Stress is a critical factor in the development of mental disorders such as addiction, underscoring the importance of stress resilience strategies. While the ketogenic diet (KD) has shown efficacy in reducing alcohol consumption in male mice without cognitive impairment, its impact on the stress response and addiction development, especially in females, remains unclear. This study examined the KD's effect on increasing ethanol intake due to vicarious social defeat (VSD) in female mice. Sixty-four female OF1 mice were divided into two dietary groups: standard diet (n=32) and KD (n=32). These were further split based on exposure to four VSD or exploration sessions, creating four groups: EXP-STD (n=16), VSD-STD (n=16), EXP-KD (n=16), and VSD-KD (n=16). KD-fed mice maintained ketosis from adolescence until the fourth VSD/EXP session, after which they switched to a standard diet. The Social Interaction Test was performed 24 hours after the last VSD session. Three weeks post-VSD, the Drinking in the Dark test and Oral Ethanol Self-Administration assessed ethanol consumption. The results showed that KD blocked the increase in ethanol consumption induced by VSD in females. Moreover, among other changes, KD increased the expression of the ADORA1 and CNR1 genes, which are associated with mechanisms modulating neurotransmission. Our results pointed to KD as a useful tool to increase resilience to social stress in female mice.

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

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

Functional partially linear regression model, contains a functional linear part and a non-parametric part, in which testing the linear relationship between the response and the functional predictor is of fundamental importance. When functional data cannot be approximated with a few principal components, based on a pseudo estimate for the unknown non-parametric component, we develop a U-statistic of order-two in this paper. Under some regularity conditions, we use the martingale central limit theorem to prove that the proposed test statistic is asymptotically normal. The finite sample performance with simulation studies and real data application are assessed to verify the proposed test procedure.

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

Harmful algal blooms are a serious problem for humanity, so the development of tools and methods for their timely detection is an urgent task. The use of optical methods often allows scientists to solve problems of remote and automated monitoring. Temperature spectra of fluorescence can be used as distinctive features of algae, and the fluorescence parameters obtained from them can be used for identification. The paper presents a description of the fluorescence parameters of Alexandrium catenella, and shows their stability during cumulative cultivation. In addition, the cytometric properties of the culture and its pigment composition were studied. In addition, the article compares all the studied properties of this microalga with the alga Prorocentrum cordatum. We demonstrated clear differences in their fluorescence parameters, which makes it possible to distinguish these microalgae by optical methods, for example, during their dominant blooms.

:Peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. A realistic estimate is that 50% of the world’s wetlands have been lost. Peat is used in horticulture, especially for the cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. The consequences of peatland exploitation are an in-crease in the greenhouse effect and a decrease in carbon stocks. Wood fiber can be used as an al-ternative to peat. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the growing container. This study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) variety “Dirigent H” developed in the Netherlands, were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) con-ventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. The experiment was carried out in three repli-cations. As the amount of wood fiber increased, the humidity and pH of the growing medium in-creased. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in 50/50 and 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat sub-strate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

The nozzle is the key element of the water jet generator for energy conversion. In order to explore the influence of the nozzle diameter on the pressure characteristics of the supercharged pulsed water jet plenum chamber, a supercharged pulsed water jet pressure acquisition system was established, and the Equations of motion and theoretical pressurization ratio equations of the supercharged pulsed water jet generator were established. The pressurization chamber pressure acquisition experiments under different nozzle diameters were carried out. The research results indicate that there is a critical nozzle diameter. When the nozzle diameter is less than the critical diameter, the pressure in the boost chamber is equal to the product of the driving pressure and boost ratio. As the nozzle changes, there is no significant change in the peak pressure and frequency of the boost chamber; When the nozzle diameter is greater than the critical diameter, there is a non-linear relationship between the boost chamber pressure and the driving pressure. As the nozzle diameter gradually increases, the actual boost ratio gradually decreases, and the peak pressure of the boost chamber further decreases. The nozzle diameter can no longer provide a load for the establishment of fluid pressure in the boost chamber. The research results provide a research basis for further controlling the pressure characteristics of the boost pulse water jet.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

General derivation of the well-known Ren-Otsuka relation, 1/α (dTo)/dx=-α/β (where To, x, α and β(>0) are the transformation temperature, the composition, as well as the composition and temperature coefficient of the critical shear constant, c’, respectively) for shape memory alloys, SMAs, is provided based on the similarity of interatomic potentials in the framework of dimensional analysis. A new dimensionless variable, to(x)=(To (x))/(Tm (x) ), describing the phonon softening (where Tm is the melting point) is introduced. The dimensionless values of the heat of transformation, H, and entropy, S as well as the elastic constants c’, c44, A=c44/c' are universal functions of to(x) and have the same constant values at to(0) within sub-classes of host SMAs having the same type of crystal symmetry change during martensitic transformation. The ratio of (dto)/dx and α has the same constant value for all members of a given sub-class and relative increase of c’ with increasing composition should be compensated by the same decrease of to. In the generalized Ren-Otsuka relation the anisotropy factor, A appears instead of c’ and α as well as β are the differences of the corresponding coefficients for the c44 and c’ elastic constants. The obtained linear relation between h and to rationalizes the observed empirical linear relations between the heat of transformation measured by DSC (QAM) and the martensite start temperature, Ms.

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

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

In this paper we derived an expression that allows the determination of the thermo-optic coefficient of weakly-guiding germanium-doped silica fibers, based on the thermal behavior of optical fiber devices, such as, fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The calculations rely on the full knowledge of the fiber parameters and on the temperature sensitivity of FBGs. In order to validate the results, we estimated the thermo-optic coefficient of bulk GeO2 glass at 293 K and 1.55 m to be 18.3x10-6 K-1. The determination of this value required to calculate a correction factor which is based on the knowledge of the thermal expansion coefficient of the fiber core, the Pockels’ coefficients (p11=0.125, p12=0.258 and p44=-0.0662) and the Poisson ratio (=0.161) of the SMF-28 fiber. To achieve that goal, we estimated the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient of GeO2 and we discussed the dispersion and temperature dependence of Pockels’ coefficients. We have presented expressions for the dependence of the longitudinal and transverse acoustic velocities on the GeO2 concentration used to calculate the Poisson ratio. We have also discussed the dispersion of the photoelastic constant. An estimate for the temperature dependence of the thermo-optic coefficient of bulk GeO2 glass is presented for the 200-300 K temperature range.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a recent paper: “On the time dependency of a₀” the authors claim that they have tested “one of the predictions of the Scale Invariant Vacuum (SIV) theory on MOND” by studying the dependence of the Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) accelera- tion at two data sets, low-z (3.2 × 10⁻⁴ ≤ z ≤ 3.2 × 10⁻²) and high-z (0.5 ≤ z ≤ 2.5). They claim “both samples show a dependency of a₀ from z”. Here, the work men- tioned above is revisited. The explicit analytic expression for the z-dependence of the a0 within the SIV theory is given. Furthermore, the first estimates of the Ω_m within SIV theory give Ω_m = 0.28 ± 0.04 using the low-z data only, while a value of Ω_m = 0.055 is obtained using both data sets. This much lower Ωm leaves no room for non-baryonic matter! Unlike in the mentioned paper above, the slope in the z- dependence of A₀ = log10(a₀) is estimated to be consistent with zero Z-slope for the two data sets. Finally, the statistics of the data are consistent with the SIV predic- tions; in particular, the possibility of change in the sign of the slopes for the two data sets is explainable within the SIV paradigm; however, the uncertainty in the data is too big for the clear demonstration of a z-dependence yet.

