preoperative CS treatment only presents a relative contraindication for an early surgical intervention. The standard surgical approach is stereotactic biopsy, but other approaches can be individually considered. If a definitive diagnosis cannot be made after the first surgical intervention, the timing of a repeat biopsy after discontinuation of CS remains a case-by-case decision.

Climate change has altered the frequency and severity of extreme weather, which can affect vegetation condition and habitat quality for wildlife. Declines in vegetation productivity during droughts and heatwaves can negatively impact animals that depend on vegetation for water and nutrition. The ability to detect such effects on habitat suitability can reveal refugia, which can be prioritised for protection to improve threatened species conservation. We used the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) to look at relationships between vegetation productivity and the presence of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in potential habitat throughout much of their range. Using a large, long-term koala presence dataset, we tested the hypothesis that locations where koalas had been observed would exhibit higher NDVI values than a random, representative sample from the same vegetation group (i.e. woodlands, open forests or tall open forests). We also identified the minimum NDVI threshold at which koalas occurred across time for each vegetation group and compared these to the minimum NDVI values observed across potential koala habitat before and during the millennium drought; one of the worst recorded in Australia. Additionally, we investigated whether vegetation above the minimum NDVI thresholds was significantly closer to perennial water than unsuitable vegetation. We found that koalas tend to occur at locations exhibiting higher NDVI than average for all vegetation groups. We also found that 49% of all vegetation groups maintained a minimum NDVI above the koalas’ NDVI threshold before drought, equating to 190,227 km2, which declined to 166,746 km2 during drought (a 12% reduction). We also found that unsuitable vegetation tended to occur farther from perennial water than suitable vegetation for some vegetation groups. Areas that remained above the NDVI thresholds during the drought should be considered potential refugia for populations during an event of similar magnitude and could indicate future core habitat extent.

Precision medicine (PM), also termed stratified, individualised, targeted or personalised medicine, embraces a rapidly expanding area of research, knowledge, and practice. It brings together two emerging health technologies to deliver better individualised care: the many “-omics” arising from increased capacity to understand the human genome; and “big data” and data analytics including Artificial Intelligence (AI). PM has the potential to transform an individual’s health, moving from population-based disease prevention to more personalised management. There is however a tension between the two, with a real risk that this will exacerbate health inequalities and divert funds and attention from basic healthcare requirements leading to worse health outcomes for many. All areas of medicine should consider how this will affect their practice, with PM now strongly encouraged and supported by government initiatives and research funding. In this review we discuss examples of PM in current practice and its emerging applications in primary care, such as clinical prediction tools that incorporate genomic markers and pharmacogenomic testing. We look towards potential future applications and consider some key questions for PM including evidence of real-world impact, its affordability, the risk of exacerbating health inequalities, and the computational and storage challenges of applying PM technologies at scale.

Introduction: Despite its high prevalence and impact on health, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is inadequately addressed in European primary care (PC), with a large proportion of cases going undiagnosed or diagnosed too late. A multi-country European re-search consortium led a project to design and evaluate a patient-centered, integrated model for MASLD screening, diagnosis and linkage to specialty care for European PC settings. Aim: Based on the lessons from this project, the latest research evidence and existing guidelines for the management of MASLD, we sought to develop a set of practice recommendations for screening, referral and management of MASLD in PC. Methods: The Rand/UCLA modified Delphi panel method, with two rounds, was used to reach consensus on practice recommendations. The international panel consisted of experts from six countries, representing family medicine, gastroenterology, hepatology, cardiology and public health. Initially, fifteen statements were drafted based on a synthesis of evidence from the literature and earlier findings from our consortium. Prior to the consensus meeting, the statements were rated by the experts in a first round. Then, in a hybrid meeting, the experts discussed findings of round one, adjusted the statements and reassessed the updated recommendations in a second round. Results: In round one, there was already a high level of consensus on 10 out of 15 statements. After round 2, there were fourteen statements with a high agreement (>90%). One statement was not endorsed. The approved recommendations addressed the following practice areas: risk screening and diagnosis, management of MASLD – Lifestyle interventions, pharmacological treatment of MASLD/MASH, pharmacological treatment for co-morbidity, integrated care, surgical management and other referrals to specialists. Conclusion: The final set of 14 recommendations focuses on increasing comprehensive care for MASLD in PC. The recommendations provide practical evidence-based guidance tailored to PC practitioners. We expect that these recommendations will contribute to the ongoing discussion on systematic approaches to tackle MASLD and support European PC providers by integrating the latest evidence into practice.

We present a case report of a young patient with pectus carinatum who experienced a small right apex pneumothorax and exhibited Brugada patterns on electrocardiogram tracing. This is the first clinical case reporting Brugada pattern presentation in both a patient with pectus carinatum and a small pneumothorax. We conducted a clinical, anatomical, and electrocardiographic analysis to explore a physiopathological explanation for these findings, considering our patient had no history or clinical signs of Brugada Syndrome. We conclude that: 1. Pectus carinatum may create a window that facilitates the less resistive measurement of cardiac action potentials; 2. Small pneumothoraces can induce modifications in the cardiac electrical signal detected by surface electrodes, and pectus carinatum could unmask these modifications; and 3. Surface electrodes may measure subepicardial potentials that include and are modified by adjacent pericardial tissues, potentially resulting in alterations in transmural potential differences, thus producing fictitious Brugada patterns. Similarly, there is a possibility that the right ventricular outflow tract may be included within the subendocardial potentials.

Soil extracellular enzyme activity (EEAs) and enzymatic stoichiometry (ES) can provide a crucial indication of changes in soil ecosystem's nutrient availability and the microbial resource limitations. However, the changing characteristics of soil EEAs and ES at different stages of the native succession process and their key drivers are unclear. In order to investigate the soil EEAs, ES and driving factors of soil under vegetation at different succession stages, we adopted the "spatio-temporal substitution" method to collect the surface soil of bryophyte community, herbaceous community, shrub community and tree community in the new volcanic lava platform of Wudalianchi Volcanic Nature Reserve. We measured seven soil EEA, including carbon(C)-acquiring enzyme (β-1,4-glucosidase (BG)), N-acquiring enzymes (β-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP)) and phosphorus (P)-acquiring enzyme (acid phosphatase (AP)) activities. The length and angle of vectors defined by ratios of enzyme activities (BG/(NAG + LAP) vs. BG/AP) were used to indicate relative microbial investments in C- (length), and N- and P- (angle) acquiring enzymes. Our results showed that the contents of TC, TN, TP, MBC, DOC and NO3-N in shrub community soil were significantly higher than those in bryophyte, herb and tree communities, and increased by 441%, 246%, 137%, 5570%, 12% and 484%, respectively. The highest soil EEA of C-, N- and P-acquiring were found in shrub community, and the soil EEAs/MBC of C-, N- and P-acquiring were the highest in bryophyte community. Enzyme C:N, C:P and N:P ratios increased progressively in the order of bryophyte, herb and shrub community, but the enzyme C:N, C:P and N:P ratios of tree community were both far less than shrub community. Vector lengths increased progressively in the order of bryophyte (1.16), herb (1.27), tree (1.29) and shrub (1.40), and Vector angles decreased progressively in the order of bryophyte (49.15°), herb (45.65°), Tree (45.31°) and shurb (44.54°), suggested that as succession progresses, soil microbial nutrients transforms from P limitation (angle＞45°) to N limitation (angle＜45°). Redundancy analysis showed that TC, TN, EC and C:N were important drivers of variation in soil EEAs and ES in vegetation at different succession stages. Our findings highlight that the primary succession process cause nutrient limitation transformation. Soil ES might be a sensitive indicator mediated by soil microorganisms to the relative resource limitation at different stages of the primary succession process.

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

The acoustic environment in learning spaces significantly influences learning effectiveness and occupant well-being. Recent studies have shown that a series of architectural factors within physical learning environments can impact students' educational experiences. This research delves into the relationship between architectural characteristics and the perceived acoustic environment among 467 primary students in 19 learning spaces across 9 schools in Chile. The survey comprises a student questionnaire, a checklist evaluating space characteristics, and acoustic measurements of indoor noise levels during occupied conditions. Examined topics include Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) comfort perception, noise annoyance, hearing ability, and acoustic preference. Architectural characteristics considered encompass flexible and acoustic space design parameters. The results indicated that noise discomfort was a common issue, especially in traditional learning spaces without acoustic treatment. The type of learning space (traditional or flexible settings) has a greater impact on acoustic perception particularly concerning noise discomfort and acoustic preference. However, poorly acoustic spaces lacking absorbing materials or exhibiting lower spatial density (m2 per student) contribute to increased indoor noise levels affecting noise annoyance caused by children's talking inside. The study emphasizes the importance of considering both architectural design and acoustic conditioning for optimizing the acoustic experience in educational spaces.

Wheat is widely grown in the Mediterranean region, where plants frequently face water shortages. Recently, more attention to rationalizing irrigation water has been increased due to the adoption of sustainable agricultural systems. Therefore, two field trials were conducted at the Agriculture Research Station of Nubaria, Egypt, in two consecutive seasons (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) to examine three irrigation regimes' effects, i.e., 60, 80, and 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) combined with foliar ascorbic acid (AsA) or vitamin B2 (VB2) on yield and water productivity of wheat in two separate experiments. A split-plot design was used with three replicates. Irrigation treatments occupied the main plots, while the subplot in the first experiment was placed by ascorbic acid (AsA) and vitamin B2 in the second experiment. Results indicated that 100% ETc produced higher wheat yield and its attributes and insignificantly surpassed 80% ETc. Compared to the unsprayed plots, the foliar application of 6 mM ascorbic acid or 2.0 mM vitamin B2 significantly increased grain yield, components, and water use efficiency. The interaction between irrigation regimes (100% ETc or 80% ETc) and foliar application of 6.0 mM ascorbic acid or 2.0 mM vitamin B2 resulted in the highest values with no significant difference. Foliar application of ascorbic acid or vitamin B2 saved 20% of irrigation water while yielding a reduction that did not exceed 10%. The biplot graph of treatments x traits (TT) was a useful statistical tool for examining the impact of treatments on yield and its characteristics and identifying the links between these factors. Results suggest that riboflavin or ascorbic acid may have a potential role as an effective antioxidant for enhancing the tolerance for drought stress in wheat.

