Throughout the Covid19 period, families were forced to stay indoors, adapting to online school-ing, remote work, and virtual social engagements, inevitably altering the dynamics within households. There is a notable increase in mental health challenges in terms of anxiety and de-pression in children and adolescents. This study intends to explore the psychosocial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in Italian families adopting self- and proxy-report questionnaires on anxiety, anger, and health-related quality of life. The results showed that approximately 20% obtained a clinical anxiety score and only 10% obtained a clinical anger score. There was found a difference in the perception of the quality of life reported by the child and that perceived by the parent. The stepwise regression model showed that total anxiety scores were predicted by sex, quality of life scores from the parents' self-report version and total anger score. Another stepwise regression model identified physiological and social anxiety as the best predictors that impact the quality of life. Parental well-being actively influences the well-being of children, so it is fundamental to implement preventive programmes and promote child well-being providing parents the most adequate support possible.

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

A novel determination method using flow-through cartridge purification and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the identification and quantification of 30 mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, sterigmatocysin, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, roquefortine C, methylergonovine, ergocornine, lysergol, enniatin A, enniatin A1, enniatin B, enniatin B1, beauvericin, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetylDeoxynivalenol, 15-acetylDeoxynivalenol, patulin, verruculogen, neosolaniol, gliotoxin, HT-2 toxin, wortmannin, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, and β-zearalanol) in feedstuffs. Mycotoxins were extracted from sample by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (16/84 v/v), then purified by a Cleanert® MC clean-up column. As a result, the pigments and other matrices were efficient removed from the sample extract solution. The purified eluate was collected, then evaporated and redissolved by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) for UPLC-MS/MS detection. A BEH Shield RP18 chromatographic column was employed for separation of 30 mycotoxins in a total of 14 min. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied for qualitative and quantitative analysis, and matrix calibration curves obtained with the external-standard method was used for quantitation of target analytes. Under optimized conditions, the linearity range was from 2 to 1000 ng/g, and the limit of quantification of the developed method was from 2 to 50 ng/g. The recoveries of 30 mycotoxins spiked in urine samples were from 72.0% to 118.5%, and the relative standard deviation was below 20%. The method was also well approved by certified reference sample, and applied on the real feedstuff samples testing successfully.

The conformity assessment of products or a measured value with the given standards is carried out based on the global risk of producers and consumers calculation. A product may conform to specifications but be falsely rejected as non-conforming. This is about the producer's risk. If a product doesn't meet the requirements but is falsely accepted as conforming, that poses a risk to the consumer. The conventional approach to risk assessment, which yields only a single numerical value for the global risk of producers and consumers, is naturally extended, and utilized for assessing risk in measurement models with linear regression. The outcomes of the two-dimensional extension, along a moderate scale, are the parabolas with an opening upwards. Risk surfaces were obtained through three-dimensional extension over the area limited by the moderate scale and guard band axes. Four models with different ranges of tolerance intervals were used to test this innovative method of risk assessment in linear regression. The corresponding standard measurement uncertainties are determined by applying a simplified measurement model with the use of comprehensive data on the measurement performance and by determining measurement uncertainty derived from consideration of the functional relationship obtained by linear regression analysis. Models that utilize information from linear regression analysis to determine measurement uncertainty are biased towards risks at the edges of the moderate scale. Testing the model's performances with metrics related to the confusion matrix, such as the F1 score, further substantiated this assertion. The diagnostic odds ratio has been proven to be extremely effective in identifying the curve along the guard band axis, along which the global risks of producers and consumers are at their lowest.

In this study, a basic study was performed to analyze the seasonal temperature status of a research room in the Global Environment Research Building where ceiling-embedded indoor units are installed to study the room temperature status of the building as well as to improve its thermal environment. In addition, a direction for improvement of the indoor thermal environment in the winter was proposed through a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation and was proven by an additional experiment. Through the results of this study, it appeared that if the ceiling-embedded indoor unit was installed in the small indoor space without considering the thermal vulnerability of its perimeter boundary, the air temperature of the upper part was greatly different from that of the bottom part in the winter. Hence, in this study, as a means to improve it, convectors were installed to minimize the effect of the external thermal environment and angle-controllable air flowing fans were installed to mitigate the stratification distribution. With such result, it was intended to present the essential data for improvement of the thermal environment as well as conservation of heating energy in the winter for buildings by reviewing the use of the ceiling-embedded indoor unit in the future.

Based on the need for real-time sag monitoring of Overhead Power Lines (OPL) for electricity transmission, this article presents the implementation of a hardware and software system for online monitoring of OPL cables and cable sag determination. The mathematical model based on differential equations and the methods of algorithmic calculation of OPL cable sag are presented. Considering that, based on the mathematical model presented, the calculation of OPL cable sag can be done in different ways depending on the sensors used, and the presented application uses a variety of sensors. Therefore, a direct calculation is made using one of the different methods. Subsequently, the verification relations are highlighted directly and, respectively, the calculation by the alternative method, which uses another group of sensors, to generate both a verification of the calculation and the functionality of the sensors, thus obtaining a defect observer of the sensors. The hardware architecture of the OPL cable online monitoring application is presented, together with the main characteristics of the sensors and communication equipment used. The configurations required to transmit data using the ModBUS and ZigBee protocols are also presented. The main software modules of the OPL cable condition monitoring application are described, which ensure the monitoring of the main parameters of the power line and the visualisation of the results both on the electricity provider's intranet using a web server and MySQL database, and on the Internet using an Internet of Things (IoT) server. This categorisation of the data visualisation mode is done in such a way as to ensure a high level of cyber security. Starting from the mathematical model of the OPL cable sag calculation, it goes through the stages of creating such a monitoring system, from the numerical simulations carried out using Matlab to the real-time implementation of this monitoring application. The main modules of the application software are: the software module for reading quantities from the sensor network through a ModBUS Input/Output (I/O) server, the software module for real-time calculation of the OPL cable sag, the software module for read/write operations based on MySQL type data, the software module for transferring data to the user's intranet through a web server, and the software module for viewing data by authorised users based on user and password through an IoT server. The development software environments used are Matlab and Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW).

The adulteration of goat milk powder occurs frequently, cattle-derived and soybean-derived ingredients are common adulterants in goat milk powder. However, simultaneously and rapidly detecting cattle-derived and soybean-derived components is still a challenge. high throughput and efficient screening method for adulteration detection is need. In this study, a rapid method was developed to detect the adulteration of common cattle-derived and soybean-derived components simultaneously in goat milk powder by combining the CRISPR/ Cas12a system with recombinant polymerase amplification (RPA). A dual DNA extraction method was employed, primers and crRNA for dual detection were designed and screened, and a series of condition optimizations were carried out in this experiment. The optimized assay can rapidly detect cattle-derived and soybean-derived components in 40 min. The detection limits of both cattle-derived and soybean-derived components were 1% (w/w) for the mixed adulteration models. The established method was applied into a blind survey of 55 commercially available goat milk powder products. The results showed that 36.36% of the samples contained cattle-derived or soybean-derived ingredients, which revealed the noticeable adulteration situation in the goat milk powder market. This study realizes a fast flow of dual extraction, dual amplification and dual detection of cattle-derived and soybean-derived components in goat milk powder for the first time. It can be used for high-throughput and high-efficiency on-site primary screening of goat milk powder adulterants, and provide a technical reference for combating with food adulteration.

With a view to understand and resolve the complexity of the food matrix, ohmic technologies alone or in combination were extensively employed. In this sense, the newest developments and advances of proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics whith their unique benefits could simplify and understand the link between physiological and pathological activities in biology, physiology, pathology, and food science and processing. This review aims to briefly introduce the basis of proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, then expansively review their impact on the assessment of meat quality and safety. Here, also, we discuss the application of proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics for the authentication and adulteration of meat and meat derivatives from different sources, and provides some perspectives regarding the use of emerging techniques such as rapid mass spectrometry (MS) and non-invasive measurements for the analysis of meat quality and safety. This paper summarizes all significant investigation in these matters, and underlines the advances in analytical chemistry technologies and meat science areas. By emphasizing the requirement for additional examinations, this paper attempts a comprehensive knowledge of “foodomics” and their potential to improve their employment in meat science.

We report neutralization titer data against contemporary SARS-CoV-2 sublineages from an ongoing, open-label, phase 2/3 trial of a single 30-μg dose of monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 vaccine. Healthy participants had previously received ≥3 doses of a US-authorized mRNA vaccine, with the most recent being a bivalent Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted vaccine administered ≥150 days before study vaccination. In this analysis, Omicron XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1 serum neutralizing titers were assessed at baseline and 1 month after vaccination in a subset of ≥18-year-olds (N = 40) with evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immunogenicity was also evaluated in a demographically matched group of participants who received bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2 in another study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05472038). The XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 vaccine elicited higher XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1 neutralizing titers than those elicited by bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2. Overall geometric mean fold rises in neutralizing titers from baseline to 1 month after vaccination were higher among participants who received XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 than those who received bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2 for XBB.1.5 (7.6 vs 5.6), slightly higher for JN.1 (3.9 vs 3.5), and similar for BA.2.86 (4.8 vs 4.9). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05997290.

Two new dimacrolide sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids (DMSPAs), dimacroregelines A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the stems of Tripterygium regelii. The structures of both compounds were characterized by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses, as well as HRESIMS data. Compounds 1 and 2 are two rare DMSPAs possessing unique 2-(3′-carboxybutyl)-3-furanoic acid units forming the second macrocyclic ring, representing the first example of DMSPAs bearing an extra furan ring in their second macrocyclic ring system. Compound 2 showed inhibitory effects on the proliferation of human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast cell (MH7A) at a concentration of 20 μM.

The role of foods is shifting from focusing on the provision of energy and basic nutrients to also include bioactive compounds that prevent the development of chronic age-related diseases. Mi-croalgae offer a source of nutritional compounds with important health effects, and have the po-tential for production of health-promoting products, without increasing agricultural land use and negatively impacting the environment. Here we investigate the health effects of microalgal ex-tracts with high levels of the colourless carotenoid phytoene. Phytoene is widely available from dietary sources and can be detected across different tissues in the human body. However, it is usually regarded as a precursor for the synthesis of other carotenoids, rather than a bioactive molecule. We utilised the model organism C. elegans to show that phytoene-rich extracts from Chlorella sorokiniana and Dunaliella bardawil have anti-ageing properties. The extracts protect against oxidative damage and amyloid-β42 proteotoxicity (a major pathology of Alzheimer's disease), and extends lifespan. We show that pure phytoene also has these anti-ageing effects, suggesting that phytoene is a bioactive molecule with positive effects on ageing and longevity.

The circular economy is one of the main strategies for mitigating the environmental impacts of civil construction, due to the generation of construction and demolition waste (CDW). In this transition, evaluating alternatives for using buildings as material banks is a way to make the process of reusing construction components more efficient. Thus, the article aimed to evaluate the state of the art of publications on the relationship between the circular economy in civil construction and the conceptual model of buildings as material banks, to mitigate the environmental impacts of CDW. The authors chose the methodological design of Systematic Literature Review, using the Scopus and Web of Science databases for research, with the following search strings: ("construction" or "civil construction" or "built environment" or "construction industry" ) and ("circular economy" or "circular construction") and ("material banks" or "BAMB" or "buildings as material banks" or "building stocks" or "building materials") and ("construction waste" or "demolition waste" or "CDW" or "construction and demolition waste" or "environmental impacts"). After a screening in which only articles published in journals were selected, from 2013 to 2023, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, to evaluate only those that had a direct relationship with CDW management through circular economy strategies and buildings such as banks of material. As a result, 93 articles remained, which were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approach. The quantitative results showed an increase in publications since 2020, which are concentrated in European countries and China. The predominance of applied studies was also noted, through case studies that evaluate the management of materials and waste in the urban environment. The qualitative analysis, carried out using a SWOT Matrix, highlighted the strengths of the buildings, such as material banks, the potential reduction of resource extraction and urban mining, promoting the circulation of construction products. However, the recycling of waste, such as aggregates, still stands out as the main end-of-life strategy adopted, even without occupying the top of the waste hierarchy.

