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

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

We introduce linear probing hashing schemes that construct a hash table of size $n$, with constant load factor $\alpha$, on which the worst-case unsuccessful search time is asymptotically almost surely $O(\log \log n)$. The schemes employ two linear probe sequences to find empty cells for the keys. Matching lower bounds on the maximum cluster size produced by any algorithm that uses two linear probe sequences are obtained as well.

Mushroom cultivation vastly improves the yield of mushrooms under optimized, controlled conditions, but may be susceptible to opportunistic colonization by pest species that can establish themselves, as well as the pathogens and pests they may transmit. Here we describe our investigation into the bacterial communities of adult Lycoriella ingenua (Diptera: Sciaridae) and Megaselia halterata (Diptera: Phoridae) collected from button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) production houses in Pennsylvania. We collected adult flies and sequenced the hypervariable v4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA using the Illumina MiSeq. The most abundant bacterial genus detected in both species was Wolbachia, but phylogenetic analysis revealed that the infections are from different clades. Future studies include the characterization of Wolbachia infections on fly behavior and biology, comparison of microbial diversity of fly species colonizing wild mushrooms, and other microbiota that may contribute to the success of certain pest fly species.

Plant cells' ability to withstand abiotic stress is strongly linked to modifications in their mechanical characteristics. Nevertheless, the lack of a workable method for consistently tracking plant cell mechanical properties severely restricts our comprehension of the mechanical alterations in plant cells under stress. With Polyethylene Glycol (PEG6000), we created a drought-like environment, and we used the Double Resonator Piezoelectric Cytometry (DRPC) method to dynamically and non-invasively track changes in the stress (ΔS) created and viscoelasticity (storage modulus G' and loss modulus G") of protoplasts and suspension cells of rice during drought stress. The findings demonstrate that, rice suspension cells and protoplasts react mechanically differently to 5%–15% PEG6000 stress, implying distinct resistance mechanisms. However, neither of them can withstand 25% PEG6000 stress, they respond mechanically similarly to 25% PEG6000 stress. The results of DRPC are further corroborated by the morphological alterations of rice cells and protoplasts observed under an optical microscope. To sum up, the DRPC technique functions as a precise cellular mechanical sensor and offers novel research tools for the evaluation of plant cell adversity and differentiating between the mechanical reactions of cells and protoplasts under abiotic stress.

Segmentation of brain tumor images is a major research topic in medical imaging to have a refined detection and understanding of abnormal masses in the brain. This paper proposes a new segmentation method, consisting of three main steps, to detect brain lesions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the first step, the parts of the image delineating the skull bone are removed to exclude insignificant data. In the second step, which is the main contribution of this study, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique is applied to detect the block that contains the brain lesions. The fitness function, used to determine the best block among all candidate blocks, is based on a two-way fixed-effects analysis of variance (ANOVA). In the last step of the algorithm, the K-means segmentation method is used in the lesion block to classify it as tumor or not. A thorough evaluation of the proposed algorithm is performed using the MRI database provided by the Kouba imaging center in Algiers, Algeria. Estimates of the selected fitness function are first compared to those based on the sum-of-absolute-differences (SAD) dissimilarity criterion and demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the ANOVA. The performance of the optimized brain tumor segmentation algorithm is then compared to the results of several state-of-the-art techniques, including fuzzy C-means, K-means, Otsu thresholding, local thresholding, and watershed segmentation. The results obtained using Dice coefficient, Jaccard distance, correlation coefficient, and root mean square error (RMSE) measurements demonstrate the superiority of the proposed optimized segmentation algorithm over equivalent techniques.

During choriogenesis in insects, chorion (eggshell) is formed by surrounding follicular epithelial cells in ovarioles. However, the regulatory endocrine factor(s) activating choriogenesis and the chemical components on eggshell deserve further exploration. In two representative Coleopterans, a Coccinellid Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata and a Chrysomelid Leptinotarsa decemlineata, genes encoding the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) receptor heterodimer, ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP), and two chitin biosynthesis enzymes UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) and chitin synthase (ChS1), were highly expressed in ovaries of the young females. RNA interference (RNAi)-aided knockdown of either HvEcR or Hvusp in H. vigintioctopunctata inhibited oviposition, suppressed the expression of HvChS1, and lessened the positive signal of Calcofluor staining on the chorions, which suggests the reduction of a chitin-like substance (CLS) deposited on eggshells. Similarly, RNAi of LdEcR or Ldusp in L. decemlineata constrained oviposition, decreased the expression of LdUAP1 and LdChS1, and declined CLS contents in the resultant ovaries. Knockdown of LdUAP1 or LdChS1 caused similar defective phenotypes, i.e., reduced oviposition and CLS contents in the L. decemlineata ovaries. These results, for the first time, indicate that 20E signaling activates choriogenesis in two Coleopteran species. Moreover, our findings propose the deposition of a CLS on the chorions.

We search for limit cycles in the dynamical model of two-species chemical reactions that contain seven reaction rate coefficients as parameters and at least one third-order reaction step, that is, the induced kinetic differential equation of the reaction is a planar cubic differential system. Symbolic calculations were carried out using the Mathematica (or, Wolfram language) mathematical program package, and it was also used for the numerical verifications to show the following facts: the kinetic differential equations of these reactions each has two limit cycles surrounding the stationary point of focus type in the positive quadrant. In the case of Model 1, the outer limit cycle is stable and the inner one is unstable that appears in a supercritical Hopf bifurcation. Moreover, the oscillations in a neighborhood of the outer limit cycle are slow-fast oscillations. In the case of Model 2, the outer limit cycle is unstable and the inner one is stable. With another set of parameters, the outer limit cycle can be made stable and the inner one unstable.

The genus Amomum encompasses six medicinal species that are extensively utilized and have a significant historical background. Due to their morphological similarities, however, the presence of counterfeit and substandard products remains a challenge. Accurate plant identification is therefore essential to address these issues. This study utilized 11 newly sequenced samples along with extensive data from NCBI to perform molecular identification of these six species. The plastomes of Amomum displayed a typical quadripartite structure with conserved gene content, yet showed independent variations in the SC/IR boundary shifts at both inter- and intra-specific levels. Our approach incorporated ITS, ITS1, ITS2, complete plastomes, matK, rbcL, and psbA-trnH sequences for molecular identification, which effectively differentiated the six medicinal species within the genus Amomum, as confirmed by distance-based and phylogenetic tree analyses. Among these, the ITS, ITS1, and complete plastomes sequences demonstrated the highest identification success rate (3/6), followed by ITS2, matK, and psbA-trnH (1/6). In contrast, rbcL failed to identify any species. This research successfully established a reliable molecular identification method for Amomum plants, to protect wild plant resources and promote the sustainable use of medicinal plants and restrict the exploitation of these resources.

In multi-objective optimization problems, the optimization target is to obtain a set of non-dominated solutions. Comparing solution sets is crucial in evaluating the performances of different optimization algorithms. The use of performance indicators is common in comparing those sets and, subsequently, optimization algorithms. A good solution set must be close to the Pareto-optimal front, well-distributed, maximally extended and fully filled. Therefore, an effective performance indicator must encompass these features as a whole and must be Pareto dominance compliant. Unfortunately, some of the known indicators often fail to properly reflect the quality of a solution set or cost a lot to compute. This paper demonstrates that the Degree of Approximation (DOA) quality indicator, is a weakly Pareto compliant unary indicator that gives a good estimation of the match between the approximated front and the Pareto-optimal front. Moreover, DOA computation is easy and fast.

The once-held wisdom of the supreme efficiency of one-way streets has been gradually sup-planted by the perceived sustainability of two-way streets in the design of livable cities that prioritizes the safety of pedestrians and thriving of local businesses. However, it is rarely dis-cussed on whether one-way street conversions have truly improved the long-term traffic effi-ciencies on urban street networks, as conflating socioeconomic factors such as vehicular popula-tion growth and induced travel demand may render empirical analysis inconclusive. In this study, microscopic traffic simulations implemented on SUMO platform was performed to ana-lyze the effect of street conversion in Downtown Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. This approach can control and standardize travel demand in both one-way and two-way street networks, and would therefore give a fairer evaluation by precluding all socioeconomic factors. It was found that one-way streets do not necessarily improve the traffic efficiency of the network, as it is very dependent on the traffic scenario evolution over time. One-way streets perform better at the on-set of traffic congestion due to its higher capacity, but on average, the 4-fold longer travel times that made it harder to clear traffic by getting vehicles to their destinations compared to two-way streets. As time progresses, congestion in one-way streets may become twice as worse compared to two-way streets. This study may contribute to a more holistic assessment of traffic circulation plan designed for smart and livable cities

The mobile payment has been emerging as an alternative to cash and credit cards and is rapidly evolving around the world. This study integrated the general model of innovation diffusion theory (IDT) with the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine the impact of near-field-communication (NFC) mobile payment environment on the restaurant operating performance (ROP). This paper used convenience sampling to distribute questionnaires to restaurant owners and managers in order to investigate the impact of NFC mobile payment environment on ROP. A total of 279 valid questionnaires were collected. The empirical results show that sales growth, cost saving, flexibility, accessibility and trust & safety had significantly positive impacts on ROP. After considering the restaurant size as a moderator for analysis, there are only two constructs- accessibility and trust & safety had significant impacts on ROP. This empirical finding could provide restaurateurs with a reference to improve ROP by increasing the mobile payment environment.

In this study, we investigate the growth of EV ownership among Swedish households. Through detailed socio-economic data and the Swedish vehicle register, we are able compare characteristics of households that bought an EV in 2016 with those that became EV owners in 2020. We are thus able to describe and analyse the transition from the early EV owners to the early majority. Unlike many prior studies in the field, which are based on surveys or interviews, this study relies on registry data, thereby encompassing all car owners in Sweden. In this study, we have also scrutinized the significance of ownership mode by distinguishing between households that have chosen to purchase a car and those that have chosen to lease one. The results show that the demand for EVs has reached new consumer groups, e.g. both younger and older car buyers, and that the option to lease a car privately has broadened the market for new cars in general, and for EV’s in particular.

Cotton is one of the most important economic crops in the world, whereas insect attacks is a prime cause of its losses on yield and quality. Despite it is important, little is known about the mechanism of cotton response to insect. In this study, we simulated insect feeding by applying insect oral secretions (OS) to wounds, and combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis to comprehensively investigate how OS from two major pest species (Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera litura) affect cotton defense responses. Obvious differences were observed that 12,668 and 13,379 genes differently expressed respectively in cotton after being treated with different OS when compared with wounding along. Upon the addition of OS, JA-signaling pathway were rapidly and strongly induced, however SA-biosynthesis related gens were significantly down-regulated. By constructing the co-expression gene network, we identified a hub gene which encoding a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase may play important role in recognition and signal transduction at early stage. We also found that OS from different insect species altered abundance of flavonoid related compound with different patterns. Interestingly, Gossypol which is a well-known anti-insect compound was kept a relative low content after OS application relative to wounding which implied the existence of the suppression effects of OS to cotton defense response. This study illustrated the transcriptional and metabolic changes of cotton in responding to OS from two chewing insect species, identified potential key gene during the interaction process and finds the evidence for OS’s inhibition effects on cotton defense response.

This paper considers a two-way relay network, where two source nodes exchange messages through several relays in the presence of an eavesdropper, and the channel state information (CSI) of the eavesdropper is imperfectly known. The amplify-and-forward relay protocol is used and the relay beamforming weights are designed. The model is built up to minimize the total relay transmit power while guaranteeing the quality of service at users and preventing the eavesdropper from decoding the signals. Due to the imperfect CSI, a semi-infinite programming problem is obtained. An algorithm is proposed to solve the problem, and the iterative points are updated through the linesearch technique, where the feasibility are preserved during iterations. The optimality property is analyzed. The obtained subproblems are quadratic constrained quadratic programming problems, either with less than $4$ constraints or with only one variable, which are solved optimally. Simulation results demonstrate the importance of the proposed model, and imply that the proposed algorithm is efficient and converges very fast, where more than 85% of the problems are solved optimally.