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

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

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

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

Parental phubbing behavior is a significant factor in predicting adolescent smartphone dependence, but prior research has predominantly focused on a unidirectional perspective from the child's viewpoint, overlooking potential perceptual differences between parents and their children regarding parental phubbing. Therefore, are there differences in the perceptions of parental phubbing between parents and their children? Based on the "Discrepancy-Maladaptive" hypothesis, the presence of perceptual discrepancies in family factors can lead to adverse developmental outcomes in children. Does the parent-child perceptual discrepancy in parental phubbing influence adolescent smartphone dependence? And what role does parent-child relationship play in this context? This study selected 728 families from a middle school in Wuhan, and surveys were administered to both children and parents. The findings reveal: (1) There exist significant parent-child perceptual discrepancies in parental phubbing. (2) Parent-child perceptual discrepancies in parental phubbing significantly positively predict adolescent smartphone dependence and negatively predict parent-child relationships, while parent-child relationships significantly negatively predict adolescent smartphone dependence. (3) The parent-child relationship plays a mediating role between parent-child perceptual differences in parental phubbing behavior and adolescent smartphone dependence.

LuBO3 crystallizes in the calcite type (CaCO3) structure and is a widely applied inorganic host for luminescent materials and scintillators. Even though many scientific works have been published concerning the optical properties of rare earth doped LuBO3, so far, no study of the emission spectra as function of the excitation energy of such orthoborates has been conducted. Therefore, this work deals with the photoluminescence of RE doped LuBO3 with RE = Ce3+, Eu3+, Gd3+, or Tb3+, while an emphasize is laid on the energy dependence of these four luminescent compounds.

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most common drugs of abuse in Thailand. MA use may cause neurotoxicity, immune-inflammatory and oxidative stress responses and, consequently, MA-induced psychosis (MIP).Aims: This study aims to examine the effects of MA use and dependence and MA withdrawal symptoms on the telomere to single copy gene (T/S) ratio and whether shortening of the latter is associated with MIP.Methods: This study included 185 MA-abuse, 118 MA-dependent, and 67 MIP patients, diagnosed using DSM-IV-TR criteria. The Semi-structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) questionnaire was employed to collect clinical and MA-related data. MIP was confirmed using the Methamphetamine Experience Questionnaire (MEQ). The leukocyte telomere length was measured in all participants using real-time polymerase chain reaction measuring the Telomere/Single gene ratio (T/S ratio). Results: There were no significant associations between the T/S ratio and severity of MA-use, MIP, MA withdrawal symptoms including depression and psychomotor retardation. MIP was significantly predicted by alcohol dependence, antisocial personality disorder, and MA-use severity. There were significant and positive associations between the T/S ratio and previous traumatic events and life-threatening accidents. The T/S ratio was not affected by comorbid alcohol and nicotine dependence. Alcohol and nicotine dependence, antisocial personality, and severity of MA use increased risk of MA withdrawal symptoms. Conclusion: MIP and MA-use severity do not affect leukocyte telomere length, but telomere length may be affected by previous traumatic events and life-threatening accidents.

Abstract: 1) Background: The present study aimed to examine the effect of the instructional intervention in family caregivers’ perceived threat of stroke patients’ dependency risk. 2) Methods: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial in which two patient and family caregiver groups of 45 were randomly divided into intervention and control groups based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Instructional intervention for family caregivers in the intervention group was in the form of four one-hour sessions. The data were collected before and immediately after instructional intervention at the hospital as well as two weeks and two months following the intervention via postal service. The data analysis was done using SPSS ver.22. 3) Results: The pre-intervention family caregivers’ perceived threat was not significantly different in the two groups (P = 0.591). However, the family caregivers’ perceived threat of the intervention group increased after the intervention compared with the control group (P < 0.001). In addition, the family caregivers’ perceived threat of the intervention group was significantly different in all post instructional intervention stages compared with pre-intervention (P < 0.001), whereas no such difference was observed in the control group (p = 0.245). 4) Conclusions: It is recommended that stroke patients' caregivers be provided with instructional programs to enhance their understanding of patient dependency risks and challenges.

Due to its devastating consequences, late life depression is an important public health problem. The aim of the study was the analysis of variables which may potentially influence risk of depression (GDS-SF). Furthermore, the aim was to study possible mediating effect of given variables on the relationship between the total protein concentration and risk of depression in older-adults with chronic diseases, and physical function impairment. The research sample included a total of 132 older adults with chronic conditions and physical function impairments, remaining under a long-term care in residential environment. Negative linear correlation was observed between patients’ physical functionality, total protein concentration, concentration of HDL cholesterol, arm circumference, and the risk of depression. Considerably stronger relationship was observed between total protein concentration, and GDS-SF, in elderly suffering from sensory dysfunction (b = −6.42, 95% CI = −11.27; −1.58). The effect of the mediation between depression risk is correlated to total protein concentration in blood serum, and the mediators are probably low function impairment and low levels of 25 (OH)D vitamin. Cohort control research is suggested to confirm the hypothesis.

Grazing exclusion (GE) and rest grazing (RG) are important management to restore grassland ecosystems. In order to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of different grazing management on species diversity, vegetation community indices and soil variables were determined in the plots of Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province. The results showed that diversity effects and their regulating mechanisms had space-scale dependence under different grazing management. Species richness and species diversity indices of RG in grassland were significantly higher than that of GE at the regional scale. Additionally, three grazing management in mountain meadows had only a significant effect on species richness, but different management in mountain meadows and temperate steppes had a significantly different effect on species diversity indices. Meanwhile, soil variables only influenced species diversity at the regional scale. Most of community and soil variables at each scale had positive effects on species diversity, except that the direction of biodiversity effects was negative for species coverage, mean plant height, soil porosity (SK) and bulk density (BD) under two contrasting grazing management. In conclusion, choosing RG at the regional scale and select grazing management according to different grassland types at the local scale to restore degraded grassland vegetation.

