The SK model proposed by Sherrington and Kirkpatrick is an important mean field model for spin glasses. The dependence structure of Hamiltonians of the SK model is considered in this paper. We have investigated the covariance matrix of Hamiltonians of the SK model, and establish a relationship between the rank of the corresponding covariance matrix and the dimension of the space spanned by the Hamiltonians. Finally, we also give an upper bound for the rank of the covariance matrix, which might be the best.

A great deal of studies have assessed the expression of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) as well as their relevant molecular functions and biological mechanisms in the individuals of alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is one of the most prevalent neuropsychological disorders worldwide, and its pathogenesis is intricate and inadequately understood. There is considerable evidence demonstrating substantial links between multiple genetic factors and the development of alcohol dependence. Critical roles of ncRNAs have been emphasized in the pathophysiology of mental diseases including alcohol dependence. In the comprehension of ncRNAs action and their mechanisms of modification, they have emerged as therapeutic targets for a variety of psychiatric illness including alcohol dependence. Worth mentioning, dysregulated expression of ncRNAs has been regularly detected in individuals of alcohol dependence. An in-depth knowledge of roles of ncRNAs and m6A modification may be valuable for the development of a novel treatment against alcohol dependence. In general, a deeper comprehension of functional roles ncRNAs may make significant contributions to the precise diagnosis and/or actual treatment of alcohol dependence. Here in this review, we mostly focused on the up-to-date knowledge regarding alterations and/or modifications in the expression of ncRNAs in alcohol dependence, and then, presented their prospects for future research and therapeutic application with a novel concept of engram-system.

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

Finding a good MIMO system model also major issue in Wireless Communication system. It is facing with so many problem, one of the major problem is finding good system model in terms of capacity and transmitting antenna system. In this paper, we analyze the channel capacity of various MIMO system model with some constant SNR level and outage probability. We establish a novel idea for MIMO system models as consider as 2^N- MIMO system model and find-out change in channel capacity when different transmitting antennas with constant SNR and outage probability. The channel capacity ratio CC_R is presented here on the basis of 2^N- MIMO channel capacity model. Number of transmitted antenna presented in MIMO system is increases is well-known however paper shows change in capacity in simple form.

In this study, the dependence between Bitcoin (BTC) and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) of USA and China is estimated by applying latest methodology of quantile cross-spectral dependence. The findings indicate a positive return interdependence between BTC and EPU is high in short-term, and this dependence decreases as investment horizons increase from weekly to yearly. The information on above interdependence is also extracted by applying wavelet coherence analysis and the estimation results suggest that correlation between BTC and EPU is positive during short-term investment horizon. Furthermore, more diversification benefits of BTC can be obtained during USA-EPU as compared to China-EPU.

A random variable X that is base b Benford will not in general be base c Benford when c is not equal to b. This paper builds on two of my earlier papers and is an attempt to cast some light on the issue of base dependence. Following some introductory material, the “Benford spectrum” of a positive random variable is introduced and known analytic results about Benford spectra are summarized. Some standard machinery for a “Benford analysis” is introduced and combined with my method of “seed functions” to yield tools to analyze the base c Benford properties of a base b Benford random variable. Examples are generated by applying these general methods to several families of Benford random variables. Berger and Hill's concept of “base-invariant significant digits” is discussed. Some potential extensions are sketched.

Quantum nonlocality represents correlation properties between subsystems of a composite quantum system, usually including the four types: Bell nonlocality, steerability, entanglement, and quantum correlation (quantum discord). Given a basis $e_{AB}=\{|e_{ij}\>\}_{i\in[d_A],j\in[d_B]}$ for the Hilbert space $\H_A\otimes \H_B$ of a bipartite system $AB$, a density operator $\rho^{AB}$ (quantum state) of $AB$ can be represented as a $d_Ad_B\times d_Ad_B$ matrix $\hat{\rho}_{e_{AB}}=[\]$, called the density matrix of a density operator $\rho^{AB}$. A natural question is what is the relationship between the quantum nonlocality of a density operator $\rho^{AB}$ and its corresponding density matrix $\hat{\rho}_{e_{AB}}$? In this work, we discuss the relationships between quantum locality and basis, and prove that one type of quantum locality of density operators and that of their density matrices under a basis are the same if and only if the chosen basis is the tensor product of the bases of subsystems. Consequently, different bases define different quantum nonlocality density operators.

A new set of basis functions is presented. The foundation in mathematics is established. To reconstruct a signal, it is compared to the Fourier basis functions. The M-basis functions' potential applications are also presented.

Transparent and high-hardness materials have become the object of wide interest. Most notably, it concerns technical glasses and crystals. A notable example is a sapphire – one of the most rigid materials having impressive mechanical stability and good optical properties. Nonetheless, using this material for 3D micro-fabrication is not straightforward due to its brittle nature. On the microscale, selective laser etching (SLE) technology is an appropriate approach for such media. Therefore, we present our research on c-cut crystalline sapphire microprocessing by using femtosecond radiation-induced SLE. Here we demonstrate a comparison between different wavelength radiation (1030 nm, 515 nm, 343 nm) usage for modification inscription and various etchants (Hydrofloridic acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide and Sulphuric and Phosphoric acid mixture) comparison. We show that regular SLE etchants such as Hydrofluoric acid or Potassium Hydroxide are unsuitable materials for selective sapphire laser etching. Meanwhile, a 78% sulphuric and 22% phosphoric acid mixture at 270°C temperature is a good alternative for this process. We present the changes in the material after the separate processing steps. Finally, a protocol for advanced sapphire structure formation and a few exemplary structures are presented.

Radial basis function (RBF) networks are often viewed as instable when used in multi-layered architectures and therefore are mostly used in a single-layered manner. Universal approximation theorems for single-layered RBF networks further render deeper architectures useless. However, deep neural networks have proven their effectiveness on many different tasks. We show that deeper RBF architectures with multiple radial basis function layers are achievable and able to learn. We introduce an initialization scheme for deep RBF networks based on k-means clustering and covariance estimation. We further show how to make use of convolutions to speed up the calculation of a Mahalanobis distance in a partially-connected fashion, similar to convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Finally, we evaluate our approach on image classification as well as speech emotion recognition tasks. Our results show that deep RBF networks perform similar to simple CNNs.

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is an optical medical imaging method that can assess the structural properties of tissues and their functional characteristics, such as hemoglobin concentration, water content, as well as lipid concentration, via three-dimensional image reconstruction. This paper presents the theoretical basis and working principle of diffuse optical tomography. The paper explains how the optical properties of tissue can be imaged by photon migration techniques based on diffusion theory. The author presents the reasoning for near-infrared (NIR) imaging as the most effective technique in terms of quantitative recovery of spectroscopic optical parameters. This work also listed various advantages, applications, and challenges of DOT. The paper also briefly discusses current progress in near-infrared medical imaging and its future direction.

The widespread integration and growing dependence among currency, stock and commodity markets make these markets often very vulnerable to shocks and at risk of collapse at the same time. As a result, these trends threaten the sustainability of the entire financial system. In this study, we explore the spillovers and nonlinear dependences between the seven major foreign ex-change rates, crude oil and gold prices, a global stock price index, and oil and stock implied volatility indices as proxy variables for global risk factors by em-ploying directional spillover network approach. We also use multi-scale de-composition method and nonlinear causality test between these variables to capture multi-level relationships at short and long horizons. Major findings are summarized as follows. First, from the multi-scale decomposition analysis, we identify that Granger causality test results and the direction and strength of return spillovers change with the level of decomposition. Second, the results of nonlinear causality tests show variation in both the significance and direction of Granger causality relationships between the decomposed currency and other series at different timescales, especially for the decomposed oil, gold, and OVX series. Third, the measured directional spillover indices identify the EUR as the largest contributor of connectedness to the other series. The central role of the EUR is a net transmitter of connectedness to gold, oil, the GBP, JPY, and CHF.

This paper studies the contemporaneous relationship between S&P 500 index returns and log-increments of the market volatility index (VIX) via a nonparametric copula method. Specifically, we propose a conditional dependence index to investigate how the dependence between the two series varies across different segments of the market return distribution. We find that: (a) the two series exhibit strong, negative, extreme tail dependence; (b) the negative dependence is stronger in extreme bearish markets than in extreme bullish markets; (c) the dependence gradually weakens as the market return moves toward the center of its distribution, or in quiet markets. The unique dependence structure supports the VIX as a barometer of markets' mood in general. Moreover, applying the proposed method to the S&P 500 returns and the implied variance (VIX²), we find that the nonparametric leverage effect is much stronger than the nonparametric volatility feedback effect, although, in general, both effects are weaker than the dependence relation between the market returns and the log-increments of the VIX.

The relationship between child psychology and the widespread usage of mobile devices in the modern day is examined in "The Mobile Dilemma: Child Psychology and the Era of Technological Dependence." The abstract serves as a brief synopsis of the work, highlighting its important ideas and arguments. Concerns concerning the effects of excessive time spent on mobile devices on children's mental health and development have arisen in this age of technology dependency. The essay opens by pointing out the importance of investigating the psychological effects of kids' exposure to mobile gadgets. The effects of mobile phone addiction on learning, memory, and social and emotional health are investigated. The neurodevelopmental implications are explored further in the abstract, with a focus on the impact of mobile technology on brain plasticity and the formation of the developing brain. It offers advice on how to establish appropriate limits for children's screen time, encourages the development of digital literacy, and promotes responsible behavior.The pros and cons of using mobile devices in the classroom are also examined, along with their effects on students' ability to study and the risks and difficulties that could arise from implementing such a strategy. The emotional and social impacts of mobile device addiction are discussed in the abstract. This includes the impact on one's social life, empathy, ability to communicate, and sense of self-worth. The abstract also stresses the importance of interdisciplinary efforts involving parents, teachers, psychologists, and legislators to combat mobile device addiction through intervention and preventative techniques. Future directions are highlighted, with a focus on topics such as mobile technology development, digital well-being, privacy protection, mental health implications, screen time limits, digital literacy, and the impact of cultural and socioeconomic variables.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) exhibits a notable prevalence across diverse populations, with estimates ranging from 4% to 6%. This wide range prompts an investigation into the evolutionary and genetic underpinnings of ADHD, especially considering the markedly different environments faced by ancestral human populations compared to today's structured societies. This study examines the potential adaptive advantages of ADHD-associated traits in hunter-gatherer contexts, where hyperactivity, impulsivity, and novelty-seeking behaviors may have conferred survival benefits. We employ the principles of population genetics, including Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, selection coefficients, and genetic drift, to model the dynamics of ADHD allele frequencies over time. Additionally, we discuss balancing selection as a mechanism for maintaining genetic diversity and how gene-environment interactions (GxE) contribute to the expression of ADHD in contemporary settings. Our analysis suggests that traits associated with ADHD, while potentially maladaptive in modern structured environments, could have been preserved through evolutionary processes due to their adaptive value in ancestral contexts. Understanding these dynamics provides a comprehensive view of ADHD's prevalence and highlights the significance of genetic and environmental interplay in shaping human behavior.

Keywords: Obesity; hypothalamus; appetite; glucose homeostasis; weight-loss drugs; AGRP; POMC; NTS; incretins.

DNA methylation, one of the major epigenetic mechanisms, plays critical roles in regulating gene expression, genomic stability and cell lineage commitment. Establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation in mammals is achieved by two groups of DNA methyltransferases: DNMT3A and DNMT3B, which are responsible for installing DNA methylation patterns during gametogenesis and early embryogenesis, and DNMT1, which is essential for propagating DNA methylation patterns during replication. Both groups of DNMTs are multi-modular proteins, containing a large N-terminal regulatory region in addition to the C-terminal methyltransferase domain. Recent structure-function investigations of the individual domains or large fragments of DNMT1 and DNMT3A have revealed the molecular basis for their substrate recognition and specificity, intramolecular domain-domain interactions, as well as their crosstalk with other epigenetic mechanisms. These studies highlight a multifaceted regulation for both DNMT1 and DNMT3A/3B, which is essential for the precise establishment and maintenance of lineage-specific DNA methylation patterns in cells. This review summarizes current understanding of the structure and mechanism of DNMT1- and DNMT3A-mediated DNA methylation, with emphasis on the functional cooperation between the methyltransferase and regulatory domains.