Apple snails of the genus Pomacea (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae) are native to the Neotropics and exhibit high species diversity. They hold cultural and ecological significance, serving as an important protein source in Peru. However, this genus has also received broad interest worldwide due to its invasive capacity, especially in Southeast Asia, where some species such as Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck, 1822) and P. maculata Perry, 1810 are considered significant pests. Consequently, most genetic studies have focused almost exclusively on these invasive species. In contrast, few efforts have been made to understand the evolutionary relationships of the South American native species, especially at the genomic level. In this study, we assembled and annotated the mitochondrial genome of two Pomacea species native to the Peruvian Amazon: Pomacea reevei Ampuero & Ramírez, 2023 and P. aulanieri (Deville & Huppé, 1850). Through a comprehensive comparison with available mitogenomes on NCBI, we found that the length and organization of these mitogenomes fall within the range of what is currently known in Pomacea. Comparisons between these mitogenomes with those previously published revealed differences in the overlapping of adjacent genes, the size of certain protein-coding genes (PCGs) and the secondary structure of some tRNAs which are consistent with the phylogenetic relationships between these species. These findings provide valuable insights into the systematics and genomics of the genus Pomacea.

Regulation of the diet in terms of the content of soluble and insoluble fibre is of great importance from the point of view of dietetics, microbiology of the gastrointestinal tract and immunology of the organism. Dietary fibre plays an important role in maintaining the balance between the con-tinuity of gut mucus production (intestinal mucosa), the stability of the intestinal microbiome composition, the regeneration of the intestinal epithelium and the immune status within the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) are played by pectin and their metabolic products in the form of pectin oligosaccharides. The main purpose of this review was to focus on pectin, their functions, their impact on the human's health and on some of the most promising prebiotics due to their solubility in the gastrointestinal tract in the form of pectin oligosaccharides. They have the properties of pectin, but have also additional features and postbiotics obtained in fermentation process can affect the intestinal microbiome and GALT-related immunity. They can be obtained from plant agro-wastes.

This study's main target was to analyze and design rectangular edges supported two ways solid slabs by using ES EN 1992-1-1:2015. Slab design is often carried out either manually or with the use of design and analytic software. The researcher sees that some software cannot accept some countries' standard codes. For example, currently in Ethiopia analysis and design of two-way solid slab is done using readily available Excel sheet template. But working with this might have many problems, firstly the structure that is already analyzed by SAP or SAFE or any other international software application that uses international codes but which cannot design structure using ES EN 1992; for instant euro codes and designed by excel sheet can create failure and uneconomical analysis and design result. In this paper, the slab is designed and analyzed based on the chosen concrete grade, chosen reinforcement bar diameter, chosen steel grade for design and analysis of slabs calculations like load, moment, shear, and deflection checking using the moment coefficient method for analysis and design and Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 for coding. All input values are given by the International Standard units and are also used to represent output values. Using manual calculations delays time and mostly the result is not correct. But using this Computer program can increase computation accuracy and save time. The procedure the researcher followed is, first the manual calculation has been done and then SADSE2021 has been done. The result is that both are 99.9% identical, and the disadvantage of this method is that it cannot be used to determine the detailed drawing.

The range of rating instruments in depression measurement and the depth of their analytical relevance constitutes a major development in this psychiatric and psychotherapeutic field of mental health. Though the competition is acute amongst these various instruments, the results for the public have been outstandingly positive. A depression rating scale is essentially a psychiatric measuring instrument utilized in the identification and ranking of depression severity within the patient. The scale provides the practitioner, psychiatrist or psychotherapist, with sufficient information to assess the severity of the depression plotted on the scale. Not used as a “diagnostic tool” itself, nevertheless, the depression rating scale does function as an effective device for designating and assigning a behavioral score which may, then, be used in establishing the severity of depression of value in the designation of a diagnosis and treatment formula. In this paper, we will take a close look at the leading depression rating scales and briefly summarize their scope of assessment value in rating depression.

Recent technological advancements in conservation genetics and genomics have resulted in diverse tools for aiding conservation of species. The precision and resolution of high throughput sequencing technologies provide valuable insights to aid conservation decisions, but these technologies are often financially unfeasible or unavailable in resource constrained countries. Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers, when combined with sensitive automated detection systems, provide a simple, cheap means to investigate genetic diversity and discriminate closely related species. Here we apply this technology to assess genetic diversity and taxonomic delimitation in the Encephalartos eugene-maraisii species complex, a highly threatened, taxonomically dubious group of cycads in South Africa. Our analyses support taxonomic singularity of E. dyerianus, E. dolomiticus and E. eugene-maraisii. Relationships between E. nubimontanus and E. cupidus remain uncertain. E. middelburgensis samples showed no clustering but had poor amplification success. This study demonstrates the suitability of automated ISSR fingerprinting as a method for plant conservation studies, especially in resource-constrained countries, and we make recommendations as to how this methodology can be effectively implemented.

Previous high throughput screening studies indicated trans-eQTLs tend to be tissue specific. In this study, I probed if this feature can be used to identify tissue-specific gene regulatory networks. eQTL data (P<5e-8) for 16,259 genes were identified and their summary association statistics were obtained from the eQTLGene database. Next, eQTLs that display both cis and trans regulatory effects were selected and the association between their corresponding genes were examined using Mendelian randomization. A total of 169 genes that exerted trans-regulatory impacts on 692 genes were identified. 90% of the genes (N=749) aggregated into a gene regulatory network significantly enriched in hemo-immune processes. The robustness of finding was confirmed through simulation. The identified network displayed the scale-free topology. This provided the reason to examine the association of the network’s hub genes with the phenome. The outcome of analyses revealed GSDMB and ORMDL3 impact several disorders of immune origin and ALDH2 overexpression contributes to obesity. This study reports trans-eQTLs can be used to identify tissue-specific gene regulatory networks and describes a workflow to achieve this purpose. The network identified in this study showed scale-free topology indicating the hub genes of a GRN could be targeted to prevent disease outcomes.

The paper presents the problem of damage detection in steel girders. Static displacements at the selected point of the structure play the role of measured variables. Structural response signal decomposition is performed according to the Mallat pyramid algorithm, which is used to perform the discrete wavelet transform (DWT). This procedure allows us to quite well determine the location of structural damage. The geometry and the placement of any defective part of the structure may have a random character. It can be assumed that the random processes occurring in the broadly understood structure mechanics are Gaussian in nature. The first four probabilistic moments are estimated using three approaches independent: semi-analytical (SAM), perturbative (SPT), and Monte-Carlo simulations (MCS). The semi-analytical random approach seems to be the most optimal due to the necessary computation time. The incorporation of the mathematical stochastic apparatus into the classical (deterministic) analysis of the statics of the structure makes it possible to estimate the reliability measures of the analyzed girder.

The present days can be considered a crossroad in the history our word because the economic, social and ecological needs don't agree one another. The result is a continuous growth of poverty and an increase of the ecological degradation. This has generated the present difficult socio-economic state, and it seems very difficult to escape. A new viewpoint must be introduced, but it cannot based on the usual economic indicators. So, new indicators must be introduced. They must allow us to consider the technological level, the environmental impact and the socio-economic conditions. In this paper we suggest three indicators based on an engineering approach of irreversibility. Three applications are shown in order to highlight the possible interest from different scientists and researchers in engineering, economy, etc, in order to develop sustainable approaches and policies for decision makers.

Statistical machine translation (SMT) which was the dominant paradigm in machine translation (MT) research for nearly three decades has recently been superseded by the end-to-end deep learning approaches to MT. Although deep neural models produce state-of-the-art results in many translation tasks, they are found to under-perform on resource-poor scenarios. Despite some success, none of the present-day benchmarks that have tried to overcome this problem can be regarded as a universal solution to the problem of translation of many low-resource languages. In this work, we investigate the performance of phrase-based SMT (PB-SMT) and NMT on two rarely-tested low-resource language-pairs, English-to-Tamil and Hindi-to-Tamil, taking a specialised data domain (software localisation) into consideration. This paper demonstrates our findings including the identification of several issues of the current neural approaches to low-resource domain-specific text translation and rankings of our MT systems via a social media platform-based human evaluation scheme.

The electric vehicle (EV) industry is experiencing rapid growth, accompanied by continuous advancements in charging infrastructure to satisfy the rising need for fast and reliable charging. Particularly, the focus has shifted towards EV fast charging (EVFC) and its impact on the power grid. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis and survey of scholarly literature and projects conducted in this field over the past decade. The findings highlight the rising demand for EVFC and the need to address its potential adverse effects on the power grid. However, there is a noticeable lack of clear research guidance regarding charging time. To tackle these challenges and pave the way for future solutions, extensive research on DC fast charging, ultra-fast charging, and the integration of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems is required. This review paper thoroughly investigates the development of fast charging technology for electric vehicles (EVs), including its advantages and comparative analyses from various perspectives. Furthermore, it delves into the advancements in DC fast charging infrastructure, emphasizing charging standards and control modes. The study also investigates different categories of battery chargers for both on-board and off-board charging. Additionally, it explores the classification of DC-DC converters in the context of DC fast charging stations, discusses control strategies for EV systems, identifies existing challenges, and outlines future trends in EV fast charging.

Snow crab replaced groundfish fisheries as the primary focus of the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) fishing industry in the mid-1990s. Over the past three decades, management philosophies in this male-only fishery have shifted from promoting industry expansion to promoting industry rationalization to implementing Precautionary Approach (PA) management. Until the mid-2010s, there were regionalized management strategies characterized by higher exploitation rates in northern than southern sub-stock units along the NL marine shelves. However, in the late 2010s, exploitation rates were permitted to elevate to high levels across the entire stock range in association with a large resource decline and evidence of biological harm through fishing emerged in chronically depleted areas. In 2019, when stock and fishery productivity were near historic lows, a multi-indicator PA system was informally introduced into management of the resource. This event coincided with anticipated improvements in stock and fishery performance. This paper examines the extent to which the multi-indicator PA management system, focused on promotion of both biological protection and maximization of fishing efficiency, may have contributed to recent improvements in stock and fishery status. A suite of indicators from areas implementing PA guidance into management in 2019 prior to formal adoption of the PA system in 2023 suggest the system has been highly beneficial in promoting rapid recovery, improving stock and fishery performance metrics to levels matching or exceeding historic levels under similar conditions. We discuss capacity of the system to better safeguard biological aspects of resource and fisheries productivity moving forward under a scenario of an expectant resource decline.

This study explores fault-tolerant consensus in leader-following heterogeneous multi-agent systems, focusing on actuator failures in uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs). An optimization-based fault-tolerant consensus algorithm is proposed. The algorithm utilizes the Euler-Lagrange formula to ensure system consistency under actuator failures, with the Lyapunov stability theory proving the asymptotic stability of the consistency error. The algorithm is applied to heterogeneous multi-agent systems of UAVs and UGVs to derive optimal fault-tolerant consensus control laws for each vehicle type. Simulation experiments give evidence for the feasibility of the proposed control strategy.

In this paper, industrial structure distortion, two-way FDI and carbon emission intensity are brought into a unified research framework, and based on China's panel data from 2011 to 2020, empirical tests are conducted employing Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA), spatial econometric model and intermediary effect test. The results show the following. Firstly, China's industrial structure distortion index shows a downward trend. The industrial structure distortion index is the highest in the west, followed by the middle, and the lowest in the East. Secondly, the relationship between carbon emission intensity and economic development shows a "decoupling" effect and keeps decreasing year by year. The spatial disparity is remarkable, showing the pattern of "the east leading, the middle catching up and the west lagging ". At the provincial level, except in Xinjiang province, the carbon emission intensity of other provinces showed different degrees of decline. In terms of spatial distribution, the polarization characteristics of carbon emission intensity are significant, and the traditional spatial distribution pattern has been broken. Thirdly, there is a positive spatial correlation between China's industrial structure distortion, two-way FDI and carbon emission intensity. The distortion of industrial structure will not only lead to the increase of local carbon emission intensity but also produce reverse spillover to adjacent areas. IFDI and OFDI provide a strong driving force for the decline of carbon emission intensity. IFDI promotes the decline of carbon emission intensity in adjacent areas, while OFDI will increase the carbon emission intensity in surrounding areas. The interaction of IFDI and OFDI can significantly reduce the carbon emission intensity of local and adjacent areas. Fourthly, the results of intermediary effect analysis show that two-way FDI is the two channels of industrial structure distortion affecting carbon emission intensity. Industrial structure distortion can affect the transmission mechanism of carbon emission intensity by affecting two-way FDI.