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

The Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge for the whole world and it had major secondary effects on humans and environmental health. The viral infection induced, in many situations, secondary bacterial infections, especially enteric infections by destabilizing the balance of the gastrointestinal microbiota. The large-scale use of antibiotics and biocides both for curative and preventive purposes has determined an increase in bacterial resistance and at the same time the possibility of pathogenic microorganisms’ multiplication and their dissemination to natural environments. Wastewater is the main vector of faecal microorganisms that favour their dissemination into natural aquatic ecosystems. The present paper aimed to analyze the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the microbiological quality of wastewater from sewage treatment plants in Romania and its impact on receiving rivers. In order to highlight different and important areas of Romania, 3 cities from the east, center and west were selected for a microbiological evaluation of their WWTPs influent and effluent between ante-Covid-19 and Covid-19 pandemic peak period, when the Covid-19 pandemic had a direct impact on WWTPs microbial composition. Our study showed a higher contamination with fecal bacteria linked to a higher Covid-19 incidence. The increased usage of pharmaceutical compounds, at their turn, increased the number of resistant bacteria reaching the environment via WWTP effluents.

The concept of economic self-reliance, widely known by Thai people as the philosophy of sufficiency economy, has been widely promoted in rural Thai societies. By practicing this philosophy, it is expected that the citizens’ quality of life and local environments could be sustainably improved. This study aims to explore the contribution of the community practices of the sufficiency economy philosophy to rural villagers’ quality of life improvement, and to investigate potential factors that determine the trust of villagers in the philosophy. With the purpose to propose strategies which could enhance trust and promote villagers’ practices of the philosophy, the study investigated influences of three relevant factors on trust towards the philosophy. Those factors included factors related to cognitive-based trust, factors related to emotional-based trust, and factors related to demographic characteristics. Questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews with community leaders and local villagers were conducted in the Ban Jamrung community, in Thailand’s Rayong province. The results of the statistical analysis revealed that the residents who applied the sufficiency economy philosophy in their daily lives experienced a relatively better quality of life. Additionally, it was found that trust in the philosophy could be predicted more by rational factors than by emotional factors. These findings could be utilized to develop strategies to maintain and enhance the trust of the people in the philosophy of sufficiency economy.

Background/Objectives: PEMF therapy has gained significant attention due to its potential benefits in promoting tissue repair and improving overall well-being. Recent publications in the field of exercise physiology, showed that pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) enhanced the velocity and the quantity of muscle O2 available and the rate of muscle oxygen extraction and utilization, in semi-professional cyclists, during a heavy constant-load exercise. In this paper, we investigate the effect of stimulation on muscular activation, in sedentary young people, during a constant-load exercise, performed at moderate intensity. Methods: Nine male sedentary young people, partic-ipated in this study. The response of the muscle activity, was recorded by surface EMG and assessed measuring the root mean square (RMS) normalized to the peak of the maximum voluntary con-traction. Data were collected in the right vastus Medialis (RVM) and right Biceps Femoris (RBF) at the baseline (standstill sitting), on warm-up (unloaded cycling) and during 30 minutes of con-stant-load exercise, in two experimental conditions (PEMF ON vs PEMF OFF). Results: The mul-tivariate analysis of variance performed on RVM showed a significant effect of PEMF in both warmup and exercise, while on RBF showed a significant effect of PEMF and warmup. Conclusions: PEMF strongly enhanced the amplitude of muscle activity in young sedentary people. The increase in the amplitude of the muscular response may lead to a higher oxygen consumption and release.

Water scarcity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, poses a significant challenge to crop production, with drought being a prevalent factor limiting grain production globally. Enhancing agricultural water use efficiency is crucial for managing water resources effectively in these areas. Water resource management involves planning, developing, distributing, and optimizing the use of water resources. Water use efficiency management is also essential for crop growth in arid regions. Various agronomic and irrigation strategies can improve crop water use efficiency and drought tolerance. The primary goal of these strategies is to maximize irrigation efficiencies by applying the precise amount of water needed to restore soil moisture to the desired level. These sustainable practices not only reduce the cost of water and labor for farmers through reduced irrigation but also optimize the use of soil moisture storage. This review paper explores practical techniques to improve water use efficiency, highlighting the role of nutrients in enhancing water use efficiency in crop plants.

A low cost, scalable and robust process has been proposed as innovative method for coating solar mirrors with a self-cleaning, transparent in the full solar range and versatile material based on auxetic aluminium nitrides, previously obtained on the laboratory scale. This work presents the scaling-up of fabrication process from laboratory to prototypal scale and pre-liminary results of outdoor self-cleaning solar mirror prototypes testing in the demonstrative CSP plant ENEASHIP located in Casaccia (Rome) ENEA research centre. Prototypes 50x40cm have shown stability in external conditions: no degradation occurs during the test campaign. Their washing restores the initial reflectance affected by soiling and the self-cleaning performance allows the utilization of a reduced quantity of water for cleaning operations with respect to uncoated glass of back surface mirrors. A similar self-cleaning AlN coating could be utilized on other solar components affected by soiling, such as glass envelopes of heat collecting elements, PV panels and everywhere are required self-cleaning performance combined to optical ones.

Properties of time domain parameters of the vibration signal have been extensively studied for the fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings (REB). Parameters like kurtosis and Envelope Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio are most widely applied in this field and some important progress has been made. However, since only one-sided information is contained in these parameters respectively, problems still exist in practice when the signals collected are of complicated structure and/or contaminated by strong background noises. A new parameter, named Shock pulse index (SPI), is proposed in this paper. It integrates the mutual advantage of both parameters above and can help effectively identify fault related impulse components under the interference of strong background noises, unrelated harmonic components and random impulses. The SPI optimizes the parameters of Maximum Correlated Kurtosis Deconvolution (MCKD), which is used to filter the signals under consideration. Finally, the interested transient information contained in the filtered signal can be highlighted through demodulation with Teager Energy Operator (TEO). Fault related impulse components can therefore be extracted accurately. Simulations and experiment analyses verify the effectiveness and correctness of the SPI.

Bacteriophages (phages) are potential alternatives to chemical antimicrobials against pathogens of public health significance. Understanding the diversity and host specificity of phages is important for developing effective phage biocontrol approaches. Here, we assessed the host range, morphology, and genetic diversity of eight Salmonella enterica phages isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. The host range analysis revealed that six out of eight phages lysed more than 81% of the 43 Salmonella enterica isolates tested. The genomic sequences of all phages were determined. Whole genome sequencing data (WGS) data revealed that phage genome sizes ranged from 41 to 114 kb with GC contents be-tween 39.9 and 50.0 %. Two of the phages SB13 and SB28 represent new species Epsep-timavirus SB13 and genera Macdonaldcampvirus, respectively as designated by the In-ternational Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) as per genome based taxonomic classification. One phage (SB18) belonged to the Myoviridae morphotype while the re-maining phages belonged to the Siphoviridae morphotype. The gene content analyses showed that none of the phages possessed virulence, toxin, antibiotic resistance, type I-VI toxin-antitoxin modules or lysogeny genes. Three (SB3, SB15 and SB18) out of the eight phages possessed tailspike proteins. Whole genome-based phylogeny of the eight phages with their 113 homologs revealed three clusters A, B, C and seven subclusters (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1 and C2). While cluster C1 phages were predominantly isolated from animal sources, cluster B contained phages from both wastewater and animal sources. The broad host range of these phages highlights their potential use to control the presence of S. enterica in foods.

Callus induction (CI) is the critical trait for the transformation of desirable genes in plants. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis was conducted on the rice germplasm of 110 diverse indica rice accessions. Three tissue culture media, including B5, MS, and N6, were used for CI in those rice panels. Seven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on chromosomes 2, 6, 7, and 11 were found to confer a CI percentage in these three media. For the B5 medium, one QTL (qCI-B5-Chr6) was identified on the rice chromosome 6. For the MS medium, two QTLs were identified on the rice chromosomes 2 and 6 (qCI-MS-Chr2 and qCI-MS-Chr6, respectively). For the N6 medium, four QTLs were identified on the rice chromosomes 6, 7, and 11 (qCI-N6-Chr6.1, qCI-N6-Chr6.2, qCI-N6-Chr7, and qCI-N6-Chr11, respectively). Fifty-five genes were identified within the haplotype blocks corresponding to these QTLs. Thirty-one genes showed haplotypes associated with different CI in those media. The qCI-B5-Chr6 was located in the same region as the qCI-N6-Chr6.2. The caleosin-related family protein was identified in this region. Analysis of the gene-based haplotype reveals the association of this gene with different CI in both B5 and N6 media, suggesting that the gene may play a critical role in the CI mechanism. Moreover, several genes, including the beta-tubulin, the zinc finger proteins, the RNP-1 domain-containing protein, and the Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase, were associated with different CI in the N6 media. Results from this study provide insight into the potential QTLs and candidate genes for callus induction in rice that will fulfill the understanding of the physiological and biochemical processes involved in callus formation, which is an essential tool in the molecular breeding of rice.

Keywords: contamination; bioaccumulation; fish and mollusks tissue; ecosystem components; heavy metals; organochlorine pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Chemical flooding methods are used to recover the remaining oil after water flooding, and surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding is an important chemical flooding technology. It is of great significance to design and screen high-performance oil displacement agents in order to overcome the increasingly challenging high temperature (>70 ℃) and high salinity (>10,000 mg/L) reservoirs. Based on the characteristics of high temperature (70 ℃) and high salinity (151,000 mg/L) in the Qinghai Gasi reservoir, the performance of the SP flooding system was studied. This study considered interfacial tension, emulsification, viscosity, compatibility, and oil displacement efficiency. The selected formula demonstrated high resistance to both salinity (151,000 mg/L) and temperature (70 ℃), characterized by a low oil-water interfacial tension (10-2 mN/m) and high viscosity (18.13 mPa.s). After water flooding achieved an oil recovery rate of 64.64%, the subsequent replacement rate of crude oil increased by 26.95%, confirming that SP flooding can be used as a technology for enhancing oil recovery in high-temperature, high-salinity reservoirs represented by Qinghai Gasi reservoirs.

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

By introducing environmental mediator, for avoiding randomness in selecting indicators and subjectivity in deciding interaction path coefficients to reveal interaction mechanism among forest industry, ecology and environmental capacity, structural Pressure–State–Impact–Response (PSIR) and quantitative Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are utilized with data on thirty–one provinces of China. We can find that: (i) forest industry has a negative influence on ecology, whereas ecology has a positive influence on industry; (ii) the destructive influence that industry has on ecology is much greater than the positive effect ecology has on industry; and (iii) environmental capacity plays a partial mediating role between industry and ecology. According to these results we can conclude that: (i) forest industry and ecology are not in a symbiotic relationship and have not reached a level of ecological security; (ii) the interaction between industry and ecology is in a period of transition from antagonistic to beneficial; and (iii) industry dominates ecology. However, we prospect the following advice: (i) methods of forest industry should be changed; (ii) new modes of industrial integration and circular economy should be developed; and (iii) the ability of the environment to sustain itself should be enhanced. The level of forest ecological security to discuss the symbiotic mechanism of industry and ecology will propose to be measured in future.

