Despite notable advancements in immunotherapy in the past decades, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains a promising, potentially curative treatment modality. Only a limited number of studies has performed a direct comparison of two prevalent rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (r-ATG) formulations — specifically, Thymoglobuline (ATG-T, formerly Genzyme) and Grafalon (ATG-G, formerly Fresenius). The primary objective of our retrospective analysis was to compare the outcomes of adult patients undergoing matched or mismatched unrelated donor (MUD/MMUD) allo-HCT, with a graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis based on either ATG-T or ATG-G. A total of 87 patients undergone allo-HCT between 2012 and 2022 were included. We observed no significant differences between ATG-T and ATG-G concerning the occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD), regardless of its severity. Conversely, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) occurred less frequently in the ATG-T group compared to ATG-G (7.5% vs. 38.3%, p=0.001). Patients treated with ATG-T manifested a higher incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivations (70% vs. 31.9%, p<0.001), with a shorter time between transplant and CMV (<61 days, 77.8% vs. 33.3%, p=0.008) and a higher median CMV copy number (1000 vs. 0, p=0.004). Notably, despite a higher occurrence of CMV reactivations in the ATG-T cohort, most patients were asymptomatic compared to ATG-G (85.7% vs. 43.8%, p=0.005). Finally, we observed no significant differences in terms of 5-year overall survival (OS) and 3-year probability of relapse while comparing ATG-T and ATG-G (32.0% vs 40.3%, p=0.423; 63.9% vs 55.7%, p=0.438, respectively).

The collapsible loess will rapidly soften and lose its bearing capacity when soaked in water. Under a mild condition (20°C), the biomimetic inorganic agent, Diammonium phosphate (DAP), reacts with calcite in the collapsible loess, producing a stronger bonding material, hydroxyapatite (HAP), to modify and stabilize the soil. Uniaxial compression, permeability tests and morphological analysis using XRD and SEM/EDX microscopy were carried out to assess the effectiveness of DAP stabilization on the collapsible loess. The results indicated that HAP improved the inter-particle bonding within loess, filled the pores within particles, reduced the permeability, and consequently mitigated collapsibility of loess. The compressive strength of DAP-treated loess increased as DAP concentration increased. Following 28-days curing, the compressive strength of the loess treated with a 3.0 mol/L DAP solution was six times greater than that of the untreated group. DAP's reinforcement effect on loess was superior to that of cement. The compressive strength of DAP-treated loess was about double that of cement-treated loess and the permeability coefficient was reduced by more than 50% at equivalent solid content. Furthermore, DAP generated 68% fewer carbon emissions compared to Portland cement. Considering eco-friendly and sustainable development, DAP offers a more competitive alternative for modification and stabilization of loess.

The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of China is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angio-sperms, but there is only one record of flower bud hitherto. A previous fossil record of flower bud just showed the appearance and lacked any internal details. Such a lacuna in knowledge of flower buds hin-ders our understanding of the evolution of flowers. Our new specimen was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (the Barremian-Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) near Dawangzhangzi, Lingyuan, Liao-ning, China. The specimen was observed and photographed using a Sony ILCE-7 digital camera and a Nikon SMZ1500 stereomicroscope, and details were observed using a TESCAN MAIA3 SEM. Our ob-servations document a fossil flower bud, Archaebuda cretaca sp. nov, from the Lower Cretaceous of China. The occurrence of two species of Archaebuda in the Yixian Formation not only confirms the ex-istence of the expected gynoecium (and possible androecium) in a flower bud, but also underscores the occurrence of typical flowers in the Early Cretaceous.

Food-borne transmission is a recognized route for many viruses associated with gastrointestinal, hepatic or neurological diseases. Therefore, it is essential to identify new bioactive compounds with broad-spectrum antiviral activity is needed to exploit innovative solutions against these hazards. Lately, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been recognized as promising antiviral agents. Indeed, while the antibacterial and antifungal effects of these molecules have been widely reported, their use as potential antiviral agents has not yet been fully investigated. Herein, the antiviral activity of previously identified or newly designed AMPs, was evaluated against the non-enveloped RNA viruses, Hepatitis A virus (HAV), and Murine Norovirus (MNV), a surrogate for human Norovirus. Moreover, specific assays were performed to recognize at which stage of the viral infection cycle the peptides could function. Results showed that almost all peptides displayed virucidal effects with about 90% of infectivity reduction on HAV or MNV. However, the decapeptide RiLK1 demonstrated, together with its antibacterial and antifungal properties, a notable reduction in viral infection for both HAV and MNV, possibly through direct interaction with viral particles or inhibition of the viral bonding to the cell receptors. Hence, RiLK1 could represent a versatile ‘antimicrobial agent effective against various foodborne pathogens including viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

This paper considers the Hermitian solutions of a new system of commutative quaternion matrix equations, we establish both necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions. Furthermore, we derive an explicit general expression when it is solvable. To illustrate our main findings, we present two numerical algorithms and examples in this paper.

Lower cutoff levels in screening programs have led to an increase in the proportion of detected cases with transient hypothyroidism, leading to increase of the overall incidence of primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in several countries. We have performed retrospective evaluation on the data from 251,008 (96.72%) neonates screened for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level in dried blood spot specimens taken 48 hours after birth, between 2002 and 2015, using DELFIA method. A TSH value of 15 mIU/L was used as the cutoff point until 2010 and 10 mIU/L thereafter. Primary CH was detected in 127 newborns (1/1976) of which 81.1% had permanent and 18.9% had transient CH. The incidence of primary CH was increased from 1/2489 until to 2010 to 1/1585 thereafter (p=0.131). However, the incidence of permanent CH was slightly increased (p=0.922), while the transient CH incidence had 8-fold increasing after lowering the TSH cutoff level (p<0.001). In cases with permanent CH, we observed lower frequency for thyroid dysgenesis (82.7 vs. 66.7%) and higher frequency for normal in-situ thyroid gland (17.3 vs. 33.3%), for the period with reduced TSH cutoff value. Our findings support the impact of lower TSH cutoff on the increasing incidence of congenital hypothyroidism.

The human landscape transforming activity contributes to the global change of vegetation in different forms. Hunting is one of the most ancient human landscape-shaping activities. Feeders for hunting are particularly disruptive to vegetation. In the present study, we conducted a vegetation survey in these highly disturbed places. We are investigating the vegetation dynamics over several years in in the turkey oak–sessile oak zone, in two areas with different moisture and shade conditions (forest and clearing). One important background factor is changes in precipitation and temperature. The novelty of our present study lies in the fact that the observation takes place with continuous disturbance, where the human influence is very large. Our results confirm that the weed infestation be detectable at bait sites over a long period, and the interannual changes were typical in every year, according to the fact that in August, more weed species are usually present with a greater cover at the bait sites. The main meteorological factors played a role in the degree of weed infestation in each year. There was a higher proportion of vegetation regeneration in wetter years, while dry periods do not favor successional processes. With the drying of the climate, the disturbed areas are constantly losing their natural value, but wetter weather is not an automatic solution either. A more precise understanding of vulnerable systems and careful planning of treatment interventions is necessary.

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

Utilization of wasted heat instead of fuel combustion is effective to reduce primary energy consumption for mitigating global warming problem. Because wasted heat sources are not necessarily located close to areas of heat demand, one of the difficulties is that wasted heat has to be transferred from heat source side to heat demand side, which may require heat transportation over long distance. From this point we proposed and have examined new idea of heat transportation using ammonia-water as the working fluid which system is named Solution Transportation Absorption chiller, in short STA. Our previous studies of STA were mainly the experimental investigation with STA facility which cooling power was 25RT (90kW). As a result, the COP of STA was found almost same value 0.65 with the conventional absorption chiller without depending on the transportation distances. The simulation using AspenHYSYS also examined with same experimental condition. The experimental data showed good agreement with the simulation calculation. In this study, we examined the large-scale cooling power STA on simulation. The examination cooling powers were from 90 kW(25RT) to 3517 kW(1000RT). All cooling power achieved around COP 0.64 including pump power consumptions. In addition, we performed the dynamic simulation. As the results, there was no effect of pipeline size on the cooling capacities and mass flow rates. Furthermore, the stability time of the cooling capacities and mass flow rates were almost same regardless of the pipeline size and cooling capacity. In other words, STA may be achieved the same COP even though having various complex conditions compared with the conventional absorption chiller.

: The crystallization conditions from the solution play an important role in determining the mor-phology, phase composition, and photovoltaic properties of perovskite films. Post-processing of the obtained films can have a crucial role in increasing the grain size of perovskite and enhancing its crystallinity. It has been shown that the formation of crystal nuclei can be utilized to accelerate crystallization. In this case, crystallization occurs through the growth of seed crystals created in the solution, enabling the formation of relatively large crystals. For the deposition of CH3NH3PbI3 hybrid halide perovskite films from a solution of the perovskite in dimethylformamide the spin coating technique was employed. Pre-crystallization was achieved by annealing the films at a temperature of 100 or 110 °C. The dissolution process involved adding a drop of dimethylformamide onto the substrate surface and allowing it to partially dissolve the perovskite film. Subsequently, residual solvent was removed through spin coating. The mor-phological analysis of the perovskite film surface after recrystallization at temperatures ranging from 80 to 130 °C was performed. The infrared transmission spectra of the obtained perovskite films were investigated, and their light absorption characteristics were studied through transmission spectra. The perovskite structure in the obtained films was confirmed by the peaks observed in the X-ray diffraction patterns.

The growing shift toward Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions expands the attack surface of systems by connecting an extensive network of heterogeneous devices and technologies. The heterogeneity of IoT devices and the scale of the network often make conventional security measures impractical. Therefore, recent research efforts have focused on machine learning (ML)-based device-agnostic IoT security solutions. However, most proposed solutions have focused solely on detecting malicious traffic in IoT networks. While this is important, further information about the attack is needed to provide a comprehensive defense before, during, and after the incident. To address this gap, we proposed an anomaly-based intrusion detection model that detects malicious traffic and identifies the attack category and subcategory with high accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score. The proposed intrusion detection model is an ensemble model that integrates multiple ML models to produce more robust and reliable detections. For evaluation, we performed three sets of experiments: (1) a binary classification to detect malicious traffic; (2) a multi-class classification to detect the attack category; and (3) a multi-class classification to detect the attack subcategory. In the experiments, our model achieved an accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score of 100% for the binary detection; a precision, recall, and F1-score of 99% and an accuracy of 100% for the multi-class category classification; and an accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score of 88% for the multi-class subcategory classification. These results suggest that the proposed model can reliably detect anomalies in IoT devices.

The second article in the series presents the application of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method to modelling of batch crystallisation in stirred tanks. A methodology to integrate the population balance equations (PBE) in parallel and independently from the Navier-Stokes equations is demonstrated. The benefits of the proposed methodology in terms of computational requirements, accuracy and availability of the crystal size distribution are discussed. The specific formulation of the SPH equations where the resulting system of ordinary differential equations is solved using the weighted contributions rather than numerically by solving a linear system of equations allows for massive parallelisation and a very loose coupling of the population balance and the fluid dynamics. It has been demonstrated, that the population balance equations can be solved on a Shared Memory Architecture (SMA) system using the OpenMP interface while the fluid dynamics equations being computed independently on a General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) using the NVidia CUDA technology. This way, a significant portion of the computational overhead due to the large number of additional transport equations resulting from the discretisation of the population balance was removed: the SPH simulation coupled with 200 population balance equations was only 40% slower compared to SPH-only simulation. Two methods for the solution of population balance equations that preserve full crystal size distribution were implemented: discretised population balance (DPB) and method of characteristics (MOCH). The DPB equations are solved using the high-resolution finite-volume method with flux limiter and the effect of a large number of different flux limiters have been investigated. Both methods were validated using the case studies from the literature where an analytical solution can be derived. The developed models were applied to a numerical solution of coupled computational fluid dynamics and population balance equations to model a batch crystallization process. The effect of the hydrodynamics on the local temperature/supersaturation and the resulting crystal size distribution was captured and compared to the ideal mixing case. The simulation results from the DPB and MOCH methods were compared in terms of computational requirements and accuracy and MOCH selected as computationally more efficient and accurate.