Resection of malignant lesions in the oral and maxillofacial area causes functional and morphological defects. To recover from these defects, reconstruction surgery is needed such as a primary closure or a flap. There are advantages and disadvantages to the method of using the primary closure and the flap, and the choice of procedure is entirely up to a surgeon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate availability of primary closure in patients. For 10 years from January 2010 to May 2020, patients who recovered using flaps after removing malignant lesions from the oral cavity and those who closed the lesion using primary closure were investigated. The investigation was conducted by searching the database of the hospital. There were 85 patients who removed malignant lesions in the oral and maxillofacial area, and among them 16 patients closed the soft tissue defects using primary closure. Operation time, histologic types, stages, wound status, and period of hospitalization according to the patients' medical records were investigated retrospectively. Between the staging and the primary closure, statistically significant differences were observed between stage I and stage II patients in 13 patients using the primary closure. (P=0.046). Statistically significant differences were identified between operation time and primary closure, with an average of 4.02 hours (P=0.015). The average period of hospitality for patients who underwent primary closure was 13.4 days, compared to 26.7 days for those who underwent flap surgery. This difference was statistically significant (P=0.0003). This study evaluated the use of primary closure in patients who underwent resection of malignant lesions in the oral and maxillofacial area. Although the majority of patients underwent reconstruction with flaps, our results showed that primary closure can be a viable option for certain patients with early-stage lesions. Therefore, oral and maxillofacial surgeons should carefully consider various evaluation criteria and select appropriate reconstruction methods to optimize functional and aesthetic outcomes for each patient.

Accurate clinical diagnosis of patients presenting to primary care settings with acute sore throat remains challenging, often resulting in the over-prescribing of antibiotics. Using point-of-care tests (POCTs) to differentiate between respiratory infections is well-accepted, yet evidence on the application within primary care is sparse. We assessed the application of testing patients (n=160) from three family practices with suspected Streptococcal infections using rapid molecular tests (ID NOW Strep A2, Abbott). In addition to comparing clinical evaluation and prescription rates with either usual care or with testing, patients and staff completed a questionnaire about their experience of molecular POCT in primary care. The immediate availability of the result was important to patients (100%) and staff (≈90%) stated that molecular testing improved quality of care. Interestingly, only 22.73% of patients with a Centor score >2 tested positive for Strep A and overall, less than 50% of Centor scores 3 and 4 tested positive for Strep A with the ID NOW testing platform. The addition of rapid molecular POCTs to clinical assessment resulted in a 55- 65% reduction in immediate and deferred antibiotic prescriptions. The intervention was popular with patients and medical staff but was associated with increased cost and a longer appointment length.

Seventy-seven percent of Irish primary school children do not meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines [1]. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a primary school initiative designed to increase children’s PA output. This study evaluates TDM’s perceived effect on Irish primary school children’s health-related metrics. A mixed-methods study, comprising two data collection phases, used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate TDM [2]. Phase one involved teachers, principals and classroom assistants (n = 191) from TDM-registered schools completing a questionnaire. Two TDM-registered schools participated in phase two where, (i) interviews were conducted with each principal, (ii) a teacher sub-sample (n = 4) participated in a focus group and (iii) a child sub-sample (n = 14) participated in separate focus groups. TDM was perceived to positively impact markers of children’s health, including their PA behaviour, physical fitness and social wellbeing. Inclement weather (66.5%) and a lack of time (56.5%) were reported as the top-ranked implementation barriers. Moreover, TDM’s repetitive nature often left children feeling disinterested and resulted in some teachers modifying the initiative to maintain engagement levels. Maintaining the long-term implementation of TDM and its health benefits in primary schools may require bespoke amendments to the original format to preserve children’s engagement.

: Greenhouse plants are usually grown in containers filled with growing media. Peat is the main component of the growing media used in greenhouses. However, peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. Wood fiber can be an alternative to use as a growing media for controlled-climate crops. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the vegetative container. Therefore, this study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) conventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in WF/PS 50/50 and WF/PS 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat substrate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

Background: The accelerated ageing of the world's population will lead to an increase in the number of older persons in the workforce. Computerized Cognitive Training (CCT) is effective in improving cognitive outcomes, but its benefits for older workers remain controversial. We investigate the real-world efficacy of CCT in the workplace, focusing on employees aged 50+ years from a public sector agency. Methods: Case managers (N = 82) were randomized to either Intervention group (24 40-minute CCT sessions two times per week) or waiting list passive Control group. Cognitive ability, wellbeing, job satisfaction, and productivity outcome measures were collected assessed before and after CCT or comparable Control wait time. Results: Participants undergoing CCT improved on a task of executive functioning (p = 0.04). There was a trend toward change in work productivity after CCT (p = 0.09) with the Control group showing a significant decrease (p = 0.02), while the Intervention group remained stable. Conclusions: CCT during office hours has a positive effect on cognition and well-being without affecting the productivity among white-collar office workers. CCT could be considered as an intervention to support the older workforce in managing the cognitive and behavioral challenges of changing workplace demands.

High temperature stress affects tomato production both in tropical and sub-tropical environments worldwide. To explore genetic variation for heat tolerance in tomato, 329 transcontinental tomato varieties were evaluated at The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) greenhouses near Doha, Qatar. Preliminary phenotypic analysis identified a diverse set of 71 hybrid and pure line tomato varieties for more detailed studies. The selected subset was examined in the greenhouse in a randomized complete block design under heat stress. The materials were phenotyped for fruit size, fruit weight, fruit hardness, fruit locules, fruit set (%), total soluble solids (TSS), and fruit yield. Significant phenotypic differences among genotypes were observed for all the traits assessed. To explore the genetic basis of variation among varieties the subset was genotyped using 104 SNP markers identified in previous heat tolerance genome wide association studies (GWAS). Nineteen QTL associated SNP markers could reliably select heat tolerant varieties in terms of better fruit yield, fruit set, and TSS. These markers are located on Chromosome 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 12. Interestingly, two clusters of markers on chromosome 6 were linked to significant effects on yield, fruit set, and TSS under high temperature. Some markers located within these QTL regions were also reported as associated with heat tolerance in other studies. Eighteen out of nineteen SNP markers were mapped within a gene body. Based on the phenotypic and the genotypic analysis, an elite set of five varieties was selected for approval for heat stress environments in Qatar. These findings have significance not only for Qatar, but they are also valuable for wider application at other locations worldwide. The 19 markers presented here could be adopted by breeders for marker-assisted selection (MAS) for heat tolerance.

The present work studies the concept of productivity in shipbuilding and how it should be measured. The existing metrics, shipbuilding process and shipyard organization were studies in order to choose the most adequate metrics which would allow the measuring of a shipyard productivity in a systematic and holistic way. This is achieved by gathering the man-hours spent in each ship organized by cost centre and using Compensated Gross Tonnages as the measure of output from the shipyard. Data was gathered for thirty ships built in the same European yard organized by cost centre. From the data collected it was found that the ratio of hours spent in outfitting to the hours spent in structures is proportional to the complexity of the ship. There was also opportunity to study the work reduction resulting from building ships in series and the shares of labour for ships series and across ship types.

This paper proposes an upper bound for mine productivity and also a simple truck dispatch rule that demonstrates how tight the upper bound can be using simulation. It also proposes a greedy search to approximate the productivity upper bound, which is faster and often exact. Uncertainty is added to the simulation in order to verify how the productivity responds to it. Typically, the productivity upper bound is less tight close to its saturation point as a function of the number of trucks, where adding more trucks only increases queues. Furthermore, more uncertainty in the model typically leads to a less tight upper bound. The results are conducted using real data from an open pit mine in Brazil.

Taeniid infections pose a significant threat to both animal and public health, as certain tapeworms within this group can also infect humans, potentially leading to severe health conditions. Therefore, this calls for preventive and control measures, such as regular deworming of dogs. While the efficacy of deworming has been established in developed countries, there is a paucity of reported deworming practices in rural areas of developing countries, such as Tanzania. This study aims to understand determinants for helminth treatment-seeking behavior towards control of cestodial taeniid infections in rural settings in northern Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in agropastoral and pastoral areas of northern Tanzania. Comprehensive data from household surveys in selected sub-villages were collected to ascertain dog ownership, dog deworming practices, and the availability of dewormers. Analytical methods were employed to discern how various determinants influenced deworming practices among dog owners in these communities. Awareness of dewormers specifically formulated for dogs emerged as a pivotal factor affecting dog deworming practices. Dog owners who were informed about appropriate dog dewormers were nearly two times more likely to engage in deworming compared to those with limited knowledge (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.77 - 4.18, p < 0.001). A majority 32(51.6%, 95% CI: 38.7-64.3) acknowledged accessing dewormers for livestock within their wards. Praziquantel a potent dewormer on cestodes was least known to most dog owners 2(13%, 95% CI: 2.3-41.6). Praziquantel, a potent and common dewormer effective against cestodial taeniid infections, remains relatively unknown in rural areas of northern Tanzania. Therefore, more awareness on appropriate deworming agents against taeniids in dogs should be raised in rural dog-keeping communities.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an inherited disorder that impairs motile cilia, essential for respiratory health, with a reported prevalence of 1 in 16,309 within Hispanic populations. Despite having the RSPH4A [c.921+3_921+6del (intronic)] founder mutation in 70% of Puerto Rican patients, the characterization of the ciliary dysfunction remains unidentified due to the unavailability of advanced diagnostic modalities like High-Speed Video Microscopy Analysis (HSVA). Our study implemented HSVA for the first time on the island as a tool to better diagnose and characterize the RSPH4A [c.921+3_921+6del (intronic)] founder mutation in Puerto Rican patients. By applying HSVA, we analyzed the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and pattern (CBP) in native Puerto Rican patients with PCD. Our results showed decreased CBF and a rotational CBP linked to the RSPH4A founder mutation in Puerto Ricans, presenting a novel diagnostic marker that could be implemented as an axillary test into the PCD diagnosis algorithm in Puerto Rico. The integration of HSVA technology in Puerto Rico substantially enhances the framework for PCD evaluation and diagnosis, facilitating prompt detection and early intervention for improved disease management. This initiative, demonstrating the potential of HSVA as an adjunctive test within the PCD diagnostic algorithm, could serve as a blueprint for analogous developments throughout Latin America.

A previous report showed that the urine output of HPLBII-P in patients with diabetes mellitus and SARS-Cov-2 infection was increased as a sign of glomerular dysfunction. . The aim of this report was to investigate the relation of urine output of HPLBII-P to diabetes mellitus in two large community-based elderly populations i.e. the ULSAM and PIVUS cohorts. Methods HPLBII-P was measured by ELISA in the urine of a community-based cohort of 839 men (ULSAM) collected at 77 years of age and in urine of a community-based cohort of 75-year-old men, n=387, and women, n=401 (PIVUS). KIM-1, NGAL and Albumin were measured in urine and Cathepsin S and Cystatin C in serum. Results HPLBII-P was significantly raised among males with diabetes in the ULSAM (p

Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder in which Thyrotropin Receptor Antibodies (TRAb) continuously stimulate thyroid receptors, leading to excessive production of thyroid hormones. TRAb also affect the orbital tissues, causing Graves' ophthalmopathy. Treatment to control Graves' disease consists of antithyroid drugs, radioiodine and thyroidectomy, and through such treatments, TRAb is reduced and the disease is alleviated. The mechanism by which TRAb, which play a critical role in the pathogenesis of Graves’ disease, decreases after GD treatment is still unknown. This paper presents a theoretical mechanism of how GD patients maintain a vicious cycle and how GD treatment can reduce the TRAb levels and breaks the cycle using stress-based ideas.

