This article presents a new input device for spastic patients and others with similar symptoms. The sensor consists of a disc used to determine positions and can replace standard joysticks in medical devices such as electric-powered wheelchairs. Using a standard joystick while operating a powered wheelchair can result in dangerous situations when spastic movements occur and extremities cramp making them uncontrollable. To avoid this, a disc was developed that can be controlled with any body part. By shifting weight (x- and y-axis) the disc can tilt in any direction creating a proportional output signal and can also be pushed down in the center (z-axis) to open a menu on a screen for example. When spasms occur it is impossible for users to get stuck on the input device because the disc is flat and can be mounted within a control panel. Body parts coming into contact with the disc would merely slide across the disc without triggering unintentional actions. The sensor presented here is also adaptive and can be adjusted to fit a user’s strength and range of motion. This proposal aims to develop an input device that enables spastic patients to operate sensitive systems safely.

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is the most common muscle disease of older people and is clinically characterized by slowly progressive asymmetrical muscle weakness, predominantly affecting quadriceps, deep finger flexors and foot extensors. At present there are no enduring treatments for this relentless disease that eventually leads to severe disability and wheelchair dependency. Although sIBM is considered a rare muscle disorder, its prevalence is certainly higher as the disease is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The histopathogical phenotype of sIBM muscle biopsy includes muscle fiber degeneration and endomysial lymphocytic infiltrates that mainly consist of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells surrounding nonnecrotic muscle fibers expressing MHCI. Muscle fiber degeneration is characterized by vacuolization and accumulation of congophilic misfolded multi-protein aggregates, mainly in their non-vacuolated cytoplasm. Many players have been identified in sIBM pathogenesis including environmental factors, autoimmunity, abnormalities of protein transcription and processing, accumulation of several toxic proteins, impairment of autophagy and ubiquitin proteasome system, oxidative and nitrative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, myonuclear degeneration, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Aging has been also proposed as a contributor to the disease. However, the interplay between these processes and the primary event that leads to the coexistence of autoimmune and degenerative changes is still under debate. Here, we outline our current understanding of disease pathogenesis, focusing on degenerative mechanisms, and discuss the possible involvement of aging.

The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between body condition score (BCS) and body carcass fat (BCF) of ewes at two key stages of the production cycle. Data were collected from 88 Coopworth ewes including BCS measurements manually evaluated by the farm manager, BCF measurements determined by computerized tomography (CT) and body parameter measurements automatically determined by an image processing application. Artificial neural network (ANN) statistical analysis method was used to develop a relationship between the body parameters and the BCF with an r2=0.96 and RMSE=1.01 using all top and side variables.

While some research supports utilizing plain radiography for measuring biomechanical alignment of the spine for prognosis and treatment, there are contrasting viewpoints regarding both the value and utilization of these procedures in conservative care. Evaluation of both conservative and non-conservative approaches to spinal care revealed vast differences in radiographic utilization and interpretation between orthopedic surgeons, primary care physicians, chiropractic physicians, and physical therapists, which may account for the different viewpoints and rationale in the literature. A research summary is provided regarding the various methods of spinal analysis utilized by these professions to help determine if there is any unique diagnostic or prognostic value associated with radiographic utilization that could assist in advancing conservative spinal assessment and treatment. Understanding any unique value provided through biomechanical assessment utilizing plain radiography of the spine established in the literature may help chiropractic physicians determine the appropriate use of radiographic procedures in clinical practice and how to coordinate efforts with other conservative and non-conservative professions to improve spinal healthcare.

The purpose of this study is to establish whether digital literacy and insurtech adoption influence insurance inclusion in Uganda. Principally, we sought to determine whether insurtech adoption mediates the nexus between digital literacy and insurance inclusion. This study adopted a cross-sectional and quantitative correlational approach. The study’s sample was 391 individuals who had used digital platforms such as mobile phones and computers to access insurance products and services in Uganda. Data were collected using structured survey questionnaires. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLSEM) was employed to test the hypothesised relationships. The results demonstrate that both digital literacy and insurtech adoption significantly and positively influence insurance inclusion. We also found digital literacy to be a significant and positive determinant of insurtech adoption. Markedly, it was found that insurtech adoption mediates the association between digital literacy and insurance inclusion in Uganda. However, this study was conducted in a developing country with an underdeveloped insurance market and with low technological advancement. This may affect generalisation of the study findings. This study’s novelty lies in establishing how digital literacy and insurtech adoption interplay to influence insurance inclusion in Uganda. This is the first study to examine the effect of digital literacy and insurtech adoption on insurance inclusion.

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs), which contained cellulose tri-acetate used as a polymer base, a plasticizer in the form of o-NPOE, and meso-tetra methyl tetrakis-[methyl-2-(4-acetlphenoxy)] calix[4]pyrrole (KP) used as a carrier, were prepared and tested for the effective purification of aqueous solutions of methylene blue dye. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) were used to define the microstructure and surface of PIMs. Experimental results showed that with the increased concentration of methylene blue in an aqueous solution, the removal percentage also increased. Further observation also showed that the flux increased with the rise of the source phase pH values from 3 to 10. The carrier and plasticizer content in the membrane significantly influenced the membrane’s transport properties. The optimal composition of the membrane in per cent by weight was for KP: 74% plasticizer; 18% support; 8% carrier. It was shown that the membrane with optimal composition showed good reusability and enabled the easy and spontaneous separation of methylene blue from aqueous solutions.

Fifty bull calves of the Continental × British crossbred (147.0 ± 1.67 kg body weight, BW) were used in a completely randomized design to investigate the effect varying levels and duration of calcium propionate (CaPr) supplementation on the growth performance, body fat reserves, serum metabolites, and hemogram of high-risk newly received stocker calves. These calves were individually housed and fed a received-diet for 56 d. The calves received the following treatments: 1) No CaPr (CTL), 2) 20 g CaPr/calf/d, 3) 40 g CaPr/calf/d, 4) 60 g CaPr/calf/d, and 5) 80 g CaPr/calf/d, during 14, 28, 42 and 56 d the after arrival. The supplementation with 20 g CaPr from 28 to 56 d after arrival increases average daily gain (ADG) and BW (p < 0.05), and DMI is not affected (p > 0.05). This is reflected at 28 d with increases (p < 0.05) in ADG:DMI ratio and longissimus muscle area (LMA), and at 56 d in back fat thickness (BFT) y fat thickness at the rump (FTR). Also, with 20 g, blood urea nitrogen decreased (p < 0.05); and increases were observed in the activity of gamma glutamyltransferase, monocytes (quadratic trend, p < 0.07) and granulocytes% (quadratic effect, p < 0.03). However, as the level of CaPr increased during the first 14 d after arrival, daily water intake, creatinine, total cholesterol, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (linear effect, p < 0.05), globulin, calcium and mean corpuscular volume (linear trend, p = 0.08) increased, while alkaline phosphatase (linear trend, p = 0.07) and lymphocytes (linear effect, p = 0.05) decreased. Finally, the different levels of CaPr supplementation did not produce any significant effects or differences (p > 0.05), in the remaining serum metabolites and hemogram (p > 0.05). Ultimately, the inclusion of 20 g CaPr/calf/d in the diet for 28 d in newly received stocker calves increases ADG, ADG:DMI ratio and LMA. If extended to 42 or 56 d, the increases in ADG persist, but there is also a rise in body fat reserves (BFT and FTR) at the expense of a reduction in ADG:DMI ratio. Furthermore, the different supplementation levels did not impact the reference range for most serum metabolites or the health of stocker calves.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is an important deciduous species in western U.S. forests. Existing maps of aspen distribution are based on Landsat imagery and often miss small stands (<0.09 ha or 30 m²), which rapidly regrow when managed or following disturbance. In this study, we present methods for deriving a new regional map of aspen forests using one year of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery in Google Earth Engine. We assessed the annual phenology of aspen in the Southern Rockies and leveraged the frequent temporal resolution of S1 and S2 to create ecologically relevant seasonal composites. Additionally, we derived spectral indices and radar textural features targeting the canopy structure, moisture, and chlorophyll content. Using spatial block cross-validation and Random Forests, we assessed the accuracy of different scenarios and selected the best performing set of features for classification. Comparisons were then made with existing landcover products across the study region. The resulting map improves on existing landcover products in both accuracy (average F1-score = 93.1%) and detection of smaller forest patches. These methods enable accurate mapping at spatial and temporal scales relevant to forest management for one of the most widely distributed tree species in North America.

The assortment of low-cost 3D printers for “in-practice” use, e.g., for clear aligner therapies, is ever increasing. To address concerns about the accuracy of orthodontic models produced on such printers when cost efficient modes of 3D printing are employed, this study examined the effect of print model body type and print angulation on accuracy. Six printing-configuration groups were included: 2 model types (solid or hollow shell) combined with 3 print angles (0°, 70°, or 90°) with 10 models/group; all models were printed with 100-µm layer thickness using a digital light processing-based 3-dimensional printer. Eleven selected structures and distances were measured on the printed models with a digital microscope and compared to the same measures on a digitized master model. The clinically-acceptability range was set at ±0.25 mm difference from the master model for single tooth measurements (intra-tooth) and ±0.5 mm for cross-arch measurements (inter-tooth). For individual measurements across all models, 98% fell within clinical acceptability. For mean measurements within each model group, only canine height for the shell-0° model had a mean difference (0.26 mm ± 0.03) outside the clinically acceptable range for intra-tooth measurements. Standard deviations for all intra-tooth measurements were within 0.07 mm. While none of the mean inter-tooth measurements exceeded the acceptability range, the standard deviations were larger (0.04 to 0.30 mm). Accuracy of orthodontic models for clear aligner therapies was not impacted beyond the clinically acceptable range when altering model body type and print angulation to improve efficiency of 3D printing. These findings suggest greater flexibility of the practitioner to alter print settings to address time and cost efficiency in various clinical scenarios and still maintain clinically acceptable model accuracy.

Urinary tract diseases are common in cats, and often require surgical reconstruction. Here, to explore the possibility of urinary tract reconstruction in cats using in-vivo tissue architecture (iBTA), biosheets fabricated using iBTA technology were implanted into the feline bladder and the regeneration process was histologically evaluated. The biosheets were prepared by embedding molds into the dorsal subcutaneous pouches of six cats for 2 months. A section of the bladder wall was removed, and the biosheets were sutured to the excision site. After 1 and 3 months of implantation, the biosheets were harvested and evaluated histologically. Implantable biosheets were formed with a success rate of 67%. There were no major complications following implantation, including tissue rejection, severe inflammation, or infection. Urinary incontinence was also not observed. Histological evaluation revealed the bladder lumen was almost entirely covered by urothelium after 1 month, with myofibroblast infiltration into the biosheets. After 3 months, the urothelium became multilayered, and mature myocytes and nerve fibers were observed at the implantation site. In conclusion, this study showed that tissue reconstruction using iBTA can be applied to cats, and that biosheets have the potential to be useful in both the structural and functional regeneration of the feline urinary tract.

The diversity and inclusion discussion permeates many sectors of society. Within this dialogue, science and scientists are acutely aware of the value of diversity and the need for inclusion. While demographic diversity in science has received considerable recent attention, very little research and understanding exists on inclusion. Our study presents empirical data on the meaning of inclusion using a crowdsourcing approach that sought responses to the question “What does inclusion mean to you?”. The most prominent concepts were those of empathy, warmth, support, love, acceptance and curiosity; diverse perspectives; and participation. We clustered conceptual elements of inclusion into four themes: access and participation, embracing diverse perspectives, a welcome environment, and team belonging. On the basis of these data, we theorize a conceptual framework model from which inclusion may be put into practice. Our model suggests a dynamic process of inclusion operating from principal structural elements of 1) a foundation that involves place, access and participation, and space; 2) reciprocal engagement as an engine for inclusion; and 3) expression of inclusion as culture. The framework model demonstrates a means by which the practice of diversity can be more than shifts in demographic statistics, and instead promote the full expression of benefits derived when the many dimensions of diversity are truly included.

Novel genetic risk markers have helped to advance the field of cardiovascular epidemiology and refine our current understanding and risk stratification paradigms. Discovery and analysis of variants can help to tailor prognostication and management. However, populations underrepresented in cardiovascular epidemiology and cardiogenetics research may experience inequities in care if prediction tools are not applicable to them clinically. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to outline the barriers that underrepresented populations can face in participating in genetics research, describe current efforts to diversify cardiogenetics research, and outline strategies that researchers in cardiovascular epidemiology can implement to include underrepresented populations. Mistrust, a lack of diverse research teams, improper use of sensitive biodata, and constraints of genetic analyses are all barriers for including diverse populations in genetics studies. Current work is beginning to address the paucity of ethnically diverse genetics research and has already begun to shed light on the potential benefits of including underrepresented and diverse populations. Reducing barriers for individuals, utilizing community-driven research processes, adopting novel recruitment strategies, and pushing for organizational support for diverse genetics research are key steps that clinicians and researchers can take to develop equitable risk stratification tools and improve patient care.