A new model for international bed numbers is applied to local area populations for English Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) where the Age Standardized Mortality Rate (ASMR) is used as a measure of population health and hence for total occupied hospital bed demand (elective plus emergency admission types, including acute, rehabilitation, mental health, and maternity), rather than simple bed availability. A 100-unit increase in ASMR (European Standard population) leads to a 15.3 – 30.7 (feasible range) unit increase in occupied beds per 1,000 deaths. ASMR shows why the Australian states of the Northern Territory and Tasmania have an intrinsic higher bed demand than the other states – although in both cases the bed planning methodologies failed to indicate this need and both states show a large bed deficit. Due to the high volatility in bed demand the average bed demand for 2019 was determined by a linear trend using data for 2014/15 to 2019/20 — as the pre-COVID-19 baseline. The slope of the relationship between occupied beds per 1,000 deaths and deaths per 1,000 population shows a power law function. As is to be expected there is scatter around the trend line which will partly arise from uncertainty in the expected occupied beds in 2019, fluctuations in both ASMR and deaths per 1,000 population from one year to another, changes in the number of persons on the elective, outpatient and diagnostic waiting lists, and local area variation in births and consequently upon maternity, neonatal and pediatric bed demand. Additional variation in bed demand will arise from differences in the level of funding for social care, especially elderly care, and to a lesser extent upon patients using private health care, and charitable hospices for palliative care. However, after including the change in bed demand arising from ASMR the model is sufficiently accurate to identify gross differences in bed demand as a prelude to further investigation. The model requires further extension to cover specialty-level demand, and perhaps segregation between elective and emergency types of inpatient demand. A method for benchmarking the whole hospital’s average bed occupancy is given which enables them to run at optimum efficiency and safety. Using this method English hospitals can be shown to operate at highly disruptive and unsafe levels of bed occupancy leading to deleterious ‘turn-away’. Turn-away implies bed unavailability for the next arriving patient. The problems associated with crafting effective bed planning are illustrated using the English NHS as an example.

One-dimensional shape memory polymer fibers (SMPFs) have obvious advantages in mechanical properties, dispersion properties and weavability. In this work, a method for fabricating semi-crystallization ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) fiber with two-way shape memory effect by melt spinning and ultraviolet (UV) curing was developed. Here, the effect of crosslink density on its performance was systematically analyzed by gel fraction measurement, tensile tests, DSC and TMA analysis. The results showed that the crosslink density and shape memory properties of EVA fiber could be facilely adjusted by controlling UV curing time. The resulting EVA fiber with cylindrical structure had a diameter of 247.13 ± 10.07 μm, and its mechanical strength and elongation at break were 64.46 MPa and 114.33%, respectively. The critical impact of the crosslink density and applied constant stress on the two-way shape memory effect were analyzed. Moreover, the single EVA fiber could lift more than 143 times its own weight and achieve 9% reversible actuation strain. The reversible actuation capability was significantly enhanced by a simple winding design of the single EVA fiber, which provided great potential applications in smart textiles, flexible actuators and artificial muscles.

The order Mucorales, the largest in number of species within the Mucoromycotina, comprises typically fast-growing saprotrophic fungi. During a study of the fungal diversity of undiscovered taxa in Korea, two novel mucoralean strains, CNUFC-GWD3-9 and CNUFC-EGF1-4, were isolated from specific habitats including freshwater and fecal samples, respectively, in Korea. On the basis of their morphological characteristics and sequence analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) of 28S ribosomal DNA regions, the CNUFC-GWD3-9 and CNUFC-EGF1-4 isolates were confirmed to be Gilbertella persicaria and Pilobolus crystallinus, respectively. It is ecologically, pathologically and mycologically significant to find such rare zygomycetous fungi in such specific habitats.

The accurate detection of clouds is an important first-step in the processing of remotely sensed satellite data analyses and subsequent cloud model predictions. While initial cloud retrieval technology began with the exploitation of one or two bands of satellite imagery, it has accelerated rapidly in recent years as sensor and retrieval technology have exploded, creating a new era in space exploration. Additionally, initial emphasis in satellite retrieval technology focused on cloud detection for cloud forecast models, more recently cloud screening in satellite acquired data is playing an increasingly critical role in the investigation of cloud free data for the retrieval of soil moisture, vegetation cover, ocean colour concentration and sea surface temperatures, as well as environmental monitoring of a host of products, e.g. atmospheric aerosol data, to study the Earth’s atmospheric and climatic systems. With about 60% of the Earth covered by clouds, on average, it is necessary to both accurately detect clouds in remote sensing data to screen cloud contaminate data in remote sensing analyses. In this paper, the evolution of cloud detection technology is highlighted with advancement in sensor hardware technology and possible AI algorithmic advances. Additionally, a discussion is presented on methods to obtain the cloud truth data needed to determine the accuracy of these cloud detection approaches.

The paper delves into the critical issue of damage detection within the guy cable of a truss steel mast, a pivotal component in structural integrity. It introduces a model wherein damage manifests as a localized cross-section reduction in a single element of the cable. Employing Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), a pioneering methodology, the study scrutinizes the behavior of the affected elements through static structural analyses. Signal decomposition via the Mallat pyramid algorithm facilitates comprehensive examination. Static displacements at the connection point between the cable and the truss mast serve as the measured variables. Through systematic investigation, the paper evaluates the impact of damage size and location, external loading force, and cable tension force on the efficacy of the proposed approach. Utilizing data derived from Finite Element Method (FEM) computations for wavelet analysis the authors substantiate the findings with numerical examples, thus offering valuable insights into damage detection strategies for structural health monitoring and engineering applications.

Objective. To test the hypothesis that a session of unilateral tSMS over the dominant primary motor cortex (M1) in healthy subjects produces a transient decrease in manual dexterity. Methods. A triple-blinded randomized control trial was conducted in 40 healthy participants who were allocated to real- or sham-tSMS group. Each participant underwent one session of tSMS and were assessed before, immediately after, 15 minutes, and 40 minutes after stimulation. Outcome measures were Finger Tapping Test (FTT), 5-seconds FTT, nine Hole Peg Test, and the hand grip assessment. Results: Significant differences were found between groups 15 minutes after stimulation in favor of the tSMS group in the FTT (2.2 ± 0.99; CI= .18-4.22; d= .84p=.034), and 5-second FTT (4.2 ± 1.98; CI= .199-8.2, d= .68; p=.04). In the intragroup analysis, a significantly lower number of taps 15 minutes after stimulation was observed in sham group (3.3 ± 1.01; CI= .47-6.13; d= .42; p=.015), but not in the real stimulation group. Conclusion: A unilateral session of tSMS in the M1 of the dominant hemisphere of healthy individuals does not reduce manual dexterity or grip strength. This technique could have benefits on the motor performance of the arm contralateral to the stimulated motor cortex

The AREB/ABF (ABA response element binding) proteins in plants are vital for plant stress responses, but the understanding of AREB/ABFs in orchid species, an important traditional medicinal and ornamental plants, is limited. Here, twelve AREB/ABF genes were identified within three orchids’ complete genome and classified into three groups (groups I, II, and III) via a phylogenetic analysis, which was further supported by the analysis of their conserved motifs and gene structures. The cis-elements analysis showed that hormone response elements followed by light and stress responses were widely rich in AREB/ABFs. A prediction analysis of orchid ABRE/ABF-mediated regulatory network was further constructed through cis-regulatory elements (CREs) analysis of their promoter regions and revealed that several transcriptional factor (TF) gene family were abundant as the potential regulators for orchid AREB/ABFs. Expression profile analysis based on public transcriptomic data showed that most AREB/ABF genes have distinct tissue-specific expression patterns in orchid plants. Additionally, DcaABI5 as the homolog of ABA INSENSITIVE 5 (ABI5) from Arabidopsis was selected for further analysis. The results showed that Arabidopsis transgenic overexpressing DcaABI5 could rescue the ABA insensitive phenotype in the mutant abi5. Collectively, these findings will provide valuable information on AREB/ABF genes in orchids.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

The analysis and measurement of poverty is a crucial issue in the field of social science. Poverty is a multidimensional notion that can be measured using composite indicators relevant to synthesizing statistical indicators. Subjective choices could, however, affect these indicators. We propose interval-based composite indicators to avoid the problem, enabling us in this context to obtain robust and reliable measures. Based on a relevant conceptual model of poverty we have identified, we will consider all the various factors identified. Then, considering a different random configuration of the various factors, we will compute a different composite indicator. We can obtain a different interval for each region based on the distinct factor choices on the different assumptions for constructing the composite indicator. So we will create an interval-based composite indicator based on the results obtained by the Monte-Carlo simulation of all the different assumptions. The different intervals can be compared, and various rankings for poverty can be obtained. For their parameters, such as center, minimum, maximum, and range, the poverty interval composite indicator can be considered and compared. The results demonstrate a relevant and consistent measurement of the indicator and the shadow sector's relevant impact on the final measures.

The Solvency II regulatory framework specifies procedures and parameters for determining solvency capital requirements (SCRs) for insurance companies. The proposed standard SCR calculations involve two steps. The Value–at–Risk (VaR) of each risk driver is measured and, in a second step, all components are aggregated to the company’s overall SCR, using the Standard Formula. This formula has two inputs: the VaRs of the individual risk drivers and their correlations. The appropriate calibration of these input parameters has been the purpose of various Quantitative Impact Studies that have been conducted during recent years. This paper demonstrates that the parameter calibration for the equity–risk module—overall, with about 25%, the most significant risk component—is seriously flawed, giving rise to spurious and highly erratic parameter values. As a consequence, an implementation of the Standard Formula with the currently proposed calibration settings for equity–risk is likely to produce inaccurate, biased and, over time, highly erratic capital requirements.

Investigation of oomycete diversity in rice paddies of Fars Province in Iran led to the identification of two new Pythium sensu lato (s.l.) species as Globisporangium izadpanahii sp. nov. and Pythium banihashemianum sp. nov. The identification was based on morphological and physiological features as well as the phylogenetic analysis of nuclear (ITS and βtub) and mitochondrial (cox1 and cox2) loci using Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood. A major characteristic of G. izadpanahii was the production of globose hyphal swellings; this species did not produce vesicles and zoospores. The present paper describes formally these two new species and defines their phylogenetic relationships with other congeneric species. According to multiple gene genealogy analysis, G. izadpanahii grouped with other species of Globisporangium in the former clade G of Pythium s.l. and was closely related to both G. nagaii and the recently described G. coniferarum. The second species, designated P. banihashemianum, grouped with other species of Pythium sensu stricto in the former clade B of Pythium s.l. and according to the phylogenetic analysis shared an ancestor with P. plurisporium. In pathogenicity tests on rice seedlings, P. banihashemianum isolates were highly pathogenic causing severe root and crown rot, while G. izadpanahii isolates were not pathogenic.

Reproductive isolating barriers are a crucial element in the speciation process. There are various types of barriers, and within those that act early in the speciation process, the behavioral one can play an important role in isolating populations or closely related species. It has been shown that the high diversity of some taxa correlates with the variation of sexual signals, which facilitate isolation. Here it is explored whether chemical signals may contribute to the high diversity of Liolaemus lizards, which has more than 290 species. Population chemical discrimination was investigated in two co-distributed species, L. tenuis and L. lemniscatus. The studied populations were closely located and likely belonged to the same genetic lineages. Lizards of both species discriminated between scents of their own and different populations, and in most cases, scents from their population were preferred. Results suggest a fast evolution of scents, and their recognition, and there for the ethological barriers associated with the chemical modality may evolve fast. However, because the studied species differed in the strength of the exhibited population chemical discrimination, ethological barriers evolve at different rates across species. It can be concluded that ethological barriers involving the chemical modality may disrupt species' cohesion, contributing to Liolaemus diversification, in synergy or not with geographical barriers.

SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of the globally spreading COVID-19, is capable of infecting variable animals besides human being. We evaluated the potential susceptibility of important livestock, pets and aquatic mammals by performing a multi-species sequence analysis of ACE2 based on the reported affected and unaffected animals. We identified a triple amino acid pattern of ACE2, at position 30, 31 and 34, that might be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and H34 might be an indicator of the susceptibility to COVID-19.

The healthcare situation in Africa is characterized by limited resources and a high burden of disease, presenting significant challenges to the healthcare systems in the region. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in African healthcare holds immense potential for addressing these challenges and improving health outcomes. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current healthcare landscape in Africa and the urgent need for AI-driven solutions.In addition to discussing the potential applications of AI in African healthcare, such as disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and medical imaging analysis, this manuscript seeks to shed light on the specific challenges hindering the implementation of AI in the region. By providing detailed examples and case studies, we aim to offer insights into the obstacles that need to be overcome and potential solutions that can be pursued.By leveraging AI technologies, Africa has the opportunity to revolutionize its health systems, bridging the gap in access to quality healthcare across the continent. The objective of this review article is to not only highlight the potential benefits that AI can bring to African healthcare but also to emphasize the urgent need for action and collaboration in implementing and scaling up AI innovations in the region. By doing so, African countries can pave the way for improved health outcomes and ensure that their populations receive the healthcare services they deserve.

This paper proposed three-dimensional numerical simulation method by coupling of electrostatic and fluid fields to evaluating the performance of electrical sensor in the concentration measurement of gas/solid two-phase flow. Compared with the static numerical simulation, this real-time dynamic 3-D simulation method can research on a designed capacitance sensor combining the dynamic characteristics of the two-phase flows for concentration measurement. Several fluid-electrostatic models of transmission pipes with different sensor structures are built. Under different test positions and different particle concentrations, the flow characteristics and the corresponding electric signals can be obtained, and the correlation coefficient between the concentration values and the capacitance values are used for performance evaluation of the sensors. The effects of flow regimes on concentration measurement are also been investigated in this paper. To validate the results of simulation, an experimental platform with horizontal straight pipe for phase volume concentration measurement of solid/air two-phase flow is built, and the experimental results agree well with simulation conclusions. The simulation and test results show that the coupling models can give constructive reference opinions for the sensor design and collection of installation position in different transmission pipelines, which are very important for the practical process of pneumatic conveying system.

To decrease oral pathogens and increase the number of beneficial bacteria, probiotics and bioactive compounds made via microbial bioconversion are recently used. In addition, the interest regarding probiotics-mediated bioconversion with popular medicinal plants is increasing. These compounds produced during the process exhibit synergistic effect and enhance a variety of biological activities including pathogen inhibition in host. Therefore, we developed bioconverted milk with high inhibitory activity against oral pathogens and α-glucosidase. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SMFM2016-RK was chosen as the probiotic due to its beneficial characteristics such as high acid and bile tolerance, antioxidant activity, and α-glucosidase inhibition. Based on the minimal bactericidal concentration against three oral pathogens, the following appropriate concentrations of Artemisia herba-alba extract were added to milk: 5 mg/mL of A. herba-alba ethanol extract and 25 mg/mL of A. herba-alba hot-water extract. Four bioconverted milks (BM), BM1, BM2, BM3, and BM4, were produced by combining L. plantarum SMFM2016-RK alone, L. plantarum SMFM2016-RK and ethanol extract, L. plantarum SMFM2016-RK and hot-water extract, and L. plantarum SMFM2016-RK with both extracts. As a result of antimicrobial activity, BM3 inhibited the growth of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis the most, and BM4 suppressed the growth of Fusobacterium nucleatum the most. In addition, bioconverted milk containing A. herba-alba (BM2, BM3, and BM4) inhibited α-glucosidase more effectively than BM1. In conclusion, A. herba-alba-added milk bioconverted by L. plantarum SMFM2016-RK displayed the growth inhibitory effect on oral pathogens and the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, thus it necessitates to evaluate the effects on the alleviation of oral diseases and glycemic control through future animal experiments.

The dynamics of a spherical particle in an asymmetric serpentine is studied by finite element method (FEM) simulations in a physically unconstrained system. The two-way coupled time dependent solutions illustrate the path of the particle along a curve where a secondary flow (Dean flow) has developed. The simulated conditions were adjusted to match those of an experiment for which particles were focused under inertial focusing conditions. The obtained rotational modes allowed to infer the influence of the local flow around the particle. We propose a new approach to find the decoupled secondary flow contribution employing a quasi-Stokes flow.

Alpha emitters like plutonium pose severe health risks when ingested, damaging DNA and potentially causing cancer. Traditional detection methods require proximity within millimeters of the contamination source, presenting safety risks and operational inefficiencies. Long-range detection through alpha radioluminescence (RL) offers a promising alternative. However, most of the previous experiments have been carried out under controlled conditions that preclude the overwhelming effect of ambient light. This study demonstrates successful detection of a 3 MBq alpha emitter in an open environment using a newly developed, lightweight compact alpha camera. This camera incorporates a deep-cooled CCD and a specially designed lens system with a low f-number to maximum the signal intensity. The lens was also designed to minimize blue shift effects of filters. Nighttime imaging was achieved with a dual-filter system using a sandwich filters assembly centered at 337 nm and 343 nm for capturing alpha RL and subtracting background light, respectively. At night, the alpha source was detected from 1 meter away within one minute. The system was also evaluated under simulated urban lighting conditions. For daytime imaging, a stack of tilted 276 nm short pass filters minimized sunlight interference, enabling clear detection of the alpha source at 70 cm within 10 minutes under indirect sunlight. This research not only underscores the viability of long-range optical detection of alpha emitters for environmental monitoring and scientific research but also highlights its ability to enhance nuclear safety and public health in real-world settings.

This study aimed to evaluate the biological activities of two Allium species (Garlic and onion) as well as diallyl disulphide (DADS) and dipropyl disulphide (DPDS) as their representative bioactive compounds in a multi-assay experimental design. The genotoxic, antigenotoxic and lifespan effects of garlic, onion, DADS and DPDS were checked in Drosophila melanogaster and their cytotoxic, pro-apoptotic and DNA-clastogenic activities were analysed using HL60 tumoral cells. All compounds were non-genotoxic and antigenotoxic against H2O2-induced DNA damage with a positive dose-response effect and different inhibition percentages (the highest value: 95% for DADS) at all tested concentrations. Daily intake of Allium vegetables, DADS or DPDS had no positive effects on flies’ lifespan and healthspan. Garlic and DADS exerted the highest cytotoxic effects in a positive dose-dependent manner. Garlic and DADS exerted a DNA-internucleosomal fragmentation as an index of induced proapoptotic activity on HL60 cells. Allium vegetables and DADS were able to induce clastogenic strand breaks in the DNA of HL60 cells. This study showed the genomic safety of the assayed substances and their protective genetic effects against the hydrogen peroxide genotoxine. Long-term treatments during the whole life of Drosophila genetic model were beneficial only at low-median concentrations. The chemopreventive activity of garlic could be associated to its distinctive organosulphur DADS. We suggest that supplementary studies are needed to clarify the cell death pathway against garlic and DADS.

Hippophae is a tree species with ecological, economic and social benefits. In this study, we assembled and annotated chloroplast genomes of sympatric Hippophae gyantsensis and H. rhamnoides subsp. yunnanensis. Their full-length are 155260 and 156415 bp, respectively. Each of them has 131 genes, comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes and 38 transfer RNA genes. After comparing the chloroplast genomes, we found 1302 base difference loci, and 63.29% are located in the intergenic region or intron sequences and 36.71% are located in the coding sequences. The SSC region has the highest mutation rate, followed by the LSC region; the IR regions have the lowest mutation rate. Among the protein-coding genes, three had a ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks) >1 (but P values were non-significant) and 66 had Ka/Ks <1 (46 were significant). In general, the chloroplast protein-coding genes may be subject to purification selection. Among H. gyantsensis and H. rhamnoides subsp. yunnanensis chloroplast protein-coding genes, there are 20 and 16 optimal codons, respectively. Most of the optimal codons were ending with A or U, which indicates significant AT preference. It is an important reference for studies on the general characteristics and evolution of the Hippophae chloroplast genome.

Motivated by the importance of entanglement and correlation indicators in the analysis of quantum systems, we study the equilibrium and the residual entropy in a two-species Bose Hubbard dimer when the spatial phase separation of the two species takes place. We consider both the zero and non-zero-temperature regime. We present different kinds of residual entropies (each one associated to a different way of partitioning the system), and we show that they strictly depend on the specific quantum phase characterizing the two species (supermixed, mixed or demixed) even at finite temperature. To provide a deeper physical insight into the zero-temperature scenario, we apply the fully-analytical variational approach based on su(2) coherent states and provide a considerbly good approximation of the entanglement entropy. Finally, we show that the effectiveness of residual entropy as a critical indicator at non-zero temperature is unchanged when considering a restricted combination of energy eigenstates.

Globalization, knowledge economy, information technology advancements, and the rise of learning societies contribute to the concept of a learning city. The study examines the economic indicators of Yazd city, Iran, in the context of learning city development. A descriptive-analytical approach with a survey method and cluster sampling was employed. Data analysis involved Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, single-sample T-test, simple linear regression, and Kendall's W test. The normality test confirmed data normality. The T-test indicated that experts perceived the current state of most variables in Yazd as undesirable. Regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between the economic index and independent variables. Kendall's W test prioritized areas based on economic indicators, with the top 7 and bottom 5 areas identified for focused interventions. The study emphasizes the need to prioritize areas within Yazd based on their economic indicators. This prioritization informs strategies for enhancing social and legal aspects of Yazd's transformation into a learning city. Further research should explore effective methods to cultivate a full-fledged learning environment in the city.

This study analyses regional development in one of the poorest provinces in China, Guizhou Province, between 2000 and 2012 using a multiscale and multi-mechanism framework. In general, regional inequality has been declining since 2000. In addition, economic development in Guizhou Province presented spatial agglomeration and club convergence, which shows how the development pattern of one core area, two-wing areas and a contiguous area at the edge of the province have been developed between 2006 and 2012. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that industrialization and investment level were the primary driving forces of regional economic disparity in Guizhou Province. The influences of marketization and decentralization on regional economic disparity were relatively weak. Investment level reinforced regional economic disparity and the development of core-periphery structure in the province. However, investment level actually weakened the regional economic disparity in Guizhou Province when the variable of time was considered. In addition, both the topography and urban–rural differentiation were the two main reasons for forming a core-periphery structure in Guizhou Province.

Direct Energy Deposition (DED) is a versatile and efficient method in metal additive manufacturing. However, humping, caused by abnormal dynamics in the melt pool (MP), poses a significant threat to the geometric integrity of manufactured products. Current state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods primarily detect humping by analyzing late-stage spatial abnormalities, such as MP detachment. This approach is fundamentally reactive, leading to a tendency to miss early humping spatiotemporal dynamics, like cyclic elongation of the MP. This study introduces a novel, proactive indicator named VIMPS (Variability of Instantaneous MP Solidification-Front Speed), a physics-based tool designed to quantify early abnormal fluctuations in MP solidification speed. The experiments demonstrate VIMPS correlation with humping-induced geometric inaccuracies. By capturing early spatiotemporal dynamics of the MP, VIMPS reduces detection latency by 30 seconds compared to existing SOTAs that focus solely on spatial abnormalities. This significant improvement transforms detection from reactive to proactive, providing the time needed for corrective actions to enhance the overall productivity and quality of the DED process.