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles are promising candidates for various kinds of practical application. The interest of researchers and scientists in these nanoparticles is due to their unique physical and chemical properties such as density, melting point, magnetic characteristics and band gap. The need to develop high performance and low-cost technologies for obtaining Co3O4 nanoparticles is a major reason in research in this area. The widespread commercial use of Co3O4 nanoparticles will open doors for numerous novel cost effective technologies, which are mostly dependent on the type of synthesis method and raw materials. A possible solution to this problem is to use Cobalt nitrates as a cost-effective precursor using the solution combustion method. Solution combustion synthesis method is one of the best candidate methods that have the potential for high performance and is also cost-effective. This review examines recent progress in the synthesis of Co3O4 nanoparticles by solution combustion method and underscores their significance across various fields, highlighting the need for further research and exploration of their multifaceted applications. In addition, the most recent advancements in the applications of Co3O4 nanoparticles in sensitive sensing, catalysis, supercapacitors/batteries and water treatment/pollutants removal are reviewed and described, focusing on current trends, challenges, and future outlooks.

Addressing non-unions involves stabilizing the affected area through osteosynthesis and improving bone biology using bone grafts. However, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment method. This study aims to compare outcomes of non-union revision using conventional treatment methods (metal hardware ± graft) versus osteosynthesis with the human, allogeneic cortical bone screw (Shark Screw®). Thirty-four patients underwent conventional treatment, while 28 cases received Shark Screws®. Patient demographics, bone healing, time to bone healing, and complications were assessed. Results revealed a healing rate of 96.4% for the Shark Screw® group, compared to 82.3% for the conventionally treated group. The Shark Screw® group exhibited a tendency for faster bone healing (9.4±3.2 vs. 12.9±8.5 weeks, p=0.05061). Hardware irritations led to six metal removals in the conventional group versus two in the Shark Screw® group. The Shark Screw® emerges as a promising option for personalized non-union treatment in the foot, ankle, and select lower leg cases, facilitating effective osteosynthesis and grafting within a single construct, promoting high union rates, low complications, and a rapid healing process.

Bubble (point defect) – a precursor of fuzz or under dense nanostructure formation is crystal lattice defect. Suitable selection of crystal lattice which inhibit Frenkel pair generation and intrinsically promotes self- interstitial solid solution strengthening contributes effectively towards making plasma facing material. For this, interstitial sites, their size, amount / fraction, positions, tendency of occupation and diffusion parameters (e.g. activation energies (Q), activation volumes) are determined. Fcc iron carbon alloys (austenitic stainless steels AISI / SAE 321, fcc structure, Pearson code cF4, space group Fm3̅m) are proposed as suitable candidates. Along with their room temperature fcc structure having 12 interstitial positions (4 octahedral, 6 coordination sites and 8 tetrahedral, 4 coordination sites / unit cell) to allow insertion of self (iron) atoms, they have excellent corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, and non- magnetic properties. After their melting, casting, and machining to required dimensions and geometry, stabilizing heat treatment is applied to precipitate all carbon as TiC and prevent formation of Cr23C6 (sensitization). This resist heat and surface degradation and yield excellent architecture which not onlyinhibit Frankel pair generation but will also allow bulk assimilation or surface annihilation (loop punching) of this lattice point defect. A superior thermal, fluid, and structural design augment above. A second choice is presented as Co base superalloys owing to same fcc crystal structure and excellent properties (such as strength, dimensional stability, oxidation resistance) at high temperature.

The calculation of the collapse load of spherical domes is addressed using a semi-analytical approach under the hypotheses of small displacements and perfect plasticity. The procedure is based on the numerical approximation of the self-stress that represents the projection of the balance equilibrium null space on a finite dimensional manifold. The so obtained self-equilibrated stress span is superimposed to a finite element linear elastic solution to the prescribed loads yielding to the statically admissible set accordingly to Melan’s theorem. The compatibility of the stress with the constitutive law of the material has been enforced using linearized limit domain in terms of generalized stress, namely axial force and bending moment along the local spherical curvilinear coordinates. The procedure has been tested with reference to numerical and experimental data from the literature confirming the accuracy of the proposed method. The comparison with the literature confirms that the buckling load is much greater than the plastic collapse loads both calculated through the proposed procedure and reported in the quoted literature.

In this work we introduce a novel approach to generate lower and upper L2 estimates for solution derivatives of arbitrary order to a general class of dissipative systems in the case that such estimates are available for the solutions themselves. Our method also works in reverse order: from the L2 estimates of solution derivatives of some (arbitrary) order we can derive lower and upper L2 estimates for the solutions and then to their derivatives of any order. This procedure is based on very simple monotonicity properties combined with standard energy estimates in physical space, following previous ideas of Kreiss, Hagstrom, Lorenz and Zingano. For simplicity, it is applied here in the context of algebraic rates, but the method can be used in other contexts as well (exponential, logarithm, and so forth).

The susceptible-infected-recovered-vaccinated-deceased (SIRVD) epidemic compartment model extends the SIR model to include the effects of vaccination campaigns and time-dependent fatality rates on epidemic outbreaks. It encompasses the SIR, SIRV, SIRD, and SI models as special cases, with individual time-dependent rates governing transitions between different fractions. We investigate a special class of exact solutions and accurate analytical approximations for the SIRVD and SIRD compartment models. While the SIRVD and SIRD equations pose complex integro-differential equations for the rate of new infections and the fractions as a function of time, a simpler approach considers determining equations for the sum of ratios for given variations. This approach enables us to derive fully exact analytical solutions for the SIRVD and SIRD models. For nonlinear models with a high-dimensional parameter space, such as the SIRVD and SIRD models, analytical solutions, exact or accurately approximative, are of high importance and interest: not only as suitable benchmarks for numerical codes, but especially as they allow us to understand the critical behavior of epidemic outbursts as well as the decisive role of certain parameters. In the second part of our study, we apply a recently developed analytical approximation for the SIR and SIRV models to the more general SIRVD model. This approximation offers accurate analytical expressions for epidemic quantities, such as the rate of new infections and the fraction of infected persons, particularly when the cumulative fraction of infections is small. The distinction between recovered and deceased individuals in the SIRVD model affects the calculation of the death rate, which is proportional to the infected fraction in the SIRVD/SIRD cases but often proportional to the rate of new infections in many SIR models using a posteriori approach. We demonstrate that the temporal dependence of the infected fraction and the rate of new infections differs when considering the effects of vaccinations and when the real-time dependence of fatality and recovery rates diverge. These differences are highlighted for stationary ratios and gradually decreasing fatality rates. \Revised{The case of stationary ratios allows one to construct a new powerful diagnostics method to extract analytically all SIRVD model parameters from measured COVID-19 data of a completed pandemic wave.

This study revisits the Reynolds-averaged Navier--Stokes equations (RANS) and finds that the existing literature is erroneous regarding the primary unknowns and the number of independent unknowns in the RANS. The literature claims that the Reynolds stress tensor has six independent unknowns, but in fact the six unknowns can be reduced to three that are functions of the three velocity fluctuation components, because the Reynolds stress tensor is simply an integration of a second-order dyadic tensor of flow velocity fluctuations rather than a general symmetric tensor. This difficult situation is resolved by returning to the time of Reynolds in 1895 and revisiting Reynolds' averaging formulation of turbulence. The study of turbulence modeling could focus on the velocity fluctuations instead of on the Reynolds stress. An advantage of modeling the velocity fluctuations is, from both physical and experimental perspectives, that the velocity fluctuation components are observable whereas the Reynolds stress tensor is not.

Let $S=\left(s_1, \ldots, s_n\right)$ be a finite sequence of integers. Then $S$ is a Gilbreath sequence of length $n$, $S\in\mathbb{G}_n$, iff $s_1$ is even or odd and $s_2, \ldots, s_n$ are respectively odd or even and $\min\mathbb{K}_{\left(s_1, \ldots, s_m\right)}\leq s_{m+1}\leq\max\mathbb{K}_{\left(s_1, \ldots, s_m\right)}\forall m\in\left[\left.1, n\right)\right.$. This, applied to the order sequence of prime number $P$, defines Gilbreath polynomials and two integer sequences A347924 \cite{oeisA347924} and A347925 \cite{oeisA347925} which are used to prove that Gilbreath conjecture $GC$ is implied by $p_n-2^{n-1}\leqslant\mathcal{P}_{n-1}\left(1\right)$ where $\mathcal{P}_{n-1}\left(1\right)$ is the $n-1$-th Gilbreath polynomial at 1.

In this paper, we give some upper and lower bounds for the multiplicative Randic index, reduced reciprocal Randic index, Narumi-Katayama index and symmetric division index a graph using solely the vertex degrees. Then we obtain upper and lower bounds for these indices for the complete graphs, path graphs and Fibonacci-sum graphs. Finally, we compared the bounds of these indices for a general graph and some special graphs.

Patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) show disorders in calcium metabolism. The α-klotho protein is predominantly expressed in tissues that are involved in calcium homeostasis, and lowered levels are associated with bone disease. Aim of the study. To study the associations between low α-klotho status and calcium metabolism in relation to iron status in children with TDT. Methods. α-klotho, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcyphosin, vitamin D3, phosphorous, fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2), as well as iron and erythron biomarkers were measured in 60 children with TDT and 30 healthy control children. Results. A meaningful part of TDT patients showed lowered α-klotho levels, and those children also showed low serum total and ionized calcium concentrations. TDT patients showed increased PTH, FGFR2, and calcyphosin and lowered vitamin D3 as compared with healthy children. The α-klotho levels were significantly correlated with total and ionized calcium (positively) and with iron overload biomarkers and the number of blood transfusions (inversely). Partial Least Squares path analysis showed that 40.1% of the variance in serum total calcium could be explained by the regression on α-klotho, vitamin D3 (both positively), and calcyphosin (inversely) and that the effects of the latter are mediated by iron overload and the number of blood transfusions. Conclusion. In TDT, iron overload and its consequences may induce lowered levels of α-klotho which in turn may lead to lower calcium thereby explaining at least in part the effects of TDT on bone metabolism including spontaneous pathological fractures, osteoporosis, osteopenia, and skeletal deformities.

In the paper, the authors present an explicit form for a family of inhomogeneous linear ordinary differential equations, find a more significant expression for all derivatives of a function related to the solution to the family of inhomogeneous linear ordinary differential equations in terms of the Lerch transcendent, establish an explicit formula for computing all derivatives of the solution to the family of inhomogeneous linear ordinary differential equations, acquire the absolute monotonicity, complete monotonicity, the Bernstein function property of several functions related to the solution to the family of inhomogeneous linear ordinary differential equations, discover a diagonal recurrence relation of the Stirling numbers of the first kind, and derive an inequality for bounding the logarithmic function.

In this article various heuristic approaches are discussed to solve the dark matter phenomenon by the concept of vacuum polarization. They are compared with a more fundamental approach, based upon an entropy model of the visible universe. They all make use of some kind of gravitational dipole. These dipoles seem to violate Einstein’s equivalence principle between inertial mass and gravitational mass. It is shown how the paradox can be solved by a quantum mechanical principle.

Lower Back Pain (LBP) is a disease that needs immediate attention. Person with back pain shall go immediately to doctor for treatment. Injury, excessive works and some medical conditions are result of back pain. Back pain is common to any age of human for different reasons. Due to factors such as previous occupation and degenerative disk disease the chance of developing lower back pain increases for older people. It hampers the working condition of people common reason for seeking medical treatment. The result is absence from work and is unable to normal due to pain. It creates uncomfortable and debilitating situations. Hence, detecting this disease at an early stage will assist the medical field experts to suggest counter measures to the patients. Detection of lower back pain is implemented in this paper by applying ensemble machine learning technique. This paper proposes Stacking ensemble classifier as an automated tool that will predict lower back pain tendency of a patient. Experimental result implies that the proposed method reaches an accuracy of 76.34%, f1-score of 0.76 and MSE of 0.34.