This paper describes the load capacity of short fiber-reinforced polymer lugs with Ti-6Al-4V selective laser-melted bushings with the original embedded element surface roughness and after sandblasting and vibratory finishing. Lugs are an important part of pin-joints. Adhesion between PA6 and SLM produced titanium is not fully studied. The cohesive zone material Mode II model parameters were calibrated experimentally by extruding a cylindrical bushing along the lug axis. The values of the maximum equivalent tangential contact stress were fitted for cases with investigated embed element roughness. The critical fracture energy for tangential slip was also estimated. Validation of the constructed CZM Mode II models with the results of strength experiments was performed. In both the experiment and the calculation, greater bushing roughness provides greater lug load-bearing capacity. The presented models can be used for the preliminary evaluation of SFRP PA6 parts with titanium embedded elements bearing capacity.

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria contains a variety of pore-forming structures collectively referred to as porins. Some of these are voltage-dependent, but weakly so, closing at high voltages. Triplin, a novel bacterial pore-former, is a three-pore structure, highly voltage dependent, with a complex gating process. The three pores close sequentially: pore 1 at positive potentials, 2 at negative and 3 at positive. A positive domain containing 14 positive charges (the voltage sensor) translocates through the membrane during the closing process and the translocation is proposed to take place by the domain entering the pore and thus blocking it resulting in the closed conformation. This mechanism of pore closure is supported by kinetic measurements that show that in the closing process the voltage sensor travels through most of the transmembrane voltage before reaching the energy barrier. Voltage-dependent blockage of the pores by polyarginine but not by a 500 fold higher concentrations of polylysine, is consistent with the model of pore closure, with the sensor consisting mainly of arginine residues, and with the presence, in each pore, of a complementary surface that serves as a binding site for the sensor.

The Universe has a gravitational horizon with a radius R_h = c/H coincident with that of the Hubble sphere. This surface separates null geodesics approaching us from those receding, and as free-falling observers within the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker spacetime, we see it retreating at proper speed c, giving rise to the eponymously named cosmological model R_h = ct. As of today, this cosmology has passed over 20 observational tests, often better than LCDM. The gravitational radius R_h therefore appears to be highly relevant to cosmological theory, and in this paper we begin to explore its impact on fundamental physics. We calculate the binding energy of a mass m within the horizon and demonstrate that it is equal to mc². This energy is stored when the particle is at rest near the observer, transitioning to a purely kinetic form equal to the particle's escape energy when it approaches R_h. In other words, a particle's gravitational coupling to that portion of the Universe with which it is causally connected appears to be the origin of rest-mass energy.

We reelaborate on the basic properties of PT symmetry from a geometrical Perspective. The transfer matrix associated with these systems induces a Möbius transformation in the complex plane. The trace of this matrix classifies the actions into three types that represent rotations, translations, and parallel displacements. We find that a PT invariant system can be pictured as a complex conjugation followed by an inversion in a circle. We elucidate the physical meaning of these geometrical operations and link them with measurable properties of the system.

The aim of the research was getting to know the risk of dependency on physical exercising in individual sportspeople and the relationship with body dissatisfaction and motivation. 225 triathletes, swimmers, cyclists and athletes- with ages going from 18 to 63 years old took part in the research, of which 145 were men (M = 35.57 ±10.46 years) and 80 women (M = 32.83 ±10.31 years). The EDS-R was used to study the dependency on exercising, BSQ to study body dissatisfaction, BREQ-3 to know the motivation of participants and BIAQ to analyse conducts of avoidance to body image. The obtained results show that 8.5% of the subjects had risk of dependency on exercising and that 18.2% tend to have corporal dissatisfaction, without meaningful differences in the kind of sport they practiced. However, there were important differences concerning the dependency on physical exercise (15% vs 4.8%) and body dissatisfaction (31.1% vs 11%) in relation to sex, being the higher percentage referring to women. The introjected regulation and the conduct of food restriction were the predictor variables of the dependency on exercising and corporal dissatisfaction.

Debates about the conditions in which the frequency and intensity principles of regular exercise, depending on the fact that sports background can be accepted as extremism, are still a controversial topic. The purpose of this research is to investigate the Exercise Dependence of Athletes doing Kickboxing, Taekwondo and Muaythai. The study included 141 athletes consisting of 87 men and 54 women. Exercise Dependence Scale composed of 21 items developed by Hausenblas and Downs and adapted into Turkish version by Yeltepe and İkizler was applied to athletes. As a result of the research, while athletes showed more sensitivity to exercise dependence scale (= 71.41), this scale was also defined as symptomatic. It was found that 5 athletes (3.5%) were asymptomatic-nondependent, 117 athletes (83.0%) were symptomatic-nondependent and 19 athletes (13.5%) were at-risk for exercise dependence. It was determined that athletes were at-risk for exercise dependence group while 8 athletes were doing kickboxing, 10 athletes were doing taekwondo and 1 athlete was doing muaythai athlete. A significant difference was observed according to regular training and number of daily training. It didn’t significantly differ in other variables. It is possible to say that regular training can be effective to reveal the exercise dependence.

Eddy-driven jets are of importance in the ocean and atmosphere, and to a first approximation are governed by Rossby wave dynamics. This study addresses the time-dependent flux of fluid and potential vorticity between such a jet and an adjacent eddy, with specific regard to determining zonal and meridional wavenumber dependence. The flux amplitude in wavenumber space is obtained, which is easily computable for a given jet geometry, speed and latitude, and which provides instant information on the wavenumbers of the Rossby waves which maximize the flux. This new tool enables the quick determination of which modes are most influential in imparting fluid exchange, which in the long term will homogenize the potential vorticity between the eddy and the jet. The results are validated by computing backward- and forward-time finite-time Lyapunov exponent fields, and also stable and unstable manifolds; the intermingling of these entities defines the region of chaotic transport between the eddy and the jet. The relationship of all of these to the time-varying transport flux between the eddy and the jet is carefully elucidated. The flux quantification presented here works for general time-dependence, whether or not lobes (intersection regions between stable and unstable manifolds) are present in the mixing region, and is therefore also easily computable for wave packets consisting of infinitely many wavenumbers.

The Absorbing/scattering nature of aerosols affects the total radiative forcing and this absorption to total extinction ratio is quantified by single scattering albedo (SSA). Effect of SSA in the Ultraviolet (UV) irradiance is less studied and limited measurements are available. SSA retrieved at Athens, Greece during 2009-2014 from Ultraviolet Multifilter Radiometer (UVMFR) at 332 and 368 nm, were used to calculate incoming UV irradiance, alongside with ones from AERONET at visible wavelengths, from OMI satellite at 342.5 nm and from AEROCOM climatological database at 300 nm. UVA and UVB irradiances were estimated using a Radiative Transfer Model and we found that relative differences could be as high as 20%, while average relative differences varied from 2% to 8.7 % for the whole experimental period. Both UVA and UVB drop by a rate of ~12% for 0.05 aerosol absorption optical depth compared to ones estimated using SSA at visible range. Brewer irradiance measurements at 324nm were used to validate simulated irradiances and a better agreement was found when UVMFR SSAs were used with an average difference of 0.86%, while when using visible or climatological input, relative differences were estimated +4.91 and +4.15% accordingly.

Flavonoids are a biochemically diverse group of specialized metabolites in plants that are derived from phenylalanine. While the biosynthesis of the flavonoid aglycone is highly conserved across species and well characterized, numerous species-specific decoration steps and their relevance remained largely unexplored. The flavonoid biosynthesis takes place at the cytosolic site of the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER), but accumulation of various flavonoids was observed in the central vacuole. A universal explanation for the subcellular transport of flavonoids has eluded researchers for decades. Current knowledge suggests that a glutathione S-transferase-like protein (ligandin) protects anthocyanins and potentially proanthocyanidin precursors during the transport to the central vacuole. ABCC transporters and to a lower extend MATE transporters sequester anthocyanins into the vacuole. Glycosides of specific proanthocyanidin precursors are sequestered through MATE transporters. A P-ATPase in the tonoplast and potentially other proteins generate the proton gradient that is required for the MATE-mediated antiport. Vesicle-mediated transport of flavonoids from the ER to the vacuole is considered as an alternative or additional route.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative disorders related to aging. Though several risk factors are shared between these two diseases, the exact relationship between these two diseases is still unknown. In this paper, we analyzed how these diseases relate to each other from a genomics viewpoint. Using an extensive literature search, we accumulated the list of genes from the major genome-wide association (GWAS) studies. However, we found only one gene (HLA-DRB5) reported in these GWAS studies that are common between AD and PD. We also listed all the miRNAs that have been previously reported for AD and PD. Here we found 15 different miRNAs that were reported in both diseases. In order to get better insights, we predicted the gene coexpression network for both AD and PD. Network analysis on these networks show six clusters of genes related to AD and four clusters of genes related to PD.

Our investigations show that electrochemical corrosion of copper is faster than electrochemical corrosion of aluminium at temperatures below 100oC. Literature data analysis shows that the Al atoms diffuse faster than the Cu atoms at temperatures higher than 475oC, Al rich intermetallic compounds (IMCs) are formed faster in the Cu-Al system, and the Kirkendall plane shifts toward Al side. Electrochemical corrosion occurs due to electric current and due to diffusion. An electronic devise working time, for example, depends on initial copper cover thickness on aluminium wire, connected to the electronic devise, temperature, and volume and dislocation pipe diffusion coefficients, so copper, iron, and aluminium electrochemical corrosion rates are investigated experimentally at room temperature and at temperature 100oC. Intrinsic diffusivities ratios of copper and aluminium at different temperatures and diffusion activation energies in the Cu-Al system are calculated by proposed here methods using literature experimental data. Dislocation pipe and volume diffusion activation energies of pure iron are calculated separately by earlier proposed method using literature experimental data. Aluminium dissolved into NaCl solution as the Al3+ ions at room temperature and at temperature 100oC, iron dissolved into NaCl solution as the Fe2+ (not Fe3+) ions at room temperature and at temperature 100oC, copper dissolved into NaCl solution as the Cu+ ions at room temperature and as the Cu+ and the Cu2+ ions at temperature 100oC. It is founded experimentally that copper corrosion is higher than aluminium corrosion, and ratio of electrochemical corrosion rates, kCu/kAl>1, decreases with temperature increasing, although iron electrochemical corrosion rate doesn’t depend on temperature below 100oC. It is obvious, because melting point of iron is more higher then melting point of copper or aluminium. It is calculated that copper electrochemical corrosion rate is approximately equal to aluminium electrochemical corrosion at temperature about 300oC, so copper can dissolve into NaCl solution mostly as the Cu2+ ions at temperature about 300oC. Ratio of intrinsic diffusivities, DCu/DAl <1, increases with temperature increasing, and intrinsic diffusivity of aluminium could be approximately equal to intrinsic diffusivity of copper at temperature about 460oC.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic is an unprecedented health emergency never seen in the recorded history of humankind due to its sheer scale, rapid spread, and subsequent shock to the global economy. The past respiratory viral pandemics of the 21st century (SARS-CoV-2 in 2003, Influenza AH1N1 in 2009) have revealed seasonality in environmental factors to play a role in the dynamics of their spread. Here, we report the observed state-level relationship between environmental factors such as temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), specific humidity (SH), and solar radiation (SR) on the COVID-19 spread over the Indian region. The results show that T and RH have a significant impact on the disease growth rate and doubling time. Every degree rise in temperature corresponds to a 0.99 % decrease in the number of cases and an increase in doubling time by ~ 1.13 days implying a slowing down of spread. A similar analysis for RH reveals that more moisture leads to a higher growth rate and reduced doubling time. Lower SH and higher surface-reaching SR are found to reduce the spread and increase the doubling time similar to that of temperature. The range of average state-level T (RH) encountered during this period was between 24 and 35^oC (30 and 87%) which implies that environmental impact is still effective at all these T (RH) and is not limited to specific T (RH) ranges. The progression of the season towards monsoon, post-monsoon, and thereafter winter with a continuous reduction in temperature will prove a major challenge for health workers and policymakers attempting to enforce mitigation and control measures.