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by alterations in motile cilia func-tion. The diagnosis of PCD is challenging due to the lack of standardized methods in clinical practice. High-speed video microscopy analysis (HSVA) directly evaluates ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in PCD. Recently, open-source ciliary analysis software applications have shown promise in measuring CBF accurately. How-ever, there is limited knowledge about the performance of different software applications, creating a gap in understanding their comparative effectiveness in measuring CBF in PCD. We compared two open-source software applications, CiliarMove and Cilialyzer, against the manual count method. We used videos rec-orded at high-speed of nasal ciliary brush samples from PCD patients and healthy controls. All three meth-ods showed lower median CBF values in PCD patients than healthy controls. CiliarMove and Cilialyzer identified lower CBF in PCD patients, similar to the manual count. Cilialyzer, CiliarMove and manual count demonstrated statistical significance (p-value < 0.0001) in the difference of median CBF values be-tween PCD and healthy controls. These findings support the utility of open-source software-based analysis tools. Further studies are needed to validate these findings with other genetic variants and identify the op-timal software for accurate CBF measurement in PCD.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a cholestatic liver disease characterized by immune-mediated injury to small bile ducts. Although PBC is an autoimmune disease, the results of traditional immunosuppressive therapy are disappointing. Nearly 40% of PBC patients do not respond to the first-line drug UDCA. Without appropriate intervention, PBC patients would eventually progress to liver cirrhosis and even death. There is an urgent need to develop new therapies. The gut-liver axis emphasizes the interconnection between the gut and the liver, and there is increasing evidence that gut microbiota and bile acids play an important role in cholestatic diseases. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota, imbalance of bile acids, and immune-mediated bile duct injury constitute the triad of pathophysiology in PBC. Understanding the gut microbiota-bile acid network and corresponding immune functions in PBC provides a new perspective for its treatment strategies. Therefore, we summarize the latest advancements in research of gut microbiota and bile acids in PBC and, for the first time, explore the potential of immune factors related to them as novel immunotherapy targets. This article discusses potential therapeutic approaches focusing on regulating gut microbiota, maintaining bile acid homeostasis, their interactions, and related immune factors.

The platelet count, a component of the full blood count, has been identified as a useful diagnostic marker for cancer in primary care. The reference range for the platelet count is 150 to 400 or 450 × 109/l; this range does not account for natural variation in platelet count by age and sex. This study used three primary care cohorts from England Canada, and Australia. Patients aged 40 years and over with a full blood count were included and stratified by age (in 10-year bands), sex, (male/female), and platelet count group. Cancer incidence within one year of test date was estimated from linked registry data. In all three countries there was a clear upwards trend in cancer incidence with increasing platelet count, for both sexes and at all age groups. Lung and colorectal were the most common sites. These results have important implications for the international application of this work; analysis of local health datasets will be crucial to determine appropriate thresholds. Appropriate upper thresholds will depend on local populations, healthcare needs, and priorities. Further research is needed to assess the likely impact of new recommendations on the healthcare system, on cancer outcomes, and patient benefit.

This study aimed to identify the most beneficial attitudes adopted by enterprise participants during their engagement in open-source software (OSS) activities. For this purpose, we selected repositories from GitHub, featuring the top 10 with the highest stars and forks, classified the participants according to their sentiment states, and compared their productivity. The results indicated that participants with positive sentiments were more productive than those with negative sentiments. Consequently, it can be inferred that encouraging organizations to express positive sentiments towards their developers publicly may stimulate OSS community activities and enhance productivity, thereby potentially leading to increased open innovation and sustainability.

The plant productivity-richness relationship (PPR) is one of the most debated and important issues in ecology. There have been distinct stages in the research of this issue, including the discovery of the different PPR shapes, respective tests of influencing processes, and integrative research with vegetation investigation, manipulation experiments, and theoretical analysis. The debate largely focuses on what the dominant shapes and underlying mechanisms are. Recent integrative research works following analyses of respective processes affecting PPR have found that the humped, asymptotic, positive, negative, and irregular shapes of PPR are linked to each other. One shape of PPR may change into another. The balance between positive and negative processes determines the different shapes of PPR. Plant diversity has a globally positive effect on plant productivity.

Noninvasive brain stimulation technique can be used for modulation of motor behaviors such as reaction time (RT). The main aim of this study was to investigate whether RT during a sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT) can be affected by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over three different stimulation sites such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), primary motor cortex (M1) or posterior parietal cortex (PPC). We also aimed to assess if stimulation of these cortical sites affect the transfer of learning during SVIPT. A total of 48 right-handed healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the four a-tDCS groups: 1) left M1, 2) left DLPFC, 3) left PPC and 4) sham. A-tDCS was applied concurrent with SVIPT in which the participants were precisely controlled their forces to reach seven different target forces from 10 to 40% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) presenting on a computer screen with right dominant hand. Four test blocks were randomly performed at baseline and 15 min after the intervention including sequence and random blocks with either hand. Our results showed significant differences between a-tDCS groups on ratio RT in the sequence blocks of both the right trained (P = .041) and left untrained hands (P = .023) for target forces of 15% and 30 % of MVC, respectively. In sequence blocks, M1 showed significant elongation in ratio RT for the target force of 15% and 30 % MVC compared to PPC and Sham groups in the right hand. In sequence blocks with left hand, this negative effect were found between M1-DLPFC and M1-Sham groups. In random blocks, no significant differences were found among four groups at each target forces for the left hand while there were significant differences for 15% (P =. 04) and 40% MVC (P =. 035) in the right hand. Our findings suggest that three different stimulation sites (DLPFC, M1 or PPC) were differentially affected by a single session of a-tDCS at some target forces during SVIPT. The effects of a-tDCS on ratio RT were transferred in the left untrained hand for sequence blocks but not random blocks. Further research is needed to understand fundamental aspects of these main areas of the brain on temporal processing in a precision control task such as SVIPT.

This research discusses the challenges faced by university students in group work assignments and the importance of effective project management. This article introduces Tasknest, a project management platform that helps teams organize tasks, track progress, and improve communication. This article also reviews related studies on project management applications and discusses the Agile methodology used in the development of Tasknest. The implementation of the task management system was done using Agile methods and Typescript programming language. This web-based system includes a landing page, dashboard page, board page, and settings page. Black box testing was conducted to ensure the system functions as expected, with tests on login, board creation, adding columns and cards, and others. Overall, the system was successfully implemented and tested. Tasknest application development includes user stories, acceptance criteria, sprint backlogs, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives. System design analysis includes usecase diagram, activity diagram, sequence diagram, and entity relationship diagram. Application features include task list management, team member management, real-time collaboration, notification system integration, task enhancement, in-task checklists, user authentication, UI optimization, performance improvement, collaboration feature enhancement, database design, front-end implementation, and UI design. The Agile Alliance outlines 12 principles for implementing Agile methodologies, which prioritize customer satisfaction, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Agile methodologies offer high flexibility, rapid iteration, responsiveness to change, improved product quality, stakeholder involvement, transparency, and clear responsibilities. Scrum is a framework that supports Agile principles, with a focus on transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Scrum improves team collaboration, rapid adaptation to change, transparency, visibility, product quality, and team motivation. In the development of the Tasknest application, the Scrum methodology is used, with roles such as Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team. Data collection techniques include interviews, observations, and literature studies, while data testing techniques involve black box testing. Planning using Scrum involves creating a Product Backlog with prioritized features and fixes. Prioritization determines the duration of each sprint.

: One of the challenges facing operations management is the design, choice and imple-mentation of action plans adapted to the magnitude of the deviations of the variables of an industrial process. Making conscious and quick decisions is crucial to achieving im-provements in productivity. This will be achieved if the organization's internal and external communication model is strategically designed, considering specific cultural factors and the symmetry or asymmetry required in the communication model. However, how do we organize ourselves and through what channels do we communicate within a production process to generate Big Data that combines data from technologies and the perception, comprehension and projection of experienced humans? Our purpose is to create an operations management model that facilitates the incorporation of technology, allows a prompt response to failures, and promotes the sustainability of processes, without losing sight of its alignment with the organizational strategy. The developed model was implemented in an operations management team, following the guidelines of an action researcher methodology. This resulted in the design of an operations management model and a detailed methodology for its implementation, achieving sig-nificant improvements in the metrics of the current process, making it a success story.

Objective: This paper aims to test and evaluate the Effect of Discipline And Work Environment on Employee Productivity of state-owned public bodies.Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses a quantitative approach using a survey approach. The survey is a study conducted on the employee population of state-owned public agency companies, samples taken from the employee population of state-owned public agency companies to find events related to discipline variables and work environments that can affect employee productivity variables, to analise the influence between discipline variables and the work environment on employee productivity variables using a statistic regression approach. This method is used to explain the influence of discipline variables and work environment on employee productivity variables. This approach is simply to provide a description and test the influence between discipline variables and the work environment on employee productivity variables that can be known how much the influence of discipline variables and work environment on employee productivity variables.Findings: The findings of this study explain that discipline has an influence on the productivity of employees of publicly owned companies, the work environment has an influence on the productivity of employees of publicly owned companies, while together discipline and work environment have an influence on the productivity of employees of publicly owned companies.Practical Implications: The results of the study are recommended for employees to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the performance of state-owned public bodies.Originality: Previous research conducted to test the influence of discipline and work environment on the productivity of employees of manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, the findings concluded that discipline and work environment have an influence on the work productivity of employees of manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. This research object of research on publicly owned companies owned by the state.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity are prevalent public health concerns with grave implications for morbidity and mortality, necessitating tailored interventions. This research explores the utility of fuzzy c-means clustering paired with principal component analysis (PCA) in detecting at-risk groups and personalizing health strategies for these conditions. Fuzzy c-means clustering allows for the dynamic classification of individuals into groups based on unique risk factors and intervention outcomes, while PCA aids in distilling complex data sets to uncover underlying patterns. The conjoined use of these methods has shown promise in identifying diverse risk profiles and in forecasting intervention success rates. The study acknowledges limitations, including possible biases stemming from data set composition and analytical parameter selection. Future research aims to refine these tools for clinical application. The results support implementing fuzzy c-means clustering and PCA for delineating specific target populations for health interventions, emphasizing careful use of these analytical approaches. Subsequent studies should focus on correlating these techniques with concrete clinical results to enhance public health measures.