Dark energy is the primordial energy of the universe. It was not created and will not be destroyed. Dark energy is the “stuff” out of which universal space is made off. Stellar objects exist in dark energy which is a kind of superfluid energy, that we do not know much about it. In interstellar areas, dark energy has a Planck energy density that diminishes in the center of stellar objects accordingly to the amount of their mass. Motion and rotation of stellar objects put in motion and rotation also surrounding dark energy around them. The rotation of supermassive black holes in the center of spiral galaxies rotates the surrounding dark matter and causes the so-called “dark matter effect”. The orbital velocity of stars that are rotating around the central black hole is not diminishing with the distance, as is the case in our solar system. There is no hidden dark matter that causes this effect. The cause is the rotating dark energy of the entire area of the galaxy around the central black hole.

Powered lower limb exoskeletons (PLLE) have attracted much interest due to their potential applications. They provide assistance for persons with disabilities to accomplish activities of daily living (ADL), and more importantly assist them in achieving their rehabilitation goals. However, still there are unclear evidences on the quality and benefits that PLLEs can deliver to patients. This is due to limited usability and performance of current PLLEs, insufficient clinical use of PLLEs for different patients with high diversity in their disability type and impairment, and also the large gap between the technological state of the art and clinical expectations. In this study, we review and analyse various factors that can improve the effectiveness of PLLEs at yielding better assistance and rehabilitation training for patients with motor impairments. First, we define a set of criteria that characterize the majority of expectations for the rehabilitation and assistance domains and we use them for evaluating PLLEs depending on the context. Then, we include the effects of control strategies and combined approaches which include auxiliary devices such as Functional electrical stimulation and smart crutches applied to PLLEs with regard to the criteria we defined.

In the paper, by the Faά di Bruno formula, several identities for the Bell polynomials of the second kind, and an inversion theorem, the authors simplify coefficients of two families of nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the generating function of the Catalan numbers and discover inverses of fifteen closely related lower triangular integer matrices.

NaClO3 and NaBrO3 are believed to form a complete solid solution from RT to fusion. The unique solid phase can thus be written: NaClO3 (1-x)-NaBrO3 (x) with: 0 ≤ x ≤ 1. This study shows that at high temperature this statement might be valid. Nevertheless, up to 50°C and probably up to 160°C and even higher temperature, this is not true when the system is in thermodynamic equilibrium. A large miscibility gap exists at room temperature (RT). This gap could be reduced up to a complete disappearance by fast crystallization, for instance by spray-drying. The necessary conditions to access to equilibrium including homochirality are also discussed.

Applying a procedure similar to that of E.S. Bring, by using a 4^th degree Tschirnhaus transformation, it was possible to transform the Bring-Jerrard normal quintic (BJQ) equation into a De Moivre form (DMQ), so that it could be solved by radicals. The general solution by radicals of the De Moivre equations of any degree is presented. By the same procedure the BJSx (normal sextic) equation was taken to another one without the 2^nd, 4^th and 6^th terms which was transformed into a cubic (solvable) equation. By applying a 6^th degree Tschirnhaus transformation to the BJSp (normal septic) equation its binormal (without the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th terms) form was obtained.

Applying a procedure similar to that of E.S. Bring, by using a 4^th degree Tschirnhaus transformation, it was possible to transform the Bring-Jerrard normal quintic (BJQ) equation into a De Moivre form (DMQ), so that it could be solved by radicals. The general solution by radicals of the De Moivre equations of any degree is presented. By the same procedure the BJSx (normal sextic) equation was taken to another one without the 2^nd, 4^th and 6^th terms which was transformed into a cubic (solvable) equation. By applying a 6^th degree Tschirnhaus transformation to the BJSp (normal septic) equation its Bring-Jerrard binormal (without the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th terms) form was obtained.

Sewage sludge was utilized into biochar using the slow pyrolysis method. The biochar was then being used for ammonium removal. The sewage sludge biochar was produced at temperature of 550°C, 600°C, 650°C, 700°C and 750°C. A few characterization tests were carried out to study about the physical and chemical properties of the biochar. For instance, moisture and ash content analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, pH Zero Point Charge, biochar yield and SEM. As the pyrolysis temperature increased, the moisture content of SSB decreased while the ash content increased. The FTIR spectra of sewage sludge biochar showed that there were various organic functional groups on the surface of the biochar which were responsible for ammonium adsorption. Furthermore, through pH Zero Point Charge analysis, pH 7.0 was the most optimum pH for the adsorption test of ammonium. The optimum adsorbent dosage was 0.01g while optimum contact time was 150 minutes. Furthermore, 1.2ppm was the most optimum concentration for adsorption process. Based on the result of the characterization tests, SSB700 was the most effective biochar for ammonium adsorption. Based on the result of kinetic and isotherm analysis, the adsorption of ammonium ions usign sewage sludge biochar was a monolayer chemisorption process.

This brief review introduces some general properties of lower atmospheric motions that may be exploited by birds, linking historical findings and current knowledge from both observational and modeling perspectives. The relative importance of turbulent mixing resulting from wind shear and that from buoyant thermals is emphasized as well as the determinants of the geometry of the resulting vertical motions.

Detection of human movement requires lightweight, flexible systems to detect mechanical parameters (like strain and pressure) not interfering with user activity, and that he/she can wear comfortably. In this work we address such multifaceted challenge with the development of smart garments for lower limb motion detection, like a textile kneepad and anklet in which soft sensors and readout electronics are embedded for detecting movement of the specific joint. Stretchable capacitive sensors with a three-electrode configuration are built combining conductive textiles and elastomeric layers, and distributed at knee and ankle. They show an excellent behavior in the ~30% strain range, hence the correlation between their responses and the optically tracked Euler angles is allowed for basic lower limb movements. Bending during knee flexion/extension is detected, and it is discriminated from any external contact by implementing in real time a low computational algorithm. The smart anklet is designed to address joint motion detection in and off the sagittal plane. In this work, ankle dorsi/plantar flexion, adduction/abduction, and rotation are retrieved. Both smart garments show a high accuracy in movement detection, with a RMSE less than 4° in the worst case.

Lower extremity joint kinetic factors are thought to modulate walk–to–run transition (WRT) and run–to–walk transition (RWT). This study aimed to investigate joint stiffness and energetic patterns during the WRT and RWT processes and identify whether gait transitions occurred within a single step or not. Ten healthy subjects participated in treadmill WRT (1.8 m/s – 2.4 m/s) and RWT (2.4 m/s – 1.8 m/s) tests. We investigated two steps before transition (S–2, S–1), two steps after transition (S1, S2) and the transition step (S0). We found significant differences between S2 and S–2 for ankle joint stiffness during WRT and RWT (p &lt; 0.001); and for hip joint stiffness, we found significant differences between S1 and S–1 during WRT and RWT (p ≤ 0.001). Additionally, stance phase mechanical energy generation was observed to transfer from proximal to distal joints at S0 during WRT, and from distal to proximal at S0 during RWT. Transition step ankle kinematic and kinetic patterns were similar to the target locomotion task gait format in both WRT and RWT. Moreover, RWT required longer adaptation time compared with WRT. These findings indicate that WRT and RWT were modulated before and after the actual transitions, not within a single step. Redistribution of joint mechanical work generation was related to gait transition triggers, which modulate the WRT and RWT process.

Background: Intermittent claudication is a frequent complaint in lower extremity artery disease, but approximately two thirds of patients are asymptomatic, mostly in diabetic population. Non-invasive angiological and microrheological tests among diabetic patients with and without intermittent claudication were studied. Methods: 98 diabetic patients were included and divided into two groups: 20 patients (63.5±8.8 yrs, 55% men, 45% women) had intermittent claudication, 78 patients (65.5±9.3 yrs, 61.5% men, 38.5% women) were asymptomatic. Hand-held Doppler, transcutaneous tissue partial oxygen pressure (tcpO2) measurement, tuning fork test and 6-minute walk test were performed and erythrocyte aggregation was investigated. Results: Ankle/brachial index (p<0.02), and tcpO2 measured during provocational tests (p<0.003), 6-minute walk test (p<0.0001) were significantly deteriorated in the symptomatic group. Higher erythrocyte aggregation index and faster aggregate formation could be observed among claudicant patients (p<0.02). In spite of the statistically better results of the asymptomatic group, 13% of these patients had severe limb ischemia based on the result of tcpO2 measurement. Conclusion: Claudication could be associated with worse hemodynamical and hemorheological status in diabetics; nevertheless, severe ischemia can develop even in asymptomatic subjects which can be revealed by noninvasive vascular tests, which highlights the importance of the early instrumental screening of the lower limbs.

Background: The incidence of fracture and surgery of the hip and lower extremities is still high. Long postoperative bed rest has the potential to increase the incidence of various complications that may increase the morbidity and mortality rate of patients after hip and lower extremities surgery. Aim: This literature review aimed to identify the effects of early mobilization in hip and lower extremity postoperative. Method: Search for articles on several databases such as ProQuest, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, Medline, Wiley Online and Scopus, using the Boolean operator by combining several keywords according to the literature review topic, with inclusion criteria are published in the last 3 years (2019-2021), used a quantitative design, written in English and full text articles. A total of 435 articles were obtained, then screened and reviewed, so that there were 16 (sixteen) eligible articles.Result: There were 11 (eleven) effects of early mobilization, i.e. reducing length of stay, reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), reducing pulmonary infections (pneumonia), reducing urinary tract infections, reducing the risk of wound infection, improving extremity function and ability to walk, reducing postoperative pain, reducing the risk of pressure sores, reducing postoperative delirium, reducing readmission and lowering hospitalization costs. Conclusion: This literature review showed that early mobilization is safe and effective in postoperative patients to reduce the risk of complications and adverse events. Nurses and health workers who care for patients could implement early mobilization and motivate patients to be cooperative in undergoing early mobilization.

The problem of quantifying the vulnerability of graphs has received much attention nowadays, especially in the field of computer or communication networks. In a communication network, the vulnerability measures the resistance of the network to disruption of operation after the failure of certain stations or communication links. If we think of a graph as modeling a network, the average lower 2-domination number of a graph is a measure of the graph vulnerability and it is defined by ${\gamma }_{2av}\left(G\right)=\frac{1}{\left|V\left(G\right)\right|}{\sum }_{v\in V\left(G\right)}{\gamma }_{2v}\left(G\right)$, where the lower 2-domination number, denoted by ${\gamma }_{2v}\left(G\right)$, of the graph G relative to v is the minimum cardinality of 2-domination set in G that contains the vertex v. In this paper, the average lower 2-domination number of wheels and some related networks namely gear graph, friendship graph, helm graph and sun flower graph are calculated. Then, we offer an algorithm for computing the 2-domination number and the average lower 2-domination number of any graph G.

We have found an infinite dimensional manifold of exact solutions of the Navier-Stokes loop equation for the Wilson loop in decaying Turbulence in arbitrary dimension $d >2$. This solution family is equivalent to a fractal curve in complex space $\mathbb C^d$ with random steps parametrized by $N$ Ising variables $\sigma_i=\pm 1$, in addition to a rational number $\frac{p}{q}$ and an integer winding number $r$, related by $\sum \sigma_i = q r$. This equivalence provides a \textbf{dual} theory describing a strong turbulent phase of the Navier-Stokes flow in $\mathbb R_d$ space as a random geometry in a different space, like ADS/CFT correspondence in gauge theory. From a mathematical point of view, this theory implements a stochastic solution of the unforced Navier-Stokes equations. For a theoretical physicist, this is a \textbf{quantum} statistical system with integer-valued parameters, satisfying some number theory constraints. Its long-range interaction leads to critical phenomena when its size $N \rightarrow \infty$ or its chemical potential $\mu \rightarrow 0$. The system with fixed $N$ has different asymptotics at odd and even $N\rightarrow \infty$, but the limit $\mu \rightarrow 0$ is well defined. The energy dissipation rate is analytically calculated as a function of $\mu$ using methods of number theory. It grows as $\nu/\mu^2$ in the continuum limit $\mu \rightarrow 0$, leading to anomalous dissipation at $\mu \propto \sqrt{\nu} \to 0$. The same method is used to compute all the local vorticity distribution, which has no continuum limit but is renormalizable in the sense that infinities can be absorbed into the redefinition of the parameters. The small perturbation of the fixed manifold satisfies the linear equation we solved in a general form. This perturbation decays as $t^{-\lambda}$, where the anomalous dimensions $\lambda$ satisfy the spectral equation \eqref{spectralEq}. The spectrum becomes a continuum in the statistical limit $N \to \infty$, presumably leading to multifractal phenomena.