This article aims to delve into the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) issues prevalent in the engineering disciplines in Canada and Spain, shedding light on the common obstacles faced by underrepresented individuals and highlighting potential strategies to foster a more inclusive and diverse engineering community in these nations. Two strategic lines have been identified: (a) facilitating university education access to underrepresented and minority groups, and (b) Accompanying and guiding such students during university training, setting them up for successful future careers. The article also shows the sets of strategies employed in Canada and Spain, clearly distinguishing the approach taken in the two countries. While in Canada, there is a more decentralized approach wherein the universities device their strategies and agenda to address EDI issues, in Spain there is a stronger and direct involvement of the government to ensure a comprehensive, system-wide approach to tackling EDI issues in academia.

(1) Background: Grapes and their associated by-products (as grape pomace, GP) stand out for their polyphenol content, which makes them a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacity. The aim of this research was to determine if the inclusion of 50 g/kg of GP in the diet of hens could enrich egg with antioxidants and to study its effect on internal and external egg quality parameters. (2) Methods: A trial was conducted with two genetic lines of hens, which were fed either a control diet or a diet containing 50 g/kg of GP. Performance, internal and external egg quality, and egg yolk content of vitamins E and A, and gallic acid were determined; (3) Results: In eggs laid by hens fed GP diet, Haugh units and yolk colour score were enhanced, and eggshell became thinner, but without affecting the breaking strength. No dietary effect was observed on vitamin contents in yolk. Higher gallic acid content was observed in yolk of eggs laid by hens fed the GP diet, suggesting that some dietary phenolic compounds could be transferred to the eggs. Hen genetics influenced egg weight, albumen Haugh units, shell thickness and α- and γ-tocopherol concentration in yolks; (4) Conclusions: Dietary inclusion of GP improved the internal quality of eggs, enriching yolks with a phenolic compound, but reduced shell thickness.

Background: The effect of COVID-19 infection, versus the indirect effect of the pandemic on body composition remains unclear. This study investigates long-term changes in body composition in COVID–19 survivors compared to a contemporary control group. Method: This is a prospective study involving adults who had a pre-pandemic whole-body DXA scan (DXA#1) performed between 2017 and 2019. Participants were asked to return for a repeat whole-body DXA scan (DXA#2) after the pandemic. Detailed data were collected including medical and COVID history. Inflammation markers and fasting lipids were measured. For those participants who had a COVID-19 infection between the 2 DXAs, DXA#2 was acquired at least one year after COVID-19 infection. Results: Overall, 160 adults were enrolled; 32.5% females, 51.8% non-white, with mean age of 43.2 years. Half (n=80) of the participants had documented COVID infection between their 2 DXA scans (COVID+ group), and the other half never had COVID. COVID-negative participants had an increase in annualized trunk fat (g) [922.5 vs. 159.7; P=0.01], total fat (g) [1564.3 vs. 199.9; P=0.2], and LBM (g) [974.9 vs. -64.5; P=0.0002], when compared to COVID+ group. However, among the COVID+ group, no differences were seen in annualized trunk fat, total fat mass, or LBM between those with PASC and without (p>0.05). Conclusion: During the pandemic, both COVID-19-survivors and COVID-negative groups exhibited increases in weight, and total and trunk fat, likely associated with pandemic-linked lifestyle modifications. However, only COVID-19-survivors had a decline in lean body mass over the same period, regardless of PASC symptoms.

Suicide is a public health problem influenced by a variety of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Recognizing the warning signs at each stage is crucial for prevention and helping those at risk. In this context, body awareness, especially interoceptive body awareness, emerges as a potentially relevant and underexplored factor. In this study, binary logistic regression and linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between interoceptive body awareness and suicidal orientation in Colombian university students. In addition, the bootstrap technique was used to resample and estimate the distribution of the data. The results support the idea that greater interoceptive awareness may protect against suicidal orientation by improving emotional regulation. An inverse relationship was found between interoceptive awareness and suicidal ideation. These findings are consistent with previous literature on the importance of body awareness for emotional well-being. Further longitudinal research is needed to explore this relationship in depth.

In this study, we aim to evaluate how cyclodextrin molecules affect the hydrophilicity and selec-tivity of PVDF membrane. Herein, we prepared PVDF-PVP(1-x) β-CDx membranes, with x rang-ing from 0 to 1 wt%. The membranes were deeply characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR), Raman spectroscopies, Thermal gravimet-ric analysis (TGA), Contact angle measurement (CA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The study unequivocally demonstrates the effectiveness of the addition of β-CD molecules on membranes' structural, morphological, and dielectric properties. Adding 0.25wt% β-CD enhanced hydrophilicity, with CA decreasing from 72.6° to 56° and roughness decreasing from 81 to 29 nm. The PVDF-PVP(1-x) β-CDx membranes were then fully characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to determine their dielectric properties, which clearly showed that the presence of β-CD induced polarization of the mem-brane. The separation of various dyes with different sizes and charges was utilized. These dyes included methylene blue (MB, positive, 0.504 nm), methyl red (MR, neutral, 0.487 nm), rose Bengal (RB, negative, 0.588 nm), and brilliant blue (BB, negative, 0.798 nm). Based on our re-search, we found that the membrane's selectivity is determined by both exclusion factors (such as size and dielectric properties) and inclusion inside the β-CD cage. We found that using alpha-CD instead of beta-CD led to the disappearance of dye inclusion. These findings strongly sug-gest that β-CD molecules can be a viable solution for dye removal from wastewater.

Despite the recognized influence of maximum or acceleration strength on combat techniques and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, the relationship between body segment weights and combat techniques remains unexplored. This study aimed to examine the impact of body segment weights, including striking arm weight (SAW), kicking leg weight (KLW), and trunk weight (TW), on the dynamics of direct punches (DP), palm strikes (PS), elbow strikes (ES), front kicks (FK), and CMJ performance. Sixteen male military cadets (22.3±1.8 years, 181.4±7.0 cm, 83.0±8.1 kg) performed combat techniques, with performance measured by using a force plate and body segment weights assessed by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Spearman's correlation analysis was applied. Results indicated a strong correlation between KLW and FK impulse (r = 0.64, p ≤ 0.01) and CMJ impact force (r = 0.80, p ≤ 0.01). SAW showed moderate correlations with DP impulse (r = 0.53, p ≤ 0.05) and ES impulse (r = 0.54, p ≤ 0.05). Additionally, FK peak and impact forces were strongly correlated with CMJ jump height (r = 0.74, p ≤ 0.01; r = 0.77, p ≤ 0.01), and FK peak force moderately correlated with CMJ peak velocity (r = 0.63, p ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest targeted arm strength training could enhance striking abilities, while improvements in leg acceleration strength may directly boost kicking performance and vertical jump capabilities, which are crucial in combat scenarios.

We seek to examine effective collaboration when engaging in value cocreation with the customer for mobile financial services in EMs. Our study is a motivation for multi-stakeholder engagement in value cocreation with financial inclusion of all consumers including marginalized populations. Furthermore, our work discovers that social sustainability is a product of social creativity and results in financial inclusion. We apply a qualitative descriptive methodology utilizing exemplars from extant research and phenomenology to analyze the data from the contexts of Ghana and Kenya. The results show that value is co-created for mobile financial services in networks in emerging markets when actors integrate resources for social and environmental sustainability as essential elements for mobile financial inclusion.

Cells that experience high levels of oxidative stress respond with the induction of antioxidant proteins through the activation of the transcription factor Nrf2. Nrf2 is negatively regulated by Keap1 which binds to Nrf2 to facilitate its ubiquitination and ensuing proteasomal degradation under basal conditions. Here, we study protein folding and misfolding in Nrf2 and Keap1 in yeast, mammalian cells, and purified proteins under oxidative stress conditions. Both Nrf2 and Keap1 are susceptible to protein misfolding and inclusion formation upon oxidative stress. We propose that the intrinsically disordered regions within Nrf2 and the high cysteine content of Keap1 contribute to their oxidation and the ensuing misfolding. Our work reveals previously unexplored aspects of Nrf2 and Keap1 regulation and dysregulation by oxidation-induced protein misfolding.

Vaccines decrease morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, their benefits depend on public response. During COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy and refusal were rampant, threatening public health. A thorough understand-ing of opponents' arguments is required to address the diffusion of unreliable information on social media and prevent vaccine hesitancy from developing into vaccine refusal. Accordingly, the article examines vac-cine opponents' justifications on social media. Textual content analysis of reader comments on three health-related Israeli Facebook pages was conducted. Data collection encompassed the Israeli COVID-19 vaccination period from October 2020 to May 2022. The comments were analyzed according to the health beliefs model (HBM). We found that vaccine opponents were characterized by low perceptions of the severity of the disease combined with high perceptions of the damages of the vaccine; low perceived benefits of vac-cine compliance; vaccine hesitancy and fear along with public distrust as barriers to change; and call for ac-tion to resist the vaccine and spread related anti-establishment views on the web. As vaccination hesitancy was found to develop into public distrust in the state systems and escalate into conspiracy beliefs and an-ti-vaccination activism, its early detection may prevent future vaccine resistance.

(1) The purpose of this study was to compare the percentages of quarterly change for each of the variables analysed (height, weight, body fat percentage and muscle mass) as a function of the quarter in a sample of adolescent football players. (2) The sample consisted of young male football players of different categories belonging to a high-performance football academy, (more than 5 years in football and have spent 1 full year at the academy). (3) Two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed for the anthropometric variable, P_value

The anthropometric features offer an overall image of the nutritional status. The investigated groups were aged 19 and 21. The anthropometric measurements of height and weight were recorded following standard procedures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the harmonious body development, the nutrition status and the body composition. The evolution of the stature increases until 20 years after which stagnation follows. The body mass index of subjects was found to be normal. The body fat may vary over time in subjects depending on age and gender. Body water and body muscle mass content increased with age. The harmony of body development was assessed by means of the Amar index. Regarding the constitutional index, the women subjects belong to the leptosome type and the male subjects belong to the picnic type. The status of the investigated subjects is within the average stature.

Major (exo)planetary and satellite bodies seem to concentrate at intermediate areas of the radial 1 distributions of all the objects orbiting in each (sub)system. We show that angular-momentum transport during secular evolution of (exo)planets and satellites necessarily results in the observed intermediate accumulation of the massive objects. We quantify the ‘middle’ as the mean of mean motions (orbital angular velocities) when three or more massive objects are involved. Radial evolution of the orbits is expected to be halted when the survivors settle near mean-motion resonances and angular-momentum transfer between them ceases (gravitational Landau damping). This dynamical behavior is opposite in direction to what has been theorized for viscous and magnetized accretion disks, in which gas spreads out and away from either side of any conceivable intermediate area. We present angular momentum transfer simulations in few-body systems, and we calculate the tidal dissipation timescales and the physical properties of the mean tidal field in planetary and satellite (sub)systems.

Globally, large numbers of adults remain unbanked and most of them live in rural areas of the Third World. The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how inequalities in accessing financial services continue to affect us. However, financial inclusion has emerged as an effective tool to tackle socioeconomic ills and drive economic development. In fact, due to these modern technological developments, the number of studies in this area is very limited, especially in the context of developing economies. This study examines the impacts of migrant remittances on digital financial inclusion within households using the Migration and Remittance Household Survey in Bangladesh. To meet the research objectives of this study, a household survey was conducted and interviewed 2,165 households in 2022-2023 in Bangladesh. This study finds that the coefficient of remittance has a positive relationship with the probability of using mobile banking for a household's financial transactions. However, the use of ATM cards by households for financial transactions has not been significantly affected. The article concludes that remittance flows may enhance access to and use of digital financial inclusion by reducing some of the barriers and costs in Bangladesh, which can greatly contribute to the country's economic growth by creating and increasing a strong fund for investment.

The significance of arts incorporated with culture inclusion makes the arts a matter of pressing interest. The arts are vital elements of a healthy society that benefits the nations even in difficult social and economic times. Based on the previous studies this research was conducted for the first time in Pakistan to explore the historical background of public art correlated with cultural and religious ethics. Though, Pakistan has a rich cultural history yet the role of modern public art is new and often used unintentionally. Our findings of different surveys conducted in Pakistan including oldest cities such as Lahore, Peshawar and newly developed, the capital city, Islamabad concluded that Public art has a rich cultural and historical background and the local community are enthusiastically connected to it. Different community groups prefer different types of public art in their surroundings depends on the city’s profile, cultural background, and religious mindset of the local community. Overall, the sculptures and depiction of animated beings are not considering right and debatable among the Pakistani societies. On the other hand, the cultural and historical monuments are highly appreciated and welcomed by the local community of Pakistan. This study may create scope for future estimation and development of public art in Pakistan in association with Islamic laws and cultural norms of the local society.