Background: We compared corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (CST) parameters between eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). Methods: A retrospective analysis was done on data from 89 eyes with POAG and 83 eyes with PACG that had CST examinations. CST parameters were compared between eyes with POAG and those with PACG using a linear mixed model (LMM). Results: No differences were observed in age, central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, or use of antiglaucoma eye drops between the two groups. Patients with PACG had a significantly shorter axial length (AL), a higher proportion of females, CST parameters, longer applanation 2 (A2) time, deeper A2 deformation amplitude, shorter peak distance (PD), longer whole eye movement, and longer whole eye movement time than patients with POAG. Highest concavity (HC) length and PD showed a significant positive correlation with AL. However, A1 length, A1 deformation amplitude, A2 time, A2 velocity, A2 length, A2 deformation amplitude, HC time, whole eye movement, and whole eye movement time were negatively correlated with AL. Conclusions: Biomechanical properties of the cornea differed between PACG and POAG. In some parts, AL differences between the POAG and PACG groups might contribute to the variation in CST parameters.

The association between autoimmune diseases, mostly rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematous, celiac disease and Sjögren syndrome, and lymphoma has been widely demonstrated by several epidemiologic studies. By a not yet entirely elucidated mechanism, chronic activation/stimulation of the immune system, along with the administration of specific treatments, may lead to persistent stimulation of both of B- and T-cells, and to the onset of different types of lymphoma in such patients. Specifically, patients affected by may develop lymphomas may years after the original diagnosis. Several epidemiologic, hematologic and histological factors may anticipate the progression from Sjögren syndrome into lymphoma but, to the best of our knowledge, a definite pathogenetic mechanism for such progression is still missing. In fact, while the association between Sjögren syndrome and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, mostly diffuse large B-cell and extranodal marginal zone lymphomas is well established, many other variables, such as time of onset, gender predilection, sites of occurrence, subtype of lymphoma and predictive factors still remain unclear. We report on a rare case of primary breast lymphoma occurring three years after the diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome in a 57 y.o. patient. The diagnostic work-up, including radiograms, core needle biopsy and histological examination are discussed, along with emerging data from the recent literature, thus highlighting the usefulness of breast surveillance in Sjögren syndrome patients.

Salinity, resulting from climate change and excessive mineral fertilization, burdens farmers and negatively impacts soil and water ecosystems in the Northeastern Nile Delta. Organic and biological approaches are crucial for addressing these issues. This study examined the effects of individual and combined inoculations with cyanobacteria, yeast, and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), with or without K-humate, on enhancing salinity tolerance, increasing yield, and improving crop quality of wheat and faba bean. The aim was to reduce NPK mineral fertilizer application rates to 25% of recommended doses. An economic evaluation was also conducted. In a preliminary laboratory experiment, the interactive effects of these microbiomes on the production of plant antioxidant enzymes and soil enzymes were investigated under salinity stress. Results showed that co-inoculation, especially with K-humate, yielded superior outcomes compared to individual inoculations. The laboratory experiment findings were confirmed by a field trial conducted in saline-alkaline soil in the Northeastern Nile Delta region. The study found that the integrated inoculation of cyanobacteria, yeast, and mycorrhizae with K-humate, along with 25% mineral NPK fertilization enhanced microbial activity, including AMF colonization, spore density, and total bacteria, cyanobacteria, and yeast counts in the plant rhizosphere. It also increased soil enzyme activity, improving soil fertility compared to individual or mineral control treatments. This integration resulted in wheat yields of 2.77 tons/ha and faba bean yields of 4.75 tons/ha. Crop quality improved, with higher levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and protein in wheat grains and faba bean seeds. Microbiomes inoculation increased potassium uptake over sodium, enhancing the potassium/sodium ratio and salt stress tolerance. This approach reduces reliance on costly mineral fertilizers by up to 75%, enabling economically viable cultivation in marginal lands. These sustainable practices optimize resource utilization, maximize economic efficiency, and preserve natural resources.

: Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are highly accumulated in the tumor surrounding stroma of primary epithelial ovarian cancer (OC). CAFs exert important functions for the vascularization, growth and progression of ovarian tumor cells. However, no attention has been shown to their origin so far. It has been mainly assumed that CAFs in primary OC arise from the activation of resident fibroblasts. Here, we compare CAFs with ovarian location to CAFs found in peritoneal implants from patients with advanced OC. Our findings show that CAFs from primary tumors and peritoneal metastases share the expression of mesothelial-related markers. Therefore, as in peritoneal carcinomatosis, CAFs in primary ovarian carcinomas could be originated via a mesothelia-to-mesenchymal transition (MMT) process. The detection of mesothelial-derived CAFs in tumors confined to the ovary and associated biomarkers could be the key to early detection of peritoneal spread in affected patients.

Micro satellites must survive severe mechanical conditions during their launch phase. Therefore, structural design requirements are imposed on the micro satellites. These requirements are the strength requirement and the stiffness requirement. Usually, the structural design of a micro satellite is performed using the internal stress analysis and the natural frequency analysis, which are based on a Finite Element Method (FEM). The validity of this structural design is evaluated through vibration tests. In an early stage of development, which has a FEM model of a satellite in the process of creation, presumption of the natural frequency of a satellite may be difficult. In this study, a simple method for determining the longitudinal and lateral minimum natural frequencies of the micro satellites during the ascent phase was clarified. The structure of the micro satellites used in this research is made of aluminum alloy, and they have a monocoque structure. The Young's modulus and moment of inertia of area used to calculate the minimum natural frequencies were determined using the area ratio of the monocoque structure to the entire satellite. When this method is used, the estimated minimum natural frequencies of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction are in agreement with the measured values acquired by the vibration tests. In order to shorten the process of micro satellites development, this paper describes a practical estimation method of the minimum natural frequency for micro satellites.

In Bangladesh, climate change is a major concern because of its geophysical location and climate dependent agriculture. As sessile organisms, crops plants have to face difficulties often in this environmentally vulnerable country. Therefore, this study examines the seasonal trend of two climatic parameters viz. temperature (maximum and minimum) and rainfall over a period of 1983 to 2013. Besides, this study provides insight into the relationship between climatic parameters and crop yield of two major crops viz. rice and wheat during 1997-2013. To assess the relationship of climatic parameters with time and yield using Pearson correlation analysis, time series data used at an aggregate level. SPSS software utilized for this analysis. The cropping seasons such as rice growing seasons Aus (summer rice), Aman (autumn rice) and Boro (winter rice) exhibited a significant increase in maximum and minimum temperature. Rainfall found to have a decreasing trend for all the seasons. This study also revealed that the climatic parameters had significant effects on rice yield, but these results varied among three rice crops. Maximum temperature had positive effects on all rice yields, especially on Aus and Aman. Minimum temperature had a negative effect on Aman rice yield but a positive effect on Aus rice yield. Wheat yield negatively associated with temperature. Rainfall exhibited negative relation with both rice and wheat yield.

Protein hydrolysates are plant biostimulants containing amino acids, oligopeptides, and peptides in their composition. When supplied to plants, protein hydrolisates (PH) have been identified to improve nitrogen metabolism, enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes, boost plant defence response to stresses, and positively impact the quantity and quality of products. Soybean is a crucial global commodity, with nitrogen being the primary nutrient for crop development as it directly affects productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a HP-based biostimulant on the N metabolism in nodulated soybean plants and their productivity. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to test two modes of application of the 0.20% HP-based biostimulant. Soybean plants, growing in pots, were treated with HP 0.20% either via seed treatment or foliar application (at growth stages V3 and V5). Activities of enzymes and compounds related to N metabolism, gene expression, and productivity components were analysed. It was observed that the mode of application did not significantly influence the results. The application of HP increased the concentration of nitrate, amino acids, and ureides in soybean leaves. It also positively altered the expression of genes such as nitrate reductase, urease, and asparagine. Additionally, it enhanced productivity, resulting in plants with a greater number and weight of pods and grains. Therefore, it is possible to consider HP as a stimulator for increasing soybean productivity, even under non-stressing conditions.

Construction productivity entails a wide range of work combinations. When human resources are scarce, it is critical to replace manpower with machinery, and calculating machinery productivity is crucial. Traditional labor productivity methods, however, cannot address dredging complex multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) problems. Aiming to address the limitations of the traditional labor productivity method, this paper extends the data envelopment analysis (DEA) and proposes a new dredging productivity evaluation method. The proposed method can solve the problem of evaluating various combinations of factors (single-input, multiple-input, sin-gle-output, and multiple-output) and the problem suggesting that the efficiency of the DEA method'scalculation results is equal to 1. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified using reservoir dredging examples. The simulation results show that the proposed method has broad applicability, can accurately evaluate the related dredging performance issues, and provide directions for construction managers to improve labor productivity.

Rice production is important for global food security but given its large water footprint, efficient irrigation management strategies need to be developed. Expansion of rice growing area is larger than any other crop in Africa due to increasing demand for rice. Three rice irrigation management alternatives with the system of rice intensification (SRI) were field-evaluated against the conventional continuously flooded system (CF) in Tanzania. Production systems included: (1) CF (50 mm ponding depth for the entire season); (2) SRI (40 mm ponding for 3 days and no irrigation for next 5 days); (3) 80% SRI (80% of the SRI ponding); and (4) 50% SRI (50% of the SRI ponding). Experimental evaluation of the four systems was conducted for both wet and dry seasons. For the dry season, the SRI and 80% SRI produced higher yields of 9.68 tons/ha and 11.45 tons/ha and saved 26% and 35% of water, respectively compared to the CF (8.69 tons/ha). The yield advantage of the 80% SRI and SRI over the CF was less during the wet season with 6.01 tons/ha and 5.99 tons/ha of production, and water savings of 30% and 14%, respectively compared to the CF (5.64 tons/ha). The 50% SRI had lowest yield of all for both seasons, 7.48 tons/ha and 4.99 tons/ha for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Statistically, the 80% SRI treatment outperformed all other treatments over the two seasons with an additional yield of 1.57 tons/ha and 33% (345 mm) water savings compared to the CF. Economic productivity of water (US$/ha-cm) over two seasons was highest for the 80% SRI ($20.27/ha-cm), while it was lowest for the CF ($12.89/ha-cm). Water saved by converting from the CF to the 80% SRI (1.98 million ha-cm) can support a 50% expansion in the current rice irrigated area in Tanzania. Even without irrigation expansion, the 80% SRI can increase rice production by 1.5 million tons annually while enhancing water availability for industrial and environmental uses (e.g., ecological preserves) and help achieve food security in Tanzania and the greater sub-Saharan Africa.

How hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) fate decisions are affected by genetic alterations acquired during AML leukemogenesis is poorly understood and mainly explored in animal models. Here, we studied isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDH) genes mutations in the human model of HSPC and provide a review of the literature on this topic. IDH1/2 mutations occur in ~20% of AML, are recognized among the mutations earliest acquired during leukemogenesis, and are target of specific inhibitors (ivosidenib and enasidenib, respectively). In order to investigate the direct effects of these mutations on the HSPC we expressed by lentiviral transduction either IDH1-R132H or IDH2-R140Q mutants into human CD34+ healthy donor cells and analyzed the colony-forming unit (CFU) ability. CFU ability was dramatically compromised with a complete trilineage block of differentiation. Strikingly, the block was reversed by the specific inhibitors, confirming it was a specific effect induced by the mutants. In line with this observation, the CD34+ leukemic precursors isolated from a patient with IDH2-mutated AML at baseline and during enasidenib treatment showed over time a progressive and marked improvement of their fitness in terms of CFU ability and propensity to differentiate, attaining clonal trilinear reconstitution of hematopoiesis and complete hematological remission.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of using L-PRF in patients undergoing impacted lower third molar surgery with either primary or secondary closure techniques. Methods: This prospective, randomised, double-blind, split-mouth clinical trial was conducted in patients with bilateral lower impacted third molars of similar position. Primary closure was performed in group 1 and secondary closure in group 2. Group 1 closure technique was applied to one side of the patients and group 2 closure technique was applied to the other side at different times. Nine pa-tients were excluded from the study due to alveolitis and failure to attend regular control visits out of the 45 patients evaluated. Results: Of the 36 patients included in the study, 23 were female and 13 were male and the mean age was 22.42±3.36 years. The secondary closure group had lower VAS scores at hour 6 (p

Transmission of values and religious concepts to children is one of the most important issues in the third millennium and it has drawn varied and different views among experts and scholars in the world. Research specialized in religious literature for children and adolescents create new capacities in the presentation of religious concepts to the group. Plans have been considered to transfer values and religious concepts in the curricula of primary school children in the group in Iran. It is one of the topics that the authors note to the introduction of the minutiae of religion in the first three elementary grades. In this study, the collection and analysis methods providing content related to the minutiae of religion in reading books the first till third sections of the years 2013-2015. In addition, the plan includes aspects of other branches of religion in these books on information collected from text books that collected and classified. The result is that "definitely good and forbidding the evil" and "prayer" have the highest frequency of applications in the selected books. Further branches made of branches of religion in these books, represents the values of religious, moral and social as well.

Portal myofibroblasts (PMF) are known to be critical in bile duct injury, but their role in liver fibrogenesis remains underexplored. Thy-1, an adhesion molecule integral to fibroblasts, relevant in fibrogenesis and detectable in serum as soluble Thy-1 (sThy-1), is expressed by PMF but not hepatic stellate cells in vitro. This study aimed to elucidate the correlation between Thy-1 expression in liver histology and sThy-1 levels in serum with the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Liver histology samples were stained for Thy-1 and sThy-1 was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In patients with PBC and MASLD, portal Thy-1 expression significantly correlated with increased fibrosis. The sinusoidal Thy-1 expression also significantly correlated with increased fibrosis in patients with PBC (p

Anxiety disorders, characterized by excessive fear and anxiety, are increasingly recognized as significant comorbidities in chronic diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety in COPD patients referred from primary care centers to pulmonology services and identify predictive factors for anxiety. Conducted as a multicentric, observational, and prospective study, 293 COPD patients were recruited, undergoing comprehensive respiratory and smoking histories, spirometry, and anxiety assessments using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). These results show: a diagnosis of suspected anxiety in in 85 patients (29.0%): 17 possible and 68 with a strong suspicion. The study found significant associations between anxiety and factors such as gender (women showed a risk 3.5 times higher than men), weight, and body mass index (BMI). Disease severity, smoking status, and clinical manifestations did not significantly influence anxiety prevalence. The findings underscore the need for systematic psychological evaluations in COPD management, advocating for the use of simple diagnostic tools like the HADS to facilitate referrals to mental health services. Addressing anxiety in COPD patients could potentially improve their quality of life and disease outcomes. The study highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach involving family medicine, pulmonology, and psychiatry to optimize COPD patient care and suggests future research should focus on the impact of anxiety treatment on COPD progression. These insights call for integrating psychological assessments into routine clinical practice for comprehensive COPD management.

Background. Primary Stabbing Headache (PSH) is characterized by brief, focal and paroxysmal pain (“stab”), occurring sporadically or in clusters. Data on pediatric cases are poor. Methods. We performed a comprehensive literature review searching Pubmed, Cochrane and Embase in order to collect pediatric case reports and case series of PSH. Results. Twelve out of 162 articles assessed for eligibility were finally included. Prevalence of PSH and probable PSH varies from 2.5 to 10% among children with primary headaches and it is higher among children aged less than 6 years old. The mean age of onset is between 7 and 11 years of age. Attack duration greatly varies, ranging from a few seconds to several minutes. Intensity of pain is usually from moderate to severe. Associated symptoms are infrequent but may be observed (mainly photophobia, vertigo, nausea and vomiting). Neuroradiological findings are usually unremarkable; EEG may show sporadic epileptiform abnormalities (up to 30% of cases). Preventive therapy is anecdotal, including treatment with indomethacin, trazodone, valproate and amitriptyline. Conclusion: PSH is a common but still underdiagnosed entity among children with primary headache; further and larger cohort studies are needed to better assess, in particular, prognosis and response to therapy.

Over the past few decades, there have been major advances in crop productivity across the world, which has been made possible through a combination of productivity enhancing technological innovations. Beyond this achievement however, most parts of Africa are still battling with low crop productivity resulting in food shortages and food insecurity. The yields of many staple crops are still far below their agronomic potentials with output increases being attributed largely to area expansion. This paper examines the implications of the current trends of crop/plant productivity for food security and rural livelihood development in Africa using Ghana as a case study. The paper argues that crop production in Africa is becoming a less viable and unattractive livelihood activity with farmers diversifying out of agriculture into non-agricultural activities such as illegal small-scale mining, which have negative consequences on the ability of African countries to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Innovation and technology are important tools of minerals sector efficiency and productivity im-provement. The uptake of technologies has proven important levelrs to improve the productivity of mining sector. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of mine-level productivity by using a global data of copper, gold, and platinum from 1991-2020. Various drivers of proioductivity have been analysed to draw policy insights. Empirical findings reveal significant disparities in technical efficiency and productivity across mines and regions. A further decomposition of TFP into its different components suggest that the adoption of innovative practices and investment in technology adoption could improve the overall productivity of these commodities. The findings also suggest that an appropriate input mix and optimal scale of production could boost platinum mining productivity. Regional disparities in productivity in different commodities (e.g., South Africa vs. Zimbabwe) give policymakers with insights into how to support production scale and productivity through appropriate input mixtures.

While L-PBF offers advantages in terms of geometrical freedom or lightweight construction, its use is often limited by economic constraints or currently achievable part costs. With an anticipated increase of L-PBF machine productivity during the next years, an increase of the share of material costs and the share of non-productive time for powder layer application process is to be expected. This results in a demand for less expensive powder materials and advanced processing strategies for the short-and medium-term advancement of L-PBF. As one possible approach, the processing of gas- and water atomized stainless steel (316L) powders with different morphology and particle size distribution as well as their impact on L-PBF productivity is investigated. The actual powder applicability in L-PBF systems and the L-PBF processability determines the minimum necessary powder quality. The main focus of the presented work is put on the interaction between powder quality, powder layer properties, part quality and cost-effectiveness of the L-PBF process. To this end, the influence of the gas and water-atomized powder properties (particle size and morphology) during the powder layer application process at highest possible powder recoater speeds and the resulting powder bed properties (powder layer density, powder bed density, powder demixing) and part properties (part density and tensile strength) is investigated.

This paper explores strategies for fostering efficient vocal communication and collaboration between human workers and collaborative robots (cobots) in assembly processes. Vocal communication enables division of attention of the worker, as it frees the visual attention, and the worker’s hands, dedicated to the task at hand. Speech generation and speech recognition are pre-requisites for effective vocal communication. The study focuses on cobot assistive tasks, where the human is in charge of the work and performs the main tasks while the cobot assists the worker in various peripheral jobs, such as bringing tools, parts, or materials, and returning them, or disposing them; or screwing or packaging the products. A nuanced understanding is necessary for understanding how human-robot interactions can be optimized to enhance overall productivity and safety. Through a comprehensive review of relevant literature and empirical studies, this manuscript identifies key factors influencing successful vocal communication, and proposes practical strategies for implementation.

These findings have several policy implications, emphasizing the need for enhanced data collection, climate-resilient agricultural policies, and continued investment in research. The study contributes to the understanding of climate-smart agriculture, providing insights for informed decision-making towards resilient and productive agricultural systems in the face of climate change challenges.

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.

The objective of this study is to analyze the assessment practices in primary education and how they relate to the valuation of the learning process. It seeks to understand the perceptions of teachers and students regarding assessment and to observe classroom activities, as well as to analyze the assessment instruments used. The method used is a mixed approach that combines qualitative interpretations of the participants’ realities with a phenomenological analysis to reflect on the evaluative practices. The results indicate a contradiction between what is said and what is done in terms of evaluation, with a tendency to use written tests and traditional exams instead of a combination of techniques that allow for a significant evaluation of student learning. In addition, significant differences are observed among teachers regarding the importance they give to evaluation within their practices and evaluative models.

Background: Primary lymphedema is a chronic condition caused by a developmental abnormality of the lymphatic system and its malfunction. Different surgical options such as physiologic and excisional procedures have been proposed. The aim of this study was to present a complete algorithm for the treatment of primary lower extremity lymphedema: Primary LYmphedema Multidisciplinary Approach (P-LYMA). Methods: Nineteen patients were treated according to the P-LYMA. Patients underwent pre- and post-operative complex decongestive therapy (CDT). Different physiologic and excisional procedures were performed independently or in combination. The primary outcome was the circumferential reduction rate (CRR). The Lymphedema Quality of Life Score (LeQOLiS), reduction in the number of episodes of cellulitis, length of stay, and complications were recorded. Results: The mean CRR calculated was 72.8±19.6% after twelve months. The episodes of cellulitis per year decreased from a mean of 1.9±0.8 preoperative to 0.4± 0.6 throughtout follow-up. Two patients experienced minor complications. Mean hospitalization time was 5 days. Patients’ quality of life (LeQOLi score) drastically improved from 70.4±11.6 to 24.2 ±13.9 at twelve months post-op. Conclusion: The P-LYMA algorithm allows to maximize surgical results and improve the quality-of life in patients who suffer from primary lymphedema. CDT is mandatory to optimize results.

Industrial robots are slowly but surely entering manufacturing companies. This paper explores the effects that robots have on productivity, exports, quality, sustainability and labor in European manufacturing companies. There is lack of research on industrial robot usage and its effects in developed countries. Most research is done on Chinese companies and often the data is outdated. The data in this paper is from the European Manufacturing Survey project conducted in 2022 and includes 476 manufacturing companies. Results of the effects of Industrial robots on Quality, Labor Productivity, Exports and Environmental saving technologies are done by use of T-test between industrial robots’ adopters and non-adopters. However, the effect of higher investment into environmental technology by industrial robots’ adopters was researched by 2-step OLS regression analysis with control variables representing the contextual characteristics of companies. The results show positive effects on all variables. Results show that larger usage of robots are in low to medium-technology-intensity industries, that robots contribute to labor productivity, exports and that companies employing robots usually also employ environmentally saving technologies.