This work deals with finding out whether the heart rate values of operators of forwarding machines during the work shift are influenced by the individual activities that the operator has to perform during timber skidding, or by the operators themselves. Furthermore, the work deals with determining the difficulty of individual activities in terms of physical load. For this purpose, the work shift of operators carrying out timber skidding was divided into individual activities: Driving, Maintenance, Forwarding, Break. During these work activities, the heart rate of each operator was taken for subsequent evaluation. The results show that the highest pulse rates of the operators were achieved during the Maintenance of the entrusted machine, while the highest pulse fluctuations in the operators were recorded during Forwarding. As part of this activity, the highest heart rate of the entire measurement process was recorded (132.0000 bpm), but also the lowest (42.0000 bpm). Furthermore, it was proven that both the operator and the activity he performs affect the pulse rate. The activities themselves did not differ from each other in only one of the six cases of comparison. Specifically, it was Driving and Forwarding.

I demonstrate that the ionization energy (IE) and the electron affinity (EA) of organic molecular crystals can be predicted from first-principles. Here, I describe the induced electronic polarization and the electrostatic effects upon crystalline IE and EA. I also demonstrate that the electronic polarization mainly originates from the screened coulomb interaction inside the crystalline bulk phase, and that the electrostatic contribution to IE and EA crucially depends on the orientation of the molecule at the surface. The former is well described by the GW approximation, while the latter is reasonably estimated by the difference in frontier orbital energy between the gas phase and the surface at the level of a generalized gradient approximation to the density functional theory. The present methodology enables to demonstrate the impact of the electrostatic effect upon the energy level of the injected charge at a multi-monolayer surface of an organic semiconductor thin film.

Low temperature dielectric property of charge/orbital ordered manganite, Pr1-xCaxMnO3 for 0.40≤x≤0.50 is investigated systematically as a function of Ca-content, x. The Ca-content dependence of dielectric permittivity and dissipation factor exhibit distinct maxima around x=0.45. The overall dielectric response of charge ordered Pr1-xCaxMnO3 is dominated by polarization induced by polaron hopping and exhibits thermally activated relaxation behaviour. The dielectric relaxation behaviour over the investigated temperature range is analysed with the help of small polaron hopping model and as well as variable range hopping model. The estimated polaron parameters also display non-monotonic variation with x and exhibit broad minima between x=0.425-0.45. The observed results suggest that a modulation of checker board type charge ordering pattern in Pr1-xCaxMnO3 is possibly taking place in the Ca-content range of investigation 0.40≤x≤0.50.

Background: There is now evidence that immune and opioid systems show functional reciprocal relationships and that both systems may participate in the pathophysiology of major depression (MDD). Objective: The present study was carried out to delineate differences between MDD patients and healthy controls in dynorphin and kappa opioid receptor (KORs) in association with levels of β-endorphins and mu opioid receptors (MORs), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10. Method: The present study recruited 60 drug-free male participants with MDD aged 24-70 year and 30 age-matched healthy males as control group and measured serum levels of dynorphin, KOR, β-endorphin, MOR, IL-6 and IL-10. Results: Serum dynorphin, KOR, β-endorphin and MOR are significantly increased in MDD as compared with controls. The increases in the dynorphin/KOR system and β-endorhin/MOR system are significantly intercorrelated and are both strongly associated with increased IL-6 and IL-10 levels. Dynorphin, β-endorphin, KOR and both cytokines showed a good diagnostic performance for MDD versus controls, whereby both opioid peptides and cytokines show a bootstrapped (n=2000) area under the receiver operating curve of 0.972. KOR and the dynorphin/KOR system are both significantly decreased in depressed subjects with comorbid nicotine dependence. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that in MDD, immune activation is associated with a simultaneous activation of dynorphin/KOR and β-endorhin/MOR signaling and that these opioid systems may participate in the pathophysiology of depression by a) exerting immune regulatory activities attenuating the primary immune response; and b) modulating reward responses and mood as well as emotional and behavioral responses to stress.

Long-range HNCO NMR spectra for proteins show crosspeaks due to 1JNC, 2JNC, 3JNCg and h3JNC couplings. The h3JNC couplings are transmitted through hydrogen bonds and are correlated to hydrogen bond lengths. We collected long-range HNCO data at a series of temperatures for four protein states. P22i and CUS-3i are six-stranded beta-barrel I-domains from phages P22 and CUS-3 that share less than 40% sequence identity. The cis and trans states of the C-terminal domain from pore-forming toxin hemolysin ΙΙ (HlyIIC) arise from isomerization of a single G404-P405 peptide bond. For P22i and CUS-3i the hydrogen bonds detected by NMR agree with those observed in the corresponding domains from cryoEM structures of the two phages. Hydrogen bond lengths derived from the h3JNC couplings, however, are poorly conserved between the distantly related CUS-3i and P22i domains and show differences even between the cis and trans states of HlyIIC. This is consistent with hydrogen bond lengths being determined by local differences in structure rather than the overall folding topology. With increasing temperature hydrogen bonds typically show an apparent increase in length, which has been attributed to protein thermal expansion. Some hydrogen bonds are invariant with temperature, however, while others show apparent decreases in length suggesting they become stabilized with increasing temperature. Considering the data for the three proteins in this study and previously published data for ubiquitin and GB3, lowered protein folding stability and cooperativity correlates with a larger range of temperature responses for hydrogen bonds. This suggests a partial uncoupling of hydrogen bond energetics from global unfolding cooperativity as protein stability decreases.

Background: In recent years, the abusive use of the smartphone has reached a situation that could be considered pathological, although there is no such classification in the DSM-IV. In this sense, different instruments to assess this problematic use or addiction to the smartphone are used. Among them, we found the SPAI, which has been validated in the Spanish language. The main difficulty of these scales is to establish a cut-off point that determines such mobile addiction. On the other hand, self-perception has been used in different addictions as a predictor of the problem. Aim: The objective of this study is to establish the cutting point in the scores of the SPAI scale validated in Spanish, using as a referent the self-perception of addiction values. Methods: A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was carried out, establishing as the cut-off point the one that presented a higher value of Youden J, indicative of its sensitivity and specificity. Results: 2598 participants from the university community completed the SPAI-Spain questionnaire. When using the self-perception of smartphone addiction as the benchmark value, a score of 44 has been established as the cutting point of the SPAI questionnaire, with a Youden J corresponding to 0.416. Conclusions: The implementation of a cut-off point of the SPAI questionnaire makes it an instrument that allows early identification of those individuals at risk of addiction as well as the establishment of preventive and/or intervention measures.