Most of the mid-high permeability sandstone oilfields in China have entered the ultra-high water cut stage, accompanied with the highly-dispersed residual oil, and the control effect of mi-cro-heterogeneity on the residual oil is increasingly prominent. Understanding the microscopic characteristics of pore structural and its evolution during the long-term waterflooding is critical for enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of oil field exploitation. While the previous insights paid more attention to the geometrical and morphological features of pore structure and ignores the relation of pore structure with the fluid flow capacity. In this study, we propose a microscopic pore structure classification method considering pore size and local permeable capacity, which realizes the physical classification and quantitative evaluation of pore structure characteristics for different permeability rocks. The micro-pore structure is classified into 6 types based on the key evaluation parameters of pore diameter and flow flux area. By taking six mid-high permea-bility sandstone core samples from Daqing oilfield in China, a series of long-term waterflooding experiments are carried out and the interior pore structure was captured using high precision CT scanning technique. The results reveals that high-permeability reservoirs exhibit concentrated pores diameters and finer throats, whereas mid-permeability reservoirs exhibit smaller pores and throats in greater quantity. With the increase of water injection volumes, the permeable ca-pacity and connectivity of the high-connectivity pore space in ultra-high- and high-permeability reservoirs are enhanced, and in mid-permeability reservoirs, the micro-heterogeneity intensifies the increase in low-connectivity small pores. These findings provide new insights for the micro-scopic heterogeneity and a solid theoretical basis for investigating the occurrence of microscopic residual oil and optimising enhanced oil recovery strategies at the late stage of ultra-high water cut.

Aimed to obtain purple garlic varieties, 360 bolting bulbs from the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Las Pedroñeras” were selected for their size, and the presence of abundant external scales. After a further selection, 243 out of the 360 bulbs were discarded due to undesired characteristics, as light purple color, high number of small cloves, cloves affected by Fusarium spp. and mites, among other. It was stablished that each bulb would give rise to a family. Thus, 117 families were planted under a random design during season 2021-2022. Either physiological, morphological and phenological traits were assessed for each family, and the affectations by pest and pathogens were also controlled. After the assessment of this trial, 103 out 117 families remained in the program, and were used for the establishment of a second trial the next season. Unlike the first trial, after the evaluations only 23 families remained in the program. There was observed a high variability for most of traits, with a great influence of families. The phenotypic behavior of families was significative influenced by environment, highlighting the need of their assessment under different environmental conditions. The high variability registered for the target sample, opens the possibility to select new garlic varieties from this PGI.

Probiotics are becoming more and more popular in the growing of fin and shellfish because these species are consumed worldwide and because different techniques are employed to maximize the productivity and efficiency of fin and shellfish. Probiotic Bacillus is one of the many types of probiotics that are used, but it stands out due to its superior qualities. For instance, because of its ability to sporulate, it can survive in harsh environments, produce antimicrobial substances, and is safe to feed to fish. The different species of Bacillus used in the farming of fin and shell fish were discussed in this review, along with the benefits of using Bacillus spp. as a good substitute in sustainable aquaculture to improve feed utilization, immune system response, stress adaptation, resistance to infectious diseases, tissue preservation integrity, and water quality. Additionally, we discussed the possible risks to safety that Bacillus poses when raising these significant species. For the purpose of future research and development regarding Bacillus application in aquaculture, a summary of the findings of recent studies about the advantages of applying Bacillus to enhance fin and shellfish aquatic animal culture has been provided.

Obesity is a highly prevalent chronic disease characterized by excessive weight gain and fat accumulation. There is growing evidence that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains with bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity are effective in preventing and alleviating obesity. However, few of them has confirmed the anti-obesity effect of BSH by gene deletion. In this study, 23 BSH-positive Lp. plantarum strains were screened by bile salt precipitation halo assay. Among these strains, Lp. plantarum Lp20 showed the highest BSH activity with a hydrolysis rate to glycodeoxycholic acid (GDCA) by 91.62%. Genomic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis indicated that gene bsh1 was associated with BSH activity of Lp. plantarum Lp20 and gene deletion of bsh1 confirmed the role of Bsh1 in GDCA hydrolysis. To investigate if the Bsh1 from Lp. plantarum Lp20 could alleviate obesity, the wild type and bsh1 deletion mutant strains were administered daily for 8 weeks to diet-induced obese mice, respectively. Compared with mutant strain, the wild type strain Lp20 significantly reduced body weight gain, inguinal white adipose tissue and mesenteric fat mass in obese mice. In addition, Lp20 also reduced serum total cholesterol levels and LDL-C by 20.8% and 33.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the recovered liver steatosis was only observed in Lp. plantarum Lp20 treated mice. Taken together, the bile salt hydrolase Bsh1 from Lp. plantarum Lp20 was a key functional factor on ameliorating HFD-induced obesity by reducing cholesterol levels and suppressing adipogenesis in mice.

In the process of oil and gas development and production, when the flow rate in the wellbore is large, the materials underground will be eroded, causing the operation to be unable to proceed smoothly and reducing the efficiency of oil and gas production. Therefore, optimizing the anti-erosion coating under high-speed flow conditions in wellbore is a very interesting thing. It can greatly improve operational efficiency. In this paper, laser cladding was used to prepare the new coating used in the PDC drill bit. Then, the effects of tungsten carbide and multi-layer graphene on the microstructure and properties of the tungsten carbide coating were studied. The research results indicate that, for new coatings, 60% tungsten carbide and 0.3% graphene are the optimal ratios. After adding WC, the hardness has significantly improved. However, when the WC content further increases more than 30%, the increase in hardness is relatively small. In addition, when the content of graphene is more than 0.3%, the branched structure became thicker, and not only the segregation of Cr, Si and W became very obvious again, but also the segregation of Fe occurred at the Ni enrichment site. The research results contribute to improving oil and gas production and operational efficiency under high-speed fluid flow conditions in the wellbore.

The focus of this work lies in the construction of monitoring system designed in the form of a patch using a long-lasting potentiometric electrolyte concentration sensor from metal electrodes, in a galvanic cell configuration Mg(s)|NaCl(aq)|Cu(s). Initially, a mathematical analysis was conducted on the expected sensor output through the Nernst equation. The experimental phase involved conducting controlled tests in the laboratory using various molar concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) in aqueous solution. Results showed that the electrolyte sensor allows for monitoring electrolyte levels in NaCl in the range of 0.02 to 1 M/L, with electrode lifespan exceeding 10 days. On the other hand, when patch is using human sweat during controlled exercise routines, it showed the sensor's capability for monitoring changes in the subjects' hydration levels in real time. The sensor output potential is greater than 1.7 volts when the sensor electrodes are in contact with human sweat, which is equivalent to measuring molar concentrations at normal hydration and moderately high hydration levels. Sensor results indicate that the system can function in a self-powered manner without external batteries. Additionally, the extended lifespan of its electrodes allows for continuous monitoring of imbalances in the human body, showcasing the system capability for long-term health assessment.

China's cotton production has shown a concentration to the advantageous regions in recent years. Based on the relevant data of cotton production in China, the study measures the cotton production agglomeration levels of 16 major cotton-producing provinces from 1978 to 2020, summarizes the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of cotton production agglomeration, and analyzes the factors influencing cotton production agglomeration using spatial econometric models. The results indicate that: Firstly, since the opening-up and reform, China's cotton production agglomeration levels have shown an overall upward trend, exhibiting periodic dynamic changes over time, and the spatial pattern reveals a dynamic regional gradient. Secondly, there is spatial correlation among the production scales of cotton in different provinces, with a trend resembling a "U" shape, and the agglomeration form shows a low-level convergence. Thirdly, technological level, policies, substitute industrial products and foreign trade are identified as important factors. The cotton production in each province is spatially correlated through these factors, and there is also a presence of spillover effects. In conclusion, the government should prioritize considerations of various influencing factors to formulate tailored support policies, promote large-scale production to enhance technological levels, and focus on policies aimed at improving the quality of cotton.

Wildfires have always been a part of the history of Mediterranean forests. However, forest regeneration after a wildfire is not certain. It depends on many factors, some of which may be influenced by land management activities. Failure of regeneration will cause a regime shift in the ecosystem, reducing the provision of ecosystem services and ultimately leading to desertification. How can we increase Mediterranean forests’ resilience to fire? To answer this question, we did a literature review, investigating chains of processes that allow forests to regenerate (which we label “regeneration mechanisms”), and assessed the impact of selected management practices documented in the WOCAT database on the regeneration mechanisms. We identified three distinct regeneration mechanisms that enable Mediterranean forests to recover, as well as the time frame before and after a fire in which they are at work, and factors that can hinder or support resilience. The three regeneration mechanisms enabling a forest to regenerate after a fire consist of regeneration (1) from a seed bank; (2) from resprouting individuals; and (3) from unburned plants that escaped the fire. Management practices were grouped into four categories: (1) fuel breaks, (2) fuel management, (3) afforestation, and (4) mulching. We assessed how and under what conditions land management modifies the ecosystem’s resilience. The results show that land management influences resilience by interacting with resilience mechanisms before and after the fire, and not just by modifying the fire regime. Our analysis demonstrates a need for adaptive – i.e. context- and time-specific – management strategies.

Considering the unquestionable role of education in economic development, it has an impact at a macroeconomic level—contributing to enhancing productivity and innovation, reducing poverty and promoting social cohesion—and at a personal level—ensuring the improvement of knowledge, skills and individual capabilities and promoting social values like empowerment and equality. Notably, quality education is recognized as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which, jointly with other behaviors and attitudes, could impact the development of societies in other fields like health and well-being, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability and even peace and stability—all of them also listed as SDGs. However, the capacity, or not, to reach higher levels of compliance with quality in education (SDG 4) varies from country to country, according to the 2023 Sustainable Development Report results. Thus, the present study used a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to assess the conditions for attaining higher levels of quality education based on the different indicators used to measure SDG 4. The analysis will allow comparisons of results among different countries and provide information about the initiatives that could be relevant to increasing quality education worldwide and for policymakers.

Starting from the fact that one of the global control strategies of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM), namely the Direct Torque Control (DTC) type control strategy, is characterised by the fact that the inner flux and torque control loop usually uses hysteresis ON-OFF type controllers and the oscillations introduced by them have to be cancelled out by the outer speed loop controller (which is usually a PI speed controller and whose performance is good around the global operating points and for relatively small variations of the external parameters and disturbances caused in particular by the load torque variation), while retaining the advantages of the DTC strategy, this paper presents the improvement of the performance of the PMSM sensorless control system using Proportional Integrator (PI), PI Equilibrium Optimizer Algorithm (EOA), Fractional Order (FO) PI, Tilt Integral Derivative (TID) and FO Lead-Lag for constant flux, and Sliding Mode Control (SMC) and FOSMC for variable flux. The performance indicators of the control system are the usual ones: response time, settling time, overshoot, steady-state error and speed ripple, plus another one given by the fractal dimension (FD) of the PMSM rotor speed signal, and the hypothesis that the FD of the controlled signal is higher when the control system provides better performance is verified. The paper also presents the basic equations of the PMSM, based on which the synthesis of integer and fractional controllers, the synthesis of an observer for estimating the PMSM rotor speed, electromagnetic torque and stator flux are presented. The comparison of the performance of the proposed control systems and the demonstration of the parametric robustness are performed by numerical simulations in Matlab/Simulink using Simscape Electrical and Fractional Order Modelling and Control (FOMCON). Real-time control based on an embedded system using a TMS320F28379D controller demonstrates the good performance of the PMSM sensorless control system based on the DTC strategy in a complete hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) implementation.

Few studies have explored the gender wage gap among farmworkers, and there is a notable absence of research on how farm wages impact household welfare differently based on gender. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how farm wages affect gender disparities in household welfare among farmworkers in Nigeria. Using survey data from 720 farmworkers, we investigated gender-based differences in household welfare. Our approach combined parametric methods (Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition) to assess gender gaps in household welfare and non-parametric techniques (Propensity Score Matching, PSM) to estimate the effects of farm wages. The analysis reveals that female farmworkers experience significantly lower per capita food consumption expenditure (₦11,486.51 less) compared to their male counterparts. These disparities partly stem from differences in socioeconomic factors, job characteristics, and enterprise attributes between male and female farmworkers. The study underscores the role of farm wages in mitigating gender gaps in household welfare, demonstrating that farm wages have increased per capita food consumption expenditure for female farmworkers by ₦6,640.698. This finding highlights the potential of wage increases to enhance livelihoods, underscoring the importance of equitable wage policies in farming. Furthermore, our findings emphasize that the impact of farm wages on welfare varies with household characteristics, suggesting the need for targeted interventions tailored to enhance identified household attributes. Addressing these factors could effectively reduce gender inequalities in farm work and contribute to overall welfare improvements.