A given problem in physics can be solved if it is well formulated. Well formulated means that it has a bijective correspondence to physical reality. Mass Gap Problem has no bijective correspondence with the physical reality and is that’s why not solvable mathematically. It can be solved in the frame of quantum mechanics by the formulation of the photon’s mass accordingly to the Planck-Einstein relation.

Introduction: Austere environments include the wilderness and many lower-and-middle-income countries, many of these facing unrest and war. The access to advanced diagnostic equipment is often unaffordable even if available and is often liable to breakdown. This short review paper examines the options available to medical professionals to undertake clinical and point of care diagnostic testing in resource constrained environments and also illustrates the development of mobile advanced diagnostic equipment. The aim is to provide an overview of the spectrum and functionality of these devices beyond clinical acumen.

Background: The question of whether children are less likely to pass on SARS-CoV-2 is important for planning society’s response to the pandemic. A document available on the Charité hospital website has not been formally published but is frequently referred to as supporting the notion that viral loads are similar in children and adults. Methods: The summary data from this document was extracted and used to produce summary statistics for three age groups: younger children (ages up to 11), older children (ages 12 to 19) and adults (ages 20 and above). Viral loads between the two children’s groups and the adult group were compared using Welch’s t test, which only requires group means and standard deviations and which is robust against moderate departures from normality. Findings: Viral loads were significantly lower than in adults for both younger children (p=0.04) and older children (p=0.04). Overall, viral loads were lower in children than adults (p=0.005). Interpretation: For both younger and older children, on average those with detectable SARS-CoV-2 have significantly lower viral loads than adults. Funding: No funding was received for this analysis.

Lower urinary tract dysfunction is clinically important because it may cause urinary tract infections, mainly due to accumulation of residual urine, and adversely affect renal function. In addition, it may cause urinary incontinence, strongly affecting the child’s quality of life. The function of the lower urinary tract is closely associated with function of the bowel because constipation is commonly present with bladder dysfunction. The interplay between the lower urinary tract and bowel function, coupled with common conditions such as detrusor overactivity and voiding dysfunction, requires a nuanced diagnostic approach. Detrusor overactivity, a benign but socially harmful condition, is the principal cause of daytime urinary incontinence in childhood. It needs to be differentiated from more serious conditions such as neurogenic bladder dysfunction or urethral obstruction. Voiding dysfunction, a habitual sphincter contraction during voiding, is common in children with detrusor overactivity, may be selflimiting but may also result in residual urine and urinary tract infections. It may resemble, in severe cases, the neurogenic bladder dysfunction, most often caused by spinal dysraphism which very often leads to recurrent urinary tract infections and high intravesical pressures, jeopardizing renal function. Voiding diary is crucial in the initial evaluation of lower urinary tract function in children.

(1) Background: Loss of weight is one of the practices which have been identified as key in reducing the risk of various forms of cancer. Therefore, this study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies related to the topic of loss of weight and risk of cancer and addresses the question, ‘does losing weight reduce the risk of cancer?’ Its purpose is to identify current high-quality evidence on such a question and synthesize such evidence before summarizing it given specific data attributes to improve decision-making processes on cancer management. (2) Methods: Research studies were identified from four main databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Google scholar, and Medline. A systematic review and meta-analysis of such studies were then conducted to reveal the most current evidence on the research topic. (3) Results: The studies showed that losing weight reduces cancer risk. Nonetheless, such intervention is not necessarily effective, especially in cases where patients may be at risk of developing cancer due to other risk factors. (4) Conclusions: The current study concludes that there is a need to implement effective interventions such as physical exercise, dietary restrictions, or both that can be effective in reducing weight to reduce the risk of cancer.

The paper presents an assessment of the growth dynamics of the modal fir plantations in the Lower Angara region. At present, a vast area of fir forests in the Lower Angara region is characterised by a significant decrease in sustainability due to periodic forest fires, insect pests outbreaks and diseases, which lead to their natural degradation and death. However, the intensity of coniferous stand growth in certain forest site characteristics persists in the long term. Therefore, creating regression models of forest growth and development involving the identification of site conditions is very important both from a practical point of view and for environmental monitoring. The materials of the mass inventory of 3491 stands served as the initial data for studying the processes of fir plantations natural growth. The Hoerl Model function is suitable for the best approximation of stand growth since it is characterised by high levelling factor (from 0.970 to 0.987) and a small standard error (not exceeding 7%). As a result of the research, there have been constructed sketches of the growth rate tables for the modal Siberian fir stands of the third bonitet class of the forb and mossy groups of forest types.

Introduction: Lowered thiol or sulfhydryl (-SH) groups and glutathione (GSH) metabolism may be associated with prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The main objectives of this study were to systematically review and meta-analyze the evidence on the associations among -SH groups, GSH, GSH peroxidase (GPx), GSH reductase (GR) and GSH transferase (GST) and PCa/BPH. Methods: Four electronic databases were searched for studies that reported -SH and GSH variables in PCa/BPH and healthy controls (HC) and the data were meta-analyzed by calculating Hedges’s g with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Twenty studies were included in this meta-analysis including 800 PCa and 791 BPH patients and 592 HC. Total -SH (g=-1.750, -2.341/-1.159), GPx (g=-0.789, -1.234/-0.344), GSH (g=-2.219, -4.132/-0.305), and the combination of -SH, GPx, and GSH (g=-1.271, -1.271/-0.800) were significantly lower in PCa patients than in HC. -SH (g=-1.752, -3.123/-0.381) and the combination of -SH, GPx, and GSH (g=-0.813, -1.298/-0.327) were significantly lower in BPH patients than in HC. GPx was significantly lower in PCa than in BPH patients (g=-0.455, -0.896/-0.014). Heterogeneity levels were very high, but Egger’s test showed that none of the biomarkers showed significant publication bias. Conclusion: Thiol/GPx antioxidant defenses are significantly attenuated in patients with PCa while patients with BPH occupy an intermediate risk group position between PCa patients and HC. Those results suggest that reduced thiol-related antioxidant mechanisms play a crucial role in prostatic disorders, especially in PCa. Future research should examine whether thiols/GPx antioxidants are associated with the onset of PCa/BHP.

Proof of the Riemann hypothesis is obtained using the properties of the Gamma function, the Bernoulli function, and limitations imposed by the rational relations of the complex roots of the Riemann zeta function, and the rational relations of the complex Gamma functions.

Genealogy contributes to learning by developing critical thinking skills. A review of three classics of genealogical literature, matched against modern tutors, confirmed that the validation and evaluation of information and the management of hypotheses have long been the core skills for family historians. A consultation with 100 genealogists revealed a preference for task orientated learning, often alone, in a self-contained environment. Reference to learning theory suggested that Genealogical Studies could be usefully offered to under achieving students in general education who respond to these conditions.

In a series of recent works the relevance of gravitational boundary degrees of freedom and their dynamics in gravity quantization and black hole information has been explored. In this work we further the progress by keenly focusing on the boundary degrees of freedom as the origin of black hole entropy. Wald's entropy formula is scrutinized, and the reason that the Wald's formula correctly captures the entropy of a black hole is examined. Afterwards, limitations of the Wald's method are discussed; a coherent view of entropy based on boundary dynamics is presented. The discrepancy observed in the literature between holographic and Wald's entropies is addressed. We generalize the entropy definition so as to handle a time-dependent black hole. Large gauge symmetry plays a pivotal role. Non-Dirichlet boundary conditions and gravitational analogues of Coleman-De Luccia bounce solutions are central in identifying the microstates and differentiating the origins of entropies associated with different classes of solutions. The result in the present work leads to a view that black hole entropy is entanglement entropy in a thermodynamic setup.

We present an automated system for nutrient solution management. Prior arts usually measure only pH and EC of the nutrient solutions for maintenance. When EC drops, they just simply add concentrated nutrient to the horticulture bed. Such approach can maintain the density of nutrient solution but cannot maintain the rates of individual ion particles. To prevent nutrition related disorders, fertilization methods with ion selective electrodes are widely introduced. This trend measures individual ion concentration of nutrient solution to maintain appropriate nutrient composition by supplying only insufficient ions. Many researchers have suggested ISE based automated fertilization systems. However, they failed to control a chemical artifact called ion interference effect, which becomes greater at higher density. Our system measures individual concentration of multiple ions and add only deficient nutrients, while handling the ion interference effect issue. To ensure the performance of ion selective electrodes, the system also performs fully automated 3-point calibration 24 times a day. A machine learning algorithm is applied on the sensory parts to remove ion interference effect which make measurement of complex solution with ISE almost impossible. With automated calibration and signal processing technology, the system robustly and continuously maintains nutrient condition for plants. We suggest applying this system on closed hydroponic systems such as smart farms or plant factory, to reduce water consumption and to provide more appropriate environment for the crops.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have been studied extensively in the past years due to the novel electronic, photonic, mechanical and electrochemical properties. Recently, more attention has been paid to assemble nanoscale building blocks into three dimensional (3D) complex hierarchical structures, which not only inherit the excellent properties of the single building blocks but also provide potential applications in the bottom-up fabrication of functional devices. This review article focuses on 3D ZnO hierarchical nanostructures, and summarizes major advances in the solution phase synthesis, applications in environment, and electrical/electrochemical devices. We present the principles and growth mechanisms of ZnO nanostructures via different solution methods, with an emphasis on rational control of the morphology and assembly. We then discuss the applications of 3D ZnO hierarchical nanostructures in photocatalysis, field emission, electrochemical sensor, and lithium ion batteries. Throughout the discussion, the relationship between the device performance and the microstructures of 3D ZnO hierarchical nanostructures will be highlighted. This review concludes with a personal perspective on the current challenges and future researches.

Entrapment neuropathies of the lower limb are a misunderstood and underdiagnosed group of disorders, characterized by pain and dysesthesia, muscular weakness, and specific provoking movements on physical examination. The most frequent of these syndromes encountered in clinical practice are fibular nerve entrapment, proximal tibial neuropathy, sural nerve neuropathy, deep gluteal syndrome or sciatic nerve entrapment and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment, also known as meralgia paresthetica. They are commonly mistaken for lumbar plexopathies, radiculopathies, and musculotendinous diseases, which appear even more frequently and have overlapping clinical presentations. A comprehensive anamnesis, physical examination, and electrodiagnostic studies should help clarify the diagnosis. If the diagnosis is still unclear or a secondary cause of entrapment is suspected, magnetic resonance neurography, MRI or ultrasonography should be conducted to clarify the etiology, rule out other diseases and confirm the diagnosis. Moreover, clinicians should gain familiarity with this disease and their diagnostic confidence should increase, leading to early diagnosis of nerve damage and prevention of muscle atrophy. The reviewed and updated epidemiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, etiology, clinical presentation and EDX technique and interpretation of the entrapment neuropathies of the lower limb are further described in this article.