The Avian retina is far less known than that of mammals such as mouse and macaque, and detailed study is overdue. The chicken (Gallus gallus) has potential as a model, in part because research can build on developmental studies of the eye and nervous system. One can expect differences between bird and mammal retinas simply because whereas most mammals have three types of visual photoreceptor birds normally have six. Spectral pathways and colour vision are of particular interest, because filtering by oil droplets narrows cone spectral sensitivities and birds are probably tetrachromatic. The number of receptor inputs is reflected in the retinal circuitry. The chicken probably has four types of horizontal cell, there are at least 11 types of bipolar cell, often with bi- or tri-stratified axon terminals, and there is a high density of ganglion cells, which make complex connections in the inner plexiform layer. In addition, there is likely to be retinal specialisation, for example chicken photoreceptors and ganglion cells have separate peaks of cell density in the central and dorsal retina, which probably serve different types of behaviour.

Vertebrate color vision is evolutionarily ancient. Jawless fish evolved four main spectral types of cone photoreceptor, almost certainly complemented by retinal circuits to process chromatic opponent signals. Subsequent evolution of photoreceptors and visual pigments are now documented for many vertebrate lineages and species, giving insight into evolutionary variation and ecological adaptation of color vision. We look at organization of the photoreceptor mosaic and the functions different types of cone in teleost fish, primates, and birds and reptiles. By comparison less is known about the underlying neural processing. Here we outline the diversity of vertebrate color vision and summarize our understanding of how spectral information picked up by animal photoreceptor arrays is adapted to natural signals. We then turn to the question of how spectral information is processed in the retina. Here, the quite well known and comparatively ‘simple’ system of mammals such as mice and primates reveals some evolutionarily conserved features such as the mammalian Blue^ON system which compares short and long wavelength receptors signals. We then survey our current understanding of the more complex circuits of fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles. Together, these clades make up more than 90% of vertebrate species, yet we know disturbingly little about their neural circuits for colour vision beyond the photoreceptors. Here, long-standing work on goldfish, freshwater turtles and other species is being complemented by new insights gained from the experimentally amendable retina of zebrafish. From this body of work, one thing is clear: The retinal basis of colour vision in non-mammalian vertebrates is substantially richer compared to mammals: Diverse and complex spectral tunings are established at the level of the cone output via horizontal cell feedforward circuits. From here, zebrafish use cone-selective wiring in bipolar cells to set-up color opponent synaptic layers in the inner retina, which in turn lead a large diversity of color-opponent channels for transmission to the brain. However, while we are starting to build an understanding of the richness of spectral properties in some of these species’ retinal neurons, little is known about inner retinal connectivity and cell-type identify. To gain an understanding of their actual circuits, and thus to build a more generalised understanding of the vertebrate retinal basis of color vision, it will be paramount to expand ongoing efforts in deciphering the retinal circuits of non-mammalian models.

Introduction. Few studies have compared the dependence to different tobacco and nicotine products. Besides how dependence may vary between tobacco products there is even less known how it relates to other common drugs, e.g. caffeine. In this study degree of dependence was compared between snus, cigarettes, nicotine replacement (NR), electronic cigarettes and coffee. Methods. An internet panel was used to obtain a representative sample of 3001 Swedes. The responders were asked among other related things about their use of snus, NR, traditional cigarette or e-cigarette use and coffee consumption. The indicators of dependence used were: A. the Heavy Smoking Index, B. The proportions that used within 30 min after raising in the morning, C. rating the first use in the morning as the most important and D. Stating that it would be very hard to give up entirely. Results. Significantly fewer among coffee drinkers started use within 30 minutes of awakening compared with all other products. The first use of the day was found to be more important for snus users compared with other products. On HSI there was no difference between snus and cigarettes. Snus and cigarettes were rated as being more difficult to give up than NR and coffee. Conclusion. Dependence to traditional cigarettes and snus seem to be relatively similar while NR was rated lower and coffee lowest. Since the prevalence of caffeine use in all forms is so much more prevalent than nicotine use there might be more persons in the society heavily dependent on caffeine. Implication. Tobacco products are likely more dependence forming that NR products and coffee. The addiction to coffee or caffeine is seldom discussed in the society. But if there are more individuals heavily dependent on coffee than nicotine and some nicotine containing products like snus and even more so NR are not that much more harmful than coffee how problematic is the addiction?

The meniscus is a meniscus-shaped fibrocartilage tissue located between the femur and tibia，it is mainly composed of meniscus cells and related extracellular matrix.The synovial limbus area of the knee joint capsule near the meniscus is divided into red areas with rich blood vessels and white areas with less blood supply according to the distribution of blood vessels,there is a transition zone called the red and white zone between the two;Red zone has better self-repair ability,The injury in this area can be treated by conservative treatment or surgical suture;Once the white area of the meniscus is torn and involves the free edge area,It is often necessary to partially remove the damaged meniscus.When most of the entire meniscus is severely torn and involved,not only the course of the disease is very long, but it cannot be repaired by sutures,Often a subtotal or total meniscus resection is required,whether it is a partial meniscus resection, a subtotal meniscus resection or a complete resection.In the later period, it may cause quadriceps atrophy and osteoarthritis (OA）.OA is a refractory multi-system disease,involve the patient’s peripheral joints,it has high disability and teratogenicity, and is very harmful to human health.Chondrocyte pyrolysis, degradation, and inflammation play a vital role in the destruction of OA articular cartilage and chondrocyte apoptosis.Meniscus stem cells have strong proliferation and differentiation ability,has become one of the hot spots in the field of meniscus repair,this article studies the role of meniscal stem cells in the development of OA.

The risk factors associated with COVID-19 related severity, morbidity, and mortality, i.e., obesity (often associated with NAFLD), hyperglycemia, hypertension and dyslipidemia all cluster together as metabolic syndrome (MetS). Instead of studying association of these risk factors with COVID-19, it makes sense studying the association between MetS on one hand and COVID-19 on the other. This study explores a molecular basis underpinning the above association. Severity of COVID-19 patients with MetS could be due to functional alterations of host proteins due to their interactions with viral proteins. We collected data from Enrichr (https://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/Enrichr/), DisGeNET (https://www.disgenet.org/) and others and carried out enrichment analysis using Enrichr. Various biological processes and pathways associated with viral protein interacting partners are known to involve in metabolic diseases. The molecular pathways underlying insulin resistance, insulin signaling and insulin secretion are not only involved in diabetes but also in CVD and obesity (associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFLD). Lipid metabolism/lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation and inflammation are associated with MetS. Viral interacting host proteins are associated and enriched with terms like hyperglycemia, coronary artery disease, hypertensive disease related to CVD and liver diseases in DisGeNET. Association of viral interacting proteins with disease-relevant biological processes, pathways and disease-related terms suggests that altered host protein function following interaction with viral proteins might contribute to frequent occurrence and/or severity of COVID-19 in subjects with MetS. Such analysis not only provides a molecular basis of comorbidity but also incriminates host proteins in viral replication, growth and identifies possible drug targets for intervention.

The paper proposes a game theory model of price oligopoly with a heterogeneous product, where total demand depends linearly on the minimum market price. This model develops the Bertrand oligopoly for the case of imperfect price elasticity of demand. The most interesting result is an asymmetric Nash equilibrium with different prices and sales in the situation of symmetric oligopolists. The asymmetry is explained by the fact that a decrease in the minimum market price leads not only to a reallocation of consumers among firms, but also to an increase in total demand. Modifications of a two-stage game with a leader and followers and the price discrimination model are also considered. Microeconomic substantiation of the model is given on the basis of the spatial differentiation approach.

This study investigates the frequency dependence of the correlation or anticorrelation of ozone and temperature in the middle atmosphere. The anticorrelation of ozone and temperature plays a role for the expected recovery or superrecovery of upper stratospheric ozone in presence of manmade cooling of the middle atmosphere due to increasing carbon dioxide emissions. The correlation between lower stratospheric ozone and temperature indicates the dependence of lower stratospheric temperature trends on the ozone evolution in addition to greenhouse gas emissions. Ozone and temperature measurements of the microwave limb sounder (MLS) on the satellite Aura from 2004 to 2021 are utilized for Bern (46.95∘N, 7.44∘E) at middle latitudes and for the equator region. The time series are bandpass filtered for periods from 2 days to 5 years. The correlation coefficient depends on the period of the oscillation in temperature and ozone. The strongest correlation and anticorrelation are found for the annual oscillation. The anticorrelation between ozone and temperature in the upper stratosphere is about −0.7 at a period of 2 days and −0.99 at a period of one year. Thus, the temperature dependence of the ozone reaction rates also leads to an anticorrelation of ozone and temperature at short periods so that ozone can be considered as a tracer of planetary waves. At the equator, a dominant semiannual oscillation and an 11 year solar cycle are found for nighttime ozone in the upper mesosphere. The SAO in ozone and temperature show a strong correlation indicating a dynamical control of the ozone SAO in the upper mesosphere. The SAO in the equatorial nighttime values of ozone and temperature is due to a semiannual modulation of vertical advection by the diurnal tide.

This study examined the tail dependency structure of sovereign credit risk and three global risk factors in BRICS countries using copulas approach, which is known for its ability to provide the “true” tail correlation based on the correct marginal distribution. The empirical results show that global market risk sentiment comoves with sovereign CDS spreads across BRICS countries under extreme market events, with Brazil having the highest co-dependency followed by China, Russia, and South Africa. Furthermore, oil price volatility is the second biggest risk factor correlated with sovereign CDS spreads for Brazil and South Africa while exchange rate risk exhibits very small co-dependence with sovereign CDS spreads under extreme market conditions dominated by tail events. On the contrary, exchange rate risk is the second largest risk factor co-moving with China and Russia’s sovereign CDS spreads while oil price volatility exhibits the lowest co-dependence to CDS in these countries. Between oil price and currency risk, evidence of single risk factor dominance is found for Russia where exchange rate risk is largely dominant. These results suggest that BRICS policymakers might consider financial sector regulations that mitigate risks spill-over such as targeted capital controls when markets are distressed.

Changes in crude oil price affect the shipping freight market in three different channels. This study explores the dependence structure between oil prices and maritime freight rates to identify the strongest channel. Therefore, it investigates the relationship between oil prices and three major maritime freight rates; the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI), and the Baltic Clean Tanker Index (BCTI). We employ the decomposition method, not studied in the existing literature. The copula approach identifies the time-varying effects and asymmetry in the tail dependence structure between oil prices and freight rates. The main results of this analysis are as follows. The decomposed components display different conditional dependence patterns, and asymmetry is revealed in the upper and lower tail dependence. In the long run, we find more dependence in extreme periods like the financial crises. In short-run fluctuations, we find the dependence increases in an economic boom. The implications of the results suggest that dependence can vary over time and may change depending on extreme events, implying that the complementary strategies of the long run and short run should be different.

We have performed first-principles calculations to study the interfacial exchange coupling and magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) energy in a SmCo₅/Sm₂Co₁₇ multilayer model systems. The phase of SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ stacking along (0001) direction are structurally well matched. The atomic structure, including the alignment and the separation between layers, were firstly optimized. Then the non-collinear magnetic structures were calculated to explore the exchange coupling across the interface and the variation of MCA energy. We found that the inter-phase exchange coupling strength, rotating behavior and MCA energy are strongly dependent on the atomic thickness of the SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ phase.

The past few decades have been characterized by a growing body of profit-seeking public service areas with the understanding that profit-seeking organizations will deliver public services more efficiently than government can. These sectors include, but are not limited to, health care, corrections and education. Governments have created quasi markets to attract private providers of services in these sectors, with varying results. Organizational economics has provided the primary explanation for quasi markets, but questions about the sought-for efficiencies actually realized through these markets persist. We integrate resource dependence theory and organizational economics to provide a more comprehensive explanation of the persistence of quasi markets.