Often, in biology, we are faced with the problem of exploring relevant unknown biological hypotheses in the form of myriads of combination of factors that might be affecting the pathway under certain conditions. For example, Brancati et al.1 observe that mutations in poliovirus receptor related protein 4 (PVRL4), encoding cell adhesion molecule nectin-4, causes Ectodermal dysplasia-syndactyly syndrome. Interaction with cad- herins also implies an influence of nectin-4 on Wnt signaling, which plays a relevant role in limb development (Brancati et al.1). However, not much work has been done to explore the relation of Wnts and PVR family. In CRC cells treated with ETC-1922159, both were found up regulated. In a recent unpublished work in Open Science Framework, Sinha2, we had the opportunity to rank these unknown biological hypotheses for both up and down regulated genes at 2nd order level after drug administration. The search engine alloted high nu- merical valued rankings to some combinations of PVR-WNT, thus indicating a possibility of high combinatorial synergy also. The in-silico derived influences can be represented graphically as - PVR w.r.t WNT with PVR <- WNT9A; and WNT w.r.t PVR with WNT-7B/9A <- PVR and WNT4 <- PVRL2; In the light of the recent findings of PVR with IFN (interferon) and the known interactions between IFN and Wnts, there might be a possibilty to explore the bridge of PVR, IFN and WNTs. The 3 fold (PVR - IFN; IFN - WNT; WNT - PVR), 2 way cross family analysis might shed light on the possible combinations that might be of import. Here, we present a 2-way cross family analysis of multiple, such in-silico ranked 2nd order synergistic combinations, after ETC-1922159 treatment of CRC cells. Via this 2-way cross family analysis, we are able to discover through majority voting, the combinations that might of interest to biologists and also derive plausible influences of components of combinations among themselves. Note that these form biological hypotheses which indicate whether a particular combination and the direction of influence within the combination, exist synergistically in CRC cells. Wet lab tests will indicate the veracity of these combinations and if proven true, will lead to further study of mechanism between the components.

Densely urbanized areas, with a low percentage of green vegetation, are highly exposed to Heat Waves (HW) which nowadays are increasing in terms of frequency and intensity also in the middle-latitude regions, due to ongoing Climate Change (CC). Their negative effects may combine with those of the UHI (Urban Heat Island), a local phenomenon where air temperatures in the compact built up cores of towns increase more than those in the surrounding rural areas, with significant impact on the quality of urban environment, on citizens health and energy consumption and transport, as it has occurred in the summer of 2003 on France and Italian central-northern areas. In this context this work aims at designing and developing a methodology based on aero-spatial remote sensing (EO) at medium-high resolution and most recent GIS techniques, for the extensive characterization of the urban fabric response to these climatic impacts related to the temperature within the general framework of supporting local and national strategies and policies of adaptation to CC. Due to its extension and variety of built-up typologies, the municipality of Rome was selected as test area for the methodology development and validation. First of all, we started by operating through photointerpretation of cartography at detailed scale (CTR 1: 5000) on a reference area consisting of a transect of about 5x20 km, extending from the downtown to the suburbs and including all the built-up classes of interest. The reference built-up vulnerability classes found inside the transect were then exploited as training areas to classify the entire territory of Rome municipality. To this end, the satellite EO HR (High Resolution) multispectral data, provided by the Landsat sensors were used within a on purpose developed "supervised" classification procedure, based on data mining and “object-classification” techniques. The classification results were then exploited for implementing a calibration method, based on a typical UHI temperature distribution, derived from MODIS satellite sensor LST (Land Surface Temperature) data of the summer 2003, to obtain an analytical expression of the vulnerability model, previously introduced on a semi-empirical basis.

Purpose: Investigation for the co-occurrence of two unrelated genetic disorders of muscular dystrophy and Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) (OMIM # 176270) using joint whole genome sequencing (WGS). Methods: Trio WGS joint analysis was performed to investigate the genetic etiology in a proband with PWS, prolonged muscular hypotonia associated hyperCKemia, and early-onset obesity. The parents were unaffected. Results: Results showed maternal isodisomy uniparental disomy (UPD) in chromosome 15 expanding from 15q11.2 to 15q22.2, including PWS regions at 15q11.2-15q13. Maternal heterodisomy was detected from 15q22.2 to 15q26.3. A pathogenic variant, NM_000070.3(CAPN3):c.550del (p.Thr184fs), was identified at 15q15.1 in a heterozygous state in the mother that was homozygous in the proband due to maternal isodisomy. Conclusion: This is the first study of the concurrent molecular etiology of PWS and calpainopathy (OMIM # 253600) in the same patient. This report highlights the utility of joint analysis and need for the assessment of autosomal recessive disease in regions of isodisomy in patients with complex and unexplained phenotype.

The pollution of the bays in Abidjan is a major concern for the Ivorian policy makers. In fact, the pollution of the bays induce high costs to the society while impacting population health dramatically. As a result, pollution reduction management of production activities has been undertaken in the Cocody Bay area. To our knowledge, no study has yet proposed a model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these pollution management strategies. A cost-effectiveness model, based on Monte Carlo simulation, was developed to assess the economic and environmental impacts of various scenarios characterized by a set of production practices, both in the short term and in the long term. The authors discuss the steps and input parameters of the model presented. The proposed model may serve as the basis for identifying an optimal production scenario defined as the scenario with the best incremental cost-effectiveness ratio considering a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold. The WTP, to be estimated based on the gross domestic product of Côte d’Ivoire, represents the opportunity costs associated with selecting the optimal scenario. The current framework can also be applied to other settings facing similar challenge.

Phylogenetic tree analysis is commonly used to understand the evolutionary distance between different species or strains of the same species. This work originally aimed to gain an understanding and visual depiction of the evolutionary distance in 23S rRNA gene of different Helicobacter pylori strains. Using an in-house MATLAB multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis software, the phylogenetic tree constructed for 23S rRNA gene reveals two major lineages with further subdivisions in each cluster. This suggests two major evolutionary forces driving the evolution of the 23S rRNA gene. In comparison, there is relatively short evolutionary distance in the 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic tree of H. pylori, suggesting lack of major evolutionary forces driving mutational changes of the gene. Overall, the data suggests that the large ribosome subunit which houses the 23S rRNA of H. pylori is undergoing significant conformational changes that may be a response to the frequent use of various antibiotics that target the ribosome of H. pylori.

Background and Objectives: Renal cell carcinomas and upper tract urothelial carcinomas are types of malignancies that originate in the kidneys. Each of these examples shows an increasing trend in the frequency and the mortality rate. This study aims to comprehensively define carcinomas by analysing clinical, paraclinical, and histological aspects to predict aggressiveness and mortality. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective investigation on a group of patients suspected with kidney cancers. Results: We identified 188 cases. We observed a higher mortality rate and older age in individuals with urothelial carcinomas. Anemia, acute kidney injury, hematuria and perineural invasion were the main risk factors that predicted their mortality. Tumour size in renal cell carcinomas correlates with the presence of necrosis and sarcomatoid areas. Factors that indicate a higher rate of death are older age, exceeding of the renal capsule, the lesion that includes the entire kidney, lymphovascular invasion, acute kidney injury, and anemia. Conclusions: Even if they originate at the renal level, and the clinical-paraclinical picture is similar, the histopathological characteristics make the difference. In addition, to these are added the previously mentioned common parameters that can represent important prognostic factors. In conclusion, the characteristics commonly identified in one type of cancer may act as risk factors for the other tumor. The detected data include threshold values and risk factors, making a significant contribution to the existing literature.

Global attention to climate change has surged since the advent of the Paris Agreement, intensifying the importance of measuring and managing carbon productivity indicators on a national level. Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the reliability of such measurements because of inherent discrepancies in implementing and operating national-level carbon productivity indicators, coupled with their inherent uncertainty. This study proposes a multiple regression model to address these issues aimed at refining national-level carbon productivity indicators metrics, accounting for factors such as the gross domestic product and total greenhouse gas emissions by sectors. The objective was to offer insights into enhancing and effectively utilizing current indicators, enabling a more nuanced interpretation of the variation in the carbon productivity indicators across diverse industrial landscapes. This study showed that adjustments of the carbon productivity metrics reflect disparities in emissions across industrial structures, with countries characterized by high emissions from non-service industries showing improving trends. In addition, this paper proposes an auxiliary indicator estimating method for carbon productivity, emphasizing its utility in interpreting productivity indicators within the context of varying industrial compositions across OECD countries. This study underscores the inadequacies of the current national productivity estimating method, pinpointing areas requiring refinement. Specifically, the method for estimating the auxiliary indicator for carbon productivity guarantees enhanced rationality when integrated with current methodologies. Moreover, by elucidating the nuances of industrial structures, this study advocates for more sophisticated approaches to interpreting and managing the productivity indicators tailored to each unique economic landscape of each country. Nevertheless, the limitations stemming from data availability underscore the need for further research, particularly in refining the national-level carbon resource productivity indicators analyses and exploring the thematic productivity variations in greater depth. By addressing these gaps, future studies will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of national-level carbon resource productivity indicators dynamics and reveal targeted strategies for sustainable development.

This scientific paper presents a comprehensive investigation into transient Fourier analysis in some electrical engineering applications. The article deals with two effective approaches for solving transient analysis whose application is rather novel. The first contribution uses combined the Fourier series analytic Laplace-Carson (L­C) transform methods in the complex domain using complex time vectors, thereby significantly simplifying the calculation of the original function. As the inverse transform goes back into the time domain, it employs the Cauchy-Heaviside (C­H) method. The second contribution uses the Fourier transform (F­Τ)for transient analysis of a power converter electrical circuit with the passive and the active load. The method of complex conjugated amplitudes is used for steady-state analysis. Both contributions represent a new approach to this paper. The starting point is the Fourier series/expansions, computation of the Fourier coefficients, then continuing by solving the steady and transient states of the system and confirming the transient states using the Fourier transform. To validate our findings, the worked-out analytical results are verified by modelling in Matlab/Simulink environment.

In this paper, the transmutation operator method is used to construct an exact solution to the initial boundary value problem for the equation of multidimensional free transverse vibration of a thin elastic plate with a singular Bessel operator acting on geometric variables. We emphasize that multidimensional Erdélyi–Kober operators of fractional order have the property of a transmutation operator, allowing one to transform more complex multidimensional partial differential equations with singular coefficients acting over all variables into simpler ones. If formulas for solutions are known for a simple equation, then we also obtain representations for solutions to the first complex partial differential equation with singular coefficients. In particular, it is successfully applied to the singular differential equations, especially with Bessel-type operators. Using this operator, the considered problem is reduced to a similar problem without the Bessel operator. Based on the solution to the auxiliary problem, an exact solution to the original problem is constructed and analyzed.

Two new species of free-living nematode, Metachromadora parobscura sp. nov. and Molgolaimus longicaudatus sp. nov., from mangrove wetlands of Beihai, Guangxi province in China, are described. Metachromadora parobscura sp. nov. is characterized by eight longitudinal rows of somatic setae arranged from the posterior part of the body, loop-shaped amphidial foveae with an open top and double contours, pharynx with bipartite cuticularized internal cavity, spicules with well-developed capitulum, gubernaculum extended ventrally to support spicule, 6-8 precloacal tubular supplements, and short, conical tail with two protuberances. Molgolaimus longicaudatus sp. nov. is characterized by short cephalic setae, relatively small amphidial fovea, ventrally bent spicules with pronounced hamose curved proximal terminus, two undulate precloacal supplements, and relatively long conico-cylindrical tail. Nearly full-length SSU sequences of the two species were provided, and phylogenetic tree based on maximum likelihood analyses supported the taxonomic position of the two new species. Combined use of traditional morphology-based taxonomy and molecular technology would be a good choice for identification of free-living nematodes.

In this study we investigated the potential of two non-edible oil extracts from seeds of Colliguaya Integerrima (CIO) and Colliguaja Salicifolia (CSO) to use as a renewable source for polyols and eventually polyurethane foams or biodiesel. For this purpose, two novel polyols from the aforementioned oils were obtained in a one-single step reaction using a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. The polyol derivatives obtained from the two studied oils were characterized by spectral (FT-IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR), physico-chemical (e.g. chromatographic analysis, acid value, oxidizability values, iodine value, peroxide value, saponification number, kinematic viscosity, theorical molecular weights, density, hydroxyl number and hydroxyl functionality) and thermal (TGA) analyses according to standard methods. Physico-chemical results revealed that all parameters, with the exception of the iodine value, were higher for bio-polyols (CSP and CIP polyols) compared to the starting oils. The NMR, TGA and FT-IR analyses demonstrated the formation of polyols. Finally, the OH functionality values for CIP and CSP polyols were 4.50 and 5.00, respectively. This result indicated the possible used of CIP and CSP polyols as a raw material for the preparation of polyurethane rigid foams.