Dark energy and dark matter are described as different manifestations of vacuum energy in a new cyclic universe framework of Extra Dimensional Symmetry (EDS) that doubles large spatial dimensions with microscopic partners. In this testable framework, vacuum energy, constrained by a Planck density constraint, exists in a gravitationally dark state where actual gravitational constant G_o = 0G. While a small repulsive component is constrained by an asymptotically evolving asymmetry to the active state where G_o = 2G, some components in the inert state are enabled to gravitationally attract by neutrino induced gravitational constant with light and shear activated heavy components. Observational and experimental tests are briefly discussed.

The development of one technology can be portrayed by common methods like Gartner’s hype cycle or S-curve, however, there is no method to characterize the feature distributions of multiple technologies within a specific domain. This study proposes a big data-based method in terms of four proposed features, namely versatility, significance, commerciality, and disruptiveness, to characterize the technologies within a given domain. The features of technologies are quantitively portrayed using the representative keywords and volumes of returned search results from Google and Google Scholar in two-dimensional analytical spaces of technique and application. We demonstrate the applicability of this method using 452 technologies in the domain of intelligent robotics. The results of our assessment indicate that the versatility values are normally distributed, while the values of significance, commerciality, and disruptiveness follow power-law distributions, in which few technologies possess higher feature values. We also show that significant technologies are more likely to be commercialized or causing potential disruption, as such technologies have higher scores in these features. Further, we validly prove the robustness of our approach via comparing historical trends with literature and characterizing technologies in reduced analytical spaces. Our method can be widely applied in analyzing feature distributions of technologies in different domains, and it can potentially be exploited in decisions like investment, trade, and science policy.

Emphasizing the importance of acoustic attenuation in maintaining compliance with stringent noise regulations and enhancing workplace safety, the analysis covers the theoretical and practical aspects of sound attenuation in a turboengine testing stand. This paper presents a preliminary analysis and also an evaluation of a procedure for projecting a noise attenuator for industrial application and especially for turboengine test stands. While primarily focusing on the static acoustic behavior of the attenuator, considerations were also made regarding flow dynamics, Mach number-dependent attenuation, pressure drop, and self-generated noise aspects to provide a comprehensive perspective in selecting the optimal design configuration. The study investigates different calculation methods for assessment of the noise reduction for linear and staggered baffles, applied on a scaled reduced model of attenuator. Thus, the critical parameters and projecting requirements necessary for effective noise reduction in high-performance turboengine testing environments will be evaluated in a down-scaled model. Key factors examined include the selection of design parameters and configurations from various options. Advanced computational methods, like analytic and finite element analysis (FEM) are utilized to predict the acoustic performance and identify potential design optimizations. Experimental validation is performed to corroborate the simulation results, ensuring the reliability and efficiency of the attenuator. The findings indicate that a well-designed sound attenuator module can significantly reduce noise levels without compromising the operational performance of the turboengine inside a test cell.

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.

Commuting is a vital travel channel for college students throughout their higher education career; nevertheless, excessive commute time negatively impacts students’ school satisfaction, academic achievement, health, and quality of life. Meanwhile, few studies have explored students’ commute time, covering a large population and scope. Therefore, this study analyzes the dwelling type that influences college and graduate students’ school commute times in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, using data from the 2016 Household Travel Diary Survey. This study uses spatial data on housing development to classify five dwelling types (i.e., new town, housing site development, Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do). A multiple linear regression model empirically analyses students’ household and personal characteristics. The results reveal that dwelling type significantly affects students’ commute time. Specifically, Students living in Seoul have a shorter commute to school than those living in new towns. Socioeconomic characteristics have less effect on college and graduate students' school commute time. This study discusses the problem of excessive commuting of college and graduate students in new towns.

Histone post-translational modification is one of the main mechanisms of epigenetic regulation, which plays a crucial role in the control of gene expression and various biological processes. However, whether or not it affects fungal virulence is not clear in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In this study, we identified and cloned the histone methyltransferase Defective in methylation 5 (Dim5) in S. sclerotiorum, which encodes a protein containing a typical SET domain. SsDim5 was found to be dynamically expressed during infection. Knockout experiment demonstrated that deletion of SsDim5 reduced the virulence in Ssdim5-1/Ssdim5-2 mutant strains, accompanied by a significant decrease in H3K9 trimethylation levels. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed the downregulation of genes associated with mycotoxins biosynthesis in SsDim5 deletion mutants. Additionally, the absence of SsDim5 affected the fungus's response to oxidative and osmotic, as well as cellular integrity. Together, our results indicate that the H3K9 methyltransferase SsDim5 is essential for H3K9 trimethylation, which regulating fungal virulence to host plants through impacting on mycotoxins biosynthesis, and the response to environmental stresses in S. sclerotiorum.

(1) Background: Double-strand breaks (DSBs) in a single nucleus are usually measured using the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, and comet assay (CA). We developed mono-dimensional single-cell pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (1D-SCPFGE) and angle-modulated two-dimensional single-cell pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (2D-SCPFGE) to observe DNA fragmentation in separated motile sperm. (2) Methods: We set up comparative standards, calibration curves, the required sensitivity, and eligibility criteria for test sperm to validate their measurement principles. (3) Results: We revealed that the conventional methods overlooked the interference of nucleoproteins in their measurements. In-gel proteolysis improves the measurement accuracies of 1D- and 2D-SCPFGE. We recommend using naked DNA for comparative standards and test specimens. Moreover, we have observed several dysfunctions that may induce DNA damage in the separated motile sperm. Overall, our discussion highlights the need to revisit the conventional univariable analyses based on the SCSA, SCD test, and CA. (4) Conclusions: Human infertility is a complex syndrome, and the aim of quality control in intracytoplasmic sperm injection is to identify the underlying dysfunctions remaining in the separated motile sperm that render them ineligible for injection. Well-designed, multivariable analyses with special consideration to confounding factors are necessary in future cohort studies.

Smart manufacturing encompasses a category of manufacturing that employs computer-integrated capabilities and technologies to enhance supply chain optimization, production efficiency, and recyclability. Yet limited studies have been conducted to optimize these prospects from the perspective of low resource countries where such innovative studies have not been adequately explored. This paper aims to examine the implications of smart manufacturing practices (Smart Procurement, Smart Supply Chain, Smart Production Planning and Control, Automation and Industrial Robot, and Supply Chain Configuration) on pro-environmental behaviour and develop a baseline moderated mediation model to explain the relationship between smart manufacturing and pro-environmental behaviour with a role of green dynamic capability, and environmental orientation. This study is anchored on quantitative research approach, deductive reasoning, and explanatory design. Cross – sectional survey data have been obtained from 382 manufacturing companies in Ghana. Our hypotheses have been tested using Structural Equation Modelling and SMART-PLS version 3.8.9. The study has revealed that smart manufacturing practices significantly and positively relate to pro-environmental behaviour. Moreover, green dynamic capability and environmental orientation moderate the relationship between smart manufacturing and pro-environmental behaviour. The implications of the study include the emergence of a baseline model to guide policymakers, practitioners, and academicians to explain the relationship between smart manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing in the context of developing countries. Again, the social implication of the study includes the realisation of decent job and economic growth, responsible consumption and production as well as actions taken to combat climate change.

Addressing the pressing challenge of global warming, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector is a critical imperative. Battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles have emerged as promising solutions for curbing emissions in this sector. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) for typical passenger vehicles, heavy duty trucks and city buses using either proton-exchange membrane fuel cells or Li-ion batteries with different cell chemistries. To ensure accuracy, we supplemented existing studies with data from the literature, particularly for the recycling phase, as database limitations were encountered. Our results highlight that fuel cell and battery systems exhibit large emissions in the production phase. Recycling can significantly offset some of these emissions, but a comparison of the technologies examined revealed considerable differences. Overall, battery electric vehicles consistently outperform fuel cell electric vehicles regarding absolute greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, we recommend prioritizing battery electric over fuel cell vehicles. However, deploying fuel cell electric vehicles could become attractive in a hydrogen economy scenario where other factors, e. g. the conversion and storage of surplus renewable electricity via electrolysis, become important.

In order to develop novel botanical insecticides, the joint action of Ligusticum chuanxiong oil (LCO) and lemongrass oil (LO) against Aphis citricola van der Goot was determined systematically indoors and outdoors. The chemical profiles of LCO and LO as determined by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry analysis revealed that main compounds from LCO were Z-Ligustilide (44.58%) and Senkyunolide A (26.92%), and that of LO were geranial (42.16%) and neral (32.58%), respectively. The mixture of LCO and LO showed significant synergy against A. citricola, with a common-toxicity coefficient (CTC) value of 221.46 at the optimal ratio of LCO to LO (4: 1, w/w). Based on the results of solvents and emulsifiers screening, L. Chuanxiong oil · Lemongrass oil 20% emulsifiable concentrate (20% LCO · LO EC) was developed, which was confirmed to meet the requirements of a commercial pesticide by quality test. Field trials indicated that the insecticidal activity of the diluted 20% LCO · LO EC (1000 fold dilution) was comparable to conventional pesticide (20% imidacloprid EC) on A. citricola 7 days after application. Thus, the mixture of LCO and LO has the potential to be further developed as a botanical pesticide.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which results in the destruction of the tooth’ s supporting tissues and the alveolar bone resorption. The complement becomes a major link between infection and inflammatory pathology including periodontitis. Gingipians as important virulence factors of P. gingivalis have the activity of C5 convertase, could cleave C5 into fully functional C5a to activate C5aR. The above process could be blocked by the C5aR antagonist (PMX-53) to suppress local periodontal inflammation, and then achieves the purpose of treatment of periodontitis. Nanoparticles incorporated within gelatin are promising carrier system for drug delivery in recent years. This study aimed to investigate whether gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 prevents alveolar bone resorption in miniature swines model of periodontitis. Four miniature swines were placed ligatures around the maxillary and mandibular fourth premolar and first molar on both sides for seven weeks to induce periodontitis. Then, animals were assigned randomly to four groups: minocycline-treated group, gelatin with PMX53-treated group, gelatin-treated group and a sham control group. They were treated with 1ml related drugs respectively, into gingival sulcusl for 4 times at one-week intervals. We showed that local treatments with gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 could inhibit alveolar bone loss of periodontitis. Our study revealed that gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 prevented alveolar bone resorption miniature swines model of periodontitis. In addition, provided proof-of-concept for local targeting of gelatin nanoparticles loaded with PMX-53 as a powerful candidate for the treatment of periodontitis.

Walls-like structured monoclinic WO3 thin films were obtained by spray deposition method for further integration in gas sensors. For sensing applications, it is very important to achieve a high surface-to-volume ratio surface together with a proper thin films structure. The present communication reports on the effect of the sprayed solution volume variation (as a thickness variation element) on the detailed Raman spectroscopy for WO3 thin films with different thicknesses grown from precursor solutions with two different concentrations. Detailed analysis of the two series of samples shows that the growing thickness strongly affects the films morphology while their crystalline structure is only slightly affected. The Raman analysis contribute to refining the structural features clarifications. It was observed that, for both concentrations, the increase in thickness seems to slightly affect the stoichiometry of material and, in association with surface morphology variations, provide new possibilities for fine tuning of films properties towards enhanced as sensing applications. Further studies are ongoing.

The decarbonization of the electricity grid as one among the actions to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and thus their impact on global warming in the future, will be achieved mainly via the integration and widespread diffusion of renewable power sources. This is going to be supported also by the shift from the paradigm production-transmission-distribution, where electricity production oversees large-size power plants, to renewable-based distributed/diffused production, where electricity is generated very close or even by the same (group of) user(s) (or prosumers in the latter case). The number of mid-/small-size installations based on renewable energy technologies will therefore increase substantially, and the related renewable generation will be dominant against that from large-size power plants. Unfortunately, this will reduce the reliability of the grid very likely, unless appropriate countermeasures are taken/implemented, hopefully at the same time the paradigm shift is being achieved. To this aim, it is important to identify the anomalies and main fault causes that might determine in renewable-based power systems. This paper surveys the current state-of-the-art on anomalies and faults affecting wind-PV-storage hybrid power systems, i.e., the main renewable technology ensemble that will establish the future grid, and highlights possible research directions that may help to fill the literature gaps.