Plant-microbe interactions are essential for ecosystem health and agricultural productivity. Metabolomics has revolutionized our understanding of these interactions by providing powerful methods to decipher the complex chemical signals involved. This review highlights the various metabolomics techniques used to study plant-microbe interactions, such as mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and advanced imaging technologies. We also discuss the role of contemporary bioinformatics tools, extensive databases, and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the analysis of metabolomics data. Integrating metabolomics with other omics fields, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metagenomics, allows for a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions. The review emphasizes the significance of fluxomics in elucidating the dynamic nature of metabolic networks. While there are challenges in data analysis, integration, and interpretation, metabolomics has profoundly expanded our knowledge of the role metabolites play in shaping plant-microbe interactions. As metabolomics technologies advance and integrate further with other omics approaches, we anticipate groundbreaking discoveries that will provide deeper insights into these complex interactions, ultimately leading to innovative strategies for sustainable agriculture and biotechnology.

Constructing an innovation system centered on new-quality productivity is key to achieving China's technological independence and high-quality development, especially against the backdrop of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. This article utilizes provincial panel data from China spanning 2010 to 2022 and applies kernel density estimation and the Moran's I index to study the spatiotemporal evolution of artificial intelligence and new-quality productivity. The findings indicate a clustering trend in the development of both factors across regions. Causal empirical analysis using a two-way fixed-effects model reveals that artificial intelligence positively influences new-quality productivity, with conclusions validated by robustness and endogeneity tests.

The research employs both literature and experimental data to develop reasonable strategies for melon fly control. The objects of research were sierozem soils of the Zhanakorgan region (Kyzylorda region), bentonite clays of the Sauran region (Turkestan region), vermicompost obtained at the production site of the Research Institute "Ecology" at the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. The competitive agent 'Vermiserbent' was developed by combining sulphur-perlite-containing waste (SPCW), vermicompost (VC), and natural bentonite clay. When incorporated into the soil, it serves as both an insecticide and a fertiliser recovery agent. Disinfection and enrichment of barren Sierozem soils in southern Kazakhstan could provide an eco-friendly approach to protect cucurbits (melon, watermelon, and pumpkin) against the melon fly. The average yield of watermelon treated with vermiserbent increased by 2.3 t/ha compared to the control, melon by 4.6 t/ha, pumpkin by 5.6 t/ha. The marketability of gourds as watermelons and melon after treatment with fertilizer increased by 1.2 times, and pumpkin by 1.1 times. The findings of studies conducted in agricultural fields in the Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions have shown that it is possible to produce environmentally sound gourds using a mixture of vermicompost, bentonite, and SPCW.

Based on a wealth of evidence, aspirin is one of the cornerstones of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, despite several studies showing efficacy also in primary prevention, an unopposed excess risk of bleeding leading to a very thin safety margin is evident in subjects without a clear acute cardiovascular event. Overall, the variability in recommendations from different scientific societies for aspirin use in primary prevention is a classic example of failure of simple risk stratification models based on competing risks (atherothrombosis vs. bleeding), perceived to be opposed but intertwined at the pathophysiological level. Notably, cardiovascular risk is dynamic in nature and cannot be accurately captured by scores, which do not always consider risk enhancers. Furthermore, the widespread use of other potent medications in primary prevention, such as lipid-lowering and anti-hypertensive drugs, might have reduced the benefit of aspirin in recent trials. Some authors, drawing from specific pathophysiological data, have suggested that specific subgroups might benefit more from aspirin. This includes patient with diabetes and those with obesity, as well as considering sex-based differences. Moreover, molecular analysis of platelet reactivity has been proposed. A beneficial effect of aspirin has also been demonstrated for the prevention of cancer, especially colorectal. This review explores evidence and controversies concerning the use of aspirin in primary prevention, considering new perspectives in order to develop a personalized approach.

If we assume that: a. The four fundamental forces of nature are independent waves without rest masses, and their speeds are constant in a vacuum, just like light. b. Light or electromagnetic waves and gravity are comparable in structures. Weak and strong interactions are similar in structures. c. Light and weak interaction have the same speed c_L with spin number +1 or –1. d. Gravity and strong interaction have the same speed c_G without spin. e. The primary particles, namely electrons, electron neutrinos, and dark neutrinos in this paper, are made by the above four waves. We can find and describe some fundamental characteristics of the primary particles (e.g., their sizes, energies, and interactions) and introduce new attractive results from them (e.g., the source of the Pauli exclusion principle, the solution to the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, and c_G slightly faster than c_L).

In zebrafish inner ear, hair cell orientation in anterior and posterior maculae of the embryonic otic vesicle is different (about 30–40 degrees): this is rather unusual in planar polarity mechanism of action, instead suggests that kinocilia may be rotationally polarized. In mice node, the innermost monociliated cells generate a left-ward fluid flow sensed by the immotile primary cilia of Left peri-nodal cells: the Nodal signaling pathway is then expressed asymmetrically, in the Left lateral plate mesoderm, breaking symmetry in visceral organs (situs solitus); however, Right peri-nodal cells also, if artificially excited by a right-ward flow, break symmetry and activate the Nodal cascade, though inverting visceral organ asymmetry (situs inversus); surprisingly, peri-nodal cells prove to be adept at distinguishing flow directionality. Recently, in the Kupffer vesicle (the zebrafish laterality organ), chiral primary cilia orientation has been described: primary cilia, in the left and right side, are symmetrically oriented, showing a mirror average divergence of about 15–20 degrees from the midline. This finding, taken together with the mirror behavior of mouse perinodal cells and zebrafish hair cells, champions the idea of primary cilia enantiomerism.

Abstract: Patients with Cleft Lip Palate (CLP) require comprehensive treatment, so the people who take care of them must constantly provide care and support, along with continuous care and support from their caregivers, often extending until youth. The purpose was to compare the Quality of Life (QoL) of caregivers of children with CLP with those without the condition. A cross-sectional paired study was conducted at the Dental Clinic of the Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (ENES León), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), from May to December 2021. Primary caregivers of patients with CLP (n=70) were included as well as those of the patients without CLP (n=70) of the same institution. Sample size was calculated considering an OR=2.5, establishing a convenience selection. Caregivers answered the WHOQoL Bref instrument to assess QoL. Of the total sample analyzed, 88.6% of the caregivers were female (p>0.05). Caregivers of patients with CLP reported poor QoL (64.8%), compared to caregivers in the control group (p

Key performance indicators are essential for any company to enhance its competitiveness. How-ever, a common issue is the manual collection of production data using record sheets, which are later digitized on desktop computers and processed in Excel sheets. Shockingly, 41% of companies in Mexico have no plans for digitalization. This work aims to develop a Real-time Productivity Indicator Monitoring System using Industry 4.0 technologies for a medium-sized manufacturing firm specializing in die-cutting automotive parts. The Advanced Quality Planning methodology was applied to develop the Conceptual, Product, and Process Engineering and its validation. The experimental tests demonstrated a reliability level of 99.98%, which exceeded initial expectations. The primary contributions presented in this work are related to the development of algorithms, communication protocols, data analysis, and general optimization of the calculation process. The study's only limitation was the short experimentation time.

Agricultural intensification increased crop productivity but simplified production with lower diversity of cropping systems, higher genetic uniformity, and a higher uniformity of agricultural landscapes. Associated detrimental effects on the environment and biodiversity as well as the resilience and adaptability of cropping systems to climate change are of growing concern. Crop diversification may stabilize productivity of cropping systems and reduce negative environmental impacts and loss of biodiversity, but a shared understanding of crop diversification including approaches towards a more systematic research is lacking. The current review highlights the use of Cropping Systems Diversification as an Approach to Enhancing Crop Productivity. Crop diversification can be considered as an attempt to increase the diversity of crops through, e.g. crop rotation, multiple cropping or intercropping, compared to specialized farming with the aim to improve the productivity, stability and delivery of ecosystem services. It can be one measure to develop more sustainable production systems, develop value-chains for minor crops. Crop diversification practices can include higher crop diversity, more diverse crop, mixed cropping; cultivation of grain legumes in otherwise cereal dominated systems, perennial leys or grassland and regionally adapted varieties or variety mixtures. Crop diversification and/or additional diversification measures like variation of seeding time or changing cropping patterns have the potential to lead to higher and more stable yields, increase profitability and lead to greater resilience of agro-ecosystems in the long term. These practices have the potential to make cropping systems more diverse in space, time and genetics. Through a balanced portfolio approach to agricultural sustainability, cropping system performance can be optimized in multiple dimensions, including food and biomass production, profit, energy use, pest management, and environmental impacts.

EUS–TA in unresectable pancreatic cancer requires not only a tissue diagnosis but also tissue collection in anticipation of comprehensive genomic profiling. However, the optimal puncture target remains controversial. Therefore, the Primary and Metastatic Lesions in Pancreatic Cancer (PRIMATE) study was designed to clarify the optimal target by comparing the success rates for meeting OncoGuide NCC Oncopanel (NOP) analysis criteria on pre-check primary and metastatic lesion specimens obtained during the same EUS–TA session in patients with invasive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In this ongoing prospective study, two specimens, each from primary and metastatic lesions, are obtained by EUS–TA (typically using a 19G fine-needle biopsy needle) in patients with invasive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The primary endpoint is the proportion of EUS–TA specimens that meet NOP analysis criteria during pre-check (i.e., tumor cellularity ≥ 20% and tissue area ≥ 4 mm2), which are then compared between primary and metastatic lesions. This study has been approved by the National Cancer Center Institutional Review Board (Research No. 2022-168). The results of this study will be reported at an international conference and published in an international peer-reviewed journal. The trial registration number is UMIN 000048966.

Headache is considered to be one of the most common causes of medical treatment and evaluation worldwide in both acute and outpatient settings. It is the most common neurological symptom seen worldwide affecting all genders, ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic levels. It’s impact is noted in educational decline in school-aged children and decreased productivity through sick leave in adults. Its overall burden is well documented in well-resourced countries but limited data is seen low resourced countries. While many underlying causes bring about secondary headaches, primary headaches and more specifically migraines have been more widely explored. Migraines have a distinct criterion that is inclusive of one day duration (4 hours to 7 days, unilateral distribution, nausea and vomiting and disability as a few examples. However, migraines can vary and proper documentation through a migraine diary can help to guide treatment. Management of migraines can vary. Lifestyle modification is a key factor in the overall prevention and reduction of triggers in migraines. In addition to this, pharmacotherapy can be given in a tier-based approach based on overall severity and frequency of the migraine. Interventions have progressed from botox injection and have seen the advent of new medications such as nasal sprays to novel formulations of pre-existing drug formulations. Nonetheless, there is great room for further studies of headaches and migraines. Research specifically in low-resource countries can prove to beneficial.