In the present paper, we describe several coleoid jaws discovered in the lower Toarcian black shales, cropping out along the Vilyui River (Yakutia, Russia). This is the first record of a Lower Jurassic coleoid jaw outside Europe and the first report of such a finding from the Mesozoic of Siberia. The described coleoid jaws demonstrate the same mode of preservation and morphology as the coeval jaws previously reported from Europe. Their preservation in Siberia became possible due to the widespread occurrence of black shale facies associated with the early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (TOAE).

An impaired healing response underlies diabetic foot wounds chronicity, frequently translating in amputation, disability, and early mortality. In addition, diabetics frequently suffer of the underappreciated episode of post-epithelization ulcer recurrence. Recurrence epidemiological data are alarmingly high; so that the ulcer is considered in “remission” and not healed for the time it remains epithelialized. Recurrence may result from the conspiracy of behavioral and biological factors. Although the damaging role of behavioral, clinical predisposing factors is undebatable, the role of endogenous biological signalers that prime the residual scar tissue to recurrence has remained elusive. We propose that ulcer recurrence is deeply impinged by chronic hyperglycemia and its downstream biological effectors, which originate epigenetic drivers that enforce abnormal pathologic phenotypes to dermal fibroblasts, and keratinocytes as memory cells. Hyperglycemia-derived cytotoxic reactants accumulate and modify dermal proteins, reduce scar tissue mechanical tolerance, and disrupt fibroblasts-secretory activity. Accordingly, the combination of epigenetic and local and systemic cytotoxic signalers, induce the onset of “at-risk phenotypes” as premature skin cells aging, dysmetabolism, inflammatory, pro-degradative, and oxidative programs that may ultimately converge to scar cells demise. Unfortunately, post epithelialization recurrence rates data are missing in clinical studies of accepted ulcer healing therapies during follow-up periods. Intra-ulcer infiltration of epidermal growth factor exhibits the most consistent remission data with the lowest recurrences during 12-month follow-up. Recurrence data should be regarded as a valuable clinical endpoint during the investigational period for each emergent healing candidate.

Objectives The aim of this study was to measure the magnitude of forces in the joints of the lower limb whilst running barefoot and compare them to the forces generated whilst wearing running shoes with a thick midsole.MethodsTwenty-three volunteers who utilised running as their main sport or a training aid ran as training aid were included in this study. Each volunteer would run down a fourteen-meter-long corridor both barefoot and with running shoes. Forces for joints of the lower limb were collected using a Vicon motion analysis system and force plates. The joint forces for the ankles, knees and hips were taken as the largest joint force experienced during the stance phase and then averaged over five running trials.ResultsThere was significant reduction in the joint forces for the ankles, knees, and hips when barefoot running compared to the shod condition.ConclusionBarefoot running could be utilised to prevent both acute and degenerative injuries of the lower limb.

The greater Wellington region, New Zealand, is highly vulnerable to large earthquakes because it is cut by active faults. Bulk water supply pipelines cross the Wellington Fault at several different locations, and there is considerable concern about severe disruption of the provision of reticulated water supplies to households and businesses in the aftermath of a large earthquake. A number of policy initiatives have been launched encouraging householders to install rainwater tanks to increase post-disaster resilience. However, little attention has been paid to potential health hazards associated with consumption of these supplies. To assess health hazards for householders in emergency situations, six 200-litre emergency water tanks were installed at properties across the Wellington region, with five tanks being allowed to fill with roof-collected rainwater and one tank being filled with municipal tapwater as a control. Such tanks are predominantly set aside for water storage, and once filled, feature limited drawdown and recharge. Sampling from these tanks was carried out fortnightly for one year, and samples analysed for E. coli, pH, conductivity, a range of major and trace elements, and organic compounds, enabling an assessment of the evolution of water chemistry in water storage tanks over time. Key findings were that the overall rate of E.coli detections in the rain-fed tanks was 17.7%, which is low in relation to other studies. We propose that low incidences of E.coli may be due to biocidal effects of high zinc concentrations in tanks, originating from unpainted galvanised steel roof cladding. Lead concentrations were high compared to other studies, with 69% of rain-fed tank samples exceeding the World Health Organisation’s health-based guideline of 0.01 mg/L. Further work is required to determine risks of short-term consumption of this water in emergency situations.

Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) is the redox partner of steroid and drug-metabolizing cytochromes P450 located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutations in POR cause a broad range of metabolic disorders. The POR variant rs17853284 (P228L) identified by genome sequencing has been linked to lower testosterone levels and reduced P450 activities. We expressed POR wild type and the P228L variant in bacteria, purified the proteins, and performed protein stability and catalytic functional studies. Variant P228L affected the stability of the protein as evidenced by lower unfolding temperatures and higher sensitivity to urea denaturation. A significant reduction of small molecule metabolism was observed with POR P228L while activities of CYP3A4 were reduced by 25%, and activities of CYP3A5, and CYP2C9 were reduced by more than 40% compared to WT POR. The 17,20 lyase activity of CYP17A1 responsible for production of main androgen precursor dehydroepiandrosterone, was reduced to 27% of WT in presence of P228L variant of POR. Based on in silico and in vitro studies we predict that the change of proline to leucine may change the rigidity of the protein, causing conformational changes in POR, leading to altered electron transfer to redox partners. A single amino acid change can affect protein stability and cause a severe reduction in POR activity. Molecular characterization of individual POR mutations is crucial for a better understanding of the impact on different redox partners of POR.

Glioma accounts for 80% of all malignant brain tumors and is the most common adult primary brain tumor. Age is an important factor affecting the development of cancer as somatic mutations accumulate with age. In this study, we aimed to analyze the significance of age-related non-silent somatic mutations in glioma prognosis. Histological tumor grade depends on age at diagnosis in patients with IDH1, TP53, ATRX, and EGFR mutations. The hierarchical clustering of patients was dominantly separated by IDH1 and EGFR mutations. Furthermore, patients with IDH1 mutation were dominantly separated by TP53 and ATRX double mutation and its double wildtype counterpart. Patients with the double mutation showed poorer prognosis than those with the double wild type genotype. In conclusion, among the many somatic mutations, those in IDH1, TP53, ATRX, and EGFR are important for glioma classification based on histological grade. Patients with EGFR mutation had the poorest prognosis, whereas those with only IDH1 mutation showed the best prognosis.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of psychological pressure on corticospinal excitability, the spinal reflex, lower limb muscular activity, and reaction times during a task involving dominant leg movements. Ten healthy participants performed a simple reaction time task by raising the heel of their dominant foot from a switch. After 20 practice trials, participants performed 20 non-pressure and 20 pressure trials in a counterbalanced order. Stress responses were successfully induced, as indexed by significant increases in state anxiety, mental effort, and heart rates under pressure. Significant increases in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude of the tibialis anterior muscle (TA) occurred under pressure. In terms of task-related EMG amplitude, the co-contraction rate between the soleus (SOL) and TA muscles significantly increased along with SOL and TA EMG amplitudes under pressure. Hoffmann reflexes for SOL and reaction times did not change under pressure. These results indicate that corticospinal excitability and leg muscle-related EMG activity increase homogeneously during lower limb movements that are performed under psychological pressure.

Simulated (sim) racing is an emerging esport that has garnered much interest in recent years and has been a relatively under-researched field in terms of expertise and performance. When examining expertise, visual attention has been of particular interest to researchers, with eye tracking technology commonly used to assess visual attention. In this study, we examined the visual attention allocation of high and low skilled sim racers during a time trial task using Tobii 3 glasses. Participants were allocated to either group according to their fastest lap times. Our results indicate that when eye tracking metrics were normalised to lap time, there was no difference in the relative length of attention allocation (fixation behaviour), although lower skilled racers did have significantly greater fixation counts and durations across laps overall. Interestingly, high and low skilled sim racers differed in where they allocated their attention during the task, with high skilled sim racers allocating significantly less attention to the track relative to other areas of the display. This would allow higher skilled racers to obtain relatively more information from heads-up display elements in-game, all whilst driving at faster speeds. This study provides evidence that high and low skilled sim racers show similar lap time-corrected fixation behaviour, but how they allocate attention while driving differs.

Previous studies have suggested that digitization of finance leads to growth in the economy in several middle- and high-income countries, but research in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) remains limited. This research aimed to examine the trends, barriers, relationships, and prospects of finance digitization in LLMICs. This study used analytical and descriptive cross-sectional study designs. Sixty-six countries were purposively selected based on the available data on the Global Findex and the World Development Indicators databases. Descriptive analysis was used to identify the trends in the finance digitization indicators, correlation analysis was used to assess the nature of the association between finance digitization and the economy, and exponential smoothing was used to predict future outcomes in digital finance. The results indicated that the adoption and utilization of finance digitization increased in these countries, but the growth rates varied by region and income group. Low-income countries reported the highest rates of subscriptions to digital finance accounts and storing money in digital accounts, while lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) reported higher rates of inbound/outbound digital transactions, borrowings, and savings using digital channels. Sub-Saharan Africa reported the highest rates of digital finance account subscriptions, digital savings, and digital borrowings, while Europe and Central Asia reported the highest rates of in/out digital transactions. Barriers to digitization in these countries included poor access to the internet, high cost of digital finance products, and lack of a mobile phone, with low-income countries facing more challenges. The analysis revealed a negative significant relationship between finance digitization and Gross National Income growth and a positive significant correlation between finance digitization and other economic growth indicators (gross savings and Gross Domestic Product). Finance digitization was predicted to continue to rise in these countries for the next decade. The study recommended that policymakers should promote the adoption of digital finance and address the barriers and risks of finance digitization in LLMICs, as it had positive effects on economic growth.

The purpose of this study was to determine changes in the mechanical properties of the thigh and lower leg musculature during the early follicular and ovulatory phases. Subjects were 15 female university students with normal menstrual cycles. The early follicular and ovulatory phases were estimated by the basal body temperature method, ovulation kits, and salivary estradiol concentration measurement. The MyotonPRO digital palpation device (Myoton AS, Tallinn, Estonia) was used to measure muscle and tendon stiffness in the early follicular and ovulatory phases. Measurement sites were the rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM), patellar tendon (PT), medial head of gastrocnemius, soleus, and Achilles tendon. No significant differences in stiffness of all muscle tendons were identified between the early follicular and ovulatory phases. In the ovulatory phase, a significant positive correlation was seen between stiffness of RF and PT, and between stiffness of VM and PT. These results suggest that the stiffness of muscles and tendons of anterior sites of the thigh and posterior sites of the lower leg may not change between the early follicular and ovulatory phases. During the ovulatory phase, tendons may also be stiffer in individuals with stiffer anterior thigh muscles.

During puberty and emerging sexuality, adolescents experience important physical, mental, and social transformations. In the process of dealing with these changes, adolescents can become potentially vulnerable to mental health problems.The aim was to identify and synthesize published research evidence on sexuality-related mental health stressors among adolescent girls and boys, identify gaps (if any) in current knowledge, and contribute to knowledge about the experiences of emerging sexuality and health among adolescents, to further inform research, practice, and policy initiatives in sexual health.A scoping literature review of peer-reviewed articles published between 1990 and 2018. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Global health, ERIC, and Sociological Abstracts databases were searched for research studies that reported experiences of sexuality related mental health issues and symptomatology of adolescents. We targeted studies conducted with adolescent populations between ages 11-24 years living in LMICs.Data from 12 published research papers, including 8 qualitative studies, 3 quantitative studies, and 1 mixed method study, were systematically analyzed. Four major themes and 4 sub themes were identified regarding sexual health and mental health of adolescents: 1) Relationship of sexuality and mental health; 2) Social and cultural influences; 3) Challenges in seeking sexuality information and services among adolescents; and 4) Educational needs among adolescents related to sexuality; and 4) Educational needs among adolescents related to sexuality. Lack of social support, Unmet needs for accessible adolescent friendly sexual health services, counseling, and age-appropriate information may be associated with several mental health stressors and symptoms, such as sadness, depressive and anxiety symptomatology, regret, fear, embarrassment, low self-esteem, guilt, shame, and anger. Therefore, tackling sexuality-related stressors could play an important role in addressing the overall wellbeing of young people. Future studies need to generate a deeper understanding of the concept of sexual health and its relation to mental health in diverse contexts. Health care professionals need to be aware of sexuality-related experiences of adolescent girls and boys by offering effective youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health education to support overall mental health and improve the experiences of emerging sexuality in adolescents.