Managing Water, Energy, and Food (WEF) resources within socio-environmental systems demands innovative strategies that provide decision-makers with actionable insights. This article explores the challenges and potential solutions of employing Focus Maps and choremes as a novel approach for assessing anthropogenic impacts and enhancing the visualization of the WEF Nexus in specific geographic areas. By integrating geospatial data, multi-criteria analysis, and involving stakeholders, our research aims to develop Choreomatic Focus Maps (CFMs) that offer a comprehensive spatial representation of the WEF Nexus, facilitating better-informed decision-making at the community level. Our current work outlines visualization of WEF Nexus, as an initial stages of creating CFMs through a detailed step-by-step process. This includes identifying the main drivers for WEF nexus, such as anthropogenic activities and their distribution, evaluating environmental factors, linking anthropogenic impact with environmental indicators over time, and conducting on-site validation. Our focus is on advancing through these crucial steps, particularly emphasizing field validation within the Local Decision-Makers Tools, visualized here by using Focus Maps. This phase is vital for ensuring our approach is grounded in reality and meets the needs of the communities within the Danube Delta region. By doing so, we aim to provide a visual summary of the WEF Nexus that not only captures the complexity of this fragile ecosystem but also incorporates local insights and priorities, identifying key areas where human activities have significant impacts.

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent and serious brain disorders, affecting 70 million people worldwide. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) though relieve symptoms and prevent the occurrence of future seizures in epileptic patients have limited effect on epileptogenesis. Addressing the multifaceted nature of epileptogenesis and its association with Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation requires a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms for development of targeted therapeutic strategies beyond conventional antiseizure treatments. Several types of NLRP3 inhibitors have been developed and their effect has been validated both in vitro and in vivo models of epileptogenesis. In this review, we discuss the advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms of NLRP3 activation as well as progress made and challenges facing in the development of NLRP3 inhibitors for the treatment of epilepsy.

Silver ion (Ag+) are recognized for their potent antibacterial properties; however, their utilization in food preservation is restricted by factors such as inadequate stability, a transient antibacterial impact, and the potential for human absorption. Hydrogel-based antibacterial agents are capable of exerting their antibacterial effects by establishing appropriate microenvironments, which facilitate the efficient delivery of antimicrobial molecules to the contaminated regions of food. In previous studies, we observed that chitosan (CS) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) were able to reduce Ag+ to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with enhanced antibacterial properties. This not only significantly extended the stability of the antibacterial agent but also demonstrated exceptional inhibitory capabilities against pathogenic bacteria, including common grape contaminants such as P. expansum, A. niger, and B. cinerea. Utilizing ultrasound-induced complexation technology, this study has successfully synthesized a chitosan-silver (CS-AgNPs) hydrogel. The efficacy of this hydrogel against the pathogenic fungus responsible for jujube black spot disease has been thoroughly investigated. The morphology structures of CS-AgNPs hydrogels were characterized by TEM, FTIR and UV-vis. The results indicated that AgNPs ranging from 80 to 110 nm were uniformly dispersed within the gel matrix and remained stable for extended periods at room temperature. In vitro antibacterial assays and fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) studies revealed that the pronounced antibacterial efficacy of the CS-AgNPs hydrogel was primarily attributed to the additive antibacterial effect of CS and AgNPs. These insights underscore the significant potential of CS-AgNPs hydrogels in combating fungal diseases of jujube, offering innovative strategies and materials for the management of agricultural pathogens.

Apple replant disease (ARD) is a complex issue caused by various fungal, oomycetes pathogens and parasites which can differ in their abundance between sites within a geographic region. Knowledge of the specific etiology of ARD at a particular site is required in order to develop commercially viable soil management strategies to combat specific/individual components of the disease. In this study we analyzed the soil from six ARD sites for the presence of fungal, bacterial and oomycetes communities and plant parasitic nematodes. Five fungal, and 17 bacterial classes were differentially represented in the microbiomes from different locations. Mortierellomycetes was the most abundant fungal taxa represented followed by Sordariomycetes. Mortierella exigua a fungal endophyte was the most abundant fungal amplicon sequence variant (ASV) in the core microbiome. Proteobacteria was the most prevalent phylum identified in orchard soils. Several potential phytopathogenic fungi involved in ARD and endophytes including Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, Nectria ramulariae, Ilyonectria robusta and Nectriaceae were identfied in the orchard soil. Pythium attrantheridium (Globisporangium attrantheridium), P. monospermum and P. ultimum (Globisporangium ultimum) were the most abundant oomycete taxa identified in these soil samples. Six different groups of plant-parasitic nematodes were found across the six orchards soil. Root-lesion nematodes, Pratylenchus spp., which are commonly associated with ARD, were identified in all orchards soil at population densities ranging from 12 to 33/100 cm3 soil. This research contributes valuable understanding of the ARD complex as the apple industry needs alternative approaches to combat the disease.

The effects of climate change health impacts on urban health care systems and vulnerable populations are a researched topic with foundations on urban risk management, urban health methodologies, and sustainable urbanization. As climate change is a dynamic and transformative global issue the gap between adaptation and mitigation efforts and urban planning relies, among other things, in the limitations of previous studies of risk management structures tailored to the existing strategy to calculate the uncertainties and predict their influence on urban systems and subsystems. Moreover, as climate and health is a well-researched issue, it is also complex as the methodologies and strategic approach to minimize health risks of climate change is intrinsically contingent to risk methodologies and policy-making processes that are efficient with support of knowledge-based information. This paper emphasis the need for focusing on urban health risk management methods that serves to identify potential opportunities, and then manage and take action to prevent adverse health effects. It also emphasizes the probability of events and their consequences, which are measurable both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the problems faced in environmental science. It has health effects on man and animals in both developed and developing countries. Research and efforts have been on it several years back. Policy statements and efforts have been published. This review paper is an added information on air pollution. In it, efforts were made in discussing these: classification, effects, methodology, case studies and source apportionment. It is hoped that this paper would contribute to existing knowledge on PM.

CAMx-LPiG (Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions – Linear Plume in Grid) is an online hybrid model, based on the Chemistry and Transport Model (CTM) CAMx, that includes a sub-grid scale module to simulate the dispersion of linear road traffic emissions, called LPiG. LPiG is a plume in grid module specifically developed by extending the capabilities of the Lagrangian puff sub-grid model available in CAMx. The online integration of the local scale model within the Eulerian CTM allows for a multiscale simulation of air quality from the regional scale to the urban scale, preserving a coherent description of the chemical state of the atmosphere at all spatial scales and avoiding any double counting of the emissions simulated by the sub-grid module. In this work the model is presented and evaluated against measured NO2 concentrations for the city of Milan for the month of January 2017. The model is able to introduce road traffic induced gradient in NO2 concentration at sub-grid resolution. Moreover, CAMx-LPiG is shown to reduce the bias compared to CAMx stand-alone simulations.

Vernonia mespilifolia is widely used in folk medicine in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological activity of the acetone, aqueous and ethanol extracts of Vernonia mespilifolia using brine shrimp hatchability and lethality assay. The result showed hatching success in this order: aqueous extract (48.6%) > acetone extract (38.2%) > ethanol extract (26.8%). The LC₅₀ of the lethality assay were in this order: acetone extract (67.8 µg/mL) > aqueous extract (132 µg/mL) > ethanol extract (383 µg/mL). According to Meyer’s toxicity index (using brine shrimps), LC₅₀ < 1000 µg/ mL is toxic. Therefore, the results of the three solvent extracts could be said to be toxic as do have LC₅₀ < 1000 µg/ mL. However, the toxicity of the crude extracts could suggest or confer some antitumor properties, hence further in vitro, in vivo and antitumour assays are recommended to further substantiate these claims.

Abstract: The Willows, belonging to the genus Salix, encompass a vast array of species and hybrids, totaling between 330 to 500 species along with approximately 200 hybrids. These plants are found across continents such as Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia, exhibiting diverse forms ranging from trees to shrubs and prostrate plants. Traditionally, Willows have been utilized in folk medicine due to their rich reservoir of biologically active compounds, with salicin being a notable example, serving as a prodrug for salicylic acid.The chemical composition of Willows is highly diverse, with 322 secondary metabolites identified thus far. These include various classes such as flavonoids (94 types encompassing flavonols, flavones, flavanones, isoflavones, flavan-3-ols like catechins and procyanidins, chalcones, dihydrochalcone, anthocyanins, and dihydroflavonols), phenolic glycosides (76), organic acids (28), non-phenolic glycosides (17), sterols, and terpenes (17), simple phenolics (13), lignans (7), as well as volatiles and fatty acids (69). This rich chemical di-versity underpins the various pharmacological activities exhibited by Willows. The pharmacological properties attributed to Willows are extensive and include analgesic, an-ti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiobesity, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. These properties make Willows a subject of con-siderable interest in the fields of medicine and pharmacology. In summary, Willows represent a valuable natural resource with a diverse chemical composition and a wide range of pharmacological activities. This study aimed to enhance our comprehension of the medicinal characteristics of willow bark extract, focusing on its antimicrobial properties. This investigation holds significance in validating the traditional usage of willow bark and investi-gating its potential utility in contemporary medicine.

Pardosa pseudoannulata is one of the most common wandering spiders in agricultural fields and a potentially good bioindicator for heavy metal contamination. However, little is known about the mechanism by which spiders respond to heavy metals at the molecular level. In this study, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after cadmium exposure. We obtained 60,489 assembled unigenes, 18,773 of which were annotated in the public databases. Ultimately, 3450 cDNA simple sequence repeats were identified and validated as potential molecular markers in the unigenes. A total of 2939, 2491 and 3759 DEGs were detected among the three libraries of two Cd-treated groups and the control. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolism processes and digestive system function were predominately enriched in response to Cd stress. At the cellular and molecular levels, significantly enriched pathways in lysosomes and phagosomes as well as replication, recombination and repair demonstrated that oxidative damage resulted from Cd exposure. Based on the selected DEGs, certain critical genes involved in defence and detoxification were analysed. These results may elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying spiders' responses to heavy metal stress.

Whey proteins have excellent nutritional characteristics due to their levels of essential amino acids with high bioavailability. However, it has a high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and a considerable polluting potential, thus food manufacturers have opted to add whey to food formulations. The demand for beverages containing vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, minerals, and bioactive compounds (antioxidants) with health benefits has increased and driven market growth. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a probiotic functional carbonated beverage from cheese whey and evaluate its microbiological, and physicochemical characteristics soon after the production and during storage. The viability and stability of probiotic, the microbiological characteristics, titratable acidity and sedimentation of the beverage were monitored during refrigerated storage for a month. The probiotic to be added to the formulation was established in a preliminary step. The production of this beverage proved to be a simple technology and the product was suitable for incorporation of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. The probiotic showed good viability and stability during storage. The microbiological quality of the beverage met the Brazilian legal standards. The pH and titratable acidity of the probiotic carbonated beverage remained stable during storage, and slight sedimentation was observed after one week of refrigerated storage.

Long term Precipitation and temperature variations are one of the main determinants of climate variability of one’s area. The aim of this study is to determine trends variation in climatic elements of temperature and precipitation in the southern zone of Tigray regional state, Ethiopia. The station is assumed for the study of climatic records over southern zone of the region in detection for probable trends. The daily, monthly and annual precipitation totals and temperature observed at korem meteorological station were used for the period of 1981-2010 for Precipitation and 1985 – 2010 for minimum and maximum temperature. Summary of descriptive statistics and Mann Kendall test methods were employed for the observed data analysis to demonstrate any existence of possible trends. The main findings of the study indicated that the mean and maximum temperature had a general increasing trend; however, minimum temperature showed decreasing trend. In general annual temperature from 1985 – 2010 of the area showed a warming trend. Moreover analysis of the 30 years (1981-2010) annual precipitation showed a coefficient of variation ranging from 33.77 – 233 %. It indicated that the precipitation dissemination is not normal with large year to year variances.