Transverse momentum spectra of +, p, Λ, Ξ or ¯Ξ+, Ω or ¯Ω+ and deuteron (d) in different centrality intervals in Gold-Gold (Au-Au) and Lead-Lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at 62.4 GeV and 2.76 TeV respectively, are analyzed by the blast wave model with Boltzmann Gibbs statistics. We extracted Kinetic freeze out temperature,transverse flow velocity and kinetic freezeout volume from the transverse momentum spectra of the particles. It is observed that the non-strange and strange (multi-strange) particles freezeout separately due to different reaction cross-sections. While the freezeout volume and transverse flow velocity are mass dependent which decrease with the rest mass of the particles. The present work reveals the scenario of double kinetic freezeout in collisions at STAR and ALICE Collaborations. Furthermore, the kinetic freezeout temperature and freezeout volume are larger in central collisions than the peripheral collisions and they decrease from central to periphery. However the transverse flow velocity remains almost unchanged from central to peripheral collisions.

Conformal radiotherapy is a primary treatment in head and neck cancer, which putative adverse effects depend on relatively low doses of radiation delivered to increased volumes of normal tissues. Systemic effects of such treatment include radiation-induced changes in serum lipid profile, yet dose- and volume-dependence of these changes remain to be established. Here we analyzed levels of choline-containing phospholipids in serum samples collected consecutively during the radiotherapy used as the only treatment modality. The LC-MS approach applied in the study enabled the detection and quantitation of 151 phospholipids, including (lyso)phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins. No statistically significant differences were found in the pre-treatment samples from patients with different location and stage of cancer. To compensate for potential differences between schemes of radiotherapy the biologically effective doses were calculated and used in the search of correlations with specific lipid levels. We found that the levels of several phospholipids depended on the maximum dose delivered to the gross tumor volume and total radiation energy absorbed by the patient’s body. Increased doses correlated with increased levels of sphingomyelins and reduced levels of phosphatidylcholines. Noteworthy, serum phospholipid levels were associated mainly with volumes of normal tissues irradiated with relatively low doses (i.e., total accumulated dose 20 Gy), which indicated the importance of such effects on the systemic response of the patient’s organism to IMRT.

Background: Early diagnosis of postoperative complications is an urgent task, allowing timely prescribing of appropriate therapy and reducing the cost of patient treatment. Prognostic models based on various data could help in the early diagnosis of postoperative complications after cardiac surgery. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine whether an integrated approach based on clinical data along with metabolites and biomarkers had greater predictive value than the models built on less data. Methods: The study included patients (n=62) admitted for planned cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass), who were retrospectively divided into two groups depending on the presence (n=26) or absence (n=36) of postoperative complications of all types. Clinical and laboratory data on the first day after surgery were analyzed. Additionally, patients' blood samples were collected before and on the first day after surgery to determine biomarkers (interleukin-6, procalcitonin, NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity troponin T) and metabolites (8 aromatic and 2 dicarboxylic acids were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Results: Patients before surgery, compared with healthy donors, differed in the concentration of metabolites (p &lt; 0.05), and had concentrations of a number of biomarkers exceeding the corresponding reference values. Multivariate PLS-DA models, predicting the presence or absence of postoperative complications, were built using clinical data (ROC-AUC=0.71), concentrations of metabolites and biomarkers (ROC-AUC=0.60), and the entire data set (ROC-AUC=0.75). For comparison we built univariate models using the EuroScore2 (ROC-AUC=0.59) and SOFA (ROC-AUC=0.76) scales; concentrations of lactate (ROC-AUC=0.71), the dynamic changes of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (ROC-AUC=0.69), and the sum of three sepsis-associated metabolites (ROC-AUC=0.70). The proposed complex model using entire data set was comparable to the SOFA scale, which confirms the expediency of searching for new predictive models based on a variety of factors.

Milk serves as a crucial source of natural bioactive compounds essential for human nutrition and health. The gastrointestinal digestion of milk proteins releases various biologically active peptides that positively impact human health and enhance physiological performance. With the growing production of cheese, Greek yogurt, and other dairy products, the volume of unutilized acid whey is significantly increasing. Acid whey, containing almost all whey proteins and approximately one-quarter of casein, presents a valuable raw material for generating peptides with potential health benefits. These peptides exhibit properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, opioid, mineral-binding, and growth-stimulating activities, contributing to improved human immunity and the treatment of chronic diseases. Enzymatic hydrolysis of milk proteins has been developed as a method to produce these peptides, facilitating their use in food fortification. To incorporate whey into functional beverages, it undergoes fermentation by lactic acid bacteria with proteolytic activity. To specifically enrich these beverages with peptides exhibiting targeted bioactivities, it is essential to select lactic acid bacteria strains possessing the requisite protease profiles. Additionally, the sensory properties of the final product can be enhanced using starter cultures with diverse metabolic capabilities, even in the absence of added flavoring agents. Given the imperative to develop waste-free technologies and enhance the profitability of the dairy industry, there is a growing need to efficiently utilize and transform acid whey into a broad spectrum of valuable products and food additives. This approach is justified not only by the nutritional benefits of the bioactive components in whey but also by the commercial potential of safe and health-enhancing products.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.

The impact of interaction SS with MJO on rainfall along Java Island to East Nusa Tenggara has been studied using daily rainfall observation data from 2140 weather observation stations, which are also equipped with GSMaP, OLR, and ERA5 data. There were 61 SS events found, 17 during active MJO and 44 in inactive MJO. Rainfall increases more in the western study area when the active MJO and more in the eastern study area when the inactive MJO is due to SS. SS reduces rainfall in the Jakarta region, regardless of the activity or inactivity of the MJO. SS causes extreme rainfall to only occur in a small part of certain areas, so it tends to significantly reduce the possibility of extreme rainfall. In the southern part of the IMC, SS predominates over MJO in supporting increased water vapor transport. Large-scale synoptic circulations like the monsoon, SS, and MJO can interact with local land-sea wind circulation to produce spatiotemporal variability in rainfall on Java Island. Rainfall mostly increases in the afternoon and decreases in the morning when SS occurs, whether there is MJO or not. Convective instability analysis indicates that SS increases precipitation, most likely by lowering CIN and raising VIMFC.

In order to shorten the detection time and improve the average precision on embedded devices, A lightweight and high accuracy model is proposed for passion fruit in complex environments (backlight, occlusion, overlap, sunny, cloudy, rainy). Firstly, replacing the backbone network of YOLOv5 with a lightweight GhostNet model reduces the number of parameters and computation while improving detection speed. Secondly, a new feature branch is added to the GhostNet network, and the feature fusion layer in the neck network is reconstructed to effectively combine the lower-level and higher-level features, which not only improves the accuracy of the model but also maintains its lightweight. Finally, the knowledge distillation methods are used to transfer the knowledge from the more capable teacher model to the less capable student model, which significantly improving the detection accuracy. The improved model is denoted as G-YOLO-NK. The average accuracy of the G-YOLO-NK network is 96.00%, which is 1.00% higher than the original YOLOv5s model. Furthermore, the improved model size is 7.14MB, reduced to half of the original model, and the real-time detection frame rate is 11.25 FPS on the Jetson Nano. Compared to the state-of-the-art model, the proposed model outperforms them in terms of average precision and detection performance. The present work provides an effective model for real-time detection of passion fruits in complex orchard scenes, which can provide valuable technical support for the development of orchard picking robots and greatly improve the intelligence level of orchards.

The Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) scanner is an easy and portable Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition device. Its main output is a 3D point cloud covering the scanned scene. Regarding the importance of accuracy in the survey domain, this paper aims to assess the accuracy of two SLAM scanners: the NavVis VLX and the BLK2GO Scanner. This assessment is conducted for both outdoor and indoor environments. In this context, two types of reference data are used: the Total Station (TS) and the static scanner Z+F Imager 5016. To carry out the assessment, four comparisons are tested: cloud to cloud, cloud to mesh, mesh to mesh, and edge detection board assessment. However, the results of the assessments confirm that the accuracy of indoor SLAM scanner measurements (5 mm) is greater than that of outdoor ones (between 10 mm and 60 mm). Moreover, the comparison of cloud to cloud provides the best accuracy regarding direct accuracy measurement without manipulations. Finally, based on the high accuracy, scanning speed, flexibility, and the accuracy differences between tested cases, it is confirmed that SLAM scanners are effective tools for data acquisition.

In recent years, electroencephalogram (EEG) emotion recognition has emerged as a research hotspot in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite advancements in EEG-based emotion recognition, room for enhancing performance persists due to EEG signal redundancy and limitations in feature extraction, leading to inefficient models and emotional information loss. To fully utilize EEG's emotional information and improve recognition accuracy while reducing computational costs, this paper proposes a Convolutional-Recurrent Hybrid Network with a dual-stream adaptive approach and an attention mechanism (CSA-SA-CRTNN). Firstly, the model utilizes a CSAM module to assign corresponding weights to EEG channels. Then, an adaptive dual-stream convolutional-recurrent network (SA-CRNN and MHSA-CRNN) is applied to extract local spatial-temporal features. After that, the extracted local features are concatenated and fed into a temporal convolutional network with a multi-head self-attention mechanism (MHSA-TCN) to capture global information. Finally, the extracted EEG information is used for emotion classification. We conducted binary and ternary classification experiments on the DEAP dataset, achieving 99.26% and 99.15% accuracy for arousal and valence in binary classification, and 97.69% and 98.05% in ternary classification, surpassing relevant algorithms. Additionally, the model's efficiency is significantly higher than other models, achieving better accuracy with lower resource consumption.

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

Background: Educating college students about the importance of good sleep habits could lead to the adoption of healthier sleep routines, including sufficient sleep duration and sleep quality. The current pre-post study examines the impact of completing a sleep education program called “Sleep 101” on (1) sleep hygiene practices, (2) sleep quality, and (3) weekday and weekend sleep behaviors among college students. “Sleep 101” is an interactive online course developed to educate college students about the importance of sleep by addressing basic sleep physiology, the impact of sleep on mood, academic and physical performance, the interactions between sleep and various substances, and common sleep disorders. Methods: 338 college students were recruited from a midsized public university in the US and invited to participate in “Sleep 101”, of which 25 participants completed the baseline and post-intervention questionnaire. The Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) was utilized to evaluate sleep hygiene practices, while standard questions were employed to assess weekday and weekend sleep behaviors and overall sleep quality. Results: Those who completed the study demonstrated a significant increase in weekday sleep duration and were less likely to engage in negative prior bedtime activities. In addition, 40% of those who completed baseline and post-intervention assessments noticed improvements in their sleep quality. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a brief online program is beneficial in improving sleep behaviors among college and could be a scalable approach to addressing current sleep issues and preventing future sleep problems in college students.

The profile of secondary metabolites occurring in apple cuticular layer is not only characteristic for particular apple cultivar, but also dynamically reflects various external factors in growing environment. In this study, the possibility to authenticate apple samples based on analysis of their cuticular layer extracts was investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was employed for obtaining metabolomic fingerprints. In total, 274 authentic apple samples, four cultivars harvested within the seasons 2020 to 2022 in the Czech Republic and Poland were analysed. The generated complex data processed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods enabled to build classification models for discrimination of apple cultivars as well as their geographical origin. The models showed very good performance in differentiation of Czech and Polish samples for three of four cultivars: ‘Gala’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’, moreover, the validity of the models was verified over harvest seasons. The diagnostic markers, besides metabolites of triterpene biosynthetic pathway, mainly represented wax esters. ‘Jonagold’, which is known to be susceptible to mutations, was the only cultivar for which the unambiguous classification of geographical origin was not possible.

Superior fiber quality is one of the most important objectives in cotton breeding. To detect the genetic basis underlying fiber quality, an F2 population containing 413 plants was constructed by crossing Jifeng 914 and Jifeng 173, both of which have superior fiber quality, with Jifeng 173 being better. Five fiber quality traits were investigated in the F2, F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5 populations. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted based on a high-density genetic map containing 11,488 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spanning 4,202.12 cM in length. Transgressive segregation patterns and complex correlations in the five tested traits were observed. A total of 108 QTLs were found, including 27 for fiber length (FL), 16 for fiber strength (FS), 24 for micronaire (MC), 17 for fiber uniformity (FU), and 24 for fiber elongation rate (FE). Chromosome A7 contained 12 QTL, ranking the first. No QTL was found on chromosome D1 and D11. Each QTL contributed 1.98%–21.45% to the phenotypic variation (PV), including 13 major effect QTLs that contributed more than 10% toward PV. Two QTLs could be repeatedly detected in three populations, including qFL-D3-2 in F2, F2:4, and F2:5 with 9.18%–21.45% of PV, qFS-A11-1 in F2:3, F2:4 and F2:5 with 6.05%–10.41% of PV. Another seven stable QTLs could be detected in two populations, including four major effect QTLs: qFL-A12-3, qFS-D10-2, qMC-D6-2, and qMC-D8-1. Fourteen QTL-overlapping regions were found, which might explain the complex correlations among the five phenotypic traits. Four regions on chromosome A11, D3, D6, and D10 covered by both stable and major effect QTLs are promising for further fine mapping. The genomic regions of the two QTLs detected in three populations and the four major effect QTLs contain 810 genes. Gene functional analysis revealed that the annotated genes are mainly involved in protein binding and metabolic pathways. Fifteen candidate genes in the qFL-D3-2 region are highly expressed in fiber or ovules during fiber initiation, elongation, secondary cell wall thickening, or maturation stages. qRT-PCR revealed that Ghir_D03G005440.1 and Ghir_D03G011310.1 may play a role in promoting fiber initiation, Ghir_D03G006470.1 may be beneficial for promoting fiber elongation. This study provides more information for revealing the molecular genetic basis underlying cotton fiber quality.