Objective. To test the hypothesis that a session of unilateral tSMS over the dominant primary motor cortex (M1) in healthy subjects produces a transient decrease in manual dexterity. Methods. A triple-blinded randomized control trial was conducted in 40 healthy participants who were allocated to real- or sham-tSMS group. Each participant underwent one session of tSMS and were assessed before, immediately after, 15 minutes, and 40 minutes after stimulation. Outcome measures were Finger Tapping Test (FTT), 5-seconds FTT, nine Hole Peg Test, and the hand grip assessment. Results: Significant differences were found between groups 15 minutes after stimulation in favor of the tSMS group in the FTT (2.2 ± 0.99; CI= .18-4.22; d= .84p=.034), and 5-second FTT (4.2 ± 1.98; CI= .199-8.2, d= .68; p=.04). In the intragroup analysis, a significantly lower number of taps 15 minutes after stimulation was observed in sham group (3.3 ± 1.01; CI= .47-6.13; d= .42; p=.015), but not in the real stimulation group. Conclusion: A unilateral session of tSMS in the M1 of the dominant hemisphere of healthy individuals does not reduce manual dexterity or grip strength. This technique could have benefits on the motor performance of the arm contralateral to the stimulated motor cortex

With the growing trend of urbanization and the growing number of people migrating to cities, the demand for the development and construction of new buildings as well as the infrastructure has risen, meaning that the construction industry must adapt to the trends. The growing demands with shorter deadlines for an industry already known for high costs and not delivering on time means that productivity must be increased without increasing the cost. The solution for this might lie in the application of the Lean philosophy to the construction industry. This paper analyses the application of the Lean philosophy in order to increase the productivity in the airport construction site. The paper highlights the potential for enhancing productivity in construction workplaces by concurrently fostering continuous improvement and sustainability through the implementation of the A3 methodology and Lean principles, resulting in waste reduction and increased value.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an automation mechanism that runs in a computer system performing tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision making or translation [1]. Some authors argue that recent developments in AI are leading to a wave of innovation in organizational design and changes to institutionalized norms of the workplace [2]. Techno-optimists even named this present phase the ‘second machine age’, arguing that it now involves the substitution of the human brain (Brynjolfsson and McAfee 2014). Potentially, the ability to apply AI in a generalized way can produce significant technical, economic and social effects in firms. But how many of these AI applications are ready and how far can they be from reaching the manufacturing industry market? The paper will answer the question: what are the implications on industrial productivity and employment in the automotive sector with the recent automation trends in Portugal? We will focus on AI as the most relevant emergent technology to understand the development of automation in areas related to robotics, software, and data communications in Europe (Moniz 2018). R&amp;D investments in industrial processes in general may reflect productivity improvements derived from the increased automation process. Our results will be based on case studies from the automotive and components sector combined with database search by keywords that signal intelligence automation developments and AI applications selected from national R&amp;D projects (on robotics, machine learning, collaborative tools, human-machine interaction, autonomous systems, etc) supported by European structural funds. The implications on industrial productivity and employment will be discussed in relation to automation trends in the automotive sector.

This review presents a comprehensive and systematic study of the field of bacterial plant biostimulants and considers the fundamental and innovative principles underlying this technology. Plant biostimulants are an important tool for modern agriculture as part of an integrated crop management (ICM) system; helping make agriculture more sustainable and resilient. Plant biostimulants contain substance(s) and/or microorganisms whose function when applied to plants or the rhizosphere, is to stimulate natural processes to enhance plant nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, biocontrol, and crop quality. The use of plant biostimulants has gained substantial and significant heed worldwide as an environment-friendly alternative for sustainable agricultural production. Presently, there is an increasing curiosity of industry and researchers in microbial biostimulants especially, bacterial plant biostimulants (BPBs) to improve crop growth and productivity. The BPBs that are based on PGPR (plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria) play plausible roles to promote/stimulate the crop plant growth through several mechanisms that include, i) nutrient acquisition by nitrogen (N₂) fixation and solubilization of insoluble minerals (P, K, Zn), organic acids and siderophores, ii) antimicrobial metabolites and various lytic enzymes, iii) action of growth regulators and stress-responsive/induced phytohormones, iv) ameliorating abiotic stress like drought, high soil salinity, extreme temperatures, oxidative stress, and heavy metals by using different modes of action, and v) plant defense induction modes. Presenting here is a brief review emphasizing the applicability of BPBs as an innovative exertion to fulfill the current food crisis.

Environmental decentralization (ED), or the allocation of environmental protection affairs and responsibilities among various administrative authorities, affects the effectiveness of environmental regulation in promoting green total factor productivity (GTFP). Based on panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2001 to 2015, this paper employs dynamic panel models to test the effects of environmental regulations (environmental protection investment, ENV; pollutant discharge fees, PDF) on GTFP, with or without being influenced by ED. Without the impact of ED, GTFP is significantly inhibited by ENV while significantly promoted by PDF. Considering the impact of ED, with the strengthening of ED, the negative effects of ENV on GTFP is significant; contrarily, the positive effects of PDF on GTFP is significant; improving provincial ED adds negative effects of ENV, while reduces the positive effects of PDF; increasing prefectural ED reduces negative effects of ENV; expanding county-level ED adds the positive effects of PDF. Therefore, to boost GTFP growth, prefectural environmental protection authorities should have more autonomy in ENV, while the county-level should have more autonomy in PDF.

The German wine sector has encountered new challenges in water management recently. To manage water resources responsibly, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the input of water and the output of wine, in terms of quantity and quality. The objectives of this study are to examine water use at the farm scale at three German wineries, and to develop and apply, for the first time, a quality-based indicator. Water use is analyzed in terms of wine production and wine-making over three years. After the spatial and temporal boundaries of the wineries and the water flows are defined, the farm water productivity indicator is calculated to assess water use at the winery scale. Farm water productivity is calculated using the AgroHyd Farmmodel modeling software. Average productivity on a quantity basis is 3.91 L wine per m3 of water. Productivity on a quality basis is 329.24 °Oechsle per m3 of water. Water input from transpiration for wine production accounts for 99.4–99.7% of total water input in the wineries, and, because irrigation is not used, precipitation is the sole source of transpired water. Future studies should use both quality-based and mass-based indicators of productivity.

Let $G$ be a group with identity $e$ and $R$ be a commutative $G$-graded ring with nonzero unity $1$. Graded semi-primary and graded $1$-absorbing primary ideals have been investigated and examined by several authors as generalizations of graded primary ideals. However, these three concepts are different. In this article, we characterize graded rings over which every graded semi-primary ideal is graded $1$-absorbing primary and graded rings over which every graded $1$-absorbing primary ideal is graded primary.

China is striving to leverage the power of science and technology to green its agriculture while increasing grain productivity. In this context, this study presents the green growth rate of agriculture from the DEA-based Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) indicator, together with the growth rate of grain yields, and applies it to the case of Jiangsu, a major grain-producing province with a well-developed economy. It is found that Jiangsu's agriculture has generally performed well in the implementation of the two major national strategies of green development and grain security, especially in the northern Jiangsu, which is a major grain-producing area. In contrast, the phased fluctuations of green growth in agriculture in Southern Jiangsu are more pronounced, with even negative green growth occurring during the green agriculture movement. Much of the volatility in agricultural green growth at the provincial, subregional, municipal level comes from the effects of the movement of the green technology frontier led by best practitioners. Accordingly, the possibility of improving the weak state of the catch-up effect on green growth is explored from the perspective of the Chinese government-led agricultural science and innovation system; it also traces the green agricultural initiatives in the main grain-marketing areas that have failed to deliver the expected green growth, and recommends a review of such policies and refinement of the GTFP Index tool for assessing sustainable green growth.

Maintaining the judiciary's power requires a high level of budgetary expenditure, but the specifics of this relationship have yet to be fully explored. Although several studies have analyzed the impact of spending in the judiciary through productivity and performance-related measures, none have employed machine learning techniques. This study examines the productivity of the judiciary based on spending and other variables using machine learning techniques, including clustering and neural networks. The final neural network model supports the results of Pearson's parametric correlation test, which found no significant correlation between expenditure and productivity. This study's findings demonstrate the importance of understanding that increased public budgetary expenditure alone is insufficient for improving the judiciary's efficiency. Instead, other administrative and technical measures are necessary to meet the demands of the Brazilian judiciary and improve service delivery rates. These findings offer important theoretical and managerial contributions to the field.

The construction sector has begun to embrace the digital revolution, intending to improve efficiency. How, on the other hand, should the industry adopt digital tools? And how should the connection between humans and technology function? This study aims to shed light on how the construction sector may bridge the gap between AI deployments’s potential and realized advantages. This article presents research based on a comprehensive review of the literature, case studies of Speller Metcalfe, a design-build and refurbishment project in Malvern, England, Jacobsen Construction, a project digitizing the planning process in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and Menkes Development Inc., real-time visibility to construction site insights and data-driven decision-making in Toronto, Canada. The experiences gained via this study show that it is feasible to acquire expertise while adopting sophisticated technologies, such as artificial intelligence, by installing fundamental digital tools (AI). However, when it comes to AI, the level of trust between humans and machines will be the deciding element in its success. This article is a pioneering effort in examining the deployment of AI and how people and technology should interact. This study is limited to three case studies and three digital technologies. To further the study, it is suggested to debate the adaptation of AI on the user's premises, gather more empirical data, and examine case studies from different sectors.

Agile methods promise to achieve high productivity and provide high-quality software. Agile software development is the most important approach that has spread through the world of software development over the past decade. Software team productivity measurement is essential in agile teams to increase the performance of software development. Due to the prevalence of agile methodologies and increasing competition of software development companies, software team productivity has become one of the crucial challenges for agile software companies and teams. Awareness of the level of team productivity can help them to achieve better estimation results on the time and cost of the projects. However, to measure software productivity, there is no definitive solution or approach whether in traditional and agile software development teams that lead to the occurrence of many problems in achieving a reliable definition of software productivity. Hence, this study aims to propose a statistical model to assess the team’s productivity in agile teams. A survey was conducted with forty software companies and measured the impact of six factors of the team on productivity in these companies. The results show that team effectiveness factors including inter-team relationship, quality conformance by the team, team vision, team leader, and requirements handled by the team had a significant impact on the team’s productivity. Moreover, the results also state that inter-team relations affect the most on software teams’ productivity. Finally, the model fit test showed that 80% of productivity depends on team effectiveness factors.