Organisms in the wild have cryptic life stages that are sensitive to changing environmental conditions and can be difficult to survey. In this study, I used mark-recapture methods to repeatedly survey Anaea aidea (Nymphalidae) caterpillars in nature, then modeled caterpillar demography as a hidden Markov process to assess if temporal variability in temperature and density influence the survival and growth of A. aidea over time. Individual encounter histories result from the joint likelihood of being alive and observed in a particular stage, and I included hidden states by separating demography and observations into parallel and independent processes. I constructed a demographic matrix containing the probabilities of all possible fates for each stage, including hidden states, e.g., eggs and pupae. I observed both dead and live caterpillars with high probability. Peak caterpillar abundance attracted multiple predators, and survival of fifth instars declined as per capita predation rate increased through spring. A time lag between predator and prey abundance was likely the cause of improved fifth instar survival estimated at high density. Growth rates showed an increase with temperature, but the most likely model did not include temperature. This work illustrates how state-space models can include unobservable stages and hidden state processes to evaluate how environmental factors influence vital rates of cryptic life stages in the wild.

The nucleon-pair shell model (NPSM) with broken symmetry basis is studied. The results demonstrate the validity of NPSM with symmetry broken basis, which leads to a significant reduction in the dimensionality of the multi-pair configuration space. We have observed that the axial-deformed basis provides a satisfactory description of the low-lying spectrum, even without the need for the projection procedure. In the case of the triaxial-deformed basis, we have investigated the variation after angular momentum projection, indicating the potential for NPSM to find exact solutions in the half-closed system.

One of the major unsolved mysteries of biological science concerns the question of where and in what form information is stored in the brain. I propose that memory is stored in the brain in a mechanically encoded binary format written into the conformations of proteins found in the cell-extracellular matrix adhesions that organise each and every synapse. The MeshCODE framework outlined here represents a unifying theory of data storage in animals, providing read-write storage of both dynamic and persistent information in a binary format. Mechanosensitive proteins that contain force-dependent switches can store information persistently, which can be written or updated using small changes in mechanical force. These mechanosensitive proteins, such as talin, scaffold each synapse, creating a meshwork of switches that together form a code, the so-called MeshCODE. Large signalling complexes assemble on these scaffolds as a function of the switch patterns and these complexes would both stabilise the patterns and coordinate synaptic regulators to dynamically tune synaptic activity. Synaptic transmission and action potential spike trains would operate the cytoskeletal machinery to write and update the synaptic MeshCODEs, thereby propagating this coding throughout the organism. Based on established biophysical principles, such a mechanical basis for memory would provide a physical location for data storage in the brain, with the binary patterns, encoded in the information-storing mechanosensitive molecules in the synaptic scaffolds, and the complexes that form on them, representing the physical location of engrams. Furthermore, the conversion and storage of sensory and temporal inputs into a binary format would constitute an addressable read-write memory system, supporting the view of the mind as an organic supercomputer.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronically relapsing disease characterized by loss of control in seeking and consuming alcohol (ethanol) driven by recruitment of brain stress systems. However, AUD differs among the sexes: men are more likely to develop AUD, but women progress from casual to binge drinking and heavy alcohol use more quickly. The central amygdala (CeA) is a hub of stress and anxiety, with corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-CRF1 receptor and GABAergic signaling dysregulation occurring in alcohol dependent male rodents. However, we recently showed that GABAergic synapses in female rats are less sensitive to the acute effects of ethanol. Here, we used patch clamp electrophysiology to examine the effects of alcohol dependence on the CRF-modulation of rat CeA GABAergic transmission of both sexes. We found that GABAergic synapses of naïve female rats were unresponsive to CRF application compared males, although alcohol dependence induced a similar CRF responsivity in both sexes. In situ hybridization revealed that females had less CeA neurons containing mRNA for the CRF1 receptor (Crhr1) than males, but in dependence, the percentage of Crhr1-expressing neurons in females increased, unlike males. Overall, our data provide evidence for sexually dimorphic CeA CRF system effects on GABAergic synapses in dependence.

The resource curse indicates that economic growth performs poorly in countries with significant natural resources. Nevertheless, certain countries rich in energy managed to protect their resource riches in the long run. It is necessary to enforce effective policies in resource-rich countries to fully leverage the advantages which can come from the abundance of natural resources. This study aimed to evaluate how oil-rich countries would avoid resource flows by successful fiscal and management policies. By taking the guidance of Norway and implementing fiscal policy focused on tax rules on its oil management, it is proposed that oil-exporting countries benefit significantly. The framework attempts to mitigate this resource curse and utilise oil revenues in the interest of the country.

The use of mobile devices facilitates access to knowledge and is at the base of the education of the future. Although the digital society has contributed a number of benefits, however, it has also been associated with worrying behaviours. The study design consisted of a quantitative approach that was descriptive, inferential and ex post-facto in nature. Its purpose was to better understand the opinion of young people regarding mobile phone use and describe dependence deriving from regular use. The sample was formed of 420 students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Granada. Results indicate that mobile phone use has displaced use of other technologies such as the television, and is associated with communication and recreational activities. In addition, a profile was identified for young people at greater risk of developing a dependence on their mobile devices. This profile constituted females, mobile phone users with recreational motives and individuals who exceeded mobile phone use by more than six hours a day. To improve the educational use of mobile phone, prevention and intervention plans must be designed which ensure correct management of this device, taking advantage of the benefits it offers whilst avoiding problems derived from inappropriate use.

We consider an alternative formula for time delay in gravitational lensing. Imposing a smoothness condition on the gravitationally deformed paths followed by the photons from the source to the observer, we show that our formula displays the same degrees of freedom of the standard one. In addition to this, it is shown that the standard expression for time delay is recovered when small angles are involved. These two features strongly support the claim that the formula for time delay studied in this paper is the generalization to arbitrary angles of the standard one, which is valid at small angles. This could therefore result in a useful tool in view of softening the known discrepancy between the various estimates of the Hubble constant. As an aside, two interesting consequences of our proposal for time delay are discussed: the existence of a constraint on the gravitational potential generated by the lens and a formula for the mass of the lens in the case of central potential.

This paper examines the dynamic dependence structure of crude oil and East Asian stock markets at multiple frequencies using wavelet and copulas. We also investigate risk management implications and diversification benefits of oil-stock portfolios by calculating and comparing risk and tail risk hedging performance. Our results provide strong evidence of time-varying dependence and asymmetric tail dependence between crude oil and East Asian stock markets at different frequencies. The level and fluctuation of their dependencies increase as time scale increases. Furthermore, we find the time-varying hedging benefits differ at investment horizons and reduced over the long run.

Diversity as well as temporal and spatial changes of the proportional abundances of different antibiotics (cycling, mixing or combinations thereof) have been hypothesised to be an effective administrative control strategy in hospitals to reduce the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in nosocomial or community-acquired infections. However, a rigorous assessment of the efficacy of these control strategies is lacking. The main purpose here is to present a mathematical framework for the assessment of control stategies from a processual stance. To this end, we adopt diverse measures of heterogeneity and diversity of proportional abundances based on the concept of entropy from other fields and adapt them to the needs in assessing the impact of variations in antibiotic consumption on antibiotic resistance. Thereby, we derive a family of diversity measures whose members exhibit different degrees of complexity. Most important, we extent these measures such that they account for the assessment of temporal changes in heterogeneity including otherwise undetected diversity-invariant permutations of antibiotics consumption and prevalence of resistant pathogens. We apply a correlation analysis for the assessment of associations between changes of heterogeneities on the antibiotics and on the pathogen side. As a showcase, which serves as a proof-of-principle, we apply the derived methods to records of antibiotic consumption and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant germs from University Hospital Dresden. Besides the quantification of heterogeneities of antibiotics consumption and antibiotic resistance, we show that a reduction of prevalence of antibiotic-resistant germs correlates with a temporal change of similarity with respect to the first observation of antibiotics consumption, although heterogeneity remains approximately constant. Although an interventional study is pending, our mathematical framework turns out to be a viable concept for the assessment and optimisation of control strategies intended to reduce antibiotic resistance.

“White matter disease” identifies series of different conditions and pathological mechanisms: autoimmune, infectious, toxic-metabolic and vascular. Each of these leads to a global impairment of the neural myelination process through the secondary destruction of previously myelinated structures. To date, the imaging spectrum represents an irreplaceable tool to detect these lesions, describe their distribution patterns and stage them over time. This study aims presents a pictorial review of white matter disease, from pathology to imaging spectrum, reporting current main staging systems with greater emphasis to relationship between cerebrovascular disease and white matter hyper-intensity appearance, and the newest advances in this field.

At least 50% of factors predisposing to alcohol dependence (AD) are genetic and women affected with this disorder present with more psychiatric comorbidities, probably indicating different genetic factors involved. We aimed to run a genome-wide association study (GWAS) followed by a bioinformatic functional annotation of associated genomic regions in male and female patients with AD and eight related clinical measures. A genome-wide significant association of rs220677 with AD (p-value = 1.33×10^-8 calculated with the Yates-corrected Chi-square test under the assumption of dominant inheritance) was discovered in female patients. Associations of AD and related clinical measures with seven other single nucleotide polymorphisms listed in previous GWAS of psychiatric and addiction traits were differently replicated in male and female patients. The bioinformatic analysis showed that regulatory elements in the eight associated linkage disequilibrium blocks define the expression of 80 protein-coding genes. Nearly 68% of these and of 120 previously published coding genes associated with alcohol phenotypes directly interact in a single network. This study indicates that a number of genes behind the pathogenesis of AD are different in male and female patients, but implicated molecular mechanisms are functionally connected. The results also suggest the genetic basis of sex-specific psychiatric comorbidities of AD.

The changes in the properties of three biological events, that occur with cerebral aging, are discussed. These adverse changes already begin to develop early in mid-life and gradually become more pronounced with senescence. Essentially, they are reflections of the progressive decline in effectiveness of key processes, resulting in the deviation of essential biochemical trajectories to ineffective and ultimately harmful variants of these programs. The emphasis of this review is the major role played by mitochondria in such transition of these three important processes toward more deleterious variants as brain aging proceeds. 1. The immune system. The shift away from an efficient immune response to a more unfocused, continuing inflammatory condition. Such a state is both ineffective and harmful. 2. Reactive oxygen species are important intracellular signaling systems. Also, microglial phagocytic activity utilizing short lived reactive oxygen species contribute to the removal of aberrant or dead cells and bacteria. These processes are transformed into an excessive, untargeted and persistent generation of pro-oxidant free radicals (oxidative stress). 3. The normal efficient neural transmission is modified to a state of undirected, chronic low-level excitatory activity. Each of these changes is characterized by the occurrence of continuous activity that is inefficient and diffuse. The signal/noise ratio of several critical biological events is thus reduced as beneficial responses are gradually replaced by their impaired and deleterious variants.

Abstract Although we know something about single cell neuromuscular junction, It is still mysterious how multiple skeletal muscle cells coordinate to complete the intricate spatial curve movement. Here I propose a hypothesis that skeletal muscle cell populations with action potentials are alligned according to a curved manifolds on space(a curved shape on space) and the skeletal muscle also moves according to this corresponding shape(manifolds) when an specific motor nerve impulses are transmitted. the action potential of motor nerve fibers has the characteristics of time curve manifold and this time manifold curve of motor nerve fibers come from visual cortex in which a spatial geometric manifolds are formed within the synaptic connection of neurons. This spatial geometric manifolds of the synaptic connection of neurons orginate from spatial geometric manifolds in outside nature that are transmitted to brain through the cone cells and ganglion cells of the retina.Further,the essence of life is that life is an object that can move autonomously and the essence of life's autonomous movement is the movement of proteins. theoretically, due to the infinite diversity of geometric manifold shapes in nature, the arrangement and combination of 20 amino acids should have infinite diversity, and the geometric manifold formed by protein three-dimensional spatial structure should also have infinite diversity.