Older adults with obesity have an increased risk for cognitive decline and subsequent Alzheimer’s disease. Previous research has focused on the impact of individual nutrients and overall dietary patterns to improve cognitive function. The Brain and Body Health (BB-Health) study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a multicomponent nutritional supplement (MCNS) and weight loss (WL) intervention for individuals with overweight and obesity who are not consuming a healthy diet. BB-Health is a parallel-group randomized placebo-controlled 2x2 factorial pilot trial comparing the MCNS, WL, and MCNS+WL with a Control group. Eligible participants are 55 to 85 years of age with a body mass index 27.0 to 39.9 kg/m2. Major exclusion criteria include type 2 diabetes, moderate or severe cognitive impairment, and self-reported healthy dietary pattern. The BB-Health feasibility trial is registered as NCT05542199 at clinicaltrials.gov. The BB-Health objectives are to report: 1) recruitment and enrollment, including pace and descriptive statistics of the study sample; 2) adherence to the administered interventions; 3) successful data collection and performance of outcome assessments, including evaluation of change in key outcomes over time that are powered for this pilot study; and 4) summary statistics on outcomes for use in planning a subsequent, larger trial. The outcomes of interest are age-sensitive cognitive assessments, cerebral hemodynamics, and related health parameters. All measurements are collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month visits. If the BB-Health protocol demonstrates feasibility, the novel MCNS with and without a parallel WL intervention has potential to be administered in a confirmatory randomized trial to evaluate ability to prevent age-related cognitive decline and improve brain health. The BB-Health Feasibility Study could significantly contribute to our understanding of the influence of diet and weight management on cognitive health

In this paper, corticosteroid–β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion complexes have been prepared by Supercritical AntiSolvent (SAS) precipitation to enhance the dissolution rate of dexamethasone (DEX) and prednisolone (PRED), which are poorly water-soluble drugs. The processing of the active principles in the absence of a carrier led to the almost complete extraction of the active principle (the small amount of obtained material precipitates in the form of crystals). The coprecipitation of the ingredients in the presence of β-CD was investigated at different concentrations, pressures, and molar ratios. For both the corticosteroids, the optimized operating conditions were 40 °C, 120 bar, an equimolar ratio, and a concentration in DMSO of 20 mg/mL; these conditions led to the attainment of microparticles with a mean diameter equal to 0.197±0.180 μm and 0.131±0.070 μm in the case of DEX and PRED, respectively. The Job’s method confirmed the formation of inclusion complexes in correspondence with the 1/1 mol/mol ratio. Compared to the pure ingredients, the obtained powders have an improved release rate, which is about 3 times faster in both cases.

This study explores the impact of financial inclusions on financial resilience. In doing so, we utilize the World Bank’s data on global financial inclusions. Our study confirms that the respondents with financial accounts are more resilient than those without accounts. The chances of being financially resilient are around 1.4 times higher for the account holders than their counterparts. We find a significant relationship between gender and financial resilience; males are 1.4 times more resilient than females when other covariates are considered in the regression model.

This purpose was to compare the ability of body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI) with waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body adiposity index (BAI) to predict metabolic risk. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 17,360 Chinese subjects (were aged 18-95 years old) who escaped cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes. Biochemical and anthropometric variables were measured by trained staff. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and optimal cutoff values of obesity indices were recruited to compare the predictive ability for metabolic risk factors. The mean age of subjects was 53.7(13.1) years, 41.6 % were males. Within young group (<60 years), the areas under the curve (AUC) demonstrated that WC, BMI, WHR, WHtR and BRI were able to similarly predict high metabolic risk in males (0.74 vs. 0.74 vs. 0.73 vs. 0.73 vs. 0.73) and in females (0.73 vs. 0.73 vs. 0.71 vs. 0.73 vs. 0.73), while the approximate predictive ability were only acquired in males (0.73 vs. 0.73 vs. 0.70 vs. 0.73 vs. 0.73) within elder group (≥60 years). The optimal cut-off values of BRI for high metabolic risk were calculated in males (<60 y: 3.49 vs. ≥60 y: 3.46) and females (<60 y: 3.47 vs. ≥60 y: 3.60). Meanwhile, BRI displayed a strong prediction to elevated BP and elevated TG in males (AUC = 0.64; AUC = 0.70) and to elevated BP, elevated TG and elevated SUA in females (AUC = 0.67; AUC = 0.69; AUC =0.70). BRI was able to similarly predict high metabolic risk compared to WC, BMI, WHR, WHtR and BAI, while ABSI was not. Moreover, BRI revealed specific predictive ability for elevated BP, elevated TG and elevated SUA.

In recent years, the digital economy has played an increasingly important role in enhancing productivity, fostering growth, and facilitating the emergence of digital banking. With the widespread adoption of digital financial services for financial inclusion, the banking sector is experiencing a demand for digital transformation. It is important to note that despite the many advantages of this change, it also disrupts the familiar banking experience that customers have grown to expect, as well as introducing potential risks to maintaining customer protection at previous levels. Many critics have raised concerns regarding customer protection and potential exposure to various risks that may arise from digital financial services, which may result in both financial and non-financial losses. These risks can impact customer retention as dissatisfied customers may switch to alternative service providers. Additionally, reputation can be affected since merely offering digital financial services may not sufficiently safeguard customers. To remain competitive, financial institutions must deliver a secure experience that aligns with customer expectations while considering economic factors and societal needs. This is why it is essential to comprehend the severity of the risk factors that influence the protection of customers in the realm of digitalized banking services and products. In this study, five factors have been identified that influence customer protection when using digital financial services in Pakistan. Based on the analysis conducted using SmartPLS, it appears that all the factors proposed in this study have a significant and positive impact on the protection of customers. In particular, the information provided remains of paramount importance when it comes to determining the level of protection that a customer is entitled to within digital financial services, followed by responsiveness, privacy, authentication, and encryption mechanisms. Due to these findings, the implementation of enhanced information security management principles becomes imperative for the development and progress of the Pakistani digital banking industry.

It has been observed that most adult citizens, globally, are not enjoying financial services. They are financially excluded, especially rural dwellers. Monetary authorities initiated financial inclusion, with the aim of including all adult population who are excluded from financial services into the financial system at an affordable cost to meet their basic needs. Studies have shown that it encourages household savings and affects growth positively. Central Bank of Nigeria initiated financial inclusion in 2012 and commenced implementation in 2014. Given the short period of its implementation, this study ascertained the effect on economic growth in Nigeria. The study used time series data ranging from 2004 to 2021. The study covered the pre-inclusion period, through its implementation period. Ordinary Least Square technique was adopted for data estimation. Preliminary and post-estimation tests were also conducted. Despite the short period of the implementation of financial inclusion strategy, the OLS result affirmed that it positively affects economic growth. It was concluded that financial inclusion is a growth driver. It was recommended that Central Bank of Nigeria, in collaboration with commercial banks and microfinance banks, continue to enforce inclusion exercise in all rural communities, ensuring that women, youths, farmers, traders in the informal sector, are captured by the financial system. Also, Central Bank Nigeria should set up financial inclusion compliance committee at the Local Government levels, with a State Monitoring unit to ensure compliance.

Iloperidone (ILO) is a second-generation antipsychotic drug and a first-line treatment approved by USFDA in May 2009. Iloperidone belongs to Biopharmaceutical Classification Systems (BCS) class II; thus, it is poorly water-soluble, highly permeable, and has pH-dependent solubility. Cyclodextrins and their derivatives have a wide range of applications in different formulations due to their complexation ability, which improves the solubility, stability, safety, and bioavailability of a drug. We have tried the complexation of iloperidone with sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SEβCD) to improve its solubility and dissolution. Complexation was done by the kneading method. The characterization of the SEβCD complexes with Iloperidone was done by FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), saturation solubility, etc. A multimedia dissolution of the complex was carried out and compared with the plain drug. A significant improvement in drug release was found from SEβCD complexes in all media when compared with the drug alone.

Advancement in biotechnology and genomics research have promoted access to DNA markers and their use in breeding programs. Genome-wide association study (GWAS), Genomic selection (GS) and Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) are some of the applications of DNA markers in plant breeding. Researchers have suggested combining these individual applications for better selection accuracies. This study examines the potential advantages of incorporating GWAS-results into MAS and GS as well as the validity of the different methods for combining these approaches. From this study, it was concluded that number of QTNs have greater effects on prediction accuracies compared to heritability estimates. Also, the increase in prediction accuracy from the invalid method of incorporating GWAS results into GS and MAS model is similar to results recorded with using the valid approach. However, greater difference may be observed in another scenario which can lead to spurious results when used to make breeding decisions.

Farmers are continually looking for new reliable, objective and non-invasive methods for evaluation of ewe condition. Live weight (LW) and body condition score (BCS) are used by farmers as a basis to determine the condition of the animal. Body composition is an important aspect of monitoring animal condition. The body composition is the amount of fat, lean and bone; knowing the amount of each is important because the information can be used for better strategic management interventions. Experiments were conducted to establish the relationship between body composition and body parameters, at key life’s stages (weaning and pre-mating), using measurements automatically determined by an image processing ap-plication at Lincoln University sheep farm for 88 Coopworth ewes. Computerized Tomography technology was used to develop relationship with body parameters and a subset was used to validate the predicted model. Multivariate linear regression (MLR), artificial neural network (ANNs) and regression tree (RT) statistical analysis methods were evaluated to determine their efficacy to predict body fat, lean and bone. The results showed a correlation between fat, lean and bone determined by CT and the fat, lean, bone weight estimated by live weight and body parameters calculated using the image processing application with R2 values of 0.90 for fat, 0.72 for lean and 0.50 for bone using ANNs statistical model. From these results, farmers can utilize accurate measures of fat which will enhance nutritional and management practices.

The incidence of obesity which leads to insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic disorder increases in developing countries including Indonesia. Male adult has higher risk to have abdominal obesity than female which is associated with cardiometabolic disorders. Several anthropometric measurements have been proposed to predict IR. The aim of this study was to investigate whether body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BF) or visceral fat percentage (VF) could become a better predictor of IR in healthy young male adult. Total of 140 healthy young male adults ranging from 18-25 years were recruited in the study. Insulin resistance was measured by calculating Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Subjects with HOMA-IR value >75th percentile with cut off 3.75 were defined as IR. Anthropometric measurements included body weight, BMI, WC were performed whereas BF and VC were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). IR had significant strong correlation with body weight, BMI, WC, BF and VF. The area under curve of body mass, BF, VF were greater than WC and BMI. Anthropometric measurements correlated strongly with IR but body weight, BF, VF have stronger correlation than WC and BMI in healthy young male adult.

This study aims to investigate the impact of body heat loss on the thermal and aerodynamic conditions in a whole-body cryotherapy chamber. The underlying hypothesis is that the heat generated by the human body alters the thermal and aerodynamic environment inside the cabin. A numerical study was conducted to test this hypothesis to analyze the thermodynamic exchanges between the human body and the cabin during a 3-minute whole-body cryotherapy session. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was used to study the unsteady heat transfer between the human body and the interior of the cryotherapy cabin. A thermal boundary condition, based on a mathematical model developed from experimental data, was applied to simulate skin cooling kinetics over time. The post-processing of the 3D results, including temperature, velocity fields, and thermal flux maps at the body surface, provided insight into the thermo-convective mechanisms involved in a whole-body cryotherapy session. The study found that body heat loss significantly affects the temperature fields inside the cabin, leading to global modifications of the aeraulic and thermal conditions. These findings suggest that cryotherapy protocols may need to be adjusted or the cabin set temperature optimized to enhance the therapeutic benefits.

Ecology is working to face its colonial roots and institutional inequities. As we build more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) institutions we must work to support new ecologists by empowering them with the knowledge and tools to succeed. Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are critical for a student’s professional and interpersonal skill development and key for recruiting more diverse groups of students to ecology. Here, we highlight DEI dimensions of a URE in ecology, acknowledge safety considerations for field ecology, including harassment and assault, and provide tools to support the URE. This is written primarily for all URE students and secondarily for their advisors. We welcome students from underrepresented groups and encourage allyship from students from non-underrepresented groups. After reading this paper, we hope that all students feel more confident and excited about their URE and that advisors see how to improve DEI in their lab.