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

Hyaluronic acid, in the form of a gel or viscoelastic colloidal solution, is currently used for viscosupplementation of joints affected by osteoarthritis, but its effectiveness is under debate in relation to newer alternatives. Based on meta-analytical arguments, the present article reinforces the opinion that there are still no decisive arguments for its complete replacement, but for its use adapted to the peculiarities of the disease manifestation and of the patients. A “broad” comparison is first made with almost all alternatives studied in the last decade, and then a meta-regression study is performed to compare and predict the effect size induced by viscosupplementation and platelet-rich plasma therapies. If they are computerized, the developed models can represent tools for clinicians in determining the appropriateness of the option or not for viscosupplementation, in a manner adapted to the pain felt by the patients, to their age, or to other clinical circumstances. The models were generated using the latest algorithms for meta-analysis and meta-regression implemented in the R language and assembled in different R packages. All primary data and necessary R scripts are provided in accordance with the philosophy of reproducible research. Finally, HA-based products, currently under circumspection, are still clinically useful.

Kiwifruit is a perennial horticultural crop species with high nutritional and economic value. However, various pathogens stress brings a serious threat to kiwifruit. Pentatricopeptide repeat proteins (PPRs) are characterized by tandem repetitions of 35 amino acid motifs, and have been found to function in plant RNA editing. However, the roles of PPRs in plant development and disease resistance remain unclear. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification and characterization of PPR gene family in two kiwifruit species (Actinidia chinensis (Ach), and Actinidia eriantha (Ace)) with markedly different disease resistance. A total of 497 and 499 PPRs were identified in Ach and Ace, respectively. All the kiwifruit PPRs could be phylogenetically divided into four subfamilies. There were about 40.68% PPRs predicted to be localized to mitochondria or chloroplasts. Synteny analysis showed that the expansion of kiwifruit PPRs mainly came from segmental duplication. Based on RNA-seq data from the fruit during 12 periods of development and maturity, weighted correlation network analysis suggested that two PPRs Actinidia20495.t1 and Actinidia15159.t1 were involved in the fruit development and maturation. In addition, we observed different gene expression of PPRs and chloroplast RNA editing profiles between resistant and susceptible kiwifruits after pathogen infection, indicating the roles of PPRs in stress response by modulating the editing extend of mRNA. The differentially expressed upstream transcription factors of PPRs were further identified, they may regulate resistance adaption by modulating the PPRs expression. These results provide a solid foundation for further analyses of the functions and molecular evolution of PPRs, in particular, for clarifying the resistance mechanisms in kiwifruits and breeding new cultivars with high resistance.

Background: Strong indicators of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), hypersensitive CRP (hs-CRP), and a series of hematological indices, including platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), hematocrit (HCT) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW), are regarded related with the incidence of contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) closely. Whereas, it remains unclear whether they can function as predictors of CIN onset. The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine the relationship between above indicators and CIN incidence among patients receiving coronary intervention. Methods: Clinical studies were retrieved from the electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Clinical Trials, and science direct from their inception to June 3rd, 2020. Meta-analysis was performed on pool eligible studies. Two reviewers screened all titles and abstracts and independently assessed all articles. Results: A total of 26 studies involving 29,454 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis results revealed that patients with higher CRP (odds ratio [OR]=1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.12, P=0.02), hs-CRP (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06, P=0.004), NLR (OR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.01–1.20, P=0.02), RDW (OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.19–1.53, P<0.00001), and lower HCT (OR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.92–0.97, P=0.0003) all exhibited significantly higher CIN rates, but there was no significant association between PLR and CIN risk (OR=1.12, 95% CI: 0.99–1.26, P=0.07). Conclusion: The meta-analysis reported here demonstrates that pre-angiography CRP/hs-CRP and some hematological indices are associated with CIN.

The concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) has gained prominence due to its substantial impact on a range of life outcomes, including academic performance. The present study aims to examine the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and academic accomplishment in the context of a school environment. Analyzing students' emotional skills and competencies makes it possible to uncover the potential of emotional intelligence (EI) in predicting their academic achievement. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of integrating emotional intelligence (EI) training within the educational curriculum. Developing students' emotional awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and social skills can yield notable academic benefits, cultivating an environment more favorable to learning. This systematic review examines the relationship between emotional intelligence and its impact on children and teachers by synthesizing several relevant research studies. This study encompasses a comprehensive review conducted from 2016 to 2023. A total of 64 publications were examined in this study, specifically chosen based on their relevance to the review's parameters. These articles were sourced from reputable academic databases, including Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed, and WoS. The study revealed a correlation between the five dimensions of personality and emotional intelligence, creativity, resilience, the educational framework, and specific experimental programs about its education. The results mentioned above are of great significance, as they demonstrate that emotional intelligence (EI) is not solely a non-essential skill but a vital factor in education that can provide significant perspectives for students, educators, and politicians.

Flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) motors have gained increasing attention in the electric vehicles (EVs) applications due to the advantages of high power density, high efficiency. However, the heat sources of both permanent magnet (PM) and armature winding are located on the limited stator space in the FSPM motors, which may result in the PM overheated and irreversible demagnetization caused by temperature rise and it is often ignored in the conventional thermal analysis. In this paper, a new electrical-thermal two-way coupling design method is proposed to analyze the electromagnetic performances, where the change of PM material characteristics under different temperatures is taken into consideration. Firstly, the motor topology and design equations are introduced. Secondly, the demagnetization curves of PM materials under different temperatures are modeled due to PM materials are sensitive to the temperature. And based on the electrical-thermal two-way coupling method, the motor performances are evaluated in details, such as the load PM flux linkage and output torque. Then, the motor is optimized, and the electromagnetic performances between initial and improved motors are compared. Finally, a prototype motor is manufactured, and the results are validated by experimental measurements.

Two new species of genus Piper L. from Madagascar: Piper malgassicum Papini, Palchetti, M. Gori & Rota Nodari and Piper tsarasotrae Papini, Palchetti, M. Gori & Rota Nodari, were analyzed to investigate their phylogenetic position and evolutionary history. Both plastidial and nuclear markers were used for sequencing. The plastidial markers (ndhF and trnL intron) showed a close relationship between the two species with respect to the other species of Piper. Both species appeared phylogenetically related to the African P. guineense and the Malagasian/Mascarenhas endemic P. borbonense. The nuclear marker (G3pdh) amplification produced two separate sets of sequences: “long” sequences and “short” sequences, characterized by some long deletions. Analyzing together the nuclear sequences, we observed that the “long” sequence of P. tsarasotrae had a stricter relationship to the African accessions of P. guineense, while the accession of P. malgassicum was more strictly related to P. borbonense. On the contrary both “short” sequences of P. malgassicum and P. tsaratsotrae resulted phylogenetically related to Asian accessions and more distantly related to the formerly cited species. This unexpected result was tentatively explained with a more ancient hybridization event between an ancestor of P. malgassicum and P. tsarasotrae (and possibly P. borbonense) and an Asian species of Piper. The Asian contribution would have produced the ancestors carrying the “short” sequences. A more recent hybridization event would have led to the separation of P. malgassicum from P. tsarasotrae with an African pollen-derived genome contribution from P. guineense or, more probably, an ancestor thereof, to an ancestor of P. tsarasotrae. The chromosome numbers of P. tsarasotrae (2n = about 38) and P. malgassicum (2n = about 46), were more similar to the Asian species than to the American species. Unfortunately, no chromosome number of the African species P. guineense is currently available, to compare the chromosomal numbers.

Introduction: The Get Active Questionnaire (GAQ), developed by the Canadian Society for Ex-ercise Professionals (CSEP) was recently recommended for pre-participation screening for the general population in Singapore before increasing exercise levels. This review examines the evi-dence behind the GAQ and relevance to our tropical environment. Methods: Searches were done via Pubmed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Resources referenced by the CSEP were hand-searched. The CSEP was also contacted for further information. Evidence behind each GAQ question was compared to inter-national literature and guidelines, where applicable. Results: Out of 273 studies, 49 were suitable for analysis. Two GAQ studies commissioned by the CSEP showed a high negative predictive value but high false negative rate. Of the nine GAQ questions, those on dizziness, joint pains and chronic diseases appear justified. Those on heart disease/stroke, hypertension, breathlessness and concussion require modification. That on syncope can be amalgamated into the dizziness question. The remaining question may be deleted. No long-term studies were available to validate use of the GAQ. Heat disorders were not considered in the GAQ. Conclusions: Modification of the GAQ, including inclusion of environmental factors, may make it more suitable for the general population and should be considered.

Living in extreme environments, marine organisms face constant exposure to a range of stressors, such as high radiation levels, fluctuations in temperature, and oxidative stress. Understanding extremophile fishes is crucial because it gives us valuable insights into the biochemical, physiological, and developmental processes that govern life, by observing how they operate under natural stressors. Among the most fascinating adaptations is the existence of specialised enzymes and compounds that function as potent antioxidants, successfully counteracting reactive oxygen species' deleterious effects. In this review, we analysed the findings from several studies on Antarctic and deep-sea fish species, while highlighting the environmental stressors effects toward the antioxidant system. The antioxidant defences of the considered extremophile fishes have been extensively studied, but there is still much to learn to fully understand this complex system, while the relative research is still ongoing. Consequently, we are properly anticipating further advancements over the next few years about our understanding of crucial physiological processes that support cell survival.

Effectively mapping and monitoring rubber plantation is still changing. Previous studies have explored the potential of phenology features for rubber plantation mapping through a pixel-based approach (pixel-based phenology approach). However, in fragmented mountainous Xishuangbanna, it could lead to noises and low accuracy of resultant maps. In this study, we investigated the capability of an integrated approach by combining phenology information with an object-based approach (object-based phenology approach) to map rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data were firstly used to acquire the temporal profile and phenological features of rubber plantations and natural forests, which delineates the time windows of defoliation and foliation phases. Landsat images were then used to extract a phenology algorithm comparing three different approaches: pixel-based phenology, object-based phenology, and extended object-based phenology to separate rubber plantations and natural forests. The results showed that the two object-based approaches achieved higher accuracy than the pixel-based approach, having overall accuracies of 96.4%, 97.4%, and 95.5%, respectively. This study proved the reliability of a phenology-based rubber mapping in fragmented landscapes with a distinct dry/cool season using Landsat images. This study indicated that the object-based phenology approaches can effectively improve the accuracy of the resultant maps in fragmented landscapes.

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

The recent global emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has accelerated research in several areas of science whose valuable outputs and findings can help to address future health challenges in the event of emerging infectious agents. We performed a multifocus shotgun analysis to compare differences in bacterial spectrum and viral presence through culture-independent RNA sequencing. We compared the microbiome of healthy people versus those with varying degrees of COVID-19 severity. We observed a significant increase in the diversity of microbial species in patients with COVID-19 regardless of disease severity. Some bacterial phyla, such as Actinobacteria, are significantly more abundant in healthy people than in infected people, whereas Bacteroides are less abundant in the latter. Infected people, regardless of severity and symptoms, have the same proportional representation of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteriales the same. In addition to SARS-CoV-2 and numerous phage groups, we identified sequences of clinically significant viruses such as Human Herpes Virus 1, Human Mastadenovirus D, Molluscum Contagiosum Virus, and Rhinovirus A in several samples. Analyses were performed retrospectively, therefore, in the case of SARS-CoV-2 various WHO variants such as Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2), Omicron (B.1.1.529), and 20C strains are represented. Additionally, the presence of specific virus strains has a certain effect on the distribution of individual microbial taxa.

In this paper, impulsive control on a single-species Markovian jumping ecosystem leads to a stability criterion, and the newly-obtained theorems improve the related existing results. Numerical examples illuminate the effectiveness.

A previous study involving whole genome sequencing of the white shark suggested unique molecular evolution accounting for gigantism and the enhanced longevity of sharks including positive selection of dozens of protein-coding genes potentially involved in genome stability. We performed a reanalysis on some of the genes and identified serious flaws in their results. In this short article, we scrutinize one of the serious problems we identified, report other concerns, and point out a potential bias in analyzing iconic shark species in general.