Build a special identical equation, use its calculation characters to prove and search for solution of any odd converging to 1 equation through (*3+1)/2^k operation, change the operation to (*3+2^m-1)/2^k, and get a solution for this equation, give a specific example to verify. Thus prove the Collatz Conjecture is true. Furthermore, analysis the sequences produced by iteration calculation during the procedure of searching for solution, build a weight function model, prove it decrease progressively to 0, build a complement weight function model, prove it increase to its convergence state. Build a (*3+2^m-1)/2^k odd tree, prove if odd in (*3+2^m-1)/2^k long huge odd sequence can not converge, the sequence must outstep the boundary of the tree after infinite steps of (*3+2^m-1)/2^k operation.

The quantum Randi challenge is an invitation to violate Bell’s inequality with a programmable (transparent and reproducible) sequence of local events. This is widely perceived as impossible, given Bell’s Theorem. However, mathematical proofs can be correct without universal validity, as seen in the case of Euclidean geometry. Is Bell’s Locality Criterion inclusive enough to account for all the local phenomena? It is well known that Bell-type inequalities apply to jointly distributed variables, meaning that they hold for events that can be recorded at the same time. Yet, some physical qualities are mutually exclusive. They only become observable at different times. Accordingly, pairwise detections in a narrow window of coincidence – but not at the same exact time – allow for maximal Bell violations (S=4 for the CHSH inequality), without room for doubt about the local nature of the process.

The photocatalytic degradation of two quinolone-type antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin) in aqueous solution was studied, using catalysts based on ZnO nanoparticles, which were synthesized by a thermal procedure. The efficiency of ZnO was subsequently optimized by incorporating different co-catalysts of gC3N4, reduced graphene oxide and nanoparticles of gold. The catalysts were fully characterized by electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), XPS, XRD, Raman, and BET surface area. The most efficient catalyst was 10%Au@ZnONPs-3%rGO-3%gC3N4, allowing to obtain degradations of both pollutants above 96%. This catalyst has the largest specific area, and its activity has been related to a synergistic effect, involving factors as relevant as the surface of the material and the ability to absorb radiation in the visible region, mainly produced by the incorporation of rGO and gC3N4 to the semiconductor. The use of different scavengers during the catalytic process, was used to establish the possible photodegradation mechanism of both antibiotics.

Autonomous differential equations of fractional order and non-singular kernel are solved. While solutions can be obtained through numerical, graphical, or analytical solutions, we seek an implicit analytical solution.

The study of Graviton as Goldstone bosons appeared in the 1960s, after Bjorken interacting idea of Electrodynamics. However, no recent advancement has been done in the field, because of very constraints as well as low-attractiveness of the theory. We do the non-metric tensor (covariant derivative of the metric tensor) case of Gravitation and eventually get SO(1,3) broken in the vacuum state of quantized field theory, then find the Graviton as Goldstone Boson. We, in final, see that Gravitons can have appearances in many modified (and extended) theories of Gravitation.

To account for the very low mass density associated with Dark Energy and the Cosmological Constant, a new approach to the ground state of empty space is presented. The resulting model for the vacuum state associated with empty space proposes a crystalline-like texture for the chromatic structure of empty space. This vacuum state has the appropriate mass density and predicts acceleration for the Universe expansion. Furthermore, the model predicts that this texture is anisotropic and may lead to measurable changes in the production of electron and positron pairs by gamma rays incident on a solid crystal of low mass density such as graphite.

Background Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is a condition caused by the decline of testosterone with aging, and is associated with various symptoms, including lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Although some reports have shown that testosterone replacement treatment for LOH improved LUTS, no large study has revealed a correlation between LUTS and LOH. This study investigated the correlation between the severity of LOH and LUTS in Asian Japanese males of >40 years of age using a web-based questionnaire. Methods We asked a total of 2,000 Japanese male individuals to answer both the AMS and IPSS/QOL questionnaires using a web-based survey. Among these 2,000 individuals, 500 individuals were assigned to each of the following age groups: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and ≥70 years. LOH symptoms were assessed by AMS score as no/little (17-26 points), mild (27-36 points), moderate (37-49 points), and severe (≥50 points). To compare the risk of voiding and storage dysfunction according to the severity of AMS, voiding dysfunction was assessed by the sum of IPSS Q1, Q3, Q5, and Q6, while storage dysfunction was assessed by the sum of IPSS Q2, Q4, and Q7. Results The IPSS total score was positively correlated with the severity of AMS (shown as median [mean±SD]): no/little group, 2 (3.67±5.36); mild group, 6 (7.98±6.91); moderate group, 11 (12.49±8.63); and severe group, 16 (14.83±9.24) (p<0.0001). The prevalence of an IPSS total score of ≥8 in the AMS severity groups was as follows: no/little group, 13.3% (111 of 834); mild group, 38.3% (225 of 587); moderate group, 64.2% (244 of 380); severe group, 72.4% (144/199). The prevalence of nocturia in the AMS severity groups was as follows: no/little group, 19.8% (165 of 834); mild group, 31.5% (185 of 587); moderate group, 43.9% (167 of 380); and severe group, 50.8% (101 of 199). Conclusions Individuals with higher AMS values, which represents severe LOH symptoms, showed a higher risk of nocturia and LUTS.

The present study examined mechanisms underlying memory deficits in patients with Parkinson disease (PD)and their associations with structural metrics. Nineteen PD and 22 matched controls underwent two memory experiments. In experiment 1 (delayed memory task), subjects were asked to remember an array of colored rectangles with varying memory set sizes [Low-Load (2 items), Low-Load with Distractor, &amp; High-Load (5 items)]. After a 7s delay period, they reported whether the orientation of any relevant figures had changed (test period). In experiment 2 (working memory task), memory arrays were presented in varying set sizes (2 to 6 items) with no distractors that were followed by a 2s delay period and subsequent test period. Brain MRI data were acquired to assess structural differences (volumes and cortical thickness) in brain areas related to attention, working memory storage, and episodic memory. Compared to controls, PD patients had lower memory capacity scores in all memory load conditions for experiment 1 (p &lt;0.021) whereas there were no group differences in any memory load conditions for experiment 2 (p&gt;0.06). In addition, PD patients had lower thickness in the left superior temporal gyrus (p=0.02). Lower thickness values in the left superior temporal gyrus were significant predictors of lower delayed memory performance in Low-Load and Low-Load with Distractor conditions (ps’&lt;0.044) and working memory performance of memory load conditions of 4 and 5 items (p’s&lt;0.012). The present findings suggest that PD patients may have intact working memory storage capacity but impaired attentional filtering and memory consolidation that may lead to lower delayed memory scores. Lower delayed memory in PD may partly be associated with lower cortical thickness in the left superior temporal gyrus.

Noisy data is always encountered in real applications, such as bioinformatics, neuroimage and remote sensing. Existing methods mainly consider linear or generalized linear errors-in-variables regression, while relatively little attention is paid for the multivariate response case, and how to evaluate the estimation performance under perturbed covariates is still an open question. In this paper, we consider the information-theoretic limitations of estimating a low-rank matrix in the multi-response errors-in-variables regression model. By application of the information theory and statistical techniques on concentration inequalities, the minimax lower bound is provided in terms of the squared Frobenius loss, which recaptures the rate provided under the clean covariate assumption in previous literatures. Hence our result further indicates that though under the more realistic errors-in-variables situation, no more samples are required so as to achieve a rate-optimal estimation.

Obtaining a good socket fit is an iterative process dependent on the skill and experience of the prosthetist creating it, and requiring individualisation based on the size and shape. There is no standard measurement system used to aid prosthetic socket creation, despite the severe impacts on physical health and quality of life if one is ill-fitting. Pressure sensors embedded in a prosthetic socket were used to collect data at the socket-residuum interface. To choose an interpolation method, a 2D grid was used, with previously collected walking test pressure data, to simplify the sensor array with a border for extrapolation. Four multivariable interpolation methods were evaluated to create a colour map of the pressure data. Radial Basis Function interpolation was chosen as it produced a clear image with a graduated interpolation between data points and was used to create a colour map across the surface of a 3D prosthetic socket model. For the model to be accessible to clinical audiences, a desktop application was created using PyQt to view the model. The created application allowed for connection to the sensors via Bluetooth, with the pressure data updating the colour map on the 3D model in real-time. The created application shows the potential for a clinical product, however further development informed by feedback from rehabilitation clinicians and prosthesis users is required

The active power-assist function greatly expands the potential applications of exoskeleton robots, yet the motion intention estimation (MIE) for active power-assist strategy is quite problematic. Through the analysis of the conduction path and the different stage manifestations of motion intention in human body, we confirmed that the joint torque of human body meets the basic requirements of MIE for the active power-assist that we suggest, namely: (i) it reflects the direction and intensity of the wearer’s efforts; (ii) it precedes the human limb motion; (iii) it generates real-time and continuous output. Thus, an online calculation method of human joint torque was proposed. The sensing system integrated in exoskeleton robots was designed to perceive motion data and foot contact force of a human body. A special inverse dynamics with a parameterized model of the human body was proposed. Contrast experiments were carried out with the motion capture system, which results’ accuracy and similarity were evaluated via the root mean square error and correlation coefficient. The comparative analysis of two synchronous results shows good accuracy of the proposed MIE method, which lays the foundation for the realization of active power-assist.

Today, more disciplines are intercepting each other, giving rise to “cross-disciplinary” research. Technological advancements in material science and device structure and production have paved the way towards development of new classes of multi-purpose sensory devices. Organic phototransistors (OPTs) are photo-activated sensors based on organic field-effect transistors that convert incident light signals into electrical signals. The organic semiconductor (OSC) layer and three-electrode structure of an OPT offer great advantages for light detection compared to conventional photodetectors and photodiodes, due to their signal amplification and noise reduction characteristics. Solution processing of the active layer enables mass production of OPT devices at significantly reduced cost. The chemical structure of OSCs can be modified accordingly to fulfil detection at various wavelengths for different purposes. Organic phototransistors have attracted substantial interest in a variety of fields, namely biomedical, medical diagnostics, healthcare, energy, security, and environmental monitoring. Lightweight and mechanically flexible and wearable OPTs are suitable alternatives not only at clinical levels but also for point-of-care and home-assisted usage. In this review, we aim to explain different types, working mechanism and figures of merit of organic phototransistors and highlight the recent advances from the literature on development and implementation of OPTs for a broad range of research and real-life applications.

A novel approach to the remote-control system for the compact multi-crystal energy-dispersive spectrometer for x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) applications has been developed. This new approach is based on asynchronous communication between software components and on reactive design principles. In this paper, we identify the challenges we have faced, our solution to them as well as the implementation and future development prospects. The main motivation of this work was the development of a new holistic communication protocol that can be implemented to control various hardware components.

Abstract: Nordic exercises aim to improve physical abilities and prevent injuries; However, it is not clear in what type of sports modalities to use it, so this study arises from the interest of ana-lyzing its effect in different sports modalities. Objective: To analyze Nordic exercises effects on the lower limbs, and their relationship with the explosive and absolute strength inherent to demands of different sports modalities (football, athletics, basketball, sport climbing, cycling and taekwondo). Method: quasi-experimental research, identifying 122 athletes (18±3 years old) from: football (n=24), athletics/speed (n=20), sport climbing (n=20), basketball (n=24), taekwondo (n=14) and cycling (n=20); classified into a control group CG (n=57) and an experimental group EG (n=65). Results: dominant absolute strength of the initial (12.4±0.51) and final (14.5±0.98) EG, in greater proportion in basketball (P= < 0.05); explosive strength of the initial (42.4±1.2) and final (45.8±1.5) EG, with a significant difference in all modalities between before and after (p≤0.05), except in cy-cling and taekwondo; no major changes were found in the GC. Conclusion: Nordic exercises are recommended as part of training to improve levels of explosive strength with emphasis on the modalities of football, basketball, athletics/speed and sport climbing, being applicable to increase absolute strength in basketball.