Observe the synergistic effect and dose-effect relationship of Trimethoprim (TMP) on bactericidal activity with Flos Lonicerae in vitro. Microamount chessboard dilution method was conducted to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Trimethoprim, Flos Lonicerae, as well as the combination of Trimethoprim and Flos Lonicerae separately against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli in vitro and Salmonella. The pour plate count method was used to determine the combined bactericidal activity of Flos Lonicerae combined with Different concentrations TMP. The results showed that the MIC values of the combination of Flos Lonicerae with TMP was much less than the MIC values of the independent use of Flos Lonicerae or TMP, The FIC values of the combination of Flos Lonicerae with TMP were between 0.5 and 1, there was additive effect between them. The bactericidal rates were fitted with least square method, the 95% confidence intervals of the optimal blending quantity about the combination of Flos Lonicerae with TMP on the test organisms were 231μg·mL^-1-249μg·mL^-1, 237μg·mL^-1-259μg·mL^-1, and 235 -259μg·mL^-1

The objectives of this study was to assess the impact of a reproductive approach in high-yielding nulliparous and parous Holstein cows on the interestrus interval, estrus detection rates, conception rates, and pregnancy rates. The strategy involved giving GnRH on day 5 following artificial insemination (AI). For nulliparous cows, there appears to be no noticeable effect of GnRH therapy on the interestrus interval. In both groups, nearly all of the cows exhibited an 18–25-day cycle interval (P < 0.05). In the 18–25 day cycle period, the untreated multiparous cows exhibited the highest proportion (P < 0.05), while the treated group demonstrated the highest proportion (P < 0.05) in the 26–35 day cycle interval. The study found that the conception rate was higher in repeat breeder nulliparous and 3+ lactation treated Holstein cows compared with untreated ones. However, the cumulative heat detection rate, pregnancy rate and conception rates were similar in both groups (P > 0.05). Also, this study found that in the hottest months of the year, this therapeutic approach can't counteract the negative effect of heat stress in high-yielding dairy cows. Thus, it is not advised of using the hormonal method to create supplementary corpus luteum across the herd.

Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between poor vitamin D status and respiratory infections and diarrhea among young children. Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) and diarrhea are among the two most important causes of death in under-5 children. In this analysis, we examine the extent to which vitamin-D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) predicts these outcomes using data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of daily folic acid and/ or vitamin B12 supplementation for six months in 6 to 30 months old children conducted in Delhi, India. Of the 960 subjects who had vitamin-D concentrations measured, 331(34.5%) were vitamin-D deficient. We found, after controlling for relevant potential confounders (age, sex, breastfeeding status, wasting, stunting, underweight, anemia status at base line and season), the risk of ALRI was significantly higher among vitamin-D deficient (OR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.55) compared to vitamin-D-replete children in the six months follow-up period. Vitamin-D status was not significantly associated with episodes of diarrhea and clinical pneumonia. The extent of causal relationship of vitamin-D status and ALRI needs to be explored in further studies.

Contamination in coastal regions attributed to fluoride and nitrate cannot be disregarded, given the substantial environmental and public health issues they present worldwide. Maintaining water quality is crucial for environmental well-being. This comprehensive study was performed to assess the spatial as well as indexical water quality, identify contamination sources, and evaluate associated health risks pertaining to nitrate and flouride in AlHassa region, KSA. The physiochemical results revealed a pervasive pollution of the overall groundwater. The dominant water type was Na-Cl, indicating saltwater intrusion and reverse ion exchange impact. Spatiotemporal variations in physicochemical properties suggest diverse hydrochemical mechanisms, with geogenic factors primarily influencing groundwater chemistry. The groundwater pollution index varied between 0.8426 and 4.7172, classifying samples as moderately to very highly polluted. Similarly, the synthetic pollution index (in the range of 0.5021-4.0715) revealed that none of the samples had excellent water quality, with various degrees of pollution categories. Nitrate Health Quotient (HQ) values indicated chronic human health risks ranging from low to severe, with newborns being the most vulnerable. Household use of nitrate-rich groundwater for showering and cleaning did not pose significant health risks. Fluoride HQ decreased with age, and children faced the highest risk of fluorosis. The Hazard Index (HI) yielded moderate to high-risk values. Nitrate risks were 1.21 times higher than fluoride risks, as per average HI assessment. All samples fell into the vulnerable category based on the Total Hazard Index (THI), with 88.89% classified as very high risk. This research provides valuable insights into groundwater quality, guiding water authorities, inhabitants, and researchers in identifying safe water sources and vulnerable human populations. The results highlight the need for appropriate treatment techniques and long-term coastal groundwater management plans.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

This paper directly addresses a long-standing issue that affects the development of many complex distributed software systems: how to establish quickly, cheaply, and reliably whether they can deliver their intended performance before expending significant time, effort and money on detailed design and implementation. We describe ∆QSD, a novel metrics-based and quality-centric paradigm that uses formalised outcome diagrams to explore the performance consequences of design decisions, as a performance blueprint of the system. The distinctive feature of outcome diagrams is that they capture the essential observational properties of the system, independent of the details of system structure and behaviour. The ∆QSD paradigm derives bounds on performance expressed as probability distributions encompassing all possible executions of the system. The ∆QSD paradigm is both effective and generic: it allows values from various sources to be combined in a rigorous way, so that approximate results can be obtained quickly and subsequently refined. ∆QSD has been successfully used by Predictable Network Solutions for consultancy on large-scale applications in a number of industries, including telecommunications, avionics, and space and defence, resulting in cumulative savings worth billions of US dollars. The paper outlines the ∆QSD paradigm, describes its formal underpinnings, and illustrates its use via a topical real-world example taken from the blockchain/cryptocurrency domain. ∆QSD has enabled challenging throughput targets to be met for a globally distributed blockchain operating on the public internet.

Over the last two decades, a considerable amount of equipment has been acquired (spreaders, seeders, sprayers, among others) to respond to the challenges of Precision Agriculture (PA) concept. Most of this equipment has been purchased at a high cost. However, many of them, despite still being functional and equipped with sensors, actuators, and electronic processing units capable of adjusting to variations in speed, have become obsolete in terms of communication, and incompatible with new monitoring and control systems based on the “Isobus” protocol. This work aims to present a solution for updating the control system (“Ferticontrol”) of a “Vicon RS-EDW” spreader with variable rate application (VRA), making it compatible with the “InCommand” system from “Ag Leader”. The solution includes low-cost “Arduino” and “Raspberry Pi” microcontrollers and open-source software. The development shows that it is possible to implement a solution that is accessible to farmers in general. It also provides a niche business opportunity for young researchers to set up small technology-based enterprises associated with universities and research centers. These partnerships guarantee permanent innovation and represent a decisive step towards modern, technological, competitive, and sustainable agriculture.

Spermatogenesis is critical for insect reproduction and is regulated by many different genes. In this study, we found that Forkhead transcription factor Fd59a functions as a key factor in spermatogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. Fd59a contains a conversed Forkhead domain, and it is clustered to the FoxD subfamily with other FoxD members from some insect and vertebrate species. Mutation in Fd59a caused swelling in the apical region of the testis. More importantly, only a few mature sperm were present in the seminal vesicle of Fd59a mutant flies compared to the control flies, and the fertility of Fd59a2/2 mutant males was significantly lower than that of the control flies. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the homeostasis of testis stem cell niche in Fd59a2/2 mutant and Fd59a RNAi flies was disrupted, and apoptosis of sperm bundles was increased. Furthermore, results from RNA-sequencing and qRT-PCR suggest that Fd59a can regulate expression of genes related to reproductive process and cell death. Taken together, our results indicated that Fd59a plays a key role in the spermatogenesis of Drosophila.

This review provides a comprehensive and updated information on chalcones, presenting their sources, methods of identification and properties putting emphasis on applications in agricultural industry. Vast exploitation of synthetic pesticides led to the weed and pest resistance issue, causing economic loss but more importantly health risk due to pesticide overuse. Because one of the aim of the European Green Deal 2030 is the Farm to Fork strategy which targets on reducing by 50% the use of chemical pesticides by 2030, and push towards natural pesticides which are more environmentally friendly and restore natural resources, chalcones and their derivatives seem to fit perfectly. They have herbicidal, fungicidal, bactericidal and antiviral properties. Moreover, chalcones are naturally occurring substances, known for their favorable health effect for years, working on many areas. This review is complementary to the previous ones describing chalcones use in agriculture, updates them but additionally shows methods of detection.

For this research we are selected three indicators of wheat: yield (t/ha), producer price (USD/t) and share of the harvested area under wheat in relation to the total land area of country (%). The mentioned indicators were analyzed for the period 2006-2021 in thirty-two European countries. The purpose of the research is to determine which of the mentioned indicators achieve average annual growth/decrease rates, what is the correlation between them, how European countries are grouped with their similarities and differences. The research examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mentioned indicators in a two time phases: Phase I, before the pandemic (2006-2019); Phase II, during the pandemic (2020-2021). The methodological approach to the research topic involved the application of descriptive statistics, as the method of principal components analysis (abbr. PCA) with graphics. A positive correlation exists only between the yield of wheat and the share of the harvested area under wheat in the total area of the land (0.291). PCA method showed that countries are grouped differently depending on the observed indicator and the analyzed time phase.

Litsea martabanica root's antioxidant and AChE activity showed promise as a pesticide detoxification agent in our previous study. In addition to roots, its leaves can help mitigate pesticide exposure, although there is limited scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. However, the use of roots in many countries, such as Thailand, could contribute to environmental degradation, as highland communities traditionally cut down whole trees to obtain them. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity and anti-pesticide potential of water extracts from L. martabanica leaves instead of its roots through in vitro and in vivo investigations. The findings showed that L. martabanica water extracts and fractions demonstrated varied antioxidant activity. The water extract, obtained using traditional extraction methods, was chosen for in vivo experiments. Rats received the extract followed by chlorpyrifos exposure for 16 days. Results indicated reduced acetylcholinesterase activity in chlorpyrifos-exposed rats, while treatment with leaf extract led to increased activity, suggesting its potential as a detoxifying agent. Histopathological examination revealed no liver cell necrosis and showed liver cell regeneration, indicating potential protection against free radical-induced liver damage without affecting rat liver weight or biochemical profiles. Utilizing L. martabanica leaves for healthcare purposes holds promise without negative environmental impact.

Given the opportunities offered by foreign investment in energy infrastructure mostly by Chinese firms, the Government of Cambodia is giving high priority to developing hydropower resources for reducing energy poverty and powering economic growth. Using a “Political ecology of the Asian drivers” framework, this paper assesses China’s involvement in the development of large dams’ in Cambodia and its impacts on the access of natural resources such as water and energy by dam builders, local communities and the government. This analysis is based on 61 interviews and 10 focus group discussions with affected communities, institutional actors, Chinese dam builders and financiers in relation to the first large Chinese dam built in Cambodia, the Kamchay dam. Based on the results of the analysis this paper makes recommendations on how to improve the planning, implementation and governance of large dams to ensure that the dams’ benefits are shared more equally.

In this study, 10%PTFE/PEEK blend were modified by potassium titanate whisker (PTW) and chopped glass fiber (GF), respectively. The blends were prepared by three-screw extruder. Through the investigation of thermal stability, tribological properties, mechanical properties and rheological behavior, the effects of reinforcing agents were determined. The results illustrated that the mechanical properties of 10%PTFE/PEEK blend can be dramatically improved by adding reinforcing agent of PTW or GF, and the reinforcing effect of GF was especially obvious. As for tribological properties, 1% addition was the best proportion. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the blend with 1% PTW were 0.283 and 4.97 × 10^-6 mm³/N · m, which decreased by 7.2% and 21% compared with those of the blend without reinforcing agent.