Currently there are fewer depth models applied to pepper picking detection, while the existing generalized neural networks have problems such as large model parameters, long training time, and low model accuracy.In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a Yolo-chili target detection algorithm for chili pepper detection. First, the classical target detection algorithm yolov5 is used as a benchmark model, and an adaptive spatial feature pyramid structure combining the attention mechanism and the idea of multi-scale prediction is introduced to improve the model's detection effect on occluded peppers and small target peppers. Secondly, a three-channel attention mechanism module is introduced to improve the algorithm's long-distance recognition ability and reduce the interference of redundant testers. Finally, the quantized pruning method is used to reduce the model parameters and realize the lightweight processing of the model. Applying the method to the homemade chili pepper dataset, the AP value of chili pepper reaches 93.11%; the accuracy rate is 93.51% and the recall rate is 92.55%.The experimental results show that yolo-chili is able to achieve accurate and real-time pepper detection under complex orchards.

The temporary immersion system bioreactor named GreenTray®[2], [3]presents advantages over the existing ones. Firstly, there is no need to use forceps to move the shoots or plantlets in or out of the recipient, neither the use of scalpel to divide them. Secondly, the basis of the shoot can remain in the GreenTray® and can sprout again in several cycles of growth. These two characteristics reduce the costs in the process of micropropagation. Besides, shoots or plantlets development is enhanced by the aeration of the recipient, thus enriching with CO2 the recipient atmosphere. The chapter describes and provides images and values of interest in (1) the micropropagation process of some commercial Prunus or Pyrus rootstocks; (2) the plantlet growth under autotrophic conditions; and (2) the inoculation of plants with pathogens that reproduce in vitro the symptoms observed in vivo, using the GreenTray® bioreactor.

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcomes of treating isolated surgical neck fractures of the humerus using either the intramedullary nail or the MIROS (Minimally Invasive Reduction and Osteosynthesis System®) system. The study included 42 patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Polyclinic from January 2014 to June 2020. The results indicated that both treatments were effective; however, the MIROS system exhibited a higher complication rate. Intramedullary nailing was more reliable, thus recommended as the primary treatment method. This study underscores the importance of selecting the appropriate fixation technique to minimize complications and enhance patient outcomes.

Aiming at the problems of inaccurate segmentation of long object and information loss of small object in real-time semantic segmentation algorithm, this paper proposes a lightweight multi-branch real-time semantic segmentation network based on BiseNetV2. The new auxiliary branch makes full use of spatial details and context information to cover the long object in the field of view. Meanwhile, in order to ensure the inference speed of the model, the asymmetric convolution is used in each stage of the auxiliary branch to design a structure with low computational complexity. In the multi-branch fusion stage, the alignment and fusion module is designed to provide guidance information for deep and shallow feature mapping, so as to make up for the problem of feature misalignment in the fusion of information at different scales, and thus reduce the loss of small target information. In order to further improve the model’s awareness of key information, a global context module is designed to capture the most important features in the input data. The proposed network uses NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU experiment, on the road street view data set Cityscapes and CamVid average occurring simultaneously ratio reached 77.1% and 78.4% respectively, with running speed of 127 frames/s respectively and 112 frames/s. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve real-time segmentation and improve the accuracy significantly, showing good semantic segmentation performance

Excess nitrogen in agricultural drainage poses a serious threat to the water quality safety of the Yellow River basin. Utilizing aquatic plants to modify the rhizosphere microbial community structure and facilitate nitrogen transformation is a crucial strategy for mitigating regional water eutrophication. Our results revealed that the denitrification rate (DR), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium rate (DNRAR) and nitrogen fixation rate (NFR) of rhizosphere sediments exhibited a significant increase in artificially cultivated ditch. Compared with those in natural ditches, the richness of the bacterial community and the relative abundances of Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Firmicutes, Anaeromyxobacter and Geobacter, which are involved mainly in the nitrogen cycle, in the rhizosphere sediments of artificially cultivated ditch were significantly greater due to improvements in environmental conditions. In artificially cultivated ditch, the dominant functional genes affecting DRNARs in the rhizosphere sediments of P. australis were nrfC and nrfA, while DRs were driven mainly by norB and napA, which were influenced by the nitrogen and carbon levels; and the dominant functional genes affecting NFRs in the rhizosphere sediments of T. orientalis were nifD, nifK and nifH. Our results provide a scientific basis for the use of aquatic plants for mitigating excess nitrogen levels in agricultural drainage.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

In this paper we study a class of impulsive delayed neural networks with parameter uncertainties and reaction-diffusion terms. Using the properties of M-matrices and some inequality techniques, some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the global exponential stability of the given system. The results obtained are presented by simple algebraic inequalities, which are certainly more concise than previous methods. Finally, the validity and usefulness of our results are illustrated by arithmetic examples.

Pyrops candelaria is one of the common pests of fruit trees, but the research on the pathogenic microorganisms it may carry is very limited. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the pathogenic microbes it carries and their potential hazards. This study found a new virus from the transcriptome of P. candelaria, which was first reported in P. candelaria and named as PyCaV (Pyrops candelaria associated virus). RACE and bioinformatics assay revealed that the full-length of PyCaV is 10855 bp with the polyA tail, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein consisting of 3171 amino acid (aa). The virus has a typical Iflavirus structure, including two rhv domains, a RNA helicase domain (HEL), a 3C cysteine protease domain (Pro), and a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (RdRp). Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus belongs to family Iflaviridae and sequence alignements analysis suggedted PyCaV is new member in unassigned genus of family Iflaviridae. Further in-depth analysis of virus-infection-part showed that PyCaV is distributing in the whole longan lanternfly, including its head, chest, and abdomen, but more PyCaV was identified in the chest. The distribution of PyCaV in different parts of P. candelaria was further explored, which showed that more PyCaV were detected in its piercing-sucking mouthparts and chest viscera. Statistical analysis showed that the PyCaV infection was affected by time and locations.

Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potentially colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across 9 provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colonies were collected, from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1,242 bp segment of the the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings in this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.

Our previous studies demonstrated a tight connection between simvastatin (SIM) inhibition of B16.F10 murine melanoma cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro and strong suppression of the subunit α of hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) (HIF-1 α) production in these cancer cells. Since the translation of HIF-1α is modulated by signaling pathways coordinated by Akt, SIM effects on the link between these two regulatory factors and cancer cell metabolism under normoxia was investigated, which to our knowledge have never been described before. To achieve the proposed aim, SIM effects on cell metabolism were analysed at mRNA (via RNA-seq and RT-qPCR) as well as protein level (via western blot and catalytic activity of the key enzymes) Our data suggested that SIM might orientate glucose transport and metabolism to ensure replenishment of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity. Moreover, it seems that SIM enhanced biosynthetic role of TCA over its energy role to further support synthesis of lipid-derived signaling molecules. Thus, under normoxia SIM treatment orientated lipid metabolism to stimulate isoprenoid and prostaglandin synthesis which might favor melanoma cell survival and aggressiveness.