This study aimed to examine the chemical makeup and antioxidant properties of hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from Lonicera japonica Thunb. Thunb. (honeysuckle) flowers collected from two geographically distinct regions of Romania: a mountainous region (Făgăraș Mountainous, Brașov) and a coastal region (Black Sea, Constanța). Our research revealed that the extracts from these two regions differed significantly in terms of their total polyphenol, flavone, and phenolic carboxylic acid content, as well as their antioxidant activity. These results suggest that climatic factors play a crucial role in shaping the phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity of Lonicera japonica Thunb. Thunb. extracts. Therefore, these findings could potentially contribute to the development of standardized herbal preparations and nutraceutical products.

In this paper we describe a method which combines sentiment analysis with machine learning techniques and/or multivariate statistical analysis. By applying this methodology it is possible to classify a collection of texts into two or more groups or clusters. On the basis of a number of previously defined clusters, the novelty of the outlined approach is the use of the sentiment analysis results as input to the machine learning model or multivariate statistical analysis. Once the classifier has been obtained, we can assign a given text into one of the pre-established clusters. The groups or clusters can represent different time periods, classes of texts transcribed from different conversations, etc. The method is illustrated through an example taken from one of the two studies in which we have applied this methodology. In one of the studies, the method was used to classify press news of a volcanic eruption, while in the other study it was used to classify the conversations recorded between a chatbot with different kinds of speakers (humans or chatbots). This last study was the seminal work in which we introduced this methodology.

This paper concentrates on the general birth-death processes with two different types of catastrophes. The Laplace transform of transition probability function for birth-death processes with two-type catastrophes are is successfully expressed with the Laplace transform of transition probability function of the birth-death processes without catastrophe. The first effective catastrophe occurrence time is considered. The Laplace transform of its probability density function, expectation and variance are obtained.

According to data from the U.S FDA, the likelihood of a new drug progressing from Phase I clinical trials to market approval is only 8% (DiMasi et al., 2016). Furthermore, a significant attrition rate of 35% occurs during Phase II studies due to the failure to demonstrate clinical efficacy (Arrowsmith, 2011). These statistics underscore the urgent need to reassess the current research and development (R&D) paradigm. To address this challenge, a promising approach called reverse translational pharmacology (RTP) has emerged, aiming to enhance the predictive value of preclinical models used in biomedical research by leveraging animal models that spontaneously develop analogous diseases to humans (Schneider et al., 2018). The rationale behind RTP is that knowledge gained from clinical trials in canines can subsequently inform and guide human clinical trials, leading to improved outcomes for both species. Additionally, this approach capitalizes on the opportunity to stimulate veterinary drug development by leveraging pharmacokinetic (PK), efficacy, and safety data obtained from human clinical studies (Schneider et al., 2018). The application of reverse translational pharmacology holds immense potential for expediting drug development and advancing medical knowledge. By employing animal models that naturally develop diseases akin to those found in humans, researchers can enhance the predictive capacity of preclinical models, thereby mitigating the high attrition rates encountered in later stages of clinical trials. Moreover, the exchange of knowledge and data between human and veterinary medicine engenders a synergistic relationship, fostering progress in both domains (Schneider et al., 2018). As this innovative approach gains momentum, fostering collaborations between basic and clinician scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and veterinary professionals becomes increasingly imperative. By sharing resources, expertise, and findings, we can pave the way for groundbreaking discoveries and the development of safe and efficacious treatments for diverse diseases. Embracing reverse translational pharmacology offers an avenue to redefine the R&D paradigm, bringing us closer to a future where a higher proportion of drugs successfully traverse the arduous path from the laboratory to market approval, ultimately benefiting patients across species. In this brief commentary, we highlight four examples of diseases where reverse translational modeling has been used to support pharmaceutical research, including some applications developed in our research laboratory (SMART Pharmacology) at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. In doing so, this report also seeks to provide a brief overview of the heuristic value of computational approaches in comparative research. To further illustrate the value of these in silico approaches, we deliberately chose to employ some features of ChatGPT to produce the present summary (OpenAI. (2023). GPT-3.5 [ChatGPT]. Retrieved from https://openai.com).

Buttonweed (Cotula coronopifolia) is native to South Africa but invasive in wetlands in Europe, North America, and Australasia, where it excludes native plants. Despite being dry-fruited, field studies suggest migratory waterbirds can disperse its seeds via gut passage (endozoochory), aiding its expansion. To explore the potential for endozoochory in different regions and habitats, we collected seeds from six populations in Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Germination was tested under different salinity levels (0, 5, 10, 15 g/L) and simulated gut passage treatments: scarification, acidification, or both. No germination occurred at 15 g/L. Higher salinity reduced and delayed germination, but full gut passage treatment increased germinability and accelerated germination. Scarification or acid treatment alone resulted in intermediate germination patterns. There were significant salinity x population and gut passage x population interactions on germinability. The acceleration effect of gut passage on germination was stronger at 5-10 g/L than at 0 g/L. This study highlights how migratory birds can facilitate the spread of alien plants introduced by humans. Non-classical endozoochory by waterbirds is an understudied mechanism for the long-distance dispersal of dry-fruited alien plants. Further research on C. coronopifolia, including population genetics, is necessary to understand dispersal mechanisms and facilitate management strategies.

Earth observation satellites can capture images of specific areas in Earth's orbit based on user requirements. Despite the high demand for satellite imagery, satellites remain a scarce resource. When there are many observation tasks that are large and dense, they may interfere with each other due to satellite mobility. To address this issue, a multi-satellite scheduling algorithm based on a task merging mechanism has been proposed. This paper proposes a two-stage approach to the problem: task merging phase and merging task scheduling phase. The task merging phase introduces two methods based on Mean Shift and Complete Graph to generate the merging task set. In the merging task scheduling phase, a multi-satellite scheduling algorithm based on merging tasks is employed to solve the problem. Finally, certain measurement experiments suggest the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Sulfate, the main dissolved contaminant in acid mine drainage (AMD), is ubiquitous in watersheds affected by coal and metal mining operations worldwide. Engineered passive bioremediation systems (PBS) are low-cost technologies that remediate sulfate contamination by promoting (1) precipitation of sulfate-bearing compounds, such as schwertmannite and gypsum; and (2) microbially-mediated sulfate reduction (BSR) to sulfide with subsequent precipitation of sulfide minerals. In this study, chemical and sulfur isotopic data are used to infer multiple pathways for sulfate sequestration in the Tab-Simco PBS. By simultaneously monitoring sulfate concentrations and δ34SSO4 values at four sampling points across the PBS, we (1) identified that the organic layer within the bioreactor was the primary site of BSR processes contributing to sulfate sequestration; (2) observed seasonal variations of BSR processes; (3) estimated that initially the BSR processes contributed up to 30% to sulfate sequestration in the Tab-Simco bioreactor; and (4) determined that BSR contribution to sulfate sequestration continuously declined over the PBS operational lifetime. Together, our results highlight the utility of combining geochemical and microbial fingerprinting techniques to decipher complementary processes involved in sulfur cycling in a PBS as well as the value of adding the sulfur isotope approach as an essential tool to help understand, predict, prevent and mitigate sulfate contamination in AMD-impacted systems.

Leucobryum is a moss genus that exhibits various bioactivities. However, the identification of Leucobryum species with morphology alone remains difficult. Nowadays, chemical profile analysis provides additional tools for plant classification, especially in medicinal plants. This method uses chemical similarities to identify the differences among some plants, especially for the different varieties of the same species. The objective of this study was to obtain the chemical profiles and use chemometrics to identify selected Leucobryum species found in Thailand. Lipophilic extracts from 18 samples of five taxa were analyzed with TLC and HPLC. Cluster analysis and PCA were used to investigate the similarities of the chemical profiles. PERMANOVA was performed to determine the difference among taxa. The results showed that the TLC profile could separate only the genus of the sample, while HPLC chromatograms showed separation among the Leucobryum taxa and consistent patterns within the same species. In addition, the chemical profiles of Leucobryum species were separated at the species level in PCA. The PERMANOVA showed significantly different profiles among the species (P = 0.002). Therefore, this work illustrated the potential of chemometrics as supporting evidence for species delimitation in the moss genus Leucobryum.

Terrestrial orchid tubers are an important source of food in some parts of Africa and are traditionally included in the diets of most rural communities in Malawi. However, there is limited information on the nutritional and phytochemical content of the Malawian orchids to substantiate their traditional use. The present study evaluates the nutritional and phytochemical variation of four orchid species: Disa zombica, Satyrium buchananii, Satyrium carsonii, and Satyrium trinerve, collected from the same ecological zone of Malawi. The proximate content, minerals, phytochemicals, and functional properties were analysed using official procedures. Protein ranged from 2.19% to 4.65%, whereas carbohydrate ranged from 65.24% to 80.22%, with S. carsonii and S. trinerve registering the highest protein and carbohydrate contents, respectively. Iron and potassium were highest in D. zombica, while sodium and calcium were highest in S. buchananii. The total phenolics ranged from 228.56 to 500.00 mg GAE/100 g, with D. zombica registering the highest. The water absorption capacity ranged from 4.10 to 10.88 g/g. Albeit variable levels, the study provides evidence that orchid species contain essential nutrients and phytochemicals important for human nutrition and health. Furthermore, the functional properties can be utilised in the development of food products, such as baked products.

The inclusion of spent hemp biomass (SHB), an extracted byproduct from industrial cannabidiol (CBD) production, in the diets of dairy cows and lambs appear to be safe with minor effects on the metabolism, including a decrease of circulating cholesterol and increase bilirubinemia, both associated with liver metabolism. Those effects could be consequence of the presence of cannabinoids, particularly Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD in the SHB. This study aimed to study the transcriptional profile of the liver of dairy cows and lambs fed SHB. Dairy cows received SHB or alfalfa pellet for four weeks of intervention (IP) and four weeks of withdrawal periods (WP). Finishing lambs were fed a control diet (CON), 10% (LH2) or 20% (HH2) SHB for 2 months or 1 month followed by 1-month SHB withdrawal (LH1 and HH1, respectively). RNA sequencing was performed, and the mRNA was annotated using the latest reference genomes. The RNAseq data were filtered, normalized for library size and composition, and statistically analyzed by DESeq2. The bioinformatic analysis was performed by using DAVID, Gene Set Enrichment (GSE) analysis, and the Dynamic Impact Approach. Using a 0.2 FDR cut-off, we identified only ≤24 differentially expressed genes (DEG) in the liver by feeding SHB in dairy cows and a larger number of DEG in lambs (from 71 in HH1 vs. CON to 552 in LH1 vs. CON). The KEGG analysis demonstrated that feeding SHB in dairy cows and lambs had relatively minor to moderate metabolic alterations in dairy cows and lambs mainly associated with amino acids and lipid metabolism whereas cholesterol synthesis was overall activated in lambs. GSE analysis identified activation of PPAR signaling pathway only in dairy cows. We found an opposite effect on activation of metabolism of drug and xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 enzymes in dairy cows and lambs receiving less SHB but an inhibition in HH2 lambs. Immune system-related pathways were inhibited by feeding SHB in lambs, but the impact was minor. Cumulatively, inclusion of SHB containing cannabinoids in dairy and lambs demonstrate very little effects on the alteration of transcriptomic profile of the liver.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a global agricultural pest that poses a threat to crop production, characterized by its refractory polyphagous nature that makes it difficult to control and may lead to damage to woody plants. However, research on its adaptability to woody plants remains limited. This study compares the feeding adaptations (survival rate, pupation time, pupation rate, weight, length, and feeding volume), protective enzyme activities, and feeding preferences of S. frugiperda on leaves of six economically significant tree species (Areca catechu, Aquilaria sinensis, Cocos nucifera, Camellia oleifera, Dalbergia odorifera and Hevea brasiliensis) and maize as a control treatment. The results indicate that A. sinensis as the most vulnerable trees in high risk, H. brasiliensis and C. nucifera presented varying degrees of susceptibility, A. catechu, C. oleifera, and D. odorifera were unsuitability for S. frugiperda. In conclusion, this report extensively explores the feeding effects of S. frugiperda on six economically important tree species, and provides insights into the feeding preferences on these plants, thereby informing the potential threat posed by S. frugiperda to economically vital trees.