Telomeres are crucial structures that preserve genome stability. Their progressive erosion over rounds of DNA duplication determines senescence of cells and organisms. In a classic view, telomere biology impinges on intracellular signaling pathways regulating DNA damage repair and cell cycle arrest, but new roles of telomeric proteins and transcripts emerge from recent literature. Telomere biology diseases are human disorders associated to telomere attrition. This review wants to overview the recent findings in the field of telomere’s metabolism and to deepen molecular mechanisms of inherited and acquired telomeropathies, explaining new critical connections between telomeric factors and disease pathogenesis

Background: Kidney damage is considered to be one of the risk factors for severity and mortality among COVID-19 patients. However, molecular nature of such observations remains unknown. Hypothesis: Altered gene expressions due to infection and in chronic kidney disease could explain severity in COVID-19 with kidney defects. Methods: We collected gene expression data from publicly available resources Gene Expression Omnibus CKD, Enrichr for deregulated genes in SARS-CoV infected cells in vitro, DisGeNET and others and carried out enrichment analysis using Enrichr. Result: Number of common genes altered in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and SARS-CoV infected cells was 2834. Enrichment analysis revealed that biological processes related viral life cycle and growth, cytokines, immunity, interferon, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, oxidative stress and others were significantly enriched with common deregulated genes. Similarly, significantly enriched pathways related to viral and bacterial infections, immunity and inflammation, cell cycle, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, signaling pathways like Relaxin signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway were enriched with the common deregulated genes. These processes and pathways are known to be related to kidney damage. DisGeNET terms enriched include and related to Dengue fever, chronic Hepatitis, measles, retroviridae infections, respiratory syncytial virus Infections and many others. Kidney dysfunction related terms ischemia of kidney, renal fibrosis and diabetic nephropathy. Conclusion: Common deregulated genes in SARS-CoV infected cells and chronic kidney disease, as well as their enrichment with molecular processes and pathways relevant for viral pathogenesis and renal dysfunctions, could explain the severity of COVID-19 with kidney disease. This observation not only provides molecular relation of severity in COVID-19 with renal dysfunctions but might also help in the management and treatment targets for these cases.

Targeted therapies are effective cancer treatments when accompanied by accurate diagnostic tests that can help identify patients that will respond to those therapies. The YAP/TAZ-TEAD axis is activated and plays a causal role in several cancer types, and TEAD inhibitors are currently in early phase clinical trials in cancer patients. However, mutations that predict YAP/TAZ-TEAD activation are not commonly found in most cancer types, making it hard to determine which tumors are de-pendent upon YAP/TAZ-TEAD. Here, we used a combination of RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis of metastatic melanoma cells to develop a YAP/TAZ gene signature. We found that the genes in this signature are TEAD-dependent, and that their expression strongly correlates with YAP/TAZ activation in human melanomas. Using DepMap dependency data, we found that this YAP/TAZ signature was predictive of melanoma cell dependence upon YAP/TAZ or TEADs. Importantly, this was not limited to melanoma because this signature was also predictive when tested on a panel of over 1000 cancer cell lines representing numerous distinct cancer types. Our results suggest that YAP/TAZ gene signatures like ours may be an effective tool to predict tumor cell sensitivity to YAP/TAZ-TEAD inhibition, and thus provide a means to identify patients likely to benefit from TEAD inhibitors.

Obesity is one of the most prevalent health conditions in humans and companion animals across the world. Obesity is associated with multiple health conditions across species including premature mortality. It is therefore of importance across the fields of medicine and veterinary medicine. The regulation of body weight is a homeostatic process vulnerable to disruption by genetic and environmental factors. It is well established that the heritability of obesity is high in humans and laboratory animals, with ample evidence that the same is true in companion animals. In this review, we provide an overview of how genes link to obesity in humans, drawing on a wealth of information from laboratory animal models, and summarising the mechanisms by which obesity causes related disease. Throughout, we focus on how large-scale human studies and niche investigations of rare mutations in severely affected patients have improved our understanding of obesity biology and can inform our ability to interpret results of animal studies. For dogs, cats and horses, we review the similarities in obesity pathophysiology to humans and review those genetic studies that have been done to investigate them. Finally, we discuss how veterinary genetics may learn from humans about studying precise, nuanced phenotypes and implementing large-scale studies, but also how veterinary studies may be able to look past clinical findings to mechanistic ones and demonstrate translational benefits to human research.

: The performance of the students in academics depends on many different factors. One of these factors is the economic status of their families. Education in public schools, though it is free, some parents cannot afford to send their children to school due to financial constraints. Education as a free is every individual's right in society, but it becomes a privilege because of a lack of financial support. This research work is a comparative study of students' or learners' performance in mathematics among students from working and non-working. This research article's ultimate objective is to investigate and compare a significant difference in their performance in the subject mathematics. The research methodology utilizes a t-test to analyze and synthesize primary data sources collected via interview and academic records, and diverse literature on the study area. However, the research findings revealed no significant difference in the two groups (the working and non-working group of learners). Therefore, it is recommended that secondary schools should be provided with adequate books and facilities and faculty school interventions and programs and promote the usage of SIM or Strategic Intervention Materials for learning and memory enhancement among learners.

This document describes the theoretical basis of the algorithms used to determine properties of snow and ice from the measurements of the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI) onboard Sentinel-3 satellites within the Pre-operational Sentinel-3 snow and ice products (SICE) project: http://snow.geus.dk/. The code used for the SICE retrieval and its documentation can be found at https://github.com/GEUS-SICE/pySICE. The algorithms were developed after the work from Kokhanovsky et al. (2018, 2019, 2020).

In recent years, there have been frequent reports on the adverse effects of synthetic cannabinoid (SC) abuse. SCs cause psychoactive effects, similar to those caused by marijuana, by binding and activating cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to correlate the structures and physicochemical properties of various SCs with their CB1R-binding affinities. We prepared 15 SCs and their derivatives (tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], naphthoylindoles, and cyclohexylphenols) and determined their binding affinity to CB1R, which is known as a dependence-related target. We calculated the molecular descriptors for dataset compounds using an R/CDK (R package integrated with CDK, version 3.5.0) toolkit to build QSAR regression models. These models were established and statistical evaluations were performed using the mlr and plsr packages in R software. The most reliable QSAR model was obtained from the partial least squares regression method via external validation. This model can be applied in vivo to predict the addictive properties of illicit new SCs. Using a limited number of dataset compounds and our own experimental activity data, we built a QSAR model for SCs with good predictability. This QSAR modeling approach provides a novel strategy for establishing an efficient tool to predict the abuse potential of various SCs and to control their illicit use.

We overview the main equations of the Rayleigh-Ritz variational method and discuss their connection with the problem of simultaneous diagonalization of two Hermitian matrices.

Biotic stressors pose serious threats to crop yield, jeopardizing food security and resulting in over US$220 billion per year losses to the agriculture industry. Plants activate innate defense mechanisms upon pathogen perception and invasion. The plant immune response comprises numerous concerted steps, including the recognition of invading pathogens, signal transduction, and activation of defensive pathways. However, pathogens have evolved various structures to evade plant immunity. Given these facts, genetic improvements of plants are required for sustainable disease management to ensure global food security. Advanced genetic technologies have provided new opportunities to revolutionize and boost plant disease resistance against devastating pathogens. Furthermore, targeting susceptibility (S) genes, such as OsERF922 and BnWRKY70, through CRISPR methodologies offers novel frontiers to disrupt the molecular compatibility of pathogens and introduce durable resistance against them in plants. Here, we provide a critical overview of advances in understanding disease resistance mechanisms. The review also critically examines management strategies under challenging environmental conditions and R gene-based plant genome engineering systems intending to enhance plant responses against emerging pathogens. This work underscores the transformative potential of modern genetic engineering practices in revolutionizing plant health and crop disease management while emphasizing the importance of responsible application to ensure sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.

Better auditory processing of musicians is observed in previous research. As musicians differentiate their practice method and performance environment, we aimed to assess auditory perception in Greek musicians with respect to their musical specialization. If there are differences, this may provide a basis for better shaping auditory training in individuals with auditory processing disorder. The auditory tests administered were speech in noise (Speech in Babble), with and without rhythmic advantage (Word Recognition—Rhythm Component), short-term and working memory (Digit Span - Forward and Backwards), temporal resolution (Gaps In Noise) and detection of frequency discrimination threshold (DFL). Groups consisted of classical musicians, Byzantine chanters, percussionists, and non-musicians (12 participants/group). Statistical analysis revealed significant difference in: (i) word recognition in noise with precursor synchronized pulse between classical musicians compared to Byzantine musicians, (ii) better frequency discrimination of Byzantine musicians compared to non-musicians for the 2000Hz region and (iii) working memory, an advantage detected in musicians. Considering all the above, we conclude that musicians have a superior auditory perception, regardless of musical specialization. Musical training enhances elements of auditory processing and may be used as an additional rehabilitation during auditory training, focusing on specific types of music for specific auditory processing deficits.

Desiccation tolerance appeared as the key adaptation feature of photoautotrophic organisms for survival in terrestrial habitats. During the further evolution, vascular plants developed complex anatomy structures and molecular mechanisms to maintain the hydrated state of cell environment, which essentially increased their ability to sustain water deficit and dehydration. However, the role of the genes encoding the mechanisms behind this adaptive feature in the higher vascular plants is restricted to the dehydration protection of spores, seeds and pollen, whereas the mature vegetative stages became sensitive to desiccation. During maturation, orthodox seeds lose up to 95% of their water and successfully enter dormancy. This feature allows seeds maintaining their viability even under strongly fluctuating environmental conditions. The mechanisms behind the desiccation tolerance are activated at the late seed maturation stage and are associated with the accumulation of late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEA proteins), small heat shock proteins (sHSP), non-reducing oligosaccharides, and antioxidants of different chemical nature. The main regulators of maturation and desiccation tolerance onset are abscisic acid and protein DOG1, which control the network of transcription factors, among which are LEC1, LEC2, FUS3, ABI3, ABI5, AGL67, PLATZ1, PLATZ2. This network is complemented by epigenetic regulation of gene expression by methylation of DNA, post-translational modifications of histones and chromatin remodeling impact on seed desiccation tolerance and longevity. Moreover, orthodox seeds are able to maintain desiccation tolerance during germination up to the stage of radicle protrusion. This time point is critical in the process of seed development, as the seeds lose desiccation tolerance at this moment.

The olfactory system is capable of distinguishing individual odorants from among a virtually unlimited number. Fish, for example, detect changes in the electric field environment induced by prey and other sources. Floral electric fields exhibit variations in pattern and structure, which can be discriminated by bumblebees. We have constructed an electric field sensor, which, in the course of focussing on achieving maximum sensitivity and consistency, ultimately resembles features of the insect sensorium. A “fingerprint” 3D plot ( time, frequency range, voltage amplitude), representing the emitted electric field profile, is presented for each of a variety of odorants and other chemicals. The substance-specific electric-field emission and identification is not impeded by containers or barriers or distance.

We define degree of dependence of two events A and B in a probability space by using Boltzmann-Shannon entropy function of an appropriate probability distribution produced by these events and depending on one parameter (the probability of intersection of A and B) varying within a closed interval I. The entropy function attains its global maximum when the events A and B are independent. The important particular case of discrete uniform probability space motivates this definition in the following way. The entropy function has a minimum at the left endpoint of I exactly when one of the events and the complement of the other are connected with the relation of inclusion (maximal negative dependence). It has a minimum at the right endpoint of I exactly when one of these events is included in the other (maximal positive dependence). Moreover, the deviation of the entropy from its maximum is equal to average information that carries one of the binary trials defined by A and B with respect to the other. As a consequence, the degree of dependence of A and B can be expressed in terms of information theory and is invariant with respect to the choice of unit of information. Using this formalism, we describe completely the screening tests and their reliability, measure efficacy of a vaccination, the impact of some events from the financial markets to other events, etc. A link is available for downloading an Excel program which calculates the degree of dependence of two events in a sample space with equally likely outcomes.

Naltrexone (NTX) is a potent opioid antagonist with good blood-brain barrier permeability, targeting different endogenous opioid receptors, particularly the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Therefore, it represents a promising candidate for drug development against drug addiction. However, the details of the molecular interactions of NTX and its derivatives with MOR are not fully understood, hindering ligand-based drug discovery. In the present study, taking advantage of the high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of the murine MOR (mMOR), we constructed a homology model of the human MOR (hMOR). A solvated phospholipid bilayer was built around the hMOR and submitted to microsecond (µs) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain an optimized hMOR model. NTX and its derivatives were docked into the optimized hMOR model and submitted to µs MD simulations in an aqueous membrane system. The MD simulation results were submitted to Molecular Mechanics Generalized-Born surface area (MMGBSA) binding free energy calculations and principal component analysis. Our results revealed that NTX and its derivatives showed differences in protein-ligand interactions; however, they shared contact with residues at TM2, TM3, H6, and TM7. The binding free energy and principal component analysis revealed the structural and energetic effects responsible for the higher potency of NTX compared to its derivatives.