Abstract: The pursuit of youth and attractiveness is a fundamental desire in contemporary society. For many individuals, the appearance of visible signs of aging, such as skin laxity, gravitational changes in facial and neck soft tissues, and loss of harmonious proportions, can be psychologically distressing. The choice of effective methods for addressing these changes depends on their specific characteristics, the patient's anatomical features, and the type of facial aging. The introduction of 3D imaging to determine the hyoid bone level, the volume of soft tissue structures in the cervico-mental area, ptosis of subplatysmal structures, and the volume of submandibular glands, in addition to ultrasound study of the submental projection at the preoperative stage, are key for taking the best decision regarding preoperative planning. This case report aims to illustrate how modern imaging techniques are a fundamental part of the preoperative assessment of the mid and lower third of the face to ensure the most favorable aesthetic outcomes for each patient. Key message: To attain harmonious results in surgical correction of age-related facial and neck changes, it is crucial to consider the patient's anatomical features and the extent of age-related alterations. A comprehensive facial analysis, taking into account the type of facial aging and employing a CT scan and ultrasound examination of the soft tissues in the chin region, facilitates the development of an individualized plan tailored to achieve the patient's desired outcome.

The false codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick), is believed to have originated from Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, this pest has extensively spread and is found in most parts of Africa, with records in approximately 40 countries in over 100 host plant species. Despite Thaumatotibia leucotreta being the leading cause of interceptions of Capsicum and cut flowers exported by Kenya to the European Union, information on abundance and damage levels inflicted on capsicum is limited. The objective of the study was to assess the abundance and damage levels of T. leucotreta on capsicum in the selected counties in Lower Eastern Kenya (Kitui, Machakos, and Makueni counties). Higher T.leucotreta larval density per farm was recorded in Kitui County compared to other counties. In farms with capsicum only (not intercropped with other crops), the mean number of FCM larvae was relatively higher in Kitui. Farming practices such as the use of uncertified seeds and seedlings and the excessive use of pesticides may be the major contributors to high larval incidence in Kitui County.

This study investigated the relationship between wrist flexion and the dynamics of the swing of a croquet mallet. Twenty seven subjects participated in a study which used 3D motion capture equipment and high speed and high-definition video to determine if there is a correlation between the lateral twist of a croquet player’s swing and the flexion of the wrist during that swing. The study found a significant correlation between the amount of flexion of the wrist from the start of the stroke to the top of the backswing and the twist of the mallet head at the top of the backswing (r=0.330, p<0.01). The methodology and findings are relevant to all sports where minimising wrist flexion is favourable for improving consistency of stroke making. Additionally, reducing wrist motion in stroke-making may reduce the incidence of wrist pain and injury in croquet, further supporting recommendations to reduce the amount of wrist flexion during the croquet swing.

This study aims to investigate the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange (STE) events and ozone trends over Irene (25.5°S, 28.1°E). Twelve years of ozonesondes data (2000–2007, 2012–2015) from Irene station operating in the framework of the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesodes (SHADOZ) was used to study the troposphere (0–16 km) and stratosphere (17– 28 km) ozone (O₃) vertical profiles. Ozone profiles were grouped into three categories (2000–2003, 2004–2007 and 2012–2015) and average composites were calculated for each category. Fifteen O₃ enhancement events were identified over the study period. These events were observed in all seasons (one event in summer, four events in autumn, five events in winter and five events in spring), however, they predominantly occur in winter and spring. The STE events presented here are observed to be influenced by the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex. During the STE events, the advected potential vorticity maps assimilated using Modélisation Isentrope du transport Méso–échelle de l’Ozone Stratosphérique par Advection (MIMOSA) model for the 350 K (~12–13 km) isentropic level indicated a transport of high latitude air masses which seems to be responsible for the reduction of the O₃ mole fractions at the lower stratosphere over Irene which takes place at the same time with the enhancement of ozone in the upper troposphere. In general, the stratosphere is dominated by higher Modern Retrospective Analysis for Research Application (MERRA-2) potential vorticity (PV) values compared to the troposphere. However, during the STE events, higher PV values from the stratosphere were observed to intrude the troposphere. Ozone decline was observed from 12 km to 24 km with highest decline occurring from 14 km to 18 km. An average decrease of 6.0 and 9.1% was calculated from 12 to 24 km in 2004–2007 and 2012–2015 respectively. The observed decline occurred in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with winter and spring showing more decline compared with summer and autumn.

Drug resistance has become an extremely serious problem worldwide. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) entering the environment with wastewaters promote replenishment of the resistome of natural microbioms. Distribution of several clinically significant ARGs in wastewaters of Rostov-on-Don (Southern Russia), lower reaches of the Don River and natural waters of the neighboring region was investigated. Metagenomic DNA samples isolated from 250 ml of wastewaters or natural waters and 200 mg of surface sediments were used for the study. Identification of the ARGs was carried out with end-point detection PCR. Presence of NDM, OXA-48, CTX-M, VanA, VanB, ErmB, and TetM/TetO genes was detected in urban wastewaters. Samples of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) sewage were enriched with ARGs in contrast to non-treated wastewaters from the sewage collector. NDM, VanA, ErmB, TetM/TetO genes were found only in wastewaters and were absent in samples of natural waters and surface sediments. Only OXA-48, VanB and CTXM genes were found in natural waters and surface sediments. The described ARGs are quite typical for urban and hospital wastewaters. The target ARGs were detected in the samples connected to the anthropogenous sources of pollution such as Rostov municipal WWTP or livestock enterprise effluents.

This paper constituted an extension of two previous studies concerning the mathematical development of the grain boundary grooving in polycrystalline thins films in the cases of the evaporation/condensation and diffusion taken separately. The thermal grooving processes are deeply controlled by the various mass transfer mechanisms of evaporation–condensation, surface diffusion, lattice diffusion, and grain boundary diffusion. This study proposed a new original analytical solution to the mathematical problem governing the grain groove profile in the case of simultaneous effects of evaporation-condensation and diffusion in polycrystalline thin films submitted to thermal and mechanical stress, and fatigue effects; by resolving the corresponding fourth-order partial differential equation ∂y∂t=C∂2y∂x2-B∂4y∂x4 obtained from the approximation y'2≪1. The comparison of the new solution to that of diffusion alone proved an important effect of the coupling of evaporation and diffusion on the geometric characteristics of the groove profile. A second analytical solution based on the series development was also proposed. It was proved that change of the boundary conditions of the grain grooving profile largely affected the different geometric characteristics of the groove profile.

The main goal of this paper is to present results of preliminary archaeological research on the south side of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. We test the hypothesis that agropastoral land use changed over four millennia from the Bronze Age through the ethnographic Kirghiz period due to economic, socio-political, and religious changes in the prehistoric and historic societies of this region. Our research objectives are to: (1) describe and analyze survey results from Lower Kizil Suu Valley; (2) discuss the results of radiometric and archaeobotanical samples taken from three stratigraphic profiles from three settlements from the Juuku Valley, including these chronological periods: the Wusun period (200 to 400 CE), the Qarakhanid period (1100 to 1200 CE), and the ethnographic Kirghiz period (1700 to 1900 CE); and (3) conduct preliminary GIS spatial analyses on the Iron Age mortuary remains (Saka and Wusun period). This research emerges out of the first archaeological surveys conducted in 2019 - 2021 and includes the Lower Kizil Suu alluvial fan; it is an initial step toward developing a model for agropastoral land use for upland valleys of the Inner Tian Shan Mountains.

Steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) consists of short hooked steel fibres randomly distributed and oriented within the cementitious matrix. The contribution of fibre in bridging cracks to provide the stress transfer required relies upon the orientation of the fibre in the concrete. Bridging fibre aligned with a crack are less effective than those inclined to it. Therefore, understanding the pull-out behaviour of misaligned fibre is a key factor to quantify and optimize the design of SFRC in the structural applications. In the laboratory a single oriented fibre embedded in a solid cylinder of concrete is subjected to a pull-out test where the axis of a tensile force is aligned with the axis of the cylinder. Based upon the observed behaviour this paper presents a new analytical bounding approach to capture the pull-out response of misaligned hooked-end steel fibre embedded in a concrete matrix. The analysis is based upon a transversely isotropic condition assumed for the plasticity that occurs in the cold drawn fibre. The model accounts for the influence of fibre diameter and the combined strengths of the steel and concrete. The model predictions have also been compared with other experimental results published in the literature. The results showed that the model can predict pull-out loads reasonably for different fibre orientations between bounds of failure derived from the strengths of the two constituents. A critical orientation is observed at maximum strength. Therein, an understanding of the pull-out behaviour of misaligned, hooked-end fibres is necessary to optimize the strength of concrete from this method of reinforcement.

Background and Objectives: Impacted lower third molar extraction, is a common oral surgical pro-cedure. Pain, swelling and limitation of mouth opening that may occur in the postoperative pe-riod are factors that affect the daily routines of patients. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of polybutester and polypropylene sutures on postoperative complications after lower impacted third molar surgery. Materials and Methods: On 35 patients with bilateral impacted lower third molars included in the study; two different suture materials were used as polybutester suture in group 1 and polypro-lene suture in group 2. Measurements were made for the evaluation of edema and trismus be-fore the operation and on the 2nd and 7th day after the operation, and a visual analogue scale (VAS) was given to patients to fill in after the operation. Wound healing, suture related injury, and suture related discomfort in patients were noted. Results: According to the results of the study, the pain felt on the side using the polybutester su-ture on the 2nd postoperative day was less than the side using the polypropylene suture (p<0.05). On the 2nd postoperative day, it was observed that the suture on the side which the polybutester suture was used caused less discomfort to the patients than on the side which the polypropylene suture was used (p<0.05). It was observed that women experienced more pain (p<0.01) and more trismus (p<0.05) after the operation compared to men. Conclusions: On postoperative 2nd day, less pain was observed on the side where the polybutester suture was used and it was also found that the polybutester was better tolerated. These results support the use of polybutester suture in the surgery of im-pacted third molars.

Carbon fiber insole (CFI), which is lightweight and stiff to reduce energy loss and help wearers perform better in sports, has recently been introduced. However, there are scarce reports on the effects of CFI on sports performance, muscle fatigue and wearing comfort. This study investigat-ed the short-term effects of CFI on sports performance, lower extremity muscle activity, and sub-jective comfort. Thirty young healthy males performed various sports tasks and treadmill runs with wearable sensors under two experimental insole conditions (benchmark insole as a baseline, CFI). The results showed that compared to the benchmark insole, CFI significantly improved sports performance in terms of power generation and agility. However, it activated more of the Tibialis Anterior and Gastrocnemius Medialis muscles and was perceived stiffer, and less com-fortable. These findings suggested that CFI can improve sports performance, but it could cause more lower extremity muscle fatigue and subjective discomfort.

In today’s world, it is the need of the hour to adopt new technology to sustain the production of the future. Nanotechnology is gaining popularity for its efficiency in various applied fields of science. In agriculture, nanomaterials have a huge impact on the efficiency of fertilizers pesticides, etc. As it requires very fewer quantities and has a negligible residual effect the environment is safe with the innovation of Nano fertilizer. Keeping this view into account an experimental Trial at a farmer’s field was carried out at Berui village in the Hooghly District of West Bengal during the winter (rabi) season of 2019 – 20 under the supervision of Berui Cooperative, KVK-Hooghly, BCKV, and IFFCO with nano-Urea, nano-Zn and nano-Cu using RBD design with 10 treatments and 3 replications. Experimental results revealed that the highest tuber yield was obtained in T-7 (50% N+100% P & K+ 2 spray of nano-Urea), and that was followed by T-10 (50% N + 100% P & K + 50% Zn + 1 spray each of Nano-Urea, Zn and Cu) and T-8 (100% N-P-K + 50% Zn + 2 spray of Nano-Zn). The performance of nano fertilizers, Nano- Urea, was quite promising and economically viable as compared to the 100% recommended dose with commercial fertilizers (RDF).