Antibiotics have become a widely used drug classes worldwide. Its indiscriminate use in the clini-cal-hospital environment ended up causing antibiotic-resistance genes. Pharmaceutical technology is an essential ally for new formulation development in the antibacterial field. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are ap-proaches that can potentially improve the effectiveness of antibacterial drugs. Thus, this study aimed to review experimental models using CDs as inclusion complexes to improve antibacterial drugs’ physi-cochemical characteristics and biological activities. The review was carried out using the three online journals database PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, limited to Medical Subjects Headings Index. The search protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework database. The following terms and their com-binations were used: cyclodextrins and antibacterial agents in title or abstract, and a total of 1580 studies were identified in a period up to October 2022. Finally, 27 articles were selected for discussion in this review. The biological results reveal that the antibacterial effect of the compounds, complexed with CDs, was extensively improved when compared to the free drugs. CDs can improve the therapeutic effects of antibiotics, already existing on the market, natural products, and synthetic molecules. Therefore, these inclusion complexes using CDs increase the new pharmaceutical products development for clinical ap-plication.

The financial inclusion, including all the people with the finance, is very concerned issue all over the world where Bangladesh is also trying to include all the people with the finance. Bangladesh lies in such a group of countries where only 17.6% - 38.6% adults are presently under the reach of the formal financial services. This is because the present banks and other formal financial modes consider the outcome and profitability in a way that, the rural and non-developed areas are always out of the consideration. But these areas consist of the most population of Bangladesh. And only then financial inclusiveness will be successful in Bangladesh when people from these regions will be under formal financial consideration. The paper seeks for a solution to the issue and presents the Unit Banking System as a probable way towards financial inclusion. For implementing the system in Bangladesh, the system needs a slight modification to cope in Bangladeshi economic condition and address the specific needs without hampering the surroundings. Considering all these, the paper shows the status, problems and key points of financial scenario of inclusion in Bangladesh and shows policy for a Modified Unit banking System.

Throughout the eukaryotic tree of life, amoeboid organisms have evolved that aggregate upon starvation and form multicellular fruiting bodies, consisting of a ball of spores atop a stalk. This chapter discusses the remarkable convergent evolution of a stalked fruiting body in these different taxa. It then discusses a well-studied group of aggregative fruiters, the cellular slime molds, in more detail. These organisms exhibit substantial variation in their stalk formation and composition, which allows a better understanding of the evolution, maintenance and possible functions of stalked fruiting bodies, but also points to potential costs and benefits of different types of stalks.

The Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RGNEF) protein encoded by the ARHGEF28 gene has been implicated in the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Biochemical and pathological studies have shown that RGNEF is a component of the hallmark neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions in ALS-affected neurons. Additionally, a heterozygous mutation in ARHGEF28 has been identified in a number of familial ALS (fALS) cases that may give rise to one of two truncated variants of the protein. Little is known about the normal biological function of RGNEF or how it contributes to ALS pathogenesis. To further explore RGNEF biology we have established and characterized a yeast model and characterized RGNEF expression in several mammalian cell lines. We demonstrate that RGNEF is toxic when overexpressed and forms inclusions. We also found that the fALS-associated mutation in ARGHEF28 gives rise to an inclusion-forming and toxic protein. Additionally, through unbiased screening using the split-ubiquitin system, we have identified RGNEF interacting proteins, including two ALS-associated proteins. Functional characterization of other RGNEF interactors identified in our screen suggest that RGNEF functions as a microtubule regulator. Our findings indicate that RGNEF misfolding and toxicity may cause impairment of the microtubule network and contribute to ALS pathogenesis.

The agricultural sector, even though it has been greatly reduced and is in constant transformation, continues to be of strategic importance. Although it does not represent a quantitatively relevant employment sector, the dynamics are interesting because they reflect the structural, economic and social transformations that are affecting the sector in recent years; there is a growing need for external labour that corresponds to a massive recourse of foreigners to work. Innovative approaches are required to explore the capacity of social farming to create a sustainable and inclusive workplace for migrant. The overall methodological approach of the paper seeks to synthesize fieldwork research and qualitative interviewing to validate the Italian inclusive model. To do this, we have selected four experiences of Italian social agriculture in which migrants are included.

Background and Objective: Although whole body-electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) has been shown to favorably improve body composition in several research studies, it has not been confirmed how it affects adipose tissue-derived biomarkers and circumferences of the abdomen and thighs. Materials and Methods: Twenty participants of obese elderly women were randomly classified into an EMS group (EMSG; n = 10) or a non-EMS group (CON; n = 10). The WB-EMS suits used in this study enabled the simultaneous activation of 8 muscle groups with selectable intensities for each phase. Stimulation frequency was selected at 85 Hz, impulse-width at 350 μ seconds, and impulse-rise as a rectangular application. Impulse duration was 6 seconds with a 4-second break between impulses. The EMS sessions were combined with aerobic dancing 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Both groups received the same program; however, the CON did not receive electrical stimuli. Biomarkers and body composition including circumferences of the abdomen and thighs were measured on Week 0 and Week 12. Results: Compared with the CON, 1) a significant effect of the EMS-intervention concerning decreased body weight (p = 0.032) and increased basal metabolic rate (p = 0.029) were evident. The thigh subcutaneous fat and total fat of EMSG were not significantly changed, but those of CON were significantly increased after 12 weeks. 2) The biomarkers of CON either increased or showed no change, although the interleukin (IL)-6 was significantly (p = 0.028) decreased in EMSG. Specifically, C-reactive protein (CRP; p = 0.005) and alpha-fetoprotein (p = 0.050) of CON were significantly increased after 12 weeks. In addition, the IL-6 (p = 0.034), CRP (p = 0.001), carcinoembryonic antigen (p = 0.017), and low density lipoprotein (p = 0.005) of EMSG were lower than those of CON in the end of experiment. 3) Conclusions: The results indicate that EMS intervention improved body composition and reduced negative biomarkers, thus highlighting its effectiveness.

Leukemia, characterized by abnormal blood cell proliferation, remains a significant challenge in cancer treatment. Thymoquinone (TQ), a bioactive compound derived from black seed, has demonstrated anticancer properties, including telomerase inhibition and induction of apoptosis. However, TQ's poor solubility and limited bioavailability hinder its clinical application. This study explores the use of SBE-β-CD, a cyclodextrin derivative, to enhance the solubility and stability of TQ for leukemia treatment. SBE-β-CD offers low hemolytic activity and has been successfully employed in controlled drug release systems. The study investigates the formation of inclusion complexes between TQ and SBE-β-CD and assesses their effects on leukemia cell growth. Results indicate that the TQ/SBE-β-CD complex exhibits improved solubility and enhanced cytotoxic effects compared to TQ alone, suggesting the potential of SBE-β-CD as a drug delivery system for TQ. Annexin V-FITC tests demonstrate increased apoptosis and reduced telomerase activity in leukemia cells treated with TQ/SBE-β-CD, supporting its anti-leukemic potential. Molecular docking analysis reveals a strong binding affinity between TQ and telomerase. However, further research is needed to optimize the apoptotic effects and minimize necrosis induction. In conclusion, TQ/SBE-β-CD shows promise as a novel strategy for leukemia treatment by targeting telomerase and enhancing the cytotoxic effects of TQ, offering a potential solution to overcome the limitations of TQ's poor solubility and bioavailability.

The increasing demand for higher inclusion cleanliness levels motivates the control over the formation and evolution of inclusions in the steel production process. In this work, the evolution of the chemical composition and size distribution of inclusions throughout a slab production process of Al-killed steel, including ladle furnace (LF) treatment and continuous casting (CC), was followed. The initial solid Al2O3 and Al2O3-MgO inclusions were modified to liquid Al2O3-CaO-MgO inclusions during LF treatment. The evolution of the size distributions during LF treatment was associated with the growth and removal of inclusions, as new inclusions were not created after the deoxidation process, according to a population density function (PDF) analysis. Additionally, the size distributions tended to be similar as the LF treatment progressed regardless of their initial features, whereas they differed during CC. Analysis of the upper tails of the distributions through generalized extreme values theory showed that inclusion distributions shifted from larger to smaller sizes as the process progressed. There were great changes in the distributions of large inclusions throughout the LF treatment and between the end of the LF treatment and the start of the CC process. Additionally, distributions of large inclusions differed at the end of the LF treatment, whereas such differences decreased as CC progressed.

The monitoring of maternal and child health, using wearable devices made with wireless sensor technologies, is expected to reduce maternal and child death rates. Wireless sensor technologies have been used in wireless sensor networks to enable the acquisition of data for monitoring machines, smart cities, transportation, asset tracking, and tracking of human activity. Applications based on wireless body area network (WBAN) have been used in healthcare for measuring and monitoring of patient health and activity through integration with wearable devices. Wireless sensors used in WBAN can be cost-effective, enable remote availability, and can be integrated with electronic health record (EHR) management systems. Interoperability of WBAN sensor data with other linked data has the potential to improve health for all, including maternal and child health through the improvement of data access, data quality and healthcare access. This paper presents a survey of the state-of-the-art techniques for managing WBAN sensor data interoperability. The findings in this study will provide reliable support to enable policymakers and health care providers to take action to enhance the use of e-health to improve maternal-child health and reduce the mortality rates of women and children.

Background: Obesity among pregnant women is common, and their offspring are predisposed to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Circulating metabolites that are related to insulin resistance and are associated with this decreased tissue-specific uptake are unknown. Here, we assessed metabolite profiles in elderly women and who were either female offspring from obese mothers (OOM) or offspring of lean mothers (OLM). Metabolic changes were tested for associations with metrics for insulin resistance. Methods: 37 elderly women were separated into an elderly offspring from obese mothers (OOM; n = 17) and elderly offspring from lean/normal weight mothers (OLM; n = 20) groups. We measured plasma metabolites using 1H-NMR and also insulin-dependent tissue specific glucose uptake in skeletal muscle were assessed. Associations were made between metabolites and glucose uptake. Results: Compared to the OLM group, we found that the 22:6 docosahexaenoic acid percentage of the total long chain n-3 fatty acids (DHA/FA) was significantly lower in OOM (P = 0.015). DHA/FA associated significantly to skeletal muscle GU (P = 0.031) and M-value in the OLM group only (P = 0.050). Conclusions: DHA/FA is associated with insulin-dependent skeletal muscle glucose uptake and that this association is significantly weakened in the offspring of obese mothers.

This article discusses the results of fluid inclusions study in barite collected at the Jan Mayen vent field area (Troll Wall and Perle &amp; Bruce) and Loki’s Castle vent field of the Mohns Ridge segment of the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. Three mafic-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits were examined within the active vent fields that adequately correspond to geological settings of ultraslow-spreading ridges and PT-conditions. Hydrothermal sediments were investigated to determine the temperature and salinity of the fluids responsible for barite precipitation. The hydrothermal origin of the barite was confirmed by its morphology. Fluid inclusions are two-phase and homogenized into the liquid phase on heating at temperatures below 287ºC. The salt concentration in fluids trapped in inclusions is 2.6–4.4 wt.% NaCl eq. The crystallization temperatures varied from 276ºС to 119ºС and from 307ºС to 223ºС for the Jan Mayen and Loki’s Castle vent fields, respectively. The data obtained allowed us to confirm evidence of fluid phase separation in the hydrothermal systems and to expand our knowledge of the temperature and salinity of mineral fluids previously known from recent direct measurements during the cruises within the G.O. Sars research vessel. The fluid inclusions data obtained from barites emphasize the fluid features characteristic of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, the similarities and differences for the studied hydrothermal sites, and allow comparisons with similar products from other active hydrothermal systems.

Hemodynamic relevance of differently located stenoses of the internal jugular veins remains undetermined. It particularly concerns nozzle-like strictures in the upper parts of these veins and stenotic jugular valves located at the end of this vein. This study was aimed at understanding flow disturbances caused by such stenoses. Computational fluid dynamics software, Flowsquare+, was used. We constructed 3-dimensional models of venous outflow, comprising two alternative routes: tube representing the internal jugular vein and irregular network representing the vertebral veins. At the beginning of the tube representing the internal jugular vein, differently-shaped and sized short strictures, representing nozzle-like strictures were built in. At the end of this tube, differently-shaped membranes, representing the jugular valve, were built in. With the use of computational fluid dynamics modeling, we studied how these two obstacles influenced the outflow. We found that the most relevant outflow disturbances were evoked by nozzle-like strictures in the upper part of the internal jugular vein that were either small, long or asymmetrically positioned. Very tight stenotic valves and septum-like malformed valve were equally hemodynamically relevant. These findings suggest that both upper and lower strictures of the internal jugular vein can be of clinical significance.