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

In this paper, we extend the KdVSKR equations in (1+1)-dimension and (2+1)-dimension to fractional KdVSKR equations with modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. The (2+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, which is a recent extension of (1+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, can model the resonances of solitons in shallow water. By means of the Hirota bilinear method, finite symmetry group method and consistent Riccati expansion method, many new interaction solutions have been derived. Soliton-cnoidal interaction solution of the (1+1)-dimensional fractional KdVSKR equation has been derived for the first time. For the (2+1)-dimensional frac-tional KdVSKR equation, two-wave interaction solutions and three-wave interaction solutions, including dark-soliton-sine interaction solution, bright-soliton-elliptic interaction solution, and lump-hyperbolic-sine interaction solution, have been derived. Impact of the fractional order on the shapes of these solutions has been illustrated by figures. Three-wave interaction solutions of fractional systems have not been reported in the existing references. The research idea in this paper can be applied to other fractional differential equations.

With the burgeoning growth of online retail, the issue of counterfeit products has become a significant threat to both consumer trust and brand integrity, posing challenges to sustainable market practices. Online retail platforms are promoted to redesign their channel structures and enhance brand traceability to tackle counterfeits using blockchain technology. To investigate the interactions between blockchain technology and the channel structures of online retail platforms, we design a game theory model incorporating a manufacturer with(out) blockchain participation selling products via an online retail platform that operates an agency channel and/or a reselling channel. We show that the critical trade-off of blockchain participation comprises the brand assurance effect of the blockchain, the channel competition intensification effect, and the blockchain adoption cost. The platform is capable of strategically designing the channel structure to encourage (while discouraging) blockchain participation by the manufacturer. Our analysis highlights the complementarity between blockchain participation and the channel structure. Furthermore, the effect of the consumer’s belief in the reselling channel, the commission fee in the agency channel, and the substitutability between channels are investigated in depth. The research provides valuable insights for online retail platforms and policymakers seeking to foster a sustainable and trustworthy e-commerce ecosystem.

Antimicrobial peptides represent a promising alternative to traditional drugs in relation to cost, toxicity and, primarily, the growing problem of drug resistance. Here we report on the activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 of a previously described wide-spectrum synthetic decapeptide, Killer Peptide (KP). As determined by plaque reduction assays, treatment with KP at 100 μg/mL resulted in a reduction in the viral yield titer of 3.5 Logs for HSV-1 and 4.1 Logs for HSV-2. Further evaluation of KP antiviral activity focused on the early stages of virus replicative cycle, including the determination of the residual infectivity of viral suspensions treated with KP. A direct effect of the peptide on viral particles, impairing virus absorption and penetration, was shown. The toxicity profile proved to be extremely good with a selectivity index of 29.6 for HSV-1 and 156 for HSV-2. KP was also active against an acyclovir (ACV)-resistant HSV-1 strain, while HSV-1 subcultures in the presence of sub-inhibitory doses of KP did not lead to the emergence of resistant strains. Finally, the antiviral action of KP proved to be synergistic with that of ACV. Overall, these results demonstrate that KP could represent an interesting addition/alternative to acyclovir for antiviral treatment.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

As the world population grows, fulfilling the need for biomaterials in the healthcare system becomes increasingly important. Biomaterials, which include metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, play an important role in the creation of medical devices that improve people's lives. The European Society for Biomaterials described biomaterials as non-biological materials used in medical devices to interact with biological systems. This definition has developed to encompass materials that treat, assess, or replace tissues or bodily functions. Biocompatibility, as defined by the FDA, is a key feature of biomaterials, as is the requirement to fulfil design requirements such as mechanical performance, geometry, and electrical control. Over the last decade, advances in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering have boosted biomaterials' usage in medical applications dramatically. Despite its promise, scientists, engineers, and physicians continue to face significant challenges due to the complexity of biomaterials. Biomaterials have various benefits, including biodegradability, non-toxicity, and biocompatibility, making them extremely useful for replacing, sustaining, or improving biological activities in damaged tissues. They are used in a wide range of applications, including tissue engineering implants, human tissue healing and regeneration, medication delivery systems, and biosensors. This study gives insights into the fundamental characteristics, case studies, and ethical issues associated with the usage and use of biomaterials, further examining their potential and significance in healthcare and medicine.

The paper describes the new method for image compression based on coordinated group signal transformation. The algorithm is a type of difference coding. Coordinated processing significantly simplifies the difference signal conversion scheme using a single group codec for all signals. The described method considers color channels as correlated signals of a multi-channel communication system. The specifics of the processed data required modification of the coordinated group processing algorithm. First, we changed how to calculate the difference signals to prevent data loss. Secondly, the group codec was supplemented with a neural network to improve the quality of reconstructed images. We considered the following types of neural networks: fully connected, recurrent, convolution, and convolution in the Fourier space. Based on the simulation results, it is best to use fully connected neural networks if the goal is to minimize processing delay time. These networks have a response time of 13 ms. On the other hand, if the priority is to improve quality in cases where delays are not critical, then convolution neural networks in the Fourier space should be used. These networks have a response time of 140 ms and are of significant interest.

In electromagnetic ultrasonic testing, it is difficult to recognize small-size bottom cracks by time of flight (ToF), and the lift-off fluctuation of the probe affects the accuracy and consistency of the inspection results. In order to overcome the difficulty, a novel EMAT (electromagnetic acoustic transducer)-PEC (pulse eddy current) composite sensor is designed. We use amplitude of bottom echo recorded by EMAT to identify the tiny bottom crack as well as the amplitude of PEC signals picked up by the integrated symmetric coils to measure the average lift-off of the probe in real time. Firstly, the effects of lift-off and bottom cracks on amplitude of bottom echo are distinguished combining the theoretical analysis and finite element method (FEM). And then an amplitude correction method based on the fusion of EMAT and PEC signals is proposed to reduce the impact of lift-off on the defect signal. The experimental results demonstrate that the designed composite sensor can effectively detect the bottom crack as small as 0.1mm* 0.3mm. The signal fusion method can accurately correct the amplitude of defect signal and the relative error is less than ±8%.