Improving the quality and access to healthcare services in rural areas is fundamental to develop sustainable healthcare systems. This research aims to explore the motivations of healthcare professionals to work and settle in rural island areas of Greece with limited access to secondary and tertiary care. The study suggests practical ways to encourage self-motivation and attract more health workers in rural areas. An exploratory qualitative research approach was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 16 healthcare professionals working in primary care units that lack direct hospital or hospital-health center access. The research was conducted specifically in the rural islands of Cyclades. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify common themes and unique insights from the participants. The analysis revealed three thematic categories. Τhe «attraction» thematic was influenced by personal factors, random selection, origin, accommodation factors, professional factors and obligatoriness. The «recruitment» thematic was associated with understaffing, special care issues, unstable working environment, educational and organizational aspects, and insular lifestyle. The thematic of «retention» highlighted personal issues, accommodation difficulties, economic and work-related issues, and unique challenges posed by an insular lifestyle. This research provides valuable insights into the motivations that drive healthcare professionals to settle, work, and remain in remote island units, as well as the challenges they encounter in making this decision. The study proposes strategies to motivate and attract more healthcare professionals to rural areas. These findings should be considered when formulating or reviewing primary healthcare empowerment policies to ensure equitable healthcare access for all individuals.

Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic, cholestatic liver disease with a heterogeneous presentation, symptomatology, disease progression, and response to therapy. The current risk stratification assessment, aimed at identifying patients with a higher risk of disease progression, encompasses an in-depth analysis of demographic data, clinical and laboratory findings, antibody profiles, and the evaluation of liver fibrosis using both invasive and non-invasive techniques. Treatment response scores after one year of therapy remain to date a major factor influencing the prognosis of PBC patients. While the initial therapeutic approach with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is universally applied, new second-line treatment options have recently emerged, with many others under investigation. Consequently, the prevailing one-size-fits-all approach is poised to be supplanted by tailored strategies, ensuring high-risk patients receive the most appropriate treatment regimen from diagnosis. This will require the development of a risk prediction model to assess, at the time of diagnosis, the course, outcome, and response to first and additional treatments of PBC patients. This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the current and emerging tools used for risk stratification in PBC and speculates on how these developments might shape the disease landscape in the near future.

Abstract Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has a number of vital functions in all cells, both mitochondrial and extra-mitochondrial. In addition to its key role in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, CoQ10 serves as a lipid soluble antioxidant, plays an important role in fatty acid beta-oxidation and pyrimidine and lysosomal metabolism, as well as directly mediating the expression of a number of genes, including those involved in inflammation. Because of the multiplicity of roles in cell function, it is not surprising that deficiency of CoQ10 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide range of disorders. CoQ10 deficiency is broadly divided into primary and secondary types. Primary CoQ10 deficiency results from mutations in genes involved in the CoQ10 biosynthetic pathway. In man, at least 10 genes are required for the biosynthesis of functional CoQ10, a mutation in any one of which can result in a deficit in CoQ10 status. Patients may respond well to oral CoQ10 supplementation, although the condition must be recognised sufficiently early, before irreversible tissue damage has occurred. In this article, we have reviewed clinical studies (up to March 2023) relating to the identification of these deficiencies, and the therapeutic outcomes of CoQ10 supplementation.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a rare cardiac disease causing severe diastolic dysfunction, ventricular stiffness and dilated atria. In consequence, it induces heart failure often with preserved ejection fraction and is associated with a high mortality. Since a poor clinical prognosis, patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy require frequently heart transplantation. Genetic as well as non-genetic factors contribute to restrictive cardiomyopathy and a significant portion of cases remains of unknown etiology. However, the genetic forms of restrictive cardiomyopathy and the involved molecular pathomechanisms are only partially understood. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about primary genetic restrictive cardiomyopathy and describe its genetic landscape, which might be of interest for geneticists as well as for cardiologists.

Schiff bases attract research interest due to their applications in chemical synthesis and medicinal chemistry. In recent years, benitrobenrazide and benserazide containing imine moiety, have been synthesized and characterized as promising inhibitors of hexokinase 2 (HK2) an enzyme overexpressed in most cancer cells. Both compounds possess a common structural fragment, a 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde moiety connected through hydrazone or hydrazine linker with acylated on N’-nitrogen atom by serine or 4-nitrobenzoic acid fragment. To avoid presence of toxicophoric nitro group in benitrobenrazide molecule we introduced common pharmacophores 4-fluorophenyl or 4-aminophenyl substituents. Modification of benserazide regards an introduction of other endogenous amino acids instead of serine. Herein we report the synthesis of benitrobenrazide and benserazide analogues and preliminary results of inhibitory activity against HK2 evoked by these structural changes. The derivatives contain a fluorine atom or amino group instead of a nitro group in BNB, exhibited the most potent inhibitory effects against HK2 at a concentration of 1 µM, with HK2 inhibition rates of 60% and 54%, respectively.

The objective of the present work was to determine the productivity and costs of timber harvesting and skidding during the first commercial thinning of a Scots pine stand. The analyzed harvesting set consisted of a mini-excavator (34 kW) with an stroke harvester head (gripping range: 4–30 cm), and a farm tractor coupled to an logging trailer with a hydraulic crane. Merchantable timber (roundwood with a minimum diameter of 5 cm inside bark) was harvested from a 25-year old planted Scots pine stand growing on a grid of 1.4×1.8 m. The study showed the productivity of the mini-harvester range from 3.09 to 3.47 m3∙PMH15 -1, and that of the forwarding set to be 4.07 m3∙PMH15 -1. The analyzed model of productivity as a function of individual tree volume and thinning intensity was statistically significant, but the intensity parameter was significant only on plots located along wide access trails (3.7 m) and insignificant on plots located along the narrow access trial (2.5m). The intertree distance was not found to be significant. The calculated net machine costs for the forwarding set and mini-harvester were 36.12 Euro∙PMH 1 and 52.47 Euro∙PMH-1, respectively. An increase in the utilization rate of the harvesting set to 80% would reduce the timber harvesting and skidding costs to 22.07 Euro∙m-3.

There is a need for alternatives or complements to synthetic fertilizers to enhance agricultural sustainability. Applying organic amendments can play a significant role in this. Insect droppings show high potential, though studies evaluating their agronomic value have only recently begun to emerge. This study compared black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae frass with another organic amendment (Nutrimais) derived from composting forestry, agro-industrial, and domestic waste. The experiment also included ammonium nitrate at two rates [the same as the organic amendments, 50 kg ha–1 nitrogen (N) (FullR), and half that rate (HalfR)] and an unfertilized control. The study spanned two growth cycles of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in pots, followed by unfertilized oats (Avena sativa L.) to assess the residual effects of the fertilizing treatments. Mealworm larvae frass mineralized rapidly, with an apparent N recovery of 37.4% over the two lettuce growth cycles, indicating its high availability to soil heterotrophic microorganisms. The average dry matter yield (DMY) of lettuce was the highest among all treatments (12.8 and 9.8 g plant–1 in the first and second lettuce cycles), even compared to the FullR treatment (12.2 and 7.8 g plant–1), though without significant differences. Although mealworm larvae frass exhibited a high mineralization rate, the DMY cannot be attributed solely to N supply, as plants in the FullR treatment showed better N nutritional status. Mealworm larvae frass provided strong evidence of a plant biostimulant effect, not explained by the variables measured in this study. Black soldier fly larvae frass exhibited typical behavior of a moderately reactive organic amendment, while Nutrimais showed low reactivity, with a near-neutral mineralization/immobilization balance. The results suggest mealworm larvae frass is recommended for early maturing vegetable crops, whereas Nutrimais appears more suitable for perennial crops with low short-term nutrient requirements.

The aim of the research presented here is to assess the impact of depressive disorders on the potential of the labour markets in the countries of the European Union, with particular reference to the disparities between the 'old' and 'new' EU countries. The initial hypothesis of persistent inequalities in the system under study was verified by analysing the process of convergence in the burden of depressive disorders among people aged 20-54 that occurred in the EU-27 group of countries between 1990 and 2019. The study used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (IHME, 2020), which examined the number of years lived with disability (YLD) due to depression in the working age population. The analysis showed that the high burden of the consequences of depressive disorders is particularly true for the highly developed economies of the EU-14. The results of the convergence assessment did not confirm the real effect of catching up over time with economies in a more favourable situation, and the inequalities observed at the beginning of the analysis period deepened..

The article's purpose is a citation analysis of the impact of scientific publications by authors of different gender compositions. The PageRank method was chosen to calculate the citation impact of scientific publications, and the citation has also estimated the impact of scientific publications based on the number of citations. The normalized citation impact of scientific publications is calculated according to nine subsets of scientific publications that correspond to patterns of different gender compositions of authors. Also, these estimates were calculated for each country with which the authors of the publications are affiliated. The Citation database was chosen for the scientometric analysis Network Dataset ( ver . 13). The dataset includes more than 5 million scientific publications and 48 million citations. The main subject areas of scientific publications in this database are computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, engineering, etc. The results indicate that articles with a predominantly male composition are cited more than articles with a mixed or female composition of authors in this direction. Analysis of advantages in dynamics indicates that in the last decade for developed countries, there has been a decrease in the connection between the citation impact of scientific publications and the gender composition of their authors. However, the obtained results still confirm the presence of gender inequality in science, which may be related to socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, natural homophily, and other factors that contribute to the appearance of gender gaps. An essential consequence of overcoming these gaps, including in science, is ensuring the rights of people in all their diversity.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is staple of Pakistani people. However, its yield at farmer field is low as compared with its genetic potential. Integration of various crop and soil management strategies might be an option to enhance wheat productivity at farmer field. This 2-year experiment was conducted to check the influence of combine application of natural plant water extracts and biochar on the productvity of wheat during the winter season of 2015-16. The experiment consisted of seven treatment viz. (1) control (2) application of biochar (0.18 kg pot-1) alone, (3) application of sorghum water extract (SWE) alone, (4) application of moringa water extract (MWE) alone, (5) application of biochar + SWE, (6) application of biochar + MWE, (7) application of biochar + SWE+MWE. The results revealed that application of both crop water extracts in combination with biochar improved the growth and grain yield of wheat. Use of MWE in combination with biochar enhanced the grain weight, grain number and grain yield of wheat by 44, 14, and 24%, respectively than the control treatment. In crux, use of MWE in combination with biochar might be a viable option to improve the productivity of bread wheat.

Skeletal metastases of unknown primary (SMUP) represent a clinical challenge dealing with patients diagnosed with bone metastases. The management have improved significantly in the past years, however fraught with lack of evidences, approach to these patients held out hope for more systematic and tailored treatment—and some patients can achieve impressive gains. Nevertheless, in real-life practice the outlook at the beginning of the take in charge of SMUP is decidedly more somber. An incomplete translational relevance of pathological and clinical data on the mortality and morbidity rate has had unsatisfactory consequences for SMUP patients and their physicians. We examined several approaches to confront the available evidences and highlighted three key points that emerge. The characterization of the SMUP biologic profile is essential to drive clinical decisions, integrating genetic and molecular profile into a multi-step diagnostic work-up. Nonetheless, pragmatic investigation plan and therapy of SMUP cannot follow a single template; it must be adapted to different pathophysiological dynamics and coordinated with efforts of a systematic algorithm and high-quality data derived from statistically powered clinical trials within. This review argues that greater efforts are required to face the unmet need dealing with SMUP patients in oncology. Finally, we provide an original functional network analysis, identifying novel therapeutic targets.