ANGPTL3 is an important regulator of lipid metabolism. Its inhibition in people with hypercholesteremia reduces plasma lipid levels dramatically. Genome-wide association studies have associated ANGPTL3 variants with lipid traits. Irisin, an exercise modulated protein, has been associated with lipid metabolism. Intracellular accumulation of lipids impairs insulin action and contributes to metabolic disorders. In this study, we evaluate the impact of ANGPTL3 variants on levels of irisin and markers associated with lipid metabolism and insulin resistance. ANGPTL3 rs1748197 and rs12130333 variants were genotyped in a cohort of 278 Arab individuals from Kuwait. Levels of irisin and other metabolic markers were measured by ELISA. Significance of association signals was assessed using Bonferroni-corrected P-values and empirical P-values. The study variants were significantly associated with low levels of c-peptide and irisin. Levels of c-peptide and irisin were mediated by interaction between carrier genotypes (GA+AA) at rs1748197 and measures of IL13 and TG, respectively. While levels of c-peptide and IL13 were directly correlated in individuals with reference genotype, they were inversely correlated in individuals with carrier genotype. Irisin correlated positively with TG which is strong in individuals with carrier genotypes. These observations illustrate ANGPTL3 as a potential link connecting lipid metabolism, insulin resistance and cardioprotection.

The Lower Mekong Basin has had extensive hydropower dam development, which changes hydrologic conditions and threatens the exceptional aquatic biodiver-sity. This study quantifies the degree of hydrologic change between pre-impact (1965-1968) and post-impact (2018-2021) peak hydropower development in two major tributaries of the Lower Mekong Basin, the Sekong River with the fewest dams and the Sesan River with the most dams. Both rivers historically supported migratory fishes. We use daily pre- and post-impact data and the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration framework to evaluate streamflow changes from dam development. We found signifi-cant changes in low and high magnitude flows in the pre- and post-impact periods of dam development. For the Sekong River, minimum flow had large fluctuations that ranged 290% to 412% more than the pre-impact period, while the Sesan River ranged 120% to 160% more than pre-impact. Dry season flows increased by 200±63% on av-erage in the Sekong River, which is caused by releases from upstream dams. Mean-while, Sesan River dry season flows increased by 100±55% on average. This study in-dicates that seasonal flow changes and extreme flow events occurred more frequently in the two basins following dam construction, which may threaten the ecosystem func-tions.

The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the literature on the use of anti-gravity treadmill and its effects on lower limb motor functions in children and adolescents with locomotor impairments. Four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science) were searched for articles from inception to August 2021. Inclusion criteria were: (1) experimental or quasi-experimental studies using the anti-gravity training as the primary intervention; (2) studies conducted in paediatricpediatric participants; (3) articles reporting outcomes related to the lower limb functions; and (4) studies published in French or English. Fifteen articles were included in the review. Studies included children and adolescents aged 4–18 years with locomotor impairments. The intervention duration was ranged from 2 and to 12 weeks, with 2-5 sessions per week. Included studies showed reported that anti-gravity training induces improvements in muscle strength, balance, spatiotemporal gait parameters, and walking endurance in children with locomotor impairments. This review provides relevant information about the modalities, outcomes and limits associated with the anti-gravity training protocol reported in the literature. Overall, the anti-gravity treadmill training could be viewed as a valuable training modality for children with cerebral palsy. However, more precise, and comprehensive description of anti-gravity rehabilitation protocols would be useful.

This work presents a historical-epistemological analysis of the foundations of quantum mechanics. From a philosophical point of view, the relationships between quantum mechanics and scientific realism are highlighted, as well as the influence of the neo-positivist philosophy of the first decades of the 20th century. The great significance of measurement in the context of quantum mechanics is underlined, as an essential element in providing a coherent description of reality moving from the microcosm to the macrocosm, as well as the role that the measurement apparatus and the consciousness of the observer assume during the act of measurement, the ontological problem, the problem of the objectification of the wave function and the problem of the definition of discernibility. This is followed by an overview of the most important alternative proposals to the standard interpretation (Copenhagen interpretation), with particular reference to hidden variable theories, and other alternatives to standard quantum mechanics that profoundly modify the vision of reality, such as the Everett’s many-worlds theory, the QBism, the unified holistic approach.

Traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-programs rarely include participatory components that connect CSR-activities of private companies with their local communities. However, there is an increasing demand to include citizens as well as the resources and expertise of the private sector in the design and implementation of local community planning processes. To assess the potential, opportunities, and challenges of including private companies into participatory community planning at a local level, we analyzed the experiences that we collected during the piloting phase and the commercial roll-out of the ‘Bürgercockpit’-application for citizen participation, as well as the results of a digital CSR-questionnaire that we shared with different companies in Austria. Our research indicates that most of the participating companies are interested in including local communities into their CSR-projects using a digital tool, if this tool is easy-to-use, easy-to-access, and provides a flexible structure to address specific project requirements as well as properly designed features for stakeholder communication and user feedback. The findings of both, the ‘Bürgercockpit’-pilot study and the CSR-questionnaire provided us valuable input for designing a prototype solution of a digital CSR-tool for participatory community planning at a local level as well as recommendations for future research in this topic of growing interest.

The first appearance of viruses can date back to the late last century. As an effective form of malware, viruses reside in the permanent storage of target hosts. Before a virus can execute, that must load into memory from the persistent storage included in the associated file. Due to the reliable destructive power of viruses, many mechanisms have been developed to defend computer systems against these hazardous threats. Antivirus software is one of the most famous and popular among these mechanisms. Most antivirus software uses static analysis (signature-based) technology on files stored in permanent storage, such as hard disks or USB flashes, to detect viruses hidden in files. Fileless malware was developed to enhance the survivability of malware by circumventing detection. Fileless malware only exists in the target hosts’ memory, not files. Antivirus software cannot even access the fileless malware code, much less analyze it, since it may be performed in memory directly without needing to load it from a disk. As a result, it is difficult for an antivirus engine to defend a system against fileless malware attacks. This paper proposes a kernel-based solution called Check-on-Execution (CoE) to detect fileless malware on a Linux system. When a program is going to execute a piece of code in a writable and executable memory area of a process, CoE suspends the code execution first. Coe retrieves the code from memory, packs the code with an ELF header to create an ELF file, and uses VirusTotal to check the file to prevent a Linux system from executing fileless malware. Experimental results show that CoE noticeably enhances the ability of a Linux system to defend itself again fileless malware. CoE is also suitable for protecting a system from shell code injection attacks, such as buffer and heap overflow attacks. It is capable of handling even packed malware. But in this paper, we only focus on fileless malware.

The current study explores the problem of illiquidity in the corporate bond market and examines a broad set of liquidity proxies through empirical investigation. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to give solution to the global issue of illiquidity in the corporate bond market. The problem is identified by many researchers and this paper attempts to find out the viable solution of the "fungibility route" as an alternative to the "liquidity route". Design/ Methodology: An Analysis of a sample size of 2,34,772 trade data of corporate bonds and a sample size of 2,00,607 trade data of G-securities is done to identify the problem. Findings / Solution proposed: A mathematical model based on credit risk differential and sensitivity differential is proposed to find out the fair value at which an illiquid bond can be swapped by a liquid bond. To arrive at the fair value of the illiquid bond, we have calculated risk adjusted discount rate using modified duration and credit risk differential. With our solution, it is possible to enhance the liquidity of the bond not directly but through fungibility route. Originality: the research is first of its kind in which solution is given to the global problem of corporate bond illiquidity. To execute the trade in the fungibility route, proposed parties involved are the Fungibility platform, the initiator, and the bidder. The derived fair value would facilitate trade and serve as an exit strategy for illiquid bond holders worldwide.

The temporal evolution of pandemics described by the susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR)-compartment model is sensitively determined by the time dependence of the infection (a(t)) and recovery (u(t)) rates regulating the transitions from the susceptible to the infected and from the infected to the recovered compartment, respectively. Here approximated SIR-solutions for different time dependencies of the infection and recovery rates are derived which are based on the adiabatic approximation assuming time-dependent ratios k(t)=u(t)/a(t) varying slowly in comparison to the typical time characteristics of the pandemic wave. For such slow variations the available analytical approximations from the KSSIR-model, valid for a stationary value of the ratio k, are used to insert a-posteriori the adopted time-dependent ratio of the two rates. Instead of investigating endless different combinations of the time dependencies of the two rates a(t) and u(t) a suitably parameterized reduced time dependence of the ratio k(tau) is adopted. Together with the definition of the reduced time this parameterized ratio k(tau) allows us to cover a great variety of different time dependencies of the infection and recovery rates. The agreement between the solutions from the adiabatic approximation in its four different studied variants and the exact numerical solutions of the SIR-equations is remarkably good providing strong confidence in the accuracy of the proposed adiabatic approximation.

In this paper, we prove some common fi xed point theorems on complex partial metric space. The presented results gener- alize and expand some of the literature well-known results. We also explore some of the application of our key results.

This paper presents an exact solution to the Timoshenko beam theory (TBT) for first-order analysis, second-order analysis, and stability. The TBT covers cases associated with small deflections based on shear deformation considerations, whereas the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory (EBBT) neglects shear deformations. Thus, the Euler–Bernoulli beam is a special case of the Timoshenko beam. The moment-curvature relationship is one of the governing equations of the EBBT, and closed-form expressions of efforts and deformations are available in the literature. However, neither an equivalent to the moment-curvature relationship of EBBT nor closed-form expressions of efforts and deformations can be found in the TBT. In this paper, a moment-shear force-curvature relationship, the equivalent in TBT of the moment-curvature relationship of EBBT, was presented. Based on this relationship, first-order and second-order analyses were conducted, and closed-form expressions of efforts and deformations were derived for various load cases. Furthermore, beam stability was analyzed and buckling loads were calculated. Finally, first-order and second-order element stiffness matrices were determined.

In this COVID-19 pandemic, the use and dependency on Internet has grown exponentially. The number of people doing online activities such as e-learning, remote working, online shopping and others have increased. This has also led to increased vulnerability to cyber crimes. Cyber security attacks have become a serious problem. The common types of cyber security attacks are phishing, malware, ransomware, social engineering, identity theft and denial-of-service. The attackers target the victims in order to get their credential information or financial benefits. Those people who are doing online activities are vulnerable to cyber threats. This is because the network is not safe. The attackers are able to code according to the weaknesses of the Internet. Once the attackers hack into the devices, they have the root access and can do whatever they want to do with the device. In this research paper, the concept of cyber security attack and detailed research about real attacks are discussed. This is followed by detailed review about the recent cyber security attacks with a critical analysis. Moreover, the research paper will be proposing the latest research contribution of cyber security during COVID-19 and the implementation scenario which will give the examples about how the companies maintain privacy as well as the limitations. Then, the paper will be discussing the reasons that people are vulnerable to cyber security and the unique solution to the problems stated. Finally, this paper will conclude with an in-depth analysis and future direction for cyber security research.

Nature-inspired algorithms are very popular tools for solving optimization problems inspired by nature. However, there is no guarantee that optimal solution can be obtained using a randomly selected algorithm. As such, the problem can be addressed using trial and error via the use of different optimization algorithms. Therefore, the proposed study in this paper analyzes the time-complexity and efficacy of some nature-inspired algorithms which includes Artificial Bee Colony, Bat Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization. For each algorithm used, experiments were conducted several times with iterations and comparative analysis was made. The result obtained shows that Artificial Bee Colony outperformed other algorithms in terms of the quality of the solution, Particle Swarm Optimization is time efficient while Artificial Bee Colony yield a worst case scenario in terms of time complexity.