The studied solar pot is a recent invention, which gained a utility model protection in 2021 from the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office under patent number 5489. The device is made for environmentally friendly cooking or heating (by utilizing solar energy) of foods and liquids. Its structure is similar to a double pipe heat exchanger, it has an outer mantle and an inner cooking tank. The goals of the paper are proposing a new physically-based mathematical model describing the solar pot and carrying out computer experiments with it, assembling an experimental system of the pot connected with a solar collector and performing measurements on it. Based on the results, the solar pot can successfully be used for cooking or sterilizing foods or liquids during the studied time period, in Hungary.

The research reported on this paper was aimed at improving the overall efficiency of a PDO certified artisanal cheese production process. Being a PDO certified foodstuff by the EU, it is considered to have properties and qualities determined by the geographical environment in which is made, with its production taking place in a specific and determined geographical location, in this case the Serra da Estrela region. In that sense, the authors conducted a mapping according to a systemic perspective of the processes involved in the context of manufacturing and distribution of certified Serra da Estrela cheese. Numerous methods were used throughout the process, such as a systemic design analysis, and techniques derived from ethnographic methods, which led to the collection of data in the field and consequently provided the immersion of the researcher in genuine work situations. Critical points were identified and emphasized in the systemic map with the purpose of encouraging initiatives to address and overcome the gaps and inefficiencies detected. The systemic design analysis triggered the development of design work. Observations following an ethnographic approach identified ergonomic risks in cheese making during the process of cutting excess chips, fostering the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders at the wrist. A tool that fits best to the task at hand was developed. A prototype of the new tool enabled collecting feedback from use in the work context, in order to inform product development. The domains of agricultural production and microbiology, considering the specific microorganisms developed trough the ripening process of the cheese, turned out to be aspects of high importance for the issue under focus, contributing to a broader understanding of the ripening process and its risks, simultaneously improving the efficiency and success of cheese production. If it were not for the systemic analysis, which served as a link between the boundaries of distinct domains such as the risk of microorganism contamination, ergonomics, energy efficiency, legislation and regulation policies, transportation challenges and economic viability, approached throughout the research. Simultaneously creating bridges between them, the various problems might not have been detected in the first place, as they are usually addressed in specialized disciplines, predetermined by the restrictions of each specific area of knowledge. As a consequence of the development of this research, which was based on an analysis that sought to establish possible connections between various disciplines and tried to constantly maintain a holistic perspective, making new connections and observing the issues from a new angle, apart from the already established methodologies. All this allowed to lay out the seeds for the development of a plan to tackle the critical points identified by the systemic analysis reported in this paper.

Abstract: Transcription factors are crucial pre-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that can modulate the expression of downstream genes by binding to their promoter regions. DOF (DNA binding with One Finger) proteins are a unique class of transcription factors with extensive roles in plant growth and development. Our previous research indicated a decrease in iron content in chlorotic bamboo leaves. However, to our knowledge, genes related to iron metabolism pathways in bamboo species have not yet been studied. Therefore, in the current study, we identified iron metabolism-related (IMR) genes in bamboo and determined the transcription factors that significantly influence them. Among these, DOFs were found to have widespread effects and potentially significant impacts on their expression. We identified specific DOF members in Dendrocalamus latiflorus with binding abilities through homology with Arabidopsis DOF proteins, and established connections between some of these members and IMR genes using RNA-seq data. Additionally, molecular docking confirmed the binding interactions between these DlDOFs and the DOF binding sites in the promoter regions of IMR genes. The co-expression relationship between the two gene sets was further validated using q-PCR experiments. This study paves the way for research into iron metabolism pathways in bamboo and lays the foundation for understanding the role of DOF transcription factors in D. latiflorus.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major concern in public healthcare, leading to increased morbidity, pro-longed hospital stays length, and significant economic costs. Understanding the epidemiology and risk fac-tors of SSIs is crucial for developing effective prevention and management strategies. In the last century, CDC ‘s HICPAC improved a bundle for prevention of HAIs based on the use of aseptic procedures, disin-fection of the skin and correct use of antibiotics for SSIs. In our country, Gelli-Bianco law introduced the national health guidelines system that include the prophylaxis antibiotic therapy pre- and post-surgery. The aim of our study is to evaluate adherence and appropriateness of the use of antibiotic-preoperative prophylaxis in a province of southern Italy and to identify risk factors that may influence the development of an SSI. The study found many statistically significant associations among the factors examined, i.e. the timing of administration adherent to guidelines, with 47% of the analyzed files administering antibiotics within 60 min before the intervention and 62.7% using intravenous administration.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to be a global threat due to its ability to evolve and generate new subvariants, leading to new waves of infection. Additionally, other coronaviruses like Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV, formerly known as hCoV-EMC) which first emerged in 2012, persists and continues to present a threat of severe illness to humans. The continued identification of novel coronaviruses, coupled with the potential for genetic recombination between different strains, raises the possibility of new coronavirus clades of global concern emerging. As a result, there is a pressing need for pan-CoV therapeutic drugs and vaccines. After extensive optimization of an HCV protease inhibitor screening hit, a novel 3CLPro inhibitor (MK-7845) was discovered and subsequently profiled. MK-7845 exhibited nanomolar in vitro potency with broad spectrum activity against a panel of clinical SARS-CoV-2 subvariants and MERS-CoV. Furthermore, when administered orally, MK-7845 demonstrated a notable reduction of viral burdens by &gt;6 log orders in the lungs of transgenic mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 (K18-hACE2 mice) and MERS-CoV (K18-hDDP4 mice).

The wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh are home to some of the most prolific and valuable ecosystems on the planet, offering a wide range of benefits to both the local and wider communities. A limited number of research on this topic have been carried out in various wetlands in coastal hilsa, but none have been located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. Thus, the goal of this study was to better understand the most commercially relevant species (anadromous hilsa) in northeastern Bangladesh as well as to assess the wetland ecosystem services more thoroughly with the contribution of their fish genetic resources. In addition to laboratory studies, fieldwork was done in the fishing settlements along the Surma River, Hakaluki Haor, and Tanguar Haor. The study classified 77 fish species into 21 subcategories of ecosystem services, of which 56% were not threatened, 17% were vulnerable, and 10% were highly endangered. The species Hilsa was found to be the most economically significant, accounting for 1% of the GDP overall. The study determined if the hilsa stock of the examined wetlands maintains a single or several subpopulations in comparison to other parts of the country when they migrate from saline water to northeastern Bangladesh (freshwater). But when compared to other groups, the FST score was between 0.000 to 0.017, indicating that the populations are identical and that there is genetic material sharing between them. Additionally, these statistics imply that the Sylhet haor and adjacent river systems contain a single stock of Hilsa fish. Nevertheless, a number of stresses and risks, including overexploitation, illicit and destructive fishing, siltation, and natural disasters like flash floods, have been linked to changes in the supply of hilsa and other ecosystem services. This study also emphasizes the necessity of policy attention and research to address the concerns.