The main goal of the study is to assess the Decision criteria, and the determining factor for the sustainability of entrepreneurial startups in order to contribute towards social inclusion and capacity building. Both concepts are in the development phase and are the outcome of entrepreneurial ecosystem and individual behavior and traits. The current study observed the research problem as entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial startups are the continuous phenomena required for every economy. The lack of an efficient ecosystem and incompetent trait of an entrepreneur drags the entrepreneurial startup to a failure. Therefore, an assessment on decision criteria and determining factors categorizing them with their importance may provide requisites to lead a successful entrepreneurial startup contributing to the social inclusion and capacity building. The study solved the research problem by statistical assessment of decision criteria and determining factors and categorizing them with their importance may provide requisites to lead a successful entrepreneurial startup. The research is built on research questions, objectives, conceptual model, and hypothesis which are tested based on the data collected. The collection of data was done through a survey questionnaire on a sample of established entrepreneurs. The study concludes that five components of decision criteria are Region, Competition, Funding Opportunities, Tax System, and Country Economic Situation, whereas the eight components Consciousness and Reliable, Pursuit Results, Flexibility, Stress Resistance, Skills Identification Exploitation Potential Market Opportunities, Leadership, Creativity and Innovation, and Delegation Decision Making of determining factor are required for a successful entrepreneurial startup to be able to work towards social inclusion and capacity building.

This paper highlights the impact of financial inclusion on individuals’ borrowing and saving decisions in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. It does so, using data from the 2014 Global Financial Inclusion database, and an empirical strategy consisting of first testing the significance of the joint bivariate model over its binary conterparts using the Lagrange multiplier test, followed by a contrast between the fully-parametric and semi-parametric specifications of the saving and borrowing equations. Based on model performance measures, the semi-parametric bivariate probit specification is identified as a better framework for describing the two processes of saving and borrowing, with a correlation coefficient of 12.3%. Although no significant difference exists between UAE and US residents in borrowing behavior, we find that US residents are 31.4% more likely to save than their UAE counterparts. In addition, and in line with the Permanent Income Hypothesis, the results reveal the absence of an income based saving or borrowing gradient in the two countries. Conversely, we found the prevalence of a gender based saving (12.4%) and borrowing (13.8%) inequality in favor of the male gender. Furthermore, access to a bank account and a debit card, companies policy of direct wage and salary transfer, and government transfer programs with direct deposit options are all financial inclusion strategies that are found to significantly raise the likelihood of saving and borrowing. As such, companies with payroll practices based on cash or physical paycheck issuing, especially in the US, should revise such policy to create more financial inclusion, and thereby more saving potential which in turn would contribute to further borrowing, investment and growth of the national economy.

Background Children often suffer the nonspecific musculosceletal pain as reported in literature. Aim To determine relationship between body weights with development of musculoskeletal pain and to determine whether growing in body height is associated with musculoskeletal pain in schoolchildren. Subjects/ Methods A prospective longitudinal study included 1315 school children aged 7-14 years (652 boys and 663 girls) and was performed in 13 elementary schools in B&H. Child body height and body weight were measured. The survey of perception of musculoskeletal pain in different body regions of subjects was conducted by adjusted Nordic Musculosceletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Results The highest prevalence of an overweight and obesity in the 10th year 35.7% and the lowest frequency 17.8% in the 14th year was. In the age 14th obesity was’nt found. Boys have more prevalence of overweight. Using logistic regression model, we found that school children with normal BMI were protected with increased body height of acute lower back pain (β= -0.089, 95%CI, -9.730- -0.023, P< 0.049), and increased body height was protector of obese school children of acute upper back pain (β= -0.356, 95%CI, -14.077- -3.878, P< 0.001) and chronic lower back pain (β= -0.356, 95%CI, -14.077- -3.878, P< 0.001). Conclusion Schoolchildren with normal weight more often have had musculosceletal pain than those with overweight or obesity. This can be associated with intense physical growth period in height, especially. The assumption is that the increase in height changes the relationship between excessive BMI and musculoskeletal pain in children of school age.

Abstract: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the female population due to the re-sistance of cancer cells to many anticancer drugs used. Curcumin has cytotoxic activities against breast cancer cells, although it has limited use due to its poor bioavailability and rapid metabolic elimination. The synthesis of metal complexes of curcumin and curcuminoids is a relevant topic in the search for more active and selective derivatives of these molecular scaffolds. However, solubil-ity and bioavailability are concomitant disadvantages of these types of molecules. To overcome such drawbacks, the preparation of inclusion complexes offers a chemical and pharmacologically safe option for improving the aqueous solubility of organic molecules. Herein, we describe the preparation of the inclusion complex of dimethoxy curcumin magnesium complex with cyclodex-trin (DiMeOC-Mg-BCD, 5) in the stoichiometric relationship 1:1. This new inclusion complex's solubility in aqueous media (PBS) was improved by a factor of 6x over the free metal complex (DiMeOC-Mg). Furthermore, 5 affects cell metabolic rate, cell morphology, cell migration, induced apoptosis, and downregulation of the MMP-2 and MMP-9, IL-6, and STAT3 expression levels on MDA MB 231 cell lines. Results of an antitumor assay in an in-ovo model showed up to 30% inhi-bition of tumour growth for breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) when using 5 (0.650 mg/Kg dose), and 17.29 % inhibition with the free homoleptic metal complex (1.5 mg/Kg dose, DiMeOC-Mg). While the formulation of inclusion complexes from metal complexes of curcuminoids demonstrates its usefulness in improving the solubility and bioavailability of these metallodrugs, the new DiMeOC-Mg-BCD exhibits excellent potential for use as a therapeutic agent in the battle against breast cancer.

Animal-assisted pedagogy (AAP) is well known in classroom practice, but scientific evidence is still lacking. At the same time, the biggest challenge in education systems worldwide is the social in-tegration of students. In a pre-post design, 30 heterogeneous students (16f/14m) from four different school classes (grades 5-7) were interviewed (problem-centred interview) about their social inclu-sion and their social climate in class before and after being taught selected subjects with a school dog (of different breeds) for one school term. At the second measurement point, they were also asked about their perception of AAP. The data was analysed both qualitatively (Kuckartz) and in terms of the number of quotes on the main topics using MAXQDA analysis software. The presence of a dog in the classroom leads to an improved social climate and more social integration. In ad-dition, the perception of the other students and the teacher changes to a more positive and friendly image. Through AAP, a new social role is added to the classroom, where caring and bonding are prioritised. Social interaction and norms are influenced and sterotypical and individual roles can be changed. Therefore, AAP can be a key to promoting social inclusion in the school environment.

Globally, over 1.4 billion adult people remain unbanked. This worrisome phenomenon was exacerbated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which further created a new dimension of inequality in accessing financial services. Digital financial inclusion promises to be an effective tool for addressing this socioeconomic ill and propelling economic development. Given the limited studies on the subject in the context of the developing economies, it is imperative to understand the existing policies, practices, and barriers to digital financial inclusion in the developing economies so as to provide cutting-edge interventions for redress. It is against this background that this study seeks to address the following research questions: (1) What is the state of digital financial inclusion in the developing economy? (2) What are the policies and practices regarding digital financial inclusion in the developing economy? (3) What are the barriers to digital financial inclusion and innovative interventions for redress? Findings reveal that about 44% of the adult population in developing countries does not have access to financial services, with only a few countries that have made significant progress and gains through policy and practice such as mobile financial services, mobile money interoperability, native connectivity, human capital development, and digitalization of public services for digital financial inclusion. The findings also identify challenges and implications with recommendations, which are discussed in detail in the paper.

Body Expression (BE) has been defined in the past decades as a discipline within Physical Education (PE) with very particular characteristics and a strong emotional component. In this study, a programme of this discipline was applied to university Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (PASS) students from six consecutive academic years: three prior to and three during the pandemic. A pre-post design was used to determine how the BE programme affected the university students' self-concept (SC). To do so, a questionnaire with a multidimensional approach to this construct was administered, whose dimensions were closely related to the BE programme's characteristics. The results revealed significant improvements in the final SC, compared to the initial SC. Men reported lower SC values than women before the programme implementation, but higher at the end. Therefore, the change was larger in men, so the programme may have had an equalising effect between groups. It was also verified that the pandemic had particularly affected women.

In the weak-field approximation of covariant theory of gravitation the problem of 4/3 is formulated for internal and external gravitational fields of a body in the form of a ball. The dependence of the energy and the mass of the moving substance on the energy of field accompanying the substance, as well as the dependence on the characteristic size of the volume occupied by the substance are described. Additives in the energy and the momentum of the body, defined by energy and momentum of the gravitational and electromagnetic fields associated with the body are explicitly calculated. The conclusion is made that the energy and the mass of the body can be described by the energy of ordinary and strong gravitation, and through the energies of electromagnetic fields of particles that compose the body.

In this study, we analyze the perspectives of Early Childhood Educators, working in various teaching sectors, on Inclusion in Preschool Education, following the publication of Decree-Law No. 54/2018, of July 6th, at a time when Learning and Inclusion Support Measures are being extended to all children, and when the SARS-CoV-19 (COVID-19) pandemic prevails in Portugal and worldwide. Based on a mixed-methodological approach and the application of a questionnaire survey to 250 Early Childhood Educators, we reflect on the implementation of the legal framework, the involvement of the Multidisciplinary Learning and Inclusion Support Team (EMAEI), teacher training, pedagogical/collaborative work, and support mobilized for Preschool Education children. The results obtained indicate quality and effectiveness in the pedagogical plan and collaborative work between teachers and specialist technicians, although higher education in the field of Inclusive Education does not seem to provide professionals with the necessary and in-depth knowledge on the subject. They also indicate that, alongside dissatisfaction with the insufficient support provided to Preschool Education children, the relevant Diploma is not fully applied, with doubts still remaining about its application.

The use of natural carotenoids as food colorants is an important trend of innovation in the industry due to their low toxicity, their potential as bio-functional ingredients, and the increasing demand for natural and organic foods. Despite these benefits, their inclusion in food matrices presents multiple challenges related to their low stability and low water solubility. The present review covers the main concepts and background of carotenoid inclusion complex formation in cyclodextrins as a strategy for their stabilization, and subsequent inclusion in food products as color additives. The review includes the key aspects of the molecular and physicochemical properties of cyclodextrins as complexing agents, and a detailed review of the published evidence on complex formation with natural carotenoids from different sources in cyclodextrins, comparing complex formation methodologies, recovery, inclusion efficiency, and instrumental characterization techniques. Moreover, process flow diagrams (PFD), based on the most promising carotenoid-cyclodextrin complex formation methodologies, are proposed, and discussed as a potential tool for their future scale-up. This review shows that the inclusion of carotenoids in complexes with cyclodextrins constitutes a promising technology for the stabilization of these pigments, with possible advantages in terms of their stability in food matrices.

1) Public health remains a tiny portion of the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum and the material is integrated into other modules. The objective of this study is to describe the UK undergraduate pharmacy curriculum, including its public health content; 2) Methods: A qualitative method (content analysis of websites) was used to describe the UK undergraduate pharmacy curriculum and teaching and learning policy. This involved selecting relevant concepts and then quantifying their presence and the relationships between them. The NVivo software was used to carry out ‘group queries’ and visualisation of results; 3) Results: Public health remains an optional module in the curricula of many UK schools of pharmacy. Several public health-related topics are often integrated into other modules, but UK undergraduate pharmacy curricula are still dominated by traditional pharmacy modules; and 4) Conclusions: Most of the curricula analysed were dominated by traditional pharmacy modules designed to enhance students' knowledge and skills. The skill set of UK pharmacy students with respect to macro-level public health activities needs to be improved in order to enhance pharmacists’ contribution to public health.

Lipofuscin is indigestible garbage that accumulates in the autophagic vesicles and cytosol of post-mitotic cells with age. Drs. Brunk and Terman postulated that lipofuscin accumulation is the main or at least a major driving factor in aging. They even posited that the evolution of memory is the reason why we get lipofuscin at all, as stable synaptic connections must be maintained over time, meaning that the somas of neurons must also remain in the same locale. In other words, they cannot dilute out their garbage over time through cell division. Mechanistically, their position certainly makes sense given that rendering a large percentage of a post-mitotic cell’s lysosomes useless must almost certainly negatively affect that cell and the surrounding microenvironment. Here, I explore the possibility that the accumulation of lipofuscin may to some extent exacerbate every other kind of age-related damage. I do not think that lipofuscin removal will reverse/prevent all forms of aging, just the major component facing us currently. In this piece, I will review what is known about lipofuscin accumulation from evolutionary and mechanistic standpoints and discuss a method of removing it from single cells in vitro.