This study investigates the impact of thin flame combustor design on hydrogen flame characteristics and combustion performance through numerical simulations. Variations in flame shape and combustibility between 100% methane and 100% hydrogen combustion are analyzed. Three combustor header shapes (flat, concave, and convex) are modeled to assess their influence on flame behavior. Results show distinct flow patterns, with concave headers promoting strong central flows and convex headers dispersing the flow outward. Temperature field analysis indicates that hydrogen flames have higher temperatures and shorter quenching distances compared to methane flames. A comparative analysis of combustion products is conducted to evaluate combustion performance and NOx emissions. Consequently, the concave header has high combustibility and increases temperatures and NOx fraction in hydrogen combustion.

Crop productivity is directly dependent to soil fertility. High soil organic carbon (SOC) content in soil is vital as it leads to improved soil quality, increased productivity, and stable soil-aggregates. In addition, with the signing of the climate agreement, there is growing interest in carbon sequestration in landscapes. This paper looks at how SOC can be increased so that it not only contributes to reduction of CO₂, but also translates to increased food production thereby enhancing food security. This synergy between mitigation and enhancing food security is even more relevant for mountain landscapes of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region where there remains huge potential to increase CO₂ sequestration and simultaneously address food security in the chronic food deficit villages. Soil samples were collected from seven transects each in Bajhang and Mustang and from 4 land use types in each transect. Samples of soils were taken from two depths in each plot; 0-15 cm below the soil surface and 15-30 cm below the soil surface to compare the top soil and subsoil dynamics of the soil nutrients. The lab analysis was performed to assess the soil texture, soil color, soil acidity in 'power of hydrogen' (pH), macro-nutrients as soil fertility. Secondary data was used to analyze the level of food deficit in the villages. The result shows that most of the sample soils from Mustang were clay (82.1%) which is 46 samples out of 56. The pH value of soil from Bajhang ranged from 5.29 to 9.09. The pH value of soil ranged from 5.65 to 8.81 in Mustang. SOC contents of sampled soils from Bajhang ranged from 0.20% to 7.69% with mean amount of 2.47% ± 0.17. SOC contents of sampled soils from Mustang ranged from 0.51% to 8.56% with mean amount of 2.60% ± 0.25. By land use type, forest land had the highest carbon (C) content of 53.61 t ha^-1 in Bajhang whereas in Mustang, agricultural land had the highest C content of 52.02 tons ha-1. Based on these data, we can say that there is potential for increasing SOC through improved soil health and crop production and soil. Sustainable soil management should be practiced for higher productivity. Livestock may also provide farmyard manure, which can be used to fertilize cultivated soils, which increases soil productivity. Increasing productivity would aid in increasing the access and availability of food in these mountain villages.

As a conceptual model of disease mechanisms, a disease map integrates available knowledge and is applied for data interpretation, predictions and hypothesis generation. It is possible to model disease mechanisms on different levels of granularity and adjust the approach to the goals of a particular project. This rich environment together with requirements for high-quality network reconstruction makes it challenging for new curators and groups to be quickly introduced to the development methods. In this review, we offer a step-by-step guide for developing a disease map within its mainstream pipeline that involves using the CellDesigner tool for creating and editing diagrams and the MINERVA Platform for online visualisation and exploration. We also describe how the Neo4j graph database environment can be used for managing and querying efficiently such a resource. For assessing the interoperability and reproducibility we apply FAIR principles.

The goods and services produced by forest and vegetation ecology system is the power by which human society can be promoted fast in high-quality and sustainable way. With the increase of population and economic development in water-limited regions, there is an increasing demand for the quantity and variety of forest vegetation ecosystem products and services. To meet the demands of this situation, most of the original forest has changed into farmland, non-native forest and grass land. As a result, water-plant relationship changed from equilibrium to non-equilibrium, which led to soil drought, soil degradation and vegetation decline in dry years or waste of soil water in rainy years in most of water-limited regions. In order to solve the questions and realize the sustainable utilization of soil water resources and the high quality and sustainable development of social economy, it is necessary to apply the utilization limit theory of soil water resources by plants and the theory of soil water carrying capacity for vegetation to adjust the relationship between plant growth and soil moisture to obtain the maximum yield and benefit of vegetation and serve high-quality and sustainable development.

The per capita availability of freshwater resources on a global scale is gradually decreasing due to population growth, rapid urbanization, industrialization, and modern lifestyles. In this situation, wastewater management becomes a major concern. Conventional treatment processes used to treat wastewater discharges are not adequate for the advanced removal of pollutants, especially refractory organic pollutants, which are mainly organic compounds that are not easily biodegradable in the environment. The use of photocatalytic membrane reactors (PMRs) for tertiary wastewater treatment has attracted much interest in recent periods, and various configurations have been investigated. The performance of a PMR using an iron doped titanium photo catalyst and Polysulfone-based polymeric membrane for municipal wastewater treatment was evaluated under natural and simulated solar light. Obtained results proved that solar driven PMRs can remove organic loading (COD) with high efficiencies and may represent a suitable alternative for the tertiary treatment step of municipal wastewater.

Grain quality, cooking quality and nutritional quality traits are some of the major attributes that enhance uptake and utilisation of improved cowpea varieties. Therefore, there is need for a better understanding of the genetic variation and inter-relationships among these quality traits in cowpea to integrate them in cowpea breeding programs. The study was conducted to determine genetic variability among 306 cowpea genotypes for grain quality, cooking quality and nutritional quality traits and to understand the interrelationships among these traits for exploitation in breeding programs. The results showed highly significant differences (P

This study presents the evaluation of an ion exchange resin-based installation designed for the recycling of engine coolants, specifically ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG). The recycling process aims to restore the coolant to meet the stringent ASTM standards for both new and recycled coolants. A combination of physical-chemical methods, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed to analyze and validate the purity and performance of the recycled product. The experimental setup included performance tests to assess the efficacy of the recycled coolants in comparison to new coolant standards. The results demonstrate that the recycled EG coolants exhibit comparable quality to new coolants, with all critical parameters falling within the acceptable ASTM limits. This indicates that the ion exchange resin method is a viable and efficient solution for the recycling of engine coolants, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to the disposal of used coolants while ensuring compliance with industry standards.

The Saudi Vision 2030 is critical to boosting national development, notably in the construction industry. The construction industry is getting a lot of attention in a variety of ways, the most visible of which is the promotion of best practices, including project management office (PMO) applications. Hail province, like others, is experiencing project delivery issues. Thus, the purpose of this research is to explore the suitable PMO model for Hail public construction projects. A literature review included the drive factors for establishing PMO in construction firms, as well as PMO models and typologies that describe functions. Therefore, those drive factors and PMO models were subjected to a focus group to explore their suitability in the context of Hail. The research findings reveal that the Enterprise PMO is the main for Hail public construction pro-jects, followed respectively by the Program Management Office model and the Project Management Center of Excellence (PMCOE). This method of selection a PMO model is driving construction companies and related businesses to change in order to improve the sector while also ad-dressing construction project delivery challenges in Hail province.

Automated charging technologies are becoming increasingly important in the electrification of heavy road freight transport, especially in combination with autonomous driving. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of automated charging technologies for electric heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). It encompasses the entire spectrum of feasible technologies, including static and dynamic approaches, with each charging technology evaluated for its advantages, potentials, challenges, and technology readiness level (TRL). Static conductive charging methods such as charging robots, underbody-couplers or pantographs show good potential, with pantographs being the most mature option. These technologies are progressing towards higher TRLs, with a focus on standardization and adaptability. While static wireless charging is operational for some prototype solutions, it encounters challenges related to implementation and efficiency. Dynamic conductive charging through an overhead contact line or contact rails holds promise for high-traffic HDV routes with the overhead contact line being the most developed option. Dynamic wireless charging, although facing efficiency challenges, offers potential for seamless integration into roads and minimal wear and tear. Battery swapping is emerging as a practical solution to reduce downtime for charging, with varying levels of readiness across different implementations. To facilitate large-scale deployment further standardization efforts are required. The study emphasizes the necessity for continued research and development to enhance efficiency, decrease costs, and ensure seamless integration into existing infrastructures. Technologies that achieve this best will have the highest potential to significantly contribute to the creation of an efficiently automated and environmentally friendly transport sector.

Vertical Indoor Farming (VIF) with hydroponics offers a promising perspective for sustainable food production. Intelligent control of VIF system components plays a key role in reducing operating costs and increasing crop yields. Modern machine vision (MV) systems use Deep Learning (DL) in combination with camera systems for various tasks in agriculture, such as disease and nutrient deficiency detection, and flower and fruit identification and classification for pollination and harvesting. This study presents the applicability of MV technology with DL modelling to detect the growth stages of chilli plants using YOLOv8 networks. The influence of different bird’s eye and side view datasets and different YOLOv8 architectures was analysed. To generate the image data for training and testing the YOLO models, chilli plants were grown in a hydroponic environment and imaged throughout their life cycle using four camera systems. The growth stages were divided into growing, flowering and fruiting classes. All trained YOLOv8 models showed reliable identification of growth stages with high accuracy. The results indicate that models trained with data from both views show better generalisation. YOLO’s middle architecture achieved the best performance.

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

In the quest for more sustainable urban landscape development, the concept of ‘green infrastructure’ (GI) has become central in policy documents and as a multifunctional general planning tool. GI is not however a simple and unambiguous solution. While there in policy documents are claims for more and connected GI, actual urban development takes another direction. The densifying imperative is hard to combine with an increased and more connected GI. This paper argues for a critical and diversified approach to the concept of GI, to facilitate its implementation in urban planning and management. While GI most often is seen as a common asset and a public good, the actual land use negotiations and management responsibilities cannot be limited to a public service discourse, but should address more clearly a variety of actors. Linguistic as well as spatial definitions of the two relevant dichotomies of ‘green-grey’ and ‘public-private’ are crucial in GI location, design, construction and management, it is argued. Overarching representations of GI will be needed, but also – and linked to it – a spatial storm water plan and an overall plan for public space. The development over time will need an intersectorial implementation and management program. Thus some of the GI intentions may be implemented in planning processes, some through reorganisation and redesign of public space, and some by agreements with landowners.

In this paper, based on our previous expertise on ceramic artifacts, several archaeometric methods applied to some samples collected from the Dudești archaeological site (Oltenia region, Romania) are reported for the first time in the literature. The chemical composition and microstructural and morphological characterization of these samples offer important conclusions about the processing conditions. Some specific techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), wave-length-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), Optical microscopy (OM), stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, provide composition information about pigments and their decay processes. Additionally, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method helps to estimate pore sizes and specific surface areas. Thermal analysis (TGA) was used to establish details regarding the production technology and the raw materials source used to make the ceramics, too. The obtained results indicated that the ceramics are based on a paste of muscovite, feldspar, with high plasticity, quartz, melanterite, and calcite, the latter in very low concentrations. According to the obtained results, we could assume that non-calcareous clays are present in the investigated samples because calcium exists in low concentrations. Gypsum is present, too, in very low concentration, identified by the presence of sulfate group in WDXRF. In the same context, iron oxides significantly impact the firing atmosphere of iron-rich clay, resulting in blackening under reducing conditions and reddish coloration under oxidative conditions. Using hematite and gypsum as pigments further contributes to the color variations in the pottery. The consistent firing temperature range of 200-600 °C in Dudești pottery implies a standardized production process, the variation in color being dependent on the specific reducing/oxidative regime conditions. This relationship between clay composition and local sources suggests a connection to Neolithic pottery production in the region and their color depending on the reducing/oxidative regime conditions.