The prolonged exposure to nicotine and the development of nicotine dependence have significant implications for cancer risk. Tobacco use, driven by nicotine addiction, is a major contributing factor to the development of various types of cancer. Smoking tobacco, in particular, has been strongly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, as well as other malignancies. The harmful chemicals present in tobacco products, including carcinogens, can cause DNA damage and promote the initiation and progression of cancerous cells. This article presents a comprehensive literature review on the neurobiology of nicotine dependence and its implications for tobacco use treatment. Nicotine dependence is a complex phenomenon involving various neurobiological mechanisms. When nicotine enters the body, it binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain's reward circuitry, triggering the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Over time, repeated nicotine exposure leads to neuroadaptive changes in the brain, resulting in increased motivation to seek and use the drug. Understanding the neurobiology of nicotine dependence is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies. Pharmacological interventions, such as nicotine replacement therapy and medications like bupropion and varenicline, can help individuals manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, behavioral therapies and counseling play a vital role in enhancing self-efficacy and providing support for smoking cessation efforts. By reviewing the existing literature, this article sheds light on the intricate neural pathways and processes involved in nicotine addiction. It emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional approach that combines pharmacological treatments and behavioral interventions to address the physiological and psychological aspects of nicotine dependence. This knowledge can inform the development of more targeted and personalized treatment approaches to help individuals overcome tobacco addiction and improve their chances of successful smoking cessation.

Opioid analgesics are effective pain therapeutics but cause various adverse effects and addiction. For safer pain therapy, biased opioid agonists selectively target distinct m opioid receptor (MOR) conformations, while the potential of biased opioid antagonists has been neglected. Agonists convert a dormant receptor form (MOR-m) to a ligand-free active form (MOR-m*), which mediates MOR signaling. Moreover, MOR-m converts spontaneously to MOR-m* (basal signaling). Persistent upregulation of MOR-m* has been invoked as a hallmark of opioid dependence. Contrasting interactions with both MOR-m and MOR-m* can account for distinct pharmacological characteristics of inverse agonists (naltrexone), neutral antagonists (6b-naltrexol), and mixed opioid agonist-antagonists (buprenorphine). Upon binding to MOR-m*, naltrexone but not 6b-naltrexol suppresses MOR-m*signaling. Naltrexone blocks opioid analgesia non-competitively at MOR-m*with high potency, whereas 6BN must compete with agonists at MOR-m, accounting for ~100-fold lower in vivo potency. Buprenorphine’s bell-shaped dose-response curve may also result from opposing effects on MOR-m and MOR-m*. In contrast, we find that 6b-naltrexol potently prevents dependence, below doses affecting analgesia or causing withdrawal, possibly binding to MOR conformations relevant to opioid dependence. We propose that 6b-naltrexol is a biased opioid antagonist modulating opioid dependence at low doses, opening novel avenues for opioid pain therapy and use management.

Caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, parasites, fungi, among others, infectious diseases can spread directly or from one individual to another. According to the World Health Organization, these diseases are known to cause high mortality rates, severe burdens of disability and serious worldwide aftermaths. The inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans are the main origins of the development of drug-resistant pathogens, which reduce the efficacy of these therapies, thus accentuating the need to search for effective antimicrobials. Medicinal plants have served as starting material for the preparation of a number of antimicrobial agents. To this end, the present study highlights the green synthesis of Cocos nucifera-based nanomaterials and evaluation of the mechanistic basis of their antimicrobial action. Accordingly, Cocos nucifera extract was used to reduce different concentrations (5, 10 and 20 mM) of silver nitrate solution to afford silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). These entities were further incorporated onto activated carbons (obtained by chemical activation using sulphuric acid as activation agent) to generate the nanocomposites. The antimicrobial activity of the as-prepared nanomaterials was evaluated using the broth microdilution method, while, the antioxidant activity was assessed through standard methods, such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays. Cytotoxicity of potent nanomaterials was assessed on Vero cells by spectrophotometric method. As a result, nanoparticles were successfully synthesized as evidenced by the color change of the solution from transparent to dark brown. Further characterization was carried out by UV-visible spectroscopy that showed an intense absorption spectrum at 433 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the functional group moieties involved as a capping and reducing agent in the synthesis of AgNPs. The incubation of nanomaterials with selected bacterial and fungal strains led to significant inhibitory effects of these pathogens with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 7.813 to 250 μg/ml. In antioxidant assays, the nanocomposites presented scavenging activities comparable to that of ascorbic acid. Cytotoxicity experiment revealed no toxic effects on the human mammalian cells Vero (range of selectivity indices: from &gt;4 to &gt;128). These results provide evidence of the implication of Cocos nucifera-based nanomaterials in targeting bacterial or fungal systems that mediate free-radical damage or by inhibiting the oxidative damage caused by selected bacteria and fungi, the most susceptible being Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, respectively.

The SARS-CoV-2 is a recently identified positive sense single stranded RNA virus and member of the coronavirus family of viruses. It is thought to be the etiological factor for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This virus is thought to have originated from bats and acquired ability of human-to-human transmission. While SARS-CoV-2 is relatively benign, it has infected more than half a million people (as of March 29^th 2020) worldwide and the number of infected people continues to rise. More than 170 countries have reported COVID-19 positive cases. With a mortality rate of less than both the previous coronavirus outbreaks, COVID-19 has (conversely) caused the death of over 33,980 (as of 29^th March, 2020 at 22.00 hours EDT) people worldwide and the number is increasing. Given the enormous impact of this virus on human health and wellbeing and consequent devastating impacts on world trade, economics and quality of life, it is important to understand this virus better and get insight into its pathogenic mechanisms which will aid in devising effective measure to curb its spread and predict future pattern of its interaction with humans. Though very little is known about this SARS-CoV-2 but its mechanisms and patterns of spread can be speculated (with caution, nevertheless) from what we know about its closest relatives SARS-CoV-1 (responsible for SARS-2002 epidemic) and MERS-CoV (responsible for MERS-2012 epidemic). In the present review, we aim at bringing together the coherent and peer reviewed literature about the SARS-CoV-2 and its close relatives and try to understand its infection patterns and reconstruct its pathogenic mechanisms with anecdotes on diagnosis and future directions. We hope that this paper will serve the purpose of being a reliable source of information to scientists, clinicians and general public.

This work presents some characteristics of MoNet, a computerized platform for the modeling and visualization of complex systems. Emphasis is on the ideas that allowed the successful progressive development of this modeling platform, which goes along with the implementation of applications to the modeling of several studied systems. The platform has the capacity to represent different aspects of systems modeled at different observation scales. This tool offers advantages in the sense of favoring the perception of the phenomenon of the emergence of information, associated with changes of scale. Some criteria used for the construction of this modeling platform are included. The power of current computers has made practical representing graphic resources such as shapes, line thickness, overlaying-text tags, colors and transparencies, in the graphical modeling of systems made up of many elements. By visualizing diagrams conveniently designed to highlight contrasts, these modeling platforms allow the recognition of patterns that drive our understanding of systems and their structure. Graphs that reflect the benefits of the tool regarding the visualization of systems at different scales of observation are presented to illustrate the application of the platform.

Objectives We tested the hypothesis that poor adherence is associated with a greater risk of alcohol-caused mortality and morbidities within the first year of discontinuing this medication. Materials and Methods Retrospective cohort study of 3319 individuals who received Acamprosate® in the East of Scotland in a 10-year period using a health informatics approach with record linkage of dispensing data, hospital utilization (SMR) and General Register Office of Scotland (GROS) data. Primary outcome was adherence between one to six months of initiating Acamprosate® medication. Secondary outcome was all cause morbidities and mortality. Results Of the total 3319 individuals identified, good adherence index of >80% was found in 59% of those prescribed Acamprosate® after three months and 6% after six months. There were significant linear trends of poorer adherence with increased risk of alcohol-caused mortality (HR1.2), medical morbidities especially neoplasm (HR 4.1|) and poisoning (HR 1.4) and psychiatric morbidities especially stress (HR 35.1), psychotic (HR 5.6) and neurotic disorders and directly alcohol induced conditions (7.4 HR) after adjustment for other factors within a one-year period of initiation of Acamprosate® treatment. Discussion and Conclusions Further exploratory studies using this digitalized approach should be encouraged in order to capture role of compliance to Acamprosate® and other types of medication that are known to reduce relapse into alcohol dependence and its direct relationship to mortality and morbidities in this population.

Turning ships in port turning basins is an important and responsible operation, mainly involving the ship itself and the port tugs. Such operations involve many maneuvers that consume a lot of energy (fuel) and emit a lot of emissions. Turning basins in harbors and quay approaches are in most cases relatively shallow. The paper examines the turning of ships in port turning basins using harbor tugs, the effect of shallow depth on ship turning, energy (fuel) consumption and the generation of emissions during such maneuvers of harbor tugs. The paper presents the developed theoretical models, and the experimental results on theoretical models, which were verified on real ships and using calibrated simulators. Discussions and conclusions prepared on the basis of the research base. The use of the developed methodology makes it possible to increase shipping safety, optimize maneuvers and reduce energy (fuel) consumption when turning ships in the port and at the same time reduce the amount of fuel consumed by port tugs and reduce the number of emissions of tugs during such operations.

The widespread use of renewable energy sources has considerably expanded distributed generation. An unbalanced load on distribution cables may also result from the recent increase in novel appliances and electric vehicles, the reverse power flow may create short-term overloads. These transient overloads increase the temperature for a short time beyond the limit, which causes degradation. However, the temperature distribution on the cable is not even. Therefore, the cable components are not degraded evenly and similarly. This publication describes the change in electrical properties of low-voltage cables caused by short-term cyclic artificial ageing to track the impact of these brief temperature rises. This study examines how cable structure affects the dielectric characteristics of cable specimens. Four cable samples, each measuring 50 cm in length (SZAMKAM 0.6/1 kV 16 mm2× 4 manufactured by Prysmian MKM Kft, Hungary) put through an accelerated ageing test in a temperature-controlled oven after changing their structures by removing their layers. Three rounds, each of six hours, accelerated thermal ageing were applied. After each round of ageing, the dielectric parameter tanδ and capacitance were measured by Dirana Dielectric Response Analyzer in the laboratory at room temperature 24±0.5∘C. Furthermore, the polarization and depolarization currents were also studied. The results show that changing the cable structure impacts the dielectric parameters, especially the effect of belting layer is significant. From point of view of aging the PVC belting layer protects the diffusion of plasticizers of inner structure.

Heart failure (HF) is a disease state which has been shown to affect 1-2% of the global population, being often associated with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity or hyperlipidaemia which increase the prevalence of the disease, the rate of hospitalization and the mortality. Although recent advances in both pharmacological and non pharmacological approaches have led to significant improvements in clinical outcomes in patients affected by HF, residual unmet needs remain. Treatment of the disease remains unclear particularly related to poorly defined strategies in the early stages of myocardial dysfunction. Nutritional support in patients developing HF and nutraceutical supplementation have recently been shown to may contribute in the protection of the failing myocardium, though their place in the treatment of HF still needs to be better clarified. In this context, the ONUS-HF working group aimed to assess the optimal nutraceutical approach to HF in the early phases of the disease in order to counteract selected pathways which are imbalanced in the failing myocardium. In particular, we reviewed several of the most relevant pathophysiological and molecular changes occurring druing the early stages of myocardial dysfunction. These include mitochondrial and sarcoplasmic reticulum stress, insufficient nitric oxide (NO) release, cardiac stem cell mobilization and imbalanced regulation of metalloproteinases. Several candidates for nutraceutical supplementation in HF, such as CoQ10, grape seed extract, Olea Europea L- related antioxidants, SGLT2 inhibitors-rich apple extract and bergamot polyphenolic fraction have been assessed for their potential contribution to cardiomyocyte prottection. This approach should define the optimal approach for more targeted and successful strategies based on the use of nutraceuticals in HF to be confirmed by means of clinical trials exploring efficacy and safety of these compounds.