A body plan is a stable configuration of characters for a major taxonomic group, such as chordates or arthropods. Despite widespread casual reliance on the concept for guiding comparisons within and between groups, the nature of body plans as well as the biological causes underlying their evolution have remained elusive. This paper proposes an abstract mechanistic model of body plan identity. We hypothesize that body plans are an evolutionary phenomenon that only applies to a relatively small subset of major clades, rather than being associated with each and every so-called “phylum.” Body plans arise in evolution by stepwise accretion, and require a level of developmental complexity that is only found in some animal clades. Further, we suggest that, parallel to the developmental mechanisms controlling character identity, there are “body plan identity mechanisms” (BpIMs) that maintain entire configurations of characters while possessing a mechanistic architecture that is itself stable and traceable through evolutionary change. These BpIMs, we suggest, are entrenched intercellular signaling networks operating between transient embryonic structures that are destined to differentiate into distinct individualized characters. The activity of a BpIM results in a transient long-range integration of the embryo that is highly sensitive to genetic and environmental perturbations, and that can be detected morphologically as a conserved phylotypic stage. This model is illustrated with detailed interpretations of the notochord signaling system and the segment polarity network as candidate BpIMs in vertebrates and arthropods, respectively. We conclude by contrasting the proposed developmental-mechanistic conception of body plans with the phylogenetic notion of ground plans, and sketch the general outlines of an empirical research program on body plan evolution.

Recent improvements in deepfake creation have made deepfake videos more realistic. Moreover, open-source software has made deepfake creation more accessible, which reduces the barrier to entry for deepfake creation. This could pose a threat to the people’s privacy. There is a potential danger if the deepfake creation techniques are used by people with an ulterior motive to produce deepfake videos of world leaders to disrupt the order of countries and the world. Therefore, research into the automatic detection of deepfaked media is essential for public security. In this work, we propose a deepfake detection method using upper body language analysis. Specifically, a many-to-one LSTM network was designed and trained as a classification model for deepfake detection. Different models were trained by varying the hyperparameters to build a final model with benchmark accuracy. We achieved 94.39% accuracy on the deepfake test set. The experimental results showed that upper body language can effectively detect deepfakes.

The usual equation for both motions of a single planet around the sun and electrons in the deterministic Rutherford-Bohr atomic model is conservative with a singular potential at the origin. When a dissipation is added, new phenomena appear which were investigated thoroughly by R. Ortega and his co-authors between 2014 and 2017, in particular all solutions are bounded and tend to $0$ for $t$ large, some of them with asymptotically spiraling exponentially fast convergence to the center. We provide explicit estimates for the bounds in the general case that we refine under specific restrictions on the initial state, and we give a formal calculation which could be used to determine practically some special asymptotically spiraling orbits. Besides, a related model with exponentially damped central charge or mass gives some explicit exponentially decaying solutions which might help future investigations. An atomic contraction hypothesis related to the asymptotic dying off of solutions proven for the dissipative model might give a solution to some intriguing phenomena observed in paleontology, familiar electrical devices and high scale cosmology

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of condensed tannin (CTs) with differing molecular weight on their capacity to modify the fatty acid profile in milk. Twenty multiparous crossbred lactating dairy goats were assigned in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), and were subjected to receive the dietary treatments as followings; T1: control (with no CTs supplementation), T2: supplemented with mangosteen peel in a concentrate as a source of low molecular weight CTs at level of 3.0 %DM of CTs equivalent, T3: supplemented with the same diet with T2 but added with polyethylene glycol (PEG, as tannin inactivator) as the control of T2, and T4: supplemented with quebracho CT extract (UNITAN ATO, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 75-77 % tannins) in a concentrate as a source of high molecular weight CTs at level of 3.0 %DM of CTs equivalent, and T5) supplemented with the same diet with T4 but added with PEG as the control of T4. No significant change was detected for feed intake and nutrient digestibility indicate that CTs at level of 3.0 %DM of diet did not showed the detrimental effect to feed intake and nutrient digestibility, however, ruminal fermentation parameters and milk yield and milk compositions did not affected by different source of CT inclusion.

This review paper investigates the intricate relationship between sexuality and body dysmorphia, emphasizing its profound impact on mental health. Through a critical examination of existing literature, this study illuminates the complex psychological, societal, and cultural dynamics at play within this intersection. Special attention is given to the influence of media representations and societal beauty standards in shaping individual perceptions and experiences. Furthermore, the paper discusses various therapeutic interventions designed to address this interplay, underscoring the necessity for mental health practices that are both sensitive and adaptable to the nuances of these issues. Ultimately, this work enriches the discourse on body image and sexual health, offering critical insights for clinical interventions and highlighting areas for further research.

Three body systems in which one of the bodies is ejected without escaping the binary system have previously been studied in various restricted forms. However, none of these studies dwells on the problem in a general setting. Thus, to study this phenomenon qualitatively, we try to expand this problem's scope to unequal mass systems and generalize them by considering various configurations of fixed initial points with precisely calculated initial velocities, some zero velocity models and some optimized models. We will see the use of terminology similar to the previous studies done in this domain but incorporate different analytical and evaluation methods.

Inspired by amazing result obtained by Semay [1], this study revisits generalised Kepler's third law of an n-body system from the perspective of dimension analysis. To be compatible with Semay's quantum n-body result, this letter reports a conjecture which had not be included in author's early publication [2] but formulated in the author's research memo. The new conjecture for quantum N-body system is proposed as follows: Tq|Eq|^3/2 = πG/√2[(Σ^N_i=1 Σ^N_j=i+1 m_im_j)³/(Σ^N_k=1 m_k)]^1/2. This formulae is, of course, consistent with the Kepler's third law of 2-body system, and exact same as Semay's quantum result for identical bodies.

What drives an individual police officer to activate his body-worn camera (BWC)? Some evidence suggests officer attitudes and resistance to the technology contributes to the equivocal results in studies testing for BWCs effect on use-of-force, complaints, and other outcomes of interest. Leveraging a novel survey and administrative dataset, we investigate the predictors of BWC activation among 147 police officers in a single agency. With a test of three nested models, we find job function covariates offer robust predictive power of how often an officer activates her or his BWC. Neither demographic nor attitudinal measures significantly predict BWC activations, except for a negative relationship with how officers perceive BWC impacts on professional discretion. The study furnishes empirical support for understanding officers as Principled Agents: job function, guided by administrative policy is the most explanatory and parsimonious, while models of attitudes and demographics fail to improve upon the job function model.

The usual equation for both motions of a single planet around the sun and electrons in the deterministic Rutherford-Bohr atomic model is conservative with a singular potential at the origin. When a dissipation is added, new phenomena appear. It is shown that whenever the momentum is not zero, the moving particle does not reach the center in finite time and its displacement does not blow-up either, even in the classical context where arbitrarily large velocities are allowed. Moreover we prove that all bounded solutions tend to $0$ for $t$ large, and some formal calculations suggest the existence of special orbits with an asymptotically spiraling exponentially fast convergence to the center.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of transduser design and its elements, and their materials on temperature in deeper layers of tissues measurement results. A digital modeling was performed to evaluate the influence of the properties of transduser design elements. Experimental research was carried out. Revealed that the accuracy, similar to that of an invasive method using needle probes, can be achieved by measuring the temperature in deeper muscle layers using the proposed transducer.

Our study focused on investigating the impact of Instagram use on body satisfaction and self-esteem among participants aged 20 to 40 years (N = 95) through a cross-sectional survey design in which the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), and ad hoc designed questions were administered. The results highlight the influence of Instagram on body dissatisfaction (p = .005) but not on self-esteem (p = .211). Gender was not found to be an influential factor (p = .173). However, it was found that greater body satisfaction correlates with higher self-esteem and vice versa (p < .001). Finally, we concluded that the number of hours users in the sample spend on Instagram is related to greater body dissatisfaction but not to lower self-esteem.

To analyze the combined response of ocular cyclotorsion and head tilt during body tilt and to interpret the physiologic role of those movements, each of the three subjects completed six different experiments of body tilt not fixating their head movements using a flight simulator, which consisted of combinations of three tilt angles (30, 45, and 60) and two visual conditions. Head tilt and ocular cyclotorsion of the right eye before, during, and after the tilt maneuver were recorded and analyzed by time sequence. In the active tilting phase, the right eye showed a stepladder pattern of multiple repeats of fast and slow cyclotorsion along with head tilt to obtain maximum visual information. During the stationary tilting phase, there occurred a small amount (mean, 2.3) of ocular cyclotorsion which was reciprocal to that of head tilt. The visual cue of body tilt through the central visual field induced a larger amount of head tilt but affected little ocular cyclotorsion. The maximum degree of ocular cyclotorsion during each experiment was 10.2 on average. In conclusion, the combined response of ocular cyclotorsion and head tilt develops during body tilt and it compromises the conflicting needs between binocular vision and gravitational orientation.

Dietary intake and alcohol consumption might be influenced by genetic variations in taste receptor genes. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between polymorphisms in bitter taste receptor genes TAS2R13 (rs1015443) and TAS2R38 (rs1726866, rs10246939, and rs713598) as well as alcohol consumption and body fat percentage in college students. Four hundred and two students with a mean age of 20.2 years participated in this study. An NIH Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ II) was used to collect data on their dietary intake, while AUDIT survey was used to determine their level of alcohol consumption. Bitter taste receptor gene polymorphisms were assessed by TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Despite significant associations between TAS2R13 (rs101544) and certain aspects of alcohol consumption, including the frequency of alcohol intake, no indeed significant associations were found between TAS2R13 (rs1015443) and alcohol consumption after accounting for confounding variables in the regression model. Neither association was found regarding percent of body fat. In contrast, ethnicity and gender significantly influenced percent of body fat (p < 0.001), while no significant association was observed between TAS2R13 (rs1015443) and percent of body fat. Likewise, TAS2R38 (rs1726866, rs10246939 and rs713598) demonstrated no significant association with alcohol consumption and percent of body fat. These results were controlled for confounding factors, such as ethnicity and gender. Body fat percentage and alcohol consumption may be influenced by ethnicity, gender and age rather than SNPs of TAS2R13 and TAS2R38 genes. Assessing the taste genes’ interactions with diet and body composition might be useful in identifying human disease risk.

TThe passion of bodybuilding athletes for a symmetric, lean, heavily muscled body leads them to carry out exhausting exercise programs and restrictive eating regimens, sometimes resulting in disordered eating behaviors. This study investigates potential exacerbators on the development of disordered eating in bodybuilding and strength athletes. The study involved 103 Cypriot bodybuilding athletes of both sexes, performing at three levels: professional, recreational and strength athletes. The Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT-26) and The Three Factor Eating Question-naire (TFEQ-R21) were used to evaluate disordered eating and eating behaviors respectively. The current study was performed under the auspices of the Hellenic Center of Education & Treatment of Eating Disorders (KEADD). The degree of deviation between the perceived ideal body weight and the actual body weight was associated with increased risk of eating disorder. Athletes who desired a lower body weight recorded higher scores on EAT-26 overall, (p=0.001), and the subscales of dieting (p=0.01) and bulimia. (p=0.001). Cognitive restraint and emotional eating scales of TFEQ-R21 were more pronounced in the non-professional athletes. (p=0.01). The emotional eating score was higher in women. There is a need for appropriate sport-specific, gender-specific preventive intervention to deescalate the risk of eating disorder, in both profes-sional and non-professional bodybuilding athletes.

The magnetic field of the earth plays an important role in the ecosystem, and the magnetic field of celestial bodies is also important in the formation of cosmic large-scale structures, but the origin and evolution of the celestial magnetic field is still an unresolved mystery. Many hypotheses to explain the origin have been proposed, but there are some insurmountable difficulties for each one. At present, the theory widely accepted in scientific society is the dynamo model, it says that, the movement of magnetofluid inside celestial bodies, which can overcome the Ohmic dissipative effect and generate persistent weak electric current and macroscopic magnetic field. However, this model needs an initial seed magnetic field, and the true values of many physical parameters inside the celestial body are difficult to obtain, and there is no stable solution to the large range of fluid motion. These are all difficulties for the dynamo model. Furthermore, it is difficult for the dynamo to explain the correlation between the dipole magnetic field and angular momentum of a celestial body. In this paper, by calculating the interaction between spin of particles and gravity of celestial body according to Clifford algebra, we find that a rotational celestial body provides a field $\Omega^\alpha$ for spins, which is similar to the magnetic field of a dipole, and the spins of charged particles within the celestial body are arranged along the flux line of $\Omega^\alpha$, then a macroscopic magnetic field is induced. The calculation shows that the strength of $\Omega^\alpha$ is proportional to the angular momentum of the celestial body, which explains the correlation between the magnetic intensity and angular momentum. The results of this paper suggest that further study of the effects of internal variables such as density, velocity, pressure and temperature of a celestial body on $\Omega^\alpha$ may provide some new insights into the origin and evolution of celestial magnetic field.