Brucellosis is a zoonoses caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, which causes economic losses in livestock and threatens public health. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Brucella species and risk factors in smallholder dairy cattle in six regions of Tanzania from July 2019 to October 2020. Dairy cattle (n=2048) were sampled from 1371 farms. DNA ex-tracted from blood and vaginal swabs was tested for Brucella using qPCR targeting the IS711 gene and positives were tested for the alkB marker for B. abortus and BMEI1172 marker for B. melitensis. The molecular prevalence was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.8-4.4) with the highest prevalence 8.1% (95%CI: 4.6-13.0) in Njombe region. B. melitensis was the predominant species detected (66.2%). Logistic regression revealed PCR positivity in dairy cattle was higher in the animals with a history of abortion (OR: 3.17, 95%CI: 1.05-9.62) and farms without dogs around (OR: 2.68, 95%CI: 1.12-5.90). Further studies are recommended to understand the source of B. melitensis and the implications to veterinary public health. Livestock keepers should be informed of the risks and biosecurity practices to reduce introduction and control Brucella. Cattle and small ruminant vaccination pro-grams could be implemented to control brucellosis in high-risk populations in the country.

The fast decoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC) is crucial for its future applications. In this paper, we propose to use Early Termination (ET) and Force Convergence (FC) techniques to accelerate the decoding of two new local/global two-phases decoding algorithms to reduce the Globally Coupled (GC) LDPC codes. Specifically, ET is applied in the local decoding phase of two- phases decoding of GC-LDPC codes to skip the local decoding which is highly likely to fail and avoid the unnecessary iterations. FC is applied in global decoding phase where converged variable nodes are identified and removed from Tanner graph and the decoding can be speed up shrinking parity check matrices. Two variants are proposed for the ET operation in local decoding phase. ET-1 merely stops iteration if it meets the stopping criterion while in ET-1, the iteration number saved in local decoding is added up in global decoding to improve the decoding performance. The simulation results show that the ET-1-FC scheme can save up to 42% decoding time complexity in the low SNR region while keeping the error rate performance nearly unchanged, the ET-2-FC can improve the error rate performance by 0.18dB at bit error rate 0.001 or 0.23dB at frame error rate 0.1. In the waterfalling region of BER/FER curves, both schemes can save about 25% decoding time complexity.

Apomictic plants (reproducing via asexual seeds), unlike sexual individuals, avoid meiosis and egg cell fertilization. Consequently, apomixis is very important for fixing maternal genotypes in the next plant generations. Despite the progress in the study of apomixis, molecular and genetic regulation of the latter remains poorly understood. So far APOLLO (Aspartate Glutamate Aspartate Aspartate histidine exonuclease) is one of the very few described genes associated with apomixis in Boechera species. The centromere-specific histone H3 variant encoded by CENH3 gene is essential for cell division. Mutations in CENH3 disrupt chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis since the attachment of spindle microtubules to a mutated form of the CENH3 histone fails. This paper presents in silico characteristic of APOLLO and CENH3 genes, which may affect apomixis. Also, we characterize the structure of CENH3, study expression levels of APOLLO and CENH3 in gynoecium/siliques of the natural diploid apomictic and sexual Boechera species at the stages of before and after fertilization. While CENH3 was a single copy gene in all Boechera species, the APOLLO gene have several polymorphic alleles associated with sexual and apomictic reproduction in the Boechera genera. Expression of the APOLLO apo-allele during meiosis was upregulated in gynoecium of apomict B. divaricarpa downregulating after meiosis until 4th day after pollination (DAP). On the 5th DAP, expression in apomictic siliques increased again. In sexual B. stricta gynoecium and siliques APOLLO apo-allele did not express. Expression of the APOLLO sex-allele during and after meiosis in gynoecium of sexual plants was several times higher than that in apomictic gynoecium. However, after pollination the sex-allele was downregulated in sexual siliques to the level of apomicts and increased sharply on the 5th DAP, while in apomictic siliques it almost did not express. At the meiotic stage, the expression level of CENH3 in the gynoecium of apomicts was two times lower than that of the sexual Boechera, decreasing in both species after meiosis and keep remaining very low in siliques of both species for several days after artificial pollination until the 4th DAP, when the expression level raised in sexual B. stricta siliques exceeding 5 times the level in apomictic B. divaricarpa siliques. We also discuss polymorphism and phylogeny of the APOLLO and CENH3 genes.

The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) includes socioeconomically important pathogens that cause disease and/or mycotoxin contamination on numerous crops. Here, we used comparative genomics to elucidate processes underlying the ability of pine-associated and grass-associated FFSC species to colonize tissues of their respective plant hosts. We characterized the identity, possible functions, evolutionary origins, and chromosomal positions of the host-range-associated genes encoded by the two groups of fungi. The 72 and 47 genes identified as unique to the respective genome groups were potentially involved in diverse processes, ranging from transcription, regulation, and substrate transport, through to virulence/pathogenicity. Most emerged early during the evolution of Fusarium/FFSC and were subsequently retained only in some lineages, while some had origins outside Fusarium. Although differences in the densities of these genes were especially noticeable on the conditionally dispensable chromosome of F. temperatum (representing the grass-associates) and F. circinatum (representing the pine-associates), the host-range-associated genes tended to be located towards the subtelomeric regions of chromosomes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that multiple mechanisms drive the emergence of genes in grass- and pine-associated FFSC taxa examined and highlighted the diversity of molecular processes potentially underlying niche-specificity in these and other Fusarium species.

The study of trophic relationships among closely related species plays an important role in deepening our understanding of the resource utilization characteristics, differentiation patterns, and population dynamics of co-occurring species in the same habitat. This research uses two congeneric fish species, Pennahia pawak and Pennahia anea, as examples. Based on stomach content analysis and carbon-nitrogen stable isotope analysis, a comparative analysis of their feeding habits and trophic niches is conducted. Additionally, spatial niche analysis is employed to explore the coexistence and competitive mechanisms between these two closely related fish species. The results showed that both P. pawak and P. anea had similar feeding habits, mainly feeding on Pisces and Macrura, but there were some feeding preferences between the two species. Interspecific prey overlap was meaningful but not significant, with an overlap coefficient of 0.56. There were significant differences in feeding habits between the two species during different seasons. Based on stable isotope analyses, body length of both species had a significant positive correlation with δ15N (Pearson r=0.65, P&lt;0.01; Pearson r=0.44, P&lt;0.01), but not with δ13C (P&gt;0.05). Standard ellipse corrected area (SEAc) of P. pawak and P. anea were 0.65 and 1.16, while the trophic niche overlap was only 0.29, which was not significant; the spatial niche width of the two was 1.19 and 0.58, respectively, and the spatial niche overlap was only 0.20, which was not significant. Intra-species competition was intense in P. pawak and P. anea, but reduced feeding specialization had a mitigating effect on intra-species competition. Interspecific competition was present but not significant, and was mitigated by trophic and spatial niche differentiation.

Fossil body parts of the two cold-adapted ground beetle species, Elaphrus lapponicus and Diacheila polita, were found from a deposit dated in the late Last Glacial period in Hokkaido, Japan. The paleoenvironment was estimated from their modern distribution and habitat, along with the results of the paleobotanical studies at the site. The temperature was at least 6 degrees lower than modern in summer, and the area around the site was mostly covered with forest tundra, which can currently be seen in areas further north of Hokkaido.

Two monophyletic Daphnia species (Daphnia magna and D. similis) were exposed to a sub-lethal concentration of Pb (50 µg/L) for nine generations under two food regimes (usual and restricted) and analysed for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, hatching delay and lifespan, and Net Reproductive Rate (R0) at subcellular, individual and population levels, respectively. At the sixth generation, Pb acclimated neonates were moved to a clean media for three more generations to check for recovery. D. magna showed no Pb effect on Net Reproductive Rate (R0). However, Pb stimulated reproduction, reduced lifespan and decreased AChE activity. Hatching delay and lifespan did not improve during the recovery process, indicating genetic adaptation. Food restriction reduced R0, lifespan, delayed hatching, and increased AChE activity; opposite outcomes were shown for D. similis. Full recovery shown by R0 suggests a physiological acclimation of D. similis. Under food restriction, the animals exhibited a reduction of R0 and lifespan, delayed hatching and increased AChE activity; however, with no Pb effect. The recovery process under food restriction showed that D. similis might not cope with Pb exposure, indicating failed recovery. Such outcomes indicate that a model species' sensitivity may not represent another's sensitivity.

Supplementation with 200% of the recommended daily dietary quantity of copper modified vascular contraction and relaxation through increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prostaglandin formation, which modified the antioxidant status of middle–aged rats. In this study, young (1 month old) male Wistar rats (n/group = 10) received a diet supplemented with 6.45 mg copper/kg (100%—Group A) for 8 weeks. The experimental group received 12.9 mg copper/kg of diet (200%—Group B). Experimental supplementation with 200% copper increased the copper concentration in the blood, liver, and kidneys; increased the ROS concentration in the aortic rings; and enhanced the sensitivity of the aortic rings to acetylcholine. We observed increased participation of nitric oxide (NO) derived from inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in vascular contraction and a decreased net effect of vasodilator prostanoids derived from cyclooxygenase–2 (COX–2) in vascular relaxation. Supplementation with 200% copper was less significant than expected after previous studies conducted with middle–aged rats.

A PLS-based quality prediction method is proposed for batch processes using two-dimensional extended windows. To realize the adoption of information in the direction of sampling time and batch, a new definition region of support (ROS), k-i-back-extended region of support (KIBROS), is proposed to establish the extended window, which including the data of the previous sampling times in the same batch, the data of the same sampling time in the historical batches, the data of the previous sampling times in the historical batches and the data of the later sampling times in the historical batches. According to these regions of support, extended windows are established, and different models are proposed based on the extended windows for batch processes quality prediction. Further, using a typical batch process as an example, the injection molding process, the proposed quality prediction method is experimentally verified, proving that the proposed methods have higher prediction accuracy than the traditional method and the prediction stability is also improved.

Background and Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the SII index and the micro-macro complications and death that develop in the first year and the following 3 years, following the calculation of the index in type 2 diabetic retinopathy patients. Materials and Methods: This study was performed retrospectively with 523 type 2 diabetic retinopathy patients admitted to the endocrinology outpatient clinic of our hospital between January 2019 and December 2019. The demographic, and clinical characteristics of the patients were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Shapiro-Wilk test was used for the normal distribution of quantitative data; Mann-Whitney U, Mc Nemar Chi-square, and Cochran's Q tests were used to analyze SII values between groups and complication rates by years; sensitivity and specificity were determined by ROC analysis and considered statistically significant with a significance level of P

Recent research has highlighted associations between sleep and microbial taxa and pathways. However, the causal effect of these associations remains unknown. To investigate this, we performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using summary statistics of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from 412 gut microbiome traits (N = 7,738) and GWAS studies from seven sleep-associated traits (N = 345,552 to 386577). We employed multiple MR methods to assess causality, with Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We further applied Cochran’s Q statistical analysis, MR-Egger intercept, and MR-PRESSO for heterogeneity and pleiotropy assessment, alongside a Bonferroni correction ((P

In the recent decades, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have garnered widespread public attention due to their persistence in the environment and detrimental effects on the health of living organisms, spurring the generation of several transcriptome-centered investigations to understand the biological basis of their mechanism. In this study, we collected 2144 publicly available samples from 7 distinct animal species to examine the molecular responses to PFAS exposure and to determine if there are conserved responses. Our comparative transcriptional analysis revealed that exposure to PFAS is conserved across different tissues, molecules and species. We identified and reported several genes exhibiting consistent and evolutionarily conserved transcriptional response to PFAS, such as ESR1, HADHA and ID1, as well as several pathways including lipid metabolism, immune response and hormone pathways. This study provides the first evidence that distinct PFAS molecules induce comparable transcriptional changes and affect the same metabolic processes across inter-species borders. Our findings have significant implications for understanding the impact of PFAS exposure on living organisms and the environment. We believe that this study offers a novel perspective on the molecular responses to PFAS exposure and provides a foundation for future research into developing strategies for mitigating the detrimental effects of these substances in the ecosystem.