It is argued that if the non-unitary measurement transition, as codified by Von Neumann, is a real physical process, then the ‘probability assumption’ needed to derive the Second Law of Thermodynamics naturally enters at that point. The existence of a real, indeterministic physical process underlying the measurement transition would therefore provide an ontological basis for Boltzmann’s Stosszahlansatz and thereby explain the unidirectional increase of entropy against a backdrop of otherwise time-reversible laws. It is noted that the Transactional Interpretation (TI) of quantum mechanics provides such a physical account of the non-unitary measurement transition, and TI is brought to bear in finding a physically complete, non-ad hoc grounding for the Second Law.

Multi-chiplet technique is expected to be a promising solution to achieve high-density system integration with low power consumption and high usage ratio. This technique can be integrated with glass interposer to accomplish a competitive low fabrication cost compared with the silicon-based interposer architecture. In this study, process-oriented stress simulation is performed by the element activation and de activation technique in finite element analysis architecture. Submodeling technique is also utilized to mainly conquer the scale mismatch and difficulty in mesh gridding design. It is used as well to analyze the thermomechanical responses of glass interposer with chiplet arrangement and capped epoxy molding compound (EMC) during curing. A three-factor, three-level full factorial design is applied using the analysis of variance method to explore the significance of various structural design parameters on stress generation. Analytic results reveal that the maximum first principal stresses of 130.75 and 17.18 MPa are introduced on the sidewall of Cu-filled via and the bottom of glass interposer, respectively. Moreover, the EMC thickness and through glass via pitch are the dominant factors in the adopted vehicle. They significantly influence the stress magnitude during heating and cooling.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) plays a key role in the metabolism of glutamate, an important compound at a cross-road of carbon and nitrogen metabolism and a relevant neurotransmitter. Despite being one of the first discovered allosteric enzymes, GDH still poses challenges for structural characterization of its allosteric sites. Only the structures with ADP, and at low (3.5 Å) resolution, are available for mammalian GDH complexes with allosteric activators. Here we aim at deciphering structural basis for the GDH allosteric activation, using bovine GDH as a model. For the first time we report a mammalian GDH structure in a ternary complex with the activators leucine and ADP, co-crystallized with potassium ion. An improved 2.4 Å resolution of the GDH complex with ADP is also presented. The ternary complex with leucine and ADP differs from the binary complex with ADP by the conformation of GDH C-terminus, involved in the leucine binding and subunit interactions. The potassium site, identified in this work, may mediate interactions between the leucine and ADP binding sites. Our data provide novel insights into the mechanisms of GDH activation by leucine and ADP, linked to the enzyme regulation by (de)acetylation.

Introduction The COVID-19 virus was initially reported in Dec 2019 as the causative agent of a pneumonia breakout in Wuhan China. This virus rapidly spread from China to Europe and the East Coast of the United States eventually reaching the South West United States and indigenous tribes in mid -March. Since, then the indigenous tribes have been devasted by the virus which the Governor of New Mexico has likened as an existential threat. Methodology A PubMed search was performed utilizing the words: Navajo Indian, Indigenous Indian, Wuhan Virus, COVID-19, SARs coronavirus, ACE2, S protein, virulence, clinical presentation, epidemiology, genome, treatment, structure, MERs, pathogenesis and/or pathology alone and in combination with other terms. Each paper was evaluated by three content experts for quality, reproducibility, credibility and reputation of the journal Results: Navajo’s and other indigenous peoples may have elevated levels of ACE2 receptors in their lungs and other tissues allowing greater susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus. Increased levels of diabetes and protein nutrition are directly related to increased morbidity and mortality in this group while obesity, COPD, and heart diseas are not. The increased morbidity and mortality is exasperated by an inability to test for COVID-19 Conclusion: The infectivity rate of Navaho’s on the reservation is 22 times higher than the national average with a death rate near 4%. Comorbidites account for some of the increased morbidity and mortality while lack of access to adequate health care unnecessarily magnifies the poor outcome. The threat to indigenous tribes in the Southwest of COVID-19 is dire.

This study evaluated the potential of ERA5 reanalysis as a reference dataset for snow water equivalent (SWE) modeling in 16 Alpine basins of varying catchment sizes using the semi-distributed snow model (TOPMELT) in the Upper Adige river basin in the Eastern Italian Alps. The study aimed to identify errors in ERA5 meteorological variables and assess their impact on SWE computation from 1992 to 2019. The findings revealed that ERA5 precipitation overestimated low-intensity rainfall (drizzle problem) and underestimated high-intensity rainfall, while ERA5 temperature underestimated observations. The overestimation of low-intensity rainfall created fictitious low-intensity snowfall events, which, when combined with colder ERA5 temperature, resulted in delayed snowmelt and increased fictitious snow cover days over the study area. The Quantile Mapping (QM) technique was used to remove errors in ERA5 variables. For precipitation, a monthly correction factor accounting the calibration period (1992-2005) was considered to correct the entire period. Temperature errors were corrected individually for calibration and validation periods. The corrected ERA5 SWE simulation showed improved performance, with a decrease in fictitious snow cover days. The study also highlighted the importance of temperature correction over precipitation correction in SWE simulation, particularly for smaller basins, while considering the monthly moving mean to remove seasonality.

Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) experience REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) more frequently than healthy controls. RBD is associated with torpid disease evolution. To test the hypothesis that differential genetic signatures might contribute to the torpid disease evolution in PD patients with RBD. We compared the rate of genetic mutations in PD patients with or without probable RBD. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of PD in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database entered the study. We excluded those with missing data or a diagnosis change over the first five years from the initial PD diagnosis. Probable RBD (pRBD) was confirmed by a REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Screening Questionnaire score &gt;5 points. Logistic regression and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms were used to relate Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) in PD-related genes with pRBD. We included 330 PD patients fulfilling all inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final logistic multivariate model revealed that the following SNPs increased the risk of pRBD: GBA_N370S_rs76763715 (OR, 95% CI: 3.38, 1.45-7.93), SNCA_A53T_rs104893877 (8.21, 2.26-36.34), ANK2. CAMK2D_rs78738012 (2.12, 1.08-4.10), and ZNF184_rs9468199 (1.89, 1.08-3.33). Conversely, SNP COQ7. SYT17_rs11343 reduced pRBD risk (0.36, 0.15-0.78). The ML algorithms led to similar results. The predictive models were highly specific (95-99%) but lacked sensitivity (9-39%). We found a distinctive genetic signature for pRBD in PD. The high specificity and low sensitivity of the predictive models suggest that genetic mutations are necessary but not sufficient to develop RBD in PD. Additional investigations are needed.

Based on the theory of turbulence, equations are derived for estimations of turbulent fluctuations of the longitudinal and transverse components of the wind velocity during ideal hovering of a quadcopter in a turbulent atmosphere. We present the results of experiments which were carried out on the territory of the Geophysical Observatory of Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, located in Tomsk Akademgorodok on the territory with complex orography, in a parkland zone with buildings of research institutes and motorways. Time series of turbulent fluctuations of the longitudinal and transverse components of wind velocity fluctuations were received with the use of an automated weather station, and time series of estimates of these components, from data of a DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter during hovering. According to the automated weather station data, anisotropy was observed in one experiment during measurements in the atmosphere, but this phenomenon was not observed in the other experiment: the fluctuation spectra of all components of wind speed fluctuations coincide. The spectra of fluctuations of the longitudinal and transverse wind velocity components based on the automated weather station data and UAV telemetry are presented. The fluctuation spectra of these components for the automated weather station data and quadcopter generally coincide. The behavior of the spectra coincides with the spectrum which corresponds to Kolmogorov–Obukhov “–5/3” law within the inertial range. The turbulent spectra of the wind velocity fluctuations obtained with the use of the automatic weather station and with the unmanned aerial vehicle differ in the high-frequency spectral region.

4-component relativistic atomic and molecular calculations are typically performed within the no-pair approximation where negative-energy solutions are discarded, hence the symmetry between electronic and positronic solutions is not considered. These states are however needed in QED calculations, where furthermore charge conjugation symmetry becomes an issue. In this work we shall discuss the realization of charge conjugation symmetry of the Dirac equation in a central field within the finite basis approximation. Three schemes for basis set construction are considered: restricted, inverse and dual kinetic balance. We find that charge conjugation symmetry can be realized within the restricted and inverse kinetic balance prescriptions, but only with a special form of basis functions that does not obey the right boundary conditions of the radial wavefunctions. The dual kinetic balance prescription is on the other hand compatible with charge conjugation symmetry without restricting the form of the radial basis functions. However, since charge conjugation relates solutions of opposite value of the quantum number κ, this requires the use of basis sets chosen according to total angular momentum j rather than orbital angular momentum ` . As a special case, we consider the free-particle Dirac equation, where the solutions of opposite sign of energy are related by charge conjugation symmetry. We note that there is additional symmetry in those solutions of the same value of κ come in pairs of opposite energy.

InGaN/GaN samples grown on c-plane sapphire substrate with different In concentrations by metal organic chemical vapor deposition are demonstrated. The subsequent capping GaN layer growth opens a possibility for dislocation reduction due to the lateral strain relaxation in growth geometry. We present the further growth optimization and innovative characterization of InGaN layers overgrown on different structures with varying In concentrations. The photoelectrical and optical properties of the InGaN layers with or without capping GaN layer were investigated by time-resolved picosecond transient grating and temperature dependence photoluminescence. We note a 10-fold increase in carrier lifetime in the InGaN layers when the sample structure changes from PIN to single InGaN layer.

A radial basis function network (RBFN) method is proposed to reconstruct daily Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) with limited SST samples. For the purpose of evaluating the SSTs using this method, non-biased SST samples in the Pacific Ocean (10°N–30°N, 115°E–135°E) are selected when the tropical storm Hagibis arrived in June 2014, and these SST samples are obtained from the OISST products according to the distribution of AVHRR L2p SST and in-situ SST data. Furthermore, an improved nearest neighbor cluster (INNC) algorithm is designed to search the optimal hidden knots for RBFNs from both the SST samples and the background fields. Then the reconstructed SSTs from the RBFN method are compared with the results from the optimum interpolation (OI) method. The statistical results show that the RBFN method has a better performance of reconstructing SST than the OI method in the study, and the average RMSE is 0.48°C for the RBFN method, which is quite smaller than the value of 0.69°C for the OI method. Additionally, the RBFN methods with different basis functions and clustering algorithms are tested, and we discover that the INNC algorithm with multi-quadric function is quite suitable for the RBFN method to reconstruct SSTs when the SST samples are sparsely distributed.

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in high-enrollment, introductory classes are a 37 potentially transformative approach to retaining more students in STEM majors. We developed and piloted a CURE 38 in the introductory biology courses at the University of Washington. This CURE focuses on analyzing experimental 39 evolution of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli and generates data on two topics relevant to clinical practice: 40 compensatory mutations and cross-drug effects. By studying mutations in central cellular machinery that confer drug 41 resistance, students not only gain insight into fundamental cellular phenomena, but also recognize the molecular 42 basis of a medically important form of evolutionary change, connecting genetics, microbiology, and evolution.

The present study illustrates the strong effect of geometrical parameters on the magneto-structural properties of Co2MnSi glass-coated microwires prepared using the Taylor-Ulitovsky method. Thus, two samples with different geometrical aspect ratios (ρ= d / D) have been fabricated, where d is the metallic nuclei diameter and D is the total diameter of the Co2MnSi microwire. The XRD analysis shows a significant change by modifying the aspect ratio, for ρ = 0.46 the main peak with miller indices (220) is recognized as an A2-type disordered cubic structure. Meanwhile, in the sample with a low aspect ratio, ρ = 0.31, the perfect L21 ordered cubic structure is attained. In addition, a decrease in average grain size from 36.62 nm to 28.07 nm by increasing the aspect ratio from 0.46 to 0.31 is observed. The magnetic characterization has been done in a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields. Both of Co2MnSi samples show ferromagnetic behavior in a whole measuring temperatures range. A significant increase in coercivity and normalized reduced remanence by decreasing the aspect ratio is observed. The change in the magnetic properties is attributed to the modification in the microstructure, which is induced during the fabrication process. Such a dependence on the microstructure and magnetic properties on the ρ-ratio can be associated either with the internal stresses distribution and magnitude or with different quenching rates of microwires with different aspect ratios. The current findings demonstrate the tunability of microstructure and magnetic properties of Co2MnSi-glass-coated microwires simply, by a small modification in the geometric properties during the manufacturing process and without excreting any additional post-processing. The variation in geometric parameters of Co2MnSi glass-coated microwires allows us to tune magnetic properties and structure, which is essentially advantageous for sensing devices development.

We investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of Wolbachia pipientis strains in Aedes albopictus populations in Greece. Using a combination of PCR and Sanger sequencing techniques, we genotyped Wolbachia strains in 105 mosquitoes collected across eight different prefectures in 2021. We found a high prevalence of Wolbachia in both male (90%) and female (97%) mosquitoes. Among the infected samples, 84% had double infections with both wAlbA and wAlbB strains, while 16% had infections with only wAlbB. Our comparison of the Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) profile, employing gatB-coxA-hcpA-ftsZ-fbpA genotyping, revealed a single MLST profile for each wAlbA and wAlbB strain in Greek populations. The same MLST profiles were also reported in populations from China, Russia, and Argentina, suggesting low levels of global diversity in wAlbA and wAlbB strains. Furthermore, our results indicated a significant association between temperature and the prevalence of single infections (P = 6.498E-07), with higher temperatures correlating with an increased likelihood of single infections. Although male-bias showed a tendency towards single infections, the effect was marginally non-significant (P = 0.053). These results were confirmed using a bootstrap-with-replacement analysis approach. Overall, our findings offer novel insights into the distribution and species diversity of Wolbachia strains in Greek Ae. albopictus populations, emphasizing the importance of understanding the short-term plastic and adaptive responses of these organisms to environmental stressors and rapid climate change.

Abstract: Infertility affects around 1 in 5 couples in the world. Congenital absence of the uterus results in absolute infertility in females. Mullerian agenesis(MA) is the nondevelopment of the uterus. Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser(MRKH) syndrome is a condition of uterovaginal agenesis in the presence of normal ovaries and 46 XX Karyotype. With the advancement of re-productive techniques, having a biological offspring in women with MA is possible. The exact etiology of MA is unknown although several genes and mechanisms affect the development of Mullerian ducts. Through this systematic review of the available literature, we searched for the genetic basis of MA. The aims included identification of the genes, chromosomal locations, changes responsible for MA, and fertility options, in order to offer proper management and counseling to these women with MA. A total of 85 studies were identified through searches. Most of the studies identified multiple genes at various locations although the commonest in-volved chromosomes 1, 17, and 22. There is also conflicting evidence of the involvement of var-ious candidate genes in the studies. The etiology of MA seems to be multifactorial and complex involving multiple genes, and mechanisms including various mutations and mosaicism.

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

In this study, we describe quark confinement in terms of linear interaction potentials and solve the problem of the net spin of a proton. The three quarks in a proton are assumed to revolve around a common center, and their masses are determined assuming they are Dirac particles. On the basis of these assumptions, the magnetic moment of a proton can be derived. Moreover, the rotation of the quarks is considered, in which an electrical current induces a magnetic field. Thus, the scalar product of the magnetic moment and field describes the linear interaction potential between the quarks, and the mass of the proton can be obtained. The proton mass predicted by this physical model is consistent with experimental values, and no numerical or fitting calculations are required. Furthermore, using the newly derived spins and angular momentum of the three quarks, we derived the net spin of a proton. Additionally, we predicted the mass of a pi-meson from the same model, which agrees with the experimental values.

Process simulation represents an important tool for plant design and optimisation, either applied to well established or to newly developed processes. Suitable thermodynamic packages should be selected in order to properly describe the behaviour of reactors and unit operations and to precisely define phase equilibria. Moreover, a detailed and representative kinetic scheme should be available to predict correctly the dependence of the process on its main variables. This review points out some models and methods for kinetic analysis specifically applied to the simulation of catalytic processes, as a basis for process design and optimisation. Attention is paid also to microkinetic modelling and to the methods based on first principles, to elucidate mechanisms and calculate thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. Different case histories support the discussion. At first, we have selected two basic examples from the industrial chemistry practice, e.g. ammonia and methanol synthesis, which may be described through a relatively simple reaction pathway. Then, a more complex reaction network is deeply discussed to define the conversion of bioethanol into syngas/hydrogen or into building blocks, such as ethylene.

Consciousness pervades our daily experiences, yet it remains largely unaccounted for in contemporary physics and chemistry theories. Several existing theories, such as the Integrated Information Theory (IIT), Global Workspace Theory (GWT), Electromagnetic Field Theory (EMF Theory of Consciousness), and Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory (Orch-OR), attempt to clarify the essence of consciousness. Yet, they often encounter significant challenges. These challenges arise due to the intricate nature of our neural systems and the limitations of current measurement and computational technologies, which often prevent these theories from being rigorously mathematically described or quantitatively tested. Here we introduce a novel theory that hypothesizes consciousness as an inherent property of certain particle configurations. Specifically, when a group of particles align in a particular state, they exhibit consciousness. This relationship between particle states and conscious perceptions is governed by what we term the "universal consciousness code". And we propose a possible practical mathematical method to decipher the complex relationship between neural activities and consciousness and to test our theory using the latest artificial intelligence technologies.

Demyelinating diseases alter myelin or the coating surrounding most nerve fibers in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The grouping of human central nervous system demyelinating disorders today includes Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD) as distinct disease categories. Each disease is caused by a complex combination of genetic and environmental variables, many involving an autoimmune response. Even though these conditions are fundamentally similar, research into genetic factors, their unique clinical manifestations, and lesion pathology has helped with differential diagnosis and disease pathogenesis knowledge. This review aims to synthesize the genetic approaches that explain the differential susceptibility between these diseases, explore the overlapping clinical features, and pathological findings, discuss existing and emerging hypotheses on the etiology of demyelination, and assess recent pathogenicity studies and their implications for human demyelination. This review presents critical information from previous studies on the disease, which asks several questions to understand the gaps in research in this field.

: A strong financialtransaction is an important factor in organizational triumph and sustainability, and it is elucidated in the revised student handbook of the University that can be found on page 96 rules 1 to 5. This study assessed the registered students organizations' profile in terms of its type, registration, years of establishment, functions, and designations of student leaders and advisers. The financial practices or internal control system manages their organizational finances and the problems encountered by the student organizations and eventually proposed a manual of operation for students and youth organization's internal control system. This research used the descriptive design with the aid of questionnaire; data gathering through quota sampling from 57 student leaders and advisers of different student organizations of NEUST. Findings showed that most organizations had their constitution and by-laws but kept only as files and renewal requirements. Some provisions were not known to the officers, mostly were registered more than five years in operation; however, in terms of functions of officers and advisers, the results showed that some functions were not done by the officers who supposed to do it like the auditors who serve as treasurers also, the PRO as the record keeper and the presidents who handled finances and collections and as well as disbursements of funds. Generally, the organizations' financial activities were deemed to be "good", especially budgeting and cash receipt, due to the implementation of "no collection and no tuition fee policy". The researchers concluded that the absence of the proper internal control systems and manual of operation and lack of proper transfer of financial records from the previous sets of officers were the serious problems that should be addressed. Moreover, the student organizations' internal control system could still be improved if there is proper training and supervision in accounting operation.

Despite the successes earned in cataloguing and finding the role of the most of molecular components in living matter, the “biochemical and molecular” perspective, popular in biology, medicine and genetics, is unable to give account for crucial topics as the faculty of living systems to “feel”, to “perceive” what a given stimulus implies (means, indeed) for their survival. Condensed matter physics too, if bounded to a local, short-range, and perturbative approach, fails dramatically. This is also due to the role commonly assigned to water – actually the main constituent of living matter – deemed for long time to be merely chemical (as “solvent” or a reactant/product). Nonetheless, today many evidences show how living matter can be right conceived as a super-structured coherent water-based matrix, suggesting that the characterization of bio(electro)chemical and physical processes undertaken at molecular level in living matter, would let us unable to answer a question like this: what allows an amoeba, moreover without any neurons, to “know” to get closer to a nutrient or escape away from a toxin? I propose that to pursue such a fundamental inquiry it’s necessary an essentially relational approach, that is: to consider the living being at its grounding as the outcome of a physical history of relationships where symmetry-breakings, dissipation and coherence yield the emergence of the living state of matter, conceivable only as a time-dependent open process, and not as a portraited “body”. The effective tools to build up such an approach may be retrieved in far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics (TD), symmetry-breakings and gauge-fields theory, science of complexity, within the framework of a Quantum Field Theory. Indeed, within a field-view of matter, and of water especially, as it has been developed by a Quantum Electrodynamic (QED) description of condensed matter, it’s possible to give account for a physical basis too such an epistemologically elusive, though crucial, feature of living systems (i.e.: perception and meaning). The emerging landscape allows some important meditations about adaptation, evolution, ecodynamics, and about different conceptions of complexity and “information” in living realm. Furthermore, some neuroscientific themes like consciousness, qualia and their links to artificial intelligence could be supplied with due insights.

It is widely, but not universally, believed that the lipids of the plasma membrane are not uniformly distributed, but that "rafts'' of sphingolipids and cholesterol float in a "sea'' of unsaturated lipids. The physical origin of such heterogeneities is often attributed to a phase coexistence between the two different domains. We argue that this explanation is untenable for several reasons. Further we note that the results of recent experiments are inconsistent with this picture. However they are quite consistent with an alternate explanation, namely that the plasma membrane is an emulsion of the two kinds of regions. To show this, we briefly review a simplified version of this theory and its phase diagram. We also explicate the dependence of the predicted domain size on four physical parameters. Among them are the spontaneous curvature of the membrane and its bending modulus and surface tension. Taking values of the latter two from experiment, we obtain domain sizes for several different cell types that vary from 58 to 88 nm.

Investments in wind and solar power are driven by the aim to maximize the utilization of renewable energy (RE). This results in an increased concentration of wind farms at locations with higher average wind speeds and of solar panel installations at sites with higher average solar insolation. This is unfavourable for energy suppliers and for the overall economy when large power output fluctuations occur. Thus, when evaluating investment options for spatially distributed RE systems, it is necessary to model resource fluctuations and power output correlations between locations. In this paper, we propose a methodology for analyzing the spatial dependence, accurate modeling, and forecasting of wind power systems with special consideration to spatial dispersion of installation sites. We combine vine-copulas with the Kumaraswamy distribution to improve accuracy in forecasting wind power from spatially dispersed wind turbines and to model solar power generated at each location. We then integrate these methods to formulate an optimization model for allocating wind turbines and solar panels spatially, with an end goal of maximizing overall power generation while minimizing the variability in power output. A case study of wind and solar power systems in Central Ontario, Canada is also presented.

Glufosinate, a glutamine synthetase (GS) inhibitor, often provides variable weed control depending on environmental conditions such as light, temperature and humidity at the time of application. Midday applications normally provide improved efficacy compared to applications at dawn or dusk. We investigated the physiological, molecular, and biochemical basis for the time-of-day effect on glufosinate efficacy in Amaranthus palmeri. GS1 and GS2 gene expression and protein abundance were assessed in different parts (young leaves, old leaves, and roots) of plants incubated in the dark compared to those in the light. The turnover of GS total activity was also evaluated overtime following glufosinate treatment at midday compared to dusk application. The results suggest that GS in A. palmeri is less expressed and less abundant in the dark compared to in the light. Midday application of glufosinate under intense light conditions in the hours following application provide full control of A. palmeri plants. Consequently, these plants are unable to recover GS activity by de novo protein synthesis. Full activity of GS is required for complete inhibition by the irreversible inhibitor glufosinate. Therefore, glufosinate applications should always be performed in the middle of the day when sunlight is intense, to prevent weed escapes from the herbicide treatment.