There are no studies that quantitatively compare life histories among scorpion species. Statistical procedures applied to 94 scorpion species indicate that those with larger bodies do not necessarily have larger litters or longer life cycles, opposite to some theoretical predictions.

The Krudum granite body comprises highly fractionated granitic rocks ranging from medium-F biotite granites to high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites. This unique assemblage is an ideal site to continue recent efforts in petrology to characterize the role of zircon, monazite and xenotime as hosts to REEs. The granitic rocks of the Krudum body analysed in this study were found to contain variable concentrations of monazite and zircon, while xenotime was only found in the high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites and in the alkali-feldspar syenites of the Vysoký Kámen stock. For analysed monazites of all magmatic suites cheralite substitution was significant. The highest concentration of cheralite was found in monazites from the high-F, Li-mica granites and from the alkali-feldspar syenites. The proportion of YPO₄ in all analysed xenotimes ranges from 71 to 84 mol. %. Some xenotimes were found to be hydrated and the observed water content estimated from analytical data ranged from 5 to 11 wt. % H₂O. Analysed xenotimes were commonly enriched in HREEs (9.3– 19.5 wt. % HREE₂O₃) and thorite-coffinite and cheralite exchange was observed. Analysed zircons from granite suites of the Krudum granite body contained moderate Hf concentrations (1.0–4.7 wt. % HfO₂; 0.010–0.047 apfu Hf). The highest concentrations of HfO₂ were found in zircons from the high-F, high P₂O₅ Li-mica granites (1.2–4.7 wt. % HfO₂) and from the alkali-feldspar syenites (1.3–4.1 wt. % HfO₂). Zircons from the high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites were often hydrated and fluorised. The concentrations of F in zircon from partly greisenised high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites reached up to 1.2 wt. % (0.26 apfu F). In zircons from the alkali-feldspar syenites enrichment in P, which is not associated with a simultaneous enrichment in Y + REE, was also observed. Analysed zircons from the high-F, high P₂O₅ Li-mica granites were enriched in Y (up to 5.5 wt. % Y₂O₃; 0.10 apfu Y) and Sc (up to 1.17 wt. % Sc₂O₃; 0.03 apfu Sc).

Psychological wellbeing can be impacted substantially by changes in body image during youth, which can be a predictive factor for positive or negative attitudes, such as for self-esteem and satisfaction. In this study, adherence to the thinness model and to healthy behaviours were analysed in terms of the emotional patterns and body management of the young female Italian population (N = 2287). Skinny girls fitting better with the thinness model tended to develop higher positive emotional patterns, but their body management was low. Findings suggest the urgent need for preventive programmes to enhance awareness of healthy behaviours against appearance models.

This research suggests a multi-stakeholder framework to increase the use of fintech in Africa, which would help the continent boost its financial inclusion and reach its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study evaluates previous research and frameworks that have been created to aid in the adoption of fintech by several stakeholders in developing nations, some of which have been tested in African nations with limited success. To begin with, the study suggests the use of the World Bank’s Maximising Finance for Development (MFD) approach through the prioritization of national ownership, creation of an enabling environment for private sector investment, partnering with multilateral development banks and other stakeholders, fostering innovation and digital literacy, and focusing on cost-effective, non-government guaranteed financing. In the same vein, in line with the G20’s High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion, the adoption of financial technologies and digital financial services in Africa can be promoted through the creation of a country-specific strategy. Each government can create a regulatory environment that encourages innovation and competition, improve its digital infrastructure, increase its digital literacy and awareness, and collaborate with private sector stakeholders to expand financial inclusion. Furthermore, The Better Than Cash Alliance’s strategy to increase fintech adoption can also be implemented through partnership with businesses, international organizations, and other nations. By joining the Alliance, countries can enact rules and regulations that facilitate fintech adoption, promote awareness and education, and design and execute national digital payment infrastructure with the help of fintech companies. Finally, the mSTAR initiative suggests collaborating with USAID, in order to provide support to underrepresented populations, incorporate digital financial services, increase public-private collaboration, and educate and train policymakers, practitioners, and technologists. By implementing these strategies, African nations can accelerate the adoption of fintech solutions and increase financial inclusion.

The use of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) for probiotic enrichment of minimally processed fruit is a well-established practice in literature. In addition, several LAB demonstrated a strain-specific ability to control harmful microorganisms and decay agents, improving shelf-life, maintaining quality and promoting the safety of fruits and vegetables. Edible coatings can help modulate phenomena of gas exchange and water loss by fruits, representing protection from physical damage and spoilage phenomena linked to oxidation and the development of undesired microorganisms. At the same time, the coating can represent an innovative delivery matrix for the LAB strains of potential interest to improve safety and quality in the postharvest management of fruits. In this work, five Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains, previously characterized for their probiotic and antifungal activity, have been incorporated into a sodium alginate coating to develop edible probiotic coatings with antifungal properties for table grapes cv. Italia. The transfer of probiotics and their survival were evaluated by comparing coated and uncoated table grapes during 14 days of cold storage at 4 °C. The alginate edible coating increased the number of probiotics transferred to the surface of the berries from about 5 to more than 7 Log CFU/g, with a crucial impact on the potential functional attributes of the final product. The ability of the functionalised coatings to counteract the decay development was evaluated on table grapes berries artificially contaminated with Aspergillus niger CECT 2805. A significant reduction of lesion diameter was observed in alginate coating with L. plantarum 11-A. The lesion diameter reduction was also accompanied by the reduction of the symptoms of infection, such as browning around the wound. These results suggest the application of selected strains of L. plantarum as promising bio-resources to enhance the overall value of ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, particularly in combination with edible coating as a carrier matrix. While a strain-dependent effect was not detected with respect to the improvement of the number of cells in the edible coating, a variability depending on the biotype used was detected for the properties linked to biocontrol, suggesting that the inclusion in edible packaging may represent an innovative criterion in the selection of lactobacilli to be applied postharvest.

CGT is composed of fiber residues, leaves, dust particles, soil and others derived during the ginning and yarn spinning process at processing industries,. In the cotton spinning industrial clusters, farmers are using CGT) as one of the alternative roughage feed for their sheep, mainly during forage shortages in the summer months. To have baseline information on farmers using gin and factors driving them to choose CGT as a roughage source, which need to be identified for future planning on the usage of CGT in sheep feeding. Considering the above facts, the present study was undertaken to assess socio-personal characteristics, managemental practices associated with farmers using cotton gin in the feeding of sheep and also identify the factors driving the choice of the CGT as the primary source of roughage in the cotton spinning industry cluster of Tamil Nadu. For this, a survey among 80 sheep farmers was carried out using a pre-tested in-terview schedule. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics and logit regres-sion. The results indicated that the majority of male, aged, and large-land farmers were involved in practicing CGT feeding during the summer and also indicated the non-availability of green fodder during the summer season. The coarse type of CGT preferred more than the fine type of CGT trash in that area due to quality perception and price. The replacement level of CGT as roughage ranged from 33 to 75% of the total roughage requirement per day. About 88 percent-age of farmers were highly satisfied with the results of using CGT and they also expressed that the presence of foreign particles and dust were the major problems with using CGT. The choice of CGT as primary roughage among sheep farmers was primarily influenced by selective farming contexts, namely landholding, access to labour, and feeding practices of other livestock with cotton gin. Further, research has to be focused on to improve the quality of CGT in the future, as it is being utilised largely by sheep farmers.

The effect of defatted Hermetia illucens meal (HIM) dietary inclusion on growth performance, stress indicators and gut histological traits of Sparus aurata was studied. For 131 days, 312 fish were fed with one basal diet, containing fish meal as animal protein source, and three diets containing 25%, 35% and 50% HIM as a partial replacement for fishmeal. On all fish (26 fish per tank, 3 replicate tanks per diet, 78 fish per diet) the growth performance were calculated. At the end of the trial, on a subsample of 72 specimens (6 fish per tank, 3 replicate tanks per diet, 18 fish per diet), stress parameters were determined on blood samples and gut histological tract investigated. Insect meal inclusion did not affect (p > 0.05) growth performance, blood parameters, length and width of villi and goblet cell count of the posterior gut tract while, those of the anterior gut tract while increased (p < 0.05). The histological examination of the intestinal sections showed in fish fed the HIM25 and HIM50 diets, more frequent and evident morphological changes; instead, there were no substantial differences between HIM0 and HIM35 groups. In conclusion, the HIM35 was the most tolerated formulation by fish.

Development of Halal Tourism in Indonesia is the focus of the Indonesian government and MSMEs have an important role in supporting the development of halal tourism in Indonesia. This study aims to examine the relationship between marketing communication and Islamic financial literacy on Islamic financial inclusion and MSMEs performance in the halal tourism sector. A covariance-based SEM technique utilizing LISREL software was used to analyze the data from this investigation. Non-probability sampling was employed to collect the data, and the sample consists of 152 halal tourism entrepreneurs. We find that positive and significant association between Islamic financial inclusion and business performance. We also find that there are a positive and significant association between Islamic Financial Literacy and Islamic Financial Inclusion. Marketing communication and Islamic financial inlcuon a positive relationship but insignificant. This studi implies that to establish a halal tourist ecosystem for long-term development in Indonesia, commercial actors must lend their full support. This study demonstrates that they can thrive when MSMEs in the halal tourist ecosystem are backed by Islamic banking and Islamic rural banks. As a result, a more accommodating approach from Islamic banking is required to provide access to halal finance for business actors in Indonesia’s halal tourism ecosystem.

Background/Objectives: This study looks at how a kinematic chain exercise regimen that targets the lower, core, and upper body affects university shot put participants' shoulder muscle strength and throwing efficiency. This study fills an apparent research void on shot put training approaches by presenting a comprehensive kinematic chain workout program. It was anticipated that this method would improve performance the most, considering the complex biomechanical require-ments of the sport. Methodology: Athletes, seventy in age (19.87 ± 1.31 years), were assigned into two groups at random: experimental (n = 35) and control (n = 35). While the control group carried on with their usual training, the experimental group participated in an 8-week kinematic chain training program, pre- and post-training evaluations were carried out to evaluate shot put throwing ability, shoulder muscle strength, and participant satisfaction with the exercise regimen. Results: demonstrated that, when compared to the control group, the athletes in the kinematic chain program had a significantly improved throwing distance (p = 0.01) and shoulder muscle strength (p = 0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant difference (p = 0.005) in the athletes' satisfaction levels with the workout program among those in the experimental group. This implies that a kinematic chain-focused strategy improves performance and emphasizes the significance this type of training is for shot put athlete performance. Conclusion: As an improvement forward in sports science, the study's finding promotes the inclusion of kinematic chain workouts in shot put training programs and calls for more research on kinematic chain-based approaches in a variety of sports.

Lean body mass (LBM) is correlated with powerlifting performance in athletes competing in different bodyweight classes. However, it remains unknown whether changes in LBM are correlated with performance changes in powerlifters preparing for a competition. Aim of the study was to investigate the changes in LBM and performance in powerlifters preparing for a competition. Eight male powerlifters (age 31.7±9.8years, height 1.77±0.06m, weight 99.2±14.6kg) and three female powerlifters (age 32.7±16.3years, height 1.54±0.06m, weight 66.6±20.9kg), participated in the study. Athletes followed individualized periodized training programs for 12 weeks aiming to maximize their performance for the national championship. Maximum strength (1-RM) in squat, bench press, and deadlift, body composition, grip strength, anaerobic power, quadriceps’ cross sectional area and vastus lateralis muscle architecture were measured before and after the training period. Significant increases were found after the training period in squat (5.8±7.0%, P

Preterm infants have increased body adiposity at term equivalent age and risk for adverse metabolic outcomes. The aim of the study was to define how nutrient intake may impact body composition (BC) of very low birth weight infants fed with early progressive enteral feeding and standard fortification. Eighty-six infants with

Accurate estimation of body fat percentage is essential for various health and fitness applications. Traditional methods for measuring body fat, such as underwater weighing, can be costly and inconvenient. In this study, we apply machine learning techniques to predict body fat percentage using easily accessible body measurements and data. The results highlight the effectiveness of regression models in estimating body fat, with Linear Regression, Ridge Regression, and Bayesian Ridge models achieving R-squared scores of approximately 74%, 73%, and 73%, respectively. These models provide a practical and cost-effective solution for individuals and professionals seeking reliable body fat estimates.