The objective of this study was to determine how application with dolomitic limestone and grazing type (continuous or deferred) affect sheep grazing location and feed preference when the pasture growth rate is maximum. A 4ha field was divided into 4 plots: P1 and P2- without application of dolomitic limestone, continuous (CG) and deferred grazing (DG), respectively; P3 and P4- with application of dolomitic limestone, DG (1AUE), and CG (2.4 AUE), respectively. In DG, animals were placed and removed from the plots depending on the height of the pasture. In each plot, 12 georeferenced sampling points were identified. Throughout the pasture's vegetative cycle (autumn, winter, spring, and early summer) several measurements of pasture height and cut were carried out. From the beginning of March to the beginning of June, animal behavior was observed, by trained observers, through binoculars on six dates. Animals' activity grazing and location was recorded. The results show that: (i) the application of dolomitic limestone combined with CG provided higher values of pasture height; (ii) there were no significant differences in pasture quality between treatments; (iii) Deferred grazing led to 50% more sheep grazing days than continuous grazing; (iv) there were no significant differences in soil compaction between CG and DG; (v) the type of grazing and the treatment with dolomitic limestone did not seem to change the grazing pattern between treatments. This work contributes to understanding the relationships between different types of grazing in dryland pastures, with and without application of dolomitic limestone, and preferred grazing locations for sheep. This work could help agricultural managers make more informed decisions with the aim of promoting the sustainable intensification of livestock production in the Montado ecosystem.

Iron is an essential nutrient and necessary for biological functions from DNA replication and repair to transcriptional regulation, mitochondrial respiration, electron transfer, oxygen transport, photosynthesis, enzymatic catalysis, and nitrogen fixation. However, due to iron’s propensity to generate toxic radicals which can cause damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids, multiple processes regulate uptake and distribution of iron in living systems. Understanding how intracellular iron metabolism is optimized and how iron is utilized to regulate other intracellular processes is important to our overall understanding of a multitude of biological processes. One of the tools that the cell utilizes to regulate a multitude of functions is ligation of the iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster cofactor. Fe-S clusters comprised of iron and inorganic sulfur are ancient components of living matter on earth that are integral for physiological function in all domains of life. Here we will explore the ways in which the cell utilizes Fe-S clusters to sense the intracellular environment and respond to maintain equilibrium.

In Taiwan, mountainous areas account for approximately two-thirds of the total area. The steep terrain and concentrated rainfall during typhoons cause landslides, which pose a considerable threat to mountain settlements. Therefore, models for analyzing rainfall-induced landslide hazards are urgently required to ensure adequate land use in mountainous areas. In this study, focusing on Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, we developed a landslide hazard index (IRL) to land use. Using FORMOSA-2 and SPOT-5 satellite images, data were collected before and after four typhoons (one in 2009 and three in 2013). The ArcGIS random tree classifier was used for interpreting satellite images to explore surface changes and disasters, which were used to analyze slope disturbances. The product of the maximum 3-h rolling rainfall intensity and effective accumulated rainfall was used as a rainfall trigger index (IRT). Considering environmental and slope disturbance factors, an index of slope environmental strength potential (ISESP) was developed through logistic regression (LR). Landslide hazard to land use was estimated using IRT and ISESP. The average coefficient of agreement (Kappa) was approximately 0.71 (medium to high accuracy); the overall accuracy of slope environmental strength potential analysis was approximately 80.4%. At a constant ISESP, IRT increased with the increasing hazard potential of rainfall-induced landslides. Furthermore, IRT and ISESP were positively correlated with landslide occurrence. When large ISESP values occur (e.g., fragile environment and high land development intensity), small IRT values may induce landslides.

It’s well known that existing horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology that is used to achieve large-scale cost-effective production from immature to low-moderate maturity continental shale in China, where the organic matter mainly exists in the solid form is fairly ineffective. To overcome the obstacles, in-situ conversion technology seems feasible, while implementing it in the target layer along with estimating the amount of expected recoverable hydrocarbon in such shale formations seems difficult. This is because there is no guideline to choose the most appropriate method and select relevant key parameters for this purpose. Hence, based on thermal simulation experiments during the in-situ conversion of crude oil from the Triassic Chang 73 Formation in the Ordos Basin and the Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation in the Songliao Basin, this deficiency in knowledge was addressed. First, relationships between the in-situ converted total organic carbon (TOC) content and the vitrinite reflectance (Ro) of the shales and between the residual oil volume and the hydrocarbon yield was established. Second, the yields of residual oil and in-situ converted hydrocarbon were measured, revealing their sensitivity to fluid pressure and crude oil density. In addition, a model was proposed to estimate the amount of in-situ converted hydrocarbon based on the TOC, hydrocarbon generation potential, Ro, residual oil volume, fluid pressure, and crude oil density. Finally, a method was established to determine key parameters on the final hydrocarbon yield from immature to low-moderate maturity organic material during in-situ conversion in shales. Following the procedure outlined in this paper, estimated recoverable in-situ converted oil in the shales of the Nenjiang Formation in the Songliao Basin was estimated to be approximately 292×108 tons, along with 18.5×1012 cubic meters of natural gas, in an area of approximately 8×104 square kilometers. Collectively, the method developed in this study is independent from the organic matter type and other geological and/or petrophysical properties of the formation and can be applied to other areas globally where there isn’t any available in-situ conversion thermal simulation experimental data.

This review examines additive manufacturing for refractory tungsten (W) and its alloys. It emphasizes the primary challenges and determining factors involved in additive manufacturing pure W, W alloys, and composites. Our focus in this regard extends to both process and alloying strategies designed to address critical issues such as densification, micro-cracking, and mechanical properties in tungsten-based components produced through additive techniques. Throughout the review, we organize existing knowledge and insights into convenient tables, serving as valuable resources for researchers embarking on a deeper exploration of these topics.

China's economic development has shifted from high speed to high quality. This study constructs an evaluation index for China’s high-quality development utilizing a new development concept. The entropy method and cluster analysis were used to assess the level of high-quality development in China between 2015 and 2021. Kernel density estimation method was employed to explore spatiotemporal dynamics. The results reveal significant differences in the level of economic development among provinces in China; the eastern region is significantly better than the central, northeastern, and western regions. From the perspective of the sub-item evaluation, challenges with uneven, uncoordinated, and insufficient economic development exist in various Chinese provinces.

Attention to the work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) involve also statistical surveys showing an increasing trend in the incidence of WMSDs. Technological development retrieves new tools and methods for the assessment of physical load at work. In addition to the conventional questionnaires and scaling assessment systems, these methods are mostly based on the direct sensing of appropriate parameters, which allows more precise quantification. The aim of this paper is to compare the assessment of ergonomic risk through current legislative regulations. A Captiv wireless sensor system was used at a car headlight quality control assembly workplace for sensing, data acquisition and data processing. During the evaluation of the postures and movements at work, we discovered differences in the applicable standards: Decree 542/2007 Coll. (Slovak legislation), STN EN 1005-4+A1, French standards default in the Captiv system. Standards define the thresholds for hazardous postures with significant differences in several evaluated body segments, which also affects the final evaluation of the measurements. Based on the results of our research, we found that respondents were in an acceptable position for approximately 63% of the total duration of the work activity in terms of the Legislative method, 44% with Captiv and 27% with Standards method.

Ghana Tamale's current waste management system is overwhelmed by the growing waste crisis, necessitating the exploration of Waste-to-Energy technologies as an innovative solution. This study explores challenges and opportunities for integrating Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies into Tamale's existing waste management system. Qualitative research identified policy hurdles, financial constraints, social concerns, and institutional weaknesses as key barriers. Conversely, stakeholder collaboration, public education, and capacity building emerged as some success fac-tors. A proposed implementation plan emphasizes feasibility studies, public engagement, pub-lic-private partnerships (PPPs), and technology selection based on waste composition. Addition-ally, a novel framework for WtE integration within a broader Integrated Solid Waste Manage-ment (ISWM) system is presented. This framework incorporates waste sorting, recycling, WtE alternatives, and responsible management of residuals. Validation by key stakeholders con-firmed the framework's potential to improve waste management in Tamale. By overcoming identified challenges and implementing the proposed framework, Tamale can achieve environ-mental sustainability, energy generation, and progress towards UN SDGs 7, 11, and 12. This re-search offers valuable insights for policymakers and paves the way for a cleaner and more sus-tainable future for Tamale, potentially serving as a model for other developing cities.

Infrared thermography is a contactless imaging technique, useful to measure surface temperature at distance which has been widely applied in animal production. The possible applications within the pig husbandry include sow heat detection, reduction of the incidence of neonatal mortality, recognition of febrile state caused by pathogens, study of metabolic efficiency, evaluation of stress caused by heat, by constraints, or by aggressive interaction and meat quality prediction. Even if this technique could be easily influenced by environmental factors, the continuous improvement in the procedures and the decrease in the cost of the equipment will allow in the next future new and more applications in swine farming.

By reviewing the research of development economics in recent years, five key terms of ‘innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing’ are extracted, corresponding to the five dimensions of the New Development Concept advocated by China. Based on this, an evaluation index system of the development quality of China's fishery industry is constructed. The spatio-temporal characteristics of China's fishery industry development quality were analyzed by using the provincial panel data from 2007 to 2017. The results show that: i) China's fishery industry overall development quality continues to grow, while the variation of provincial quality is also increasing, and the contribution of innovation quality and sharing quality is increasing, becoming an important sub-dimension leading the overall development quality.ii) there is a significant spatial dependence among provincial quality, and the significance is further strengthening. The Hangzhou Bay area and Bohai Bay area have gradually become a dual-core area where the high-quality development of China's fishery industry agglomeration, and the radiation from the dual-core area to the peripheral areas may still be in the process of enhancement. The spatial and temporal distribution of China’s fishery industry development quality keeps the trend of ‘from northeast to southwest’, which is almost parallel to Hu Huanyong line. The gravity center of its distribution is close to the gravity center of Chinese population and economy, and the development quality experienced a process from relatively concentrated to dispersed and then returned to concentrated, and the development speed in the later period was higher than that in the earlier period. iii) Capital accumulation level is the dominant positive influencing factors, while government support level is the dominant negative influencing factors respectively, and both have significant spatial differentiation among provinces.

In Brazil, Brazilian borreliosis (BB), characterized molecularly, exhibits symptoms akin to Lyme disease (LD) but presents unique epidemiological, clinical, and morphological features. This study explores the incidence, diagnostic challenges, and awareness initiatives regarding this disease in Brazil. Employing a narrative review methodology, data were sourced from Pubmed, Ebsco, Google Scholar, and Web of Science without temporal constraints. Results reveal diagnostic complexities in Brazil due to the low sensitivity of conventional tests and the use of North American B. burgdorferi antigens. Despite challenges, epidemiological studies indicate an upswing in cases in humans and animals. Therefore, there is an urgent need to define new biomarkers, molecular strategies, or new antigenic targets to advance the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Early and accurate pathogen identification is crucial for active surveillance to comprehend and manage this zoonosis.

Abstract Octreotide is the first synthetic peptide hormone, consisted of eight amino acids, that mimics the activity of somatostatin, a natural hormone in the body. During the past decades, advanced instrumentation and crystallographic software established X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) as a valuable tool for extracting structural information of biological macromolecules. The latter was demonstrated by the successful structural determination of octreotide at a remarkably high d-spacing resolution (1.87 Å) (PDB code: 6vc1). This study focuses on the response of octreotide to different humidity levels and temperatures, with a particular focus on the stability of the polycrystalline sample. XRPD measurements were accomplished employing an Anton Paar MHC-trans humidity-temperature chamber installed within a laboratory X’Pert Pro diffractometer (Malvern Panalytical). The chamber is employed to control and maintain precise humidity and temperature levels of samples during XRPD data collection. Pawley analysis of the collected data sets revealed that the octreotide polycrystalline sample is remarkably stable and no structural transitions were observed. The compound retains its orthorhombic symmetry (space group: P212121, a = 18.57744(4) Å, b = 30.17338(6) Å, c = 39.70590(9) Å, d~ 2.35 Å). However, a characteristic structural evolution in terms of lattice parameters and volume of the unit-cell is reported mainly upon controlled relative humidity variation. In addition, an improvement of signal-to-noise ratio in the XRPD data under a cycle of dehydration/rehydration is reported. These results underline the importance of considering the impact of environmental factors, as humidity and temperature, in the context of structure-based drug design, thereby contributing to the development of more effective and stable pharmaceutical products.