Next generation in-to-out-of body biomedical applications have adopted optical wireless communications (OWCs). However, by delving into the published literature, a gap is recognised in modeling the in-to-out-of channel, since most published contributions neglect the particularities of different type of tissues. Towards this direction, in this paper we present a novel pathloss and scattering models for in-to-out-of OWC links. Specifically, we derive extract analytical expressions that accurately describe the absorption of the five main tissues’ constituents, namely fat, water, melanin, oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood. Moreover, we formulate a model for the calculation of the absorption coefficient of any generic biological tissue. Next, by incorporating the impact of scattering in the aforementioned model we formulate the complete pathloss model. The developed theoretical framework is verified by means of comparisons between the estimated pathloss and experimental measurements from independent research works. Finally, we illustrate the accuracy of the theoretical framework in estimating the optical properties of any generic tissue based on its constitution. The extracted channel model is capable of boosting the design of optimized communication protocols for a plethora of biomedical applications.

The knowledge of human body proportion and segmental properties of limbs, head and trunk are of fundamental importance in biomechanical research. As many methods are employed, it is important to know which they are currently available, which data on human body masses, lengths, center of mass (COM) location, weights and moment of inertia are available and which methods are most suitable for a specific research purposes. The present review examines the literature concerning human body segments properties for biomechanical purposes. It emerges that data obtained in studies on cadaveric specimens are still the most accurate, whilst technological tools currently available are manifolds, each one with proper advantages and disadvantages. Classical studies were focused mainly on white men, while in recent year the available data of body segments has been extended to children, woman, and other races. Also, data on special population (obese, pregnant women) are starting to appear in the scientific literature.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) formula has been developed by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet and published in 1840 [1] as a law of nature and society, based on statistics about the weight and height of the population of that time, the first part of the 19^th century. He called it “social physics”. From then, for nearly two centuries, the BMI had been the most important formula describing the normal relations and ratio of weight to the square of the height for humans. The problem arises if the BMI formula, developed in the first part of the 19^th century is still good today when the type of work people perform is very different? In modern times, most people are less muscular than at the time when the BMI was developed because they do not work physically as heavy as at that time. In many cases, the Body Mass index can predict mortality, morbidity and illness but not always, for example cases such as (a) the obesity paradox for some cardiovascular problems and (b) the U shape mortality paradox as well as (c) false positive obesity diagnostic in regard to people who are strong and muscular, have low body fat percentage but are classified as obese by the BMI and (d) cases where BMI is normal but people have an “obese metabolism” (e) BMI normal but high fat percentage. The objective is to develop a formula good for all body types, a formula that makes the difference between fat and non-fat body weight such as muscle and body frame and quantifies the effect of strength and fitness, which BMI does not. Another objective is to develop a formula to predict the health risks and fitness status of people, better than BMI. The first generalizations of BMI using anthropometric metrics could be found in [2], where I discuss and analyze many formulae, developed, tested, and simulated by me, using similar new methods, accounting for body shape, physical shape and body function, making the difference between muscle mass and fat, fat and non fat body weight. Nearly all formulae and methods developed and proposed in this new model are new, never published before. Many experiments published before, in highly cited papers show that grip strength and muscle strength is a predictor of health, mortality, morbidity, endocrine and metabolic disease outside the BMI and anthropometric measures. The purpose of my formula is to explain the outcome of those experiments and create a formula which predicts these experiments [21-41].

The classic Body Mass Index, (BMI), developed in the 19^th century by the Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet [1] is an important indicator of the risk of death, of obesity, of negative health consequences, body fat percentage and of the shape of the body. While he BMI is assumed to indicate obesity in sedentary people and in people who do not practice sports, it is undisputed and a consensus among researchers [2][3][4][5][9][25] that Body Mass Index (BMI) is not a good indicator for obesity in people who developed their body through heavy physical work or sport but also in other segments of population such as those who appear to have a normal weight but in fact have a high body fat percentage and obese methabolism. The BMI also does not include all the variables essential for a health predictor. The BMI is not always a good predictor of metabolic disease, people who appear of healthy weight according to BMI have in some cases an obese metabolic syndrome. The BMI was developed as a law of natural sciences and “social physics” [1], as it was called then, before the middle of the 19^th century, and it had been used from the 70s for medical purposes, to detect obesity and the risk of mortality [6][7]. The BMI has a huge importance for modern society, affected by an obesity epidemic [8]. BMI has applications in medicine, sport medicine, sport, fitness, bodybuilding, insurance, nutrition, pharmacology. The main limitation of the BMI is that it does not account for body composition including non fat body mass such as muscles, joints, body frame and makes no difference between fat and non fat components of the body weight. The body composition and the proportion of fat and muscles make a difference in health outcomes [12][13][14][25][26][27][35][36][37] [38][39][40][41][42][43][44]…[100]. Body composition makes a difference also in the level of sport performance for athletes of every level. In nearly two centuries since the Body Mass Index was developed, no formula had been successfully developed to account for body composition and make the difference between muscle and fat in a consistent way. This can be considered a longstanding open problem of major importance for society. The objective of this analysis is to develop new formulae taking into account the health implication of body composition measured through indirect, simple indicators and making the difference between muscles and fat, healthy and non healthy metabolism. The formulae developed in this article are the only formula to successfully generalize BMI and make this difference. I develop a direct generalization of BMI, in the mathematical and physiological sense to account for fat and fat free mass and muscles, small and large body frames. It is the first such generalization because the classic BMI can be determined as a particular case of my formulae in the strict mathematical and practical physiologic sense. No other formula generalized the BMI to make the difference between fat and a large frame and muscles has ever been published in nearly two centuries since the BMI formula had been developed. The formulae I developed explain and generalize the conclusions of a large number of highly cited empirical experiments cited in the reference section. [35][36][37][38][38][39] [40][42][43][44]..[100] Most of the experimental proof I bring in support of my formulae and bodyweight quantification theory comes from many highly cited experimental research publications in medicine, sports medicine, sport science and physiology. My formulae explain also performance in decades of competitive sports and athletics

Biomimicry in additive manufacturing often refers to topology optimization and the use of lattice structures, due to the organic shape of the topology-optimized designs, and the lattices often looking similar to many light-weight structures found in nature such as trabecular bone, wood, sponges, coral, to name a few. Real biomimetic design however involves the use of design principles taken in some way from natural systems. In this work we use a methodology whereby high resolution 3D analysis of a natural material with desirable properties is “reverse-engineered” and the design tested for the purpose. This allows more accurate replication of the desired properties, and adaption of the design parameters to the material used for production (which usually differs from the biological material). One such example is the impact-protective natural design of the glyptodont body armour. In this paper we report on the production of body armour models in metal (Ti4Al4V) and analyze the resulting mechanical properties, assessing their potential for impact protective applications. This is the first biomimetic study using metal additive manufacturing to date.

The mind-body problem is the central issue in both of philosophy and life science for several centuries. To date, there is still no conclusive theory to interpret the relation between the mind and the body, even just the mind alone. Here, we promote a novel model, a derived mathematic equation called the entropic system equation, to describe the innate characters of the mind and the mechanism of the mind-body coupling phenomenon. As the semi-open thermodynamic systems far from equilibrium, the living organisms could be logically considered as an entropic system. In the living organisms or the entropic systems, there also are three essential existing elements including mass, energy and information, in which the mind and the body are hypothetically coupled by free energy and entropic force.

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.

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an intestinal disease that results in poor performance, inefficient nu-trient absorption, and has a devastating economic impact on poultry production. This study evaluated the effects of a saponin-based product (Clarity Q [CQ]) during a NE challenge. A to-tal of 1,200 male chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (10 pens/treatment; 30 birds/pen): treatment 1 (NC): a non-medicated corn-soybean basal diet; treatment 2 (PC) NC + 50 g/metric ton (MT) of Bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD); treatments 3 (CQ15) and 4 (CQ30) NC + 15 and 30 g/MT, respectively. On day (d) of placement, birds were challenged by a coccidia vaccine to induce NE. On d 8, 14, 28, and 42, performance parameters were measured. On d 8, three birds/pen were necropsied for NE lesions. On d 8 and d 14, jejunum samples from one bird/pen were collected for mRNA abundance of tight junction proteins and nutrient trans-porter genes. Data were analyzed in JMP (JMP Pro, 16) and significance (P ≤ 0.05) between treatments identified by Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) test. Compared to PC and NC, CQ15 had higher average daily gain (ADG), while CQ30 had lower average daily feed in-take (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). NE lesions in the duodenum were lower in CQ15 compared to all other treatments. On d 8, mRNA abundance of CLDN1, CLDN5, AMPK, PepT2, GLUT2, and EAAT3 were significantly greater in CQ30 (P < 0.05) compared to both PC and NC. On d 14, mRNA abundance of ZO2 and PepT2 was significantly lower in PC when compared to all treatments, while that of ANXA1, JAM3, and GLUT5 was comparable to CQ15. In summary, adding Clarity Q to broiler diets has the potential to alleviate adverse effects caused by this enteric disease by improving performance, reducing intestinal lesions, and positively modulating the mRNA abundance of various tight junction proteins and key nutrient transporters during peak NE infection.

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a zoonotic pathogen causing severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans and non-human primates with high case fatality rates. In recent years, the number and extent of outbreaks has increased, highlighting the importance of better understanding the molecular aspects of EBOV infection and host cell interactions to control this virus more efficiently. Many viruses, including EBOV, have been shown to recruit host proteins for different viral processes. Based on a genome-wide siRNA screen, we recently identified the cellular host factor carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase 2, aspartate transcarbamylase, and dihydroorotase (CAD) to be involved in EBOV RNA synthesis. However, mechanistic details of how this host factor plays a role in the EBOV life cycle remain elusive. In this study, we analyzed the functional and molecular interactions between EBOV and CAD. To this end, we used siRNA knockdowns in combination with various reverse-genetics based lifecycle-modelling systems and additionally performed co-immunoprecipitation and co immunofluorescence assays to investigate the influence of CAD on individual aspects of the EBOV life cycle and to characterize the interactions of CAD with viral proteins. Following this approach, we could demonstrate that CAD directly interacts with the EBOV nucleoprotein NP, and that NP is sufficient to recruit CAD into inclusion bodies dependent on the GLN-domain of CAD. Further, siRNA knockdown experiments indicated that CAD is important for both viral genome replication and transcription, while substrate rescue experiments showed that the function of CAD in pyrimidine synthesis is indeed required for those processes. Together this suggests that NP recruits CAD into inclusion bodies via its GLN domain in order to provide pyrimidines for EBOV genome replication and transcription. These results define a novel mechanism by which EBOV hijacks host cell pathways in order to facilitate genome replication and transcription, and provide further basis for the development of host directed broad spectrum antivirals.

A partial least squares (PLS) quantitative chemometric method based on the analysis of the MID-FTIR spectrum of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) used for the extraction of Cr(VI) from aqueous media is developed. The system previously optimized considering the variables membrane composition, extraction time, and pH, is characterized in terms of its adsorption isotherm, distribution coefficient, extraction percent and enrichment factor. A Langmuir type adsorption behavior with KL = 21.99 L/mg, qmax = 0.242 mmol/g and 0&lt;RL&lt;1, indicates that metal adsorption is favorable. The characterization of the extraction reaction is performed as well showing an 1:1 Cr(VI):Aliquat 336 ratio, in agreement with solvent extraction data. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the PIMs revels a complex pattern, which is satisfactorily simplified and related to Cr(VI) concentrations through the use of a variable selection method (iPLS) in which bands in the ranges 3451–3500 cm-1 and 3751–3800 cm-1 are chosen. The final PLS model including the 100 wavelengths selected by iPLS and 10 latent variables shows excellent parameter values with RMSEC: 3.73115, RMSECV: 6.82685, Bias: -1.91847e-13, CV Bias: 0.185947, R2 Cal: 0.98145, R2 CV: 0.940902, recovery%: 104.02 ± 4.12 (=0.05), sensitivity%: 0.001547 ppb, γ: 3.8 ppb, γ- 1: 0.6 ppb-1, selectivity: 0.0155, linear range: 5.8–100 ppb, LD: 1.9 ppb, and LQ: 5.8 ppb. The developed PIM sensor is easy to implement as it requires few manipulations and reduced number of chemical compounds in comparison to other similar reported systems.

The objective of this study was to identify key transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism and immune response related to the differentially expressed genes (DEG) from the liver samples of 35 pig model for metabolic diseases fed diets containing either 1.5 or 3.0% soybean oil (SOY1.5 or SOY3.0). A total of 281 DEG between SOY1.5 and SOY3.0 diets (log2fold-change ≥ 1 or ≤ −1; FDR-corrected p-value &lt; 0.1) were identified, in which 129 were down-regulated and 152 were up-regulated in SOY1.5 group. The functional annotation analysis detected transcription factors linked to lipid homeostasis and immune response, such as RXRA, EGFR, and SREBP2 precursor. These findings demonstrated that key transcription factors related to lipid metabolism could be modulated by dietary inclusion of soybean oil. It could contribute to nutrigenomics research field that aims to elucidate dietary interventions in animal and human health, as well as to drive the food technology and science.